REGISTER for the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship : Contact Lloyd Jodah,President. Dogevpr2@aim.com , 646 515 0712

EXCLUSIVE MEDIA PARTNER : In USA & Canada, TV Asia will televise the Semis & Finals of the Spring Break Championship (nationals), and the Semis & Finals at least 6 of our Regionals in 2012. International options are being explored.
http://tvasiausa.com/images/pdf/acc.pdf

Additionally highlights will be shown from the regionals & nationals other matches and reports on American College Cricket clubs throughout the year.

TV Asia will host a Bollywood concert in the break between the Semis & finals on March 18

FLIGHTS : the nationals is March 13 -18 – a fun time to be in Florida so millions of college kids will be going there. The earlier you can book your flights the better.

TEAM COMPOSITION : Undergrads, Grads, MD & Phd students, & up to 2 alumni in the playing XI (if your school rules allow) . A minimum of 2 Undergrads. The touring squad may be as large as you wish.

As in all our tournaments, ROSTERS are verified by the school. Teams must be picked regardless of nationality.

UNIFORMS : All uniforms must have your school and American College Cricket logos ONLY. No exceptions.Teams not adhering to this will NOT play. Going forward new uniforms will have “American College Cricket” written across the torso (see 2011 York College photo) – before ordering uniforms contact Lloyd.
HATS : must be school or American College Cricket caps or hats or plain.

DOWN THE LEGSIDE : this is not baseball,with a known strike zone. Balls deemed playable on the legside (within about 3 inches of the leg stump) will NOT be called a wide – so practice your leg-side shots !

FACEBOOK : Every player must “like” the Facebook Fanpage of our website: “AmericanCollegeCricket.com”.

WHERE & WHEN : Ft Lauderdale, Florida…….March 13 – 18, 2012. March 12 available for practice.

FIELDS : As in the past 3 Championships we will use the CBRP (Central Broward Regional Park) Cricket Stadium (ICC-Certified for ODIs) & its satellite fields, as well as Brian Piccolo fields in Ft Lauderdale Flordia.
http://www.broward.org/Parks/CentralBrowardRegionalPark/Pages/Default.aspx

The Stadium’s wicket is TURF. The satellite fields are ARTIFICIAL (not matting or carpet) that drain well and play fast and bouncy.Brian Piccolo wickets are turf, but they have been playing with a matting on top for cost savings.

The outfields are the best in the USA. The grass is cut low.

HOTEL : We have used Quality Inn Sawgrass Conference Center .They have provided us with a good rate & facilities, allowing 4 to a room. Free hot breakfast. Free transportation to & from the Stadium fields. Free Wi Fi.
http://www.qualityinn.com/hotel-plantation-florida-FL798?promo=pmfgqifl798&chain=Q&seg=stAFYfl8i|pmt|b&aid=10327316233&pkw=quality%20inn%20sawgrass%20conference%20center&tid=1547ere10489

We will announce when you can start booking at this hotel. Teams staying anywhere else are responsible for their own transportation to & from the fields.

NEARBY BEACHES etc – The beaches and attractions of Ft Lauderdale, South Beach and Miami are all close by.

SCORING : Each team will provide a scorer for each game. The games at the Stadium will be computer-scored.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS : Many of our players have been interviewed by their college & other media such as New York Times, Washington Post, NY Daily News, India Times, etc. TV Asia will also be interviewing you so be prepared to speak in front of a camera, as a representative of your College team, and American College Cricket.

Do NOT refer to cricket as a “gentleman’s game” !

CLUBS ON THE WEB: I suggest every club have a Facebook group or Fanpage (you figure out which is better), and a page on your College’s website. You can also send major info to AmericanCollegeCricket.com.
I DON”T recommend you have your own website – its too much work, & often difficult to get someone to maintain it.

CONFERENCES : Last year we webcast the drawing of the groups. This year we will either televise on TV Asia or webcast the drawing. This year the Top 8 seeds will be separated, so we don’t have the “Group of Death” like last year.

Therefore your Ranking going into the Championship is important – how can you help your ranking outside of tournaments ? Post AmericanCollegeCricket.com articles on Facebook & other Social Media.

Do other off the field activities – get an article in your college media ! This will also help your team earn Bonus Points going into the Championship.

UMPIRES, FIELDS, BALLS,STUMPS : are provided by American College Cricket.

HELMETS : mandatory against all medium & fast bowlers. Mandatory for in close fielders & wicketkeeper standing up.

TIME LIMITS : Each game will finish in 3 hours or less – we have done this for the past 3 years, & it works well.
We’re adding penalties for delays by batting or fielding side.

NUMBER OF GAMES : In 2010 we played 47 games, in 2011 over 65 in 5 days. In 2012 each team will play a minmum of 3 or 4 matches, plus the playoffs & Finals if you make it.

SPONSORS: do NOT sign an agreement with a sponsor without contacting Lloyd.

EQUIPMENT : our preferred vender is CricketzoneUSA.com, contact Ravi 347 387 2381.

American College Cricket GEAR : is now available for purchasing through CricketzoneUSA – check our website.

COLLEGE SOCCER FIELDS: Thanks to Arvin Varma & the Trojans Cricket Club, we used the USC soccer field for the West Coast Championship – using a matting pitch. It was incredible ! The outfield was the best we have played on anywhere – resulting in REAL batting – not “bush” cricket !

Work with your college admin to get access to school soccer fields to play ! Contact Lloyd for more info.

QUESTIONS or to start a club in your college , contact Lloyd Jodah by phone, email or Facebook.

So it was with USC tailgaters watching, American College Cricketers battled on the USC soccer field – delighting in playing on the best outfield I have seen a cricket game played on in the USA !

The tailgaters ate & drank, and asked questions about cricket and what they were witnessing – they the unexpected cricket contest as a build up to the USC Trojans vs UCLA Bruins football game !

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE WHOLE.

The Trojans Cricket Club of the University of Southern California (USC) and the Southern California Junior Cricket Association hosted the American College Cricket West Coast Championship this Thanksgiving Weekend for the TV Asia Trophy.

The perfect outfield was fast, and allowed playing of shots like real cricket – along the ground! This was definitely not “bush cricket” as novelist Joseph O’Neill said.

Ammerican College Cricket Advisory Board members David Sentance and Arvin Varma played huge roles in a delightful weekend of competition, as a TV Asia crew reported on the West Coast Championship – next year the 3 games – the Semis and the Finals will be televised from California.

The USC Trojans played undefeated winning all their games, including the Finals vs Thunderbird Graduate School of Global Management. Ravi Thimbawala was declared the Championship MVP for his batting which included scores of 74,44 and 32. Ravi also took 4 wickets with his medium pace, and a run out.

UC Riverside made their American College Cricket debut, won 1 game and lost 1.

The Thunderbird team once again made the 8 hour drive from Arizona, and lost in the Finals for the 2nd year to USC.

USC won their game against rivals UCLA Bruins, just as the Trojans did later in football.

The air was electric as thousands of fans tailgated Saturday for the USC/UCLA football game – hundreds did so whilst watching the American College Cricket teams play on the USC campus.

Led by faculty advisor and founder Arvin Varma,and Club President Tarun Sandhu, being part of American College Cricket has raised the profile of the University of Southern Caliifornia (USC Trojans) Cricket Club. In turn the club is a pillar of American College Cricket on the West Coast.

After participation in the 2010 nationals, Trojans Cricket was elevated in status at the school. In the fall, it won the first match vs rivals UCLA, and took the American College Cricket West Coast Championship.

In Feb 2011 USC President Max Nikias presented a USC Cricket jersey to Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata in India.

Now USC Trojans Cricket is the only sport prominently featured – at minute 2.50 – in the latest USC Global Promotional video !

USC President Max Nikias presenting a USC Cricket jersey to Chairman Ratan Tata,in India, in Feb 2011.

The USC and UCLA teams at Cromwell Stadium,after the inaugural game in the USC/UCLA cricket rivalry,for the American College Cricket Sentance-Varma Trophy

Only started for the Southeast Championship, the cricket club at the University of Tampa, led by Kaushall Vaddiraj has already garnered attention in the school media. The team is eager to make an impact in the nationals, and go further than their cross town rivals the USF Bulls. The team has had valuable playing time on the Stadium pitches in recent months, and will feel at home.

The guys at University of Maryland Baltimore County return with a very strong record. Apart from reaching the Semi Finals of last year’s American College Cricket Championship, UMBC also won the WMCB league T20 tournament in Maryland, and performed well in the local 40 overs league as well. Stars like Raghav Bharadwarj and Eraj Abidi, under Sumeet Chordiya’s captaincy and Anand Patel’s Club Presidency, give UMBC a good chance at taking the Chanderpaul Trophy back to its original home state of Maryland.

Pioneering Boston University Cricket Club is a cornerstone of American College Cricket and in 2010 they were given the honor of playing the first college cricket match at the Cricket Stadium. In recognition of their role in bringing positive attention to their school, the team has received very generous funding from their administration. The team’s President and Captain is Ankush Chandra, and includes talented Hayat Khan, who is representative of a new breed of American cricket player, having played in the NYC high school (PSAL) and the NYPD United Cricket Leagues.

USC Trojans took the West Coast Championship, with a top score of 95 from Harsh Sowani and good batting by Duhyant Sharma.Tarun Sandhu, their Vice captain & Club President is also a 6’6 fast bowler, whose fluid runup and height can cause some nightmares for batsmen. The Trojans and Thunderbird School of Global Management will get the chance to renew their rivalry, as both teams are in the same group.

UMBC Roster for 2011 Nationals:

Sumeet Chordiya (c)
Rikin Parikh (vc)
Faisel Maniar
Ananth Ranga
Eraj Abidi
Anand Patel
Chirag Vani (w/k)
Raghav Bharadwaj
Gurnish Singh
Austin Aluvathingal
Dhaval Vaghasia
Naga Perni
Abhishek Pandey
Amarvir Brar
Viswanath Mulukuthla

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Ankush Chandra-Captain
Salil Nanda- Vice captain
Hayat Khan
Shayaan MehdI
Tejas Atawane
Rohan Roy
Siddharth Kothari
Vidit Munshi
Abhishek Kanapuraju
Sathvik Seshadri
Muzammil Muhammad
Rajasekhar Vamaraju
Mandela Kiran

UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA

Kaushal Vaddiraj
Vatsal Vora
Nishchay Batra
Ali Azam
Ammad Hakim
Adithya Vuppala
Prakash V
Roshane Hewitt
Kunal Desai
Kushal Desai
Sahil Sheth
Naushad Ninzer
Abraham Azan
Sanket Gandhi
Ishan Patel

USC TROJANS Cricket team

1. Mishal Patel
2. Tarun Tyagi (C)
3. Srinivas Mohan
4. Harshad Sowani
5. Rishabh Nanda
6. Dushyant Sharma
7. Jeet Poonater
8. Tarun Sandhu
9. Thimmiah BS (WK)
10. Vikram Saini (WK)
11. Pranay Dua
12. Ketan Phaye
13. Arvin Varma – Manager

USC President Max Nikkias presenting a USC Trojans Cricket jersey to Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group

USC President CL Max Nikias presenting Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata with a USC Trojans Cricket shirt, in Mumbai.

A USC leadership delegation—led by President C. L. Max Nikias, first lady Niki Nikias, board chairman Ed Roski and Gayle Garner Roski—set forth today on a 10-day journey to Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore, India.

On their first evening in India, they were hosted by famed businessman Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries, one of the world’s largest private conglomerates.

The delegation visited the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (Mumbai). The IITs represent India’s elite higher-education research enterprise, which has spawned legions of innovators in India, Silicon Valley and elsewhere.

USC Trustee Ratan Tata, the Chairman of India’s influential Tata Group, one of India’s most legendary and successful global enterprises of the past decades and an icon of India’s global emergence, is hosting the delegation throughout their visit.

“The USC Trojans Cricket Club was started by Arvin Varma, now an Assistant Director of Recreational Sport at USC, and in the past year and a half, as a member of American College Cricket has grown exponentially with Tarun Sandhu as Club President.” said Lloyd Jodah, American College Cricket President.
READ MORE
http://indiadelegation.usc.edu/

Photo courtesy of the HindustanTimes.com

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