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GREENWICH, Conn. The game of cricket, which is compared to baseball but predates it, was on display Saturday at Christiano Park, as expatriate teams from Australia and New Zealand played the inaugural Chappell Hadlee Cricket Challenge.
There was a good-natured rivalry between the two teams. We fight together whenever theres a war, and we fight on the fields of sports, said Drew de Carvalho, the manager of the Australian team, who is a voice-over artist who has recorded spots for Fosters beer.
The reference to war was also a reference to ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), the national holiday celebrated in both countries on April 25 that commemorates soldiers who fought at Gallipoli, Turkey, in World War I. The game was played close to the holiday and may be repeated on the same date next year.
The game was played in Greenwich because members of the teams frequently play here with the Maddogs, a team that competes in the Southern Connecticut Club.
Cricket has expanded, and there are over 100 members in the Maddogs from all over the world, said Maddogs Chair Neil Kennedy. Todays game provides us with an opportunity to expand our base of players."
The international flavor of the sport was on display Saturday, as members of the New Zealand Kiwis team (called chocolate soldiers because of their brown-trimmed shirts) took the field against the Australian Kookaburras (who wore green hats). They played for three trophies Best Aussie, Best Kiwi and the grand trophy for the team that wins the Chappell Hadlee Cricket Challenge.
The challenge was named after Michael Hadlee, a New Zealand cricket star, and Greg Chappell, an Aussie champ.
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