An event of considerable sporting importance took place this evening when Lord Brabourne, Governor of Bombay, laid the foundation-stone of the Cricket Club of India’s Club House and Sports Stadium on the newly reclaimed land at Church Gate in the presence of a large cosmopolitan gathering.

“I declare this foundation stone well and truly laid, and I wish this Stadium to be the centre of cricket in India for many generations to come,” said his Excellency, after laying the foundation stone. Lady Brabourne then broke customary bottle of champagne amidst cheers.

The Maharaja of Patiala, President of the Cricket Clue of India, was not present owing to illness – and his speech was read by the Maharaja of Porbunder. The Maharaja of Patiala traced the history of the Club’s efforts to raise such a national institution, which might fill the place of one M. C. C. in Indian Cricket and said there could be no better name for the new structure than that of “Brabourne Stadium,” which would perpetuate a name which embodied line sportsmanship.

Several messages of good wishes were received including one from Lord Linlithgow, another from Lord Somer, President of the M. C. C., a third from Mr. Findlay, Secretary, of the M. C. C. and the Boards Control of Australia and South Africa.

Patiala’s Speech

Not long ago, said the Maharaja of Patiala, sport was considered in India “as a means of pleasant recreation and its vital value in national life was not realised till recently. Naturally, they had fallen behind other countries of the world not by way of material, of which they had in abundance, out in adequate provision for healthy recreation. The two things most needed in India were more playing grounds and efficient coaches. Then he visualized how within a short space of eighteen months the proposed Club House and Sports Stadium would spring up in and around the grounds they were seated on and be an international arena of Cricket and a fitting tribute to the first city in India and to her unbounded enthusiasm for that great game.

He expressed deep gratitude to Lord Brabourne for the large share he had taken in the materialization of the project.

Describing the scheme, he said there will be a three storeyen club house of the most modern design, providing accommodation for about 2,000 members. There will be in the Club House 30 residential rooms, beautiful lohng, dining room, billiard and card rooms, committee and dressing rooms. On each side of the main pavilion will be a small pavilion one for the use of the Governor of Bombay and the other for himself. There will be a swimming pool of the Olympic Standard and Squash Raquel courts. There will also be a centre court for tennis, in addition to about half a dozen hard grass courts.

The accommodation around the centre court would be for 3,500 spectators.

The Stadium was calculated to hold about 40,000 spectators and will be a permanent structure with every convenience, including an electric score-board and synchronized clocks.

In short they will be endeavouring to provide the best of everything and no efforts will be spared to make it second to none in the world.

Then, he referred to the large donations received and thanked all donors. An area of 84,000 square yards will be occupied by the proposed Club House and Stadium. It deserved a distinctive name and there could be no better name than “Brabourne Stadium.”

Lord Brabourne’s Speech

Lord Brabourne said he had hoped it would be possible for Lord Willingdon to lay the foundation-stone before he sailed.

He accepted, with pleasure the suggestion that the stadium should be named after him, and assured that he would watch its fortunes with the greatest interest for the rest of his life.

The Cricket Club of India had selected what must be one of the finest sites in India for their ground and he looked, forward to the day when it would become the very home of Indian Cricket, as Lord’s is the real centre of Cricket in England. He hoped the stadium would go some way to meet the need for more grounds and would play a great part in meeting the need for efficient coaches. No first-class Cricket ground was complete without a first-class coaching staff and the existence of one he was sure, would lead to an early demand for others. When this happened, the outlook for Indian Cricket would indeed, be bright, because there was unlimited talent available throughout the country.

The impetus which the new venture would give to Indian Cricket would also extend to Indian Lawn Tennis in both of which only lack of coaching and lack of practice was holding India back from gaining world-wide triumphs. The whole stand on the western side would be available for leading Gymkhanas, namely, the Bombay Hindu, Islam and Parsee, Gymkhanas and the Bombay Cricket Association, the latter of whom had been offered and had accepted 6,000 seats. As regards the Gymkhanas, it had not been possible to evolve a scheme agreeable to all parties. The Bombay Gymkhana had been offered and had accepted 2,000 seats, but there were differences of opinion among other Gymkhanas as to the division of the remaining seats. The Cricket Club of India had therefore decided to continue the treatment which had always been given to these three Gymkhanas on the Esplanade Maidan, namely, to allot each of them equal frontage and at a meeting last night it is decided Ito give them 2,000 seats each. He appealed earnestly to the committees and members of the Gymkhanas to accept this offer without further delay.

He thanked the Maharaja of Patiala and others who had done and were doing so much were in making the scheme from a dream to a reality. He paid a tribute to Mr. De Mello, who had done, and was so much doing in the interests of Indian Cricket and this Stadium which but for his untiring efforts would not have materialized. He paid also a tribute to Lord Lloyd whose Backbay Reclamation scheme has enabled them to have the stadium on a fine ground. He uttered a word of good wishes and encouragement to the Indian Eleven now touring England. He would inform them about the progress of the Stadium scheme and would tell them that they were all looking forward to seeing them, India’s Cricket Ambassadors scoring their centuries and taking their cheap wickets on this ground in the near future.