8 THEVOICE | THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 2017 | EDITOR MELANIE GREEN It's the big leagues for a little batsman Nine-year-old boy starts the cricket season in a tournament with adults twice his age = By SYDNEY MORTON t nine years of age, Kabir Singh Makkar will be fac- ing off against adult play- ers, at a 50-over cricket tournament next month. Kabir has played cricket for four years and trained at the U.K.-based Lord’s Cricket Ground, a world-renowned acad- emy. He dreams one day of competing profes- sionally. “I want to play for India’s _—_ [national] team,” Kabir said. He practises every day after school.While he plays with other kids his own age, he prefers the challenge of adult matches. “They try to hit you and stuff, they try to be physical,” said the four-foot, 66- pound batsman. “They are trying to aim at the body.” He is excited to play big- ger games with adults, even though he ad- mits sometimes he is scared of | the leather ball because it moves quickly. The British Colum- bia Mainland Cricket League will be hosting the upcoming tournament, in which each team has 50 overs to bat. For- ty teams from the Lower Main- land will compete; the Meraloma Cricket Club is entering three teams in different difficulty levels. Kabir will be playing on two teams, in separate divisions. Kabir’s father, Kanwaljit Singh Makkar is also his teammate. “I think that in his age group, he is amongst the first two or three guys,” Makkar said. SS Cricket is played by all ages in India. “Tt is like a re- ligion, India is a vast country with so. many lan- guages, bu the Kanwaljit en yt net ats Makkar, in mg anc uni FATHER OF KABIR fying is cricket,” AND SHOP OWNER Makkar said. The various tournaments that are being hosted this spring by BCML include T20 and a 50-over tourna- ment. “One game can take from six to eight hours,” said Stuart Grills, a Meraloma player. “We have been very fortu- nate to have some more senior players that have some children of their own participate in growing the game,” Grills said, a team captain at MCC, one of the few clubs that offer children’s training programs. At the cricket club, senior members teach the kids. “A lot of other clubs are made up of younger adults that don't have that time or that connection to children,” Grills said. It is a grassroots sport, he said. And he added that the club is very inclusive, made up of Canadians, ex-pats and a large South Asian community. The tournament will feature four teams from South Vancouver — MCC, Lankan Kings, West Coast Tamils and Salak Cricket Club. Kabir says he wanted to play cricket because of his dad. Makkar himself has been a lifelong cricket player, and once dreamed of playing professionally. He believes Kabir may have the discipline to do what he couldn't. “What I can't achieve maybe he can achieve,” Makkar said. Kabir Singh Makkar practises batting in the back room of his family's pizza shop on Fraser Street. He competes with his father in ‘pretend’ test matches, hoping to be the winner. PHOTO BY SYDNEY MORTON Switching places to compete Volunteers face each other in curling tankard = By CASSANDRA OSBORNE eam Canada will face Team Ameri- ca in the 55th = Interna- tional Tankard which — knocks off this week- “Players vieforatrophy | ‘ is but it's not highly highly competitive. It is an honour to play,” said Ross Johnson, organizer and veteran of the international tankard. Clubs, like Marpole, are invited to bid on hosting. Then when chosen, vol- unteers are nominated to participate from 22 clubs in the Lower Mainland and all of Van- couver Island. the same on the American side, despite having eon end at Marpole competitive. a smaller base Curling Club. —ROSS JOHNSON, ORGANIZER OF THE to draw from. The two-day INTERNATIONAL TANKARD The majority event moves cit- L— ies every year, rotating between British Columbia and the United States, but tradition remains the same — six teams play three games for the win. “Players vie for a trophy but it’s not —! are from Seat- tle, but some arrive from Utah, Arizona, Idaho and Oregon,” Johnson said. He remembers competing in the 1992 tankard held in Chilliwack. “You get to meet new people to share curling ideas,” Johnson said. “It’s a way for clubs to reward their volunteers.” It is possible that participants don’t know each other and meet on the first day of the event, Johnson added. The nearly 60-year-old Marpole Curling Club began as a men’s only, allowing women to curl and vote as members later on, said Pam Langham, the general manager. Now, the teams are mixed with any combination of men and women, she added. With two weeks left of the season and 19 leagues in the playofts, Lang- ham said she is looking forward to this weekend’s competition, which closes with everyone holding hands and sing- ing Auld Lang Syne. “It’s not about how well they curl, it’s about recognition for curling,” she said. “It’s a big huge thank you members.” Sportsnews Dodging more balls than ever Co-ed league grows thanks to sense of community, healthy competition m BySAM MOWERS B alls will fly when rival players throw down at the Kings and Queens Dodgeball Tournament on March 18 at David Thompson Sec- ondary School. The Vancouver Dodgeball League began with only 12 people in 2004 but today has over 1,500 players, with more than 200 teams registered, cur- rently the city’s largest league with two four-month seasons per year. The only other tournament of its kind happened in 2014. Marcy Kam, the VDL programs director said, “Our typical league is co-ed, whereas League member Byron Wong looks forward to the all-male team, since groups are usually four guys and two girls. “No leagues actually have one where it’s all guys or all girls so it’s a good chance [...] to see how they stand,” Wong said. “It’s a very unique tournament.” He joined eight years ago on the advice of his best friend, who thought that VDL would help him. “It was during a time that was af- ter a pretty bad breakup, so she just wanted to get me out of the house and introduce me to a community that was very positive,” he said. this Wong tourna- [_ “| put the ment “It was during league’s is all- . popularity female a time that was down to teams the com- and all- afteraprettybad | munity male b k ” element teams rea up. and com- that BYRON WONG, petitive are put | _ _| aspects of against the game. each other and they go for [it].” Eight teams with approximately six players will be eliminated through round-robin, single elimination and best of seven sets for the semifinals and finals. First and second place winners in both divisions will get gift certificate prizes to sponsor East Side Craft House. “We're all out here to have a good time, break a good sweat and meet new people,” he said. League coordinator Nathan Wilkins doesn’t imagine ever stop- ping playing dodgeball. “It’s a lot of fun, I’ve been doing it for years and I’m probably going to do it until my arm falls off,” Wilkins said. League veteran makes it to the final round and gets pummelled, gracefully. SAM MOWERS PHOTO The pressure is on while two league members gather balls, ready to throw and ready to dodge. sai MowERS PHOTO