Cricket XI set for a few swings at baseball’s hall of fame

HAVERFORD, Pa. – All-rounder. Down the Wicket. Hat trick. Maiden over. Spin bowling.

Ahhh, the colorful terms of a country’s national pastime, on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. Haven’t caught on yet?

Haverford College’s cricket team—the only varsity one in the United States playing England's national pastime—hopes you have. Head coach Kamran Khan’s squad, or XI, will be one of the featured showcases over the weekend in Cooperstown as the Hall opens Swinging Away: How Cricket and Baseball Connect, an exhibit richly populated with items from Haverford’s prestigious C.C. Morris Cricket Library and Collection, along with live exhibitions and demonstrations by the Haverford players.

The Fords will participate in the first of two events hosted by the Hall of Fame celebrating the interesting connection between the two sports. On Sunday, April 17, the Haverford team will provide demonstrative activities within baseball's museum. Details of the Hall’s Cricket Weekend, June 3-5, are still in the works.

And by the way, the term hat trick was first used in 1858 in cricket and was used in print for the first time in 1878.