J.S. Woodsworth Senior Public School – 2015 winners – at launch

The 2016 Chartered Institute of Management Accountant’s (CIMA) Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament was officially launched on Thursday (April 14, 2016) at Metro Hall Toronto by Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong and CIMA Vice-Chair Martin Buckle. The UK Consul General, representatives of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), the Toronto Catholic School Board (TCSB) and the City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation division were also involved in the launch. Sport Check was welcomed as the lead financial sponsor for this year’s tournament.

The pilot CIMA Mayor’s School Cricket Tournament was a joint CIMA-Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation pilot project in 2011 involving a select group of Toronto Schools. The venture expanded in 2012 to invite participation from the broader base of schools within the TDSB and TCSB. In 2013 the tournament expanded to include schools within the Peel Region, which includes Mississauga and Brampton, and York Region. The York Region participants included a school from the Durham District School Board, and the Durham board’s participation increased in 2015.

Thursday’s launch in Toronto honoured the schools that reached the 2015 Toronto finals, the volunteer coaches of the participating schools and leading individual performances from last years Toronto phase of the tournament.

J.S. Woodsworth Senior Public School captured the 2015 Toronto Boys Middle Schools championship and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Championship. Toronto’s Dr. Marion Hilliard Sr. Public Schools was runner-up in the GTA Girls Middle Schools championship. Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute (CI) won the Toronto Boys High School and GTA championships. George Harvey CI won the Toronto Girls High School championship.

Bhavindu Adhihetty, who played for Canada in the 2016 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh, top-scored for J.S. Woodsworth in the 2014 Toronto Boys Middle Schools final and lead his school’s batting in the 2014 GTA Middle Schools championship. Some ofher members of Canada’s 2016 U19 CWC squad have also played in the CIMA Mayor’s Trophy at the city and GTA levels. Canada’s 2016 U19 captain Abraash Khan took part in one of the RBC CIMA Mayors XI tours to England. Cricket Canada’s General Manager Ingleton Liburd and recently appointed High Performance Development Officer Zubin Surkari attended Thursday’s gathering at Metro Hall.

Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School was presented with the award for Cricket Excellence in High School Cricket and Blessed Sacrament Catholic School won the Middle School award for Excellence. Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School was awareded the TCSB’s Spirit of Cricket Award.

The CIMA Toronto High Schools competition in 2015 included a Boys Novice tournament. Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI beat David and Mary Thomson CI in the final.

Schools in various school districts in the GTA will soon be able to register for this year’s CIMA Mayor’s Championship. Matches in Toronto will be played at G. Ross Lord Park and Sunnybrook Park between May 15 and June 3, 2016. The 2016 GTA championships are to be played in Brampton.

Some of the players attending Thursday’s CIMA Mayors championship launch were due to play in TDSB indoor cricket games on Thursday afternoon when North Albion CI was to host junior and senior boys games against West Humber CI. York Memorial CI was due to host Weston CI in a senior boys indoor game on Thursday afternoon.

2015 Individual Award Winners

Toronto Boys Middle Schools
Batting award: Aayush Patel (West Humber Jr Middle School)
Bowling award: Mit Patel (J.S. Woodsworth Sr. Public School)
MVP award: Yash Patel (West Humber Jr. Middle School)

Toronto Girls High Schools
Batting award: Mishunett Sagoo (West Humber CI)
Bowling award: Perenthaa Arulnesan (George Harvey CI)
MVP award: Riya Shah (York Memorial CI)

Toronto Boys High Schools
Batting award: Karen Patel (Marc Garneau CI)
Bowling award: Hamza Talal (Marc Garneau CI)
MVP award: Ahmad Mian (Marc Garneau CI)

(Eddie Norfolk, Toronto April 15, 2016)