Universal Cricket Club is one of the oldest clubs of Lahore providing youngsters a platform to polish their talent. It was founded by Qamaruddin Butt, known as QD Butt, way back in 1923. The inspiring force of the club is Aslam Taya, a famous figure who has completed 54 years of his association with the club. Holding regular training camps at the Burt Institute ground and organising annual matches at the Aitchison College ground are main responsibilities of Taya. He has earned the centennial award of the International Cricket Council, which was conferred upon 100 Pakistani game organisers.
So far, the club has contributed 23 Test players to Pakistan. Prominent among them are Oval hero Fazal Mahmood, his fast bowling partner Khan Mohammad, great spinner Zulifqar Ahmad, Aslam Khokhar, Mahmood Husain, Saeed Ahmad, Khalid Abdullah, Asif Masood, Masood Iqbal, Pervez Sajjad, Amin Ashraf, Qazi Basharat, Ijaz Butt (not former PCB chairman), Sultan Mahmood, Azhar Khan and a batting icon of modern era Mohammad Yousuf. In a chat with Dawn, Taya said QD Butt organised a team of 10 boys with four 'annas' as monthly subscription near the University Law College after passing his matriculation examination. Later, it was shifted to 'Rora' ground behind the Punjab Assembly. The club, however, took a regular shape in 1929 and its first tour was to Karachi in 1932. G.M. Walting and D. Lyons were the two Englishmen who had been playing for it besides H.D. Khana and D.R. Puri who represented the Hindu community. Justice Sukdam Singh and Dr Gurdit Singh represented the Sikh community. H.J. Rustamji, a Parsi, held the office of the president of the club. Similarly, the club had Balrajpura, Gyan Chandand Dharm, Lahore Bishop GD Barne, Sir George and Justice AR Cornelius as its members.
Taya says he joined the club as a cricketer in 1957. He was appointed secretary of the club by QD Butt in 1970 and he had been at the helm of affairs since.
Dr Zafar Altaf, a well-known agricultural expert, is the president of the club and Saeed Bukhsh is the life president.
About problems in running the net of the club, Taya says there are no major problems as a good number of financers is available. However, he says the cricketing gears have been too expensive. “I have been buying a cricket ball for Rs5 in good days that now costs Rs650,” he says.
Former PCB chairman Lt-Gen Tauqir Zia, Kazi Basharat, Saeed Bukhsh and patron Prof Ahmad Husain, Taya says, are major sources of the club.
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Eight months after dissolution of the Punjab sports department, the provincial government revived it this week. The government had been non-serious about sports affairs since 2004, as it had left these to the mercy of non-technocrats (bureaucrats) who had no experience of dealing with coaches, players and other technical staff and were trying to handle sports affairs like other government offices. The provincial government restored the sports department on Oct 14 through a notification, but so far it has only appointed a secretary.
The fate of the incumbent additional secretary Rana Tahir is not known, as he is working on the strength of the higher education department, a department which now has no role in sports affairs.