Several games were taking place simultaneously in the large field near downtown Montreal. the field is located near Mont Royal *mountain* seen in the background

Several matches were taking place simultaneously in the large field near downtown Montreal. the field is located near Mont Royal *mountain* seen in the background
Photo Credit: M Montgomery

Cricket in Canada’s winter? Why not!

Canada is hockey country. Oh sure we have baseball and football, but hockey is number one, especially in a land where winter plays such a big part.

Cricket, one of the biggest sports in the world, is not big in Canada. That’s a disappointment to many an immigrant who grew up loving the game. It’s especially hard when you can’t actually play for about six months of a cold and snowy winter.

But wait, Darren Murphy, a cricket “addict” asks, “Why not?”
Listen

Darren Murphy, cricket fanatic and organizer of Montreal’s Snow Cricket championship.
Darren Murphy, cricket fanatic and organizer of Montreal’s Snow Cricket championship. © M Montgomery

Murphy was a driving force behind this year’s “Snow Cricket World Cup”. It was the ninth annual edition and saw even more people turn out than ever. (It helped of course that it was a beautiful weekend and not a -30 blizzard.)

Murphy says that he gets his cricket fix in the winter by streaming matches on the internet, but nothing compares to actually playing it. That’s what he and dozens of others set out to do.

Of course playing in the snow requires some modifications, especially since it’s much more an occasion to have fun than a serious competition, although as Murphy says, “it is always nice to win”.  The ball is not regulation, and lots of plywood sheets have to be laid down to get some bounce from a frozen tennis ball, and there are some rule modifications to take the conditions into account, but it’s still cricket.

The ball is thrown (not sure if it’s a *googlie*) during one of several *international* matches
The bowler throws the frozen tennis ball (not sure if it’s a *googlie*) during one of several *international* matches © M Montgomery

Several teams were organized along loose national lines, South Asian, North American, Australian, New Zealand, European/Celt etc.

He insists that cricket is a much more interesting game than say, baseball, and that’s why for those who try it, some will get the bug and come out to the more serious competitions that take place in summer.

Will cricket ever join the ranks of major league sports in Canada, not in the near future anyway says Murphy. Even though there are vast numbers of immigrant who love the game, there’s still a lack of real organization in this country.

Still, he says…maybe one day.

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