http://www.truvie.com/watch?v=L7kKFF_VJ8T

http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/2009/08/book-giveaway-grand-sophy.html

Source: NorthWest Cricket Region

In Women’s Cricket, the inaugural Pacific Coast Invitational Tournament was held Jun 27 and 28 in San Jose, California. Two teams came together to participate in the first-ever interleague cricket tournament held in the USA for women.  They played Twenty20 matches both Saturday and Sunday.

The guest team, Chargers, came down from the Seattle area to meet the local Firebirds in the heat.  Even though the Chargers may not have been accustomed to the heat, they were the more experienced team which proved to be key in the outcome.
 
The Firebirds are a newly formed team, having only been together for less than two months.  But with their enthusiastic and dedicated energy, they have turned themselves into a respectable team.  Raj Padhi, their coach/mentor as well as the Western Region Director for USA Cricket Association, is proud of how far these players have come.  “Many did not know how to hold a cricket bat when this program was launched in the first week of May. 

Yet here they are, playing a two day series of matches.  It’s more than I ever expected in such a short time,” Padhi said at the end of the weekend.

The Firebirds won the toss on both days and chose to field first each time.  On Saturday, the Chargers scored 130 for the loss of 5 wickets.  Chasing 131 for the win, the Firebirds fought back with vengeance.  But they fell short by 30 runs playing out all the 20 overs.  Sunday, players of both teams were showing some signs of wear from the heat of the previous day.  But still, they went at it with all they had.  The Chargers made 156 for the loss of 4 wickets, thereby improving the previous day’s batting performance.  The Firebirds were also able to score more on the second day, making 124 for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs.  Obviously, that was not enough to overcome the first inning score.
 
Having swept the tournament, the Chargers were elated. “Both matches were really competitive and well played” stated Priya Ghate, Chargers captain. “The Firebirds have made amazing progress given the fact that it’s a relatively new team. I'm sure the experience gained this past weekend will help both teams to sharpen their skills even more.” 

Ghate, the most experienced player as well as captain of the Chargers, was awarded Player of the Match for her performance on Saturday. She scored 33 runs and followed it up with two wickets.

Yogita Manghnani won Sunday’s Player of the Match award by scoring 24 while batting and giving away only 11 runs in 4 overs while bowling.  Combining this with her all-round performance in batting, bowling and fielding the previous day, she was then awarded the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
 
The women were all honored at a dinner at Taj Palace where the USA Cricket Association’s second Vice-President and Director of Cricket Operations, Mr. Sheikh Manaf Mohamed, congratulated both teams for their fine performances.  He particularly praised the work done by the Firebirds and their coach for the efforts made to get them to this point in such a short time.  “We need players from this region to work hard to qualify for our national team where they can represent the whole USA on the international cricket scene.”  He then presented each player with certificates to honor their role in elevating women’s cricket on the west coast to such a powerful level.

S Krishna's site is all about books, books and books. It has reviews of different genres. I am glad I caught up on a few and now I have an idea of what books to buy/order. There are also giveaways. So, keep checking every now and then. You might not want to miss a good book.

http://www.skrishnasbooks.com/2009/06/jane-green-book-giveaway.html

Its been a while that I have blogged, but somehow got busy in errands. These days the topic which caught my attention most is about the racism scene in Australia. A lot has been written and said about the attacks on Indians. I believe it is like 10 days since the riots ignited and it is still ongoing. Hundreds of Indian students protested chanting "Bharat Mata Ki Jai"( Hail Holy India!!) against the attacks targeting the community. The fact that is written and said that it is the Indians that are a cause to these violent rages. Most of the Indians prospering in Australia support the same.(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Indian-techies-under-threat/Racist-Australians-No-Indians-students-are-blamed/articleshow/4634087.cms) Whereas the Police Chief of Victoria state claims that some of the attacks on Indian students are racially motivated.

Racism thrives on ignorance, and false social structures where people cannot get to interact with and appreciate them  who are different. I believe it is the same situation there too. Either much has been hyped about a small incident or Australia is a racist country is still to be debated. Apart from these sad incidents, India and Australia are often hooked together be it Cricket(their first love), tourism, trade and Indian (Bollywood) movies of course. These relationships are being affected now. A Bollywood film union already announced that they would boycott shooting in Australia until government takes some serious action. The political fronts are also voicing their opinions on racism and the differences. Now its all upto the respective goverments to foray into these issues, until then the real target for 'victimization' of foreign/Indian students will not be known. It is very essential to make sure that the 'relationship' is not affected.