A year after the A- 51 plot was mooted as a playground by Noida, the area finally looked green, level and inviting enough to attract small groups of boys, who, badgered and harangued out of the Sector parks, were desperate for a place to swing their bats.
But it was still left to win over the mollycoddling Maamas and Paapas to allow their darling Bacchas to play in a less-than-manicured lawn for fear of the odd bruise or two. Or Heaven Forbid! An actual cut or scrape!!
The warm winter sun and a long weekend seemed the ideal combination to host the inaugural event. While I scratched my head wondering how to go about stuff, Brigadier Bhatt commandeered the young man playing on the ground and anointed him Captain of the RWA team, with instructions to deliver his rivals name for the Rest of Sector Team. So willy-nilly Ananya Srivastav and Saatvik Tyagi was elevated to Captain rank and advised to form their teams from among the motley lot who volunteered their names. These ranged from 77-year-old Granny Binu Arora to 7-year-old Vihaan Vashistha, so they had their work cut out for them. Ananya had his act together, and I received a list of players, in batting order, and substitutes, with ages and house numbers neatly numbered and captioned. Saatvik was another story. Dragged off by his parents to a necessary social gathering, he had the Umpire Brig. Bhatt) hopping and fretting. Finally, in 1951, we received his team list.
Earlier, an inspection of the field had Chetan, our general secretary despondently shaking his head, and prophesying disaster. But a couple of frantic calls, with a hint that a political bigwig would be inaugurating the show proved the proverbial magic wand. A massive JCB showed up within the hour, and between ordering cajoling and begging, Chetan was able to clear the area even to his satisfaction. No Eden Garden, of course, but quite doable.
Note: The story does not end here. Read ‘Game On …..Match’ on page 12 for the interesting cricket match that followed.
control
