Turfing it out to win in rink

AVM Juhu school team and coach Desmond D’Souza (extreme left) celebrate with the mid-day’s Ranis of Rink winner’s trophy, watched by guests of honour, actor Siddhant Chaturvedi (5th from left) and Dhanraj Pillay (4th from left). Dronacharya award-winning football coach Bimal Ghosh (2nd from right), All Stars Football Club owner Bunty Walia (2nd from left) and UK United team owner Ronnie D’Souza (extreme right) look on. Pics/Rane Ashish, Atul Kamble, Satej Shinde

Young footballers from eight city schools competed fiercely under a scorching afternoon sun at the mid-day's Ranis of Rink 2022 at Arena 31 Turf, Neville D'Souza ground in Bandra on Friday. Arya Vidya Mandir (AVM) (Juhu) emerged victorious in the second edition of Mumbai's first girls U-16 inter-school football tournament, beating Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS).

Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement award-winning football coach Bimal Ghosh presenting AVM Juhu's Radhika Vyas the Best Forward trophy

The underlying potential of upcoming women footballers in the city reflected incredibly in this tournament of 16 matches. All eight teams refused to give an inch as they engaged in a free-spirited yet passionate contest right through the day.

Dynamic Radhika

AVM Juhu, powered by their diminutive and dynamic striker Radhika Vyas, cruised their way to the top prize by defeating DAIS in a penalty shootout of the summit clash. The match was stuck at 1-1 at the end of regular time courtesy a goal each by Navya Dholakia (DAIS) and Stuti Kothari (AVM Juhu). DAIS seemed to have made notes from AVM Juhu's previous matches and kept Vyas in check for the entirety of the grand finale.

Friend, supporter and well-wisher of Ranis of Rink, Ronnie D'Souza presents the Best Goalkeeper award to AVM Juhu's Anoushka Patni

However, the champions displayed tremendous teamwork by ensuring that multiple players stepped up at different stages of the competition. Their goalkeeper Anoushka Patni saved both spot-kicks taken by DAIS in the shootout before Vyas slotted the ball comfortably into the back of the net to put the game to bed.

No lack of quality football

AVM Juhu, DAIS, Bombay International (BIS) and Apostolic Carmel were the four teams that proceeded to the semi-finals following the group stage matches. There was little to separate them in terms of quality and that was evident from the fact that the outcome of both the semi-finals had to be decided through a penalty shootout eventually.

Mumbai Football Association (MFA) treasurer Udayan Banerjee gives away the Best Defender trophy to AVM Juhu's Kavya Aher (right)

DAIS and BIS played out a goalless draw, but the former's custodian Saanvi Agarwal made a critical save to steer her team to the final encounter. On the other hand, Vyas and Mahek Sanghvi (Apostolic Carmel) got on the scoresheet in the second semi-final. The two sides were level at 1-1 after the first three spot-kicks in the shootout. However, Norah Bhattacharya and Patni from AVM Juhu converted their shots into goals as Carmel's goalkeeper Vaibhavi Parmar missed the target; her team's hopes of making it to the final dashed. All was not lost for the losing semi-finalists as they soon faced off in the third-place playoff to secure the bronze medal.

SEE PHOTOS: AVM Juhu beat Dhirubhai Ambani 3-2 to win U-16 Ranis of Rink 2022 football tournament

Dhirubhai Ambani's Mahika Praveen (second from left) vies for the ball with Zia Shah of Bombay Scottish (Mahim) during a group stage match of the mid-day's Ranis of Rink tournament in Bandra on Friday

BIS asserted their supremacy over Apostolic Carmel by beating them 3-0 in this match that was held just prior to the final game. Aditi Moondhra, who had been a consistent goal-scorer for BIS, bagged a brace with some clinical finishing in this match as well. She was ably supported by her strike partner Mihika Iyer, who netted in the second half to ensure her team returned back home with a medal in their hands. BIS, in fact, were actively involved and cheering for AVM Juhu with their ‘AVM, AVM…Juhu, Juhu, Juhu' chants from the sidelines in the final in order to avenge their own defeat to DAIS in the semi-final!

Guest of honour Dhanraj Pillay (2nd from right) during the toss ahead of the final between AVM Juhu and Dhirubhai Ambani International

Surprises in the group stage

Perhaps, the biggest surprise from the group stage matches was the early exit of defending champions Mary Immaculate Girls (MIG) from Borivli. They lost their three Group A matches and managed to score only twice in these games.

AVM (Bandra, East) closely missed out on a semi-final spot as they trailed Group A runners-up Apostolic Carmel by two points at the end of three matches. In Group B, Bombay Scottish and AVM (Bandra-West) failed to take three points from any of their games and retuned back with only a solitary draw to their name each.

Mumbai Schools Sports Association president Fr Jude Rodrigues gives a pep talk to AVM Bandra (West) team before their match v AVM Juhu

Joyous Juhu side

AVM Juhu bagged all the individual awards as Vyas and Patni were adjudged as the Best Forward and Best Goalkeeper respectively. Additionally, Kavya Aher was declared to be Best Defender. Patni barely managed to pip DAIS' Agarwal for the honour thanks to her heroics in the penalty shootout in the final. As for Vyas, her six goals in five games coupled with the innate composure she showed in taking the decisive spot-kick in the final shootout led her to being the unanimous choice for the Best Forward award.

mid-day's Ranis of Rink silver-medallists Dhirubhai Ambani International, who lost in the final to AVM Juhu on Friday

Girls have more interest in football than boys: Ghosh

mid-day's Ranis of Rink 2022, which was the second edition of Mumbai's first U-16 girls inter-school football competition, was a star-studded affair. The tournament, held at the Arena 31 Turf, Neville D'Souza ground in Bandra on Friday, was graced by the presence of former Indian hockey captain Dhanraj Pillay, Dronacharya Lifetime Achievement awardee Bimal Ghosh, who will receive the award at a formal function at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on November 30, and Bollywood actor Siddhant Chaturvedi. The chief guests heaped immense praise on the passion on display from the budding footballers from eight city schools. Ghosh, a veteran coach who is deeply connected with the footballing landscape of Mumbai, even placed the current state of women's football in India above to that of the men's game.

Bronze medal-winning Bombay International School players with guest of honours Dhanraj Pillay (4th from left) and actor Siddhant Chaturvedi (4th from right), Bimal Ghosh and Bollywood producer and founder of All Stars Football Club, Bunty Walia (extreme right)

Loads of potential

"Girls have more interest in football than boys. I have seen a lot of enthusiasm in them. I never expected like that. They are very much encouraged. Everything I find in girls football is better than men's football right now," Ghosh said on the sidelines of the tournament. He added, "Their attitude is very positive. They are very passionate. I have been watching them for the last two years. The boys don't have so much [enthusiasm] like the girls."

Hockey great Dhanraj Pillay gets nostalgic with mid-day's Group Sports Editor Clayton Murzello at the Neville D'Souza Turf in Bandra

Ghosh, however, acknowledged that the grassroots football development should begin at an even younger age in India. He explained that certain important attributes can be spotted and worked upon from the U-16 level itself. "I see their individual qualities. One player is very good in shooting, another is very good in heading. We have to develop that and then players will move up to a big level," the ex-Mumbai Tigers coach quipped.

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Dhanraj hails maturity

Similarly, Pillay seemed impressed with the maturity which these girls displayed. The hockey veteran called upon all the participants and their parents to continue their association with the sport.

Bollywood actor Siddhant Chaturvedi, who played the role of a rapper, MC Sher in the film Gully Boy, raps with Radhika Vyas after AVM Juhu emerged mid-day's Ranis of Rink champions on Friday

"Around three to four of these girls are very good. They understand football. The way they carry the ball, the way they are looking up whom to pass to…and all. I request all the children and parents that they should continue playing and one day they can play for our country or their states as well," the 54-year-old remarked.

Siddhant's love for football

Chaturvedi spoke about his love for football. The Gully Boy star expressed hope that his presence would motivate the girls to perform better and asked for more such competitions to be organised across different age-groups.

Bombay International's Reinaa Mehta (second from left) celebrates after scoring against defending champions Mary Immaculate Girls (MIG) during a group stage match of mid-day's Ranis of Rink U-16 inter-school football tournament at the Neville D'Souza Turf in Bandra on Friday

"I have grown up in Mumbai. I used to play for my college and my building. I can't describe what football means to me. It's a game that I love, honestly. It's a good workout, a good team exercise. It also teaches you a lot of things about life. You have got to love it," Chaturvedi said.

"It is [Ranis of Rink 2022] very encouraging. We should have more of these competitions. There are some really good players and we need to see them not only on Indian but on the international stage too. I am all for rooting for them," he added. The tournament was also graced by Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) president Fr Jude Rodrigues.

Physio Kimberley Coutinho treats a Dhirubhai Ambani player

Top achievers

Arya Vidya Mandir (AVM) (Juhu) emerged victorious in the eight-team tournament by defeating Dhirubhai AmbaniInternational School (DAIS) through a penalty shootout in the final. Three of AVM Juhu's players - Radhika Vyas, Kavya Aher and Anoushka Patni were adjudged with the Best Forward, Best Defender and Best Goalkeeper respectively.

Hockey great Dhanraj Pillay turns lensman as he shoots pictures of mid-day's principal photographer Atul Kamble on Friday

Results in brief

League matches:
>> AVM Juhu 4 bt Dhirubhai Ambani International School 2
>> Bombay Scottish 1 drew with AVM Bandra West 1
>> AVM Bandra East 2 bt MIG Borivali 0
>> Bombay International 5 bt Apostolic Carmel 0
>> AVM Juhu 4 bt Bombay Scottish 1
>> Dhirubhai Ambani Inernational School 2 bt AVM Bandra West 1
>> AVM Bandra East 2 drew with Bombay International 2
>> Apostolic Carmel 2 bt MIG Borivali 1
>> Dhirubhai Ambani 2 bt Bombay Scottish 1
>> AVM Juhu 2 bt AVM Bandra West 1
>> Bombay International 2 bt MIG Borivali 1
>> Apostolic Carmel 2 bt AVM Bandra East 0

Semi-final 1: Dhirubhai Ambani International School 3 bt Bombay International 2 via tie-breaker

Semi-final 2: AVM Juhu 3 bt Apostolic Carmel 2 via tie-breaker

Bronze Medal Match: Bombay International 3 bt Apostolic Carmel 0

Final: AVM Juhu 2 bt Dhirubhai Ambani International School