West Indian Cricket Club Est. 1934
A Historical Perspective
By Neville Nelson & Traddie L. Simpson
The West Indian Cricket Club of Toronto (WICC) has had a long and impressive history in the social and recreational lives of Caribbean immigrants to Canada. In 1934 the club was established, (the first West Indian base cricket club in Toronto). Its main objective, outside of providing a social and recreational outlet, is "to foster and promote the game of cricket within the community and to develop gentleman-like and sportsmanship qualities among its members". Today cricket, like hockey, has established itself as part of the Canadian mosaic due to the range of ethnic groups participating. In its 68 years of existence, the West Indian Cricket Club has been and continues to be a solid contender in the various divisions in which it has fielded teams. In particular, during the mid seventy's (70's) to mid eighties (80's) the club boasted championships titles in all three divisions, thus establishing itself as the marquis of cricket in the Toronto and District leagues. The club also won the Ross Robertson Challenge Trophy for eastern Canada in 1984, and the Woods Cup knock out competition on several occasions. In the eighties, WICC was the only club to win the first division championship three times. This achievement brought our club recognition from the Government of Ontario and all players received a certificate of achievement. Also, several of our members have represented the club at both the provincial and national levels. Most notably is Franklyn Dennis, who played for the Canadian national team in the 1979 World Cup in England.
In recent years, the club has undergone major restructuring, and is now well on its way to reclaiming its former position. In 1996, WICC won the conference championship for the second division, winning 13 of 16 games. In 1997, the first division team came second in their conference, losing by only one game. In 1998, the first division team wond their conference, and the championship.
CURRENT CLUB ACTIVITIES:
The success of the club can be measured both on and off the field. In recent years, attendance and support of club activities have been tremendous.
The activities are outlined below:
? Playing 16 Toronto & District Cricket Association (T&DCA) league games per team during the regular season (May- Sept.)
? Playing 5 to 10 friendly matches against teams in cities, such as Rochester (NY), London (Ont.), Woodstock (Ont.), Guelph (Ont.) and many others.
? Having two regular fundraising dances, one in the spring and one in the fall. Average attendance of 350 to 450 people.
? Annual bus trip to New York City to visit Primrose of Bronx.
? Hosting two visiting teams per year. This involves organizing games and special functions; there is usually a dance or a party, with an average attendance of 100 to 150 people. The highlight of which, is our longstanding relationship with the Primrose Cricket of (NY) and the Desnoes & Geddes Sport Club of Jamaica.
? Club family day picnic held usually in July at Sunnybrook Park in North York. Average attendance of 100 to 150 people
? Club practices, held two days per during the regular season. Indoor practices held one night per week in the off season (November to April).
The strength of our club is our interaction with many communities locally and abroad. South of the border, we socialized with teams in Rochester, Bronx, and Long Island. In the Caribbean, clubs from Jamaica and Antigua. Outside the metropolitan area, clubs from, Guelph, London, Cambridge, Woodstock and Ajax. Locally we interact with the cricketing community of over 65 teams.
2001 1st Division Champion team
1998 1st division champion team
