An Eve-n contest

Going by the recent history of games between the two premier football teams in the city a tough contest was always on cards. St Anne’s were desperate for a win since this happened to be their 10th year in the tournament. At the same time, Bombay Scottish wanted to settle the score after their loss to their arch rivals in the DSO tournament.

But this rivalry has a rich past. The two teams have been regular finalists in MSSA tournaments for quite some time. St Anne’s coach Marshall John giving an idea about the rivalry between the two teams says, “It’s like a India-Pakistan cricket contest,” he says.

But Sandia Furtado _ an old Bombay Scottish footballer who was in the spotlight recently as she played hockey player Nethra Reddy in the super hit movie Chak De India _ is a bit guarded in her views. “There is no real friction between the two teams but you can call it eager competitiveness. We come to the tournament just to win. And after the win one becomes very popular in the school. Hence there is always more importance to MSSA tournament,” he said.

St Anne’s, who first entered the tournament in 1997, has till date pocketed six MSSA titles. Coach Marshall says that the reason for this is the support provided by the school and team spirit of his team.

The early days were tough since Marshall had a tough time convincing girls to take up football. “They were into athletics and handball. But over the years things changed. The football craze has caught on and now every girl wants to play football,” he says.

On his trip down the memory lane, the coach doesn’t fail mention his star pupil Evelyn Goveas. “She was my trump card she used to play and rescue the team in each and every game like basketball, handball, table tennis, badminton. You name the sport and Evelyn would excel at that,” he says.

One of the St Anne’s supporters, Reena Agarwal, has also been a regular at MSSA finals and she is a witness to the transition of female footballer. “I have seen their journey closely. The girls have matured and they have become more skilful,” she says.

And along with this there is commitment of the players. St Anne’s Juhi Shah proves this point. In the team’s first match her nose started bleeding after a fall but she didn’t give up and continued playing.

Meanwhile, Bombay Scottish started their campaign in 1999 and won the MSSA title in their very first year. Furtado was part of the first team as striker. “We just wanted to win so we used to have a go at the ball with our hands, bodies or whatever. But as the tournament progressed we also improved,” she says.

Over the years players have come and gone but rivalry remains. “The new batches of both the schools have talented. So one can never guess who will win,” she says.