Where R They Now? 2015 Captain Tahir Chaudhery, US Army ; 2009 American College Cricket Champion !
the first American College Cricket National Champion,2009 Montgomery College, with Tahir Chaudhery front right.
In Feb 2015 Tahir Chaudhery became a Captain, US Army. Back in March 2009 Tahir was 1 of about 60 intrepid pioneers who followed a dream, and went to Ft Lauderdale, using their own resources, to play in what they heard would be the first National Championship in colleges, similar to what sports like football, basketball, etc had.
What did he know about the first American College Cricket Spring Break Championship ? There wasn’t much to know at that point, other than a guy named Lloyd Jodah was promoting it on Facebook. Tahir told us about that experience :
“In 2009 we did not know much about organized cricket other than some of us were playing in WCL. We were very excited to come to Florida and play on nice grounds and pitches.Some guys kissed the ground when they saw the field !
It was challenging initially to gather funds to pay for all the expenses. We managed that well with Adil Bhatti being our leader of the Montgomery College team. Some of us drove straight for more than 14 hours, but it was fun. I remember we came straight to the field and all of the tiredness and fatigue went away.
I toured NYC with Montgomery College that summer but did not return to the National Championship after 2009, but I am very happy that I was there to be part of something that has expanded through all of the USA.”
Special as the memory of winning the Chanderpaul Trophy, and the first National Championship was, Tahir’s work off the field makes him a Champion every day, and we love what he has to say about his job taking care of our wounded soldiers :
“I got a Masters in Health Sciences from Drexel University and I have been at Walter Reed Medical Center for 8 years. Before that I was at Ft. Riley, Kansas, but always wanted to come back home. Luckily, there was a contractor position for Physician Assistant in the ortho and rehab department of Walter Reed I got the job and since then have not left and enjoy every single min of it. I am a GS (General Service) employee now and planning to stay around as long as I can.
I love every min of what I do. I take care of our wounded warriors injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am honored to make a difference in lives of those who have sacrificed so much to protect this nation. In the beginning, sometimes it was hard for me to see all the injuries and pain that these guys endured. As the time went along, I realized that they have done their part and now it is my job to help them in these difficult times.”
Captain Tahir Chaudhery, US Army. His wife is holding one of their babies in the pic.
Tahir first met his wife in Pakistan in 1999, and they got married 7 years ago. Last year,the couple got twins, a boy & a girl on Nov 6th (coincidentally 1 day before American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah’s birthday).
So does Tahir still play cricket ? “Yes, as its in our blood. I play in Washington Cricket League, and in fact have my own team,named Elite Cricket Club.”
