Nicola Kille (Wooster) appointed to American College Cricket Advisory Board !
Nicola Kille – Associate Director of International Studies, College of Wooster
The latest addition to the Advisory Board of American College Cricket has been our staunch ally since 2010,and a valuable contributor to our aim of raising the profile of cricket in America. College of Wooster’s Nicola Kille joins Wooster President (who will become Rollins College President from July 1st), Gordon Gee (former President of Ohio State U & now President of West Virginia U), HR Shah (TV Asia Chairman), David Sentance (Author, Cricket Historian & Administrator), Ravin Moorthy (former Cricket Canada President), Krish Prashad (longtime NY & USA Cricket Administrator) and Shiv Chanderpaul (active International cricket icon).
Nicola Kille joined the staff at the College of Wooster in 2001 as the Coordinator of the Ambassadors Program – a community outreach program that encourages intercultural exchange throughout the Wooster community. She has held several positions at the College, and is currently the Associate Director of International Student Affairs.
Nicola became the Advisor to the Wooster Cricket Club which played tape ball cricket, in 2004. The club gave Carnegie Mellon a practice match with “hard ball” (the first for both teams) prior to Carnegie travelling to the first American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in 2009. When Carnegie mentioned Wooster in the NY Times interview, Club President Maaz Khan was motivated to join American College Cricket. Nicola then played a huge role in Wooster’s participation in several American College Cricket tournaments (both national and regional) beginning March 2010.
She organized the record-breaking cricket match for Homecoming (Oct 2010) in which a College of Wooster team, featuring current players and alumni, beat a team from the Wooster Community, and drew a record crowd of over 900. Most importantly this was probably the first time that a cricket game was a part of Homecoming at any American university (unless it happened in the 1800s !). The Homecoming cricket match has become annual tradition at Wooster.
Nicola oversees the Press Releases related to the Club and they have often resulted in significant coverage for the team and the College, including the placement of Ian Carlin, as a “Face in the Crowd” in the Jan 31, 2011 Sports Illustrated issue preceding the Super Bowl. This was recognition for Ian winning the John Bart King Award given by American College Cricket. In March 2011 Wooster Cricket Club was named Team of the Year by American College Cricket for the College’s promotion of the sport, and in 2014 Ian Carlin was inducted into the ACC Hall of Fame, with an honorable mention going to the staff (including Kille) that supports the team.
Originally from London, England, (where her parents still live within walking distance of Lords Cricket Ground) Nicola has lived in the United States for many years, though she travels abroad when she can. About Lord’s, Nicola said, “Haven’t been in often, although, in 2012, I did. I do admit to feeling a shiver of excitement walking onto that hallowed ground. The turf was gorgeous, the stands stunning.Plus, I know it made my team back in Wooster insanely jealous J . My other favourite cricket experience was the 2010 Homecoming match at the College of Wooster.To win in front of a crowd of 900+ people, most of whom had never seen a cricket match before, was a fabulous feeling.”
My favourite place to watch cricket is in many ways the opposite of the professional sport (though T20 is my style).To me, watching two local teams compete on an English village green is as good as it gets (especially if I’m sitting outside the local pub with a beer in hand). There’s something about the friendly yet competitive atmosphere, the passion and the camaraderie, combined with the joy of playing the game (regardless of skill level) in those local matches that really appeals to me.”
Nicola received her BA (History) from the University of Wales at Aberystwyth, and her MA (Intercultural Relations) from the University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA) and the Intercultural Communication Institute (Portland, OR). During her undergraduate degree, she spent a year as an international student in the United States.
Advisory Board members are appointed by American College Cricket Founder & President Lloyd Jodah.
