TORONTO, Canada – When the inaugural Toronto Cup softball tournament kicks off here today, it will be the culmination of a dream, born out of last year’s annual presentation dinner and dance staged by the Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC).The announcement by OMSCC president Jai Singh was met with roars of approval from those present and today 14 teams, six in the Open category and eight in the Masters will start their quest for top honours following last night’s meet and greet and draw at the Tropical Nights Restaurant and Bar here.
Picking a winner in either division seems an arduous task in the three-day tournament which climaxes on Sunday with the two finals, set for the University of Toronto ground.
Preliminary matches will be played at Ellemere, Ashtonbee, Littles and St Bede’s with Dean Park being the alternative while the semi-finals are scheduled to be played at Littles tomorrow afternoon to facilitate hardball cricket at Ellesmere and Ashtonbee.
When the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL) staged a similar tournament in 2003, its team, led by Rovendra Madholall, emerged winners, by defeating a Guyana XI captained by Dharam Persaud. That tournament was, however, competed only in the Open category.
Madholall is once again in the fray and is in the OSCL lineup and according to manager Terry Mathura he’s confident of success once again.
According to Mathura, his charges have been undergoing rigorous training sessions over the past few weeks and are raring to go.
Apart from the hard-hitting Madholall, the team also includes 2003 Most Valuable Player Munniram Khan, the likes of former Guyana fast bowler Trevon Garraway, former Under-19 player Harrinarine Chattergoon and Travis Blyden.
Two teams, which have been making waves in the OSCL, Dant and Caribbean Sensation are also brimming with confidence that they will be in winners’ row come Sunday.
Dant took the OSCL by storm in their debut 2014 season, capturing all three competitions (20-over regular season, 15/15 and 10/10) in an unprecedented performance and were unbeaten until they were stopped in their tracks by Caribbean Sensation in this season’s 10/10 tournament. They were also beaten by Cricketers Cove in the 15/15 final but are still in contention for the 20-over regular season honours.
Among the big names featuring for Dant are former Guyana captain Damodar Daesrath, former Guyana and West Indies Under-19 batsman Hemnarine Chattergoon, Farook Hussain, Yadram ‘Lara’ Bhog, skipper Looknaught Ramsuchit, Shaun Deonandan, Riaz Kadir, Avi Singh and Satrohan ‘Blade’ Balkarran. It is also learnt that former skipper Aftab Shamsudeen will be making a return following his sudden retirement earlier this year.
Caribbean Sensation, on the other hand, have been enjoying a successful year, winning their first title after five unsuccessful attempts. They defeated Masters in the OSCL 10/10 final, and in Rishi Samuel and Zaheer Allard possessed two of the finest hitters in the tournament.
The other Toronto side, GM Sports, formerly Cove/Masters, also cannot be taken lightly but the loss of man-of-the-match Ejaz Mohamed in the 15/15 final will definitely be a big blow to their efforts. Mohamed’s mother passed away in Guyana on Monday and according to report he has flown out to Guyana for the funeral.
Much is not known of the New York invasion but with the influx of several seasoned former Guyanese players among their contingent they cannot be underrated. They are being represented by New York Softball Cricket Club (NYSCL) and New York Enforcers.
The Masters category also promises lots of action with the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), led by Rickey Deonarine fancying their chances of coming out on top.
GFSCA will not, however, have things their own way as the leading team in the OMSCC, Our Own Sports Club boast quite a formidable lineup. Until last Sunday, they have not been defeated in a record 55 games over a three-year span. That remarkable feat however ended last Sunday when they went down to their nemesis Guyana Sports Club.
Skipper Mahedranauth ‘Bobby’ Parasnauth is however confident his team will be holding the winners’ trophy aloft come Sunday. Among the other big names in the team are Sunil Dhaniram, Troy Gobin, Shiv Seeram, Desmond Chumney, Jaimini Singh and Orin O’Neil.
The other teams in contention in the Masters category are an OMSCC XI, NYSCL. New York Muslim Softball Cricket Association and Caribbean Sensation.
The winning team in the Open category is guaranteed US$3000 while the Masters winners will cart off $2500
In addition, the victorious and runners-up in both categories, the most valuable players and the man-of-the-match in the final are assured of trophies, compliments of the Trophy Stall of Guyana. Proprietor Ramesh Sunich, who is also part of the GFSCA Legends, will be on hand to present several of the trophies.
As part of the three-day event, the New York Enforcers Cricket Club, in its ongoing efforts to contribute to charitable organisations in Guyana, has planned a massive food drive in conjunction with the OMSCC. Spectators and players are therefore urged to donate generously in the form of canned foods and other items such as school supplies and toys. The donated items will be shipped to Guyana to help the less fortunate.

By Frederick Halley