Kumar Gaurav wins Bihar U-11 chess title; girls' crown for Tanuja Bharti

Patna, June 27, 2009
Tanuja Bharti of Kishanganj won the girls’ title of the Bihar State under-11 chess championships at the Patna Youth Hostel hall here on Saturday. At the end of the fourth and final round play Tanuja collected as many points to emerge champion.

In the boys’ group, Kumar Gaurav of Purnia won the crown with five points after the end of the fifth and final round play.

It was a bad day for FIDE rating player Siddhant Gautam, who started as the favourite for the title. Siddhant lost two consecutive matches in the fourth and fifth round and bowed of the title race. Siddhant lost his fourth round match against Kumar Gaurav while in the fifth round he lost to Jitendra Kumar (Muzaffarpur).

All Bihar Chess Association vice-president Viplav Randhir, who was the chief guest the closing function, gave away the prizes. Patna Chess Club secretary Sanjeev Kumar welcomed the guests while Alok Kumar Singh proposed a vote of thanks.

Photo caption: Winners of Bihar state under-11 chess championships display their trophies in Patna on Saturday (June 27, 2009).
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

AITA talent series: Invincible Shruti Jaiswal

Patna, June 27, 2009
Invincible Shruti Jaiswal of Bihar won the under-18 girls’ singles title of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series fifth leg tournament at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Saturday.

Like her younger brother Devpriya, Shruit too made it five in a row with run way victory over Manuela Gomes of Delhi 6-1, 6-1.

The day was a shocker for Adamya Vikrant of Bihar as he lost the under-16 boys’ singles final to statemate Ishank Ravi 4-6, 6-3, 4-6 in grueling three-setter. Adamya had won the fourth leg of the tournament.

Dr Akhouri B Prasad, secretary, Bihar Lawn Tennis Association, distributed the prizes.

Photo caption: Shruti Jaiswal in action during her final match against Manuela Gomes at Patliputra Colony tennis courts in Patna on June 27, 2009

Bihar U-11 chess: Tanuja takes sole lead

Patna, June 26, 2009
Tanuja Bharti surged into the lead with three points at the end of as many rounds of play in the girls’ section of the Bihar State under-11 chess championships at Patna Youth Hostel here on Friday.
In the boys’ group, Siddhant Gautam and Kumar Gaurav were leading the table with three points each.

At the end of second round, Tanuja Bharti and Shruti Priya were at the top jointly with two points. Tanuja beat Shruti in the third round to take the lead.

In the boys’ group third round play, Kumar Gaurav and Amrit Verma played an engrossing match on the top board. Playing with black Kumar Gaurav outwitted Amrit Verma. On the board two, playing with black, Siddanth Gautam too notched up a facile win over Ashwani Arya.

Results:
Girls’ (after third round): Tanuja Bharti (3) beat Shurti Priya (2); Akanksha (2) beat Janhavi (1); Minakshi Kumari (2) beat Akhauri Sakshi (1) and Akshita Kumari (1) beat Aditi (0).

Boys’ (after third round):
Kumar Gaurav (3) beat Amarit Verma (2); Siddhant Gautam (3) beat Ashwani Arya (2); Saurav Kumar (2.5) beat Jitendra Kumar (2); Akhauri Harshit (2) beat Gaurav Kumar (1.5); Randhir Kumar Singh (2) beat Harshvardhan Singh (1); Kumar Vishel (2) beat Rishi Rishabh (1); Sahil (2) beat Kushagra Divyam (1); Saurav Anand (2) beat Manas (1); Pankaj Kumar (2) beat Tushar Sinha (1); Kumar Mumtaj (2) beat Kumar Sambhav (1); P Parth (1) beat Ashutosh Ranjan (0); Ayush (1) beat Shivam (0); Gaurav Anand (1) beat Utkarsh Sinha (0); Yashwashi (1) beat Harshraj (0); Devashish Kumar (2.5) drew with Amit Ranjan (2.5) and Amit Ranjan (1.5) drew with Shailendra Kumar (1.5).

AITA talent series: It’s a fiver for Devpriya

Patna, June 26, 2009
Indomitable Devpriya Jaiswal of Bihar won his fifth boys' under-18 title in a row within two months in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent search series tournament at the Patlputra Colony courts here on Friday.

In an one-sided final Bihar led crushed Arpit Sharma of Rajasthan 6-1, 6-2 to win the fifth leg of this series.

Later, Devpriya combined with Adamya Vikrant, also from Bihar, emerged victorious in the doubles for boys under-18 trouncing Arpit Sharma (Rajasthan) and Srikrishna (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.

In girls under-16 singles, Dhriti Verma (Delhi) outclassed Maryam Khan (Uttar Pradesh) 6-0 and 6-0.In a keenly-contested doubles final for girls’ under-18, Bihar's Shruti Jaiswal pairing with Delhi's Manuaela Gomes beat Sripriya (Bihar) and Disha Agarwal (Delhi) 6-2, 7-6.

Results
Boys’ U-18 singles final:
Devpriya Jaiswal (Bih) beat Arpit Sharma (Raj) 6-1, 6-2
Boys’ U-18 final (Doubles):
Devpriya Jaiswal (Bih)) and Adamya Vikrant (Bih) beat Arpit Sharma (Raj) and Shree Krishna (Bih) 6-3, 6-3.
Boys U-16 semi-finals (doubles):
Adamya Vikrant (Bih) and Venkat Siddharth (Bih) beat Himanshu Sagar (Dli) and Vijyansh Sachdeva (Dli) 6-4, 6-2.
Amritanjay Kumar (UP) and Aditya Vishwakarma (UP) beat Aman Kumar (Bih) and Marcos Gomes (Dli) 6-4, 7-5.
Girls' U-18 final (Doubles):
Shruti Jaiswal (Bih) and Manuela Gomes (Dli) beat Sripriya Sarraf (Bih) and Disha Satish Agarwal (Dli) 6-2, 7-6.

Photo caption: Devpriya Jaiswal in action

Bihar State U-11 chess begins

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Anil Sulabh, director, Indian Institute of Health Education and Research, inaugurates Bihar State U-11 chess championships in Patna on June 25, 2009.

Patna, June 25, 2009
Bihar State under-11 chess championships got off to a colourful start at Patna Youth Hostel here on Thursday. In the first round matches, all the seeded players in boys’ and girls’ sections won their respective matches convincingly.

Earllier, Anil Sulabh, director, Indian Institute of Health Education and Research inaugurated the three-day tournament by playing a board with FIDE rated players Siddanth Gautam (1673). The tournament is being organised by Patna Chess Club.

Patna Chess Club secretary Sanjeev Kumar welcomed the guests while All Bihar Chess Association secretary Arvinda Kumar Sinha proposed a vote of thanks. Former national player Shivchandra Jha, Patna District Chess Association secretary Rakesh Ranjan and chief arbiter Dilip Kumar Bhagat were among other present at the opening function.

Results:
Girls: Janhavi (1) beat Aditi (0), Minakshi Kumari (1) beat Akansha (0), Shrutipriya (1) beat Akshita Kumari (0), Tanuja Bharti (1) beat Akhauri Harshit (0).
Boys:


Siddanth Gautam (1) beat Manas (0), Amrit Verma (1) beat Prayush Parth (0), Ashwani Arya (1) beat Randhir Kumar Singh (0), Rishi Rishav (1) beat Ayush (0), Jitendra Kumar (1) beat Shivam Kumar (0), Kumar Vishesh (1) beat Utkarsh Sinha (0), Kumar Sambhav (1) beat Yashshvi (0), Saurav Anand (1) beat Gaurav Anand (0), Kumar Mumtaz (1) beat Ashutosh Ranjan (0).

AITA talent series: Devpriya faces Arpit in boys' U-18 singles final

Patna, June 25, 2009
Devpriya Jaiswal of Bihar will take on Arpit Sharma of Rajasthan in the boys’ under-18 singles final of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament at the Patliputra Clonu courts here.

In the semi-finals, top seed Devpriya Jaiswal outplayed Sachin Antony (Kerala) 6-1, 6-0 while Arpit Sharma (Rajasthan) tamed Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) 6-1, 6-3 to set up final clash.

In the boys’ U-16 semi-finals, Ishank Ravi of Bihar got the better of Venkat Siddarth 6-3, 6-2 and Adamya Vikarant (Bihar) struggled hard to down Himanshu Saagar (Delhi) 7-6 (2), 6-4.

Results:
Boys' U-18 singles semi-finals:
Devpriya Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Sachin Antony (Kerala) 6-1, 6-0. Arpit Sharma (Rajasthan) beat Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) 6-1, 6-3.
Boys’ U-16 semi-final (Singles):
Ishank Ravi (Bihar) beat Venkat Siddarth 6-3, 6-2; Adamya Vikarant (Bihar) beat Himanshu Saagar (Delhi) 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Boys’ U-18 doubles quarter-finals: Arpti Sharma (Raj) and Shree Krishna (Bih) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) and Soumya Raj (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1.
Vemkat Siddharth (Bihar) and Anish Anupam (Bihar) beat Abhishek Ranjan (Bihar) and Om Prakash (Bihar) 6-1, 6-2.
Samresh Singh (UP) and Amritanjay Kumar (UP) beat Amam Kumar (Bihar) and Marcos Gomes (Delhi). 6-1, 2-6,7-6 (8)
Boys’ U-16 doubles quarter-finals:
Aman Kumar (Bihar) and Marcos Gomes (Delhi) beat Varenya Vikrant (Bihar) and Anish Anupam (Bihar) 6-0, 6-3.
Vijyansh Sachdeva (Delhi) and Himamshu Sagar (Delhi) beat Shree Krishna (Bihar) and Vishu Prasad (Delhi) 6-2, 6-3.
Girls’ U-18 quarter-finals (singles)
Shruti Jaiswl (Bihar) beat Vijeta Sachdeva (Delhi) 6-4, 6-3.
Girls’ U-18 semi-final (singles)
Shruti Jaiswal beat Disha Satish Agarwal (Delhi) 6-2, 6-0.
Girls’ U-16 semi-finals (singles):
Dhrith Verma (Delhi) beat Sripriya Saraaf (Bihar) 6-4, 6-0.
Girls’ U-16 semi-finals (doubles)
Dhriti Verma (Delhi) and Vijeta Sachdeva (Delhi) beat Mariam Khan (UP) and Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) 6-0, 6-0.
Girls’ U-18 semi-finals (Doubles):
Shruti Jaiswal (Bihar) and Manuela Gomes beat Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) and Mariam Khan (UP) 6-0, 6-1

AITA talent series: Venkat, Adamya among five Bihar players to qualify for boys U-18 Q-F

Patna, June 23, 2009
Five players Venkat Siddarth, Aman Kumar, Adamya Vikrant, Ishank Ravi and Devpriya Jaiswal occupied the quarter-final berths out of eight at stake in the boys’ under-18 singles of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Tuesday.

Fresh from his boys’ U-18 singles title victory in the fourth tournament of this series a few days back, Devpriya Jaiswal fought hard to tame Vijansh Sachdeva of Delhi 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 in the pre-quarter-finals. Adamya Vikrant, who won the U-16 title, too sweated it out to down Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma of Uttar Pradesh 6-2, 7-5.
Results:
Boys’ U-18 singles pre-quarter finals:
Venkat Siddharth (Bih) beat Varenya Vikrant (Bih) 7-5, 7-6 (3); Sachin Antony (Ker) beat Anish Anupam (Bih) 6-4, 6-3; Aman Kumar (Bih) beat Abhishek Ranjan (Bih) 6-4, 6-1; Amritanjay Kumar (UP) beat Vishu Prasad (Dli) 6-1, 6-3; Arpit Sharma (Raj) beat Salil Rai (Dli) 6-2, 6-2; Adamya Vikrant (Bih) beat Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma (UP) 6-2, 7-5; Ishank Ravi (Bih) beat Shree Krishna (Bih) 6-2, 6-3; Devpriya Jaiswal (Bih) beat Vijansh Sachdeva (Dli) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.

Boys’ U-16 singles pre-quarter-finals:
Adamya Vikrant (Bih) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bih) 6-0, 6-0; Venkat Siddharth (Bih) beat Ahmad Malik (UP) 6-0, 6-0; Vijyansh Sachdeva (Dli) beat Shree Krishna (Bih) 6-2, 6-3; Ishank Ravi (Bih) beat Sachin Gopalika (Dli) 6-2, 6-1.

Girls' U-18 singles pre-quarter-finals:
Vijeta Sachdeva (Dli) beat Ayushi Yadav (UP) 6-0, 6-2; Disha Satish Agarwal (Dli) beat Tanya Grover (Dli) 6-1, 6-0; Dhriti Verma (Dli) beat Mariyam Khan (UP) 6-2, 6-0; Sripriya Sarraf (Bih) beat Sivana Joyce Zaidi (UP) 6-0, 6-0; Sheikh Naaz (UP) beat Packer Fatma (Bih) 6-2, 6-1.

AITA talent series: Six Bihar players cruise into second round of boys' U-18 singles

Patna, June 22, 2009
Six Bihar players moved into the second round of the boys’ under-18 singles event in the All India Tennis Association talent series tournament at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Monday.

Anish Anupam of Bihar defeated Sachin Gopalika of Delhi 6-1, 6-3 while Varenya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Om Prakash 6-2, 6-2.

Results:
Boys’ under-18 singles (first round):
Vijyansh Sachdeva (Delhi) beat Marcos Gomes (Delhi) 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Varenya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Om Prakash (Bihar) 6-2, 6-2; Anish Anupam (Bihar) beat Sachin Gopalika (Delhi) 6-1, 6-3; Abhishek Ranjan (Bihar) beat Ahmad Malik UP) 6-0, 6-2; Aman Kumar (Bihar) beat Soumya Raj (Bihar) 6-2, 6-3; Amritanjay Kumar (UP) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3; Vishnu Prasad (Bihar) beat Balbir Singh (Bihar) 6-4, 6-0; Salil Rai (Delhi) beat Himanshu Sagar (Delhi) 7-6 (2), 6-0; Shree Krishna (Bihar) beat Sangam Raja (Bihar) 6-2, 6-2; Aditya Vishwakarma (UP) beat Rajat Solanki (Delhi) 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

Boys’ under-16 singles (first round):
Aman Kumar (Bihar) beat Salil Rai (Delhi) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1; Vishnu Prasad (Delhi) beat Salman Sajjad (Bihar) 6-0, 6-0; Varenya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Ankesh Anand (Bihar) 6-2, 6-2; Vijyansh Sachdeva (Delhi) beat Soumya Raj (Bihar) 6-4, 6-1.

Deepak Sinha claims New Patna Club men’s singles tennis title

Patna, June 21, 2009
Deepak Sinha beat Manoj Kumar to win the men’s singles title of the New Patna Club tennis championships. In the boys’ under-16 section, Ritwik claimed the crown defeating Adarsh Parakhar in the final.

Ramyak Singh emerged champion in the boys’ under-12 category. In the senior girls event, Adya Sinha regained the ttitle while Amita took the singles honours in the junior girls section.

Later in gala prize-distribution function, senior members of the New Patna Club and old stalwarts of Bihar tennis, Alok Sinha, Rohit Singh and Chandrabhushan gave away the prizes.

Photo caption: Winners of the New Patna Club tennis champiosnhips pose for a group photograph with distiguished guests in Patna on June 21, 2009.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

AITA talent series: Unstoppable Devpriya

Patna, June 21, 2009
Devpriya Jaiswal of Bihar is just unmatched if you go by the results of Patna tournaments of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series. The Sunday was no different. Devpriya mauled his statemate Adamya Vikrant in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to win the boys’ under-18 singles title.

It was the fourth tournament of this series at the Patliputra Colony courts and Devpriya stamped his authority with great élan and comfort. Adamya, who had won the boys’ under-16 singles title just a day back, failed to stop the Juggernaut of Devpriya.

However, it was not a total bad day for Adamya as parining with Devpriya, he claimed the boys’ under-18 doubles title. The Bihar pair beat Bihar-Rajasthan combination of Ishank Ravi and Arpti Sharma 6-3, 6-2 to win the crown.

AITA talent series: Adamya bags boys' U-16 title; Shruti adds another feather to her crown

Patna, June 20, 2009
Finally, Adamya Vikrant tasted the sweetness of title victory. The Patna lad has been playing well in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournaments for the last one month. In the fourth tournament of this series, he clinched the boys’ under-16 singles title defeating Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma of Uttar Pradesh 6-3, 6-4 in the final at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Saturday.

Ever agile, Shurti Jaiswal of Bihar claimed the girls’ under-18 singles crown beating her statemate Sripriya Saaraf 6-4, 6-1 in the final. Sripriya fought well in the first set matching stroke by stroke against her much fancied rival. But in the second Shruti just toyed with Sripriya.

Arman Banerjee of Karnataka and Marcos Gomes of Delhi got the under-16 boys’ doubles title defeating the Uttar Pradesh pair of Aditya Vishwakarma and Amaritanjay Kumar 6-4, 6-1.

In the boys’ under-18 singles final, Devpriya Jaiswal (Bihar) will face Adamya Vikrant (Bihar). Earlier, in the semi-finals, Devpriya defeated struggled to down Arpit Sharma (Rajasthan) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 while Adamya outplayed Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.

Bihar-Delhi combination of Shruti Jaiswal and Manuela Gomes won the girls’ under-18 doubles crown.

SK Puri Cricket Academy win Rajiv Gandhi Trophy

Patna, June 20, 2009
SK Puri Cricket Academy won the Rajiv Gandhi memorial under-12 cricket championship title defeating Dev Sports Foundation by 44 runs in the final at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Saturday.

Batting first SKP made 121 runs off 20 overs while Dev Sports were all out for 77 runs off 15.2 overs.

Utkarsh Sinha of SK Puri Cricket Academy, who remained unbeaten on 50 runs, was declared man of the match. Ujjawal of Dev Sports Foundation was declared man of the series. Sanjit (SKP Cricket Academy) and Rishabh of Dev Sports Foundation were adjudged best bowler and best batsman respectively.

Dr Jitendra Prasad Singh, who was the chief guest in the prize-distribution function, gave away the prizes. Cricket coaches Ajit Msihra and Rajiv Dhari were among others present at the closing function.

Brief scores:
SKP Cricket Academy: 121 for six wickets in 20 overs (Utkarsh Sinha-50 not out, Mukesh-15, Sanjit-14, Manish-2/21)
Dev Sports Foundation: 77 all out in 15.2 overs (Rishabh-17 not out, Ujjawal-15, Maghvendra-3/14, Sanjit-3/10)

AITA talent series: Adamya in boys' U-16 final

Patna, June 19, 2009
Adamya Vikrant of Bihar will take on Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma in the under-16 boys’ singles final of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament at the Patliputra Colony courts here.

In the semi-finals on Friday, Adamya Vikrant outgunned Amritanjay Kumar (UP) 6-2, 6-3 while Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma rallied to beat Ishank Ravi (Bihar) 6-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Adamya Vikrant moved in for a double crown as the Bihar lad entered the final of the boys’ under-18 category defeating Venkat Siddarth (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3. In the final, Adamya is likely to face Devepriya Jaiswal, who was leading 4-0 in the third set against Arpit Sharma when the match called off for the day. Both had won one set each.

In the girls’ under-18 section, Sripriya Sarraf of Bihar qualified for the final defeating Manuela Gomes of Delhi 2-6, 6-4, 7-6.

Results:
Boys’ U-18 singles semi-finals:
Adamya Vikrant (Bih) bt Venkat Siddharth (Bih) 6-3, 6-3; Devepriya Jaiswal (Bih) leads over Arpit Sharma 6-3, 2-6, 4-0 (unfinished match).

Boys’ U-16 singles semi-finals:
Adamya Vikrant (Bih) bt Amritanjay Kuamr (UP) 6-2, 6-3; Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma (UP) bt Ishank Ravi (Bih) 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
Girls’ U-18 singles semi-finals:
Sripriya Sarraf (Bih) bt Manuela Gomes (Dli) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
Boys’ U-16 doubles quarter-finals:
Adamya Vikrant (Bih)/Venkat Siddharth (Bih) bt Shree Krishna (Bih)/Zaid Ali Akhtar (WB) 6-3, 6-1; Armaan Banerjee (Kar)/Marcos Gomes (Dli) bt Anand Mohan Singh (Bih)/Somya Raj (Bih) 6-3, 6-2; Aditya Vishwakarma (UP)/Amritanjay Kumar (UP) bt Anish Anupam (Bih)/Varenya Vikrant (Bih) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3); Ishank Ravi (Bih)/Vaibhav Kumar (Bih) bt Ahmad Malik (UP)/Mohammad Tausif (UP).
Girls’ U-18 doubles semi finals:
Shruti Jaiswal (Bih)/Manuela Gomes (Dli) bt Aishwarya Gupta (UP)/RashiWahal (UP) 6-2, 6-1; Sripriya Sarraf (Bih)/Disha Satish Agrawal (Dli) bt Packer Fatma (Bih)/Mariyam Khan (UP) 6-0, 6-0.

AITA talent series: Adamya in quarter-finals

Patna, June 17, 2009
Adamya Vikrant of Bihar stormed into the quarter-finals of the boys’ under-16 singles defeating Ahmad Malik of Uttar Pradesh 6-0, 6-1 in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament at the Patliputra tennis courts here on Wednesday.

The other two Bihar boys, who moved in to the quarter-finals of the U-16 singles, were Venkat Siddarth and Ishank Ravi.

Results:
Boys' U-16 singles-pre-quarter-finals
Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) bt Ahmad Malik (UP) 6-0, 6-1. Abhishek Kumar (UP) bt Shree Krishna (Bihar) 6-2, 6-4. Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) bt Zaid Ali Akhtar (West Bengal) 7-5, 6-1. Amritanjay Kumar (UP) bt Abhishek Kumar (UP) 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (6). Rajat Solanki (Delhi) bt Arman Banerjee (Karnataka) 7-5, 6-1. Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma (UP) bt Marcos Gomej (Delhi) 6-3, 6-0. Rahul Singh (Delhi) bt Osho (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1. Ishank Ravi (Bihar) bt Anish Anupam (Bihar) 6-2, 6-0.

Boys’ U-18 singles-pre-quarter-finals:
Eshwar Rao (West Bengal) bt Amritanjay Kumar (UP) 6-0, 6-4. Arpit Sharma (Rajasthan) bt Marcos Gomes (Delhi) 6-3, 6-2. Ishank Ravi (Bihar) bt Abhishek Ranjan (Bihar) 6-2, 6-3. Zaid Ali Akhtar (WestBengal) bt Aman Kumar (Bihar) 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma (UP) bt Abhilash Nair (UP) 6-1, 6-0. Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) bt Shree Krishna (Bih) 6-1, 6-1. Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) bt Anish Anupam (Bihar) 7-6 (18), 7-6 (20).

Girls' U-18 singles Pre-quarter-finals:
Disha S Agrawal (Delhi) bt Durgesh Nandan (West Bengal) 6-1, 6-0. Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) bt Adya Sinha (Bihar) 6-2, 6-0. Packer Fatma (Bihar) bt Shwetangi Sah (Bihar) 6-1, 6-0. Sripriya Sarraf (Bihar) bt Raashi Wahal (UP) 6-1, 6-4. Nandita Singh (UP) bt Bhavya Verma (Bihar) 6-1, 6-0. Manuela Gomes (Delhi) bt Mariyam Khan (UP) 6-0, 6-2.

AITA talent series: Six Bihar players in boys' U-16 singles second round

Patna, June 16, 2009
Six Bihar players moved into the second round of the boys’ under-16 singles in the All India Tennis association (AITA) taslent series at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Tuesday.

Venkat Siddharth of Bihar outplayed Anand Mohan Singh of Delhi 6-1, 6-1 while Shree Krishna (Bihar) crushed Adarsh Anand (Bihar) 6-0, 6-0. In the other first round matches, Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) got the better of Ankesh Anand (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1, Osho (Bihar) struggled hard to down Ahbar Alam (Bihar) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, Anish Anupam (Bihar) drubbed Md Tausif (UP) 6-1, 6-0 and Ishank Ravi (Bihar) beat Somya Raj (Bihar) 7-6 (2), 6-0.

Results
Boys’ under-16 singles (first round):
Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Ankesh Anand (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1; Ahmad Malick (UP) beat Anubhav Bhartiya (UP) 7-6 (6), 2-6, 7-6 (9); Shree Krishna (Bihar) beat Adarsh Anand (Bihar) 6-0, 6-0; Abhishek Kumar (UP) beat Vaibhav Kumar (Bihar) 6-2, 6-0; Venkat Siddhjarth (Bihar) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Delhi) 6-1, 6-1; Zaid Ali Akhtar (WB) beat Zain Zafa (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1; Amritanjay Kumar (UP) beat Abhilash Nair (UP) 6-1, 6-2; Armaan Banerjee (Karnataka) beat Siddhant Vishwakarma (UP) 6-2, 6-2; Rajat Solanki (Delhi) beat Anshumat Srivastava (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1; Marcos Gomes (Delhi) beat Ashish Sharma (Delhi) 6-0, 6-0; Aditya Kumar (Vishkarma (UP) beat Salman Ahmad (UP) 6-0, 6-0; Rahul Singh (Delhi) beat Ashok Kumar (Delhi) 6-0, 6-1; Osho (Bihar) beat Ahbar Alam (Bihar) 7-5, 3-6, 6-2; Anish Anupam (Bihar) beat Md Tausif (UP) 6-1, 6-0; Ishank Ravi (Bihar) beat Somya Raj (Bihar) 7-6 (2), 6-0 and Abhishek Kumar (UP) beat Varenya Vikrant (Bihar) 6-1, 6-0.

Boys’ under-18 singles: (first round)
Devepriya Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Md Tausif (UP) 6-1, 6-0; Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Arjun Arora (Delhi) 6-3, 7-5; Anish Anupam (Bihar) beat Varenya Vikrant (Bihar) 7-6 (3), 6-4 and Shree Krishna (Bihar) beat Ashok Kumar (Delhi) 6-0, 6-0.
Rahul Singh (Delhi) beat Somya Raj (Bihar) 6-1, 6-2; Eshwar Rao (WB) beat Rajat Solanki (Delhi) 2-6, 5-4 (match conceded); Amritanjay Kumar (UP) beat Naunin (Delhi) 6-7, 6-0, 2-0; Arpit Sharma (Rajasthan) beat Armaan Banerjee (Karnataka) 6-3, 6-2; Marcos Gomes (Delhi) beat Abhishek Kumar (UP) 6-2, 6-4; Ishank Ravi (Bihar) beat Abhishek Kumar 6-2, 6-3; Aman Kumar (Bihar) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1; Zaid Ali Akhtar (WB) beat Om Prakash (Bihar) 7-5, 6-7, 6-0 and Aditya Kumar Vishwakarma (UP) beat Vaibhav Kumar (Bihar) 6-3, 6-2.

Vipal is Bihar senior FIDE rating chess champ

Patna, June 14, 2009
Vipal Subhashi won the Bihar State senior FIDE rating chess championships with 8 points at the end of the ninth and final round play at Madhubani on Sunday.

P K Singh, Saurav Roop and Prem Vardhan were in a three-way tie for the second position as all the three had collected 7 points after the end of final round play. PK Singh was declared second with better progressive scores while Saurav Roop and Prem Vardhan got the third and fourth positions respectively.

Vipal, who played magnificently through out the tournament, beat talented Minhazul Haq in the penultimate round. Vipal outplayed Himanshu Shekhar Sharma in the final round to collect full points.

On the second board, PK Singh, who beat Krishna Prasad in the eighth round, skipped the ninth round play against Prem Vardhan due to illness.

On the Board No. 3, Saurav Roop played a calculated game to outwit defending state champion Ashutosh Kumar.

Madhubani District Magistrate Pankaj Kumar, who was the chief guest atthe closing function, gave away the prizes.

Top ten finishers of the State championships:
1. Vipal Subhashi (8, FDIE rating 2221, progressive score 41)
2. PK Singh (7, FIDE rating 2177, progressive score 38.5)
3. Saurav Roop (7, FIDE ratine 2032, progressive score 35.5)
4. Prem Vardhan (7, FIDE rating 2124,progressive score 34)
5. YP Srivastava (6.5, FIDE rating 2186,progressive score 36)
6. Minhazul Haq (6.5, progressive score 34)
7. Sanjeev Kumar (6.5, FIDE rating 2084,progressive score 33.5)
8. Ashutosh Kumar (6, FIDE rating 1991,progressive score 33.5)
9. Raj Kumar Chauhan (6, FIDE rating 2081,progressive score 33)
10Vijay Kumar (6, FIDE rating 1991,progressive score 31)

Vipal surges into lead in Bihar FIDE rating chess

Patna, June 13, 2009
Vipal Subhashi surged into lead with five points after the end of as many rounds in the Bihar State senior FIDE rating chess championships in Madhubani on Saturday.

According to information reached here, Vipal came out with two stunning performances on Saturday. He first beat Saurav Roop in the fourth round and then outplayed higher ranked YP Srivastava in the fifth round to collect full points.

PK Singh and Kumar Vinay were at joint second position with 4.5 points each.

Important results of fifth round:
Krishna Prasad (3.5) drew with Sameer Kumar (3.5), Vicky Vishal (3.5) drew with Nand Kishore (3.5), Minhazul Haq (4) beat Prem Vardhan (3), Sanjeev Kumar (4) beat Srishti Gautam (3), Saurav Roop (4) bear Aryan (3), Vikesh Nandan (4) beat Vijay Kumar (3), Abhay Kumar Sinha (4) beat Rahul Kumar Singh (3) and Ashutosh Kumar (4) beat Sameer Sengar (3).

Andhra boys win 24th National sub-junior tenni-koit title; Kerala clinch girls' crown

Patna, June 12, 2009
It was a repeat of last year’s final. Defending champions Tamil Nadu were pitted against last year’s runners-up Andhra Pradesh for the boys’ crown of the Star India 24th National sub-junior tenni-koit championships at the Patna Central School courts here on Friday. Tamil Nadu boys as a team played well till the final. However, in the final it was Andhra Pradesh day.

Andhra Pradesh turned the table and made a clean sweep of Tamil Nadu 3-0. In the first two singles Andhra boys D Chandu and Naveen gave their side 2-0 lead. And in doubles, Chandu pairing with Naveen blanked Tanil Nadu pair of Madan and Raghupathy to clinch the match and coveted crown.

Kerala won the girls’ team title defeating Andhra Pradesh 3-2 in a nail-biting finish.

A Naveen of Andhra Pradesh clinched the sub-junior boys' singles title defeating his statemate D Chandu 22-20, 21-14 in the final. The girls’ singles title went in favour of M Nithya Laxmi of Tamil Nadu who beat Bhuvaneswari of Pondicherry 21-12, 21-14.

Tamil Nadu pair of Madan Kumar and S Ragupathy claimed the boys' doubles title beating Harshit Gowda and Kishore of Karnataka 21-16, 21-12 in the final. Kerala combination of K Namitha and Sree Parvathi defeated Maharashtra pair of Bhargavi and Devika 21-16, 21-4 to win sub-junior girls' doubles crown.

The mixed doubles title was claimed by Tamil Nadu pair of V Thirupathy and P Savita Kumari who beat Orissa pair of Suhil Jena and Namratha Jena 22-20, 21-15 in a pulsating finish.

Saloni Narayan, assistant general manager, State Bank of India, who was the chief guest at the closing function, gave away the prizes. Vice-chairman of Patna Central School, BK Sudarshan, Bihar Olympic Association secretary, Mushtaq Ahmad, Tenni-Koit Federation of India secretary BS Nagraj, Jagmohan Gautam, PK Chowdhary, Patna Central School principal, SP Singh, vice-principal, OP Singh, Raj Kumar Singh, Satish Kumar Raju and Dr Sudhir Singh were among the dignitaries present at the prize-distribution function.

Niraj Kumar Pappu, secretary, Bihar Tenni-Koit Association welcomed the guests and SB Prasad, president of the association, proposed a vote of thanks.
Results
Team championship boys’ final
Andhra Pradesh beat Tamil Nadu 3-0 (D Chandu beat Anith Kumar 21-17, 21-22, 21-18; Naveen beat E Bakata Singh 21-17, 15-21, 21-15; D Chandu and Naveen beat Madan Kumar and Ragupathy 21-12, 21-15)
Girls' team final
Kerala beat Andhra Pradesh 3-2 (Sree Parvathi beat Sabiya 20-22, 21-18, 21-18; Akhila Ajay Ghosh lost to Saritha 19-21, 21-22; Sree Parvathi and Akhila Ajay Ghosh bt Sabiya and Saritha 21-14, 21-19; Sree Parvathi lost to Saritha12-21, 12-21; Akhila Ajay Ghosh beat Sabiya 22-20, 21-19).

Photo caption: Andhra Pradesh boys and Kerala girls pose for group photograph with their 24th National tenni-koit championships trophies in Patna on June 12, 2009.

Andhra men clinch Fed Cup tenni-koit trophy

Patna, June 11, 2009
Andhra Pradesh won the men’s title of the Federation Cup tenni-koit championships defeating Pondycherry in a keen tussle 3-2 at the Patna Central School courts here on Thursday.

The first match of the five-game thriller began on a disaster for eventual champions Andhra Pradesh as their star player Laxman Rao lost to Govinda Rajan 21-14, 21-14. In the second match Durga Prasad brought the parity beat Selva Kumar of Pondicherry 21-13, 21-19.

In the doubles Andhra pair of Laxman Rao and N Rakesh beat Pondicherry combination of Govinda Rajan and Selva Kumar 21-17, 21-14 to take a 2-1 lead. Govinda Rajan once again equalized the score with 21-18, 21-16 win over Durga Prasad. In the decider Laxman Rao beat Selva Kumar 21-10, 21-10 to clinch the issue for Andhra Pradesh.

In the play off matches of the sub-junior section, Maharashtra beat Tamil Nadu 3-1 to bag the third place in the girls’ section while Kerala beat Pondicherry 3-2 to win boys bronze medal.

Acharya Sudarshanjee Maharaj, who was the chief guest at the Federation Cup final, gave away the prizes. Tenni-Koit Federation of India secretary general, BS Nagraj, Bihar Tenni-Koit Associationpresident SB Prasad, Patna Central School principal SP Singh, vice-principal, OP Singh and Bihar Tenni-Koit Association secretary Neeraj Kumar Pappu were present at prize distribution function.

Results:
Federation Cup

semi-finals:

Andhra Pradesh beat Orissa (Laxman Rao Beat Devanand 21/12:21/7; A.Venkateshwar Rao beat Raj Tilak /10:21/9; Sandeep G Venkatesh beat Avijit Sinha & Binoy Jha 15/21,22/20,22/20)
Pondicherry beat Maharastra 3-0 (Govinda Rajan beat Suraj 21/17:21/16, Selva Kumar beat Mrunal21/12:21/14, Selva Kumar & Gowinda Rajan beat Badal & Suraj 21/7:21/10)

Federation Cup men’s final:

Andhra Pradesh beat Pondicherry 3-2 (Laxman Rao lost to Govinda Rajan 21/14; 21/14, Durga Prasad beat Selva Kumar 21/13:21/19. Laxman Rao & N. Rakesh beat Govinda Rajan & Selva Kumar 21/7:21/14. Durga Prasad lost to Govinda Rajan 18/21:16/21. Laxman Rao beat Selva Kumar 21/10:21/10)

Boys’ singles first round:

Abu Dahir (Pondy) beat Harish Godara (Rajasthan) 21/8:21/6. Arnab Santra (WB) beat Karan Singh (MP) 21/8:21/10. D.Vijendran (Kerala) beat Harendra Beniwal (Rajastan) 21/15:21/7. Ranjit Roy chodhary (Chattisgarh) beat Roshan Benara Orissa) 21/7:21/6.

Girls’ singles first round

Kulwinder Kour (Punjab) beat Akhila Ajaya Ghosh 21/10:21/15. Durga (Pondi) beat Renuka Saha (Chattisgarh) 21/6:21/2. Manasha Sarma (Kerala) beat Apprna Mishra (UP) 21/15:2/14. Itisree Ttima Malik (Orissa) beat Snigdha Patrika (MP) 21/7:17/21 21/3. Vai Bhrgavi (Maha) beat Priyanka Dnyal (Bihar) 21/6:21/5. Sinchana (Karnataka) beat Saritha Sinha (Bihar) 21/15:4/12. Xavier (Kerala) beat Rashmita (Orissa) 21/13 20/20:21/13. M. Saritha (AP) beat Pragya Sriyasthavn (MP) 21/4:21/3.

Girls’ team third position match
Maharastra beat Tamil Nadu 3-1 ( Vaibarushi lost to Nithya Laxmi: 18/21:21/14 9/21. Bhargavi beatKayathri 21/19:21/10. Bhargavi & Vaiba Rushi beat Nithya Raxmi & Uganya 20/22:21/19:21/17. Vaibarushi beat Kayathri 21/16:21/10)

Boys’ team third place match

Kerala beat Pondicherry 3-2 ( Vijewdran lost to Thami Zhvemdan 21/11:21/15. Amal Santosh beat Abudahir 21/18:22/21. Amal Santosh & Vaishak beat Thamizh Vendan & Abudahir 21/17:21/17. Amal Santosh lost Thamizhvendan 21/22:12/21. Vijendran beat Abudahir 12/21 22/21 21/11).

Photo caption: Acharya Sudarshanjee Maharaj (centre) giving away Federation Cup tenni-koit trophy to Andhra Pradesh tean members in Patna on June 11, 2009.

24th National sub-junior tenni-koit: Tamil Nadu boys face Andhra Pradesh in final; Kerala, Andhra Pradesh in girls' final

Patna, June 10, 2009
In a repeat of last year’s final defending champions Tamil Nadu will face Andhra Pradesh in the boys’ final of the Star India 24th National sub-junior tenni-koit championships at the Patna Central School ground here on Friday.

In the girls’ team event, reigning champions Andhra Pradesh will lock horns with Kerala.

The boys’ team championships saw Andhra Pradesh routing Kerala 3-0 in the first semi-final while Tamil Nadu fighting to down Pondicherry 3-1.

In the girls’ semi-finals Andhra Pradesh prevailed over Mahrashtra 3-1 while Kerala drubbed Tamil Nadu 3-0.
Federation Cup team championships matches also began today.

Results:
Federation Cup Men’s team championship
Maharastra bt Orissa 3-0 (Mrunal bt Avijit 21-19, 10-21, 21-14; Suraj bt Vinay 17-21, 21-7, 22-21; Mrunal & Suraj bt Avijit & Vinay 21-18, 21-12).
Maharastra bt Karnataka 3-0 (Mrunal bt Vikas 21-10, 21-8; Suraj bt Gautham 21-13, 17-21, 21-14; Mrunal & Suraj bt Vikas & Gautham 21-10, 21-13).
Pondicherry bt Delhi (Govinda Rajan bt Sumit Kumar 21-1, 21-2; Selua Kumar bt Manoj Kumar21-3, 21-1; Jay Prakash & Parthivan bt Sumit Kumar & Manoj Kumar 21-2, 21-8).
Andhra Pradesh bt Harayana 3-0 (Laxman bt Amit 21-3, 21-1; Durga Prasad bt Sumit 21-6, 21-4; Rakesh & Avrao bt Amit & Sumit 21-11, 21-3).
Andhra Pradesh bt Pondicherry 3-2 (Govinda Rajan bt Laxman 21-22, 21-18; Rakesh bt Selva Kumar 21-7, 21-14; Laxman & Durga Prasad bt Govinda Rajan & Selva Kumar 15-21, 21-17, 21-15; Govinda Rajan bt N Rakesh 21-18, 21-19; Laxman bt Selva Kumar 21-10, 21-15).
Girls’ team championships quarter-finals
Kerala bt West Bengal 3-0 (Namitha bt Banty Ghose 22-20, 15-21, 21-18; Sree Parvathy bt Sulekha Singh 21-14, 21-10; Sree Parvathy & Akhila Ajaya Ghosh bt Kasturi Mukherjee & Suparnna Patra 21-8, 21-10).
Maharastra bt Pondicherry 3-2 (Bhuvaneshwari bt Bhargavi 21-16, 21-18; Bhargavi bt Durga 21-13, 21-11; Vaibhurushi & Bhargavi bt Bhuvaneshwari & Ramya 21-12, 21-16).

Boys’ quarter-finals

Kerala bt Maharastra 3-1 (Amal Santosh bt Nilesh 21-15, 21-10; Sanjay bt Vijendran 21-19, 19-21, 21-15; Amal & Vaisak bt Nilesh & Sanjay 21-15, 21-22, 22-20; R/S Amal bt Sanjay 21-17, 18-21, 21-4).

Pondicherry bt Karnataka 3-1 (Thamizhvendan bt Kishore 22-21, 18-21, 21-13; Rajath bt Abudahir 21-16, 21-14; Tamil Vendan & Abu Daghir bt Harshith & Kishore 21-18, 21-8; R/S Thamizhvendan bt Rajath 21-14, 21-13).

Boys’ semi-finals team championship
Andhra Pradesh bt Kerala 3-0 (D Chandu bt Amal Santosh 21-15, 22-21; Naveen bt Vaishak 21-15, 21-12; D Chandu & Narsaiah bt Amal & Vijendrand 21-12; 21-15).
Tamil Nadu bt Pondicherry 3-1 (A Anith Kumar lost Thamizhvendan 21-12, 21-19; E bakath Singh bt Abudahir 21-17; 21-18; E Vagat Singh & Ragupati bt Tinaizhdam & Abubhir 21-9, 21-16; A Anita bt Abudhir 21-3, 21-10

Girls’ semi-finals team championship
Kerala bt Tamil Nadu 3-0 (Sree Parvathy bt K Kayathri 21-17, 21-7; Akhila Ajaya Ghosh bt Nithya Laxshmi 21-9, 21-17; Sree Parvathy & Akhila Ajaya Ghosh bt Kayathri & Nithya Lakshmi 21-12, 21-19).

Andhra Pradesh bt Maharastra 3-1 (Sabiya bt Vaibhrushi 21-17, 22-20; Bhargavi lost Saritha 17-21, 21-18, 21-19; Sabiya & Saritha bt Vaibhrushi & Bhargavi 21-15, 8-21, 22-20; Sabiya bt Bhargavi 21-16, 21-5.

Photo caption: Grils are in action during their respective team event matches of the 24th National sub-junior and Federation Cup tenni-koit championships in Patna on June 10, 2009.

24th National sub-junior tenni-koit: Tamil Nadu boys start campaign in style

Patna, June 9, 2009
Maharashtra boys chalked out two victories to strengthen their claims for a quarter-final spot in the 24th National sub-junior tenni-koit championships at the Patna Central School courts here on Tuesday.

Maharashtra thrashed Jharkhand 3-0 in their first match of the boys’ section. In the next match against Chattishgarh, they produced an identical win. In the same group, defending champions Tamil Nadu started their campaign in style trouncing Madhya Pradesh 3-0.

West Bengal boys too recorded fluent wins over Chhatishgarh and Jharkhand.In girls’ group, Tamil Nadu proved their superiority over Madhya Pradesh (3-0) and Punjab (3-0). Karnataka, Maharashtra and Orisaa were the other teams who registered impressive wins in the day’s play.

Results:

Boys' team championship:

Kerala bt Rajasthan 3-0 (Amal Santosh bt Harish Godara 21-5, 21-8; Vaishak bt Harendra 21-9, 21-9; Amal Santosh & Lakshman bt Hanumaniard & Raju Ram 21-10, 21-13).
Maharastra bt Jharkhand 3-0 (Nilesa bt Md Nizam 21-7, 21-7; Sanjay bt Md Aysman 21-4, 21-5; Nilesh & Kshitig bt Md Nizam & Md Husam 21-8, 21-4).
West Bengal bt Chatishgarh 3-2 ( Chiranjit bt Tanmoy Chatterjee 21-13, 19-21, 21-19; Subhadip Das bt Ranjit 21-11, 22-21; Mohan & Krishan bt Gunjan Roy & Bishal Goswami 21-5, 21-4; Tonmoy Chatterjee bt Ranjit 21-17, 21-16; Subhadip Das bt Chirawjit 16-21, 22-21, 21-8).
Maharastra bt Chattisgarh 3-0 (Sanjay bt Ranjeet 21-13, 21-18; Nilesh bt Chiranjeet 21-14, 21-19; Sanjay & Nilesh bt Mohan & Sunil 22-20, 21-17).
West Bengal bt Jharkhand 3-0 (Arnab Santra bt Sharique 21-4, 21-10; Subhadip Das bt Nizam 21-11, 21-15; Sahil Kumar Sharma & Tanmoy Chatterjee bt Nizam & Sharique 21-9, 22-20).
Pondicherry bt Orissa 3-2 (A Thamizhuendan bt Sumanta Bag 21-5, 21-13; M Abudahir bt B Tanty 21-14, 21-14; Sumanta Bag & Tanty bt Praveen & Harish 21-15, 21-5; M Abudahir bt Sumanta Bag 16-21, 21-14, 21-10).

Tamil Nadu bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0 ( Anith Kumar bt Karam Singh Senger 21-6, 21-7; E Bakath Singh bt Shubham Tiwari 21-7, 21-12; Raghu Pathy & Shivaneshan bt Karam Singh Senger & Shubham Tiwari 21-8, 21-11).
Pondicherry bt Gujarat 3-0 (Tamilihvendan bt Nemin 21-3, 21-2; Abudakar bt Hardik 21-3, 21-4; Hariharan & Praveen bt Rajesh & Pratik 21-6, 21-5).

Girls’ team championship

Tamil Nadu bt Madhya Pradesh 3-0 (M Nithya Lakshmi bt Pragya Shrivaster 21-7, 21-5; K Kayathri bt Snigdha Pathrikar 21-4, 21-6; Suganya & Harini bt Mani Nigam & Harika Thangidal 21-9, 21-8).
Karnataka bt Chatisgarh 3-0 (Manasi bt Ankita 21-14, 18-21, 21-15; Sinchana bt Renuka 21-5, 21-14; Chandana & Mythli bt Mamata & Harpirander 21-8, 21-6).
Tamil Nadu bt Punjab 3-0 (Nithya Lakshmi bt Gagandeep Kaur 21-1, 21-2; K Kayathri bt Kulwinder Kaur 21-2, 21-1; D Harini & Suganya bt Ramandeep Kaur & Sandeep Kaur 21-8, 21-4).
Maharastra bt Chattisgarh 3-0 (Vai Bhrushi bt Ankita Pandey 21-6, 21-4; Bhargavi bt Mamata 21-2, 21-7; Vaibhrushi & Devika bt Reenuuersahy & Mamata 21-5, 21-03).
Orissa bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0 (N Pattnayak bt Sanya 21-11, 21-5; S R Sahu bt Adarna 21-14, 21-15; Niharika Patnaik & Shikha bt Sanya Ranjan & Aparna Mishra 21-7, 21-4.

Photo caption: Girls are in action during their respective team event matches of the 24th National sub-junior tenni-koit championships in Patna on June 9, 2009.

Star India 24th National sub-junior tenni-koit begins; Easy win for Maharashtra

Patna, June 8, 2009
The 24th Star India National sub-junior and Federation Cup tenni-koit championships got off to a colourful start at the Patna Central School courts here on Monday.The Bihar Tenni-Koit Association and the school authorities made the hour-long opening function a memorable one.

An eye-catching march past by participating teams coupled with cultural programmes put a force to the event. Acharya Sudarshanjee Maharaj inaugurated the five-day meet by releasing the balloons. Sanjay Singh, MLC was the chief guest in the opening ceremony. SP Singh, principal, Patna Central School welcomed the guests while Neeraj Kumar Pappu, secretary, Bihar Tenni-Koit Association(BTKA) proposed a vote of thanks.

Mukesh Roy, secretary, Bihar Table Tennis Association, Shashi Bhushan Prasad, president, BTKA, BS Nagraj, general secretary, Tenni-Koit Federation of India, Jagmohan Gautam, Satish KumarRaju, Abhishek Kumar and Patna Central School vive-principal OP Singh were present at the inaugural function.

Speaking on the occasion Acharya Suarshanjee Maharaj asked the children to be focused on their goal inculcating the mantra of discipline in every sphere of life. “Sports is worship and devote completely into it,” he said.


In the on field action, Maharashtra defeated West Bengal by 3-0 in the boys’ section while Kerala thrashed Uttaranchal 3-0. Hosts Bihar suffered humiliating 0-3 defeat against Pondicherry in agirls’ section match. In another match of the same group, Maharashtra trounced Karnataka 3-0.

Photo caption: Acharya Sudarshanjee Maharaj and other distinguished guests at the opening function of the 24th National sub-junior and Federation Cup tenni-koit championships in Patna on June 8, 2009.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

World Cup archery Stage III: Talukdar saves the final day with bronze medal

Patna, June 7, 2009
When it looked beach and breeze would deny India any medal on the final day of the stage III World Cup archery at Antalya, Indian ace Jayanta Talukdar chalked out a bronze medal victory in the individual recurve section on Sunday.

According to information reached here, the sixth-seeded Indian overcame two ends of poor shooting to subdue 24th ranked Italian Amedeo Tonelli 106-101 that enabled India to end the tournament with one silver (men’s recurve team) and two bronze medals (Talukdar and women’s recurve team).

The two Indian giant-killers, Kapil and Rimil Biruly, who eliminated reigning world champions Im Dong Hyun of Korea and Natalia Valeeva of Italy respectively in the earlier rounds of the recurve division, came a cropper in the quarterfinals. Kapil lost to Tonelli 102-108 and Rimil went out to fifth-ranked Ruyu Ouyang of China 104-109.

Talukdar progressed to semifinals by beating 14th seeded Bair Badenov of Russia 109-105 but lost to eventual gold medallist Simon Terry of Great Britain 107-112.

The Indian recurve pair of Rahul Banerjee and Reena Kumari, who made it to the knockout stage of the mixed pair event, lost to the top-seeded Korean pair of Im Dong Hyun and Ji Ye Kwak 130-141 and against lost 140-147 to the Russian pair in the play off for bronze medal.

Source: Indian Archery Association press release

World Cup archery Stage III: Indian men recurve team falters at final hurdle; wins silver medal

Patna, June 6, 2009
The Indian men recurve team’s dream run came to an end against the mighty Korean team. The world champion proved a better side in windy conditions to win the gold medal thus denying India from winning the third consecutive gold medal in the stage III of the World Cup archery meet at Antalya on Saturday.

According to information reached here, Korea won the contest 225-221 to relegate India to the silver place.

Indian women did not slip this time as they overpowered Japan 211-201 to win the bronze medal.

Rahul Banerjee, Mangal Singh Champia and Jayanta Talukdar had combined to give India gold medal in the previous two World Cups held at Santo Domingo and Porec in the absence of Korea. This trio had won the first world cup team gold at the same venue last year.

On Saturday, the Koreans showed better technique and concentration in windy conditions to reduce the Indians to mere spectators.

Korea established a slender one-point lead in the first end of six arrows (57-57). The lead increased to three points in the next end of six arrows (58-56) for a total of 115-112. Third end produced 56 for Korea and 54 for India and the final end gave Korea 54 and India 55 for a grand total of 225-221. Korea won a team double taking the women’s gold medal as well beating Russian Federation 209-205.

Three more Indians, Kapil, Jayanta Talukdar and Rimil Biruly, are in the quarterfinals of the recurve category individual section to be played on Sunday.

Source: Indian Archery Association press release

Archery World Cup Stage III: Great day for Indians

Patna, June 5, 2009
It was a great day for the Indians at the World Cup archery Stage III at Antalya, Turkey, on Friday.

According to information reached here, two youngest members of the contingent, Kapil and Rimil Biruly, annihilated world champions in the individual elimination round and moved into the quarterfinals. The men’s recurve team also moved into the final against Korea. The women’s team lost to Russia in the semifinals and will square off against Japan for the bronze medal.

Adding icing to the cake was Jayanta Talukdar’s progress to the quarterfinals thus keeping alive his chances making it to the World Cup finals at Copenhagen later this year.

Kapil and Rimil, putting behind the poor qualification scores, produced their best performance of their career by beating 2007 Leipzig World Championship winners, Im Dong Hyun of Korea and Natalia Valeeva of Italy respectively. Kapil ousted the top seed in the second round 115-111 for a rarest victory against a Korean. Rimil downed Natalia 108-105.

Talukdar scored his personal best, a world-class, 118 in going past American Brady Ellison who replied with 111.

Other Indians failed to go past the second round in the recurve section. A lot of expected from Rahul Banerjee and Mangal Singh Champia in the men’s section, Dola Banerjee, Reena Kumari and L. Bombayla Devi in the women’s category.

The compound archers, as usual, lost in the early rounds. The men’s team fell to Canada 215-223 while the women went out to Greece 213-217.

Source: Indian Archery Association press release

Atma Ram chess: Rupesh, Nilesh and Ayush share lead after thrid round

Patna, June 5, 2009
Three players shared the lead with as many points points each at the end of the third round play of the Atma Ram memorial Patna district under-17 chess championships at NSN Residential Public School Hall here on Friday.

On the top of the table were Rupesh Ranjan, Nilesh Shankar and Ayush Anand. Seven players closely following the leaders with two points each were Rishi Shankar, Siddarth Khanna, Ayush Kashyap, AlokPriyadarshi, Kumari Srishti, Prince Kumar and Sashi Nand.

On the top board, international rated player Rupesh Ranjan, playing with white against Siddarth Khanna, began with Kings pawn opening. Siddarth applied Sicilian Pelican defence. Siddarth committed a blunder on the 17th move and came under severe pressure. On the 40th move, he finally resigned.

Results:
Rupesh Ranjan (3) beat Siddharth Khanna (2); Nilesh Shankar (3) beat Rishishankar (2); Ayush Anand (3) beat Ashish Raj (1); Ayush Kashyup (2) beat Kumar Sambhav (1); Alok Priyadharshi (2) beat Kumar Vishesh (1); Kumari Shrishti (2) beat Amit Kumar Gupta (1); Prince Kumar (2) beat Himanshu Harsh (1) beat Shashinand Kumar (2) beat Kumar Harshburdhan Singh (1); Sunil Kumar (1) beat Navin Kumar (1); Vishal Kumar (1) beat Abhishek Kumar (0); Rupam Kumar (1) beat Jartab Zaki(0).

Photo caption: Nilesh Shankar (left) concentrating on his moves in the Atma Ram memorial Patna district under-17 chess championships in Patna on June 5, 2009.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

AITA talent series: Shruti, Pamir bag U-18 girls' doubles title; Devepriya-Adamya win U-16 boys' doubles crown

Patna, June 5, 2009
The Bihar-Assam combination of Shruti Jaiswal and Pamir Gogoi (Assam) swamped Uttar Pradesh pair of Yogita Kumari (UP) Sivana Zaidi 6-1, 6-2 to win the girls’ under-18 doubles title of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Friday.

The day decided mostly the doubles titles in U-18 and U-16 categories in both boys and girls saw Bihar pairs dominating the proceedings claiming three titles of the four in stake.

Devepriya Jaiswal and Adamya Vikrant (both Bihar) proved their superiority in the boys’ under-16 doubles final over Amritanjay Kumar (UP) and Aman Kumar (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.

Later in the boys’ under-16 doubles final, Adamya Vikrant pairing with Venkat Siddharth beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) and Somya Raj (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.

Results:
Girls’ U-16 doubles final:
Yogita Kumari and Sivana Zaidi (both UP) beat Shivangi Singh (UP) and Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.Girls’ U-18 doubles final:Shruti Jaiswal (Bihar) and Pamir Gogoi (Assam) beat Yogita Kumari (UP) and Sivana Zaidi (UP) 6-1, 6-2.

Boys’ U-18 doubles final:
Devpriya Jaiswal and Adamya Vikrant (both Bihar) beat Amritanjay Kumar (UP) and Aman Kumar (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.
Boy’s U-16 doubles final:
Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) and Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) and Somya Raj (Bihar) 6-3, 6-3.
Boys Under-18 singles semi-finals: Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Eshwar Rao (WB) 6-0, 6-3; Devepriya Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Ishank Ravi (Bihar) 6-2, 6-1.
Boys U-16 singles semi-finals: Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Ishank Ravi (Bihar) 5-7, 6-2, 6-0; Nirmal Yadav (WB) beat Shashank Sharma (Delhi) 6-4, 6-3.
Boys’ U-18 doubles semi-finals: Devepriya Jaiswal (Bih) and Adamya Vikrant (Bih) beat Bheeshmak Srivastava (UP) and Ravi Kant Sahu (UP) 7-5, 6-2.Amritanjay Singh (UP) and Aman Kumar (Bih) beat Venkat Siddharth (Bih) and Sunil Asthana (UP) 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5).

Boys U-16 doubles semi final: Adamya Vikrant (Bih) and Venkat Siddharth (Bih) beat Amritanjay Kumar (UP) and Pradumn Buddhiraja (UP) 7-5, 6-2. Anand Mohan Singh (Bih) and Soumya Raj (Bih) beat Vaibhav Kumar (Bih) and Nirmal Yadav (WB) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (4).

Girls’ U-18 singles semi-finals: Shruti Jaiswal (Bih) beat Ritika Ranjan (Bih) 6-1, 6-0; Shivangi Singh (UP) beat Yogita Kumari (UP) 6-3, 6-3.
Girls' U-18 doubles semi-finals: Sivana Zaidi (UP) and Yogita Kumari (UP) beat Shivangi Singh (UP) and Madhu Jaiswal (Bih) 6-3, 6-1.

Bihar State chess tournament gets FIDE rating

Panta: June 5, 2009
Now, Bihar State senior chess championship is a FIDE rating tournament.

According to All Bihar Chess Association secretary Arvinda Kumar Sinha, the All India Chess Federation has allotted FIDE Code No.39 to the 41st Bihar State chess championship 2009 to be organised by Madhubani District Chess Association at Town Hall, Madhubani from June10 to 14.

He said ABCA would allow players beyond the regular quota of four from an affiliated unit with uniform rate of regular entry fee keeping in view of the championship being organised for the first time as FIDE rating event.

Dharmendra Kumar, International Arbiter, would conduct the championship with the help oftwo National Arbiters, he added.

Atma Ram U-17 chess: Easy wins for top players

Patna, June 4, 2009

Rupesh Ranjan, Nilesh Shankar, Rishi Shankar, Siddarth Khanna and Ayush Anand were among the leading players, who won their first round matches to collect full points in the Atma Ram memorial Patna district under-17 chess championships at NSM Residential Public School hall here on Thursday.

Earlier, Anil Sulabh, director, Indian Institute of Health Education and Research inaugurated the tournament. Special guests Dr SB Pandey, Mukteshwar Dayal, Khurshid Alam, NK Sinha, Fazal Mahmood and Surya Kumar Pandey were present at the opening function. Nalin Dayal welcomed the guests while Patna District Chess Association secretary Rakesh Ranjan proposed a vote of thanks.

Results: Rupesh Ranjan (1) beat Kumar Harshvardhan Singh (0), Nilesh Shankar (1) beat Kumar Sambhav (0), Rishishankar (1) beat Kumar Vishesh (0), Siddarth Kahanna (1) beat Kumari Srishti (0), Ayush Anand(1) beat Navin Kumar (0), Prince Kumar (1) beat Ayush Kashyap (0), Ashish Raj (1) beat Rupam Kumari (0), Sashi Nand Kumar (1) beat Abhisshek Kumar (0), Alok Priyadarshi (1) beat Sunil Kumar (0), Amit Kumar Gupta (1) beat Vishal Kumar (0) and Himanshu Harsh beat Zartav Jockey (0).

Photo caption: Atma Ram memorial Patna district under-17 chess championships being inaugurated in Patna on June 4, 2009.

AITA talent series: Devepriya-Adamya in doubles final

Patna, June 4, 2009
Poor condition of the Patliputra Colony courts caused by overnight rains hampered the day’s play in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series here on Thursday, as only three doubles matches were possible.

In the boys’ under-18 doubles, the pair of Devepriya Jaiswal and Adamya Vikarnt (both Bihar) outplayed Bheeshmak Srivastava and Ravi Kant Sahu (both UP) 7-5, 6-2 to move into the final. The Bihar pair, now, will take on Bihar-UP combination of Aman Kumar and Amrittanjay Kumar, who beat another Bihar-UP pair of Venkat Siddarth and Sunal Asthana 6-3, 2-6, 7-6.

In the boys’ under-16 doubles, Anand Mohan Singh and Soumya Raj (both from Bihar) edged out Vaibhav Kumar (Bihar) and Nirmal Yadav (WB) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 to enter the final.

AITA talent series: Devepriya in semi-final

Patna, June 3, 2009
Top seed Devepriya Jaiswal stormed into the semi-finals of the boys’under-18 singles in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament at the Patlputra Colony courts here on Wednesday.

Devepriya, who was going great in the tournament, drubbed his statemate Shree Krishna 6-0, 6-0 on his way to semi-finals. Eshwar Rao of West Bengal also booked his berth in the semi-finals defeating Bheeshmak Srivastava of Uttar Pradesh 6-3, 6-4.

In the girls’ under-18 singles, Ayushi Yadav (UP), Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar), Pamir Gogoi (Assam) and Shruti Jaiswal entered the semi-finals.

Results:
Boys’ U-18 (singles) quarter-finals: (1) Devepriya Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Shree Krishna 6-0,6-0, (2) Eshwar Rao (WB) beat Bheeshmak Srivastava (UP) 6-3, 6-4.
Boys U-16 (singles) quarter-finals: (1) Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Shree Krishna (Bihar) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3; (2) Nirmal Yadav (WB) beat Venkat Siddharth 7-5, 2-6, 6-2; (3) Shashank Sharma (Delhi) beat Amritanjay Kumar (UP) 7-5, 6-1;(4) Ishank Ravi beat Armaan Banerjee (Karnataka) 6-3, 5-7, 6-0.
Girls U-18 (singles) quarter-finals: (1) Ayushi Yadav (UP) beat Sivana Joyce Zaidi (UP) 2-6, 6-2, 6-0; (2) Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Yogita Kumari (UP) 6-4, 6-3; (3) Pamir Gogoi (Assam) beat Ritika Ranjan (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1; (4) Shruti Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Shivangi Singh (UP) 6-0,6-0.

Girls' U-16 (singles) quarter-finals: (1) Sivana Joyce Zaidi (UP) beat Shwetangi Sah 6-1,6-1; (2) Yogita Kumari (UP) beat Ahavya Verma (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1; (3) Shivangi Singh (UP) beat Madhu Jaiswal 6-2, 6-3.
Boys’ U-18 (doubles) pre quarter-finals: (1) Anish Anupam (Bihar) and Om Prakash (Bihar)beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) and Soumya Raj (Bihar) 6-3, 7-5; (2) Shree Krishna (Bihar) and Pradumn Buddhi Raja (UP) beat Praful Upadhayay (UP) and Armaan Banerjee 6-2,1-6, 7-6 (II).

AITA talent series: Five Bihar players in Q-F

Patna, June 2, 2009
Five Bihar players including top seed Devepriya Jaiswal moved into the quarter-finals of the boys’ under-18 singles in the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series tournament III at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Tuesday.

Devepriya, who won two titles in the same venue in the last fortnight, played another superb tennis to outsmart Keshav Priyadarshi 6-0, 6-0 to book his berth in the quarter-finals. Ishank Ravi, Adamya Vikrant, Ishan Priyadarshi and Shree Krishna were the other players from Bihar making into the quarter-finals.

In girls’ under-18 section, Ritika Ranjan, Madhu Jaiswal and PamirGogoi made the last eight cut.

Results:
Boys’ U-18 (singles)- Pre-quarterfinals: Ishwar Rao (WB) beat Om Prakash 6-2, 6-0; Bheeshmak Srivastava (UP) beat Vaibhav Kumar (Bihar) 6-4, 6-2; Ishank Ravi (Bihar) beat Saumya Raj (Bihar) 6-2, 6-2; Nirmal Yadav (WB) beat Amritanjay Kumar (UP) 6-3, 3-6, 6-0; Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Pradumn Budhi Raja (UP) 6-1, 6-2; Ishan Priyadarshi (Bihar) beat Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0; Devepriya Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Keshav Kishan (Maha) 6-0,6-0; Shree Krishna (Bihar) beat Amrendra Chaudhary (UP) 1-1(conceded).

Boys’ U-16 (singles) pre-quarterfinals: Shree Krishna (Bihar) beat Ritwik Bhriguvanshi (Bihar) 6-0, 6-2;Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) beat Anshumat Srivastav 6-2, 6-3; Armaan Banerjee (Karnataka) beat Anand Mohan Singh 6-0, 6-1; Adamya Vikrant (Bihar) beat Anand Adarsh (Bihar) 6-0, 6-2.

Girls’ U-18 (singles) pre-quarterfinals: Ritika Ranjan (Bihar) beat Fatema Hussain (Bihar) 6-3, 7-5; Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Shwetangi Sah (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1; Pamir Gogoi (Assam) beat Bhavya Verma (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1.
Girls’ U-16 (singles) pre-quarterfinals: Sivana Joyce Zaidi (UP) beat Shwetangi Sah (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1; Shivangi Singh (UP) beat Madhu Jaiswal 6-2, 6-3; Yogita Kumari (UP) beat Bhavya Verma (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1.

AITA talent series: Six Bihar players advance to pre-quarterfinals

Patna, June 1, 2009
The third tournament of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) talent series began at the Patliputra Colony courts here on Monday with six Bihar players moving into the pre-quarter-finals in the boys’ under-18singles.

Shree Krishna led the Bihar progress with an easy 6-0, 6-0 win over Abhilash Nair of Uttar Pradesh.Other Bihar players, who made the last 16 grades, were Soumya Raj, Ishan Ravi, Vaibhav Kumar, Om Prakash and Venkat Siddarth.

In the girls’ under-18 section, Madhu Jaiswal of Bihar had a cakewalk against her state mate Shwetangi Sah 6-0, 6-1 to enter the quarterfinals. Assam lass Pamir Gogoi also moved into the quarterfinals with an identical victory over Bhavya Verma (Bihar).

Results
Boys U-18 (singles)-1st round: Keshav Kishan (Mah) beat Sunal Raj Asthana (UP) 6-1, 7-5; ShreeKrishna (Bihar) beat Abhilash Nair (UP) 6-0, 6-0; Amrendra S Chaudhary (UP) beat Shashank Sharma (Delhi) 7-5, 6-4; Nirmal Yadav (WB) beat Ayush Agrawal (MP) 6-0, 6-1; Soumya Raj (Bihar) beat Parag Agarwal (MP) 6-0, 6-2 Ishan Ravi (Bihar) beat Ritwik Bhriguvanshi (Bihar) 6-1,6-1; Bheeshmak Srivastava (UP) beat Anand Mohan Singh (Bihar) 6-7 (4),6-2, 6-0; Vaibhav Kumar (Bihar) beat Pappu Kumar (Bihar) 6-1, 6-1; Om Prakash (Bihar) beat Abhishek Ranjan (Bihar) 6-3, 3-6, 7-5; Eshwar Rao (WB) beat Ravi Kant Sahu (UP) 7-5, 6-0; Venkat Siddharth (Bihar) beat Praful Upadhyaya (UP) 6-2, 6-2; Padumn Budhi Raja (UP) beat Anish Anupam (Bihar) 7-5, 0-6, 6-3.

Boys U-16 (singles) Ist round:
Shree Krishna (Bihar) beat Soumya Raj (Bihar) 6-1, 6-4; Anshumat Srivastava (Bihar) beat Abhilash Nair (UP) 7-5, 6-0; Shashank Sharma (Delhi) beat Anand Aniket 6-0, 6-4.
Girls U-18 (singles) pre-quarterfinals: Madhu Jaiswal (Bihar) beat Shwetangi Sah (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1; Pamir Gogoi(Assam) beat Bhavya Verma (Bihar) 6-0, 6-1.

Arun Yadav assumes charge as Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports

New Delhi, June 1, 2009
Arun Yadav assumed charge as Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, here on Monday. In his interaction with the media persons, after assuming the charge Yadav stated that his top priority would be to complete the constructions of all stadia for the Commonwealth Games well before the time. He said he along with Dr. M.S. Gill will review the progress of construction of stadia and other infrastructure projects with a view to know the current status of the projects.

Earlier, Dr. M.S. Gill, Sports Minister welcomed Yadav in his chamber. Later on, the Sports Secretary, Secretary, Youth Affairs and senior officers received the Minister and presented him the bouquet of flowers.

Born on January 15, 1974, Yadav graduated in Commerce from Indore. He was first time elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from Khargone Parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh. In the 15th Lok Sabha, he has been re-elected second time as a Congress Candidate from Khandwa Parliamentary constituency in Madhya Pradesh.

Source: A PIB press release

Rahul captures Social Club boys' singles TT title

Patna, May 31, 2009
Rahul Prakash Keshri staged a remarkable comeback after losing the first and third sets to win the boys’ singles title in the Social Club table tennis championship here on Sunday. Rahul beat a brave and gutsy Ankit Kumar 8-11, 12-10, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 in the final at Social Club courts here on Sunday.

Rahul lost the first set to Ankit at 11-8 but he bounced back in the second and took the set at 12-10. In the third Ankit showed his class and bagged the set at 9-11. Rahul played brilliantly in the next two sets and won the match.

Varsha Bhagyasree clinched the girls’ singles title defeating Sunita Ravi 11-4, 11-8, 11-9. Earlier, in the semi-finals Varsha beat Tula Roy 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 while Sunita Ravi edged out Abina Anup Roy 7-11, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-8.

In men’s singles final, Ankit Kumar beat Suman Kumar 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11. Earlier, in the semi-finals, Suman Kumar bear Rahul Prakash Keshri 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 while Ankit Kumar beat Sourav Kumar 11-3, 8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9.

Former Deupty General Manager of Coal India Limited Barnasi Prasad, who was the chief guest at the closing function, gave away the prizes. Navneet Nandan Sahay, Ajit Kumar Sinha and B K Sahay were present on the occasion.

Earlier on Saturday, Tushar Kranti won the cadet boys’ singles title beating Gourav Nishad 13-11, 15-13, 8-11, 11-6.

Results:
Final (cadet boys’ singles): Tushar Kranti beat Gourav Nishad 13-11, 15-13, 8-11, 11-6.
Semi-final: Tushar Kranti beat Aditya Umang 14-12, 11-7, 15-17, 11-8; Gourav Nishad beat Ayush 11-2, 11-7, 11-7.

Sub-junior singles final: Ankit Kumar beat Suman Kumar 12-10, 11-9, 4-4, 11-7.
Semi-finals: Ankit Kumar beat Subham 11-6, 11-5, 11-8; Suman Kumar beat Sourav Kumar 11-8, 11-4, 11-8.
Junior boy singles quarter-finals: Ankit Kumar beat Naved-ur-Rehman 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, Suman Kumar beat Subham 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-7, Vivek Nishad beat Amit Kumar 10-12, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-4, Rahul Prakash Keshri beat Sourav Kumar 14-12, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9.

Photo caption: Winners of Social Club table tennis championhips displaying their medals and trophies in Patna on May 31, 2009.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

GAC win MM Bose cricket trophy

Patna, May 31, 2009
Gardanibagh Athletic Club won the second MM Bose Memorial Cricket trophy trouncing Adalatganj Cricket Club by 6 wickets at the Sanjay Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday.

Batting first, Adalatganj made 183 all out off 30 overs. Avinash (43), Ashutosh (29) and Nitesh (27) were the notable contributors. Kundan Sharma took four wickets for 36 runs while Arvind Jha grabbed three wickets for 30 runs. Keshav captured two wickets for 42 runs.

In reply, GAC boys collected the required runs losing four wickets off 24.1 overs. Raajeev played a magnificent knock of unbeaten 85 runs. Keshav (66) was the other star batsman for GAC. Rupesh took two wickets for 32 runs.

GAC secretary, Rambabu Rai, who was the chief guest at the closing function, distributed the prizes. Ashish Sinha, Jeetendra Kumar Dixit Runi, Pawan Kumar were present on the occasion.

Brief Scores:
Adalatganj: 183 for all out in 30 overs (Avinesh 43, Ashutosh 29, Nitesh 27, Kundan Sharma 4/36, Arvind Jha 3/30, Keshav 2/42).

GAC: 188 for 4 in 24.1 overs (Rajeev 85 not out, Keshav 66, Rupesh 2/32).