United States Youth Cricket Association
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New USYCA Associate Member Is A Different Breed Of Cat

September 13, 2010

 

For most clubs in the United States, it's all they can do to successfully manage another season of cricket. From organizational meetings to chasing down late dues payments to scheduling practices, the typical cricket club has plenty to do, long before they ever see the pitch. For this reason, very little focus is usually given to events outside the club, such as youth development or charitable work. On this front, however, the Charleston, South Carolina-based U.S. Tigers are a different breed of cat.

Founded by Sunju and Anil Patel, the Tigers seek to be a club with a truly national- and even global - vision.  This focus is evident upon visiting the club's website (http://www.ustigers.org), where "Community Relations and Outreach" occupies a prominent place among the menu tabs. On this page, the Tigers lay out their plans to make America, and the world, a better place. In February, the Tigers organized the 'Cricket for a Cause' tournament, which raised money for Haitian relief efforts, and a partnership to promote the conservation of Bengal tigers is on the horizon. The Tigers are also open to public suggestions when it comes to their charitable work.

 

USYCA President Jamie Harrison and US Tigers Captain Sunju Patel

 

Another area where the Tigers are equally active is with youth cricket development. Partnering with the World Cricket Academy (http://www.worldcricketacademy.com), the Tigers plan to offer children the opportunity to receive first-class cricket coaching, regardless of their age or level of experience. They also seek to work with USACA, local academies and clinics to spread the joy of cricket across America. For the U.S. Tigers, being goodwill ambassadors for the game just comes with the territory.

Sunju Patel said, "Our mission is to venture cricket deeper into the fabric of American communities and make it sustainable. USACA stewardship is going to play a very critical role in guiding organizations like ours."

An important part of this mission is, of course, playing cricket. The Tigers recently placed second in the DC T20, where they narrowly lost in the Final to a team that featured former West Indian fast bowler Adam Sanford. Before the match, USYCA President Jamie Harrison spoke to the Tigers about the important role they have to play in promoting and developing youth cricket in America. The team now looks forward to the U.S. Cricket Open to be played December 3-5, 2010 at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.

Professionalism is a key aspect of the Tigers' game plan, too. Their Board of Directors is a wonderful mix of young "go-getters" and "old-hands," designed to bring multiple viewpoints to the club's management. One of the club's coaching advisors is Monty Desai, an assistant coach with the Rajasthan Royals of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The club also retains a medical professional, Bhavin Patel, as team physiotherapist. For the U.S. Tigers, everything is top quality.

Roster: Sunju Patel (Captain), Niraj Shah (V. Captain), Amit Sood, Japen Patel, Devin Hariiccha, Keyur Patel, Ricky Nayar, Sai Ramesh, Zain Sayyed, Ankit Mehta, Umesh Patel, Charan Gowda, Jibran Gul, Sunny Desai, Montu Patel, Alay Patel and Pramod Poojary.

For more information about the Tigers, or to schedule a match, contact Sunju Patel at sunju77@gmail.com.