USA Cricket Invitational aims to connect people with cultural traditions
The USA Cricket Invitational finals are being held Sunday in Minneapolis. Hosted by the Minnesota Cricket Association, it includes teams primarily made up of Caribbean, Indian and other South Asian players
Charles Peterson is one of the organizers of the USA Cricket Invitational. He says the association holds cricket games throughout the year and each team trains hard to compete. Peterson says making the finals is a big accomplishment for many players and a way for them to connect with others through their shared cultural tradition.
“A lot of us are transplants or first generation Americans. We started playing and as the communities developed and you'll still find it in immigrant communities.” Peterson said. That’s why we started the invitational, to try and make it into the broader [cricket] community.”
Many of the players participating in the final games are from former British colonies, where cricket had a big influence and still remains popular today.
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Rishi Ragoonanan is a Minnesota cricket player for the International Cavaliers Cricket Club who came out to watch the game on Saturday. He says the sport means a lot to him and other players who immigrated to Minnesota from Caribbean and South Asian countries.
“Just getting a taste of playing cricket and actually being able to do what you loved growing up, it's a big plus,” he said. “These guys carry the culture from the homeland. We’ve got some really good players up here and the competition is high.”
Ramesh Ailaveni is President of the Minnesota Cricket Association. After the organization previously took a break from hosting the competition, he said he is excited to be back out on the cricket field.
“We had huge representation over the years and now all the players in Minnesota cricket as well as people from outside are excited to be part of this,” he said. “There are people who travel and you know they have their own thing, but there are also so many players here who don't want to go anywhere and just want to play cricket [in Minnesota]. So they're excited and I'm excited for the team as well.”
Peterson says the event is also focused on engaging their community. The halftime game will feature a steel drum performance and after the game, competitors and fans will come together with family events, food and music.
“We believe people need to see cricket and they need to participate. The invitational was designed to get communities out to the park,” Peterson said. “We’ll have food, music and activities to encourage people to come out and watch cricket.”