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Sam George - A True Oldie
Sam George |
Sam George is one of the true oldies of the Colorado Cricket League.
This mild mannered Mallu (speaks Malayalam; an Indian language) from Bhopal made his way to CSU for grad school in the late 80s.
Sam has done much for Cricket in Colorado; he is one of those who prefer to fly under the radar. He has been instrumental in the development of Boulder Valley Cricket Club now Coal Creek Cricket Club. His contribution to Cricket has come in the form of developing infrastructure for his own club and has been very open for everyone to be able to use them. He played a big role in the pursuit and development of Cricket Infrastructure in Greater Eastern Denver area. He has worked with the City of Longmont in developing and maintaining the famous Lower Garden Acres Cricket Ground in Longmont, CO. Cricket lovers and players in the state are all thankful for role as this ground is the Shivaji Park of Colorado Cricket.
We are given to understand that he has played and continues to play a significant role in acquiring the new ground (2nd) in Longmont – The Dry Creek Cricket Ground. Apart from this, he is a statesman who has made himself available when there is a need either to contribute towards Cricket in the area of administration & development.
He has helped the EC this year again with Financial Audits to bring more accountability and has also offered some very good suggestions towards improving the internal accountability for administering funds in the future. Sam performed this role along with Raymond Mascarenhas this year. We truly appreciate both their efforts.
Apart from administration, organizing and development, Sam is known for other things; here are some notable anecdotes and stories.
He played cricket for the Colorado State University Cricket Club (CSUCC).
Games against CSUCC at home were always tough, especially on their home turf. Behind the mild manners and the ready smile was a steely determination to win that played a big part in many a CSUCC win. After graduating, Sam worked in the Louisville area but maintained his link to CSU and Fort Collins with a long daily commute. When he eventually moved to Louisville after a spin too many on icy I-25 in his old Buick Regal, Sam started playing for Boulder Valley Cricket Club, now Coal Creek Cricket Club. Over the years many players have come, gone, and come back to Colorado but Sam remains a constant in the Front Range cricket scenery. Sam is the only other currently active player, besides Mike Riley, with 20+ years of uninterrupted seasons in the CCL. He has been a lynchpin to many a BVCC/CCCC championship and has contributed tremendously to both the society and cricket in Colorado, sometimes more than just sweat. In fact, while representing Colorado in a tournament in California in the late 1990s, Sam was at the receiving end of a ball to his face while fielding at mid-off. That was more a reflection of the uneven outfield than Sam's fielding skills. When he got up off the ground, there was a gaping hole where his front teeth used to be. He lost about 5 of his top teeth. His teammates spent considerable time picking up pieces of his teeth amidst the flesh and blood littering the ground in the hope that a competent dentist would be able to piece it all back. Later Sam would reveal that he wasn’t really upset about the blow since he was able to get fake teeth that were much better than the originals that nature had provided him.
Beyond cricket, Sam is a devoted family man and active in the community. He is a phenomenal cook with a natural ability to whip something delicious regardless of what spices are in the cupboard or vegetables/meat is in the refrigerator. But today, most of all, we very much appreciate Sam for the exceptional team player that he is and for his contributions to cricket in Colorado. We want to recognize him for that. Just don’t ask him to sing.
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