Scorecards for all the matches played in the USA and Canada by the MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) Women’s touring team during September 2016 have been posted on the Cricket Archive website. Hopefully during the course of the next few days some photos will be added to the records on Cricket Archive, particularly for games played in Canada. A photo of the CanAm and MCC tour party taken at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club has been submitted to CricketArchive now that the scorecards are in place.
Behind the scenes some updates are being sought to the initial version of some scorecards to reflect the actual grounds used for the last two tour games in Canada, and to recognize the change of opposition for the game that was played at the Niagara Cricket Centre, Ontario last Saturday.
The scorecards on CricketArchive include links to individual player profiles. Some of the Canadian players had multiple player profiles, sometimes having a different profile for each event or series recorded on CricketArchive in which they have played. Sometimes different names have been used in different events or series. Progress has been made to create one master profile for such players. Player profiles for Achini Perera and Miryam Khohkar now include games they have played for different Ontario junior teams. Both played in the Team Abigail v Team Sherriff game played on July 1, 2013; the same day the CIBC National Cricket League T20 Final was played.
I still remember finding that the scorecard on CricHQ for the CIBC NCL T20 Final showed one of the Western Stallion bowlers had bowled 5 overs in the final rather than the maximum allowed of 4 overs. But the scoring error could be traced and was correctable. The version of the CricHQ scorecard used to support the TV coverage of the game was a different and correct based on the report posted on Canada Cricket Online.
The need to train scorers to properly complete manual scorebooks and/or use computer scoring apps so that timely and accurate scoring information can be published remains a need across Canada, with a few exceptions (mostly individual cases, or individual clubs). Facilities to photocopy or print completed scorecards to assist the compilation of match reports or support the use of photos showing key performances or moments in play seem to be the exception rather than the norm across Canada.
How many leagues, competitions and events in Canada publish match scorecards on a basis that could support same-day game summaries or match reports being published or broadcast on TV, radio, newspapers and websites of such media outlets?
There’s a lot of room for improvement, in my opinion. Of course, more detailed scoring information that included details of missed or dropped catches could assist selectors in assessing the overall contribution of various players from a developmental and high performance perspective. A perspective that would embrace the use of video cameras at important games and even during practice sessions. Comparison of how someone had batted or bowled in the past with how the person was batting or bowling at present could show paths of improvement or loss of form to coaches and selectors. Work could be focussed on restoring lost form or on moving a player to greater performance heights.
Or “we” could just stand still, do nothing. Indeed doing nothing included failing to officially disclose the Cricket Canada Women’s Select squad for the MCC Women’s tour that has just ended. Perhaps there will be some Board meeting to confirm that squad over the coming weeks? It would be a bit late. A bit like the failure to have any Cricket Canada banners or banners supporting current Cricket Canada’s sponsors on display around the grounds at the tour games I saw. My observations included three games at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, and one game at Maple Leaf Cricket Club.
By some coincidence there was a similar lack of banners on display for the games I saw when the Bermuda Development squad recently visited the Greater Toronto Area.
The failure to disclose in advance the venues, start times and participating players in such international matches did seem to result in rather low numbers of spectators at these recent tour games. The need to improve the promotion of the game to the broader Canadian public seems to be a major missing piece, although a number of speeches made during opening ceremonies or closing presentations seem to think either the Canadian cricket world is a wonderful place, or it would be wonderful if someone else filled in the gaps, including major financial needs.
It’s difficult for me to see how someone who looks to the next level up the Canadian cricketing chain to provide money for lower levels would be a person who could then bring in an army or an armada of valuable sponsorship deals if the someone was ever elected to a higher level or reached the peak of the Cricket Canada Board or became the Cricket Canada President.
But hope of a brighter day must not be lost, although such hopes tend to rest, in my opinion, on losing some of the presently elected cast of board members who help keep cricket anonymous across Canada.
Meanwhile there are some stormy teacups about which players were removed from the list of Canada Select Women who may have played against MCC Women. Perhaps the Board will re-instate the original selections and put in a request for the MCC to return during some bleak Canadian winter in the not so distant future? But, perhaps the Board had met and decided to make the selection changes?
Along the way the projected Ontario Women’s XI never seemed to emerge to play a game against either an Eastern Canada XI or the MCC Women’s tourists.
No shortage of room for improvement. No shortage of opportunities for some to re-assess their contributions to different cricket boards at different levels. Some title holders on certain cricket boards are not supposed to hold positions on a board or boards at higher levels based on my reading of publicly disclosed bylaws and regulations of different cricketing bodies. Term limits are set that have been exceeded if some published bylaws, regulations and policies are the current and correct version. Some Annual General Meeting may not be being held in accordance with defined requirements….unless the published versions of those requirements are not correct.
Perish the thought there may be missing and other incorrect information in some of the scorecards published by some Canadian leagues and provincial governing bodies or even at the national level for important competitions in this day and age! Some of the big brothers and sisters in cricket beyond Canada’s boundaries are able to notice these things.
Is it time for a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to investigate and report on Canadian cricket?
Back in the summer of 2007 someone seemed to think between $1 million and $2 million was needed to make improvements to the Maple Leaf Cricket Club to improve the supporting infrastructure for playing high quality cricket. I wonder what progress was made to securing $2 million? But that would take us into a more detailed analysis beyond a couple of printers that could do copying or some better, basic scoreboards around the grounds. Themes for a different day. Time to declare my cricket day has ended. Other things must be done before the sun sets.
Eddie Norfolk