The Ontario Cricket Development Organization will be hosting the first ever international tour by the Trinidad and Tobago Secondary Schools Cricket League (SSCL) representative girls team from August 11 to August 21 in a series of matches against the Ontario Cricket Academy XI, teams from the Mississauga Women’s Premier League XI and a Mississauga Select XI. There will be open trials for all interested players to participate in the Mississauga Select XI team held at Mavis Cricket Ground- 550 Courtneypark Drive West on Friday, July 20th
at 6pm.

The SSCL team will comprise of 16 of the strongest players from throughout Trinidad and Tobago. Half of the squad will compete in the Courts T20 Grand Slam tournament in Trinidad from July 16 to 28 before coming over to Canada, with the team’s structure based around the pro-league system.

A few Canadians slated to compete against the SSCL teams have also been drafted into the Courts T20 Grand Slam, namely Miryam Khokhar of the Ontario Cricket Academy and Achini Perera and Hiba Shamshad, who participate in the Mississauga Women’s Premier League.

Matches will be played in Mississauga in the T20 and 40 over formats. According to the President of the SSCL Mr. Suruj Mahabir, “The League views such opportunities as pivotal in the perpetual development of our aspiring cricketers; in particular, this tour is the first our Girls’ Hardball team will embark on. The possibilities to raise the profile of the sport amongst girls, as well as to nurture the abilities of our Boys’ U18 team is an endeavour the S.S.C.L. fully endorses and appreciates”.

Surren Ramsingh, Tour Coordinator from the Ontario Cricket Development Organization feels that the tour is a huge step forward for Women’s Cricket in Canada, “this tour has been done in the great spirit of cricket development for young women from both countries. Women’s cricket is growing in tandem with women’s soccer and this is a wonderful opportunity for our local players to get closer to World Cup standards”.

Executive Director, Derek Perera shares similar sentiments that “our Canadian players need consistent exposure to strong international competition. That’s why we have toured Trinidad & Tobago with our boy’s teams for the last decade as they are one of the powerhouses in West Indies cricket”.

OCA Women’s Head Coach Tribhawan Jagessar is confident that our local players will do well, “high levels of interest and dedication have been seen throughout their training and all the young women are looking forward to showcasing their talents and learning more from this experience”.

For further information or media enquiries please contact 905-867-3255 or email info@ontariocricket.com