Indian to head Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club

An NRI entrepreneur in the United Kingdom has been appointed president of an English County Cricket Club, becoming the first Indian to hold such a post.

Professor Nathu Puri, listed by the Daily Telegraph among the 20 wealthiest Asians in Britain, has been appointed president of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club (NCCC).

"I believe he (Puri) is the first Indian president, (this) is by no means a small achievement, considering the game originated in England in the 16th Century," said NCCC chairman Peter Wright.

Industrialist and cricket lover Puri, who migrated to the UK from Chandigarh in 1966, presides over numerous charities that provide education to young people in Britain, India and Nepal.

An enthused Puri, popularly known as Nat, said: "I am a lifelong cricket supporter and with this appointment I now have the perfect excuse to spend more time at Trent Bridge.

"One of the first things I did when I arrived in Nottingham, in 1967, was to become a member of the NCCC and I have enjoyed visiting the grounds ever since," said Puri, founder of the Nottingham-based Purico Group of Companies, that is valued at over 100 million pounds.

Puri had awarded 50,000 pounds to Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag in March 2004 for scoring more than 300 runs in a single innings.

"Nat has been a long-standing supporter of Nottinghamshire cricket and he has strong links within the game, both in the UK and India," said Wright.

Puri, who has set up various scholarships in the UK and in India, also established the Indian Institute of Advance Research in Gujarat, which was inaugurated in April 2006.

He set up the Puri Foundation, a charitable trust in 1988 and The Three R's Education Trust in 2006 and promotes education and sport, particularly cricket.