Inter-school cricket: Giles Shield hit by overage protest

St Rocks coach Ashok Dalvi

St Rocks High School (Borivli) has lodged a protest with the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA), claiming that Anjuman-I-Islam Allana English High School (CST) fielded two overage players during their MSSA inter-school Giles Shield boys U-14 cricket match at Sunder CC, Cross Maidan, on Monday.

Anjuman-I-Islam School beat St Rocks by six wickets in a first-round match.

In a letter (dated December 5, 2023) signed by St Rocks principal Naveeta Jangda and cricket coach Ashok Dalvi, the Borivli school has alleged that two Anjuman-I-Islam players are above the age limit for the U-14 tournament.

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"We have submitted a written protest along with the fee of Rs 5,000. My boys had to suffer because of their [Anjuman] unfair tactics to win the match. In February 2022, 10 cricketers from the same school were banned by MSSA and they continue to resort to cheating," Dalvi told mid-day on Wednesday.

"MSSA's rules clearly state that only certificates in which the child has been registered within three months of their birth would be considered as legal documents. I have managed to get hold of documents of two Anjuman players where the date of registration is done several years after the child was born," added Dalvi.

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MSSA cricket secretary, Nadim Menon confirmed St Rocks's protest against Anjuman-I-Islam school. "But there is no merit in their complaint. Last year too, there were doubts raised and I personally called the concerned players, the coaches and checked all their documents and found everything to be in order. Their Aadhar card, which is now considered to be the main document, is found to be genuine. These two players, who St Rocks have complained about, are twins and are also registered with MCA [Mumbai Cricket Association]. They are playing tournaments in the city," said Menon.

"Esmero Figuiredo, the MSSA Hon Gen Secretary, has also visited Anjuman Islam School and checked their register and found everything to be correct," Menon added.