If you are regular reader of my blog, then you probably remember I once made a blog similar in the title. You can read that here. This is like a sequel, but with a positive note.
And this is about the Kalaiya Cricket Club and its Siddeswor Sports Complex Cricket Ground in Bara district. The district boosts only the third turf-wicket cricket ground in Nepal. And all that started, well, many thought from a dream.
On my visit to the ground some four years ago on a sunny afternoon, what I saw was a ground with grey patches. Cows were grazing and if there hadn’t been a thin string fending the center of the ground, I would have thought it another ground.
As I meet a few international cricketers the club had produced including Pawan Agrawal and Binod Das and Sushil Chaugai, the then president of the club, I understood one clear thing: the ground is their ambition, a common dream and they were all so enthusiastic and proud about it that I instantly felt the ground would someday make a history.
And it did.
With support from Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) and other few organizations, the club turned the ground into a tiny beautiful cricket ground with pavilion and parapet (they are still under construction). The ground co-hosted the Birendra Memorial National League in January 2004 on a matting pitch and last month the Under-15 National League on the turf wicket.
So what? Okay, I tell you about two other turf grounds of Nepal – the first is at Kirtipur, Kathmandu. The TU stadium was converted into a beautiful ground by Zee TV network and another under-construction ground at Birgunj is built on the property of National Sports Council with funding from CAN. Sidderswor Cricket Ground is CAN’s own.
When KCC first coined up the idea of constructing an internationals standard ground at a school premises, everyone should have laughed behind. It was a day dream for sure. But despite many hiccups, (I even remember my talk with the then treasurer of CAN who denied to sign cheque after board meeting decided to grant KCC Rs. 100,000 for the ground), the dreamers did continue dreaming and that dream comes true.
Players from the club who is not the national team pay levy to club out of their allowance and I have never heard any of around half-a-dozen cricketers criticizing the rule. And then there is Sushil Chaugai, who is like the god-father of the ground.
I made a website for the club which is hosted by my NepalCricket.com and I too felt proud once it went online as I got associated with the dreamers who know how to change dreams in reality. Go to www.cricket.com.np/kccsite/ and have a look.
I know many things are still to be done for the ground – but I also believe that many things had already been done. My salute to all Kalaiya-people for the ground and the dreamers for the dream. You all showed dreams come true – with labor and honesty.
