Timmins Tigers cricket team hosts Mayor's Cup Tournament
Cricket players will tell you, the sport is as important to them as a hockey is to northerners.
With more people from Asia moving to northern Ontario, it's become crucial for them to get the sport established in this part of the world.
Timmins Tigers hosted a cricket tournament. June 4/23 (Lydia Chubak/CTV Northern Ontario)
"We have almost 200, 250 people playing cricket in Thunder Bay and that’s something, especially for a place where cricket was nothing," said Stefin Cyriac, a member of the Thunder Bay Kombans cricket team.
"We’re getting more and more inquiries about are you coming for this tournament, that tournament, and that’s all around Canada."
This weekend, the Timmins Tigers hosted cricket teams from Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie in the first of several tournaments this summer.
The winning team will take home the Mayor's Cup, a new trophy that the Timmins Tigers hope will help grow the sport and add a new level of prestige to the 'gentleman's game' in the north.
"You have to think outside of the box, so I thought have we ever played a Mayor’s Cup here? They said 'no,'" said Deepak Datta, a member of the Timmins Tigers team.
"Mayor (Michelle Boileau) is supportive, so why not dedicate a cup towards the mayor’s office … and it’s going to spread awareness in the whole town."
Datta said because of strong local support, it means that after graduation some people have decided to stay in the north because cricket is offered.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
"I had a sports background, so when I was in India, I used to represent my team over there. So when I moved here, I was planning something to get something related to that, so it was good to have cricket here," said Bhavya Jain, another member of the Tigers.
The Timmins cricket team is hosting another tournament in two weeks, with teams from North Bay and Sudbury participating, and there will also be one on Canada Day weekend with teams from Brampton and Orillia coming to play.
"It helps the local economy here too because they live in the hotels, they go enjoy in the restaurant, they go enjoy in the bars and all that," said Datta.
As the sport continues to grow in the north, some clubs like Thunder Bay's is also getting children and women involved.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.