Who u calling Underdog? LIC High makes it past John Adams HS to final four!
What’s effectively the national high school championship in cricket has reached the playoffs in New York City. In the NYC PSAL Cricket League (for NYC Public High Schools) underdog Long Island City High School rolled their way through 12 consecutive wins, after losing their first 2 games.
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Against Richmond Hill High, LIC won by 1 run to go forward to face a strong John Adams High School team. John Adams HS were runners up in 2008 and 2009.
Friday was a beautiful day at Baisley Pond Park South, and increasingly people are beginning to know they can come out in the early evening to watch high school cricket so a few fans sat on the benches ringing the new Baisley Pond Park Field.
PSAL Cricket Commissioner Basset Thompson explained that “Long Island City High had not done that well in previous years, but this season they made the Playoffs ranked # 3 ! This definitely gives hope to every team that they can do better each year.”
LIC High won the toss, and sent John Adams High in to bat. John Adams made 119. In reply Long Island City High at one point were 90 for 5, off 15 overs and the game was set for a nail-biting finish. Five overs to get 30 runs, but the top batsmen were gone. The LIC tailenders however didn’t cave, and it came down to the final over, as Long Island City got the winning 120 runs, to make it to the Semi Finals of the 2011 PSAL (NYC Public High School) Cricket League !
4th year John Adams High Coach Alex Navarette afterwards congratulated his despondent team on a fine season, and bid 3 of his seniors farewell, “now you guys have a chance to go on to play cricket in College (through American College Cricket), and you’ll always remain part of the John Adams cricket family.”
Coach Navarette himself has performed admirably over the years ensuring the John Adams High School Cricket team is one of the strongest in the PSAL League each year, though the Championship has so far eluded them.
In the audience was Thakoor “Nick” Singh, a John Adams alumni who led the team to the Finals in 2008 and 2009.
After a brief celebration of their Quarterfinal victory, LIC Coach Dharmvir Gehlaut and co-Coach Anurag Jaiman sat their team down and formulated their strategy for their Semi Final opponent – the winner of the Hillcrest vs Sheepheads Bay game.
The team was promised new uniforms if they won the NYC high school Championship – the equivalent of a National Championship ! – and the Coaches indicated that they were that same evening going to purchase new equipment for the team’s next game. This year there will be a new contender in the final four for the national and NYC High School title – Long Island City High School !
The New York City Public High School cricket league is closing out its fourth successful year, helping to revive the original American sport. Notable though, except for the NY Daily News in the past, is the severe lack of press coverage – the media, New York and national,even so-called “local” channels like New York 1, NBC 4,CBS 2,ABC 7,Fox 5, Channel 9 and Channel 11, have not covered this part of city and American life.
Or is the PSAL not doing its part to get the attention of media ? Year after year this has been the situation, and whatever the reasons, its time to change it !
After all, if these kids were involved in crimes or negative activity its definite the TV camera, and print media would be in their neighborhoods.
a despondent John Adams High School cricket team after the game
The FDR High School juggernauth steamrolled past defending Champions William C Bryant High to the finals. Read the story in the NY Daily News:
12 Jun 2011, 5:58 pm
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