Mrigank to the four

Navy Children's Mrigank Shekar (centre) tries to keep possession of the ball during an MSSA Div-II tie yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera

Disappointed at not having an opportunity to showcase his cricketing skills, Mrigank Shekar gradually made the transition to football. Since wearing the football boots, he has become an important member of the Navy Children School (Colaba) team.

Unstoppable Mrigank
Mrigank, 15, displayed fine dribbling and shooting skills to slam four goals to power Navy Children School to a 5-1 win against St Anthony's (Vakola) in a boys' U-16 Div-II league match of the Mumbai Schools Sports Association (MSSA)-organised inter-school football tournament at Azad Maidan yesterday. Mrigank's teammate Mohit Yadav played a supporting role by providing the assists for all the five goals, including one scored by Kunal Singh.

"Right from my childhood, I was always interested in playing cricket. I liked to bat, but since the school did not have a cricket team participating in MSSA tournaments, I was disheartened and lost interest in the sport. I enjoy watching all forms of cricket matches on TV," Mrigank told mid-day after the win.

Ankit shines
Earlier, Don Bosco 'B' (Matunga) suffered a 0-4 defeat to Cambridge School (Kandivli). For the Kandivli side, Ankit Limbu netted a brace, while Kush Gohil and Samarth Bhandu added one each. Meanwhile, St Anne's (Malad) tamed Sacred Heart (Santacruz) 3-0, while Holy Family (Andheri) beat Antonio D'Souza (Byculla) 6-0.

Results: Boys' U-16 Division II-C: St Anne's (Malad) 3 (Meer 2, Mandeep) beat Sacred Heart (Santacruz) 0
Div-II-D: Cambridge School (Kandivli) 4 (Ankit Limbu 2, Kush Gohil, Samarth Bhandu) bt Don Bosco (Matunga) 0.
Div-II-D: Navy Children School (Colaba) 5 (Mrigank Shekar 4, Kunal Singh) beat St Anthony's (Vakola) 1 (Tyrell Pires)
Div-II-E: Holy Family (Andheri) 6 (Rohan Chikale 2, Sheldon D'Costa 2, Alvin Menezes, Roman Khan) beat Antonio D'Souza (Byculla) 0

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