It was not a regular Sunday morning in Dehradun as the picturesque Oasis Ground played to host to something special. Eight best institutes of the city were going to ply their trade to become City Champions of RFYS Football 2018-19.

It all began with the clash between the School Girls of Him Jyoti School and Gorkha Military Inter College. With these two teams running in a sublime form, it was impossible to predict the result. Gorkha Military Inter College pounced on their first opportunity and took an early lead at 14th minute to put Him Jyoti School under pressure. However, the game was far from over as Him Jyoti girls kept on posing threats. In the second half, the match changed sides as Him Jyoti School slotted in two quick goals to take the lead which they maintained till FT. The winning team’s Ganga Vyas bagged the Golden Boot award for her tally of 10 goals throughout the City Championship. Gorkha Military Inter College’s striker Anjana Thapa and goalkeeper Tanu Sharma walked home with Golden Ball and Golden Glove respectively.

Next up was the battle between College Boys, the game which went much further than expected, both in terms of game-time and the display of passion for the game. Both DIT University and Graphic Era University were unable to break the deadlock till HT. The proceedings went ugly post the break as a heated moment between the teams saw two red cards, one for each team. The two ten-men teams reached FT without scoring and took the game to the penalties. While DIT University’s players couldn’t score twice in three attempts, Graphic Era University were clinical as they found the back of the net on all 4 occasion and went on to lift the trophy. Golden Ball winner, Shivam Sharma and Golden Glove winner, Om Sharma, were pivotal in the team’s historic triumph.

In the Junior Boys Category, free-scoring Maharana Pratap Sports College were up against the formidable St. Thomas College. These two teams had dominated all their games in the tournament and they found a perfect opponent in the final game. They couldn’t open the scoring account till HT, but unlike the College Boys fixture, second half witnessed two goals from Gaurav Shah and Wazid Ali as Maharana Pratap Sports College became the first ever City Champions of Dehradun in Junior Boys category. Shubham Bhandari won the double of Golden Boot and Golden Ball for his prolific performances for his side while goalkeeper Jatin Chauhan earned the Golden Glove for his solidity between the sticks.

The last game of the day was between the Senior Boys of Maharana Pratap Sports College and Kendriya Vidyalaya. Both the teams were undefeated in the course of the tournament and the game was going to be the toughest test for both the sides. Either ends of the pitch were busy with constant attacks from both the teams. The game was well balanced until Maharana Pratap Sports College created magic out of nothing. A long-range shot from Waseem Ansari went straight into the nets leaving no chance for the keeper. That goal made the difference and their team maintained that difference till full-time. Kendriya Vidyalaya players were trying their best to pace-up the attack but Maharana Pratap Sports College successfully managed to slow the game down and held on to the lead till FT to complete a double for their institute. With 5 clean sheets, their goalkeeper Pravendra Panwar won the Golden Glove award.

Another City Finals end and the champions of Dehradun are expected to face tougher opponents in the upcoming National Qualifiers. But for now, they can cherish this moment and soak in the feeling of being the city’s first champions of RFYS Football 2018-19.