Ribblesdale League: Sugwekar aims to be Harwood's century maker (28 April 1999)

28 April 1999

Sugwekar aims to be Harwood's century maker

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Great Harwood may have found the man capable of delivering their first Ribblesdale League title this century.

If pedigree is anything to go by, then Shantanu Sugwekar certainly has the credentials to turn the Cliffe Park club into the league's top dogs.

The 31-year-old right-hander has arrived in East Lancashire with a reputation as one of the most prolific run-machines in Indian cricket.

And after finishing the domestic season in his homeland with a flourish, he now has his sights on setting the Ribblesdale League alight during the summer.

Over the winter, Sugwekar scored 600 runs in just eight first-class matches.

And in the Deodhar Trophy in January - India's equivalent of the NatWest Trophy - he finished the competition as the top scorer with 248 runs from just four innings.

Now, he hopes to throw his considerable experience behind Great Harwood's title push.

And on the evidence of what he's seen so far, he believes the Cliffe Park club are definite championship material.

"We have a good, young team, full of players who are very enthusiastic and play hard to win. "Once we get into the winning habit I think we can become the best team in this league.

"And with the youth there is in the side, the future looks very bright."

Young guns like Daniel Cheesbrough and Alan Armer already form the backbone of a potentially explosive top order.

And if Sugwekar can add that extra bit of experience, then Harwood are sure to be a force to be reckoned with.

Back home, he plays for state side Maharashtra as well as the West Zone.

And he also captains a company team called Mafatlal, which also features Test stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble from time to time.

But his main goal is to get into the full India side.

In 1992 he made the squad but didn't play. And even though he's now 31, he still believes that's possible and a good season with Harwood would certainly boost his chances.

"If I continue playing well you never know - I might still get a chance to play in the team.

"An impressive season over here would certainly help my cause.

"I haven't really set myself any goals because I don't know enough about the wickets yet or the strength of the other teams.

"But I'd be happy if I got 800 runs plus."

And so would Harwood, especially if it won them the title.

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (http://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)

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Players/Umpires

Shantanu Sugwekar