Cricket is Growing in Baltimore

The second most popular spectator sport in the world after soccer,
cricket is believed to have been invented by children in the
woodland area of southeast England during the Middle Ages. The
first written reference to adults playing the game dates to 1611, and
by the middle and late 1600s, village and county teams had formed.

Although cricket is largely unfamiliar to most Americans today,
it was not always so. The British brought their cricket bats with
them to the American Colonies, and it remained one of the most
popular sports in the U.S. until baseball
emerged as the national pastime
during the Civil War.

“THE FIRST WRITTEN
REFERENCE TO
ADULTS PLAYING
THE SPORT DATES
TO 1611.”

Similarly, the British introduced
cricket to the West Indies, India, Pakistan,
Nepal, the Netherlands, Australia,
New Zealand, South Africa, Canada—
wherever the British Empire went, it toted
its cricket bats—and now immigrants
from those places have brought the game back to the United States.

Starting July 4, Major League Cricket, with teams in Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, New York, and Washington,
D.C., launches its second season. Closer to home, Baltimore County
is expected to complete construction of its first-ever cricket
field at Cloverland Park this year, which will serve, among others,
the Saathi Baltimore Cricket Club. The Baltimore region is home to the country’s fifth-largest Nepalese community and its cricket enthusiasts have been advocating for a proper county venue for years.

Meanwhile, Howard County already has multiple public outdoor
spaces dedicated to cricket, plus the indoor Columbia Cricket
& Sports Complex, which opened in 2022. Mostly used for coaching
youth players, the facility also serves as the main training
ground for the Baltimore Royals, which competed in Minor League
Cricket’s Atlantic Division last year.

“As a member of the USA National Cricket Team, I am proud to
see my home county is fully committed to growing the sport,” said
the India-born Sunny Sohal, a Royals member and Howard County
youth cricket coach. “Infrastructure is a key to the success of cricket
in the USA.”