Inter-school football ties called off due to rain

Incessant overnight rain which spilled over to the next day resulted in water being collected in several areas of the Cooperage ground and the conditions were not conducive for football

Referee Viraj Makhwana made the right decision and cancelled both the girls' under-16 Division-II semi-final matches, of the MSSA Inter-Schools football tournament which were scheduled to be played at the Cooperage ground yesterday.

Incessant overnight rain which spilled over to the next day resulted in water being collected in several areas of the Cooperage ground and the conditions were not conducive for football.

Difficult conditions

Makhwana started the first semi-final match between St Thomas (Goregaon) and Nahar International School (Chandivali), but decided to call off the game at the end of the first half as he had observed that the ball was not travelling freely and the players faced difficulty in controlling the ball in the rain-soaked field.

"I had decided to start the game since the officials of both schools were keen on playing the match. But the girls were struggling to pass the ball around and play was restricted to the midfield. I also did not want to risk injuries to the young players," Makhwana told mid-day. Coaches Hussain Ghadiyali (Bombay Scottish, Powai) and Elson Mariya (Canossa Convent, Mahim) willingly accepted the referee's decision to call off the matches.

'Right decision'

"The referee did the right thing to cancel the matches. It's dangerous to play in these conditions as there was plenty of water on the ground," Gadhiyali pointed out.

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