End of a Glorious Run
The Cricket Ground just misses a Century after Kapaleeswarar Temple takes back possession of the historic ground
PS School had taken over the ground on lease in 1928 and TNCA League matches were played on this ground till just under a decade ago
It was after an event here that VV Kumar decided to take to Leg Spin
For several decades, TNCA league matches were played every weekend of the league season at the PS School ground. The big walls that we see today on the East and West sides were non existent in the past. Cricket Nets and coaching academies functioned round the year at this ground with the late TE Srinivasan having his academy here. Every weekend evening, following the completion of the league matches, local boys from the neighbourhood enjoyed multiple tennis ball matches till the Sun went under the sky, played as passionately as one would at a serious league match. The arrival of October led to a deluge- monsoon rains would flood the ground and most often it was difficult to differentiate the Kapali temple tank and the PS ground in the October to December period. But unmindful of the rain water, youngsters of the time entered the ground and indulged themselves in a game of cricket.
Outside of the league matches, there were school matches and some memorable old v new club matches played at the PS school ground including one in 1979 between BRC Past and Present teams with legendary S Venkataraghavan (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2020/04/venkataraghavan75.html) featuring in that match.
Thirumalai Ananthanpillai Sekar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2013/08/ta-sekar-fastest-indian-bowler-of-1980s.html) was one of the fastest bowlers of the time and he used to practice at the PS School ground in the 1970s and 80s. Watching him bowl of that long run was a great sight for youngsters of the time.
VV Kumar (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2007/07/cricket-tales-exclusive-with-vv-kumar.html), a student of PS School through the 1940s, went on to play Test Cricket for India. He had his cricketing foundation playing for the school in the competitive school tournaments. It was during his early schooling days that he once threw a golf ball on the wall like an off spin and found that the ball came back with an opposite spin (leg spin). Intrigued with that, he turned to leg spin and went on to take close to 600 first class wickets.
Earlier today, Kapaleeswarar temple took possession of the ground after almost a century under the control of the school following a High Court order.
A 30 year lease in 1928
The PS School had leased out the ground from the Kapali Temple in 1928 on a 30 year lease followed by a 21 year lease. Till 2012, the league matches conducted by the TNCA had been played at this ground. Citing the non payment of a fair rent and huge unpaid dues, the temple had that year built a wall taking back informal possession. However, the school continued to hold possession of the ground until this week the Court rejected the school’s plea for a stay on the repossession. Earlier this evening, the temple authorities formally took back possession of the ground after well over nine decades.
The court has directed the temple to allow financially poor school children to use the ground. One will have to wait and watch the next steps of the TNCA. It is hoped that they would talk to the temple authorities to revive at least the weekend league matches at the ground.