BCA to set up cricket centres in Patan, Vyara

VADODARA: While Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) is planning to 11 grounds in the region, the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA) too is looking to tap talent from across the state.
BCA will develop a district cricket centre in Patan in north Gujarat to provide quality coaching and cricketing facilities to the young cricketers there. The association will sign MOU with Uttar Gujarat Yuvak Mandal (UGYM) for 35 months.
BCA recently launched a cricket centre in Dabhoi.“The idea is to find talented youngsters from rural areas. This requires good infrastructural facilities. We are opening district cricket centres under New Area Development Project,” said BCA vice-president and cricket improvement committee chairman, Rakesh Parikh.
While UGVM is providing a ground with cement wickets, the BCA will provide new matting wicket and turf wickets apart from better coaching facilities and training programmes. BCA will pay Rs 4,000 per month to UGVM for the ground and other facilities.
Apart from Parikh, BCA managing committee member, Narayan Satham, former Baroda players Cecil Williams and Dashrath Pardesi have been instrumental in developing the cricket centre along with BCA secretary, Anshuman Gaekwad. “We will organize tournaments at Patan and try to form a team that will play in BCA tournaments. The talented ones will get opportunity to play for Baroda teams. A similar MOU be signed for developing a cricket centre at Mota Fofaliya within a week. And the next centre on cards is at Vyara,” Parikh told TOI.
BCA has already developed cricket centres at Navsari and Bilimora. The association has also started a programme ‘Catch them young’ under which academies are being opened in schools to identity talented players at young age.