Cricket continues to grow in Manitoba. More young people
are getting involved with the sport at the Junior High and
Senior High school levels. These players then migrate to the
club levels where existing clubs are encouraged to include the
young players into their programs.
Manitoba chose to continue with 50 over ODI format cricket in all
three divisions to help the development of players in the longer
format. T/20 cricket is played in the evenings’ weekends and
some weekdays.
To reduce on traveling time and distances, practice facilities are
located at Assiniboine Park, Elwick Community Center in the North
and Dakota High School in the South East. Practice nets are being
worked on through the city in the South West side of Winnipeg.
The MCA continues to place great emphases on Junior development.
Since more Junior and Senior High schools are implementing
cricket in their programs, the need for a Junior Lague during the
summer months became evident. This sparked the formation of
the Junior League which runs from the first Saturday in July to the
first Saturday in August.
This League was comprised of Four teams and all matches were
played at the Elwick Community Center. Players from around
Winnipeg were brought to the ground by buses. There were coaching sessions, matches and player evaluations.
Sponsors were also solicited to assist with the over
all cost.
Playing Indoor cricket is an excellent way of keeping
the players engaged in the sport and prepares
them for the outdoor season. It is exciting and most
of the players look forward to playing. However,
with only one school gym available, it is difficult to
accommodate all players
The Sport for Life facility at Sport Manitoba has
implemented two practice nets which cricket has full
access to. Sport Manitoba continues to be a major
Cricket Manitoba sponsor but with a shrinking
budget from the Provincial government, all sports
are expected to do more with less. This shortfall is a
signal for the MCA to seek help from the community
through sponsorship.
Manitoba continues to look for more outdoor
facilities. The sport is growing and as more people
from cricketing countries settle in Manitoba the need
is more urgent. One ground was scheduled to be
built in the Winkler area just South East of Winnipeg.
The city of Brandon is still hopeful of building a field
to accommodate the residents in the Western region
of the province.
Two fields have also been added two in the south western end of the city in LaBarriere Park. Cricket Manitoba is also
working on a further project this year to add a third field in LaBarriere Park as well as 4 practice nets.
Please visit our website for current and upcoming events. Additional information can be obtained from www.cricket.
mb.ca
CONTINUED GROWTH FOR MANITOBA CRICKET!
