Beyond the Test World
May 21, 2007
Posted by Martin Williamson on 05/21/2007 in USA
New York recognises cricket as varsity sport

While the row over who runs US cricket rumbles on, some good news from New York where the New York Times reports that the city will become the first school district in the country to recognise cricket as an official varsity sport.

As many as seven schools in Brooklyn and Queens have expressed interest in fielding teams when the Public Schools Athletic League launches the season in the spring, education officials said, and recent weekend clinics have drawn scores of students.

"When I saw the ad on the wall I said, 'Damn, I've got to be dreaming,' " said Avinash Sookhwa, a junior at John Adams High School in Queens who emigrated from Guyana in 2004. "It was a feeling like being down to the last point and the game is in your hands. All I wanted to do was play."

Comments (8)
Posted by: Nafi Karim at May 21, 2007 8:17 PM

It's good to see the USACA doing something like the clinics and hope something like this happens here in LA.

Posted by: pratik at May 24, 2007 10:59 AM

I hope it spreads all over the US. I live in NY but not near Brooklyn or Queens.

Posted by: Colin Edmondson at May 31, 2007 2:46 AM

This is a long overdue but welcome move by New York City School District. I can only hope that all the other Metropolitan school districts in the country follow suit.

Posted by: Colin Siller at May 31, 2007 7:14 PM

Myself and Jimmy Adams, the former West Indies captain, are coming to the USA in the next 6 months or so, if any Association or Club wishes to have one of our Coaching Clinics please e mail me at colinsiller@yahoo.com. Everyone will know Jimmy Adams, as for myself, I was the Assistant Coach for the Canadian National Team in 2005 and have coached around the world, some of my Irish protege's made a name for themselves in the World Cup including Boyd Rankin, Eoin Morgan and William Porterfield.

Posted by: Steve Weisse at June 1, 2007 2:28 PM


Here's an excerpt from the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, NY. We've managed to get cricket approved as a CLUB sport, but we're hoping it will gain varsity status soon....
Anything that grows this great sport in the U.S. is great!

A ball, a bat a . . . wicket?

Author: MATT VOLKE

Gazette Reporter
Date: May 10, 2007
Publication: Daily Gazette, The (Schenectady, NY)
Edition:Schenectady/Albany; Final
Column:SCHENECTADY
Length: 618 Words
Page: A1

In Guyana, cricket is played by youths and adults, often on any patch of land available. In the United States, not so much.

But a group of students at Schenectady High School played their first match Wednesday in Kailberg Park against Albany High School -- a club that has been around several years but has not actually played a match, for lack of competition.

Schenectady provided that, gaining a "10-wickets victory," said coach Steven Weisse,...

Posted by: khawar at June 19, 2007 2:10 PM

wow this is great news. i hope this spreads all over the US and other countries. Kids should step up and enjoy the beautiful game of cricket.

Posted by: joseph at July 27, 2007 9:48 PM

its finally good to here of cricket playing in the us.... i hope this spreads all over the country and they statrt to play internaionally

Posted by: mir ahmed at September 2, 2009 5:05 PM

hi
iam mir .and i am a good cricketer iam an albaycety.i need a help can i paled cricket her an usa .iwas com to pakistanso pales geveme some helap

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