In an exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Ranil Mendis, Director of the Ontario Schools Cricket Association (OSCA), shares his decades-long journey of using cricket as a tool for youth development, community building, and cultural connection. From launching the CIMA Mayor’s Trophy to leading programs that bring students to iconic cricket grounds in England, Ranil has consistently championed initiatives that combine sport, leadership, and inclusion.
Interview By Kripa Anand
Ranil Mendis is a Chartered Professional Accountant and long-time champion of youth development through sport. As a volunteer board member of the Ontario Schools Cricket Association (OSCA), he leads school outreach programming that has introduced cricket into the physical education classes of students province-wide — partnering with school boards across Ontario.
Ranil’s passion for using cricket as a vehicle for community building spans over two decades. Serving on the CIMA Canada Board, he was the lead visionary behind the CIMA Mayor’s Trophy — launched in 2005 as a landmark youth cricket initiative in partnership with the City of Toronto.
You’ve spent more than two decades using cricket as a tool for youth development, from the CIMA Mayor’s Trophy to Cricket Across the Pond. What gap did you see in schools and communities that led to the creation of the Ontario Schools Cricket Association?
What I saw in schools was a clear systemic gap. Cricket was very popular in many newcomer and underserved communities, but it was not a sanctioned school sport in Ontario in the same way as many established sports. As a result, cricket often lacked access to resources, equipment, training, and support. School athletic budgets were already limited, and principals naturally had to prioritize sanctioned sports and programs already familiar to the system.
The second barrier was capacity. Many physical education teachers had grown up in Canada playing and teaching traditional Canadian sports, and they were not always familiar or comfortable delivering cricket in a PE class. Even when there was student interest, schools often did not have the confidence, equipment, or trained staff to introduce the sport properly.
That is the gap CIMA and then OSCA stepped in to fill. We focused on teacher training, equipment support, school-based delivery, and building system capacity so cricket could become accessible, inclusive, and sustainable within schools. OSCA was created to remove those barriers and use cricket as a platform for student engagement, leadership, healthy active living, and belonging.
OSCA now partners with school boards, community groups, funders, and government to bring cricket into gyms and fields across Ontario, including northern and Indigenous communities. Why do you believe cricket is such a powerful vehicle for inclusion, belonging, wellness, and youth leadership—even for students who have never held a bat before?
Cricket is powerful because it is often described as the world’s second most popular sport after soccer, and for many communities it is a common thread that connects people across cultures, generations, and borders. For some students, especially newcomers and children of immigrants, cricket is familiar. It connects them to family, culture, and identity. For others, it is completely new, which creates a shared learning experience where no one feels behind.
That is what makes cricket such an effective tool for inclusion. A student who has never held a bat can still participate within minutes. They can run, throw, catch, cheer, lead, and contribute. In a school gym or community field, cricket quickly becomes more than a sport — it becomes a space where students build confidence, make friends, and feel that they belong.
We have seen this across Ontario, including in northern and Indigenous communities, where all students we worked with were introduced to cricket for the first time. The response was immediate: curiosity, laughter, teamwork, and engagement.
This connects directly to OSCA’s vision of “empowering school children with a lifelong love for healthy living through cricket, fostering community, and breaking barriers for a diverse and inclusive Ontario.” At its core, our work is about promoting healthy active lifestyles, physical and mental well-being, leadership, respect, and connection.
One of your hallmark initiatives is Cricket Across the Pond, which has given Ontario students the chance to visit iconic grounds in England. What is the vision behind relaunching the program with the 2026 girls’ leadership tour, and what makes this milestone especially meaningful for you and for OSCA?
The vision behind relaunching Cricket Across the Pond in 2026 is to modernize a proven youth development model and bring it back in a way that is school-aligned, inclusive, and focused on leadership. CAP was never just about travelling to England or playing cricket at iconic grounds. It was about giving young people exposure, confidence, life skills, and a sense of possibility.
The 2026 girls’ leadership tour is especially meaningful because it brings that vision into a new chapter. The team is anchored by Stephen Lewis Secondary School, whose girls’ cricket team has become a powerful example of what school cricket can do for student leadership and belonging. This tour gives young women the opportunity to represent their schools, communities, and Ontario while developing communication skills, cultural awareness, teamwork, and ambassadorial responsibility.
For OSCA, this milestone is also about equity of access. International experiential learning opportunities are often out of reach for many students. CAP creates a pathway where participation is based on merit, leadership, and community involvement, not a family’s ability to fundraise. It positions cricket as a platform for youth development, well-being, and long-term community impact.
You’ve seen firsthand how a single experience can echo across years—for example, a former student traveller returning as a teacher and coach to lead a new generation of girls to England. What does that “full-circle” story say about the long-term impact of programs like OSCA’s on youth, schools, and communities?
The full-circle story says everything about the long-term impact of programs like Cricket Across the Pond. Rohit Malhotra first experienced CAP as a student from Stephen Lewis Secondary School when he travelled to England more than a decade ago. Years later, he returned to the same school as a teacher and cricket coach, now leading the three-time Premier’s Cup girls’ champions and mentoring the next generation.
That journey shows that the impact of youth programs cannot always be measured only at the moment they happen. Sometimes the real impact appears years later, when a young participant becomes the adult mentor, teacher, coach, or community leader who opens the same door for others.
For OSCA, that is the deeper purpose of cricket. We are not only trying to create better players. We are trying to create confident young people who understand leadership, service, respect, and responsibility. When a former student traveller returns to guide a new generation of girls to England, it shows that these experiences can echo across schools and communities for decades.
That is the story of OSCA. That is the power of cricket.
This year you’re also expanding school outreach, launching a free summer cricket program in Scarborough’s Malvern community, and deepening work in northern regions. For Canadian small and mid-sized organizations that want to drive real social impact, what lessons would you share about building partnerships, sustaining volunteer leadership, and using sport as a bridge to opportunity?
The biggest lesson is that real social impact does not happen alone — it takes a village. OSCA’s work has always depended on schools, volunteers, community leaders, funders, government, and corporate partners each bringing something different to the table.
For small and mid-sized organizations, I would say start with a clear purpose and build partnerships around shared values, not just transactions. A good example is Marcatus QED, a company connected to the CIMA community, which supported many newcomer CIMA professionals through mentoring and employment pathways. Today, that same spirit of mentorship and opportunity continues as Marcatus QED joins OSCA as a lead corporate sponsor of Cricket Across the Pond.
The partnership is also closely aligned with the company’s DNA — supporting nutrition, wellness, and opportunities for girls, women, and children in sport. Through CAP, that commitment now extends to empowering the next generation of young women leaders through cricket.
Volunteer leadership is sustained when people can see the impact of their time. Whether it is a coach in a school gym, a parent helping at a community program, or a sponsor opening doors, people stay committed when they know they are changing lives.
Sport is a powerful bridge because it brings people together quickly. Through cricket, we can promote wellness, belonging, leadership, and opportunity in a way that feels joyful, practical, and deeply human.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CanadianSME Small Business Magazine. Our platform is dedicated to fostering dialogue and sharing insights that inspire and empower small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
