Maharashtra women register 25-0 win in national soccer tournament

Maharashtra beat Andaman by 25-0 in the opening match of National Women's Football Tournament (Pool-F) that started here today.

In another match, Bihar defeated Himachal by 6-0 in a one-sided match as Himachal players could not show coherence among team members. The tournament was inaugurated at Anu Stadium, near here, by Sunil Sharma Bittu, political advisor to Chief Minister and president of Himachal Pradesh Football Association. The five teams participating in this championship are Maharashtra, Bihar, Andaman and Nicobar, Himachal Pradesh and the Railways.

He said this is the first time that a tournament of this scale is being organised here. A number of students from various schools arrived to watch the matches. This would encourage them towards sports, especially football. He said only sports can help keep youth from falling prey to drugs.

Bittu said Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had started various programmes for development of sports activities in the state.

He added that a water sports centre would be established near Beas river at Nadaun at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Recently, a rafting championship was organised here to promote tourism and sports activities in the district

Mandi govt college boxing champion

Vallabh Government College, Mandi, today emerged as the overall champion in the three-day HP University Inter-College Boxing Competition held at Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Government College, Jogindernagar. SDM Krishan Kumar presided over the closing ceremony of the event.

As many as 164 players from 33 colleges across the state had participated in different categories of the competition. Government College, Bilaspur, stood second, and GB Pant Memorial Government College, Rampur Bushahr, came third in the event.

Women’s football tourney to kick off in Hamirpur today

The National Women's Football Tournament (Pool-F) is scheduled to kick off at the District Sports Complex near Government Degree College situated here from tomorrow.

Sunil Sharma Bittu, the Political Adviser to the Chief Minister and president of the Himachal Pradesh Football Association, said that teams from Maharashtra, Bihar, Andaman and Nicobar, Himachal Pradesh and the Railways had confirmed their participation.

The event would conclude on November 29, he added.

Solan school shines at athletics meet

Students of Doon Valley Public School, Nalagarh, excelled in the CBSE Athletics Meet held at Kharian Public School, Sirsa (Haryana), recently. The school athletes secured 28 medals — six gold, eight silver and 14 bronze.

The boys' Under-19 team stole the spotlight by securing the winning trophy. The U-19 boys' relay team (Rajveer, Umardeen, Nitin, and Abhinav) also bagged gold in the 4x100m relay race and secured silver in the 4x400m relay category.

Individual achievements were equally impressive, with Ishroop Saini earning gold in long jump, Rajveer Singh excelling in high jump with a gold medal, and Navedika and Taranjeet Kaur securing bronze medals in the 1500m and 800m races, respectively. The girls' U-19 category contributed significantly, earning the runners-up trophy in overall standings.

Managing Director Rajeev Sharma and Principal Devendera Mahal congratulated the winners and the teachers for honing the sporting talent among the students.

Besides, five students qualified for the CBSE National Athletics Meet to be held at Raipur, Chhattisgarh.

Himachal win 11 medals, finish 24th

Himachal Pradesh bagged four gold, two silver and five bronze medals in the National Games that concluded on Thursday, to finish 24th among 34 participating states and union territories. The hill state had finished 24th in the last National Games as well but the medal haul this time had gone up from nine to 11. "It's one of our best performances in the National Games. We won four gold medals ndash; one each in kabaddi and handball, and two in athletics," said Rajesh Bhandari, secretary, State Olympics Association.

Incidentally, women athletes won all four gold medals. Seema, the star performer for the state, bagged two gold medals in the gruelling 5,000 m and 10,000 m events. The Himachal girls outshone their opponents in kabaddi and handball to win two more gold medals for the state. "The girls did exceptionally well. Seema has been brilliant for a while now, and so have been the kabaddi girls. What surprised us was the fantastic performance of our women handball team ndash; they defeated their opponents in almost one-sided matches," said Bhandari.

This was perhaps one of the best performances of the state in the National Games but it continues to be closer to the bottom in the medal tally.

स्वर्ण पदक विजेता खिलाड़ी बोले- 15 लाख नाकाफी, तीन नहीं तो कम से कम डेढ़ करोड़ रुपये दे सरकार

एशियन खेलों के स्वर्ण पदक विजेता कबड्डी खिलाड़ियों ने कहा कि देश और प्रदेश का नाम रोशन करने के लिए हिमाचल सरकार से मिलने वाली 15 लाख रुपये की राशि नाकाफी है। सरकार तीन करोड़ रुपये ना दे लेकिन, कम से कम डेढ़ करोड़ रुपये तो सम्मान के तौर पर मिलने चाहिए। खिलाड़ियों ने प्रदेश सरकार से क्लास वन पदों पर नौकरियां देने की मांग उठाई। हरियाणा, महाराष्ट्र, उत्तर प्रदेश और राजस्थान सरकार की खेल नीति का खिलाड़ियों ने हवाला दिया है।

सोमवार को राजधानी शिमला में आयोजित सम्मान समारोह के दौरान स्वर्ण पदक विजेता खिलाड़ियों ने मीडिया के साथ कई मुद्दों पर बेबाकी से अपनी बात रखी। कबड्डी टीम की कप्तान रितु नेगी ने कहा कि हमारी टीम ने भारत के लिए 100वां पदक जीता। एशियन खेलों में भारत ने पहली बार 100 से अधिक पदक जीते हैं। भारत से जाने वाले अधिकांश खिलाड़ी अन्य देशों के कोच बन गए हैं। इसके चलते ही कई देशों के प्रदर्शन में बहुत अधिक सुधार हुआ है। ज्योति ने कहा कि देश के लिए पदक जीतने की खुशी है। अन्य राज्यों में ज्यादा कैश और अच्छी नौकरियां खिलाड़ियों को दी जा रही हैं। हमें तीन करोड़ चाहे मत दो लेकिन इसका 50 फीसदी तो मिलना चाहिए।

पुष्पा राणा ने कहा कि हमारी टीम ने कोरिया, थाइलैंड, नेपाल और चाइनिज ताइपे से मैच जीते हैं। राजस्थान, उत्तर प्रदेश, हरियाणा और महाराष्ट्र में 3 करोड़ रुपये दिए जा रहे हैं, हमें सिर्फ 15 लाख रुपये दिए जा रहे हैं, यह राशि नाकाफी है। उन्होंने कहा कि प्रदेश में हमें क्लास थ्री और फोर वर्ग की नौकरियों की पेशकश की जाती है। कड़ी मेहनत से हमने देश और प्रदेश का नाम रोशन किया है। सरकार को चाहिए कि खिलाड़ियों को क्लास वन ऑफिसर की नौकरी देनी चाहिए। पुरुष कबड्डी टीम के खिलाड़ी विशाल ने कहा कि एशियन गेम्स खेलना हर खिलाड़ी का सपना होता है। हमने इस प्रतियोगिता के लिए पांच माह प्रशिक्षण लिया था। प्रदेश में खिलाड़ियों के लिए इंडोर स्टेडियमों की कमी है। अब मिट्टी की जगह मैट पर खेल होते हैं। ऐसे में इंडोर स्टेडियम बनाए जाने चाहिए।

6 जनवरी को मिनी मैराथन

शिमला 03 जनवरी,
हिमाचल प्रदेश सचिवालय खेल नियंत्रण बोर्ड के उपाध्यक्ष प्रदीप जसवाल ने बताया कि 06 जनवरी, 2020 को प्रातः 7 बजे सचिवालय प्रांगण से पुलिस कंट्रोल रूम माल रोड तक एक मिनी मैराथन का आयोजन किया जाएगा, जिसमें समस्त सचिवालय के कर्मचारी भाग ले सकते हैं।
उन्होंने बताया कि इस मिनी मैराथन को सचिव ग्रामीण विकास डाॅ. आर.एन. बत्ता हरी झंडी दिखाकर रवाना करेंगे तथा प्रदेश सरकार के मुख्यमंत्री जय राम ठाकुर पुरस्कार वितरण समारोह में बतौर मुख्यातिथि शिरकत करेंगे।
प्रदीप जसवाल ने बताया कि जो प्रतिभागी इस स्पर्धा में भाग लेना चाहते हो या भाग लेने के इच्छुक हो वे पुष्प लता सिंगा कमरा नंबर 314, वेद प्रकाश कमरा नंबर 327, हस्टा गुरूंग कमरा नंबर 227 व संजय कुमार कमरा नंबर 205 में ​ अपने नाम दर्ज करवा सकते हैं।
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Himachal out of senior nationals

Himachal lost 2-4 to Central Secretariat to crash out of the 7th Senior National Hockey Championship 2017 (Men) ‘B’ Division in Lucknow today. In a high scoring quarterfinal, Vinod Kumar put Hockey Himachal in front in the 13th minute, but the lead was short lived as Ajitesh Roy helped Central Secretariat draw level in the last minute of the quarter. In the second quarter, Central Secretariat picked up the pace and Felix Baa put the side ahead in the 24th minute.

The side extended the lead early in the third quarter via Jayesh Jadhav before Vinayak Bijwad sealed the game in the 53rd minute. Hockey Himachal scored through Naurvi Ram in the 45th minute, but in the end were not able to do enough as Central Secretariat booked their place in the final four. In other quarterfinal matches of the day, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board blanked Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu 2-0, while Central Reserve Police Force registered a 3-1 victory over Hockey Puducherry.

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7th Shimla Marathon to be held on 27th Sept.

Mr V.C Pharka said that the event would attract about 500 participants from different parts of the country, He said that last year about 300 participants registered their presence in the event, out of which 200 participants were from other States. He said that the one day mega event would attract students from local schools, sportspersons, and convent schools. He said that the school students would carry banners and placards on the occasion. He said that the Marathon would have four runs, 6 kms from Ridge to Peterhof and back, 13 kms, 21.1 kms and 24 kms start from the Ridge Shimla at 6.30 AM and 8.30 AM and would pass through Oak Over, Raj Bhawan, Navbhar, IGMC and culminate at Ridge.

Additional Chief Secretary said that Bishop Cotton School Shimla  Band, Police and Home Guard bands would be lined up at various locations on the occasion to motivate the participants and make the event a mega show. He said that apart from it, ARTRAC Band would be lined up at Vidhan Sabha Crossing.

Mr Pharka said that Ambulances would be deployed at different places to meet out any eventuality. He said that the NGO, Living Ultra Half Marathon organizes 30 Marathons in 11 states of the country. He said that events are held by the NGO throughout the country, except North-Eastern States.

He said that the winners of the event would get an opportunity to participate in Mumbai Marathon. He said that the winners would be given medals and certificates on the occasion.

Director, Youth Services and Sports, Deputy Commissioner Shimla, Superintendent of Police Shimla, senior officers from HPTDC, Municipal Corporation Shimla, Chief Medical Officer Shimla, Mr Rahul Verghese, Founder Running and Living Infotainment Pvt. Ltd. attended the meeting.

Chief Minister Opens Master’s Athletic Meet at Dharamsala

“The meet provides an opportunity to the veteran athletes for maintaining their health and happiness", said the Chief Minister. He said that it was good to see a large number of veterans running and participating in the event. He congratulated the most elderly Mr Ramachandra Reddy aged 93 years from Telengana State for participating in the meet.

The Chief Minister said that state Government was committed to harness the energy of youth towards eradication of social evils besides motivating them to work for the progress and prosperity of the Nation.

With a view to provide more sports facilities to the sports person, the Government mulls to develop sports fields and provide more facilities and open sports hostels at different places in the State, said the Chief Minister.

He announced a sum of Rs. 10 lakh for the State Masters Athletic Association for carrying out its activities in efficient manner and also assured adequate funding for wash rooms and acoustic (sound proof) hall in the sports complex at Dharamshala.

The Chief Minister also  inspected the site of Central University in Kand Kardiyana gram panchayat near Dharamsala and held discussions with Registrar of the University Brig. Rangra.

Veterans athletes, numbering approximately 2000, in both men and women category from Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Telangana, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerela are participating  in the four day long Athletics meet.

President, Kangra District Masters Athletic and MLA, Mr Sanjay Rattan welcomed the Chief-minister and other guests present on the occasion. He said that the State Government was giving due importance to sports activities in the state. He demanded construction of more such synthetic tracks in the State for the benefit of sportspersons and the veterans athletes of the State.

The selected participants/ winners of this event would further participate in World Masters Atheletics Championship to be held in Lyon in France  from 4th to 16th  August, 2015. The team had represented India in Pan-Pacific Masters Games in Gold Coast Australia and won seven gold medals.

Col (Retd) S. Sharma, President of Masters Athletic Federation of India welcomed the Chief Minister.

Later Mr Virbhadra Singh also laid foundation stone of residential complex of Forensic Department to cost  Rs. 3.30 crore at Sidh-Bari in Dharamsala.

Urban Development Minister, Mr Sudhir Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Jagjeevan Pal, MLA’s Mr Ajay  Mahajan, Mr Sanjay Rattan, Mr Manohar Dhiman and Mr Pawan Kajal, Chairman HP education Board, Mr Balbir Tegta, Chairman KCC Bank Mr Jagdish Sapehiya, Vice Chairman HP State Forest Corporation, Mr Kewal Singh Pathania, EX MLA Mr Bodh Raj, Mr Ramphal Sharma General Secretary,  Col. Arvind Jha, Sports Psychologist and international athlete and Mr Satnam Retd DIG Border Security Force, members of the national Body, Deputy Commissioner, Mr C. Paulrasu, SP Mr Kapil Sharma were also present on the occasion amongst others.

Shimla's ice skating rink to take on a new look

Asia's oldest natural ice skating rink situated at Lakkar Bazaar in the city would now be acknowledged internationally as Shimla Ice Skating Club has decided to give it a new look by extending its length and width.

Source: IANS

Chief Minister congratulates National Champion Kumari Khushbu

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has congratulated Kumari Khushbu Dhayal of Kandaghat in Solan district for winning Gold medal in  the Girls Compound category and  silver medal in the 50-m  event in the 35th Junior National Archery Championship held at Tatanagar, Jharkhad recently.

Chief Minister said that Kumari Khushbu had made proud for the State by winning the medals and added that budding players should take inspiration from her feat and State government was providing all possible assistance to sportsmen by providing infrastructure and other facilities. He said that State Government was committed to encourage budding players to excel at national and international levels for bringing laurels to the State in sports sector. 

Virbhadra Singh expressed hope that she will scale new heights in international sports events in future also.

Ranji Trophy: Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Odisha Register Victories

At the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium here, Delhi bowled out Gujarat for 166 in second winnings to win the match by an innings and 109 runs. Wednesday's play was just a formality as the visitors were 152 fo...

















source: NDTV

Government to provide more facilities to the sportsperson: Chief Minister

Sports play a very important role in shaping the personality of an individual besides making him disciplined and balanced,  said Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh while presiding over the  47^th H.P Police Sports Meet at police ground Dharamsala, today.

He said that the importance of sports should not be underestimated as much of young children's learning and life lessons are learned from participating in sports and games and can lead to happier, healthier and more productive life.

Congratulating the Police department for hosting the meet the Chief Minister said that the police Jawans despite their busy schedule had taken out time for the meet was rather laudable. He expressed that few out of many, would excel themselves in different sports categories at various International and National level in times to come. The State Government was promoting sports in a big way and had honoured various sports persons of the State who had brought laurels for the Pradesh in various National and International Championships.

He said that our Government had always worked for the welfare of the police jawans and had initiated various measures to strengthen the department as a whole. The Government would endeavour to provide more facilities to the sportsperson besides making provisions for their timely promotions, he said.

Shri Virbhadra Singh announced Rs 18 lakhs for sewerage lying in Police lines Dharamsala, Rs 24 lakhs for renovation and betterment of roads in second IRB Sakoh and Rs 32 lakhs for repair of police accommodation in Kangra District.

He congratulated the winners of the sports event and  also distributed prizes to them. He also released a souvenir on the occasion.

Earlier, Shri Virbhadra Singh laid the foundation stone of Foreigners Registration Office to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.65 crore, Police Administration Block to be constructed at a cost of 1.50 crore and Police Barracks to be constructed at a cost of rupees one crore at Dharamshala.

Director General of Police (DGP) Sh Sanjay Kumar welcomed and honoured the Chief Minister and provided details of the sports meet and the latest techniques adopted by the Police department to streamline law and order. He also listed the achievements of the sportsperson who had brought laurels to the Police department and urged to open more women police stations in the State. He placed forth few demands and urged for the funds required for strengthening the police wings.

The Jawans of the Punjab Police showcased their skills in equestrian and  tent pegging besides their expertise in horse riding.

Four zones of the department viz: Northern Zone, Southern Zone, Central Zone  and Central Range participated in the tourney. As many as 500 police personnel participated in the sports meet.

The Southern Range was declared as the best team of the sports meet, besides Central Unit was adjudged best in Cultural performance competitions.

Various events like soccer, equestrian, volleyball, basketball, Handball, Kabaddi etc.were held on the occasion. Various

A colourful cultural programme was also organized on the occasion.

Transport Minister, Shri GS Bali, Urban Development Minister Shri Sudhir Sharma, MLAs Shri Ajay Mahajan, Shri Yadvender Goma, Shri Sanjay Ratan, Vice-Chairman HP State Tourism  Development Corporation, Shri Vijay Singh Mankotia, Vice-Chairman HP State Forest  Corporation Shri Kewal Singh Pathania,  Ex-MLAs Sh. Surender Kaku and Shri Kewal Singh Pathania, ADGP Vigilance Shri Prithvi Raj, Additional DGP Shri Sanjay Kundu, IG Shri GD Bhargva, IG Shri Zahoor Zaidi and many senior officers of the department were present on the occasion.

Vikramaditya is prez of HP State Rifle Association

Vikramaditya Singh has been unanimously elected as new President of the Himachal Pradesh State Rifle Association. The elections were held here today in the general body meeting of the Association in which the members unanimously elected the governing body.

Surat Singh Thakur has been elected as Senior Vice President, Rajesh Parmar, Vikrant Singh Rana and Rajeev Sehgal as Vice Presidents, Ishwar Rohal as General Secretary, Rana Vijay Singh as Chief Advisor, Manish Giri as Joint Secretary and Rajeev Sood as Treasurer besides six members of the governing council from different districts.

Presiding over the meeting, Vikramaditya Singh thanked the members for vesting him the opportunity to lead the State Rifle Association. He said that he would work hard to carry forward the achievements of the Association with the cooperation of the members.

He said the main focus of the Association was to bring forward the sports person and provide them better opportunities to excel in their field. He said efforts were on to establish an international level shooting range in the State for which site had been identified near Ghanahati in Shimla district. It would facilitate the shooters of the State in better preparation for the national and international events. Besides, efforts would be made to establish 10-25 meters shooting range in every district. He said an indoor shooting range had been completed at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Shimla which would be inaugurated soon.

Vikramaditya Singh said State Rifle Association was a non-political body which was working with a motive to promote shooters of the State keeping aside the vested interests. He said that the State had a lot of talented shooters who had been performing well in national and international events. The Association would provide them best equipments and other facilities for which the assistance of State Government and Government of India would be sought. He expressed hope that with the active support of the governing body and members the Association would succeed in promoting the shooting game in the State.

He said that the matter had already been taken with the State Government and Himachal Pradesh University to include shooting game under Sports Quota for admission in the higher educational institutes. Besides, efforts would be made to enhance the reservation percentage in the government jobs especially in police department for the sports persons.

The governing body and members of the Association congratulated Vikramaditya Singh for taking over as President. They expressed hope that he would take the Association to new heights as he himself was a national level shooter.

Shri Harsh Mahajan, Chairman, State Cooperative Bank, who is also Life Member of the Association, Deputy Commissioner Shri Dinesh Malhotra, members and life members of the Association were present in the meeting. 

Selection trials for Boys Sports Company

Boys Sports Company, Madras Engineer Group (MEG) and Centre, Bangalore will be conducting selection rally from 23rd to 27th October, 2013 at Loomba Stadium for selecting boys, who are outstanding sportspersons, for induction into Boys Sports Company, in the age group of 11 to 16 years in disciplines as Boxing, Hockey and Swimming. This was stated by Officer Commanding, Boys Sports Company, Madras in a communiqué.

The age of candidates for Hockey and Boxing disciplines should be between 11 years to 16 years and for Swimming between 09 years to 13 years as on 31st March, 2014. The candidates should be 6th passed with adequate knowledge of English and Hindi. 

At the time of selection trails the candidates must have original copy of educational, Birth, participation in district and above level games certificates, sports kit for participation in selection trials for respective games and six copies of latest passport size photographs. 

The candidates having permanent tattoos on any part of the body will not be permitted for induction into Boys Sports Company. 

The interested candidates can also contact on telephone number 080-25573987 for any additional information. 

Thoda - The impressive martial art.

Thoda, the impressive martial art form of Himachal Pradesh, relies on one's archery prowess, dating back to the days of the Mahabharata, when bows and arrows were used in the epic battles, between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, residing in the picturesque valleys of Kulu and Manali. Thus, this martial art has its origin in Kulu. Thoda, the name is derived, from the round piece of wood fixed to the head of the arrow, which is used to blunt its wounding potential.

The equipment required for this game are bows and arrows. Wooden bows measuring 1.5m to 2m, to suit the height of the archer and wooden arrows in proportion to the length of the bow, are prepared by skilled and traditional artisans.

In Himachal Pradesh, in earlier days, the game of Thoda was organised in a very interesting way. A handful of village folk would go to another village, and would throw tree leaves into the village well, before sun rise. They would, then, hide in the bushes nearby, just outside the boundary of that village. As soon as the villagers came to draw water, the youths would shout, and throw challenges to them for a fight. This would spark the preparations for an encounter. wever, nowadays, Thoda is conducted in a marked court in order to have a certain amount of discipline in the game.

The competition is a mixture of martial arts, culture and sport, and is held on Baisakhi Day, April 13 and 14, and community prayers are organised to invoke the blessings of the principal deities, Goddesses Mashoo and Durga.

How the game is played

Each group consists of roughly 500 people, but most of them are just dancers, who come along to boost the morale of their team. The archers are divided into parties, just before the competition takes place. One team is called Saathi, and the other Pashi. It is believed that Pashis and Saathis, are descendants of the Pandavas and Kauravas. The target in this game is the region of the leg, below the knee, where the opponent should aim his arrow.

( Thoda held at Jaiee , Theog on 15-10-2011 )

The moment the two contesting groups reach the village fairground, both the parties dance on either side of the ground, waving their swords, aglitter in the sun, and sing and dance to the stirring martial music. The Pashi group forms a 'chakravyuh', and blocks the Saathi group, who in turn begin to penetrate their defences. After the initial resistance, the Saathis reach the centre of the ground. Both the opponents face each other at a distance of about 10 metres, and prepare to attack. The defenders start shaking, kicking their legs to and fro with brisk movements, to thwart the accurate aim of their adversaries.

Lightning movements and agility are the sole methods of defence. The whole competition is conducted to the lively, virile rhythm of war dance, with one side furiously side-stepping, legs kicking in all directions, and other side doing its best to place an arrow on the target. There are minus points for a strike on the wrong parts of the leg.

At present, the game is played in a marked court, which ensures that a certain degree of discipline is maintained in Thoda - a happy blend of culture and sport. This game is popular in Theog Division (Shimla district), Narkanda block, Chopal Division, district Sirmaur and Solan.

Thoda - The impressive martial art - Pictures

( Thoda held at Jaiee, Theog on 15-10-2011 )

Click on photos to enlarge

Chail Cricket Ground

Surrounded by gigantic deodar and well maintained Chail Cricket ground is the highest cricket ground in the world. Built in 1893, this cricket pitch located at the height of 2,144m is also used as polo ground.

Himachal's T-20 league to enter Guinness Book

Shimla: The second edition of the Jaypee Twenty20 Mahasangram', a local version of Twenty20 league and billed as the world's largest cricket tournament, began in Himachal Pradesh Monday, an organiser said here.
"The knock-out tournament that would see 1,342 teams playing, mainly from rural areas across the state, began this (Monday) morning. The inaugural matches were played at Kalpa (in Kinnaur district), Dharamsala (in Kangra district), Nadaun (in Hamirpur district), Kullu and Bilaspur," Mohit Sood, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) press secretary, told IANS.