Despite a lack of proper facilities and equipment, a group of students is attempting to revive the Brown cricket club, making do with tennis balls and, as its field of play, the Main Green.
"It's just a thing that we love the most," said Sudarshan Sriraman '11, a member of the club.
In past years, cricket's presence at Brown has been informal, but this year's group is working hard to make the sport a regular feature.
"It has definitely been at a much lower key for the last few years," Sriraman said, "but since last year, we have been working on getting a lot of people."
According to Sriraman, this semester, the club has 15 regular members, and a few more joining in for practices. Usually 20 to 25 people play in a practice.
"This year, we have a good solid group now meeting regularly," he said. "Basically, people who really love the sport joined and tried to revive it."
One of the club's goals this year is simply to play regularly and "get a lot of people watching us," Sriraman said. He himself first got involved last semester when he saw students and their cricket equipment on the green.
Rahul Srivathsa '14, a new member, agreed. "It's an open club. Anyone can join," he said.
According to Sriraman, six new members joined the club this year.
"It's exciting to see kids trying out for the first time and showing how much potential they have," he said. He added that having no experience is not a problem for playing cricket, because "it's something that you can pick up really quickly."
Despite the progress this semester, however, the club is still struggling with logistical hurdles. "It's still in its beginning stage," Srivathsa said.
According to Sriraman, the "key limitation" is the lack of proper facilities and equipment. Right now, "the primary focus is getting the facilities," he said.
The club needs a wide and open field, with the appropriate bats, nets and balls. This year, the club usually plays on the Main Green or Pembroke Field, but Sriraman said they need "a place proper for playing cricket without smacking anyone's window."
The club is "in the process of looking at what the options are," Sriraman said. "As soon as we find appropriate facilities, we plan to have a formal team, hopefully by spring," he added, saying they would like to be ready to join other Ivy League teams in various tournaments.
Sriraman said it is "really down to the individuals how much they can achieve in a particular year." He said his goal this year is to "set up a robust structure" for upcoming years.
Srivathsa said he is "definitely continuing," adding that he believes the group has potential to grow.
Sriraman called cricket "a sport with the richest tradition in the world."
"The fundamental thing about cricket is that there are so many ways in which you can participate in the games," he said. "It's just an incredibly enjoyable game."
