USA Cricketer : youth cricket

USA Cricket: Episode 3 - Guest Darren Beazley Part 1 of the US Cricket Podcast

openingbat — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:40:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

In part one of a two-part interview, USACA CEO Darren Beazley discusses his background coming from Western Australia where he was an administrator in several different sports including cricket, sailing and Australian Rules Football prior to taking on the position as the USA Cricket Association’s chief executive in February. Among other topics, Beazley also talks about how he hopes to rectify the lack of domestic women’s cricket tournaments since the team came back from the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh as well as how he hopes to recruit the 32 disenfranchised leagues from the 2012 USACA election back into the USACA fold.

The full episode can be accessed by clicking here and is also available for free download on iTunes. The following is a brief selection of quotes from part one of the interview.

Image (right) - USACA CEO Darren Beazley speaking at the tournament banquet following the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 in Florida. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Peter Della Penna: One of the interesting things I found out about you is that way back when, you used to coach or teach lacrosse in Australia. Kind of similar in some ways to what you’re doing here, I can’t imagine lacrosse is a very popular sport in Australia. What was that experience like and what are some of the things you think you can take from that and some of the other jobs you’ve had - you’ve worked with development in the Australian Football League in South Africa, those kind of things. What are some of the things you learned from kind of developing a sport and teaching and spreading a sport where it’s not very popular in those territories that you think you can apply here?

Darren Beazley: My view when I was teaching – I used to be a phys ed teacher many moons ago and that’s where I taught the lacrosse – was that we have a responsibility to expose young people to all types of games. Now lacrosse was a game in Australia that not many of my students had ever played and the thing I liked about it, it was a really good leveling sport because all of a sudden they weren’t playing through the planes like a vertical plane with a cricket shot or a horizontal plane with a baseball shot because all of a sudden you’re catching and throwing from above the waist and there’s not many sports where you do that, particularly with an implement. So it was a great leveler to find out which were the good hand-eye, but also it’s a very fast running game so which were the good athletes who had the big tanks. I guess I took a lot of that knowledge into developing a niche sport in South Africa and I’m going to apply that knowledge here. What are the fundamentals? The fundamentals are that you need to make sure that the experience that you have is an excellent one because there’s too many reasons for young people who come and taste the sport to not play it. Football is very big here, baseball is very big here. So if they come down to cricket and they have a bad experience, the coach doesn’t make it fun or is too hard on the young person coming down, they’re not going to hang around. They’ll go whereas if you’re in an established sport like cricket is in Perth or in Australia, if the coach is a bit hard on you you’re more likely to keep coming back because it is the sport. I think that’s really important and our coaches need to understand no matter where they are in America, they’ve got a responsibility to give our kids a good experience the first time. The second thing in terms of high performance like my very brief involvement with the men’s national team, same thing. We’ve got to make sure that when they come into the national team that everything is done very professionally and very well so that they think they’re part of something very special because if you do it half-hearted, then they’ll go, ‘This sport’s not serious. This sport’s never going to make an impact on the landscape’ and therefore they’re going to go and choose something else. If I can take one lesson that I’ve learned from Major League Soccer, I think the work that they’ve done and I know it’s been a long time that they’ve been doing it, but from what I can see from the outside, they seem to have done a very very professionally run league and I think they’ve shown what can be done. I think cricket can learn a lot from Major League Soccer.

PDP: What do you see the state of cricket in this country at the moment? A lot of people like making the comparison to soccer and they say cricket is right now is where soccer was 30 years ago or 40 years ago and look where soccer is now. What do you see as the state of cricket and how far off cricket can be from becoming that status that soccer is enjoying now in this country?

DB: It’s the biggest challenge I think I face Peter because I’d like to first of all say to your listeners that the volunteers that have got US Cricket to the point that they have should be really proud of themselves. You think about 49 leagues, 1100 teams across the country, about 35,000 people playing the game, that’s a fantastic effort. But it’s all been done on the back of volunteers by and large. My sense is looking at this I don’t know how much further US Cricket could continue to grow on the basis of volunteerism and the reason for that is that our jobs are more and more demanding. Our appreciation of family time is becoming more apparent so people are less and less likely to give up huge amounts of times to go and try and keep things going… This is the big challenge I think for US Cricket to make that move from amateurism to professionalism. What that means is that there’s going to have to be a real delicate balance from my team at USACA to make sure that we completely respect the work that the volunteers have done to this point and to celebrate the great work that they’ve done and in the same time for the volunteers to understand that things have changed. They do need to let go and they do need to take a bit of advice from people who are doing this in a professional capacity. My sense is from the people I’ve met – and I haven’t been over to the west coast yet – but I’ve been in my seven or eight weeks I’ve been in the job, I’ve been around to a lot of places and I’ve met some really good people. I’m pretty confident that we can make a dent. Now further to your point, can we get as far as soccer has in that time? I’m not sure yet Peter. I haven’t seen enough of it to comment on that but I think we’ve got a good foundation.

PDP: A lot of womens players around the country are very frustrated at the lack of opportunities. USA qualified for the 2011 Women’s World Cup Qualifier. It was a big moment for development in US Cricket, in particular women’s development, and things have stalled since then. There was a great opportunity to sustain momentum and keep momentum going in the right direction but since the women have come back from Bangladesh, there has not been a single domestic tournament organized for them. There were some promises made in 2012 for a women’s tournament. Never happened. How do you get that momentum and that faith restored in the women’s program?

DB: I’ve spoken to two ladies, two women’s coordinators, one from New York and one from here in the South East Region. She’s based in Georgia. My first step is to actually get the women’s representatives from each of the eight regions. At the last USACA board meeting, all regional representatives were asked to put up the name of that person. We’ll speak in the next two weeks and I want to get a national view of this of what they’d like to see happen from that. We’ll then develop part of our overall strategy will be, a core pillar will be aimed at women’s cricket. We will devise some sort of a system for this year. I think it’s important. I don’t know how it looks Peter but I think it’s important. What you’re saying is right that our ladies get a chance to play together and have some sort of an opportunity this year because as I said if we’re going to undertake international duties in 2014, we need to start doing that now. I can’t say after eight weeks in the job exactly what that looks like, but I am firmly committed to making sure that there is some opportunity for the ladies to get together and play some sort of competitive cricket.

PDP: One of the things that has bothered a lot of stakeholders around the country is how that elections played out over the course of 2011 and 2012. Reintegration has been a buzzword in international cricket over the last year. Kevin Pietersen’s reintegration process, Ross Taylor’s reintegration process with New Zealand. What is the reintegration process for the 32 leagues that were disenfranchised and not allowed to vote in the last USACA election?

DB: I’m not really 100% sure about all the facts in that. Obviously I’ve spoken to a lot of stakeholders and they’ve certainly told me their view of it good and bad. What I’m here for, I’ve made a big commitment to come here. This is personally I guess for me terrific because my family is from the US but this is a really challenging job but I’m doing it for one reason because I was lucky enough to play cricket in Australia but also overseas and cricket’s been good to me. It’s my turn to put something back. So that’s my motivation. In terms of some of the things that have happened, what I’m hoping to do is I’ve now spoken to seven of the eight regions. Some people are pro-USACA and some are very vocally not pro-USACA but I’ve offered the olive branch. I’ve said I’m happy to talk to everybody. I’ve mapped out some of my ideas and some of my views and it’s resonated. We have got now some member leagues that have paid their dues, already become financial in the last few weeks that are saying, ‘You know what. I’m not happy with what necessarily happened last year but I’m prepared to be a big enough person to put it behind me and I’m gonna give this guy a go’ and I really appreciate that support. Peter, not everyone has done that and I respect that too. That’s fine. But you know what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing. I think that further to what I said previously that most people are not silly that are involved in cricket. They can see good administration when they see it. They recognize it. So my job over the next six to 12 months is to put in place a serious sustainable long-term cricket structure that will have people wanting to come back on board. To those that haven’t signed up again, I would ask you to reconsider. I would ask you please to give us a go, pay your USACA membership. There is a governance committee which is headed up by Shelton Glasgow. Once you’ve paid your USACA membership, they will come in contact with you and they will walk you through what needs to be done in order to address some of the issues. For those that say, ‘No. I don’t want to do that. I’m going to sit back for a year,’ I’ll respect that too. But you know what? I’ll work with anybody to do my very best for US Cricket. It’s not one that I’m going to be able to wave a magic wand Peter, as much as I’d like to, and pretend that some of the things in the past haven’t happened and I don’t want to make comment one way or the other. It’s not for me to do that. I can only look forward. I’m not trying to pretend that what happened in the past didn’t happen, but I can’t really change it and I don’t know enough about it so my sense is the best thing I can do is continue to try and make those offers and those that want to come with us will. Those that don’t? Well, they can make their own decision.

Team USA Cricketer Delkash Shahriarian to launch cricket program for young girls

openingbat — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:49:00 GMT

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'Cricket for Girls' program

The Cricket League of New Jersey (CLNJ) Youth program and DreamCricket Academy announced their support of Delkash Shahriarian’s plans to launch a 'Cricket for Girls' program starting this Fall. Delkash is a member of the USA Women's cricket team.

The program will kick off with a free two-hour clinic for girls conducted by Delkash at DreamCricket Academy's indoor nets in Hillsborough, NJ on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 11AM. Please email camps@dreamcricket.com to register.

Pic (Right): USA cricketer Delkash Shahriarian will launch a cricket program for young girls in collaboration with DreamCricket Academy

The clinic will be open to girls 9 through 16 years of age. All participants will receive a free goodie bag at the end of the clinic, which includes a hat, a certificate of participation and a t-shirt. Once schools open, efforts will be made to introduce cricket to girls in elementary and middle schools in Central New Jersey with the support of USYCA.

First woman to play in the Cricket League of New Jersey

CLNJ Youth already runs a successful age-group program for boys. The more advanced boys play as part of the CLNJ Colts team in Division 3 of CLNJ adult league. The Colts, comprising fifteen U-15 boys, play under the supervision of Coach Earl Daley and are guided by two senior chaperone players who provide situation-oriented mentoring to the boys.

On Sunday, August 19, CLNJ Colts made history by fielding the first ever woman to play in a CLNJ league match. Delkash Shahriarian was one of the chaperone players in the final match of the season for the Colts.

Pic (Right): Delkash Shahriarian opened the Colts innings with Rohan Aravindh in last Sunday's match.

Speaking after the game, Delkash said: “The game on Sunday was amazing and our win was a good way to end the season. The Colts are a very talented team and it is great to see CLNJ and DreamCricket support and nurture their talents."

Speaking of her involvement with the NJ Youth cricket program, Delkash said: “I have now seen first-hand the commitment of DreamCricket Academy and CLNJ for promoting youth cricket at the grassroots level. Girls should also take advantage of this youth cricket movement and I am willing to provide my time so that more girls can come forward and enjoy this wonderful game.”

About Delkash Shahriarian

Delkash Shahriarian was the captain of the Rustom Baug Sir Ness Wadia Club in Mumbai, a team she successfully led to victory over stronger women’s teams like Godrej Baug and Dadar Parsi Colony during the 2004-05 season. After graduating from Rachna Sansad’s Academy of Architecture, Delkash joined the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York for her Masters in Architecture. Following her graduation from Pratt, Delkash returned to playing cricket while working as an Architect.

At the 2011 USACA Women’s National Championship, her exceptional performance behind the wickets, followed with a half-century, ensured her a spot on the National Team. A wicket-keeper batswoman, Delkash represented USA in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh in November 2011 and followed that up with a tour of Cayman Islands for the ICC Americas Women’s T20 in April 2012.

Delkash plans to continue her career with the USA Women’s National Cricket team. She continues to train and improve her game skills in preparation for the upcoming Women’s World Cup Qualifier trials in 2013.

ACF meets in Orlando, FL. Sets path forward

openingbat — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 20:15:00 GMT

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[Source: ACF Media Release]

The American Cricket Federation held its first Face to Face meeting in Orlando, Florida on August 11, 2012. The entire steering committee, representatives of various leagues from across the country, thought leaders, and heads of the various sub-committees attended the meeting in-person as well as via WebEx.

The meeting began with a formal welcome by Khalid Motiwala, CEO of the Orlando based host league – the Florida Cricket Conference (FCC). The league left no stone unturned with the preparations for the meeting. FCC booked rooms, arranged volunteers for airport pick-ups and drop-offs, and organized conference facilities at the Double Tree Hilton in Orlando.

Pic (Right): ACF Constitution sub-committee in session

Official proceedings began with a welcome by Leighton Greenidge, the Convenor of the Steering Committee, who spoke of the organization’s mission and the momentum achieved by ACF in the short time since its inception. He noted that over ten leagues had already sent in expressions of support and another dozen or so leagues and organizations were looking to do so in the weeks ahead. The Washington Metropolitan Cricket Board led by the trail-blazing Avinash Varma, was one of the first leagues to support the ACF initiative.

The tone for the day-long meeting was set by Atul Rai, advisory board member and cricket administrator. Speaking about the meeting’s theme – American Cricket – A Way Forward, Rai reminded the attendees to maintain a laser-like focus on ACF’s mission and values, which he termed as progressive and pro-cricket. Rai said that ‘a lot of pieces needed to fit together.’ However, he said that he was confident that every member would demonstrate a definitive commitment to strengthen and invigorate the process.

John Aaron, advisory board member, thanked FCC and its sponsors – AVIS, Third Eye Vision, Sky Telecom, First Choice Transportation Group, and FCC member clubs for hosting the meeting, which he called one of historic significance and a turning point for cricket in the U.S. – a rebirth that was so badly needed.

“The biggest challenge,” Aaron said, “comes from within, as there may be some non-believers or others who seek to minimize our efforts aimed at self-reliance and success.” However, he urged the ACF to stay true to its goal of eliminating the distance between cricketer and administrator, based on trust, transparency and integrity.

Pic (Right): Attendees of ACF Face to Face meeting in Orlando, FL

The first session in the morning was led by Prof. Gangaram Singh and Stephen Rooke who provided an overview of ACF’s proposed constitution. The constitution would provide the bedrock on which ACF’s pillars of effective governance and democratic structures would be built. Stephen Rooke said that the organization would have built-in checks and balances and the representative structure would be on the lines of a congress and a senate - consistent with modern democratic governance. In addition, the executive would comprise direct representatives of adult leagues, and direct representatives of clubs and players. There would also be a seat at the table for representatives of women’s cricket, youth cricket and non-traditional cricket.

Stephen Rooke answered questions about governance and went on to describe the mechanical and participatory aspects related to the ratification of the constitution.

A session on membership followed the discussion on the constitution. Shahid Ahmed of Michigan Cricket Association spoke of the membership categories. He laid out the philosophy in very simple words – ACF existed for its members and every member must have tangible benefits from associating with ACF.

In the afternoon session, the media and communications sub-committee plan was presented followed by a presentation by Leighton Greenidge regarding the tournament plan.

Pic (Right): ACF Facilities sub-committee in session

The 2012 tournament would be on inter-league lines since the regional structure would take a bit longer to evolve as the membership process played itself out, Greenidge said. The 2012 tournament is expected to be announced shortly.

The second afternoon session focused on youth cricket. Speaking about responsibilities of clubs and leagues as custodians of cricket, Manas Sahu, Massachusetts State Cricket League’s president and convenor of the youth committee, said that ACF would develop a template that each league could adopt and provide resources to implement the plan. Manas also proposed a reward mechanism for leagues that implemented a plan for youth cricket.

Jamie Harrison, who made a special guest pitch on behalf of USYCA, made a strong case for why ACF’s supporters should help promote cricket to schools. He said that USYCA had a number of resources available such as free cricket kits, brochures and training material that ACF members could utilize if they wished to advance cricket in schools across USA.

A presentation on women’s cricket followed in which Durga Das noted about the need for grassroots efforts starting with schools and colleges. Following that, Kamal Azeez spoke about how the ACF community should join hands and create a knowledge-base on constructing and maintaining cricket facilities including loose gravel, concrete, or rolled sub-strata as well as turf, synthetic, matting and coir surfaces.

Avi Gaje, who was nominated to the steering committee, spoke of the growing popularity of hard tennis ball cricket leagues across USA. Gaje was tasked with developing a road map for non-traditional cricket.

In the last session for the day, Jagan Jagannathan, Interim Secretary of the ACF summarized the day’s take-aways and presented a timeline for creating a fully functional entity with active membership by October. Jagannathan also presented a straw man with deliverables for 2013, the first full year of ACF’s existence.

USA Cricket Association board declares 32 out of 47 leagues ineligible to vote in elections

openingbat — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 04:36:00 GMT

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USACA Media Release

Executive Summary of the USACA Board Meeting to Review League Compliance
February 26th 2012

The USACA board met on Sunday February 26th to review the final compliance report from Mr. Robert Chance, Esq. on USACA league compliance. Information on the compliance process can be found at http://www.usaca.org/articles/compliance.html and includes the report for each league from February 11th. A final updated report will be provided on the USACA website.

In the board meeting Robert Chance reviewed the process and timeline he had followed since commencing his work with the leagues in September 2011. After presenting this background he answered questions and moved on to describe that he had found the following:

A) 12 “Leagues that should be considered eligible to vote”;
B) 12 “Leagues that could be considered eligible to vote, depending on Board decision”, and
C) 17 “Leagues that should not be considered eligible to vote”

Robert Chance then provided the Board the reason(s) for each individual league being placed in categories B and C. Mr. Chance will be providing updated feedback to each individual league and their Regional Representatives, as he has during the compliance review process.

After it was ascertained there were no further questions for Robert Chance he left the call to allow the board to discuss and deliberate.

The board accepted unanimously all 12 leagues Robert Chance recommended should be considered as eligible to vote (A) and also accepted his recommendation not to allow the 17 leagues in C) to vote with six yes votes and two no votes.

Out of category B) the Board reviewed each league individually and after debate voted to accept 3 leagues as eligible to vote. Board votes ranged from unanimous to no less than six yes votes and two no votes.

The final board-approved list of USACA leagues eligible to vote are as follows:

American Cricket League
Atlanta Georgia Cricket Conference
Brooklyn Cricket League
Central Florida Cricket Association
Central Texas Cricket League
Great Lakes Cricket Conference
Houston Cricket League
Minnesota Cricket Association
New Jersey Cricket Association
New York Cricket League
North Texas Cricket Association
Northwest Cricket League
South Florida Cricket Alliance
Washington Cricket League
Washington Metro Cricket Board

The board expressed disappointment that only around 1/3rd of USACA’s membership is in good standing. The USACA General Manager will be asked to continue his work helping the leagues get compliant and all the Regional Representatives are encouraged to work with the leagues in their region to help them get complaint.

Elections will now proceed and more information will be sent out detailing the process, schedule and the appointment of the CPA.

Questions: contact 1st Vice President Michael Gale at Mgale@Pulsepointgroup.com.

USA Cricket: Results of Robert Chance's USACA member leagues audit published

openingbat — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:39:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

The long-awaited results of the compliance audit review conducted by Austin, Texas, lawyer Robert Chance were published late Saturday on the USACA web site. According to the audit, none of the 47 USACA member leagues listed was able to fully satisfy all nine requirements from the audit.

According to the audit, there are at least six leagues who are in serious danger of not being allowed to vote in regional and national elections as each of the five was deemed to have provided insufficient information to determine compliance in each and every of the nine categories of the audit. Three of these leagues belong to the Central East Region, one to the Atlantic, one to the Central West and one to the North West.

Two leagues in the Central East, Great Lakes Cricket Conference and Midwest Cricket Conference, came the closest to meeting all requirements as both leagues met eight out of the nine requirements. The audit states that GLCC did not pay dues to USACA for all of its member clubs while MCC failed to implement, or was unwilling to start to implement, a formal women’s development program.

Twelve leagues were able to fully satisfy seven of the nine categories. Out of those 12, six leagues received fail ratings in categories eight and nine on the survey: “has implemented, or is willing to start to implement, a formal youth development program” and “has implemented, or is willing to start to implement, a formal women’s development program.”

Overall, only eight of the 47 leagues were able to fully comply with both categories eight and nine regarding the implementation of youth and women’s development programs. A whopping 35 of the 47 leagues, 74%, failed to completely satisfy both categories.

In category five, “has identified all of the clubs (of which there are at least eight) in their league, including the names and contact information for club presidents, and each club has at least 15 active members,” 18 out of 47 leagues, 38%, failed to fully satisfy the requirement.

Another crucial category that could determine who gets to vote this year is category number six: “has paid dues for all of its member clubs.” According to the audit, only 14 out of the 47 leagues, 30%, fully satisfied the requirement.

Any league who disputes the results can file an appeal by Friday, February 17. The USACA board will make a determination by Monday, February 20 as to which leagues will be able to vote in regional and national elections.

Click here for to read the full results of the Robert Chance audit

New Inning Foundation donates to USYCA. Offers matching pledge.

openingbat — Mon, 09 May 2011 13:06:00 GMT

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New Inning Foundation has announced a $500 donation to USYCA for the purchase of additional American Cricket Champ sets. This marks the third major gift from New Inning to USYCA in the past year, and demonstrates the foundations’ determination to support promising youth cricket initiatives.

Pic (Right): A student of Browbell Talbot, a school that received a free kit from USYCA, expressed his thanks.

Ram Varadarajan of New Inning Foundation said, “I have always believed that for Americans to enjoy cricket they must first have an opportunity to play cricket in a fun setting so that they can experience the joy of hitting the ball, scoring runs, fielding and taking a wicket! Thanks to USYCA’s cricket clinics and demos at schools across the country, more and more kids are getting a chance to enjoy cricket. At New Inning, we are happy to contribute to this wonderful initiative.”

Above and beyond the direct donation, New Inning will match, dollar for dollar up to $500, all direct donations given to USYCA from Saturday May 7 through Friday, May 13.

“USYCA is honored to have the continuing friendship of New Inning Foundation,” President Jamie Harrison said. “Ram and his organization have been in our corner, and in youth cricket’s corner, from the very outset, and have been willing to give significant funding to make our vision possible.

“With the New Inning matching campaign, a challenge has been set before us, and I’m confident that USYCA’s supporters will rise to the occasion, as they always do.”

The matching drive ends on Friday, May 13.

To give to USYCA via Paypal or a credit card go to: Support Youth Cricket

Checks are accepted at:
USYCA
1211 Aster Drive
Glen Burnie, MD 21061

USA Cricket: Youth cricket at the crossroads

openingbat — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:46:00 GMT

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By Jamie Harrison

Comments

Youth cricket in the United States is growing at an unprecedented rate as hundreds of thousands of children are exposed to the game for the first time.

Youth cricket in the United States is desperately in need of assistance, without which it will cease to expand much beyond its existing base and will eventually disappear altogether.

These are two seemingly contradictory statements, and yet, they are both true. Youth cricket has reached a moment of tremendous opportunity – and also mortal danger, largely because of timing, immigration and demographics.

The 1970 United States census recorded 51,000 American residents that had been born in India. By 2006, this number had exploded to over 1.5 million, making Indian-born immigrants the fourth largest group in the country, after those from Mexico, the Philippines and China. Much of this movement has been in the last decade, with more than a third arriving after 2000.

Pic (right): Thanks to the efforts of USYCA, schools are getting exposed to cricket at an unprecendented rate. On April 15th, the Cincinnati Cricket Club, an USYCA affiliate, conducted a cricket clinic at the Edwin D. Smith Elementary School in Dayton, OH.

It is also important to note that most of the new arrivals were in the age group when one typically has children, and over 25% gained employment in the IT industry (compared to less than 3% of overall foreign-born residents).

The impact of this wave of South Asian immigration can be seen in the revival of their favorite pastime in this country. They drive the tiny cricket retail industry, they create the market for cricket to be broadcast online and they prompted ESPN to sign a contract with the Star Sports. Their children are also the reason that cricket academies exist in the United States.

For much of the last decade, a few dozen noble volunteers and lonely visionaries have created and sustained a collection of cricket academies and training centers in America. These organizations are scattered across the nation, and yet at the same time are also largely concentrated in a handful of locations.

The places in which these enterprises have survived are instructive. They are typically located near communities that boast large numbers of families with roots in the Indian subcontinent.

This should not be particularly surprising, as children are far more likely to accept coaching in sports with which they are familiar, or at least with which their families are familiar. In America, this filters out 95% of the population before the academy places its first advertisement, and is frankly a tough business model under which to operate. This also explains why the typical cricket academy in the United States counts its participants in the dozens, rather than the hundreds.

In spite of these challenges, a number of stalwarts have not only survived, but have thrived, often with little or no outside support. In New York, organizations like the New York Youth Cricket Academy and New York Tristate Cricket Academy are all able to draw from the metropolitan area’s growing Asian and West Indian populations, and have built a very solid foundation.

On the West Coast, groups such as the California Cricket Academy, the Bay Area Cricket Alliance and the Northern California Cricket Association carry much of the weight.

In between the oceans, the Florida Cricket Academy will send two teams overseas in 2011, the Michigan Cricket Academy prepares junior squads for local and national tournaments and Cricket Academy USA hosts cricket camps, teams and leagues.

In addition, sprinkled across the map are dozens of other smaller efforts, often run as an extension of a local cricket club or league. Due to a shortage of children and resources, it’s rare for these more modest operations to do much more than just practice with their charges or run small leagues.

Another sad truth about the present state of affairs is that without large numbers of children emerging into adulthood to play top-quality cricket, there’s little hope for the youth of today to play the game seriously for long. If he or she is good enough there might be a spot on the regional or national team, if they can afford to pay for their own training, get time off from work and raise the money raised to travel.

Unlike top cricketing nations around the world, the young American cricketer who hopes to play professionally has little to which to look forward.

This is why many children of cricket-playing fathers turn their backs on the game, or simply drift away in their teen years. The tragedy is that without the large numbers needed to create and support a cricket infrastructure in this country, we even lose the children we thought were ours alone. Many of them never even consider cricket to begin with, electing to play baseball, soccer or some other sport that can dangle a more promising future in front of them.

And herein lies the mortal threat to youth cricket.

It is to be expected that those who played cricket in their youth will want to play the game here, and this is borne out in the growing adult leagues around the nation. When these new Americans have children, it may also be expected that they will raise their children to have at least a passing interest in cricket, and this is borne out in the faces of those who attend our academies, camps and clinics.

The frightening reality we must face is that the incredibly large numbers of immigrants from cricket-playing nations cannot continue forever (especially when it is so intertwined with the fortunes of one industry), and therefore cannot be depended upon as a permanent stream of cricket followers and players. If the children of these “first-generation” families are allowed to be lost to cricket, they will not be easy to replace in the short term, and perhaps impossible in the long term.

It is a foolish to believe that there is a way to preserve cricket in America without quickly making it an American sport. We need the participation, attention, and yes, the cash flow, of a sizeable percentage of the population to maintain cricket as a viable sport in this country (certainly far larger than 5%). If cricket does not quickly (5-10 years) become a popular option for American children, if this window of opportunity is inadequate to break cricket out of its niche status – then the game is up.

But there’s hope – and opportunity.

If all of these cricket-coaching organizations have one thing in common, it’s that almost all of the participants in these programs came to them with some knowledge about cricket. It would be unnatural otherwise. To expect a parent to pay for coaching in a sport with which their children were unfamiliar would be unrealistic.

That’s why the task of introducing children to cricket for the first time must necessarily be shifted elsewhere, which is where the United States Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) comes in.

Pic (Right): On April 8th, Washington Warriors CC, a USYCA affiliate, presents a free cricket kit to Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School, both in Reston, VA.

USYCA brings cricket where it has not been in America for over a hundred years – the general public. By donating cricket sets to cash-strapped schools, and usually arranging for a local cricket enthusiast to deliver training, children across America are being exposed to the game, and are embracing it.

By the time schools reopen this August, over 750 US schools will have received USYCA American Cricket Champ sets, raising the number of students impacted to over 500,000. These are the kinds of numbers youth academies need to have if they are going to change the future of cricket in America.

To imagine the impact of bringing cricket to the broader US population, imagine a factory production line where 95% of the raw materials were lost before they ever got to the factory floor. Rather than operating at full capacity, the factory would be producing only at 5% efficiency – a disaster that would soon drive most companies out of business.

But let’s say that this particular factory adapted and learned to get by (barely) on the 5%, until one day the flaw in the delivery system was corrected, and suddenly the percentage of raw materials began to rise, first to 10%, then 25% and then 50% and beyond.

This factory would now find itself in the enviable position of having honed its craft throughout many lean years only to find itself newly blessed with resources aplenty. The factory would need to staff up to handle the new workload, and its operators would find themselves talking about growth and expansion, rather than cutbacks and sacrifice. Both the quality and quantity of the factory’s products would soar, as would its customers’ satisfaction.

This, then, is the tremendous opportunity for youth cricket in America.

If the USYCA Schools Program can be adequately supported, the impact will soon be felt at every academy, camp and training facility in the country. Clinics that struggled to find 50 children will be forced to add additional dates to their calendars to handle the demand. Academy operators will run their businesses full time. Cricketers who had always wanted to go into coaching would find themselves being courted and offered top dollar – to do the thing they love.

Pic (Right): Do you want to get involved with youth cricket? The moment of opportunity is now! Click here to join the USYCA movement.

If, on the other hand, we refuse to invest in the provision of “raw materials,” if we just keep hoping that “someone else will do it,” progress will be slowed or perhaps even thwarted altogether.

In the past decade, the stars have aligned for cricket in America. But this window of opportunity, which seems so wide open now, cannot remain so forever.

We have but this brief moment in time to make America a cricketing nation. If we delay, if we assume that others will take up the slack for us, all will soon be lost and cricket in the United States will slide back to its previous resting place, as just another footnote in American sports history.

The future of cricket in the United States is being written today. If you’re interested in being one of its authors, get involved now, before the moment is lost forever.

[The author is the Founder and President of USYCA. All pictures appear here courtesy of USYCA.]

USA Cricket: Atlantic Region holds first Annual General Meeting.

openingbat — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:25:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Comments

[Under Section 18 of Article XX of the USACA Constitution, a Regional General Meeting must be held annually in each region to discuss matters germane to the operation of the region.]

The Atlantic Region Cricket Board held its first Annual General Meeting on Sunday at the DreamCricket Pavilion Indoor Nets in Hillsborough, N.J., to discuss the region’s state of affairs. The meeting was attended by 25 people, including representatives from Millennium Cricket League, Cricket League of New Jersey, Garden State Cricket League and Indoor Cricket USA.

Pic (Right): Shelton Glasgow, Regional Representative of Atlantic Region (middle) welcomes the attendees. Also in the picture - GSCL VP Colin Edwards (left) and Pradeep Vedala (right).

Shelton Glasgow, the regional representative on the USACA board of directors, moderated the meeting. Reports were given on the improvements and accomplishments for each league as well as the status of the region’s youth and women’s development programs. Coaching and umpiring development programs were also discussed.

While no financial report was given by the regional treasurer, who was absent due to a work related emergency, Glasgow informed everyone that like USACA - the parent organization, the region is also suffering from financial problems. As a result, the region is unable to finance these programs with the proper amount of money they need to run effectively.

The attendees were informed that a Planning Committee was recently formed under the leadership of Sheldon Mollineau. Similarly, Venu Palaparthi has been tasked with drafting a fundraising plan for the region and Colin Edwards will lead a committee that is expected to draft a regional operating guidelines document.

Colin Edwards, vice president of the GSCL, called for all leagues to develop and play a regular inter-league tournament. He feels that the region’s selection process (for the senior men's team) suffers for national tournaments because the region’s six leagues do not play in a competition against each other. An inter-league tournament would make it helpful for selectors to judge who the best players are rather than base the selection on one or two days of hurriedly convened trials.

Pic (Left): Attendees at the ARCB Regional Meeting

A large amount of the time spent during the three-hour meeting was used to discuss youth development. Venu Palaparthi, CLNJ's league representative on the ARCB and co-founder of DreamCricket Academy, announced his Academy's intention to start a youth league with a minimum of four teams in 2011.

Palaparthi called on the other senior leagues to support this endeavor by making some of their grounds available. He declared that there have been enough kids available to form such a league for some time, but the last hurdle to clear is getting a ground to use.

Due to the overall shortage of grounds, senior leagues and teams have faced difficulties with offering their own grounds for youth cricket. But the tide is turning and two clubs have consented to share their permits beginning 2011. Palaparthi also urged the attendees to emulate the efforts of USYCA - an unaffiliated organization that has done stellar work at the school level within the Atlantic Region introducing the sport to over 75 schools in Maryland alone. School outreach was important for promoting the sport and DreamCricket has donated 75 cricket kits in support of the Maryland initiative and will gladly support such efforts elsewhere in the region, he noted.

Lalta Persaud, founder of Indoor Cricket USA, also drew attention to his facility and academy. He runs an indoor cricket league during the winter which allows for players to get year-round match practice. The style of the league also rewards players for orthodox cricket batting techniques to ensure that young players are developing their games the right way. It was also noted that Muhammad Ghous, Henry Wardley and Yash Shah all spend their time training at Indoor Cricket USA and each went on to represent the country at the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Ghous also successfully graduated to the USA senior team.

Ashok Patel, founder of the USA Cricket Academy, also called on everyone to recognize his accomplishments in providing opportunities for youth both in the region and on a national level. His tours gave players a chance to develop and make it to the 2006 U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Patel is currently planning a Caribbean tour for the region's junior cricketers. Tony Thandi spoke about his organization, the newly formed Amwell Valley CC, which has its ground and practice facility at the scenic Hillsborough Golf and Country Club. The club has attracted roughly 20 children who are new to the game.

Pic (Right): Attendees at the ARCB Regional General Meeting

While there were plenty of accomplishments to make note of on the youth level, it was also noted by the attendees that there is not a functional youth program in place. The only time a true regional collaboration is made for youth cricket is when a team is picked for the U-15 and U-19 national tournaments. Otherwise, youth cricket has stagnated. It is hoped that with the forum that took place on Sunday, the dialogue will motivate regional administrators to get a true regional program started rather than just a couple of projects. Glasgow observed that the region had its work cut out.

Glasgow also expressed his desire for an improvement in coaching and umpiring. A WICB Level I coaching course was organized in 2009 for the region and he expressed that he intends to organize more coaching courses in the future.

Gokul Chakravarthy, secretary of the USA Cricket Umpires Association, noted that while many players and leagues complain about the state of umpiring, an umpiring course was organized in the region in 2010 and only six people attended. Things cannot change unless more people are dedicated and willing to step up to take umpiring seriously.

The meeting ended with input from just about all of the 25 people present. People are hopeful that action will be taken by the region to put some of the suggestions that came up during the meeting in place rather than let them fade away and be forgotten.

San Ramon summer cricket camp draws 75 enthusiastic kids

openingbat — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:50:00 GMT

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Residents of San Ramon, California, are now familiar with the game of Cricket, thanks to San Ramon Cricket Association (SRCA) and their activities.

Pic (Right) SRCA coaches along with the young cricketers in summer camp outfits sponsored by DreamCricket.com

SRCA arranged for a Youth Summer Camp at Windemere Ranch Middle School that started on July 17th, 2010 and ended on August 7th, 2010. The summer camp training sessions were conducted on Saturdays and Sundays from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm.

During this period, SRCA Youth camp committee members Ali Qadri, Balachandra Ambiga, Satyen Lokanandi and Naren Punati planned well ahead and arranged for 15 enthusiastic volunteering coaches (all from SRCA Professional Cricket League) for every session. The coaching team headed by Dashrath Sankhe met 30 minutes before every session and discussed the coaching strategy for the session. When the organizers needed additional coaches a few enthusiastic parents volunteered to fill in.

 About 75 boys and girls, from the age groups 6 year to 9 year, 9 year to 11 years and 12 years to 15 years participated in this summer camp. The kids were trained on various aspects of game and skills such as how to hold a cricket bat, how to defend, how to drive different strokes, how to catch a ball, how to field a ball and how to throw a ball. Cricket is a strategy game and the kids were surprised to learn that they could score runs without going for big swings.

The summer camp equipment that included bats, balls and stumps was co-sponsored by SRCA and DreamCricket.com.

The SRCA president, Sridhar Verose - who also volunteered as a coach during the camp, hosted the closing ceremony on August 7th, 2010 at the end of final training session at Windemere Ranch Middle School ground.

DreamCricket's representatives Nithya Bayya and Nigel Coutinho handed off medals to the coaches that volunteered for this event. SRCA platinum sponsors Rama Mehra from Keller Williams Realty and Dr. Rupam Khanna from San Ramon Family Dental also attended the event and awarded medals to the young cricketers.

Excellent planning by SRCA's Youth Camp committee, matched by enthusiastic execution by SRCA coaches, equipment supplied by the event sponsors and overwhelming response from San Ramon residents made the Youth Summer Camp a huge success.

SRCA has rededicated to improve and regularize youth cricket in San Ramon area. SRCA plans to add such youth cricket camps as a part of City of San Ramon’s Recreational guide.

SRCA also plans to build a Youth Cricket Team that will participate in competitive youth tournaments arranged by USA Cricket Association and its affiliated leagues including the Bay Area Cricket Alliance.

More Pictures

Kids learn Cricket as SRCA coach Satyen Lokanandi overlooks the training session

SRCA President, Sridhar Verose, addresses the Summer Camp closing ceremony

SRCA Summer camp participants receiving medals from SRCA Platinum Sponsors - Rama Mehra and Dr. Rupam Khanna

SRCA Summer camp participants

College For Kids Cricket Launched in Brooklyn

openingbat — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:55:00 GMT

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The sport of cricket is no stranger to the Borough of Brooklyn in New York City, as cricket can be seen being played across the entire borough, but more so in the Canarsie, Mill Basin and south west Brooklyn areas. Less than two miles from Marine Park; a staple of competitive cricket, lies the picturesque Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY).

Sitting on 72 acres of a peninsula waterfront locale, with Sheepshead Bay, Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean cradling it on three sides, and the real estate-rich Manhattan Beach community on the other side, the college is well-known for its very successful athletic programs throughout the CUNY college system, but hitherto unknown for cricket.

This summer, Kingsborough’s Continuing Education Director of Marketing and Corporate Training John Aaron convinced his programming colleagues to introduce cricket to the curriculum of its College For Kids (CFK) program.

The full-day Monday through Thursday co-ed program is designed for 6 – 13 year olds and features an academic, as well as an active (primarily sport) curriculum.

Now, cricket stands alongside baseball, soccer, tennis, and swimming, as part of the college’s CFK active programming. The cricket program has attracted 31 girls and 49 boys between the ages of 8 and 13 years old. Some 95% of the boys and girls have never played cricket, while 50% have never even seen or heard of the sport.

Coached by USA national cricket coach Linden Fraser and USA national female cricket player Triholder Marshall, the program is gaining traction in popularity among the young players and is expected to be included in the college’s fall CFK programming, on weekends only.

Coaching sessions are conducted indoors and outdoors, using cricket safety sport equipment designed for the age group in attendance. From all reports, the enthusiasm of the young athletes has been very encouraging, more so when the similarity between baseball and cricket is pointed out to the students.

Coach Fraser, who has extensive experience coaching players from youth to the under-19 levels and beyond, said it was a bit challenging at first getting some of the athletes to resist the baseball approach to swinging the cricket bat, as well as the motion of pitching as opposed to bowling.

He however stated, “…one would be surprised at how well most of the participants have adapted to the rudimentary techniques of the “new” sport of cricket.”

Petite USA national female fast bowler Triholder Marshall, just back from the USA’s triumphant qualifier series against Canada, has been working primarily with the female students, in a friendly but competitive environment against Coach Fraser’s boys.

So far the female players have been able to fare very well against their male counterparts.

Wrentham's Eagle Cricket Club sets up summer camp for kids.

openingbat — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:38:00 GMT

James Schneider of The Sun Chronicle wrote of Wrentham's Eagle Cricket Club's efforts to promote cricket in Massachusetts.

Cricket is the second most popular sport in the world, yet that's how Americans think of it. Unlike soccer, this country makes no attempt to learn the other world sport, no half-hearted attempt to pretend it even cares.

The Eagle Cricket Club in Wrentham is trying to change that.
It might come as a surprise, but there are Cricket Clubs in the United States - thousands of them in fact. But right now they're made up almost entirely of immigrants.

"If we all retire the sport would die (in America)," said ECC vice-president Ravi Rao. "The whole idea for us is, 80 years from now, what should we do?"
Binit Shah, 11, of Medfield practices his fielding.
"Over the years, most of (US) cricket has been expatriates, but we need to do more than that, we need to go into these schools and get American-born kids into cricket," said USA Cricket board member and Northeast representative Tony Gilkes.

So the ECC, which has been located in Wrentham since 2003, decided to do something no cricket club in Massachusetts has ever done before: hold a summer camp for kids.

Here is the link to the full article.

DreamCricket Academy Announces 'A Summer of Cricket' in New Jersey

openingbat — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:20:00 GMT

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DreamCricket Academy announced today that it is launching a series of summer camps in New Jersey under the banner - 'A Summer of Cricket.'

The program will be launched with a camp for beginners by Jamaican-born former first class cricketer and coach Earl Daley. This camp starts on July 19th. It will be followed by an Elite Level camp by ECB Level III Coach Ian Pont that starts on July 27th. The camps will be held at DreamCricket Academy's indoor training facility in Hillsborough, NJ. Outdoor sessions will be conducted at a Central New Jersey cricket ground.

Beginner Camps (July 19th - July 23rd, August 2nd - August 6th: 5:30PM to 7:00 PM)

DreamCricket Academy Coaches Earl Daley and Malika Frank will conduct two camps for beginners and advanced beginners this summer.

Pic (Right): 2009 Beginner Camp in progress (File Photo)

The first camp will be held between July 19th and July 23rd and the second will be held between August 2nd and 6th. These beginner camps are being offered for $65 for either camp and there are no additional costs for equipment etc.

Those wishing to enroll in these camps can reserve their spots by e-mailing sales@dreamcricket.com or calling DreamCricket Academy at 877-HIT-A-SIX. That is 877-448-2749.

Coach Daley is a highly respected coach in the Atlantic Region who firmly believes that cricket provides skills that youngsters can use in their lives. Discipline, motivation, goal orientation and confidence are some of the core qualities that get emphasized owing to the sport's emphasis on teamwork. The beginner camps will focus on basic skills of batting, bowling and fielding in a fun setting.

Advanced Beginner Camp (July 19th-23rd and August 2nd - 6th: 7:30PM to 9PM)

Coach Earl Daley will conduct sessions in two separate camps for advanced beginners - July 19th - July 23rd, August 2nd - August 6th: 7:30PM to 9PM. These camps cost $65 for five-days.

DreamCricket Academy is also planning a camp by Ajit Tendulkar (brother and mentor of Sachin Tendulkar) in the mid-August timeframe. Details of that camp will be announced once details are finalized.

Elite-level Camp (July 27th - 30th: 7PM to 9PM): The Academy's visiting international coach, Ian Pont will be conducting an Elite Level camp between July 27th and July 30th. This 4-day evening (7PM to 9PM) camp has been designed for cricketers who already play club cricket or have undergone some training in cricket. The cost of this camp is an unbeatable $99!

Pic (Right): Coach Pont with Graham Napier (courtesy MCI)

The camp follows the time-tested methodologies that Mr. Pont, an ECB Level III Coach, uses at his international camps in Potchefstroom, South Africa and at his own Mavericks Cricket Institute in England. Through participation in Coach Pont's camp, cricketers learn how to fine-tune their skills and improve their game to the next level. Topics covered at this camp include defensive and aggressive play, tactical and technical coaching, shifting momentum when needed, shot selection and shot execution.

Those wishing to enroll in these camps can reserve their spots by e-mailing sales@dreamcricket.com or calling DreamCricket Academy at 877-HIT-A-SIX. That is 877-448-2749.

About DreamCricket Academy:

DreamCricket Academy, which was founded in 2008, has steadily become the pre-eminent coaching institution in the tri-state area. The Academy is proud to have introduced cricket to hundreds of boys and girls through its Kiddie Cricket and Summer Camp programs. After receiving initial training in the camps, boys wishing to continue playing cricket can do so by joining the year-round cricket programs offered by the Academy.

The Academy has made huge strides in only two years since its founding. In addition to winning praise from visiting greats including Sunil Gavaskar, Balwinder Sandhu and Lance Gibbs, the Academy is proud of the fact that five DreamCricket Academy cricketers now play in New Jersey's senior cricket leagues.

Also, the DreamCricket Academy Under-13 team recently finished runner-up at a national level invitational tournament held in Cupertino, California.

Four boys recently earned selection to the USA Atlantic Region's Under-15 team. Plans are underway to send a team to the World Masters Under-13 Invitational - a 10 nation tournament in Jamaica and Barbados.

DreamCricket Academy is affiliated to USA Cricket Association and is a proud supporter of youth cricket across USA.

West Indies cricketing great Lance Gibbs with boys from the DreamCricket Academy, Hillsborough, NJ

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar with boys at DreamCricket Academy, Hillsborough, NJ

Balwinder Sandhu, member of the victorious 1983 World Cup Indian team, speaks to boys at DreamCricket Academy, Hillsborough, NJ

Nauman and Rushi get the bowling machine going for some batting drills conducted by Coach Ian Pont at DreamCricket Academy

DreamCricket boys huddle with former TN Coach Bharath Kumar during a break in practice

Bowling supervised by Coach Bharath Kumar

Six Stages of US Youth Cricket Development - Jamie Harrison

openingbat — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:04:00 GMT

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By Jamie Harrison

I’ve spent a lot of time talking and writing about how to get kids playing cricket in America, and the importance of taking the game to them while they are still in elementary school.

What I’ve discovered in the past few months is that I was not alone in my view of things; in fact, it seems as if there were literally hundreds of you who had the same idea, but were just waiting for someone to raise a flag somewhere to rally around. For many of you, the USYCA has become that flag, and for that I am deeply grateful.

As the USYCA has rapidly expanded, I am often asked for my broader view of cricket development in America. In other words: “OK, so you teach them the game while they’re young. Then what?” Sometimes, this question disguises a deeper concern that the USYCA intends to replace or supplant existing academies, clinics and youth leagues.
Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth.

In my “cricket worldview,” I see the USYCA, academies, clinics, clubs and youth teams as partners in a harmoniously synchronized process, by which small children who know nothing about cricket become young adults competing for spots on national teams. As I see it, everyone has a specific, and very important role to play, and if the process fails at any point along the way, the end objective is not met.

Let me explain.

The process I will describe can be separated into six unique stages, each with its own place and clientele. If we try to cheat the system by skipping stages, the result will usually be less than satisfying. On the other hand, if we adhere tightly to the developmental process, we will, with patience and in time, produce a generation of Americans that can compete with, and win matches against, any nation in the world.

Here are the stages, described:

Stage 1 – Young children are introduced to a low-intensity, fun-filled version of cricket in places such as elementary schools, summer camps or public demonstrations. In this stage, the emphasis is on teaching the simplest forms of the game, and allowing the children to quickly play the game with very little pressure or technical instruction. Here we nurture their love for cricket by letting them enjoy it; in Stage 1, it’s all about the fun.

Stage 2 – Here children are formed into community softball cricket leagues, where the fun can continue outside of the limitations of gym class. By expanding the time when they can play, we are allowed to do some rudimentary instruction and we can devote more resources to nurturing not just their love for the game, but also their understanding of it. It is in Stage 2 where some children will begin to separate themselves from their peers, and many of these children will yearn for something more challenging; these we will channel toward local academies, indoor facilities and other instructional programs.

Stage 3 – This is where we will find our our indoor training facilities and specialist coaching clinics. These are the places where parents will bring their aspiring young cricketer to learn the proper way to play a pull shot, to stump a batter or to bowl with leg spin. Here the children will first put on their cricket armor and stride clumsily into the nets, where, with the patient encouragement of a dedicated coach, they will learn to be of value to their team.

This is the stage where the hard, “nitty-gritty” work of cricket development takes place. Here much sweat and frustration will be invested, and trusting parents will spend many dollars. Here, the raw, unskilled youngster will become the promising new talent of tomorrow. Stage 3, then, is the factory floor where the raw material supplied by Stages 1 and 2 become products ready for the finishing work of Stages 4 and 5.

Stage 4 – Now our young prospect is finally ready be placed on youth hardball teams, playing in youth hardball leagues. This is a critical development, because we all know that there is only so much coaching that is possible in the nets; much of what is learned must be discovered under fire, in the lonely 22 yards that rests between the wickets.

In Stage 4 we discover whether the promise that was displayed in practice will be carried over into live matches; in Stage 4 we get to see which players will be solid performers, which will be disappointing, and yes, every now and again, which will be considered as top prospects for our national teams. In Stage 4, as we watch certain players execute to perfection, we begin to get excited.

Stage 5 – In this stage, the most talented young players compete for, and are selected to, regional and national youth teams. Here, the kid we’ve “had our eye on” since the age of eight is selected to represent his country against the world’s best youth players. This stage also continues, and elevates, the coaching continuum that our youngster has been receiving; now, as a member of a regional or national squad, the player receives the absolute best coaching that is available to someone at that age.

In Stage 5, the United States begins to reap the rewards for all of the time, hard work and dedication put forward in Stages 1-4. Those who aren’t selected for a regional or national team will continue to play for local clubs as they pursue their dream, or simply their passion.

Stage 6 – And now, at last, we get the big payoff for all that has come before. In Stage 6, our little boy or girl of yesterday is elevated to the national senior team that will carry the flag of the United States into battle against the best cricketers on the face of the earth. In Stage 6, we will debate the wisdom of having the boy from Texas as one of the opening batsmen; we will argue over whether the girl from Ohio should have bowled the final over; and we will rejoice as a nation when the kid from Kansas hits a match-winning six against Australia. In Stage 6, the process is complete, and America has taken its place beside the other cricketing nations of the world.

In examining these stages, it becomes easy to identify what programs fit into what stages. While USYCA is clearly focused on Stages 1 and 2; other organizations have varying objectives. While some organizations like DreamCricket Academy run Stage 1 and Stage 2 programs in addition to Stage 3 clinics, many other academies are mostly focused on Stage 3 programs, while the teams they sponsor fall squarely into Stage 4.

In this hierarchy, the role of the USYCA is to provide guidance, structure and support for Stage 1 and 2 programs, including, but not limited to, material support, networking, sharing of resources and practical advice, such as developing “best practices.” By partnering with the USYCA, programs are able to leverage a powerful resource that will enable them to accomplish much more, much faster.

The distinctions between stages are not arbitrary, in fact, they are terribly important, because when it comes to introducing the game of cricket to a child with no previous knowledge of it, we can see that there is a clear correlation between the stage at which that child discovers cricket and the likelihood that the child will adopt the game and play it well.

For example, a child who first learns the game at age seven in school, and then methodically ascends the stages of development will undoubtedly be more likely to stay with cricket than a child of the same age who is introduced to the game at a Stage 3 facility. There’s nothing wrong with the Stage 3 program, it just serves a different purpose and is not a place for discovering the joy of cricket.

In a Stage 3 facility, the focus is on coaching and perfecting technique more so than having fun; a novice, especially a young one, will quickly tire of spending hours on his grip and stance when he’d rather be running and playing with wild abandon.

In the past, we have expended far too much time and energy trying to “game the system” by thinking we can jump to Stage 3, and turn kids on to cricket by putting them in helmet and pads and then spending a half an hour with them trying to perfect their swing.

Think about the way you first played the game when you were a child. How long was it before you first put on the heavy gear? And in the meantime, how many hours did you spend racing back and forth between the wickets? (Even if the wickets were your mother’s kitchen chairs.) We must first fall in love with cricket by playing it, before we can find the determination to work hard enough at it to become good. And don’t think, not even for a minute, that children new to the game will look forward to the prospect of standing around in pads being coached on their technique. Children want to run; children want to shout; children want to play – not to be coached.

This is where the stages help us to recognize the truth: It becomes incrementally more difficult to convert someone to cricket as we move up the stages. While it is easy to create cricket lovers from novices in Stage 1 and even Stage 2 programs, it is considerably more difficult in a Stage 3 program, and impossible beyond that point. (Let’s face it: placing a novice in a Stage 4 program might just get him killed). And the wonderful thing about following the program in stages is that the child will almost always tell you when it’s time to move up a level.

As a teacher at Cardinal Gibbons School, I watched cricket become an overnight phenomenon for dozens of teenagers. Luckily for them, I didn’t know enough about cricket at the time to be able to think I could coach them; otherwise I probably would have wrecked their fun and ruined their enthusiasm.

In April-May of 2008, they played Stage 1 cricket; in September-November, they played Stage 2 cricket; over the winter, they played Stage 3 cricket and in the spring they played Stage 4 cricket – and it worked at every step along the way. Within 12 months, twenty kids went from knowing nothing about the game to being fanatics who were willing to pay $150 each for the chance to be annihilated on a weekly basis by experienced players. That experience was my cricket laboratory, and I’m pleased to say that the elixir has been perfected.

All we need now are enough doctors to distribute the medicine or to help facilitate its distribution; many have volunteered already – I hope that you will join us in this sport revolution.

Five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans - By Jamie Harrison

openingbat — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:51:00 GMT

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By Jamie Harrison

Cricket, as a game, has everything required to make it attractive to Americans, especially now that the Twenty20 format has been adopted. All arguments made to the contrary are based on ignorance or, in some cases, a misplaced parochialism. How do I know this? I have witnessed it firsthand in my association with the Cardinal Gibbons cricketers, who were smitten by the sport from they instant they played it. My experiences with those students, when juxtaposed with the rest of non-cricketing America, also provided a roadmap to making cricket more than just a niche sport.

1. Get Kids Playing Cricket.

This, I believe, is the key element in any discussion about growing cricket in America. Typically, adults are resistant to adopting new sports; the sports one enjoyed as a child are almost always the sports one follows as an adult. This is why time and treasure invested in an attempt to introduce American adults to cricket are likely to be time and treasure wasted. Yes, there are rare exceptions, such as myself, but we represent the statistical outliers, and should not be used as examples to be emulated.

The true blueprint for success can be seen in the American soccer market, which is, itself, still developing. For decades, soccer was a sport played only by adult immigrants and ignored by everyone else in the United States. It was only when soccer began to be played in schools and recreation leagues that it moved into the American mainstream. Why? Because parents follow their children. If Billy wants to play soccer, Mom or Dad must take him to practices and games, where they will learn the sport by watching, and will develop a passion by cheering for their child’s team. (I have been through this process with my daughter, Sarah.)

As Billy learns the sport, he will become interested in its teams and players, and he will want to own things that reflect his newfound interest. This will require that Mom or Dad join him on this voyage of discovery, as they will be the ones responsible for acquiring the correct paraphernalia (apparel, posters, bedding, memorabilia, etc.). Billy will also wish to attend professional or college games, which will require an adult escort, and the escorting adult will, of course, cheer loudly for Billy’s player and team, which continues the indoctrination process.

So how do we make Billy a cricketer? Billy probably won’t choose to play a game he’s never heard of, or join a league where he has no friends. This is why it’s critical that we start by introducing him to the sport at school, where it can be taught as a part of his curriculum, and he and his friends can learn it together. (Cricket is a perfect sport for physical education classes, but I’ll leave that for another time.) My experience has been that often this is all that will be required to spark a passion for cricket. Once Billy and his friends begin to enjoy cricket at school, they’ll want to play at home, and it’ll be up to us to make sure they have the opportunity.
This brings us to the major hurdle we face in this regard: Right now, there is no coordinated national effort to introduce cricket at the elementary or middle school levels in the United States. As a matter of fact, I’ve never even heard of an organized local effort. This vacuum of leadership in the area of youth cricket creates an obstacle that will frustrate all of our desires to promote cricket, if it is not addressed. This is why USACA, as the sport’s officially sanctioned governing body, must appoint a board-level National Youth Cricket Coordinator without delay. This individual will be responsible for articulating USACA’s vision for youth sports, and developing local leaders, sponsors and programs that will effectively implement that vision. Until this is done, our hopes for youth cricket will founder and drift as a series of disconnected, directionless dreams.

Until we see children playing cricket at American beaches, in American parks and in American gym classes, little of lasting substance can be accomplished.

2. Cricket Equipment and Sets Must Be Readily Available For Purchase In Stores

Even if, in the beginning, it’s only toy cricket sets on the shelves at Walmart, having something to give Billy for his 8th birthday that will foster his love for the game is critical. Soon after, we’ll need to have real equipment on the shelves at places like Modell’s & Sports Authority. Right now, there are precious few places in America where cricket gear of any kind sits on a store shelf, and while dedicated cricketers may be willing to order online, those that are merely curious about the game (our target market) must have somewhere convenient to go to satisfy that curiosity. Also, if we want to see children playing cricket, we need to make it easy for their parents to acquire their equipment. That is not the case today.

To change this, a major push will have to be made both by the manufacturers of cricket products and by the game’s American supporters. Retailers will want to know that SKUs can be obtained easily, at a cost that will enable them to make a profit. They will also need to know that a market exists for these products. Someone at a national level will have to coordinate this joint effort if we want to see immediate results.

3. We Need To Have More Places To Play

From my experience in the Baltimore/Washington area, I can tell you that there simply aren’t enough pitches for the teams that exist already, and there are no indoor facilities closer than New Jersey. This is unacceptable if we wish to develop the game. Players need facilities at which to practice (especially in the offseason), and teams need places to play. Changing this will require both public and private funding, and the patience to wait for the market to grow to the point of full usage of the facilities.

4. Cricket Highlights Need To Be Seen On Television

One impediment to the adoption of cricket in the United States is that most Americans have never seen it played. As a result, they reject it as alien, and assume it to be unwatchable. Regular highlight clips, played on networks that are available as part of the basic cable package, are important in both introducing the sport and dispelling the stereotypes. It may seem strange, but psychologically, as the sports fan sees cricket alongside other “accepted” sports, it will seem more normal for him to have an interest in it, and his mind will be opened. (I’ve actually seen IPL highlights on ESPN Sportscenter’s Top Ten before, but there needs to be more than that, and it needs to be more than just the IPL.)

5. T20/IPL-style Leagues Must Be Used To Promote The Game

All of the buzz seems to indicate that we are very close to seeing an American professional T20 league established. If this becomes a reality, it presents a wonderful opportunity for the teams, players and coaches to get out into their local communities and promote the game. This can be accomplished through youth clinics, demonstration games, ticket donations and so forth. It would truly be a lost opportunity if the league came and went without ever leaving the cricket grounds. The individuals involved have a duty to be goodwill ambassadors for the sport, and it is my hope that they won’t fumble this golden chance.

Our success will eventually be measured not by the number of trophies won, but by the number of children playing our sport.

As you can see, when I think about growing cricket in America, my focus is squarely on developing the youth market. If we fail to do this properly, no advances made anywhere else will make a difference, including winning international matches. On the other hand, soccer has expanded vastly in the United States, despite the fact that the American men’s national team has never gotten within sniffing distance of a World Cup. This points out the fact that creating and maintaining a fan base is not dependent on world-class victories as much as it is dependent upon the adoption of the game by kids.

[The author coached the only American high school cricket team outside of New York City. The Cardinal Gibbons Cricket Club was created by a group of American kids who, without ever having played a hardball game, had fallen in love with the sport. ]

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USA Cricket - Where to from here?

openingbat — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:06:00 GMT

By Rohan Chandran

The dust has settled on the U-19 World Cup, and it’s about time that we started looking critically at where we are, and what we need to do.

What went wrong in New Zealand?

It doesn’t take any great cricketing understanding to deem the tournament a failure for the USA U-19 squad. It was indeed a failure, and an abject one at that, but the failure is less on the part of the young boys who went out to New Zealand and so much more a reflection on the older men who are responsible for their cricket, and for cricket in the US as a whole. It is they who must hold up their hands and accept responsibility, and there is little doubt that it will be they who most pointedly do not do so.

The fault lies not just with the players, but with what was around them. It should have been no surprise to anyone that batting was the biggest technical problem in New Zealand. That is, quite brutally, the nature of the game. A mediocre bowler can bowl one long hop every over, and you can still keep the opposition under 300. A batsman is finished the first time anything goes wrong. That the coaching staff failed to consider this simple reality ahead of time, indicates that they were not worthy of their positions, plain and simple.

The fact of the matter is that our 19 year olds are lacking cricketing experience and acumen that their peers in Australia possess. What the boys needed was to be guided along a path that would compensate for the cricketing nous and experience that we simply don’t and can’t have in our environment.

Tactics, physical readiness, mental approach to the game – we’re not going to become Test cricketers overnight, but we can certainly learn to approach and play the game the right way, and give ourselves a chance to showcase our natural talent.

So what do we need to do? Here are my thoughts:

Realism

Thinking long term is always going to be fundamental to achieving something in our cricket. We tend to tie our hopes and expectations to the players we know and love – the ones we play with every Sunday. That mentality needs to be shed, and shed fast. If we’re going to do something sustainable for our cricket, then it is going to be the next generation and the one after that who get the glory, not us. A false dawn here and there, and we’ll keep coming back to square one.

The USA U-19 coach went on the record saying that he went to New Zealand expecting to win a few games against the bigger nations. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with a coach thinking positive and being optimistic. The problem is that when you abandon realism, you fail to prepare for what you are actually going to confront. Until we realize and acknowledge the level of our cricket, and the yawning chasms that we have to cross, we are unlikely to put anything in place that helps us raise that standard.

Administration

Our administration, top-down and bottom-up, is an unmitigated disaster, and continues to be so in so many ways. There are flickers of hope that sporadically shine across the country, but we are dominated by an environment of self-aggrandizing ego-fuelled politics, and that’s being generous.

Quite simply, too few people are honestly thinking about cricket and its long term future, and too many people are thinking about how themselves, and their nearest and dearest, can benefit.

Unfortunately, with the current global interest in the US as a cricketing destination and minor cricketing power, the incentive to operate in this manner has only increased.

We desperately need to get professional and get accountability into the mix. Transparency of operation is paramount – every appointment, every decision, should be open to public scrutiny and able to withstand that analysis. This is easier said than done, but if we’re serious about this, we have to start with a clean slate. Bring in people who have relevant experience, professional skills that can be leveraged, and crucially, where possible, no direct skin in the game.

Infrastructure and Development

This is really the bottom line when it comes to putting cricket, or indeed any sport, on the road to long term success. Quite simply we have no infrastructure and no path for cricket development, and we need to focus strongly on setting that straight.

We will give ourselves a chance for success when we’re able to identify a talented 13 year old and groom him so that not only does he do a job at the age group level, but most importantly, he develops to a peak in his mid to late twenties and becomes a long-term contributor at the senior national level. When we can point to a few players who have followed that path, then we can point to a system that nurtures and develops cricketing talent.

Instead what we have is two separate and distinct cricketing worlds. One of them is for U-19 cricket, and the other for so-called adult cricket. The composition of the senior national squad tells a story. It doesn’t matter so much that none of the players were born in this country – we are after all a nation of immigrants.

What is telling is that not one of the players was developed in this country. And not one of the players from the 2006 U-19 team is in the picture, and really, nothing more need be said to illustrate the problem.

Our U19 squads, both regional and national, should be playing together through the year, every year. The opposition doesn’t have to be other international teams, as the objective is to have them learn how to play the game. At 19 and 20, we aren’t going to create cricketing talent out of nowhere, but what we can do is help them evolve into thinking cricketers, for as you go up the ladder, it is in the mind (with temperament, strategy and tactics) that games will be won and lost.

I would actually advocate the creation of a national U-23 squad that should play against the national senior team and against regional senior teams every year. This would help keep our U-19s in the game beyond their U-19 days, and with the right guidance and mentorship hopefully help turn them into cricketers that can serve the country for a long time.

In parallel, we need to focus on cricketing fundamentals at the grass roots levels. Forget about trying to jazz up the game with white balls and colored clothing – let’s look at getting cricketers to play the basic game properly in the first place. The party stuff can come later, or elsewhere. Yes, we absolutely need proper pitches and outfields, but we also need cricket balls that swing, and bowlers and batsmen who can learn to deal with that. We need to have youngsters understand that a properly compiled 30 may actually set you on the way to a far better cricketing career than the slogged 50, and we need to follow through on that.

Foster quality cricket, create some continuity for the youngsters and a lot of what Peter Della Penna raised in his excellent article back in November 2009 will be addressed as a consequence.

Selection

Selection is going to be controversial at the best of times, and it’s even harder in our environment. Once again, short-termism and politics are controlling how we pick our teams, and we simply plan to worry about tomorrow if and when the sun rises again.

The first thing we need to address in our selection, particularly at the senior level, is the objective of a team. It’s very easy for an established cricketing nation to simply select the best team to win each game or tournament as it comes. For one that is seeking to establish itself on the world stage, the challenges are a lot greater. It’s not sufficient to simply try and win today, because you need to prepare to win tomorrow and the day after to maintain a certain standing in the game.

This may be my most controversial contention, but I submit that the US needs to be willing to dare to make some short term sacrifices in order to reap the long term rewards.

Peter Della Penna nailed this one too in his aforementioned article. Our stated objective today is to make it to the 2015 Cricket World Cup. In my eyes, the objective really should be to ensure that we can make it to the 2019, 2023 and 2027 World Cups without having to worry about it unduly as we get closer to those events.

Doing that, however, starts today. It starts with everything else I’ve talked about, but it also starts with picking players with an eye to the future. Just as a quite random example, taking Saqib Saleem to Nepal would have done a lot more for US cricket than taking Sudesh Dhaniram, regardless of how good Dhaniram is.

There’s plenty of experience in the team in the form of the likes of Massiah, Thyagarajan, Usman Shuja and others. Take a few thirty year olds to lead on the field, surround them with the exuberance of youth, and all of a sudden, you’ll not only be developing those individuals, you’ll be showing every cricket playing youngster in the country that there is something to strive for. You will naturally create a pipeline, and that pipeline will keep flowing. No longer will you have to pray weekly that a few more good cricketers leave India, Pakistan and the Caribbean and come to the US to seek their fame and fortune. You’ll already have them.

The second thing we need to radically alter in our selection, this time particularly at the youth level, is the type of player we select. We need to recognize the substantial difference between cricket in our local leagues, and cricket at a higher level. We have to learn to look beyond the statistics, and look at the sort of cricketer who is worth the long term investment. Often times we’ll find that the guy scoring thirties every week is actually going to be a better performer at a higher level than the one bludgeoning his way to big scores on a cow pasture with the aid of sloppy fielding and short boundaries. We need to look at how players think, how strong they are mentally in both comfortable and challenging situations. In short, we need to look at their core cricketing skills – but I’m not even sure that today, we understand what core cricketing skills are!

Coaching

The thing to understand is that positive cricket does not equate to slogging or bowling bouncers galore. It means playing with intelligence, it means applying pressure throughout, it means bowling to take wickets, and batting to score runs. Sounds simple in writing, but it can only be put into practice when youngsters are given the appropriate foundation. Coaches in local leagues need to start teaching our youngsters how to bowl for wickets, how to field aggressively, and how to bat assertively without losing your head.

We need to be able to identify young talent around the country. We need coaches and cricketing mentors who can train them in how to play the game. Instead of celebrating small achievements with excessive hyperbole, we need to make sure the youngsters understand that they have a long road ahead of them, and then guide them along the way. We need proper coaches who can actually resolve technical flaws at an early stage. We need proper coaches and leaders who can help cricketers understand how to play the game. As I keep saying, it’s a mental game when you step up a level, and that is where we are sorely lacking.

Conclusion

There is a long, long way for US cricket to go, but for the first time, even if it might be for all the wrong reasons, we have a global vested interest in our success. Opportunity is knocking, and if we have the guts to do so, we can take full advantage of it. Build something sustainable, and our epitaphs will read “left a lasting legacy that allowed cricket to flourish in the USA” rather than “had a drink at Lord’s with Clive Lloyd and Sunil Gavaskar.” I hope I’m not alone in thinking that it’s the first one that reads better.

An unedited version of this article was originally published on the author's FourthUmpire blog.

[The author captained Hong Kong U-19 from 1990-1992, and played with the senior squad in 1991-92 before moving to the US, where he has played with Stanford CC ever since. He was also the first person to join Simon King in running CricInfo back in early 1993, traveling the world as a journalist and commentator.]