Cardiff local Jerry Tissera has been selected to the Canadian national cricket team at the over 70 age level for the International Masters Conference in New Zealand.
Tissera travels to North York three times each week to play cricket.
He was selected for the national team after tryouts.
“I’m really proud to represent Bancroft in this tournament, considering myself a local. So I’m looking forward to doing it on behalf of Bancroft and Canada,” he said.
The tournament takes place in Christchurch, New Zealand from Feb. 17 to March 5.
Tissera said he first started playing cricket in school while growing up in Sri Lanka.
He moved to Canada in 1996 and worked as an air traffic controller and de-icing policy expert, which took him to various airports in Canada and the U.S.
He said he did not play cricket much during his time working in the U.S., but returned to Canada after retiring in 2021.
He picked up the cricket bat again last year.
Tissera said Canada placed third in the inaugural world cup in 2024, and this time they’ll be aiming for the top spot.
The tournament is self-funded and the team is still looking for brands and companies interested in sponsoring them.
Tissera says companies who are interested can contact the Council of Canada Masters Cricket and mention him by name.
