How a Facebook quiz won this Mumbai ex-cricketer his MCA pension

Vilas Godbole PicAshish RajeCan a quiz propel a cricketer into a pension scheme Before you utter what sort of a question is that let me tell you that this is possible Last week Vilas Godbole a Mumbaibased opening batsman who played his best cricket in the 1960s received his pension from the Mumbai Cricket Association MCA after discovering that he was a firstclass player through a quiz I conduct on Facebook every FridayVilas Godbole 76 was enjoying a pleasant November evening last year when he learnt that he was part of an answer to my weekly quiz on Facebook I had asked users to identify three out of four Indian firstclass cricketers from a group photograph of the 1980 MCA managing committee that spearheaded the associations golden jubilee celebrationsVilas Godbole at Shivaji Park yesterday PicAshish RajeFive respondents to the quiz got all four cricketers right Polly Umrigar Naren Tamhane Sharad Diwadkar and Vilas Godbole while 12 identified three players which was enough to be considered winners of the weekly quiz I post every FridayI was aware of Godbole playing in a firstclass fixture for Bombay against Ceylon at the Brabourne Stadium in 1965 On November 10 2017 Godbole was informed by his sons Kedar and Kaushik about the quiz and how he could consider himself a Mumbai firstclass player even though he did not represent the city in the Ranji Trophy Meanwhile cricket consultant Makarand Waingankar PhD in Mumbai cricket urged Godbole to write to the BCCI for a firstclass endorsementProf Ratnakar Shetty then the BCCIs General Manager game development forwarded Godboles query to the Boards statistician Dinar Gupte who confirmed the January 810 1965 game was indeed a firstclass fixture in which Godbole hit the first ball he received for a six off Sri Lankan pacer Norton Fredrick He was dismissed by the same bowler for 15 in his only innings of the gameIn January this year Godbole dashed off a letter to then MCA president Ashish Shelar requesting him to consider him for the MCAs monthly pension scheme which would earn him Rs 20000 with retrospective effect The MCA agreed to his request saying he would benefit from the pension but didnt mention anything about the arrearsPension reflects in accountLast week Godboles bank account reflected pension amounts for the first five months of this year I never considered myself a firstclass cricketer I was thrilled when the BCCI confirmed that I am a firstclass player because I missed out on a chance to play the Ranji Trophy for BombayI was in the reserves for three games It was very difficult to get into that Bombay side remarked Godbole with a lump in his throat Around 12 years ago the MCA started paying Rs 10000 per month to all over55 Mumbai cricketers who had played between 1 to 24 firstclass matches The amount was increased to Rs 20000 per month in 2014 If the MCA agrees to Godboles request for the pension to be paid from retrospective effect he would stand to gain anything between Rs 15 to 20 lakhPay arrears MCAThe MCA must pay his arrears Its not Godboles fault He has served as a player administrator and a coach said Waingankar In order to receive his arrears Godbole has sought an appointment with retired SC judge Hemant Gokhale one of the two judges appointed by the Bombay High Court to run the MCA till it conducts its elections as per reforms charted by the Lodha panelAlso ReadClayton Murzello AB And The Art Of Saying GoodbyeCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates