Cricket association plans for breakout year

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This article was published 14/04/2022 (1240 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon cricket enthusiasts are getting ready to step up to the pitch in what they describe as a big year to grow the game even further in Westman.

Westman Cricket Association (WCA) president Kushang Patel said Brandon cricketers are grateful to have access to their brand-new field for a full season, after it was built in 2021 by the team at J&G Homes. Last summer, the WCA only had access to the new field at Simplot Millennium Park in the late stages of their season from the end of July into August.

“We didn’t have a dedicated cricket field and a dedicated cricket pitch for cricket,” Patel said.

“It was quite expensive. After we got that, we only had a limited time, but we got a good response from the community which allowed us to complete the whole tournament with no problem.”

With a full season in the works, cricket enthusiasts have until April 15 to register their teams for a three-tournament format. Patel explained they are accepting teams for their 12-overs format, which uses a hard tennis ball, and are offering two formats for their cricket games that make use of a white leather ball, at a 20-overs and 35-overs format.

He said based on pandemic restrictions lifting, it is exciting to see the game grow in the city. Last year, the WCA had eight teams, each with 11 players on a team. Fifteen players were allowed to register last year, which covered the need for substitutes and extra players.

“This time, we are going with 18 players per team,” Patel said.

“Last year, because of our shorter format, there were some people in the city who wanted to participate who didn’t get a chance to play. This year, we want to give them that opportunity.”

Patel figures there are at least 150 people in their base of cricket players and eight of the 10 teams have registered for the first cricket 12-overs tennis ball tournament.

“All the cricketers in Brandon are very excited to be back on the field, after the harsh winter we have had,” said Akash Patel, vice-president of the WCA.

Akash said having access to the field at Simplot Millennium Park will reduce the need to travel to Winnipeg for more of their competitive matches, therefore saving money on gas and travel expenses. He said their committee is eager to schedule more than 70 games through their four months of play this year, which is a step up from the 30 they played in 2021.

“On top of that, we’re also going to host a tri-series between Winnipeg, Regina and Brandon,” Akash said.

“That allows us to bring more of the public from outside of the city to play here and explore the city of Brandon.”

Recently, the Manitoba Cricket Association based out of Winnipeg has worked with the WCA to arrange for teams like the Brandon Bisons and Brandon Renegades to play six of their games in Brandon and six in Winnipeg. Akash said six teams will come to Brandon to play from the Manitoba Cricket League, and he is encouraged to bring more exposure to the city.

In addition, the WCA is stepping up its involvement with Cricket Canada as the 2022 national tournament is scheduled to take place in Manitoba.

The WCA remains in talks with the MCA to finalize details on the national tournament and will be having its U-19 team in Brandon take part alongside the men’s outdoor league this year.

On the youth side of the pitch, both men are encouraged to see how the game has grown in popularity through the Brandon School Division.

Akash said Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School is targeting 30 kids on their team this year with an additional 25 kids from Vincent Massey High School building a team and taking part in cricket training.

“We have, give or take, 60 young kids that are wanting to start learning about cricket, and the Brandon School Division is working with us to get those teams up and running,” Akash said.

He said training has already begun at Crocus Plains and Vincent Massey plans to start their cricket program by mid-April. After June, the WCA plans to continue their youth program, which sees many of the same kids join from the school division. Last year, the WCA said they had between 32 to 35 kids participating. This year, they expect more than 50.

By the late fall, Akash said they are working on starting an indoor cricket series by November, making use of the gym facilities at Crocus Plains. It’s the first time the WCA has been able to try an indoor season, after repeated attempts had been shut down due to the pandemic.

He said their tentative plan is to have a winter season from November through March and have at least eight teams participate in their indoor league. According to Akash, the City of Brandon has notified the WCA that their facilities will be open to rent.

For Akash, the mental aspects of the game continue to push him even further than the running and physical activity involved in the sport.

“For me, I think it’s a good getaway from the normal life.”

Kushang, who moved to Brandon from Toronto in 2012, said the sport has done wonders to attract more people from the East Indian community to the city over the past decade, and has expanded people’s ability to network, simply from swinging a cricket bat.

“It’s the engagement,” Kushang said. “The sport brings more engagement with each other. Those different contacts might help you find a job, or help finding a rental place, business, housing. It’s adapting yourself to everyone.”

Kushang said they are tentatively looking to start their cricket season on the May long weekend and roll through the first tournament over the first two to three weekends of play.

More information on the upcoming season can be found on the WCA’s Facebook page.

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