- It's one of the most popular sports on the planet and has a strong root in Canada's history. Cricket Nation looks at the widespread impact of the game on various Canadians including some beer league hockey players who gave the sport a try.
- Many hockey-loving Canadians are surprised to know that cricket was once Canada's national sport, as proclaimed by Prime Minister John A. MacDonald and Parliament in 1867. And with an influx of new Canadians from cricket playing countries, cricket is once again growing in popularity in Canada. In this one-hour documentary written, directed and produced by Stephen Young-Chin, "Cricket Nation" introduces a group of beer league hockey players who believe that if they can play a tough sport like hockey, they can easily handle cricket. To prove it, they accept a challenge. Find out what happens when these board-slamming hockey heroes face one of the best cricket bowlers in Canada.—SYC
- At over 500 years old, cricket is one of the oldest team sport in the world. But what does cricket mean to Canada? Does anybody in Canada play this game? Many hockey-loving Canadians are surprised to know that cricket was once Canadas national sport, as proclaimed by Prime Minister John A. MacDonald and Parliament in 1867. And with an influx of new Canadians from cricket playing countries, cricket is once again growing in popularity in Canada.
Shot on locations in Toronto, Bangalore and Antigua, Cricket Nation explores the long and dramatic history of cricket in Canada. The first international sporting event between two countries occurred in 1844 when a Canadian cricket team from Toronto travelled to New York and played the Americans. In Cricket Nation, we learn how this historic match helped to ignite professional sport while also helping to define Canada as a nation. The history of cricket depicted in this documentary is supported by cricket historian Kevin Boller, along with expert testimony from members of the Toronto Cricket Club. Ian Chappell, former Australian captain and an internation cricket icon, is also interviewed in Cricket Nation and provides great insight into the culture of the noble game.
The contemporary story in Cricket Nation pivots the cricketing life of a new Canadian, Surinder Puri (who brings his love of cricket with him from his native India), against the hockey-loving Canadian-born Martin Fisher who discovers cricket later in life. For Martin, cricket is another activity that exposes him to new experiences and new friends who share different cultural and life occurrences. For Surinder, cricket is the one staple in life that immigrants to Canada use in building communities in their new country.
On any given weekend summer day, Martin Fisher plays hockey in the morning and then goes on for some cricket in the afternoon. Unfortunately, his new-found love for cricket is often met with ridicule from his hockey-loving friends, who do not take the sport of cricket seriously.
In this one-hour documentary, Cricket Nation introduces a group of beer league hockey players who believe that if they can play a tough sport like hockey, they can easily handle cricket. To prove it, they accept a challenge from Martin. Find out what happens when these board-slamming hockey heroes face one of the best cricket bowlers in Canada.
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