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Tuesday, Jan 01, 2008
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BCCI to give thrust to school cricket

Special Correspondent

BCCI’s turns down SGFI’s request
JCC happy with Cooch Behar Trophy format

Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is all geared up to give a thrust to school cricket. Though the BCCI is not satisfied with the lack of proactive interest shown by many affiliated units to adopt five schools in rural areas, the Junior Cricket Committee (JCC) has asked the respective State associations to adopt five schools in urban areas in addition to five in rural areas. The State associations would be asked to establish an inter-school competition for a small group of schools or by invitation. There is a possibility of the champion school in each State playing a league at the zonal level and thereafter an all-India knock out for the top two teams from each zone.

The BCCI has turned down a request from the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) for financial assistance to organise the C.K. Nayudu and Vinoo Mankad Trophy tournaments.

At the JCC meeting last week members were told that the BCCI office-bearers were not keen on awarding financial assistance to the SGFI and that the BCCI itself should find a way to conduct school level competitions with support from the State associations.

The BCCI Joint Secretary Mohinder Pandove suggested two models, but eventually the JCC has recommended that the State associations should be given the responsibility of conducting inter-school competitions. Promoting school cricket has been a priority for the BCCI President Sharad Pawar and it appears that a proper competition would be in place from the next season.

Change in format

The format of the inter-State u-22 tournament is likely to undergo a change with the top three teams from the 2008-09 season placed in the Elite Group and the rest in the Plate Group for the 2009-10 season. First and foremost, the u-22 teams will named as ‘A’ teams with not more than three Ranji Trophy players allowed to be played in a match. The present format — with no age restriction — will be followed for the 2008-09 season with two teams from each zone qualifying for the all-India knock out.

The JCC has also recommended that the u-15 and 17 inter-State competitions should be converted into a single u-16 tournament with the top two teams from a league format in each zone advancing to the national competition. This is as a result of Pandove informing the committee that there’s too much cricket at the u-22 level and that there’s no point in playing for quantity sacrificing quality. He also told the committee that with women’s cricket also coming under the BCCI wing, there’s pressure on maintaining quality pitches and grounds and as a result of which games are played in sub-standard conditions. Pandove felt that the time consumed in playing inter-State junior tournaments leaves very little time for the State Academy to train the cricketers.

Recommendations

The JCC is happy with the format of the Cooch Behar Trophy for under-19 (Elite and Plate League), but it has recommended that the matches be played on home-and-away basis as is followed in the Ranji Trophy, instead of the competition being played in one zone or a particular venue.

The JCC also feels that the u-19 one-day tournament should be played in different cities in a zone (instead of one) so that the juniors are challenged by change in conditions.

The JCC has also recommended that the zonal academy tournaments be played at a proper time so that the u-19 selectors can pick good players and teams for the National Cricket Academy and for India under-19 for international tournaments and World Cup.

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