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USA Under-15 Cricket Day Three: New York and North West advance to finals; Atlantic and Central East to fight for 3rd place.

openingbat — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:43:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Central East wicketkeeper Gordon Makin struck a determined 57 to lead his side to victory over South West by 95 runs at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J., on day three of the USACA U-15 National Tournament. Makin top-scored in Central East’s total of 191 for 9 before they bowled out South West for 96 in 32.3 overs. Central East finished 2-1 in Group A and will play in the third place game against Atlantic, who finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record.

Pic (Right): Gordon Makin made a determined 57 for Central East [File photo]

Central East won the toss and elected to bat first on another sweltering hot day in New Jersey as temperatures once again climbed into the 90s with high humidity. Makin and Rohit Mogalayapalli teamed up for a 97-run stand to open the match. South West captain Shakeel Ahmad finally made the first breakthrough in the 23rd over as Mogalayapalli played across to a good length ball from the spinner and was clean bowled for 45.

From that moment forward, South West took wickets at regular intervals to climb back into the game. No one else crossed double-digits for Central East as Makin was the backbone of his team’s innings. He reached his 50 in 91 balls but was clean bowled five balls later on the first delivery of the 38th over from pace bowler Sahaj Patel. Makin tried backing away to cut but missed and the stumps were rattled. However, he had carried Central East to 167 for 5 and got a richly deserved applause from both teams while walking off.

South West looked tired coming out to bat after spending the second straight match fielding first for more than three hours in brutal heat. Central East opted to open with two spinners and the strategy worked wonders as they suffocated the South West top order. Nauman Khan took the first two wickets, having Murad Khan caught for 2 by captain Paarth Joshi at short midwicket prodding at a full length delivery. Khan then had Brahmam Chunduri caught for 1 by Joshi at short cover as the batsman backed away to punch a delivery through the off side but Joshi scooped it inches from the ground and South West was struggling at 13 for 2 in the ninth over.

Ahmad was one of two South West players to pass double-digits and the number three batsman was the only person standing in the way of Central East wrapping up the match. Ahmad had reached 31 by the last drinks break after 30 overs with the score on 92 for 6 as South West clung on hoping that he might lead them to a thrilling comeback needing 100 off the last 10 overs.

But on the very first ball after drinks, Ahmad got his bat stuck in the pitch as he came down the track trying to drive the leg-spin of Arsalan Babar. The batsman couldn’t get his bat back in time and was stumped for the seventh wicket. The final three men fell for another four runs as Central East wrapped up the game easily. Three bowlers had two wickets apiece but Khan finished with by far the best figures, taking 2 for 10 in eight overs with three maidens.

In the other match at Branch Brook Park, New York once again feasted on the tiny west side boundary at the northern ground, racking up 299 for 5 in 40 overs as they defeated Directors’ XI by 186 runs to sweep Group A and clinch a spot in the championship match. Randall Wilson scored 163 not out coming in at number four, hitting 26 fours and six sixes along the way.

Pic (Right): New York's Randall Wilson looked like he hardly broke a sweat after walking off with 163 not out. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna]

Directors’ XI gave New York a few tense moments as pace bowler Harish Saikara took all five wickets to make the score 99 for 5. But Wilson was unperturbed and finished the innings putting on an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 200 in the final 30 overs with Surendra Singh. Such was the dominance of Wilson that Singh only scored 18 runs in that partnership.

“My coach tells me that when I go into bat, make sure we bat all 40 overs,” said Wilson. He has done his best to follow New York coach Ricky Kissoon’s advice. As a result, Wilson is the leading run-scorer in the tournament heading into the final day with 228 runs in three innings while he has only been dismissed once. In the field, Zahib Tariq had the best figures for New York, turning in 3 for 16 in five overs to help bowl out Directors’ XI for 113 in 24.3 overs.

At Weequahic Park, Atlantic defeated South East by 91 runs. Rishi Patel hit 41 opening for Atlantic while Ryan Persaud hit 10 fours and two sixes during his 75 in a team total of 192 for 5. The two leg-spinners then rolled through South East’s lineup as Patel took 4 for 16 in six overs while Persaud finished with 3 for 11 in 6.1 overs. South East’s Faraz Jaferi scored 28, but got no support as his side was bowled out for 101 in 29.1 overs. South East will play South West in the fifth place game as both teams finished 1-2 in group play.

As was anticipated after day one, North West punched their ticket into the final against New York by sweeping Group B with a 254-run win over North East at Orange Park. North West racked up the highest innings score in group play, registering 326 for 6 in 40 overs. Arsh Patel scored 87 for North West while fellow opener Dave Parikh scored 51. North West captain Roshan Varadarajan cashed in for the first time with the bat in this tournament, finishing 54 not out.

North East captain Karanjit Singh played a lone hand at the top of the order, scoring 35 not out in North East’s total of 72. Five North West bowlers took two wickets apiece, including Varadarajan and Parikh. North East will play Directors’ XI in the seventh place game where both teams will be trying to avoid going winless in the tournament.

USACA U-15 National Tournament
Central East vs. South West
Central East won by 95 runs
Central East won the toss and elected to bat

Central East Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
G Makin+        57    96    3    0    b Sahaj Patel
R Mogalayapalli    45    80    5    1    b Ahmad
A Ahuja        7    18    0    0    b Ahmad
P Joshi*        6    10    1    0    ct P Singh b Sahil Patel
A Mayasandra        5    6    1    0    b Heran Patel
A Sridher        3    18    0    0    b Sahaj Patel
P Patel            0    1    0    0    runout (Suraj Patel/Chunduri)
N Khan        9    8    0    0    st Arjun Patel+ b Suraj Patel
V Joglekar        9    4    0    1    not out
S Kumar        0    3    0    0    b Suraj Patel
Total Extras        50 (4 no balls, 4 byes, 3 leg byes, 39 wides)
Team Total         191 for 9 in 40 overs

Did not bat: A Babar

South West Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
G Singh        5-1-20-0
Sahaj Patel        5-0-28-2
M Khan        6-1-22-0
S Ahmad        8-0-28-2
P Singh        2-0-13-0
Heran Patel        5-0-28-1
Sahil Patel        8-0-36-1
Suraj Patel        2-0-9-2

South West Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
M Khan        2    12    0    0    ct Joshi b Khan
B Chunduri        1    26    0    0    ct Joshi b Khan
S Ahmad*        31    71    2    0    st Mayasandra+ b Babar
P Singh        2    26    0    0    runout (Joglekar)
Suraj Patel        6    17    1    0    LBW Sridher
T Mohammad        9    10    0    1    ct Mogalayapalli b Babar
Sahil Patel        0    3    0    0    ct Joglekar b Sridher
Arjun Patel+        10    17    0    0    b Joshi
Sahaj Patel        0    7    0    0    ct Khan b Patel
G Singh        1    5    0    0    runout (sub (Tirunalayi)/Joshi)
Heran Patel        1    1    0    0    not out
Total Extras        33 (1 no ball, 0 byes, 1 leg bye, 31 wides)
Team Total        96 all out in 32.3 overs

Central East Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
N Khan        8-3-10-2
V Joglekar        5-1-14-0
A Sridher        8-1-31-2
A Babar        8-1-26-2
A Ahuja        2-0-10-0
P Joshi            1-0-1-1
P Patel            0.3-0-3-1

USA Under-15 Cricket Day Two: Tariq and Buch centuries keep New York and North West undefeated

openingbat — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:53:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

New York opener Zahib Tariq turned in a near flawless performance against South West, carrying his bat for 112 not out to lead his side to a 160-run win on Friday at Weequahic Park in Newark, NJ, on day two of the USACA U-15 National Tournament. New York finished 236 for 4 in 40 overs on the same ground where North West and Atlantic struggled to score that many runs combined on Thursday.

Pic (Right): New York's Zahib Tariq walks off the field holding his bat high after batting all 40 overs, finishing 112 not out with five fours and two sixes. [Courtesy - Peter Della Penna]

The match began after a 67-minute delay which happened because the umpires were not supplied with any cricket balls to start the match. New York won the toss and elected to bat first. Tariq walked out with Randall Wilson a day after both players scored half-centuries in New York’s 10-wicket win over Central East.

South West made an early breakthrough in the field when Sahaj Patel had Wilson caught at mid-off by captain Shakeel Ahmad for 4 after top-edging an attempted pull shot to make it 17 for 1 in the fifth over. From there though, New York dominated proceedings.

The 15-year-old Tariq was joined by Rezaul Karim and the two put on a clinical display of batting during a second wicket stand of 154. Karim faced 10 dot balls to begin his innings after Tariq started his time at the crease with nine dot balls. Once both players got their eyes in, they started to make use of the big field, finding gaps at will to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard moving as South West toiled in the field on a day where the temperature rose into the mid 90s.

“The basic strategy was not just Zahib, but with the other opener as well, is to occupy the crease,” said New York coach Ricky Kissoon. “Occupy the crease and play the ball on the ground, keep it flat. Chances are if you hit the ball in the air, you’re gonna get out so we use that as a strategy for all the matches that we approach.”

Tariq reached 50 in 89 balls and immediately afterward started to press his foot on the accelerator, clubbing a six over mid off before bashing a four through the leg side on his next two balls. Karim brought up his 50 in 68 balls with a boundary off a pull shot through square leg but fell on the very next ball, driving spin bowler Heran Patel straight to Sahaj Patel at short midwicket to go for 52. New York captain Trevis Ross tried to up the scoring rate, hitting a four over square leg on his second ball but fell three balls later for 7 as Heran Patel claimed his second, caught by Prabhjot Singh at deep midwicket.

Jamel Parillon joined Tariq as he approached triple figures. After taking a few overs to settle in, Parillon did well to keep getting his partner on strike as Tariq went from the 80s into the 90s. Tariq didn’t stay there for long though, spending only nine balls in the 90s before reaching his century. He moved from 91 to 97 with the shot of the day, a glorious heave over midwicket that cleared the boundary by 15 yards. Three singles later, he raised his bat upon reaching 100 in 126 balls, scoring his second 50 in only 37 deliveries.

Parillon fell for 14 to Heran Patel with seven balls to go in the innings, driving a ball to Gagandeep Singh at short midwicket. Mahmudur Rahman joined Tariq for the remaining deliveries. Tariq offered his only chance on 108 on the first ball of the final over by Suraj Patel when he was dropped at deep midwicket, but otherwise he played a clean innings and deserved to walk off unbeaten with his 112 including five fours and two sixes after batting for three hours and 20 minutes.

Post Match Interview with New York's Zahib Taqir and Coach Ricky Kissoon from Peter Della Penna on Vimeo.

“Just play straight and just try to get more runs and occupy the crease,” said Tariq when asked about the key to his success so far in this tournament.

Overall, South West’s bowling and fielding was commendable. Despite the scorching heat, they continued to chase hard for balls, mixing in some diving efforts along the way. New York’s batting was just too good.

South West’s lineup looked tired at the crease at the start of the chase after spending so long in the field and New York showed no mercy by pouncing on them. Opener Murad Khan was bowled by Wilson for a duck to make it 5 for 1 before his fellow opener Suraj Patel was bowled for 3 by the centurion’s younger brother, Mohib Tariq, to make it 8 for 2. Prabhjot Singh fell next for 2, caught behind by Leandre London off Wilson to make it 24 for 3. Ahmad showed some good skills in reaching 19 to top score for South West a day after hitting 72, but he was bowled by Parillon to make it 35 for 4 and South West folded up quickly to finish 76 all out in 27.2 overs.

“We’ve been practicing for a short period of time Monday through Friday and it’s not easy when kids are coming from different parts,” said Kissoon about the team’s preparation for the tournament before highlighting Tariq as an example of the team’s dedication. “Zahid is actually coming from Coney Island and we practice in Queens so it’s almost two hours in public transportation for him. So we try to work it out.”

Parillon finished with 2 for 14 in four overs and was New York’s most impressive bowler. Wilson took 2 for 12 in five overs while spinner Andrew Deodat took 2 for 8 in 3.2 overs. New York is 2-0 in the event and will face Directors’ XI on Saturday. A win will take them through to the final.

New York’s most likely opponent will be North West, who stayed unbeaten with a 208-run win over South East at Branch Brook Park. Arsh Buch scored 110 not out in North West’s total of 270 for 6 as the team seized on the very short boundary on the west side of the ground. Buch hit 12 fours and two sixes opening the match for North West before Vivek Jayram took 5 for 12 in four overs to bundle out South East for 62.

Pic (Right): Arsh Buch scored 110 not out with 12 fours and 2 sixes

“I think the biggest difference was that we didn’t lose that many quick wickets as we did yesterday and I think I was also a little bit more aggressive,” said Buch. “Yesterday I heard I scored 22 off 72 balls so that’s really slow and today I think I was a little bit more aggressive which kind of helped and the boundary I guess was a little shorter.”

Atlantic bounced back from their first day defeat to North West with a seven-wicket win over North East at Branch Brook Park. Atlantic bowled North East out for 52 in 14.4 overs before passing the target in 8.5 overs. Ryan Persaud took 3 for 13 in 3.4 overs of leg-spin bowling while seamer Ghous Agha took 3 for 7 in six overs. Shan Razac finished 22 not out for Atlantic.

Central East notched their first win of the tournament, defeating Directors’ XI by 86 runs at Orange Park. Central East scored 220 all out in 39 overs batting first. Rohit Magalayapalli top-scored with 68 for Central East while captain Paarth Joshi chipped in with 44.

Directors’ XI 10-year-old player Raymond Ramrattan took 4 for 46 while wicketkeeper Vivek Barbhaiya completed six dismissals, including three stumpings. Ramrattan also scored 20 as Directors’ XI finished 134 for 8 in 40 overs. Nauman Khan and Arsalan Babar took three wickets apiece for Central East.

The final day of group play will see 2-0 North West play 0-2 North East at Weequahic Park and 1-1 Atlantic take on 1-1 South East at Orange Park in Group A. At Branch Brook Park, 2-0 New York will face 0-2 Directors’ XI while 1-1 Central East will face 1-1 South West. All matches are scheduled for a 10:30 am start.

USACA U-15 National Tournament
New York vs. South West
New York won by 160 runs
New York won the toss and elected to bat

New York Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
Z Tariq        112    134    5    2    not out
R Wilson        4    13    0    0    ct Ahmad b Sahaj Patel
R Karim        52    69    7    0    ct Sahaj Patel b Heran Patel
T Ross*        7    5    1    0    ct P Singh b Heran Patel
J Parillon        14    19    0    0    ct G Singh b Heran Patel
M Rahman        2    3    0    0    not out
Total Extras        45 (3 no balls, 0 byes, 1 leg bye, 41 wides)
Team Total        236 for 4 in 40 overs

Did not bat: L London+, M Tariq, S Singh, B Dat, A Deodat

South West Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
Sahaj Patel        4-0-31-1
G Singh        7-0-28-0
M Khan        8-1-33-0
S Ahmad        8-0-42-0
P Singh        2-0-18-0
Suraj Patel        6-0-43-0
Heran Patel        3-0-28-3
Sahil Patel        2-0-12-0

South West Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
M Khan        0    10    0    0    b Wilson
Suraj Patel        3    13    0    0    b M Tariq
S Ahmad*        19    31    2    0    b Parillon
P Singh        2    13    0    0    ct London+ b Wilson
T Mohammad        9    18    0    0    ct Karim b Parillon
B Chunduri        5    36    0    0    runout (M Tariq/Wilson)
Sahil Patel        3    14    0    0    b Ross
A Patel            3    10    0    0    not out
Sahaj Patel        6    13    1    0    b Deodat
G Singh        2    2    0    0    runout (Rahman/London+)
Heran Patel        1    5    0    0    st London+ b Deodat
Total Extras         23 (1 no ball, 0 byes, 1 leg bye, 21 wides)
Team Total         76 all out in 27.2 overs

New York Bowling
R Wilson         5-0-12-2
M Tariq        5-0-12-1
J Parillon        4-0-14-2
B Dat            5-0-14-2
T Ross            5-1-9-1
A Deodat        3.2-0-8-2

USA Under-15 Cricket Day One: North West, South West, South East and New York post wins

openingbat — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:46:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Defending champion North West Region scratched their way to a 23-run win over the Atlantic Region on the first day of the USACA U-15 National Tournament at Weequahic Park on Thursday afternoon in Newark, NJ. The match was delayed two hours after being moved to Weequahic Park because Watsessing Park, one of the original venues, was unplayable due to heavy rain in the area on Wednesday.

Pic (Right): Ryan Persaud took 4 for 15 and scored 38 runs [Courtesy: ICUSA]

Atlantic won the toss and elected to bowl first, but their attack was jittery at the start and it cost them in the end. A combination of nerves and inexperience from the pace bowlers contributed to a total of 50 wides bowled by Atlantic.

Arsh Buch and Dave Parikh constructed a 44-run opening partnership in 9.3 overs in which 25 of the runs came from wides. Buch wound up finishing as the top batsman for North West with 22 in 72 balls. He did not try to dominate the bowlers but instead defended as many deliveries as he could as the runs continued to come in extras.

NWR was 95 for 3 in the 22nd over when Ryan Persaud finally ended Buch’s stay at the crease by looping up a big leg-break delivery down leg side which Buch left alone, only to see it turn back sharply and rattle his stumps as Buch was bowled around his legs. This triggered a collapse as NWR could not handle the twin leg-spin of Persaud and Rishi Patel. Between them they accounted for the final seven wickets to fall for only 40 runs. The only other player to cross double-digits for NWR was Neil Tagare who tallied 21 off 52.

Persaud finished with 4 for 15 in 6.2 overs while Patel finished with 3 for 15 in 4 overs. Patel was on a hat-trick at one point after claiming the wickets of Sefath Yasini for 5 and Vivek Jayram for 6 on consecutive balls when they were caught on the boundary trying to slog. Patel wasted his hat-trick ball though by bowling a wide down leg side, which summed up Atlantic’s effort in the field: flashes of brilliance neutralized by lapses in concentration. Persaud took the final wicket of Ankush Prakash for 1 as NWR was bowled out for 135 in 35.2 overs.

Atlantic’s chase never really gained any momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Patel was the first wicket to fall for 5, caught brilliantly by Parikh diving forward from point off the left-arm seam bowling of Buch. Persaud came out to join William Gillard, who soon left LBW to Yasini for 5 to make it 27 for 2 in the 8th over.

Pic (Left): Arsh Buch was top scorer for North West with a cautious but effective 22 from 72 balls.

Persaud tried his best to lead Atlantic back into the game as wickets kept falling around him. He was also fortunate to survive on 6 when he was trapped in front of the stumps, but was spared when the umpire called no-ball on Buch for overstepping the mark. North West bowled 13 no-balls on the day. Persaud teamed up with Gauranshu Sharma to add 32 for the 5th wicket, but with the required run rate rising, the pressure started to build until Sharma went for a big heave and was out stumped for 11 against the off-spin bowling of North West’s captain Roshan Varadarajan, who finished with 3 for 15 in 8 overs.

Atlantic still held hopes of winning as long as Persaud was at the wicket, but he finally perished in the 37th over going for a risky single to get back on strike and was run out for 38 to make it 108 for 9. Parikh bowled Sahan Ratnayake for 2 in the next over to seal the win as the left-arm seamer finished with 3 for 12 in 7.4 tidy overs.

In the other matches of the day, New York made short work of Central East’s 141 at Branch Brook Park, winning by 10 wickets in 25.1 overs. Randall Wilson scored 61 not out and fellow opener Zahib Tariq walked off unbeaten on 57 for New York.

South West defeated Directors’ XI by 128 runs in the other match at Branch Brook Park. Batting first, SWR made 186 for 9 in 40 overs with Shakeel Ahmad scoring 72 coming in at number three. Pace bowler Murad Khan then took 6 for 5 in 7 overs for SWR to help bowl out the Directors’ squad for 57 in 21.4 overs.

South East defeated North East by seven wickets in a match that was shifted from Watsessing Park to Orange Park. Faraz Jaferi turned in a solid Man of the Match all-round display for South East taking 2 for 14 in the field from 8 overs before scoring 66 not out as South East chased down North East’s total of 158 for 7, passing the target in 30 overs.

Friday’s games will see North West take on South East in a battle of unbeatens at Branch Brook Park while Atlantic will take on North East at the same ground. Central East will play Directors’ XI at Orange Park. South West will play New York at Weequahic Park. Officials are hopeful that Watsessing Park will be suitable to use by Saturday as temperatures are expected to be in the 90s for the rest of the weekend and should help to dry up the wet field there. All matches are scheduled for a 10:30 am start.

USACA U-15 National Tournament
Atlantic vs. North West
North West won by 23 runs
Atlantic won the toss and elected to field

North West Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls     4s    6s    Dismissal
A Buch        22    72    0    0    b Persaud
D Parikh        9    24    0    0    ct Gillard b Khan
V Altekar        0    4    0    0    b Ratnayake
R Varadarajan*    4    7    0    0    runout (Gillard/Razac+)
N Tagare        21    52    0    0    ct Sharma b Patel
M Athavale        5    21    0    0    ct Silva b Persaud
S Yasini        5    8    1    0    ct Rajram b Patel
I Amritharaj+        0    2    0    0    ct Patel b Persaud
V Jayram        6    18    0    0    ct Silva b Patel
A Prakash        1    3    0    0    ct Razac+ b Persaud
S Pedada        0    3    0    0    not out
Total Extras        62 (2 no balls, 8 byes, 2 leg byes, 50 wides)
Team Total         135 all out in 35.2 overs

Atlantic Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
V Rajram        5-0-23-0
S Khan            6-1-20-1
S Ratnayake        4-0-18-1
N Mehdi        5-0-20-0
G Sharma        5-1-0-14
R Persaud        6.2-0-15-4
R Patel            4-0-15-3

Atlantic Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
R Patel            5    30    0    0    ct Parikh b Buch
W Gillard        5    22    0    0    LBW Yasini
R Persaud        38    87    1    0    runout (Athavale/Amritharaj+)
T Silva*         2    19    0    0    runout (Varadarajan/Amritharaj+)
S Khan            0    7    0    0    b Varadarajan
G Sharma        11    43    0    0    st Amritharaj+ b Varadarajan
S Razac+        0    3    0    0    ct & b Varadarajan
M Singh        2    6    0    0    ct Athavale b Parikh
V Rajram        1    3    0    0    ct Jayram b Parikh
S Ratnayake        2    13    0    0    b Parikh
N Mehdi        3    3    0    0    not out
Total Extras        43 (13 no balls, 1 bye, 1 leg bye, 28 wides)
Team Total        112 all out in 37.4 overs

North West Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
A Buch        6-0-24-1
S Yasini        7-0-21-1
D Parikh        7.4-1-12-3
R Varadarajan        8-2-15-3
M Athavale        3-0-12-0
S Pedada        2-0-4-0
N Tagare        1-0-6-0
V Altekar        3-0-16-0

USA Cricket - National Under-15 Championship begins on Thursday, July 15

openingbat — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:50:00 GMT

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2010 National Under-15 Cricket Championship

The 2010 USA Under-15 Cricket Championship will be conducted between July 15 to July 18, 2010 in and around Newark, New Jersey. The main tournament venues are Watsessing Park in Bloomfield NJ and Branchbrook Park in Newark NJ. One match on Sunday will also be played at Laurel Hill Park.

Matches will commence following an opening ceremony on Thursday, July 15th at the Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. The eight teams in the tournament have been divided into two groups - Group A comprising North West, Atlantic Region, South East, North East and Group B comprising New York, Central East, South West, Directors XI.

Following is the schedule:

Thursday, July 15

8:00 AM - Managers/Coaches meeting for all teams

9:00 AM - Opening Ceremonies for all teams.

10:30 AM - Matches begin -

Group A: NWR vs AR, Watsessing Park B
Group A: SER vs NER, Watsessing Park A
Group B: NYR vs CER, Branch Brook A
Group B: SWR vs Dir XI, Branch Brook B

Friday, July 16

10:30 AM - Matches begin -

Group A: NWR vs SER, Branch Brook A
Group A: AR vs NER, Branch Brook B
Group B: NYR vs SWR, Watsessing Park A
Group B: CER vs Dir XI, Watsessing Park B

Tournament Dinner - All Teams 8:00PM at Hotel Banquet Room

Saturday, July 17

10:30 AM - Matches begin -

Group A: NWR vs NER, Watsessing Park A
Group A: AR vs SER, Watsessing Park B
Group B: NYR vs DIR XI, Branch Brook B
Group B: CER vs SWR, Branch Brook A

Sunday, July 18

Group A1 vs Group B1, 9:00 AM at Laurel Hill Park
Group A2 vs Group B2, 10:30 AM at Branch Brook B
Group A3 vs Group B3, 9:30AM at Watsessing Park B
Group A4 vs Group B4, 10:30AM at Branch Brook A

Awards Presentation at 5:30 PM at Branch Brook

The matches will consist of one innings per side and each innings will be limited to 40 overs. A minimum of 20 overs per team shall constitute a match.

DreamCricket.com pledges 100 free cricket kits for USA cricket development. Delivers 15 kits to USYCA.

openingbat — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:20:00 GMT

Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

DreamCricket.com pledges 100 free cricket kits for USA cricket development. Delivers 15 kits to USYCA.

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – DreamCricket.com, USA’s premier cricket website, made a pledge today to donate 100 cricket kits to the United States Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) and other qualified organizations.

The company announced that it had already donated the first 15 kits to USYCA and will donate the remaining 85 kits in a phased manner before year-end. A number of elementary schools, such as Highland Park in Landover, Maryland and summer camps, such as Hidden Meadows in Bartow, West Virginia, have benefited from the free kits thereby introducing cricket to over 800 cricketers in the under-12 age category.

Pic (Right): USYCA camp in progress at Highland Park Elementary School. Equipment was provided by DreamCricket.com

Charles Silberman, the Physical Education instructor at Highland Park E.S. said, “The school was provided with a set of equipment to keep, and the instruction provided to the students was easy to understand, age appropriate, and it allowed the students to start playing a modified version of cricket within a thirty minute class period.”

DreamCricket.com also announced that its retail store - The Pavilion (PavilionShop.com) became the Official Equipment Supplier to USYCA. In its position as Official Equipment Supplier, DreamCricket will provide cricket sets for USYCA affiliates’ use in their schools programs. The kits sold through USYCA affiliates will be sold at a discounted rate. The discounted rate will also apply to children in USYCA programs that wish to purchase sets of their own. In addition, for each set purchased from DreamCricket.com, a donation will be made by DreamCricket.com to USYCA.

Kranthi Bayya, CEO of DreamCricket said, “DreamCricket.com is committed to bringing youth cricket to the United States, and we are excited to be affiliated with the USYCA team, because we recognize the great progress and potential there. At DreamCricket Academy, we have run Kiddie Cricket programs and we understand the difficulties faced in youth cricket development at the grass-roots level. USYCA came to us with a plan earlier this year and we worked together on a pilot program and saw first-hand the quality of their execution in youth cricket development. We now want to cement this partnership for the long-term so that USYCA can continue to do the great work they have been doing. We look forward with great anticipation to the future of youth cricket in the USA.”

Jamie Harrison, President of USYCA, said, “We are delighted to be working with DreamCricket.com, America’s number one online cricket destination. This partnership demonstrates their vision and willingness to invest in youth cricket in the United States, and speaks volumes about their national leadership. I couldn’t think of a more perfect match for USYCA.”

Pic (Left): USYCA Cricket Camp at Hidden Meadows using equipment provided by DreamCricket.com

Since 2007, DreamCricket.com, has grown rapidly into USA’s premier cricket news and opinion website. A sister website, The Pavilion Shop, now accessible online and offline, is now one of the nation’s largest cricket stores, boasting a 6,000 sq. ft. physical location and offering high-end indoor facility with bowling machines and an astro-grass surface. DreamCricket Academy is the company’s development arm that offers several coaching camps and sessions tailored to meet the needs of individual cricketers across all ages and skill levels. The Academy is aided by US-based and international coaches including Coach Earl Daley, Coach Ian Pont and Coach Bharath Kumar.

The Academy is frequently visited by legendary test cricketers and the Academy's teams participate in different tournaments in the Under-15 and Under-13 age categories.

The United States Youth Cricket Association (http://usyouthcricket.org) is dedicated to introducing cricket to American children by supporting local youth cricket organizations and by sharing funding, printed and digital resources, and “best practices.” It is also a network of dedicated volunteers who give their time, energy and money to bring cricket to schools. USYCA, working closely with clubs, training facilities and academies, will be a feeder system, supplying a steady flow of new, young cricketers with which to fill their ranks. USYCA is also firmly committed to fully developing women’s cricket by drawing girls into our sport at an early age and shepherding them through to national teams.

For details, contact Kranthi Bayya of DreamCricket.com at 877-HIT-A-SIX (877-448-2749). To reach Jamie Harrison of USYCA, please email usyouthcricket @ gmail . com