Sunbeams Super Cup 2015
Fazle Rabbi Khan
Sports competitions in school life are one of the most effective extra-curricular activities. And if it is an interschool tournament, it is a good way for students of different institutions to come together and share their views and ideas as well.
Sunbeams School recently organised its fourth annual inter-school football tournament for both girls and boys on its main campus in Uttara.
The three-day Sunbeams Super Cup 2015 was held from October 29 to 31, sponsored by Rangs Group. The group stage matches included an 8-a-side for girls and 7-a-side for boys. There were two categories for boys _ under-19 and under-16 (classes 8-10), while only one under-19 category for the girls. Sixteen schools participated in the tournament.
We have been organising Sunbeams Super Cup since 2012. We encourage extra-curricular activities, and this is a part of that. We made it an interschool tournament to increase interaction among the students of different schools. They are able to share their views and ideas with each other throughout the whole event. And also, it is a healthy competition as they are playing in the open air, said Niloufer Manzur, principal of Sunbeams School.
Besides the hosts, other participating schools were Sunnydale, South Breeze, Play Pen, Mastermind, Scholastica, Chittagong Grammar School Dhaka, Sir John Wilson School, International Turkish Hope School, SFX Green Herald, The Aga Khan School, Manarat Dhaka International School, Canadian International School, Pledge Harbor International School, Delhi Public School Dhaka and International School Dhaka.
The group stage matches began on the morning of the second day. The teams showed spirit from get go, and the competition was remarkable as the stakes were high -- only one team from each group would go through to the next round. The players gave it their all under the sun and played with heart and soul. The boys home team struggled as the visitors did their level best to silence the home crowd.
Sports coordinator and coach, Niaz-e-Moula said: For healthy growth of the students, outdoor games are very much necessary. We are really very glad that so many enthusiast boys and girls are participating in the tournament with very good performance.
Chittagong Grammar School Dhaka (CGSD) boys showed their superiority on the field with straight wins in their groups. The returning champions marched into the semis as contenders for the championship title. Mastermind School came out victorious from the group of death in the U-19 boys category.
This is really very exciting that different English schools are participating in this tournament. We are enjoying the whole event. It is really important to interact with other students. So, such competitions need to be organised frequently, said one of the participants, Mahadi Hasan from Scholastica.
Regardless of how intense the boys matches were, the real hype came from the Sunbeams A girls team, who were well on their way to becoming the undefeated champions.
Another exciting and rather surprising tie was the one between Canadian International School and Sunbeams B in the U-19 category. The underdogs held their heads high and stood firm to prevent a strong CIS team from breaching their defence. It was an exciting end to the long day on the field.
The final day started with a shocking turn of events in the U-16 category when title contenders Sunbeams A was knocked out by eventual champions Playpen in the group stages. Following that defeat, the home crowds spirit was lifted when in the U-19 category, Delhi Public School (DPS) and Canadian International School (CIS) drew their match _ setting up a three-way penalty between DPS, CIS and Sunbeams B. With clinical penalties, DPS emerged as one of the semifinalists.
The semifinals saw DPS sail to the finals and Sunbeams A out of the tournament in the U19 category. Defending champions CGSD lost to the Aga Khan School in the U-16 category in a nailbiting penalty shootout, which went on for 25 minutes with 19 shots shared between the two teams.
Sunbeams girls did the home fans proud as they clinched their fourth SSC championship title, with a strong game against a persistent Scholastica team.
Playpen and Scholastica played some mature football to secure their championship medals in the U-16 and U-19 categories respectively. The intensity of the boys final, even without the presence of any home teams, got the home fans on their feet to cheer. At the end of the weekend, the trophy went to the deserving teams, and hats off to the other finalists who made them earn their bragging rights.
Apart from the intense football, two flash mobs on the second and third days, performed by the host students, got the crowd cheering and rejoicing in the fine autumn sunshine.
The big disadvantage of some English-medium schools is the lack of playgrounds. Also, it is a big problem of Dhaka city that children cannot play in an open field nowadays. But through this kind of tournament, the students are getting the opportunity to play in an open space. So, this kind of tournament is much appreciated, said Kamrun Nahar, mother of a participant from Mastermind School.
Shabab Anjum Khan, a Class-11 student of Sunbeams and one of the tournament organisers, also contributed to this report.
Photos: Courtesy
