League of their own

They field their yearly cricket tournament in the cool climes of Ahmedabad in winter. "From this edition onwards, the Parsi Youth League of Ahmedabad (PYLA) have named their annual cricket trophy the T. S. Nanavatti Cup in memory of the late Gujarat High Court advocate Tehmpton Nanavatti who had supported the Parsi youth in many ways before his untimely death in 2010,” states Ariz Bokdawalla, PYLA general secretary. The three teams, named the Reds, Blues and Whites, took guard at the L. D. College cricket grounds over four Sundays from December 11, 2011 to January 8, 2012, with their youngest player being 16 and the oldest just four years shy of a half century!

Clockwise from top: Triumphant Reds team, Delzad Khambata (left) with Aftab Manager, Jasmine, Jamshed and Tanya Pardiwala, umpires Cyrus Daruwala and Bergis Sethna and scorer Hoshedar Daboo, Mae­dioma Manager (left) with Jal Unvala

The 20-over competition was played on a round robin basis. "This year the PYLA cricket committee introduced many new changes to the format, like 10-over split innings, batting power play, batting and bowling follow-ons, etc,” Bokdawalla explains. The Reds, captained by Delzad Khambata, triumphed over the Whites in the final. With fast bowler Aftab Manager as their skipper, the Whites were ahead by one run after the first 10 overs, but failed to keep pace in their last 10, ending up short by 24 runs.

Clockwise from top left: Farookh Bharu­cha, Homyar Doti­­wala, Sarosh Daru­wala, Mehernosh Kera­wala, League logo, Ariz Bokda­walla, Ro­hin­ton Kavina, Bomi Sethna

Justice Jamshed Pardiwala, recently appointed Gujarat High Court judge who was a close friend of Nanavatti and is a former PYLA office bearer, was the chief guest. Bomi Sethna was the Man of the Tournament, Bokdawalla the Man of the Final. Farookh Bharucha, Homyar Dotiwala, Rohinton Kavina and Sarosh Daruwala were the Best Bowler, Batsman, Wicket-keeper and Fielder respectively. "My becoming Man of the Final was a bit of a surprise as no bowler (that too a spin bowler like me) had ever been a Man of the Final in the last 15-20 years, but as the batting effort of my Reds was a team score with no single batsman making more than 35 runs and I took three of their top order wickets, I was declared the Man of the Final,” Bokdawalla narrates. "Other than four or five out of the 45 who played in the tournament, no one plays on a regular basis. The few players who play regularly throughout the year are equally divided in all the three teams.” "The mat­ches have been so evenly fought that the winners of each year’s tournament in all the four years so far have failed to reach the final the next year,” explains Manager. "As we had introduced a rule of not having repeat captains (of the last three years) so as to bring in new ideas and strategies, I got the opportunity to captain the Whites. Both teams played a match worthy of a final…full credit goes to Sethna who played extremely well from our side.” "We dedicate our win to the memory of Nanavatti who was a great human being always helping the needy, his friends and the community,” states Khambata.

The PYLA has a committee of 17 members elected for a two-year term, with Khushnum Avari as president. Colored T-shirts and tracks with the team names were provided by the League, with snacks and drinks for players and spectators also being on the house on all play days. The PYLA, which was established in 1980, has hosted this annual cricket festival over the last quarter century.