A unique Under-16 T20 Cricket Series for Marginalised Students from Government-aided Schools in Delhi
INDIACSR News Network
NEW DELHI: Kapil Dev, Former Indian Cricket Team Captain, felicitated the winners of the Paul George Memorial Tournament recently. The tournament was organised by Muthoot Group, one of India’s largest financial groups, at St. George’s School in Alaknanda, New Delhi.
Present at the finale were Mr. M.G George Muthoot (Chairman, Muthoot Group), Dr. Sara George Muthoot (Principal, St. George’s School), Mr. Alexander George Muthoot (Director, Muthoot Group), Mrs. Mihika Mathew Alexander (Vice President-Operations, St. George’s School), cricket coach Udey Gupte, Ms. Ritu Sidana (Administrator – Sports Academy), Muthoot officials, St. George’s School teachers, students and other dignitaries.
The 14 day U-16 T-20 cricket tournament that ended yesterday saw a feisty performance by Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar who beat DAV School, Pusa Road by 46 runs. Best Batsman was awarded to Master Vishal Singh of Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar (333 runs), Best Bowler award went to Master Harshit Tiwari of Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar (13 Wickets) and Best All Rounder was conferred to Master Sanjit Tushid of DAV Pusa Road (301 Runs & 15 Wickets).
Other highlights of the tournament include hat-tricks scored by Master Harshit Tiwary (Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar), Master Robin (Harcourt Butler Senior Secondary School, Mandir Marg), Master Md Sartaj (Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School, Tuglakabad-2), Master Vishal (Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar), Master Haider (Govt. Boys Sr. Sec. School, Bhajanpura). Two students – Master Vishal Singh (Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar) and Master Sanjeet Tushid from D.A.V. Pusa road scored century’s. Schools who scored over 200 runs in the tournament include Harcourt Butler Senior Secondary School (207), Navyug School (215), D.A.V. Pusa road (257).
Speaking on the occasion Alexander George Muthoot, Director, Muthoot Group said: “I am extremely proud that PGMT – the flagship CSR initiative of our group’s ‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’ programme, has been gaining strength year on year in nurturing young sporting talent, particularly benefiting marginalised children. I heartily congratulate the winning team and its coach for their impressive show of talent in this fiercely competitive tournament. I am moved to see the enthusiasm and competitive spirit of the other teams that raised the bar for the winners and made the tournament thoroughly enjoyable for the audience.”
“It is further overwhelming to know that the schools who had participated last year played with a renewed vigour this year to compete for the tournament cup. We are assertive that with our Academy’s training, these students will rise to the occasion of becoming the next champions of the country. I hope all the teams carry back with them this experience, this spirit of sportsmanship and this commitment to create new benchmarks for the next season,” adds Alexander George Muthoot.
The winning team was awarded with the winner’s trophy and cash prize of Rs 50,000. The runner up team was also awarded with a trophy and cash prize of Rs 25,000. One best player from each of the 16 school teams was awarded an educational scholarship of Rs 10,000 and an opportunity of free coaching at St. George’s Sports Academy for a year. Other awards include 14 Man of the Matches and Certificates to all participants.
Started in 2012, PGMT was constituted in the memory of Late Paul M George, Executive Director, Muthoot Group who was an avid sportsman with a zeal to encourage sporting talent amongst Indian youth, especially marginalised children. The tournament has been designed as a sports platform for the government-aided school students to showcase their passion and develop their talents on the Cricket field. In its second year, the exciting under-16 Twenty 20 cricketing extravaganza has already doubled its scale from 128 students from 8 Delhi Government-aided schools last year to 256 students from 16 Delhi Government-aided schools this year.
The Muthoot Group’s business origins can be traced back to 1887 when it started as a small trading business enterprise in Kozhencherry, a remote village in the state of Kerala. The company, under the leadership of its key management – Shri M.G. George Muthoot (Chairman), Shri George Alexander Muthoot (Managing Director), Shri George Thomas Muthoot (Jt. Managing Director) and George Jacob Muthoot (Jt. Managing Director) has broadened its scale and widened its geographic scope of retail operations. Today, The Muthoot Group is a diversified business conglomerate that has been serving the nation for over 126 years. The formidable business empire comprises of 16 divisions including Financial Services, Healthcare, Travel Services, Plantations & Estates, Power Generation, Education, Media, Housing & Infrastructure, Leisure & Hospitality, Precious Metals, Information Technology, Vehicle & Asset Finance, Securities, Foreign Exchange, Money Transfer and Wealth Management. The Group has spread its wings internationally with Muthoot Global too. Headquartered in Kochi and having its Corporate Office in New Delhi, the company has a dominant presence in over 21 states & 4 Union Territories of India. It also has its presence in USA, UK and UAE too.
Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’
The Muthoot Group reinforces its social commitment through a number of CSR initiatives in domains like education, healthcare, socio-economic development of the poor and underprivileged among others. It has a clear social purpose – to make significant contributions towards an equitable and sustainable society.
Aligned to its core values, The Muthoot Group launched a strategic approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by introducing ‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’ programme. The launch of this flagship initiative is aimed at achieving sustainable and continuous impact of its CSR activities, under the umbrella theme of ‘Muthoot Haathi Mera Saathi’. The campaign title is derived from The Muthoot Group’s logo. It’s a reflection of the group’s efforts in empowering the lesser privileged section of the society since its inception. The initiative is aimed towards education, healthcare, environment and social issues.