Wooster Cricket Team Heads to Championship Tournament in Florida

A David strides forth to meet Goliaths

WOOSTER, Ohio, March 14, 2011 – A David striding forth to face Goliaths, The College of Wooster’s cricket club arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., today to compete in the American College Cricket national championship tournament.

Wooster is the only undergraduate, liberal arts college in the 32-team field, and will face off Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. against George Mason University. Subsequent matches will pit the Fighting Scots against York University, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and North Carolina State.

In October 2010, Wooster drew the largest crowd ever for a U.S. collegiate cricket match. More than 900 fans turned out at the college’s John Papp Stadium to see the Fighting Scots prevail over a Wooster community team by a score of 143-141.

Wooster’s cricket club includes students from India, Pakistan, Tanzania, the United States, and Zimbabwe. Club president Ian Carlin, a former football player who hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., is the winner of this year’s John Bart King Award, given by American College Cricket to the best American-born player. Three Wooster alumni, all from Pakistan, round out the squad.

“Our club is better prepared, stronger, and more confident than when we competed here last year,” said team captain Maaz Khan. “We are here to carry on the noble tradition of Fighting Scots cricket.”

The tournament’s opening ceremony will be streamed live on the American College Cricket website on Tuesday, March 15, at 8 p.m.

The College of Wooster is an independent liberal arts college, nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes mentored, independent research. Each Wooster senior works one-on-one with a faculty adviser to create an original research project, written work, performance or art exhibit. Founded in 1866, the college enrolls approximately 2,000 students.