Damian Mills
Damian Mills (15 July 1979 – 17 November 2003) was a Canadian international cricketer. He was a right-handed opening batsman and right-arm medium bowler. Early life. Damian Mills was born on 15 July 1979, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the son of Dr. Barry Mills and Rona Mills. He had two sisters, Cresida and Eleanor. His enthusiasm for cricket started in 1985 during a family visit to England, when he saw his first cricket match. Before the family returned from their vacation Damian's father presented him with a size-2 junior cricket bat. Dr. Mills strongly encouraged young Damian 's interest in cricket. Domestic cricket. Club. Mills started to play organized cricket in 1986 at age seven at Lincoln Elementary School. In 1989 he joined the Manitoba Cricket Association Junior League. In 1992 he made his first appearance in the MCA Senior League. He was a member of the Winnipeg Juniors Cricket Club(WJCC) but played only two league games that year. During 1993 he became a regular member of the WJCC, mainly as a bowler. Due to injuries he gave up bowling and concentrated on his batting, which made his mark in cricket. Representative. In 1992, days before his  13th birthday, Damian became a member of The Manitoba Junior Provincial Team and for the first time tried out for The Canadian National Youth Team in Toronto. Damian was amongst the youngest athletes at the trials and whilst he did not make the team, he gained experience. On the first day of the tournament during the morning practice session he was hit very hard in the head by a ball, and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room of a Toronto hospital. The next day he played very hard throughout the tournament, despite his injury. In 1994 , Mills was invited by the Manitoba Cricket Association (MCA) to the MCA Senior Training Camp. The camp took place during the winter months. In 1995, Mills first represented Manitoba on the Senior Provincial Team in the Western Provincial Championship, when he opened the batting against British Columbia and scored 42 runs. Returning from this competition at age 16 he scored his first century in the MCA Senior League: 111 runs not out. Since that time, Damian was an integral member of the Manitoba Senior Provincial Team. International cricket. Mills represented Canada for the first time in 1997 in the final  International Youth Tournament in Bermuda. He again represented Canada in 1998 at The NorTel West Indies Youth Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago. In 1999, Mills was selected for two Canadian teams: Canada Under-23; and the Canadian National Senior Team. He played for Canada in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Red Stripe Bowl competition in Antigua from October 1999 and again in 2000. Also in 2000, Damian was selected by Ilford Cricket Club from England for a tour to India. He spent one winter playing in New Zealand. Off-field activity. Cricket. Mills was dedicated to the promotion of the  sport and the development of youth cricketers. He was a coach at junior camps, schools, community centers and tournaments. He also made time to be an administrator of the sport. He was committed to an increasingly strong cricket program in Manitoba. Study. Mills started studies toward a Degree in Business Studies in 1997. Due to competing demands from cricket, he was expected to have graduated in April 2005 from the University of Manitoba. Religion. Mills was a church altar server from 8 to 21 years of age. During this time he helped to train young servers. Death. Mills died unexpectedly  in his sleep on Monday 17 November 2003, at the age of 24. He had not been ill and there was no undetected medical condition. Legacy. The Damian Mills Junior Cricket Foundation was established in Mills' honor. The fund's purpose is to continue Damian's work in promoting the sport of cricket and to serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to young cricketers.