Gandhi Nagar Sports Club Cricket Ground

Former league Cricketer VS Sukumar who ran a cricket club revived the historic Gandhi Nagar ground after several decades and has in the last few years transformed it to the best lower division league ground in the city

TNCA would do well to study the success model from Sukumar and implement this across all the league grounds in the city 

Venkataraghavan used to watch leagues matches at the ground seated at the same position on his cycle!!!!

It was once a beautiful ground to play cricket and helped swing bowlers. The small pavilion was a special feature at the ground. Teams that came to play here had to pack their kit bags with old balls for it always only a matter of time before a ball was despatched into the river and the umpires would signal for the replacement balls. And then for almost three decades, the historic Gandhi Nagar Cricket and Sports Club ground on Gandhi Nagar 4^th Main Road had remained shut. 

Former league cricketer and a resident of Gandhinagar VS Sukumar, a qualified CA who had played several matches at this ground in the 60s and 70s and who also ran a lower division league team for many decades was keen to revive cricket activities there and at the turn of last decade spearheaded the movement to regain physical possession of the entire ground. And he finally succeeded on 1^st January 2012. Sukumar also roped in former TN Ranji Trophy winning captain S Vasudevan as the Chief Coach and Mentor for the coaching programme at the ground. Vasudevan has already produced state cricketers in age group cricket.

The Early Story
It all began in the mid 1950s. The Gandhi Nagar Co-operative Colony was the first organised colony south of the Adyar River. Constructed in 1948-49, the first set of residents started occupying in 1950-51. Such was their vision that they deemed it fit to leave open pieces of land for sports activity.They identified a local body of individuals and asked them to form a society and entrusted the ground to them. GNC & SC was registered in 1956 with GN co-op society managing this.

In the first year that they entered the TNCA league, GNC & SC won the championship. NRC (National Recreation Club) was a 2nd team given on a gentleman’s agreement by the founders of this society (this writer played for that team just under a couple of decades ago). An opening bat and off spinner, Sukumar played league cricket for over 30 years for NRC. 

He started playing in the TNCA City Schools tournament representing Rani Meyyammai High School, Gandhi Nagar. In the 1970s, S. Govinda Rao took all 10 wickets in a TNCA league match at this ground watched by his team mate Sukumar. Gandhi Nagar Starlets (a TNCA league team) was also another team promoted by them but unfortunately this was registered as a private club with the TNCA.

In those days, nets facility was made available at this ground for a fee of Rs. 3. TNCA paid a fee of Rs. 10 per match.

Sixers into the Adyar River

TNCA Umpire Kumaraswamy who umpired many a match at this ground has interesting memories from those early years ‘The batsman at the Adyar end could clearly see the Adyar River and there were many occasions when the ball was smacked over the bowler’s head into the river. Also, in those early decades of cricket here, there was just one bus service to this area across the Adyar Bridge. Hence, umpires had to walk across the bridge or come by cycle to umpire a match here.’

Venkat’s unique watching position

In the 1960s, legendary off spinner and former India captain S. Venkataraghavan would come to the ground in his cycle and watch the entire pre lunch session sitting in a particular posture on his cycle. He would go home for lunch and come back to be seated in the same position in his cycle through the entire post lunch session such was his passion for the game!!!  

Vasudevan's League Debut

His spin bowling partner from the late 1970s and 80s and Ranji Trophy Winning Captain has been running a coaching academy at the Gandhi Nagar Sports Club ground since the revival of the ground. It was at this very ground that Vasudevan made his TNCA league debut in 1971 with a six wicket haul for Kamyuth. He remembers the serene atmosphere at the ground from the decades gone by ‘The atmosphere was great then in the 70s. The ground was surrounded by trees and we loved to play here. In fact, we used to sit under the trees instead of in the pavilion. I miss those trees now.’ 

Fastest Outfield in the City
Former Central Zone leg spinner S Madhavan (http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/11/rbi-madhavan-leg-spinner.html) played many matches at the Gandhi Nagar Ground in the 1970s. He remembers the ground as having the fastest outfield in the city in those days. 

Monsoon rains and impact on cricket matches
Floods in the Adyar river led to repeated encroachments into the ground leaving the then President a frustrated man. It used to take months to evict them. There was also fire on a couple of occasions from the temporary huts that had been put up in the ground.  With the encroachments becoming a regular feature, the cricket ground was closed in 1984. Legal actions were initiated by the Club for protecting the ground. The case went up to the Supreme Court. An order was passed directing the construction of a 10feet high 440feet long compound wall on the Northern side of the ground to prevent trespassing and misuse of the ground. The huge compound wall that was built later came down. 

With the efforts taken by Sukumar and his brother VS Ravikumar, cricket activity has gained full steam. The main pitch has been re-laid. The outfield is lush green now.  Initially starting off with two nets, this has now been expanded to five practice wickets. An additional wicket has been laid at the South Eastern corner of the ground where cricketers past their teens can have net practice at a nominal subscription fee. TNCA supported this initiative by constructing the toilet and the roof for the pavilion. Earlier this decade, TNCA league matches were posted again at this ground after nearly 30 years.

  

Walker’s Joint

GNC & SC has also provided over 1000 passes to local residents of Gandhi Nagar to use the space outside the cricket boundary as a walker’s path. It has now become a very popular walker’s joint especially for women for it is a very secure environment with closed walls and a security guard monitoring the ground.

Re-Affiliation to the TNCA 
GNC & SC had been an affiliated member of TNCA since the mid 1950s. Due to the closure in 1984, GNC & SC’s affiliation with TNCA was lost. Therefore, the team could not participate in TNCA League from then. In 1984, the affiliation to the TNCA was lost.  With the ground back in top condition, GNC & SC is awaiting re-affiliation into the TNCA that it had enjoyed for almost three decades from the mid 1950s. It is hoped that the TNCA will consider this favourably and soon provide the re-affiliation to this historic almost six decades old cricket club and take them back into their fold. 

The Best Ground in the TNCA League 

Through this decade, Sukumar has worked tirelessly to complete the transformation of this historic ground. It now ranks as the BEST ground in the TNCA lower division league. The marker Ramesh has done an outstanding job with the wicket and the outfield which is even on all sides.

The creases are always well marked as is the boundary line, a rarity in TNCA lower division cricket when umpires have to  repeatedly go behind the markers requesting them for some of the basic pre requisites for a game of cricket. A wall / fence has been rebuilt on the Northern side to prevent trespassing into the ground. Taking a cue from Vasudevan's memories of the tall tress at this ground in the decades gone by, Sukumar planted around 20 saplings soon after the revival of the ground. He  he hopes that these will one day grow into big trees like in the past adding to the grandeur of this ground.

Some of them have already grown to a decent size bringing back memories from the past.

Since its revival, Sukumar, currently unwell, has been a regular at the ground on the morning of the league matches ensuring that it meets all the requirements for the proper conduct of the match.

The Gandhi Nagar Sports Club Ground has been a great showpiece model on ground maintenance and TNCA would do well to understand the success model from Sukumar and take it across all other lower division league grounds in the city.