Anthony de Mello (cricket administrator)
Encyclopedia
Anthony Stanislaus de Mello (11 October 1900, Karachi
, British India
– 24 May 1961, Delhi
, India
) was an Indian cricket
administrator and one of the founders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
.
community. Born in Karachi, he was educated in St. Patrick's High School, Sind College and Downing College in Cambridge. He started his career in the services of the businessman R. E. Grant Govan
in Delhi, and with whom he collaborated in founding the BCCI.
, the captain of the visiting MCC
team, De Mello, Grant Govan and the Maharaja of Patiala
. The decision to form the board was taken at another meeting held at the same place on November 22, 1927 attended by representatives of various provinces and princely states. De Mello travelled with Grant Govan to England to organise tours of India by South Africa in 1929 and MCC in 1930-31. Both tours were eventually cancelled but the BCCI was formally founded at the Roshanara Club in December 1928 with Grant Govan as the first President and De Mello the Secretary. They represented India in the Imperial Cricket Conference
in May 1929.
De Mello, with Grant Govan, was also instrumental in founding the Cricket Club of India
(CCI). As for BCCI, De Mello served as the founder secretary. Delhi was planned as the headquarters and location of the ground for the club, but it was eventually set up in Bombay (now Mumbai
). Guha considers this as an attempt on the part of De Mello and Grant Govan to shift the headquarters of cricket in India from Bombay, but the book brought out by the CCI for the Golden Jubilee of the Brabourne Stadium
attributes this to the non-availability of land in Bombay. But it does seem that De Mello played a prominent role in selecting the site and convincing Lord Brabourne, the Governor of Bombay, to allot the land for the stadium at a cheap rate.
De Mello served as the Secretary of BCCI from 1928-29 to 1937-38 and President from 1946-47 to 1950-51. In the meeting of the cricket board in Simla
in the summer of 1934, De Mello submitted the proposal for the national championship and a sketch of the proposed trophy which became the Ranji Trophy
. He was the organising secretary of the first Asian Games
at Delhi
in 1951. As the General Manager of the Gwalior and Northern India Transport System, he helped to modernise Delhi's transport system. He also headed the Jumna Valley Rail and Road Transport Company.
De Mello courted controversy later in his career (in 1951, reviewing his time as the BCCI President, The Times of India
called him a 'dictator'). His tenure as the President of BCCI ended with a defeat to J. C. Mukherjee, the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal, by 12 votes to 5, in the Board meeting held at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi on 1951-08-05. He had not been in good terms with the Bengal association for some time. When in 1949, De Mello came up with serious allegations against the Indian captain Lala Amarnath
, the 'Bengal lobby' had strongly supported Amarnath. Amarnath threatened to sue the board for one lakh rupees but the matter had then been settled with Amarnath tendering a qualified apology to the board. De Mello made another attempt at the presidency in 1952 but withdrew on finding that his chances were slim.
De Mello's cricket career as a medium pace bowler was rather inconspicuous. Duleepsinhji once dismissed him as one 'who thinks he is a bowler but has never found anyone to agree with him on that point' His greatest success as a bowler came for a Rest of India team against the Vizzy XI in 1930-31 where took the wickets of Jack Hobbs
, Herbert Sutcliffe
and C. K. Nayudu
. De Mello captained the first 'Rest' team in the Bombay Pentangular
.
De Mello died following a cancer operation. He was buried in York Cemetery
in New Delhi
. He authored the book Portrait of Indian Sport which was published in 1959.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, British India
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
– 24 May 1961, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) was an Indian cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
administrator and one of the founders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
.
Background
De Mello belonged to the Anglo-IndianAnglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
community. Born in Karachi, he was educated in St. Patrick's High School, Sind College and Downing College in Cambridge. He started his career in the services of the businessman R. E. Grant Govan
R. E. Grant Govan
R.E. Grant Govan, CBE was a Delhi based British industrialist. He was the Managing Director of Govan Bros. Ltd., a leading business house of the time. The company was managing agents for a number of industrial enterprises...
in Delhi, and with whom he collaborated in founding the BCCI.
Career
The BCCI had it origins in a meeting in February 1927 at the Roshanara Club in Delhi between Arthur GilliganArthur Gilligan
Arthur Edward Robert Gilligan was an English cricketer who played for Cambridge University, Sussex, Surrey and England....
, the captain of the visiting MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
team, De Mello, Grant Govan and the Maharaja of Patiala
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh
Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, GCSI, GCIE, GCVO, GBE was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Patiala from 1900 to 1938.- Biography :...
. The decision to form the board was taken at another meeting held at the same place on November 22, 1927 attended by representatives of various provinces and princely states. De Mello travelled with Grant Govan to England to organise tours of India by South Africa in 1929 and MCC in 1930-31. Both tours were eventually cancelled but the BCCI was formally founded at the Roshanara Club in December 1928 with Grant Govan as the first President and De Mello the Secretary. They represented India in the Imperial Cricket Conference
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
in May 1929.
De Mello, with Grant Govan, was also instrumental in founding the Cricket Club of India
Cricket Club of India
Cricket Club of India is located on Dinsha Wacha Road, near Churchgate in Mumbai, India. It is one of the oldest and most well known cricket clubs in India...
(CCI). As for BCCI, De Mello served as the founder secretary. Delhi was planned as the headquarters and location of the ground for the club, but it was eventually set up in Bombay (now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
). Guha considers this as an attempt on the part of De Mello and Grant Govan to shift the headquarters of cricket in India from Bombay, but the book brought out by the CCI for the Golden Jubilee of the Brabourne Stadium
Brabourne Stadium
The Brabourne Stadium is a cricket ground in the Indian city of Mumbai. It is located on 90,000 square yards of reclaimed land along Marine Drive near Churchgate railway station in South Mumbai. The stadium is owned by the Cricket Club of India . Brabourne Stadium is India's first permanent...
attributes this to the non-availability of land in Bombay. But it does seem that De Mello played a prominent role in selecting the site and convincing Lord Brabourne, the Governor of Bombay, to allot the land for the stadium at a cheap rate.
De Mello served as the Secretary of BCCI from 1928-29 to 1937-38 and President from 1946-47 to 1950-51. In the meeting of the cricket board in Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
in the summer of 1934, De Mello submitted the proposal for the national championship and a sketch of the proposed trophy which became the Ranji Trophy
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
. He was the organising secretary of the first Asian Games
1951 Asian Games
The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad by the president of the organising committee Anthony de Mello...
at Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
in 1951. As the General Manager of the Gwalior and Northern India Transport System, he helped to modernise Delhi's transport system. He also headed the Jumna Valley Rail and Road Transport Company.
De Mello courted controversy later in his career (in 1951, reviewing his time as the BCCI President, The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
called him a 'dictator'). His tenure as the President of BCCI ended with a defeat to J. C. Mukherjee, the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal, by 12 votes to 5, in the Board meeting held at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi on 1951-08-05. He had not been in good terms with the Bengal association for some time. When in 1949, De Mello came up with serious allegations against the Indian captain Lala Amarnath
Lala Amarnath
Nanik Amarnath Bhardwaj was an Indian Test cricketer. He was the first cricketer to score a Test century for the Indian cricket team, which he achieved on debut...
, the 'Bengal lobby' had strongly supported Amarnath. Amarnath threatened to sue the board for one lakh rupees but the matter had then been settled with Amarnath tendering a qualified apology to the board. De Mello made another attempt at the presidency in 1952 but withdrew on finding that his chances were slim.
De Mello's cricket career as a medium pace bowler was rather inconspicuous. Duleepsinhji once dismissed him as one 'who thinks he is a bowler but has never found anyone to agree with him on that point' His greatest success as a bowler came for a Rest of India team against the Vizzy XI in 1930-31 where took the wickets of Jack Hobbs
Jack Hobbs
Sir John Berry "Jack" Hobbs was an English professional cricketer who played for Surrey from 1905 to 1934 and for England in 61 Test matches from 1908 to 1930....
, Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe
Herbert Sutcliffe was an English professional cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England as an opening batsman. Apart from one match in 1945, his first-class career spanned the period between the two World Wars...
and C. K. Nayudu
C. K. Nayudu
Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu , also known as CK, was an Indian cricketer who served as India's first Test captain. He was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra and died in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He played first-class cricket regularly till 1958, and returned for one last time in 1963 at the age of 68...
. De Mello captained the first 'Rest' team in the Bombay Pentangular
Bombay Quadrangular
The Bombay Quadrangular was an influential cricket tournament held in Bombay, India from 1912 to 1936. At other times it was known variously as the Presidency Match, Bombay Triangular, and the Bombay Pentangular....
.
De Mello died following a cancer operation. He was buried in York Cemetery
York Cemetery, New Delhi
York Cemetery or York Qabristan is an Anglo-Indian cemetery located in New Delhi, India.-Notable interments:...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. He authored the book Portrait of Indian Sport which was published in 1959.