ShakeChilly Cricket Tournament: News (Sneak preview)

The ShakeChilly team of Kazim, Venkat, and Ranga organised a six-a-side cricket tournament at the MCHground in Hyderabad on 13 April 2008 as part of the nation-wide launch plan of the portal. It was an unusual scene for the regular onlookers of proceedings at the MCH ground as there was a lot of colour and intensity this time. A total of 8 teams participated in the tournament and all 8 teams were given ShakeChilly T-shirts of different colours to wear. The winner of the tournament was awarded a cash prize and there were consolation prizes for the runner up
The response to the tournament was so good that Masood Nasser, the ShakeChilly founder, promised to make it a monthly feature. No sooner did he say that, enthusiasts began coming up with suggestions for improvement. One of the more important suggestions was to increase the number of players per team as that would make the matches more interesting. Masood showed appreciation for the suggestions but he must have surely considered that more players per team mean longer matches and a tournament that could stretch over a couple of days. However, ShakeChilly being what it is, a portal for the man on the street, as well as the suits in Manhattan, a longer event will be a winner.
The fitness-crazy Masood himself took part in the game in between shuttling to and fro from his painting exhibition, causing some spectacular saves and horrible misses as a keeper. The occasion was also made special by the participation of Mr hari, a very well respected name in Hyderabad cricket. A man who guided V.V.S laxman in his formative years. Venkat’s knock was the highlight of the tournament, a spectacular 42 in a failing cause that was a treat to watch.

If the idea of taking ShakeChilly to the grassroots was the intention then there is no doubt that this cricket tournament delivered the goods. It is also a trendsetter in the sense that a decision has already been taken about making the ShakeChilly cricket tournament a monthly feature. In fact Kazim, Masood, Venkat, and Abdul are so impressed with the outcome of the tournament that they are considering organising other backyard game tournaments as well. Update: A Gilli danda tournament in Charminar and a Mixed team cricket tournament at the Gymkhana have already been initiated.
The primary objective of arousing curiosity about ShakeChilly has been achieved quite satisfactorily. Already there are questions like "what is ShakeChilly all about?" and "what is the meaning of ShakeChilly?" Masood’s answer to the first query is that ShakeChilly is a site that the man on the street can earn from, and the suit in Manhattan can identify with. To the second query his answer was, anybody who knew the meaning of Google and Yahoo would invariably know the meaning of ShakeChilly. There were approving smiles of understanding from the knowledgeable participants comprising a wide age spectrum. From the 50+ sportsman to the 14 plus enthusiast