Powell River Royals Cricket Club, now in its second year, heads to Vancouver Island this weekend to participate in a match against Arrowsmith Cricket Club of Qualicum Beach.
“This will be our big match for the summer,” said team captain Alex Rawnsley. “Then we’ll spend the winter trying to regather and gain numbers and come back stronger for year three.”
The club has lost some momentum in its second year, according to Rawnsley.
“It’s been a bit of a sophomore slump,” he said. “Our first year was fantastic and blew away any expectations I had in terms of bringing cricket to Powell River. Year two has been a little slower.”
Rawnsley attributes the loss of momentum to dwindling player numbers.
“We lost a couple of our members over the winter who moved to Vancouver Island and a lot of our players have young families and professional commitments,” he said.
In its first year, the team participated in four matches on Vancouver Island against Qualicum, winning one. The Arrowsmith club is the closest competitor to Powell River, however, cricket continues to gain popularity throughout the province, said Rawnsley.
“There’s quite a big league down in Victoria and teams in Nanaimo,” he added.
Powell River’s club simply needs more players.
“We need more willing bodies,” said Rawnsley. “People who have played before are certainly welcome to come back out.”
The team was initially started by a group of expatriates from cricket-playing nations such as South Africa, England, India and Pakistan; Rawnsley is originally from Australia. Locals who joined the team built cricket skills quickly, he said.
“We have a number of Canadians who had not played before and have picked up the game really well,” said Rawnsley.
In the future, the team captain hopes the club will grow and can be involved in more matches around the province.
“Ultimately, we’d love to get a cricket pitch here,” he said. “There’s been some preliminary discussions but we need to back it up with membership and sustained support.”
The game brings some diversity to the typical Canadian sporting scene, adds Rawnsley.
“It’s a nice alternative to slo-pitch softball,” he said. “It’s a different set of skills and a lot of fun.”
