Meet a pillar of the sporting community

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/06/2018 (2976 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Charles Showkat Baksh recently celebrated his 80th birthday and he is a remarkable man.

It doesn’t take long in conversation to come to an understanding of the depth of Charles. Born in

Trinidad, he immigrated to Canada in 1959 and has lived in Winnipeg since.

When he arrived in Winnipeg the local cricket scene got one heck of a player.

“Dad was involved in cricket in Manitoba and in Canada from 1960-1986 as a player, and served on the executive of the Manitoba Cricket Association,” his son and daughter, Atma and Andrea, wrote in a letter to me.

“He also provided leadership for the local cricket team as president, treasurer, and captain.”

The list of accomplishments Charles achieved in cricket, including championships and international play is incredible, yet those successes may not be the most impressive on his sports resumé.

In 1985, he retired from playing the game he so dearly loved.

“Ever since I was a very young boy I had played cricket. The aspects of the sport I really enjoyed were the competition and the friendships made,” he said. “Also I really enjoyed the good things one can achieve in the community with sport.

“Not only is sport and playing the games fun but it can also be used to achieve wonderful things in the community.”

So what does one do when they retire from the sport they love?

Charles picked up a golf club.

“I began to golf. I never took a lesson. The transition from cricket to golf I found to be easy. I thought the swings of the cricket bat and golf club were very similar,”  he said.

In 1989 Charles captured his first tournament win. In 1996, he set the course record at John Blumberg with a blistering 63.

Charles and his dearly loved wife of 50 years, Doris, live in Westwood, and Atma and Andrea are very proud of their parents.

Charles and Doris still have fun spending time on the course.

“We enjoy golfing together. I think she is mostly interested in the game for social reasons but we have a lot of fun.”
 
Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Troy Westwood is co-host of The Big Show, every weekday morning from 6 to 10 a.m. on TSN 1290 radio. He writes about Winnipeg’s unsung sports heroes every other week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. If you know of an athlete whose story Troy should tell, contact him at: troy.westwood@bellmedia.ca