Yagnapurush Cup – National Yuvak Mandal 5-a-Side Football Tournament, London, UK

The seventh annual Yagnapurush Cup – the national Yuvak Mandal 5-a-side football tournament – was played at Alperton Goals, London in the presence of Ghanshyamcharan Swami (Senior Sadhu from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Surat) on Saturday 17 August 2013.

Fifteen teams arrived from across the UK to participate in the tournament, which was inaugurated with the traditional deep pragatya in the presence of Thakorji and sadhus from BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.

The tournament began with the group matches and provided plenty of enthusiasm as well as talent. The top two teams from each group progressed to the knockout stages of the Yagnapurush Cup, while the remaining teams from each group were entered into a draw for the Pragji Cup, thus maximising the opportunities for all teams.

The first semi-final of the Yagnapurush Cup brought together the two teams who had contested last year’s final –South London A and Harrow & Brent A. Excellent movement and finishing steered Harrow & Brent A through to the finals with a 3-1 victory. The second semi-final was played between Leicester A and North London and proved to be a tight game which Leicester Aedged 1-0.

In the Pragji Cup, South London B progressed with a resounding 5-2 victory over their fellow locals, South London C. Preston ran out 6-2 winners against Coventry despite the team from the Midlands dominating large periods of the game. A superb performance by Preston’s goalkeeper kept Coventry at bay. In the final, Preston found themselves 3-0 down at half-time, but rallied to produce a sensational comeback and defeat South London B 5-3, who were also the dominant side for most of the game but found the Preston goalkeeper in inspired form once again.

The third-place play-off for the Yagnapurush Cup followed in earnest, bringing together two teams from the capital where North London defeated South London A 2-1. The final began as an evenly balanced contest between Harrow & Brent A and Leicester A, but as it progressed, Harrow & Brent A began to assert their authority and skill and controlled the game, eventually winning 3-0 and brushing aside last year’s disappointment to become the champions of 2013.

RESULTS