Members of the West Haven Cricket Club pose with the championship trophy after winning the 20th annual Philadelphia International Cricket Festival on May 7. Kneeling are, from left, Manesh Prabhu, Azher Ali, Raj Khatri, Abhishek Chitale, Nikhel Thapar, Suriya Rajamani and Rajesh Narayanan. Standing are, from left, Sriram Ramesh, captain Prasanna Ramaswamy, Ranganath Kanna, Gautam Anne and Shreenath Rajagopalan.
The West Haven club was founded in 2001 and has competed against cricket clubs from around the world for the past decade in the PICF tournament, winning it for the first time this year.
Cricket is played with a red leather ball and a flat wooden bat by two teams of 11 players each on a large field. The teams bat and bowl alternately, with the batting team attempting to score runs. The team scoring the most runs wins. The West Haven club plays at Peterson Soccer Field on Bull Hill Lane and is supported by the city departments of Parks and Recreation, Park Maintenance and Public Works. The Philadelphia Cricket Club is the oldest cricket club in the U.S., formed in 1834.