The
2011 cricket season was an extraordinary one for Burghs in many
respects. It was one where the club soared to great heights on the
field winning the club Challenge championship after fifteen long and
often painful years. However, amid the exultation and celebrations,
tears were shed because the victory would have been far sweeter if one
of our beloved players could have been there to share the joy with us.
In 2011, we lost a great friend, teammate and mentor. The
scourge of cancer extended its whimsical hand and plucked our dear
friend Saba Ravishankar from our midst. It seemed like only 
yesterday
when Ravi was with us playing in the 2010 Memorial Game and then one
short year later, his was the life we were celebrating at this very same
event.
Ravi was the heart and soul of the Burghs and in the most
special and noble ways, embodied the spirit of our team and what we all
stand for and why we play the game. To him, cricket was a vehicle
through which the virtues of sportsmanship and fair play could be
demonstrated.
He was a man who stood above pettiness and the
shallowness that we so often encounter on the playing field.
Ravi
loved the Burghs club and gave so much of himself to ensuring it
survived and prospered. In his final years, he showed the same level of
commitment to Nepean C.C. Normally when cricketers leave clubs, there
is some hard feeling and acrimony. In Ravi's case there was none. He
was always welcome in each club and was deeply respected and loved by
his peers.
Burghs owes a large debt to Ravi. When the team was struggling
after the 1998 season, Ravi was a key member who kept the club going and
brought it back from a very weak position to become a
competitive force
again. He encouraged new members to join the club and cultivated a
high level of sportsmanship in the organization.
It was fitting that when the 2011 Memorial Game was
dedicated to Ravi's memory, both Nepean CC and Burghs came together to
raise an unprecedented amount of money in his name. We raised close to $
5000 that year to support the Canadian Cancer Society.
We think Ravi
would have been proud of our efforts. This year, we continue to make
the fight against cancer our priority as a club. All of us have someone
who has been touched by this dreadful disease and during the month of
November, the men of this club grow our whiskers as part of of
commitment to this good cause. We ask you to go to http://mobro.co/memorialravisaba to
make a contribution in Ravi's name so that a cure for cancer can one
day be found and we would have contributed towards making this happen.
Thank you!
By:
Ajit Thomas
Dated: Nov. 15, 2012