By Nabarun Goswami/Lamphrang Nongspung
The year 2011
witnessed new
highs in sports in the state. However, the sequence of events were not completely free from controversies and disappointments.
From football to karate and archery, sportspersons from Meghalaya brought laurels to the state with their performances. Lajong and Wahingdoh’s performances in football, Linza Fenny Syiem’s first Gold for the state in karate in the 34th National Games and Matsiewdor War’s selection as a judge for archery event at the London Olympics are among the high points of the year. The unreadiness of JNSC to host Lajong’s I-League matches till date, the State’s inability to win a single medal in the recently concluded 34th National Junior Archery Championships and the death of prominent state karate coach Stephen Leong were the forgettable moments in State sports for the year that passed by.
Year of the footballers
Football fans from the state were deprived of live I-League action as authorities could not meet the AFC deadline for laying the artificial turf in the JNSC ground. Much to the dismay of all and sundry, the construction for placing the turf began as late as July which made it virtually impossible for the ground to be ready before Shillong Lajong FC’s first home match of the I-League on Oct 28. Earlier, the cash-strapped State Government was left red-faced when Leader of Opposition contributed Rs 25,000 from his salary for the upgradation of the JNSC in an apparent ridicule of the authoroties.Perhaps that move by Sangma served as an eye opener for the Government which sanctioned Rs 5.13 crores for the laying of the artificial turf at JNSC. Meanwhile, due to the incompletion of the JNSC turf work, Lajong’s home matches were shifted to Imphal and later to Guwahati.
Rise of the Clubs
Controversies apart, the year 2011 saw the rise of the state’s football clubs to newer heights. Meghalaya football went through one of its best phases with local teams making their presence felt at the national level.
Though the state has a history of producing good footballers, it was probably Shillong Lajong FC which set the standards for other clubs of the state to emulate.
It may be mentioned that Lajong qualified for the 2009 edition of the I-League and though the Reds (Lajong) failed to create a huge impact in that season, ripples of its achievement began to impact other teams from the state.In what could be termed as an wake-up call, local clubs began to invest heavily on players form other parts of the country and abroad.
And the results are there for everyone to see. For the first time ever, three teams from Shillong– Shillong Lajong, Royal Wahingdoh and Ar-Hima made it to the final round of the Second Division I-League in 2011. Despite the fact that only Lajong made it to the I-League, the presence of three clubs from the state in the coveted tournament signifies that football in Meghalaya is ready to ladder itself to the next level.
The three teams also participated in the Federation Cup later in the year where both Lajong and Wahingdoh registered memorable wins against fancied rivals like Churchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan.
Larsing Sawian, owner of Lajong said that club football has finally arrived in the state which at present is far ahead of other North Eastern states in terms of representation at the national level.
“This is definitely an encouraging phase of Meghalaya football. If we could retain this momentum I am pretty confident that five years down the line we would definitely become the power house of Indian football,” Sawian added.
Lajong continues its good run
Shillong Lajong FC continued its good run to regain the I-League berth and made it to the semis of the Federation, Durand and IFA Shield Cups. Lajong also emerged victorious in the Independence Cup in Mizoram, beating Royal Wahingdoh 4-0.
Infact, Lajong won 27 of the 51 matches it played this year with a win percentage of 53 per cent. Meanwhile, apart from the two big defeats against Churchill and Dempo, the team fared well in the I-League so far. With four wins and equal number of draws and losses Lajong gathered 16 points from 12 matches and stands ninth in the points table. The team remained unbeaten at home, remarkably conceding only one goal in its matches played in the region. It may be mentioned that the last time Lajong played in the I-League, the team could could gather 26 points in the entire season. Lajong thus stand a good chance of bettering that by a big margin this time.
Giantkillers Wahingdoh make a mark
It was a dream year for Royal Wahingdoh who marked the season with some memorable performances making it their first on many occasions. First in the second division I-League in March and then in the Federation Cup in September Wahingdoh rose to new heights. Edging past United Sikkim in the qualifying round of the Fed Cup, the Royals set up the first clash of the main round against the seasoned Mohun Bagan and the rest is history. The underdogs from Meghalaya beta the mighty Bagan 2-1 thus announcing their arrival in the national football arena. The Wahingdoh juggernaut did not stop there but rolled on to crush the famed Churchil l Brothers 2-1 in their next encounter. It took another club from Shillong (Lajong) to stop the march of the Royals in the Federation Cup. Lajong beat Wahingdoh 1-0.
Bordoloi Glory
Royal Wahingdoh’s feats did not stop there but the team went on to create history by becoming the first club from Meghalaya to win the coveted Bordoloi Trophy in Guwahati. Infact it was an all Meghalaya affair in the final where Wahingdoh and Langsning fought for a place in history.
Shillong Premier League
A day after winning the Bordoloi Trophy, Wahigndoh fought well to retain the SPL title thus making it two trophies in two days. “The year has been very good for the team right from the Second Division I League,” Dominic Sutnga, owner Royal Wahingdoh told The Shillong Times.
Ar-Hima, Langsning
stay in hunt
Apart from Lajong and Wahingdoh, Ar-Hima and Langsning too had their share of glory in the year. Ar-Hima did well to make it to the Second Division I-League and the mains of the Federation Cup with some good performances on the way. Ar-Hima went down fighting 0-1 against Mohammedan Sporting in the Federation Cup. The team also made it to the final of the SPL where it lost to Royal Wahingdoh. Langsning on the other hand had its share of history when the club reached the final of the Bordoloi Trophy. only to lose to Wahingdoh . Later in the year Langsning won the Meghalaya Invitation Football Tournament against Ar-Hima in Shillong.
The year 2012 could as well see four clubs from Meghalaya competing in the I-League.