Cricket jumps onto UW-Whitewater sports scene
Released: September 7, 2003
he game of cricket will officially hop onto the recreational sport scene this fall at UW-Whitewater. A cricket field has been installed north of the baseball diamond off Schwager Drive and a kick-off match is set for Sat., Sept. 13 at 1 p.m. between two Milwaukee cricket club teams.
The event is free and open to the public. Food and beverages will be available along with a display of cricket equipment and instructional sheets describing the game. Chancellor Jack Miller will throw the opening pitch.
“We are excited to acquaint students and others to this global sport which is played in over 40 countries around the world,” said Lawrence Kenney, associate dean of the College of Education. “We are securing equipment for students to use this fall. A course on how to play cricket is being developed for spring and a summer cricket camp for boys and girls is being planned.”
UW-Whitewater faculty members will be playing in the Sept. 13 match. Choton Basu, management, and Sobitha Samaranayake, mathematical and computer science, both play on a Milwaukee United Cricket Club team. Leonard Morgan, testing, is the current president of the Milwaukee Cricket Club and an avid supporter.
“Cricket was an integral part of my upbringing in Jamaica,” Morgan said. “Unquestionably it was the first sport to which I was introduced. I greatly admire the discipline and skills required to be a bona fide cricketer. It’s a game of high etiquette.”
UW-Whitewater currently is the only Wisconsin campus to sponsor the sport. The game’s popularity is rising in the Midwest due to better organization and more resources. In 1995 the Midwest Cricket Conference League consisted of 12 teams. Today there are 45 teams making up two divisions. The city of Madison alone has more than 100 active team members.
“Bringing cricket to UW-Whitewater puts us on the leading edge of the game’s growth, similar to the surge in soccer in this country some years ago,” said Basu, a native of India. “It’s a plus for many foreign students who will be attracted to the opportunity.”
Somewhat like baseball, the game of cricket requires two teams of 11 players who each get a chance to bat and bowl. The aim is to get the rival players “out” and to score the most runs. The game is played on a large field although most of the action takes place on a specially prepared area known as the pitch. This 10 by 22 foot rectangle must be a flat, predictable surface allowing the ball to bounce. At each end of the pitch are three wooden sticks called wickets which act somewhat like the bases in baseball. Players wear protective gear including pads, helmets and gloves.
- Jane Provorse ,provorsj@uww.edu
