The CIBC Trophy came to the City of Markham in the York Region for the first time on Wednesday as the CIMA Mayor’s Schools cricket competition branched out from the City of Toronto into the Greater Toronto Area. The Mayor of Markham, Mr. Frank Scarpitti, was on hand, as were two local councillors, the local CIBC branch manager, York Region School and Athletic Association representatives, and CIMA Canada representatives.
The occasion included a mix of newly emerging cricket players, and some with more obvious talent and experience of cricket in Canada. Mayor Scarpitti indicated one of his reasons in supporting for the development of a cricket ground was to allow the youth of migrant families with cricketing heritage the opportunity to play the game that had been a major sport in their parent’s homeland. He hoped more cricket grounds would be developed in Markham to serve youth and the community, and paid tribute to the lead organizers, CIMA Canada, and title sponsor CIBC for bringing the 2013 event to Markham..
In the opening game, Bayview Secondary School was bowled out for 25 in 9.1 overs and Milliken Mills High School completed a nine wicket win with a six in the fourth over. Middlefield Collegiate Institute then struck 98 for three wickets in ten overs against Stephen Lewis. Opening bat Jay Ahir made 49 not out. Captain Ali Siddiqui made 19. Stephen Lewis made 46 for six, three of the wickets falling in quick succession to end the tenth over.
Stephen Lewis then batted quite well to make 88 for four wickets from ten overs in the battle of the opening game losers. The innings included a break for the welcoming speeches and some event celebrating photographs. A couple of the Bayview bowlers struggled to meet the demands of bowling a cricket ball, rather than the more visible pitching a baseball in a Canadian context, but that is part of expanding and developing cricket across not just the Greater Toronto Area, but across Canada. Bayview made a couple more runs in this match, but lost by 58 runs.
Bur Oak Secondary School, the 2012-2013 York Region outdoor cricket champions, then entered the fray in game four and beat Milliken Mills by 26 runs. It must be admitted that the early morning start to this event fitted in with my early morning rising, but the sun and heat proved a bit too much, so news of the last two games of the tournament will follow when scores come to hand.
Three series of CIMA Mayor’s Trophy matches are scheduled for Sunnybrook Park, Toronto, next week, according to the CIMA Canada website. Two qualiyfing rounds of Boys High Schools cricket are slated for Monday (May 13) and Friday (May 17) with Boys Middle Schools cricket set for Tuesday (May 14).
Eddie Norfolk
PS: Somewhere along the line, I had previously referred to Middlefield Collegiate Institute as “Millfield”. The English public school of Millfield’s former students include former England all-rounder Ian Botham.
Eddie Norfolk