Three days of footballing frenzy was capped off by the most brilliant final on August 6, when the CISCE West Bengal Regional Football Tournament 2025 was brought to a close at La Martiniere for Girls with a dominant showing by Dr Graham’s Home from Kalimpong, who won 4-0 against Kolkata’s best team, Modern High for Girls.
Held over three days with three age categories, Day Two of the tournament was all about the under-17s, who put on a brilliant show of skill and teamwork. LMG came out as winners in the U17s with St Augustine Day School Barrackpore and Mary Immaculate School, coming in as runners up. Third place went to St Mary’s English School, Ranaghat.
LMG took first place in both U14 and U17 and their principal Rupkatha Sarkar shared her elation. She said, “It’s a great effort, but as hosts I would liked to have seen our team do well in the senior category as well. Having said that, the finalists, DGH and MHS, showed how the skill levels of these girls are going up year by year and a new benchmark has been set for the coming years.”
Nineteen-year-old Evanee Panchakoti from DGH was one of the best players on the field, using speed and agility to her advantage, netting twice across the tournament. The youngster said, “It's very difficult for us to be in this position without the support of our coaches. Coming down from Kalimpong to play here in Kolkata has been a wonderful experience and we go back with happy memories.”
Zoia Ali Shah, a 14- year-old midfielder from MHS was another player who turned heads. Zoia pulled a muscle in her thigh and carried on playing through the pain. Having come up against a fast, physical team, Zoia said “We need to work on our physicality and our communication if we want to win. Next year we will come back harder and stronger to be better than we were this time around.”
The team from the hills was a mix of players, mainly from DGH with a few players from Rockvale Academy and St Joseph’s Convent, all from Kalimpong. Ujjwal D Lama, the PE teacher of DGH, and the coach of the side from Kalimpong, said, “We have won once again, and that is an amazing feat. I am so proud of the way the girls played in unfamiliar conditions. They showed class and confidence while dominating their opponents across the games.”
MHS came second in the U19 category. Coached by Ratan Postwala, Aditi Biswas and Rhea Rao, MHS showed great character through the tournament. Rhea Rao said, “The girls have grown tactically in positioning, strategy, and teamwork. In the finals, the difference lay in the basics: kicking, receiving under pressure, and overall speed and agility. If we improve in these areas, we’ll compete at a higher level statewide and beyond. This team has the hunger, discipline, and the heart to get there — and I truly believe they will.”
Zone F, made up of players from DPS Megacity and St. Augustine’s Day School, Barrackpore, came in third in the U19s. The tournament not only gave the youngsters a chance to showcase their skill but also put their best foot forward in an effort to be selected for the Bengal team that will take part at the CISCE nationals next month. Eighteen girls, who took part in the tournament, will now form the Bengal team in an effort to fight for a bigger win.
