Introducing an international sport to the halls of Lambert High School, alumni Darshan Adinay and Sanjay Gunashayn started the Lambert Cricket Team in 2019. Continued by captain Manchet Singh, the cricket team has over 60 members, with 21 members on varsity and the rest participating in additional activities.
“We have different events to organize.” team member and senior Aritra Bhattacharya mentioned. “We have different opportunities for non-varsity kids to play in.”
Having had tryouts last month, the cricket team emphasized looking for girls to play for the co-ed team whose season started in the fall. Lambert’s primary team plays with 12 other school teams in the main league, with the season beginning in the spring.
“It’s [co-ed] basically a team where two girls have to play,” Bhattacharya explained. “And for this, there’s only nine [teams] because a lot of teams couldn’t get two girls to sign up.”
The co-ed league comprises around nine teams, with three girls on Lambert’s team. Because cricket is not generally a sport played by women, Lambert members are making it their goal to introduce cricket and make it more attractive to the general population. A part of advertising the club includes many in-house activities and opportunities to play and warm up to the sport.
“So we have an internal tournament coming up,” Bhattacharya started. “And in addition, we have pickup games where anyone can pull up, and we just play at Shakerag Park.”
Seeing as Lambert consists of a vibrantly diverse population, the cricket team has many members relative to other schools’ teams. The team won the main league tournament two years back, and they have individuals who are highly skilled at the sport. There are a few members on U-17 (national members who play and are under 17).
Regarding getting new members, the cricket team tries to address the misconceptions about the sport, as it is relatively unknown to the younger population in Georgia.
“A lot of people think it’s like baseball,” Bhattacharya stated. “ It’s a completely different skill set so if you don’t like baseball you can just give cricket a try.”
Lambert’s cricket team is a great environment for trying out a new sport, as its members are extremely eager and open to sharing their love for the sport. For anyone who wants to find a new way to move and a potential passion, the Lambert Cricket Team could be the place for you.
