The game of cricket is exploding in Saskatchewan. This year, the Saskatchewan Cricket League fielded 12 teams, unprecedented since early settlers of the province brought the game over from the United Kingdom in the late 1800s.
The game waned in Saskatchewan after the first half of the 20th century, but renewed interest is being fueled by a new wave of immigration, this time primarily from southern Asia.
Although all of the current clubs play out of Regina (8) and Saskatoon (4), interest is growing in the province's smaller cities.
If Faisal Anwar has his way, Yorkton will soon join Regina and Saskatoon as a cricket city. Anwar is currently drafting bylaws for the Yorkton Cricket Association that will oversee development of the game here. The City has made Heritage Heights Park available for local cricket players.
A cricket playing field is circular or oval. There are no standard dimensions, but the long diameter generally varies between 450 and 500 feet. Roughly at the centre of the field is the pitch. At either end of the pitch are wickets, which consist of three posts (stumps). Balanced on top of the stumps are two bails. The pitch is 66 feet from wicket to wicket. There is a line in front of the wicket behind which the batsman is safe from being out.
The game is played 11 to a side. Two batsmen defend the wickets by redirecting a ball, which is bowled (thrown) by alternating members of the opposing team. The ball is much the same size and hardness of a baseball, but with only a single seam around the circumference.
The ball can be hit in any direction. Once hit, the batsmen can choose to run if they feel they can make it to the other end of the pitch. For each crossing of the pitch by both runners, one run is scored. If the ball reaches the boundary on the ground, it is automatically four runs. If the ball clears the boundary in the air, it is six runs.
Batsmen bat until they are out. There are numerous ways to get batsmen out. The most common are: bowled out (the bowler hits the wicket knocking the bails off the stumps); run out (a player knocks the bails off while the runner is outside the safety of his crease) and; caught out (a player catches a fly ball).
The game is divided into overs. There are six balls to an over. In test cricket there is no limit on the number of overs; each team bats until all but one of their batsmen is out (because it takes two runners to score). Everyone has heard legendary stories of cricket matches going on for days and into thousands of runs, but shorter versions of the game are rapidly gaining popularity.
The two forms of the game most commonly played in Saskatchewan are 40-over cricket and Twenty 20 (or T20) cricket.
In these short forms of the game, the number of overs is limited to 40 and 20 respectively. A professional T20 game is usually approximately the same duration as a professional baseball game. Professional T20 teams typically score between 120 and 200 runs in 20 overs.
In Canada, cricket is naturally a summer sport, but Yorkton cricketers will keep in shape this winter by playing an indoor version of the game.
"I've booked Gloria Hayden Community Centre until May," Anwar said. "We welcome anyone who wants to play, watch or try their hand at it to come out."
Anwar said the full Yorkton indoor cricket schedule will soon be posted online, but in the meantime prospective players can give him a call at 621 1220.
Currently, almost all the players who turn out on Saturdays come from East Indian or Caribbean backgrounds, but the association will seek to broaden the appeal.
Thom Barker is a recent convert to the game and prospective member of the association's board of directors. He sees a natural fit with players of another great bat and ball game.
"Cricket is a fantastic, exciting sport," he said. "Batting is a little counter-intuitive if you've played a lot of baseball, but many baseball skills are transferable. Anyone who has played baseball should come out and give cricket a try."
