Nehru Girls Hockey Tournament opens with colourful ceremony

New Delhi: A colourful march past, a cultural presentation by students of Mata Sundri College, University of Delhi, and the presence of prominent figures from the hockey and sports fraternity marked the opening of the Charanjit Rai 32nd Nehru Girls Under-17 Hockey Tournament.

Five matches featuring winning state clubs and school teams from different parts of the country were played on the opening day, signalling the start of the Nehru Hockey season. The season will feature four more tournaments, concluding on January 3, 2027, with a short break in between.

India defender Shilpi Dabas, who represented the country at the recent Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, and Dr Rutuja Bhosale, director of the SNBP Group of Institutes, Pune, took the salute during the opening ceremony. Former India captain and Olympian Mamta Kharab, who serves as Superintendent in the Vigilance Bureau in Gurugram, later joined them.

The occasion was attended by Vinod Sawhney, managing director of Accent Overseas; Pradeep Roy, who travelled from the United States; academic and journalist Professor Pradeep Kumar Mathur; journalists Rajiv Tikoo, Naina Gautam and Khurram Habib; former Association of Indian Universities official and sports expert Gurdeep Singh; and Frankfurt-based sports enthusiast Brijinder Singh.

The distinguished guests were felicitated by Kukoo Walia, P Sharma of Djewels India, Samir Jain and Professor Avinash Singh.

In a gesture of support for women's hockey, Sawhney presented a cheque for Rs 51,000 to Dabas in the presence of Kharab, the former India captain and Olympian.

The tournament continues the Nehru Hockey tradition of providing young players a competitive platform to showcase their talent and gain valuable match experience. The opening ceremony combined sporting spirit with cultural performances, setting the tone for the season ahead.

Monday's matches

Match 1: Anantapur Sports Academy, Andhra Pradesh beat Assam School Hockey Team 9-3.

Match 2: Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Trivandrum beat Sandipani Higher Secondary School, Mandla, MP, 12-0.

Match 3: RDH+2 Inter-School, Islampur, Rajgir, Bihar beat Shri GM Patel Girls' High School, Jamnagar, 2-0

Match 4: SAI STC, Hissar beat Ghumanhera Risers Academy, Delhi 12-0.

Match 5: Hill Cross English School, Manipur beat One Thousand Hockey Legs 5-0

Match 6: Guru Nanak Higher Secondary School, Rajnandgaon tied Khalsa College Senior Secondary School, Amritsar 1-1.

Tags : Hockey, girls, Nehru tournament, Shilpi Dabas, Asian Games