Club Cricket Conference

Friday, 29th March 2024

Gallian returns to international stage in Canada

By Charles Randall

13 July 2012

Jason Gallian

The former England batsman Jason Gallian, these days a geography master at Felsted School, flew out with his MCC party to Vancouver on Wednesday to start a two-week tour of Canada. The country has a long association with cricket dating back to 1844 when they played against the United States at the start of the longest-running annual international contest in any sport.

Gallian, who played for Lancashire and Nottinghamshire, and a few games for Essex before his retirement in 2009, turns out for Saffron Walden CC at weekends and is captaining the MCC on their second overseas tour of the year.

The 14-man tour party includes the Oxford MCC Universities all-rounder Raj Sharma and batsman Ben Staunton, who has was in the Bath CC side who lost by one run to Sandiacre Town CC in the National Club Championship final at Lord's in 2003.

The MCC tackle a range of invitational teams selected from the top club sides in Canada in five 50-over matches and two Twenty20 clashes. They will also deliver three special coaching sessions for local primary schools before the tour culminates with a coveted fixture against a Canada Select XI at Toronto CC on Sunday 22 July.

Speaking about the tour, the MCC head of cricket John Stephenson, a former Felsted pupil himself, said: "Whilst Canada boasts a rich cricketing heritage, there is undoubtedly vast potential and opportunity for the further development of the sport across the nation. The infrastructure now employed by Cricket Canada has set the foundations for this growth to occur, and it is evident that there is a lot of ambition and passion in the ranks to make this expansion happen."

MCC last toured Canada in 2005 when the Somerset and England Lions batsman Nick Compton made a hundred and two fifties.

MCC tour party to Canada:

Jason Gallian, captain

Toby Bailey

Charles Finan

John Gray

William Hanson

Thomas Harvey

James Reynard

Rajiv Sharma

Harry Smallwood

Ben Staunton

Jonny Wightman

Mark Wright

Manager: Steve Salisbury.

Umpire: James Knott

 

Itinerary:

Friday 13 July: MCC v Britih Columbia MCL (20 overs) Brockton Point, Vancouver. Saturday 14: MCC v President’s XI (50 overs) Brockton Point. Sunday 15: MCC v British Columbia (50 overs) Beacon Hill Park, Victoria. Wednesday 18: MCC v Alberta (50 overs) Riley Park, Calgary. Friday 20: MCC v tbc (20 overs) Toronto. Saturday 21: MCC v Ontario Select XI (50 overs) King City MLC, Toronto. Sunday 22: MCC v Canada Select XI (50 overs) Toronto CC.