Morrisville considers upgrades for Church Street Park to attract major cricket events

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- As Sri Lanka's national cricket team practices at Church Street Park in Morrisville on Monday afternoon, Mayor Pro Tem Satish Garimella watches on from benches near the edge of the grass.

"When we heard about it, we were all excited," said Garimella, during an interview from the team's hotel earlier in the day.

"That's a great thing for the community, a great thing for Morrisville, a great thing for everyone who is a cricket fan," added volunteer Neel Chalangi.

Sri Lanka, which is ranked 7th nationally in the International Cricket Council ODI Team Rankings, is utilizing the site as it prepares for the ICC World Cup.

"There's so much greenery and quite a lot of open areas, parks. We are really enjoying it," said Mahinda Halngode, the team's manager.

While their presence is a victory for the area's large cricket fanbase, Garimella shared their initial hope was to serve as a host site for the tournament. Last year, ICC officials inspected Church Street Park, and shared recommended updates that could better position Morrisville for future opportunities.

"It can be used at the international standards, and we want to have that standards because we want people to use the pitch. We want the name of Morrisville to be more well known," Garimella said.

Garimella said those upgrades include an improved drainage system, a pavilion with dressing rooms and broadcast capabilities, and two additional pitches. In total, he estimated it would cost at least $5-6 million.

"It is just initial conversations coming out because we are just going through the budget phase. There's a lot of money coming up next year from the hotel motel entertainment tax," Garimella explained, referring to possible contributions from Wake County.

There's also possible funding from the town and private companies, with the town recently passing a sponsorship resolution to try and drum up support.

"This is the starting point of it, depending on the town interest and investment that they can make, and the support that they can provide," said Rajesh Uppalapati, who lives in Morrisville and is serving as a volunteer for the Sri Lankan team.

Garimella notes the Sri Lankan team is responsible for more than 300 hotel nights during their stay and are already sharing insight regarding how to care for the grass.

"For (the United States), cricket is something new, so they are requesting our help and we are imparting whatever knowledge we have about the pitches and the grounds," explained Halangode.

Cricket has been especially popular in Morrisville, where more than 1/3 of the town's residents are Indian-American or from another southeastern Asian country. Uppalapati said there are more than 200 local teams across the Triangle, with the visit from the Sri Lankan team an opportunity for youth to watch some of the world's best.

"It'll be a great experience to watch these people, you know, how they train, how they play, how they talk, how they actually maintain their dignity. It's very good for the kids to learn and improve and have a good vision on them," noted fellow volunteer Venkat Pasumarthi.

Youth players with the Triangle Cricket League assisted at practice Monday and are expected to return Tuesday.

"We want to be called a cricketing capital for the US," said Garimella.