CHANDIGARH, Jan 4: The Chandigarh (under 21 years) team tasted victory in the North Zone National football championship at Varanasi (UP) in December 1998 and qualified for the All-India Inter Zonal National football championship (under 21 years) to be held at Jodhpur in the second fortnight of February '99. The credit for this victory goes to the young and budding city players who, in return owe a lot to their coach Harjinder Singh, an ex-international and football coach with the Chandigarh Sports Department. They have been working tirelessly for this day, ever since the association got affiliation in 1996.The same set of players, with one or two exceptions, have been retained for the past two years. This year too the coaching camp started well ahead of the championship. Chandigarh beat Himachal Pradesh and lost to UP in the initial league matches. However, in the semi finals the Chandigarh boys beat the mighty Punjab lads 2-0. Punjab had players from JCT, Punjab Police and BSFin their ranks. Chandigarh then avenged their defeat in the league match, pipping UP 2-1 in the final for the trophy. Gurminder Singh was declared the best player of the championship and many players of the team received job offers from different departments and institutions.Now, for the all-India meet, the coaching camp has started at the Govt Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 23. Harjinder Singh is hopeful of the team doing well at Jodhpur also.Similarly a coaching camp for Chandigarh junior team (under 19 years) is in progress at the DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8. The team will participate in the Junior National championship to be held at Imphal (Manipur) from January 17. Twenty two probables are attending the coaching camp. The camp has been sponsored by Ravinder Talwar, Principal, DAV School and Senior vice-president of Chandigarh Football Association. D S Bedi, Principal, Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, also a Senior vice president of CFA, has also agreed to sponsor the Sub-junior team.The performance of the city team has also won appreciation at the just concluded annual general meeting of All India Football Federation at Banglore. P R Das Munshi, president, AIFF specially mentioned the achievements of Chandigarh players.Abhinav Bindra for LuxembourgThe young city shooter Abhinav Bindra will participate in the RIAC '99 European shooting championship, to be held in Luxembourg from January 6 to 16.Currently training under Astrid Harbeck, Bindra also participated in the Commonwealth Games (Kuala Lumpur) and World shooting championship (Barcelona).
