Cricket may not be the most popular sport in Canada, but its popularity at UTM is certainly on the rise. After being chosen as the Sports Club of the Year by UTMSU, the UTM Cricket Club has plans to make this year bigger and better for all cricket fanatics.
Membership for UCC increased by 20 percent this year during clubs week, and the club is looking to achieve heights it has never reached before.
Cricket is believed to have originated in England, but the first ever international game was played between Canada and the U.S.A. in 1844. Australia is currently the leading team in international cricket, having won the Cricket World Cup last year.
Cricket has three different formats: test cricket, one-day cricket, and T20 cricket. A test match lasts for five days, one-day games consist of 50 overs aside, and T20, the newest format, is perhaps the most popular amongst youth and in Canada too, as it is the shortest and most exciting form.
Cricket is a great way for students to meet new people and socialize, especially for first-years. It is an excellent source of entertainment and relaxation. Pickup cricket is on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Gym C—the home of cricket at UTM—where anyone can drop in and play. It’s at the drop-in sessions that players socialize, learn the game, and form teams for intramurals that play a set schedule during the fall and winter semesters.
The intramural league began on September 24, and division 1 and two finals will be played on November 3.
Just like last year, the UCC will be organising the UTM Cricket World Cup, where all the students will get an opportunity to represent their country and showcase their talent. Last year, this was the marquee event for the club as the turnout exceeded expectation.
Cricket is a simple game that newcomers can grasp rather quickly. In cricket, each team takes a turn to bat and bowl, and the team with the most runs at the end wins, somewhat like baseball. There is a limit to the number of people who can bat and bowl, and players in the field—or, in the case of UTM, the court—are used to prevent the flow of runs. A batsman can be out for various reasons, but the most common is when a fielder catches the ball. The cricket played at UTM is a little different from the traditional game, however, as the weather is not a factor in the gym.
Last year was perhaps the best year in the UTM cricket team’s history, as they won the tri-campus for the first time. Having tasted success, the UTM cricket team is hungry for more and will look to leave no stones unturned this time around.
