Swarupam. Picture by S.H. Patgiri

Guwahati, May 24: The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) will felicitate the state?s top performers during the last four years with ?befitting rewards for their contributions? at a central ceremony here on June 10.

The awards, instituted for the 2002-03 season onwards, include bats for the best batsmen and boots for the best bowlers in various age groups as well as those playing in the Ranji Trophy. The awardees will also be felicitated with traditional Assamese gamochas and bouquets.

?The award ceremony is the only task left for our present dispensation and we will hold it on June 10,? said ACA secretary Bikash Baruah.

Baruah said National Cricket Academy director Brijesh Patel would attend the ceremony along with governor Lt. Gen (retd) Ajai Singh and chief minister Tarun Gogoi.

?The awardees will be escorted to the podium by NCC cadets when they are called to receive their awards,? he said.

Promising all-rounder Swarupam Purkayastha has been selected for as many as four awards.

The ceremony will also pay tribute to former president Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, who had been the president of the ACA.

The ACA is observing 2005-06 as Ahmed?s birth centenary year.

ACA began the year with a brief ceremony at its office on April 13, with president Gautam Roy hoisting the flag. The ACA recently named the recipients for the 2004-05 season.

The awardees

2002-03: (u-15) batsman ? Swarupam Purkayastha, bowler ? Abu Naschim Ahmed; (u-17) batsman ? Sadek Imran Choudhury, bowler ? Prakash Bhagat; (u-19) batsman ? Parvez Aziz, bowler ? Khanin Saikia; (u-22) batsman ? Vishal Jain, bowler ? R.K. Yadav; (Ranji) batsman ? Kiran Powar, bowler ? Sukhvinder Singh.2003-04: (u-15) batsman ? Swarupam Purkay-astha, bowler ? Swarupam Purkayastha; (u-17) batsman ? Sadek Imran Choudhury, bowler ? Gokul Sharma; (u-19) batsman ? Parvez Aziz, bowler ? R.K. Yadav; (u-22) batsman ? Mukut Kalita, bowler ? Gyan Prakash; (Ranji) batsman ? Vasant Saravanan, bowler ? Arlen Konwar. 2004-05: (u-15) batsman ? Rishav Das, bowler ? Bikram Chetry; (u-17) batsman ? Swarupam Purk-ayastha; (u-19) batsman ? Parvez Aziz, bowler ? Sadek Imran Choudhury; (u-22) batsman ? Chandan Rawat, bowler ? Palash Jyoti Das; (Ranji) batsman ? R. Satish, bowler ? Arlen Konwar.