Game of Cricket taking hold in area

Late fall is not exactly prime-time cricket season in Charlotte. But some local players felt pressed into action after hurricane Sandy devastated much of the Northeast.

A couple dozen players from the Carolina Cricket League, which plays many of its regular season games at Kilborne Park, convened in Gastonia to play a charity game to benefit the victims of the late-October storm.

As of Nov. 25, the CCL had contributed $2,951. Most of that money was presented in a check to an official from Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief and evangelism organization, at the Nov. 11 game. Much of the money was donated by the players or by the cricket clubs they were representing.

Charlotte resident Robert Taylor, a member of the Charlotte International Cricket Club, and a co-organizer of the charity game, said that additional contributions have been made by Bank of America and Wells Fargo, which both employ some of the players.

The Carolina Cricket League is comprised of 20 clubs from Charlotte, Gastonia, Greenville, S.C., High Point, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

Cricket, which is popular among men with connections to South Asia, the Caribbean, South Africa and the United Kingdom, has rapidly grown in the Carolinas over the last 10 years.

Nine clubs call Charlotte home.

The South Park Cricket Club, Accenture Cricket Club and Charlotte Ballantyne Cricket Club (not to be confused with the Ballantyne Chasers Cricket Club) play their home games at Kilborne Park, where cricket grounds were developed prior to the 2012 season.

The Charlotte City Cricket Club, Charlotte Tigers Cricket Club, and ZENMONICS play their home games at Reedy Creek Park. Three other Charlotte teams, the Charlotte Lions Cricket Club, the Ballantyne Chasers, and the Charlotte International Cricket Club play on grounds in Gastonia.

The formal Charlotte cricket season runs from spring through early fall. But grounds such as Kilborne regularly host weekend pickup games throughout the winter that routinely draw over 20 players. A regulation game of cricket requires 22 players.

On Nov. 4, the Carolina Cricket League held a regularly scheduled meeting of its board of directors at a North Tryon Street motel. All of the member clubs were represented. Mahesh Chalil, representing the Ballantyne Chasers, pitched the idea of a charity game.

“In my mind I didn’t believe that we could raise $2,000 because of the short notice,” Chalil said.

A week later, 22 players (mostly from the Charlotte and Gastonia Clubs) convened at Gastonia’s Lakhany Cricket Grounds. They were split into two teams: the Heroes and the Pioneers.

Taylor, who umpired the charity game, recommended Samaritans Purse, headquartered in Boone with a branch in Charlotte, as the beneficiary.

“I knew Samaritans Purse had a local presence,” Taylor said. “They seemed to be really hands on.”

Driving to the game from Boone was Darren Mullenix, director of operations and donor response for Samaritans Purse. Having been raised by missionary parents in Kenya, Mullenix grew up playing cricket recreationally.

The Carolina Cricket League originally presented Mullenix with a check for $2,651 but an additional $300 was collected after the game.

“It’s better than just playing cricket,” Chalil said. “If you think about it, in just a week we raised $2,951 to donate to the charity. That shows what we can achieve. If you want to get a lot out of the community you have to give back to the community.”

Game organizers plan on making their efforts an annual event, changing the beneficiary on a yearly basis.