Duane George (Rutgers) – A Player to Watch at the Nationals !
Duane George (Rutgers University)
Duane George (Rutgers) exploded onto the American College cricket stage when, on his debut he made 113* last October at the North East Championship, played for the Deryck Jodah Trophy !
As Duane said. “It was great to be recognized for that achievement. That was my first century since I have been playing cricket in the US, so to score in a tournament like the Northeast Championship was great. Ultimately, I was happy that my team Rutgers won the game.”
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A right handed batsman “who bowls some off spin” the 6 ft 200 lbs Duane began playing cricket on the streets in the small Caribbean island of Dominica, at about age 4 (normal in the past for a boy in the West Indies)
-“I made the trial squad for my country for U-15 and U-19 cricket. Although I didn’t make the final squads it was a great experience. I have been playing for the past 4-5 years in the Garden State League in New Jersey where I am the captain of the Dominica United Cricket Club.
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His family moved to the US in 2007 and he’s one of the few young men who has continued playing the game. Imagine all the talent disappearing…..& that has vanished over the past generations of immigrants from cricket-playing countries. In 2013 George began attending Rutgers University Business school to study Supply Chain Management, and immediately reached out to Lloyd Jodah, American College Cricket President, who connected him with the Rutgers Cricket Club. Jodah said, “One of the great things about our college clubs is that they are looking to win, and team selection is on merit – so anyone can earn their opportunity to represent their college.”
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How does Duane feel about the upcoming American College Cricket National Championship ?
-” Very excited ! You have no idea ! Can’t wait to play on a turf wicket again ! It’s been a while, lol ….We are practicing every weekend as much as we can. Even when some can’t meet up for school practices we try to do individual practices at the new CricMax facility in Sayreville or Bat n Ball in North Brunswick.”
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American College Cricket has created a new platform for cricket in the world – what can you personally do, in addition to playing, to contribute to that effort ?
-“I would love to be an ambassador for America College Cricket. I am very passionate about cricket !” Duane said.
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Another player from your part of the Caribbean, Adrian Gordon (from Antigua) started the club at NY-Polytechnic in 2010, and he went on to be our fastest bowler, and make the highest score in American College Cricket, 145* ! He was a College Cricketer of the Year, & our 2011 Championship c0-MVP. Adrian will be at the Nationals, as part of the Management & TV commentary team. How inspirational is that for you ?
“Inspiration is right! I would love to follow in his footsteps and maybe get to play CPL one day ? Lol. Who knows?”
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Who are your favorite cricketers ?
– “My favorite cricketer growing up was Brian Lara, I love how he treated bowlers with disdain and he made batting look so easy. Currently, my two fave players are Ian Bell from England and Virat Kohli from India,… oh not forgetting my country mate Shane Shillingford.”
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What else do you enjoy doing besides cricket ?
– “I listen to music my favorite musicians are be Ne-Yo, Adele, Jay-Z, J-Cole. I enjoy playing basketball when I can, and a good game of FIFA or Madden NFL.”
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Are you excited that cricket now has a place, though small, in the huge College sports scene in the USA ?
– “I am ! I always tell people about American College Cricket. My friends say I’m the only one they know who moved here and still playing. What can I say ? I LOVE THE GAME !
In fact when Satya Nadella, the new CEO of Microsoft talked about how cricket made him the man he is today, It was refreshing to have someone in such an influential position recognize our sport. I was quite happy when I saw this. “
