Nouman Khalil
At a time when the ICC World Cup is around the corner and the national team is putting up a pathetic performance on the field, Cricket Canada has pulled the trigger to sideline the Ontario Cricket Association, Focus has learnt.
According to reliable sources, Cricket Canada has placed OCA on a 30-day notice to render `null and void’ all the decisions it took in its SAGM (semi-annual general meeting) held in Ottawa this May, failing which stern action against its membership status will be taken. The 30-day notice runs out Oct 4. Apart from nullifying the Ottawa meeting, Cricket Canada also wants OCA to extend a full membership offer to Brampton-Etobicoke District Cricket League — the former Etobicoke District Cricket League that had pulled out of OCA as an associate member.
The stern action could result in OCA’s suspension and, possibly, the recognition of a new parallel provincial body (Cricket Council of Ontario) — or, even more likely, Cricket Canada may not approve any of them and itself decide to take control of cricket in Ontario, a source said.
Cricket Canada served the notice after discussing the application for the new governing body submitted by Toronto and District Cricket Association (T&DCA), Canadian Commonwealth Cricket Association of Toronto (CCCAT) and Brampton-Etobicoke District Cricket League (B-EDCL). The GTA-based T&DCA and CCCAT had lodged a complaint with Cricket Canada against OCA’s SAGM, protesting that a very short (14-hour) notice was served to the members, following which they were unable to make it to Ottawa.
Although the notice was short, the quorum (three out of five) was complete even without T&DCA and CCCAT, the source added.
Official responses from Cricket Canada and OCA were awaited at the time of going to press. As the door to trouble is about to open, sources said Quebec Cricket Association is yet another body that has also applied for a status as parallel governing body in Quebec whereas similar requests from other provinces are also expected.
It is pertinent to mention here that T&DCA, CCCAT and B-EDCL recently met in a separate meeting and declared themselves as successors of the OCA executive body.
However, the situation took an important turn when OCA, in the Ottawa SAGM, endorsed some key matters and gave full-member status to three associate leagues including Brampton Cricket League, Toronto Cricket Alliance and Canada T20 Cricket League.
The inclusion of three new leagues completely overturned the tables and overshadowed the power dominance of T&DCA -who was the only league that had five votes in the board until its membership, along with CCCAT, was suspended due to nonpayment of dues. All the others leagues have only three votes. The B-EDCL is already operating independently out of OCA.
Meanwhile, on condition of anonymity, an insider said OCA has dropped its earlier plans of going to the courts against any action.
The insider however also said that at the same time OCA will not nullify its SAGM decisions, particularly the condition of bringing back B-EDCL, which was an associate member at the time it pulled out and until today it has also not submitted any application.
“In a worse case scenario, the OCA will operate as an independent governing body and will continue to work for the promotion of cricket in Ontario,” said the source.
Sports flourishes only in an atmosphere of open competition and when all the controlling bodies put together efforts in hunting and discovering talent and work above their personal agendas.
Throwing out some of the leagues may jeopardize the prospects of several talented players from rising to prominence.
Currently none of the OCA-backed players is in the national team. The OCA was also restricted from fielding its team in the recently concluded national championship and, instead, the national selectors picked the team.
The inaugural match between Ontario Rep-IX and Prairies was at the last minute transported from Mississauga to Inverhaugh and played at a ground situated in the backyard of Bart Singh, a cricket enthusiast.
It is time for all Cricket Canada members to think carefully before voting, backing or opposing any proposal.