Cricket

Convenor: Suresh Kalpathy | Article by: Vikas Shenoy

CHASING THAT SILVER LINING IN THESE DARK CLOUDS...

The past few months have been challenging for our cricketers, to say the least. Weekends at Padang or Dempsey have been a staple diet for most of us for many years now but the obstacles of carrying on with life in the wake of the virus and the associated lockdowns have not spared our cricket. Whenever it was possible and allowed by the rules, the Section enthusiastically participated in onfield and training activities. Our double wicket tournament, an innovative format that was crafted to adhere to social distancing rules saw huge uptake by our Members with games held across Padang and Dempsey. The intense format and the generally unforgiving heat meant that our Members would usually leave the field of play with high spirits but with nothing left in the tank! Training at our nets, whenever it has been made available, was very busy with young and old Members alike making use of the available slots to hone their skills or just kill their boredom. We announced a “Give Back” via a SGD 32 F&B credit to each Section Member as a token of appreciation for the support during the past several months. This was in addition to the free merchandise that was provided to each Member earlier in the year. The Section is currently also in the process of sourcing the uniquely designed “Tour to nowhere 2021” Section polo, which is an attempt to soothe the souls of the regular tourists of the Section! Incidentally, around two years ago - in August 2019 - the Section undertook a highly rated tour to England and witnessed some wonderful Ashes games at Edgbaston and Lords. It will come as no surprise to anyone that a few of our planned tours (both incoming and outgoing) have had to be cancelled this year but plans are afoot to draw a touring calendar for 2022 and 2023! Our Junior Program continues to grow and generate substantial interest from the broader cricketing community in Singapore. We are proud of the role we are playing in building the game at the grassroots level with a large number of kids in the 6-13 age group picking up the game and training under our team of coaches. Of particular interest is the uptake of cricket among girls and the increase in their enrolment numbers over the past 12 months. Social distancing and lockdown challenges notwithstanding, the Junior Program continues to be the crown jewel of our initiatives. This year has seen a few of our active Members leave Singapore and head back to their home countries - we do wish them well and thank them for their support and participation over the years. On the flip side, we have had several new Members join us and thus we look forward to taking the Section to greater heights with them. I have a feeling we would be back on the field soon - till then: get vaccinated, stay safe and stay fit!

Throwback to the SCC Cricket Tour to the UK in August 2019. From top: SCC contingent at Lord’s for the Ashes Test; SCC Lion represented at the Edgbastion Ashes Test; SCC squad at Penhurst.