By Jim Donnelly
Visit Rideau Hall most weekends in summertime and you’ll probably find them — a group of running, bowling and bat-wielding white figures cast against the property’s sprawling greenery.
They’re playing cricket, a game woven into the tradition of the Governor General’s residence since Confederation.
But cricket at Rideau Hall is increasingly threatened by apparent disinterest from the public and the Hall itself. It’s a trend that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“There’s definitely a lot less people interested in the game now than there was even five years ago,” says Terry Nandlal, 41, president of the Rideau Hall Cricket Association. His association includes four of the seven clubs in the Ottawa Valley Cricket Council, the city’s official cricket league since 1920. “We get the die hard cricket fans, but there’s not a big following.”
According to cricketer and Centretown resident Andy Ali, who plays with Nandlal on the Cathedral Cricket Club, attendance has plummeted from 25 to 50, whereas a few years ago more than 100 people would be out to a match.
Nandlal says the game’s popularity depends upon its exposure to the general public.
“A lot of the tradition is going downhill. We used to play during garden parties and concerts, but not any more,” he says, referring to a recent policy forbidding play during the Hall’s outdoor social engagements.
League play lasts from May to early October at Rideau Hall and two other grounds in the city every weekend and on holidays. But Nandal says matches have decreased by 20 per cent in the past five years.
The season that concluded Oct. 6 was even worse: they lost over a month’s worth of matches thanks to the new policy. They can’t even get Rideau Hall’s own residents to watch a match.
“We haven’t had luck getting the current Governor General to come out,” says Nandlal.
Ali says the situation annoys many players in the league. “We’re playing less and less games at Rideau Hall and some guys are getting fed up.
“But it’s a privilege to play there because of the atmosphere and history of the grounds. The facilities we have there aren’t anywhere else.”
That’s why the Rideau Hall association is preparing an application to Heritage Canada for funding. The grounds’ cricket pavilion, or clubhouse, is designated a federal heritage building. They feel this entitles them to their share of federal money needed for repairs and maintenance. But a request five years ago was turned down.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Nandlal says.
Without funding the grounds will slip into decay, further eroding a game steeped in history.
“Some of the greatest cricketers who have ever played the game have played at Rideau Hall. It would be a shame to let so much history disappear.”