Brant County Cricket League and the Panthers Cricket Club, in partnership with the County of Brant, held their inaugural Cricket Awards and Recognition ceremony on Saturday, October 26, 2024.
The first annual event, which was held at the Burford Community Centre and organized by Rajesh Prasad and Kris Kartick, discussed how it came to fruition.
“Rajesh mentioned to me about a month ago that he wanted to do an awards ceremony…[and] that it would be a good idea to have an evening to present trophies and recognize our players, teams, and volunteers. We ran with it [and] this all came together very quickly,” Kartick explained. “The reaction from guests throughout the evening was great [and] I think we’re going to have a larger turnout next year because we are planning for this to become an annual event. We would love to see this growing year after year.”
Prasad, who oversees both the Brant County Cricket League and the Panthers Cricket Club, knew the importance of getting this type of event off the ground.
“Through the years we have run several events [and] tournaments…[but] we wanted to do something to celebrate and recognize our local players and volunteers,” said Prasad. “We have seen how much cricket has grown here and how much we have achieved with the sport [and] to see players and team members come with their family to this award’s show from cities like Ajax [and] London was special.”
Prasad also reflected on how the awards ceremony was important in showcasing how others were key in developing cricket, especially in Brantford.
“We thought it was important to include everyone who impacted cricket like Danish Sharma. He is one of our peers from the Brantford Cricket Club and has been instrumental in helping grow cricket in the community. Three years ago, [he] helped us advocate for cricket, presenting in front of city council…he has also continued to [participate] with his team across various tournaments in the area,” Prasad said. “This ceremony recognized people like Danish…and teams…[and] volunteers, umpires, community partners and sponsors [by presenting them with] certificates along with medals and trophies.”
Kartick, who is an executive member of the league, is excited to see how the sport continues to grow in the community.
“Cricket has been here in Brantford for quite some time, but seeing the community come together now when the teams are playing at Waterworks Park is great…parents are coming by [with] their kids and they are showing interest in the sport. They stand and watch when we play [and] they are eager to learn more about the game,” Kartick said. “Seeing the joy and passion from everybody who attended the ceremony shows how it’s truly a cricket community. We’re bringing people together to play the game; and the evening was to celebrate our achievements in the last couple of years.”
However, Prasad maintains the importance of local-based investments to further cricket and other sports in the community.
“We have several sponsors and partners, all the way from the GTA to London, but for us, the goal is to have more local partnerships from Brantford and [other] communities…this will help us spread the word about not only cricket but sports…it’s all about how we can make a healthier community [through sport],” Prasad noted, “As I mentioned during the awards evening…our focus is [to create a] new Premier League. So, in the next few years, we are looking for businesses to invest in these teams and players in a premier league, which I believe can ignite a passion for others to become part of this and help our local economy grow.”
