Wooster Cricket Team to Compete in USA College Championship

Team of 15 players will join field of 20 other schools, including Ohio State, Auburn, and Southern Cal

WOOSTER,Ohio - March Madness will stretch beyond the basketball court this spring when an international group of students from The College of Wooster competes in the USA College Cricket Championship next month (March 17-21) in Fort Lauderdale.

Wooster, which is the smallest school in the field and the only independent liberal arts college to participate, will join 20 other collegiate teams from the United States and abroad, including the University of the West Indies and York University from Toronto. All matches will follow the One Day International (ODI) 20/20 Format, and will last no more than three hours. The semi-finals and finals will be played in the International Cricket Council ODI-certified stadium in Central Broward Regional Park, and will be broadcast live on the web.

Wooster plans to send a team of 15 players, representing the countries of Pakistan, India, Jamaica, Bosnia, Nepal, Zimbabwe, and the United States. Graham Ford, head coach of the men's soccer team at Wooster, will serve as acting coach.

"It is highly appropriate that Wooster participate in this championship," said Wooster President Grant Cornwell. "Our team will carry on a noble tradition of Fighting Scot cricket. We are an international team of players working together for a common goal."

Junior vice-captain Maaz Khan of Pakistan said that Wooster's decision to participate in the American College Cricket Championship shows how well the institution supports multicultural initiatives. "The fact that the team is represented by students from different continents certainly highlights the cohesiveness of our vibrant student population," he said.

Defending champion Montgomery College of Maryland hopes to defend the prestigious Shiv Chanderpaul Trophy by turning back challenges from such schools as Ohio State, Auburn, George Mason, Rutgers, Boston University, Southern Cal, Miami, Minnesota, George Washington, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University, among others.

The Chanderpaul trophy was endowed by current West Indies test player Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was the 2008 ICC (International Cricket Council) and Wisden Cricketer of the Year, and now serves as head coach of American College Cricket.

Wooster, with a cricket history that dates back to the early 1990s, currently holds the Robert G. Wilder Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the Wooster-Haverford rivalry.