Pratham Kranti Kundal Maharashtra men and Uttar Pradesh women emerged as champions in the National Shootingball Championship, held recently at Munshi Bagh in Alwar. The three-day national tournament was organized under the banner of the Shootingball Federation of India, the Rajasthan Shootingball Association, and the Alwar District Shootingball Association.
Participation and Inauguration
The top 13 men's teams and the leading 7 women's teams from across the country participated in the competition, which took place from April 24 to 26. The chief guests at the inauguration included state minister Sanjay Sharma, MLA Sukhwant Singh, and general secretary of the Shootingball Federation of India, Jeetraj Tomar. The meeting was chaired by Rajasthan Shootingball Association patron Sandeep Yadav. Forest minister Sanjay Sharma remarked that shooting ball is a very popular sport and assured that he would seek government assistance to promote it further. MLA and Alwar District Shootingball patron Sukhwant Singh, himself a former shooting ball player, stated, "Facilities will be restored in the game of shooting ball by talking to the chief minister at the government level." Also present on this occasion were Rajasthan Shootingball chairman Shivraj Singh Shaktawat, Dayanand Upadhyay, general secretary Dr. OP Machra, and treasurer Brajesh Sharma.
Tournament Schedule and Closing Ceremony
The tournament was inaugurated on April 24 at 8 PM at Munshibagh Sports Ground. Matches were played under floodlights from 7 AM to 10 AM and from 5 PM to 11 PM. The chief guests of the closing ceremony were Alwar District head Balveer Chhillar, Ramgarh MLA Sukhwant Singh, general secretary of the Asian Shootingball Federation Ravindra Singh Tomar, president of the Rajasthan Shootingball Association Dayanand Upadhyay, National Vice President Dr. OP Machra, and the function was presided over by chief patron of Rajasthan Shootingball and director of CogniVera IT company, Kamlesh Sharma. Also present were Asian Shootingball treasurer JP Kadian, federation treasurer Jitendra Beghel, observer Nana Kale, Avanideep Sharma, Rajesh Mudgal, and Trilok Sharma.
Men's Competition Highlights
In the men's semi-finals, Punjab defeated Haryana 15-13, 15-12, while in the second semi-final, Kranti Kundal Maharashtra beat ISC 15-11, 12-15, 15-13. In the final, Pratham Kranti Kundal Maharashtra ousted Punjab 15-11, 15-8 to clinch the title. ISC finished third. The best player in the men's team was Istiaq from Maharashtra.
Women's Competition Highlights
In the women's section, Uttar Pradesh reigned supreme by outclassing Delhi 15-12, 15-10. Haryana placed third. Vidya Singh Rajput of Uttar Pradesh was adjudged the best player of the tournament.
Awards and Recognition
The winning teams were awarded Rs 51,000 cash along with a trophy and medals for the men's team, and Rs 21,000 cash along with a trophy and medals for the women's team, presented by Ravindra Singh Tomar and Kamlesh Sharma. JP Kadian, Jitendra Singh Baghel, and Nana Kale were present on this occasion. Arrangements for rent allowance, accommodation, and food were made by the organizers of the Alwar District Shooting Ball Association. After a long time, there was an atmosphere of enthusiasm in Alwar city, especially among shooting ball lovers, due to the competition being held in Alwar.
Organizational Details
The federation appointed Atul Tomar of Uttar Pradesh as the stage controller and Nana Kale of Maharashtra as the observer. In this grand and spectacular competition, men and women teams from Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Vidarbha participated prominently. Rajasthan's international shooting ball women players Mona Jat, Muskan Kathed, Sireen Khan, and national players Kamal Choudhary, Sandeep Chahar, Tamesh Shayni, Antaram, and Mitesh Thalod showcased their talent. In the end, the Rajasthan general secretary congratulated and thanked the organizers and the Alwar District Shooting Ball Association for organizing a successful tournament.
