By Charles Randall
13 July 2012
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.