Jammu: Minister for Youth Services and Sports Mir Saifullah on Sunday inaugurated the 70th National School Games Under-17 Girls’ Cricket Championship at the University of Jammu, with 29 teams from across the country participating in the six-day tournament.
The championship, being held from November 15 to 20, is organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Youth Services and Sports under the aegis of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI). Matches are being played at seven venues, including the University of Jammu and Tawa grounds, under floodlights.
Addressing the inaugural gathering, Saifullah said national-level competitions provide young sportspersons, particularly girls, an opportunity to showcase their talent, gain competitive exposure and build confidence.
He urged the participating teams to uphold discipline and sportsmanship, adding that such events help promote physical fitness, teamwork and healthy competition.
Director General Youth Services and Sports Anuradha Gupta said Jammu and Kashmir had hosted two national-level sporting events during the current season and emerged champions in both. She expressed confidence in the performance of the J&K Under-17 girls’ team.
Meanwhile, 12 matches were played across six venues on the opening day, while the 13th match between Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand was underway at the University of Jammu at the time of filing this report.
At JP World School, Haryana defeated Chandigarh by 40 runs after posting 157 for three. Deepanshi scored an unbeaten 100 off 45 balls and was named Player of the Match. Chandigarh managed 117 runs in reply. In the other match at the venue, Andhra Pradesh defeated Odisha by 22 runs.
At Kirpalpur Ground, Gujarat registered a 104-run victory over Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), with Krisha Makwana scoring an unbeaten 133 off 73 balls. In the second match, Delhi Association of Schools (DAV) defeated West Bengal by two wickets.
At Mandal Ground, Puducherry defeated Chhattisgarh by five wickets.
At Tawa-1, Delhi secured a three-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh after restricting the latter to 57 runs.
At K2 Ground, Kerala defeated the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) by 122 runs, while Maharashtra registered a 130-run victory over Karnataka.
Deepanshi’s century and Makwana’s unbeaten 133 were among the standout batting performances on the opening day.
The tournament will continue across the designated venues until November 20.
