New practice pitch a sign of cricket’s growth

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This article was published 07/06/2023 (1073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the space of a couple of years, the number of teams in the Westman Cricket Association has grown to 18 and the youth program has rocketed up to 90 participants.

As a result, there’s not enough space to go around for everyone to get on the pitch at Simplot Millennium Park.

That changed on Wednesday with the official opening of the Westoba Cricket Practice Pitch, which players can use throughout the outdoor season.

“In order to be competitive at the tournaments that we are involved with in both Brandon and Winnipeg, in you need to have some sort of facility to practise in,” Westman Cricket Association president Kushang Patel said.

“We’ve been able to manage things over the last couple of summers with a team going on our regular pitch on a Wednesday, another team practising on a Thursday, and so on. Now anyone can come practise, which is amazing for us locally, especially for the youth.”

The growth of the youth leagues in Brandon has been a pleasant surprise over the last couple of years, especially in high schools.

It was highlighted last weekend as the Crocus Plainsmen qualified for the provincial final in Winnipeg.

“The schools provided facilities within the gyms, but nothing like this,” Patel said. “You need the outdoor conditions to gain some certain skills.

“The ball travels around 130 to 140 kilometres per hour, so you need to have that concentration and practice to know how the ball is going to bounce or turn.”

It took a few years for the Westman Cricket Association to find a proper facility since it was formed in 2012.

They officially moved to Simplot Millennium Park in the summer of 2021 and now have an average of 150 players and fans coming out each Sunday.

While that turnout might seem surprising to those who don’t follow cricket, it’s something that Patel expected to happen as more and more people familiar with the sport move to Westman.

“In India, cricket is a religion,” Patel said. “It’s like what hockey or curling is for Canadians.

“We knew that people were looking for a dedicated field for the last few years. You’d go out around town in your car and you would see a few people playing in a school playground, on a tennis court, or even in a backyard.”

The practice pitch will be put into use for the rest of the summer, with games against Winnipeg clubs happening on the weekends and a leather ball league getting underway at the end of the month.

“There are not enough words for me to describe what this means to have this here now,” Patel said. “It’s going to be huge for us as we continue to grow.”

Patel also added that those who are looking for more information on the Westman Cricket Association can visit their official Facebook and Instagram pages on upcoming leagues and events.

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