Thalassery municipal stadium crying for renovation
Stadium which lacks proper facilities is home to cattle and stray dogs
Kozhikode: It is believed that it was in Thalassery that cricket was introduced in India in 19th century by the then Colonel Arthur Wellesley (who later became famous as Duke of Wellington who defeated Napoleon).
The second oldest cricket club in India was born at this stadium which had hosted a number of Ranji Trophy matches once upon a time. The stadium also hosted a number of other events and produced some of the legends in Indian sports. However the stadium is now in a pathetic condition. Successive governments may have spent crores of rupees for promoting sports in the region, but the state of this historic stadium here stands testimony to the money that has actually been spent.
The stadium which lacks proper facilities for playing any sport is now a safe haven for cattle and stray dogs. Though Sports Authority of India expressed interest to take over the stadium for turning it into a state-of-the-art facility, local bodies have not shown any interest in this regard.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, United Thalassery Cricket Club secretary Jinos Basheer said that the Club was planning legal action to save the ground.
“The authorities are not willing to get this stadium renovated to make it fit only for sports purpose, because they want to conduct other programmes including those of political parties here. This will not be allowed and the authorities should take necessary steps to equip the stadium for hosting all kind of sports activities,” he said.