BHUBANESWAR 16-Aug-2014 122
Odisha under-16 batsman Sandeep Pattnaik was today conferred with the 2nd Rameswar Sporting-Kanba Young Cricketer of the Year Award for his impressive performance during the 2013-14 season.
Odisha Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda handed over the annual award, which carried a plaque and a cheque of Rs 10,000 in a function at a city hotel here. Rameswar Sporting Club`s upcoming cricketer Sarthak Shiba Mohapatra and Biswajit Bhuyan were felicitated on the occasion.
Local lad Sandeep helped Odisha reach quarterfinals of the Vijay Merchant Trophy U-16 Tournament, compiling 324 runs in six matches at an average of 72.00. He hit two centuries (117 vs Jharkhand, 109 vs Bengal) and two fifties (90 vs Assam, 72 vs Baroda) in the process.
Odisha Ranji team opening batsman Natraj Behera and veteran coach Sumit Bose, who were scheduled to be felicitated on the occasion, but could not turn up due to unavoidable reasons.
Rourkela batsman Natraj made Odisha proud in the 2013-14 Ranji season, hitting four centuries in a row against Jharkhand, Mumbai and Gujarat. Cuttack-based Bose, 70, has been grooming cricketing talents for three decades. His proteges include Sanjay Raul, Kulamani Parida, Pravanjan Mullick, Ajay Barik, Bishnudev Mohanty, Pawan Agarwal, Chiranjib Biswal and Manoj Bhatt.
Instituted in the year 2013, the Young Cricketer of Year Award was first conferred on allrounder Priyatosh Paramanik. Rameswar Sporting Club president Suresh Kumar Routray, vice-president Samir Mohanty, secretary Deepak Mangaraj, Kanba Business Solutions MD Alok Kumar and eminent cricket coach Kishore Mania were present in the function.
ROLL OF HONOUR:
2014: Sandeep Pattnaik (Award winner). Natraj Behera, Sumit Bose (Felicitated)
2013: Priyatosh Paramanik (Award winner).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Sandeep Pattnaik (L) receives the Young Cricketer of Year Award in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.
