History
Cricket has been played in the United States of America since the early 1700s . Cricket has only been played in Colorado since the mid-1800 .
Colorado cricketers Colin McHattie (Secretary), C. Srinivasan (Treasurer)and Dan Ruparel (President), founded what is now known as the Colorado Cricket League. Ruparel has remained active with the league and the Littleton Cricket Club, McHattie is in Texas and Srinivasan in India. They received endorsements from the five teams that played cricket at that time: The Boulder Cricket Club, The Colorado Cricket Club, The Denver Cricket club, The International Cricket Club of CSU, and The Pakistan Cricket Club. None of these clubs are in existence today, except the CSU Cricket Club (see below) has the most direct roots to its predecessor.
Games were initially played on grassy pitches, which were often uncut with a jute mat laid on top. In 1994 the league switched to concrete-based, carpeted wickets. Neutral umpires were introduced in 1985.
The catalyst that spurred the creation of the Colorado cricket League in 1985 was for hope and expectation to have our players to try out for the US National Cricket team by participating in tournaments in Kansas and Oklahoma, which were part of the USACA's former Central Zone. Unfortunately due to politics the trials were a farce. A year later, the Colorado cricket League pulled out of the USACA in protest, leading a number other leagues to do the same for the same reason - politics.
Prior to 1985, the "league" was comprised on 5 team from Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins. Games were scheduled by the team captains calling each other to schedule games for the following weekend. If the team was busy with a game with another team or with a community social event, then a verbal commitment was made to play the next available weekend.
The captain would then call a representative of another side to get a match scheduled for that weekend. If it worked, a match was played, otherwise the team would end up either playing an intra-squad practice or game and wait for the following weekend.
Upon formalizing the League, schedules were drawn up, standards were created where initially 35 over per inning matches were played. This was changed to 35 in the second year (1986); and in 1992, 40 overs per inning was adopted. One other important modification was adopted - that of neutral umpires. With 5 teams in the league, there was always an idle side. The idle team were responsible to send their more senior players, who it was expected, knew the rules the best, to umpire the matches.
Over the years since then the league has made major strides - hosting invitationals, festivals and tournaments and has played in tournaments in California, Utah, Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Read more about this topic: Colorado Cricket League
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