It is with great sadness that we pass on the news that Jon Harris, founder of Canada Cricket Online, passed away in March of this year. Jon ceased to be active on the site three years ago due to health issues.
Jon founded the site in 2002, as a venue for all those interested in Canadian cricket to discuss the game in Canada, and as a resource for all things related to Canadian cricket. The original mission statement is reproduced in full below.
As a CricInfo volunteer, I had corresponded with Jon prior to the 2001 ICC Trophy, and asked him to help with the logistics of CricInfo coverage of the event. His assistance in arranging power and phone lines at all grounds enabled world-wide live coverage of this event, and I was impressed by his drive and commitment to the game. When he later asked me to assist with keeping the site up to date I was happy to help. When he was no longer able to maintain his commitment to Canada Cricket Online, I took it over with the understanding that the site would continue to run along the principles he had established.
Jon was at times a fierce critic of cricket administration in Canada, but his criticism was rooted in a deep passion for the game. He was a strong believer in the value of supporting grass-roots cricket and the need for an inclusive, cricketer driven administration. He saw cricket as more than a game, but as part of society, and as an agent of social change in Canada. Cricket in his view is at the forefront of the multi-cultural society that is Canada today. He was also a keen cricket historian who uncovered some fascinating tid-bits of early Canadian cricket history.
There are others who knew Jon far better than myself who I hope will be able to contribute their memories to the site, but in his memory I will be re-posting some of his articles from the past, starting with one of the earliest he wrote on his vision for cricket in Canada. With his passing, Canadian cricket has lost a true friend of the game, and we are the poorer for it.
Dave Liverman
“If I ruled the world of cricket every batsman would walk when they knew they were out. There would be umpires and scorers who would be infallible. There would be no provocation and no intimidation. Appeals would only be made when a player was convinced of the legitimacy of his shout. If I ruled the world there would be no factionalism, no racism, no elitism and the same rights and privileges would be enjoyed by all. It saddens me to know that I shall never see such a time, either for myself, or for the game I love.” Jon Harris, 2002
Mission statement (2002)
The aim of this site is to help both Canadians and people from all over the World develop the game of cricket here in Canada. In recent years, there has been much growth in Canadian Cricket. Toronto has hosted the Sahara Cup matches between India and Pakistan, as well as DMC Cup matches between India, Pakistan and the West Indies.
In 2001, Canada successfully hosted the ICC Trophy, a qualifying event for the 2003 World Cup of Cricket to be held in South Africa. Canada, along with Namibia and Champions Holland, qualified for the biggest tournament in the cricketing world.
However, despite all this improvement in the image of Canada being viewed as a serious cricketing nation, their is still a lot of work to be done. Therefore, what this site aims to do is to unite cricket enthusiasts from all parts of Canada in order to help develop and promote the game of cricket in this country.
We hope to have a directory of all levels of cricket in Canada, from the Canadian Cricket Association, through the Provinces, to the regional league level, right down to the club level. Everyone will have a say and we hope to have resources for administrators, players and umpires. With your assistance we could even post league standings of your league.
People from all parts of Canada and the World, will be given a chance to write and send in their articles or opinions on Canadian Cricket. We will post these articles as long as people take credit for what they write and provide a contact e-mail.
Questions will be sent to the various governing bodies and associations, with regards to ideas and inquiries generated by this site. We will send the questions and post all responses.
The forum will allow everyone to have a say about what they like or dislike about Canadian cricket. The existing forum may be replaced in the near future, as many people have complained about the anonymous nature of many of the posts.
Finally, we will provide people with links to all the organizations mentioned on the site.
If you can help us or have ideas please contact us.