SAI trainees excel in National School Games

Anil Datt

Ludhiana, February 19

Trainees of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Training Centre, Ludhiana, cornered glory as they helped Punjab in securing a bronze medal in handball during the National School Games, held recently.

Five boys (U-17) from the local centre represented the state and played a pivotal role for the side, by finishing at the third place in the games held at Siddipet in Telangana.

Harbans Singh, in-charge and coordinator of the centre, said trainees namely Parveen, Rohil, Monu, Gurbans Pal Singh and Satinder were the members of the state handball squad that gave a fine performance before losing to the hosts Telangana in the semi-final and had to be content with the bronze medal.

In league encounters, Punjab thrashed Haryana 23-7; drubbed Chandigarh 30-18 and routed Goa 19-3 to storm into the knock-out stage.

In the pre-quarter final, Punjab boys prevailed over Maharashtra 28-19 and in the quarter-final, they outperformed Jammu and Kashmir 23-18 to secure a berth in the last-four stage and assured themselves a medal.

In the semi-final, Punjab players waged a spirited battle against hosts Telangana before going down 19-24 and were forced to contest for the third position, wherein they got the better of Gujarat 27-20 to lay their hands on the bronze medal.

Harbans Singh appreciated the trainees’ contribution in fetching a bronze medal for the state. He also congratulated their coaches Inderjit Singh and Kanta on this achievement. Singh felicitated the players and their coaches at his office and advised players to work hard to achieve more heights in future tournaments.