Cricket is a sport with a long tradition in Canada. England exported it to the Empire and Commonwealth via the British military and administration. There are many cricket-related items in the LAC collection.
In Ottawa they supposedly first played the game on what is now Parliament Hill, and cricket has been playing on the Gov. Gen.'s grounds for more than 150 years. Some of the world's best players have taken the field there, including original cricket icon W. G. Grace, as did A. N. Hornby who was England team captain in the 1882 match in which Australia beat England and led to the inauguration of "the Ashes."
Today the sport is seeing a revitalization in Canada, largely owing to emigrants from Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.
TNA have taken advantage of the present close Test Match series between England and Australia to highlight the cricket-related items in their collection. It's an admirable news consciousness in a public institution, the type that helps win friends and influence people.
An unconventional genealogical source for an English male immigrant is in newspaper listings of cricket match results.
Cricket became popular in many parts of the Empire and later in Commonwealth countries, so it's not only 'Englishmen' you may find in the cricket news. I'm working on an article for "The British Columbia Genealogist" Sports issue for December 2009 & have noticed mentions of cricketers from India & even from the United States in "The British Colonist" newspaper, for instance. (No women though.)
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