Calcutta Football League: Peerless SC on the brink of historic triumph, East Bengal match abandoned

Peerless SC banked on Ansumana Kromah's brace to secure a 2-0 triumph over George Telegraph SC and inched closer to its maiden Calcutta Football League title.

Peerless SC players celebrate their 2-0 win over George Telegraph SC in the Calcutta Football League (CFL) on Sunday.

Ansumana Kromah's brace steered Peerless SC to a 2-0 triumph over George Telegraph SC in the side's final outing of the Calcutta Football League, at the Vidyasagar Stadium, in Barasat on Sunday.

The result would have marked a historic first for the little known outfit looking to become the only champion in 60 years, other than the city’s three bigwigs – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. However, despite registering the win and claiming all three points, Peerless SC’s will have to wait to be declared the CFL winner as the other match featuring East Bengal and Calcutta Customs Club was abandoned because of unplayable conditions at the former’s home ground.

As it happened| Peerless beats George Telegraph, inches closer to maiden CFL title

Peerless will have to wait until Wednesday, when East Bengal’s match will be replayed, before it can start celebrating the grand achievement. Eastern Railway, powered by the legendary P.K. Banerjee, was the last team outside the famous three to lift the CFL title in 1958.

With the final round of fixtures requiring the matches to be played simultaneously to preserve fairness, the organiser - Indian Football Association (IFA) – broke away from the custom when it decided that East Bengal’s match would be replayed. The match is likely to be played at Kalyani, according to IFA secretary Joydeep Mukherjee.

Ansumana Kromah was the star of the evening as he struck a fine brace to power Peerless SC closer to its maiden Calcutta Football League (CFL) title.

 

Meanwhile, East Bengal has decided to write to IFA about why it went ahead with the Peerless-George Telegraph match and why the IFA did not stall the match after it was decided to abandon its (East Bengal-Calcutta Customs) match, said East Bengal's senior official Debabrata Sarkar.

Peerless has secured 23 points from 11 outings (seven wins, two draws and as many losses) to complete its league engagements, while East Bengal remained on 20 points from 10 matches.

A few hundred metres from the East Bengal ground, Mohun Bagan rounded off its campaign with a 3-0 win over Kalighat MS at home. Picking up 20 points from 11 games, Mohun Bagan took the second spot by nudging East Bengal to the lower rung on a better goal difference.