Aungmraching Marma, who scored the first ever international hat-trick for Bangladesh women's football team in 2010, has now become a rugby champion as her side Ansar & VDP clinched the Walton 6th National Women's Rugby Championship Sunday.
It was a completely one-sided affair in the final as Ansar, led by captain Aungmraching, demolished Dhaka by 60-0 points at the Paltan field in the capital.
In football's history book
Aungmraching hails from Maischari of Khagrachhari and used to play football when she was a kid.
There was a training camp for women's football in Khagrachhari back in 2004 where she got the chance and the following year, she was called up to the national youth team ahead of the AFC U-17 Championship qualifiers.
In a family of four brothers and three sisters, she lost her father in 2006 but that did not stop her from pursuing her football dream.
When the first senior national women's football camp was held in 2009, Aungmraching was an immediate choice as a center-forward.
She was included in the first team of 2010 South Asian Games in Dhaka and scored once in a 2-0 win over Sri Lanka.
The inaugural edition of the SAFF Women's Championship took place in the same year in Cox's Bazar where Aungmraching netted the first hat-trick of the country in a 9-0 thrashing of Bhutan on December 15.
“I'm the first female footballer who scored a hat-trick. It is an amazing feeling,” she rekindled the memory while talking to Dhaka Tribune after the rugby final.
Aungmraching has not been picked for the national team since 2016 during which most of the senior footballers, except Sabina Khatun, were excluded from the women's side.
She added, “I have retired from international football but I'm still playing the sport. I play for Ansar football team and also played for Brahmanbaria FC, Nasrin FA and Uttara FC in the Women's Football League.”
Ansar demolished Dhaka in the National Women's Rugby Championship final, winning 60-0 New venture in rugby
Aungmraching undertook her new journey in 2019 after Ansar, where she got a job in 2008, made the announcement to start playing rugby.
Due to Covid-19 pandemic, they could not participate in any competition until the 9th Bangladesh Games in 2021, where the team began with a bang under Aungmraching's leadership, bagging gold in rugby.
They also claimed the Federation Cup twice in succession before winning the National Women's Rugby Championship on their debut appearance.
“Our team is very strong as half of the players represented the national side abroad,” said Aungmraching.
“I play in the middle as scrum half. Rugby is a tough and complicated sport as it requires stamina, strength and speed. I'm still learning,” the 33-year old added.
Since Aungmraching took up the game of rugby, Bangladesh women's rugby team however, have not contested any international match thus far.
Ansar head coach SH Addra is confident that Aungmraching would comfortably get selected in the national side when the team resume international activities.
“Maximum female players in the Ansar team come from low-income families. They contribute the little amount of money they get from playing rugby to their family,” said Addra.
He added, “When she [Aungmraching] came to rugby, there was something special that drove her to the top of the game. Her performance is brilliant and she can also manage the team very well as a captain.”
Aungmraching also plays volleyball and cricket and she wore a broad smile while admitting that she loves the latter sport the most.