Bandra school prove their supremacy in inter-school hockey by winning both U-10 and U-12 crowns
St Stanislaus (Bandra) proved their domination in inter-school hockey by winning both the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) U-10 Oliver Andrade and the U-12 Olympian Walter D’Souza league-cum-knockout titles on the same day at their school ground in Bandra yesterday.
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St Stanislaus’ U-10 team defeated Don Bosco ‘A’ (Matunga) 2-0 with Saurabh Mayekar and Joshua D’Souza scoring a goal each.u00a0Later, their U-12 team got past Don Bosco ‘B’ (Matunga) 2-1. Axl Fernandes put the Bandra outfit in the lead in the very first minute.
Tanish Shetty restored parity for Don Bosco in the ninth minute. But Stanislaus’ Keegan Pinto converted a penalty corner in the 35th minute to seal the fate of the match. It was celebration time for the Bandra team who clinched both the U-10 and U-12 titles in the same season after more than a decade.
Stanislaus coach Joshua Vessaokar said, “When I played for Stanislaus (2000-01) we had won the U-10 and U-12 titles in the same year. It’s a proud moment for me to repeat this feat with the team as coach this time.”
Vessaokar gave full credit to the team effort. “Though it is always the goal scorers who hog the limelight, I feel every member of the team deserves credit — especially the midfielders. Winning it on home soil has made the moment extra special,” he said.
Meanwhile, Don Bosco coach Datta Mayekar said his teams were unfortunate to have missed out on both the titles. u00a0“Both Stanislaus and Bosco’s played well till the end. But I feel luck was not on our side today. Also, Stanislaus were playing on their home ground and that made them look a better side. Today they deserved to win,” Mayekar admitted.u00a0