The humidity may have been soaring but there was no stopping junior rugby players of West Bengal on May 29. With state selections up for grabs, this was a chance for the district players to prove their worth. More than 150 under-18 boys and girls descended on the Maidan’s Crow Field to play rugby 7s with the odd-shaped rugby ball moving at lightning speed.
Stepping forward to support the juniors were Alliance Française du Bengale and the French Consulate as tournament sponsors and Decathlon with kit and equipment. French deputy consul general Philippe Kerbiriou was in attendance to cheer on the youngsters and present medals and trophies. This set the mood ahead of this summer’s Paris Olympics, where 32 sports will be played, including rugby.
The winning team in the boys’ category with Philippe Kerbiriou.
The boys and girls from South 24-Parganas rocked the day, winning their respective categories. With most of their ranks drawn from Future Hope and their Khelo Rugby project, this was no surprise to any of the supporters present.
In the boys’ tournament, the runners-up were Howrah, made up of players from Don Bosco Ashalayam. In the girls’ competition, it was the team from North 24-Parganas who bagged the silver.
The winning team in the girls’ category with Sujata Sen.
Some of the loudest cheers of the day came from Future Hope CEO Sujata Sen, who was delighted to see so many of the boys and girls supported by her organisation win medals and trophies.
A Bengal Rugby Union selection camp is next on the agenda for the young players.
It was hot, humid and exhausting, but a whole lot of fun for all the boys and girls in action, dreaming perhaps of the Olympics but very much focused on performing on the day. The young players will now proceed to a Bengal Rugby Union selection camp ahead of the national championships to be played in Pune in June.
