BOTH the Under-18 Nagpur teams ended as second best in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Cup State-level Volleyball Tournament that concluded at the Badlapur Gymkhana ground, Badlapur. The five-day event was jointly organised by the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services and Kulgaon-Badlapur Municipal Council. In a thrilling boys Under-21 final, Nagpur boys twice squandered the lead to go down fighting to Kolhapur in tough five sets. Kolhapur won 23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-12. After losing the first set, Kolhapur fought back in the second and fourth sets. In the fifth and deciding set, Vaibhav Dhage turned the match around with a brilliant shot.

 

Utkarsh Patil, Sanjog Patil and Junaid Sheikh played fast and carved Kolhapur’s name on the championship trophy. In the girls Under-18 category, an experienced Pune side beat Nagpur 25-19, 25-18, 25-16 in a rather one-sided encounter. In the Under-21 girls category, Mumbai defeated Nashik 16-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-21 to clinch the title. Latur won the championship match in the Under-21 boys group. They defeated Mumbai 25-16, 15-25, 25-21, 25-19 in four sets. Cash prizes of Rs 23 lakh and 35 thousand, trophies and medals were distributed during the prize distribution function.