Ajay Shirke inaugurates Sardar Vinchurkar Pavilion after renovation

After its renovation,The Sardar Vinchurkar Pavilion was inaugurated on Monday by Ajay Shirke,president,Maharashtra Cricket Association.

After its renovation,The Sardar Vinchurkar Pavilion was inaugurated on Monday by Ajay Shirke,president,Maharashtra Cricket Association. The pavilion,located on the western side of the PYC Hindu Gymkhana grounds,was renovated keeping the original design and architecture intact.

The pavilion,constructed in 1906,has two distinct architectural styles Anglican and Victorian. The renovation work began after the club management decided to improve upon the original structure. Surendra Bhave,member of the Indian Cricket Selection Committee,said,The decision was taken as the club was expanding. With new coaching camps and more players coming in,it demanded a change.

Sanjay Kulkarni,heritage architect,was brought on board to help with the renovation work. Kumar Tamhane,secretary,PYC,said,We changed the roof tiles,the wiring and developed the internal infrastructure. There are separate bathrooms and dressing rooms for the home and visiting teams and also the umpires. Dining rooms TV rooms have also been added. The renovation work was done in the last six months. The estimated budget was between Rs 25-30 lakh. Players like Col CK Nayudu,Vijay Merchant,Vijay Hazare,Vijay Manjrekar,Sachin Tendulkar and Mushtaq Ali have all played at the ground.

Also present on the occasion were president of the PYC BL Bhave and Cricket Secretary Raju Bhalekar. We will build a library and a gallery with pictures of all players who have played here. Back in the 70s people would stand with their bicycles and watch the game being played. Now with buildings around it is not possible, Bhalekar said. A practise match between MCA Presidents XI and the PYC Presidents XI was also played on the occasion.

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