By Frederick Halley

TORONTO, Canada – Boasting that there were more successes than challenges in 2018, president of the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA), Guyanese-born Shiv Persaud, still feels there are many areas in which the association can do a lot better.

In his message observing the 38th anniversary of the SCA, Persaud pointed out that “throughout the year, our executive body made sure that our plans were executed successfully. For example, we were able to run off the SCA T20 Bash on the Canada Day long weekend.

However, I strongly feel that there are a lot of greater things that can be accomplished with the special talent, intelligence, work ethic and expertise of our executive body.”

Unavoidably absent from the association’s annual presentation dinner and dance, held recently at the Eastown Banquet Hall, Scarborough here, Persaud disclosed that with the positive trend and growth in Scarborough “I would like to see that Scarborough Cricket Association play representative cricket against other associations/leagues that are members of Cricket Ontario and across Canada”.

According to Persaud, he feels this proposed initiative will provide a platform for juniors, women and open category players to grow and improve their cricketing skills. “We are working on initiatives that can make this possible and are well supported by Cricket Ontario who has shown a keen interest for junior and women cricketers from Scarborough to be exposed at the provincial and national levels.

“We applaud Cricket Ontario (executives) for the work they are doing and look forward to be a vital member in working with them to achieve their short-term and long-term planning goals.”

Persaud called on members of the SCA to assist the entity by approaching their councillors about increasing and improving cricketing facilities. “This is something that has continued to stifle the growth of cricket in Scarborough and Durham Region. I’ve also seen a growing interest in the shorter version of limited overs from our members and prospective members.

“I feel this is a key area for us to create huge excitement and participation in the sport of cricket. For 2019, I plan to revisit our limited overs competition with the aim of possibly proposing to play 20 overs, 30 overs, 40 overs and 50 overs cricket from a proposed Fourth Division to Elite. We will also be changing the way player transfers are currently done so players and clubs can have more transparency.”

The SCA president said he was delighted to be celebrating the special evening with the officials and players and looked forward to welcoming them back in 2019.

“To our sponsors, we are grateful for your philanthropic contributions and do look forward for your key participation in promoting the sport of cricket. On behalf of my fellow executives, I would like to wish you a very healthy and happy holiday.”

Persaud also reserved special congratulations to all individual and team awardees on their accomplishment in 2018. “Over the past season, we have seen a record number of teams in the SCA. This particularly bodes well for the growth of cricket and we are proud to be leading this positive trend.

“As we celebrate a successful 2018, we encourage everyone to continue to aspire for greater performances and achievements. This truly takes hard work and preparation and judging from the many recipients of awards, this is definitely going to lead to bigger things in the future.”