ProCricket launches ... with a glitch or two

After last weekend's successful staging of the US Western and Eastern Conferences at Plano (Texas), the launch of American ProCricket's official season at Richmond Bank Ballpark on July 2 was an eagerly anticipated. The overall verdict: pretty good for an inaugural event, with a glitch that will hopefully be resolved with time and experience.

The glitch, curiously enough, had little to do with cricket, and more with the technology being improvised for the inauguration. It appears that the camera-bearing stumps, ubiquitous in international Tests and ODIs, were somehow left behind, and had to be installed before the match could start -- an understandable oversight, given the fact that this was the first time they were to be deployed in the USA. However, this caused a one-hour delay, and there was some grumbling from the spectators who had to cool their heels, with beer providing the appropriate antidote.

Once the match started, there were few problems -- the contest between New York and Florida was entertaining if one sided, as Florida coasted to an easy win.

NY, with Tusar Arothe, Merv Dillon and Larry Gomes (the latter hastily drafted in when he was found to be in New York) as their international players, batted first and scored 88 in 19.2 overs. Florida had been considered the strongest team in the League, with Wavell Hinds and Darren Ganga (West Indies), Colin Miller (Australia) and Brighton Mutumbwa (Zimbabwe) as the Florida international players. They lived up to that reputation by scoring the needed runs in 12 overs, with Hinds peppering the boundaries with fours and sixes.

The American Pro Cricket games are being played in professional minor league stadiums under floodlights, and the Richmond Bank Ball Park was no exception. The official paid attendance, as reported by the independent stadium management, was over a thousand spectators. There was music, lights and 16 TV cameras (including the stump cameras), which captured every move on the field, with replays on the stadium widescreen. While familiar to spectators overseas, this was the first time they had all been used in North American cricket, and constituted an eventful launch for ProCricket.

So, how did this game appear to that all-important person, the American spectator with no prior experience of the game? Here is an edited first-person account, from an admitted cricket rookie:

"So I ventured out to watch the first ever pro cricket game in the USA. As a rookie to cricket, I was full of excitement.

Fast'n'Furious is the motto of the league. Well, they had the furious part right away, the game started 57 minutes late because someone forgot to bring the wickets... no joke. Now the Fast part, that would be Florida's batting and how fast it took them to get beat NY, 12 overs only.

Back to the game, NY [were] really really bad. Their batting was mediocre, and their running seemed to be coached by a blind man. Countless times they were run out for miscommunications.

The crowd? Not bad, louder than last game and ...more as well... They also seemed a bit drunker (what else was everyone supposed to do besides drink for a 55-minute game delay?)

Will I go to more games to watch my local NY Storm? Sure, I will probably go again, but after watching NY play twice, it seems like they will be the Gold Coast Seagulls [a defunct team from NY] of the ProCricket League - people will show up to watch the other teams do good.

Final thought-- not a bad time, got to see some cricket in a stadium in NYC, which could never be a bad thing. A good experience overall, I hope people will give this league a chance. "

An interesting footnote: ProCricket is said to be offering the local leagues and the local teams 50% of their gate revenues in exchange for allowing their best players to play in the Pro Cricket tournament. It is an indication that ProCricket is serious about establishing itself among US cricketers as a bona fide alternative to ICC - and USACA - sponsored international cricket, and time will show if their strategy will be successful.