Did you know Legacy Ranch High School (LRHS) has a cricket team? Right now might be football season in Texas, but cricket season is coming! In their second year, 21 students at LRHS make up this year’s cricket team, a sport popular in India and developing in central Texas. What started as a pastime, is now a competitive club with the hopes of one day becoming an official UIL sport in Texas. Let’s chat with the first Liberty Hill ISD cricket team and learn more about this sport.

LRHS Principal Mark Koller said, “Like most clubs, the interest to develop a cricket team was organic. Some surrounding high schools have teams and have started competing in an area league. Our students are well connected to peers from other high schools and wanted their pride in Legacy Ranch to be represented as well. The growth of the team came from word of mouth and was developed by those who play recreationally.”

In case cricket is new to you too, let’s start with a few basic components:

• Each team has 11 players who alternate between batting and fielding.

• They play on a 60-yard circular field.

• The ball is bowled from the center to the batter and must bounce at least once.

• Runs are scored by running between two wickets. Wickets are a set of three stumps that the bowler is trying to hit. Each time you reach the wickets you score one run and you can run back and forth as many times as you think you can. 

• If you hit a ball out of the playing field, you get four points if it hit the ground before going out or you get 6 points if it went out in the air. 

• A team's turn to bat ends after 10 players are out or a set of "overs" (six pitched balls from one bowler) are complete. The batter is out when the bowler hits a wicket with the ball, it is caught in the air in the field of play, a wicket is hit by a fielder before the runner reaches the crease, or the ball hits the batter's leg in front of the wickets. 

• Players wear helmets, jerseys, pants and cricket shoes that are similar to baseball cleats.

While cricket is new to Liberty Hill, many of the players at LRHS have been playing for many years. Team captain and student coach Laksh Ravi has played for five years, the longest among his teammates. They also are in tune with the professional teams back home in the IPL (Indian Premier League) though they do not agree on which team is the best. This sounds a little like American sports as well! 

In their inaugural 2024-25 season, Liberty Hill ISD Board President Megan Parsons visited the team practice to learn more about the game. She said, “As a Board, we love to have opportunities to support kids who are engaging in their interests and passions. It was a great experience attending the cricket match and the kids were so friendly and helpful in explaining the rules.” As a club, they practice after school and on weekends and play at various parks around the county. They hope that one day their high school will have an official team and field. 

Koller recalls, “One of my favorite moments last year was when members of the cricket team taught members of the baseball team the rules of the game and actually played a little during lunch. There were definitely a few intrigued eyebrows raised, and mutual respect, plus engagement as athletes from both sports showed off their talents.”

This year, they have a sponsor, LRHS teacher, Jonathan Lemenager. He was asked by a few students to attend a game, learned they didn’t have a LRHS staff sponsor, and agreed to join the team in that role. “When I began teaching at Liberty Hill, I took the advice of my father-in-law, an educator and coach for 43 years, that if you want to connect with your students, go support them at their events; sports, theater, choir, dance, and so on,” said Lemenager. “So, I always go to events that students ask me to attend. When I arrived at the match, I found that they didn't have a lot of fans at the games, so they were super excited to see me there. After talking with the team, I realized that I could help them become a bonafide club, letter in the sport they love, and possibly help them obtain funding for equipment.” 

“I love seeing the joy in these young men as they play a game that they love, while also continuing to excel in school and the other clubs that they are a part of,” said Lemenager. “I think that having a sport like cricket at Legacy Ranch High School is awesome! I love all the ways that LRHS supports teams and clubs so that everyone has an opportunity to be involved and set up for a successful future!” Now the team is getting ready for the second year and will be playing area schools like Westwood, Vista Ridge, and Rouse. Watch for this season’s schedule that is coming out soon. 

Win or lose, Liberty Hill is proud to have these talented young men representing them in the navy and legacy blue on a pitch near you.