SARBHANG

Written by SONAM YANGZOM

Monsoon football fever has held Gelephu residents in its grip as the tournament that ended last week with some startling upsets played out over the past month.

In a thrilling game watched by people of all ages in Gelephu, the team from Kuendrup Higher Secondary School (KHSS) led the first half of the final game but eventually lost steam and ceded the rolling trophy to the Jigmeling Police Training Center (PTC). The score: KHSS-2; PTC-3.

Earlier in the tournament, the KHSS surprised spectators by defeating both the teams representing Tashi Commercial Corporation and the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Onlookers expressed their shock at the upset because it was known that the two other teams had hired strong players to shore up their team.

"We thought that Tashi's team would defeat the students but it was just the opposite," said a fan.

The PTC team will have to win two more consecutive years to take the gold crafted trophy home. As winners this year, the police team won a cash prize of Nu 50,000. KHSS bagged Nu 30,000 in prize money as the runners up while Gelephu Lower Secondary School was awarded Nu 5,000 for being the "fair play team".

A total of 13 teams participated in the tournament.

The monsoon football tournament was organized by the Gelephu Sports Association (GSA) and funded by Bhutan Football Federation (BFF). They gave GSA Nu 300,000 to organize the match. The Gelephu MP, Prem Kumar Gurung, also contributed Nu 5,000.

BFF has been supporting GSA since 2006, when the first monsoon tournament began.

The present senior citizens of Gelephu established GSA in 1969. A patch of land was acquired and a sports hall built. Longtime residents of Gelephu speak with pride about the glory days of the GSA.

"At the time the players in Druk 11 [national team] were mostly from Gelephu," said Ugyen Rabten, a local resident. "It was also the only club to have television set, table tennis and lawn tennis."

source: Bhutan Times