New recruits celebrate first title
BY ALEX TIGANI
Mewa Jeetarwal had a confession to make moments after his T20 premiership celebrations.
The batsman, who has joined Valley/JPC after stints in South Africa and the UK, revealed that he had never held a cricket ball until the age of 18.
Even his selection in Valley/JPC’s winning line-up was not certain until the eleventh hour.
“I was in Bali two days ago and yesterday and Daniel Storey asked can you book a flight tonight so I did,” Jeetarwal told The Hunter River Times on Saturday.
“It was very expensive but I went ahead because I wanted to play both games if we were going to make the final.
“I haven’t slept last night, went straight to the game without rest but it was a great feeling to win.”
Jeetarwal opened with 30 of his side’s 111 runs in the final before he was dismissed by Greta Branxton’s Patrick Andrews.
Coincidently, he then revved up the (already) vocal home supporters with an impressive run out of Andrews from a challenging distance in the following innings.
“I’m always focussed that the ball will come to me whenever I field so I grabbed it once in my hand and I aggressively hit the stumps,” he recalled.
“I knew from the first time I held the ball that it was going to be a run out, it is important to be confident.”
Mewa Jeetarwal was born in Jaipur, India’s tenth largest city and home of the Rajaasthan Royals (IPL side).
Yet he was not the only Indian born player in the premiership line-up.
Muswellbrook recruit Archit Bele revealed he was born in the Indian city of Wardha, the location of Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram in the 1930s.
Though the 30-year-old had already won premierships in Melbourne, he was elated after his side’s victory and believes Valley/JPC will be lifting another trophy in one month’s time.
“We have barely lost a game since Mewa and me started playing here, the club is brilliant and Isaac (Barry) is a good captain,” Bele added.
When asked for the team to beat for the remainder of the summer, Jeetarwal has picked Greta Branxton due to their batting talent while Bele is weary of Bellbird’s bowlers.