It started with one kid running toward him in the parking lot.
It started with one kid running toward him in the parking lot at Underhill Park, asking Dr. Manoj Thirupal - a native of India and lecturer at Gonzaga University - to teach him how to play cricket. Word spread, and for a couple of years, Manoj kept teaching and donating his own time, equipment, and energy - until he connected with Sam Smith and Manzanita House. Together, with support from their director, Pat Cassandra, and cultural navigator Irshad Ahmad Rahimi, they built out a real vision for what's now Cricket Club - a free after-school program that plays Tuesdays at Underhill Park, weather permitting.
"I wanted these kids to find a sense of home and belonging through the sport they loved back in the countries they'd left behind."
- Dr. Manoj Thirupal, Program Founder & Coach
The club is made up mostly of Afghan youth, though anyone is welcome. Many of the kids grew up playing with a fierce rivalry mindset; part of the coaching is helping them unlearn that - building sportsmanship and community instead of treating every opponent like an enemy.
In 2023, when neither Spokane nor Pullman had enough players to field a full T20 side, Manoj helped bring both clubs together with cricketers from the Tri-Cities and Idaho to form a combined team - first known as the Eastside Chargers, renamed the Eastside Thunder Hawks after that first season. Since then, the Hawks have climbed every season - Division D, then C, and now B - reaching the semifinals twice along the way. Last year, the club even had enough committed players to run two teams, Falcons and Hawks. Three graduates of the after-school program have since debuted through the Hawks and are now competing in NWCL Division B this year. The vision: players from across eastern Washington playing as one team, lifting each other and representing the region in the NWCL - with hopes to compete in other T20 leagues too, long term.
Through cricket, kids learn to work as a team, collaborate rather than compete against each other, and find a genuine sense of belonging - the foundation for their overall wellbeing.
"I wanted these kids to find a sense of home and belonging through the sport they loved back in the countries they'd left behind."
- Dr. Manoj Thirupal, Program Founder & Coach
The club is made up mostly of Afghan youth, though anyone is welcome. Many of the kids grew up playing with a fierce rivalry mindset; part of the coaching is helping them unlearn that - building sportsmanship and community instead of treating every opponent like an enemy.
In 2023, when neither Spokane nor Pullman had enough players to field a full T20 side, Manoj helped bring both clubs together with cricketers from the Tri-Cities and Idaho to form a combined team - first known as the Eastside Chargers, renamed the Eastside Thunder Hawks after that first season. Since then, the Hawks have climbed every season - Division D, then C, and now B - reaching the semifinals twice along the way. Last year, the club even had enough committed players to run two teams, Falcons and Hawks. Three graduates of the after-school program have since debuted through the Hawks and are now competing in NWCL Division B this year. The vision: players from across eastern Washington playing as one team, lifting each other and representing the region in the NWCL - with hopes to compete in other T20 leagues too, long term.
Through cricket, kids learn to work as a team, collaborate rather than compete against each other, and find a genuine sense of belonging - the foundation for their overall wellbeing.