Cricket unites northern Ontario communities at Soo North Cup

This year's tournament features more than 300 players competing for top spot at Queen Elizabeth Field over the long weekend

Thunder Bay Lions player Harsh Desai delivers to a player from Sudbury BNCC during the Soo North Cup at Queen Elizabeth Field on Saturday.

1 / 1 Thunder Bay Lions player Harsh Desai delivers to a player from Sudbury BNCC during the Soo North Cup at Queen Elizabeth Field on Saturday. Advertisement

Nearly 350 cricket players from across northern Ontario are taking part in the second annual Soo North Cup this weekend at Queen Elizabeth Field.

Seven teams from Sudbury, Thunder Bay, North Bay and Sault are competing in this year’s tournament, which is taking place Aug. 1-4.

“Soo North Cup is more than just cricket: It brings communities from all over northern Ontario together,” says Haroon Butt, past-president of the SSM Cricket Club and the organizer of this year’s event. “It's a reason for people to not only connect, but to compete in these very well-structured tournaments.”

Harsh Desai of the Thunder Bay Gujarat Lions Cricket Club says cricket is “like religion” back home in his native India, where it’s commonplace for people to learn the game by playing on the streets.

“When we grow up, all we did was play cricket and watch cricket,” Desai told SooToday on Saturday. “It's kind of in the blood, and when we got here it was like a very limited opportunity for us to play cricket.”

Desai is enthused by the rapid growth of the sport throughout northern Ontario.

“It's mainly because of the people travelling from South Asia — India mainly, Pakistan also. People love to play cricket,” he says. “It's basically part of our routine. We go to school, come home, eat dinner or whatever, and then just go to play cricket.”

Butt says cricket is more than just swinging the bat or bowling the delivery.

“It teaches you sportsmanship. It teaches you connectivity, it teaches you team spirit — and how to come out of hurdles when you're going down in life, or in any aspect,” he says.

More information on the Soo North Cup can be found on the SSM Cricket Club website.

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