Defeating formidable Haryana in straight sets (3-0) in the summit clash, strong Uttar Pradesh lifted the title trophy of the prestigious 65th School National Games Under-17 Boys Volleyball tournament, organized by the Directorate of Youth Services & Sports, under the aegis of school Games Federation of India (SGFI) at new Indoor Sports Complex, MA Stadium, here. UP defeated the rivals by (25-23, 25-17, 25-21). Gujarat bagged the third place by defeating Uttarakhand in a close contest by (3-2), while hosts Jammu and Kashmir lost to Haryana in the quarterfinals and stood on 7th spot in this mega event, which witnessed the participation of 34 teams. Earlier, in the semifinals, Uttar Pradesh defeated Gujarat by 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-17), while Haryana got the better of Uttarakhand 3-2 (22-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-21, 15-10) in another semifinal. Anshu of Uttar Pradesh was declared man of the tournament for his splendid performance. Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, Sarmad Hafeez was the chief guest on the valedictory function, while Director General Youth Services and Sports, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman was the guest of honour. Both the dignitaries distributed prizes among the winners and runners-up teams. The five-day long National School Games (Under-17) in the discipline of Volleyball boys begun at ‘Khel Gaon’ at Nagrota on December 9 and was inaugurated by Advisor to J&K LG, Farooq Khan. More than 500 spikers participated in the Championship.
