BHOPAL, 16 October 2005 — Firing the ball at 136 kmph, Moonis Ansari of Bhopal has got himself crowned the fastest bowler in the Gwalior Round of the Scorpio Speedster contest, the news reaching here have said.
The contest is a nationwide 10-city hunt for India’s fastest bowler. Mayank Gupta of Gwalior finished runner-up with a speed of 127 kmph. Ansari received a check of Rs 10,000 and an insurance policy of Rs 0.5 million from Birla Sun Life, while runner-up Mayank Gupta got a check of Rs 2,000.
Ansari will now travel to Bombay to participate in the semifinals of the contest on Nov. 20 where seven finalists will be selected. He was ecstatic on being crowned Scorpio Speedster. ‘It’s an honor to have won such a prestigious sporting title, especially in the face of such stiff competition. “I am now looking forward to the semifinal and then the finals, which is an excellent opportunity for me to develop my skills further and get more exposure to the game’, he said.
The popular nationwide event, now in a new format, would culminate with the ‘Scorpio Speedster 2005’ to be selected from the seven final contenders through India’s first reality cricket show exclusive on Channel 7.
The 2005 edition of the Scorpio Speedster’ contest generated tremendous excitement in Gwalior, as aspiring bowlers eagerly waited in serpentine queues from early morning for their chance to bowl. A total of 1,232 contenders competed at the Jiwaji University campus for sporting glory. The two-day cricketing carnival was an effort to capture the essence of India’s passion for the game.
Indian cricket stars Nayan Mongia and Ajay Jadeja also visited the venue and apart from entertaining the audience took part in other activities as well. Activities at the venue included “Face the Pace Challenge,” games and contests with exciting prizes.
The hunt for India’s fastest bowler, which began in Chandigarh on Sept. 24, has already witnessed plenty of excitement. A total of 1,852 aspirants in Chandigarh, 5,815 in Delhi, 1,312 in Jaipur and 1,232 in Gwalior have bowled their hearts out in an attempt to win the title.
Ansari (134 K/h) now joins the Jaipur round winner, Sunny Dhillon (134 K/h, the Chandigarh round winner Pawan Singh (135 k/h) and Delhi round winner Vivek Rajput (134 k/h) in the national semifinal. The ten regional winners, the three next fastest bowlers across India and the winner and runner-up of the 2004 edition would comprise the 15 semifinalists.
Top seven speedsters amongst them would form the final contenders for the title. The duel among the seven bowlers would be showcased through 13 enthralling episodes on Channel 7. The winner will be declared in the final episode and will be awarded a season’s (4 and 1/2 month) training at the MRF Pace Foundation along with a cash prize of Rs. 1 million.
