Sharath-Saha pair bows out in quarters

Macau, February 28, 2012: Achanta Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha, who toppled the second-seeded Chinese pair yesterday failed to show the same intensity and verve against Chu Yan Leung and Yuk Cheung of Hong Kong in the quarterfinals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships and bowed out losing 0-3 here this afternoon.

Earlier, they had beaten the local pair of Kin Wa Leong and Chi Pan Che 9-11, 11-8, 12-14, 11-2, 11-8 to move into the quarterfinals, giving some hope for the Indian camp.

But not only did the other Indian pair of A. Amalraj and Sanil Shetty lose 2-3 to the Chinese duo of Ma Long and Wang Hao in the pre-quarterfinals, but also in both sections of the singles events the Indian paddlers failed to make much of a progress.

Hong Kong’s Chu Yan and Yuk Cheung proved to be too hot a pair for both Sharath and Saha as it disposed of the Indians 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 in less than 40 minutes. The Indians, who met the Macau duo in the pre-quarterfinals, played totally contrasting match and the spark was visible when they wore out their opponents to win 3-2.

In fact, both Sharath and Saha complimented each other in their match against Macau and attacked when needed and slowed down when the opposition was strong. This ploy, somehow, could not be employed against Hong Kong players who never switched off from the first point they took against the Indian duo.

   

In men’s singles Amalraj lasted just two round but lost in the third round to Chu Yan Leong of Hong Kong 6-11, 5-11, 6-11, 4-11, while Soumyajit Ghosh bowed out in the first round to Zi Yang of Singapore 4-1. Another Singaporean Ning Gao accounted for Sharath Kamal in the third round when he beat the Indian 4-3 (8-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6.

Sharath had the measure of Gao when he was up two games and against led 3-2, but his opponent of the hook to lose the next two games. The similarity did not end there as Subhajit Saha also lost to Singapore’s Peng Tang 4-2 (9-11, 9-11, 11-7,11-7, 10-12, 10-12) in a gurelling third round fight.

Among the women, Mousumi Paul gave a semblance of fight to progress but she lost to Cheng I-Ching 1-4 in the fourth round. Earlier, Mousumi had beaten Iran’s Neda Sahasavari 4-3 (11-8, 2-11, 11-5, 4-11, 11-4, 9-11, 14-12). Ankita Das too lost in the fourth round to Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa 4-0, Poulomi Ghatak in second round to Thai girl Nanthana Komwong 4-0, K. Shamini following her in third round when she lost to South Korean Eun Hee Lee 4-0 to complete the Indian rout.

With women’s doubles starting on Wednesday, there is still some Indian interests left in the championships.

A TTFI Press release 

Sharath-Saha upset second seeded Chinese pair of Lin-Jike

Macau, February 27, 2012: The Indian pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha caused the biggest upset of the championships so far when they beat second-seeded Chinese pair of Ma Lin and Zhang Jike in straight games in the second round of the Asian Table Tennis Championships here this morning.

They will now take on the Macau duo of Leong Kin Wa and Che ChiPan, who overcame a stiff resistance from the Iranian pair of Alamiyan Noshad and Lotfollah Nasabi 3-2, in the pre-quarterfinals which are slated for tomorrow.

The other Indian pair of A Amalraj and Sanil Shetty too progressed to round of 16 beating the Thai duo of Chaitat Chaisit and Wongsiri Nikom 3-2 (13-11, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 13-7). They will meet the Chinese pair of Ma Long and Wang Hao in the next round.

The talk of the championships on the day was the way both Sharath and Saha stunned the Chinese pair—Lin is the reigning Olympic champion while Jike is the current world champion—after a not-so-good outing by Sharath who had lost all his three games in the team event earlier.

The Indians put up a gritty performance to win 11-2, 11-9, 11-5 and left the East Asia Games Dome in a much better frame of mind. “It was our best day. I had to make amends for the loss in the team event,” said an elated Sharath.

The same pair had previously proven what they are capable of at crunch situations. Past masters at causing surprises, they won gold in 2009 Commonwealth Championships at Glasgow and in October 2010 at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. On both occasions, they had beaten top seeds and favourites Singapore’s Gao Ning and Yang Zi in the final.

A TTFI Press release

Amalraj efforts of no avail as Indians wilt under Taipei pressure

Macau, February 26, 2012: It was so near and yet so far for Indian men paddlers who bowed out of the medal reckoning after losing to Chinese Taipei 2-3 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships early today.Later in the evening they lost 1-3 to DPR Korea in 5-8 positional matches.

Earlier, the women paddlers too bit the dust, fist losing to China 0-3 in the quarterfinals and subsequently to both Taiepir and South Korea in a similar fashion to finish eighth in the championships. The Indians, however, shared the winners’ position with Chinese Taipei in the first division and were presented with awards.

But while no one gave a chance to the women team against the rampaging China, it was within the realm of possibility of men who came so close to beating Taipei in the last eight. And the unexpected hero on the day was none other than national champion A. Amalraj who won both his matches against Chen Chien and Huang Sheng Sheng. But Achanta Sharath Kamal, who played to matches and Subhajit Saha who met Wu Chih Chi lost their matches to bow out of medal rounds.

Understandably upset over the outcome, the Indian paddlers went down 1-3 to North Korea and will now play for the 7-8 position game.

Men: Quarterfinals: Chinese Taipei bt India 3-2 (Huang Sheng Sheng  bt  Achantha Sharath Kamal  11-5, 6-11, 11-4, 11-7; Chen Chien An  lost to Anthony Amalraj  11-3, 7-11, 9-11, 8-11;

Wu Chih chi  bt Subjajit Saha  8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-7; Huang Sheng Sheng  lost to Anthony Amal raj  11-4, 11-4, 7-11, 6-11, 8-11; Chen Chien An  bt Achantha Sharath Kamal  6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-5.

5-8 Position: North Korea bt India 3-1 (Jang Song Man  bt  Anthony Amalraj  11-3, 11-4, 11-9; Hyok Bong  Kim lost to Achanta Sharath Kamal  14-12, 6-11, 5-11, 8-11; Kim Song Nam  bt  Soumyajit Ghosh  8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5; Jang Song Man  bt  Achanta Sharath Kamal  4-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-5.

Women: Quarterfinals: China bt India 3-0 (Ding Ning bt Mouma Das  11-7, 11-8, 11-3, Guo Yan  bt  Poulomi Ghatak  13-11, 11-5, 11-3, Guo Yue  bt  Ankita Das  11-2, 11-7, 11-8

5-8 Positions: Chinese Taipei bt India 3-0 (Chen Szu Yu  bt  Mouma Das  6-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7;  Cheng I ching  bt Poulomi Ghatak  13-11, 11-4, 11-2’ Liu Hsing Yin  bt  Ankita Das  7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8.

7-8 Position: North Korea bt India 3-0 (Kim Jong  bt Poulami Ghatak 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7; Ri Myong sun  bt  Mouma Das  11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-4; Kim Hye Song  bt  Shamini Kumaresan  11-1, 14-12, 9-11, 11-7.

A TTFI Press release

Poulomi, Soumyajit lead India into quarterfinals

Macau, February 24, 2012: Women paddlers of the country made India proud as they entered the quarterfinals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships here on Tuesday morning, upsetting Thailand 3-0.

The men paddlers, on the other hand, overcame a tough Iran 3-2 to move into the quarterfinals where they will meet Chinese Taipei. Earlier, they had beaten in Group A both Bahrain and UAE with an identical 3-0 margin

Noshad Alamiyan, backbone of Iran, first accounted for Soumyajit Ghosh  11-7, 11-5, 11-9 in three straight games but Achanta Sharath Kamal  restored parity with an 11-5, 16-14, 11-3 win over Akhlaghpasand Mohammad Reza. Then national champion A.Amalraj downed Alamian Darounkolaei Nima 11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6 to put India in the lead.

Achanta Sharath Kamal, however, lost his reverse singles to Alamiyan Daronkolaei Noshad 11-7, 9-11, 10-12, 6-11 and Ghosh played an altogether different game in the decider to beat Akhlaghpasand Mohammed Reza 11-8, 11-9, 11-4 and seal India a quarterfinal place.

However, the story of the day is the maiden entry of Indian women players into the champion division of the meet. They will now take on the Chinese who did a thoroughly professional job to decimate their opponents to take their appointed place.

Though it will be tough against champions, the Indian girls, particularly Poulomi Ghatak, can take pride in what they achieved this morning against Thailand. Mouma Das opened the proceedings by beating  Anisara Muangsuk in straight games of 11-9, 11-7, 12-10 while Poulomi kept the momentum by overcoming Nanthana Komwong with a 11-4, 14-12, 11-6 to give India a commanding lead.

In fact, this commanding lead proved decisive for Ankita Das who, despite losing a game to Suttlux Rattanaprayoon, won 14-12, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5, leaving Thailand to compete for the ninth place.

National coach Bhavani Mukherjee praised national champion Poulomi for the gutsy play she put up against her Thai opponent. “Poulomi was too good today with her attacking game that left her opponent clueless. This momentum also helped Ankita in the third rubber,” he said.

Earlier, drawn in Group C, India beat Turkmenistan 3-0 and blanked out neighbours Sri Lanka in a similar fashion to enter stag two. The format of the championships is that teams finishing first in each group progresses to the knockout stage with two finalists from there entering the champion division.

A TTFI Press Release

Book on Indian women hockey released

New Delhi, February 23, 2012: Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Ajay Maken, released a book on women hockey today in a simple function.

While lauding the book, ‘Glimpses of Indian Women Hockey’ authored by hockey historian and chronicle K. Arumugam, he reiterated government of India’s commitment to improve the lot of sports, in particular our
national game, hockey.

“Our women hockey has rich history which this book traces graphically. This book highlights their achievements for the benefit present generation. Our women players need encouragement and their work need to be highlighted”, he said.

Author Arumugam said: ‘I covered hockey both at home and abroad for over two decades. They won many tournaments and also lost some of them very narrowly. Its my duty and pleasure to chronicle their moments of
joy and despair in equal measure”.

According to the author, the highlight of the book is compilation of data on history, vintage images, tournament details (1953 to till now) and profile of about 210 players.

“These data are rare, and are brought to public domain for the first time through this book. It took regular research for over many years. The significance of these data lie in the fact that no reliable literature was available”.

The 150-page book was published by the Delhi based Field Hockey Publications.

Photo caption: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Ajay Maken (right), releases the book ‘Glimpses of Indian Women Hockey’ authored by K. Arumugam in New Delhi on February 23, 2012.

Indian team for Asian table tennis championships announced

New Delhi, February 21, 2012: India’s top five paddlers both in the men and women sections, led by Achanta Sharath Kamal and Poulmi Ghatak, will represent the country in the Asian Table Tennis Championships, to be held at Macau between February 23 and March 1.

The other members of the men’s team include reigning national champion A.Amalraj, Subhajit Saha, Sanil Shetty and Soumyajeet Ghosh and in the women’s category it will be Mouma Das, K. Shamini, Mousumi Paul and Ankita Das besides national champion Poulami Ghatak.

All the paddlers will compete both in the team as well as individual championships. The teams were selected on the basis of their performances both at the senior nationals held at Lucknow last month and before this season.

The teams will be accompanied by foreign coach Leszek Kucharski and national coach Bhawani Mukherji. Arun Banerjee will be the team manager.

Both the coaches felt that the team was capable of putting their best foot forward in the championships which will see world-beaters China, Japan, Taipei, South Korea and Singapore. “Our boys and girls have the potential to come good against even the toughest and they are wary of their opponents’ strengths,” said the Polish coach Kucharski today on the eve of the departure of the team.

Training in Austria

Meanwhile, the Table Tennis Federation of India has decided to send all the team members to the Werner Schlager Academy in Austria to train and prepare for both the World Table Tennis Championship to be held at Dortmund (Germany) from March 25 to April 1 and the subsequent Olympic Qualification to be held at Hong-Kong between April from 19 and 22.

They will be joined at the academy by Soumyadeep Roy, Divya Deshpande and coach Arup Basak, said TTFI secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary.

A TTFI Press release 

India recurve teams lose in final of Asian GP archery

Kolkata, February 19, 2012: For a change, the Indian compound archers outshine their recurve counterparts in an international archery championship.

The men’s compound team (Rajat Chauhan, Ritul Chatterjee and Ch. Jignas) made a clean sweep by winning the men’s team final defeating Hong Kong by 224-211 points. Earlier, India’s Jignas won the individual and Rajat and Jhano Hansdah took the mixed team gold medals. India won against Korea 236-224 in the semifinals, according to information received here.

The compound women’s team (Jhano Hansdah, Gagandeep Kaur and Manjudha Soy) lost to the eventual winner Thailand in the semifinals at 217-221. The Indians went on to win the bronze medal out-shooting Hong Kong at 227-215.

India’s full strength recurve teams came a cropper in the final of the men’s and women’s team events.

Deepika Kumari, Chekrovolu Swuro and L. Bombayla Devi, who will be representing India in the women’s recurve event at the London Olympics, suffered a defeat at the hands of China by 211-213 points. Incidentally, this Chinese team is not the National side but a regional team from Shanghai!
Japan took the bronze medal getting the better of France at 210-202 in the third place play-off.

The Indians beat Japan in the semifinals at 217-213 while China outplayed France at 217-209.

The new-look Indian men’s recurve side, comprising Jayanta Talukdar, Mangal Singh Champia and Thupuvoyi Swuro, won easily against Japan in the semifinals at 222-219 but found France a tough team to down in the final. The Indian lost 217-218. Korea took the bronze medal beating Japan 223-215.  
   
India ended the championship on a high making a rich haul of four gold, five silver and two bronze medals to rank No. 1 in the medal tally.

The compound team contributed three gold medals. The fourth gold was won by the mixed recurve team.

Ch. Jignas and Rajat Chauhan became the two Indians to win two gold medals in this championship. Jignas added the team gold to the individual he won earlier while Rajat added his team gold to the mixed team gold he had won on Saturday.

A Press release

India add two more gold to their kitty

Kolkata, February 18, 2012: India won both the mixed team gold medals in the first Asian Grand Prix archery tournament in Bangkok today. The Indian mixed recurve team of Jayanta Talukdar and Laishram Bombayla Devi took gold beating the Japanese team at 143-142 in the final.

Rajat Chauhan and Jhano Hansdah combined well to give India the mixed compound team gold ahead of Myanmar by winning at 151-148, according to information received here.

The two gold medals inflated India’s medal haul to three gold, three silver and a bronze on the penultimate day. All the team finals will be held tomorrow.

Fourth seeded Indian recurve pair had it easy against France in the semifinals winning the contest at 148-142. In the other semifinals, Japan defeated Malaysia at 148-139.

In the compound section, India stopped Malaysia in the semifinals at 148-143 while Myanmar ousted Vietnam at 147-143 on way to final.

The mixed pair contest, introduced a year ago, teams two best archers in the men and women section of each country on the basis of points earned in ranking round. Top 16 pairs qualify for the mixed team events in both recurve and compound.

A Press release

India win five medals in Asian GP archery

Kolkata, February 18, 2012: India won a rich haul of one gold, three silver and a bronze medal in the individual section of the first Asian Grand Prix archery tournament at Bangkok today.

Two teenage sensations, Chittibomma Jignas and National champion Rajat Chauhan, combined to give India 1-2 in the men’s compound event. In an all-Indian final, the 18-year-old AP-born Services’ archer subdued Chauhan in the tie-breaker after the two tied the score at 144-144. Both hit the bull’s eye but Jignas’ arrow found to be closer to the centre to give him the second International gold after he won silver at the third Asian Grand Prix at Dhaka last May.

It was a remarkable show by Chauhan of Rajasthan. In his first international assignment, he reached the final apart from emerging the National champion in the all the three age groups: sub-junior, junior and senior in the same year.

It could have been a clean sweep by the Indians had Ritul Chatterjee not lost the bronze medal battle against Nguyen Tien Cuong of Vietnam at 143-147.

India’s quest to win the most coveted events of all, the recurve division, did not come off. India’s two final entries, Mangal Singh Champia and Chekrovolu Swuro, have not done well in individual events over the years. That they managed to win silver medals was indeed praiseworthy.

In the semifinals, Chauhan ousted Nguyen at 149-147 and Jignas eliminated compatriot Ritul Chatterjee 147-143.

Champia came up against a vastly experienced Romain Girouille of France in the men’s recurve final where the two shared the five sets to tie the score at 5-5. In the one-arrow tie-breaker, the Frenchman shot a nine to the Indian eight in a touch and go contest.

Earlier, Champia won against Spain’s Elias Cuesta by 7-3 set points in the semifinals.

Chekrovolu, who held an upper hand in the women’s recurve final against Ren Hayakawa of Japan, erred at the beginning of the third set. After taking the first two sets and a commanding 4-0 set points, the Indian needed just one more set to win the gold medal. Chekrovolu’s first arrow of the third set hit the seven point ring which completely unnerved the Indian.

Ren shot a 10 and a nine to take the set. Chekrovolu cracked in the fourth set shooting 8,9,9 to her opponent’s 10,8,10. The deciding set was a touch and go affair with the confident Japanese winning it in the end.

Chekrovolu edged past Urangungalag Bishindee of Mongolia in the tie-break after both shared the five sets to tie the set score at 5-5. In the tie-breaker, the Indian’s bull’s eye found to be closer to the centre than the Mongolian’s shot.

Both the Indian entries in the women’s compound semifinals, Jhano Hansdah and Gagandeep Kaur, were beaten on way to the final. Jhano lost to ultimate gold medal winner Aung Ngeain of Myanmar 142-145 and Gagandeep fell to silver medallist Nurfatehah Mat Salleh Fatin of Malaysia at 141-143. In the battle for bronze, Jhano prevailed over her much younger opponent in the tie-breaker after both tied the score at 139-139. Jhano got a bull’s eye to Gagandeep’s 8.

A Press release

Seven Indians make it to semifinals in Asian Grand Prix archery

Kolkata, February 17, 2012: Seven Indian archers have entered the individual semifinals of different categories of the first Asian Grand Prix at Bangkok today.

Mangal Singh Champia, who is more known as a strong archer in team events, made it to the individual semifinals after 2007, and will play Spain’s Elisa Cuesta for a place in the men’s recurve final. Another team player, Chekrovolu Swuro will take on Bishindee Urangungalay of Mongolia in the women’s recurve semifinals.

Three Indian compound archers moved into the last four stage. National champion Rajat Chauhan will take on Nguyen Tien Cuong of Vietnam and Ch. Jignas and Ritul Chatterjee will play each other in semifinals. If Chauhan managed to prevail over the Vietnamese, it could be 1-2-3 for India for the first time at a Continental meet.

In the women’s compound section, veteran Jhano Hansdah and young Gagandeep Kaur will meet Ngeain Aung of Myanmar and Fatin Nurfatehah Mat Salleh of Malaysia respectively.

All the semifinals and the finals of the individual sections will be played tomorrow.

The rest of the Indians failed to go past the quarterfinals stage.

Former compound men’s National champion Chinna Raju Srither was the lone Indian to lose in quarterfinals.

The draw of luck pitted World Junior Champion Deepika Kumari and Chekrovolu Swuro in the pre-quarterfinals where the older Indian triumphed.

Two other Indian women recurve archers, L. Bombayla Devi and Rimil Buriuly, too were eliminated in the pre-quarterfianls.

Manjudha Soy and debutante Parveena went out of contention in the women’s compound individual section in the last 16 stage.


A Press release

PWC clinch Valentine Cup throwball title

Patna, February 14, 2012: Patna Women’s College (PWC) struggled to down Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey Road, 15-10, 5-15, 15-13 to win the 10th Valentine Cup throwball championships at the PWC ground here on Tuesday. This was PWC’s eighth title win in last ten years.

The final was evenly matched but PWC prevailed over their rivals using sheer experience. Sushmita, Samyukta, Saba, Roselin and Yogita played well for PWC while Soni, Neha and Shreya and Surabhi excelled for KV.

PWC Principal Dr Doris D’Souza and Throwball Association of Bihar secretary Neeraj Kumar Pappu jointly distributed the prizes. Dr D’ Souza announced that from the next year onward, boys’ tournament would also be organized. Sweta Roy of PWC was named best player of the tournament.

Photo caption: Members of the Patna Women's College and Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey Road teams display their Valentine Cup throwball trophies in Patna on February 14, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui  

Valentine Cup throwball begins at Patna Women's College

Patna, February 13, 2012: Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey Road will take on Patna Women’s College in the final of the 10th Valentine Cup women's throwball championship at PWC ground here.

In the pool matches Patna Women’s College emerged champions of the pool ‘A” winning their all matches while in the pool ‘B’ Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey Road, got the top position.

Earlier, Patma Women’s College principal Dr Doris D’Suza inaugurated the tournament. Throwball Association of Bihar secretary Niraj Kumar Pappu was present on the occasion.

Results: (Pool ‘A’) Patna Women’s College bt Patna Central School 15-1, 15-1; Patna Central School bt Kendriya Vidyalaya, Danapur 15-7, 15-8; Patna Women’s College bt Kendriya Vidyalaya, Danapur 15-9, 15-10.

Pool ‘B’: Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bailey Road bt Don Bosco Academy 15-4, 15-9; Kendriya Vdyalaya, Bailey Road bt Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kankarbagh 15-4, 14-16, 15-4.

Photo caption: (Top) Patna Women's College Principal Dr Doris D'Souza inaugurates Valentine Cup throwball championships in Patna on February 13, 2012.

Bottom: A throwball match is in progress.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Eastern Railway emerge cluster D champions

Patna, February 10, 2012: Eastern Railway, Kolkata, beat East Central Railway Hajipur, 2-1 to emerge cluster D champions of the 68^th All-India Railway football tournament at the Moinul Haq Stadium here.

North-East Frontier Railway (NFR) got the second position collecting 8 points from four matches. Though NFR and ER were tied on points but ER got the edge on better goal difference.

The main championships will be held Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), Varanasi, from February 20 to 25.

S Roy Choudhary put ER into the lead in the 34 minute while Avinash Thapa leveled the score in the 48^th minute for ECR. Viplab Naskar netted the match-winner for ECR in the 62^nd minute.   

Arshiman nets a hat-trick for Eastern Railway

Patna, February 9, 2012: Arshiman Biswas scored a brilliant hat-trick of goals as Eastern Railway, Kolkata, trounced North Western Railway, Jaipur 6-1 in the cluster D league match of the 68^th All-India Railway football tournament at the Moinul Haq Stadium here.

In another match East Coast Railway, Bhubaneswar played a goalless draw with North-East Frontier Railway.

The first half of the match between ER and NWR ended in a 1-1 draw. Shantanu scored the first goal for ER in the 11^th minute while Kishan Bora drew the parity for NWR in the 43^rd minute.

Arshiman netted his hat-trick in the 66nd, 768^th and 83 minutes of the game. Bipin Bora increased the margin in the 85^th minute while Viplab Naskar completed the tally in the 89^th minute.

North-East Frontier Railway beat East Central Railway

Patna, February 8, 2012: North-East Frontier Railway (NFR), Guwahati beat hosts East Central Railway (ECR) 1-0 in the group ‘D’ match of the 68th All India railway football championship at Moinul Haq Stadium here on Wednesday.

The first half ended without score.

Striker Sushant Mazumdar of NFR netted the match winner in the 70th minute.

Earlier, in the first match, Eastern Railway, Kolkata played out a goalless draw East Costs Railway, Bhubaneswar.

Photo caption: Eastern Railway and East Coast Railway players battle for the ball during their match in Patna on February 8, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

North-East Frontier Railway crush North Western Railway

Patna, February 7, 2012: North-East Frontier Railway (NFR) thrashed North Western Railway (NWR) 4-0 in a cluster D match of the All India Railway Football Championship at the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Tuesday.

The match began on fast pace but remained confined to midfield as both the teams failed to make cohesive and well-planned moves on each other’s citadel. The first half ended goalless.

In the second half, NFR scored their first goal through Rabha in the 58th minute. NFR scored three more goals in the last 15 minutes of the match. In the process, Mazumdar struck a brilliant hat-trick. He netted the three-in-a-row, in the 76th, 80^th and 87th minutes.

Earlier, East Coast Railway (ECoR) and East Central Railway (ECR) played out a goalless draw. 

Photo caption: The match between East Coast Railway and East Central Railway in progress in Patna on February 7, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

East Coast Railway trounce North Western Railway

PATNA, February 6, 2012: East Coast Railway (ECoR), Bhubaneshwar, trounced North Western Railway (NWR) 8-0 in the 68th All India Railway Football Championships at the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Monday.

In another match Eastern Railway held North-East Frontier Railway to a goalless draw.

In the first match, striker Sivram Sandil netted two important goals for EcoR. Bijay Baral opened the account for EcoR in the 22nd minute. ECoR opened the floodgates in the 28^th minute through Striker Sheikh Mustakim.

In the 36th min, left-winger Salkhan Soren scored the third goal. Striker Sivram Sandil took the tally to 4-0 in the 45th minute.

In the second half, EcoR scored four more goals. Medio Hemanta Das made it 5-0 in the 50^th minute. Blecy Lakra (69^th), Sandil (71^st) and substitute Maheswar Das (86^th) minutes completed tally (8-0).

Photo caption: Eastern Railway and North-East Frontier Railway players in action during their match in Patna on February 7, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

ECR prove too good for NWR

Patna, February 5, 2012: Hosts East Central Railway (ECR), Hajipur, drubbed North West Railway (NWR), Jaipur, 3-0 in the inaugural group ‘D’ match of the 68th All India Railway football championships at Moinul Haq Stadium, here on Sunday.

ECR struck in the 30th minute through Sanjay Kumar and ended the first half with 1-0 lead.

Man Mohan Singh made it 2-0 in the 46th minute while Ranjan Ghosh increased the tally in the 88th minute (3-0).

Earlier, ECR general manager Varun Bharthuar and president of ECR, Mahila Kalyan Sangathan, Anita Bharthuar jointly inaugurated the tournament by releasing balloons. A hosts of Railway officials were present in the opening function.

Photo caption: ECR and NWR players in action during their match (top); ECR general manager Varun Bharthuar being introduced to players (middle) and Varun Bharthuar and Mrs Bharthuar inaugurating the All India Railway  football tournament in Patna on February 5, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 

Daredevils happy with Jayawardene, Russell & Bracewell in their fold

BANGALORE, February 4, 2012: Delhi Daredevils said the addition of Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene and young all-rounders Andre Russell (West Indies) and Doug Bracewell (New Zealand) would help the team stay competitive throughout the coming Indian Premier League season.

“We are pleased with the acquisitions at the Player Auction here today and are confident we can be competitive through the season,” said Team Mentor TA Sekar. “Going into the auction, we were very clear that we would strengthen our middle-order batting and look for allrounders. We are happy to have found what we targeted.”

He said Jayawardene would be a source of strength for the Delhi Daredevils middle-order. “There can be no doubt that Mahela will make a difference to the team with his vast experience and his approach,” he said. “We are delighted that we could add a true blue professional of his stature to our roster.”

In 106 T20 matches, Jayawardene has scored 2631 runs with two centuries and 17 half-centuries. His strike-rate has been 136.81 runs. With 1136 runs in 49 IPL matches, he has been among the most prolific batsmen in the tournament since its inception in 2008.  He has had a stellar career for Sri Lanka, playing 128 Tests, 354 one-day internationals and 35 T20 internationals.

Sekar said that in Russell and Bracewell the Delhi Daredevils found the quality all-rounders it was looking for. “We wanted players who could bat explosively in the death overs and give the team four effective overs. We believe Andre and Doug are exciting talent and will live up to our expectations,” he said of the young all-rounders.

The 23-year-old Jamaican Russell has played one Test, 14 one-day internationals and five T20 internationals for the West Indies while Bracewell, 21, has played four Tests, three ODIs and two T20 internationals for New Zealand.

The addition of Kevin Pietersen to the side this season, on transfer from Deccan Chargers, and the recruitment of some exciting Indian talent like Pawan Negi, Manprit Juneja, Kuldeep Raval and Punit Bisht are all steps towards ensuring that Delhi Daredevils goes the distance in the coming IPL season,” Sekar said. “We have high quality fast bowling and efficient spinners and are confident that we have the combination we have been wanting.”

The team (as of February 4):

Indian players: Virender Sehwag (captain), Varun Aaron, Ajit Agarkar, Punit Bisht, Robin Bist, Unmukt Chand, Ashoke Dinda, Manprit Juneja, Vikas Mishra, Yogesh Nagar, Prashant Naik, Shahbaz Nadeem, Pawan Negi, Naman Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Venugopal Rao, Kuldeep Raval, Aavishkar Salvi, Tejaswi Yadav and Umesh Yadav.

Overseas players: Travis Birt, Doug Bracewell, Aaron Finch, James Hopes, Colin Ingram, Mahela Jayawardene, Morne Morkel, Kevin Pietersen, Andre Russell, David Warner and Roelof van der Merwe. 

Press release

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Army XI clinch Bihar Cup

Patna, January 29, 2012: Army XI, Kolkata beat Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) by a solitary first half goal to clinch the first All India Football Tournament for Bihar Cup at the Moinul Haq Stadium here.

Army XI striker Thyagarajan netted the all-important goal in the 24th minute. Earlier he wasted an easy chance in the 8th minute.

With this win, Army XI got the first prize of Rs 1 lakh and the winners' trophy.

The game began on fast pace as both the teams mounted pressure on rival citadels using their flanks. KSEB frittered away a number of scoring chances in either half of the match with Md Rasid fumbling an easy shot at the rival goal from close range in the very third minute of an enthralling final.

Another KSEB player Bineesh miffed another chance in the 33th minute, while Rakesh and Sugun Kumar were also guilty of missing opportunities in the first five minutes of the second half to revive the hopes of the Kerala team.

KSEB collected a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and runners-up trophy. Bihar Tourism Minister Sunil Kumar Pintu and Animal Resources and Fisheries Minister Girraj Singh gave away the prizes to the winners and runners up. Food and Consumer Protection Minister Shyam Rajak felicitated three former Bihar players including former Indian team captain and Arjuna awardee C Prasad, Badri Prasad Yadav and Prem Kumar on the occasion. 

Both the semifinalists - Tata Football Academy (TFA), Jamshedpur, and Punjab Police, Jalandhar got cash prizes of Rs. 25000 each. TFA also earned Rs 10,000 for fair play award. 

Photo caption: Top: Former Indian football team captain C Prasad and former Bihar player Badri Prasad Yadav were felicitated during the prize-distribution function of the Bihar Cup in Patna on January 29, 2012.

Top 2 to bottom: Army XI players pose for photographs with the Bihar Cup in Patna on January 29, 2012.

Photo: Adftab Alam Siddiqui

Amalraj, Poulami crowned champs in National TT

LUCKNOW, JANUARY 29: It was a fantastic and a well-deserved maiden title triumph for Petroleum Sports Promotion Board’s A. Amalraj over top-seed and reigning singles champion Achanta Sharath Kamal in the final of the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships. But it also turned out to be a hugely controversial one for the new champion who, throwing all playing norms and discipline out of the window,  chose to celebrate his victory by first, jumping on to the table and then threw his racquet pumping his arms.

This warranted the umpire show him the yellow card, yet Amalraj without giving any heed or respect to the umpire’s reaction, went around the centre-court merrily. This forced the umpire pull out the red card. As if this was not enough, he didn’t shake hand with Sharath or the umpire until Amalraj’s coach S. Raman reminded him.

Now he stands to lose 25 per cent of his prize money, which is Rs 2.1 lakh. The punishment has been recommended to the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) by competition manager, N. Ganeshan.

Indeed, this was the only aberration in an otherwise thrilling final which had all the ingredients. Amalraj, thus dethroned the six-time national champion Sharath, beating 4-2 (11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8). 

Amalraj, who had beaten Sharath in the inter-institutional championships for the title earlier this season, began not only confidently but showed his early aggressive intent.

The best thing about Amalraj was the never-say-die attitude. Every time he fell behind Sharath, he staged excellent comeback to outsmart his senior rival. Amalraj matched Sharath shot for shot and never was afraid to play his attacking game. He was down 6-8 in both the first and second games and showing glimpses of recovery took a comfortable lead at 2-0. In the third, Sharath got a lucky point to be 9-all and could have turned it around. But Amalraj was playing his best game and shut out the challenge at 12-10.

When somebody is up 3-0 the opponent almost always throws in the towel, but Sharath’s remarkable recovery in the next two games should have sent some warning singles to Amalraj because he had been a witness to what happened at the Kolkata nationals where Sharath clinched the title after being down 0-3 and 4-7 against Soumyadeep Roy.

Amalraj became cautious in the sixth game and points changed hands as quickly as the blistering shots the two had sent down. At 7-7, Amalraj picked up the momentum when Sharath sent the ball three times before managing to take a point to go 8-10. That was all he could manage as Amalraj’s close-to-the-net serve could not be returned across and that triggered the celebration for Amalraj.

“I had beaten Sharath before in the inter-institutional and my confidence was high. I wanted to continue in the same vein. My coach (S Raman) also motivated a lot today. My national level goal has been achieved and I now want to concentrate on even bigger goal. I am off the Germany to train for the Asian and world championships,” said Commonwealth doubles gold medallist.  

Asked for his reaction on the drama that followed his win, Amalraj said: “It was not intentional and I did it in excitement. Reminded about the fine, he said: “I don’t mind losing a portion of the money,” said the 25-year-old.

Earlier in the women’s final, Shamini was not in her elements and Poulami exploited it to the hilt winning 4-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7). She was both attacking and countering well to lead from beginning to the end in spite of Shamini showing the gumption to stage a comeback in the third game. Shamini was leading 8-2 in the game, but a timely time-out suggestion by husband and coach Soumyadeep Roy did a good turn for Poulami. Not only did she equal the score at 8-8, but went on to win the next two games without any trouble.

Poulami attributed her seventh title to hard work and husband’s support. “My only aim before the final was to play well, knowing Shamini’s strength. I did exactly that and I am thankful to god I was able to regain the title which I lost to Shamini last year.”

Results

Men’s singles (final): Amal Raj A  (PSPB) bt Sharath Kamal (PSPB) (4-2) 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 9-11, 7-11, 11-8; Semi-finals: Sharath Kamal (PSPB) bt Soumayajit Ghosh (NB) (4-1) 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6; Amal Raj A (PSPB) bt Subhajit Saha (PSPB) (4-0) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7, 11-8.

Doubles (final): Sanil Shetty-Amal Raj (PSPB) bt Harmit Desai-Devesh Karia (Guj) (3-2) 12-10, 8-11, 10-11, 11-6, 12-10.

Women’s singles (final): Poulami Ghatak (PSPB) bt Shamini K (PSPB) (4-0) 11-9, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7; Semi-finals: Poulami Ghatak (PSPB) bt Ankita Das (NB) (4-3) 11-3, 9-11, 11-9, 4-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8; Shamini K (PSPB) bt Mouma Das (PSPB) (4-1) 11-9, 11-4, 12-10, 13-15, 11-6.

Doubles (final): Shamini K-Mousami Paul (PSPB) bt Anindita Chakraborty-Pallavi Kundu (WB) (3-1) 5-11, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10.

Press release

Soumyajit, Ankita give no quarters to PSPB players

LUCKNOW, January 28:  It was a well-written script and the picture was perfect until the pre-quarters. The much-awaited twist in the tale in men’s singles of the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships at the SAI sub-centre hall came about only after the interval as the quarterfinals began with all top-eight seeds taking centre-stage.

The twist in the picture was given by North Bengal’s Soumyajit Ghosh, who defeated No.4 Sanil Shetty of PSPB 4-2, while the match between Soumyadeep Roy and Subhajit Saha on table No. 3 reached the climatic proportion to live up to the standards expected of super stars. In the other quarters, Sharath Kamal defeated RSPB’s Anirban Nandi 4-2 and A. Amal Raj, despite being a little wobbly, accounted for G. Sathiyan for the same score-line.

This was, indeed, required in the singles action, particularly after the women’s quarter-finals were simple and straightforward, lacking spice. Poulami Ghatat, Ankita Das, Mouma Das and defending champion K. Shamini occupied their top perch positions shutting out whatever little challenge on their way.

In the entire scenario, the odd man and woman out are, fortunately, from North Bengal which could pose a formidable challenge considering the way both Soumjajit Ghosh and Ankita Das played today. Though Ghosh will run into Sharath Kamal, Ankita will take on Poulami Ghatak in the semi-finals.

Of the eight top-billed matches in both sections, only two stood out for more than one reason. If Ghosh displayed his aggressive style of play, it was the calm and composed Saha who, despite being stretched to seven games, played his cool game to outwit Roy. Down 8-9 in the decider, Roy was forced into frustrating shots which helped Saha first level at 9-all and take the next of Roy’s service.

On match-point, Saha served well and pushed when the return came. But Roy, in his anxiety to level the score, went for a forehand smash but only managed to send the ball out, much to the relief of Saha. Earlier, in their see-saw match, fortunes fluctuated from one extreme to another, but the two acquitted themselves well to keep them in the game all the time drawing appreciation from the crowd.

Ghosh, on the other hand, kept himself floating with Shetty countering well and even sending in his blistering forehands. But what was remarkable about the match was the two spent quality time on the table, engaging one another with their bagful of tricks. Ghosh led 2-1 after losing the opening game before Shetty taking the fourth game to give jitters to Ghosh. But with his experience and adequate exposures abroad, Ghosh prevailed over his rival to take the next two games to seal the issue.

If Sharath was a little rusty on the day against Nandi, so was Sathiyan against No. 2 Amal Raj. However, the results of the two matches were a foregone conclusion despite Sharath and Raj allowing their opponents some liberty.

While Ghatak allowed Divya Deshpande more liberty—the latter managed to take two games off her—the lone North Bengal women Ankita blanked out Pooja Sahastrabudhe in straight games in less than 50 minutes. Mouma allowed just one game for her opponent Mamta Prabhu while Shamini was in a hurry to put it across Madhurika Patkar of Maharashtra. Shamini who won 4-0, will take on Mouma in the semifinals tomorrow.

RESULTS:

MEN’S SINGLES (quarterfinals): A Sharath Kamal (PSPB) bt Anirban Nandi (PSPB) 4-2 (11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6), Soumyajit Ghosh (NB) bt Sanil Shetty (PSPB) 4-2 (8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3), Subhajit Saha (PSPBP bt Soumyadeep Roy (PSPB) 4-3 (11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-14, 11-8, 11-9), A. Amal Raj (PSPB) bt G. Sathiyan (PSPB) 4-2 (11-6, 11-9, 5-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8). Pre-quarterfinals: A Sharath Kamal (PSPB) bt V Nitin (PSPB) 4-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-1, 11-8), Anirban Nandi (RSPB) bt Sourav Chakraborty (WSB) 4-3 (7-11, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 12-14, 11-9), Soumjit Ghosh (NB) bt Jubin Kumar (PSPB) 4-0 (-11-8, 11-1, 12-10, 11-4), Sanil Shetty (PSPB) bt Devesh Karia (Guj) 4-3 (6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 14-16, 11-3), Subhajit Saha (PSPB) bt Raj Mondal (NB) 4-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7), Soumyadeep Roy (PSPB) bt Souvik Kar (WB) 4-2 (11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7), G. Sathiyan (PSPB) bt Harmit Desai (Guj) 4-0 (11-5, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9), A. Amal Raj (PSPB) bt Aman Balgu (RSPB) 4-1 (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 11-7.

WOMEN’S SINGELS (quarterfinals): Poulami Ghatak (PSPB) bt Divya Deshpande  (Mah A) 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 14-12, 5-11, 11-5; Ankita Das (NB) bt Pooja Sahastrabudhe (Mah B) 11-4, 11-6, 11-9, 12-10; Mouma Das (PSPB) bt Mamta Prabhu (Mah A) 10-12, 11-1, 11-5, 12-10; 11-8; K Shamini (PSPB) bt Madurika Patkar (Mah A) 13-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6. Pre-quarterfinals:  Poulami Ghatak (PSPB) bt Mallika Bhandarkar (Mah-A) 4-3 (6-11, 4-11, 11-2, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3), Divya Deshpande (Mah-A) bt Kasturi Chakraborty (PSPB) 4-2 (1-11, 3-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-9, 11-9), Ankita Das (NB) bt Soumi Mondal (PSPB) 4-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6), Pooja Sahastrabudhe (Mah-B) bt Sukanya Bose (NB) 4-1 (14-12, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8), Mouma Daas (PSPB) bt Taniya Dutta (NB) 4-0 (11-9, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8), Mamta Prabhu (Mah-A) bt Manika Batra (PSPB) 4-1 (6-11, 11-5, 11-7, 12-10, 11-3), Madhurika Patkar (Mah-A) bt Neha Aggarwal (PSPB) 4-1 (9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-5, 11-7), K. Shamini (PSPB) bt Shweta Parte (Mah-A) 4-2 (11-9, 11-8, 11-1, 8-11, 11-13, 11-7).

Top-10 men sweat it out as women hang out in National TT

LUCKNOW, January 27: Even as men paddlers, including all top-seeds, sweated it out inside the arena playing first-round matches, the top-10 women players spent quality time outside it, gazing sun and looking at the draw sheets to prepare themselves for the second round matches in the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships here on the opening day of the singles events at the at the SAI sub-centre hall.

Though nothing earthshaking happened in the first round games in the men’s section, the second round matches later in the evening in both sections could throw a surprise or two. Nevertheless, there were some first round matches in women’s section that caught the attention of other players as well as the sparse audience.

Notable among them were West Bengal’s Meenu Basak, who is seeded sixteenth, bowed out to Pooja Sharma from Madhya Pradesh 4-2 (11-5, 11-3, 4-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, while Kasturi Chakraborty of PSPB was stretched by Maharashtra B’s Senhora D’Souza 4-3 (11-7, 11-4, 2-11, 8-11, 13-11, 8-11, 11-8.

Similarly, Olympian Neha Aggarwal struggled against Tamil Nadu’s N. Vidya. In the end the experienced Neha held her nerves to beat Vidya 4-2 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6, 1-11, 10-12, 11-7. The PSPB girl was comfortably coasting home with a 3-0 lead, but was completely outplayed in the next as Vidya allowed just a solitary point to Neha. Egged on by teammates and the crowd Vidya brought her best and won the next at 12-10. This was the indication for Neha to pull her socks and she did well to wrap it up 11-7 in the sixth game, not allowing any elbow room for Vidya to sneak in.

In another tug-of-war like situation, the experience of Delhi’s Esha Monga stood her in good stead when she took on Airports Authority of India’s Karnam Spoorthy, a decently ranked player. Esha’s counter helped her stay in the game as she won 4-3 (11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 10-11, 11-8) after losing the first game which gave some indication of things to come.

Spoorthy, still a junior, acquitted herself well in spite of letting her senior off the hook—Esha took the next three games—before regrouping herself to take the fifth and sixth games. But in the decider she made some crucial unforced errors that put paid to her ambitions as Esha shut her out quickly with a whipping forehand to heave a big sigh of relief.

As for the biggies in men’s section, they sailed into the second round without trouble.

A Press Relase

Mamta helps Maharashtra win women's crown; PSPB retain men's title

Lucknow, January 26: Mamta Prabhu, for the second day running, did the star turn for her team to lift the women’s crown in the 73rd Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships at the SAI sub-centre hall here on Thursday while Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSPB), led by Achanta Sharath Kamal, retained the men’s Barna-Bellack Cup.

Maharashtra A team thus became the first state outfit to win the Jayalakshmi Cup, beating North Bengal 3-2. But what was unique about the victory was the team spirit, as rightly projected by the chief protagonist, Mamta, after the deciding match.

Mamta was staring at the barrel, trailing 2-5 against the experienced Nandita Saha in the fourth game which the Maharashtrian had to win to keep her team in with some chance. Mamta not only levelled the score at 6-all, but also opened out with full determination to attack her opponent. That paid dividends and she wrapped the game 11-7.

And in the decider, she just went on a cruise mode taking a comfortable 3-0 lead to bring more pressure on her opponent. That was when Nandita cracked and with Maharastra team members straining their vocal chords with a huge support, Mamta simply walked away with an easy win in the fifth game to shut out any challenge from Nandita, who lost 11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 7-11, 8-11.

“I must give full credit to the team spiirt and I am happy I lived up to expectations,” said a beaming Mamta. “I knew before the game that I needed to win two of matches to have any chance for us to win the championships. I was prepared, but it was another day and I had simply put behind our team’s show yesterday and approached the matches today with an open mind. That helped me a lot,” said Mamta.

Indeed, the opportunity was great and Maharashtra grabbed it with both hands despite North Bengal’s Ankita Das playing her role to perfection, taking both her matches. Yet, Nandita had to win at least one match if North Bengal had to have any chance. A forlorn Nandita took it in her stride and complimented Maharashtra girls for the way they put up a great fight to win the title. “They played well and they deserved the trophy,” she said.

Earlier, Madhurika Patkar won her first singles against Nandita Saha while Divya Deshpande defeated Takeme Sarkar to give Maharashtra the edge they needed over North Bengal. The five-match rubber consumed nearlhy three hours.

As compared, the men’s final was a mis-match and it was over in just one hour with PSPB blanking out Tamil nadu 3-0. Sharath won 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 in double quick time against RS Raja while G Vinod streatched Amal Raj a bit before losing 5-11, 11-4, 8-11, 9-11. Soumyadeep Roy just toyed with Sivananda Seshadri winning the thrid singles in less than 15 minutes for the 11-9, 11-6, 12-10 verdict.

A Press release

Army XI face KSEB in Bihar Cup final

Patna, January 27, 2012: Army XI Kolkata and Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) moved into the final of the All India Football Tournament for Bihar Cup at the Moinul Haq Stadium here.

In the first semifinal, KSEB edged past Punjab Police 1-0. Rashid netted the match winner in the 68^th minute off a pass from Anish.

In the second match Army XI defeated Tata Football Academy 2-0 to set up title clash with KSEB. After a barren first half, Thyagrajan scored the first goal for Army XI in the 71^st minute. S Subba increased the tally in the 74^th minute.

Photo caption: Army XI Kolkata (white) and Tata Football Academy (yellow) players in action during their Bihar Cup match in Patna on January 27, 2012. 

Bottom: Thyagrajan of Army XI celebrates his goal.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui