The cricket team at York College was formed in less than 3 months, from hard work by Mohammed Suleman, together with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah. Astoundingly, in a school where a huge proportion of the students come from a cricket background, there was no cricket.
The victorious CCNY team celebrating.
York College cricket then went to the nationals, the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, and performed incredibly well to reach the Finals. Last Sunday at the Northeast Championship York College was challenged by a team from City College of New York, another City University of New York (CUNY) school, for bragging rights as the top CUNY cricket team, though York was without 2 of its top players.
The scene was the beautiful Idlewild cricket field at 223rd Street in Queens, on a cold autumn morning last Sunday. The field was immaculate, but after a week’s rain the turf was soft and balls stopped where they landed, like a helicopter. Runs were hard to come by. The York Cardinals batted first and lost 2 quick wickets for 13 runs before Mohit Chopra (22 runs) and Khizar Abbas (12) steadied things and took the score to 52 before Abbas went. Neither scored a boundary.
CCNY Captain Dixit "Danny" Patel being interviewed by Shanae Strong, (Ms Teen Bahamas 2008).
BASIL TO HUGO D’OLIVEIRA
Hugo D’Oliveira bears the same last name as the renowned Basil D’Oliveira – who was a catalyst for the worldwide sports boycott which eventually led to the downfall of apartheid in South Africa. Hugo blasted 2 sixes and 2 fours in his 31 runs to take the York College Cardinals to 125 for 7 off their 20 overs – a respectable total in the conditions. The City College Captain Dixit Patel claimed 2 wickets for 23 runs whilst Rifat Hussein took 2 for 22, including D’Oliveira.
Yasneen Khan of York demonstrated a dynamic run up and some pace at the March national Championship, but root canal 2 days before the Northeast Championship had caused significant weight loss. Khan was reduced to a short run up and medium pace but he swung the ball, on a good line to rock the City College batting, taking 3 early wickets for 16 runs!
After 12 overs City College was 55 for 6 and York College Cardinals was on top. The Beavers Captain Dixit Patel and Rubinder Singh were determined though, Singh cracked 2 fours and 1 six in his 23 runs, whilst Patel smashed a 4 and brought up the win with a 6, his 2nd to take the game MVP honors ! Patel finished on 28 not out.
City College (CCNY) won in the 17th over by 3 wickets in the first cricket game between 2 CUNY schools-the first of many more to come ! In the battle of the boroughs the Brooklyn College, CCNY, defeated the Queens School, York.
The CCNY Beavers Faculty Advisor Herbert Seignored was pleased with his team’s performance at the American College Cricket Northeast Championship and pledged his support to American College Cricket’s President Lloyd Jodah and VP Nino DiLoreto. Jodah said the next step should be for the CUNY schools to get their own cricket field.