An annexure list released by the Directorate of Sport on Friday does not include either player, despite assurances of reconsideration by State Sports Minister Pratap Jadhav while responding to pressmen's queries at the announcement of the awards a few weeks ago.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for September 14 at Nagpur. While hockey is unrepresented for the third year in succession, cricketer Amrita Shinde fills the breach, reaping from the reconsideration that Muzumdar and Ferreira did not.

The rationale behind denying Ferreira and Muzumdar the awards flouts mathematics if one discerns the players' track record that far exceeds 30 points -- the minimum required to win the award.

The Awards' committee claim that Ferreira's application was not presented in the desired format. The Olympian refutes that claim. So does theBombay Hockey Association (BHA) which endorsed his application.

Ferreira's claim on the Award goes back to 1994-95. His first application that year came to nought after the committee nominated Anil Aldrin -- Ferreira's team-mate at the Atlanta Olympics -- whose silver medal at the last Asian Games at Hiroshima apparently brought him the nomination.

Eventually, Bangalore-based Aldrin was denied the Award at the eleventh hour after objections on his domicile status.

An anomaly with the points system has done Muzumdar's chances in. With cricketing competition going straight to the Zonal level, cricketers in the state are denied vital points that would accrue at the district level.

For all that, Muzumdar's exploits with Mumbai's Ranji Trophy team, endorsed by the Mumbai Cricket Association to the Chief Minister Manohar Joshi, should have held the middle-order batsman in good stead.

Especially since the Chief Minister also happens to hold a Sports and Youth Welfare portfolio in addition to being thepresident of the Mumbai Cricket Association.