Crocus launches cricket teams

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This article was published 30/05/2017 (3032 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Crocus Plains cricket fans now have a team to cheer on, as the high school has added two new cricket teams — a first for Brandon.

With an overwhelmingly high interest among students, organizers are hoping other high schools in Westman will follow suit.

“I thought maybe we should have a cricket team and my wife, who is also a teacher (at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School) mentioned it to the boys in her class and from that point it went nuts,” automotive technology teacher Jeff Kasprick said. “I had phone calls and people coming to see me, so it happened fast. Within a few days we held a meeting and I had 25 students show up wanting to play, enough for two teams. I knew we had a demand, but I didn’t realize it was that much.”

With the help of Westman Cricket Association (WCA), which lent the school equipment to use and volunteered four coaches, the newly formed co-ed teams — C.P. Plainsmen and the Plainsmen — have been practising since the beginning of April.

With no high school competitors in Westman, the teams play against each other once a week in addition to running drills. But that doesn’t kill their enthusiasm for the sport.

“The students are very good … super energetic, super pumped, they can’t get enough of cricket. They practise before practice,” Kasprick said. “I think it gives them a sense of belonging at the school … a bit more of a connection. Today, they picked up their jerseys and they were so excited, some of them are already wearing them just to show they are on the cricket team.”

The growing interest in cricket looks like it’s only going to continue to rise, Kasprick said.

“It’s the second most popular sport in the world. It’s just not popular here, but I think we’re going to see that change,” Kasprick said. “On our school grounds — any night, I don’t think it matters which night you roll into our parking lot — our old tennis court is now a batting cage. People are using it all the time to practise batting.”

WCA’s Paul Ziesmann also believes it’s only a matter of time before cricket catches on here.

“There’s a huge increase in interest in the Westman area … that’s just coming with a growth in demographics and new people coming to our city,” Ziesmann said. “(Kasprick) saw that desire and maybe a bit of a gap in athletic programming, especially for students that are coming from subcontinent countries.”

Both Crocus Plains cricket teams are heading to Winnipeg on Saturday, eager to test their skills against other teams at the Manitoba Cricket Association’s 27th annual School Cricket Jamboree.

“(The students) are very excited, they can’t wait. We’ve been working two months just for this one day,” Kasprick said.

Players can learn a lot from the sport, Ziesmann said, adding he is hopeful other high schools will add cricket teams next year.

“It’s a team-orientated sport and there’s a lot of fair play,” he said. “Cricket has always been seen as a gentleman’s sport. There’s a lot of code of ethics and rules that take place throughout the game. You really do need to work as a team.”

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