Contact: Maridith Geuder
Members of the MSU Cricket Club practice on the university's Drill Field, site of an Aug. 14 and 15 regional tournament.
Eight teams from six Southern universities will compete Aug. 14 and 15 in a regional cricket competition at Mississippi State.
Believed to be the first of its kind on the Starkville campus, the free event is sponsored by the MSU Cricket Club, a two-year-old campus organization and affiliate of the United States of America Cricket Association. Club members represent the nations of Australia, Bangladesh, Great Britain, India, Pakistan, and South Africa.
Games begin at 8 a.m. each day on MSU's historic center-campus Drill Field. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating.
On-the-spot game commentary will be provided in both English and Hindi, said club president Lokesh Shivakumaraiah. "Our goal is to expose more people to cricket and to encourage others to participate in the sport," the engineering doctoral student from India explained.
In addition to MSU, participating teams are coming from Auburn, Southern Methodist and Tennessee Tech universities, as well as the universities of Alabama and South Alabama.
A social gathering following the Saturday competition also is free and open to all. Beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Leo Seal M-Club, a university-sponsored dance will feature a disc jockey providing selections of both English and Hindi tunes.
A bat-and-ball game between two teams of 11 players, cricket features a hitter (batsman) at each of two bases called wickets. As in baseball, the object is to get the other team "out" and to score runs. The pitcher--or bowler--is allowed to bounce the ball to the batsman, however.
"We've had tremendous support for this event from MSU and the local community," Shivakumaraiah said. "We welcome all who wish to enjoy a weekend of fast-paced cricket action."
Other campus sponsors include the Student Association, International Services Office, Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, MSU Alumni Association, and Office of Recreational Sports.
Community sponsors include North Mississippi Coca-Cola Bottling Co.; Best Western, Comfort Suites, Hampton, Microtel, and University motels and inns; Starkville Daily News; and Wal-Mart.
Complete information about the game of cricket may be found at the club's Web site, http://www.msstate.edu/org/mcc or the national association's site at http://www.usaca.org .
For more information on the competition, contact Shivakumaraiah at (662) 425-4130 or Lokesh Shivakumaraiah.