THE TRIP TO SRIVARDHAN

Till the time we went to this place , even I hadn't even heard of the name. I friend who had been there , had given a high recommendation. SO we decided to take the risk. We had a choice between Alibag and Srivardhan , and for some absurd logic(as usual), we chose the latter.As it turns out, it is one of the most memorable trips I have ever had, for 2 reasons, one, the place itself, and two, the company that I had, ie, my office colleagues. There were 11 of us in all, and we had a blast of a time. I learnt some new things on the trip, one of them being POKER.I also learnt that I had a very bad luck in it. So can't make a career in it........

Almost everyone was skeptical, till the time we reached the place. It was a marathon journey, from 7am in the morning till about noon, with a pittstop in between, for breakfast, at a place called VADTHAL NAKA. We put up at a farmhouse called Matruchhaya - decent place, close to nature, but with all the necessary amenities, and some adventure thrown in by lizards and cockroaches.

We had home made food, which was delicious. The owner himeself served the food alongwith the family members.

For the first time, in the cops and mafia game, the cops lost and the Mafia won .............AND HISTORY WAS CREATED.............. Took a hell of an effort throughout the game to convince the others that I was the MAFIA and Not The COP. I was in the danger zone almost everytime except for once.The Cops were shrewd , but not good enough......

We also played the other popular game of the winking thief, which asual, was a big hit.....

Srivardhan is not yet commercialised, as is Alibag, so the natural beauty has not been tampered with.We basically went to 3 places , Harihareshwar, Srivardhan and Divyaghar.
The water at HariHareshwar is said to be dangerous.The tides are unpredictable,and at that time it was around AMAVASYA.But we still had our share of fun, playing cricket, volleyball, handball. We had planned to go to the MTDC resort nearby to play some watersports, but ended up spending the entire evening at the beach. Alongside the beach is a temple called "DAKSHINKASHI".

The beach at Srivardhan was the best.Sunday morning we went there , played frisbee, dodgeball.

There are also quite a few resorts. The best thing to watch is the road from Srivardhan to Divyaghar. The coastline is full of scenic beauty , which has to be seen.... can't be explained.

At divyaghar, is the famous ganesh temple, where the idol is made of Pure gold..... it is called "songanesh" or "songanpati".
The funny part is that there is an old lady who keeps on demanding money from visitors, stating that the temple is built on her house, and they have to compensate for the same......

We left for Mumbai,singing some few hundred songs, playing Antakshari, and reached home by 7.30 in the eveining, tired & exhausted.....
Office starts next day....... back to the routine, but with memories of yet another unforgettable experience. Here are some of them, captured on camera.

Result of the 1st Semi Final on 29th March 2008 - Grass Warriors v/s AM Champs

Grass Warriors - FTP Projects/BM/BPR/CFO Support/HR/Essbase Planning
AM Champs - IMRE/Strategic & Business Development/Analytics

The competition now hotting up in its final stages as we were down to the top four tems in GFO, promised some very high quality cricket and adrenaline pumping action. Both, Grass Warriors and AM Champs very high on energy and team spirit, were looking to stamp their authority in the game early and book a place in the all important final. An early morning start, Amit Ghatnekar playing his first game of the season captaining the Champs and not letting his team down with the toss, the Champs winning 5 tosses in the tournament on the bounce. The Champs elected to field first, confident they could chase down any total the Warriors would set. Fareez started proceedings for the Champs with a bang, picking up Rupesh Salian edged to first slip, a smart catch by Kunal Phadnis. Kunal then followed that up with a maiden to the other opening batsmen Anuj Vohra, so the pressure was firmly on the Warriors from the beginning.

Tejas who was in good knick from a recently concluded practice match against CRG (where he scored a half century in just 21 balls) hit a couple of boundaries before succumbing for 13 runs to a peach of a delivery from the crafty left arm spinner Hemanshu. The Warriors with a slowish run rate of 4 an over sent in Arvind Tantry whose capable of some lusty hitting. But after being beaten to the turing ball on numerous occasions fell stumped by Kunal to Hemanshu.

Anuj after playing a sedate knock fell for 16, caught at deep mid wicket by Brendan of off spinner Gagan (aka. Ghajji). What was to follow, was a combination of a brilliant piece of fielding by Brendan in the outfield and wicket-keeper Kunal to get Mukesh Khatri run out while attempting a second run, leaving the Warriors 5 wkts down for 70 runs. Amidst all the falling wickets, Leo held one end up and kept the scoreboard moving. In stepped the man with the golden arm, none other than captain Amit Ghatnekar..who struck with 3 inch perfect deliveries...yes folks, a HAT-RICK (Bipin bowled, Sandesh and Megdhoot brilliantly stumped by Kunal). That really knocked the wind out of the Warriors sails. Another run-out courtesy Brendan-Kunal combo to get the main stay Leo out run-out for 26 runs in the penultimate over. In the same over, Gagan rapped last man Murtuza on the pads to wrap the Warriors innings in a hurry which ended at a dissappointing 94 all out in 18.3 overs.

Amit Ghatnekar - 3 wkts, spin twins Hemanshu and Gagan 2 wkts a piece and Kunal the wicket keeper with 6 dismissals to his name, a fabulous all-round effort in the field by the AM Champs.

The Champs in the drivers seat at the interval needing 95 runs to win.

Openers Hemanshu and Brendan stepped out to bat, it was going to be hard work for the Warriors with the sun beating down mercilessly on the players. Both batsmen started off brilliantly with boundaries and complemented eachother very well. Brendan played the anchor role while Hemanshu was in an aggressive frame of mind and kept spanking the bowlers to all parts of the boundary at will. Spraying the ball all over the pitch din't help the Warriors either as they ended up giving 25 extras.

Hemanshu made light work of the Warriors bowling attack with 7 fours and 2 sixes completing his half century in style in just 30 deliveries and in hurrying to finish the game off early fell to Vishal Dave caught at long-on when the scores were level.

Iqbal stepped in, but din't get to face a single delivery with Brendan getting the winning runs and ending up not out. The Champs putting the match beyond the Warriors even before the drinks interval in 9.3 overs and winning by a huge margin of 9 wkts. A convincing champion like victory for the AM Champs, cementing their spot in the Finals where they will face the winners of the 2nd semi's between the Firehawks and Bright Stars.

Scores: Grass Warriors - 94 All out in 18.3 Overs
AM Champs - 95/1 in 9.3 overs

Result - AM Champs won by 9 Wickets.