LUCKNOW, June 21 -- They are a courageous, passionate, strong and determined lot. Their days begin at sharp 4.30 am and end at 7 pm. In the interim, they go through a strenuous training session, rigorous drills, and sometimes match practice, too. This has been their routine since 2022. The group of about two dozen youngsters, many of whom are girls, has now established itself as a force to reckon with in the domestic circuit. A third-place finish in the Khelo India Women's Rugby League this year is testimony to the supremacy of these girls in the women's category. A bronze medal in the event fetched them Rs 20,000 cash reward. A bunch of 22-odd boys and girls can be seen honing their skills at the Study Hall Vidya Sthali Kanar Inter College in Malihabad, almost 31 km away from Lucknow. Most of them come from poor families. Their parents work in the fields, pull rickshaws, do household chores and work as daily wagers to eke out a living. There are makeshift goalposts for rugby at the school, which has been aiding their interest. While girls used worn-out tyre tubes, boys hopped on ropes attached to a large tree as part of their workout. These kids can make a mark in the domestic circuit, especially in the sub-junior and junior categories. Former national rugby player Shubham Pratap Singh wants to see his trainees make a name for themselves at the national and international levels. "Rugby has brought hope into their lives, which is filled with many struggles. They want to prove to society that they are no less," the coach Shubham Pratap Singh said on Friday. "When I started playing rugby in 2019 for Lucknow University, I too had the same mission in life and today I am happy that rugby has given me a new direction in my life," said Singh, who launched the sport at Vidya Sthali in 2022 as soon as was appointed the senior sports teacher there. "One can see the fire in their eyes. It's their hard work and regular training that have turned them into stars in the state. Some of our trainees, including one Arman Yadav, have made their presence felt in the junior national championships, too," Singh said. It was a big deal when students of this centre started making it to Uttar Pradesh teams with just two years of training. Before that, they had many titles in the district and state championships. "Our school has been quite supportive towards these kids and their passion for rugby is something amazing. We all feel proud when they come back home with trophies and medals," Study Hall Vidya Sthali Kanar Inter College's principal Shipra said on Friday, "Kho kho was a very popular sport in the school earlier, but once rugby became a part of our routine, many kids started getting attracted to this sport," she added. Currently, the Uttar Pradesh teams in the sub-junior and junior levels have most of the players from Vidya Sthali, and the teams have been doing well with top 10-finish among 30 teams. Now, the team is preparing well for the state championships, scheduled to be played in Sitapur on Sunday and Monday. For now, players like Arman Yadav, Alfisha Siddique, Romil, Mayuri Kannoujia, Jaick Singh, Anushka Singh, Anand Yadav, Shreya Pal, Mayank Dixit, Saloni, Ashutosh Singh, Piyush Rawat, Anurag Rawat, Nitin Pal, Prince Raj Yadav, Deepak Goutam and Lucky Pratap Singh have etched their names among the top guns in the domestic circuit....