WhileDhoni’s ‘helicopter shot’ and Sehwag’s ‘upar cut’ might be the latest craze inprofessional cricket, village cricket tournaments in Goa have been playingsimilar shots prior to the inception of the IPL and T20 cricket. Apart fromadding a certain flavor to the game, these tournaments have been creating localchampions from within the different wards of the villages.
At 31, RatishGawas from Marcel is an electrical technician. While his work keeps him busythroughout the week, the weekend brings out the cricketer in him. Apart fromplaying for his home club, he is even sought after by other clubs to play fortheir team for an honorary amount. Like Ratish, several other players areoffered money to compete for different clubs. Many, in the spirit of the game,do not accept any honorarium if the team loses. Ratish says, “The thrill ofthese tournaments cannot be compared with that of professional cricket. Most ofthe players don’t play for the prize money but for victory which is priceless.”
HungamaSports Club has been organizing cricket tournaments in Marcel and its surroundingareas. According to Dhiraj Volvoikar, a member of the club, the club approachesthe local politician of the ward and collects donations. The donations are usedfor prize money, which ranges from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000; and other expensessuch as refreshments and flood lights. Thetournaments, featuring 15-20 over matches, are spread across two or three days.The semi-finals are held on the first two days and the third day is reservedfor the final showdown.
Until a fewyears ago, the tournaments enjoyed their season from November till May. Butnow, with the concept of ‘rainy cricket’ coming into play, tournaments are heldthroughout the year. Slight modifications like a concrete pitch and harder ballused for playing, ensure that the fun is multiplied. While the technique of thegame is least important in these tournaments, teams give more rank to scoringmaximum runs. The ball either flies out of the boundary or finds itself struckon the wickets. Irrespective of the outcome, everyone is a winner here andentertainment is guaranteed!
