Fielding a strong future for cricket

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This article was published 24/06/2024 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Assiniboine Park is the epicentre for Manitoba’s cricket community, and now its fields are being treated as such.

Construction on $1.6 million worth of upgrades to the cricket pitches near the southeast entrance on Diversity Drive began this spring.

New batting and bowling cages will be installed, and while the number of fields will decrease from three to two, future matches will be played on natural grass surfaces that are accurate to the International Cricket Council’s dimension standards.

Not only will it provide a more professional feel for cricketers here, but the hope is that it will make the provincial capital a viable option to host national and international competitions in the rapidly growing sport.

“I know it’s costly, but it’s going to have a lot of benefits in the future for cricket as we grow,” said Garvin Budhoo, past president of the Manitoba Cricket Association, which was consulted by the park during the planning phase.

“For the last 15, 20 years, the International Cricket Council has said we need to be playing on natural turf, the real grass cricket, and of course in Manitoba we’ve always been playing on artificial stuff. For us to have the ability to host any other national tournament, international tournament, we need to have the proper facility.”

This marks the first time that upgrades have been made to the cricket field since 1967, which were done in preparation for the Pan Am Games.

Upgrading the field is part of a long-term plan by the park, which has already done two major field renovations in recent years. It previously converted the baseball diamonds on the east side of the park to a field for Ultimate Frisbee and gave a facelift to the soccer pitches that sit just west of The Leaf.

The latest project is a bit more detailed as areas of the field will be filled to create the proper slope that is required for cricket, and “fast grass” is manufactured to foster an authentic, faster brand of the sport. The grass will need to be cut low and maintained regularly to perform optimally, which the park will do by setting up a new irrigation system.

The province has chipped in $500,000 to help with the construction cost.

The field renovations are expected to be complete by the fall but will need close to two years for the grass to fully mature and be able to withstand the heavy traffic of cricketers.

“It’s a high-profile spot, here in the middle of Assiniboine Park, and it brings people in from across cultures and neighbourhoods to just really enjoy the sport,” said Archie Pronger, VP of operations for Assiniboine Park.

Cricket has seen a monumental ascension in Canada and the U.S. as immigrants from Asian countries have brought the beloved game with them.

Manitoba is no exception, with more than 700 players registered through the MCA and hundreds more playing recreationally in schools and organized programs. During the summer months, the park welcomes about 150 people playing in the MCA league every weekend, which has grown to 60 teams across five divisions.

League play has continued during construction at fields in the Waverley and Maples neighbourhoods, and outside of the city in La Salle, Winkler and Brandon.

“It’s one of those things that I think is hugely important to the people who play cricket, and creating a field that’s close to international play standards just highlights the level of cricket that could potentially come back to Canada, come back to Winnipeg,” Pronger said.

“It would be a huge boon for the cricket community.”

Budhoo went a step further to say the new surface could make Winnipeg a candidate for a professional team in Major League Cricket. The six-team league, based in the U.S., has expressed interest in expanding its circuit into Canada.

“The cricket community is going to see the benefits when we’re hosting high-level cricket here. It will also allow our local players to develop their game on grass pitches,” Budhoo said.

“With the real grass pitches and proper fields, its pristine conditions, the ball runs very fast, the batters enjoy hitting on it and the bowlers enjoy bowling on that kind of surface. Both batters and bowlers, they will benefit so they can play at their best level, which will only result in good, competitive cricket.”

The new pitches are expected to be ready for play in 2026.

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam