This time it was the turn of Division 4 to stumble out of bed in time for the 8:30 am draw. It was heartening to see the numbers that showed up on that cold foggy-ish Sunday. The sun shone down happily, soon after that.
Once again the excitement grew as the names of the teams were pulled out of the RED BAG to form the four Groups. As soon as the teams noted whom they were playing against and at what time, they all got down to their warm- up.
In Group A: The opening match in Group A between AFFINITY and DELHI OILERS ended in a draw. With RAFFLES winning the second match in the group quite comfortably they looked to be the favourites to progress to the semis. Despite a brave fight back by DELHI OILERS, their match ended in a draw, and it was RAFFLES that went forward to the semis.
In Group B: With a draw in their first match against EDUCOMP, team PREMIER INN played out of their skins to win against the top seeded SUPERSONICS; it was destiny indeed as SUPERSONICS lost their second match as well. Thus, making an interesting turn of events in this Group B. Both PREMIER INN and EDUCOMP tied on the same points.
In Group C: CONSOLIDATED COIN CO and CHALLENGERS both won their opening matches and so it was winner takes all encounter in the last match in Group C. CHALLENGERS took an early lead but CCC never gave up and converted a free kick into a fantabulous goal. Eventually the match ended in a draw and CHALLENGERS moved to the semis on the basis of goal difference. HILTON GARDEN INN produced some entertaining football and although they didn’t progress in the competition, they can indeed take pride in their performance.
In Group D: Team TEPE registering two wins became the clear leader in Group D and secured a well-deserved place in the semi-final right at the onset. ESCORTS and UPPALS were playing for pride and both played some entertaining football and although they didn’t progress in the competition both teams can hold their heads up high.
It was time for The Penalty Shootout. EDUCOMP holding on to their nerves won the shoot out 4-3 and found themselves progressing to the next stage of the Challenge Cup Competition. EDUCOMP showed their nerves of steel and went straight after this into the semi-finals with barely a 10-minute pause between matches.
The first semi final was a clash between two evenly matched teams, however CHALLENGERS came out fighting and RAFFLES found themselves defending desperately almost from the off. They battled gamely but the CHALLENGERS just had that little bit extra and eventually ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. However, RAFFLES can be proud of what they achieved; they were a pleasure to watch.
The second semifinal was a great advert for football. The two teams were very evenly balanced and both had chances before the TEPE striker angled the ball into the goalpost nets, thus taking an early lead. EDUCOMP pressed hard for an equalizer and came desperately close on a couple of occasions. As the clock ticked down team TEPE struck again, sealing their victory 2-0. However, EDUCOMP showed incredible character and fought hard till the end.
The grand finale of the day was the 3 Cheers! EDUCOMP gave to their winning opponents TEPE. The spirit of good sportsmanship was demonstrably high!
The Spirit of DIFL is seen being validated…each time CCC cheers for its opponent team after the match in the League – Way to go Div 4! Another great day of DIFL Challenge Cup Competition ended on a great note. The children seemed to have enjoyed themselves immensely and so did most of the parents.
The final between CHALLENGERS and TEPE should be the one to savor. We hope to see you at the pitches at Kathuria Public School on Sunday, Feb 26th, cheering on the teams on the day of the Awards & Closing Ceremony.
Thank you all for coming along and participating!