Keval Kulkarni wins Mumbai Mayor Cup school carrom title

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The Mumbai Mayor Cup school carrom tournament, organised by the Anandrao Adsul Charitable Trust and Ideal Sports Academy in association with MSC Bank, was won by Keval Kulkarni of Sheth Karamshi Kanji English School.

The eighth and final round stayed tight till the end. Umair Pathan of Shri Narayan Guru High School built a 10-0 lead midway through the match, but Keval Kulkarni played precisely at the crucial moment to win 11-10. Pathan had won easily through the semifinals but had to settle for runner-up in the final.

At the prize distribution ceremony, winners were given trophies along with T-shirts, strikers and gifts. Former Union Minister of State for Finance Anandrao Adsul, corporator Mahadev Shivgan, Dr Jitendra Limbkar, Vishnu Tandel, Prakash Waghmare, Ashok Navale, Pramod Parte, Janardan More and Shiv Chhatrapati Award winner Leeladhar Chavan were present on the occasion.

Around 200 school players from Mumbai city and suburbs, as well as districts including Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune and Kolhapur, took part in the tournament. In the semifinals held at the CBEU auditorium in Dadar, Keval Kulkarni beat Shivansh More 13-8, while Umair Pathan beat Soham Jadhav 9-3 to reach the final.

Soham Jadhav of Sharadashram Vidya Mandir and Shivansh More of IES Chandrakant Patkar School, Dombivli, lost in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, a total of 32 players won prizes in different groups, including Tanaya Dalvi of Mahatma Gandhi Vidyamandir, Jayesh Kamble of Parle Tilak Vidyalaya, Chaitanya Pomendkar of Holy Family High School and Viraj Barve of Mahila Mandal Shala.

Free practice sessions under the supervision of national coaches were held in five different areas of Mumbai ahead of the tournament. Santosh Jadhav, Chandrakant Karangutkar and Omkar Chavan served as chief umpires for the tournament.

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