By Our Reporter
Shillong, Dec 21: The Meghalaya Cricket Association held its Annual General Meeting here on Tuesday, with major decisions taken for the growth of cricket in the state.
The MCA also resolved to open junior cricket academies in all districts for boys and girls to further develop the sport.
These academies will target children between the ages of 8 to 15. It is after the age of 15 that the best players get taken up into district and state teams, with opportunities to further hone their skills in BCCI tournaments and in National Cricket Academy camps.
All affiliated district associations took part in the annual meeting.
The Honorary Secretary of the MCA, Gideon Kharkongor, presented his report for the year, which was followed by the Honorary Treasurer’s report presented by Dhrubajyoti Thakuria.
The meeting was presided over by MCA President Nababrata Bhattacharjee. The Deputy Account General of the office of the Principal Accountant General, Meghalaya, was also present, besides Apex Council members, councillors and nominated members.
The major resolutions taken at the conclave included the induction of the Eastern West Khasi Hills District Cricket Association as an Associate member of the MCA without voting rights, with the ultimate goal being to see it join the 11 other district associations as a full member in due course.
It was also decided to appoint Justice Aloke Chakrabarti, retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, as the Ombudsman and Ethics Officer of the MCA for a term of one year. The President stressed on the need to motivate youth in all districts at the grassroots level and to create related infrastructure in phases to promote and popularise the game of cricket.
The MCA will also boost its capacity building in terms of human resources by upskilling more coaches, umpires, scorers, physios, trainers, etc at the district level.
The state association will also support grassroots cricket initiatives in the districts, such as talent hunts, coaching camps, inter-school tournaments, etc, with logistical assistance from the MCA.