This past weekend Diamond 3 at Newcastle Beach was switched from a ball diamond to a cricket pitch.
For the fourth year, the Drumheller Valley Challengers Cricket team hosted the Calgary Chinooks. One of the local players, Shamrudhann Prahan Sasidharan, was happy to be able to play in front of his friends but notes it is tough to adjust to the field. “I don’t really play much on that pitch, because it is kind of hard to adjust to that. Because of the rain the past few days, while setting up the pitch. There is a lot of drift and it is hard to play because you couldn’t really read the ball.” Sasidharan Sivam, Shamrudhann’s father, notes that with the pitch being located near the Red Deer River, it affects the drift of the ball, which can reach speeds of over 130 kilometres per hour when thrown.
Shamrudhann believes they had more in attendance this year compared to the event they held last year and notes that it is a very popular sport. “It is the second most popular sport in the world but here it is more hockey and football. It’s hard to introduce the game here but after my Dad founded it, a lot more people are coming to know the game and the spirit of the sport is growing here.”
The Drumheller Valley Challengers has 11 players with only Shamrudhann being based in Drumheller, but a number of the players do train with him here. He has also been selected to play with the Provincial Elite team, which will see him play across the country and also overseas.
The result of the game saw , the Drumheller Valley Challengers post a total of 193 runs for 10 wickets in 39.4 overs, while the Calgary Western Chinooks successfully chased down the target, scoring 194 runs for 6 wickets in just 28.4 overs. The Chinooks secured victory over the Challengers by 4 wickets. Abhijeet Singh Randhawa was a standout performer for the Challengers, contributing 58 runs off 89 balls, including 9 fours and 1 six. Additionally, Shamrudhann Prahan Sasidharan added 32 runs from 55 balls, hitting 5 fours, and made a significant impact with the ball by taking the crucial wicket of Tanveer Mahal. His all-round performance earned him the title of Most Valuable Player for the match.
To learn more about cricket in Drumheller, and more about the sport, reach out to the team through their Facebook page.
Comments