Center Zone Dominates Spiti Cup, Sham Snatches U-18 Title in Thrilling Finale

The win ensured Center completed the league stage unbeaten with four victories from four matches, while Sham Zone denied Center Zone a clean sweep across categories by clinching the U-18 Boys title in a close contest. Center Zone Women had already sealed their title yesterday.

Among the Individual honours, Tod Zone received the Fair Play Award. Rigzin Angrup of Sham Zone was named Player of the Tournament in the Senior Men and U-18 Boys categories for his 18 goals, and also finished as the U-18 top scorer with 10 goals.

Sonam Angmo of Center Zone was adjudged Women's Player of the Tournament for her overall performance, including eight goals. Chhimed Namdol of Center Zone emerged as Senior Men's top scorer with 20 goals, while Kunga Yangchen of Sham Zone topped the women's scoring charts with nine goals.

Lahaul's young goalkeeper Tanzin Norbu was recognised as the Emerging Player of the Tournament.

Match Reports - Final Day

Senior Men's Category: Center Zone def. Lahaul 12-2

Lahaul struck first through Ramesh, who converted a beautiful drag flick in the fifth minute to take an early lead. Center responded swiftly as Chhimed Namdol equalised in the eighth minute before scoring again two minutes later to make it 2-1.

Namdol continued his dominance in the second period, adding two more goals to stretch the lead to 4-1. Despite Center creating numerous chances, Lahaul's young goalkeeper Tanzin Norbu produced several outstanding saves to keep his side in the contest.

The third period saw Center completely take control as Namdol scored five consecutive goals in a relentless spell to push the scoreline to 9-1.

Ramesh pulled one back for Lahaul in the ninth minute, but Namdol netted his tenth of the match soon after.

Captain Sonam Kalzang and Prashant Thakur added the final two goals as Center wrapped up a 12-2 victory to secure the title. Pin Zone finished second in the standings, while Lahaul ended their campaign in fifth place.

Women's Category: Tod Zone def. Pin Zone 7-0

After a slow start in chilly conditions, Tod Zone Women found momentum in the second period. Tanzin Dekyong opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Nawang Lamo struck twice in the 12th minute, assisted by Tanzin Dekyong and Kesang Lamo, to make it 3-0.

In the third period, Tanzin added her second goal early on and Nawang completed her hat-trick a minute later.

Kesang Lamo scored Tod's sixth in the ninth minute before Tanzin Dekyong completed her hat-trick to seal a commanding 7-0 win. Tod finished third in the women's competition, while Pin concluded their campaign without a win.

U-18 Boys Category: Sham Zone defeat Center Zone 3-1

In a closely contested encounter, Sham Zone U-18 Boys defeated Center Zone 3-1 to lift the U-18 title. Player of the tournament Rigzin Angrup gave Sham the lead in the fourth minute. Both teams pressed hard through the next phases, but disciplined defending and strong goalkeeping kept the score unchanged.

Sham doubled their advantage in the 11th minute of the third period through Rigzin, who added another two minutes later to complete his hat-trick. Center's Tanpa Phunchok scored a late consolation goal in the final minute, but Sham held firm to claim the U-18 trophy, with Center finishing runners-up.

Speed Skating Results

The tournament also featured the Speed Skating Championship, which witnessed strong participation across age groups. In the U-16 Girls category, Kesong Lamo of Lossar secured first place, followed by Tanzin Pesto of Guling and Nawang Yangzom of Kaza.

The U-18 Girls title was claimed by Sonam Angmo of Kaza, with Tanzin Dekyong of Lossar finishing second and Ipshita Rana of Shimla third. In the Open Women's category, Sonam Angmo continued her impressive run by securing first place, ahead of Kunga Yangchen of Lolung and Tanzin Dekyong of Lossar.

In the Open Boys category, Tanzin Dorje and Dorje Giachho, both from Guling, finished first and second, respectively.

Among the U-16 Boys, Kunga Takpa of Kaza clinched the top spot, followed by Prashant Thakur of Kaza and Alawang Jugne of Lalung. In the U-18 Boys category, Nawang Thinlley of Kaza emerged victorious, with Chimmed Dorje of Sagnam and Tanzin Thoysam of Lossar finishing second and third, respectively.

- ANI