AIFF bosses congratulate I-League U-19 winners, Aizawl FC
New Delhi: All India Football Federation President Praful Patel and Secretary Kushal Das on Thursday congratulated AIFF Elite Academy for winning the U-19 I-league and Aizawl FC for qualifying for the I-League. Aizawl FC is the third team from the northeast, after Shillong Lajong FC and Royal Wahingdoh, to qualify for the top-tier league by winning the second-tier tournament. Patel congratulated the AIFF Elite Academy Players and staff for their sterling performance in the recently-concluded U19 I-League. “The whole academy programme that we started in 2012 is beginning to pay-off and the way these boys (AIFF Elite Academy) who are 1997 born played is a clear indication of how a structured Youth Development programme can raise the bar.” “These boys consistently defeated the opposition in a convincing manner and I hope other clubs learn from this and create a structured Youth Development Programme including academies,” Patel said. The academy players have all dispersed to their respective homes and will come back soon for the preparation of the AFC U-19 Championship.Lauding Aizawl FC’s achievement, Das said, “Mizoram is one of the states which has come to the forefront of Indian football and that is because of their efforts to improve Youth Development.” The AIFF Secretary urged the state associations to learn from Mizoram and develop grassroots and youth development programmes to improve their respective performances. (PTI)
Jail Road Boys, St. Edmund’s and K.V Happy Valley win
Shillong: Jail Road Boys Sec School defeated Ruprekha Prasad School by 4 runs in the 7th Babu Ondromoni Dkhar Memorial Senior Cricket Tournament organised by the Shillong Cricket Association at the SCA Cricket Ground, Polo, on Thursday.
Being put into bat first, Jail Road Boys scored 89 runs losing 6 wickets in the allotted 15 overs. Sahabuddin Ali topscored with 31 runs off 33 balls and Sagar Roy scored 10 runs off 17 balls. Rajnish Ray took 2 wickets for 18 runs and Kishan Thakur took 1 wicket for 17 runs for Ruprekha Prasad.
In reply, Ruprekha Prasad School failed to reach the target and scored 85 for the loss of 9 wickets in 15 overs. Victor Deb scored 26 runs off 37 balls and Kishan Thakur scored 17 runs off 16 balls. Chandrashekhar Ray took 4 wickets for 19 runs and Manikant Rai took 1 wicket for 11 runs for Jail Road Boys School.
In the second match, St. Edmund’s defeated St. Peter’s by 59 runs. Electing to bat first, St. Edmund’s scored 85 runs losing 8 wickets in 10 overs. Rohan Sharma scored 21 runs off 14 balls and Biprodeep Dasgupta scored 19 runs off 21 balls. Harinam Bhagat and Tushar Singh took 2 wickets each for St. Peter’s School.
In reply, St. Peter’s scored 26 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 10 overs. Nishanta Chakraborty and Rohit Paul took 2 wickets for St. Edmund’s School.
In the third match, K.V Happy Valley defeated Laitumkhrah Bengalee School by 5 wickets. K.V Happy Valley won the toss and put Laitumkhrah Bengalee School into bat. They scored 69 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in allotted 15 overs. Jackques D. Shira scored 14 runs off 28 balls. Vivekanand took 3 wickets for 15 runs and Sumit Kumar took 2 wickets for 14 runs for K.V Happy Valley.
In reply, K.V Happy Valley reached the target in 11 overs losing 5 wickets. Suraj Pandey scored 25 runs off 16 balls and Sumit Kumar scored 10 runs off 10 balls. Jackques D. Shira took 3 wickets for 20 runs and Mridul Puryastha took 1 wicket for 10 runs for Laitumkhrah Bengalee School.
Taekwondo Black Belt Dan promotion exam postponed
Shillong: The Meghalaya Taekwondo Association has postponed the Black Belt Dan Promotion Exam for North East Zone, which are scheduled to be held at May 9 and 10 at J.N. Sports Complex, Indoor Stadium in Polo to June 13 and June 14. For further clarification, contact the Taekwondo Federation of India at 089818188999.
Ganguly tight-lipped on Team India coach’s job
Gurgaon: Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly preferred to remain tight-lipped on whether he was ready to take up the role of head coach of the national team. The southpaw, who alongwith legendary batsman Rahul Dravid are the possible contenders for the top job, did not reveal much on such reports. “There is no point thinking about it. If you get the job, you do it. As of now now, I am not aware of anything,” Ganguly told reporters on the sidelines of the Times of India Sports Awards here tonight. The Bengal batsman also threw his weight behind star batsman Virat Kohli and said he was not bothered on the latter’s attitude problems. On the context of whether he feels the same as BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya about Virat’s behavioural issues, Ganguly replied, “You need to ask the BCCI president as to what he said on Virat. To me, he is a terrific player. That’s how I look at it. He is a young boy. He is just 26. Therefore, more he will learn, better he will get. At the end of the day, he is a class act.” Ganguly feels Virat’s on-field performance must be the yard-stick to measure his brilliance. “I hope he continues to bat like the way he is doing right now. Every person is different and you got to treat them differently. I only look at the runs he scores and nothing else. I hope one day, he will lead the side to a World Cup title,” said Dada. (UNI)
Respect your opposition: Tendulkar
Chennai: Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday said trusting teammates and respecting the opposition was pivotal for those who seek success on a cricket field. “When we play, it was all about team work and trusting your partner. When somebody calls you for a quick single, you just trust his judgement. You don’t look behind. You just run. Also something which is really important is respecting your opposition,” Tendulkar said. When BMW Chennai Plant Managing Director, Robert Fritrang requested Tendulkar to formally assemble a BMW 5 Series car commemorating BMW proposal to increase localisation level to 50 per cent, Tendulkar said, it was exciting and something he had never done in the past. “It was first ever experience for me knowing what was on in this amazing plant.It is a memorable thing for me”. (PTI)
