THUNDER BAY — About 15 young cricket players from Thunder Bay will be heading off to Winnipeg in August for their first tournament.
Cricket is the world's second most popular game, and is continuing to grow in Thunder Bay.
Siddhi Sethi is among the youth going to the match.
“I’m feeling nervous because it's my first match, but I'm prepared. I’m ready to hit it off.”
Sethi has played two sessions here in Thunder Bay, but when she lived in India, she also played cricket there.
She’s going into the match with a few goals in particular.
“I want a half century, if I can, maybe a century,” she said.
Sethi is excited about the trip, believes in her teammates, and expects to do well.
Luke Nelson has been playing cricket for three years.
“It's fun to learn a new sport, and I think I'm pretty decent at it."
Nelson said it’s fun to play cricket in the summer because it keeps him busy.
Although he is unsure at this point if he’s going to Winnipeg, he’s still excited.
“I think it's just great that the kids get to play in a tournament because I was one of the first, and we haven't had a tournament yet, so it's just very exciting for the Thunder Bay cricket kids league in general.”
Stefin Cyriac, board member for Thunder Bay Cricket Council, said the goal is to expand the kids' team.
“We have two teams for adults, and we're trying to develop more for the kids," he said. “We are mainly focusing on kids who are under 13. The youngest kid we have who is coming regularly every week is six. This is the third year that we're doing the kids clinic, and I think that there are at least five or six kids who have been practicing cricket for the past three years."
This year, there are 26 kids registered to play in Thunder Bay, Cyriac said.
The tournament in Winnipeg will be held on Aug. 13.
“The kids are excited. I've contacted kids and their parents, about nine or 10 of them have instantly said, ‘oh yeah, we are coming.'"
“They don't have a second thought. They are interested. Even when we do practice sessions here, they are interested in having a match. More than practicing, everyone is interested in having the match.”
This is the first time these kids will be playing against different kids of the same age, he said.
Cricket in Thunder Bay is just growing, Cyriac said.
“I remember the first year that we had a kids’ team, there were only 11 kids. Then it was 18 kids last year, and this year we have 26 kids registered."
“I'm really happy to see that the community is growing every year, and I’m happy to pass on this information to our new, upcoming generation,” he added
For more information on the Thunder Bay Cricket Council, visit their website.
