Tennis legends inaugurate new complex; Saikia gets CCFC honorary membership

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: Guwahati witnessed a landmark sporting moment on Saturday as two icons of world tennis came together to script a new chapter in Assam’s tennis journey. Former French Open champion Tony Roche and Indian tennis legend Jaidip Mukerjea visited the city to lay the foundation stone of the upcoming 91 Yards’ Club Tennis Complex, which will be constructed on the plot adjacent to the ACA Stadium.

The 91 Yards’ Club, established only a few years ago, has already emerged as one of the top-performing sports clubs in Guwahati. After making its mark across various disciplines, the club has now taken a significant step toward promoting tennis in the state by initiating the development of a state-of-the-art tennis facility.

The foundation stone-laying ceremony was held this evening, with Roche and Mukerjea joining Devajit Saikia, secretary of the 91 Yards’ Club and also the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Both legendary players showed keen interest in the proposed tennis academy and offered key suggestions to Saikia to help shape it into one of the premier tennis facilities in the country.

The proposed ultra-modern complex at Barsapara will feature four tennis courts, a changing room, and several other support facilities. Construction is expected to be completed within the next eight months.

Later in the evening, the 91 Yards’ Club felicitated both Roche and Mukerjea in a special function held at the club premises. The event was also attended by Saurav Chatterjee, president of the Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC). On this occasion, a reciprocal agreement between CC&FC and the 91 Yards’ Club was signed to strengthen sporting collaboration between the two institutions.

In a rare honour, CC&FC -the oldest sports club in India - conferred honorary membership on Devajit Saikia for his outstanding contribution to sports. Several sporting legends, including Sunil Gavaskar and former England football manager Gareth Southgate, are also among the distinguished honorary members of CC&FC.

Meanwhile, the 91 Yards’ Club extended its own membership to tennis greats Tony Roche and Jaidip Mukerjee, along with Sourav Chatterjee, marking a memorable day for the club.

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