Kerala Cricket Association
Encyclopedia
Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is the governing body of Cricketing activities in the Kerala
state of India
. It is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India
.
KCA is also the parent body of 14 district Associations - one in each of the revenue districts of Kerala, responsible to govern the game of Cricket in their respective districts. KCA is involved in organizing the game from the grass root level to the International level.
KCA promotes and develops Cricket by conducting various League Tournaments, Tournaments for the age group Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19, Under-22 and Under-25 categories besides organising and conducting National Tournaments.
It was in this context, the Kerala Cricket Association was established to take cricket to masses. KCA was formed mainly because of relentless efforts from the great sports personalities in Kerala, Mr. PM Krishnan and Mr. PM Raghavan with great support from H.E Col. Goda Varma Raja. Col. G.V. Raja, the first prince of Travancore
, well revered as the patron Saint of almost all sporting activities in Kerala. The KCA selected the first ever Kerala based (the erstwhile Thiru-Kochi) Ranji Trophy Team, after its inception and the team was led by PM Raghavan. The team played against the Mysore team for the first time in the Ranji Trophy circuit and one of the greatest players from Kerala, PM Anandan claimed six wickets yielding 100 runs in 27 overs in the first innings of the match.
There had been contributions from a number of families in Kerala for the development of Cricket in the state. These families include the likes of Edathil, Acharath, Moorkoth, Mampally and Pazhaya Parambath. The Mampally family was arguably the leaders amongst them, as apart from a number of members from this family playing higher level Cricket, it also had put a lot of effort for the betterment of Cricket in Kerala. The Acharath family also contributed to the game's development in Kerala, by donating personalities like ACM Abdulla the farsighted administrator, Babu Acharath the elegant player and Coach and Mackey the sparkling all rounder and coach.
sans the image of star. Instead of the star in the crest, a stylized image of Imperial Insignia of Sree Padmanabha's Shankha
,which was the emblem of Travancore Kingdom as well as state emblem of Kerala, is used.
, who played for the country with distinction. Apart from cricketers, the KCA has also contributed to present the country some of the other cricket related personalities like umpires, coaches, scorers, selectors and also video analysts.
at Edakochi in Kochi this year.. This stadium to be completed by 2013 is expected to be the home ground of Kochi based IPL team which will start its campaign from 2011 onwards.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in India
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
.
KCA is also the parent body of 14 district Associations - one in each of the revenue districts of Kerala, responsible to govern the game of Cricket in their respective districts. KCA is involved in organizing the game from the grass root level to the International level.
KCA promotes and develops Cricket by conducting various League Tournaments, Tournaments for the age group Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, and Under-19, Under-22 and Under-25 categories besides organising and conducting National Tournaments.
History
Historically cricket had never been so popular in Kerala as it was traditionally considered to be as a White Man's game. It was introduced by Col. Arthur Wellesley, during his stay in Tellichery. Soon the game became very popular with local Englishmen as well as a few native Princes. Yet the game never became popular among the masses. However it gained attention of the Kochi Royal Family and soon it became the royal game of the Kochi Princedom with opening of the Palace Oval in their capital town of Thripunithura. They also luanched the now famous Pooja Knockout Tournament; which is celebrating its 60th year of inception in 2010. The tournament is sometimes referred to be as the oldest limited over tournament in the world. Though the official Cricketing Circuit is still outside the common man's interest, the game itself has become the most popularly pursued pastime sport in the State due to the extreme popularity of its Soft-ball/Tennis-ball version among the youth.It was in this context, the Kerala Cricket Association was established to take cricket to masses. KCA was formed mainly because of relentless efforts from the great sports personalities in Kerala, Mr. PM Krishnan and Mr. PM Raghavan with great support from H.E Col. Goda Varma Raja. Col. G.V. Raja, the first prince of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, well revered as the patron Saint of almost all sporting activities in Kerala. The KCA selected the first ever Kerala based (the erstwhile Thiru-Kochi) Ranji Trophy Team, after its inception and the team was led by PM Raghavan. The team played against the Mysore team for the first time in the Ranji Trophy circuit and one of the greatest players from Kerala, PM Anandan claimed six wickets yielding 100 runs in 27 overs in the first innings of the match.
There had been contributions from a number of families in Kerala for the development of Cricket in the state. These families include the likes of Edathil, Acharath, Moorkoth, Mampally and Pazhaya Parambath. The Mampally family was arguably the leaders amongst them, as apart from a number of members from this family playing higher level Cricket, it also had put a lot of effort for the betterment of Cricket in Kerala. The Acharath family also contributed to the game's development in Kerala, by donating personalities like ACM Abdulla the farsighted administrator, Babu Acharath the elegant player and Coach and Mackey the sparkling all rounder and coach.
Affiliation
The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) is one of the constituent members of the BCCI and it has fielded its team in the Ranji Trophy - India's first class tournament, ever since the formation of the Association. A lot of eminent cricket personalities from the KCA has served the game in the national level and among them, the legendary Lt. Col. Goda Varma Raja, is definitely the foremost. He was the President of Kerala Cricket association from the years 1950 to 1963 and he was also the first person from Kerala to become an Office bearer in BCCI, when he became its Vice president. Apart from Lt. Col. Raja, Mr. S Karunakaran Nair popularly known as SK Nair, from Kerala Cricket Association served the BCCI as the treasurer during of 1993-97, as Finance committee Chairman during 1998-2002, and as the Hon. secretary of BCCI from 2003 to 2005. He had also served the Asian Cricket council as its Treasurer and Secretary. The late SV Pandit, who was the President of Travancore Cricket association till his death, had helped the Kerala Cricket Association a lot by way of financial assistance.Logo
KCA adopted its logo similar to that of BCCI. The basic element of logo resembles to the Order of the Star of IndiaOrder of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
sans the image of star. Instead of the star in the crest, a stylized image of Imperial Insignia of Sree Padmanabha's Shankha
Shankha
Shankha bhasam , also spelled and pronounced as Shankh and Sankha, is a conch shell of ritual and religious importance in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is the shell of a large predatory sea snail,Turbinella pyrum found in the Indian Ocean....
,which was the emblem of Travancore Kingdom as well as state emblem of Kerala, is used.
Famous players
Among the famous players that the Kerala Cricket Association has introduced to the Indian national cricket team so far, the name of Sreesanth is definitely one of the most important ones. He has made a lot of waves in the international cricket arena in recent times and he is also considered as one of the spearheads in the Indian pace bowling department. However, the first Kerala player to represent India in the Test cricket was Tinu YohannanTinu Yohannan
Tinu Yohannan is an Indian cricketer. He is a right-handed fast medium bowler. He plays first class cricket for Kerala. He is the first Kerala Ranji player to play Test and one day cricket for India....
, who played for the country with distinction. Apart from cricketers, the KCA has also contributed to present the country some of the other cricket related personalities like umpires, coaches, scorers, selectors and also video analysts.
Playing grounds
All the famous cricket playing grounds in Kerala like the University Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram and the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Kochi have already hosted international matches. KCA is starting construction of its own international cricket stadiumKerala Cricket Association Stadium
Kerala Cricket Association Stadium is a description of a cricket stadium in Kochi, India that is currently proposed. Once completed in 2012 , it will host the Kerala Cricket Association and Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Kerala is the only state association that does not own its own ground . Currently,...
at Edakochi in Kochi this year.. This stadium to be completed by 2013 is expected to be the home ground of Kochi based IPL team which will start its campaign from 2011 onwards.