The Lagori match

This is the second part of 'The Lagori Champions' from your book, Santoor (Chapter 8): the match. Here it is, told in short, in the order it happens.

The next day, all the children came for the match. The referee blew the whistle, and Deepa took the first shot. She threw the ball straight at the stack, and the seven stones fell and scattered. Everyone cheered. Now the Sundarpur Tigers had to build the stack again, while the Green Warriors picked up the ball and tried to hit them with it.

Ravi put two stones on the stack and ducked just before the ball hit him. Deepa added one more stone. 'Deepa, watch out! Here comes the ball!' shouted Imran, and Deepa dodged it just in time. Nidhi ran in, placed the fourth and fifth stones, and ran away from the ball. Ravi, with sweat dripping down his face, put the sixth stone in place.

Only one stone was left. The Green Warriors tried one last time to hit Ravi, but before that, Prakash ran in and set the seventh stone on top. The final whistle blew. 'The Sundarpur Tigers have won!' said the referee.

The players of both teams shook hands and praised each other for a good game. The villagers clapped and cheered for both teams. The referee lifted the hands of both captains, and everyone laughed and celebrated. The match had brought the whole village together. Deepa said it was even more fun than video games, and Ravi said they should play their traditional games more.