Indoor cricket is a new intramural sport at KPU this fall
With modified rules for playing indoors, students can join the indoor cricket league among other sports
Indoor cricket intramurals take place on Thursdays until Nov. 28. (Submitted/Claudia Culley)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Sport and Recreation offered indoor cricket as a new intramural sport this fall semester, taking place on Thursdays until Nov. 28 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.
The idea to hold cricket at the Surrey campus’ gymnasium seemed doubtful at first when the KPU Cricket Club approached Kevin Seymour, the manager of Sport and Recreation, with the suggestion in December last year.
“I had them actually come in … and show me how they would actually play because I was concerned about the gym floor and … the safety aspect behind it, and that we’re not damaging any of our equipment in space,” Seymour says. “But they were able to show me that actually this could happen.”
Starting off with drop-in sessions for the club members and later for all KPU students and staff, the game had great turnout, Seymour says.
Even though Sport and Recreation couldn’t introduce cricket as an intramural sport the following spring semester, they continued to offer drop-ins throughout May.
“Indoor cricket had strong participation and [with] students showing up and playing, we decided, ‘Let’s make this a league now,’” Seymour says.
With modified rules for playing in the gymnasium, indoor cricket is similar to all of the other intramural leagues at KPU.
Registration opens during the first weeks of each semester, and students can sign up at the Sport and Recreation front desk at the Surrey campus, either as individuals, who are also called free agents, or with a team. All equipment is provided to students.
“The only thing that students need to make sure they’re doing when they come for any of our leagues is to have proper athletic attire,” Seymour says. “So that would just be athletic clothes and running shoes for the gym.”
He adds Sport and Recreation also provides students with jerseys during matches in exchange for their student ID.
Seymour says Sports and Recreation has yet to confirm if indoor cricket intramurals will continue to be available next semester, but a lot of students are happy with a brand-new sport, adding the game is suitable for both experienced and new players.
“It’s nice for students to know that we’re trying to show a variety and doing some activities that students are very interested in because we’re a student services department and we want to do things for students,” he says.
“I’d say Sport and Recreation is a really great hub for student life, especially here in the Surrey campus. We always have students that are in there all the time playing.”
Other intramural sports available at KPU include basketball, volleyball, badminton, and table tennis.
Students can join drop-in table tennis and pickleball every Tuesday from noon to 2:00 pm in the Surrey campus gymnasium.
Sports and Recreation also offers group fitness classes at the Surrey campus on Thursdays from 12:05 to 12:55 pm. At the Richmond campus, it offers hatha flow yoga classes on Tuesdays from 12:05 to 12:55 pm, and Yin yoga classes on Thursdays from 4:35 to 5:25 pm.
For more information about KPU’s Sport and Recreation intramural programs, visit www.kpu.ca/sportrec/intramurals.
