When abroad, boredom, routine, and
‘normal’ cease to exist when a group of
like-minded people comes together. That
is how, way back in 1931, a small group of
Australians and New Zealanders met in the Bay Street
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) offices of J.W. Collins, the
then New Zealand Trade Commissioner.
Like so many newcomers to Canada, the expatriates
wished to retain a part of their national identity. So they
formed a group primarily to welcome other Australian
and New Zealand newcomers and to help meet the
needs of their fellow countrymen by providing social
activities, fostering fellowship and goodwill, and
promoting a better understanding of Canada.
In December 1950, a formal meeting of the group at
the King Edward Hotel resulted in the official birth of an
Australian New Zealand Club in Toronto.
In 1966 the club was incorporated under the name
TRANZAC which stands for Toronto Australia New
Zealand Club.
Tranzac Sports and Cultural Cricket Club was handed
over to its current owner and Coach, Sheriff Boodhoo
by Mr. Errol Boodhoo around the year 1996. Thereafter it
came to be known as Tranzac Cricket Academy.
Located in Toronto, Tranzac Cricket Academy is undoubtedly considered a high-performance club
team in Ontario developing players to compete at the National and International levels. The academy
offers cricket coaching at Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
It is little surprise that Tranzac Cricket Academy is known for its world-class cricket coaching. Sheriff
Boodhoo is an acclaimed coach who was awarded Coach of the Year several times. A meeting with
legendary English Coach Bob Woolmer got Boodhoo passionate about cricket coaching. “The first
time he came to Canada, he came to my facility, which was where the Canadian National Team held
their practice. After many conversations, he got me involved in coaching.
information and knowledge to help me coach players”, recalls Boodhoo.
From the very beginning, Tranzac’s goal has been to provide aspiring, hardworking, and dedicated
players the opportunity, resources, and support to represent Canada to compete at the highest level
of cricket.
Arjun Parikh has represented Canada at the under 18 and U-21 in Florida, Vancouver, and Guyana.
Winning the U15 championship in 2010 testifies,” I would not be where I am today without Tranzac and
Coach Boodhoo. All of the lessons learned on and off the field will stick with me for life. This legacy of
playing the right way I hope to pass onto the future generation of cricket lovers.”
Tranzac’s team of experienced and qualified coaches administer structured group sessions that
include cricket practice and fitness drills three times a week. Extreme weather conditions do not deter
the players or the coaches to attend their daily practice. Indoor practices are held at 185 Carlingview
Drive during the winter months and outdoors are held at Centennial during the summer months.
Canadian national player Harsh Thaker swears by the rigorous coaching he received at Tranzac “I
believe all those hard sessions I have had at Qasra /Tranzac with Coach have immensely helped me
in my growth and were one of the big reasons as to why I played for Canada U15, Canada U19, and
now the senior Canadian team.”
Tranzac has been an achiever all the way. The academy bagged 25 awards from the Leagues. It took
U-13, U-15, U-17, and U-19 teams to T&D championships in consecutive years.
Tranzac Cricket Academy has produced
six prominent players so far. The first among
them is Harsh Thaker who has represented the
Canadian Under 19 in Bangladesh. Harsh is
presently representing the Canadian Senior
National Team. Next is Jeet Mehta who is a part
of the top 24 squads for Ontario and Canada
under 19 teams. He made his senior debut
with the Canadian development squad in the
Super 50 in the West Indies. Arjun Parikh won
the U 15 championship in 2010 in the U 18 and
U 21 levels besides playing for a conference
championship in the following years.
Nick Manohar, Raqib Shamsudeen, and
Ashtan Deosammy, all three represented the
Canadian under 19 World Cup in January 2020.
Ashtan Deosammy was the Canadian captain
for this World Cup.
Tranzac’s mission has been to coach everychild based on his uniqueness. Thus Tranzac has
U-12, U- 14,U-16, U- 18 and two senior teams. It
also has one women’s team.
Tranzac’s unwavering focus and commitment to
supporting women’s cricket has led to the clubs’
success in the TDCA, SCA, and MCPL leagues
from 2013 – 2020.
Coach Boodhoo had a story to share about how
Tranzac nurtured women’s cricket.
Tranzac has had a Women’s Program since 2013.
Before 2013, a few women players played on the
Qasra Boys’ teams. The program came about at
a time when there was growing interest in cricket
as the Canadian National Women’s Cricket
Team which had just won America’s qualifier in
the Cayman Islands in 2012, was preparing for
the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Dublin, Ireland.
Beyond National practices, there were limited
avenues for the women to practice and improve
their skills. Coach Sheriff Boodhoo recognizing
that the women players were very keen and
competitive, allowed them to train at his indoor
net facility, thus filling in that much-deserved
need. The women players practiced long hours
at the club in preparation for the ICC tournament
and entered the TDCA Women’s league as the
first Tranzac women’s team in 2013. Six of the club
members made the National Team that played
in the ICC 2013 Qualifiers. The tournament did not
go well for Canada and it was a difficult period
where funding was taken away by the ICC from
the Women’s program in the Americas. Despite
the lack of opportunities, Tranzac continued
to invest in coaching girls and women. Tranzac
Club management and its senior women players
continued to recruit new players grooming the
next generation of cricketers for Canada. Players
such as Hiba Shamshad, Nicole Gallagher,
Harshita Bhatt, and Sana Zafar that joined the
club got the opportunity to play for the First ever
Cricket Ontario Team that competed in Atlanta
Women’s Fifth Annual T20 Tournament in Atlanta,
Georgia in May 2015. The Cricket Ontario team
was Runner’s Up in their first tournament with
the return of the ICC America’s tournament in
2019 Tranzac’s recruits were ready to stake their
claim on the National Team Tranzac’s noteworthy
achievements include 2020 Mississauga Cricket
League Champions, 2019 Scarborough Cricket
League Runner Up, 2018 Scarborough Cricket
League Champions, 2014 TDCA Women’s League
Runners Up and 2013 TDCA Women’s League
champions.
A memorable moment for Coach Boodhoo
was when Tranzac Cricket club won the Premier
Division in the year 2000. It was the largest crowd
ever to witness the finals of the Premier game held
at Ross Lord between Tranzac Cricket Club and
Victoria Park Cricket Club.
Tranzac cricket Academy has gone beyond the
realms of cricket coaching to build individual
character and craft personal success of its
members. Jeet Mehta, who was a part of the
top-24 squads for both Ontario and Canada U-19
affirms,” At Tranzac, Coach Sherriff taught us how
to carry ourselves on and off the field. He taught
us the importance of humility, curiosity, and a
coachable attitude. These teachings will go well
beyond the 22 yards.”
True that Tranzac Cricket Academy has been
more concerned with its character than its
reputation and in the process without demanding
respect, it has earned it.
Sheriff Boodhoo Changing Lives Through Cricket Coaching!
