Whenever one mentions the city of Toronto, often thoughts of the Raptors, Maple Leafs or Blue Jays come to mind in the same breath ? but never the gentlemen?s game of cricket.

And while cricket is considered by many to be a minority sport north of the border, it still continues to thrive in the big city shielded by the glamour and glitz of much popular sports such as the NBA and NHL.

Despite the fact Canada has appeared in two cricket World Cup finals, and destined for a third in two years time, the sport has yet to branch out into the mainstream.

Still, this hasn?t discouraged people like Traddie Simpson from promoting the sport and ensuring its longevity in Toronto.

?Qualifying for the World Cup (2003) was one thing. But if you were not a cricketer you didn?t know about it. But for those cricketers who live and breathe the game on a weekly basis we were all very excited,? the fully certified general accountant recalled.

?Unfortunately the rest of the population pretty much ignored the fact we were going to the World Cup. It hadn?t caught on at that point and hopefully the third time around things will be different in Toronto.?

Simpson recently resigned as vice president of the Canadian Cricket Association to begin work here in Bermuda at the Bank of Butterfield.

Born in Jamaica, Simpson flew off to attend school at age 17 in Toronto where, over the past 17 years, he has had a hand in everything imaginably associated with the sport from scorekeeping, administration to captaining Toronto and District Cricket Association Premier Division outfit West Indian Cricket Club.

Therefore, it wasn?t surprising when Simpson turned up for training at local Premier Division side Southampton Rangers ? less than two weeks after arriving on Island with fianc?e Kim.

The 35 year-old left-arm fast bowler, who took 18 wickets in ten matches before leaving Toronto, is due to make his debut for the Limited Overs and Belco Cup champions against Western Stars on Sunday.

?In Toronto right now there are four major leagues which account for over 200 teams and every year each of those leagues are turning away players or teams that want to join those league because we don?t have enough facilities to accommodate all the teams in Toronto,? Simpson continued.

?I would say the standard of cricket in Toronto comes from various different aspects. One is the fact we are blessed with having the facilities that we do some of which are a legacy from the 2001 ICC Trophy Tournament. For example we inherited ten turf wickets and that in itself has helped to develop the players to get them ready.

?The other thing is the sacrifice and commitment of people like Austin Ward (chairman of Canadian selectors) and the many others who continue to work hard for cricket in Toronto from the Under 19 programme all the way to the senior national team. And we have seen a lot of players come all the way through the ranks from the Under 19 to the senior national level.

?We get a lot of ex-Test and overseas players as well as guest players and so that helps to intensify the level of cricket that is played in Toronto.?

And like many, Simpson ? who helped co-ordinate last year?s inaugural Intercontinental Cup match in Toronto ? is delighted to see the International Cricket Council (ICC) introduce the new three-day tournament ? particularly in terms of development.

?I do agree the longer version of the game bodes better for the development of younger cricketers. What we find on a regular basis in Toronto with the Under 19 guys playing limited overs cricket is that it becomes a real slug-fest. Everybody just wants to swing their bat and they carry that same type of skill to the senior cricket level. There is only so much you can do in limited overs cricket and everybody wants to win,? he explained.

?But what the two-day or three-day game does is give you a different set of disciplines. It?s not just about scoring ten quick runs and getting out. It?s about building an innings, building your stamina and also using using mental strategy. So in order to work along those lines we decided in Toronto to implement a two-day format in the regular season in the Premier Division.

?We figured the two-day game would give them good exposure and preparation to play the three-day game and then in turn the three-day game will better prepare them to build an innings and dig their heels in during a one day match.?

The longer version of the game, Simpson added, tends to expose a team?s strengths and weaknesses.

Recalling Bermuda?s match with Canada last year at Sunnybrook Park, Simpson noted: ?I didn?t think Bermuda played the spin very well in that game. I think they had a bit of trouble facing (John) Davison and (Kevin) Sandher and every time they were about to have a good partnership somebody would get out. But I thought overall the guys did well to hang in there and come away with a draw as opposed to losing.

?So hopefully this time around both teams will make it a very competitive game and hopefully we won?t see the game finish early and the guys will take it seriously.?

When asked which team will he be supporting next week ? having begun a new life in Bermuda ? Simpson smiled: ?I will be rooting for both teams because the good thing about this Intercontinental Cup tournament is the preparation for the bigger thing ahead ? the 2007 World Cup.

?So if I were Bermuda or Canada, the way I would approach this is not to look at who is going to win or lose, but look to gain in terms of preparation for 2007.?

But not only does Simpson intend to play cricket during his stay in Bermuda, he also wants to play a more active role in the sport.

?Cricket has always been my passion and I?ve just stuck with it both at the playing and administrative level. I figured if I am going to get involved as a player than it also helps to be on the administrative side rather than sit on the fence and criticise about what is going on. I prefer to be in the middle helping out trying to make things right,? he said.

?So while I am here in Bermuda one of my other objectives is to assist Bermuda Cricket Board in whatever way they see fit in addition to playing competitive cricket here. Unfortunately we are near the end of the cricket season here. But hopefully I can get in a few games and show the guys a couple of fast deliveries.

?I?ve visited about five grounds since I arrived here and I must say that Lord?s is fabulous though I was a little surprised at the size of some of the other grounds. But with that said the fact they are all turf pitches bodes well for cricket here in Bermuda because we don?t get to play on turf wickets every game in Toronto where we go from turf to matting on a regular basis.

?In Bermuda you have the luxury of playing on turf every weekend, and that, I think, makes a big difference.?