The Barre Cricket League (BCL) started in 2010 with just some friends at Georgian College looking for a way to play the game and has grown into a multi-team league and just completed a friendly championship game against its Shelburne counterparts.
The Barrie Royals cricket team defeated the Shelburne Stars on Sept. 26 in a friendly at the Shelburne Cricket Club grounds.
BCL president Jashank Vyas says the game was meant to bring two communities closer through a mutual love of the game, and show others how fun it can be.
“We wanted to enjoy a competition outside of our city and meet other people who play and those who don’t and wanted to see,” Vyas said Sunday. “It was a very fun day and we hope to do it more in the future.”
The Barrie side took home the inaugural Sunday Cup that day and now will hope to continue to build that excitement into something bigger in Barrie.
The field the league plays on is at Maitland Park in Barrie’s east end. The location is typically a baseball field. And while the players are thankful to have something to play on, it's not ideal.
“Most low-maintained facilities in Canada or countries with a colder climate basically have to put concrete or asphalt on the bottom and an AstroTurf over top of it,” said Vyas. “That way when there is rain or snow beforehand, it clears up quicker.
"Right now, it takes days to clear up.”
In 2011, the City of Barrie initially agreed to provide the field the league needed, but upon review realized that with the baseball diamond there, the field couldn’t be altered to have a solid underground.
Vyas hopes the BCL and it’s over 100 players, can get a separate field soon as they continue to attract people from around the community.
“The league used to be mainly students from Georgian College when we started, students who had come from other countries and wanted to play their familiar game,” said Vyas. “But now, we are seeing more people who are already here in the community coming out to play and get involved. It's great to see and shows there is an interest.”
Vyas came from India to attend Georgian, where he graduated in 2010, and admits he still cheers for his hometown Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League.
“But I also lived in New Zealand for about four years and loved the game and the teams playing there,” said Vyas.
Living in Barrie and working as a quality technical manager at a south end business, Vyas enjoys his community and being part of something like the BCL, which he knows everyone involved will continue to help it grow.
“No one works full time in the league, it is seasonal and we all have steady jobs. But the passion for the game is there and everyone helps out in some way to keep it going,” said Vyas.
The league typically begins in early to mid June and wraps up at the end of September to the first or second week of October.
For more information on the Barrie Cricket League, head to their website or Facebook page.
