By Daun Jacobsen
June 4, 5 and 6 saw three days of
beautiful weather and enthusiastic women as the 2010 USA National
Women's Cricket Tournament took place at the Cupertino Library ground in
California.
Pic (Right): Indomatie Goordial-John, Tournament MVP
Five teams of female players from around the country
converged in the San Francisco bay area to compete for the National
Championship. They represented many walks of life from the east,
central and west parts of the USA. And they ranged in age from high
schoolers to grandmothers! But all had one common goal - to play the
best cricket they could.
Each team played two matches over the three days. The North East
team stood out and took the top honors. But the other four teams had
respectable showings and it came down to net run rate for determining
the Runners-Up. This went to the local team, Western Firebirds as they
held off the New York team for just enough overs to pass them in the
ratings.
"This was a fantastic tournament for the USA Cricket Association as
we hosted some great players who showed us their best. From this pool
of women, we are selecting the players who will represent the USA in
Canada next month during the ICC Americas World Cup Qualifier
Tournament" states Raj Padhi who is the USACA Director for the Western
Region. "We couldn't have asked for a better time with these ladies
really going at it, showing us they can be fierce competitors while, at
the same time, forming great friendships across team boundaries."
Out
of the 60 plus players, Indomatie Goordial-John of the North East team
stood out with her heavy hitting, especially in the first match.
Racking up 95 runs as well as taking one wicket during that match
against the Western Chargers, her effort was the base for a 281 score
in their 40 overs which the Chargers could not overcome in the second
inning.
Doris Francis of the New York team was one of the outstanding
bowlers who gave only 10 runs in 8 overs while taking 3 wickets in the
match against the Western Firebirds. During the match with the Western
Chargers, Gul Imran from the Atlantic team also showed great bowling
capabilities by not only grabbing 2 wickets in 8 overs with only 10
runs given but also taking catches to get 3 batters out. And in
fielding, Erica Rendler of the Western Firebirds showed off her
softball background, moving fast on the outfield, collecting the balls
cleanly and throwing them back in a flash.
The women were definitely fired up and are excited to see who among
them will be selected to be part of Team USA. Those top players will
travel to Canada for that ICC Qualifier tournament which starts July
12. And all are looking forward to future tournaments in the USA. "I
am looking forward to be back next year to participate in your
forthcoming tournaments" states Ivy Mahabir, captain of the Atlantic
team.
As
women around the country see this kind of action in the USA, it is
bound to encourage more to participate. So next year's tournament will
very likely see more teams participating and more enthusiastic play.
Here is a summary of this tournament's results:
Five teams participated:
Atlantic, New York, North East, Western Chargers, Western Firebirds
Player
of the Match Awards - one for each of the five matches:
Match 1
- Indomatie Goordial-John, North East (75 runs; 1 wicket)
Match 2 - Durga Das, Western Firebirds (29 runs)
Match 3 -
Shondell Ward, North East (8 overs for 8 runs)
Match 4 - Doris
Francis, New York (8 run; 3 wickets, 10 runs in 8 overs)
Match 5
- Gul Imran, Atlantic (11 Not out; 3 catches; 2 wickets, 10 runs in 8
overs)
Best Fielder of the Tournament: Erica Rendler, Firebirds
Best
Wicket Keeper of the Tournament: Catherine Crowe, New York
Best
Bowler of the Tournament: Beulah Pidakala, Atlantic
Best Batter of
the Tournament: Indomatie Goordial-John, North East
Most Valuable Player of the Tournament: Indomatie Goordial-John,
North East
Champions: North East
Runners-up: Western Firebirds
Third
place: New York
Fourth place: Atlantic
Fifth place: Western
Chargers