BANGALORE: It’s war time in Bangalore! Premier residential clubs in the city have called in their foot soldiers for a first-of-its-kind sporting carnival christened — Club Wars. Battling it out are some of the best sporting talents from top 10 clubs in Bangalore, in disciplines like cricket, tennis, badminton, table tennis, swimming and billiards.
Brainchild of Ahmed Abbas of HMF Sports Media Inc, Club Wars will be an annual event to be co-hosted by Indiranagar Club and the Bowring Institute. “Bangalore has changed dramatically in the last one decade with interaction between clubs being reduced to a formality. We want to ring in change and took the sports route to achieve this. We hope that Club Wars will play a role in recreating healthy revelry among all club members,” says Abbas, a n avid cricketer.
When asked what would be the USP of Club Wars, Abbas said that the event would go beyond the boundaries of sports. “Bend it like Beckham for your club and unwind with fun later. We are choreographing a grand finale with DJs, dance troupes, fire dancers, magicians and the sporting legends all confirming their attendance. An inter-club fashion show will be held during the awards night,” says Abbas. The awards night is being held at the Bowring Institute on April 21.
Inaugurating the maiden edition of Club Wars at NAL Grounds, cricketer Manish Pandey, now playing for Pune Warriors, said that the event would create fitness awareness among clubs in Bangalore. “It is great to have many sporting events under one umbrella. It helps in bringing out talents of every individual. I am sure this would be a hit seeing the professional approach being put int place for cricket alone,” Manish said.
Club Wars has drawn inspiration from cop-cum-sports enthusiast B N S Reddy. “If knowledge is priceless, then fitness and good health is evergreen. This event would increase competitive spirit among clubs and I haven’t seen such a concept in Bangalore before. We need such ideas to test our sporting quotient,” says B N S Reddy, Joint Commissioner of Police, Bangalore City and Indiranagar Club president.
Echoing his views was Sanchit Sahwney, entertainment chairman, Bowring Institute. “Club Wars is an amazing sporting platform for club members, encompassing a plethora of sporting disciplines in a keenly contested battle of skill and wits,” Sanchit said.
The ‘Champion Club’ will be determined based on the overall points accumulated in all disciplines and will be awarded a Silver Rolling Trophy. Next year, Club Wars would see teams from Hyderabad, Chennai, Kochi and Goa touching down in Bangalore — probably taking the war cry to different levels. Club Wars-I has teams from Indiranagar Club, Bowring Institute, KBA, HSR, ECA, Bangalore City Institute, Catholic Club and Domlur Club. The cricket edition of Club Wars began last week and events in other disciplines would take-off on April 9. Entries can be emailed before April 6 to: abbasred@gmail.com .