SHE was a well-acclaimed women cricketer from Vidarbha. Cricket was her life and blood. After winning many an accolade on cricket field, 48-year-old Neeta Chaple nee Bhoyar, who is now settled in Mumbai, switched her sport to powerlifting only to win a district championship gold in Thane, recently.
Nagpur’s very own Neeta had represented Vidarbha in many national tournaments and also led Nagpur University women’s cricket team in 1992.
A hard-hitting batswoman and an agile wicketkeeper in her heydays, Neeta had slammed a quickfire 92, her best score till date, against Kurukshetra in Delhi.
A couple of months back, Neeta, who is presently a cricket coach at Arya Gurukul in Kalyan, was restless due to the off season. Non cricketing activities led to Neeta gaining a lot of weight. Thus she decided to take powerlifting and shed some kilos. Her work ethics and devotion forced her coach Suresh Kolekar to push Neeta to powerlifting.
Within two months, Neeta was on the dais, doing deadlift, squats and ultimately winning a gold medal.
“At first, I was reluctant. It was just two months that I had started picking up weights… and now this competition. But my coach insisted. His confidence in me paid as I won the gold,” said Neeta while talking with ‘The Hitavada’ from Mumbai.
Neeta won the Thane District Powerlifting Championship gold, her maiden yellow metal, with a total lift of 185 kgs combined, in 84 kgs weight category last Saturday.
Neeta learned her cricket skills from Raju Kaore at Reshimbag ground. She used to play cricket whole day. If not cricket it was football or any other sport. Even a couple of weeks before her marriage Neeta was tonking the cherry all over the park in and around Nagpur.
After marriage, Neeta and her husband Nitin found new abode in Mumbai where he got a job as Civil Engineer in L&T. Their daughter Aishwarya, too, made her mark in the Mumbai age group teams.
But tragedy struck the Chaples when 17-year-old Aishwarya met with an accident in Mumbai in 2013 July and succumbed to her injuries. The unbearable loss broke down the family. To overcome the loss, Neeta started coaching academy to divert her mind from the tragedy.
“I am still unable to overcome the loss,” said Neeta with a choked voice.
“The void would never be filled. But we have to move on in life. I am a fighter and a sportsperson,” added Neeta.
Neeta, who did her schooling from Lokanchi Shala and graduated from Shrimati Binzani City Mahila Mahavidyalaya, started writing a book on cricket titled ‘Cricketcya Aishwarya’.
“I started writing a book on cricket in 2013. I wanted to give back to cricket and to those coaches who worked behind the scene like Kundatai Vijaykar, Mahendra Sir and many more. They have done a lot for women’s cricket. In this book I have written about the journey of women’s cricket in the country since 1974,” said Neeta, who dedicated the book to her late daughter.
The book was launched in 2017 by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Winning her maiden gold during the “off-season” has made Neeta determined and she is now taking the sport seriously. She is now preparing for the State Championship which is going to be held next week in Kalyan.
“I have started (powerlifting) just two months back. There will be many more powerful and experienced players during the State selection meet. I know my chances of getting selected are bleak,” said Neeta, daughter of Adv Hari Bhoyar who stays near Sangam talkies in Mahal.
Not many had supported Neeta when she took powerlifting. But Neeta, who had never let fear take over her mind said, “Anyhow, if I would have to get injured I will get while even walking on the road on sitting on the couch. I am born to be on the field and will die on it,” she said.
“In my childhood my father supported me fully and now my husband is my pillar of strength. Whatever I am today is because of him only,” Neeta, the ICC Level-I Coach and India U-19 player, signed off.
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