Inaugural Ajax Mayor’s Cricket Festival aims to promote the sport
Reka Szekely
For local residents who don’t know a wicket from a pitch, an Ajax cricket festival is just the place to learn about a sport that’s played in more than 100 countries. The Corporate Canada Cricket Club is hosting the inaugural Ajax Mayor’s Cricket Festival on July 30 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Ajax Cricket Club, 615 Monarch Ave. This will be the third such festival in the GTA.
“We started it in Mississauga and Brampton in 2010 and we have a few players who live in the Durham Region in general and in the Ajax community in particular and they asked do you want do an event in Ajax,” said Fasih Masood, founder and chairman of the Corporate Canada Cricket Club.

The festival includes exhibition matches involving the U13 and U15 members of the Durham Cricket Academy as well as matches between corporate teams including Loblaws, BMO and CIBC.

There will be face painting and inflatable rides for kids and event partners from the Heart and Stroke Foundation and from the Cancer Society will be on hand to share information with the community.

Mr. Masood said it’s a great opportunity for people who are unfamiliar with the game of cricket to check it out and perhaps get some tips from coaches.

“Certainly the goal of it is creating awareness of the sport of cricket, it’s the second fastest growing sport in the Greater Toronto Area after soccer,” he said.

But Mr. Masood explains cricket isn’t new to Canada. First prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald declared it Canada’s national sport. These days, newcomers from South Asia and the West Indies are bringing their love of cricket to Canada and increasing its popularity.

As it stands, there are constraints in Canada; chief among them is the weather, said Mr. Masood. Generally players here only play for about 16 weeks. But there’s also a lack of cricket facilities in many communities.

“In the whole Durham Region, there’s only one cricket field, in Ajax,” said Mr. Masood.

But he’s hoping events like the inaugural Ajax Mayor’s Cricket Festival will change that. Mr. Masood said there’s lots to love about the internationally popular sport.

“Like any team sport, it’s team building and there’s leadership quality and obviously there’s an element of strategizing and tactical play,” he said.

It’s also a great activity for people looking to stay healthy and fit.

The festival is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit www.corporatecricket.ca.