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Young World
Howzzat!
LAIQH A. KHAN
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Despite the blazing heat of summer, youngsters who aspired to be cricketers thronged the coaching camps...
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Young cricketers in the making...
MYSORE
Getting into the shoes of their favourite cricket star is a secret dream nursed by many youngsters in the country. Young lads from the City of Mysore, which gave ace speedster Srinath to international cricket, are no exception.
Not only are they obsessed with playing the game after school and college hours, many of them dedicate much of their time to honing their talent and skills to perfection, fancying a place in the international cricketing arena.
The summer vacations bring dreamy-eyed youngsters onto the playgrounds of the City, virtually in the droves, armed with bats, balls, stumps and other cricketing paraphernalia. Oblivious to the blazing summer sun, they play their hearts out until sunset and bad light forces them to return home.
As if to help the youngsters to realise their dreams, cricket coaching camps are held in the City during the summer vacations. The University of Mysore's Department of Physical Education holds a month-long cricket camp during summer holidays. This year's camp, which came soon after the World Cup cricket in South Africa, saw a large number of youngsters lining up to enroll their names. An estimated 175 boys in the age group of 8 to 18 years participated in the coaching camp. Displaying remarkable punctuality and discipline, most youngsters arrive at the grounds at the crack of dawn. After the initial stretching exercises, the boys put bat to ball under the guidance of University's cricket coach, Manzoor Ahmed. For, the month-long cricket coaching, the authorities collect from the boys a nominal amount of Rs. 150 per head. The Department of Physical Education holds coaching camps in 12 other sporting activities including hockey, football, volley ball, basket ball, athletics, kabaddi and others. All the camps are conducted under the watchful eyes of qualified coaches. An estimated 500 youngsters are understood to have participated in coaching camps for different games organised by the University this year. However, cricket was one game, which engaged the attention of most youngsters. To cater to the large number of enthusiastic young cricketers, even cricket clubs organised coaching camps in different parts of the City.
Mysore Gymkhana, the cricket club, which was represented by Javagal Srinath, held a cricket clinic at J. K. Grounds. The youngsters joining the clinic were coached by former Ranji players Vijayprakash and A. K. Raghu. After the conclusion of the coaching clinic, the club split the lads into different teams and organised matches.
Similiarly, R.B.N.C.C., a cricket club from City, which plays first division K.S.C.A. league too organises coaching camps for youngsters at Maharaja's college grounds in the evenings. About 70 to 80 boys from different age groups are participating in the camp.
Late cricketer V. Prabhakar is credited with pioneering the trend of holding summer cricket camps in Mysore. When he conceived the idea of organising cricket camps for youngsters during summer holidays more than 10 years ago, the response was found to be lukewarm in the initial days but, later picked up and now has come to stay.
Though Prabhakar, a familiar cricketing figure in Mysore, perished in a road accident a couple of months ago, his son P. Sreenivasa Prasad has taken over the mantle by organising a cricket camp for youngsters at Gautham Hostel Grounds in Saraswathipuram, where more than 100 boys participated.
With so much of grooming for young hopefuls, it will not be surprising if Mysore sends a couple of cricketers to the international arena in future.
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