'A dream come true': Cricketers rejoice with 2 new pitches set to open in south Winnipeg this spring

Construction on two new cricket pitches in south Winnipeg has fans of the sport buzzing.

A youth pitch at Chancellor Park in the Waverley Heights neighbourhood and one for adults at Bridgwater Lakes Park are expected to be completed this month and open to the public next spring, the city said in a Saturday news release.

Paramjit Shahi, president of the Manitoba Cricket Association, says the pitches are needed as the sport has been "exploding" in the province.

There are over 2,000 regulated cricket players in Manitoba, with another 23,000 players playing recreationally, he said.

"In the last four or five years or so, we have grown cricket from 18 to 20 teams [to] 67 teams," Shahi told CBC News on Sunday.

But there aren't as many places to play cricket in Winnipeg. Shahi said there are only nine pitches in the city. Upgrades to the Assiniboine Park's cricket pitch are also underway. None of the pitches currently open are regulation-size, he said.

About six to eight new teams have approached the association to join its league, but they had to be refused because there weren't enough cricket grounds, Shahi said.

Some players are resorting to parking lots and baseball diamonds to play.

"We have seen a lot of cricket tournaments, unregulated ones and softball cricket, happening in baseball diamonds … because players don't have any grounds where they can go and play, so they are utilizing wherever they can," Shahi said.

Others are traveling to places like Brandon and Winkler to play.

"It's no fun.… you have to wake up pretty much 5 a.m. and then we have to travel like two hours," said Lakhwinder Virk, who plays for the Winnipeg Shooters.

The team was participating in a 16-team softball cricket tournament at the South Winnipeg