A relatively unknown sport in North America, cricket has experienced a surge in interest and participation in Lethbridge according to Lethbridge Cricket Association President, Diwakar Vyas.
“We started with 10-12 players about 11 months ago and in the past six months, there have been around 50 odd players playing, so it’s been great.”
The 11-man team sport is the second most popular sport in the world, based on participation in over 100 countries, according to the International Cricket Council. Prominent amongst Commonwealth countries, cricket has reached monumental levels of popularity in India and surrounding nations such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the islands of West Indies.
Joel Bhaskaran, who is studying audio engineering at the University of Lethbridge was surprised to find the LCA and says he loves the nostalgia of playing a childhood sport as an adult who now lives away from his native Bahrain.
“You wouldn’t think that in a Western country that people actually play cricket, so it’s like you have a piece of home with you.”
While interest and participation have increased since their inception, the LCA could still do with some local community support according to Vyas.
“We are constantly looking for support from the Lethbridge community, both in terms of come here and watch us play cricket, or in terms of finances as we are not-for-profit organization.”
The initial start up of the LCA did have a helping hand in crossing their i’s and dotting their t’s from the Lethbridge Sports Council. Tanya Whipple, Program and Communication Coordinator at the sports council says that it was exciting to see how the LCA were reaching out the community to get the sport up and running.
“There’s a very energetic group of people who are working to get cricket so successful in Lethbridge. They actually came to my daughter’s school last year and that was when I first heard of them making a run in Lethbridge.”
Vyas says that the LCA is always thinking about what is next for the sport in Lethbridge. Planning a winter league and a kids training camps are expected to roll out in the not too distant future. Something that Whipple believes can happen if her daughter’s enthusiasm for the sport is anything to go by.
“My seven-year-old came home so excited because they got to play cricket at school and she was telling us all the rules and she was so excited. That was really great to see that they were taking the steps to expose different people, these school children, and exposing them to a new game. “
Cricket is a sport for everyone of all ages and ability levels according to Vyas. If Vyas and his fellow cricket enthusiasts had their way, there’d be a league for everyone in the Lethbridge Community. Further information on games and membership can be found on the LCA’s Facebook page or on the Lethbridge Sports Council website