Dreamcricket in the Media : Dreamcricket in the media

Lance Gibbs, legendary off-spinner, visits DreamCricket Academy

openingbat — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:05:00 GMT

West Indies off-spin bowling legend, Lance Gibbs, stopped by DreamCricket Academy on Saturday April 24th.

His visit was organized by DreamCricket Academy Coaches Earl Daley and Malika Frank Daley and coincided with the first phase of DreamCricket Academy’s selection trials for the U-13 team. The boys were keen to impress the great off-spinner who averaged a miserly 1.99 runs per over during his entire Test career and had 18 five-wicket hauls in his 79 test career!

The 75 year old and extremely fit Mr. Gibbs, who was known as the “electrified tarantula” during his time on the circuit, bowled a bit in the nets - managing to turn the ball as if by remote control!

Back in the day, the man was simply unplayable! Ask the Indians - he once bowled a 15.3 over spell against India in which 14 were maidens and he took 8 wickets for 6 runs!

Pic (Right): Mr. Gibbs poses for a photo with the boys of DreamCricket Academy

“Conserve your energy,” he urged the youngsters when he saw an erratic delivery. Every ball they bowl poorly not only resulted in extra runs, it was energy expended needlessly in the run-up and on the field, energy that the bowler might need at later stages.

Watching a lankier and younger version of himself bowl on screen as footage from ‘Cricket - The 60’s’ DVD played on the DreamCricket's plasma screen, he joked, “That's out! What's that umpire doing? Is he appealing?”

"There is no substitute for hard work and patience," Mr. Gibbs said. He said that he always was the first to show up for practice and last to leave.   A discipline that his younger cousin Clive Lloyd remembered in a recent speech. “I used to sit atop a tree as I watched my cousin Lance play his cricket and think - I want to play for Guyana one day,” the Big Cat told the ICC Centenary History conference.

His message to the bowlers was that even if you are not a batsman, you have to put a premium on the wicket. Mr. Gibbs reminded the boys that no matter what position they played, they would find themselves in situations where the match hinged on their performance with the bat.

At the end of the two hour session, Mr. Gibbs left the boys with great memories after signing autographs and posing for pictures.   "It is our great pleasure to have a legend of our times and the first spin bowler to have crossed 300 test wickets in our midst," Ms. Kranthi Bayya, CEO of DreamCricket.com said in a brief thank you speech. "The Academy's cricketers are blessed to have some of the greatest cricketers of our times visit and spend time with them - we have had Chetan Chauhan, Sunil Gavaskar, Ballu Sandhu and now Mr. Gibbs."

Saturday was a double bonanza for students of DreamCricket Academy because two other guests visited the Academy on the day.   Suresh Menon and Siddhartha Vaidyanathan, both well known cricket writers and columnists, also stopped by to watch the selection process.   Siddhartha Vaidyanathan remembered that Mr. Gibbs had the most "massive palms" and blisters from years of spin bowling, something he wrote about in an article for CricInfo in 2006.

New York Destroyers win US T20 crown!

sanges — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:39:00 GMT

As reported in Indian Express.

Perfect Launch Pad

sanges — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:28:00 GMT

America does an IPL!

sanges — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:49:00 GMT

Twenty20 cricket is the fastest growing new sport in the United States. And Indians, including some from Bangalore, are behind it. As reported in the Bangalore Mirror.

NY Destroyers win inaugral Radiant Info USA T20

gchakravarthy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 20:26:00 GMT

As reported in Sportz Power, Mumbai.

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar bowls Edison during brief visit

sanges — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Batting legend, Sunil Gavaskar, visited DreamCricket Academy in NJ and spent quality time with the junior cricketers there. In a short and inspiring speech, Gavaskar reinforced the importance of the sport saying "Participating in sports is the biggest high you can get. It is the reflection of the society you are in". Edison Mayor, Jun H. Choi welcomed Gavaskar to the township of Edison while expressing his belief in "the great power of sport to bring people together".

Gavaskar, regarded as the greatest opening batsmen of all time, held many world careers during his career, including that of most test runs (10,122) and most centuries (32). The latter record stood for some two decades before it was broken by his protege, Sachin Tendulkar, in 2005. Gavaskar, who was a panel speaker at the Wharton India Economic Forum, 2009, stopped in New Jersey on his way back to India to catch up with friends in the region. Following a visit to junior cricketers at DreamCricket Academy, a cricket training facility in New Jersey, Gavaskar stopped at Edison.

He said that he was very impressed with New Jersey's junior cricketers and noted that the next step in the development of cricket in Edison would be to introduce good quality grounds in the area. When DreamCricket.com requested the Little Master to visit the DreamCricket Academy, Gavaskar immediately agreed despite his hectic schedule and connected with the kids instantly. Noticing the hands go up reluctantly when he asked who the DreamCricket Academy's opening batsmen were, he joked, "I don't blame you. You have to be crazy to be openers!".

The young players were not old enough to have seen the Little Master in action during his playing days, but they were awestruck when they were introduced to someone considered India's best ever opening batsmen. Gavasker gave a short and inspiring speech saying "Remember that, above all, this is a sport. You have to enjoy sports. Participating in sports is the biggest high that you can have. It's a reflection of the society that you are in. Sometimes, the better batsmen looks after the lesser batsmen, the better bowler looks after the lesser bowler."

Asked whether American-born cricketers had a chance to play cricket at the highest level, Gavasker said, "I think that with effort comes better performance. When you perform, you get noticed. And higher honors await you. Throughout the process, enjoy the sport and get the thrill of participation."

Gavasker spent an hour in the nets with the children as they got a chance to bowl to the legend. He then watched some of the kids practice their batting. Edison Cricket Club president and Gavasker's host in Edison, Atul Huckoo noted that Edison could become the regional center for international cricket.

Cricket and the American dream

sanges — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:48:00 GMT

The success of the inaugral NuWare NJ Twenty20 tournament has led many experts to believe that it is only a matter of time before Americans embrace Twenty20 cricket in a big way! The entertainment filled extravaganza was lapped up by throngs of spectators in New Windsor, NJ. Over 1,000,000 kept track of the matches through DreamCricket's live text feed on the tournament website NJT20.com while thousands followed the proceedings live on EBC 1170 AM.

Indian owned business launches T20 in USA

sanges — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:43:00 GMT

As reported in Sakshi, a Telugu newspaper.

US gets a taste of Twenty20 extravaganza

sanges — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:35:00 GMT

DreamCricket.com recently organized the fast-paced and entertaining NuWare New Jersey Twenty20 cricket tournament in New Windsor, NJ. The milestone event attracted top regional and national level players to showcase their talent. NuWare, Citibank, Reebok, SmithBarney were some of the tournament sponsors, which had a prize purse valued at $10,000 including a $5,000 cash prize for the winner.

Straight Drive - Cricket in an alien land

sanges — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:08:00 GMT

The Department of Education, New York, inaugrated cricket as its newest league sport with about 600 high school students playing on 14 teams in a 12-game season. New York is currently the only public school in the country to offer competitive cricket. The most plausible explanation for this move looks to be the growing South Asian presence in the US. And this cricket-loving diaspora is served by none other than DreamCricket's all in one Pavilion Shop, Academy, Indoor Nets, and online site.

DreamCricket featured in a book

openingbat — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:31:00 GMT

DreamCricket.com was featured in a book called "Corridors of Uncertainty." A rare privilege accorded to very few cricket companies out there.

The book opens with a quote by DreamCricket founder and then devotes a section on the subject of America to DreamCricket and the passion of its founders. We are grateful for this attention and share the hope of the author, Boria Majumdar, that cricket really takes off in USA.

DreamCricket featured in a book on Fantasy Sports

openingbat — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:46:00 GMT

DreamCricket was featured in a recent book on Fantasy Sports by Michael Harmon, a Yahoo Sports Columnist. Although the book focuses on mainstream American sports, in the final chapter called "Extension of Fantasy Frontiers," the author talks of DreamCricket.com as a place where cricket fans across the world can connect and enter the fantasy landscape.