Cricket Diaries- 2

It was one of those quintessential Goan afternoons and there was some quality cricket on offer as BITS and SRM locked horns in the eagerly anticipated finals of the Spree Cricket Tournament at the the BITS-Pilani Goa cricket ground. Gopinath smashed BITS's insipid lengths to all corners in an entertaining, boundary laden 90 to launch his side to 173, a total that his bowling colleagues defended without any hiccups, to give their side a championship win. Gopinath's dazzling innings, the highest individual score by a batsman in a Spree final, overwhelmed the BITS team aided by contributions from the middle order. But SRM comprehensively emerged in front thanks to Gopinath's class act, on a day when the bowlers of the home side struggled to find their range.
Gopinath imposed himself on spinners’ niggardly lines by stepping out and teeing off down the ground in the seventh over. The spinners, introduced in the eighth, ran into the hurricane Gopi who announced his intentions with a swipe over cow corner. He pulled another six in the same over and the innings was on its way. And things got worse for the home team when Ashwin joined Gopi in the middle.
BITS's hopes of pulling things back were neutralized by Ashwin's innovativeness against their army of off spinners. He kept setting himself up for the reverse and paddle sweeps, dispatching with the spin towards third man, before launching him over deep midwicket in the 12th over, forcing the Bitsians to bring back the fast bowlers.
The move played into Gopi's hands, as he prepared for the final assault by lifting the listless bowlers through midwicket. After Ashwin's exit, he mowed a poorly-disguised slower ball from a medium pacer over deep midwicket as BITS ran out of viable options. Unfortunately for them, Gopi still had a lot of ammunition in the tank.
The spinners suffered the brunt of his blitz, but they did their cause little good by serving up hit-me lengths . A half-volley in the 16th was knifed over covers; a full toss later in the same over went in the same direction. And although Aditya Nikam, the BITS fast bowler impressed showing a lot of heart and picking up a few wickets in the last few overs , but BITS were already chasing a mountain.
The home team never really got going. Although they were cheered by a small but boisterous crowd, the quality of SRM was always going to prove too much. Their bowlers bowled good length, the fielding was sharp and in the end it was just a matter of time before the BITS batsmen capitulated. There were a couple of sixes struck at the end by Aditya Agrawal, another very enterprising all round player , which bought some cheer to the disappointed crowd. But the result of the match was never in question .BITS were eventually bowled out for 105. And the best team in the tournament had deservedly triumphed.

The Cricket Diaries

The torrential Goan rains were beating relentlessly against the mess windows, the patter drowning the blabber at the tables. I was enjoying a cup of steaming coffee, chatting with my buddies. As it often does the discussion turned towards sports, and eventually, towards cricket- the most popular sport we had grown up watching. We were recalling the various exciting cricket moments we had witnessed- a common pastime for us. Spree 2010, which had just ended, was providing fodder to our conversations. “How about that match we’d had against CoEP? That was one thriller.”

“Oh yes, yes, we’d all gone to watch it together. That was one heck of a match. Remember CoEP’s innings? They completely whipped us...”

“So what, we won. That’s the end of it. That’s what matters in the end, so what if CoEP’s scorecard looked pretty. Our boys won.”

“That we did, sure. But they too were playing with such class. That guy what’s his name... his batting looked just unconquerable. Do you remember how relieved when we when we finally managed to get him out. Yes, I got his name- Pushkar”

“Yes I remember... poor fellow got run out before his fifty- that was some disappointment...”

“But don’t forget that our bowlers made them sweat it out. Our captain, Athul, you know, he wasn’t giving them more than three runs an over. They were probably going green with frustration with that wicked bowling.” The discussion was getting rather animated now, with my friend acting out the batsmen’s agony to the stares of other people around us in the crowded mess.

“That’s some economy, dude. But then we didn’t manage to get too many wickets, did we? That gave them an edge in the end. That’s how they managed that score.”

“Agreed... 106 in 20 overs for just three wickets, that’s saying something.”

“But we managed to beat that score didn’t we? It was pretty close, but still we managed to do it. We won with i guess... just three balls remaining, right?”

“Yes, three balls and three wickets. It was a close shave... their fielding was kind to us in the last few overs, otherwise we were looking pretty much done for in the middle of our innings.”

“Aditya salvaged the match. Take out his innings, and we could have as well surrendered our bats- he just turned the tables on CoEP. They looked like they didn’t know what hit them. He scored like above fifty in just 5 or 6 overs. That was nothing short of spectacle. When he came in we were at like 26 in nine overs. We’d as good as given up.”

“Yeah, without him, we didn’t stand a chance. His timing was just so awesome, and he scored when we needed it most. He got such a grand welcome from the crowd when he returned from his innings.”

“It’s just so much fun to watch you college play... the cheering, the excitement, the disappointment. Dude, I'm just wondering how inter college matches can get any better than this.”

As we filed out of the crowded mess, I realised what those people suffering from “withdrawal symptoms” were talking about. Say what, I understood their pain. Totally.

Aaj ki taaza khabar!!

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Open publication - Free publishing - More bits

SPREE-why you should be here (for the non-sporty types!!!)

SPREE- The annual sports festival of Bits Pilani KK Birla Goa Campus has always been an adrenalin rushing sports extravaganza; and this year shall be no different.

Though SPREE, or as its tagline PURE SPORT justifies, has laid quite an emphasis on major sports, yet one of its USP’s is its special features encompassing of Workshops, Special Nites, and Off beat events.

SPREE has always proved to be an ideal platform for one to learn and incorporate new skills and talents, with its workshops leading the pathway. SPREE has witnessed a myriad of workshops being held on different events like Carrom Workshop (Organised by All-India Carrom Federation), Juggling workshop, boxing workshop, an air-rifle shooting workshop, Sepak Takraw (Kick Volleyball), Tai-chi, Cardio kickboxing and CPR, to name a few. All the workshops have enjoyed immense participation, and positive feedbacks from the janta who attended the workshops. But mind you, they were more fun and less of the thing the word 'workshop' might make you imagine.

Though SPREE is a sport gala, yet at the end of the day, it is a ‘festival’ and to validate this, SPREE introduces to you, the Special Nites, an idyllic ending for a gruelling and tiring day for the hardworking sportsmen. Last SPREE invited various budding bathroom singers to test their singing skills in presence of an involved and engrossed audience in its Karaoke Night. The night also had some serious singers, accompanied by the occasional hummers and crooners, making the night a music fiesta. Add to this, the DJ night, and yes, you get the typical essence of a festival. SPREE also had its share of movie buffs, as it hosted its popular Film Nite.

While Workshops and Nites formed the core of icing the Offbeat events proved to be, another important ingredient. SPREE 2010 introduced Indian spice in its flavour, by introducing kabaddi and khokho, not to mention pittu. All the events established themselves a firm favourite amongst the public like hot cakes. For the more adventurous types, SPREE also brought in Go –Karting, which proved to be a raging success. For the more relaxed types, there was always pool available, for a one-one game.

SPREE 2010 though was pure sport event, yet it was given its identity of a ‘festival’ by these special facets only. Come SPREE 2011, and you can expect the workshops, nites, and events to grow only in every aspect... so what are you waiting for... come and be part of this ultimate amalgam of sports fiesta, fun and frolic, and make it as one of your best memories...

Spree 2010- a lookback

“Spree? Lite, man. It’s just a sports fest.”

This was the general sentiment surrounding the sport fest of Bits Pilani Goa Campus. But, then spree happened. In its wake it left people screaming for more- more action, more exhilaration, more excitement and everything else that no other event can give. It also gave everybody a different perception towards what, not just spree, but ‘sport’ was all about.

The four days dedicated to Spree, 4^th-8^th march, were a highly unusual, though not unanticipated, break for every bitsian- exams were forgotten, submission deadlines were ignored and a highly charged atmosphere engulfed the campus. The collective zeal snatched everybody away and made diehard fans out of the most dormant and reticent of people. The Student’s Activity Centre, popularly called the SAC, the epicenter of all the activity and the action, saw roaring crowds cheering for their respective teams. The exemplary levels of sport on display could not be missed.

Spree kicked off in magnanimous style with African Acrobats literally holding the auditorium, bated to its breath, in the grand inaugural. A standing ovation was all but obvious. The next day,ShadabJakati of the Chennai Super Kings cut the ribbon for Spree Cricket. Spree catered to every taste- right from the chess to the basketball, from the offbeat futsal to the agility of volleyball.

And oh yes, how can I forget the precise- yet- reckless carrom, the flagship event of spree 2011. Carrom grabbed all spotlights as Spree collaborated with the AICF( All India Carrom Federation) and played hosts to the current World Champions in the inaugural. Biggies like Mr. A Maria Irudayam, Mr. Yogesh Pardeshi, and MS. Ilavazhaki showed everybody the stuff world champions are made of, as they deftly manipulated their strokes and strikers to their will.

Volleyball, Basketball, Cricket and Football proved to be major crowd pullers. India’s religious synonym, Cricket, generated the usual fever with Ranji level sportsmen displaying their finesse and power in a symphony. The high octane action, the turning of tables within moments, upsets, the defensive team trying to switch to offensive mode and the offensive team launching attacks against a determined defence all had their expected effect, and the games were an instant ‘sell- out’. The more ‘mature’ counterparts like chess and carrom had their share of a hugely supportive and appreciative audience. The thoughtful and compelling move or the skillful flick of a wrist to hole a coin received erudite applause. Chess featured globally ranked Grandmasters and the featuring matches were sheer exhibition. Table tennis saw the spectators trying to keep pace with the tiny white ball, as it confounded the players with impossible- looking spins and speeds. Tennis gave the spectators an amazing show of agility and swiftness, as the players returned serves given at the far ends of the courts. Badminton matched Tennis in aggression and excitement. Off-beat events like JK Tyre Go-karting proved a runaway success and underlined our prowess in enhancing the Cool quotient of our fests.

The events were a tremendous strain on not only the contestant’s but also the audience’s energies, so the spree coco had everything planned out to restore them. There was the karaoke night to chill out, which brought out the singer out of everybody who could and some who couldn't, well, sing. :P The DJ night too was a rocking success, with everybody enjoying their headbanging moments lost in the fun crowd.

Finally when spree came to an cherished end, it left in it’s place tangible memories of the spirit of the euphoria. As the cliché goes, it’s the triumph of sport that matters in the end. And triumph it did, without any reasonable objection, as will those present attest- not only did it give players the chance to compete with the best, but also the audience to witness these competitions.

Just to keep these pleasant memories alive, we'll post a series of blogs, dedicated to spree 2011. So keep watching this space!!!