Sports Guelph Played

Hockey. Curling. Baseball. Lawn bowling. Figure skating. Football. Golf. Bowling. Cricket.

Wait. What? Did you say Cricket?

Yes I did.

Did you know that Guelph has a Cricket team? I certainly didn't!

I recently stopped by the Guelph Civic Museum and chatted with Kathleen Wall about the Sports Guelph Played exhibit that she curated.

Located on the third floor, the exhibit might not be big in terms of size, it's huge in terms of content.

The Guelph Cricket Club was originally formed in 1832, shortly after Guelph was founded. At the time, the club recieved a grant of 20 pounds sterling (a considerable sum at the time) to build a cricket pitch in Market Square. By 1846, the club had over 150 members. These days, the club has moved just north of town to Inverhaugh (just south west of Elora) and is experiencing a small resurgence in popularity.

Along with curling, golf was also brought over from Scotland. Arthur Cutten, of Cutten Fields fame, is likely the most known among the local golfing community. He was well known for his philanthropy. In fact, Cutten Fields was intended to be a gift to the City of Guelph, but as it was the 1930s, the mayor at the time felt the city was unable to afford such an expense. Rumour has it (although Kathleen told me it's false) that after the stock market crash in 1929, Arthur Cutten buried his fortune somewhere on the property and that following his death in 1936, United States tax agents were seen digging holes on the course in a bid to account for the missing money.You can read more about the Legend of Arthur Cutten in this fantastic piece.

The Biltmore Mad Hatters may have had only short career as a Junior A team, but it left a big impression on the sport. The term Hat Trick, after all, was coined because of them. Back in the day, if a player scored three or more goals in a single game, Biltmore Hats would give the player a fedora. The tradition continued until the company folded in 2012.

You can still catch the Biltmore Mad Hatters playing in the OHL, although these days they call the Kitchener Auditorium home, and are better known as the Kitchener Rangers.

Sports in Guelph would not be complete without mentioning one of our most famous athletes: Victor Davis.

Davis' warm up suit from the 1984 LA Olympics

Born in Guelph in 1964, Davis went on to be one of Canada's most accomplished swimmers, winning gold at the 1984 LA Olympic Games in the 200 m breaststroke (in which he broke his own world record for the second time), silver in the 100 m breaststroke, and silver in the 4x100 m medley relay. 

Davis' temper eventually got the better of him when he was struck by a car in 1989 in Montreal following an altercation with the driver in a bar. The details of the accident remain unclear, and Davis' loss was felt across the swimming community.


Next spring, Guelph will play host to the Special Olympics Ontario, where almost one thousand athletes, coaches, and team managers will arrive in the city from across the province. Athletes will compete in a number of sports, including swimming, basketball, power lifting, rhythm gymnastics, and both 5 and 10 pin bowling. The Guelph Police Service has been working hard to promote and raise funds for the event, including selling adorable plush German Shepherd puppies.

K9 Hero

Sport is about more than just physical activity. It's empowering. It has helped countless people turn their lives around. The exhibit tells many more stories than what I've talked about. Like George Sleeman and the controversy with his baseball team, Evan van Morkerke's silver medal win in the 4x100 m freestyle at the 2015 PanAm Games, even the history of the Jockstrap!

Of course, I won't spoil the entire exhibit. That's against the rules.

Sports Guelph Played runs until April 20th, 2016. Be sure to stop by and check it out!