establishes Hall of Fame

By Frederick Halley

THE Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) will continue to work diligently to ensure youth and women programmes are back in 2024 and beyond.
This assurance was given by President Shiv Persaud during remarks before a packed audience comprising of players and invitees at last Saturday night’s presentation and gala, held at the Grand Cinnamon Banquet Hall, Scarborough, Toronto, Canada.

The Guyana-born Persaud lamented the loss of youth and women cricket, which, he said, was due to impacts of the pandemic, and which also resulted in the SCA staging its first indoor presentation in four years, marking the 43rd anniversary of the entity.
Taking a look at the journey over the past two years, Persaud disclosed that the SCA had the addition of Divisions in T20, T30 and an increase in teams participating in the Over-50 Division.

Persaud, however, stressed that “the focus of our evening will be on recognising individuals who have truly stood out in their performances, and teams which have excelled throughout the season.”

“Where do we go from tonight? This is the first year that we open our Hall of Fame with four inductees tonight. We have moved towards a more visible logo, and soon you will be experiencing a new SCA App and revamped website engaging players and team administrators.”
Three of the four Hall of Fame awardees were inducted posthumously: Richard Ramlall, a former president who was regarded as the Godfather of the SCA; Jainauth “Vish” Jadunauth, who passed away last year while serving as Chief Financial Officer; and Budh-Dave Anandjit, a former executive member. The other was Deonarine Samaroo, a past president who was on hand to receive his award. The widows of Jadunauth and Anandjit, Sandra and Elizabeth, respectively, collected on behalf of their late husbands, both acknowledging the SCA for honouring them in such a tangible way.

The SCA President took the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to all of the distinguished guests, members, sponsors and everyone who has played a significant role in shaping the past two years. “In our presence, we have MP Salma Zahid of Scarborough Centre; Steven D’Souza of CBC; Praim Persaud, President of Cricket Ontario and Brampton Etobicoke District Cricket League (BEDCL); Ranjit Chaudhri, Vice-President of Cricket Ontario and a Director for Cricket Canada; Bedessee Sporting Goods represented by Melvin John; Norman Sue Bakery, represented by Kim Sue; Azeem Khan of Ontario Twilight Softball Cricket League (OTSCL); Deo Samaroo, past president; Sandra Jadunauth, Liz Anandjit, Canada Cricket Umpires Association (CCUA) represented by Azad Khan and Malik Ghaswala.}

“Tonight, we come together not just as colleagues, but as a community united by our passion for the sport of cricket.”
Persaud also acknowledged the hard work, dedication, and commitment of his fellow Board of Executive members for their selfless service to the Association.
BEDCL President Praim Persaud commended the SCA executives for their great efforts in taking the association to where it is and also referenced Shiv’s role in the Cricket Council of Ontario (CCO) and the difference he has made since joining. According to Persaud, his namesake reminded him of a younger version of himself – all filled with the passion for the sport and the commitment and dedication to nurture its growth and development.

Touching on the BEDCL’s success, Persaud said it took 35-plus years to achieve it, and “what we accomplished was to take cricket from under the table to the top of the table when it comes to recreation planning for infrastructure, development and growth of the sport.”
Persaud pointed out that “every city in Canada needs to do the same as cricket is undoubtedly the fastest growing sport in not only Ontario but Canada.”. He congratulated Shiv and the executives “for an amazing job at growing and promoting the sport of cricket within their jurisdiction.”
MP Zahid, who spoke briefly, promised to do all within her power to assist the SCA in getting much-needed facilities, while Cricket Canada Director Chaudri also showered praises on the SCA executives for doing an amazing job.