American College Cricket » USF

Top Clubs of the Year 2012 !

ljodah — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:22:36 +0000

: BU Cricket, 2012 Nationals

It’s difficult to pick a Club of the Year – all of our Clubs that make it to the Nationals, especially those from outside of Florida, do a lot of work to get there. But we can’t pat ourselves on the back for accomplishing the minimum – we have to do a lot more.

Use of Social media is extremely important for organisations, causes, businesses and since late 2008 we have been urging our members to learn to use Facebook to promote our cause. Some of you are doing a great job ! Here are the Top Clubs on Facebook (mostly powered by the students named) :

University at Buffalo - Ashaab Alam, Parth Parikh

Texas Tech - Amit & Vishnu Chaudhary, Arjun Tuli

York College - Mohammad Suleman

Embry Riddle – Harsh Gothwal, Jerin Chacko

Florida International - Sagar & Santhosh Reddy

College of Wooster - Naman Jain

TOP CLUBS (Overall) 2012

Boston University :

One of the 5 pioneering clubs that played in the first American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, BU has played in every national Championship and regionals, getting to the Semis this year & playing on TV Asia. Original players like Shilpin Makwana, & Ankush Chandra remain active in the club with new strong leadership like Hayat Khan.

This year the club got an article, & produced a superb video, featured in BU media. But the masterpiece was the moving headline Banner, featuring the BU cricketers in action, on the Homepage of Boston University – it not only gave American College Cricket tremendous visibility among non-cricketers but was an exciting banner by itself !

Club President Hayat Khan, with American College Cricket assistance, is working on getting cricket taught as a credit course – a tremendous development if approved !

As we originally intended in 2009, BU helped the development in 2012, of new clubs at Harvard and Northeastern, including playing of practice matches.

Penn State University :

The club has the distinction of having a qualified Coach, on the Penn State staff, who travels with the team. This marks a huge step for American College Cricket which we hope to be emulated in other colleges. The club has also been given good access to practice facilities similar to other club sports at Penn State. Coach David Chakravorty (from Australia) also provided excellent ball by ball TV commentary for the Finals in March.

Once again, as they did in 2011, Penn State traveled to, and played in 2 regionals: this time the Mid West & Mid Atlantic, such is their enthusiasm for American College Cricket. A young team, they just missed making the Semis in the Mid Atlantic.

In April, Penn State University gave the club won the Most Improved Club Award to the Cricket Club.and the leadership of Haris Mohiuddin.

Texas A & M University

The Aggies started the year by largely organizing the first South West regional in Jan, on their own new cricket field – and hosted 4 other college teams: West Texas A & M, Texas Tech, UH Cougars and UH Clearlake with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah.

Texas A & M won the South West Championship in convincing fashion , and continued their unbeaten streak in American College Cricket, earning them a # 1 National ranking !

At the Nationals they finally were overcome by eventual Champions York College in the final four, after going unbeaten for 11 matches. But the manner in which they conducted themselves won them the “Spirit of Cricket” Award.

In the Fall they had their annual internal tournament and ended the year by marshalling hundreds of votes on Facebook for their left handed strokeplayer Anurag Verma as a College Player of the Year !

Texas Tech University

Throughout the year, the club has been vibrant, and engaged in activites that elevate its profile like : Fed Day (where it competed against other Tech clubs in Flag Tag, Dodge Ball, Tug o War etc & was asked, “Where did you get Coca Cola as a sponsor ?”) and Sports Club Publicity Day. The club also featured in a photo shoot.

Many members of Texas Tech Raiders Cricket Club, particularly Amit & Vishu Chaudhary, Arjun Tuli and alum Baiju Shah, regularly share AmericanCollegeCricket.com stories on their personal Facebook profiles, doing their part in helping to build our fanbase.

Texas Tech took 2 trips to the South West regional in College Station, and to the Nationals in Ft Lauderdale and have been practicing regularly for the upcoming American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in March. Though far from other Texan teams the club is eager to host a regional.

With its own cricket field Texas Tech is a shining example in our goal to develop infrastructure. However construction may happen on the site,so the Cricket Club has begun to look at what is neccessary to ensure another, hopefully even better field, is acquired.

More than any other club, the graduates of the Raider Cricket Club who have moved to different places, have remained supportive in financial & other ways. We hope this example will be emulated by alumni of all our clubs.

University of South Florida ;

Another of our pioneering 5 clubs from 2009 USF has been the most consistent club on the field and this year they were Finalists in the Nationals again, & the South East regionals. Their Facebook cover highlights American College Cricket, TV Asia & Coca Cola.

USF has been using the CRICHQ app for all their matches (thanks to Satish Hanumanthu) and this has ensured the performances of their top players like 2012 College Player of the Year Abdullah Sheikh, 2012 Nationals MVP Sai Ramesh & centurion Krunal Bhange,got the recognition they deserved, & are recorded for posterity.

For the 2nd year USF held a large tape ball tournament, where they applied lessons learnt from American College Cricket for Facebook promotion, and webstreaming for their draft they wore formal wear).

However, bafflingly they have not received any coverage by their USF media (to our knowledge) in the past 4 years – the only one of our major clubs to not get this recognition. We hope this is changed soon.

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The Top Clubs of the Year were chosen from teams that played in the Nationals. A point was awarded to each winner of a Regional, or a Quarter Finalist of the Nationals. The National Champions earned 2 points.

All other points were based on getting media coverage, Facebook & other Social Media promoting, accomplishments off the field such as those mentioned that further the American College Cricket movement, your Club’s fan base, and support in your college; promotion of TV Asia’s televising of our matches.

The determinations were based on reports submitted by your Clubs to American College Cricket,observations on Facebook & other Social Media including “shares” of AmericanCollegeCricket.com articles, support shown by your college in the form of facilities, finance, media etc

Sat, 7 pm on TV Asia – USF Bulls vs UF Gators ! For the SE Championship !

ljodah — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 14:51:52 +0000

Just a couple of years ago, could anyone in the USA have believed that there would be a full season of domestic cricket on TV (in the US & Canada) ?

In Fall 2012 TV Asia & American College Cricket partnered to film & broadcast a full season of American College Cricket, to follow the 6 done last year, and the 3 from the National Championship in March !

A total of 20 College teams got the dream of playing on TV this year – as Mastercard would say, “that’s priceless !”

Priceless for the players, and priceless for the game – giving it a visibility and credibility few imagined possible. And what could be better for the marketability of the game in the USA & Canada than young athletes chasing & diving after balls, competing passionately as young athletes will !

So this Saturday watch the University of South Florida Bulls try to wrest the South East title from the University of Florida Gators ! The Gators lost the Sugar Bowl but….

7 pm on TV Asia in USA & Canada

TV Asia is a TV channel available on ALL major cable systems in USA & Canada. You can also get it on college campuses, for a small fee annually paid by the school, & then its free for the students. Details available on the TV Asia website.

# 1 Newcomer of the Year !

ljodah — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:26:25 +0000

: Murali Ankaraju (Memphis Tigers) – Newcomer of the Year

Lots of support was shown on our Facebook fanpage by USF Bulls, Arkansas State Red Wolves & Memphis Tigers fans for the 3 nominees for Top Newcomer, but ultimately Murali Krishna Ankaraju of the University of Memphis is the Top Newcomer of 2012 for American College Cricket.

Murali smashed 131 off 65 balls with 6 fours & 10 sixes – a strike rate of 201.5. The highest score of the 5 centuries made this season in college cricket (10 since 2010). He also made 82 off 40 balls with 4 fours and 6 sixes – a strike rate of 205, and 20 and 3 wickets for 9 runs in the Finals vs the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

Murali is pursuing his MS in Computer Science at the University of Memphis after doing his undergrad in Hyderabad. He said he has played “serious cricket since 12 and fielding was always my passion, later I developed my skills of batting & bowling.

It‘s an immense pleasure to be part of American College Cricket. To the passionate and crazy cricket lovers like us it a great pleasure to see cricket being a huge part of college sport. It provides us the great opportunity and platform to get recognized and prove ourselves against other young players.

“I have never been to any coaching academies or training camps…..earlier I played hard tennis ball cricket and later adapted to play season ball.I represented my high school in Hyderabad inter school tournaments and was selected for the Hyderabad Under 16 squad.I had denied that opportunity due to pressure from my family to concentrate more on my studies. Later I played for Osmania University.

After undergrad,I played for Citibank in the Corporate League against some really good players and got to play at the two international venues Lal Bahadur Cricket Stadium and Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and in grounds like Gymkhana and HCA where team Hyderabad plays its most of the Ranji Trophy matches. When I moved here I began playing in the Arkansas Tennessee Cricket League.

Memphis has played many tape ball tournaments since 2009 against teams like Auburn, but the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship will be a great opportunity to prove ourselves with the season ball.”

Murali’s brother, Santhosh, is the President of the Memphis Tigers Cricket Club.

The other 2 nominees were:

Krunal Bhange USF In the American College Cricket South East Championship Krunal smashed 127* against Embry Riddle University,smashing 14 fours & 7 sixes in 73 balls. He followed it up with 48 against FIU, & 10 against the UF Gators.

The 6′ 2′ Krunal Bhange is an athletic 170 lbs and bears a resemblance to Tom Brady. 25 years old Krunal did his undergrad at College of Engineering Pune, Maharasthra and played competitively for Pune district before coming to USF for his MS in Management Information Systems.

Krunal said “I am particularly impressed to see the quality of the cricket played here. With such talented players around, there’s only a bright future ahead for cricket in USA.”

Divya Patel (ASU Red Wolves) - as an all rounder and Captain, Divya shouldered the heavy responsibilities of developing his new team, and getting them to the 2012 Nationals. Then, wanting to play in a Regional, once he heard 2 new colleges nearby had joined American College Cricket, he worked hard to organize the first South Central Regional.

Under Divya’s leadership, Arkansas State won the South Central Regional. Patel’s on field performances included 70* vs Memphis, and 2 for 27.

Most importantly, its student-leaders like Divya Patel who make the American College Cricket movement successful. Apart from being a candidate for Top Newcomer Divya was named a 2012 Player of the Year, and is also a candidate for Top Club President, & Arkansas State Cricket is a nominee for Top New Club !

Murali Ankaraju (Memphis) & Krunal Bhange (USF) were not eligible for Players of the Year, as they did not play in the Nationals, the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship.

Sat Dec 22, 7 pm East on TV Asia- FIU Panthers vs USF Bulls ! David Sentance commentates !

ljodah — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 18:38:18 +0000

: David Sentance, Amir Saddiqui & Lloyd Jodah

David Sentance has played cricket all over the world – including India, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, USA, Canada and Kenya where he was born. He still travels the world playing cricket with the “Golden Oldies”.

David has been involved with cricket in California for over 30 years, and taught the game to his American sons – one of whom, 6’5 (& sometimes over 300 lbs) Cameron, now plays tight end for UC Davis.

In 2010 Sentance flew in from Califormia to see the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship because, as he said, “I want to see history in the making”.

His experience, cricket and otherwise,is unique and includes insightful and extremely knowledgeable perspectives on life, people, history, and cricket.

Tune in for exciting college cricket and more – David Sentance’s commentary will be worth listening to, even if you don’t normally watch cricket !

Saturday Dec 22 at 7 pm on TV Asia - Florida International University (FIU Panthers)

University of South Florida (USF Bulls)

American College Cricket is sponsored by Coca Cola & Dish Network.

The USF Bulls reached the Finals of the National Championship in March,and had the MVP (Sai Ramesh) and MVP runner up Abdullah Sheikh.

Now they also have newstar 6’2 Krunal Bhange, who cracked a century in the early rounds !

The 10 Century Makers !

ljodah — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 05:27:56 +0000

: Adrain Gordon with Shane Warne & Ellizabeth Hurley

The highest score in American College Cricket, from March 2009 to now, is by all rounder Adrian Gordon (NYU-Poly) who smashed 145* at the Nationals, the 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in Florida !

Below is the list of 10 centurions, plus 2 scores in the 90′s. Romel Somavat (Ohio State) has both a century & a 97. USF now has 2 centurions, its first Captain Harsha Poddepalli scored 133, and Krunal Bhange scored the most recent, 127*.

Our most consistent batsman, Khushroo Wadia (York University) has only failed once in 15 innings but has not scored a century. Adil Bhatti (Montgomery), our other most consistent, has 80* as his highest.

Harsha Boddepalli (USF) 133                       2010 Nationals
Faraz Arif (Purdue) 116*                                2010 MW Regionals
Adrian Gordon (NYU-Poly) 145*               2011 Nationals
Rustam Bhatti (York University) 102*     2011 Nationals

Ricky Nayar (UF) 101* 2011 Nationals

Romel Somavat (Ohio State) 116 2012 MW Regionals

Prem Bhagavart (NJIT) 107* 2012 NE Regionals

Murali Ankaraju (Memphis) 131                 2012 SC Regionals
Haider Ali (Rutgers)     119                            2012  NE Regionals
Kunal Bhange (USF) 127*                              2012 SE Regionals

Romel Somavat (Ohio State) 97 2010 MW Regionals
Harsh Sowani (USC) 95 2010 West Coast Reg.

Photos : Romel Somavat OSU) Rustam Bhatti (York University )

Krunal Bhange (USF) & Lloyd Jodah

Haider Ali (Rutgers)

Farza Arif (Purdue) Murali Ankaraju ( U of Memphis)

A new star, Krunal Bhange, USF Bulls his way onto the scene,127* & 48 !

ljodah — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 04:51:44 +0000

Krunal Bhange (USF) & Lloyd Jodah, American College Cricket President

Just in time for the 2013 Nationals, the USF Bulls has added a new talent to their roster – Krunal Bhange ! In the American College Cricket South East Championship Krunal smashed 127* against Embry Riddle University,smashing 14 fours & 7 sixes in 73 balls. He followed it up with 48 against FIU, & 10 against the UF Gators.

The 6′ 2′ Krunal Bhange is an athletic 170 lbs and bears a resemblance to Tom Brady. Will he be the final piece for perenial contenders,USF, to take them to a title ? The South East regional was the first time he represented USF Bulls.

25 years old Krunal did his undergrad at College of Engineering Pune, Maharasthra and played competitively for Pune district before coming to USF for his MS in Management Information Systems. Bhange also was selected for the Pune District Premier League.

We asked Krunal :

In the short time you’ve been in the US you’ve seen how huge college sports, especially football & basketball, are in the US. How does it feel to see cricket begin to be a part of that ?

It feels good. Cricket is in our blood. Even if we don’t get any recognition for playing the sport, we would keep on playing it. But a little appreciation from American universities is great for cricket. I am particularly impressed to see the quality of the cricket played here. With such talented players around, there’s only a bright future ahead for cricket in USA.

Who are your favorite cricket players ?

Hashim Amla and Sachin Tendulkar. I adore them because of their talent and their on and off field good behavior.

USF has been the most consistent team in American College Cricket but has not won a regional or national title,what will you guys do to get the club over the hump, and possibly win the Chanderpaul Trophy, the National title in March, at the 2013 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship ?

In my short stay here with USF, I see we have enough talent to help us win American College Cricket tournament. Cricket is a very uncertain game. One bad day and you are out. The key would be to concentrate on basics and try our the best.

TV Video – Finals Highlights !

ljodah — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:15:33 +0000

Can Gators retain South East Title ? Semis & Finals on TV in US & Canada !

ljodah — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:22:05 +0000

: USF Bulls – 2009 & 2012 Nationals Finalist

The team from Auburn University Cricket Club drove 14 hours to win the first South East Championship of American College Cricket in Nov 2010, by defeating SEC rivals the University of Florida Gators at the CBRP Cricket Stadium in Ft Lauderdale.

In October 2010 the Gator Cricket Club had finally been motivated by American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah to begin a hard ball team, and prepare for competitive cricket. American College Cricket helped equip the club with uniforms and equipment. Being part of the national organization elevated the profile of the club immensely.

The Auburn Tigers blanketed the Stadium’s pristine outfield with their passion and teamwork, to earn the South East title, to follow their final 4 finish in the March National Championship.

November 2011, the tables were turned as University of Florida defeated Auburn in another hard fought South East Finals ! This year however it could be Roll Tide time as the boys at the University of Alabama get ready for their first American College Cricket tournament !

One of the founding pillars, the University of South Florida Bulls has been the most consistently high performing club in American College Cricket Nationals : in 2009 they were a Finalist, in 2010 a final four, 2011 undefeated & missing the final 4 on points,and in 2012 a Finalist ! Will this be the tournament they get a hard-earned title ?

Nov 3 & 4 the 2012 American College Cricket South East Conference Championship will take place at the CBRP, and TV Asia will televise the Semis and Finals. Email Lloyd Dogevpr2@aim.com to register now :

The following are the likely teams, but if you’d like to start a college club to play, contact Lloyd:

University of South Florida

University of Florida

Auburn University

Embry Riddle Aeronautical U

Florida Atlantic University

Florida International University

University of Alabama

Each team will play 2 matches on Sat Nov 3 – the Semi Finalists will be the 4 teams with the most points. The Semis and the Finals on Nov 4 will be televised by TV Asia and shown in the US & Canada.

Teams can begin earning Bonus Points from now

http://americancollegecricket.com/2012/08/01/regional-championships-more-info-format-points-rules/

2010 South East regional

http://americancollegecricket.com/2010/11/08/se-championship-game-florida-gators-vs-auburn-revival-of-a-rivalryphotos/

Road to a National Championship !

ljodah — Fri, 04 May 2012 04:39:16 +0000

by Mohammad Suleman.

York College Cricket Club earnestly thanks American College Cricket and its President/Organizer/Founder Mr. Lloyd Jodah. We would also like to congratulate all the participants for a successful 2012 Spring Break Championship that was held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. from March 14-18, 2012.

York College Cricket Club started in spring of 2010 with the help of American College Cricket president Mr. Lloyd Jodah. Within two months, Cardinals put together the team and registered to compete in 2010 Spring Break Championship where York C were the runner-up after a big loss to York University from Canada. In the same year, 2010 American College Cricket North-East Regional Championship, York lost to City Tech (CUNY) in a thriller.

In the year, 2011 York Cardinals struggled to put together a team for 2011 National Championship due to exam schedule and lack of resources. However, York Cardinals came back strongly in 2011 Regionals and won the title after defeating NJIT in the finals. All the games in 2011 Regionals were televised by TV Asia. It was the best thing that happened to US Cricket in ages.

Year 2012, brought great success for York College Cricket Club. Coming strongly from winning the Regional title just 2 months ago, York Cardinals were committed and ready to take on any challenge. I would like to highlight the hard work of newly elected Club President, Shamas Rehman and Team Captain Khizar Abbas, working hand to hand with Club members, Hayat Sikandar, Bilal Shahid, Akeem Dodson, Yasin Khan, Kashif Choudry, Mudassir Hussain, Hugo D O’Liveira, and Rodigan Micheal. The addition of Karan Ganesh on the team was tremendous.

Cardinals entered the National arena with being one the favorites. York Cardinals defeating NYU-Poly, Auburn and University of Houston Clearlake in the first round, went on to beat Cleveland State in the play-offs and qualified for Semi-finals. On the other hand, USF and York University earned a spot in the Semi’s.

Sunday, March 18, 2012.

The stage was set. Sunny Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Was ready to host the Semi-finals and Final of 2012 American College Cricket Spring Break National Championship at the only ICC certified Cricket stadium in the United States of America. Coca Cola sponsored the event and TV Asia was there to cover the historic event. The crowd was building to witness a great day of action. The night before, back at Hotel, I tried learning how to swim. I was somewhat successful. Then I had a little laugh about people confusing York College with York University. USF moved into the finals after beating York University in the first Semi-final of the day.

Secondly, York Cardinals faced previously undefeated Texas A&M University. Texas A&M bowling first, got off to a ideal start by removing Bilal and Akeem very early. But, calm and smart Karan Ganesh and aggressive hitting by Captain Abbas set up a reasonable total of 147. In reply, Texas A&M were bowled out for 76. “This set up York to take on the University of South Florida in the final match, a team that has reached the Final Four in three of the past four seasons.”

2012 American College Cricket Spring Break National Championship- Finals

(York College Cardinals vs. University of South Florida)

Caridnals batting first scored 151/8 in 20 overs. Akeem Dodson top scoring 78 with Karan Ganesh adding 35 to the total. In reply, USF got off to a fiery start with their openers Sai Ramesh(MVP- 2012 Nationals) and Asgher Shiekh aka Abdullah. Some power hitting by both openers led to change in tactics and York College Captain brought the spin earlier than planned. Interestly, he brought me (Mohammad Suleman –Final MVP) on and I got the break-through for the team.

On the other hand, Sai Ramesh partnered with Indawalla continued their impressive stroke-play and built a strong partnership of 72. Things were looking bright for USF and they were sensing a victory here. I was there for the team. Team believed in me, and skipper brought me on for the second spell. I got the big fish. This changed everything for us. USF’s middle order collapsed. Cardinals were pumped up and had their hopes up again. Also, Bilal Shahid and Yasin Khan generated good pace in their second spells with a mix of slow balls and got 2 wickets each. Karan Ganesh bowled handsomely outside off and bagged 2 wickets aswell. Finally, USF were bowled out for 129. York Cardinals were declared Champions of 2012 Nationals.

I would like to congratulate all our Club members, College, fans, families and friends and Organizers for this great achievement. The Championship was well-organized and well structured. There was no secret to our success. It was all hard work and commitment. Some great all round performances, variation of pace and Spin bowling, attacking and well planned classy stroke playing, sharp fielding and lightning glove work. It was a job well done.

Photos by RIVERVIEW STUDIOS/Connie Yen

New Rankings !

ljodah — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 04:06:25 +0000

: Gavish Sharma (UPenn),Lloyd Jodah American College Cricket President, & York College’s Mohamad Sulema,Abbas Kizer & Shamas Rehman

The Finals of the 2012 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship was the 9th match televised by TV Asia – the first nine ever for domestic cricket in US & Canada. A new Champion, York College led by Abbas Khizer,was crowned, and we got new # 1 & 2 teams !

Iowa State jumped from # 22 into the top 10 ! whilst 2 other relatively new teams, Ryerson University and University of Houston Clearlake continued their strong showings.

Powerhouse Gators suffered the shock of being upset by George Washington University which jumped 10 spots upwards.

With Coca Cola as a sponsor American College Cricket and TV Asia are set to televise at least 18 more games in 2012 – the Semis and Finals of all the regionals. No doubt there will be more shake ups in the rankings as teams do their best, on and off the field, to move up.

RANKINGS – second # represents previous rank.

1—14- York College – Cardinals
2—13- University of South Florida – Bulls
3— 1- Texas A & M – Aggies
4— 9- York University – Lions
5—- 4- Ryerson University – Rams
6—- 5- Rutgers – Scarlet Knights
7— 2- Ohio State University – Buckeyes

8—22- Iowa State University – Cyclones

9— 3- University of Florida – Gators
10–16 -University of Maryland Baltimore Cty – Retrievers

11– 8- University of Pennsylvania – Quakers

12– 6- Auburn – Tigers

13–23- Boston University – Terriers

14–26- University of Houston Clearlake -Blue Herons

15–25- Penn State – Nittany Lions

16–17- Montgomery College – Knights

18–12- Texas Tech – Red Raiders

17–27- George Washington U – Colonials
19–15- NYU-Polytechnic – Fighting Blue Jays

20–21- Cleveland State – Vikings

21–24- Virginia Tech – Hokies

22–20- Carnegie Mellon – Tartans

23– – University of Houston – Cougars
24– Arkansas State U – Red Wolves

25– Embry Riddle Aeronautical U

26– McGill University- Redmen

27–11- University of Southern Cal – Trojans

28–19- Thunderbird School of Global Management – T-Birds
29–29- College of Wooster – Fighting Scots
30–28- Florida Atlantic – Seminoles
31–18- University of Iowa – Hawkeyes
32–31- NJ Institute of Technology – Highlanders
33–32- West Texas A & M – Buffs