Chaos reigned at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) courts yesterday on Day One of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school tennis tournament.
<img title="Anxious parents and participants during the inter-school tennis tournament" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2014/dec/Parents0810.jpg" alt="Anxious parents and participants during the inter-school tennis tournament" /> Anxious parents and participants during the inter-school tennis tournament at MSLTA. Pic/Atul Kamble.
With mid-term exams in progress in most schools, many participants failed to show up, leaving a bunch of infuriated parents and frustrated kids having to suffer an endless wait for their matches.
In the boys U-12 category, Hrimay Shah of Don Bosco (Matunga) was scheduled to play Mukund Kedia of Bombay Scottish (Mahim) at 10:20am, but he ended up playing the match only post-lunch at 2pm. Hrimay lost 1-6.
Delayed start Don Bosco tennis coach Sunil Sainani was furious. &ldquo;We took special permission from our school principal to pre-poned today&rsquo;s term exam, so that our boys could participate in the MSSA tournament. Hrimay had a match at 10:20am. As per MSSA rules if the opponent doesn&rsquo;t turn up within half an hour, the player present gets a walkover. My player was forced to play his match immediately after having his lunch. If there are issues, it is MSSA&rsquo;s duty to inform us in advance,&rdquo; Sainani told mid-day.
Hrimay blamed the delay for his defeat. &ldquo;I appeared for my maths paper early (7-9 am instead of the normal 10am-12pm for other students), so that I could make it in time for my 10:20am match. I waited for my opponent till 12pm, before deciding to have lunch. Then, suddenly my match was announced. As I had just eaten, I felt heavy and couldn&rsquo;t move well on court and lost,&rdquo; said Hrimay.
Wrong opponent Meanwhile, in the U-16 category, a player from Arya Vidya Mandir HS (Juhu), who did not wish to be named, said he only realised that he had played his first round tie against a wrong opponent, after the match was over.
MSSA tennis secretary AP Rodrigues, however said there was nothing wrong in the scheduling. &ldquo;We were only trying to accommodate matches for the kids, who were present here. Yes, there was an issue with the 10:20am match. The Bombay Scottish player requested us to delay the match as he had his term exams. But from tomorrow, we won&rsquo;t entertain any requests from parents or schools, and straightaway award walkovers,&rdquo; said Rodrigues.
An MSLTA official on condition of anonymity said that the fixtures were a mess. &ldquo;In today&rsquo;s internet era, MSSA is making handwritten draws. That caused all the confusion today.&rdquo;

Chaos reigned at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) courts yesterday on Day One of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school tennis tournament

Chaos reigns on Day One of MSSA tennis tournament

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Chaos reigned at the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) courts yesterday on Day One of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA) inter-school tennis tournament

Chaos reigns on Day One of MSSA tennis tournament

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Chaos reigns on Day One of MSSA tennis tournament

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