Indiana Youth Cricket Association
Rochester School Corporation hosted a day-long in school and after school cricket camp on May 13. More than 60 students where introduced to cricket during PE classes.
Gambold's Jackie Newman, on her way to a top-scoring 34 (3 sixes, 2 fours).
Leading the camp were Charlee Schwenk of Riddle Elementary School and middle school teacher Michelle Howard, both with Rochester School Corporation (“Zebras”) and Alysha Wachtmann from nearby Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation, Akron. Trained and certified teachers are in process to expand cricket within their school system. With more softball players in the area, “Zebras” are also in process to start cricket during in school as well as after school program in Fulton county Indiana.
Introduction to cricket skill demonstrations and instructional information provided by Jatin Patel on behalf of USYCA and Indiana Youth Cricket. All teachers were certified during the afterschool camp to teach “basics of cricket,’ which will help the teachers to start in-school cricket programs during PE classes.
Elsewhere, on May 16, Gambold High School’s cricket team scrimmaged so that it could experience a real match environment.
The football/soccer field was modified to make it a cricket field with cones at every 5 yards to mark boundaries and also to mark the batting creases. The outfield was already low cut, with grass of about 1” in height. A 20-yard pitch was set in the middle and further trimmed down to lowest possible height and then rolled. Boundaries were placed at 45 yards wide for the on and off sides and 60 yards for long sides behind the wickets.
The players used youth wooden bats as well as USYCA plastic bats, based on players comfort. Heavy tennis balls were used along with USYCA stumps so that the field was not disturbed.
Rochester School Corporation teachers with USYCA's Jatin Patel.
The players were arranged at eight per side, girls vs. boys, and the match was set at 10 overs per innings. Both side had a player-coach on field to guide them during the game with instructions on rules and game situations. The girls were captained by Jacqlynn Newman (Jackie) with Jatin Patel as their coach/player. The boys team was lead by Jalen Vaughn and they had Mathew Shirk as their coach/player.
Jacqlynn Newman (Jackie) opened the innings for her side. Early in the 3rd over, with Jackie still batting, her team lost its 4th wicket with the score at 17. At this point, Jatin Patel joined her at the crease. Jackie was the 5th wicket to go, but not before bringing the score to 59 with a huge partnership with the coach. Before being bowled by Jalen Vaughn, she scored 34 runs (3 sixes, 1 of them very high and 60+ yards long, and 2 onside fours). She showed lots of understanding (running between the wickets) of scoring runs, includes many quick singles with her coach at the other end. (She is softball player, so stealing bases is a very familiar technique for her when she was scoring runs). After the fall of Jackie’s wicket, the remaining batters did not add too many runs. Jatin Patel finished on 23 not out with 2 sixes and 2 fours. With the team’s final score at 79 for 7 (all out) in 9.2 overs. That set up 80 runs needed in 10 overs for the boys’ team.
Jackie opened the bowling for the girls’ side and took three wickets in her first and only over, and by the end of the 2nd over the boys team were 4 down for just 2 runs. From there, the collapse continued, finishing with 27 runs. There were six catches taken during this entire game, two by girls, three by boys and one by a coach.
Players learned the following things during this scrimmage:
Game day procedures
How to start the game with the toss – understanding basic procedures to start the game
Role of extra players and runners at the crease
Rules and effect of Wide and No balls in depth
Field placements and placing ball in gaps during batting, stealing singles etc.