Parents miffed by 15-point, single game format at MSSA badminton tourney

Don Bosco’s Zia Haria at Bombay Gymkhana on Monday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Parents and players were left surprised by a change in format at the Dream Sports Mumbai School Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school badminton tournament at the Bombay Gymkhana on Monday.

Traditionally played in a best-of-three-games format, with each game comprising 21 points, the tournament has been shortened to a single game of 15 points this year. Parents expressed disappointment, questioning whether it was worth missing an entire school day for a match lasting just one game.

MSSA secretary Sebastian Fernandes

"It does not make sense to play only one match a day, and that too comprising a single game. We parents are staying away from work, while the children are missing an entire day of school for just one match," Nigam Haria, father of Zia Haria of Don Bosco International School (Matunga), told mid-day. Zia beat Seher Mehta of Gopi Birla Memorial School (Walkeshwar) 15-5 in the second round.

Another parent, who wished to remain anonymous, felt the shortened format left players with little scope to stage a comeback.

"Some players are slow starters and tend to get into a rhythm as the match progresses, which is possible in the second or third game. But here, with just one game, a bad start can end things pretty quickly," the parent said.

MSSA secretary Sebastian Fernandes attributed the change to time constraints and the large number of participants.

"We have received 1700 entries across 10 age-group categories this year. Last month, we scheduled the U-16 competition at Garodia International School [Ghatkopar] and Kanakia International School [Chembur], followed by the U-10, U-12 and U-14 competitions at Bombay Gymkhana. We also have time restrictions. We can't extend the schedule as schools have their own activities, such as festivals and examinations. From the quarter-finals onwards, we will introduce the best-of-three-games format," Fernandes said.