On behalf of NJSCUA Executive Committee, Founders, Members & our supporters, it is our honor & privilege to extend our invitation to all Cricket enthusiasts and to request the pleasure of all of your company at NJSCUA's T-20 2011 FINALS game, between Berbice Royals Cricket Club and Royal Albert CC on Nov 13, 2011 at 11.30 AM, at Naaman William Park, Somerset, NJ.

Should weather & ground become an issue on 11/13/11, then the Finals will be re-scheduled to a later date/time & venue as decided by NJSCUA Fixtures.

Berbice Cricket Club, the Regular Season CHAMPIONS and the number 1 team in Group A, is led from the front by their Captain Qayaam Farrouq, will play against the other finalist, the number 2 team in Group B, Royal Albert CC, ably led by their Captain Shams ul-Haq.

Both the teams have done exceedingly well in their play-off stages and have deservingly reached the Finals, thereby making it an even match in the Finals.

The Final’s will be Umpired by our ELITE panel of experienced Umpire’s starting with Mr. Bruce Gottschalk, an Qualified Umpire & a former First Class player from South Africa and Mr. Saikumar Agaram a qualified umpire and Captain of Edison CC Team for MCL.

The two on-field umpire's would be assisted by Mr. Deepak Katte, who is a qualified umpire and also the NJSCUA Founder and President.

We hope it would be an exciting & fun-filled game, with CRICKET being the eventual winner on the day.

The finals will be immediately followed by the Presentation and League's Annual Awards Ceremony to be held at the same venue.

This being the third year for NJSCUA, a lot of individuals have put in a lot of hard work for several months & to get the League up & running and have brought this League to this stage where we are now. It is only appropriate that the all Cricket enthusiasts in the area, should join us in our celebration, to help us make this a much bigger & a memorable event for us.

We at NJSCUA believe, we may all come from different backgrounds and share different experiences, etc. but we all share one common agenda and bond, which is to see the betterment of our beloved game, cricket, prosper in the area. In a way, this is also our endeavor to bring everyone in the cricketing fraternity in the area, at one platform and bridge any likely gap between the different Cricket Leagues/cricket enthusiasts in the area.

All in all, we are proud of how things have gone for us so far, considering the fact that we are just a "Third Year League" and we further hope with all of your cooperation, we can prosper in the future as a Cricket League in the area.

On the day of Finals, food and refreshments are planned to be served after the game to our Invitees, Game Officials, Sponsors & Players. The ending of the game will immediately be followed by the prize distribution ceremony. Our request to you would be to stay with us the whole day and enjoy the game proceedings & Award’s ceremony.

The following is the tentative schedule (weather & ground permitting);
o  The Occasion: NJSCUA T-20 2011 - FINALS, game between Berbice Royals CC and Royal Albert CC
o  The Date: Sunday, 11/13/2011
o  The Time: Toss at 11.15 AM, Game starts at 11.30 AM
o  The Place: Naaman William Park, Pine Street/Route 27, Franklin Park/Somerset, NJ, 08873.
o  The Directions: Click here for the Link to Map of the Ground or navigate to the GROUNDS

The following Awards for the finals are being planned, along with the League's Annual Award's Ceremony.
o  Memento’s for our Final's Umpires’ & Scorers
o  Memento’s for our Special Guests
o  Trophy for MVP of the Finals
o  Trophy for Best Batsman of the Finals
o  Trophy for Best Bowler of the Finals
o  Trophy for Best Fielder of the Finals

o Runner’s Up Cup and a medal for each member of Runner’s Up Team. Cup.

o Winner’s Cup and a medal for each member of Winning Team

Please treat this as our personal invitation and please make it convenient to come and joining us at the Cricket party. Please pass this on to any of your friends or family who may be interested and please invite them on our behalf. Any questions or concerns, please feel free to call me at 732-762-9043 or call our Secretary, Mr. Syed Ahmed at 201-281-8564 or any member of our Fixture's Committee. 

Thanking you and looking forward to your presence on the day of the Finals.

- Deepak Katte 

(on behalf of) NJSCUA Fixture's Committee

United States Cricket Umpire's Association (USACUA) announces this year's West Indies Cricket Umpire's Association (WICUA) Final Written Exam date/location and the details are as below;

Date:  Sunday, Sept 25, 2011

Time:  10.00 AM

Venue:     Lucas Sport Club (USACUA's old learning center), 1012 Ralph Avenue, Corner of Tilden and Snyder, Brooklyn, New York (click here for the Google Map)

Proctor:  Mr. Carl Patrick

The following NJSCUA umpires are scheduled to appear in this year's WICUA Final Written Exams and USACUA FINAL Written Exams;

1) Bruce Gottschalk

2) Saikumar Agaram

3) Srihari Bindiganavale

4) Ashok Sonalkar (USACUA Final Written Exam)

On behalf of NJSCUA, I wish all the Umpire's taking exams, the very best of luck.  I'm confident that NJSCUA will have 100% PASS PERCENTAGE as has been the case in previous years.

Dear Cricket enthusiasts...

I just wanted to share a happy news on behalf of NJSCUA.

For those of you who may not be familiar with me, by the way of introduction, my name is Deepak Katte and I'm the Founder and President of The New Jersey State Cricket & Umpires' Association (NJSCUA - http://njscua.com/). I'm also the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of United States Cricket Umpires' Association (USACUA - http://usacua.com/) and a member of its Training & Selection Committee.

The un-tiring efforts of NJSCUA & USACUA over the last three years, led by myself, is finally bearing the much needed results/fruits and all of these for the benefit of the region...

NJSCUA with USACUA's help, thanks to President Fitzroy Hayles, have been successfully able to churn out individuals, who barely had any prior on-field experience as umpires, into WICUA FULLY Certified Umpires', all in less than 2 to 3 years of Training on Cricket Laws.

YES THIS IS TRUE AND THIS IS REAL and the 4 gentlemen mentioned below is proof enough.

On Dec 11, 2011, 4 of the below mentioned NJSCUA Umpires were eligible to participate in the LAST & FINAL hurdle in the process of FULL WICUA Certification, viz. the ORAL Exam.  I'm very happy to inform you all that all the four individuals APPEARED TO HAVE passed in flying colors.

1) Chandrasekaran Raman
2) Deepak Katte
3) Mihir Patel
4) Srinivas Chirra

The journey of three of these individuals started in 2010 when they took their first of the 3 written exams (as a part of fast track program), while my own certification journey started in 2009 (no fast track then) and culminated this year with 6 practical assessments, assessed by USACUA Assessors and culminated with the ORAL Exams being the final hurdle to clear.

The hard work and the dedication of these individuals, as well as that of NJSCUA & USACUA, have finally paid off and all these are ultimately for the benefit of the region.

The best part about this certification is that this qualification gives them a right to officiate in ANY levels of Cricket, including International Cricket, anywhere in the world, since this certification is coming in conjunction with West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) (an ICC FULL Member) & West Indies cricket Umpire's Association (WICUA).

There are 2 more NJSCUA umpires waiting in the wings, eligible to be fully certified by next year (2012) and two more in 2013.  I would like this list to keep growing...

NJSCUA in conjunction with USACUA, wishes to continue the Training and Certification Program for those interested umpires in the region, intending to undergo the rigors of this certification.  I will provide more details on this in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, if you happen to know interested umpires, they can contact me for further details.

Finally, I urge the Leagues in the region to acknowledge/recognize these individuals in some way, for being one of the firsts in the region to climb up this ladder, and make good use of their knowledge and experience.

Special thanks to Mr. Fitzroy Hayles and his team along with Mr. Gokul Chakravarthy (Umpires' Trainer in 2010) and everyone else who have contributed in any way for the course to be a super success.

Again, this is one happy news for the cricketing fraternity that I can proudly share.

Best Regards
-Deepak Katte

NJSCUA proudly invites applications from existing member clubs and also welcomes any new applicants for 2012 season.

New applicants WITHOUT HOME GROUND are most welcome to join us. Clubs are reminded that the completed application form for season 2012 along with the membership application fee & other documents, must be submitted back to the League Secretary, Mr. Syed Ahmed, no later than January 23, 2011 for timely consideration. The outcome of submitting the application form will be indicated to all the applicants by 1st week of March 2011.

Membership application form for season 2012 can be found under 'Rules and Publications' | 'Application Forms' section of this website OR you can email me to get a copy.

Please NOTE the first preference while accepting application forms will be given to those Clubs having their own HOME ground or who can arrange a ground to host their share of HOME Games.

Briefly about NJSCUA, after the spectacular success in past 3 seasons comprising of a Regular Season (40 over's a side) competition (with 8 teams) and a T20 competition (with 20 teams), NJSCUA has moved from strength to strength within this short time and the Cricket enthusiasts in and around NJ area have taken note of it. This was every evident when a total of 12 new teams enrolled for participation in our second year T20 competition which is indicative of the hard work that went behind making this happen. It was also truly amazing & encouraging for NJSCUA to note that several sponsors also shared our vision & objectives and generously came forward to contribute towards our progress.

Here are TOP reasons why Teams should join NJSCUA for Season 2012;

1. Cheapest Membership Fees: 
FULL Membership fee for the entire season 2012 is ONLY $675.00, the lowest in the area. FULL Membership fees includes membership for Regular Season (40 over's a side) Championship & T-20 Competition, cost for balls, Liability ONLY insurance. Going by last year as a general guide, each FULL team played a minimum of 14 Regular Season games & 9 T-20 Games, making it a total of a minimum of 23 games in the season.

In view of these & for the benefit of its Members, its Umpire's and other interested Cricket enthusiasts from NJ area, NJSCUA associated itself with nation's premier Cricket Umpire's organization, The United States Cricket Umpire's Association (USACUA), in 2010, to organize a comprehensive Official Certification and Training program on Cricket Laws during its off-season. This was the first of its kind program that any Cricket League, any where in USA till date has accomplished. The result of this Umpire's Training Program in 2010 was that the League was proud to contribute 8 qualified & knowledgeable umpires for the betterment of Cricket in the area.

This year, the program is being planned to start in January on Saturdays between 12.30 PM to 4.30 PM. Anyone wishing to participate should reply back to President@NJSCUA.com for further information. 

2. Guaranteed 50 % HOME Games 

3. No compromises on By-Laws whatsoever

4. White Clothing for Regular Season Games

5. Use of PINK or ORANGE BALLS during the entire season for better visibility.

6. Raising sponsorship for various activities (live commentary during finals, etc) without being a burden on member teams

7. Efficient Administration which cares for its members

All of these can be vouched by the existing member teams who have had no second thoughts in renewing their membership fees for season 2012.

NJSCUA strives for and promises to make the new season 2012 contest even more compelling, spectacular and multi-faceted than ever before. We assure our members and prospective members that we will do what we promise we we'll do, which is to make playing in cricket with NJSCUA, cheap & enjoyable.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Deepak Katte, NJSCUA President (e-mail: President@njscua.com) or Syed Ahmed, NJSCUA Secretary (e-mail - Secretary@njscua.com)

-- 
Syed.T.Ahmed
Secretary NJSCUA
201-281-8564  — with Deepak Katte
 

NJSCUA is very proud to announce the successful completion of NJSCUA Regular Season FINALS - 2011 on 09/18/2011, between Berbice Royals Cricket Club & Planet Cricket Club  at Naaman William Park, Franklin Township/Somerset, NJ.  

Berbice Royals Cricket Club turned out to be the WINNER's of NJSCUA Regular Season FINALS for the THIRD TIME IN A ROW, CLAIMING a HAT-TRICK of WINS...

The League had put in a lot of thought behind getting the logistics right and ensuring the entire season is played in accordance with the Cricket & NJSCUA Laws as well as the 'Spirit of Cricket ',  which were areas of biggest focus from our standpoint. 

For the finals, the NJSCUA left no stone un-turned and walked the whole 22 yards in terms of meticulously planning & incorporating some of the 'on-field' features that can be regarded as being close to "professional Cricket", which are at best a "rarity" and as if setting a 'benchmark' for other contemporaries to follow.

Some of the On-field features are listed below and many of them can be seen very clearly in the video footages:

* Appointment of a 3rd Umpire - A 3rd Umpire was appointed to ensure that the on-field umpires will get the much-needed assistance with boundary calls, # balls in the over, fair catches, and in general have a 3rd pair of eyes to assist them with any and all issues on the field.

The 3rd umpire was entrusted with the responsibility for administering and overseeing the application of the Duckworth/Lewis method (D/L) in the case of any types of interruptions.

In addition, the 3rd Umpire was also entrusted with the responsibility of having in his possession, a number of League approved spare balls of varying levels of wear & tear, 'ready to go' for cases in the unlikely yet probable event that balls get lost or sustain unexpected damage or have manufacturing defects.

* ELITE Umpires for the FINALS - All the 3 Umpires for the FINALS were appointed from a pool of ELITE Umpires. These Umpires were to be clad in customized League offered uniform, to improve the visibility for the batsmen, considering the use of PINK balls.

* Use of the latest ICC-approved D/L software - This was another innovation being heralded by NJSCUA, for the use of latest ICC-approved D/L software to revise targets and/or determine a winner in matches of shorter length than originally scheduled.

* Implementation of ALL of the three types of creases - All the 3 types of creases as stipulated by MCC Cricket Laws (Law 9 - The bowling, popping and return creases), viz; the popping crease, two return creases, and the bowling crease was used and very clearly marked by White glow 'striping paint' as per the specifications.

NJSCUA even went one step ahead and also had the popping creases extended to almost the 30 yard circle on either side of the wicket, to ensure Umpires can clearly make a decision in cases like run-out (or stumping) especially should there be a 'runner' involved.

Here is a brief synopsis of the game;

Home Team: Berbice Royals Cricket Club
Visiting Team: Planet Cricket Club
Umpire's: Mr. Fitzroy Hayles, Mr. Mohammad Baksh & Mr. Deepak Katte (3rd Umpire)

Toss Won By: Royals Cricket Club
Decision: Bat First
Score of Team Batting First (Royals CC CC): 209 / 6 in 40 Overs
Score of Team Batting Second (Planet CC): 89 ALL Out in 33.0 Overs
Result of the Game: Royals CC Won the Championship by 120 Runs

Click Here for a complete scorecard of the game

The following are some of the prizes awarded;

Best Fielder of the Finals: Aashutosh Banker (Planet CC)

Best Bowler of the Finals: Asif Bari (Royals CC)

Best Batsman of the Finals: Andre Kirton (Royals CC)

Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Finals: Andre Kirton (Royals CC)

NJSCUA Runners Up - 2011: Planet Cricket Club

NJSCUA Winners - 2011: Berbice Royals Cricket Club

Well done both teams for reaching the Final's and playing in true spirit...Congratulations to NJSCUA - 2011 Champions - Berbice Royals Cricket Club

Finally, NJSCUA being a "Third year league" & with virtually not much of resources at disposal, the season could not have been completed successfully without the generous help of our Sponsor's & supporters.  NJSCUA would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone, without whose support, the League would not have been able to pull through with the season.

Meanwhile, here are some Photos from the game.

Link to Pictures of NJSCUA on FaceBook

Batsmen	Team	Runs
Andre Kirton	Royals	519
Mubashar Ali	Titans	512
George Mathew	PAK-AM CC	484
Khirbaq Hasan	PAK-AM CC	446
Qayaam Farrouq	Royals	439

Bowler	Team	Wickets
Roshan Khan	Khyber Gladiators	43
Asghar Khan	Khyber Gladiators	35
BHAVESH PATEL	PlanetCC	32
George Mathew	PAK-AM CC	31
Mubashar Ali	Titans	30