RSP boys, Rovers girls lift trophy

Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) boys and Rovers Club girls emerged champions in the 24th State Sub-junior Basketball Championship, which concluded at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack today. Cuttack District Athletic Association finished runners-up in both the sections. In the finals, RSP won 34-32, while Rover Club triumphed 23-10. Mass Education Minister Pratap Jena gave away the trophies at the closing function. Local MLA Debasish Samantaray, Orissa Cricket Association secretary Asirbad Behera and host Cuttack Basketball Association secretary Ashok Kumar Sahu were present on the occasion. The tournament proved to be low-key affair with only three girls’ teams and 12 boys’ outfits taking part. Among the teams, as many 11 teams belonged to Cuttack district alone. That raised the question whether it was a state or a district championship? It is a pity that when Orissa Basketball Association (OBA) is celebrating 50 years of its existence, only three/ four districts are participating in a state championship. Observes of the game hold officials of the state body solely responsible for this sorry state of affairs. Another inefficiency of OBA is that in 50 years, it has given affiliation to only nine districts and seven clubs. When asked for the reason, OBS secretary Ashok Sahu is reported to given a ridiculous answer. ``Basketball is not spreading to other districts because it is an expensive game. OBA is unable to do much in this regard because of financial constraints,’’ he said.