To say that cricket is a passion in India would be a classic understatement. It is the dream of every youngster in the country to represent the country at the highest level. The Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy (BPCA) provides a platform for such aspiring young cricketers to turn their dreams into reality.

The academy, earlier called the Brijesh Imtiaz Cricket Academy, was established 14 years ago by former cricketers Brijesh Patel and Imtiaz. However, in 1997, when the two cricketers decided to go their own ways, the academy was re-named the Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy.

The BPCA conducts summer camps from the first week of April to mid-June. Apart from this, annual camps are conducted between mid-June and mid-January. The annual camp is conducted for three hours a day on weekends. Players are divided into batches of 20 depending on their age groups. On an average, 350 students participate in the summer camps, while 250 students attend the annual camp. The academy charges Rs. 2500/- for the summer camps and Rs. 5000/- for the annual camps.

Fitness is an aspect on which the academy lays special emphasis. Such sessions include yoga, drill and jogging. When it comes to batting, a bowling machine imported from England helps youngsters acclimatise themselves to good pace bowling. The classy former batsman G.R.Vishwanath is the chief coach at the academy. "He is there on every net and has a unique way of training the children," says Kamal Tandon, one of the in-charges at BPCA. Other specialised coaches include former first class players like R. Ananth, Sanath Kumar and Jaswant.

The academy invites teams representing different age groups from all over the country to participate in its All India Tournament. Special prizes are awarded to players who register remarkable performances in the tournament. Apart from organising camps, the BPCA also trains two city schools, Presidency (Nandini layout) and Evershine, on a yearly contract basis.

Karnataka team members Rowland Barrington and Mithun Beerala trained at BPCA.

While Anand Sweets and Green Valley sponsor the academy's T- Shirts and Prithvi Creations sponsor the caps, the BPCA is still looking out for a major financial sponsor for the academy. "It's tough maintaining the academy as we have more expenditure than the earnings," says Mr. Tandon. Despite the inevitable financial hitches, the academy plans to take a 14 member team to Singapore shortly.

Things can only take a turn for the better from here on, for the academy which trains hundreds of young cricketers every year.

Address:
Brijesh Patel Cricket Academy,
No. 1B, Lavelle Mansions,
Lavelle Road,
Bangalore - 1
Ph: 22271359, 22210186, 22215384, 22272151, 22275388.

|