21 teams for Under-15 National TWENTY20 Cricket

Chandigarh, Oct 25 (UNI) With a view to provide regular competitions to players and 'non-stop' entertainment to the cricket crazy spectators, the Chandigarh Twenty20 Cricket Association is organising the National Twenty20 Cricket Championship for Under-15 from October 26 to 30 at three venues of the 'City Beautiful'.

The National Championship is being conducted under the patronage of the Association of Twenty20 Cricket (India), and the Chandigarh Olympic Association has granted permission to conduct the competition and use the banner of the apex sports body of Chandigarh.

Addressing newsmen at the Chandigarh Press Club here today, Organising Committee chairman ID Kamboj, who is also president of the ATC (India) said that teams from 20 States and Union Territories and an ATC XI would compete in the popular slam-bang version of the game.

The teams have been divided into seven pools and the leaders of each group will qualify for knock out quarter-finals. The best losers team in all groups will join the group qualifiers in the knock out stage.

Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu (group A), Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Pondicherry (group B), Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan (group C), Hyderabad, Delhi, Vidarbha (group D), Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka (group E), Dadar Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh, Jharkhand (group F) and Mumbai, Association of Twenty20 Cricket and Goa (group G) have entered into the fray.

The matches will be played at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium, Punjab Engineering College in Sector 12 and DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8.

Replying to a question, Mr Kamboj said ''ATC (India) is an independent registered body to promote twenty20 cricket from the grass root level. We are not competing with any one. We are making sincere efforts to promote and encourage this game from mini to senior section.'' UNI