Of the two great bat-and-ball sports in the world, Canada was influenced more by American culture and fell into the baseball sphere. But we are a Commonwealth country, and cricket, although a secondary sport here, has a venerable tradition in places such as Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto.
The 10-team Victoria and District Cricket Association opens its 2016 season April 16.
It is imperative that youth continues being infused into the system. Toward that end, South African pro Carl Raubenheimer has been brought in by the VDCA to conduct clinics this week for Island Under-21 players, who are called Colts.
He likes what he sees.
“I had no idea what to expect walking into this,” admitted Raubenheimer, who answered an online ad placed by the VDCA.
“There are more than a few talented players on the Island. I have been pleasantly surprised. It’s just a matter of fine-tuning a few things to get them to top level. If these young guys work hard at it, as I did in my career, I definitely see a few players who will play for Canada one day.”
The 32-year-old Raubenheimer is a leg-spin bowler and right-handed batsman who played in the top South African pro league for the Cape Cobras and at the representative level for Boland province.
The young Island players have responded well to Raubenheimer’s instruction this week. Maybe that’s because he has got a bit of a Canadian sporting streak in him. He is proving that a good athlete is a good athlete. Raubenheimer spent three months at Big White last year and picked up snowboarding like nobody’s business and is now a Level 2 instructor, not that he has much opportunity to practise it back home. There is a bit of rudimentary ski hill in nearby Lesotho, but nothing like in B.C.
It is the oval and not the ski hill, however, on which Raubenheimer is concentrating here this week. And that sport of his has seen many changes. Traditional multi-day Test cricket has given way to one-day and even shorter 20-20 versions of the sport. The main World Cup every four years is conducted on the one-day format. The 20-20 format has exploded with the Indian Premier League, which is the cricket equivalent of the NHL. The 20-20 World Cup is currently taking place in India.
“I was a purist,” admitted Raubenheimer, of his love for Test cricket.
But he is also a realist.
“Adaptability is key in the sports world,” he added.
He compared the shorter forms of cricket to rugby sevens, the suddenly trendy newest Olympic sport, which makes its debut this summer in Rio.
“It’s about marketability,” said Raubenheimer.
“Money drives sports.”
The bat-and-ball sporting world is divided between cricket and baseball, each big-money sports in their spheres of influence.
“We have a baseball team attached to our cricket club in Cape Town and sometimes I will wander over and watch them training,” said Raubenheimer.
But it’s the oval, not the diamond, with which he is most familiar. Don’t be surprised if you see a few Island players on Canada at future World Cups because of it.
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