UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY

Bob Pritchard played for University of Calgary during late sixties.

Grahame and Bill, with Tris Chivers (centre) - U of C cricket captain.

Wendy, Mike, Marjorrie and Fay check out Sydney town,

Deb, Mike, Grahame and Bill about to head to SCG.

Beautiful Seacliff Bridge south of Sydney. This replaced the previous roadway that was wiped out by a landslide.
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The University of Calgary cricket team was a formidable force back in the late sixties! Chivers, Boorman, Pritchard, Keast etc.

Yes, cricket was alive and well in Canada in places like Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto etc. They even had an event like "Country Week" when cricket teams from California, Hawaii and elsewhere came to do battle. I played for Burrard while in Vancouver (69-70) and the University of Calgary (71-72) while studying at the uni in Alberta. It was the only time in my checkered cricketing career that I actually kept wickets even if our captain thought I'd done that all my life! Somehow I played for California against Hawaii in Vancouver's beautiful Stanley Park! I also played once on Vancouver Island.

There was a mini reunion here in Oz this week as Mike Boorman, his wife Marjorrie (from Calgary), myself and wife Fay and our good friend Wendy Pritchard (from Perth) got together. Wendy's husband Bob who died in 2006 (picture above), was a valuable member of the team, so it was great that she was able to put a brief halt to house building and come and join us for the week. She's not a bad cricketer herself. I have her on film "having a net session" with her 2 sons, Geoff and Jim in Calgary.

We five did the Sydney stuff, crossed the Blue Mountains, visited Wyuna Merino stud west of Gilgandra (thanks Stuart), swam down the south coast, saw heaps of roos there, travelled on the new Seacliff Bridge south of Stanwell Tops, found a couple of emus, enjoyed Sydney Harbour with Matilda Cruises, did the monorail, explored Paddy's Markets, enjoyed the Maritime Museum and the Rocks markets and shops. We were so lucky to be able to see a full game of one day cricket at the SCG when Oz defeated Sri Lanka on Fri 8 Feb. This was capped off with a Keast Chinese feed - held at Deb and Bren's place in Mortdale, Sydney. (Good tucker there from Lin's Garden.) Thanks Marg. All in all a most successful "reunion". Don't you wish you were here?