Secretary, Youth Services and Sports (YSS), Sarmad Hafeez today felicitated the winners of 5th Varmul cup played at Jhelum Sports Stadium here.Secretary of Sports Counci, Nuzhat Gull; Director of Youth Service and Sports, Subash Chander Chhibber; International cricketer, Parveez Rasool; senior officers of various government departments and large number of locals also witnessed the final match of the Varmul cup played between ACC Blues and Bradman Sopore.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarmad Hafeez lauded the efforts of all stakeholders associated with the event and encouraged the participants to work hard and chase their dreams. He appreciated the efforts of Baramulla Cricket Forum for organizing such a successful tournament and emphasized on the importance of sports in the development of youth.
Secretary, Sports Council in her address said that cricket has a huge fan following in J&K and this great game has helped in engaging youth and channelizing their energy in a positive direction. She highlighted that local lad Aquib Nabi, a prominent cricketer of the J&K senior team, has been groomed in this ground and many players will try to emulate Aquib for his talent and sportsmanship.
The Secretary further said that J&K Sports Council is running cricket academies in many parts of the union territory where our future champions are taught nuances of the great game by likes of Parveez Rasool and Abid Nabi and many will represent J&K and the country in the days to come.
During the summit clash of Varmul cup, ACC Blues defeated Bradman Sopore and earned cash prize of fifty thousand rupees with a coveted trophy. Runner up team bagged cash prize of rupees twenty-five thousand. Irfan Sadaam for his brilliant bowling was awarded man of the match while Shakir Symond of Varmul Victorians was declared man of the tournament.
The cup was organized by Baramulla Cricket Forum in association with J&K Sports Council was a massive hit among the cricket blokes of the valley, especially North Kashmir. Owing to the popularity of the tournament over the past few years, this year’s edition hosted sixty-four teams from different corners of district Baramulla and elsewhere.
During the event certificates and trophies were also distributed among participating teams and individuals.Meanwhile, on the occasion, Sarmad Hafeez along with Nuzhat Gull, and Parveez Rasool, inaugurated Baramulla Cricket Academy to provide platform for young cricketers to hone their skills and showcase their talent at the national and international levels.