Players in the Richmond Strikers youth cricket league (Photo courtesy Richmond Strikers)
It has been said that the first sign of spring is the crack of a baseball bat. When gloves are oiled, bats are tarred and Dubble Bubble’s profit margins are back in the black, it is a surer sign of the season than the appearance of robins or butterflies after a long winter. But baseball is no longer the only stick-and-ball sport in town. The Richmond Strikers youth cricket season was scheduled to begin in April, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Strikers programs were shut down.
The inaugural Strikers cricket season took place during the summer of 2019. One hundred and twenty-five children participated, and the numbers increased in the fall. This spring, teams were to be divided into five age groups composed of children aged 7 to 18.
“Our aim is to introduce cricket to youngsters,” says Raj Divakaruni, the Strikers’ director of cricket. “Our coaches encourage sportsmanship and teamwork, and they introduce kids to a wide range of skills including bowling, fielding and batting.”
As in baseball, cricket players hit a ball with a bat, score runs, and try to avoid getting “out.” In cricket, the fielding team must get 10 outs to end an inning, and there are only one or two innings per game. Eleven players field, including the bowler, who bowls the ball (on a bounce) to the batter.
An ovular field surrounds the cricket pitch bowling and batting area, which is marked by wickets. This area typically is clay, while the surrounding pitch is grass or artificial turf. The circular shape of a pitch leads to complication when the sport is played on soccer or baseball fields, so cricket enthusiasts sought funding for a dedicated pitch of their own, and $4 million was secured in 2015. Henrico County’s first cricket pitch was set open at Deep Run Park in mid-May.
“With the introduction of our programs [last summer], the sport is now accessible to youth in the Richmond area,” Divakaruni says, “and many youngsters are showing interest in learning and playing.”
