Clifford Hamilton & his mother,Angel

by John A. Aaron

One Emerging Sports Star in a Graduation Performance ,another one loses his life: A tale of two talents.

In one part of New York City a graduating high school senior is stabbed to death in a parking lot following his just concluded high school graduation ceremony, in the Bronx. Indeed, a tragic loss for the family of the young high school football star with such a promising future.   It’s a parent’s nightmare having brought any child along so far, so well, and so promising.

In another part of New York City, a promising young man graduates high school and celebrates a sporting accomplishment the same day.

Two sets of parents, two sets of hopes, two sets of ambitions, two promising careers in sports, one marred by a tragic circumstance, one celebrated. Clifford Hamilton did not know Isayah Muller, nor did they ever meet each other.

 Why the parallels? They both graduated high school and experienced different circumstances shortly thereafter, and following their cap and gown ceremonies on graduation day. Isayah Muller, 19, was a high school football star who graduated from Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx, NY and was tragically killed on the same day. The Truman Mustangs running back reportedly ran for 290 yards and scored two touchdowns last November, as the Mustangs won their first-ever PSAL Bowl title.

Such a promising football star cut down in the prime of his youthful life, just hours after his graduation ceremony and during an argument his father was engaged in with a couple of parking lot attendants that turned ugly, near Lehman College in the Bronx.

 Across the Whitestone Bridge Clifford Hamilton, 17, last Sunday graduated from Elmont Memorial High School in Elmont, NY and attended his graduation ceremony at Hofstra University. Hours later Clifford would take strike from the umpire for his team Golden Arrow/Tenelec Cricket Club in Queens at “The Cage” in the Eastern American Cricket Association league.

The youngest player on the team that includes some veteran cricket players, Hamilton would open the batting for his team against Atlantis Cricket Club, led by another 2011 high school graduate Prashanth Nair.

What is remarkable about Hamilton’s performance on the day of his celebrating graduation from high school was the fact that the young wicket-keeper batsman would top score for his team with 88 not out, batting out all 40 overs allotted to his team, a feat many older players fail to accomplish on the best of their days.

Hamilton’s accomplishment may be seen as a coming-of-age celebration, as his mother Angel watched from the sidelines, like an angel protecting her charge. The batsman’s top score, albeit in a losing cause for Golden Arrow/Tenelec was an exercise in patience, stroke-play, tenacity, and love for the sport he started playing at a much earlier age in his native Guyana, before migrating to the USA with his mother Angel Welch. He would not reach the much coveted 100, because his team ran out of overs. Not a tragic thing in itself, because there will always be next Sunday.

 However, the Mustangs running back Isayah Muller tragically ran out of time in a parking lot. Top scorer Clifford Hamilton celebrated his graduation with teammates and his mother by his side, grinning from ear-to-ear.

 The Elmont Memorial High School wrestling and baseball star, plans on attending City College of the City University of New York, to study architecture this fall on a full academic scholarship. He hopes to be selected to the cricket team at City College – a part of the American College Cricket program.

 Carla Angel Welch said she was extremely proud of her son’s accomplishments and noted, “He has come a long way in cricket, since coming to the USA.” The single-parent Mom, who tries to attend all of her son Clifford’s matches, said she is very supportive of his efforts both in school and on the cricket field. The shy and somewhat reserved young cricketing talent also plays in the NYPD Cricket League alongside USA Under-19 star all-rounder Azurdeen “Andy” Mohammed, for the Superstars.

 Young Hamilton says he’s looking forward to attending City College this fall and feels very confident that he will accomplish his goal of becoming an architect, because he already took more than three advanced courses in architecture in his senior year in high school and on the latest computer-aided architecture software. He’s well on his way.

Two lives, one tragedy, one celebration – salvage a future in architecture and USA cricket. Clifford Hamilton said, “I was happy with my score last Sunday, but was disappointed that my team lost the match.”

Our children are our future and we need to cherish their accomplishments, and encourage them on and off the field, while we hope they grow up, aspire, graduate, and accomplish their own dreams without tragedy. Let’s continue to celebrate running back Isayah Muller’s accomplishments in his short span here, through the feats of an emerging cricket star Clifford Hamilton.

Artwork by Kishan Dass

During the summer of 2010, when I saw the results from the New York leagues every week, one name popping up – Prashant Nair!  At the age of 17, Prashant was playing for the Atlantis Cricket Club and devastating league teams with his leg-spin bowling. In one game he took 8 wickets for 16 runs off 5.3 overs!

It’s no surprise then to see Prashant included in the squad of 14 USA Under-19 players to play the West Indies Under-19 in Florida in July, and potentially to travel to Ireland for the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifiers.

At the end of last season I was invited to the Atlantis Cricket Club Awards Presentation Dinner, and watched Prashant take away almost every award. This season, just before his 18th birthday Prashant was appointed cricket captain of Atlantis CC.

The Atlantis Cricket Club has a 45-year history and includes, as most league teams do, some “elder statesmen” of the game, so for an 18 year-old to take over the reins as captain of a club with such a rich history and tradition is truly a remarkable feat. It also shows the confidence the club’s administration has in the young man. Secretary of USA Cricket John Aaron and NY Regional Chairman Lester Hooper are both members of the Atlantis Executive board.

Prashant said: ”I first started playing cricket when I was nine years-old for a club in India…then made the state’s Under-13 when I was 12…I also played at the Kerala Under-15 level too.    I was coached by BCCI level coaches when I was in India…then when I came to America at age 15, I was lucky to be coached by one of the best coaches in this country, Coach Linden Fraser.”

Nair has also played in the NYPD league, “God willing, I hope I will be there in the final 14 man squad to go to Ireland for the ICC Global Qualifiers,” he said.

The pre-college student added, “I’m also really looking forward to playing cricket at City College, where I will be studying mechanical engineering.” One of the reasons he picked City College is because last fall the school joined American College Cricket and played in the Northeast Championship, “It will be great for me, and I am sure it will help my cricketing career.” Nair added, “American College Cricket has given great opportunities for young cricketers in this country.”

John Aaron tells the story of how one day while out of town, he called Prashant at the end of an Atlantis game to find Atlantis had crushed their opponents. When he heard that Prashant, one of Atlantis’ best bowlers, had not bowled, John asked, “How come?” Prashant replied that the other bowlers were doing the job (getting wickets) so he thought it best to let them continue. It simply shows how unselfish the young man can be.

“Atlantis is doing a great job as a team, and we are undefeated in the Eastern American Cricket Association league so far,” Prashant informed us.    Not surprisingly his favorite bowler is Shane Warne, and his favorite batsman and cricketer is Sachin Tendulkar.”Cricket is my passion, and playing consistently at a high level is my goal.”

Prashant Nair likes hip hop, R n B and Indian music, and likes watching comedies and sports movies -whilst his good looks and earing have caught the eyes of a few young women at his school.

A polite and respectful young man, he lives in Coney Island, Brooklyn with his parents and a sister.

On July 12, playing in his 3rd game for the USA, against the West Indies Under 19 Team Prashant Nair took 5 wickets for 57 runs in 10 overs. A bright spot for the seriously over-matched USA Under 19 team.

Prashant Nair

CCNY lifting their Captain Dixit"Danny"Patel after he hit the winning runs

The cricket team at York College was formed in less than 3 months,from hard work by Mohammed Suleman, together with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah. Astoundingly, in a school where a huge proportion of the students come from a cricket background, there was no cricket.

York College cricket then went to the nationals,the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, and performed incredibly well to reach the Finals. Last Sunday at the Northeast Championship York College was challenged by a team from City College of New York, another City University of New York (CUNY) school, for bragging rights as the top CUNY cricket team, though York was without 2 of its top players.

The scene was the beautiful Idlewild cricket field on a cold autumn morning. The grass was immaculate, but after a week’s rain the turf was soft and balls stopped where they landed, like a helicopter. Runs were hard to come by.The York Cardinals batted first and lost 2 quick wickets for 13 runs before Mohit Chopra (22 runs) and Khizar Abbas (12) steadied things and took the score to 52 before Abbas went. Neither scored a boundary.

BASIL TO HUGO D’OLIVEIRA

Hugo D’Oliveira bears the same last name as the renowned Basil D’Oliveira- who was a catalyst for the worldwide sports boycott which eventually led to the downfall of apatheid in South Africa. Hugo had enjoyed the previous day at the Championship,blasted 2 sixes and 2 fours in his 31 runs to take the York college Cardinals to 125 for 7 off their 20 overs – a respectable total in the contitions. Rod Michael contributed 15. The City College Beavers’ Captain Dixit Patel claimed 2 wickets for 23 runs whilst Rifat Hussein took 2 for 22,including D’Oliveira.

Yasneen Khan of York demonstrated a dynamic runup and some pace at the March national Championship, but root canal 2 days before the Northeast Championship had caused significant weightloss. Khan was reduced to to a short runup and medium pace but he swung the ball, on a good line to rock the City College batting, taking 3 early wickets for 16 runs !

After 12 overs City College Beavers was 55 for 6 and York College Cardinals was on top. The Beavers Captain Dixit Patel and Rubinder Singh were determined though, Singh cracked 2 fours and 1 six in his 23 runs, whilst Patel smashed a 4 and brought up the win with a 6, his 2nd to take the game MVP honors ! Patel finished on 28 not out.

City College won in the 17th over by 3 wickets in the first cricket game between 2 CUNY schools-the first of many more to come !

The Beavers Faculty Advisor Herbert Seignored was pleased with his team’s performance at the American College Cricket Northeast Championship and pledged his support to American College Cricket’s President Lloyd Jodah and VP Nino DiLoreto. Jodah said the next step should be for the CUNY schools to get their own cricket field .

Dixit Patel with Shanae Strachan (Ms Teen Bahamas 2008)

Rifat Hussein CCNY

A future American College Cricket player