The Prize Distribution Ceremony of the Gully Cricket Tournament which was jointly organized by the UT Cricket Association (UTCA) and Chandigarh Police was held at the Punjab Raj Bhawan on Friday .The event was graced by His Excellency, the Governor of Punjab and UT Administrator, Gulab Chand Kataria, who presided over the ceremony and felicitated the winners and outstanding players in the presence of UTCA President Sanjay Tandon, SSP Kanwardeep Kaur, Education & Sports Secretary Prerna Puri (IAS), SSP City Geetanjali Khandelwal, VP Singh (IAS), Principal Secretary to Governor, UTCA Secretary Devinder Sharma, Chairman Ravinder Singh Bill, Treasurer CA Alok Krishan, and other esteemed dignitaries.
Team No. 187 was crowned champion in the boys’ category, while Team No. 1 secured the title in the girls’ category. Mohd Shahbaz was adjudged Best Batter in the boys’ section with Suraj Kumar named Best Bowler. In the girls’ category, Prabjot Kaur received the Best Batter award while Ayana was honoured as Best Bowler. In a generous gesture, His Excellency announced a cash reward of ₹10,000 for each outstanding player of the tournament.
All semifinalist teams were presented with shoe kits, while every participating boy received a medical kit. Hygiene kits were distributed to all participating girls which underlined the tournament’s emphasis on health and well-being alongside sportsmanship.
In his address, His Excellency praised the UTCA and Chandigarh Police for not only promoting grassroots talent but also playing a crucial role in eradicating social evils. Citing players’ statistics from the tournament, he expressed confidence in the tremendous potential of young athletes and emphasized the need to guide them in the right direction.
UTCA President Sanjay Tandon, in his speech, briefed the gathering on the growing popularity and impact of the initiative. He noted that the inaugural edition saw the participation of 202 teams whereas this edition witnessed an overwhelming response with a record 576 teams taking part, a testament to the initiative’s success in engaging youth across the region.
SSP Kanwardeep Kaur expressed heartfelt gratitude to all participants, organizers, and dignitaries, applauding their collective efforts in making the tournament a grand success and promoting youth engagement through sports.
