Anmelden » ka and Penn State, the Boilermakers have been outsc

Dear Cricket Monthly,I was schooled at St Xaviers but my lifes university was Third Ground on the Kolkata Maidan.Third Ground (between Governors House and Fort William) was like the outcry chaos of the stock exchange. A number of teams played concurrently; the midwicket position in one match would be the leg slip of another; the gully of one match would be the mid-off of another. There should have been an insurance scheme to cover the health hazard that fielders negotiated without abdomen guards, shin guards or helmets, instinctively covering their heads when they heard a middled stroke within 20 feet and praying nothing happened. If something did happen, the poor fellow would be carted to hospital, stitched up and returned to the ground to resume fielding (somewhere safer as his captains concession). We learnt survival skills on Third Ground.Third Ground was the cathedral of our existence, where Shield matches would be held. These were the tournaments for which my fathers club conducted meetings wearing specially monogrammed ties, deliberated on tournament practices, wrote extensive minutes in archaic English, planted green flags on boundary lines, set up scorers tables, attired umpires in dentist-style overalls, served players chicken soup (strength!) between innings and congregated with families in the evening for the post-mortem followed by a thaal dinner. We learnt organisational skills on Third Ground. Third Ground was a place with a multi-generational reference point. When my father was into his sixties, he would occasionally be stopped by someone 20 years younger with the words, Kaisey hai, uncle?Yaad hai aapko bees saal pehle apne khele the… [How are you, uncle? Remember we had played together 20 years ago…] Or when someone mentioned that Haider bhai had died, there would be a shaking of heads among old-timers of other teams with the words Kya legcutter daalte the. [What amazing legcutters he would bowl.] We learnt to respect on Third Ground.Third Ground was mini India. The oldest pitch tenants were Bohra Muslims who accounted for three strips and had been playing there since the early 50s. The Sindhis played on one standard pitch for decades, the Marwaris accounted for another three, and some of the Gujarati teams floated from one to another based on their playing schedule. This was where entire communities, who otherwise lived clannish existences, briefly (but periodically) interfaced with each other. For most of those from my clannish Bohra background, the Sindhis were a people belonging to a remote world; on Third Ground they were touchy-feely, they were outstanding gentlemen, and their portly Subhash (nobody knew his surname) was the friendliest face of a friendly team of a friendly community. And so if the Sindhis lost, questions would be communicated from person to person until they reached them four pitches away: Prem itna lallu ball mein out kaise ho gaya? [How did Prem get out to such a useless delivery?] Or if they pulled off an unexpected victory over, say, Paridhee, teams from other pitches would turn around with a Well done! before turning to take the next ball. We learnt to engage with others on Third Ground.Third Ground was a crucible where all these teams (60 in all) participated in the overarching Maidan League, which was our version of the World Cup. This league was the brainchild of Ram Nivas, better known as the Maidans Kerry Packer. Ram Nivas was ahead of his time - his starched white kurta-pyjama would contrast the general playing attire; his briefcase would carry team schedules, umpire reporting sheets and cash; he was team owner (of Ankur) and tournament organiser, which would have carried charges of conflict of interest today; he was known to buy players for his team before anyone had heard of auctions.Ram Nivas legacy to the Maidan was that he created a tournament that extended into May and attracted participation from all communities. Bohra Muslims played Burrabazar Marwaris; Bhowanipore Gujaratis played Sindhis; you know what I mean. And we understood communities better when we played against them. There was a Maidan awe about the way Mohib bhai moved the new ball. Everyone feared the Sunil Gupta who peppered Red Road with 60-yard sixes. We learnt to appreciate people for what they were on Third Ground, irrespective of which pocket of Calcutta they came from and what we might have earlier heard about them. And lastly, Third Ground was our Facebook. We identified people by their cricketing quirks. Pawan Haralalka bowled the fastest off four steps. Pradeep Acharya never bowled without chucking. Bala Parekh overcame a physical handicap (one leg shorter than another) to bowl into his fifties. Chandresh Soni was the guy who wore a harlequin cap while opening. Feroze Degani probably ran faster than he bowled. Sanjay Chowdhry was the only one on the Maidan who batted with an original Gray-Nicolls. Manoj Chharia rode the sexiest Honda bike to the Maidan. Usman and Uchit were the maalis who watered our pitches, applied choonaon our popping creases and got us nimbu paani between innings from absolutely unhygienic metal containers. Bharat Express Thakkar could be recognised from 500 metres away due to his Michael Holding-like evenly paced run-up. Taher Muchhala bowled legspinners till into his late sixties, driven by the dream of beating CK Nayudus feat of playing first-class cricket at 69. The Bohri Shield matches generated a crowd of 2000 (1000 women!) that made it worthwhile for every single batsman to want to hit a six while they were around. We learnt at Third Ground to belong.Third Ground was the address of hundreds for 20 Sundays a year, nine to one. Third Ground was where everyone wanted to make it big (to hell with bloody Eden Gardens). Third Ground was where we wanted to be cherished. Third Ground was the happiest place in the world.In the mid-90s, the army carved away a part of the precious Third Ground turf to build a memorial for those who had fought in the 1971 war.Teams scattered, tournaments disbanded, communities drifted, silence descended.Nobody plays on Third Ground any more.Third Ground lives. But only in our memories.Nostalgically, Mudar Yeezy Boost 350 Venta . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Yeezy 350 Baratas España . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. http://www.baratasyeezy350.es/ . PETERSBURG, Fla. Yeezy 350 Outlet España . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Yeezy Boost 350 Rebajas . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Penn State crossed several items off its to-do list Saturday in becoming bowl eligible, staying within a game of first place in the Big Ten East and ending a seven-game road losing streak.?Saquon Barkley ran for 207 yards and two touchdowns, Trace McSorley threw three scoring passes, and the Nittany Lions used a 24-point third quarter as the centerpiece of their 62-24 victory against Purdue.The Nittany Lions (6-2, 4-1 in the Big Ten) converted an interception, a fumbled punt and a failed onside kick into third-quarter touchdowns on their way to a fourth consecutive victory, They snapped the seven-game road slide that began in 2014, and defeated struggling Purdue for an eighth consecutive time.Penn States 62 points are the most scored by an opponent in Ross-Ade Stadium, which was completed in 1924. Ohio States 56-0 victory against Purdue in 2013 was the record.We were talking at halftime about having a sense of urgency, and we came out in the second half with that in mind, McSorley said. Everyone kind of loosened up in the second half. In the first half, we were playing tense. We werent playing loose. We came out in the second half and played loose.Tied at 17 through two quarters, the Nittany Lions outscored Purdue (3-5, 1-4) 24-7 in the pivotal third quarter. McSorley threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Chris Godwin and for 21 yards to Miles Sanders for another.I think we did a good job of digesting what the coaches were saying at halftime and taking that out on the field, said Godwin, who caught five passes for 58 yards. We definitely were a focused football team in the second half, and its very important for us to both run and pass when we have to. You never know when someone is going to shut you down in one of those aspects.Barkley extended the Penn State lead to 48-24 with 13:56 remaining on a career-best 81-yard run along the right sideline. It was the longest touchdown run by a Nittany Lion since Larry Johnsons 84-yarder in 2002 against Illinois.We knew we were going to have a battle, Penn State coach James Franklin said. Early in the game, we just made too many mistakes. We are usually one of the most disciplined teams in football. I dont want to say were a second-half team, but in the locker room, we decided we were a second-half teamm.dddddddddddd We made plays, and their turnovers were huge.Purdue, which got two touchdown passes from David Blough, including a 62-yarder to DeAngelo Yancey, led 14-7 and 17-14 in the second quarter.We havent been able to take care of the ball in the second half, and that is the biggest thing, Blough said. We scored only seven points in the second half, and that is unacceptable for the expectations we have for this offense.McSorley finished 12 of 23 of 228 yards and the career-best three TDs. Blough completed 34 of 50 passes for 281 yards. He was intercepted once, which set up a third-quarter TD.We had great energy in the first half, and then when we came out of the half ... thats completely on me, said Purdue interim coach Gerad Parker , who took over when fourth-year coach Darrell Hazell was fired on Oct. 16. When things didnt go our way, we didnt respond.TAKEAWAYSPenn State: After upsetting then-No. 2 Ohio State last Saturday, the Nittany Lions started slowly, but completely dominated the second half, winning for the fourth consecutive time in October. McSorley and Barkley gave Penn State the perfect mix of passing and running, helping the Nittany Lions amass 511 yards of offense.Purdue: In consecutive losses to Nebraska and Penn State, the Boilermakers have been outscored a collective 62-7 during second-half action. Purdues margin for error is slim to begin with, but the second-half miscues against Penn State produced a brutal outcome.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Nittany Lions, coming off their big win against the Buckeyes, should move up a bit in the AP Top 25 (http://www.collegefootball.ap.org/poll).KEY STATSPenn State: In amassing 511 total yards, the Nittany Lions had almost perfect balance, rushing for 257 yards and passing for 254 without turning over the ball.Purdue: While the Boilermakers ran the ball with ease on Oct. 8 in a victory at Illinois, their 26 rushes against Penn State netted only 46 yards, with Markell Jones 23-yarder in the first half being their longest.UP NEXTPenn State: The Lions host Iowa next Saturday.Purdue: The Boilermakers play next Saturday at Minnesota---More AP college football: -www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '