After nat'l volleyball tour, Mirik girls back with stronger resolve

ANKIT SHARMA, SNS, SILIGURI, 2 NOVEMBER 2022: The Under-17 Volleyball Team of Lewis English School in Mirik in Darjeeling today returned after representing West Bengal and the Northeast region in the CISCE National U- 17 Female Volleyball Tournament in Tamil Nadu.

The team had on 24 October travelled to Kotagiri with Coach Anand John, and Team Managers Binita Subba and Shiva Kumar Ghimiray.

As the team returned today, they shared their experiences at the NJP railway station here and said that they had a good start with their first win against Punjab and second against Uttar Pradesh on the first day of the tournament on 28 October. The team, however, failed to win the last game against Karnataka, due to which the girls did not qualify for the semi finals. In the second day on the 29th, the team failed to win their match against Kerala and was eliminated from the tournament.

However, spirits still high with the girls from a small place like Mirik having played a national-level tournament for the very first time, the team members said they were very happy with their performance and that they have brought back with them a stronger resolve to work harder to face the challenges ahead,

while also preparing for more such games in the future.

"I am very proud of the team numbers and I thank them for performing well and making me proud as a coach. We will train more and will be ready for further challenges." Coach Anand John said.

According to Bhawana Tamang, the team captain, the tour was a great experience, while it was a proud moment to have represented Lewis English School, and the entire Hills and the state at such a national level tournament. "Although we were eliminated, we got to learn many things and gain great experience, which will help us in our journey ahead," she said.

School Principal Leonard Subba said: "The entire school is proud of the children and we wish them luck in their future endeavours."

Team leaders further said that Bhawana Tamang was one of the players, who had now been selected to be part of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) and that she was now eligible to represent the country in international volleyball matches in the near future.

Banita Rai, a guardian of one of the team members Winona Gurung said it was a moment of pride for the school and the Hills.

"Our girls from a small place like Mirik have returned after beating two state teams. We should be proud of their achievement, while also encouraging other students and parents in the Hills to take up games and sports," she said.

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