College Cricket Club Moves Indoors

Author: Tom McCann

Cricket. All too often that word carries connotations of a boring, slow paced, silly English game. While it is slow, it is inherently English and can at times be intensely boring, it remains a game played by a huge percentage of the world population, and Middlebury College has a team, too.

Due to a shortage of other cricketing institutions, last year the Middlebury Cricket Club played four games during its season. After two games against the local Chittenden County Cricket Club and two against the Dartmouth Cricket Club, Middlebury ended the season with a 2-2 record. This season has seen Middlebury play and lose one game, but team spirits remain high and there is optimism for the upcoming cricket season. The Middlebury team is characterized by the flair of certain players including Wasil Mohar '06 who bowls with pace and accuracy as well as being lethal with the bat when he gets in the groove. Khurrum Jamali '04 is renowned for his attacking style of play that more often that not pays off immensely, resulting in hordes of runs in very few overs. John Taft-Dick '04 has returned from a semester in Florence, Italy, and the team is excited about the beautiful stroke-making and timing that he brings to the offensive side of the game. Siddharth Rajaram '06 is another player who has been earmarked for great things this coming season as he looks to pick up where he left off last year with the bat. On the team as a whole, he noted, "We're an experienced bunch this season and we're about as good as we have ever been. Up to this point we have not performed well, but we're confident that we'll get better as the season goes on."

While it is a game traditionally played outdoors, the Middlebury team takes things inside and practices in the Bubble throughout the winter. Some of the experienced members of the team are going to run a workshop during Winter Term so that the current members of the team can continue to play, but also so that new recruits or simply curious students can learn to play and understand the rules of this crazy game. Last year, P.E credit was offered for those students who regularly attended the practices, and Tim Bellis '06, who did so, commented "It was good to experience a sport from a different culture, one that I would not usually be exposed to here in the U.S." With this sort of positive feedback, the clinic this coming January is sure to be a success, educating more of the student body about a game with which they may not be familiar.

The coming of the spring will herald the recurrence of matches being held outside again. Until then, the team is confined to batting, bowling and fielding practice in the nets inside the Bubble. Hopefully, with the hard work, sweat, toil and effort put in during the off-season, the result will bear the fruit that it promises such that the Middlebury cricket team reaches the level of potential that the players know is possible.