Ahmedabad, May 6: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by a man seeking benefits of being a sportsperson as he had played National Level Tennis Ball Cricket Championship.

High Court Justice Bhagwati Prasad said, "Cricket with tennis ball is not cricket, and playing cricket with a tennis ball would not make you a sportsperson. So playing tennis ball cricket will not fetch you a job."

The Court had given the order last week on a petition filed by one Jignesh Patel, who had contended that since he played tennis ball cricket, he was eligible for benefit of additional five per cent marks given to sportspersons when he applied for the job of physical training teacher in primary school.

Patel had moved the Court last year after the education department officials of Banaskantha, where he had appiled for the post of primary teacher, denied him the benifit of a sportsperson, saying that he was not a cricketer.

The education officials, citing a government resolution, claimed that there was no specification about tennis ball cricket and hence he cannot be given benefit of a sportsperson.

Patel, who hails from Sabarkantha district has completed Certificate in Physical Education (CPEd) and had applied for the post of primary teacher in 2007.