NWZ wear volleyball crown

CHANDIGARH, July 26: In a keen tussle, which lasted for nearly two hours, North West Zone outclassed Rapid Action Force in a five sets 15...

CHANDIGARH, July 26: In a keen tussle, which lasted for nearly two hours, North West Zone outclassed Rapid Action Force in a five sets 15-13, 13-15, 15-12, 8-15, 15-12 to retain the title in the eighth Inter-Sector Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) volleyball tournament which concluded at the 121 Battalion ground today.

Both the teams were equally good, but RAF wilted under pressure and paved the way for the NWZ to win the trophy. On the other hand, NWZ cheered by the sizable home crowd, fought for each and every point and tore the rival defence apart to gain the upper hand.

After 1-1 each, NWZ raced to a 9-4 lead in the first five minutes but 10 minutes later RAF’s skipper Gulab Singh and MKG Kutty narrowed the margin to 11-12 with their excellent placement. However, a lapse in their defence cost them dearly as NWZ won three successive points to win the set 15-11.

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In the fourth set, NWZ took the lead 4-2. Thereafter, lead changed hands 4-4, then 6-6 and 8-8. At this crucial juncture RAF went for a time out and changed their strategy which enabled them to win the set (15-8) and restore parity (2-2).

In the decider, both the teams played under pressure. However, RAF players lost their cool on several occasions and were seen arguing with the referee. It only added to their woes as they made number of errors.

RAF, after levelling the score (10-10), missed several chances and gave points easily (15-12) only to see their opponents take home the title.

TM Manoj, Rothas Kumar and Ashok Kumar played well for the winners.

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Charanjit Singh Brar, ADIG, CRPF, Punjab gave away the prizes to the teams.