Smack in the teeth of the National Hockey League playoffs, an entirely different game completely new and unique to many young Tri-City athletes is eagerly being chewed up at Mackin Park.
Cricket.
When Kevin Bridgens spawned the SuperStrikers Youth Cricket Club five years ago, three children showed up to the initial session. When the new season begins April 30, he's expecting more than 30 to be registered.
And that's plenty -- at least for now.
Bridgens, the SuperStrikers head coach, and his assistant Patrick Davey have their hands gladly full teaching youngsters aged 6 through 15 the finer points of the game that is most popular in countries such as England, Australia, the West Indies, South Africa, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
"It's really about enjoyment," said Bridgens, who, now 50, played eight years professionally in South Africa before moving to Canada with his wife, Kitty, 13 years ago. "It's promoting the sport, that's predominantly it. It's just a matter of giving kids the opportunity to play."
Added Kitty: "We are very relaxed, [there's] no pressure. We want the kids to have fun and to learn a new sport. Cricket is suitable for all types. Some kids who don't shine in other sports do really well in cricket."
Bridgens said Canada is considered second tier in cricket globally but the sport is expanding in the country annually, largely due to immigrants playing from other parts of the world where the game is incredibly popular. For instance, the government in the Caribbean's Trinidad and Tobago declare a national holiday for certain key cricket matches.
"The whole island shuts down for it," Bridgens said.
Canadian cricket doesn't get near that type of attention, Bridgens conceded.
"There's a lot of talent in Canada but it comes down to [travel] distance and finding competition, similar to what they go they through in rugby and soccer," he said, adding that another hurdle locally for his sport is securing adequate facilities, as a traditional cricket venue takes up more space than two soccer fields.
Athleticism is key to mastering cricket, Bridgens said, especially for the position of wicket keeper, which he held during his playing days. Yet there's room for everybody regardless of size or shape, he added.
"It doesn't matter who you are and what you are, there's a position for you," Bridgens said. "Cricket has a lot to do with co-ordination... running, catching and hitting."
In SuperStrikers, those aged 6 through 11 learn on a Kanga ball, made of plastic, while those 12-15 employ the traditional hardball, which Bridgens describes as "cork covered by leather that's smaller and harder than a baseball."
SIMPLE RULES OF CRICKET
Cricket is played between teams of up to 11 players each.
The centre of the action is a pitch 22 yards long with wickets (three cricket stumps) placed at each end, though a shorter pitch can be used by children. The pitch is roughly in the centre of the playing area.
Two batsmen play in partnership to score runs against the bowling (pitching) of the fielding side.
The score is counted by runs, which are the number of times the batsmen run from end to end of the area between the two "popping creases" -- lines across the pitch four feet from each wicket.
Runs are usually the result of a hit by the batsmen, with a hit across the boundary scoring four runs, or six if it crosses without touching the ground.
The most common ways of dismissing a batsman are "bowled" (bowler hits wicket past batsman), a catch off the bat and the run out of a batsman while attempting a run.
A match consists of one or two innings by each side.
