The string of trophies and titles under the Jolly Rovers or Chemplast banner – the most recent being the BCCI Corporate Trophy earlier this year – won in different formats of the game and in diverse conditions make for an impressive record. The statistics quite clearly show how successful Jolly Rovers has been as a cricket club. They don't however reveal the role the club has played over the decades in improving the lot of the humble Madras/Chennai league cricketer. Under the late KS Narayanan and his son N Sankar, the status of the club cricketer was raised from that of a mere company employee to that of a valuable resource. What set them apart from the other patrons of the sport were the professionalism and consistency that KSN and Sankar brought to seeking out cricketing talent and nurturing it. In accomplishing this Sankar found Bharath Reddy a reliable “lieutenant” with a keen eye for talent-spotting. A great many Chennai cricketers owe a great deal to Bharath for the opportunities that Jolly Rovers (and as a consequence other clubs) presented them.
K Balaji addressing the gathering on the occasion of Alwarpet Cricket Club reunion on 10 November 2012
When writing about Jolly Rovers I find it impossible to resist the temptation to recall my own connections with the club. My uncle, the late S Rangarajan, “ran” the club for a few years in the 1960s. As a schoolboy I used to avidly watch the club's practice sessions in the Farm House nets. And why not, if one could watch Salim Durrani (the club's “import”) at close quarters! What's more, I even played for Jolly Rovers when I had not yet reached my teens. Much against my father's wishes my uncle insisted on drafting me in. The match was against Nungambakkam Cricket Club on the Vivekananda College Ground. Jolly Rovers won easily. I was not required to bat, but much to surprise all round I managed to cling on to a mis-hit at point. I heard later that the batsman had quite confidently predicted that the kid would drop it.
As the official “scorer” for the club, I have witnessed several thrilling matches. None better than the encounter with State Bank of India A on the Marina Ground in the season of 1964-65. Jolly Rovers made 76 and State Bank 75 of which Habib Ahmed made 39.
After stints with Bunts and MCC, I played for Jolly Rovers under the captaincy of M Sriram in the seasons of 1979-80 and 1980-81. Midway through the latter season we were very much in contention for the top spot but our performance faded away in the second half. Whether we were doing well or badly, Sankar was always there to watch, from the shade at the University Union.
I am proud to have been associated with the club and I wish Jolly Rovers and its administrators many more years of yeoman service to this great game of cricket.
(K Balaji is Managing Director, Kasturi & Sons, publishers of The Hindu, and a former Ranji Trophy player).