In his late 19th-century book A Chronicle of Cricket, writer Shapoorjee Sorabjee vividly described how the Parsis began playing cricket:

 ‘Some enthusiastic boys at first only gleefully watched from a distance the game played at Fort George, and then hunted after and returned the balls from the field to the players. For such gratis services rendered heartily and joyfully the officers sometimes called them to handle the bat, which was done with extreme pleasure and delight… thus were learnt the initiatory practical lessons in cricket by the Parsis.’

In the initial phase of his career, Pavri, barely out of his teens, concentrated exclusively on generating as much pace as possible. The story goes that during his tenure at the Baronet Cricket Club, some of his opponents who batted without boots, gloves and leg guards ‘went home with crushed toes and fingers.’

Pavri admitted that there was a lot more to be learnt when it came to sharpening his bowling skills, as he was merely hurling the ball at the stumps rather than paying attention to his length and movement. During the 1888 tour, he gained valuable tips from the Surrey pair of Bill Lockwood and John Sharpe, and coupled with his inborn talent, he used them to lethal effect as the tour unfolded.

His batting ability was lesser known, but he was good enough to open the innings on many occasions for the Parsis, including in their first match of the 1888 tour against the Gentlemen of Essex at Leyton. In this drawn affair, he scored three runs and took two wickets. It is to be noted that all matches on the tour were played against amateur teams and hence were not accorded first-class status.

Click Here for the full detailed story by Rustom Deboo

The first team from India that travelled to England to play cricket was comprised entirely of Parsis. In many ways, they were the pioneers of Indian cricket. Shiamak Unwalla looks at 10 Parsis who played Test cricket for India.

It all started with the Presidency Match — an annual cricket match played between the Europeans of the Bombay Gymkhana and the Parsis (also Iranis) of the Zoroastrian Cricket Club. The matches evolved into First-Class contests, thus making Europeans vs Parsis among the earliest First-Class match played on Indian soil.

The Presidency Match soon evolved into the Bombay Triangular also featuring the Hindus. Soon, it became the Bombay Quadrangular, with the addition of the Muslims. The tournament finally ended up being the Bombay Pentagular, with The Rest being added to the mix.

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Fifteen Parsees toured England in 1886, and though the results weren’t great, they were well received

The first plans for a Parsees side to tour abroad were floated in 1877 by AB Patel but were scuppered when Patel became involved in a legal case in Bombay. Undeterred, he persevered and in 1886 the scheme came to fruition. A far from representative group of players was picked for the trip; the team was formed exclusively from those who could afford to fund their own passage. Patel managed to get the influential Charles Alcock to act as the team’s agent in England, thus ensuring some strong fixtures. Alcock was secretary of Surrey and the man credited with organising the first Test in England, six years earlier.

To help prepare the Parsees, a Surrey professional, Robert Henderson, was recruited to coach them, but he was only given three weeks before they departed for England. It was soon apparent there was too little time available to bring them up to speed.

A squad of 15 Parsees – 12 from Bombay, three from Karrache (as it was spelt then) – left on April 17. At a dinner on the eve of their departure from Bombay, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, a noted political leader, said: “As artists go to Italy to do homage to the great masters, as pilgrims go to Jerusalem to worship at a shrine, so now the Parsees are going to England to do homage to the English cricketers, to learn something of that noble and manly pastime in the very country which is its chosen home.”

The Parsees arrived in England in mid May, and their opening match was at Sheffield Park, followed by a prestigious game against the MCC at Lord’s.

The tour started with a first-day washout against Lord Sheffield’s XI, but that proved fortuitous as, in unfamiliar and damp conditions, the Parsees batsmen were bowled out for 46 and, following on, closed at 54 for 4. It could have been worse but Alfred Shaw declined to bowl “out of politeness”. This set the tone for the rest of the trip, although the Times did note the visitors’ “fielding was excellent and bowling fair”.

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Parsees who played for India

• Soli Colah
• Piloo Palia
• Rustomji Jamshedji
• Karshed Meherhomji
• Jahangir Khan
• Rusi Modi
• Keki Tarapore
• Nari Contractor
• Polly Umrigar
• Rusi Surti
• Farokh Engineer

There were two Parsees in India’s first Test in 1932 (Colah and Palia) and the peak came in the first two Tests in the Caribbean in 1961-62, when there were four (Contractor, Umrigar, Surti and Engineer).

Even though MMA or mixed martial arts bouts have been taking place throughout the world since the 1900s, the sport has only recently gained massive popularity in the West with organisations like UFC and Pride promoting fights in a huge way.

In India however, it’s a different story. To figure out why it hasn’t picked up in our country yet, we speak to Khushnoor Jijina, a practitioner of the sport as well as someone who is currently training young athletes hungry enough to prove themselves in the ring.

Jijina began training in martial arts at the age of eleven. He’s highly proficient in both Karate as well as Judo for which he has won numerous awards. These two arts strengthened his base that he then expanded significantly by training with several experts in Kickboxing, Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu. This opened up the doors to competitive MMA including the FCC Championship and as well as the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).

He no longer fights professionally but since then, he’s added Krav Maga to his repertoire of skills and has even doubled up as judge for many MMA events across the country.

So why do you think MMA isn’t that popular in India?

There are multiple reasons why MMA hasn’t become a mainstream sport in India.
Firstly, MMA is relatively new as a sport, unlike traditional martial arts that have been around since the last century. However several teachers have taught various aspects of MMA in their classes such as Kickboxing, Boxing, Taekwondo without necessarily labelling it as MMA.

Secondly, MMA is a brutal sport and that goes against the Indian psyche, which has never accepted more blood-letting for the sake of sport. It is far more accepting of traditional martial arts that teach respect, ethics and discipline, while focusing on developing the spirit and the mentality to fight only if the need arises.

Thirdly, there isn’t enough institutional or financial support. It’s a chicken-egg problem. There aren’t enough places to train, sponsors to fund events, nor is there enough backing by the government to develop skilled trainers and fighters, and as a result there isn’t enough interest in the sport. This again leads to lack of sponsors and training facilities. This cycle needs to be broken.

What are some of the problems you’ve faced while trying to promote MMA in India? What are some of the challenges faced by today’s fighters?

Many fighters are entering MMA just to make some money. The students are not adequately conditioned to take a brutal beating. MMA fighters must be well-accomplished in grappling and boxing techniques, as well as ground work.

Secondly, there is no proper base yet on which to build MMA in India. Every traditional martial art has pillars on which the art is based, MMA lacks such a base. It takes a few techniques from Boxing, Muay Thai, Karate, Judo, and these aren’t very effective against really well trained mixed martial artists.

We need at least about 10 more years for the art to mature in India.

Do you think MMA can become as popular in India as it is in the West?

The brutal nature of MMA makes it difficult to be adopted widely as a means of practice. MMA can become popular and mainstream, if there is more structure to the art and clear lines of progression, so that it can be practiced not just as means of fighting but also as a form of discipline and self-improvement.

To be practiced in clubs, gymnasiums and as a form of recreation/socialization, elements of MMA will need to be stripped of their lethality and practiced for the self-improvement and self-awareness that they give to a practitioner.

Why have companies like UFC, Strikeforce etc not entered India yet?

UFC and Strikeforce will enter India only when there is a greater awareness and interest, even if only at the spectator level.

Could you give us an example of an MMA fighter’s routine, including diet? Do you have to be of a certain fitness level to consider training?

Train to develop great skills, train for super strength, agility and fitness, because that’s what you need when you fight. Eat a healthy diet that consists of protein, good fats, clean carbohydrates like vegetables, lentils and grains, and try to minimize your junk food intake.

You do not need to be of a certain level of fitness to consider training. Once you start to train and are sincere, you will get to your desired fitness. Of course, you need to be of a certain fitness level to fight and train competitively, but not recreationally. Training consistently is the key to getting better – in all sports.

http://in.askmen.com/mixed-martial-arts/1098484/interview/mma-in-india-an-interview-with-khushnoor-jijina

‘We keep climbing one step and slipping three. In 2004, our relay team was 7th in the world. Then we slipped from there. Otherwise, today our 4×400 metres relay team would have been gearing for a medal at the Rio Games.’

‘We give them a coach, but if we don’t give them the support facility they will not be able to perform. I always say that it is not just one athlete or coach, but the whole eco system that we need to create around the athlete. Only then you can perform to your fullest.’

‘If we need to compete at the world level, our thinking needs to be at world level. You can’t have akhada thinking.’

Adille Sumariwalla was India’s sprint champion for 11 consecutive years.

Last month, Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Association of India, was elected to the International Association of Athletics Federations.

In a field of 39 candidates he bagged 61 votes to snatch one of the nine seats as an individual member from 214 member federations.

The 1980 Moscow Olympian, who was conferred the Arjuna Award in 1985, discusses the complex issues that ail Indian athletics and his plans to deal with them, in this interview withLaxmi Negi/Rediff.com

Has Indian athletics arrived on the global stage?

People recognise that we have the potential of being a global superpower. People understand the potential of India.

They understand that in the world, economically or whatever, we are one of the few countries which has positives.

Taking all that into consideration, with all the people in the country, the youth, people have a lot of hope from India and that is why they feel that, yes, India needs a seat on the IAAF(International Association of Athletics Federations).

When will India win a Track & Field medal in the Olympics?

There are two things very important: Firstly, it is important to get medals; secondly, the youth that we have.

We need to channelise their energy correctly. It will help in nation-building. That is as important as winning medals.

Yes, getting an Olympic medal for India in athletics is my one-point agenda.

I think about it the whole day, when I get up until the time I go to sleep. I only visualise getting a medal for our country.

If we have a positive frame of mind and have a sports culture, some sportsman’s spirit, some integrity, then I think I am achieving a far larger canvas than winning a medal.

Of course, a medal to me is THE most important goal.

Why don’t our athletes produce consistent performances?

We keep climbing one step and slipping three.

In 2004 our relay team was seventh in the world. Then we slipped from there. Otherwise, today our 4×400 metres relay team would have been gearing for a medal at the Rio Games.

We also need to remember that there are 215 countries participating in athletics.

For example, in boxing, if you go through two rounds you are assured of a bronze medal. I am not belittling boxing, but in athletics, just in the juniors’ under-14 age group 268 kids take part. That sort of competition is involved in athletics.

You have to go through four rounds to reach the final, so it is very difficult.

We have complex issues, including socio-economic, funding issues; there are funds which are not channelised properly.

We have a coach, but don’t have masseurs or physios. The middle and long distance girls run more than 250 kms per week; they need a special type of masseur, a very special type of recovery expert; they need a lot of things to recover and come back to the track on Monday.

We give them a coach, but if we don’t give them the support facility they will not be able to perform. I always say that it is not just one athlete or coach, but the whole eco system that we need to create around the athlete. Only then you can perform to your fullest.

What will it take to achieve that end?

We have inconsistencies because of various reasons. There are changes in government. The government is the main source of funds for the athlete.

Every time a new Director General or new central government comes in, there is a change. They keep changing, the thinking keeps changing and, therefore, the inconsistency.

We put up a plan for four years, they accept the plan, but implementation is a problem.

Nutrition is not difficult in today‘s day and age, but, sometimes, food cooked in the camps is not up to the mark. If an athlete doesn’t eat good food, how do you expect him to perform?

When a nutritionist comes in, nobody wants to listen to them because athletes crave for masalafood; they don’t like the kind of food the nutritionist recommends.

These issues are deep-rooted in our system.

During the Asian Games I saw how difficult it was for our athletes. They wanted dal, roti, subzi, masala, ghee. Athletes did not want to eat healthy food, like salads, sprouts and pasta.

Finally, they were eating potato chips!

We need to understand that if we need to compete at the world level, our thinking needs to be at world level.

You can’t have akhada thinking; we have to get ourselves to international thinking because everything affects you.

Unless our thought process changes, we will keep getting hammered.

In such a situation, is there any hope for Indian athletes at the coming Olympics?

If you look at the World Championships, I don’t think we did very badly. We had Vikas Gowda (shot put) and Lalita Babar (3000 metres steeplechase) coming in the top eight.

We have athletes doing well, but, again, it is politics which destroys them. Athletes want to take their own coaches and go abroad.

If you want to learn it the correct way you need to forget what you have learnt before. You need your basics and have to develop further.

Our coaches go there and get exposed how bad they are! Then they keep brainwashing the athletes.

Shot putter Inderjeet Singh wanted to take two coaches. Have you ever heard of this? Two coaches?

The issue is that they want to put their husband’s name, their father’s name, because the government gives cash awards to the coaches. Just to make few lakh rupees they want their family members as their coaches.

Can a university level thrower coach a world class athlete?

These are complex issues. Our athletes don’t think well for themselves; they are being misguided by their coaches. They lack the knowledge that every coach is good at a certain point of their lives. Then people move on.

How can a school coach help you turn into a world champion?

Sometimes they don’t even know how to spell Olympics!

We are trying our best to educate our athletes. In India we keep getting very emotional about the way we think.

When you are into sport, you have to be thoroughly rude and selfish. If you are not thoroughly ruthless, you are never going to win.

Why did Milkha Singh and P T Usha do so well? Thoroughly ruthless and thoroughly selfish!

Look at Usain Bolt. He is a thoroughly ruthless guy. Unless you are that ruthless, you cannot win at that level.

Most of the time I become the villain because I don’t give into emotional dramas. I am down to earth, ruthless, in my approach.

After the (2010) Commonwealth Games, if we didn’t have that debacle (the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam) I was confident about winning a medal at the Rio Olympics.

It could have even been London (Olympics), but at Rio we could have definitely won. But after that debacle athletics took a huge beating. Also, what happened to us internally, after (Suresh) Kalmadi (then chairman of the Organising Committee of the 2010 Commonwealth Games) and Lalit Bhanot (former Indian Olympic Association secretary-general) left, I took charge immediately.

It took us a very long time to get us out from that situation. Because of Bhanot and Kalmadi, athletics was a bad word at that point of time. The media got after us, no sponsors wanted to touch us.

I had lot of trouble getting us out of the deepest setback.

Having said that, the government spent Rs 385 crore (Rs 3.85 billion) before the Delhi Commonwealth Games to train our athletes. The moment that (the Games) got over, the funding stopped.

Now that showed very clearly that if we put in the right amount of money, we could win the right amount of medals.

From 101 medals at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, why did we come down to 64 medals in (the next Games) Glasgow CWG? Because money became one-third!

The tempo had to continue. Had we sustained that effort for the Olympics we could have got medals. But we had a dip and again we started struggling.

After the Commonwealth Games there were no camps, no coaches, as their contracts expired and they were sent back.

No federation… the top two people (Kalmadi and Bhanot) of the federation were in jail. We were running amok. All the thugs took over, to try and grab what they could.

How do you tackle the menace of doping?

Before I became president, we were testing 100 samples; now we are testing 1,000 samples. A lot more people are getting caught. People say that India is the dope capital, but we are tracking them down and it is a good thing that a lot of people are getting caught.

The media is making it look negative; actually, it is a positive. We are not letting people get away.

Look at the places where doping is happening. It generally doesn’t happen at the camps. Only a stupid guy will try doing that because they keep getting tested very regularly. The biggest problem areas are the junior meets, where the coaches are encouraging it.

The second place is at trials for jobs. The Railways, Services, Police, Customs, Income Tax. The athletes have the maal (drugs), perform and get selected for the job.

Once their job is secured, they have to participate in Inter-Railway or Inter-Services tournaments. These athletes feel the need to deliver at such meets and, hence, again take themaal to enhance their performances.

To tackle this, I send NADA (the National Anti-Doping Agency) to such meets and get those athletes tested.

It is not that our main athletes are tainted. There might be one or two slip-outs, but we are tough on them.

Age cheating too keeps haunting athletics.

It is a HUGE problem. We are battling it hard, but we are not winning. Even SAI (the Sports Authority of India) is trying hard. As per the new rule, you need to get the government medical officer’s approval. It is not practical because even a junior team of Mumbai consists of 300 athletes. How will one officer test so many athletes?

What we are trying to do is talk to TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) and create a unique identity with biometrics.

For example, an athlete comes in as Anil Kumar Singh; the next time the same person participates as AK Singh and next time as Anil Kumar. The same guy changes his date of birth. So we are focusing on the lowest age group as much as possible.

We are also trying to connect with Aadhar. UIDAI (the Unique Identification Authority of India) is willing to work with us. With that, with just one touch of a finger, we get the athlete’s history. A lot of research will go into this tedious task.

For this you need a huge amount of money, which the federation doesn’t have. If I have to choose between sending an athlete for training abroad or investing in research, I will have to prioritise, as money is so scarce.

When will an Indian athlete break the 10 seconds barrier in the 100 metres?

If an athlete with a superior physique comes in we can do it tomorrow; that is not a problem! But we lack superior physique.

If I was not 5 ft 7 inches, but four inches taller, I could have done it very easily. I was consistent at 10.40 with this height; with longer strides, I could have done it!

But we are not getting athletes who are 6 feet tall with frequency. The ones with frequency are much shorter.

Usain Bolt is 6 feet 5 inches tall; he is so broad. If I stand behind him, you won’t be able to see me. He doesn’t look so broad on television because of his height.

Tyson Gay is 6 feet and has huge shoulders, but he looks like a dwarf in front of Bolt. Where do we have athletes like these?

So, in certain events, we won’t be able to do well till we get athletes with superior prowess. But in certain events, like middle and long distance, we can do well.

We can do well in throws; we have some big throwers from North India. Vikas Gowda, Inderjeet Singh and Om Prakash are all above six feet tall; these athletes can throw. But with physique you also need brains to win.

These guys have the physique to win, but what about intelligence? You need a combination of both to win.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/interview/getting-an-olympic-medal-in-athletics-is-my-one-point-agenda/20151008.htm

What is common between C. Ramaswami, Sir Vivian Richards and Jonty Rhodes? They all represented their country in more than one sporting discipline.

Closer home, three Indians are notable for their sporting prowess namely, Sohini Kumari (Tennis and Squash), Somnath Chopra (Athletics & Volleyball) and Iftikhan Ali Khan Pataudi (Cricket & Hockey) represented India in more than one sporting discipline.

But wait! There is one Indian woman who surpassed them all.

We continuously speak about women’ empowerment in India and West Bengal. Here is a sportswoman who was far ahead of her time, for when she achieved her rare sporting distinction, woman’ sport was still at its nascent stage in this country.

Shireen Khushroo Kiash née Contractor, a Parsi Zoroastrian from Bengal represented India in Hockey, Basketball and Cricket.

Shireen was born in Mumbai and moved to Kolkata where she made her home. Shireen was a legendary sports woman of the Kolkata Maidan in the seventies and is still revered by athletes of the seventies who had the privilege to witness her ‘magical’ skills.

As per the book ‘Sport in South Asian Society: Past and Present’ by Boria Majumdar and ‎J A Mangan, Parsi women represented Bengal and India in different cricket tournaments in the 70’s and Shireen was awarded the most outstanding sportswoman of 1974 by the Ladies’ Study Group.

Limca Book of records states that Shireen is the “Most versatile Indian Player” which has also been mentioned by S. B. Bhattacherje in his book Encyclopaedia of Indian Events and Dates.

Shireen’s Sporting Achievements:-

a) Was part of the India Hockey Team at the 3rd Asian Women’s Championship in December 1967 at New Delhi, winning the bronze medal. In 1970, she also toured Japan with the Indian Hockey Team;
b) Represented India in the Asian Women’s Basketball Championship in Kuala Lumpur in 1970;
c) Represented the Indian Women cricket team against Australia in India;
d) Also excelled in other sports namely Table Tennis, Tennis, Badminton and Carom.

We continuously speak about women’ empowerment in India and West Bengal. Here is a sportswoman who was far ahead of her time, for when she achieved her rare sporting distinction, woman’ sport was still at its nascent stage in this country.

Shireen’s sporting feat of representing a nation in three different sporting disciplines is rare even by international standards.

Successive governments at the Centre which was primarily led by the Congress Party furthermore did not acknowledge Shireen’ achievements.

The West Bengal government who incidentally has a woman chief minister does not even acknowledge her presence as a sports woman from Bengal nor have they awarded her the Banga Bibhushan, Khel Samman Award, Banglar Gourab Award, Life Time Achievement Award or the special Khel Samman Award.

The West Bengal government speaks of giving emphasis to promote vulnerable sections like women in sport but conveniently turns a blind eye to the achievement of Shireen.

Not to be left far behind, successive governments at the Centre which was primarily led by the Congress Party furthermore did not acknowledge Shireen’ achievements.

Awards like Dhyan Chand Award, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards were not even considered in her case.

Why was Shireen not given her rightful place in sporting history by both the Centre and the West Bengal Government? Is it because she belonged to a microscopic minority? I leave the answer to your imagination.

Will Shireen ever be given her rightful place in the history of sports in India and more particularly West Bengal? Only time will tell.

Shireen left for the heavenly abode on 26th February 2006 at Mumbai. She is survived by her son and daughter both of whom have migrated to Australia.

by Phiroze Edulji

(Phiroze Edulji is a lawyer by profession and is Managing Partner of Edulji&Edulji. The views expressed here solely belongs to the writer and does not in any way reflect the views and opinions of News World India)

http://newsworldindia.in/?p=141371

The Parsees formed a strong team, toured England in 1886 and 1888.

ME Pavri led Parsees to the first Presidency Cup title. Picture Courtesy: Stray Thoughts on Indian Cricket, JM Framjee Patel

The first Presidency Cup was a two-match affair, and interest around the second match soared following the rain-washed draw at Bombay Gymkhana. When Poona Gymkhana hosted the second match, the contest was already the talk of the nation. Abhishek Mukherjee re-lives September 21, 1892, when the Parsees created history.

The Parsees, as mentioned before, were the first Indians to take to cricket. They formed a strong team, toured England in 1886 and 1888, and were strong enough to beat GF Vernon’s XI in 1889-90. The two British Gymkhanas, in Bombay and Poona, found them a difficult opposition. They combined to form a team called ‘Europeans’ to take on the Parsees in what would be called the Presidency Match, the first in a long, long series. In retrospect, the matches were also given First-Class status.

The first match at Bombay Gymkhana seemed to be evenly balanced at stumps on Day One, with Parsees on 54 for 4 after Europeans were bowled out for 104. Unfortunately, Bombay rain prevented any subsequent play, which meant the match at Poona Gymkhana was the decider.

Mehallasha ‘ME’ Pavri was retained as leader. DF Dubash was left out in favour of DE Modi (of no relation to RE Modi). Another curious change was the appointment of RD Cooper as wicketkeeper instead of DD Kanga (both men played both matches).

The Europeans left out the Gloucestershire speedster Arthur Newnham (who had top-scored and taken a wicket in the Bombay match), Edward Cox, Francis Rhodes, and William George. In came Alfred Wilkins, Thomas Usborne, Charles Carnegy, and Henry Anderson. Frederick Sprott was retained, but Usborne donned the big gloves.

Most significantly, Ernest Steel was replaced as captain by John Trask, the Somerset batsman. Just like Steel, Trask won the toss and elected to bat.

A day of 20 wickets

Steel and Trask got the Europeans to a fine start, adding 36 for the opening stand. They scored 18 apiece, but fell in quick succession. The Europeans recovered to 63 for 2, but once again there was a double blow. Once again they recovered to 84 for 4.

Pavri rose to the occasion, clean bowling Sprott, Ernest Raikes, and Usborne in quick succession. The Europeans never recovered as RE Modi came back to clean up the tail. Both men claimed three wickets each, and the Europeans were bowled out for 108 with six men going into double-figures but none making to 20. It may not seem a big total in the 21st century, but given the range of scores in India at that time, it was substantial.

The Parsees put up an almost identical show: ‘Jessop’ Machhliwala and MD Kanga added 29 before Raikes snared both. The Parsees reached 58 for 3 before Raikes took over again. Just like Pavri, Raikes scythed through the middle-order, clean bowling BD Gagrat, DD Kanga, Pavri, Cooper, RE Modi, and Shapur Spencer.

The Parsees were reduced to 58 for 7 before some late-order batting took them to 101. Seven men reached double-figures, but once again, none of them managed 20. Raikes had bowled unchanged for 25 five-ball overs, taking 7 for 34.

Stumps were taken as the Parsees were bowled out. They trailed by a mere 7. A keen contest awaited the Poona crowd.

The Bapasola-Writer show

Nasarvanji Bapasola (left) and Dinshaw Writer were the architects of the decider of the first Presidency Match at Poona. Picture Courtesy: India’s Hambledon Men, Vasant Raiji

Dinshaw Writer bowled medium-fast with his left hand. Lord Harris first saw him when he toured England in 1888. In A Few Short Runs, the great man would later call Writer “nearest to a First-Class English professional bowler.” From 13 First-Class matches he would claim 60 wickets at a freak 8.95.

Nasarvanji Bapasola was another matter altogether. He played the occasional blinder, was safe at slip, and bowled persistent off-breaks. His numbers, 411 runs at 19.57 and 39 wickets at 15.51 from 15 First-Class matches, make impressive reading. He also taught at Rajkumar College, Rajkot, from where both KS Ranjitsinhji and KS Duleepsinhji graduated.

But above all, Bapasola was a character, a crowd-puller, and, to quote a line used by many a cricket fan, lived for cricket. From his childhood days he used to bunk school to watch cricket despite there being a fine.

Vasant Raiji mentioned an incident in India’s Hambledon Men: “On one occasion, fearing that he would not be allowed to leave the school and being very anxious to see a game being played at the maidan, he fearlessly walked up to his teacher’s table and placed there an anna saying: ‘Here, Sir, is the usual fine of one anna, as I am going to see the match,’ and he walked out of classroom to the surprise of all.”

On this day, Bapasola and Writer, off-spinner and left-arm pacer, combined to pull off a historic victory.

MD Kanga removed Trask early, but out walked the Hampshire batsman Robert Poore, only man in the match who would go on to play Test cricket. Poore added 21 with Steel and 19 more with Wilkins before Writer struck twice. With Bapasola also getting in the act, the Europeans slid from 42 for 2 to 47 for 6.

Given the context of the match, Poore’s 25 was an exceptional score. In fact, it turned out to be almost a third of 79, which was what the Europeans were skittled out for. It would have been lower, had No. 10 Frederick Clarke not put up a defiant 11 not out.

Bapasola (8-2-9-3) and Writer (21-12-17-4) were the wreckers-in-chief. Between them they sent down 29 overs (24.1 six-ball overs), taking 7 for 26. It was a pair as emphatic as any. All the batsmen had to do was to secure those 87 runs.

But then, there was Raikes to contend with. He struck early, clean bowling MD Kanga. But the Parsees did not worry, for Machhliwala joined Pavri: the two men who had set up the chase against GF Vernon’s XI were at the crease.

This time Harry Lowis struck: Machhliwala, the man on whom so much depended, was stumped by Usborne. The score read 6 for 2, and suddenly 87 seemed a substantial target.

Support came from Gagrat, who held out against Pavri. Runs came in a trickle, and slowly the target reduced. Then, with the score on 40, Clarke ran through the defence of Gagrat: he had scored 14.

Stumps were taken at that score. The Parsees needed another 47. Pavri was on 21.

History

DD Kanga played a crucial role on the final morning. Picture Courtesy: India’s Hambledon Men, Vasant Raiji

DD Kanga walked out with Pavri the following morning. Trask put Steel, that exponent of right-arm slow bowling, on with the dangerous Raikes. The pair stay put before Raikes removed Pavri — for 34. He would finish as the highest scorer of the match.

On came Steel, and removed Bapasola and Cooper for ducks: from 64 for 3 the Parsees slid to 65 for 6. They needed another 22 when DE Modi joined DD Kanga.

Raikes and Steel kept bowling. Runs were difficult to come by, but Modi and Kanga stayed at the crease. The target came down… 20… 15… 10…

Then, with 8 more to get, Raikes provided another twist by trapping Kanga leg-before. His 18 was worth every bit of it, but the sight of RE Modi walking out to join DE Modi was not particularly encouraging.

Spencer and Writer, rank tail-enders, waited in the pavilion, hoping they did not have to walk out in the middle against the menacing Raikes and Steel.

But the Modis hung on grimly, RE helping DE put on the runs. Then, off the last ball of the 41st over, history was created: the two men walked back, victorious, DE Modi on 14 and RE Modi on 2. And the Parsees, and indeed, other Indians, celebrated the moment.

What followed?

• The Bombay Presidency match became an annual affair, both sides fighting tooth-and-nail for supremacy till 1904-05. The Hindus joined the fray in 1905-06. From 1907-08 all three teams featured, and the tournament was renamed Bombay Triangular. It later became the Bombay Quadrangular when the Muslims joined in 1912-13. A fifth team, The Rest, was added in 1937-38, to accommodate Buddhists, Jews, Sikhs, non-European Christians, and even the Ceylonese. The Pentangular was not contested after 1944-45.

• Pavri, easily the first great Indian cricketer (if one does not consider Ranji, who did not play in India), went from strength to strength. From 62 recorded matches he claimed 245 wickets at 15.04. On June 13, 1895 he became the first Indian cricketer to play in the County Championship when he played for Middlesex against Sussex at Hove.

• As for Raikes, he played only 9 matches, capturing 49 wickets at 10.28. However, he moved on to bigger things: he was a member of the Bar at Inner Temple and at the Indian Bar in Bombay. He was also Company Secretary of Norfolk British Red Cross.

Brief scores:

Europeans 108 (ME Pavri 3 for 25, RE Modi 3 for 20) and 79 (Nasarvanji Bapasola 3 for 9, Dinshaw Writer 4 for 17) lost to Parsees 101 (Ernest Raikes 7 for 34) and 87 for 7 (Ernest Raikes 3 for 45) by 3 wickets.

Abhishek Mukherjee

Cricket Country, October 29, 2015, 7:30 am

http://www.cricketcountry.com/articles/1892-93-parsees-beat-europeans-to-win-first-ever-presidency-cup-346741

(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor at CricketCountry and CricLife. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)

Chenai Keynan in Trap during Asia Olympic Qualifying Competition for Shooting in New Delhi on Thursday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA 28 01 2016.

Hyderabad lad Kynan Chenai had found himself another mad zeal — buffing up his torso to look like Indian Arnie was crossed with Hercules.

You’d think there was nothing more macho than slinging a shotgun on the shoulder and sauntering onto an outdoor range, coolly demolishing some clay birds. But a few years ago, Hyderabad lad Kynan Chenai had found himself another mad zeal — buffing up his torso to look like Indian Arnie was crossed with Hercules. A gym fiend while spluttering out of his teens, Kynan was addicted to the cross-fit regime and unwilling to stop beefing up, until the long stock of the gun drilled sense into the youngster.

Those ripping shoulders have made way for a lighter lither frame that makes shooting a gun far easier — and the trap shooter, more agile in his bearing and far more flexible in his thinking, rose to the challenge of winning India its 10th quota position during the Asian Olympic qualifiers on Thursday. “He was totally mad about training in the gym,” says long-time mentor Mansher Singh, who recalls how ultimately the realisation came from the youngster himself that his bulky shoulders were coming in the way of quick reflexes and spinning of the upper torso to trap down targets. Kynan shot 120 (a series of 22, 25, 23, 25, 25 / each out of 25) in qualification to make the six-man final, and then tied with three others on a score of 12 after the first 15 shots to pick one of the four quotas available.

The 25-year-old would miss the bronze against Kuwaiti Tala Al-Rashidi, but prop up spirits on a day when Olympians Vijay Kumar and Manavjit Sandhu (23, 22, 25, 25, 23 for 118 / 125) just couldn’t leap high enough to steal the quota on a luckless day.

• See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/slim-and-trim-kynan-shoots-down-another-quota/#sthash.uR9s41Bl.dpuf

Responses to Questionnaire of Jame Jamshed- 17.2.16

Q 1. Please tell us about your latest award at the All-Parsees Meet

Ans: I was awarded the Best Athlete of the Year Award at the All Parsees Annual Athletic Meet which was held on February 14, 2016 at University Stadium. This award was across all age categories.

Q2. Tell us about your achievements in year 2015.

Ans: 2015 was a very successful year for me for both Sprinting and Marathon running:

• I started with Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon- 2015 in January 2015 where I secured 3^rd position under my age category. Completed 21 kms in 1 hour 56 minutes.

• In March 2015 I represented Maharashtra for the Masters National Athletic Championship 2015 held at Rohtak where I won 5 Gold Medals in 100 mts, 200 mts, 400 mts and 4*100 mts relay and 4*400 mts relay.

• In May 2015 I represented by organization, UTI Mutual Fund in the National Mercantile / Corporate Masters Track and Field Championship 2015 held at Mumbai where I won 4 Gold Medals in 100 mts, 200 mts, 400 mts and 4*100 mts relay. I also received the Individual Championship as Best Female Athlete under my age category.

• In September 2015 I won the Satara Hill Ultra Half Marathon in 1st position under my age category. Completed 21 kms in 1 hour 59 minutes. The Satara Hill Ultra Marathon this year entered the Guinness World Record Book for most people running up a single mountain was achieved by participants of Satara Hill Marathon 2015. This makes it a very special occasion for all its participants.

• In October 2015 won the Bangalore Half Marathon 2015 in 3^rd Position under my age category. 1^st and 2^nd winners were both foreigners. Completed 21 kms in 1 hour 56 minutes

• In November 2015 I won the Vasai Virar Marathon 2015 in 1^st Position under my age category.

• In November 2015 also won the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2015 in 3^rd position under my age category. 2^nd winner was a foreigner. Completed 21 kms in 1 hour 53 minutes.

• I have started the New Year with a bang by winning the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2016- Half Marathon in 1^st Position under my age category. Completed 21 kms in 1 hour 54 minutes.

Q3 . Is recognition from the community more special — and why

Ans 3. It’s important, because recognition is about feeling special, and when it comes from those we hold in high esteem and close to us, its special.  I am a proud “Parsi athlete” and accolades from my community for my efforts means a lot. It is an honour for me that my community has recognized my efforts.

Q3. What is your typical training routine like

Ans3: My training routine depends on the competition I am participating in i.e. whether it Sprinting or a Marathon since the training routines for both these activities are different.

Round the year I do speed and strength training. A typical week comprises of 6 days of training in the morning at Priya Darshani Park under my coach Dinanath Maurya from 6 am to 8 am , evenings at the office gym alternating between weights and core exercises. Sundays are for unwinding and resting the muscles. On weekends I mostly complement my routine with swimming for relaxation.

Three months prior to the Marathon, I stop speed training and start long distance endurance training to build the required endurance for the marathon. Long distance running will involve endurance training, slope running, long runs on the road (once a week), repetitions, tempo runs etc. My training routine requires total dedication and 100% effort from my side.

Q4. What motivates and keeps you going even at this age

Ans 4:Remembering my passion and purpose, allows me to stay disciplined and there is always some unreached potential waiting to be tapped and fulfilled. Like they say – Motivation gets you going, Discipline keeps you growing. It is never too late in life to pursue your passion and excel in it. Age is immaterial.

Q5. What future milestones have you set for yourself?

Ans. 5 I would like to participate in the World Masters Athletic Meet. I would also like to keep running half marathons in different places both in India and Abroad and improve my timings.

11. What/Who is your driving force?

My father, who is now with me in spirit. He is the one who always encouraged me in any endeavour that I wanted to pursue/achieve. This is what he taught me – never give up, keep trying and the goal will be achieved. Today the only regret I have is not achieving this while he was around – seeing the pride on his face when I brought home these accolades.

Today my strength and support is my mother.

The Original poster boy of Indian cricket

Farokh Engineer was known for his quick glovework and audacious batting

Farokh Engineer can be described as the actual swashbuckler of Indian cricket who set examples for other future dashers like K Srikkanth, Ganguly and Sehwag to follow. The wicket keeper-batsman was versatile and batted as an opener as well as a lower order pinch hitter during his career. His agility behind the stumps made him India’s first choice keeper in the late sixties and seventies and kept wickets for the famed spin quartet of Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. At the peak of his career, the colorful character was a respected for his mastery as a wicket keeper in the India as well overseas.

1. Born on:

Farokh Engineer was born to Minnie and Maneksha at Bombay Hospital on February 25, 1938, in Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra.

2. Family:

Farokh, which means happiness in Persian, grew up with his parents and had an older brother. His father was a Medical doctor by Profession while his mother was a housewife. He is of Parsi background and studied at the Podar College, Matunga.

3. Love for cricket:

Farokh’s love for sports came from his father who loved playing Tennis and was a club cricketer himself. His older brother, Darius, was also a good club cricketer and inspired the young Farokh to take up the sport.

4. Unique surname:

‘Engineer’ is an occupation-related surname. In the late nineteenth century, Farokh’s great-grandfather joined the newly built engineering industry. Hence, the last name ‘Engineer’ was adopted by his family.

5. The art of catching:

Farokh grew up studying in the Don Bosco School and was a mischievous kid. On one occasion, his mathematics teacher Mr. Lobo got annoyed at the kid who was talking with his classmate and threw the duster. To everyone’s surprise, Farokh caught the duster and this remains one of most discussed moments of his childhood.

6. Early cricketing career:

His father enrolled him to Dadar Parsi Colony Sporting Club where learnt the nuances of the game from the seniors and later became a regular member of the team.

7. Flying ambitions:

Farokh aspired to be a pilot and had passed his private pilot’s licence at Bombay Flying Club. But his mother did not want Farokh to be a pilot since she was afraid of losing her son. So Farokh, who had already taken giant strides from being a club cricketer to becoming a Test cricketer, began concentrating on his cricket.

8. Initial stardom:

Farokh routine was like every other young cricketer in Mumbai. He would attend college in the morning and then would take a train from Dadar to Churchgate and go to Cricket Club of India. He would often travel in crowded trains and would hang on the door with his kit hanging outside. However, everything changed after the Test selection as people recognised him, making way for him and gave place to sit in the train

9. A prized possession from Dennis Compton:

Farokh and his older brother were avid cricket lovers. Darius took Farokh on his shoulders at the East Stand of the Brabourne Stadium. Farokh saw Dennis Compton fielding there and started calling him. Compton was impressed by the little fellow and gave him a chewing gum to eat which he saved it as his prized possession for many years.

10. Doting Mother’s last words:

Farokh was the closest to his mother, Minnie and accompanied her everywhere. When Minnie was dying, Farokh was playing at Jamnagar. As soon as Farokh came to know about his mother’s deteriorating health, he rushed to Bombay. The Maharaja of Jamnagar had ordered the Indian Airlines flight to wait for him as Farokh rushed to his mother. Seeing his son weeping like a child, she promised Farokh that she will return to him as his first daughter. Those were Minnie’s last words. Farokh was sure that his first child would be a daughter and those words came true as his first child was a girl.

11. International debut:

Farokh made his Test debut during the 1961-62 season against England in Kanpur. He came out to bat at number 9 in a batting line-up which consisted of the likes of ML Jaisimha, Nari Contractor, Vijay Manjrekar and Salim Durani

12. Tames the famed West Indies to cement his place:

Farokh faced intense competition for the place of wicket keeper in the Indian team from another fine wicket keeper Budhi Kunderan. He struggled to cement his place until he struck a belligerent century against West Indies in Chennai in 1967. He batted audaciously against the bowling line-up consisting of Wes Hall, Charlie Griffith, lance Gibbs and Gary Sobers.

13. Contribution India’s historic win:

In 1967-68, Engineer also played a pivotal role in India’s first ever Test series victory away from home in New Zealand. He showed good glovework behind the stumps and also chipped in with useful runs. In fact, he ended that series with more than 300 runs to his name.

14. The famous catch of the famous tour:

The 1971 tour is fondly remembered for India’s first Test series win against England in England. Farokh Engineer, who was the wicket keeper that series, also has his great moment in the series after he grabbed an acrobatic catch to dismiss John Edrich off Bishen Singh Bedi. A quicker one from Bedi hit the rough and jumped off to clip the shoulders of Edrich.

15. ‘The Brylcreem Boy’:

Farokh became a household name successful 1965/66 season after his performances against West Indies and New Zealand. There were a lot of commercials waiting to sign Farokh as their brand ambassador. He was offered a contract by Brylcreem. The sales of the cream went up and Engineer was known as the ‘Brylcreem Boy’. One of the UK tabloids also offered him handsome money to endorse for them. He had to be without his shirt on and carry his daughter Tina on his shoulders.

16. Best in the ‘Rest of the World’:

Farokh Engineer was the wicketkeeper for the “Rest of the World” team that played matches against England in 1970 and against Australia in 1971-72.

17. Lancashire man:

In 1967, Lancashire signed him up as an overseas player. He got used to the life in Manchester. He was provided with a house and a car to commute daily. Later, Engineer became a revered figure in Lancashire which had become his second home. His wife Julie is also a Lancastrian.

18. Honors:

Farokh was announced as the Indian Cricket Cricketer of the Year in 1965 and was awarded the fourth highest civilian award in India, Padma Shri in 1973.

By Veeran Rajendiran – Feb 25, 2016

http://www.crictracker.com/18-facts-about-farokh-engineer-the-original-poster-boy-of-indian-cricket/

Kynan Chenai’s meteoric rise in the sport of trap shooting has earned him an Olympic berth
Beyniaz Edulji

“Passion keeps me focused but what really drives me is the obsession to succeed,” says Kynan Chenai, (pictured) who recently made the cut and secured a seat with nine others to represent India for trap shooting in the forthcoming 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Understandably, the entire family is elated. Father Darius, a national level shooter had introduced the sport to his son when the latter was just 10 years old. The bright Indian shooting star Kynan has been national junior champ for six consecutive times.
Trap shooting is an expensive sport that needs sponsors. “I am sponsored by the arms company Berretta.  I am also supported by Olympic Gold Quest and funded by the Indian Government,” Kynan informs us.
Sourcing guns, ammunition and equipment in India is replete with hurdles. “Getting an arms license in India is very tough. Ploughing through the system is impossible. However, that said, the government has realized the worth of the sport and has invested in shooting ranges with equipment across the country where budding sportsmen can go and hire equipment and start,” Kynan affirms.
Born in Hyderabad on January 29, 1991, Kynan used to accompany his dad on camping and fishing trips, to shooting ranges and for international coaching too. The father and son bond over their love for travelling and passion for shooting, fishing and fast cars.
“As a kid, shooting is always interesting and especially seeing targets explode when one connects is quite exciting. Watching my dad shoot made me want to follow in his footsteps,” Kynan says.
Darius manages, coaches and guides him while mother Dinaz looks after his public relations, mental training and health aspects. Grandmothers Khoty Chenai and Nanki Parakh are also extremely encouraging and proud of his achievements.
Kynan spends long hours training and he listed out his extremely disciplined daily schedule on a typical training day: “Wake up 7.30 hours/Breakfast of oats and fruit/On the range at 9 a.m. /Shoot till 2 p.m./Lunch of chicken or tuna and veggies/Back on the range at 3 p.m./Shoot till 6 p.m./6.30 to 8.30 p.m. exercise/Then dinner and bed.”
Having done his A levels from Hebron school, Ootacamund, the athlete has a diploma in business management and sports management from Brunel university in London, UK. The hobbies that  help him relax in his spare time are working out, CrossFitness training, watching movies, reading and listening to music.
Asked which other profession would he have liked to take up if he was not a shooter, Kynan responds, “A career in sport, physical training or nutrition.”

 Kynan with mother Dinaz and father Darius (far right)

Though he travels much of the time, Kynan does not mind. “At my age there are no wife and children, no other responsibilities. I just have to travel and shoot.” Does he ever gets homesick and miss his family and friends? He answers wryly, “Sometimes I do.” But he stays in touch with friends in Hyderabad through social networking sites.
Among Indian shooters Kynan admires Manavjeet Singh Sandhu who he says “is India’s number one and his scores are inspirational to me.” The international shooters that Kynan looks up to are Giovanni Pellielo from Italy and Michael Diamond from Australia. “They have been the power houses of trap shooting for my generation.”
Shooting is a fiercely competitive sport but bonhomie does exist. “When I am on the circuit I tend to speak to everyone, but when it comes to competition, shooters go into what they call their ‘zone’ and each one handles that in a different way; some laugh and joke and others are closed. I would say I am somewhere in the middle of those two extremes and I like to think that I have a happy mixture of the two sides.”
In a sport where a single point can make a difference to ranking, and with the highs of winning and the lows of losing, Kynan explains how he manages to strike a balance and cope. “That’s something every sportsman has to deal with. For me, personally, I get upset for a few days if I lose and then get over it, shake it off and jump straight back into training for the next competition. Because there is always some other big competition to look forward to, that’s the beauty of sport.”
Recent competitions he took part and fared well in were the world championship in Italy, the Asian Clay that took place in Iran, the Asian championship in Kuwait and the Indian national championship in Delhi all of which helped Chenai confirm his 2016 Olympic berth.
Kynan is also a trained life-guard and a school level swimming champ. A few years ago while camping with his father in Panchmeshwar, Uttarakhand, near the border between India and Nepal, he saved the lives of some picnickers who were in distress after trying to swim in the River Sarayu. He quickly jumped into the fast-flowing muddy waters to grab a person who had entered the river without knowing how to swim. Darius helped Kynan fish the unconscious person out of the river and the latter’s mouth-to-mouth resuscitation luckily revived the man.
Being a Zoroastrian means a lot to Kynan. “On my navjote, I requested my mother to make a placard saying ‘PROUD TO BE A ZOROASTRIAN’ which I placed on my car along with the flowers and balloon decoration,” he recalls.

COURTESY: PARSIANA, 07-JULY-2016