Name: Gavin Niblock
DOB: October 10, 2003
City, Country Of Birth: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Playing Role: Bowling All Rounder
Batting Style: LHB
Bowling Style: LFM
Born October 10, 2003 in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada Gavin Niblock, known
affectionately as “Gav” to his family, closest
friends, and teammates was first introduced
to cricket at age 7 while his father was posted to New
Delhi, India as a Canadian diplomat. Gavin and his dad
attended the Canada vs Kenya match at the 2011 Cricket
World Cup, an experience which fueled the passion he’s
held for the game ever since.
Gavin’s passion for cricket has also been made evident
by his adopted hobby of collecting Cricket Cards of the
Indian Premier League’s participating players. In 2013, at
the tender age of 10, he began his formal cricket training
in as unusual a place as the Budapest Hungary located
Bat and Ball Cricket Academy.
Since then Gavin honed his cricket skills, as a wicketkeeper
– bowler, further while participating in summer
cricket tours around the Sussex region of England.
His first two coaches, Andrew Leckonby and Duncan
Shoebridge, further inspired his passion for the game
while teaching him the fundamentals.
After three years under their collective guidance, Gavin’s
family relocated to Romania where options to play were
limited. Fortunately his family eventually moved to
Vancouver BC, and as such he was able to recommence
his cricket journey with the Meraloma Cricket Club. He
has now been playing with them every summer since,
under the coaching guidance of Iain Dixon. Gavin has
impressively made his way through the Club’s ranks,
playing in the junior and the men’s program as well as
coaching the u-12’s, to finally play for the club’s First
team in the Elite Division of the British Columbia
Mainland Cricket League.
Gavin’s best bowling performance to date in the League
has been the two wickets he took, for the Meraloma 1st
XI during a July 2021 match, He also struck a six of the
very last ball of the batch.