KING’S ROAD kick off their 2009 campaign with a match against Fame CC on Sunday. Today KRCSC News reporter Leon Watson talks cricket with Fame founder IMRAN HAIDER and Orange Caps skip Raju Mazumder to find out how they’re gearing up for the big match.

MEETING Imran face-to-face was out of the question – Fame’s founder is a far too busy man to be fielding Press interviews.

But when we did finally hook up – via e-mail – he was far more humble than I ever imagined.

For a man who named his team Fame he didn’t seem that fame-hungry, and I’m sure he was trying to play down Sunday’s match.

Here’s how our little chit-chat went:

Tell us about you team – who’s in it and how good are you?

My team is collection of some young stars. No one is regular or a professional cricketer, we just play for fun. No one plays cricket on a regular basis. No one has any practice or nets experience. We play for fun.

Who do you think’ll be your star player and why?

No body is a star in this team. We play for fun. And no one has any nets experience.

Your boys took a hell of a beating last year, are you confident of beating the King’s Road this time?

We are hoping to have good game, regardless of the result.

What do you remember from the match last year?

I’ve not got a lot memory from last year to be honest.

Do you remember any of our players who you think’ll pose a particular threat?

No.

Are you playing any more teams this year and if so will you try and set up a regular team?

I am playing with another team for two to three matches and this team can play more matches, but we need other teams. If we can find other teams, we will play.

UNLIKE his opposite number The Road skip RAJU MAZUMDER was more than happy to talk.

He was clearly keen to tell how his team had prepared for the match meticulously. Here’s how our chat went:

Raju, how’s the team looking in the nets?

Training has been going along fantastically. The boys are putting in the effort and you can see the improvement. We’ve started nets earlier and given the bigger squad we’ve got this year, there is a bit of competition. Thankfully the committee take the selection off my hands.

So what are your targets for this year?

I aim for the club to play stronger cricket, get bigger scores, punish teams and to fight our way out if on the backfoot. This will develop our character and lead to more victories.

Who’s impressed you the most in pre-season and who do you think needs to step up their preparation?

I don’t want to single out individuals for praise or criticism. We know that everyone possesses match winning moments.

How’s morale in the camp?

Spirit in the game is high. Everyone is looking forward to the first match. But unfortunately I can guarantee that there will be some disappointed faces when the team is announced.

Can you give us any clues on your tactics or who’ll be taking the field on Sunday?

I have an idea what the line-up will be, but i won’t say anything until it’s official.

Is there anything you’re worried about?

I go into the new season and the first game with optimism. For me, it’s a new team so any worries from last year will be ignored for now.

Is there anyone in the Fame team you’ll be keeping an eye on?

They had some decent quicks last year, in Sohil, Raza and Umair backed by the skipper, who like me is an effective slow bowler. Batting is hard to judge given that we set them a huge 276 to win. Many of them had the ability to belt a ball.

Will The Road suffer without Giles and Dean?

I’m confident that we can win. You can bang on about how Giles and Dean won the match last season. They won’t be here this time. It’s time for our batsmen to convert their net form into match form.

And what about the Badgers? Are you prepared for them?

I’d be doing a disservice to the club and myself if we don’t beat them this year. I’ve been thinking about how to nullify their few strengths and will be scouting them when our matches don’t clash.