Paul Harris Cricket Carnival
The flagship event of Rotary Club of Madras East, Dist 3230
In District 3230, the New Year is rung in by most Rotarians of the District with the launch of the Paul Harris Cricket Carnival by the Rotary Club of Madras East. Every January, this tournament, nay a Carnival, as it is rightly named, is kicked off during the first weekend.
Just to give a background of the carnival, all cricketing Rotarians of the Dist 3230 are invited to take part in this tournament which has evolved into a 5-weekends long event, with 6 teams of Rotarians from various clubs in the District. Two matches are played on ground adjacent to each other and the highlight of the event has got nothing to do with Cricket – it is clearly the sumptuous home cooked lunch served by the ladies of the Inner Wheel Club of Madras East and RCME. The excellent quality of the food is embellished further by the warm and friendly nature of the women who uphold the Rotary motto of ‘Service Above Self’ in an exemplary manner throughout the Carnival.
In last year edition, around 134 Rotarians participated from 27 Clubs. This year’s Carnival had quite a few firsts. This was the first time that both the DG and DG Elect took the field during the very first weekend for the teams named after them. Even more importantly, they were there by virtue of their cricketing skills and not just because of their position in the District hierarchy.
PHCC also saw some Packeresque innovations introduced – coloured clothing and white balls. Even though some Rotarians complained that the white ball didn’t quite offer the same swing as the red ones, the changes were welcomed by most. The action on the field was intense – with several reputations being made and some like “I used to open for my University” and “I used to keep wickets for my college” being haplessly exposed!!
The cricket loving Rotarians of Dist 3230 were all praise for this Club Services project of the Rotary Club of Madras East, which not only brings the people of the Dist together for the largest gathering outside of District Conferences, but also builds a degree of friendship and camaraderie that is hard to match in any other forum.