Cricket Hall of Fame
Richard J. Kaplan, mayor of the city of Lauderhill, Florida, who is better known as an evangelist for the sport of cricket in America, is among this year’s class of nominees for induction into the Cricket Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is set to take place at the Hilton Hotel, downtown Hartford, Connecticut, on Saturday, October 4.
Richard Kaplan is among this year’s class of nominees for induction into the Cricket Hall of Fame.
Perhaps the biggest advocate for international cricket in the USA, Kaplan who is from Michigan not only watches but actually plays the game in and around Lauderhill.
Kaplan, who was directly involved in the creation of the first and only accredited International Cricket Council (ICC) field and stadium in the U.S., which was part of a $70 million complex that contains a variety of other sports facilities, developed his interest in the game when he traveled as a part of a delegation to Chauganus, Trinidad, that was interested in creating a sister city with Lauderhill. What really propelled his interest on that trip in 2002 was the opportunity that he got to attend the second Test match between India and the West Indies in Port of Spain.
“I sat in a box with the U.S. Ambassador to the West Indies and he helped me understand it. I was enjoying the game a lot. It was just a giant party. It really was a lot of fun watching,” he reportedly said.
Around that time a bid was being organized for South Florida to host the 2007 World Cup warm-up matches and the idea came along for a stadium to be built in Lauderhill to make that happen. Kaplan was offered and accepted the challenge to bid on the 2007 World Cup venues and became part of a team that travelled to Barbados to submit a bid. Although the bid was unsuccessful, Kaplan continued to make a push to get the stadium built and eventually getting international cricket to come to the ground.
He also led several delegations to the Caribbean to discuss with groups including the West Indies Cricket Board to hold international games in the Central Broward Regional Park cricket stadium and directly participated with the Friends of the park that hosted two international games, New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka and New Zealand vs. West Indies.
“When you are involved in a city, one of the things you want to do is to provide those services, those events, those amenities, that the people you represent want. This city has a large contingent of people from the Caribbean and they love the sport of cricket. I’ve been supporting it. I’ve been out there not only talking about it but actually playing the game, enjoying the game, and I think people have appreciated that I’ve stuck my neck out for them,” he said.
Describing himself as a white middle-aged gentleman from Michigan with a Jewish heritage, who enjoys playing the game in and around Florida, Kaplan has helped to create and sponsor night games in Lauderhill in which he played in for many years since 2002. Kaplan has played T20 games in Jamaica with local teams from Jamaica and the U.S. and in Peru against Chilean and Peruvian national teams in 50-over games.
He has also worked to build several cricket fields in the South Florida area and has played in an exhibition match between local USA players and members of the Canadian national team and has provided consultation and support for local and regional cricket groups who were trying to duplicate what Lauderhill has been able to accomplish.
