Talking with Ranjit Chaudri, president of Hamilton and District Cricket League, he told Generation Next that it is one of the oldest surviving cricket leagues in Canada. In early 1800’s British officers used to play because of all British regiments stationed around McMaster and that area

Hamilton Cricket League was formed in 1911. Describing the evolution of the cricket league, he says that with the change in demographics, management and players have changed as well, 10-15 years ago, it was predominantly West Indian decent people who were playing but from last 10 years it is predominantly South Asians who are playing.

 With about a 1000 members, Hamilton District League is one of the five leagues that is part of the Ontario cricket association that is the governing body of cricket that oversees cricket in Ontario. Within the league there are allocated boundaries. Hamilton Cricket League starts from Highway 10 in Mississauga and includes Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Hamilton, Stoney Creek, St. Catherine and it goes up all the way to Cambridge and Guelph.

Talking about South Asian participation, he says, “ There are about 30-35% Pakistanis and 30-35% Indians, about 5% Sri Lankan and the rest of them come from other countries.”

Some clubs are predominantly Pakistani and some are predominantly Indians, “The division is such because I think it’s just the atmosphere and the way management works.”

Ranjit Chaudri mentions that the players are aged between 12-60 who participates in the clubs. He also says, ‘Cricket is an expensive game in this part of the world so clubs have their membership fees to cover the expenses. Nothing is made here, all is imported, also, we have to pay ground rentals.’

He mentions that the city provides support by giving us facilities at reduced prices even though we are considered a minority sport from mainstream perspective.

Also, they have a youth program in effect that trains young boys and girls between the ages of 10-14 by providing a professional coach. We asked Ranjit about the rivalry that is supposedly seen between different cricket clubs. He replies, “You are right about this, as I said, being a minority sport we should work together, hand in hand, approach the government and municipalities and other organizations. But sadly this is happening because of tiny little political games people are fighting for it.’

As a president, Ranjit is responsible for overseeing the operations of the league, “We have the league that runs from May to September. We make sure that the grounds are allocated to all the team, scheduling is proper and by-laws and constitution is being followed. Also, we get certified umpires, compile the results and maintain the websites.”

Ranjit mentions that they also have a women’s team at Canadian as well as Ontario level, but currently the participation in the league is not that apparent. They are providing encouragement and opportunities to young girls so they can form a team in future years. Currently there are about 10-15 young girls between the ages of 8-15 who are participating.

Also, he says that he would like to see more participation from the parents in the game. Parents are actively involved in games like soccer and they take out their time to drop off and pick up their children, but when it comes to cricket they are not that active.

Ranjit thinks that cricket has helped new immigrants integrate in the Canadian society.

It provides them a healthy opportunity to network and make new friends, opening opportunities for finding about new jobs.

Cricket season continues till October depending on the weather, and they start practicing indoors after Christmas.  Ranjit mentions that there is about $150-$200 club fee to join which is cheaper as compared to other sports. If someone is interested, they can contact the league directly through the website and they can refer the closest club in the area for them to join. Finally Ranjit says that there is a bright future for cricket in Canada, if we can resolve the differences between us.

Author: Staff Writer