New York, New York. Women In Cricket. Then and Now 1880 SICC 2008 ICC

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1 FALL ISSUE 2008 New York, New York In This Issue: Cricket in the Big Apple ICC Confirms World Twenty20 Desmond Haynes Urges USACA Action Stanford Superstars win $20 Million and much more... Women In Cricket Then and Now 1880 SICC 2008 ICC

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3 American Cricketer is published by American Cricketer, Inc. Copyright 2008 Publisher - Mo Ally Editor - Deborah Ally Assistant Editor - Hazel McQuitter Graphic & Website Design - Le Mercer Stephenson Legal Counsel - Lisa B. Hogan, Esq. Accountant - Fargson Ray Editorial: Mo Ally, Deborah Ally, Rickie Ali, Peter Simunovich Brian Murgatroyd, Joe Aman, K.C.S. Rao Clarence Modeste, Dreamcricket.com Clifford Narinesingh, Abdulrazak Fazal Photo Credits: 1. Cover photo Courtesy of NYCvisit.com - Jeff Greenberg 2. ICC Women photos - Courtesy of Christopher Lee 3. Stanford Courtesy of Joseph Jones Major U.S. Distribution: New Jersey Dreamcricket.com - Hillsborough Florida All Major Florida West Indian Food Stores Bedessee Sporting Goods - Lauderhill Joy Roti Shop - Lauderhill Tropics Restaurant - Pembroke Pines The Hibiscus Restaurant - Lauderhill and Orlando Caribbean Supercenter - Orlando Timehri Restaurant - Orlando California Springbok Bar & Grill - Van Nuys & Long Beach Colorado Midwicket - Denver New York Bedessee Sporting Goods - Brooklyn Global Home Loan & Finance - Floral Park International Distribution: Dubai, UAE Auckland, New Zealand Tokyo, Japan Georgetown, Guyana, South America London, United Kingdom Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies Barbados, West Indies Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies Sydney, Australia Antigua, West Indies Mailing Address: P.O. Box Miami Gardens, FL Telephone: (305) s: Publisher - mally@americancricketer.com Editor - dally@americancricketer.com Web address: Volume 4 - Number 4 Subscription rates for the USA: Annual: $25.00 Subscription rates for outside the USA: Annual: $35.00 FALL ISSUE

4 In this issue Features 5 COVER STORY CRICKET INTHE BIG APPLE 13 IN RECOGNITION CHUBB BEDESSEE 18 PHOTO GALLERY 28 LEGEND SACHIN TENDULKAR 24 CRICKET EVENTS 30 STICKEY WICKET Cricket 23 UMPIRING THE PITCH PROFESSIONAL CRICKET 9 ICC CONFIRMS 2010 EVENT IN THE WEST INDIES WILL BE WORLD TWENTY20 10 USA CRICKET: DESMOND HAYNES URGES ACTION BY USACA 20 ICC WOMEN S WORLD CUP 2009 TO BE MOST WIDELY VIEWED WOMEN S CRICKET EVENT OF ALL TIME REGIONAL CRICKET 11 THE STATEN ISLAND CRICKET CLUB A HISTORY 15 PHILADELPHIA, PA - PRIOR CRICKET CLUB 34 FLORIDA ICC TROPHY 6 YOUTH CRICKET FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET MATCH 25 WOMEN S CRICKET TAYLOR, JHULAN AND STHALEKAR ON TOP OF THE WORLD 27 PHYSICAL FITNESS CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TRAINING INTERNATIONAL CRICKET 22 STANFORD SUPERSTARS WIN $20 MILLION JACKPOT SOUTH ASIAN CORNER 32 INDIANS RETURNING FIRE WITH FIRE 33 MAKING HISTORY / ZAHEER KHAN FOUND GUILTY OF OFFENCE CONTRARY TO SPIRIT OF CRICKET 36 COACHING INITIAL MOVEMENT/PRESS 4 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008 Letter From The Publisher It was a cool sunny Florida day at Brian Piccolo Park where Pakistan XI vs. Florida International Cricket Club was playing a limited over cricket match. American Cricketer asked the players what is their opinion on the umpiring of league games in South Florida. The following opinions were expressed by the players. The umpires in both leagues basic knowledge of the game are atrocious. They are incapable of giving a fair decision due to racism. Black umpires favor Black Batsmen and Indian umpires favor Indian Batsmen. It seems like the players would rather have a fair decision by the umpires, however, the umpires take it upon themselves to display this disgusting attitude towards this great game. It is often said so many of the umpires Letter From The Editor A Year In Review The year 2008 was quite notable for us in many ways. First, we celebrated the completion of four years of American Cricketer from our humble beginnings in Next year promise to bring expanded coverage in both our magazine and website. Thank you for your continued support. Second, this year our focus in each issue highlighted the four areas in the U.S. where cricket has a presence. If you missed it, we covered Woodley Park in California; Central Broward Regional Park in Florida; Mid Atlantic and Charlotte, North Carolina and the New York school system in NYC. are in it for the money and could care less about the game. Players feel this can be seen from their attitude towards the game and complete lack of interest until it is time to collect. Several players played in both leagues in South Florida and according to them the above problems are more prevalent in the South Florida Alliance Cricket Association. The above problems should be addressed to and by the Umpires Association, an independent body from the leagues. Players should demand better qualified umpires and if in the opinion racism is displayed by either party then the Association should be notified in writing and appropriate measure should be imposed on the individual. Umpires should be given adequate warning by having fines imposed. If poor attitude persists then they should be disqualified from umpiring. If you have an opinion on this matter, please write us and let us express your opinion. Mo Ally - Publisher mally@americancricketer.com Finally, the US completed the longest and the most intensive Presidential campaign in our lifetime. Our hats are off to all who participated in making this the most historical election season ever. The media coverage was phenomenal in making the process more transparent than it s ever been in the past. America, with the guidance of President-Elect Obama and the new administration, is facing two wars, a bad economy, the eyes of new young voters and the hopes of many Americans and those abroad. Let s hope USACA (United States of America Cricket Association) learns some lesson. Some of the lessons to be learned could be visibility, transparency, youth development and the inclusion of women. These lessons learned in American politics have changed how we and the world see America. Maybe US cricket could move further along from repeating lessons learned right here in America. Deborah Ally - Editor dally@americancricketer.com

5 Scope Cover Story Cricket in the Big Apple Peter Simunovich Peter Simunovich New York, a city built by immigrants from all over the world, is a melting pot of just about everything you can think of. Somehow the Big Apple rolls smoothly. But when it comes to the gentlemen s game --- cricket --- there are a few hiccups. Mascellas Bailey, 56, who moved to New York 35 years ago from Jamaica, and has been a player --- spin bowler and batsman --- and administrator since sees potential. Bailey, who is president of the Metropolitan League and the Lucas Sports Club team in Brooklyn, sees potential when the leagues, who make up the New York Cricket Region, decide to work together. He says: New York is a complex city, people go their own way. There are different factions and nationalities, he said. Bailey believes NY needs turf wickets and proper facilities. There are many stories how players have changed in their cars, no showers to use after a game, cyclists and joggers running through a field during a game, in some cases playing around a tree and waiting to play on a field after a baseball game. Staple and Raymond Sundar, a long time fan who has for years been trying to get a proper cricket field in NY, both say the 20/20 competition would be a success with young American-born players. This is the way to go. It will be exciting for the Americans, said Staple. This will attract mainstream America, says Sundar, adding: The best thing that has happened to NY cricket is introducing the game to schools Staple claims that batsmen Carl Wright, Orlando Baker, Lennox Cush and Steve Massiah have the ability to play at first class level. Cush, he said, will represent the West Indies next month against England in a 20/20 tournament. Cricket, which was first played here more than 100 years ago, is alive and well with seven leagues and about 3,000 players, but as a whole it is not growing as much as it should, much to the disappointment of the International Cricket Council, local players and administrators. The leagues are not always on the same page, there are divisions, weak leadership at the top levels, little money, poor fields and facilities, say officials and players. The passion for cricket is there with the game mainly made up of players and officials from cricket playing countries like the West Indies, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Getting a coach would also be a step in the right direction, he said. Finance is something cricket badly needs. The game relies on volunteers, club dues and fundraising. Bailey still has a vision of a strong and unified competition. It is a challenge to get everyone together, he says. Richard Staple, 37, a former USA team captain, has been playing in New York for the past 13 years after arriving here from Jamaica. The former international No. 3 batsman and slow bowler says cricket took a positive turn a year ago when the NY Public School Athletic League included the game in its high school sports program. Staple, who represented the US on and off over eight years and was captain in about 30 games, is looking forward to getting involved in the development of the game. There are young, keen and interested players, he said. He also has high hopes for wicketkeeper-batsman Akeem Dodson, who was born in NY with West Indies parents. He is a very good chance to play first class. He is honing his skills in England in the Surrey League, said Staple. The future is at school level. The excitement is there, the skill level is not bad, but it will improve with better fields and facilities. Hopefully, we can get proper coaching. Sundar has worked with NY City Council administrators about developing cricket fields in Queens and Brooklyn. He is also frustrated with the USA Cricket Association and gave it a minus 10 rating. Over the years it has been inadequate and incompetent, he said. For the past 16 years, Sundar has organized the Harry Sundar Memorial Cricket Match in honor of his father. Crowds have ranged from 1,000 to 5,000 to Continued on page 6 FALL ISSUE

6 continued from page 5 watch former Test players Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Darren Ganga, Alvin Kallicharran, Clayton Lambert, David Williams, Reon King, Inshan Ali, Sew Shivnarine and Dinath Ramnarine playing. FIRST PUBLIC SCHOOLS CHAMPIONSHIP CRICKET MATCH New York City Public Schools Athletic League/ New York City Department of Education Clifford Hinds, 61, a former wicketkeeper-batsman with Bronx team Cornwall, is highly credentialed in NY cricket. He was NY Metropolitan Cricket League president for six years, a regional director from and is on the NY Regional Board as youth coordinator. NY s problems, he says, are lack of proper fields, financing and indoor practice facilities during winter. Hinds says if every region in the US had proper facilities finance and leadership then the USACA would prosper with its programs. We have the players and administration. We are not far away. It is not easy trying to raise money. We have tremendous potential here for one day cricket at least. We have good young kids who are well grounded in the game, but we have to get them from playing baseball. Clarence Modeste is a cricket lifer. He came from Trinidad Tobago 48 years ago and has been with the Staten Island Cricket Club since 1961, including the past 20 years-plus as president. He has been a player, still umpires, administrator and former vice president of the NY Metropolitan League. He says the game needs strong leadership at the top for the leagues to follow the same rules. He is frustrated by what he calls the disconnect of leagues and the twice suspension of the USACA from the International Cricket Conference. Overall, if we had one body under one umbrella with standards, then there would be a better quality of cricket, he said. There is a very distant light at the end of the tunnel. If cricket in the PSAL succeeds, then the potential will rise. It is a very positive step. 6 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008 The first season of cricket as a varsity sport in the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) culminated in a championship match on Sunday, June 1, when John Adams High School competed against Newcomers High School at Erskine Field at Gateway Mall in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn. Newcomers High School were victorious. The cricket league attracted 230 high school students, including five female students, on fourteen varsity teams. The teams competed in more than 150 matches during the season. Major newspapers and television news networks, in the U.S. and abroad, have reported on the new league. It s exciting to have one of the world s most popular sports beginning to thrive among the student-athletes of the New York City public schools, said Donald Douglas, PSAL Executive Director. It has been a great first season. First time at bat and cricket has been a terrific success, attracting many students who would not otherwise play competitive sports, said Eric Goldstein, Chief Executive for School Support Services, which oversees the PSAL. Goldstein started the league after noticing high school-age students playing pick-up matches in parks across the city. As an added bonus, our students gained national and international attention. More than 30,000 student-athletes participate in the PSAL, with many playing multiple sports. In addition, more than 200 schools participate, competing in 28 varsity sports and nine junior varsity sports, represented by more than 2,400 teams.

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9 ICC confirms 2010 event in the West Indies will be World Twenty20 Avoids crowding of ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments Brian Murgatroyd ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat today confirmed the ICC event scheduled for 2010 in the West Indies will be a World Twenty20. The tournament was originally scheduled to be an ICC Champions Trophy but the ICC Board agreed it would switch to the shorter format to achieve a better mix of tournaments. It will take place between 23 April and 9 May 2010 (the same duration as the 2009 event in England) and will be staged at three venues to be chosen by the ICC Board in January 2009 following nominations from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Explaining the decision during a visit to Mohali for the second Test between India and Australia, Mr Lorgat said: With the ICC Champions Trophy being the final major ICC event of 2009, and the ICC Cricket World Cup being another 50 over event in 2011, it makes perfect sense to have a tournament of a different format in between. It means we will avoid staging the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup close together, as happened in and We will aim to make both those events special to ensure we have a great blend of the ICC s three majors, with two ICC World Twenty20s (2009 in England and 2010 in the West Indies) as well as an ICC Champions Trophy (in 2009) and an ICC Cricket World Cup (in 2011) over the next three years. Dr Julian Hunte, President of the WICB, said: We are delighted with the decision to make the 2010 event an ICC World Twenty20 and the WICB is extremely excited to be hosting it. The people of the Caribbean have already been exposed to the shortest form of the game through local tournaments and they have embraced it. This event will allow us to take advantage of some of the outstanding stadia built or renovated for use in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in order to showcase cricket at the elite level. The ICC is examining the feasibility of continuing to stage a women s Twenty20 event at the same time as the men s tournament (as will happen with the 2009 event in England) and the ICC Board will make a decision on that matter in due course. The ICC Development Committee will consider the process to decide which of the leading Associate Member teams will take part in the tournament. L.P. Lorenzo Landscaping Inc. Commercial & Residential Property Maintenance 8301 NW 200 Terrace, Miami, FL Cell: (786) Shivnarine Chanderpaul - Best Batsman 2008 Muttiah Muralitharan - Best Bowler 2008 Sachin Tendulkar - Most Career Runs Scored FALL ISSUE

10 USA Cricket: Desmond Haynes Urges Action by USACA DreamCricket.com Desmond Haynes The Cricket Hall of Fame s 2008 Induction Ceremony was held on Saturday at the Hartford Downtown Marriott hotel in Hartford, Connecticut. The ceremony and dinner attracted well over 250 attendees, who gathered to witness the induction of two former Barbados and West Indies Test greats Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge, along with international umpire Mohamed Baksh and two US cricket organizers and administrators, Mascelles Bailey and Jeff Miller. Desmond Haynes urges action Two Hall of Fame inductees made stinging pleas to the United States of America Cricket Association (USA- CA), to make a greater cooperative effort in helping to develop and promote the sport in this country. Florida resident and 2008 Cricket Hall of Fame inductee Jefferson Miller in his acceptance remarks chided the USACA administration and appealed to USACA to move as quickly as possible in getting the Broward County Cricket Stadium approved as an authorized venue for the hosting of international matches, and generating interest in the venue as a cricket destination. Speaking about the underutilization of the stadium in Lauderhill, Florida, fellow inductee and former Barbados and West Indies opening batsman Desmond Haynes said, My message to the President of USACA is, get your act together. Haynes noted that USACA was suspended by the ICC for issues that were very easy to accomplish and observed that there is significant potential for growth of the game in USA. Haynes urged USACA to seek and exploit those opportunities instead of blocking the efforts of those who would like to do so. Haynes was apparently referring to the earlier plea of Jeff Miller seeking to have the stadium approved by the USACA board. Cricket greats inducted to Hall of Fame West Indies greats Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greendidge, cricket administrator - Mascelles Bailey, USA cricket organizer - Jeff Miller, and Guyanese international umpire - Mohamed Baksh were inducted to the Hall of Fame in Hartford in the presence of 250 guests including Hartford Mayor Eddie A. Perez, Council Members Veronica Airey-Wilson and Kenneth Kennedy. This year s inductees were recognized for their outstanding contribution to cricket, especially in the United States. Rev. Canon Wilborne Austin, B.D., and Harland Henry received Presidential Awards for their immense contributions to the Connecticut community. Two of the inductees, Greenidge and Haynes needed no introduction. But the audience still enjoyed a refresher as the organizers played a video of the opening pair wrecking opposing bowlers during their test careers. Jeff Miller, who is an active cricket administrator in Florida. [He is the the president of South Florida Alliance and as president raized funds for the league promoting cricket to a higher sandard] Mascelles Bailey, originally from Jamaica, was a co-founder of The Bankers Athletic Cricket League in New York in 1971, a league featuring several first-class cricketers working in the banking industry, at the time. A useful off-break and middle order batsman, Bailey also co-founded Lucas Sports Club in Brooklyn, NY with some well-known cricketers. The club reportedly is among the few cricket clubs in New York that have their own club house. In addition to playing in the Metropolitan League, the oldest and one of the largest leagues in USA, Bailey has served that organization in various capacities, including two stints as its President. Mohamed Nabbie Baksh of Guyana, served on a number of community organizations and regional cricket boards in the Caribbean. Baksh has to his credit, more than 25 years of officiating in Shell Shield and Red Stripe competitions in the West Indies. For a number of years, he was a member of the West Indies Cricket Umpires Training Examination Committee, and now serves as the chief training official for the United States of America Cricket Umpires Association (USACUA), based in New York. 10 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

11 THE STATEN ISLAND CRICKET CLUB A HISTORY Clarence Modeste The Staten Island club was founded on or about March 22nd One of the early names of the club was Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club. For several years the club played at St. George on the Flats or old camp Washington Terminal. The original 30 or 40 members were officers of the British Armed Forces who had migrated to this country. The original name suggests that the club played some role in the development and promulgation of baseball. The New York Times of Sunday 28th July 1872 reports the results of a cricket match between St. George CC and a Staten Island X1 played at Camp Washington, Staten Island on 7 July As there are no existing club records showing this or otherwise, may we assume that this was the first ever match played by SICC? The St. George CC beat the Staten Island X1 by 2 wickets. The Camp Washington site is also where the club hosted the first tennis match held in the United States. The club moved from the Flats (near the current Staten Island Ferry terminal) in 1885 to a part of the Delafield estate, and on January 18, 1886 ratified the purchase of this property for $40,000. Walker Park, named in honor and memory of a young area resident, Randolph St. George Walker Jr., a World War 1 hero, has been the home of the club since. Some of the names associated with the club in these early years and with the move from the Flats to Walker Park are: William Krebs, George S. Scofield Jr., William K. Jewett, William H. Davidge, E. H. Outerbridge and others. An interesting note here is that lawn tennis was discovered by Mary Ewing 1870s Painting of SICC Cricketer Outerbridge in the Bermudas, bought back to New York and found a home at the Staten Island cricket club grounds. Thus, Staten Island became the first home of American tennis and the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club the first host. The first United States national tournament, Davis Cup, was played at the club in Walker Park is bounded by Bard and Delafield Avenues, Delafield Place and Livingston Court. OTHER SPORTS Other sports found a home at the Walker Park ground. Lacrosse (1887), football (e.g., SICC vs. Theological Institute of New York, 1893), soccer (e.g., SICC vs. Yale, 1909), Tennis mentioned above, ( e.g., the National Tennis Championships in 1888; the Greater New York Championships, 1927, on 8 clay and 7 grass courts) were all played. The club also had a golf links at Fox Hills on Staten Island. The New York Times also reported on golf in 1898 and squash racquets in on November on November 10, The club takes pride in the fact that, as a cricket club, it has played cricket each year since its founding in Consequently, the club considers itself the oldest continuous, though not the oldest, cricket club in the United States. This remarkable and difficult feat was accomplished by hard working presidents who, during the World Wars, would gather fighting men who stopped over in New York for rest and refitting, for a game or two of cricket. We have no names from World War 1 but during World War 11, the late John Brebner (as told to Clarence Modeste, the current president), secretary for 15 years, vice president for 10 years and president for 30 years, single handedly kept cricket going. He would notify the British Counsel General s office that the club would welcome all Allied servicemen from warships docking in the Brooklyn Navy Yard for repairs. Games were scheduled during the week, at weekends, holidays or whenever possible. This contributed mightily to the continuity of cricket at the club. The first cricket at Walker Park, as reported by the New York Times of July 6, 1886, was played on July 5, The new grounds and clubhouses of the Staten Island Cricket Club were thronged yesterday by cricket enthusiasts and members of the Ladies Outdoor Amusement Club. The occasion was the annual match between the American and English members of the club. The report goes on to state that in the first innings the English were all out for 85 runs. But the Americans could not take advantage of this apparent favorable situation as MacGregor, an Continued on page 37 FALL ISSUE

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13 In Recognition Like most kids, Nawshad Chubb Bedessee had his summer jobs selling newspapers and working at dry cleaners while growing up in Toronto, Canada. He also played cricket with limited success at school. He recalls that once he figured in a 63-run partnership, but cannot remember how many runs he scored. First class cricket was not on his agenda, even though he has a strong affiliation with the game, which has been a part of most of his life. After high school, he joined the family sports/food business, which was started by his father, Lionel, more than 50 years ago, and now he runs Bedessee Imports Inc., in the East New York section of Brooklyn. This New York arm of the family business began in a modest 2,000 sq. ft. location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the 1980s to the now sprawling 60,000 sq. ft. warehouse and sports shop on Wortman Ave. For the past eight years the warehouse/ sports shop has been the jewel of Bedessee Imports Inc. in the United States North- East. This thriving family business involves Bedessee, now 39 and married with two children, his mother and father, four brothers and two sisters, who oversee the business in New York and Florida and the head office in Toronto. Over the years it has mushroomed and is now acknowledged as the largest retail, wholesale and distributor of cricket equipment in the US. Bedessee s father began the business in Courantyne Berbice, Guyana, in the 1950s before he uprooted the family and settled in Toronto in the 1970s. More than a decade later Lionel Bedessee decided to try his luck and chase the American Dream and set up the business with one of his sons, Verman, in New York before Nawshad Bedessee took control. While cricket may be the heart and soul of the sports side, it also imports, sells and distributes rugby, field hockey, netball and darts equipment. But there is more to this business than sporting equipment --- it also imports and distributes food products from the West Indies, the Caribbean and England. Cricket and food with the occasional sip of alcoholic beverage have always been a nice Chubb Bedessee Peter Simunovich summer mix, but the Bedessee family has taken it a step further. The East New York business has a full time staff of 30 with cricket creating the most business. It is number one from caps, gloves, bats, pads, balls, bowling machines, sightscreens, sweaters, catching cradles, special training balls everything in cricket, said Bedessee. Caps, hats and sweaters from all cricket countries are also sold, with India, Pakistan, the West Indies, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and England being the most popular with US cricket teams who have similar colors. While cricket is still a very minor sport in the US, Bedessee once fulfilled an unusual request from a woman who asked for a ball to be sent to a place called the North Pole in Alaska. And something that not many people know is that the US Government has bought and sent some cricket equipment to military ships in Iraq and Afghanistan for recreation purposes. They have to have some time off, too, said Bedessee. Rock star Eric Clapton, who is from England, once ordered cricket equipment so his musical crew could play while the band toured the US. It wasn t just a bat and ball for a friendly hit in a park, said Bedessee, who added: They asked for the full set of equipment, the whole kit, so they could play. And American comedian and actor Dennis Leary wanted to have a touch of English when he toured England. Instead of wearing tails and a top hat, he ordered a cricket uniform from Bedessee. It was a nice touch and went over really well with audiences. And another bunch of customers are the United Nations administration and consulates from cricket playing countries who get their equipment from him as staff from countries play against each other in unofficial, but competitive, internationals. Bedessee has also supplied about 500 bats and around 200 balls to a US Aid program for children in Guyana. Now he is working with them again --- this time the assignment is for school backpacks and air fresheners. Corporations like AT&T, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Target and TV broadcasters ESPN and Nickelodeon have also bought cricket gear from Bedessee to use in advertisements, promotions and commercials. Off the street people buy mostly the caps and sweaters of the West Indies and India, said Bedessee. He said a small percentage of Americans buy some cricket equipment to try to play and learn about the game, he said. In the past five years people from India and Pakistan are buying the most cricket equipment with the West Indies rounding the top three. Bedessee has noticed over the years that there are first and second generation children from cricket playing countries who are now living here and playing the game. The parents are passing the game on to their children and, he says, the children seem to love it. The business keeps Bedessee active all year round. There is a lot of export to the Caribbean. We get equipment from all over the world. We get bats, pads, balls, gloves and matting from India and Pakistan, balls from Australia, clothing, bags, balls, and helmets from China, and stumps from Pakistan and China, he said. Bedessee is very much hands on while running the family business and a few years ago he introduced his own line of cricket shirts and trousers under the brand name of Graddige. For the record, over the past 10 years the Graddige brand has sold 13,000 shirts and 13,000 trousers. And for the statistically minded, the Bedessee business has sold 26,022 bats, 76,250 balls, 8,886 pairs of pads, 12,619 caps and hats and more than 4,000 sets of stumps and bails in the same period. They are pretty good figures for cricket, a sport still considered minor in the US. FALL ISSUE

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15 Philadelphia, PA - Prior Cricket Club Joe Aman Joe Aman, President and Amar Pallavaram, Captain Philadelphia, PA the home of C.C. Morris Cricket Library at Haverford College is truly a historical area for cricket in the United States. The area elitist clubs include Marion Cricket Club, Germantown Cricket Club, Young America Cricket Club, Belmont Cricket Club and our very own Prior Cricket Club. Prior Cricket Club was founded in 1969 as Prior Cricket and Archery Club. As one can tell, both those interested in cricket and archery formed together to create a club that catered to their interests. The club was and still is located in beautiful Fairmont Park which is situated in the heart of Philadelphia. Prior was an offspring of two clubs formed back in the 1930 s, Fairmont Cricket Club and General Electric Cricket Club. These older clubs belonged to the Philadelphia Cricket, Archery and Casting Association which went back to the golden age of cricket in Philadelphia. When Prior was created, it became part of a new association known as the Philadelphia Cricket, Archery and Lawn Bowling Association. Today, Prior is a league club, which now belongs to the newly formed Philadelphia Cricket League. Actually, there is a long history of Prior Cricket Club aligning itself with other sporting clubs to form one association. In the 1930 s through the 1940 s, it was named the Philadelphia Cricket, Archery and Casting Association. As mentioned, Fairmont Cricket Club and GE Cricket Club were members, as were the Philadelphia Archery Club and the Dover Fishing Club. By the early 1950 s, Lawn Bowling joined the association and the name was changed to the Philadelphia Cricket, Archery and Lawn Bowling Association. It looks like the fish opted out from any more competitive events. In 1939, funds were raised by the members of Prior and other members of the Association to build a clubhouse in Fairmont Park. Labor for the construction of this house was provided by workers from Franklin D. Roosevelt s WPA program. The clubhouse was dedicated on October 31, By the late 70 s lawn bowling was gone. That left only Prior Cricket Club and the Philadelphia Archery Club. By the mid 1980 s a frisbee group known as the Philadelphia Area Disc Alliance (PADA) joined with Prior and the archers. The archers eventually withdrew in Today the field and clubhouse are maintained by both Prior and PADA. Prior Cricket Club Team Prior Cricket Club has a tough, active schedule involving league games from May through September. Friendly games start in April and go on through November with teams coming in from New York, New Jersey, Boston and the Washington, D.C. area. Today, significant strides have been made in providing cricket by the clubs esteemed skipper Vish Shahade. Under his captaincy the club is enjoying a 70% victory on their schedule games. This is a club with a history that has known members from all parts of the world with a love for cricket. Today, the membership is fortunate enough to have a lot of new, young, talented players who are hard working and enthusiastic. This club is privileged to be one of the very few clubs in the U.S. that boast an excellent home ground pitch, net practice facilities and a clubhouse full of amenities that make it very popular. The club is a happy, fun loving group that includes the families. Terry Fernandes, Secretary FALL ISSUE

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18 New York City Youth Cricket Kids Playing Kanga Cricket Curry Goat Match in Brian Piccolo Park, Broward County, Florida 18 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

19 Staten Island Cricket Club SICC in Florida 2003 SICC at the Durham Cricket Festival 2004 SICC at the Philadelphia Cricket Festival 2007 Stanford Superstars 20/20 for $20 Million Kevin Pietersen and Chris Gayle pose with the Stanford 20/20 For $20M Trophy Andre Fletcher Julien Fountain and Roger Harper Sammy appeals Pietersen bowled England in disarray Spectators enjoying the game Check presentation Team celebration FALL ISSUE

20 ICC Women s World Cup 2009 to be most widely viewed women s cricket event of all time Brian Murgatroyd ICC President David Morgan launched the first ever ICC Women s World Cup in Sydney and revealed it would be the most widely viewed women s cricket event of all time. At least six of the matches will be shown to a television audience spanning more than 100 countries thanks to our Broadcast Partners ESPN STAR Sports and its licensees, he said, looking ahead to next March s event that will feature the top eight sides in the world. It will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the best of the best at the pinnacle of the sport and it is the latest stage of what we believe will be the continuing increase in the profile of women s cricket in the months and years to come. There have been other world cups before this eight in fact and, as the women s event was first played in 1973, that means it pre-dates the first world cup for men by two years. But this event, to be played at six venues over 16 days, is the first to come under the ICC s banner and it is another brick in the wall of women s cricket, a wall that will grow taller and taller over time. The tournament will feature hosts and holders Australia, as well as England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Mr Morgan said that in the three years since the ICC took control of the women s game following its merger with the International Women s Cricket Council in 2005, significant strides had already been made to take the game forward. The number of our Members with some form of organised girls or women s activities has quadrupled in those three years, he said. We have incorporated the women s cricketer of the year award into the LG ICC Awards ceremony and two weeks ago in Mumbai we launched the Reliance Mobile ICC Women s Player Rankings. And next June we have the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in England, with women s and men s events being staged in tandem for the first time, including both semi-finals and the final on the same days at the same venues. Having the Women s World Cup take place in Australia is fitting given that the host is the defending champion and has won the title five times, more than any other side. And the fact it is under the ICC s banner is not only a landmark for the sport but is also entirely appropriate as 2009 is the ICC s centenary, he added. Mr Morgan thanked the ICC s commercial partners for playing a major role in assisting the growth of women s cricket. I have already mentioned ESPN STAR Sports and how it and its licensees will spread the tournament throughout the world but there are also our Global Partners Reliance Communications Limited, PepsiCo and LG Electronics, our Official Partners Emirates Airlines, Reebok and Yahoo and our Local Partner for this event, Events New South Wales. These organisations are vital to ensuring the ICC is able to hold an event of this scale and we thank them for their contribution to the game. Women s cricket and the ICC Women s World Cup will play a major part in ensuring 2009 will be a great year for cricket and a year which will see our strong sport continue to grow stronger, added Mr Morgan. About the Women s World Cup The Women s World Cup has been running for longer than the men s version and was first staged in England in 1973, when it was won by the hosts. Since then there have been a further seven tournaments with Australia winning five of them (1978, 1982, 1988, 1997 & 2005), England winning once more (in 1993) and New Zealand triumphing in The tournament has been staged twice each in England (1973 and 1993), India (1978 and 1997) and New Zealand (1982 and 2000) as well as Australia (1988) and South Africa (2005). 20 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

21 Cricket in America (paperback) - $39.95 Gavaskar (paperback) - $24.95 Tendulkar (paperback) - $24.95 Subscription rates for the USA: Annual: $25.00 Subscription rates for outside the USA: Annual: $35.00 Forms of Payment American Cricketer Shirt $24.95 Mailing Address: P.O. Box Miami Gardens, FL Check or Paypal 2-3 weeks delivery Telephone: (305) for all items Name: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Country: Annual Subscription Indicate Choice: $25.00 US** $35.00 International (non US)** ** Includes 6 issues Make sure payment and mailing information is correct to ensure proper delivery. FALL ISSUE

22 Stanford Superstars win $20 Million jackpot Imran Khan The Stanford Superstars have hit the $20 million jackpot. In a superb exhibition of cricket, they won the inaugural Stanford 20/20 for 20 with a ruthless triumph over England on Saturday night. In collecting $20 million, the richest team prize for a single sporting match, they made light work of their opponents to complete a ten-wicket victory that was the most emphatic win of the Stanford Super Series. A packed Stanford Cricket Ground and millions of television viewers watched them roll over England for a modest 99, the lowest total of the series. It then turned into a Chris Gayle party. The Stanford Superstars captain unleashed a ferocious assault in marching to an unbeaten 65 off only 45 balls. Gayle ended the match with his fifth six as the Stanford Superstars raced to the target in only 12.4 overs to set of widespread celebrations around the ground. After the winning check was handed over, confetti and champagne took over for a few moments before there was a spectacular fireworks display that carried the night s activities to a new level. Each of the 11 players who took to the field for the Stanford Superstars is now $1 million richer. The six non-playing members of the squad have $1 million to share, and another $1 million is to be divided among the 10-member management team. Words cannot explain how Chris Gayle 22 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008 feels. I have never felt like this before in any type of match, the Stanford Superstars captain said. This is better than anything in the world. I tell you that straight up. I am happy for the guys right now. A capacity crowd had already packed into the ground long before the scheduled 5:30 p.m. start and the excitement was starting to mount ahead of the first ball. Stanford Superstars with Allen Sanford It was bowled by Darren Sammy in what was viewed as a bit of a surprise move. Sammy sent down only one over in his first spell but when the captain brought him back, he came up trumps. The all-rounder claimed two wickets, one of which was danger man Kevin Pietersen and also held a nice catch at long-on. He finished with two for 13 from four excellent overs of fast-medium bowling and was the choice for the Man-of-the-match award. There was vital, sustained support with the ball and in the field as the Stanford Superstars took a firm grip of the match from early after England chose to bat first. Fast bowler Jerome Taylor bowled down openers Ian Bell and Matt Prior in the fourth over and Sammy kept the pressure on by removing Owais Shah and Pietersen to leave England 33 for four. It was a position from which they never recovered from as both Kieron Pollard and Sulieman Benn set them further back by sharing five wickets. As wickets continued to fall, the ground constantly erupted with celebrations and it was evident which team would shine on the night. Gayle exploded with awesome power, smashing five sixes and five fours in his unbeaten 65. One of the sixes was an amazing stroke over wide long-on and onto the big replay screen. Andre Fletcher, the initial aggressor who cracked Stuart Broad for three consecutive fours in the second over, played a good supporting role in an undefeated 32 off 31 balls. It was the captain who fittingly ended the match with a six over over long-on off Broad. It was a $20 million stroke. SCORES: England 99 in 19.5 overs (Samit Patel 22; Sulieman Benn , Darren Sammy , Jerome Taylor , Kieron Pollard ). Stanford Superstars in 12.4 overs (Chris Gayle 65 not out, Andre Fletcher 32 not out). Stanford Superstars won by 10 wickets.

23 Clarence Modeste DAMAGING THE PITCH--AREA TO BE PROTECTED It is unfair for any player deliberately to cause damage to the pitch. Players, in getting their job done: batting, bowling, fielding, are expected to avoid unnecessary damage to the pitch. An area of the pitch, referred to as protected area, is contained within a rectangle bounded at each end by imaginary lines parallel to the popping creases and 5 ft in front of each and on the sides by imaginary lines, one each side of the imaginary line joining the centers of the two middle stumps, each parallel to it and 1 ft from it. BOWLER RUNNING ON THE PROTECTED AREA AFTER DELIVERING THE BALL If the bowler, after delivering the ball, runs on the protected area as defined above, at the first instance, and when the ball is dead: (i) caution the bowler. This caution shall continue to apply throughout the innings. (ii) inform the other umpire, the captain of the fielding side and the batsmen of what has occurred. If, in that innings, the same bowler runs on the protected area again after delivering the ball, the umpire shall repeat the above procedure, indicating that this is a final warning. If, in that innings, the same bowler runs on the protected area a third time after delivering the ball, when the ball is dead the umpire shall (i) direct the captain of the fielding side to take the bowler off forthwith. If applicable, the over shall be completed by another bowler, who shall neither have bowled the previous over nor shall be allowed to bowl the next over. The bowler thus taken off shall not be allowed to bowl again in that innings. (ii) inform the other umpire, the batsmen and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred. THE PITCH (iii) both umpires shall report the occurrence, as soon as possible, to the Executive of the fielding side and to any Governing Body responsible for the match for appropriate action. The umpires must protect the whole pitch from unnecessary damage but the area known as the protected area needs special protection. FIELDER DAMAGING THE PITCH If any fielder, other than the bowler, causes avoidable damage to the pitch, at the first instance the umpire shall, when the ball is dead (i) caution the captain of the fielding team, indicating that this is a first and final warning. The caution shall apply throughout the innings. (ii) inform the other umpire and the batsmen of what has occurred. If there is any further avoidable damage to the pitch by any fielder in that innings, the umpire, when the ball is dead, (i) award 5 penalty runs to the batting side. (ii) inform the other umpire, the batsmen, the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred. (iii) the two umpires together shall report the occurrence, as soon as possible, to the Executive of the fielding side and any Governing body responsible for the match. BATSMAN DAMAGING THE PITCH If either batsman causes avoidable damage to the pitch, at the first instance the umpire shall, when the ball is dead, (i) caution the batsman. This caution shall continue throughout the innings. The umpire shall so inform each incoming batsman. (ii) inform the other umpire, the other batsman, the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side. If there is a second instance of avoidable damage to the pitch by any batsman in that innings (i) the umpire shall repeat the above procedure, indicating that this is a final warning. (ii) additional he shall disallow any runs to the batting side from that delivery other than penalty runs for a No ball or a Wide, if applicable. The batsmen shall return to their original ends. If there is any further avoidable damage to the pitch by any batsman in that innings, the umpire shall, when the ball is dead, (i) disallow any runs to the batting side from that delivery other than penalty runs from a No ball or a Wide, if applicable. The batsmen shall return to their original ends. (ii) additionally award 5 penalty runs to the fielding side. (iii) inform the other umpire, the other batsman, the captain of the fielding side and, as soon as practicable, the captain of the batting side of what has occurred. (iv) report the occurrence, with the other umpire, as soon as possible to the Executive of the batting side and any Governing Body responsible for the match. It is important for umpires to establish the meaning and interpretation of two words in this clause: damage and avoidable. Damage will occur every time anyone places a foot on the pitch. The placement of feet on the pitch means that the surface has been changed therefore damaged. It is crucial to determine if the damage could have been avoided. Where damage occurs it is important to determine if the damage was unavoidable, in which case no punitive action will be taken by the umpire. Umpires must monitor the actions of fielders running onto the pitch to field balls, a legitimate action. But fielders running on to the pitch at other times, for example to celebrate a wicket is not allowed. As with the fielding side, batsmen are expected keep off the pitch as much as possible and not cause avoidable damage to it. Batsmen are expected to run along side the pitch and down the middle and umpires are to monitor and ensure that this is done. It is unacceptable for the striker to run a straight line towards the bowler s end causing damage to the pitch. Batsmen frequently start running and change their minds after a short distance, suddenly turn and return to their ground. This action could cause considerable avoidable damage to the pitch and should take place off the pitch. When batsmen wish to have a discussion between overs they should so off the pitch. Reference: Tom Smith s Cricket Umpiring and Scoring FALL ISSUE

24 Lucaya Cricket Festival November 26 - November 30, 2008 Freeport, Bahamas Vintage Cricket Carnival October 11 - October 18, 2009 Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Sarasota Six-A-Side Festival November 26 - November 30, ICC s Division 1 Championship Games November 25 - November 30, 2008 Central Broward Regional Park & Brian Piccolo Park, Florida Golden Oldies August 8 - August 15, 2010 North Yorkshire, England VISAS August 2010 Victoria, British Columbia 24 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

25 Taylor, Jhulan and Sthalekar on Top of the World Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women s Rankings launched in Mumbai Claire Taylor of England, India captain Jhulan Goswami and Australia s Lisa Sthalekar are on top of the world in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women s Rankings which were launched in Mumbai on Thursday. Thirty-three-year-old Taylor spearheads a strong field of six England batters in the top 20 while fast bowler Jhulan leads the bowlers chart and Sthalekar is just ahead of her team-mate Shelley Nitschke in the all-rounders listing. The rankings have been introduced as part of the ICC s continued promotion of women s cricket. They will initially apply to ODI cricket only and will help identify where the leading players stand in women s international cricket to add further competition and context to their achievements. Sanjay Behl, head of branding at Reliance Communications, said: Reliance Mobile is privileged to be associated with the launch of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Women s Rankings. These rankings are the authoritative player rating guide, the first of its kind, which will officially recognize the talent and achievements of the game s leading players. Through the rankings system we hope that Reliance Mobile can play an important role in making the profile of individual players more prominent and contribute to the expansion of the sport. We are excited about this encouraging development and are proud to be associated with the overall ICC Rankings for cricketers in the international arena, he added. David Richardson, ICC General Manager Cricket, added: The ICC believes that great progress has been made in the development of the women s game since the merger with the International Women s Cricket Council in Through the development of the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings, we hope to bring added profile to the leading stars in the women s game, as part of our long-term commitment to growing the sport across the globe. With tournaments such as the ICC Women s World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 providing an exciting opportunity to bring increased attention to the game s top players, there has never been a more exciting time in the history of women s cricket. Leading batter Claire Taylor is one of 13 women cricketers to have played 100 or more ODIs and is the only female cricketer above the 800 ratings points mark. In women s ranking terms, 800 points marks out a player as truly remarkable. The England player heads the list clear of India s Mithali Raj and Lisa Sthalekar of Australia. Taylor said: To be number-one batsman in the world means a lot to me. It s something that I ve been aiming for since the World Cup in 2000, the point where I really thought I could have an impact on the game. However, it s not the most important thing this year. There are personal battles to be fought against great rivals, a World Cup to contest and perhaps win and an Ashes duel to finish off what promises to be an amazing 12 months. Jhulan, the ICC Women s Cricketer of the Year in 2007, leads the bowling table from England s Isa Guha and Shelley Nitschke of Australia. Sthalekar says she is delighted to be on top of the all-rounders rankings. It s great that the ICC is supporting women s cricket through the launch of the player rankings. It will add interest to the women s game and increase the profiles of the top players in the world. Hopefully this will give greater exposure to the women s cricket and provide more sponsorship opportunities as well, she said. The first set of the rankings have been released ahead of the eagerly awaited series between Australia and India to be played in Sydney and Canberra from 31 October to 9 November. The other series to be played in a lead up to the ICC Women s World Cup in March 2009 includes the five-match ODI series between the Sri Lanka and West Indies in Sri Lanka from 5 November to 12 November and the traditional Rose Bowl series between New Zealand and Australia in New Zealand from 1 to 12 February. Next year will be huge for women s cricket with the ICC Women s World Cup to be played in Sydney, Australia, from 7 to 22 March. This will be the first time the biggest event in women s cricket will be played under the banner of the ICC following the merger with the International Women s Cricket Council in Then in June, the ICC World Twenty20 in England will include a men s and women s competition running simultaneously. The semi-finals and final of the women s event will be played at the same venue on the same day as the men s tournament. FALL ISSUE

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27 CARDIO-RESPIRATORY TRAINING Rickie Ali Cardio respiratory training using STAGES The last article discussed how we can calculate you exercising heart rates using two formulas. As was mentioned the later one (KARVONEN) is most appropriate for athletes. THE FOLLOWING OVERVIEWS THE FORMULA: First determine your resting heart rate. Typically this should be between beats per minu te however for conditioned cricketers this can be beats, some may even have resting rates lower than fifty beats. Take your heart rate for one minute at the radial artery which is located just below the wrist on the thumb side of the hand. This should be done first thing in the morning upon awakening, while sitting still and very relaxed. Hypothetically let s assume the individual is 30-years old, resting heart rate 60 beats per minute. The formula will now calculate various heart rate exercising intensities stemming from 60% - to - 95% (age) = (resting heart rate used in calculation) = 130 (constant used in calculation) STAGE-1 (30-60 minutes) 60% = 130 x.60 = = 138 beats per minute working at 60% 65% = 130 x.65 = = 144 beast per minute working at 65% 70% = 130 x.70 = = 151 beats per minute working at 70% 75% = 130 x.75 = = 157 beats per minute working at 75% STAGE-2 (30-45 minutes) 76% = 130 x.78 = = 161 beats per minute working at 76% 80% = 130 x.80 = = 164 beats per minute working at 80% 85% = 130 x.85 = = 170 beats per minute working at 85% STAGE-3 (20-30 minutes) 86% = 130 x.86 = = 171 beats per minute working at 86% 90% = 130 x.90 = = 177 beats per minute working at 90% 95% = 130 x.95 = = 183 beats per minute working at 95% NOTE: When using any type of cardiovascular activity (in-door machines) or any type of appropriate out-door activity, posture alignment, good balance and movement mechanics (flexibility/ mobility) is essential in order to provide efficient performance, oxygen uptake and delivery to all functional systems and allow for good force absorption of forces throughout the kinetic chain, that will eliminate injury. STAGE TRAINING simply means using a systematic procedure to perform cardio-respiratory activity. Prior to performing the activity pre-warm-up thoroughly with self-myofascial release foam rolling for very tight areas only, then mobility stretches that are primarily activity specific. Conclude all cardiovascular activities with the appropriate flexibility continuum. PROCEDURE STAGE-1: perform stage one 3-5 times weekly for approximately 4-6 weeks to establish a good cardiovascular base. The activity can be anything appropriate (treadmill/ elliptical/ stationary bike/ running (grass/ track/ soft dirt) avoid hard concrete surfaces. After the pre-warm-up, begin with 5-10 ten minutes elevating the heart rate to desired intensity, hold it here for 20 or more minutes depending on your current level of fitness, then cool down for five minutes. The goal is to add time by 2-3 minutes every work-out to attain fifty minutes (with the five minute warm-up and cool down the entire time will be sixtyminutes). Once fifty minutes can be attained (it may take four weeks or more) increase the intensity to the higher end of stage one and complete one or more weeks, conclude all cardio-respiratory training with STATIC stretching. NOTE: for very de-conditioned individuals or those who may only have three days a week available it will take longer, that s OK, at your own pace, just be consistent and compliant. PROCEDURE STAGE-2: perform this stage for 2-3 days per week only along with one or two days at stage one. The activities and guidelines are similar to stage one. After the pre-warm-up, begin with 5-10 ten minutes elevating the heart rate to desired intensity for stage two. Hold it for 10 minutes - go back to stage one for 5 minutes go back to stage two and Hold it for 10 minutes go back to stage one for 5 minutes to cool down, continue this for about four weeks, if you do any more cardiovascular work during these weeks it will be one or two times at stage one for 45 minutes. During this four week phase the goal is to increase the intensity to the higher end of stage two. Conclude all stage two cardio-respiratory training with ACTIVE flexibility movements. PROCEDURE STAGE-3: perform this stage for 1-2 days per week only along with one or two days at stage one, or one day stage-one and another day Continued on page 35 FALL ISSUE

28 Legend: The Presence of Tendulkar Clifford Narinesingh It is the role of history to preserve for posterity acts and deeds of mean and women or creative genius and laudable achievements. For this reason literature of this genre makes appearance in the literary sphere. Any such attempt marks continuity in that it reaches deep into the past, explores the present and looks forward to the future. And heroes of the ilk of Tendulkar deserve such treatment. He has, through creative skill and extraordinary accomplishments, expressed his presence beyond the limits of his competitors and remained constant in his humanity and geniality. These virtues and achievements make him a living legendary icon. An attempt is made here to explore the unique career of a sporting icon who has embraced the true spirit of the game of cricket and whose achievement and presence act as a unifying force among his people and as a strong impetus for millions whom he encounters. Through his developmental path as his craft is explored, we gain insight into one who has impacted on the sporting world with a presence that inspires and motivates, a presence that acts as a catalyst for present and future players and the progress of Indian cricket in the world sphere. It is hoped that his relevance in the cricketing world and his presence in sports will not be seen only in terms of statistical achievements, for the work attempts to explore the larger implications of his impact as a national hero. It looks at his path to success which has been fraught with periods of failures, predicaments, controversies and 28 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008 dilemmas and most importantly the threat to a career through personal physical injuries. In many quarters he is thought of as one who took the torch from Gavaskar and continued to spearhead the renaissance in Indian cricket, particularly in the art of batsmanship. Not only is it shown in the achievements but in the quality of craft. Through his prodigious days of school during his development, he evinced the temperament, calm and discipline that make for heroism. And he has embraced his career and shaped it in a manner that has changed the psyche of Indian cricket and brought rejuvenation to his countrymen. One of the fascinating aspects of his career is that phenomenal ability to sty his course in a land where adulation and its excess border on the extreme, where demands are made to perform magically inspite of the limits of his mortality. That he has managed to condition himself and retain his genial spirit with a calm maturity, is on of the amazing qualities of his heroism. An attempt here is made to look critically at his contribution during the brighter times and the sometimes rugged path in his career. And as the work invites the attention of multiple audiences the sociologist, the historian, the educator, the literary analyst and the common reader, it is the belief that it would make connections and encourage meaningful transaction. In the process, it is hope that readers and the wider audience will view his career critically and openly and thus engage in objective analysis of his achievements. Sachin Tendulkar

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30 CRICKET WILL IT CATCH ON IN USA? DEFINITELY NOT, IN HIS LIFE TIME K.C.S. Rao KCS Rao (K.C.S. Rao was the Publisher and Editor of WEEKEND CRICKET a monthly cricket magazine in USA. He is also on the Editorial Board of AMERICAN CRICKETER and contributes regularly). This is a question today, on the minds of everyone playing cricket in USA. This has been the question for the past four or five decades and no tangible answer has been found, yet. Everyone elected to various offices of cricket administration U.S.A. Cricket Association and its affiliates apparently always use in their rhetoric about promoting cricket in USA and making it a popular game. No one, not even the writer, has seen anything tangible in this direction over the past four-five decades. If there is any growth in the number of clubs and cricket associations in this country, it is because of liberal immigration policies of the US Government since This was further enhanced due to Y2K (during millennium transition) and the consequent outsourcing of labor by local employers. The influx of immigrants on H-1 visas from cricket playing countries, like India, Pakistan, England, Australia, Bangladesh, West Indies, and others have immensely contributed to the growth of cricket clubs in USA. This is definitely, not because of the efforts of cricket administration in this country. In fact, it could be safely said here that the standard has deteriorated because of the internal politics that prevail within the cricket administration, not only in the national organization but also in its affiliate bodies. In the opinion of the writer, increase in number of clubs formed by the immigrants does not reflect the growth of cricket in this country. The writer considers that growth and/or promotion of cricket is reflected only when one sees Americans playing the game and help form clubs to enter the local leagues. These players may not be necessarily Caucasians, but any one who is by birth an American meaning second generation immigrants, could be Indian, Pakistani, West Indians, and others. Let us look at the cricket played in this country. Cricket has been played in this country over one hundred years there used to be an annual game between Canada and USA in the past. These games were played by Immigrants of British and Australian origin, later by immigrants from other cricket-playing countries. There is nothing in the history to indicate any effort made to promote the game to the local Americans nor could the historians say that this is not the case. History reveals that England who once ruled half of the world, promoted cricket (Englishman s game) in the countries they ruled. Result, today, such countries like Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South African countries and others are considered cricket-playing countries. Now coming to post-war (World War II) era, some cricket was played within the immigrant community. Those who started playing cricket were those who migrated to USA result of liberal US Immigration policies of Their goal was not that of promoting and popularizing this game in USA. It was difficult for them as it was to the writer at that stage of their life to learn a new game, like Baseball, American Football, (not popular in countries where the migrants have come from), Basketball or play any team game. A team game normally requires blending of culture, mindset, etc. amongst players and as a new immigrant it is much more difficult. They were merely happy to continue playing the game they knew and keeping it alive. There was no other purpose at that time than playing the game and making friends. It is possible that at the time, they considered letting their children (second generation) to adapt to American games. Now that we have immigrant population in millions from cricket-playing countries and their children, the focus should change if we want cricket to catch on within USA. We should not just stop with playing the game but should go a step further to promote the game in the community we live in. As immigrants, we have made great progress in contributing to the society we live in, in the fields of science and technology. We should also try to promote cricket. It will be similar to teaching fishing to a fisherman s son. Second generation immigrants from cricket playing countries should be our first target. They could relate easily with the game and we have plenty of them now that do not play cricket. If we target these kids, they would potentially bring along with them their buddies. The next step should be to focus on local Americans by going to schools and exposing them to this game. Not every one in school represents the school team. We should start some leagues for inter-school cricket. This would attract kids who, otherwise, do not get a chance to represent the school. Some of the school(s) representatives the writer had conversations with expressed willingness to permit cricket in their school. Their main concern was funding for this program. School administrators would Continued on page AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

31 Stickey Wicket continued from page 30 not allocate any funds for a sport that is not in the list of activities approved by the School District. This is where the local cricket administration comes to play the part. Digressing from the topic for a second let me take you through the normal concern one hears about our National Team s age and their performance in the ICC tournament. In 1965 the immigration quota was released for permitting professionals in various fields as there was shortage of labor in those fields in USA. Engineers, Nurses, PhDs in various fields, other professionally qualified people (most with Master s degrees from their own countries) with some work experience were allowed to migrate to this country. The average age for such immigrants was around 30. Some of these played some good cricket back home and continued to play this game here. Was it their priority? Definitely not. Their first priority was to secure a job and settle down. It is possible that the City, in which they got an employment, may not be playing the game. If some one was lucky enough to get a job in a City where cricket is being played, they continued to play this game. In most of the affiliated countries of International Cricket Conference (ICC), Citizenship is a requirement to represent the country in any ICC sponsored tournament. It takes five continuous (uninterrupted) years of stay in USA for a Green Card holder to qualify for citizenship. In five years, the immigrant becomes 35 years old. Mind you, he is a weekend and weakened cricketer! Meaning physical fitness is not his priority he is not used to playing more than a day in a week. He is selected to represent USA and made to play three to five days consecutively. Some of these players are more than 35 years old. In fact, even a youngster (meaning less than 35) performs pathetically on the field because he is not used to playing more than two to three days of cricket consecutively. Under the circumstances, you will have only older people representing the country. Teaching cricket to young Americans in a systematic way is the only way to popularize and establish this game in this country. Chalking out a plan and developing a blue print for execution is the first major step in the right direction. This situation becomes worse when people come on H-1 visa (through outsourcing). H-1 visa holders are given six years time within which to have employers file petition and obtain Green Card. Thereafter they will have a five year period from that date prior to getting a citizenship. Such immigrants will be much older than the immigrants who represented USA in the past in this sport. Coming back to cricket Catching up in USA, it can be done. Today, a player selected to represent USA is typically 35 years or over when other cricket playing countries retire their player at that age. Though representing a country is considered an achievement, let us put the laurels aside and think of giving something back to the game in the interest of promoting the game. One should consider that people play cricket after a certain age, not because of getting laurels but because of the passion to the game. It is recommended that cricket administration at all levels in USA should emphasize on its players to give back something to the game. Players for representative games at all levels should be selected not only on their performance but also on their service to the game. The local administration should establish contact with the schools and/or school district in the beginning of the school year and promise them that without any cost to the school, the local cricket administration, would provide coaching and tools to the kids of the school. By the second year, the school would be ready to enter into a tournament conducted by the local cricket administration for schools under various age groups, such as under 12, under 14 and under 16. The local administration should get sponsors for these tournaments, which could come from local businessmen, similar to Junior Soccer League, local park baseball league, etc. No player, however good he is, should be selected for the representative XI unless and until he has served a minimum of six days or more in a year coaching the boys at the school selected by the cricket administration. With so many clubs in the local league, it should work out to one day a month for players, if not less. In smaller towns, it could be more as the number of clubs/players is limited. It is saddening to note that Florida had a 20-over tournament spending around $1.5 million and called it cricket promotion. This tournament was played by have been (players of the past era) and such tournaments will be attended by only those who know the game and not by anyone aspiring to learn the game. Additionally, those who know the game would love to see the current and/or immediate past players from other countries playing the game against a matching opponent. In the opinion of the writer, it is considered a waste of resources. Had this amount been spent in funding a set of schools in certain areas as a pilot project and then hold tournaments amongst those schools, would have been considered a great first step towards promoting cricket in this country. It would also be considered a business success as these children while learning the game and representing their schools would turn around and buy the uniforms and cricket equipment. Business as usual will not help to promote cricket in this country. The writer fails to see it s catching up in this country in his life time! Are there any challengers from cricket administration in USACA and/or its affiliates? In conclusion, it is only our hope that USACA and its affiliates come up with a 3-5 year plan and a blue print to promote cricket amongst schools and spend its resources on holding inter-school tournaments in each region for various age groups. It is high time the cricket administrators focus their attention on promoting and popularizing this game. FALL ISSUE

32 Indians returning fire with fire Sunil Gavaskar, Dreamcricket.com It s been quite an interesting few days, not so much for what has happened on the field but more so at the exchange of words that has taken place between those connected with the game. It s not just the Indians returning fire on the Aussies but also making a statement against the media. Ever since the commercialisation of the game began, one of the factors that changed was that players who hardly ever spoke on record to the media were now duty bound to offer their priceless views to the media after a days play. This has been a boon to the media who have expanded incredibly and in India the press conference can have as many as 200 people in attendance excluding the cameramen. Often after the player has given his views on the days play which can often be tepid copy, he is asked to react to something that someone especially from the opposition has said and that can bring out what the media is actually looking for its next headlines. Anil Kumble who can be the mildest of men off the field had his say about the media in his column particularly after all the stories which were mainly speculative about the future of the senior players in the Indian team and when asked by the media responded that those were not his views alone but also those of his team. His decision to rest his injured shoulder and give himself an opportunity to be fully fit for the next two tests is typical of the man whose heart is in the right place. He knew that he was not going to be able to bowl in the manner in which he is used to and he was not going to play at anything below his best. Those who brought out the jaw breaking injury in 32 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008 Antigua must remember that he was in the middle of the test when he got that injury and it tells a lot of his determination to do his job that he still came out to bowl with that handicap. In this instance he knew of his injury beforehand and so was aware that if he went in a test in that shape then he wouldn t be doing his team any favours and in fact letting it down and so he withdrew from the test. It is the kind of decision that you would expect from someone who has given his all to Indian cricket and entirely in keeping with the man s persona and full compliments to him for that. Zaheer Khan s comments after getting the man-of-the match award in the first test at Benguluru expectedly stirred up the Australians who believe that they hold the monopoly of making adverse comments about the opposition but the opposition cannot do so and return the compliments. Zaheer was just trying to rub-in the fact that Australia were not able to get him and Harbhajan Singh out in their partnership and he therefore believed that they didn t have the bowling attack to dismiss India out twice. He also added for good measure that Australia who believe in scoring at more than four runs an over had not been able to do so at Benguluru and so weren t the team they were once. Without McGrath, Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist the Australians are of course not the awesome team they were but they are still the top of the tree. With the passing of time some skills do become less and so the effectiveness is reduced but the great players and teams invariably use the experience gathered over the years to adjust to the slowing of reflexes and diminishing of skills so anybody who writes off this Australian team is kidding himself. Zaheer was obviously trying to get under the Aussie skins and he succeeded because the reaction from Ponting came soon after suggesting that it was unusual for Zaheer to do well and so he must have said what he did about the Aussies but indeed by reacting in this manner Ponting pretty much confirmed what Zaheer was saying about this Australian team not being the same as earlier teams. After all Zaheer did not have that success against previous Aussie teams did he? Zaheer s success also showed that apart from sledging the Indians are also learning that the tail should not be throwing their wickets away but hanging in there especially if a regular batsman is batting at the other end. Look at the way Staurt Clark stuck around with Michael Hussey in the warm up tour game and added almost a hundred runs and also helped Hussey get to his century. The number of times Steve Waugh has gone to a century or taken Australia to a top score with tailenders for company is countless. Of course it is easier for tailenders to hang around a lot more now that there is a restriction on the bouncers and not too many genuine pacers around but its still admirable the manner in which Zaheer and Harbhajan applied themselves in the first test and no less behind were Anil Kumble and Ishant Sharma who too had to be prized out by the Australians. The second test has begun and the little champion has become the highest run getter in test history and so far the only fireworks have been the ones seen after he reached the landmark and lets hope that it stays that way for the rest of the tour.

33 Making History Abdulrazak Fazal, Tanzania Journalist We are a nation [India] that goes hysterical about milestones. One reason may be that Indians don t set many. Sachin Tendulkar is an exception and we, a cricket-crazy country, have toasted every single achievement of his. Sachin reached yet another milestone on Friday [October 17, 2008] when he became the highest scorer of runs in Test cricket. He now has the highest aggregate of runs scored in both Test and one-day cricket. That s a unique record that will remain hard to challenge well into the future. He also holds the record of having the highest number of centuries in all formats of international cricket. Twenty20 has too short a history to be treated on par with Tests and one-day games. Never has a single cricketer held all these records at the same time. Of his contemporaries, Ricky Ponting has the best chance of matching Sachin s achievements in Tests. The Aussie captain may get to go past Sachin s runs tally in Tests and his 39 Test hundreds. But, at 34, Ponting is unlikely to overtake Sachin s records in one-dayers. Sachin, just a year older than Ponting, has over 16,000 runs and 42 centuries in oneday matches. That s 5,000 runs and 16 hundreds more than Ponting s. These bits of statistics reveal why Sachin is not just considered among the greats of all time but also the mostcomplete batsman of his time. Is statistics the only reason why Sachin is a unique cricketer? Hardly. He would have been called a great even if these milestones had not been achieved. His stroke play and inventiveness on the cricket field have a lot in common with legends like Gary Sobers and Viv Richards. These cricketers were not mere match-winners but influential personalities who stamped their genius on the game. Brian Lara, whose record Sachin breasted on Friday, could match Sachin stroke for stroke. The comparison ends there. Lara did not have to carry the hopes of a billion people on his shoulders. Sachin has been not just the premier batsman of his team but its chief mentor and motivator. As his first captain K Srikkanth remarked, he has taken the field for 19 years with the same enthusiasm that he first displayed as a 16-year-old debutant in Pakistan in In many ways, Sachin built on the legacy of Sunil Gavaskar who changed the way Indians played cricket and the way the world saw Indian cricket. Both represented the spirit of their times. If Gavaskar was a representative of pre-liberalisation India, cautious and circumspect in its dealings with the world, Sachin came to symbolise the India of the 1990s, assertive and aggressive in intent and willing to take on the world. There is every reason to celebrate Sachin. Zaheer Khan found guilty of offence contrary to Spirit of Cricket India fast bowler fined 80 per cent of match fee for Level 2 breach ICC - Brian Murgatroyd India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been fined 80 per cent of his match fee after breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the second Test against Australia in Mohali. At a hearing in front of match referee Chris Broad, Khan pleaded guilty to a Level 2 charge under clause C1 of the ICC Code of Conduct which states that players shall at all times conduct play within in the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws of Cricket. The incident that led to the charge being laid took place after the fall of the first wicket in Australia s second innings on day four of the match. Once Australia opener Matthew Hayden was dismissed by Harbhajan Singh, Khan ran from his fielding position towards the outgoing batsman. He then circled the batsman and shouted at him in an aggressive manner before returning to his team-mates. Clearly, this sort of behaviour is not acceptable at any level of cricket it showed a lack of respect for the player who had been dismissed, said Broad, who is a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. Respect for the opposition was something that we talked about in the pre-series meeting I had with both captains and so it was disappointing that Zaheer behaved in this way. However, in considering the penalty, I took into account the fact that Zaheer had a good disciplinary record. He also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and was very apologetic while also promising not to repeat the offence. The charge against Khan was laid by the umpires. The penalty for a Level 2 offence is a fine of between 50 and 100 per cent of the player s match fee and/or a maximum ban of one Test match or two ODIs. For Level 2 offences players have the right to appeal against an adjudicator s decision within 24 hours of notification of that decision. In attendance at the hearing were the match referee, all four umpires, Zaheer Khan and India coach Gary Kirsten. FALL ISSUE

34 Chandradath Singh Readers will recall that Broward County constructed the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) as part of the County s efforts to provide recreational facilities for its diverse population. Included in this park is a world class (mixed use) stadium with four (4) cricket pitches built to host cricket games at the International level. The County also built two (2) turf pitches at Brian Piccolo Park and installed three (3) artificial turf pitches, imported from the U.K at both parks. In keeping with its aim to be the cricket center of the USA, Broward County will be hosting the ICC [International Cricket Council] Division 1 Championship games at CBRP and Brian Piccolo Park from November 25, 2008 to November 30, There will be three games played per day (simultaneously for five days on the turf and artificial pitches at CBRP and on the turf wicket at Brian Piccolo Park. All games begin at 10:00 am and finish at 5:45 pm. Official teams representing the USA, Canada, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Suriname will be vying for this prestigious ICC trophy. In addition to the expertise of an outstanding turf specialist the County has employed at CBRP, it will also be utilizing the services of one of the best cricket curators in the West Indies to ensure that the cricket pitches for these games are prepared at the highest level. That curator, Mr. Shekar Mano from Queen s Park Florida ICC Trophy Chandradath Singh, Broward County Parks and Recreation Cricket Park in Trinidad, will be here from November 15, 2008 to November 29, 2008 conducting training sessions for County staff and helping with preparations of the pitches for these games. According to ICC rules, any tournament that includes countries in the category of Bermuda and Canada must be played at ICC certified venues. In this connection, the County applied several months ago for ICC s certification of CBRP and this application has been endorsed by the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA). ICC s Referee and well known cricket star Jeff Crowe has been assigned the job by the ICC and he will begin the process on November 18, Assuming that we meet all the requirements of the ICC, we expect this certification to be completed before the games begin and that CBRP will join the prestigious league of venues around the world that are certified by the ICC to host Test and ODI games. Meanwhile, Broward County extends a warm and cordial welcome to all officials and cricketers visiting the County for this prestigious tournament. 34 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

35 Physical Fitness continued from page 27 stage-two. The activity guidelines are the same. Perform the pre-warm-up, then begin with 10 minutes beginning at the higher end of stage one, gradually moving to stage two (spending two-minutes here) and elevating the heart rate to desired intensity (lower middle higher end of stage three depending on your current fitness level). EXAMPLE: Warm-up 10-mins (moving through stages one two) elevating heart rate to stage three Hold for 60- seconds at stage three go back to stage two Hold for 60 seconds go back to stage three Hold for 60-seconds go back to stage one (higher end or whatever will allow recovery) Hold for 5-10 minutes then REPEAT ABOVE NOTE: During any stage of cardiovascular training but particularly stage three training, when you are utilizing this stage upon completion of the first stage three and moving back down to stage two, make sure the heart rate also drops appropriately, if not this indicates overtraining/ tiredness/ lack of sleeprest/ improper nutrition or any combination. Decrease the exercise difficulty to lower the heart rate and spend about ten-fifteen minutes to conclude. The key is to avoid excessive stress on the heart and lungs that could lead to compromise to these tissues NOT A SENSIBLE THING. The goal here is to gradually increase the difficulty of the time spent at stage three If possible. Conclude all cardiovascular training with dynamic flexibility movements. CRICKETERS WORK LOAD TIMES *Determine the time taken to run one two three four runs *Determine the time taken to run down a boundary hit from various position(s) *Determine the time taken it takes to throw the ball back to these bowlers from the boundary and the completion of the next delivery -Fast bowler -Medium pace bowler -Spin bowler RECOVERY TIMES *Determine the time taken to transition the field after completion of an over *Determine the time taken to change batsmen after a wicket fell EXAMPLE: PLUGGING THESE TIMES INTO STAGES BEGINNING 4-6 weeks (if necessary adjust pace to your fitness level) Longer recovery time (falling of a wicket) Stage-1 Fast bowler time (typically their run up is longer) Stage-2 Time taken to run down a boundary and running three - four runs time Stage -3 INTERMEDIATE4-6 weeks (if necessary adjust pace to your fitness level) Second longest recovery time (field transition) Stage -1 Medium pacer time (their run up is not as long) Stage-2 Time taken to run two runs Stage-3 ADVANCED4-6 weeks (if necessary adjust pace to your fitness level) Longer recovery time Stage-1 Spin bowler time Stage-2 Time taken to steal (sprint) a single Stage-3 FALL ISSUE

36 Initial Movement/Press Zubin Bharucha Zubin Bharucha There is a lot of debate regarding an initial movement/ pushing forward or the forward press as deployed by a lot of players from those countries who are not brought up on slow and low wickets. One needs to understand the dynamics behind the forward press and its purpose. There are two aspects. Transfer of weight as well as to get into a good position to play the sweep. Both these can be counteracted through better less risky options. With a little bit of practice early in their careers (against spinners on turning wickets) players from countries who are not used to spinning conditions would be able to adapt easily to the same without the restrictions of the forward press. If one were to argue the objective of the forward press is to get into a good position to sweep, this line of thought itself is self defeating and sets you down the road to failure, as one needs to remain neutral to play all around the wicket to give yourself more options and not pre-empt a particular shot. We believe players need to be constantly exposed to playing against spin and conditions which assist spin, before deciding a particular type of method needs to be adopted. To admit one is not capable enough, and hence the forward press as a standard rule for everyone is not logical. Further, using the forward press hinders the very essence of what all the top quality player s propagate to counter quality spin i.e. the use of the depth of the crease and the full range of ones forward and back foot movements. When one forward presses this range of movement is restricted, as by taking a small step forward getting back is definitely restricted, and two movements to get back are virtually impossible (unless one is playing mickey mouse bowlers). Another vital aspect the forward press restricts is the ability to judge length, as by committing so much so early you have automatically restricted yourself to playing at a certain length and adjusting becomes even more difficult. Hence, if we take a forward movement and misjudge the length (which will be more often that not), and now need to go back to play the ball, your front foot will go back to where the back foot is positioned (i.e. leg stump) instead of in line with the ball, leaving you with no option but to then stick your bat out at the ball or fish for the ball as they say. This scenario is no different while playing fast bowling, when one commits early on ones front foot and misjudges the length -- then the batsman decides to go back, which takes them to where their back foot is situated (i.e. on leg stump) while the ball continues down the off side leaving the batsman no option but to hang his/her bat outside the off stump. Use of feet while playing spinners does not necessarily mean stepping out of ones crease to play the ball, but actually the appropriate use of the depth of the crease. Although, learning to step out is an art one needs to learn not only to score runs but also disrupt the bowlers thinking. The simplest way to counter the restrictions of the forward press is to simply take weight off your back foot, so that all your weight is on your front leg, yet you have not committed and so in a great position to make one forward movement or transfer weight and move back to play. Moreover, it has the same effect, but with none of the restrictions that come with a forward press. Here the batsman has pressed forward but realizes he has misjudged the length, so he decides to move back. continued on page AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008

37 The Staten Island Cricket Club A History continued from page 11 English bowler, took nine wickets at an average of over just 2 runs per over. The Americans scored 66 runs. In the second innings the English scored 79 runs. One American, Pool, was reported to have bowled well in both innings. The game was decided on first innings scores. After the match was over the members sat down to their first dinner in their new clubhouse. The first big cricket match of the season, in this vicinity, was played on the new grounds of the Staten Island Cricket Club, at West Brighton, reported the New York Times of July 18, The Merion Cricket Club, of Philadelphia, were the opponents of the home club. Neither team was fairly representative, yet the play throughout the game was good. Twelve men were played on each side, and only 79 runs were made in the first innings by the 24 batsmen. Not one of the Merions made double figures, and only Butler, 16; R. MacGregor, 15; and E. H. Outerbridge, 10, made more than single figures for the home club. The score at the end of first innings was: Staten Island, 57; Merions, 22. The Staten Islanders went on to bat a second time and made 91 runs. The club flourished at the new facility. On July 30th, the Ladies Clubhouse ( a beautiful structure in the Queen Anne style ) was opened, and fashionable equipages lined one side of the ground near the tennis nets which were occupied by ladies in light summer costumes. In early September, English tourists captained by WE Rollin were entertained, and on September 13th and 14th, the club played against (and beat) a team from the West Indies. By the end of the first season, the club accepted 158 new members and was now the great social as well as sporting club on the island. In June 1889, over eight hundred attended a fund-raising fete champetre held by the club: if any other place appeared quite so pretty as the grounds of Staten Island Cricket Club, history remains mute about it, gushed the Times report. The above quotes are all attributed to the New York Times. Notable matches were played. In October 1891, Lord Hawke s X1 played an All- New York X1 before 2,000 spectators (although the English visitors turned up late and in dribs and drabs. Hawke himself was indisposed, ). In 1893, an All-New York team played the touring Australians (yes, the Test team), and a cricket contest somewhat out of the usual run was played between SICC and a West Indian X1 drawn from New York cricketers. In 1895, a combined Oxford and Cambridge team played New York, and in 1897 P.F. Warner s England team (featuring Gilbert Jessop) also played. Again the quotes are from The New York Times. Richard Bayles, in his History of Richmond County, Staten Island, (L. E. Preston & Co. NYC, 1887) noted that...today the principal games played are cricket, baseball and tennis...has a membership of over five hundred making it one of the largest, if not the largest club of its kind in the U.S.A....most of the famous cricket matches which have taken place in New York have been arranged by this club...and the games that took place on the grounds of the SICC in September 1885 between the SICC and the visiting gentlemen of England was one of the most important events in the annals of cricket in this country. Although Philadelphia was undoubtably the centre of American cricket no other American club existing at the time was known to host an MCC sponsored Gentlemen tour. To further illustrate the rich tradition of organized sport enjoyed by the SICC, in 1886, the illustrated Sketch Book of Staten Island described the then professional baseball club, the Metropolitan Baseball Club, as playing out of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club s facilities. It was this team that later became the New York Giants and who now play in the National League as the San Francisco Giants. The Staten Island Cricket Club has, over its history, hosted many touring teams and has, itself, gone on a number of tours. Among touring teams hosted on its grounds as reported in the New York Times are the following: Gentlemen of Ireland, 1879; English Cricketers, August 17, 1886; West Indies, September13 and 14, 1886; SICC (2 week tour) of West Indies, August 1, 1887; English on tour, 1881; Australians (test team) vs. All New York Team, October 4, 1883; a combined Oxford and Cambridge Team, September 1, 1895; English cricketers, September 14, 1897; Canadian and English (War Mission Team), July 20, 1918; Australian team, July 18, 1932 (Bradman scored 35); Queensland, Australia, July 8, 1962; SICC tour of West Indies, March 12, 1967; MCC team vs. SICC, September 3, Some other teams visiting: Hyderabad Blues of Pakistan; New Zealand Touring Team; Old Collegians of Australia; Touring teams from several West Indian Islands. HARD TIMES In 1899, the club suffered a serious misfortune when a fire partially destroyed the clubhouse. This led to serious discussions about whether to relocate to Fox Hills, Staten Island, where the club had a golf links and where much of the membership now congregated. However, by May 1900 the club, in liquidation, had given up the golf links. In August 1900, a foreclosure sale of the ground was announced. Somehow, the club and its home continued on page 38 FALL ISSUE

38 The Staten Island Cricket Club A History continued from page 37 Coaching continued from page 33 He has no options but to take his front foot back to where the back foot is, this leaves the batsman in a terrible position to now play the ball and invariably he/ she is left with simply hanging the bat outside the stumps. This is both while playing fast bowlers and spinners of course the problem is accentuated a lot more when playing fast bowlers and less so while playing spinners as there is more time to adjust. The picture above shows, how this early forward movement/press alters the ability of the batsman to get in line with the ball. This happens often when one is just beginning ones innings. If you have committed one mistake by going forward to a shorter ball don t commit another by then going back, stay where you are and leave the ball or combat it from where you are, you have a better chance of surviving/coping. 38 AMERICAN CRICKETER FALL ISSUE 2008 survived together, so that in 1907 the MCC played New York at Livingston. (Walker Park, Livingston and Delafield speak to the same property). Among famous cricketers, other than Sir Donald Bradman, to have played on the Staten Island grounds are: Sir Everton Weeks (played in 1967 with MCC vs. a New York team), Sir Garfield Sobers (as part of belated th anniversary at Walker Park), W.G. Grace, Indian Prince K.S. Rankitfinhhji, Allan Border and a young Geoffrey Boycott as well as Joel Garner. But things were changing. Cricket had fallen out of fashion with New York society. In 1925 Walker Park was sold to the Staten Island Academy. It was subsequently purchased by New York City in 1930 for $110, and transferred to the Parks Department in At the time of the transfer the ground contained a club house with lockers and showers, a refreshment building and three tool sheds. Tragically, another fire in 1932 burned the club house down and most of the club s records were lost. The club house was replaced in 1934 with the current Tudor-style structure of red brick and stone. In 1934, the park was named Walker Park in honor and memory of Randolph Walker Jr., a devoted member of the club and a war hero, and also in recognition of the park s special connection to cricket. As Parks Commissioner Henry Stern noted in his letter written to the club in 1988, when Parks gained jurisdiction over the five-acre parcel... renaming it Walker Park, it promised that cricket would always have the first choice of games played. And so cricket continued to be played led by John Brebner, who served as president for 30 years and a further 25 years in other offices, SICC remained and continue to play at Walker Park. As noted earlier, the club hosted the Australians, with Don Bradman opening the batting in In 1967, the club hosted a match between a New York team and an MCC team including Everton Weeks. In 1988, during belated celebrations of the club s 100th anniversary at Walker Park, Garfield Sobers graced the field. The club looks forward to further occasions of this kind, and indeed, in 2009 will likely again host a match against a visiting MCC team. The club is also looking forward to celebrating its 125th anniversary at Walker Park in In the years since 1988 the club has toured Trinidad and Tobago four times. We have also toured South Florida several times, each time featuring a match with the Grenada cricket club. The club has also made several tours of the United Kingdom. The last two tours to England featured games at the Durham Cricket Festival in 2000 and And each year for the last 12 years the club has spent the Labor Day weekend in Toronto where we are hosted by the Ajax and York cricket clubs respectively. The club s current Fixtures List shows it playing twice a weekend. We maintain the wicket ourselves, and voluntarily plant flowers along the perimeter of the park. We pride ourselves in our excellent relations with our neighbors and with the Parks Department, whose permission is yearly required to play at the ground. As a result, Walker Park remains today as true to its cricketing mission as it was a century ago. Long may this continue.