Hosts and former champions Bombay Gymkhana launched their campaign in the 90th All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament. The hosts registered a convincing 41-7 win against Delhi Rebels in the concluding match of the day played under lights.
Enjoying a handy 17-0 lead at half-time, Bombay Gymkhana kept up the momentum after change of ends as they snuffed out the lukewarm challenge of their opponents to secure a semis berth where they will clash against Future Hope Harlequins on Wednesday.
Earlier, far from being fluent, defending champions Delhi Hurricanes overcame a jittery first half performance before overcoming Maharashtra State Police 25-5 on the opening day of Rugby tournament played at the Bombay Gymkhana here on Monday.
During the evening session, Delhi Hurricanes dominated possession but never looked like translating their superiority to the scoreboard.
Coming up with three tries after the break, Delhi Hurricanes fared slightly better in the second half while the state cops were unable to mount any serious challenge against the holders.
Maharashtra State Police who failed to open their account in the first half, were unable to get into any sort of rhythm against one of the tournament favourites, who booked their semi-finals berth by virtue of this result. In the opening match of the day, Kolkata-based club Future Hope Harlequins came up with a try in the extra-time to quell the spirited second half challenge of Magician Foundation India by a narrow 30-25 margin.
The win was all the more creditable as Future Hope played match one-man short after Gopi Yadav received a straight red card for serious foul play mid-way through the first half.Calcutta Cricket & Football Club (CC&FC), resting on a completely dominant first half showing made light work of their city rivals Sergeants Institute by a resounding 32-15 margin to make their way into the last four stage of the competition.
Following a rest day tomorrow, the tournament will commence on Wednesday with the semi-finals scheduled where CC&FC will meet the defending champions Delhi Hurricanes in the first semis
