JOIN USThe air was thick with nostalgia and the night was filled with a sense of pride as old-timers shared space with young achievers at the annual awards function of Friends Union Cricket Club here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday night.
Former Karnataka and FUCC stalwarts -- from KM Ramprasad, the former KSCA President and now bound to a wheelchair after an accident, to T Thimmaiah to PS Vishwanath among others – graced the small gathering while recalling their playing times with the club.
N Duraiswami, a cheerful character and club’s secretary, lauded the KSCA League Group I champions but didn’t forget to point out the glitches in their game. “FUCC won the KSCA Group I, first division league last season and this year too we are leading in the points table and I hope B Akhil (the team’s captain) and his lads, emerge winners again and also make it a hat-trick by winning the next season,” Duraiswami said.
A total of Rs 3 lakh (the KSCA had given Rs 1.2 lakh in its last week’s awards programme for the champion side and the club added another Rs 1.8 lakh) were distributed among the team and individual winners. B Naveen and AR Mahesh, who have been playing for FUCC for the last 15 years, walked away with the special awards as the club recognised their longevity. FUCC (2), their second side which competes in the second division, had no candidates in the best bowler and fielder categories as, Duraiswami pointed out, no one qualified for those awards.
The awards: FUCC (1): Best Batsman: Kunal Kapoor; Best Bowler: B Naveen; Best All-rounder: Sunil Raju; Best Fielder: N Nirmith; FUCC (2): Best Batsman: Sri Krishna; Best All-rounder: AR Mahesh; Promising Youngster: Likith Bannur; Long-term Playing: B Naveen and AR Mahesh; Special Award: Kunal Kapoor, for becoming the first Karnataka batsman to score a century in each innings (against Haryana) in the Ranji Trophy.