Canadian HC marks Canada Day with match with visiting Toronto team

The High Commission of Canada organized a friendly cricket match between the visiting CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Toronto Mayor's Cricket Across the Pond (CAP) cricket team and a team comprising High Commission staff.

The friendly match was the first event in a busy program for the Canadian youth team, who are visiting Sri Lanka from June 29 - July 10, 2015.

"I am pleased to welcome the 2015 CIMA Toronto Mayor's cricket team to Sri Lanka" stated the High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Shelley Whiting.

"I am delighted that for the eight annual CAP Program, the decision was to visit Sri Lanka, a country known for its pre-eminence in cricket. Such visits further the friendly cultural and sporting connections between Canada and Sri Lanka and I am confident that each member of the Mayor's team will represent their families, city and country with great pride," the High Commissioner said.

The twelve members of the CIMA Toronto Mayor's cricket team were selected based on their community involvement, demonstrated leadership and keen interest in developing their cricket skills.

In addition to today's match, the visiting team will also play with school teams in Kandy, Jaffna and Colombo, providing great opportunities to engage Sri Lankan youth and develop friendships and interaction through cricket.

The City of Toronto is CIMA's partner in promoting the Cricket Across the Pond (CAP) scholarship program. CAP provides young cricketers in the Greater Toronto Area the opportunity to work together with youth from diverse neighbourhoods and develop social cohesion and interaction among young people through cricket.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities.