Inter-school football: St Paul’s, Campion champions!

The victorious Campion High School U-17 team at the Mumbai Police ground in Naigaon yesterday

St Paul's HS (Dadar) and Campion School (Colaba) emerged champions in the boys' U-14 and U-17 District Sports Office (DSO) Mumbai City inter-school football finals at the Mumbai Police ground, Naigaon, on Friday. Both outfits got the better of teams from Don Bosco (Matunga). While the Dadar side won 1-0, the Colaba lads triumphed 4-3 via the tie-breaker.

Ranveer scores winner

Ranveer Mali scored off a 20-yard free-kick in the 21st minute to give St Paul's their match-winning goal. The St Paul's boys had the better of the exchanges in the first half and were rightly rewarded with a goal when Ranveer's crisp left-footer deflected off a Don Bosco defender and bounced awkwardly in front of goalkeeper Gaurang Surve, who watched helplessly as the ball slipped through.

St Paul's High School (Dadar), winners of the DSO boys U-14 inter-school football tournament, are ecstatic after defeating Don Bosco (Matunga) at Mumbai Police Ground, Naigaon, yesterday. Pics/Atul Kamble

Gutsy Kabir saves the day

The Campion and Bosco match witnessed a lot of midfield action. The Matunga boys had the better of goal-scoring opportunities, but a gutsy and agile Campion custodian Kabir Bhatia was up to the task. He made a couple of spectacular saves to ensure he maintained a clean sheet in the competition. Campion failed to create clear openings and settled for a goalless draw.

In the tie-breaker, Campion scored through Iryaveer Chawla, Ayaan Mehta, Rivan Karachiwala and Jayden Alphonso. Don Bosco scored through Arya Kamble, Om Kirdat, and Christiano Fernandes, while Angelo Fernandes fired wide and goalkeeper Atharva Gaonkar's try was saved by his counterpart Kabir of Campion.

The triumphant Cathedral & John Connon girls U-17 team are all smiles after their win over Christ Church

Meanwhile, in the girls section, Cathedral & John Connon (Fort) defeated Christ Church School (Byculla) 1-0 also via the tie-breaker to emerge U-17 champions. Cathedral forwards Anushka Singh and Sharanya Kheruka put a lot of pressure on the Christ Church defence with consistent attacks, but failed to break the deadlock, leading to a goalless finish.

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Aishree on target

In the ensuing shootout, Cathedral's Aishree Biswas was the only player, who managed to convert from the spot. "We are elated. This title means a lot to us. We owe this success to our coach Deepak [Narwade]," said Aishree, who was also grateful to her captain and goalkeeper Samaira Bhalla for maintaining a clean sheet in the tie-breaker.

With inputs from Shaun Suvarna