Ludhiana, April 22
The cricket ground of the Arya College for Boys, Ludhiana, will be the venue of matches during this year’s summer league tournaments to be organised by the Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) under the aegis of the Punjab Cricket Association. The pitch at the cricket ground is being re-laid and will be ready by the first week of May. The LDCA has also prepared three cemented wickets for the training of players.
The LDCA held trials to select players in different age groups. As many as 85 boys are attending the training-cum-coaching camps at Arya College. International coach, Charanjit Singh, a senior sports official with the Punjab Sports Department, former Ranji players, Satish Mangal, Arun Passi, Vijay Singh and Gurdeep Singh are giving training to the young cricketers.
Till 1999, the Ludhiana District Cricket Association (LDCA) used to maintain the cricket ground at the local SD Government College and hold training camps there. The college ground remained venue for all the tournaments conducted by the association in addition to club cricket. But this ground was damaged in August, 1999, when some political parties organised election rallies there.
Cricket enthusiasts, particularly members of the LDCA, players and members of their families had protested against the holding of political rallies outside the rally venue, but their protests failed to elicit any response. The rallies were held and the pitch located at the centre and two practice strips were damaged beyond repairs. The boundary wall of the ground was also demolished to facilitate public to come to the rallies.
The digging up of cricket ground had drawn the attention of then the Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr M.S. Gill. Dr Gill, an alumni of this college, had expressed concern over the damaging the lush green lawns of the cricket ground. “It would be wrong to use government premises for election purposes”, Dr Gill had lamented.
A former test cricketer Yashpal Sharma, who belongs to Ludhiana, had also tried his best to pursue the PMO at Delhi to shift the rally venue to some other place, but his efforts, too, did not bear fruit.
The organisers of these rallies, at that time, had promised to repair the ground to the satisfaction of the LDCA and the players. But when after a number of requests and reminders, nothing was done, the LDCA was forced to shift its coaching centre to the Arya College for Boys.
Till the recent past, the ground of the government college was frequently used as a helipad for former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s helicopter. This ground is also under repair these days. The pitch is being constructed with the help from some members of the Sutlej Club who use to play at this ground.
