Maharajah appears at Sportsman’s Club
Published:
A TREASURED statue which is the Aberdeenshire Cricket Association president’s symbol of office has been found 15 years after it went missing.
The 18 inch statue, known as the Maharajah, shows a gilded figure of a turbaned batsman executing a sweep shot on one knee.
The statue is one of a pair presented by former Aberdeenshire player Kailash Gattani, when he brought an Air India team to Aberdeen during the Association’s Centenary season in 1985. The other statue remains at Mannofield
Lost since 1993, the trophy has been tracked down during a clear-out at the Sportsman’s Club in Queens Road.
The statue will be brought up to date with the names of the association Presidents since 1993 before being passed on to the current incumbent, John Hitchen of Crathie.
ACA honorary secretary David Jones said: “It is nice to have the trophy back in good time for the 125th anniversary of the foundation of the Association, which occurs in October 2009.
“The last president whose name is engraved on it is Andrew Shinie. His successor, Bill Low of Westburn, was posted by the Civil Service to Northern Ireland I believe in the middle of his term of office.
“We assume he must have left it at the Sportsman’s Club on one of his visits there, just before he moved away from the area.”
President John Hitchen will be able to use the Maharajah again in an official capacity in the near future.
Jones said: “Although the inscription refers to it as a trophy presented to the association on the occasion of its centenary, we already had a full range of cups and the association management committee decided it should act as a symbol of the president’s office.
“Traditionally it was placed in front of him at official dinners.”
The International Cricket Council delayed its decision in Dubai, yesterday, on whether to ban Zimbabwe from international cricket until today. At least seven of the 10 members of the ICC board meeting would need to support Zimbabwe’s expulsion for their full member status to be removed. But Zimbabwe have a vote and if India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka back them the proposal would be defeated.
If Zimbabwe are not banned that will throw next summer’s World Twenty20 tournament, scheduled to be held in England, into chaos.
