The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ESPN Speedster Contest is here again

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 21, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

ESPN Speedster Contest is here again

MUMBAI, SEPT. 20. N. C. Aiyappa, the 2003 winner of the ESPN-Scorpio Speedster Contest, will defend his title. The 2004 contest, a nationwide search for fast bowlers, will be held across 10 cities from September 30 to December 19.

Aiyappa, winner of the Bangalore leg and National finals in the inaugural year bowling 135 kph, is back after a three-week course under Damien Fleming at the Australian Centre of Excellence (Brisbane). The fast bowling talent hunt, featuring amateur cricketers too, is being conducted by IMG with Mahindra & Mahindra as title sponsor, Khadi Line and adidas as co-sponsors.

ESPN will telecast the capsule of the contest, commencing (Sept. 30 to Oct. 1) and concluding (Dec. 19) at Mumbai. The other cities, which will host the carnival, are Pune (Oct. 8, 9), Ahmedabad (Oct. 14, 15), Chennai (Oct. 22, 23), Bangalore (Oct. 30, 31), Hyderabad (Nov. 7, 8), Kanpur (Nov. 20, 21), Kolkata (Nov. 27, 28), New Delhi (Dec. 4, 5) and Chandigarh (Dec. 11, 12).

The national winner will receive cash worth Rs. 75,000 and a three-week stint at ACE and the national runner-up Rs. 25,000.

Speed thrills

Each entrant will be allowed to bowl four balls after warming up and the speed recorded will determine his fate. India `A' coach Sandeep Patil, addressing the media at the Taj Rooftop on Monday, referred to fast-bowling talent hunts like this one spotting raw fast bowlers.

"As coach of the India `A' squad, I am aware of the need for strike bowlers and hope new talents like Aiyappa, sitting next to me on the dais, will be sitting in the Indian team. This is a genuine effort which will go a long way in helping Indian cricket." — Our Special Correspondent

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