A holiday weekend doubleheader filled with festivities for fans at the Bru Cricket for the Community Day in Hatfield, PA on Saturday resulted in plenty of joy for the hometown fans. On a sun-filled day at Clemens Park, The Philadelphians won a pair of critical matches in the race to the Sunoco Minor League Cricket playoffs.
A vibrant and large local crowd came out for the chance to see international stars, enjoy local food trucks, a kids’ cricket clinic and fan meet-and-greets with players. Bru Coffee, India’s largest and favorite coffee brand, provided free samples of their coffee for fans at the event. Cricket lovers were also able to enjoy giveaways, rice samples and a 360 degree photo booth from Laxmi, an Official Partner of Minor League Cricket and a leading South Asian food brand.
“The Bru Cricket for the Community Day was a fantastic event and we would like to thank our wonderful fans for their support, Parx Casino for backing the team and Hatfield Township for helping us execute this event along with volunteers from SWA International.” said Murali Kailashnath, Founding Partner, The Philadelphians Cricket. “It was an honor for us to host Pennsylvania State Senator Maria Collet and Pennsylvania State Representative Steve Malagari for the ceremonial first ball and coin toss. We can’t wait to continue this annual tradition in 2024 as cricket continues to grow in Pennsylvania and across the United States!”
Coached by England’s World Cup winner Liam Plunkett, the Philadelphians romped to victory in the first match on Saturday, holding the Empire State Titans to a score of only 107 from their 20 overs. Plunkett himself was one of three Philadelphians to take a pair of wickets, along with Juanoy Drysdale and Raj Nannan. It took the hometown team only 10.2 overs to reach the target of 108, led by a blistering 58 from 29 balls by Ryan Scott.
The second match of the day for The Philadelphians against the New England Eagles was a closer affair. The Philadelphians reached 142, Jonathan Foo top scoring with 40 from 28 balls, with Christopher Barnwell taking three wickets for the Eagles. The New England team threatened to chase the target down, but ultimately fell short, losing wickets regularly to end on 123 all out from 18.4 overs. Deveshwari Prashad was the difference-maker in the bowling attack for The Philadelphians, taking four wickets and conceding only 13 runs in his 3.4 overs.
The pair of victories for The Philadelphians sees them lead the Eastern Division standings with five wins from six matches, edging the New Jersey Stallions by one point in the race for the division title and in pole position to qualify for the Sunoco Minor League Cricket playoffs.
Bru Cricket for the Community days continue this weekend in Morrisville, NC, with a doubleheader at Church Street Park this Saturday, Sept. 9, featuring the Atlanta Fire against the Baltimore Royals (2 p.m. ET) and an evening matchup of the hometown Morrisville Raptors versus the Atlanta Lightning (6 p.m. ET).
