JASWANT SINGH GANDAM & RAMAN NEHRA
PHAGWARA: Lovely Professional University (LPU) won the overall runners-up trophies in both the men’s women’s categories at the five-day All India Inter-University Drop Roball Championship 2018-19 held at the newly built Shanti Devi Mittal Indoor Sports Complex near Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar.
Excelling others, LPU men’s team won the first runners-up trophy whereas, women won the second runners-up trophy.
Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, won the overall winners’ trophies in both the categorie while Kumaun University, Nainital, won the first runners-up trophy in the women’s category.
Different matches were played under categories of single boys, single girls, mixed doubles, boys doubles, girls doubles, boys triples, girls triples and super event.
In all, 48 gold, 48 silver and 64 bronze medals were awarded to 160 players of different participating teams.
LPU men won gold medals in triples matches, silver in doubles matches and bronze medals in singles matches. LPU women won silver medals in Super Event and bronze medals in both singles and doubles matches.
In women’s category, MDU Rohtak was declared first with 15 points, Kumaon University, Nainital, came second by earning 11 points and LPU was at third place with five points. In men’s category, MDU Rohtak was declared first with 13 points, LPU, second with nine points, and, Kumaon University, Nainital, third with four points.
The championship was organized under the aegis of Association of Indian Universities (Inter University Sports Board) and Drop Roball Federation India (DRFI).
LPU Director General H.R. Singla honoured the winners and advised all the participants to ever continue with the passion of playing.
Quoting the 107-year-old marathon runner Fauja Singh, he inspired all sportspersons stating that true players neither retire nor admit defeat.
He was accompanied by the founder of modern ‘Drop Roball’ game Ishwar Singh (Founder General Secretary of Drop Roball Federation India), Director of Sports at LPU V. Kaul, AIU Observer Nagendra Sharma (Sports Officer at Kumaun University Nainital); General Secretary of DRFI Lata Sharma and, many other officials, coaches and referees of national and international repute.
With its growing international popularity, drop roball is one of the most progressive and popular games. It is easy to play with minimal cost, and can be played in villages or towns by the poor as well as the rich. The court of drop roball surface is hard and is divided by a net into two parts. When a player starts the game, he/she drops the ball on the ground, ball jumps, and he/she hits the ball with palm to the opposite side of the court. The game is registered with the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development.
