Revelstoke's cricket community is preparing to hit the wicket in April as season registration opens this Sunday, March 23, with the club booked for nearly 20 fixtures across the Okanagan, including a tour game in Calgary.
Revelstoke Cricket Club (RCC) director and president Matthew Bramall, who moved here almost four years ago from a U.K. town near Stoke-on-Trent, is namely stoked for another season of club camaraderie and competition, with 10 other Interior teams stepping up to bat in the spring-summer tournament.
Sunday's registration rave starts at 6:30 pm at River City Pub & Patio, with RCC hitting the pitch for its first competitive match on April 20 in Salmon Arm.
Revelstoke plays a week later, on April 27 in Kelowna, followed by a game in Kamloops May 18. Its first official home game is scheduled for Aug. 4, in hopes of welcoming Nelson Cricket Club for a friendly hardball match. RCC's post-season kicker will be a weekend tournament in Calgary.
In total, RCC has 19 fixtures confirmed as of Thursday, March 20. It will play 13 group games this year, where the tournament's four highest-performing teams advance to finals.
Bramall said he'll be relaying finalized details for the start times and formats of each fixture as opponent clubs confirm.
He mentioned that RCC has taken huge strides forward as of last year with the completion of its cricket pitch, allowing Revelstoke to host teams from across the Okanagan and even Calgary. RCC scored 20 club members in 2024.
"It did better than I expected," Bramall said.
While other younger clubs next door in Salmon Arm and Vernon continue to build their tournament capacity, RCC's big ambition is attracting a more diverse crowd in town to launch both a ladies' and juniors' team, Bramall said. Another goal is working with other clubs to establish a governance structure for a new cricket league by 2026, while the objective in the meantime is "to get more eyes on the game" in Revelstoke's community.
Also important for another successful cricket season will be sourcing more umpires - up to as many as 10 across the Okanagan.
"You need these people to officiate these games professionally, because things can quickly get out of hand in this sport," he explained.
On a personal note, Bramall loves the "drive to win" of cricket, which he's managed to channel away from home thanks largely to the passionate players in Revelstoke's Indian community.
"This has, in a positive way, really challenged my perceptions of what club cricket really is," he said.
For many of RCC's Okanagan opponents, "what sets them apart from us is they're playing Saturdays, Sundays, weeks in, weeks out," Bramall said, whereas Revelstoke's cricket community takes into account that running Saturday practices isn't feasible for players who work weekend jobs. In that sense, RCC works to make the sport accessible to all community members who live for it.
Bramall pointed out it does become a more challenging ball game playing in a city where the snow sticks around longer than elsewhere in the region. That said, entering the second year of playing on Revelstoke's new cricket pitch means the club doesn't have to make do any longer with the Old School Eatery field.
When it comes to the toughest opponents RCC may face this year, Bramall said "we've certainly had some competitive games with Salmon Arm."
A teaser for RCC's 2025 season's uniform revealed a slick, dark blue and black theme that sports one of the club's big sponsors, Paramjit's Kitchen.
RCC's full-time player membership for 2025 costs $175, while the part-time fee for casuals or socials is $100. Membership fees are tentatively due April 13.
"Hopefully we get some new faces," Bramall said.
Those interested in a buying membership or registering for RCC's 2025 season can email revelstokecricketclub@gmail.com.
