Jammu: “A large number of officers & jawans of JKP have sacrificed their lives for the sovereignty and integrity of the nation; people are feeling safe & secure due to the sacrifices of JKP/SFs martyrs.” This was stated by Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh at the closing ceremony of the 11th edition of Police Martyrs Memorial Cricket Tournament at Kathua Sports Stadium today, where Haryana Cricket Academy emerged champion of the tournament beating Vicky 11 Pathankot by 29 runs.
On his arrival, DGP and ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh laid floral wreaths in the martyrs’ gallery and lit the lamp to pay homage to the brave martyrs. Other dignitaries and families of martyrs and citizens also paid floral tributes to the martyrs on the occasion.
DIG JSK Range Shakti Pathak, AIG Welfare PHQ Dr. Abhishek Mahajan, SSP Samba Benam Tosh, Commandant IRP 19th Bn. Dr. Koshal Kumar, Principal Police Training School Kathua, Roop Lal Bhagat, SSP Kathua Shivdeep Singh, Shaheed Welfare Committee Kahtua Patron, Dr Jatinder Singh, President Ravinder Singh Salathia, General Secretary Rakesh Singh Sumbria, and members, families of martyrs and officials of civil administration as well as large gathering witnessed the final match and the closing ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, DGP appreciated the efforts of Kathua Police and said that events like Cricket and Marathon organised in Kathua has gained popularity across the nation. He appreciated the role of the Shaheed Welfare Committee Kathua in organizing the tournament on this scale. Remembering the revolutionary freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, and Sukhdev, DGP said that today’s final match of the T20 Police Martyrs Memorial tournament coincided with the martyrs day of the great sons of the nation who gave ultimate sacrifices of their lives at a young age for the freedom of our Nation. Paying tributes to the martyrs of J&K Police, DGP appreciated and thanked families of martyrs and people for being a regular part of the event. He hoped and prayed that the bond between Police pariwar and people would grow stronger in the future as well.
DGP said that it feels good to know that the event was being telecasted live on YouTube and other social media channels. Referring to the Jammu Kashmir Police’s war against drugs, DGP said that it is incomplete without the support of youth and the public. He emphasized that sportspersons are role models as they encourage others to be part of positive activities and send a message to stay away from drugs.
DGP congratulated the winners of the 11th edition of the tournament Haryana Cricket Academy team and also congratulated the runner up Vicky 11 Pathankot team. He distributed trophies and mementos among the winners.
Later, while speaking to the media persons, DGP said that J&K Police along with Shaheed Welfare Committee Kathua and other supporters jointly organises this event in memory of the martyrs and to pay them rich tributes.
ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh in his address thanked the DGP J&K for providing continuous support for organizing these tournaments and other sports activities. Extending his greetings on the occasion of Narvratra and Ramzan, ADGP Jammu said that all religious festivals should be celebrated together promoting harmony and brotherhood. He congratulated the participating teams, sponsors, and people of Kathua for making the event a grand success.
Earlier, SSP Kathua Shivdeep Singh Jamwal in his welcome address thanked all other dignitaries, sponsors, and spectators for making the closing ceremony a grand success and gave a brief of the tournament and other sports initiatives which were taken by the District Police Kathua during the Year 2022-23. He also thanked all the participating teams, Kathua Police personnel, media, and partner associates for covering the 11th Police martyrs tournament.
Pertinent to mention that the 11th edition of the Police Martyrs Memorial Tournament league matches was inaugurated by the DGP J&K on 19th December 2022. During the tournament 31 matches including league, quarter-final, semi-final, and final were played. In total, sixteen teams participated in the championship. Today’s Final match was played between Vicky XI Pathankot & Haryana Cricket Club Academy. After winning the toss, Haryana Cricket Club Academy decided to bat first. While Batting first, Haryana Cricket Academy scored 125 runs in 20 overs for the loss of 07 wickets in which Jasmeet Nain scored 57 runs in 49 balls with 07 boundaries and Vipun scored 33 runs in 32 balls with 03 boundaries & a six.
While chasing the target of 126 runs, Vicky XI Pathankot was unable to chase down the said target and got all out on 96 runs in just 19.4 overs. Jasmeet Nain of Haryana Cricket Academy was declared the Man of the Match. He was awarded a cash prize of Rs.21,000/- along with the trophy. The title of “Player of Tournament” was won by Surinder Sandhu (Vicky XI Pathankot) who scored 110 runs and clinched 11 wickets in the tournament and was awarded “Maruti Car Alto 800”.
Sahil Dull (Haryana Cricket Academy) was declared the Best Bowler who took 15 wickets and remained the most economical bowler and Dhruv Singh (Sabhi XI Cricket Club) was declared the Best Batsman who scored 238 runs in the tournament; both were awarded “Motor Bikes” for their splendid performance.
The Winning Team, Haryana Cricket Academy lifted the Championship trophy and was awarded a cash prize of rupees 3.50 lakh whereas Runner up team was given a cash prize of rupees 2.50 lakh.
