Where Ram Meyyappan goes, so does cricket.

There are few greater advocates for the game than Meyyappan, a 25-year-old who just finished his degree in math and commerce from the University of Victoria. The worldB次元官网网址檚 second-most popular sport has followed him from Chennai, India, to Victoria, and heB次元官网网址檚 behind the gameB次元官网网址檚 revival as a university sport.

He started a school team when he arrived at Malaspina College in 2006 which played a couple of matches against a club from UBC. He did it again when he enrolled at UVic in 2009, and this weekend the club team is hosting its first university-level tournament.

ItB次元官网网址檚 not the first university cricket club in town, but itB次元官网网址檚 the first in a long time.

B次元官网网址淥nce when I got (to the Island), I kept track of the sport (in India) through the Internet, and I missed playing and watching (live). With enough interest at UVic, I figured, B次元官网网址榃hy not have a club there?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

Visiting this weekend are club teams from the University of Fraser Valley, Kwantlen Polytechnic University and University of Calgary.

TheyB次元官网网址檒l play a round robin tournament at Beacon Hill Park and Windsor Park, with matches at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday (July 1) and Monday, with the top two teams facing each other in MondayB次元官网网址檚 final, at 2 p.m. at Beacon Hill.

Matches are 20 overs per inning, which will limit them to about three hours each.

Ironically, MeyyappanB次元官网网址檚 level of commitment to the game in Victoria far exceeds anything he would have done if heB次元官网网址檇 stayed in India to study, or didnB次元官网网址檛 forego his scholarship to New York University due to a visa complication.

B次元官网网址淲here I come from, you donB次元官网网址檛 take any time off school, not even four months of a semester, which NYU had asked me to do.B次元官网网址�

Originally MeyyappanB次元官网网址檚 plan was to complete a doctorate, either in his home country, or NYU.

B次元官网网址淏ecause I chose to come here, I was afforded a little extra time during my bachelor studies to explore things, such as cricket.B次元官网网址�

The school year was MeyyappanB次元官网网址檚 last at UVic and he is now in the process of passing the cricket team on to a new president to carry it on. Until he leaves, however, Meyyappan will continue to build the team by expanding its competitive playing season.

B次元官网网址�(The team) just applied to play in some tournaments against clubs from the U.S.A.B次元官网网址�

ThereB次元官网网址檚 no formal university cricket league in the west, though there are 12 teams in the Ontario and Quebec CanUCric league.

On Saturday (June 30), the best of the Victoria and District Cricket Association will host a match at Beacon Hill Park against a representative squad of B.C. Mainland Cricket League players, beginning at noon.

For information on the Victoria and District Cricket Association visit VDCA.ca.