A contribution from poet and author, Indran Amirthanayagam '82

February 05, 2023  /  Paul Trapido

A Captain's Example

I grew up believing that playing cricket

I would learn how to be a sportsman,

how to battle for a draw, that not every

game has to end in victory or loss,

that how I play matters.The other day

I read about a captain who withdrew

an appeal from his star bowler

for a run out at the non-striker's

end. The batsman was one run shy

of a century. If given out he would

have been denied. And for what:

one more wicket in a game

that was perhaps already won

or lost? Nobody remembers

the result now but that gesture,

yes, imprinted in heart and mind,

noblesse oblige, the more fitting

reply. The value has not died

despite money, limited overs 

games, the T-20 shot fest.

Cricket can still present

its human and teaching face.

Indran Amirthanayagam, c) January 25, 2023

The Haverford Wanderers Take the Field - July, 23, 2022!

July 27, 2022  /  Paul Trapido

This past weekend saw the highly anticipated fruition of the Haverford Wanderers Cricket Team.  In their inaugural match, captained by Reid Sherman (’04), the team of alumni and current students took on Germantown CC.  Despite losing by hearty margin, the Wanders’ spirits remained high, and all involved cannot wait for the next match.

Fielding first, Haverford opened the bowling with rising sophomore Sidd Phatak and Matthew Abraham (‘97).  After a steady start from Germantown, Phatak made the first breakthrough for the Wanderers when the Germantown batter sent the ball flying to deep midwicket.  Rising Sophomore Deep Patel skirted around the boundary and made an excellent sliding catch to complete the wicket.  Just two balls later Phatak picked up his second wicket, trapping the batter LBW.

Gulesh Shukla (’22) would take the third wicket, finding the edge of the bat and sending the ball straight to Andrew Cornell (’19) at keeper.  Wickets fell steadily through the middle overs, with a 4 wicket haul by Cornell.  Two of Cornell’s wickets were thanks to some lovely glovework by Patel, who was making his debut behind the stumps. 

 Sitting at 7-136 with only lower order batters remaining, the Wanderer’s hoped to make quick work of the remaining batters.  Alas, late order cameos from Germantown, helped along by Haverford Cricket’s longtime nemesis—their own wides—would see the total steadily tick upwards until the Wanderers finally got the best of Germantown, bowling out the side for 211.

 Requiring 212 in 30 overs, the Wanderers sent Patel and Phatak to face the new ball.  The pair saw out the first four overs without issue, preferring a cautious approach while the pair got set.  Phatak, however, would have to leave in the fifth over but not before launching the ball for a six which, most agreed, was hit so hard it should have counted for 12!

 After Phatak’s departure, Patel would struggle to find a consistent partner at the other end of the crease, with the next three batters being dismissed for scores of 0, 2 and 0.   Following these quick wickets, Patel would find support from Neilay Shah and Abraham.  Shah’s 17 off 14 and Abraham’s 19 off 15 helped alleviate the pressure Patel felt at the other end. 

 After the dismissals of Shah and Abraham, rising Junior Ken Lin lent Patel some additional stability with a useful 14 ball stand.  Despite 5 from rising sophomore Samuel Ross (which included his first career boundary) and 6 from Will Lesser (‘15) at the tail, the required run rate would prove too high.  The Wanderers were bowled out for 119, 92 runs short of a winning total. 

 In his first outing opening the batting, Patel showed what his bat has to offer the college side in the fall.  His 33 off 48 was not only the highest score of the Wanderers’ innings, but his highest total with the bat. 

 Despite the loss, the Wanderers were glad to have gotten out and enjoyed some cricket.  The current students were able to keep their cricketing skill sharp in the offseason, while the alumni were glad to have an opportunity to shake off the cobwebs before any potential alumni matches versus the college side in the fall. 

 Stay tuned for another potential appearance of the wanderers towards the end of August!

Fall 2020 Newsletter

December 01, 2020  /  Paul Trapido

The Fall Cricket Season has now wrapped up, and despite the cancellation of scheduled matches and participation in the Philadelphia Cricket Festival because of COVID 19, the 2020/21 team was able to practice daily on Cope Field. Precautions included breaking the afternoon practice into smaller group to reduce the number of people on the field, and rotating the practice times. Coach Kamran Khan reports that the team was able to work on sharpening batting, bowling and fielding in preparation for what is hopefully the opportunity to have a Spring Season.

Of course, the experience of having played in England in the Spring of 2019, should help season the team and they are of course raring to go once conditions permit.

Kamran describes the batting as solid, with openers Ethan Flicker, and Jack Morgan (Co-Captain), both returning from last year. The team then has depth with steady batting from Kaito Nakatani '21 (Co-Captain) Malcolm Thompson '21 (Co-Captain) and Gulesh Shulka '21, all of whom participated in the Tour of London in May 2019.

Bowling will be strong again, with Openers Gulesh Shukla '20 and Malcolm Thompson '20, complemented by off-spinner Ethan Flicker '21 and Kaito Nakatani '21 who bowls consistent length.

The fielding promises to be a strength as usual, with Rebecca Stern ('24), emerging as the first woman to be wicketkeeper for the Haverford XI.

There are 4 freshmen/women on the team, so that there is a strong base for the future development of the team.

It's always amazing to see the progression of the players who never played the sport before coming to Haverford, and the skills they have developed during their time at Haverford. No doubt that the teams' practice in the Fall, and now Winter training in the field house, and then Spring competition will again benefit from Kamran's experience teaching the mostly American players the skills of the game. Of course, team members' enthusiasm to learn to play cricket are a huge part to the success of Haverford Cricket. As the Alumni Cricket Club, we will be the future beneficiary of their experience playing cricket at Haverford!

Speaking of the future, we should mention that we had the opportunity to meet new President Wendy Raymond, at the last Alumni Match in September 2019. She joined us and met the Alumni Team during the match, and of course continues the Haverford tradition of having the occasional six landing on her porch! We also are following the continued development of cricket in the USA, with the Times of India and Willow committing US$ 1 Billion to the expansion of American cricket in the next decade. There is also the potential for Haverford College to participate in the expansion of the Collegiate Cricket league, as do our rivals U. of Pennsylvania and Temple.

So, despite the difficult times, cricket is still very much a part of the scene at Haverford College!

Paul Trapido '78

President, Haverford Alumni Cricket Club



Alumni Cricket Match - September 28th 2019!

September 23, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

The annual Alumni Match is coming up on Saturday the 28th!

Here are the highpoints of the day:

  • Brunch on Cope Field starting at 9:30-10 AM, with the goal of starting the match around 11 AM.

  • We will begin Livestreaming the activities around 11 AM at the Haverford XI You Tube channel:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXu4viX0HH0g_eXrqB2Xydg You can watch the activities from the porch of the Pavillion and chat with some familiar faces!

  • At 1 PM, , some members of the team will head over to the Campus Center for our hour-long "Conversations with Alumni" event hosted jointly with the CCPA. This will be a low-key event, with students and alumni circulating (no panel discussion or anything more formalized).

  • Play until we lose the light (around 6 PM), at which point we'll have the usual dinner on the field. Please bring $10 per person to cover the dinner expenses.


Images from Haverford XI at Windsor Castle Home Park

May 30, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

Some images from the visit to Windsor Castle and the cricket ground at Frogmore.. The team inspects the pitch and the viewing house where Queen Victoria watched matches. Last but not least, although the match was cancelled due to the rain, Haverford College left it’s mark with a Haverford Cricket cap in the Pavillion.

Windsor Castle / Match with the Royal Household (May 29/2019)

May 30, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

Sadly the final match of the tour, where the Haverford XI was play the Royal Household Cricket Club at Windsor Castle, was rained out.. After waiting an hour for the rain to pass, and having tea, it was possible to begin the match. But after 2 overs, the rain resumed and the decision was made to cancel the outing. Nevertheless, the beauty of the ground, the setting with a guest house where Queen Victoria watched matches, and the John Taylor Bar, where countless cricket luminaries have been served a Guiness or Gin and Tonic, still made the visit memorable.

English Tour Update... Sunday Morning 5/26

May 26, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

Arrived last night to join tour in progress… Was briefed by Iris Ahmad over a beer at the Goose Fulham. Reports first two matches have been losses to Eton and Royal Household, errant fielding, and more difficult wickets to bat on than the HXII is accustomed too.

Today (Sunday) will head off to match with MCC, and attempt livestream of video, and at least to record on video if that is not possible. Match begins at 1 pm….

Paul

Vote! Election of Officers in Progress...

May 14, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

Those who have signed up as members of the HACC were sent out information on Monday May 13th, about how to vote for officers of the HACC, including their biographical data and statements. The election is scheduled to run until 10:00 pm on Friday May 17th.

If you did not receive the email, please check your SPAM Filter, as it was sent out using a mail database program (Mail Chimp) and may have been filtered out of your direct email.

If you have any questions, please contact us via email at: admin@haverfordacc.org

Thanks!

May 4th / Membership 50 UP! / Cricket Festival Results & Livestream / England Tour Schedule

May 04, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

50 Up Membership HACC! / Livestream Cricket Festival  / England Tour 

Hi All,

Here's an update on cricket at Haverford...

Cricket Club Membership / Elections - We are up to over 50 alumni who have signed up!  Sandeep Poonen '96 was #50 :)  

I have spoken to Kamran about scheduling our first friendly matches this summer! 

We will announce and hold elections for officers next week, after the Cricket Festival is over.  Voting will close at midnight EST on Sunday May 12th. All those who have signed up  as HACC members as of Friday May 10th at 6:00 PM EST will  be eligible and receive information about how to vote.

Cricket Festival / Livestream - Haverford has played two matches so far, defeating the Royal Automobile Club on Thursday by 25 runs, but falling to Galacticos CC in the 17th over on Friday 114 to 113.   The remaining matches are:

Sat, 12:30, vs Honolulu (Livestream) 
Sat, 3:45, vs Amwell Valley  (Livestream TBD)
Sunday, 8:30, vs Buckeye (No Livestream)

You can catch the matches the Livestream or the saved recording at the Haverford XI Cricket channel on You Tube:

 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXu4viX0HH0g_eXrqB2Xydg

England Tour / Next Stop London! The itinerary and schedule of matches in England is as follows: 

Arrival May 21st - Departure May 30.  The team will be staying in Fulham.   

Matches are as follows: 
24th Royal Automobile Club (requests a re-match)
25th Royal Marines (requests a re-match)
26th MCC at Lord's
27th T20 / 2 matches Village Cricket (10 am)
29th Queens Household at Windsor Castle

Alumni Isfar Munir '18 and Paul Trapido '78 will be going to support the team and Livecast or record the matches.  Idris Ahmed, will also be traveling to London, and of course we hope any Alumni in the London area will join the team for the matches! 

4/19/19 Haverford wins on last ball vs. Royal Marines - Captain calls Haverford XI "Fearsome!"

April 23, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

The Royal Marines who last visited Haverford 5 years ago, batted first and were held to 84 in 20 overs. The wet grass after an overnight storm slowed down the ball on the ground, but Haverford bowling was also effective. The HC XI then batted and slowly built up the score until they were within reach, then tied the match with 2 balls to go, and won on the last ball!

The Royal Marines Captain was kind enough to give an interview after the match with Ceceilia van Piske, a visiting cricket player from The Hague Cricket Club…

Comment

Launching our Haverford College Alumni Cricket Club...

February 01, 2019  /  Paul Trapido

An great way to stay in touch with old friends and make new ones! Come join us at matches in Philadelphia, New York, Washington D.C. during the summer months (June, July, August) and social events throughout the year in different locations around the USA and world!

Here’s a link to the current 2018/2019 team, playing the University of Pennsylvania in one of the oldest sports rivalries in the US!

We will be livestreaming the match on April 20, 2019 with the visiting Royal Marines. You can watch that match at our You Tube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXu4viX0HH0g_eXrqB2Xydg/featured