E

ven as India is in the throes of the cricket fever at the ongoing IndiaAustralia series, a community cricket series currently ongoing in Sydney is increasing in popularity.

Cricket fever has reached at its pinnacle among players from the Indian subcontinent here at the 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup being played in the grounds of historic Parramatta Park. The Park attracts more than thousands of people on the weekends along with the regular senior citizens who are keenly following the cricket tournament.

Among the frequent visitors to the park is also the NSW Premier Nathan Rees checking the progress of the games – he often steps on to the field to have a chat with the players.

The 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup is currently being played among 10 different teams from the sub continent. These are the Group Colleges of Australia, Melbourne Institute of Technology, Ryde Automotives Haryana Bulls, Mantra West Ryde’s Chandigarh, Hyderabad Travel’s Sydney Deccan Chargers, Limra, Nepal Cricket Association and Ford Pro Vibrant Gujarat.

The 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup is named in commemoration of Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s bicentennial year.

In the series so far, Group Colleges of Australia became the first team to storm in the semi-finals of the ongoing 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup. The Manager Jenny McCarthy is confident that GCA boys will improve their performance and win the 30/30 Competition after finishing runners up in the recently concluded Indian Link Cup.

Organised jointly by Footwork Sports Academy and New Australians’ Sports Association, this is the second tournament to be held in recent months. (The Indian Link Cup concluded recently, and a third series is set to begin shortly).

The brain behind the event, Sanjiv Dubey, is not new to the scene. A well-known sports coach, he founded the Footwork Academy of Sports through which many community and mainstream kids have honed their cricket as well as soccer skills. As a Phys Ed teacher, Sanjiv is passionate about his sport as well as coaching. He is also a sports writer and commentator.

For the cricket tournaments, Sanjiv has found he has reached out successfully to international students, who are represented on each of the teams. They come from all over the subcontinent, and seem to have found a ‘home away from home’ and like-minded friends, during the series.

“I think it gives a great boost to their selfesteem to be participating in a large-scale community event in which their individual talents come to the fore,” Dubey told Indian Link. “Many of them are really quite talented, and I hope they get noticed”.

Some players have already reached acclaim as Ranji Trophy players. One player even has some international experience – Shashi Keshri of the Nepal team represented his country at the Under-19 level.

Finals of the contest will be held on 22 Nov.

Round 1 l Mantra Ryde’s Chandigrah (165 all out) won against Limra (99 all out) by 65 runs l GCA Yellow (152 all out) lost to Ford Pro Vibrant Gujarat (153 for 3 in 27 overs) l MIT Yellow (61 all out) lost to Ryde Automotives Haryana Bulls (3/63) who won by 7 wickets. l Nepal (122 all out) lost to GCA Red (126 for 6) in 22 overs

Highlights Abhinav from Gujarat stole the show with his unbeaten knock of 87 not out. Navdeep from Chandigrah was another star performer, scoring 53. Both won Man of the Match awards in their games.

Round 2 l GCA Yellow (194 all out) lost to Limra (197 for 8), Limra won by 2 wickets l Chandigarh (190 all out); defeated MIT Red (92 all out). l Haryana (154 all out) lost to Nepal (155 for 2) l Hyderabad Travel Sydney Deccan Chargers (140 all out) lost to GCA Red (141 for 7) in 29 overs.

Highlights Karamveer’s 64 for GCA against Limra; ex Ranji trophy player Mayank’s 66 against Mantra Ryde’s Chandigarh, and Naveen’s 68 for Nepal Cricket Association.

Round 3 l MIT Red (163) defeated GCA Yellow (110 all out) l Limra (166) lost to Gujarat on averages l MIT Yellow Vs GCA Red: GCA won by forfeit

Highlights Outstanding performance from Limra’s Amoodi, a fine knock of 42

The 20/20 MIT Sydney Cup starts on 29th November where more than 16 teams are expected to play. For details ring Sanjiv Dubey on 0433 669 334.