THE Scarborough Cricket Association (SCA) executives are eagerly looking forward to the 2022 season. Speaking at the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), held on January 27 last, President Shiv Persaud said the SCA expects to increase the number of teams participating in the Youth and Women Divisions.
“We had higher participation in 2021, however, there are a lot of work to do to continue the development of cricket at these levels. We are looking for all the support we can get. Key to the success of our Youth and Women Divisions is attracting more sponsors that can help to break down the financial barrier. In 2021, SCA proudly supported the Youth and Women teams by covering the cost of the permit fees, balls and umpiring fees for all games,” Persaud highlighted.
Persaud disclosed that he will continue to strive for the success of the SCA by ensuring members and cricket on the whole are getting the attention required to grow into a mainstream sport in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario and across Canada. “I eagerly look forward to attracting more sponsors for the association and continuing to increase the SCA’s value proposition. As a member of the City of Toronto Cricket Reference Group, I look forward to working with the city to add new fields and improve the existing fields.”
Touching on the challenges faced over the last two years, Persaud pointed out all signs at this time are promising a full season of cricket in 2022 beginning in May. “The health and safety of our members are of the utmost priority for us to have a successful season.”
Persaud heaped praised on his executives for their contribution in 2021, describing it as a historical season that saw many barriers eliminated and growth while progress continued. “We started the year uncertain whether we will have the ability to play any games. In what was a repeat of another shortened season, we were able to complete our season successfully across all formats. Delightfully we saw sizable turnout of spectators during the finals that haven’t been seen in the recent years.”
The meeting saw Abu Rubait Alam being elected as the lone newcomer among the executives. He was elected unopposed as the association’s Webmaster after incumbent Abhinav Kavuru did not seek re-election.
The meeting was held virtually via Zoom for the second consecutive year and based on the SCA’s constitution only six posts were contested with Persaud (President), Eon Gunraj (Secretary), Vish Jadunauth (Chief Financial Officer), Calvin Alexander (Grounds Coordinator) and Abigial Rajkumar (Registrar/Statistician), the lone female on the executive body, all retaining their positions.
The other executive members, whose positions weren’t up for grabs this year, were Bisham Singh, (Vice-president); Matthew Francis (Assistant Secretary/Treasurer); Mark Lall (Assistant Grounds Co-ordinator) and Frederick Halley, who was appointed Public Relations Officer/Marketing last November following the resignation of Craig Murdoch.
In his report, Vice-President Bisham Singh reminded that the SCA, through the hard work and guidance of the executives, have been working tirelessly in growing the association from the Third Division to Elite and now to include T20 and T30 Division. “Unfortunately, getting new facilities to complement this growth has been very difficult. It is imperative that our members assist in working with their Councilors in Scarborough and Durham regions for improvements of existing facilities and getting new ones built.”
Singh also extended congratulations to the three Under-19 players of the SCA who were selected to represent Canada and the West Indies in the ICC Under-19 World Cup tournament. Matthew Nandu was part of the West Indies team while Arjuna Sukhu and Ethan Gibson represented Canada.
Bisham Singh – Vice-president
Eon Gunraj – Secretary
Vish Jadunauth – Chief Financial Officer
Mark Lall – Assistant Grounds Coordinator
Calvin Alexander – Grounds Coordinator
Abu Rubait Alam – Webmaster
Frederick Halley – Public Relations/Marketing
Abigail Rajkumar – Registrar/Statistician
Matthew Francis – Assistant Secretary