Surrey cricket league unites newcomers in sport familiar to many of the players<\/p>\n
Published 6:00 pm Tuesday, September 1, 2026<\/p>\n
More people are playing cricket in Surrey thanks to Last Man Stands (LMS) and Last Woman Stands (LWS), flagship sport initiatives of Inclusive Canada Foundation.<\/p>\n
In B.C. over the past four years, more than 1,700 players have registered for amateur leagues launched as platforms for physical activity, community connection, leadership development and belonging.<\/p>\n
At Newton Athletic Park, Surrey Thunder Wolves and Pak-In teams played for the LMS BC Blasters division championship Aug. 24 after a summer of fast-paced T20 cricket matches \u2014 two hours each, eight-a-side, for all abilities.<\/p>\n
Many of the cricketers are newcomers to Canada, international students and young adults, including women. Cricket is culturally familiar for most of the players, \u201cbut organized opportunities may be difficult to access because of cost, transportation, awareness, equipment or other barriers,\u201d according to Emrul Hasan, president of Inclusive Canada Foundation.<\/p>\n
Globally, he says the LMS \u201cecosystem\u201d involves 260,000-plus participants and 10,000 teams in close to 180 cities including Surrey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always encourage newcomers to Canada to play, and the good news is we have a women\u2019s league for the first time this year, with three teams,\u201d Hasan noted. \u201cWe have four teams in the league called floaters, for anyone who wants to play, no club structure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some LMS cricketers also play in the more competitive British Columbia Mainland Cricket League (BCMCL), founded way back in 1914.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus is completely opposite of theirs,\u201d Hasan said, \u201cbecause their league is for players at the elite level only. We are not competing with BCMCL.\u201d<\/p>\n
With cricket growing, Surrey needs more such grounds for the sport, according to Hasan and also Bilal Cheema.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a big supporter of cricket,\u201d said Cheema, a Surrey First council candidate in the fall civic election. \u201cThe beautiful thing is, you have a whole diaspora from multiple nations that have come to call Canada home, and they\u2019re connecting here. There\u2019s nothing else necessarily that will connect them the way cricket will. They\u2019re playing on the same team, players from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, they play together here.\u201d<\/p>\n
For details visit lastmanstands.com\/play-cricket\/surrey<\/a>.<\/p>\n