Barbadian Canadian Austin Ward Featured As Wickets Magazine's April 2021 Cover!

Barbadian Canadian Austin Ward's 27 years of distinguished and outstanding service to Canadian Cricket has been recognized by Wickets, Canada's Monthly Online Cricket Magazine. Ward was featured as the cover of Wickets' April 2021 Issue. The April 2021 Issue is the ninth in Wickets' third year of publication. since it was initially launched in July 2018.

Now in his 81st year, Ward’s involvement with Canadian cricket began in
1974, mere months after he had immigrated to Canada from his Barbados birth land. Ward’s outstanding involvement as a Canadian cricket administrator which would endure until his 2019 retirement, started somewhat humbly in 1974 as the Treasurer of the T&D Board.

When Ward assumed those responsibilities the T&D’s total recorded revenues was $1000. His very
first action as Treasurer was to present to the T&D AGM that year a Financial Report which included
a balanced Balance Sheet of the League’s finances and which was acknowledged by longstanding Canadian national cricket administrator, Eddie Bracht at the meeting as the first instance of that having been done for many years.

During his tenure as T&D Treasurer Ward, whose first job back in Barbados had been as a Bookkeeper
and who over the years had completed Business Management Studies at Ryerson College, implemented several initiatives that were geared towards vastly improving the League’s finances.
Among these was a Junior Development Bond which required the League’s member clubs to make annual refundable deposits to a Saving Bond Account that Ward had established. The
deposits made to the Bond were subsequently used to act as a security against losses incurred
from clubs leaving the League. He also introduced a Junior Development Fund to finance initiatives in
relation to the League’s Junior Cricket Programs. He also established a Capital Fund for the League.
The combined effect of these three initiatives was a significant improvement in the League’s overall
finances.

From its relatively humble beginnings as the T&D Treasurer, Austin Ward’s Canadian cricket
administrative involvement expanded to such an outstanding degree that by its completion forty plus years later it had encompassed almost every role available. These included stints as the League’s President, T&D’s Representative to the Ontario Cricket Association (OCA) and also Ontario’s Representative on the Canadian Cricket Association’s Executive Board