37th District Udhampur Volleyball Championship
STATE TIMES NEWS
UDHAMPUR: The second day of the 37th District Udhampur Volleyball Championship, organized by the Volleyball Association of District Udhampur under the aegis of the Volleyball Association of Jammu & Kashmir (VAJK) and the J&K Sports Council, witnessed an action-packed series of matches in both the Boys’ and Girls’ sections.
In the Boys’ category, three league matches were played on Day 2. In the 7th match, Fusion Club beat DPS 2-0 (25-14, 25-20), CVC outplayed GDC 2-0 (25-18, 25-16), Ramnagar Volleyball Club defeated AOC 2-0 (25-19, 25-13). In the semifinals, Fusion Club beat CVC 3-1 (25-13, 24-26, 25-14, 25-21) and Ramnagar Volleyball Club beat UVC 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-15).
Meanwhile, in the Girls’ final, Ramnagar Girls’ team squared off against APS Udhampur. Ramnagar exhibited remarkable coordination and tactical superiority, winning the championship title in straight sets. They defeated APS Udhampur 25-15 and 25-14, becoming the undisputed champions of the Girls’ section.
The Boys’ final became the highlight of the evening as Ramnagar Volleyball Club and Fusion Club faced each other in an intense title clash. The final kept the audience captivated from start to finish. Fusion Club put up a resilient performance and succeeded in overcoming Ramnagar 3-1. The closely contested sets reflected the fighting spirit of both teams, with Fusion Club taking the championship with scores of 25-23, 26-28, 25-21 and 25-20.
The valedictory ceremony was graced by the presence of Pawan Kumar Gupta, MLA Udhampur West, who attended as the Chief Guest. Vaagesha Gupta, Additional District Treasury Officer Udhampur, was the Guest of Honour for the occasion. The dignitaries distributed trophies and medals among the winners and runners-up of both the Boys’ and Girls’ categories.
During the ceremony, Pawan Kumar Gupta made a significant announcement, stating that both volleyball courts will soon be equipped with floodlights under the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), a move that is expected to boost sports infrastructure in the district.
Several prominent personalities also graced the closing ceremony, adding prestige to the event. Among those present were Sandeep Gupta (EXn Jal Shakti), Dr. Summer Khajuria (renowned writer), Anil Paba (Archaeologist), Bharat Bhushan (Vice Principal), Varender Varmani (President Beopar Mandal), Raj Guru (Vice President VAJK), Vijay Kumar (ZPEO Udhampur), along with the office bearers of the Volleyball Association of District Udhampur including Ashok Padha (President VADU), Amit Chander Singh (Secretary), Pawan Kumar (Senior Vice President), Ashok Kumar (Joint Secretary), Kuldeep Sharma (Joint Secretary), Upkar Singh Jamwal (Joint Secretary), Brij Mohan and Kuldeep Sharma (Executive Member).
Special individual awards were also presented to honour outstanding players of the tournament. Nikhil Sharma was awarded Best Attacker, Pranav Sharma received the Best Setter award, while Akshay Singh was recognized as the Best Libero. Each awardee was presented with a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 500 by the Volleyball Association Udhampur.
The matches were officiated by an efficient technical team comprising Naveen Sharma, Surinder Gupta, Manik Nargotra, Vinod Sharma, Rakesh Sharma, Meenu, Neetika Sharma, Gourav Sharma and Deepak Sharma.
The stage proceedings were professionally conducted by Amit Sharma, Senior National Player and Physical Education Teacher, Department of Youth Services and Sports. On behalf of the Volleyball Association of District Udhampur, he extended thanks to all departments and contributors for their cooperation in making the mega sporting event a grand success.