Henry Wardley hit a magnificent 237 which included 18 four’s and 13 sixes.
ICUSA Rising Stars Cricket team with its motto “Empowering Youths- the Leaders of Tomorrow” was inspired by the history making feat of its youth player USA under 19 batsman Henry Wardley, who scored a blistering 237 runs in 38 overs against StumpErZ’s team last Saturday in the Millennium League 2010 Cricket Tournament. That is the highest score by any batsman in the History of the League’s competitions. His outstanding performance was heralded by his team mates, ICUSA leadership and members who were ecstatic by his batsmanship.
Rising Stars batted first and scored 381 mainly due to Henry’s commanding batting. He opened the batting with a positive mental attitude and a visible desire to set an example for his fellow youth to emulate. He started to build his innings in an intelligent manner by sensible application, respecting the good deliveries and dispatching the loose ones. It was refreshening to see a modern young cricketer so aware of the correlation between physical fitness and mental stamina which the game demands of quality players.
Henry was dismissed in the 38th over for a magnificent 237 which included 18 four’s and 13 sixes. He totally dominated the batting inning with an assortment of scintillating strokes. He combined muscular force with sublime elegance and grace involving an exquisite array of classical cricketing strokes that excited and thrilled the spectators in the Park. It also emboldens his fellow youthful team mates who have never, in their life ever played with a team in which one of their batsmen scored a double century. The innings had a number of straight batted shots in the “V” as is encouraged by intelligent cricket coaches.
On reaching his century, Henry invoked a form of mental discipline that generally eludes more elderly batsmen, as he focused in continuing his innings, as the set batsman, and making sure that his team batted the opposition out of the contest. He gave a lesson in the type of cerebral acumen which is demanded to make a double century in a limited overs match and he relied a lot on the discipline of applying himself in a systematic manner as the circumstances changed as the innings progressed. This was a major strength of the innings which provided a practical example as to how to make a double century in 38 overs. His fellow youths would do well to emulate. In reply to Rising Stars 381 the StumpErZ team could only muster 106 as Adithya Nagaraga and Mike Singh, demolished them with figures of 3 wickets for 19 runs and 2 wickets for 5 runs respectively.
In 2009 Rising Stars were the runners up in the Millennium Cricket League tournament. In 2010 the leadership of ICUSA the parent body of Rising Stars decided to restructure the team with a set of policies designed to empower youths- the players and administrators of tomorrow. Rising stars therefore implements the policy of including at least 7 under 21 year’s old players in all their matches. In this particular historic match the team had 8 players of the younger variety.
Henry Wardley has now joined 2 other members of the ICUSA Cricketing Educational Complex who had the distinction of making double centuries. Those are Mushtaq Khan, who was ICUSA’S first captain and who made his in a three day match in the National Intermediate division Cricket Competition in Guyana, and Kamran Kamal, who made his in 206 in the Cricket League of New Jersey in a 40 over affair in 2009. Along with these members who have the practical experiences in the art and science of making double centuries there are 3 West Indies Certified Level 1 Cricket Coaches in the Rising Stars team where the youths are not only taught how to develop their cricketing skills but also their leadership skills so that they could take their appropriate places in the new generation of USA cricketers and Administrators as those of yesterday and today fade into the sunset.
Congratulations Henry Robert Wardley, ICUSA Complex and Rising Stars on this History Making occurrence.
Quotes….
”It was great batting with Henry and to be at the other end when he reached 150 and then 200 was something I will remember forever”—Ryan Persaud
“It was a terrific display of straight hitting by Henry, monstrous sixes”—Qayaam Farrouq
“Opening the innings with Henry, we started off really well…he just kept on hitting boundaries to all parts of the ground”, what an inning! —Cameron Mirza
“The Rising Stars guys were going nuts with every boundary Henry hit, what an amazing innings” — Salima Salim Fonte
“Scoring the book was quite a task; I ran out of room on the score sheet for Henry …I gave him a big smiley face on the score card at his 200 mark…what a special performance!”— Dawn Donnigan-Mirza