When cricket grips you early on
FOR a sportsman, competing in a professional arena is the pinnacle but Jason Sathiaseelan took it a few steps further by forming a club at just 21.
Sathiaseelan, 52, began playing cricket on the roadside of his home in Crossmoor, Chatsworth, at the age of 12 and when he formed the club, he asked his friends to join.
“I initially named it Manchester Sporting as a tribute to the soccer club Manchester United but we later renamed it Chatsworth Sporting, to better represent the community.
“Back then, there were too many clubs in the area, so I convened a meeting with all the cricket clubs in Chatsworth and Apollo Cricket Club agreed to a merger and thus the name changed.” He said with the little money he had saved as an assistant accountant, he bought whatever equipment he could. This included bats, balls and helmets. “That was enough to start us off.”
The opening bowler said his team won five district leagues from 1994 to 1998. His fondest memory was of taking five wickets against Montford United in 1992 at the 515 grounds in Chatsworth. “We ended up winning the match by 10 wickets after we bowled them out for a mere 45.”
He stopped playing in 2002 and took the helm as club president, a post he still holds.
Inspired by the Model C school leagues, Sathiaseelan formed the Chatsworth Sporting Schools League in the same year.
“Eight schools joined this league and by the second year, it increased to 16 and then 43.”
The schools league, however, closed in 2012.
He said his proudest moment was when former club players Jonathan Vandiar and Cody Chetty moved through the ranks to play for the Titans and the Dolphins, respectively.
Sathiaseelan was an assistant accountant but resigned three years ago to take up the post of KZN Inland Cricket Services manager.
His two sons, Leo, 19, and Breyton, 18, are coaches at the club.
Chatsworth Sporting has 15 teams with players ranging in age from nine to 19 years.