Cupertino, California – November 7, 2023 – Call it the Academy Awards of Cricket. Enthusiastic students, proud parents, and community leaders are still basking in the glow of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the California Cricket Academy (CCA).
At an event hosted by the California Cricket Academy on Sunday, November 5, CCA founders Hemant and Kinjal Buch marked two decades of promoting the sport in California and supporting young talent in the cricketing community. Under their dedicated leadership, membership has grown from 23 to over 400 in eight cities across the USA. CCA teams played more than 200 games in 2023.
On Monday, November 6, 2023, Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San José) of the 25th Assembly District in California announced his intention to introduce an Assembly Resolution recognizing and supporting cricket in California. With the same vigor that cricket is played worldwide, especially in South Asian countries, Commonwealth nations, and the United Kingdom. The International Olympic Committee recently announced that cricket had been added as one of five new sports to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California, after a hiatus of 128 years. The modern Olympics in Paris, France, in 1900, featured cricket.
The November 5th CCA 20th anniversary gala was a day to remember and featured special recognition from the office of Assemblymember Ash Kalra, Cupertino City Councilmember JR Fruen, and the academy sponsors.
The Arjun-Vohra Trust and Altius Strategic Consulting LLC. awarded their seventh Annual Player of the Year scholarships. “It’s critical to support young people,” said Kanika Vohra, Investor and Advisor to Altius Strategic Consulting, “and inspire them to bring out their best.”
“The scholarships are a pathway to identify youth cricket talent across California and provide international opportunities to perform at the highest levels of youth cricket,” remarked Rajib Arjun, a Trustee of The Arjun-Vohra Trust.
The scholarships aim to support the pursuit of cricketing excellence and those who exemplify it. Altius Strategic Consulting and The Arjun-Vohra Trust have been dedicated to the sport’s growth, offering scholarships to talented young players for the past seven years. The recipients of the 2023 scholarship are Vritansh Velpula in the U10 Age Category, Vihaan Apte in U12, Sai Kulkarni in U13-15, Suhrith Kaushik in U15-17, and Akshara Anand in the Girls Player Division.
CCA would like to thank its sponsors – Meriwest Credit Union, Chaat Bhavan, Mantra India, VRAI Lab-Grown Diamonds, Persistent Systems, Acnovate, Deep Foods, Hilton Garden Inn, Pinkvilla, Recology, Cricclubs, Au P’tit Monde French school, and realtors Dhiren and Anandi Unadkat. They have the utmost CCA gratitude. The academy couldn’t have done it without them.
Three-hundred and fifty cricket enthusiasts, parents, community leaders, and well-wishers attended the gala. All came together to celebrate the milestone at Cupertino’s Main Library at Torre Avenue on one of the CCA teams’ favorite cricket fields.
The continued community support and that of the sponsors and families help further CCA’s mission of fostering an overwhelming love of cricket and nurturing and developing outstanding individuals through the sport.
For more information about the California Cricket Academy and upcoming cricket camps, please visit www.calcricket.org, contact Hemant Buch at 408-203-3594, or email buchhemant@yahoo.com.
About California Cricket Academy:
The California Cricket Academy (CCA) is committed to the growth and development of cricket in California; with a focus on training, organizing tournaments, and awarding scholarships, CCA has become a hub for nurturing young talent and promoting cricket in Silicon Valley and throughout the United States.