The 2011 University of Pennsylvania CC with UPenn President Amy Gutmann, recognising them reaching the final four.

The University of Pennsylvania had one of the first official college sports teams in America, a cricket team which was begun in 1842. Harvard began an official one in 1868 but cricket was being played at Dartmouth and Ivy League universities in the 1700’s.

Though now more recognized for their academic excellence, the “Ivy League” played a major and pioneering role in early American sports.

In recent times, the University of Pennsylvania Cricket Club, not content to rest on its laurels and past glories, led the Ivies’ return to cricket, being a part of American College Cricket since early 2010, even reaching the final four in 2011 and earning the cricket team a meeting with UPenn President Amy Gutmann.

New clubs at Harvard, then Cornell and Princeton became American College Cricket members and played in the 2012 North East Regionals, with Harvard making the trip to Florida for the 2013 National Championship.

PHOTO : 1793 engraving by Dunham & Hill, cricket at Dartmouth

Now with students at Columbia collaborating with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah to begin a club,Jodah explained,

“The University of Pennsylvania cricket club, with leaders like Jay Dave, Gavish Sharma, Ali Hasan & Roshan Rai  has been great for us since early 2010 – the support given by the school is among the best. More recently Harvard led by Ibrahim Khan, and Princeton by Vijit Kapoor,Shaffin Fattah & Vaidhy Murti have been very proactive. This Fall, we’ll have the American College Cricket Ivy League Championship.”

The Ivy colleges will play “Home & Away” matches against any American College Cricket team during the regular season, which will make them eligible to play in a Regional, as well as the Ivy League Championship.                                                                 Photo:    1842 UPENN Cricket Team

More details will be revealed later, but how appropriate would it be for it to be held on the historic fields in Pennsylvania where cricket flourished 125 years ago – the Merion, Philadelphia and Germantown Cricket Clubs ! or at the nearby British Officers’ Cricket Club.