Mayor Miller...No mercy for CBC cricket team. (Pictures by The Sri Lanka Reporter)
If there is one person who has heard of excuses surrounding the G20 summit in Toronto, it is the city’s mayor, David Miller.
CBC journalist Steven D’Souza…We could only find five players.
So when it became clear the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) was struggling to field a team at this year’s CIMA Canada Mayor’s Trophy, Miller was amused and decided to give them some good old fashioned banter, something usually exchanged by opposing teams on the field.
“Out of the all the G20 excuses I have heard — the decision by the CBC to not field a cricket team?” Mayor Miller said, drawing laughter from guests at the Cricket Across the Pond event at City Hall.
The master of ceremonies CBC journalist Steven D’Souza said his team could only muster five players as many of his colleagues were assigned to cover the G20 summit in Toronto. He laughed-off Miller’s comments and told the audience he would not respond to the Mayor’s banter, saying the sport was a “gentleman’s game.”
British Consul General Johnathan Dart…Fluffed a catch offered by the Mayor last year.
United Kingdom’s Consul General decided to weigh-in on the cricket tournament and continued the light-hearted dialogue. Johnathan Dart said he dropped a catch offered by the mayor last year and warned Miller would not be so lucky this year.
“I have a difficult decision — to play cricket on Saturday morning or welcome the UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his Finance Minister to Toronto for the G20?,” said the British Consul General.
Canada and the UK have not shared many sports interests in common, however, Cricket Across the Pond was quickly bridging that gap, he added.
South African Consul General Tselane Mokuena…Received a warm reception as host nation of FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, South African Consul General Tselane Mokuena received a warm welcome as her country was hosting the FIFA World Cup. An avid football fan, Ms. Mokuena said she was keen to watch her country’s cricket team in the future.
In the end, June 26 turned out to be unforgettable day in Toronto history, dominated by violent protests downtown and a fortress atmosphere. Many other teams and players, including the Mayor had difficulty attending the tournament due to G20 commitments.
Mireille Quaile of The Globe and Mail newspaper team receives a sportsmanship award.
Organizers admitted that some of the buzz was sapped this year from due to the summit, yet cricket remains to be the fastest growing sport in province and city with many new teams and leagues popping up each season. The annual tournament features Toronto public services team (Mayor’s XI) joined by city councilors, Toronto Transit Commission, GO Transit and Toronto Housing executives pitted against private sector CEOs amongst other fixtures.
See Also: Mayor Miller hosts celebration of youth cricket
