7 February, 2014
Bankers Win Charity Cricket Match
On Sunday, 2 February 2014, a charity cricket match between investment bankers and capital markets lawyers was held at the ELF Ground, Oval Maidan, Churchgate in Mumbai. The match was organized by Duane Morris & Selvam LLP to raise money for Oxfam India.
The bankers’ team had representatives from BNP Paribas, Citigroup Global Markets, Edelweiss Capital, Goldman Sachs, ICICI Securities, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, Morgan Stanley and Religare Capital Markets while the lawyers’ team had representatives from Duane Morris & Selvam, Amarchand Mangaldas, AZB & Partners, Crawford Bayley, Desai Diwanji, J Sagar Associates, Khaitan & Co. and S&R Associates.
The match is the initiative of Jamie Benson, a Singapore-based partner of Duane Morris & Selvam and the head of the firm’s India practice. This is the third charity cricket match Mr. Benson has organised in Mumbai. The first match raised money for the families of the staff killed at the Trident hotel in Mumbai in the 2008 terrorist attack and the second match raised money for the Red Cross. The first two matches were won by the lawyers. This time, the bankers’ team savoured the sweet taste of victory when they clinched their first ever win, with a score of 180 runs for 10 wickets off 22 overs, beating the lawyers’ score of 137 runs for 10 wickets off 22 overs.
Notable performers included (bankers): Sachin Wagle (Morgan Stanley) 53 not out; Amit Nayyar (Goldman Sachs) 56 not out (including three 6s) and 2-17 off 4 overs; Rohit Jain (ICICI Securities) 2-24 off 4 overs; Tripooraj Dhavale (Morgan Stanley) 3-20 off 4 overs; (lawyers): Rabindra Jhunjhunwala (Khaitan & Co) 50 not out and 4-31 off 4 overs; and Vijay Parthasarathi (Amarchand Mangaldas) 21.
Amit Nayyar of Goldman Sachs was named man of the match for his 56 not out and 2-17 off 4 overs.
Commenting on the match, Mr. Benson, the captain of the lawyers’ team, said “The match was played in very good spirits. The bankers were deserved winners. Our catching let us down, which enabled the bankers to post such a high score. Good fielding and disciplined bowling by the bankers meant that chasing 181 to win off 22 overs was too hard a task.”
The match raised approximately Rs. 200,000, including Rs. 100,000 from Duane Morris & Selvam and Rs. 50,000 from Som Sundaresan of J. Sagar Associates.
Commenting on this initiative, Mr. Benson said, “I have been doing deals in India for ten years and frequently travel to India for work. I find it rewarding to give back to the community and I really enjoy playing cricket. Through previous charity cricket matches in Mumbai, I have come to realize what a powerful tool cricket can be for bringing the community together to support worthy causes.”
Gallery (click to expand):
Jamie Benson, Duane Morris & Selvam (left) presents the Man of the Match award to Amit Nayyar, Goldman Sachs (right).
For further information, please contact:
Babita Ambekar, Duane Morris
