The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Umrigar inducted into Legend's Club

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Friday, Mar 30, 2007
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Umrigar inducted into Legend's Club

Mumbai: Polly Umrigar was inducted into the Legend's Club at the C. K. Nayudu Room, Cricket Club of India, in the presence of his family members and the former Test cricketers here on Wednesday. Madhav Mantri, President of the Legend's Club, said Polly held all records and was regarded as India's greatest cricketer until the arrival of Sunil Gavaskar.

"We were like brothers for almost six decades. Polly thoroughly deserves to be added as the fourth legend,'' said the 85-year-old Mantri. A creation of Raj Singh Dungarpur, the Legend's Club was founded four years ago to honour Indian legends such as Vijay Merchant, Vijay Manjrekar and Vijay Hazare, just as the famous cricket commentator John Arlott established the Master's Club in memory of Sir Jack Hobbs who earned the sobriquet `The Master'. At a function compered by former Mumbai allrounder Milind Rege on the 81st birth anniversary of Umrigar, the main speakers were his friends Rajsingh, Mantri, Nari Contractor, Bapu Nadkarni and Dilip Sardesai, his daughter Shirin Lala and son Fali. Umrigar's friends said he was a great cricketer, a mentor to many and a man who lived for cricket.

"I was the only one who addressed him as `Bawa', others affectionately called him `Pollkaka'. I owe my life to Polly and Ghulam Ahmed. If they had not alerted the doctor in Barbados that I was motionless in the hospital bed (after taking Charlie Griffith's short ball on the back of his skull in 1961-62 series) things would have been different. He left the captaincy in unpleasant circumstances and did not become the President of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), but I hope the indoor school at the new MCA's Bandra-Kurla complex is named after him'' said Contractor.

Shirin said: "Our family members love to come to `Polly's Sports Bar' at the CCI. There are so many pictures of him in the bar. My father has received many awards, but he used to say: "This (Polly's Bar) will be permanent.'' — Special Correspondent

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