Rocky Goocharan

"I guess . . . baseball and football have just crowded it out," MCC's president Rocky Goorcharan says.Indeed, cricket did enjoy some popularity here until baseball began its rise in the middle of the 19th century.

Its U.S. obscurity aside, cricket is on an upswing in the mid-Atlantic.Ahluwalia and Goorcharan are just two of hundreds who don the sport's traditional all-white garb and keep the game alive from April to August.
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"It's really growing here," says Goorcharan, a 38-year-old project inspector for the Maryland State Highway Administration."When I joined the league in 1991, we had only had a few teams and we had to play a few teams twice" in order to fill out a season.Today the 27-year-old Washington Cricket League (WCL), of which MCC is a founding member, oversees 23 recreational cricket teams from Philadelphia to Virginia.

League membership consists almost exclusively of expatriates from cricket-playing countries--chiefly India, Pakistan, and various West Indian nations.Goorcharan, a Guyana native, says his own Baltimore-area team, which plays its home games at a recreational complex in Timonium, is one of the league's most diverse."We've got players from all over: Jamaica, Trinidad, India, Bangladesh, and England," he says.Some, like him, are U.S. citizens; others are here as resident aliens, or on student visas."We lose some good players at graduation time," Goorcharan laments.And the league's recent growth, he adds, is in part thanks to that diversity; the Internet has spread the word--especially among recent immigrants--that cricket is played in the States.
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But it's "really a lot simpler than people think," Goorcharan says.
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"We're the team that needs the [media] exposure," Goorcharan says with a smile."The Baltimore club already got all the good players."

The MCC is having a rough season."To put it mildly, we're doing terribly," Goorcharan says.

I guess . . . baseball and football have just crowded it out , MCC's president Rocky Goorcharan says.Indeed , cricket did enjoy some popularity here until baseball began its rise in the middle of the 19th century.

Its U.S. obscurity aside , cricket is on an upswing in the mid-Atlantic.Ahluwalia and Goorcharan are just two of hundreds who don the sport's traditional all-white garb and keep the game alive from April to August.It's really growing here , says Goorcharan , a 38-year-old project inspector for the Maryland State Highway Administration.When I joined the league in 1991 , we had only had a few teams and we had to play a few teams twice in order to fill out a season.Today the 27-year-old Washington Cricket League ( WCL ) , of which MCC is a founding member , oversees 23 recreational cricket teams from Philadelphia to Virginia.

League membership consists almost exclusively of expatriates from cricket-playing countries--chiefly India , Pakistan , and various West Indian nations.Goorcharan , a Guyana native , says his own Baltimore-area team , which plays its home games at a recreational complex in Timonium , is one of the league's most diverse.We've got players from all over : Jamaica , Trinidad , India , Bangladesh , and England , he says.Some , like him , are U.S. citizens ; others are here as resident aliens , or on student visas.We lose some good players at graduation time , Goorcharan laments.And the league's recent growth , he adds , is in part thanks to that diversity ; the Internet has spread the word--especially among recent immigrants--that cricket is played in the States.

Because cricket involves batting , the games are divided into innings and scored in runs , and the umpire is all-powerful , many refer to it as British baseball..But it's a nickname that doesn't really fit.

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But it's really a lot simpler than people think , Goorcharan says.I hear all the time how confusing it is , but if you just watch a game you can figure it out..

Cricket is played on a large oval field. ( There's There's no standard size , but think of a football field with the corners rounded off. ) At the oval's center lies the pitch , a 22-yard-long alley of closely cropped grass , and at either end of the pitch are the wickets : three closely spaced , 32-inch-tall wooden posts called stumps topped with a pair of spindlelike pieces of wood called bails..

Cricket teams have 11 players.Like baseball , one team fields while the other bats.
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We're the team that needs the [ media ] exposure , Goorcharan says with a smile.The Baltimore club already got all the good players..

The MCC is having a rough season.To put it mildly , we're doing terribly , Goorcharan says.We haven't won a game yet..But most MCC players will tell you cricket is more than just a game.For many , it's a chance to reconnect with a bit of their homeland.Indian-born Ahluwalia says camaraderie is at the core of cricket.For instance , it's league tradition , he says , for the home team to provide dinner for the visitors after each game.

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