Cricket league concludes season

Naperville Park District's inaugural Cricket League concluded Sunday with a dozen very happy players.

"I'm thrilled with the victory," said Sarti Krishnan, ACC11's team manager. "I'm exhilarated."

At 10 a.m. Sunday, ACC11 and the Cardinals gathered at Commissioners Park, 3704 111th St. in Naperville, for the league's final match of the season.

After about four hours of playing hard-core cricket, an international game that's somewhat like baseball but far more complicated, ACC11 won by 50 runs.

Krishnan said the league's five teams -- all consisting of 12 teammates -- played very well together, and organizers are expecting many more teams to join Naperville Park District's group next year.

"This has been an outstanding success for both Naperville and cricket in general," Krishnan said. "We had people participating from all over Chicagoland for this league, and it's generated a lot of interest."

Joaquim Dsouza of Lombard, captain of ACC11, is confident the league will be larger come May. If the park district's plan to install lights at Commissioners Park goes through, Dsouza believes as many as 30 more teams could join the league.

The league's cricket season begins in May and usually concludes in September. For about five consecutive months, the league schedules a game every Saturday or Sunday morning.

Game after game, just like any sports association, the whole season leads up to two teams facing off for the championship title.