Ashokkumar P. Patel loves his cricket. He knows the game and has played it at close to the top level in England. He also sees the future of the game in the United States mushrooming if it is nurtured from grass roots level.

By Peter Simunovich

Ashokkumar P. Patel loves his cricket. He knows the game and has played it at close to the top level in England. He also sees the future of the game in the United States mushrooming if it is nurtured from grass roots level.

Patel, 47, is passionate about his belief in developing the game with players at an early age. For years he has been vocal about his thoughts with anyone who cares to talk to him about the game.

But he goes one step further than most when it comes to backing up his words or following his dream. He puts his money where his mouth is.

Almost a decade ago, Patel founded the USA Cricket Academy in Old Bridge, New Jersey, to help in the development of youngsters from eight to 19 to play the game with proper coaching, instructions and advice.

The academy is located on seven acres of land with nets and a field exclusively used for cricket even though it is known as Pension Rd. Soccer Field, simply because it was a soccer ground before Patel took it over. The academy has six coaches, nets and a matting pitch, which will be replaced in mid April by Astro Turf.

Patel is one of the coaches and he is happy to pass on his past playing experiences and advice to the youngsters for free. Since he began the academy 30 players have represented the US national team at different age groups.

It is a very good strike rate even in a sport that is way down the list of popularity in the US. Patel, who moved here from England with his family in 1988, has a history of conquering difficulties.

He was born in Uganda, but his family was evicted by the Idi Amin regime and it was forced to relocate to England.

Patel, a manager of several small family businesses, was a groundsman with the MCC in London between 1980 and 1983. In effect he was an apprentice cricketer and in dressing room duties he remembers cleaning the boots of players, including the great Sunil Gavaskar.

Patel elevated himself from groundsman to a No. 7 batsman and opening medium fast bowler with the Essex County side second XI. He also played for four years with the South Woodford in the Essex League.

It was all solid grounding for his coming role in the US. When he first moved here he decided he would not play because he did not want to block any youngster from competing.

"When I came here I studied the structure of cricket and in 1999 I told the ICC that the only way the game would succeed is starting at grass roots level," he told DreamCricket.com.

Patel remembers thinking how the US team looked like a senior citizens or dad's army combination. The fitness of the team was questionable. While two players - current captain Steve Massiah was one of them - were in their teens while the rest were made up of players in their 30s and some as old as 45.

He had a vision that grass roots level was the way to go and he began his academy, which was recognized by the ICC in 2001 and the following two years he received awards for development of youth cricket - around the globe and in the Americas region.

The academy now has a senior team that plays as the Old Bridge Cricket Club in the Garden State League and as the USA Cricket Academy in the Cricket League of New Jersey.

Over the years, Patel estimates he has poured about $500,000 into his academy, coaching, sponsoring teams, paying fares, accommodation and buying uniforms in international competition and developing his field in New Jersey. It is all about cultivating youth, grooming them from grass roots level to be ready for first class competition.

"I have always maintained that we should stop older players from competing. We need younger ones coming through. I am 100 percent behind this. The future is in these youngsters. We have to motivate them," he said. "Sponsors will come if you develop youth."

Patel believes USACA is now heading in the right direction, but he is still sensitive to some past paid appointments where the job was not performed satisfactorily. However, he praised volunteers for making themselves available virtually 24 hours a day.

"I would like to continue to work with USACA and Don Lockerbie (new CEO). I am happy to work alongside him if he wants my services," he said.

Over the years Patel has a long and distinguished association with junior teams: In 2003 he took a Under 13 team to Barbados, four Under 18 teams to Trinidad, Under 15 and Under 19 teams to Wales, four Under 19 teams to the Sir Garfield Sobers tournaments in Barbados, the Under 19 US team to India and Sri Lanka in 2006, last year he took the USA Cricket Academy Under 19 team to India and the Under 13 and Under 15 teams to Florida for an ICC endorsed tournament.

The 14-player U19 team, which went to India and Sri Lanka three years ago, was made up of 12 players from his USA Academy, a testament to his grass roots philosophy.

Patel is very much hands on. In one tournament he flew in overnight matting and with the help of players he rolled up his sleeves and laid it down in time for the first day's play.

His latest venture is negotiating with Australian grade clubs to have his players compete with them to gather more experience and eventually help the US.

So far his grass roots philosophy is paying off handsomely.