BHUBANESWAR 18-Jan-2013 417
Host Odisha lifted the boys` football trophy in the 5th PYKKA National Rural Sports Meet (Group-III), which concluded at Kalinga Stadium here today. In the hard-fought final at Satyabrata Stadium in Cuttack, Odisha boys edged out Manipur 5-4 in penalty shoot out, which was applied after play in the regulation time ended in 1-1 draw.
But the defeat of the Manipur boys was compensated by their girls, who emerged champions, defeating defending champions Haryana 2-1 in the final here at the Kalinga Stadium. Odisha girls finished third, beating Mizoram 3-0 in the play-off match.
Altogether 1037 competitors, including 484 girls from 23 states and Union Territories joined the four-day meet, which was earlier inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Kalinga Stadium. Hockey Olympian Dilip Tirkey and Sports Minister Ramesh Chandra Majhi were present in the opening ceremony. The meet also featured competition in judo and weightlifting.
In boys’ football, Odisha entered the final, defeating Goa 2-0 and Maharashtra 5-0 in Group-H league, hammering Uttar Pradesh 4-0 in the quarterfinals and Tamil Nadu 2-0 in the semifinals. Jajpur boy Sheikh Salim Ahemad turned out to be the star performer of the Odisha boys’ team, scoring a total of nine goals including two hat-tricks in the tournament.
In girls’ football, Odisha trounced Chhattisgarh 5-0 and Uttarakhand 4-0 in their two Group-C league matches; drubbed Meghalaya 7-1 in the quarterfinals but went down fighting to defending champions Haryana 4-5, via tie-breaker in the semifinals. Striker Pyari Xaxa dazzled for the Odisha team, scoring a total of 10 goals, including two hat-tricks in the tournament.
