Attending a sports camp is the best way to utilise the summer holidays and The Hindu -sponsored summer coaching camps being conducted by the Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association would help the budding cricketers to learn the basics in the right way which was important to become good players, Commissioner of GVMC M.V. Satyanarayana said while inaugurating the camps at the ACA-VDCA stadium here on Sunday.
Responding to a request made earlier by the VDCA, he promised to provide space for cricket also in the GVMC stadium in the city, which was undergoing a major renovation.
He later played a few shots and interacted with the trainees.
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President of VDCA P. Vishnukumar Raju thanked the players and their parents for showing interest in the camps every year. He assured the parents of players, who turned up for the inauguration in a large number, that their children would be well taken care of during the camps.
A total of 506 boys and girls in under-14 and under-16 age groups were selected for the camps from among 1750 who attended the trials held earlier at five venues in the city, secretary of VDCA and former Test umpire K. Parthasaradhi said. There are nearly 20 girls among the trainees.
The camps would be held at ACA-VDCA stadium, Port stadium, Zinc stadium, Col. C.K. Nayudu Ukku stadium and GVMC stadium for one month. Experienced coaches of VDCA would conduct the camps.
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Vice-president of VDCA P.R. Narayanaswami thanked the GVMC (then Municipal Corporation of Visakhapatnam) for extending support to VDCA in conducting several ODIs and major tournaments and matches at its stadium in the city. He said the first 25 years of 50-year-old VDCA saw tournaments like Ranji being conducted and the second phase started with holding a tour match of West Indies and later the first ODI in the city, against New Zealand in 1988. Vice-president of VDCA and president of District Basketball Association T.S.R. Prasad requested the Municipal Commissioner to provide facilities for all games at the GVMC stadium.
CEO of Symbiosis Technologies O. Naresh Kumar announced that he would provide snacks for all trainees throughout the camp period.
Regional General Manager of The Hindu T.V. Suresh, VDCA vice-presidents S.S.R.K. Prasad, D. Sanjeev and D.S. Varma, and joint secretaries J.K.M. Raju and A.P. Naidu were present.