Some may say that Maryland’s claim to sports fame is along the lines of lacrosse and other traditional field sports, but you will be intrigued to learn about an uprising sport in the Old Line State.
Based out of Glen Burnie, the United States Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) is a non-profit organization comprised of dedicated volunteers who give their time, energy and money to bring cricket to schools. The USYCA’s mission is “to popularize the sport of cricket in the US by promoting its adoption in schools, summer camps and youth organizations.”
Jamie Harrison, President of the Maryland Youth Cricket Association (MYCA), stated, “I started the Maryland Youth Cricket Association in 2010. Now here we are seven years later and I’m looking out over these fields and seeing what’s become of cricket in Maryland, and how Maryland is leading, Maryland is in the vanguard for cricket in the United States. Yeah there’s a great deal of pride in that.”
Harrison also stated, “Maryland boasts the country’s only statewide youth cricket championship, and its only competitive elementary and middle schools cricket programs. In the elementary school’s competition, almost half of the players are girls, a fact of which we are particularly proud, as we are working hard to increase the number of female cricketers in the state.”
Over 500 kids from 14 teams and six states along the east coast all took part in the Capital Youth Cricket Championship in early September at the Washington Cricket Center in Laurel.
Not only is Harrison a Maryland native, but he has exponentially grown this sport in Maryland that the state is now being recognized as the nation’s leader in youth cricket. “This is my roots and to know that Maryland is now on top of youth cricket in the United States is something I’m very, very proud of.”
MYCA is a member organization of USYCA, but it’s a voluntary affiliation of support. There are no funding or control passes between the two independent organizations.
To learn more about the sport of cricket and its growth in Maryland, follow the Maryland Youth Cricket Association on Twitter and Facebook.
