27-Aug-2009 271
Orissa Rugby Football Association (ORFA) has taken the responsibility to host the All-India Division-II Callahan Cup 15-a-side Rugby Tournament at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from October 24 to 31.
Altogether 12 teams from across the country will vie for the winners’ trophy, ORFA officials announced at a media conference today. Teams include Jungle Crows, LMOB, Sergeants, Kolkata Police, Eastern Command (all Kolkata), Delhi Hurricanes, Delhi Bulls, Tamil Nadu Police, Orissa, Pune, Magicians (Mumbai), Jammu & Kashmir.
Top two finishers of the league-cum-knockout tournament will be promoted to Division-I next year. This is the second time that ORFA will play host to Callahan Cup. It was earlier conducted at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack in 2005.
A budget of Rs 7.30 lakhs has been estimated for the staging of the forthcoming event. The organisers have not found any sponsor. But ORFA secretary U K Mohanty expressed hope that some positive response would come in the near future.
ORFA president Priyadarshi Mishra and adviser Ashok Kumar Mohanty were among other officials present at the media conference. They also disclosed that Bhubaneswar-based Kalinga Institute of Social Science, a tribal school, would organise an all-India under-16 (15-a-side) division-II rugby tournament from December 9 to 13 with 12 teams in fray.
Orissa’s international rugby player Bikash Kumar Jena and Indian rugby team’s assistant coach Manas Kumar Jena were felicitated on the occasion.
PHOTO: Indian rugby team’s assistant coach Manas Jena and player Bikash Jena at a felicitation function in Bhubaneswar on August 27, 2009.
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