Universal Trading Company (UTC) Challengers were crowned International Commercial Bank (ICB) Volleyball Tournament champions after beating Veg Delight Warriors 3-0 at Indian Sports Club (ISC) in Blantyre on Saturday.
However, it was disaster for Rajani Royals, who stuttered on their third title defence. They succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Veg Delight in the semi-finals of the three-week competition.
UTC reached the finals after winning five of their six encounters in return matches in the group stages of the four-team event that kicked off on June 21.
“It has been a remarkable season for us. We enjoy the experience of being the champions for the first time. It is a good feeling,” said UTC setter Mehul Davda after the final.
On his part, Veg Delight captain Pritesh Patel said they were not worried to be losing finalists as they were satisfied with the feeling of making their first appearance in the finals.
“We tried hard, but it seemed luck was not on our side. However, we are happy that we reached the finals for the first time since the competition started in 2010,” he said.
ICB chief executive officer Kumar Ghosh thanked the players for their good conduct in the contest. He promised that his company will continue bankrolling the annual competition.
