Benjamin Seebaran’s cricket roots were planted in Trinidad but grew deep in Burnaby. Seebaran came to Canada in 1960 to attend the University of British Columbia not only to further his education but to play for the UBC cricket team which he captained in 1963.

As a player the Burnaby resident helped the sport grow in the Vancouver area including representing Canada in an annual match with the United States from 1969 to 1972. During his playing years he began to coach cricket to youths. From the late 1980s to 2002 he was involved in both the BC and Canadian cricket associations in various capacities including helping to choose national junior and senior teams.

He was also the BCCA president from 1991 to 2002 and manager of the Canadian team at a prestigious tournament in the West Indies, as well as the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

The former president of the B.C. Mainland Cricket League told the Vancouver Province, “He’s like a child prodigy pianist. He knows when he gets to the concert hall he won’t screw up.”

By 1990, Seebaran was being named a provincial Premier’s Athletic Award winner.

It was the start of an illustrious national career for the accurate left-handed bowler – a former Buckingham elementary student and Simon Fraser University graduate – than didn’t end until 2003. On top of his national exploits, Seebaran played professionally for several seasons in Australia.

Seebaran’s talent and love of the game were part of his DNA. His father Ben, already a Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame honoured member, was a Trinidadian immigrant immersed in the Lower Mainland cricket scene both as a player and an administrator for decades. Barry has also followed in his father’s footsteps as an educator, teaching both in Burnaby and Australia.