Sudbury seeing an increased interest in cricket

Greater Sudbury's first cricket club says it is seeing more people interested in the sport.

Tarang Ingle founded Greater Sudbury's first cricket club, the Big Nickel Cricket Club, in 2009. August 9, 2024. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Tarang Ingle first founded the Big Nickel Cricket Club (BNCC) in 2009 out of a love of the sport and a desire to increase popularity in Sudbury and northern Ontario.

He told CTV News interest was slow at first, starting with only four members.

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"We played and we thought that we need to grow this game," said Ingle.

Now, more than a decade later, he said a lot has changed.

"From four players to now more than 100 plus players,” he said.

“It's an amazing growth that we have seen."

An undated photo of Sudbury's Big Nickel Cricket Club members. (Big Nickel Cricket Club/Facebook)

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Ingle said cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, although less so in North America.

In recent years, the sport has gained popularity in northeastern Ontario due to an increase in newcomers and international students.

"Most of the international students, they are coming in from different countries. They all have been playing cricket for all their life," said Ingle.

“When they see that there is a big a cricket club, there is a cricket played in Sudbury, they are approaching us to see how they can join, even if they are not playing with hard ball."

Sudbury's premier cricket field is in the Greater Sudbury community of Capreol, built thanks to a partnership between BNCC and the City of Greater Sudbury.

Shelley Walushka is the manager of community initiatives and partnerships for the city, she told CTV News that a second cricket club starting in Greater Sudbury and the Rainbow District School Board incorporating the sport into its curriculum.

The Rainbow District School Board has added cricket to its curriculum based on the increased popularity of the sport and changing demographics. Lively High School students are shown playing the sport in this undated photo. (File photo/Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)

Walushka also noted that there has been increased interest in cricket over the last decade and could see more growth with cricket set to be added to the 2028 Olympics.

"We definitely have seen an increase in interest in the sport, people wanting to play and get to know the game," she said.

"Lots of newcomers in our community who are passionate about this game. The sport may be not that well known to many people in Greater Sudbury, but it's certainly growing in popularity and across North America."

This year, the city opened up Copper Cliff's baseball field for recreational play.

"It allows people who want to play on a bit more of an informal setting to play with a softball or tape ball cricket ball, which is great for accommodating the grassroots sport and just recreational play," said Walushka.

The city has also extended its Capreol pitch – which has a cement base and turf for hardball play.

"We also added site screen, which is the first of its kind in northern Ontario, which really accommodates holding more tournaments out of town," Walushka said.

"Teams have come from all over northern Ontario in the GTA to play here."

The Big Nickel Cricket Club along with Greater Sudbury Ward 4 city councillor Natalie Labbee are shown with their trophy won a region the club hosted in July 2024. (Big Nickel Cricket Club/Facebook)

Ingle said a site screen is beneficial to avoid distractions. Some fields in southern Ontario have them, and Ingle said players from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have been impressed with Sudbury's setup.

"When the bowler is pitching the ball, the batsman is batting. If it's darker – because we play with white ball – so the darker background, he can see the ball clearly releasing from his hand," he said, explaining some of the game mechanics.

"There is no distraction for the batsman and that's a very important thing to have in cricket and not much of the cities have it."

Walushka said the city hopes to one day add another cricket field – but there are specific requirements.

Shelley Walushka is the manager of community initiatives and partnerships for the City of Greater Sudbury. August 9, 2024. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)

"To play hard-ball cricket, you need a lot of space," she said.

"The field (in Capreol) is, you know, 400 feet in diameter. We have a pitch that I'm standing on here that is, you know, cement with that with a turf on top of it that really helps to accommodate the game."

Ingle said the BNCC has big plans for the future. Currently, the club is in the works of establishing an all-women's team. He said eight women are interested, and the hope is to create the team this fall, train over the winter and begin the team next season.

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Ultimately, though, the goal is to grow the game in northern Ontario.

City of Greater Sudbury manager Shelley Walushka practices her cricket skills in Capreol on August 9, 2024. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)

"Ideally, we'd like one or two more grounds developed in the city or close by in the city where other people who cannot travel can also come and play," he said.

"For that, you'd need to have some kind of floodlights done. It's a long way to go, but I'm pretty sure BNCC, along with City, we will achieve our goal very successfully."