Mexico women's cricket team taps into grass roots to revive sport's dormant history

In Mexico, where baseball is popular, the Mexican Cricket Association has launched efforts to convert players of that sport into cricketers. Ladrón, who doesn't count on baseball or softball experience in her extensive sports background, herself joked that she trained with a plastic children's bat at the beginning.

"It's funny, we've had issues getting men involved, but the women are absolutely mad about it," White said.

One player whose curiosity turned into a spot on the national team is 19-year-old bowler Gaby Morales, whom White recruited from a restaurant where she worked. Despite a language barrier, the two began talking about cricket. An intrigued Morales ventured to Reforma to see for herself. She got hooked -- a common occurrence among Jaguares players.

"This happened for a reason, and I'm grateful for it," said Morales, who just took up the sport in January. "If there were any way I could do this for a living, I would."

European roots

While writing a book about cricket's history in Mexico, White found that it was first played in the country in 1827.

"It's the oldest [European] sport in the country," he said. "For a while, the most popular too."

After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the United Kingdom was among the first European nations to establish diplomatic relations with the nascent country. Thousands of working-class British nationals who came to Mexico to work mostly in the mining industry introduced sports, such as cricket and soccer, in the process.

After Reforma's founding, the venue became ground zero for cricket among societal elites. The country's president and later dictator, Porfirio Díaz, was a noted fan, but his resignation from office in 1911 -- a result of the Mexican Revolution -- led to a decrease in popularity. Cricket in Mexico was relegated almost exclusively to the grounds at Reforma for much of the 20th century, kept alive by newcomers from the British Commonwealth who mingled at the club. Coverage of the sport is non-existent.

However, the latest influx of cricket fans from throughout the world have banded together in Mexico to stage a revival.

"It's absolutely a challenge, but one that I think will pay off," association president Ben Owen said. "There's a lot of excitement over what we can accomplish, even in the short term. But we need to get the word out and get more people involved."

Like White, Owen is from England and has spent more than a decade in Mexico City. During a post-graduation trip through the United States in a Volkswagen Bug, he decided to press on into Mexico after arriving in Texas. A few years after returning to England, he moved to Latin America on a permanent basis.

Both White and Owen share a vested interest in Mexico beyond cricket. White married Abril, a Mexican citizen, two years ago and has now spent eight years living in the capital. "I'm a local now, no doubt about it," he said.

Owen's youngest son was born in Mexico, and his wife Caroline serves as the Jaguares captain, a role that includes coaching duties.

"It's been a great privilege to play with these women," Caroline said. "It is truly fantastic to see how far we've come in such a short space."

Plans to introduce cricket in other large Mexican population centers such as Monterrey and Guadalajara have begun, thanks in part to partnerships with the ICC and local institutions. The aim is to introduce the sport to youngsters and create a demand beyond what currently exists.

As cricket in Mexico progresses beyond Reforma, Ladrón is enthusiastic about the initial crew at the forefront of relaunching the sport and achieving success in the process.

"Think about it: We train only once a week, and sometimes some of the girls can't even make it," she said. "We have mothers and daughters on the team, and none of us had ever played before."

Yet on a hot Sunday afternoon in front of a small crowd of less than 100 that included British ambassador to Mexico Corin Robertson, Las Jaguares celebrated their 158-108 victory over Costa Rica in the tournament's deciding match. As both tears and cheers flowed, the latest chapter of cricket's stilted Mexican history had been written at Reforma, the express hope lying in the fabled ground continuing to provide the country with memories -- while simultaneously serving as a launch point for much more.