A young boy with a passion for cricket has taken his talents all the way to representing Alberta in a U16 match.
And he did this at just eight years of age.
The Mail brought readers the story of Shamrudhann (Sham) Sivam, son of Sasidharan (Sasi) and Harshini, in the summer of 2020. His parents had been diligently training him to play cricket.
He was set to begin training at the Calgary and District Cricket League, but due to COVID-19 they were not able to continue with the season.
Even with the restrictions, Sham continued to train with his family often facing 200-300 balls in a session. His father would send videos to the Calgary and District Cricket League coaches for guidance and suggestions, and they were impressed with his solid batting strokes.
As restrictions began to lift, he has had the opportunity to receive some coaching in Calgary, as well as his regular workout with his parents, and he made great progress. He is by far the youngest player training, with most over 14.
So much progress he was able to try out for a team Alberta squad. The team selected players from Calgary, Grande Prairie, Edmonton, and Fort McMurray.
He turned heads. During the T7 tryout matches, he performed a diving catch, and also bowled two wickets. This was enough for the coach to select him.
On the weekend of August 1, Team Alberta played the U-16 Cardinal Sports Academy Cricket Club from Brampton, Ontario.
He was the youngest player on either team, with all the other players over 12. They played three matches and Brampton won all three. Sham was selected to play in the second and third games. This was the first time Sham has played with a 156 gram leather ball and he did well. He faced 18 balls and scored one run in this first game against a fast bowler. In the second game, he did not get to bat, but was bowling and fielding. Sham says his favourite part of the game is batting. While as a youngster he plays all kinds of sports, cricket is his first love, and he can name generations of top players. There are also many skilled cricket players in his family tree.
Sasi is hoping the game will catch on and he would like to see more youngsters in the area try out the sport. He is very knowledgeable about the game, his work with Sham shows he is a capable coach and is interested in sharing his sport. If there is an interest he said the Calgary and District Cricket League would send resources and coaches to run beginner clinics. For more information contact Sasi through Facebook Messenger.