MONDAY, JANUARY 7, 2019 (PAGE 10) DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU Real Kashmir humble Mohun Bagan by 2-1, keep title hopes alive in maiden season KOLKATA, Jan 6: Real Kashmir humbled heavyweights Mohun Bagan by 2-1 and the giant-killing act, one of many engineered by the debu- tantes in the ongoing I-League, kept their title hopes alive, here today. The win against a profligate Mohun Bagan helped Real Kashmir, the first team from the valley to play in India's top- flight, continue their fairy tale run. The team's sixth victory was achieved on the back of a brace by Mason Robertson, who struck in the 33rd and 74th minute at the Salt Lake Stadium. Starting as a defender, Scottish Robertson, who was recruited by his father and coach of the club David Robertson, dominated the game to hand the former champions a second suc- cessive defeat. League winning star winger Sony Norde, who made a come- back after missing four matches due to his leg injury, scored the solitary goal for the home side in the 42nd minute. "Today's win is because of dedication and hard work of everyone at RKFC. The boys were exceptional and I am sure that the spirit continues as we begin our final uphill task," said Sandeep Chattoo, co-owner of Real Kashmir Football Club (RKFC). "The RKFC wishes to place on record it's great appreciation towards people of Kolkata for the love showered on us," RKFC owners Chattoo and Shamim Meraj said. The result also avenged their home leg defeat to Mohun Bagan as they moved up the pecking order, going past NEROCA FC to the second place. The Snow Leopards now have a three-point deficit against leaders Chennai City (24) in the standings as the father-son duo continued to weave magic for the club. Mohun Bagan slipped to sixth place with 15 points from 11 matches and saw their title hopes virtually go up in smoke. The visitors also capped a fine outing in Kolkata after their 1-1 draw against East Bengal, extending their unbeaten run to seven matches in the top-tier league. Mason, who missed their last match against East Bengal due to food poisoning, quickly switched to the attacking third and make instant impact. At the halfway mark, the newcomers drew first blood against the run of play when Mason deceived Arijit Bagui in an aerial battle and headed home a cross floated in by Surchandra Singh, stunning the boisterous home crowd. (PTI) Rana hails youth participation in rural sports Excelsior Sports Correspondent NAGROTA Jan 6: National Conference provincial presi- dent Devender Singh Rana today said that rural sports con- tinue to remain popular and rel- evant with youngsters which are reflected by their ever growing participation. "It is heartening to watch our youngsters from Nagrota Assembly constituency taking lead role in organizing and playing sports like Volleyball, Badminton, Kabaddi, Tug of War, Long Jump etc in a big way", Mr Rana said at the con- cluding function of District Sports Meet, organized by Rural Development Form, a Non Governmental Organisation, at Bhatyari in Block Dansal. Sports persons from 15 Panchayats of Dansal Block participated in various events, which were witnessed by a large number of sports-lovers from all over the Constituency. While Kapotha teams won the keenly contested Volleyball and Kabaddi matches, Bhatyari teams triumphed in Tug of War and Badminton events. The Kanyala players won the Long Jump competition. Complimenting the partici- pating teams and congratulating those who won various events, Rana expressed happiness over the constituency emerging as a hub of sports activities in the recent years, especially the rural games and hoped the tal- ented ones will make their mark at national and international levels. He stressed the need for adequate exposure to youth evincing interest in various sports competitions, saying their love and passion for the games is admirable. Rana sought adequate open- ings and facilities for the rural youth to demonstrate their tal- ent and capabilities. Chairman of the Rural Development Society Parshotam Singh, president Ashok Sahini, working presi- dent Sham Parsad Sharma, organizer Pritam Singh, secre- tary Kala Ram and vice presi- dent Uttam Singh were present on the occasion. The organizers spelt out the broad initiatives being taken for encouraging and engaging in sports activi- ties. Besides a large number of sports lovers, those who watched the various events included Mohan Lal, Pt. Rameshwar Dutt, Sarpanch Rumal Singh, Sarpanch Omkar Singh, Kuldeep Sharma (Sukha), Janak Singh, Kishori Lal , Balram Singh, Mohd Sadiq, Pritam Singh, Gulail, Maddi, Dr Parshant Khajuria, Ram Parshotam Sharma, Master Ranjeet Singh, Master Baldev Singh, Kartar Singh ad others. NC provincial president Devender Singh Rana felicitating a player during concluding ceremony of Sports meet in Jammu. Students in colourful attires posing for a photograph while celebrating Annual day at Abhinav Theatre in Jammu on Sunday. JP World School celebrates 12th Annual Day ‘Dharohar’ Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Jan 6: JP World School celebrated its 12th Annual Day, ‘Dharohar’ with pomp and show at Abhinav Theatre, here today. The programme was a mes- sage to the mass for preservation of the Mother Earth, in the form of a musical drama. The students showcased their talent in a bedaz- zling way. Member of Parliament Jugal Kishore Sharma was the chief guest on the occasion, while Vikram Randhawa, MLC Jammu and Padmashree Balwant Thakur were the guests of honour. The event began with wel- coming of the guests, their floral felicitation and the ceremonial lamp-lighting, followed by Saraswati Vandana. The main highlight of the day was a musical drama to educate the audience about the injustice we are doing to our Mother Earth. The narrative enacted by the students was an eye-opener for the audience & held the audience in awe & left them enlightened as the show culminated. The junior students of the school presented a dance performance, ‘Fiesta’ & left everyone jovial. The show involved most of the students of the school in spec- tacular performances enriched with rich music, costumes & dance. JS Hundal, Principal of the School, presented the annual report, focusing on the school’s achievements- both Scholastic & Co-scholastic, which were applauded by the assemblage. The Annual Prize Distribution function was a moment of pride for all the winners & achievers of the school as they were honoured for their academic & other achievements. Prajwal Gupta was conferred with ‘Student of the Year Award’ for scoring 95.8% marks & for being J&K topper in 12th class board exams (Non-Medical stream). The school conferred the ‘Sidharth Basu Award’ to Aarav Vaid & Sohail-ur-Rehman, for excelling in Quiz competitions. Harshika Jethi was awarded with the “Sonal Mansingh Award’ for showing brilliant performance in cultural programmes. Syed Maria Geelani was given ‘Mahatma Gandhi Award’ for being an excellent public speaker. For showing brilliance in science, Haider Ali was awarded the ‘Einstein Award’. The ‘Aryabhatta Award’ was given to Abhay Sharma for his excellent performance in Mathematics. For possessing great debating skills, Wasif Tak was conferred with the ‘Abraham Lincoln Award’. The most coveted, ‘Cock House Trophy’ was bagged by the Ravi House for excelling in all the Inter-House activities. The prizes were given away by Jugal Kishore Sharma, Vikram Randhawa and Balwant Thakur. The vote of thanks was pre- sented by the Head Girl of the School, Tamanna Gupta. The event culminated with the singing of the National Anthem. India on course for historic series win SYDNEY, Jan 6: Fickle weather on day four prevented India from closing in on a big win in the fourth Test but they were well on course for their maiden series victory in Australia after forcing the hosts to follow-on at home for the first time since 1988. Bad light and intermitted rain led to substantial loss of play with only 25.2 overs bowled on day four. Australia were placed at 6-0 in 4 overs after Kuldeep Yadav's five-wicket haul in his maiden Test Down Under helped India bowl the home team out for 300 in the first innings. Umpires took players off the field with eight minutes remain- ing in the belated afternoon ses- sion. Marcus Harris (2) and Usman Khawaja (4) were the unbeaten batsmen with Australia still trailing by 316 runs. But play didn't resume at all once the scheduled tea break was over, as bad light hampered proceedings once again. The umpires waited for nearly an hour, coming out for inspection in between, before making a decision at 5 pm local time. The match officials were ready to wait until 6 pm for light to improve, but a slight drizzle put paid to the wait and the day was called off at 5.20 pm local time. (PTI) Kiran Wattal unanimously elected President of JKGA Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Jan 6: Former Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and former Secretary J&K State Sports Council was elect- ed as the President of Jammu and Kashmir Gymnastics Association (JKGA) for the term of four years in the elec- tions of the J&K Gymnastics Association held at Amar Singh Club, here today. Wattal is a sports promoter and himself is a regular player of Badminton, besides having distinction of representing Punjabi University in Body building and Weightlifting, Ravi Singh, Divisional Sports Officer, Jammu and Ashok Singh, Manager M A Stadium were the observers from J&K State Sports Council, while Narinder Mohan was the observer from Gymnastics Federation of India. Dushyant Sharma, President J&K Olympic Association (JKOA) and Prof Ashutosh Sharma, General Secretary were also present in the meeting, while Kuldeep Singh Jamwal, President Rifle Shooting Association of J&K were the observers from JKOA. Earlier, Ashutosh Sharma proposed the name of Mr Wattal for the post of President, while Sunil Sharma seconded it. After unanimously election of the President, the house authorised the newly elected President to nominate / elect the team of other office bearers of JKGA in consulta- tion with the other senior members and International & National medallists in Gymnastics. Meanwhile, the newly elected President of the Association, Kiran Wattal thanked the members for hav- ing faith in him and electing him as head of the Association. He also thanked the out- going President Sheikh Fazal Ahmed and General Secretary, Ajit Singh Wazir for their time- ly decision to go ahead for the further promotion of Gymnastics in the J&K State. He said that he will leave no stone unturned in improv- ing the standard of Gymnastics in Jammu and Kashmir and raising its infrastructure. He also lavished praise on Gymnastics coaches specially Krupali Singh and SP Singh in raising standard of the game. He mentioned that in the Year 2018 only Gymnasts of the State have won 47 medals including 21 Gold, 15 Silver and 11 Bronze medals for the State in various National level competitions. Senior International Gymnast Manvinder Singh told the house that Wattal has done great job during his tenure as Secretary Sports Council by improving infra and organising many tourna- ments in the downtown areas of Valley. The other prominent mem- bers who attended the meeting were Vijay Saraf, Deepak Handa, Vikas Gupta, RC Chib, Adarash Pal Gupta, Manish Gupta, Ravinder Singh International Athelete and Romesh Mahajan, vice president of JKOA were also present. State/Sher-e-Kashmir awardees, former International & National medallist Gymnasts Manpreet Kour, Kamal Chib, Manvinder, Tejiinder Singh and Ajit Raj were present on the occasion. Haji Abdul Qayoom was also present. CS lauds performance of JK Police 5-day Police Inter-Zone Sports Meet-2018 concludes Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Jan 6: Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam today lauded Jammu and Kashmir Police and described it one of the best forces in the coun- try which is working in difficult situations to maintain law and order and ensure safe- ty of people. Speaking at the concluding ceremony of 5-day Police Inter- Zone Sports Meet- 2018, organized at Gulshan Ground here today, the Chief Secretary said Government is aware of the problems and difficulties of Police force and several steps for their welfare have been taken by the Governor's Administration. He said an effi- cient mechanism has been put in place to address their issues on priority. Chief Secretary said Mir Committee constituted to suggest measures to be initiated for the welfare of Police, including speedy disposal of promotion cases, seniority and creation of more posts in different cadres for career progression is being exam- ined for implementation. He said 8000 posts in several higher ranks have been created to open the avenues of promotions for police personnel. He said Government has already announced a housing scheme for the families of the police personnel and initially 10000 housing units will be con- structed each at Jammu and Srinagar for which the work will start soon. These units will be provided to the families of needy police personnel on reasonable and affordable prices, he said and added that the Government is also considering sanctioning a substantial risk allowance for the Police Personnel keeping in view the working conditions of the force. The Chief Secretary appreci- ated the efforts of DGP for organ- izing this big sports bonanza and said that sports are must for keep- ing the Police personnel mentally and physically fit and called for organizing such events on regular basis. He said such events pro- vide opportunities to the players to exhibit their talent in different sports activities and help in boosting their moral which lead them to perform their duties more efficiently. In his welcome address, DGP Dilbag Singh informed that as many as 930 sportspersons of six zones, including 775 men and 155 women participated in this inter-zone sports meet-2018. It also includes 38 gazetted officers who participated in different sports events. The games which were played in the meet included Boxing, Hockey, Kabaddi, Athletic, Handball, Shooting, Football, Basketball, Weightlifting, Archery, Wrestling, Tug of War and Judo etc. He said the Police Department organizes such sports events for its personnel at different places across the State to refresh the minds and brains of the jawans. He said games are the part of the service which pro- vides opportunity to the individu- als and as teams to perform on ground and display their skills in different events which boosts their morale. He congratulated to the winners and complimented to all those participated in the event and showing their enthusiasms towards the sports. He called upon the police functionaries to maintain discipline while playing as well as performing their pro- fessional duties on ground. The DGP expressed gratitude to the Chief Secretary for gracing the occasion and attending issues of the Police force on priority. He said active Government support to the Police help in boosting the moral of the force which help in improving their performance on ground. ADGPArmed, A K Choudhary, who is Organizing Secretary of the Sports Meet presented the vote of thanks. He thanked all the partici- pants, especially the Chief Secretary and all senior officers, including former Police officers for gracing the occasion and encourag- ing the players. The overall men trophy was clinched by the Armed zone while as overall women trophy was won by Training Zone. Ram Raj of Jammu Zone who secured three Gold and one Silver Medals was adjudged best Athlete Winner in men's section while Seema Devi of Armed Zone was declared best Athlete Winner in Women's Section for securing two Gold and one Silver Medals. The Chief Secretary and DGP distributed the prizes and tro- phies among the winners of the various events. Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sanjeev Verma, Secretary Youth Services & Sports and Information, Sarmad Hafeez and several senior and retired police officers, besides large number of sports persons and spectators were present on the occasion. Blind qualifies NET Excelsior Correspondent JAMMU, Jan 6: Bhadur Lal, son of Sigan Lal and Sharikri Devi, resi- dent of Malpur, Dinga, Jammu has qualified National Eligibility Test (NET) in Education from Central University of Haryana. He is studying in MA Education (IInd Semester) and was guided by HoD Sarika Sharma. Newly elected president of JKGA and other members posing for a group photograph at Amar Singh Club in Jammu on Sunday. -Excelsior/Rakesh Contingent of female sports persons posing alongwith Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam during concluding ceremony of Inter Zone Sports meet in Jammu on Sunday. -Excelsior/Rakesh Ladakh Scouts lifts Stakna Running Archery Cup Excelsior Sports Correspondent LEH, Jan 6: The Stakna Running Archery Cup was lifted by LSRC Red with the score of 364 points, while as Skara Red with 348 points and LSRC Blue with 322 points bagged second and third position respectively. Delex Angchuk of Skara Red with 115 points was declared first while as Tsering Spalgon of LSRC Red with 107 points and R. Chosgyal of Skara Blue with 97 points secured second and third positions individually. Organized by Sporting Club Stakna, 16 archery teams partic- ipated in the tournament at Stakna village today. The Chairman/ CEC LAHDC Leh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal was chief guest on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, CEC JTN highly appreciated Sporting Club Stakna for organ- izing this archery tournament annually since couple of years successfully and said that engag- ing youths in such sports events will not only give them chance to exhibit their talent but also keep them away from bad habits. He said that organizing tournaments and participating in such events will inculcate disci- pline, sportsmanship and sense of responsibility among youths for welfare and development of society. Later the CEC JTN gave away winner and runners-up Cups to the winning teams. Ladakh Scouts team posing for a group photograph after clinching trophy at Leh. IISM Gulmarg completes 1st Ski Course Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Jan 6: Indian Institute of Skiing & Mountaineering (IISM) at Gulmarg completed its first Winter Ski Course today in which 80 students from various parts of the country participated. Dr Syed Hanief Balkhi, Chief Executive Officer, Gulmarg Development Authority, was the chief guest. He gave away the certificates and prizes to the winners of var- ious events in the course. Principal IISM, JS Dhillon welcomed the chief guest and briefed him about the develop- ment of the institute and various activities being undertaken by it. Students from Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kerala, TN, U.P and other parts of the country including students from Kashmir completed the course. "IISM will be conducting 05 more skiing courses which have already been booked by stu- dents. IISM is very popular Institute of the Nation and plays a very vital role to promote tourism in the State of J&K. The main aim of these courses is to develop a skill of skiing and generate employment opportuni- ties for the youth who want to engage in adventure tourism. These courses also help to develop the personality of the participants through their expo- sure to challenging situations," Dhillon said. Chief Guest, Dr Balkhi praised the Institute for main- taining an excellent standard of training and administration, adding IISM is a pioneer insti- tute of the country which pro- vides state of the art adventure training with modern facilities. All comforts are provided to the students in the centrally heated building, adding that its equipment and machinery is best in the country. He asked the students to work hard to achieve their objectives of life as nobody rec- ognizes you unless you achieve success. Student being honoured with a certificate after completing the Ski Course at IISM Gulmarg. New Y ear Cricket Cup Akhnoor Amar CC outplays KCC by 58 runs Excelsior Sports Correspondent AKHNOOR, Jan 6: Amar Cricket Club defeated KCC by 58 runs in the New Year Cricket Cup, being organised by Singh Cricket Club Akhnoor under the supervision of Sham Singh Langeh, here. Former Minister and Senior Congress leader, Sham Lal Sharma was the chief guest on the inaugural ceremo- ny, who declared the Tournament open in an impressive, well attended and colourful function. Earlier, winning the toss and batting first, Amar Cricket Club scored a good total of 179 runs in the stipulated 20 overs, losing 8 wickets in the process. Rahul Sharma scored quick-fire 89 runs off just 36 balls, while Kavi Raj con- tributed 38 runs. From Krishna Cricket Club (KCC), Arun and Gagan took 3 wickets each, while Arush claimed 2 wick- ets. In reply, KCC bundled out for 121 runs to lose the amtch by 58 runs. Aryan (32) and Gagan (30) were the main scorers. From ACC, Mukesh took 4 important wickets, while Raghu Raj and Billa claimed 2 wickets each. Rahul Sharma was adjudged as the man of the match. On the occasion, chief guest gifted a new cricket mat to the organisers for holding the tournaments in future also. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Sham Singh Langeh, Amar Jeet Singh, Raman Sharma, Shiv Prakash, Naresh Dutt , Sanjay Sharma, Atul Sudan , Sushil Sharma, Raman Bhalla, Rajinder Sharma, Vishal Sapolia, Anil Sharma, Suresh Gupta, Deepak Mangotra, Amit Mangotra, Gautam Mangotra and Sahil Mangotra. Former Minister Sham Lal Sharma interacting with players while inaugurating New Year Cricket Cup at Akhnoor. National Dance Sports C’ship organised Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Jan 6: Harman Cultural and Educational Society organised National Dance Sports Championship at Abhinav Theatre, here. About 250 children and youngsters from Jammu and Kashmir, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand participated in the Championship. Balwinder Singh Johal, President, Dance Sports Council of India was the chief guest, while Rajni Kant Thakur, Technical Advisor, Dance Sports Council of India was guest of honour. The programme started with the traditional lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Children performed brilliant- ly and were honoured by chief guest for their mesmerizing per- formance. S. Amrinder Singh Amn, Additional Secretary, J&K AACL, Jammu was the special guest on the occasion. Tajinder Singh, president, Harman Cultural and Educational Society, Gurvinder Kour, State Secretary Dance Sports Council of J&K were also present. Best performers were hon- oured with medals on the occa- sion. Tajinder Singh, President, Harman Cultural and Educational Society, Jammu congratulated all the participants and wished them good luck for future competitions. The vote of thanks was pre- sented by Gurvinder Kour. Children alongwith chief guest and other dignitaries posing for group photograph at Abhinav theater in Jammu.