[edit] MAHARAJA CRYcket Cup 2002 - A Smash Hit!!!!!!!!!

As the Tendulkars and Laras were smashing fours and sixes and the Srinaths and Dillons were bowling bouncers and yorkers to the tune of the Calypso rhythms by the tranquil sunny beaches of the Caribbean, cricket enthusiasts of Atlanta also witnessed some great cricket by the Ravi Joshis and Sureshs and the Balis and Muralis in the backdrop of downtown, Atlanta.

The afternoon of third day of the tournament was the eventful one on and off the field. In the four year history of Crycket nothing was close to what happened on the 11th of May at the SAC field at Georgia Tech campus. The tension and the excitement that prevailed in the air and hearts of the players, audience and of course the organizers was undebatable..

The pressure on the teams to compete with one another and be the "WINNERS" was evident in every ball that was bowled and every run that was made….None could discount the spirit and the sportsmanship exhibited by all the players and the supporters during the Maharaja CRYcket Cup 2002 tournament….

18 balls …21 runs to win; tight bowling and the equation changes to 8 balls 13 runs; lo and behold! A huge six!! The last over starts with 6 runs to win; aggressive running impeccable fielding resulting in 3 run outs in the space of 5 balls. The last ball - one run to tie and 2 runs to win.

Pin drop silence. Anticipation. Silent Prayers. Mid-pitch meetings. The stage is set for the do-or-die scenario. The ball is bowled, the batsman misses it, the keeper fumbles, and the run is taken. It's a Tie!! And, the "Gang of Dunwoody" takes the cup, based on losing less number of wickets.

That's the stuff remembered for years to come. The Maharaja CRYcket Cup 2002 had all the elements of a great tournament - tremendous participation, great sportsmanship, smooth organization, nail biting finishes, the ecstasy of the winners, and the champaign. The fact that both semi-finals and the finals were decided on the last ball is unbelievable and unique in the history of CRYcket or can we also say, the history of Cricket?

The Fourth annual cricket tournament received tremendous response and support from the CRY supporters and cricket lovers of Atlanta. The tournament was conducted on Astroturf field at Georgia Tech campus. The organizers received the maximum allowed 40 teams, each of 8 players, two weeks before the start of the tournament. In spite of the heavy showers on May 4th, the organizers were able to coordinate the schedules for all the teams, some coming all the way from Chattanooga, Cleveland, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama. The final phase was held on May 11th and the tournament ended on a huge positive note.

The winning team Suresh (Suresh, Chilka, Arpit, Ashok, Chanakya, Haneef, Vijay, Naresh) defeated the Chattanooga Vols (Radha, Bindu, Ravi, Murali, Satish, Bali, Dennis, Arvind, Mayank) in a match that proved that both teams deserved to be in the finals. Best bowler of the tournament was awarded to Suresh (captain of the winning team), and the Best batsman was given to Murali of Chattanooga Vols. Best all-rounder of the tournament was awarded to Ravi Joshi, who lost in semi finals to the winners of the tournament in another close match.

The number of teams participated shows the popularity of the tournament in its fourth year, which was also title sponsored by the Maharaja Restaurant. "We are very happy to be associated with this organization and the event and wish them continued success", said JT Ahluwalia, the owner of the Maharaja Restaurants. India Sports and Recreation Center, a family owned smoke free, alcohol free facility at the Global Mall was the co-sponsor of the event. They donated one-month free memberships to the winners.

"The organizers did a tremendous job, coordinating the tournament with 40 teams amid lot of competitiveness and the fun element built into it. All of it for a noble cause." Said Suresh, the best bowler and the captain of the champions of the cup. All the 320 players, some of them participating for nostalgia, some "for the love of the game", played like champions right from the first ball. Each was appreciated for coming together in support of a great cause. A commemorative T-shirt was given to all the players.

The funds raised will be sent to support grass-roots projects helping the underprivileged children in India. The coordinator of the event Srinivas Vemulapalli said "I am extremely happy that almost all the teams that participated last year came back. I thank all the players for their cooperation, thus making it a pleasant experience for all the volunteers and me".

Participation from out of town teams increased this year. The captain of the "Chattanoga Vols", Radha summed up their reaction and said "Starting from posting the fixtures for all the games well in advance with timings, and reworking them because of the weather, the organizers did an excellent job. Since we came all the way from Chattanooga, we thank Srinivas for being very considerate and prompt in updating us with match timings. We had great fun. Above all, we feel proud to contribute to this noble cause of child relief".

Please visit the CRY-Atlanta web page for more details on these events and to show your support.