Ongole to host Ranji match

October 31, 2014 11:44 pm | Updated May 12, 2017 11:34 pm IST - ONGOLE:

Players practicing on the eve of the Andhra-Jharkhand under-19 match at CSR Sarma College Grounds in Ongole on Friday. Photo: Kommuri Srinivas

Players practicing on the eve of the Andhra-Jharkhand under-19 match at CSR Sarma College Grounds in Ongole on Friday. Photo: Kommuri Srinivas

The picturesque cricket playfield situated at CSR Sarma College Grounds has been accorded the Board of Control of Cricket India (BCCI) first class status and the first-ever Ranji Trophy match between Andhra and Tripura will be held early next year, according to Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) director M.S.K. Prasad.

Speaking to The Hindu , he said the playfield was spruced up as per the vision of the ACA, which was keen on nurturing one stadium in each district of the association’s jurisdiction. “It all started in 2008 and from 2009 onwards, under the stewardship of ACA secretary Gokaraju Ganga Raju, the playfield was blossomed into a quality strip after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CSR Sarma College authorities,” said ACA vice president Mohan Das.

The playfield, with a hillock at the backdrop, provides a brilliant ambience to the teams to perform. “The venue has already hosted a couple of BCCI junior matches and the visiting teams are highly appreciative of the bounce offered by the wicket. Many coaches consider this strip as the fastest one in the ACA jurisdiction,” said Mr. Das.

The playfield offers modern dressing rooms, players’ change rooms, gallery for the spectators, nets and state-of-art drainage system. “This venue is all set to be the favourite for domestic teams as it is well-connected both with rail and air from all over the country. We also have quality hotels to take care of the accommodation,” said Mr. Das.

The playfield is witnessing a beehive of action as Andhra and Jharkhand under-19 teams will vie for honours from November 1 to 4 and later team from Haryana will clash with Andhra from November 8 to 11.

Prakasam District Cricket Association was carved from Kurnool, Guntur and Nellore in 1977 and players like M. Sarat Babu, M. Hari Babu and T. Vamsi Krishna represented Andhra in the first class cricket.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.