CE Block marked women’s day by getting the sporting women of the block out in the field two days later, on a Sunday. This was the fourth year that the block was hosting a women’s cricket match.
The preparations had started almost a month ago. “Every year, we pledge to continue practice round the year but once the match gets over we tend to relax. This time we started practising right after Saraswati puja, in February,” recalled Kavita Jha.
She was named one of the captains of the two sides, the other being Mahasweta Bhattacharya. “The ladies chose the captains and vice-captains themselves. Then according to their capabilities, they were divided into blocs of bowlers, batters and all-rounders,” said the block’s sports committee convenor Debdas Chatterjee.
The teams were picked by a draw of lots by Jha for Shining Stars and vice-captain Moumita Jana for Blooming Flowers.
Shining Stars batted first and amassed 78 in 10 overs. “We were hoping for a score over 100 but could not accelerate at the end. So we were determined to defend the score by bowling and fielding well,” said Jha.
Mousumi Ari, who opened with Jha, top-scored with 43 not out, with seven hits to the fence, and was later named the best batter. The youngest on the field, Mousumi missed just one day of practice. “I would go to the ground with my sons. They would be amused to see their mother play while they played with their friends,” said Mousumi who settled in New Town in 2021 and picked up the bat after a gap of two decades since her childhood.
In the run-up to the match day, several players withdrew, citing food poisoning in one case or son’s hand fracture in another. “At one point, we were uncertain whether we could field a playing XI on both sides and had to knock on doors afresh, especially of those who, we knew, were good players but had not signed up this year due to lack of time to join our practice,” Jha recalled.
But if the match did happen, it was due to the commitment of those like Moumita Jana and Chandana Ghosh.
“Moumita has played all four times that the women’s match has happened. She suffered a foot injury just days before the match. Yet she not only played but also stayed undefeated at one end as wickets fell at the other,” recalled Lali Ghosh of Shining Stars.
Chandana was the oldest on the field, having turned 70 this March. “My husband would warn me: Dekho haat pa bhengo na. Ei boyeshe porle ar uthbe na. But my daughter, who stays in Chennai, encouraged me and showed video recordings of our match to her friends,” said Chandana. In fact, Chandana’s biggest regret is missing her daughter on the sidelines. “She landed at the airport around the time our match ended.”
She had an even bigger hurdle to cross this year. “I underwent a cataract surgery so was advised caution. The girls dragged me to the practice field, asking me to simply watch.” But the sight of the ball was enough to tempt her to join after just two days of practice. “This was my third match here.”
The septuagenarian also kept the fielders on their toes. “Some of the girls were so casual that they would chat away during the match. I would shout at them if the ball rolled by without them making any effort to stop it,” said the fan of Sourav Ganguly then and Virat Kohli now, who picked up nuances of the game by watching women’s cricket on TV.
The Blooming Flowers withered at 42, suffering defeat by 36 runs. But all the players insist that the result mattered little. “Both sides went to buy jerseys together at Axis Mall,” Lali Ghosh said.
It is because of this camaraderie that Jha retired on scoring 14. “I wanted to give everyone a chance to bat,” the victorious captain said.
Keka Sinha and Sibani Sardar shared the best bowler prize.
“We also had a match for senior men in the afternoon but the women players are more enthusiastic than the men,” certified Chatterjee.
