Deepak Datta sees a bright future for cricket in Timmins.
“My hope is to someday have an indoor stadium in Timmins,” he said. “It’s going to take time, but we’ll get there.”
The Timmins Tigers Cricket Club has gotten a boost since getting back together in 2021.
“We did whatever we could, but in August 2022, I thought, I need to do something if I want to improve the team,” he said. “We presented our team’s vision to the city, and to the community and how we could retain the youth and the skilled people in town.”
The team formed in 2016 and was gaining momentum when COVID-19 interrupted that growth.
While Datta said their first showings weren’t the best they could be, since opening the batting cage this winter, allowing members to train more consistently, they’ve taken off this season.
“What was happening is that while we were not playing during the winter, we were on the ground playing big games, and he performed so poorly,” he said. “Since we started practicing in the indoor area, we were a different team!”
He said that other teams in the Northern Ontario Cricket League have resources he’d love to see in Timmins, but even so, the Tigers can now compete with these bigger programs.
“We went to Sudbury and the Sudbury team was the champions of the Northern Ontario Cricket League,” he said. “Three games were played, two games we won.”
He said those wins changed everything for the team.
“It was a different team, the morale went up,” he said. “They started believing in themselves and the team, they are gelling and working together.”
He said the presence of a team in town can be a comfort for those coming from countries where cricket is as important as hockey is in Canada.
“Those students, they used to feel homesickness because they flew across the oceans and came here, but now they are connected to cricket,” he said. “They’re coming from multiple countries, Australia, New Zealand, India, Bangladesh and in that part of the world, cricket is religion in a way.”
“Now they’re happy, they're engaging in the sport,” he said. “Some of the students are getting permanent residency, and they want to play cricket and settle here.”
If anyone is intimidated by the game, Datta said that won’t be a problem.
“It’s similar to baseball, so if you know baseball, you’re in the arena of cricket,” he said. “Community members are getting involved. They’re enjoying the matches and a new sport!”
Datta played the game himself before coming to Canada, and when he was attending dental school in southern Ontario.
The potential economic boon the team could contribute to the city is also worth noting, said Datta.
“We’re using local contractors to work on the grounds and the equipment, we got our pitch fixed with a local contractor,” he said. “And when the teams come here, they’re going to be staying in hotels, and enjoying the restaurants. The little things help.”
He said the support they’ve seen so far from the city, their sponsors and community members has been heartwarming.
“From day one, they believed in us,” said Datta.
With another tournament this weekend at the pitch at Fern Tremblay Park located 215 Royale St., Datta says fans, old and new, can expect a great performance from the team. And they intend to win.
“They can expect their local team winning the games,” he said. “They’ll enjoy the game!”
The team is working with Northern College for a tournament over the Canada Day long weekend, and Datta says he’s sure the students will enjoy it.
“It will get very loud,” he said.
