Cricket Hall of Fame
Michael Chambers, the first President of the World’s First Cricket Hall of Fame and who has been the Director for the past 20 years, has always maintained that individuals inducted into the institution subsequently experience a 100-fold increase in their success. According to him his prophesy has once again been fulfilled.
Michael Chambers Sr., Director of the Cricket Hall of Fame.
Jamie Harrison, president of United States Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) who was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in 2012, became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Cricket Federation (ACF) in 2013. Jamie, who is American by birth, believes that his leadership role in the ACF will be a catalyst for cricket’s expansion in the country.
Darren Beazley, who recently became Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), is now developing a road map for the future growth and development of cricket in the US which will include women, youth and the development of new facilities.
What is now taking place with the approach to the development of the game here in the US are striking similarities to the evolvement of the games of Baseball and Football.
Baseball evolved from the British game of Rounders, which is a cousin to Cricket in that it involves two teams which alternate at batting and fielding. Two major leagues were founded in the US: the National League in 1876 and the American League in 1903. With the birth of the World Series and the two major leagues, Baseball became popular in the early 20th Century. In 2000 both leagues merged into a single organization.
American Football was derived from Rugby and is played by 11 players on a rectangular field with goal posts at each end. The first game was played on November 6, 1869 between two College teams. The National Football League (NFL), consisting of a group of professional teams was established in August 20, 1920. By 1922, the NFL had established itself as the premier professional Football league. A rival, the American Football League (AFL) surfaced in 1950, challenging the NFL. It operated from 1960 to 1969 when it merged with the NFL.
The Super Bowl is now the most recognized sporting event in the US and is fast becoming the most popular sporting event in the world.
Cricket in America is now at a “cross road” and ready for “take-off”.
There are two rival organizations, the USACA headed by Darren Beasley, and the ACF headed by Hall of Famer, Jamie Harrison. Both men are accomplished visionaries.
History will again repeat itself. Cricket will experience the same growth as that of Baseball and Football, and yes, we will all be present at the Broward County Stadium in Florida to enjoy the Cricket Council USA ‘s “US Open” Cricket Tournament.
Chambers concludes that since ICC is an external entity, ICC will eventually be forced to recognize both USACA and ACF if Cricket is to become a successful and progressive sport in the US, and most of all, to prevent Broward County from digging up the wicket at the stadium.
Unity is strength. We could define UNITY by seeing USACA agreeing to merge with its rival ACF in 2015. Unlike Baseball, Cricket cannot wait 100 years for the merger to take place.
