By Sham Ali
(Celebrating 43rd Anniversary):- Yes, it has been that long! Carl Bennett, one of the foundation members of Cosmos reminded the audience. Time truly flies when you are having a good time, and surely, Cosmos has been on that road ever since a group of teenage boys at Taft High School in the Bronx in 1979 formed a cricket club, and embarked on the journey. Lke a ship with no sail that knows not its destination, this has been a journey indeed, and at times an adventure that tested the resolve of a young innocent group of high school boys. They persevered, constructed a strong foundation and kept extending the road year after year, even though, the end of that road flickered more than a few time. However, when you are pure at heart and do things right there will always be a way through trying times, hence the travels four decades later.
You have to pinch yourself at times to be reminded where you are presently from the place where it all begun, just to ensure that your sanity is in tact. Undoubtedly, it was the humility and camaraderie, the cornerstone of the Club, is that which kept the flame alight, as much as it has played an integral part in the lives of many of its members. Those qualities are still alive a ticking with the same heartbeat from its inception.
Sometimes It takes a village to raise a child, and a cricket club like Cosmos in New York to prepare pathways, open opportunities and groom the younger generation. Not only for cricket, but for the challenges ahead while being involved in a sport that will play a role in their lives and help to preserve a rich culture.
At the conclusion of the 2022 cricket season, Cosmos had played one thousand two hundred and fifteen matches (1215); your eyes are reading correctly 1215. Some won, some lost. However remarkable that feat is and the provoking thought of Cosmos playing that number of games is a small measure the many successes of its members off the cricket field. After 43 years, it is as if a powerful invisible line is drawn under a more powerful vision to capture the many untold success stories that are rooted in Cosmos. Just listen to Carl, Anil, Sunesh, and Junior, just to name a few, all once teenagers in Cosmos, and you will most certainly find yourself unconsciously exhibit a pleasing nod of acknowledgement of life and times of accomplishments, friendships and brotherhood, all wrapped together melted with a few letters then chiseled to form a simple molded word, Cosmos.
And like the themes of so many of Tennessee Williams dramas – life goes on, the past will never return and those who belong to the past and want it to return will live in sempiternal angst, the boys in Cosmos, then and now, kept their focus ahead at all times. While yesteryears memories will be cherished and savored, in tomorrow there is an abundance of opportunities in next year, and next season will be better than the last.
The club has had its peak moments with four generations through a fantastic journey, however, the members were not oblivious of the many challenges ahead and realities in living in a multicultural environment, but they endured in much the same Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth “Come what come may, Time and the hour, Runs through the roughest day.”
Indeed, the club did rallied through the roughest day, and days, and seasons and members, however, the love and warmth that was in the air among the attendees at this presentation was a testament of the club’s perseverance and how it managed smooth the edges through the years. The evening was lighted up in a grand and special way, and to see Cosmos boys decked out in their formal attire for the occasion, which is somewhat of a stretch for this GenZ group, was quite pleasing indeed.
The awards for top performers for the season in batting were: Most Runs – Yudesh Shivpersaud, 1st Runner-up – Shane Singh, 2nd Runner-up Yogeshwar Ramgobin, and 3rd Runner-up – Akash Rahim. In bowling were: Most Wickets – Shane Singh, 1st Runner-up – Towgeshwar Thakoordeen, 2nd Runner-up – Alex Chunilall, 3rd Runner-up – Devindra Balgobin. Most Dedicated Member: Doneshwar Dayanand. All-rounders: Ryan Ganesh, Naresh Persaud, Devon McCarthy, Khamraj Conyers. Most Promising Young Player: Alvin Gobin. The club was proud to recognized one of its members, Shafiq Jadavji, recent induction into the United States of America Cricket Hall of Fame, and the United States of America Cricket Umpires Association president Danny Khan induction into the USA Cricket Hall of Fame.
The evening had a flavorful conclusion. Young twelve years old Alvin Gobin took to the floor to express his joy and thanks for the opportunity to play; a brave young man. Alex Chunilall and Devindra Balgobin then delivered the vote of thanks in their own unique way. They highlighted the contributions of the senior members for keeping the club on track over the years. They then delivered a healthy dose of banter as they took a few swipes, albeit on the lighter side, at their colleagues which was indicative the fun and friendship that they enjoyed among themselves. And so it is, Cosmos in all its glory and four decades later brought the curtains down as they continue to turn the pages on a storied history at their 43rd Anniversary. Wow!!!
Cosmos will be on the road to Foxwoods on Dec 10.
