Howzat!

About a month ago a lowly cricket made news at the George Howard building for making its presence known in a very vocal way during a legislative hearing. Coincidentally, I had cricket on my mind at the very same time, having recently heard a piece on WAMU about the opening of a new cricket ground in Montgomery County.

Not the same kind of cricket, I know. But bear with me.

Cricket Is Growing In Popularity In Montgomery County. Now, There’s A New Field For People To Play - - Dominique Maria Bonessi, WAMU

Ms. Bonessi interviews Bijal Shah, the co-founder of the Maryland Premier Cricket League.

Shah says he remembers going to a Rockville permit office and asking to file a permit for a field to play cricket. He says the woman at the office thought he was talking about an insect.

Cricket - - the sport - - is not very high on the radar of most Americans. It’s generally assumed to be something “very British” and impossibly esoteric, You might be surprised to learn that it actually comes in third in international popularity.

Montgomery Parks Director Mike Riley says as the county’s population mix changes, so does the demand for different types of sports.

“The sport of cricket has been around a long time,” Riley said. “We have residents increasingly coming from countries who play the sport of cricket and have played it for decades.”

The sport began in the late 16th century in Great Britain and spread to other parts of the British Empire. It’s especially popular in India, Pakistan, Australia and many other countries.

“[The] British left obviously, but the game stayed,” Shah said. “There are about 30 to 40 countries playing international cricket on a regular basis.”

Today, it’s estimated that millions of people watch the World Cup of Cricket every year. 

As I did more research on the new cricket pitch in Montgomery County, I suddenly had a vague recollection of Howard County doing something similar. That’s when the fun began.

We have Ken Ulman and cricket:

                      

       

Allan Kittleman and cricket:

 

And Calvin Ball and cricket:

 

 It looks like Howard County was ahead of the game on this.

Cricket in  Howard County goes back to at least 2010 when Guy Guzzone and Jen Terrasa worked with the beginnings of the local cricket community to set up a cricket pitch at Murray Hill Middle School.  In 2012  a partnership with Howard County Rec and Parks  eventually led to the construction of the county’s first cricket pitch at Schooley Mill Park.  Today Rec and Parks even offers cricket instruction .

My husband, who grew up and went to college in the U.K., says that cricket is best learned from an early age, over time. It’s pretty hard to take up as an adult. So starting them off young is probably a good idea. Just because we didn’t grow up with cricket doesn’t mean our kids can’t have a go at it.

I’ll never forget seeing my husband’s face light up when we walked into Flavors of India in Gateway and discovered they were showing “the cricket” on their big screen tv. Cricket and “the footy” both give him that feeling of home. I imagine the reason that cricket is growing in popularity in Maryland is that our region has welcomed many new residents who have enjoyed watching and playing so much in their countries of origin.

Love of sport, full of team loyalty and rivalry, is a recognizable facet of the human condition, no matter where you are from. The joy of talking about the sport that you love reaches across national boundaries. And, just as we enjoy and learn about new cuisines as new residents come to our area, so can we enjoy and learn about sports that are new to us. Like cricket.

Our worlds expand. Our experiences ares broadened. Our communities are enriched. 

The building of a cricket pitch is more than adding an ordinary municipal amenity. It is a response to new residents and an affirmation that they and their cultures are seen and valued within the larger community.

A cricket pitch may have no personal value to me but I can value it as something we as a County do for the common good. I don’t have to get a direct benefit to know that it makes for a better community. 

The lesson for me here is more than the game itself. Communities that welcome and value differences, people who are willing to adjust to change and to try new things - - that’s the kind of community I want to be a part of. It’s what I believe Howard County can be. 

Some days we get it right.