Pass the wicket

What was Canada’s first national sport? No, it wasn’t hockey. It wasn’t curling either. Before Canadians ‘hurried hard’ to the rink, they placed their bets on cricket.

The traditional British sport was so popular in Canada at the time of Confederation that Prime Minister John A. Macdonald declared it Canada’s national sport.

Cricket matches were recorded near Montreal more than 200 years ago.

Although it was overtaken by hockey, it is enjoying a resurgence and is among the fastest growing sports in Canadian schools.

According to Cricket Canada, over 20,000 children play cricket in school or community-based programs.

British beginnings

Most experts agree that British soldiers brought cricket to Canada. A British instructor at Upper Canada College in Toronto named George A. Barber founded the Toronto Cricket Club in 1827.

He also started the annual cricket series against Upper Canada College, which is still held once a year.

The first international cricket competition in the world was played in 1844 between Canada and the U.S. in Bloomingdale Park in Manhattan. Canada won the match, and it spawned an intense rivalry that lives on today.

In 1892, the Canadian Cricket Association (now known as Cricket Canada), was established. By this time, cricket had spread to Ontario, B.C., Alberta and the Prairies, although it had to compete with baseball and ice hockey.

World Cup

The Canadian team has made four appearances at the cricket World Cup, and 2011 is its third straight trip.

But with all the appearances, Canada has only two wins in World Cup play. The first was against Bangladesh in Durban 2003, and the second came on Monday against Kenya.

It was a welcome win for the Canadians, who insist they have a bright future in the sport and believe they can even achieve Test status.

Canada is an “˜associate team,’ which means it has not achieved “˜test status’ or full competitive status by the International Cricket Council.

Smaller nations like Canada are fighting for their lives at the World Cup since cricket officials are planning on cutting the number of participants in 2015 from 14 to 10.

Canadian coach Pubudu Dassanayake is optimistic. "Our plan is to develop the game and by 2015 or so to become a full member. Cricket is growing in Canada in a big way.”

With files from AFP