Peter Fernandez ICA Financial Assistance

Former TN Ranji Cricketer Peter Fernandez gets timely financial aid from the ICA   -Financial Stress due to closure of Spin Foundation in 2016

Peter is hopeful of the TNCA offering him a remunerative coaching assignment after the lockdown

(Story Update on June 13, 2020 : PR Ramakrishnan of Ramakrishna Steels and a stylish cricketer from the 1970s and 80s, pooled together Rs. 1.75 lakhs from city cricketers in support of Peter)

40 years after he made his Ranji Trophy debut, former top order batsman Peter Fernandes is seeing turbulent times, financially. He was one of the first to be roped in by SVPB (Sri Venkateswara Paper Boards) Udumalpet, whose founder Soundararajan was just beginning to promote cricket in a big way in the districts and was keen to build a strong team (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/06/svpb-udumalpet-soundararajan.html). He joined SVPB in 1976 and stayed there for almost 25 years. He took to batting only when he was in PUC but very soon played for the Universities and was part of the team that won the Rohinton Baria Cup under Bharath Reddy (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2019/11/bharath-reddy-players-man.html)

It was at the Forest College ground in Coimbatore that I first saw him bat. Against local strongholds LMW that consisted of former state fast bowler B Kalyanasundaram (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2011/08/kalli-b-kalyanasundaram.html) and Ramakrishna Steel, Peter unleashed himself. He really did not think that he would play for the state but his scores at the top of the order meant that he was inducted into the TN Ranji squad in 1980-81. He played 3 matches for Tamil Nadu that season and was never considered again. However, he captained SVPB with distinction and led them to many a victory in the Coimbatore league in the early 1980s. 

Almost three decades later, this writer had the privilege of captaining of Peter Fernandez in a TNCA league match and found that his attitude towards cricket hadn't changed one bit. He was still the quiet cricketer who rarely spoke on the field!!!

Winning SVPB Team at Forest College

Forging a strong partnership with NP Madhavan

TN State teammate of the time NP Madhavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2016/05/np-madhavan.html) joined him a year or so later and the two of them forged many memorable partnerships that decade as SVPB claimed one trophy after another replacing LMW and Ramakrishna Steel as the top cricket team in Coimbatore. Both of them played in the Coimbatore first division league alongside S Sukumar, M Subramaniam (Idly Subba) and an upcoming UR Radhakrishanan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2018/03/ur-radhakrishnan.html), among others, and was an integral part of SVPB's golden decade in cricket. During the two and half of decades of his stint at SVPB, he had lucrative job offers coming his way from Madras but like Madhavan, he refused those, for Soundararajan always took good care of the cricketers.

Much like Madhavan, Peter too was always a silent man and went about his cricket quietly. A differentiating feature of the man in the cricketing circles in Coimbatore was that conversations were always in English when Peter was around, quite unique to cricket in the city!!!

In the 1990s, Peter was also a Ranji selector for three years under the chairmanship of VV Kumar. He has also been an U17 and U22 selector.  However, by the end of the 1990s, with the severe slowdown that hit the Indian industry in 1997-98, SVPB landed up in financial trouble. His cricket teammates for two decades NP Madhavan and Sukumar moved to SVPB’s sister concern GVG Paper Mills and they continue to work there two decades later. 

Robin gets him into Spin Foundation

It was at this time that Peter Fernandez spoke to Robin Singh who had played for SVPB in the Coimbatore league in the mid 1980s after coming from the West Indies. Robin offered him a coaching role at the MAC Spin Foundation. Peter had wanted to spend 15 days in Udumalpet and the rest of the month at the spin foundation but Robin was keen that Peter join full time. He left his young family behind in Udumalpet and came to Madras to take the coaching role at the spin foundation and coached there for 15 years till January 2016 when the foundation shutdown. Unlike the MRF Pace Foundation(https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-architect-behind-worlds-best.html), the MAC Spin Foundation did not take off in a big way.

PETER FERNANDEZ

During the 15 year period, he came into close contact with legendary spinner EAS Prasanna, Aussie off spinner from the 1970s Ashley Mallet, Lankan legend Muralidharan and Shane Warne’s coach Terry Jenner that turned out to be an enriching experience. He also graduated to an BCCI Level 3 coach during the period. At the spin foundation, he was also involved in the preparation of the pitch and later on in managing the accounts. 

His son Rohan Fernandez is a Level 1 coach and was under Robin Singh at the academy in Dubai for a while but serious health issues laid him low and he had to return home. 

Spin Foundation shuts down - Serious Financial Challenges

Since January 2016, when the Spin Foundation shut down, Peter Fernandez has had a tough time financially with no cricketing work of any kind. Once in a while he has been involved in coaching/helping young kids in cricket but financially he has found it challenging with the health issues of his son adding to his worries. He had hoped for the spin foundation to re-open but internal family fights among the owners led to a permanent closure.

ICA's support to needy cricketers 

This month's initiative by the Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) to support financially challenged first class cricketers has come as a God sent gift to Peter Fernandez. The ICA which was formed end of last year is looking to promote the welfare and interests of its members consisting of former cricketers. This month, the ICA has pooled in financial resources from cricketers across the country to help former Ranji cricketers in need of financial help in the retired years of their lives. 

ICA is expected to handover Rs.80000 to Peter Fernandez this week. Peter says that this financial support will be of great help to him at this stage of his life. He says that he has also spoken to the TNCA to explore some sort of engagement in terms of a coaching role once the lock down is lifted and is hopeful that being a level 3 coach and with the experience he has had at the Spin Foundation he will be able to get an assignment this year with the TNCA that will help him tide over the financial challenges. 

For the moment, the funding from the ICA has been timely for this 'silent' TN Ranji Cricketer from the 1980s.