At a Greenwood park next year, visitors could be welcomed by a sight not commonly seen in the U.S. — a game of cricket.
The sport, which bares some similarities to baseball, is the second most popular game in the world, behind only soccer in its number of fans. But for Greenwood cricket enthusiasts, finding a local place to play can be a challenge.
Prabjeet Singh, who emigrated from India in 1996 at the age of 16, has been an avid player and fan of cricket since he could walk. Singh and a group of several dozen other local players meet for weekend scrimmages. Three Greenwood teams compete in games in leagues with players from Cincinnati and Louisville, Singh said.
For now, they play and practice at Clark-Pleasant Middle School, where they have a makeshift dirt pitch near the soccer field to use, he said.
While they’ve made do for several years with this setup, getting an official pitch built would draw more people out to play, Singh said.
“People don’t want to come and play without a proper pitch,” he said.
A cricket pitch is a narrow, rectangular strip about 22 yards long and several yards wide at the center of a grass field. Wickets, a set of three sticks, are placed on either end of the pitch. Bowlers throw balls at the wickets, while batsman attempt to hit the ball with a flat sided bat.
Singh brought the idea to the city last month, and Parks and Recreation Director Rob Taggart has been working with him on getting a cricket pitch set up on the south side of Craig Park, between the softball diamonds and Smith Valley Road.
The pitch, which would be made up of artificial turf on a concrete base, will cost around $7,000 to $10,000, Singh said. Singh is working to raise the funds, which he said could come from local sponsors and businesses as well as players.
Players have raised several thousand dollars so far, Singh said.
Once Taggart has a quote from contractors about what the cost will be, they will look at getting money from sponsors, he said. Their goal is to have the funds ready before March.
Should they be short of the total needed for the pitch, Taggart said he would consider asking the park board to assist in financing the project.
Construction on the pitch won’t be able to get underway until the spring, and the park board would need to approve the project, Taggart said.
Having a cricket pitch would be a great cultural amenity for a community as diverse as Greenwood, Taggart said.
Cricket is a popular pastime in countries such as India, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Besides having a spot for local players to play, the cricket pitch will allow them to invite teams from other communities to come to Greenwood for games, Singh said.
Most of all, Singh hopes getting the sport in the public eye will get more people interested in trying out the game. He has one specific person he wants to introduce the sport to: he recently ordered some cricket equipment for his 6-year-old son.
“He is more excited than I am,” Singh said.
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Here is a closer look at cricket:
Teams: Cricket is played with two teams of 11 players.
Field: The game is set on a circular field with a narrow, rectangular area called the pitch in the middle.
Equipment: Wickets, a set of three sticks, are placed on either end of the pitch. Bowlers throw balls at the wickets, while batsman attempt to hit the ball with a flat sided bat.
Scoring: When batsman hit the ball, the batsman at each side of the pitch may choose to run to the other end of the pitch. To score a run, they must get there prior to fielders from the other team hitting a wicket with the ball. If the ball hits the wickets before the player gets to the other side, he will be ruled out.
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