Hosts Sunrise Club outplay RBI in opener
LUCKNOW: Hosts Sunrise Football Club marched into the quarterfinals of the 10th All-India Super Sports Cup Football tournament, brushing aside Reserve Bank of India, Mumbai 3-1, at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ stadium here on Wednesday.
Though RBI forged into lead through Vinod Kumar in the fifth minute (1-0), Sunrise Football Club bounced back superbly to win the game. First Pradeep restored parity in the ninth minute (1-all), before Sandeep extending the lead in the 35th minute (2-1).
The ding-dong battle continued even after a change in the ends, and seven minutes before the hooter Vinod Kumar had his second goal after making a solo effort (3-1).
Frequent entry of stray dogs marred the opening match for sometimes, and even the organizers had to deploy some volunteers to clear the dogs from the play ground. The dogs even kept roaming in the spectators’ gallery too after being kicked out from the ground. “It’s been a regular feature at UP’s main stadium, and no one cares about this,” a young footballer Pradeep said. On Thursday, UP XI will take on Artillery Football Club, Hyderabad at 10.00 a.m., followed by Air India vs Uttarakhand Football Club at 12.30 p.m., and then the first quarterfinal match between Sunrise FC and ONGC at 2.30 p.m.
CRICKET LEAGUE
Cricket Association Lucknow would be conducting its annual cricket league from February 5. Last date of entry is February 1. CAL also announced the registration process of cricketers in the district for all board trophy selections. Last date of submission of forms is February 5.
TWENTY20 CRICKET
BSNV and Mumtaz PG College stormed in the semi-finals of the Victor Narayan Vidyant PG Twenty20 cricket tournament here. BSNV College beat hosts Vidyant PG College by eight wickets, whereas Mumtaz PG College beat Islamia College by 21 runs.
FINE VICTORY
Amresh Kumar Singh took four for 20 as Arya Cricket Academy beat Drona Cricket Academy by 45 runs in a league match of the Vishramum Challenge Cup cricket tournament.
SPORTS MEET
Both Lucknow men and women made it to the state hockey finals, notching up convincing wins on Wednesday.
Lucknow men defeated Gorakhpur 7-2 to set up a title clash with Allahabad, which defeated Varanasi 4-0 in other semi-final. In the women’s section, Lucknow defeated Moradabad 5-0, whereas Gorakhpur beat Meerut 5-2 in other semi-final.
In kabaddi semi-finals, Saharanpur women beat Lucknow 27-15, whereas Varanasi beat Gorakhpur 28-16 in the semi-finals. In the men’s section semis, Saharanpur will take on Varanasi, whereas Meerut meet Bareilly on Thursday.