Mid-Atlantic Cricket Conference (MACC)

The Mid-Atlantic Cricket Conference (MACC) is a recreational cricket league that includes teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. MACC has grown very significantly since its inception in 1997 and hosts 30 cricket playing teams currently. These teams span over Raleigh, High Point, Greensboro, Greenville, Charlotte, Blacksburg, Richmond, Virginia Beach and Columbia, SC.

The Mid-Atlantic Cricket Conference was originally based in the Research Triangle area and included member clubs from other parts of North Carolina and Virginia. Although cricket teams have existed in the mid Atlantic area since the late 1980s and played regular social matches against interstate teams, it was not until 1997 that a formal competition was underway. Since then, MACC has attracted cricket lovers who had an avid interest for the sport and who had moved into the area. The teams in MACC draw most of their players from South Asia although there are quite a few folks from Australia, England, South Africa and the West Indies to make the organisation a pretty diverse board.

The MACC season starts in April and concludes in late September. Member teams play twelve regular season matches before the clubs qualify for the playoffs. Practice sessions and warm up matches are scheduled by the individual teams typically in early March if the weather breaks not to mention post-season enthusiasts who continue to play friendlies till the first frost. March is also the time when teams hunt for new and prospective cricketers to add to their roster.

All MACC member clubs maintain a home ground with a true cricket pitch or, in some cases, a flicx pitch to play the game in a traditional cricketing environment. In the Research Triangle Park area, the cricket ground is in Morrisville and is shared by 6 local teams. North Carolina State University plays their matches in the University ground. Close-by is a spectacular private cricket ground in Climax, NC which hosts 2 teams from nearby High Point. Winston Salem has a ground at Tanglewood just outside the city limits while Charlotte has quite a few sprawling cricket grounds and hosts 6 friendly teams. Greenville has an impressive field comparable to international standards. Six Richmond teams share a common school ground in the heart of downtown Richmond. The Tide Water area also has picturesque cricket grounds near Chesapeake for 3 teams to call it Home. Roanoke and Virginia Tech have grounds of their own while Columbia in SC also hosts 2 teams.

In 2006, with the addition of several new clubs to MACC, the League introduced a Regional regular season format for the first time - consistent with the geographic locations of the 30 teams. But teams have increased to 32 in 2008 so now MACC has 3 zonal conferences of 11-11-10 teams each.

The cricketing caliber of the League cannot be described in words. It can only be experienced on the weekends when the teams face off. Although none of the players are professional cricketers, the talent pool of the players and the matches themselves can be compared to many first division leagues across the world. It was, therefore, not surprising that in 2005, several MACC players represented the state of NC and Virginia in the Nationals Tournament held at Florida by MLC. In 2006, MACC was delighted to be included as an Associate Member in the USA Cricket Association (USACA). Taking cricket to the next level is within reach.

In 2009, MACC became champion of South East Region of USACA. This is the last time MACC served NC, VA and SC. In 2009 , NC and SC teams decided to leave the MACC and form their own league. Since then MACC is serving only the state of Virginia from Virginia Beach to Roanoake.

Our goals are:
• To promote, encourage, foster and develop interest in and knowledge and understanding of, the game of cricket throughout VA .
• To foster, encourage and develop the highest standard of officiating in all MCC cricket.
• To foster development of youth cricket within VA a.
• To establish and develop venues where local cricket can be played.
• To ensure that all MACC cricket matches are conducted within the laws of cricket and the traditions and spirit of the game are upheld by all members.
• But mostly we aim to have fun and enjoy our cricket!!

We welcome new players and new teams. Please contact a representative of your nearest club about joining the league and playing cricket.