Samasthi cubs set for super league

The smiles on the faces of tiny-tots were spontaneous and enlivened the proceedings; their nimble gestures were heartwarming and delightful; the overbearing innocence with which they responded was a big hit with the man who was holding centre-stage as he was flummoxed with the bang-on-target answers they gave during the interactive session.

Mercifully even the rain gods extended their blessings in that as long as the kids were enjoying a field day in the middle, the torrential rains that wreaked havoc for the past three days were miraculously absent, although there was wetness on the ground because of overnight downpour.

Indeed, the exuberance of the kids had a charming impact on Dean Gilchrist, who was in town at the sprawling Kollur campus that houses Samashti International School in the city outskirts, for taking up the draw for the trail-blazing Samashti Cubs Cricket League Tournament-2015 that gets going on Gandhi Jayanti.

The event, a joint endeavour between the school and Gilchrist’s globally successful Australian-based Sportspro International, is hitting the right chords, as evidenced by the enthusiasm shown by the elders accompanying the children who will participate in the eagerly awaited ensuing three-day contest.

It left no one in doubt that the boys and girls seemed to be in a fairyland as they were getting to learn the nuances of cricket from a master, who has ‘trained’ many such bubbling youngsters, including in the Middle East, India and Down Under.

As the tournament is exclusively for the four to six-year-olds, for which it likely to get a Limca Book of Records acknowledgement, Gilchrist gave a patient hearing and addressed the ‘Samashti Cubs' on how to go about the matches. What caught the eye was the double-quick manner the youngsters were answering the cricketing queries by Gilchrist despite the typical Australian accent.

Earlier to the ‘educative’ session, Gilchrist and others took out the draws of the teams vying for glory. Joined by Swetha Manthena, managing director of the school, the entire draw lasted for barely 20 minutes but the applause after names of one team after another was being announced, resonated all over the spaciously got up room.

After elaborating about the unique concept, Gilchrist referred to an old recently deceased aunt, whose passion for making the lives of children, women and downtrodden more meaningful with her personal initiatives, which he pointed out served as real-life inspiration for him.

With the first phase of the tournament over, and subsequent to the combined practice sessions that will mark the next few days, it will be time for the real action to unfold, one that is certain to leave a lasting impression on the onlookers.

By:Sridhar K Penna