GCVI’s Cricket Team Comeback

The GCVI Cricket Team is back! Meeting every Tuesday and Thursday at Exhibition Park right after school, this team is open to everyone– even those with no experience at all. The team has been a part of GCVI since at least 2010, according to Mr. Lloyd, a teacher at GCVI and the coach of the cricket team. 

Mr. Lloyd, having learned to play cricket on an indoor team during his time in Australia, admits that it is “a challenging game, [with the only similarity to baseball] being that there's a bat and a ball. Everything else is quite different.” He also says that it’s “really interesting [having grown up playing baseball as a kid], seeing such a similar, but different sport being played in a completely different part of the world.” Cricket is most popular in South Asia and is rapidly gaining popularity in North America as well. It is the fastest growing sport in Canada, with over 5 million Canadians that follow it. If this sounds like something you’d like to be a part of, fear not! According to Lakshy, a member of the GCVI cricket team, the hardest part of learning cricket “is the rules. [I even] have things that I forget sometimes.” He adds that “[growing up] in India, it’s a major sport, [and] I’d play with my friends [all the time]... so I’d love to expand the fandom at GCVI.” 

Cricket has many positive traits. However, what Mr. Lloyd loves the most about cricket is “the camaraderie that goes with playing… just standing there with [everyone] is really enjoyable. [The players] have a good time and build those friendships, and [everyone has] smiles on their faces.” Lakshya agrees“I have really good friends that I’ve made [through] cricket.” Abhiraj, another member of the GCVI cricket team, says that his favourite part of cricket is bowling. He adds that although he loves both cricket and soccer, he prefers cricket because “it's much less risky,” and there's less aggression and contact with other players compared to soccer. Friends, good memories, and a non-contact sport? Sounds like a fun time!

After weeks of practice, the cricket team typically plays a one-day match against John F. Ross at Margaret Green Park’s cricket pitch. The match, called The Guelph Ashes (after the yearly match between England and Australia), is a chance “for the kids to really get [to experience] the competition [in an] official and proper game of cricket against another team,” explains Mr Lloyd. The John F. Ross team, for the past two Guelph Ashes, remains undefeated. Abhiraj attributes their opponent’s success to John F. Ross “having so [many] players and [us] having… not that many players.” He says that “[even though] we lost the match, it was [still] a good, friendly match [to play].” He also adds, with confidence, that “if we have more people [this year] we can defeat them.” So is a GCVI comeback in the cards this time? Only time will tell…

This year, the GCVI cricket team is looking for more players. The team, and the annual match they play against John F. Ross, “are a lot of fun, and I’d love to get more kids out and involved”, says Mr Lloyd. Lakshya remarks that he feels like “everyone at GC should at least try cricket, to get to know what [it’s] like.” If you're interested in learning more about being a part of this amiable team and the challenging yet rewarding sport they play, talk to Mr. Lloyd.