Cricket finds its way to the Bronx
New York's thriving Southeast Asian community has created with it demands for local cricket grounds to be erected, as a means for enthusiasts to be able to play properly and without hindrance or influence from other, more popular sports
06-May-2013
With 10% of New York's 8.2 million population originating from Southeast Asian countries, it is little wonder that recently more cricket grounds have been constructed throughout New York's various boroughs. One example of this is the US$13 million renovation of Van Cortland Park, which has allowed for the construction of a regulation size ground, complete with drainage system and all necessary appendages. The New York Times' Winnie Hue investigates further into this development, and how much it means to local weekend warriors.
Yet while cricket has thrived in the Bronx, it has often been an afterthought to baseball or soccer. The old cricket fields in Van Cortlandt Park, if they could be called that, were too small for games and overlapped in places. The fields had to be shared with soccer, rugby and football teams, who, cricket players said, mucked up the grass and left holes everywhere. Soccer balls often came bouncing into cricket games. By contrast, the new fields sitting side by side have been carefully measured to regulation size and declared off limits to other sports. There is a drainage system to minimize puddles, and a newly posted map to mark the fields, lest there be any confusion.