Dates of cricket tourney clash with Class XII boards, students in a fix

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, May 4

The recently released schedule of U-19 Inter-District Cricket Tournament has left many students worried as the dates are clashing with their ongoing CBSE Class XII term-II examinations.

Many parents have written to higher authorities in this regard. I too have taken up the matter with the PCA. I am hopeful that they will consider the demand of the parents and the dates would be rescheduled. Praveen Sareen, General Secretary of the Nawanshahr Cricket Academy

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The board exams which started on April 26 will end on June 23, and the students have exams on May 13, 20, 30 and June 7, whereas the tournament is scheduled to begin from May 14 to June 8. Students said they were in a fix as appearing in board exams and the tournament is equally important to them.

Talking to The Tribune, Tarun Sharma, a Class XII student, said: “I have been practicing cricket since long and have participated in other district-level tournaments too. I was eagerly waiting for the schedule of U-19 tournament as it’s a golden opportunity for budding players like me, who wish to make a career in cricket. But as the dates are clashing with exams, I am worried about my academic performance and feel I won’t be able to give my best,” he said.

He said he is devoting his maximum time for practice sessions, so his parents too are stressed that he would score less this time. “My parents have already written to the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) to postpone the dates by 15-20 days, so that students could perform equally well in the exams and the game,” he said.

Bikram Butalia, a parent, said these tournaments are like talent hunt competitions and the best-performing players may get a chance to represent the state and then India. He said earlier, school managements were helping students with adjustment of dates but this year being board exams, the schools say they cannot help in rescheduling dates.

He further said 20 teams are participating in Punjab, which means nearly 400 budding players will be participating in this tournament. “As majority of these players are Class XII students, the PCA must give it a thought and revise the schedule,” he added.

When contacted, Praveen Sareen, General Secretary of the Nawanshahr Cricket Academy, said: “Many parents have written to higher authorities in this regard. I too have taken up the matter with the PCA. I am hopeful that they will consider the demand of the parents and the dates would be rescheduled,” he said.

Exams & the game

The CBSE Class XII exams which started on April 26 will end on June 23, and the students have exams on May 13, 20, 30 and June 7, whereas the tournament is scheduled to begin from May 14 to June 8. Students said they were in a fix as appearing in board exams and the tournament is equally important for them.