BY ELIZABETH LINCICOME
The sport of cricket has escalated in popularity in the U.S. over the past two decades. Originating in 16th-century England, the bat-and-ball sport is played between two teams of 11, with one side taking a turn to bat and score runs while the other team fields the ball to restrict the opposition from scoring.
Cricket is the national sport of India and Pakistan, so it’s no surprise that Morrisville’s booming South Asian population has widely embraced cricket over the past decade. The town’s residents continue to turn out in throngs each year to cheer on their hometown minor league cricket team, the Morrisville Raptors, who now, thanks to a multimillion-dollar renovation of Church Street Park, enjoy playing home games in an international-quality cricket venue.
The renovation was funded by a public-private partnership, and the park now has an expanded capacity of 3,500, including grandstand bleachers, a new broadcast infrastructure to televise matches, additional cricket pitch lanes, LED-lit practice pitches and nets, athlete seating and safety netting. The Raptors’ season record in 2024 was 9-4 with one no-result game.
In July 2023, Morrisville was one of two hosts for the inaugural Major League Cricket (MLC) games in the United States. They will host the games again this summer with MI New York facing off against the Seattle Orcas, the 2023 season runner-ups, on July 5 at Church Street Park. MLC has found the perfect home here in the Triangle.
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