Cricket has become the most passionate game in India
While at TDR , in the sixties, test victory by Indian team was an infrequent event. We, as cricket watchers, were used to Indian defeats. There may be some outstanding performances here and there by Indian players. We would gloat over these performances. We used to sit and discuss Chandu Borde’s century against West Indies , led by Alexander and bemoan how narrowly he missed scoring century in both innings. We celebrated the famous Kanpur
We were not content being arm chair critics. Unfortunately, there was no cricket in school. Slowly, our interest turned into forming a cricket club. As all are aware, cricket is an expensive game. The kit costs a lot. Most of us were students.
We badly needed a patron. Gangadharn, brother of Pattabhi Sir turned out to be one. Lot of debate took place about the christening the club. We finally named it National Cricket Club. Thus was born the first ever cricket club in TDR .
The membership fee was fixed. Initially, Gangu and his two brothers Badri and Venkuttu, my uncle Mahalingam and my brother Rajagopalan, Devanathan, living in two houses away from Bajanai Madam, Sundaram, the laundry man and Abhimanyu, alias Abhi Mohammed the betel leaf vendor, KVG,living in Veraku kadai Mottai’s house opposite Bajanai Madam were the primary members of the club. Some more boys wanted to watch the progress and become members. Ramu, Kalyanam (Ramji’s cousin) and I were under aged and waited for a year to go by to join the club.
Then we combed for a suitable place in the Mahadana Street . We inspected a number of backyards in the street. We wanted some place which can be called a ground. We did not mind a mango tree in the square leg or a coconut tree in deep mid on. At last we selected a place behind No.49, Mahadana Street . It was exactly three houses away from Ramu’s house towards Veera Sozhan. The place had an easy access from the Thondarampettai Sandhu. We started cleaning the place to make a small ground. We destroyed small bushes and in the process some saplings too. The owner of the house, a new resident of TDR , was furious on seeing his backyard being plundered. He complained to Dr.Sundaram and my grandfather and wanted compensation for the saplings destroyed by us. From that day we called that owner of the house ‘Vatti Pillayar’. Fortunately, he would lock his house from behind much before the sunset. Our cricket would go uninterrupted. 
We started with cork ball and dry Thennai mattai chiselled in the shape of the bat. In the course of a week there were broken teeth and bandaged fingers. Our surreptitious cricket adventure slowly surfaced in our houses. To avoid bad injuries, we realized that we should use cricket bat and balls. But we did not know how to avoid strong protests from home against our cricket. “You are all staying in Thondarampettai after dusk. Those are the places where ghosts emerge in the dark” my granny would wail. “Protest or no protest at home, we will continue our cricket adventure” we decided.
A day was fixed to go to Sialkot
We were present in the first day of practice in cricket ball and bat. The five and half ounce ball, wrapped in glassy polythene, emerged from a bag Gangu was holding. He dropped the red cherry on the ground and started to describe the trials and tribulations he underwent to start the club. He also extracted a promise of loyalty from each member. It was all short of oath taking.
Two teams consisting of five players each were formed. Both the teams would field. Bowling would be done from one end. I was perennially sitting outside waiting for an opportunity to at least field as a substitute. This would give me a chance to get into the team fast. It would be dusk before the second team starts batting. The second bating team would go on in semi darkness. Some would get injured. After the day’s play ended, Gangu would against address he team, who would form a line. The day’s practice always ended with three cheers for National Cricket Club--- Hubbub – Hurrah
One day, two new boys who had come to TDR , perhaps from Chennai on a holiday, if I remember correctly, came to the ground. On seeing Gangu bowl, they commented that he was throwing. From that moment Gangu gave up bowling.
After consistent protests from the house owner, we shifted the ground to three houses southward from Gangu’s house. In fact a small milk diary was functioning there. Kittappa used to come for practice now and then. Due to his athletic prowess, he was drafted into the eleven, along with Kalyanam whose bowling skills were recognized, while Ramu and I continued to await our turn. The irony is, I never got a chance to bat even once, even in practice, till I left TDR . I was content in fielding all the time.
Finally after practicing over a year, we decided that we could play a match. Gangu’s brother-in –law, Sri.Krishnamurthy, who lived in Veppathur, arranged a match with his team. It was played in Veppathur, in the Kalathumedu in the midst of Sri.Krishnamurthy’s vast lands. Today my memory fails to say who won the match. But one event in the match is still green in my memory. It is the catch Kittappan took in the deep mid wicket position, running back about 20 metres. The entire batting team congratulated him for that test standard catch. Great catches not only win matches, they win the hearts too.
By Murthy
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