Tamil Nadu - Coimbatore   

One more to their kitty

Rayan Rozario

Smt. D.Padmavathi Ammal High School boys retain kho-kho title

ANOTHER FEATHER: Smt. D.Padmavathi Ammal High School, the kho-kho winners of the 49th State-level Republic Day Sports and Games meet at Thanjavur. - PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN

Coimbatore: It was around the same time last year that the Smt. D. Padmavathi Ammal High School boys clinched their maiden kho-kho title in the 48th State-level Republic Day Sports and Games meet in Chennai. Another year and the boys have repeated the feat. This time at Thanjavur.

"We are extremely thrilled because they have not only retained the title but also pocketed two special awards," said C. Santhakumari, the Headmistress of the School.

The experienced J. Karthi, who played a vital role for the team last year, came up with yet another timely act and deservedly walked away with the best defender and all-rounder awards.

"This time the boys were better prepared. And, their confidence level compared to last year was much more higher," said Ms. Santhakumari.

True, the boys worked close to fours hours a day. They even sacrificed their study and play hours for the sheer sake of winning the title.

The training schedule consisted of skills and workouts. The school management also provided them with good training facilities and special diets. For some, even their travel expenses were met.

In the run-up to the title, the team ousted Kancheepuram 21-8 in the quarterfinal and hammered Chennai 18-8 in the semifinal before stunning favourite Madurai (conceded 4-0) in the final.

"We won the toss and chose to play defence. It upset the calculations of the Madurai team, which managed just four `outs'. Knowing pretty well the situation in store they conceded quite early in the match," said P. Natarajan, the Physical Education Teacher and coach of the team.

"Last year we had a close shave against the same team, but this time around it was an entirely different story. I would say we almost beat them hands down," said Mr. Natarajan.

Ms. Santhakumari applauded the efforts of Mr. Natarajan. "He is a very dedicated teacher and without him the team could not have won the title."

She also appreciated the constant encouragement given by Krishnaveni Varadarajan, Correspondent and Ramseshan, the Educational Advisor. "They have been a big source of inspiration and support to the boys. To put it straight, it was a collective effort," added Ms. Santhakumari.

The boys sounded happy as well. "We believed in our strengths and, it paid off," said Siva Sathyaraj, who played the role of a defender.

"In fact, we won all the three matches by an innings margin," said Parthiban.

Karthi said that the team was doubly strong in both offence and defence.

"We are not trained to play just one position. We can play any position under any given situation. That's our strong point."

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