Coach Vishal Jain Introduces The Excel Cricket Academy!

Former Pro Cricketer Says He Is Training The U.S. National Team’s Stars Of The Future! 

(Above) Coach Vishal Jain (in back, with sunglasses) poses with the younger group of cricketers in his Excel Cricket Academy, which has been based at the Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd. since 2024. (Photos by Charmaine George) 

I’ll be honest — I don’t understand the sport known as cricket. I know it is similar to baseball, in that it has pitchers, called “bowlers,” catchers called “wicket-keepers” and hitters, called “batsmen,” and that the object of the game is to score more runs than the other team. 

But, how the teams score runs, how they record outs (there are three different ways) and why the batsmen run while still holding their bats after hitting the ball are all mysteries to yours truly. Even so, it is still a super-exciting game to watch, whether live or on TV. 

One of Jain’s young players drives the ball while another (below right) shows how to execute a defensive shot. (Below left) Jain explains some of the basics of the sport to his young cricketers.

Fortunately for anyone in New Tampa, Wesley Chapel and the entire Tampa Bay area whose child is interested in learning how to play cricket like the pros, Vishal Jain, a former pro cricketer, from the Indian capital of Mumbai, is now available to teach kids ages 8 and older all of the fundamental techniques and rules of this hugely popular sport. Jain’s Excel Cricket Academy meets every Saturday and Sunday on Field #2 at the Wesley Chapel District Park, which also hosted a cricket tournament the day I visited. And, Jain says, he hopes to be able to one day teach kids how to play cricket at the City of Tampa park now being designed that will one day open in K-Bar Ranch. 

(Note-Although the city budgeted the money to design the park in K-Bar [which also will include other facilities, in addition to a cricket pitch], the necessary funds to build it are not yet in the city’s budget.) 

Jain has all the credentials anyone who wants their child to learn how to play cricket could possibly want. He played for both Mumbai and Goa and won India’s premier first-class cricket tournament, known as the Ranji Trophy, which was named for K.S. Ranjitsinhji, the first Indian to play Test cricket. The Ranji Trophy is India’s oldest and most prestigious domestic red-ball competition, with Mumbai being the most successful team historically, having won the prestigious trophy more than 40 times. 

Jain was trained by the esteemed Ramakant Achrekar, the legendary coach of Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as the biggest icon in the history of the sport — which will be played for the first time since 1900 as a medal sport at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. And, in addition to playing cricket at the highest level, Jain (who also owns Excel Cricket Academies in Mumbai) also has been the head coach of the Mumbai Central Zone U19 and U23 teams. 

His bio on the “Excel Cricket Academy Tampa Florida USA” Facebook page says, “Known for his expertise in diverse coaching methodologies, Coach Vishal is dedicated to helping players unlock their full potential. His approach emphasizes mindset, discipline and continuous learning, incorporating personalized training, workshops and motivational sessions.” 

He also has battle scars on his hands and arms, from fielding the balls hit with the heavy cricket bats bare-handed. Only the batsmen and wicket-keepers usually wear gloves in cricket. 

All I can tell you, after watching one practice with his younger Excel Academy group, he definitely has the attention and admiration of not only his young athletes, but also of their parents, many of whom travel from Brandon and as far away as St. Petersburg to have their children trained by Jain. 

And, it was immediately obvious why. While “bowling” the harder-than-baseball balls to each Academy student, he not only told but also showed each one how to execute a defensive “shot” one moment, how to drive the ball the next and which foot to focus their weight on for each batting maneuver. 

And, the kids and parents all really seemed to love him, and he certainly seemed to be in complete control of them, without ever raising his voice. When he tried to get his younger players all to pose for the picture above and some of them were acting up, all he had to do was point at them and say “Discipline” and they all got the message. Super impressive. 

“And, if they ever still don’t listen, I will pack up their stuff, bring it over to their parents and tell them to take them home and come back next week. They get so embarrassed I’ve never had to do that to the same player twice.” 

Training Future U.S. National Stars 

It’s clear that virtually all of the young players Jain coaches are of Indian descent, but the Excel Cricket Academy is open to anyone who wants to learn the proper way to play this sport that continues to grow in popularity here. 

“The U.S. National Team is one of eight teams (India, Australia, England, Afghanistan, South Africa, Bangladesh and the West Indies are the others) that qualified for the 2026 [ICC Men’s T20] World Cup,” Jain says. “In other words, cricket is growing in this country and I want to train the future stars of the sport here.” 

And, best of all, he says, there are no set fees to train with Coach Vishal — who also offers individual coaching sessions for those who want them. “The parents usually agree to an amount to each pay me (for the team sessions),” he says. “I’ve already made money playing cricket. All I want now is to find and train the best players I can and help each one reach his or her potential.” 

For more info about Excel Cricket Academy, call (813) 523-5871, email Coach Vishal at excelcricketacademytampa@gmail.com or stop by the Wesley Chapel District Park, Field #2 (7727 Boyette Rd.) any Sat., 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Small Kids 10-11:30; Leather Ball Kids 11:30- 1:30) or Sun., 8 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Small Kids 8-9:30; Leather Ball Kids 9:30-11:30). 

The older group of Excel Cricket Academy players and their families are excited to pose for pictures with Coach Vishal. (Photo provided by Vishal Jain)

“WC Bills Mafia” Unhappy After Loss To The Chiefs

Members of the Wesley Chapel Bills Mafia, the local support group for fans of the Buffalo Bills, were sent home heartbroken (again) from TrebleMakers Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant at The Grove on Sunday, when their beloved Bills lost 27-24 to the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs to end their Cinderella season.

A little less than 200 Bills fans, most of them wearing the team’s signature royal blue jerseys, attended Sunday’s WC Bills Mafia Watch Party, which was sponsored by Rapid Access Wellness, LLC, and which featured some outstanding raffle prizes, as well as a sumptuous buffet provided by TrebleMakers.

The restaurant’s co-owner Jamie Hess, who is from the Buffalo area, has hosted many of these watch parties, but hopes were higher than ever this year that his beloved Bills would win the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl as the team was getting to host (for the first time) Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs in an AFC Divisional Playoff Game. The team had to win its final five games of the regular season and a Wild Card Playoff Game over the Pittsburgh Steeler just to advance to face the Chiefs in the rematch of a 20-17 Buffalo win on Dec. 10.

But, it wasn’t meant to be. Despite holding the lead four times, QB Josh Allen and his Bills fell behind to stay when Chiefs’ RB Isiah Pacheco scored with 14:20 left in the 4th quarter. 

“What are they doing?,” shouted one fan sitting next to me as the Bills were unsuccessful on a second half fake punt in their own territory, which ended up not costing the Bills any additional points because Kansas City fumbled the ball into and out of the Buffalo end zone a few plays after the failed fake punt, resulting in a touchback and the Bills getting the ball back. “How about just going for it on 4th and 3 instead?

The Watch Party also included some great raffle prizes — a jersey and a football signed by current star Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs, a mini-helmet and jersey signed by Hall of Fame former Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas and a 50-50 drawing for half of nearly $700 in cash.

“It was a great turnout and a great event,” Hess said after the Bills faithful left with broken hearts
again. “But, if the Bills could have pulled it out and kept winning, we could have had even bigger crowds for the AFC Championship and Super Bowl games. Oh well, maybe next year.”

Spoken like a true Bills fan, Jamie.

Here’s How You Can Win FREE Dining In Our ‘Big Game’ Squares Contest! 

Although we have created this contest a week before the end of 2023 pro football season, last year’s ‘Big Game Squares’ contest was so popular we decided to run it back again for our readers. So, here’s how you can win FREE dining in our 2024 ‘Big Game’ Squares Contest. Simply click HERE and fill out the form by Friday, February 9. On Saturday, February 10, I will first assign random squares on the grid below for each entrant. Then, I will randomly assign numbers 0-9 along the top row under the AFC Champion’s name and in the far left column next to the NFC Champ’s name. Then, when the ‘big game’ is played, whoever’s name is in the box that matches up with the last digit of the score for each team wins a FREE gift card to the restaurant of their choice. For example, if the score is NFC 10, AFC 7 at the end of the first quarter and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 0 & AFC 7, you would win a $25 gift card as the first quarter winner. If the score is 13-13 at the end of the first half and your name is in the box that corresponds to both NFC 3, AFC 3, you would win a $50 gift card. We also will offer a $25 gift card to whoever has the correct box at the end of the third quarter and a $100 gift card for the correct score at the end of the game, whether at the end of the 4th quarter or overtime. See all of our official contest rules and fill out the form for your chance to win by clicking HERE. — GN 

Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus Takeover — The Rest Of The Story!

On April 18, Pasco County’s Board of County Commissioners voted to buy out the contract of RADDSports, LLC, to manage the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus. 

I called the county’s tourism office that same day — and made three additional attempts before I went to press with this issue — in an effort to get official responses to a number of my questions about the takeover plan from tourism director Adam Thomas, who did not respond to my questions. 

Instead, the only response I got, from Tambrey Laine, the manager of media relations for Pasco County Government, was the press release put out jointly by the county and RADDSports, and that, “The county is declining to comment further.”

Please note that almost everything presented below is a matter of public record. The only exception is what the owners of RADDSports told me Thomas said to them prior to the Sports Campus groundbreaking in 2017; however, Anthony Homer of RADDSports assures me that what he says Thomas said at that time is true. — GN   

 For those who don’t understand why Pasco County has agreed to buy out the contract to take over the management of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus for what will end up being more than $6 million of taxpayer funds, you’re not alone.

It seems that our editor was the only reporter who thought it odd that Pasco Tourism director Adam Thomas (right) chose to pose for this picture with former county commissioner Mike Moore — rather than with the management of RADDSports — when the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County won the Florida Sports Foundation’s award as the state’s Best Small Market Venue for 2021.

Adam Thomas, the county’s director of tourism who renamed the tourism department “Experience Florida’s Sports Coast,” got the job basically the same day Pasco and the private firm RADDSports, LLC, broke ground on the Sports Campus together in 2017. 

RADD’s Anthony Homer had told me back in 2020 that Thomas had told him and RADDSports president Richard Blalock prior to the groundbreaking ceremony that if it were up to him (meaning Thomas), there would be no private-public partnership between the two entities. And, it seems Thomas has been doing everything he could to end that agreement ever since.

For one thing, despite Thomas’ claims to the contrary last year, RADD has provided proof that it never did actually default on its agreement. And yet, Thomas still was able to convince the five county commissioners back in October 2022 to vote in favor of that default.

Thomas had the county hire the attorneys (with county money) who wrote up the default paperwork that the commissioners voted on in October — without the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) ever seeing any proof of the default and without even discussing it before they voted to approve it from the Board’s Consent Agenda. The commissioners at that time accepted Thomas at his word that RADD was focusing on local events, not on increasing sports tourism in the county, which was the primary portion of RADD’s mandate in that agreement.

Prior to the unanimous vote at that October BCC meeting, RADD even provided the commissioners with actual statistics from an independent study firm that proved that not only had no default taken place, but that RADD had actually outperformed all of the tourism benchmarks of its agreement.

These facts presented by RADD were confirmed by a separate $35,000 independent report — commissioned by Thomas — also using public funds.

In fact, RADD did such a great job of establishing the Sports Campus as a tourist destination for people outside of Pasco that the study showed that it was the #55 tourist draw in all of Florida last year, outperforming much more established attractions like the Miami Seaquarium (#56) & the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium (#57). The Sports Campus also won the Florida Sports Foundation’s Small Venue of the Year award for 2021 under RADD’s management.

Again, despite Thomas’ claims, it wasn’t only RADD’s local programs that were hugely successful — it hosted 112 events (there have been many weekends with more than one event) in 2021-22 and those events helped local hoteliers sell tens of thousands of room nights both years in Pasco — and bring more than 92,000 unique visitors to the county. All of this happened despite RADD first taking over the Sports Campus at the height of Covid.

In addition, Pasco received the agreed-to $150,000 payment from RADD for 2021 and would have received its agreed-to $150,000 payment for 2022 had the BCC not voted to default the company. Pasco also would have received 11% of RADD’s revenue this year, and already has received millions more in sales and bed tax funds from all of the visitors the Sports Campus has brought in from all over the country and even beyond.

Instead of continuing this mutually beneficial partnership, Thomas convinced the commissioners to spend the following:

‱ $250,000 in taxpayer money on legal fees to force RADD out;

‱ $3 million over the next five years (including $1 million this year and $500,000 each year for the next four) to buy out the agreement with RADD;

‱ $2.8 million to operate the Sports Campus — at a loss (for at least the first two years, according to the default notice approved by the county in October);

‱ $94,000 to purchase furnishings & other items from RADD; and 

‱ $35,000 for the independent study previously mentioned.

So, is that $6,179,000 an amount of money a small, but growing, county would spend of its taxpayers’ funds to take over a supposedly defaulted contract? 

“We thank the county for recognizing the value that RADDSports has brought to the Sports Campus,” says Homer of the buyout agreement.

I don’t know why Thomas has had an issue with RADD from Day One, but I felt compelled to at least provide the actual facts of this situation, as I have not seen most of the information presented here reported by any other local news media.