Dy CM inaugurates Ashok Sodhi Memorial T20 Cricket Tourney
Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, May 1: In an impressive and well attended function, Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand inaugurated the Ashok Sodhi Memorial T20 Cricket Tournament at Parade Ground, here today.
On the occasion, the Deputy CM was accompanied by Dilbag Singh, IGP Jammu, Ashok Khajuria, MLA Jammu East, Commissioner JMC, KL Khajuria, Kiran Wattal, Secretary J&K State Sports Council, SS Bali, Deputy Director Youth Services and Sports, Provincial President NC Rattan Lal Gupta, senior officers of police and civil administration, prominent citizens and media personnel.
The chief guest and the other dignitaries paid floral tributes to late Ashok Sodhi, who had sacrificed his life on 11th of May 2008 while performing his noble duty of photo-journalism. Sodhi’s family was represented by his daughter Heena Sodhi.
Remembering the contribution of Mr Sodhi in the field of journalism, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the veteran photographer always worked with utmost professional commitment even in tiring and risky circumstances, adding that the photo journalist dared to challenge limits of profession so as to achieve perfection in his field.
Underscoring the role of media in the society, Tara Chand said that the fourth estate has a significant role to play and is a bridge between Government and the people. Constructive role of media goes a long way in development of any society, he added.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister tossed the coin and declared the tournament open. He complimented the participating teams and wished good luck for the event. Dilbag Singh, IGP Jammu played the inaugural shots.
Meanwhile, in the inaugural match, Challenger Cricket Club thrashed Mayank Goswamy Academy by a huge margin of 91 runs in a one-sided contest.
Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Challenger Club posted a formidable total of 194 runs in the stipulated 20 overs, losing 6 wickets in the process. Parveen Singh played a power-packed innings of 55 runs in just 31 balls, which included 3 fours and 3 massive sixes, while Ashu Manjeet and Rakesh Koul contributed 37, 28 and 24 runs to the total respectively. For Mayank Academy, Aman, Rishab, Mohit, Hisham and Rohit claimed one wicket each.
Mayank Academy, in reply managed to score 103 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted overs, thus lost the match by a big margin of 91 runs. Hisham (26), Subrat (21) and Pushpinder (21) were the major contributors. For Challenger Club, Rohit Bhat took 2 wickets, while Ashwani, Manjeet, Madan and Dilbag claimed one wicket each. Parveen Singh of Challenger Cricket Club was adjudged man of the match for his splendid half-century.
The match was officiated by Sadiq Hussain Malik and Vijay as umpires, while Ajay Sharma acted as the scorer. The tournament is being organized by Print and Electronic Cameramen Association, Jammu.