…ecstatic over selection of Matthew Nandu

By Frederick Halley
DESPITE several adversities, the Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) completed a successful 2022 season and is gearing for a bumper season this year when action bowls off in early May.

However, with the prospects of an additional 30 plus teams following a record 94 in 2022, the SCA executives are faced with a dilemma of accepting these new clubs when the Annual General Meeting convenes on Sunday at the Agincourt Community Centre, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.

The major problem remains the acquisition of new grounds, compounding the loss of the Ajax Cricket Ground which is scheduled to undergo complete rehabilitation and will not be available for the 2023 season.

The SCA is one of the most inclusive and diverse cricketing organizations in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) with programmes for youths, women, adults and adults primarily over the age of 50.

However, the growth in the SCA has been stymied by the number of grounds available, forcing the SCA to turn away prospective teams, posing a real concern for President Shiv Persaud and his executives.

In a recent interview, the Guyana-born Persaud lamented the lack of support by the relevant authorities for cricket. Persaud pointed out that “we have witnessed the growth from 21 teams in 2015 to 94 teams in 2022.

“Because of the lack of facilities, we have had to turn away 45 applications for new clubs to participate in the association. This is putting approximately 1350 constituents out of cricket. We hope that we can have facilities in the near future to accommodate these players. Hopefully, sooner than later as we have all witnessed the importance of physical activities on the health and wellness of individuals.”

Referring to the City of Toronto’s Cricket Reference Group 20-year cricket strategy to implement five new cricket fields, Persaud emphatically stated that “this is not enough today and will not be nearly enough in the future. Because of this, residents are leaving to go play in surrounding areas where they have better quality of facilities.

“Often the main point that comes up is the size of field that is required for cricket is too large to easily find in a developed City like Toronto. We hope that the City will acknowledge the demand for arguably the fastest growing sport. Cricket is growing in the international standard of hardball and other emerging formats like softball, tape ball and tennis ball. Each format has their own needs,” Persaud stated.

According to the SCA president, the City’s Cricket Reference Group is focusing on developing facilities and also improve the maintenance of existing ones. “We have seen improvements and awillingness from the city to work with cricket stakeholders and welcomes it. The committee has been open to working with different groups in a collective effort to satisfy the requirements of the sport. Our hope is that decisions that often takes time can be made quicker by the city to accommodate the demands of the sport.”

Meanwhile, Persaud said he is ecstatic over the selection of Matthew Nandu in the Guyana National Senior team for the start of the 2023 Regional four-day tournament.

“We have been following the youthful Nandu’s progression over the past few years and it’s abundantly clear that his discipline, dedication, sacrifice and hard work have been paying dividends.

“Apart from representing Guyana at the Youth level and West Indies at last year’s ICC Under-19 World Cup, Nandu is also a product of the SCA where he plays for Kaieteur Sports Club.