… Trophy Stall joins list of sponsors

By Frederick Halley
WHEN the organisers of the inaugural Canada Cup started preparations for the three-day softball extravaganza some months back, they explained that the objective is to ensure that it is a memorable and special event for all, especially for the out-of-country teams while maintaining the image of “we look forward to playing in Canada anytime”.

That objective is set to become a reality when Canada Cup 1 bowls off at various venues around Scarborough, Toronto on Friday. And while the tournament has been rebranded, following three years of Toronto Cup in 2015, 2017 and 2019 under the aegis of the Ontario Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC), three of the main “actors” who played huge roles in the successful running of those competitions, are back together, this time as executives of the newly formed Ontario Twilight Softball Cricket League (OTSCL).

The OTSCL is in its first year and is led by a management committee comprising individuals with a proven track record in the area of managing softball cricket in Ontario – Azeem Khan, Feizal Bacchus and Dickey Singh.
A special feature of this inaugural tournament will be the introduction of a round-arm category with four teams – Leguan Warriors, Pegasus Warriors, Ontario Round-arm Softball Cricket Association (ORSCA) and Softball Cricket Canada (SCC) – battling for supremacy with the preliminary round matches set to be played at Hanover Public School ground.

Despite the absence of Regal Legends who have been ruling the roost in the Legends Over-50 category, both in Guyana and overseas, a lot of interest is centred on the participating teams. Fresh off a highly successful OMSCC season where they successfully defended their titles, Toronto Blizzards are confident they can lift the crown on Sunday, something they did in the 2019 Toronto Cup.

Led by seasoned campaigners in skipper Shiv Seeram, Sunil Dhaniram, Mohan Harihar and Jaimini Singh, Toronto Blizzards’ batting pack a punch. Their stiffest opposition is expected from the New York Softball Cricket League (NYSCL) and Ramblers Rampage who defeated them in a regular-season game but suffered two successive defeats, including the final, following that win.

The other teams in contention are Pegasus Storm, Orlando Softball Cricket League (OSCL) and Trophy Stall Lions (a mixture of players from Guyana, New York and Toronto).
The Masters Over-40 category should also provide some mouth-watering contests with Maple Leaf, comprising several players from Rebels, who were crowned OMSCC Over-40 champions on Sunday, Canadian Legends, Hawaiian Sensation, Ramblers Masters and Reliance Masters battling.

Canadian Legends, already with Chien Gittens in their lineup, are expected to be further boosted with the inclusion of ‘Mr Cricket’ Richard Latiff. All-rounder Gittens, it will be recalled, was the Most Valuable Player in the South Florida Cup tournament while representing Regal Masters. Not to be outdone, Hawaiian Sensation also boast former Guyana National players in Damodar Daesrath and Azib Ali Hanif.

SCC, who carted off the Open tournament in 2019, are strong favourites to repeat. Several of their players, including skipper Looknauth “Colgate’ Ramsuchit, Avinash Sookdeo, brothers Avish and Amit Rukhram, and Rabindra Diaram are part of the Mercenary outfit who have been dominating the opposition in the Ontario Softball Cricket League (OSCL).

With the Legends and Masters teams comprising six and five teams respectively, both winners will waltz away with US$3 000 or the equivalent of Cdn$4 000 while the Open and Round-arm winners, where four teams will participate, will pocket US$2 700 or Cdn$3 500 Each category also carries winners’ and runners-up trophies and other incentives.

Among the several sponsors are Trophy Stall (Guyana and Canada).
The tournament will start off with an Opening Night reception tomorrow, set for the Tropical Night Restaurant & Bar, for participating teams and sponsors, while games will be played in the Toronto area, starting on Friday morning with all four finals on Sunday at the Ashtonbee Reservoir, followed by a presentation ceremony.