The debate on when Jolly Rovers was strongest, whether in the sixties or in the eighties, or whether the present line-up, will probably never be conclusive, with the traditionalists swearing by the players of the past, and the supporters of the here and now rooting for the Mongias and Badanis and Balajis and their post-modern cricket vocabulary.
Even as some of us were waxing lyrical during a lunch room conversation over the class and consistency of the all conquering Jolly Rovers of the 1960s, came news of an unexpected visit to the Sanmar headquarters by one of the key personalities in the triumphs of the team.
P K Belliappa, stylish and dependable opening batsman and wicket keeper, who led Jolly Rovers in the league and Tamil Nadu in the national championship, now settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, had dropped in to meet Chairman Emeritus K S Narayanan, N Sankar and N Kumar. “Belli” as he is popularly known has the happiest memories of his tenure at Sanmar and the wonderful cricket he enjoyed in the company of his talented teammates. While we chatted with him, a flood of nostalgia engulfed all of us present. The deeds of Belli’s ebullient opening partner K R Rajagopal, who like Belli himself, was a wicketkeeper batsman kept out of the Indian team, Balaji Rao, the expert slip catcher, the left arm all rounder K S Vaidyanathan, whose daughter Nirupama played tennis for India, the doughty old warrior Najam Hussain, effortless P S Narayanan and elegant Bharadwaj, were all recalled.
Belli treasures the Sanmar connection. He describes the facilities and encouragement received by cricketers in the group as fabulous and the atmosphere in the dressing room and the office as most enabling and supportive. He admires the family— K S Narayanan, N Sankar and N Kumar, and now Vijay Sankar—for the fantastic contribution they have continued to make towards cricket promotion in the state. “We always had the
best of gear in our playing days. K S Narayanan would personally bring us Gunn and Moore, Gray Nicholls or Autograph bats. We knew we enjoyed the confidence of the management and always stepped on to the field in a positive frame of mind. We attracted the best of talent too, and it all made for a winning combination,” he told us.
Belli, a trim and dapper figure in his playing days, continues to look a picture of youth and fitness, despite turning sixty and retiring from his job in Canada. He is enjoying his retirement years by restoring old cars and bikes, both in Halifax and Bangalore, where his daughter is a student.
The Jolly Rovers team which won the Palayampatti Shield in 1965-66. Standing (L to R): K R Rajagopal, V Balaji Rao, A K Vijayaraghavan, K Bharadwaj, P Sampath, G Thomas and P S Narayanan. Sitting (L to R): S Venkataraghavan, P K Belliappa (Captain), A Ananthanarayan, K V R Murthy and K Ramamurthy.
Season | TNCA League | The Hindu Trophy |
1964-65 | Jolly Rovers | - |
1966-67 | Jolly Rovers | - |
1967-68 | Jolly Rovers | India Cements |
1968-69 | Jolly Rovers | - |
1969-70 | - | India Cements |
Season | TNCA League | The Hindu Trophy |
1970-71 | Jolly Rovers | India Cements |
1971-72 | Jolly Rovers | - |
1972-73 | - | India Cements |
1981-82 | - | Chemplast ‘A’ |
1982-83 | Jolly Rovers | - |
1983-84 | Jolly Rovers | Chemplast |
1986-87 | Jolly Rovers | Chemplast |
1987-88 | Chemplast ‘A | |
1990-91 | Jolly Rovers | |
1992-93 | - | Chemplast |
1999-00 | Jolly Rovers | - |
2000-01 | Jolly Rovers | - |
2001-02 | Jolly Rovers | - |
2003-04 | Jolly Rovers | - |
B Arun | Robin Singh |
Bharat Reddy | T A Sekar |
V B Chandrasekar | T E Srinivasan |
Harbhajan Singh | Sujith Somasundar |
Harvinder Singh | L Sivaramakrishnan |
Jacob Martin | S Venkataraghavan |
A Kumble | M Venkataramana |
D Mohanty | J P Yadav |
S Ramesh | T Yohanan |