The 2026 Lohana Sports Festival is done, and North London took the first Mahajan Shield. See the champions and the photographs from all three days.
See the resultsSee the photographs
Sunday 20 September.
How the day ran.
Festival Day was played at Hertfordshire Sports Village, Hatfield. The desk opened at 8:30am, the ceremony at 9am and the first games at 9:15am. This running order is kept here as the record of the day.
🕣Arrival
Aim to arrive from 8:30am when the desk opens. Parking is free on site, so no circling the streets. The opening ceremony kicks off at 9am sharp and games follow at 9:15am. Early birds get the warm-up courts.
🎟️Your wristband
Head straight to the desk and collect your colour-coded wristband, one colour per sport, worn all day. No wristband, no play. It's how we keep the draws honest without anyone checking papers at courtside. Lost yours? Come back to the desk.
🎒What to bring
Your racquet or bat; shuttles, balls and pickleball paddles are provided. Football: moulded or plastic-studded boots only on the astro, shin pads strongly recommended. A water bottle saves the queue between games, and changing rooms with showers are on site.
🏆Stay for the trophies
Trophies are presented from 5pm, and last year we handed out 104 of them. Pool winners from the 12th are called first, golf trophies from the 19th are presented too, and the Mahajan Shield is lifted for the very first time. Then the full group photograph.
Festival Day, hour by hour
Wristbands and first chai
Collect your colour-coded wristband and find your hall. Chai's already on. No entries are taken on the day: every draw was made from the entries that closed on 13 September.
The opening ceremony
The welcome, the prayer and diya, and the safety announcements. Short by design.
Games begin
Across every hall, court and pitch. Group stages first, so an early wobble isn't the end of your day. Galleries fill by the second game.
The cafeteria's big hour
Chai, food and fresh fruit doing the rounds. The Shield standings go up at lunch, at which point the banter becomes competitive.
The other festival
Yoga on the mats, the games corner, the beanbag lounge, face painting and mehndi for the children. The afternoon also brings the youth cricket. Not everything is a final.
Finals, staggered
So spectators and cameras can actually follow them. The veterans show the juniors how it's done.
Trophies and the Shield
104 last year. Pool and golf winners called too, the Shield lifted for the first time, the full group photograph, and home by six.
🍵Chai, food and family
The cafeteria is open all day, chai from the morning, fresh fruit usually about. Elders get reserved seating with proper backs and shade near the main hall, close to the action and closer to the chai. Knocked out early? The standings and your mahajan's other players all need supporting, and the Mahajan Shield table is live at the control desk.
📋Results as they happen
Every result travels from the court to the control desk and onto the results wall as it happens, so the ceremony never waits on a missing score. One control desk handles every query, schedule change and lost water bottle. If in doubt, ask there.
🩺Looked after, properly
Medical professionals are on site all day, and the form is where we hold every attendee's emergency contact. First aid, safeguarding and lost property all route through the control desk. Safeguarding questions: Ashokbhai Rach, 07956 450895.
📷Only if you want to be seen
Photography consent was asked on the entry form, and anyone who prefers to stay out of photos wears a wristband in a deliberately different, non-sport colour, so our photographers know at a glance.
Football: the draw and every score
Groups, fixtures, tables and final results for the 7-a-side. The draw stays online as the record of how the football was played.
Open the football draw and results
Scan on the dayThe live page opens in a new tab and is run by Tournify. It refreshes itself, so leave it open on your phone. Every other sport reports to the control desk, and results go up on the Results page.
