Shamim Khan fires 68, seizes the lead in round two

Shamim Khan

Kolkata, November 29, 2012: Delhi’s Shamim Khan fired a four-under-68 to seize the round two lead at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2012 being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). Shamim’s total stood at six-under-138 at the halfway stage of the tournament.

Mukesh Kumar of Mhow shot a 71 on Thursday to be placed one stroke behind the leader in second position.

Shamim Khan (70-68), who was overnight tied fifth, dropped a bogey early on in his round after his tee shot found the rough on the third hole. The 38-year-old, currently placed second on the Rolex Rankings, soon turned the tide with eagle-birdie on the next two holes. Shamim eagled the par-5 fourth after hitting the green in two shots and subsequently converting the six feet putt. He then sank a 20-footer to birdie the fifth.

Shamim, a three-time winner in the current PGTI season, conceded a bogey on the sixth but came back fighting with a sublime effort on the back-nine where he birdied the 13th, 16th and 17th. He sank a monstrous 35-feet putt on the 13th and chipped-in from behind the green on the 17th.

“I missed just two fairways today as I drove it really well. My putting was also much better as compared to round one. I sank some long putts. One has to be aggressive on this course since it is quite long. Even though the fairways are narrow, using the irons instead of a driver or 3-wood is not an option,” said Shamim.

He added, “The next two rounds are very crucial in the context of the Rolex Rankings race as well. The difference between Rashid Khan and myself is just over Rs. 11,000 in the rankings. If I finish even one position ahead of him I would overtake him to become number one.”

Mukesh Kumar (68-71), the overnight leader, slipped to second position on Thursday after returning a 71 that included five birdies and four bogeys. His overall score reads five-under-139.

Local favourite Shankar Das’ five-under-67 was joint best score of the day. It helped him climb from overnight tied 32nd to tied third. Shankar’s super round featured seven birdies and two bogeys. He made three straight birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th.

Shankar, a three-time winner on the PGTI, said, “I changed my putter today. I was not feeling very comfortable with my old putter after missing a lot of short putts in round one. The change had the desired effect as I putted better today. I also played brilliantly on the back-nine.”

Abhijit Singh Chadha of Chandigarh, who also shot a 67 in round two, joined Das in tied third place at three-under-141. Chadha made six birdies against a bogey on day two.

Jyoti Randhawa with four birdies and two bogeys in his round of 70 was the third golfer in tied third position.

Kolkata’s SSP Chowrasia is a further shot back and shares the sixth spot with Vijay  Kumar of Lucknow and Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera.

Bangalore’s Anirban Lahiri and Rashid Khan of Delhi are joint ninth with totals of one-under-143.

Sanil Shetty captures North Zone TT title, Madhurika wins women's crown

New Delhi, November 29: Left proved right at the National Ranking (North Zone) Table Tennis Championships yet again. And Petroleum’s Sanil Shetty defeated team mate Harmeet Desai 4-1 (11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10) to win the men’s singles title at the Thyagraj Stadium here today. The victory for Sanil was worth Rs. 66,000 in prize money and 90 valuable ranking points.

Likewise, it was another PSPB girl, Madhurika Patkar, who made most of the chance to beat A.V. Niveditha of Airports Authority of India to claim the women’s singles crown. Earlier, Madhurika had decimated reigning national champion and winner of two zonals this season, Poulomi Ghatak, 4-0. Madhurika too earned a cash prize of Rs.55,000 for her effort and same number of points.

Unlike the men’s singles final, which turned out to be a one-sided affair, the women’s final had some thrills as Madhurika had to come from behind to march ahead of her AAI rival. Niveditha was well and truly on course after taking the first two games rather convincingly at 11-9, 11-9 before losing steam. Seizing the opportunity, the PSPB girl launched a very good counter and that paid her the dividends as she swept clean the next four games for the match and title for a 4-2 (9-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7) score line.

Southpaw Sanil, on the other hand, should consider himself very lucky on the day. In fact he did not start the day as well as he would have wanted to as he was losing his way in the pre-quarterfinals against L. Sathishwaran of LIC. 

But once he tackled him well to progress, he had the mental aptitude to win the final. After losing the first game to the LIC boy, Sanil played well against the defensive Sathishwaran and won the next three. But in the fifth game it was the LIC lad who took 11-3 before Sanil, despite trailing early, wrapped it in double quick time.

That was where he gained his momentum which paved the way for his second consecutive North Zone title which he had won at Srinagar last year. Except for the third game in the final, which he lost to Harmeet, the left-hander kept his attacking instinct throughout. He was up and down during the fifth game, but was never in any sort of trouble even as his opponent kept his chance alive. From 8-all, it was 10-all but Sanil Shetty broke his rival’s service and finished the match with an excellent forehand scorcher.

In a way, the North Zone championships have helped the two new champs grab the opportunity with both hands even as their peers Soumyadeep Roy, Jubin Kumar, Poulomi and K. Shamini let it go because they were lacking in consistency.

Results: Final: (Men): Sanil Shetty (PSPB) bt  Harmeet Desai (PSPB) 4-1 (11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10); Semifinals: Harmeet Desai (PSPB) bt Soumyadeep Roy (PSPB) 4-1 (11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 11-5, 13-11), Sanil Shetty (PSPB) bt Aman Balgu (RSPB) 4-3 (7-11, 11-7, 12-10, 5-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5); Quarterfinals: Soumyadeep Roy (PSPB) bt G. Sathiyan (PSPB) 11-9, 11-9, 11-9, 11-7, Harmeet Desai (PSPB) bt Martand Biniwale (Mah0 11-6, 11-8, 11-4, 11-5), Amal Balgu (RSPB) bt Jubin Kumar (PSPB) 4-3 (11-5, 4-11, 8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 2-11, 11-6), Sanil Shetty (PSPB) bt Nithin Thiruvengadam (AAI) 11-13, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7, 12-10, 11-8).

Final: (Women): Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) bt AV Niveditha (AAI) 4-2 (9-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7); Semifinals: Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) bt Poulomi Ghatak (PSPB) 4-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-5, 12-10), AV Niveditha (AAI) bt K. Shamini (PSPB) 4-2 (1-11, 12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 12-10, 11-8); Quarterfinals: Poulomi Ghatak (PSPB) Suthirtha Mukherjee (WB) 4-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-8), Madhurika Patkar (PSPB) bt Mamata Prabhu (SB) 4-0 (11-7, 13-11, 12-10, 11-8), Niveditha AV (AAI) bt Soumi Mondal (PSPB) 4-3 (5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 8-11, 13-11, 11-9), k. Shamini (PSPB) bt Neha Aggarwal (Del0 4-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9).

Press release

Hockey India League names three Indians among six Marquee Players

NEW DELHI, November 29, 2012: Hockey India League named its Brand Ambassadors Sardar Singh (India) and Jamie Dwyer (Australia) as well as the world’s most capped player Teun de Nooijer (the Netherlands), Germany’s double Olympic gold medallist Moritz Fuertse and Indians Sandeep Singh and SV Sunil as Marquee Players for the December 16 Hockey India League Auction.

 “We are pleased to announce three players each from India and overseas as Marquee Players in the Hockey India League Players’ Auction set for December 16,” said Hockey India Secretary-General and Hockey India League Chairman Dr Narinder Batra. “The six franchises will engage one each of these Marquee Players whose craft makes them huge crowd pullers.

Hockey India League Players’ Auction has been designed in such a way that the teams will bid for the Marquee Players before the other players. “It will ensure that each of the six franchisees will have an equal chance to engage a Marquee Player of its choice,” Dr Batra said. “All teams will place silent bids for all six players and the auctioneer will announce the successful bids.”

The Marquee Players will be available in Delhi to join their respective Franchises during the HIL Players’ Auction that will follow. “It will enable them become a part of their respective team’s thinktank as soon as they are inducted in the squad,” Dr Batra said. “The teams will thus have their coaches and Marquee Players on the table during the auction.”

Each team’s Marquee Player will get a contract worth at least 115 per cent of the highest successful bid for a player in the auction. In fact, if the silent bid is worth more than this amount, the player will be entitled to get the amount mentioned in the silent bid.

The Marquee Players

Sardar Singh (India)

The 26-year-old centre-half is the current captain of the Indian team. He was picked in the FIH All-Star Teams two years in succession (2010 and 2011) and Player of the Tournament at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2010 and 2012. He has played close to 150 matches for India, scoring 12 goals and was named player of the Tournament at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2010 and 2012. 

Jamie Dwyer (Australia)

The 33-year-old has been part of Australian teams which won the Olympic Games gold, the FIH World Championship, five Champions Trophy tournaments and three Commonwealth Games gold medals. He is a five-time FIH Player of the Year, has been selected to FIH All-Star Teams six times and played more than 250 matches for Australia, scoring more than 170 goals.

Tuen de Nooijer (Netherlands)

The 36-year-old glittering international career has spanned 453 matches in 18 years and has seen him win two Olympic Gold medals (Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000), two Olympic Silver medals (Athens 2004 and London 2012) and earn a world record 453 caps. Dubbed the Johan Cruyff of hockey, he was part of teams that won the 1998 FIH Hockey World Cup and four FIH Champions Trophy events. He was named FIH Player of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2006.

Moritz Fuertse (Germany)

The 28-year-old midfielder has been part of teams that have won Olympic gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, FIH World Cup at Monchengladbach in Germany in 2006 and FIH Champions Trophy in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 besides the 2011 European Championship in Gladbach. He has scored 70 goals in 199 matches for Germany.

Sandeep Singh (India)

The 26-year-old defender is a drag-flick exponent and has been part of the Indian team that won silver medal in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. He was captain and top-scorer in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup tournament which India won in 2009 after 13 years and in the 2012 Olympic qualifiers in Delhi when he scored 16 goals in the tournament, including five in the final against France.

SV Sunil (India)

The 23-year-old is talented forward. Hailing from Coorg in Karnataka, he sets up goals for others besides also scoring himself. He played his first senior international at the Asia Cup in Chennai in 2007 when India won. He was part of the team that won the Azlan Shah Cup in 2010 and in 2012 when he scored the winning goal against Pakistan.

Press release

Top women seeds fall by wayside in North Zone Table Tennis Championships

New Delhi, November 28, 2012:  Some of the top seeds in the men section, including Nos. 5, 6 and 7 Anirban Ghosh, Sourav Chakraborty and Subhajit Saha fell by the wayside in the ongoing National Ranking (North Zone) Table Tennis Championships at the Thyagraj Stadium here today.

Joining their ranks from the women’s category were No. 3 Ankita Das, No. 4 Pooja Sahasrabuddhie, No. 6 Divya Deshpande, No. 7 Moushumi Paul and No. 8 Manika Batra.  All of them failed to go beyond the first round.

Howoever, Soumyadeep Roy, who is seeded No. 1 here, made most of the absence of Soumyajit Ghosh and Anthony Amalraj, to progress to the quarterfinals. The PSPB player defeated Mohit Verma of Haryana 11-7, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 and will now take on G. Sathyan, also of PSPB, in the quarters.

Similarly, top women seed Poulomi Ghatak sailed smoothly into the quarterfinals, beating Narasimha Priya in a gruelling encounter where the PSPB girl gave a good fight. Poulomi outlasted her rival in a 85-minute game to win 4-3 (11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 9-11, 20-22, 12-10, 11-9).

While starting his campaign Narasimha Priya palyed a superb wait-and-watch game. Despite losing the first two games, she would never give up and with great determination she took the third and fourth games. This was Poulomi pulled up her socks and wore her opponent out to take the next three for the match. Luckily, she will next meet qualifier Suthirtha Mukherjee in the quarterfinals. But Poulomi cannot afford to be slack if she aims at winning the singles title.

Delhi girl Manika Batra, whose form has seen a dip this season, yet again failed to meet the expectations and went down to qualifier Suthirtha Mukherjee from West Bengal qualifier Suthirtha Mukherjee. The West Bengal girl won 10-12, 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-8.  Manika could not sustain the fine push-and-prod game of  Suthirtha who controlled the match throughout.

Even Pooja had to struggle against Mamata Prabhu of Deena Bank. The latter showed exemplary courage in countering her better-known opponent from PSPB to topple her. Mamata won 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 12-14, 14-12. 

 The two PSPB girls, Divya and Moushumi, were having an off day today as they could not counter their rivals despite stretching a bit. Shreya Ghosh of RSPB defeated Divya 4-3 (11-3, 7-11, 8-11, 10-12, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8) while Moushumi lost to Delhi’s Neha Aggarwal. The Delhi girl won 11-8, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9.  Neha will now take on in the quarterfinals No. 2 seed K. Shamini who accounted for Reeth Rishya of PSPB in the second round.  

Men’s Singles: Main Draw:  First Round

Sameera Kumar D [ TN ]  Bt    Prabhakaran E [ RSPB ]    4 - 2  (-6, -11, 11, 2, 5, 10)

 Shreyal Talang [ KNT ]  Bt    Lalruatfela R [ MIZ ]    4 - 0  (8, 5, 7, 8)

 Mohit Verma [ HRN ]  Bt    Devdatta Phadnavis [ MHR ]    4 - 2  (9, 3, -9, -9, 5, 6)

Zubin Taraporewala [ DB ]  Bt    Himanshu Jindal [ DLI ]    4 - 2  (7, 6, -4, -8, 4, 6)

 Sachin L [ RSPB ]  Bt    Saidul Alam Ahmed [ ASM ]    4 - 0  (6, 9, 5, 5)

Martand Biniwale [ MHR ]  Bt    Ravi Joshi [ LIC ]    4 - 0  (4, 8, 8, 7)

 Abhishek Yadav [ PSPB A ]  Bt    Somanath Ghosh [ AP ]    4 - 1  (8, -9, 10, 7, 9)

 Jignesh Jaiswal [ GUJ ]  Bt    Abishek Jaggi [ DLI ]    4 - 0  (5, 5, 5, 7)

 Sushmit Sriram [ AAI ]  Bt    Birupakha Saha [ NB ]    4 - 0  (5, 6, 3, 5)

 Anirban Nandi [ RSPB ]  Bt    Sunand Vasan [ KNT ]    4 - 0  (3, 5, 6, 7)

 Dharmaraj Rana [ ESIC ]  Bt    Anirudh K [ TN ]    4 - 0  (3, 9, 10, 6)

Arpith Bhopalkar [ KNT ]  Bt    Arjun Ghosh [ WB ]    4 - 2  (-9, 6, 8, 10, -8, 5)

 Noel Pinto [ RSPB ]  Bt    Santosh A [ CG ]    4 - 1  (-11, 12, 7, 10, 3)

 Sivananda Seshadri [ TN ]  Bt    Rohit Chakraborty [ LIC ]    4 - 0  (6, 4, 8, 4)

 Aman Balgu [ RSPB ]  Bt    Ravindra Kotiyan [ MHR ]    4 - 0  (5, 6, 11, 6)

 Raj Mondal [ AAI ]  Bt    Utkarsh Gupta [ DLI ]    4 - 1  (-8, 10, 4, 8, 10)

 Sayan Paul Roy [ CRSCB ]  Bt    Vivek Bhargava [ RAJ ]    4 - 1  (5, 10, 8, -9, 10)

Souvik Kar [ RSPB ]  Bt    Souvik Roy [ RBI ]    4 - 3  (11, -6, -10, -10, 10, 7, 5)

 Sudhanshu Grover [ PSPB A ]  Bt    Rohan Joshi [ MP ]    4 - 0  (7, 8, 6, 3)

 Nithin Thiruvengadam [ AAI ]  Bt    Anirban Roy Choudhary [ KNT ]    4 - 0  (7, 3, 7, 9)

 Sourav Saha [ PSPB ]  Bt    Vaneet Chopra [ PNJ ]    4 - 0  (4, 4, 7, 5)

 Sathiswaran L [ LIC ]  Bt    Snehasis Bhattacharya [ WB ]    4 - 1  (5, 8, -9, 1, 5)

 Souvik Basu Roy [ RSPB ]  Bt    Sabhay Virmani [ DLI ]    4 - 1  (7, -11, 5, 8, 6)

JUNIOR GIRLS : MAIN DRAW: FIRST ROUND

Sutirtha Mukherjee [ WB ]  Bt    Amrutha Pushpak [ IB ]   ( 3 - 0  (4, 5, 7) )

 Sreeja A [ AP ]  Bt    Raktima Paul [ NB ]    3 - 0  (7, 4, 7)

 Sangita Mahadani [ WB ]  Bt    Oishwaryya Deb [ NB ]    3 - 1  (-5, 3, 8, 7)

 Archana Kamath [ KNT ]  Bt    Narasimha Priya S [ PSPB ]    3 - 2  (-9, 9, -7, 9, 8)

 Sumana Saha [ PSPB ]  Bt   BYE [ - ]    3 - 1  (12, -5, 9, 10)

 Sagarika Mukherjee [ NB ]  Bt    Ria Dutta [ WB ]    3 - 0  (8, 8, 7)

 Yukti Roshni R. Ke [ TN ]  Bt    Varuni Jaiswal [ AP ]    3 - 1  (7, 12, -8, 12)

 Manika Batra [ DLI ]  Bt    Helly Shah [ GUJ ]    3 - 0  (6, 6, 8)

 Mallika Bhandarkar [ AI ]  Bt    Moumita Dutta [ WB ]    3 - 0  (5, 11, 4)

 Naina A [ AP ]  Bt    Riti Shankar [ DLI ]    3 - 0  (8, 9, 9)

 Frenaz Chipia [ DB ]  Bt    Maria Rony [ KRL ]    3 - 0  (7, 7, 4)

 Reeth Rishya T [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sayani Bose [ NB ]    3 - 1  (-8, 6, 4, 8)

 Ayhika Mukherjee [ WB ]  Bt    Jagriti Virmani [ DLI ]    3 - 0  (4, 8, 3)

 Anuska Dutta [ NB ]  Bt    Vaishali K V V [ AP ]    3 - 1  (3, -7, 6, 8)

 Harshavardhini C R [ TN ]  Bt    Priyadarshini Das [ WB ]    3 - 0  (10, 3, 5)

 Karnam Spoorthy [ AAI ]  Bt    Srushti Haleangadi [ MHR ]    3 - 0  (8, 9, 8)

MEN’S SINGLES :  ROUND 2

Soumyadeep Roy [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sameera Kumar D [ TN ]    4 - 0  (6, 2, 9, 5)

 Mohit Verma [ HRN ]  Bt    Shreyal Talang [ KNT ]    4 - 0  (7, 9, 6, 7)

 Sougata Sarkar [ LIC ]  Bt    Zubin Taraporewala [ DB ]    4 - 2  (-10, 5, -10, 3, 7, 5)

 Sathiyan G [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sachin L [ RSPB ]    4 - 0  (5, 3, 9, 8)

 Martand Biniwale [ MHR ]  Bt    Anirban Ghosh [ WB ]    4 - 0  (9, 7, 9, 5)

 Abhishek Yadav [ PSPB A ]  Bt    Jignesh Jaiswal [ GUJ ]    4 - 3  (9, -7, 9, -9, -10, 10, 11)

 Anirban Nandi [ RSPB ]  Bt    Sushmit Sriram [ AAI ]    4 - 1  (3, -8, 10, 7, 9)

 Harmeet Desai [ PSPB ]  Bt    Dharmaraj Rana [ ESIC ]    4 - 2  (-10, 3, 11, 5, -10, 7)

Jubin Kumar [ PSPB ]  Bt    Arpith Bhopalkar [ KNT ]    4 - 0  (7, 5, 3, 6)

 Sivananda Seshadri [ TN ]  Bt    Noel Pinto [ RSPB ]    4 - 2  (7, 7, -4, -9, 8, 7)

 Aman Balgu [ RSPB ]  Bt    Raj Mondal [ AAI ]    4 - 0  (5, 4, 6, 9)

 Sourav Charkaborty [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sayan Paul Roy [ CRSCB ]    4 - 0  (9, 13, 9, 5)

 Subhajit Saha [ PSPB ]  Bt    Souvik Kar [ RSPB ]    4 - 0  (7, 7, 7, 5)

 Nithin Thiruvengadam [ AAI ]  Bt    Sudhanshu Grover [ PSPB A ]    4 - 1  (-12, 7, 9, 8, 5)

 Sathiswaran L [ LIC ]  Bt    Sourav Saha [ PSPB ]    4 - 2  (-8, 9, 3, 5, -3, 4)

 Sanil Shetty [ PSPB ]  Bt    Souvik Basu Roy [ RSPB ]    4 - 1  (7, 4, -7, 3, 4)

MEN’S SINGLES : PRE QUARTER FINALS

Soumyadeep Roy [ PSPB ]  Bt    Mohit Verma [ HRN ]    4 - 1  (11, 7, -9, 8, 10)

 Sathiyan G [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sougata Sarkar [ LIC ]    4 - 1  (10, -15, 5, 11, 5)

 Martand Biniwale [ MHR ]  Bt    Abhishek Yadav [ PSPB A ]    4 - 2  (-3, -6, 6, 6, 12, 9)

 Harmeet Desai [ PSPB ]  Bt    Anirban Nandi [ RSPB ]    4 - 1  (2, -8, 9, 8, 11)

Jubin Kumar [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sivananda Seshadri [ TN ]    4 - 1  (8, 9, -9, 3, 2)

 Aman Balgu [ RSPB ]  Bt    Sourav Charkaborty [ PSPB ]    4 - 3  (9, -11, 4, -9, 9, -10, 9)

 Nithin Thiruvengadam [ AAI ]  Bt    Subhajit Saha [ PSPB ]    4 - 3  (8, -7, 9, -7, -8, 12, 7)

 Sanil Shetty [ PSPB ]  Bt    Sathiswaran L [ LIC ]    4 - 3  (4, -5, -7, -4, 13, 7, 9)

A TTFI Press release

Mukesh Kumar shoots lowest score in round one

Mukesh Kumar of Mhow 

Kolkata, November 28, 2012: Mukesh Kumar of Mhow posted the best score on the opening day of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship to establish a one-stroke lead. The seasoned campaigner’s four-under-68 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) placed him a shot ahead of Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan of Delhi, Manav Jaini, another Delhi golfer and Md Zamal Hossain Mollah of Bangladesh.

Mukesh suffered an early setback when his tee shot on the first hole landed out of bounds and resulted in a bogey. However, the ‘King of the Greens’, got back to level-par with a birdie on the par-5 fourth hole after narrowly missing an eagle putt from 15 feet. The
47-year-old who is currently fourth on the PGTI’s Rolex Rankings raised the tempo by landing his approach shot within a couple of inches of the pin for birdie on the eighth. Mukesh then sank a 10-footer to pick up another stroke on the ninth and make the turn at
two-under.

The Mhow-based professional carried on the good work on the back-nine sinking a 15-feet birdie putt on the 12th and following that up with an eight feet conversion for his fifth birdie of the day on the 13th.

“I had poor start today. I was quite surprised with my opening tee shot which landed out of bounds. I didn’t expect it to go there. Thereafter, my first task was to get back to even-par after setting up a good birdie opportunity on the fourth. My solid hitting from the
fourth hole onwards helped my confidence. I was consistent from there on and took all my chances. I only missed one fairway after the first.

“The RCGC course is playing to international standards. There is a premium on hitting the fairways. Finding the rough can make life difficult. It’s about placing your tee shot well,” said Mukesh, who has previously won twice at the RCGC.

Rashid Khan with six birdies and three bogeys occupied joint second place at three-under-69. His approach shots stood out in round one.
Rashid was joined by fellow Delhi golfer Manav Jaini in tied second place. Jaini positioned his shots to perfection on Wednesday and putted well on the last five holes. His round was punctuated by four birdies and a bogey.

Md Zamal Hossain Mollah’s score of 69 made it a three-way tie for second place. Zamal also shot four birdies and a bogey.

Delhi golfers Shamim Khan, Karan Vasudeva, Bangalore’s C Muniyappa, Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh, Sri Lankan Mithun Perera and Bangladeshi Md Shakhawat Hossain Sohel are in tied fifth position with matching scores of two-under-70.

Jyoti Randhawa and Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee are in tied 11th place at one-under-71 while another local favourite SSP Chowrasia is a further shot back in tied 17th place.

Anirban Lahiri had an ordinary start with a round of 74. He is currently placed tied 32nd.

Press release

SBI face Ashwani Group in Corporate Cup T20 cricket final

Members of the SBI Patna team

Patna, November 27, 2012: State Bank of India (SBI) will take on Ashwani Group of Companies in the final of Real Life Corporate Cup T20 cricket tournament. In the semifinals, Ashwani Group of Companies steamrollered Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (PESU) by ten wickets while SBI chalked out 33-run victory over Frontline in the second semifinal.

Brief scores: PESU: 103 for seven wickets in 20 overs (Nikhilesh Ranjan-49, Rajesh Sinha-12, Sanjay Sinha-12, Chandan-12, Babul Kumar-2/12)

Ashwani Group: 104 for no loss in 13.5 overs (Rakesh Sinha-25 not out, Babul Kumar-76 not out)

Man of the match: Babul Kumar of Ashwani Group of Companies

SBI: 157 for seven wickets in 20 overs (Ram Kumar-27, Rajiv Prasad-56,Tarun-22, Binod-2/33, Rakesh Singh-3/15)

Frontline: 124 for eight wickets in 20 overs (Kundan-20, Rajiv-23, Shekhar-13, Rajiv Prasad-3/23, Sunil Kumar-2/19, J Bhattacharya-1/15, A Moitra-1/20)

Man of the match: Rajiv Prasad of SBI

Bihar sub-junior badminton teams named

Patna, November 27, 2012: Bihar Badminton Association announced state teams for the 26th sub-junior National badminton championship to be held at Secretariat badminton hall here from December 1.

Teams

Boys’ U/13 singles: Akash Thakur, Abhijit Raj, Amaritya Raj and Hemant Raj. Doubles: Abhijit Raj & Akash Thakur, Ashish Gaurav and Shubham.

Girls: (U/13 singles): Simran Singh, Sachi, Raushani and Suvarna. Doubles: Simran and Raushani and Sachi and Suvarna.

Boys: (U/15 singles): Shubham Kumar Singh, Akashdeep, Kunal Kumar Singh and Amarish Kumar. Doubles: Shubham and Amarish and Akashdeep and Kunal.

Girls: (U/15 singles): Vibha, Simran Singh, Raushani and Sachi. Doubles:Vibha and Simran Singh and Raushani and Sachi

SBI, PESU enter Corporate Cup T20 cricket semifinal

Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (top) and SBI cricket teams 

Patna, November 26, 2012: State Bank of India (SBI) entered the semifinal of Real Life Corporate Cup T20 cricket tournament beating Accord Engineers by five wickets at Moinul Haq Stadium, here on Monday.

Tarun Kumar of SBI was named man of the match for his unbeaten 55 runs with three fours and as many sixes.

Earlier, Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (PESU) posted thumping eight-wicket victory over Bharti Infratel. Kishore of PESU, who took four wickets for 7 runs, was declared man of the match.

Brief scores:

Bharti Infratel: 87 all out in 19.1 overs (Rahul Verma-31, Arun Mishra-21, Kishore-4/7, Nikhilesh Ranjan-2/26, Rajesh Sinha-2/15)

PESU: 88 for two wickets in 10.4 overs (Nikhilesh Ranjan-37, Sanjay Sinha-25 not out, Rakesh Ranjan-1/17)

Accord Engineers: 137 for eight wickets in 20 overs (Prince-22 not out, Dipu-14, Sanjay Sinha-23, Rajiv Prasad-2/21, Dipendra-2/25)

SBI: 138 for five wickets in 19.4 overs (Tarun Kumar-55 not out, Kanwaljit Khanna-13, Rajiv Prasad-11, Dipendra-12, Rajesh Choudhary-2/25)

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Record entries for North Zone TT

New Delhi, November 27, 2012:  Despite the absence of top three men paddlers—Achinta Sharath Kamal, Anthony Amalraj and Soumyajit Ghosh—the enthusiasm of participants at the National Ranking (North Zone) Table Tennis championships underway at the Thyagraj Stadium can be gauged by the number of players that have entered here.

As for top women paddlers, all including national champion Poulomi Ghatak, K. Shamini, Ankita Das, Pooja Sahasrabuddhe and Divya Deshpande are playing. Only Mouma Das has given a skip to the event citing personal reasons.

With 21 states and 18 institutions sending in entries, the number has swelled to 670 in ten categories, the largest so far this season. And, after qualifications, only those who had a semblance of a chance have survived to make it to the main draw in sub-junior boys, girls and Youth boys and Youth girls sections.

It is understandable that with the West Zone event still in limbo, it was but natural for the players to ensure participation in the ongoing North Zone championships in order to get rankings before the nationals. In fact, a better ranking always earns a berth in the respective state team. Additionally, with the big guns skipping the event here, it gives an opportunity for the second or third rung players who can aspire to win here.

Incidentally, this is the last lap for the junior paddlers, both boys and girls, to test their skills and be ready to be picked by the selectors for the World Junior Table Tennis championships to be held at Hyderabad from December 9. 

Among the qualifiers today, 44 paddlers made the grade from junior boys while in the Youth section, two less qualified as only the group topper makes the cut. As for junior and Youth girls, 24 each have made the cut.

Surprisingly, even some of the regulars like Karnam Spoorthy (AAI) and N. Vidhya (TN) in Youth girls and Sushmit Sriram (AAI), Nishad Shah (AI) and Abhishek Yadav (PSPBA) in Youth boys section have been unable to succeed in their mission of avoiding the qualifiers, zonal after zonal, as only the top eight players get direct entries into the main draw, based on their national rankings.

However, Abhishek Yadav should draw satisfaction from the fact that he was top-seeded in the junior boys section. Along with the Ajmer Academy boy, Utkarsh Gupta (Del), K. Rohit (TN), Sabhay Virmani (Del), Sudhanshu Grover (PSPBA), Anirban Ghosh (WB), Arjun Ghosh (WB) and {Pankaj Kumar (Raj) form the other seven seeds, in that order.

In junior girls section, Suthirtha Mukherjee (WB) has been seeded No. 1 while K. Spoorthy (AAI), Mallika Bhandarkar (AI), Manika Batra (Del), Senora D’Souza (Mah), Ayika Mukherjee (WB), T. Reeth Rishya (PSPB) and S. Narsimhapriya (PSPB) follow the leader in order of seeding.

A TTFI Press release

HIL Players’ Auction deferred to December 16; League to start on January 17

NEW DELHI, November 26, 2012: The Governing Council of Hockey India League has decided to defer the Hockey India League Players’ Auction by a fortnight to December 16 and the start of the Hockey India League to January 17, 2013. The League will now conclude on February 17, 2013.

 Hockey India Secretary-General and Hockey India League Chairman Dr Narinder Batra said the decision was made in the best interest of hockey since some franchises are new to hockey and most of the coaches they were hiring were tied down with the FIH Champions Trophy in Melbourne and would not be able to take part in the Players’ Auction set for early December.

 “After the HIL Franchise Workshop on Saturday, the Governing Council decided that it would be in the best interests of all concerned to defer the Auction so that all teams could have the best minds available to them at this important stage of team formation. It became inevitable that the start of Hockey India League also be deferred by a few days,” Dr Batra said.

 This change of date will also enable Hockey India League to invite the six marquee players to be present at the Players’ Auction and assist their respective franchisees in team formation after they are selected through the auction process.

 “We are grateful to the International Hockey Federation for accepting our request to reschedule Hockey India League” he said.

Dr Batra said the Hockey India League Governing Council is confident that the tournament will be a major milestone, proving players a great platform to showcase their skills and secure financial rewards while raising the profile of the sport so that more youngsters take to playing hockey.

Hockey India Press release

New Era Public School holds annual sports meet

New Era Public School organised its annual sports meet at the Moinul Haq Stadium in Patna on November 25, 2012.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Patna to host 26th Sub-Junior National Badminton Championships from December 1

Patna, November 25, 2012: The State Capital will host 26^th Sub-Junior National Badminton Championships at the Secretariat Badminton Hall here from December 1.

Bihar Badminton Association (BBA) president and Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Abdul Bari Siddiqui said altogether 1200 matches would be played in the championships.

“Qualifying matches will be played from December 1 to 3 while main draw would begin from December 4”, he said.

Siddiqui said 300 players would play in the qualifying rounds while 400 players would vie for top honours in the main draw of different sections.

BBA secretary NK Jaiswal said cash prizes of Rs 6 lakh would be given among the winners and runners-up of different sections.

21 states have so far confirmed their participation in the meet, he added.

Photo caption: Bihar Badminton Association president Abdul Bari Siddiqui (centre) talks to media in Patna on November 25, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

BMP High School earn grand double in handball

Patna, November 25, 2012: BMP High School earned a grand double winning the boys and girls titles of the Patna district inter-school handball championships at the Don Bosco Academy ground here.

BMP boys thrashed Don Bosco Academy 16-1 in a one-sided final while their girls counterpart beat Don Bosco Academy 8-3 in the summit clash.

Assistant Commissioner (Customs) DK Mishra gave away the prizes.

Photo caption: BMP High School teams (boys and girls) and Don Bosco Academy teams (boys and girls) display their trophies in Patna on November 25, 2012.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Mithun Perera fires solid 70 to bag 11th TATA Open title

Jamshedpur, November 25, 2012: Sri Lanka’s Mithun Perera came home the winner at the 11th TATA Open after firing a final round of one-under-70. Perera, who totaled 11-under-274 for the tournament, finished one stroke ahead of Delhi’s Vinod Kumar.

Mithun Perera (65-72-67-70), the overnight leader, had a good start to the day as he birdied the second (par-5) after landing his chip from the bunker within a couple of inches of the flag. He went on to make pars on all the other holes. Perera, who has now won three professional titles, made some amazing par saves on the seventh and 14^th holes. He made outstanding chip-putts on the seventh and 14th.

“I hit it really well today. I was solid through the day and played regulation golf. My short-game was good in the final round, especially the putting. This win is a result of my hard-work and dedication. I’m now looking forward to ending the season with an equally good performance at the season-ending event next week,” said Perera, who has now climbed from seventh place to fifth position on the 2012 Rolex Rankings.

Vinod Kumar (68-67-70-70), the defending champion, finished runner-up after firing a one-under-70 in the final round. Vinod’s round featured four birdies and three bogeys and helped him end the tournament with a total of 10-under-275.

Om Prakash Chouhan (69-68-68-71) of Mhow finished a further stroke back in third place.

Rashid Khan of Delhi and Mhow’s Mukesh Kumar shared fourth place at eight-under-277. Rashid has now climbed from second position to first place on the 2012 Rolex Rankings.

 

Karan Taunk of Jamshedpur, the lone amateur to make the cut, won the trophy for the best performance by an amateur. Taunk was placed tied 31st at four-over-289.

Mr. H M Nerurkar, MD, TATA Steel, said, “It’s good to see a large turnout for the day. The last four days have been great for golf in Jamshedpur with lot of international participation and will definitely help increase the golfing standards of the city. I would like to congratulate Mithun Perera from Sri Lanka for winning the 11th TATA Open.”

On Sunday the entire field played nine holes each on both the courses - Beldih as well as Golmuri. While one half of the field teed off from Beldih, the other half began its round from Golmuri. Thirty golfers with the best scores at the end of round three teed off from Golmuri and finished at Beldih. The par for the combined courses was 71.

Picture caption: Mithun Perera (third from left) receives the winner's cheque of the 11th TATA Open from Mr. H M Nerurkar, MD, TATA Steel (extreme left), Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (second from left) and Mr. Partha Sengupta, VP (Raw Materials and CSI) and Captain, Beldih Golf Club (extreme right).

Press release 

MS Gill's view on IOA election controversy

New Delhi, November 25, 2012: Dr MS Gill, Former Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister (8th April, 2008 to 11th Jan, 2011) expressed his views on current controversy involving IOA elections.

1.     There has been a continuing malady in Indian sports management, which everyone is conscious of. Heavy political presence, unlimited continuous tenure from 20 years to 40 years, invariably without any sports background.

2.     In 1974, Mrs. India Gandhi’s government put restrictions of tenure etc. for good governance of sports in the interest of our sports persons. These were pushed aside by those in control of our sports world and ignored. Government Ministers acquiesced since sports were dominated by political heavy weights of all parties.

3.     In 1987, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi tried once again. He took a meeting in the Sports Ministry and pressed for the good governance principles of 1974.

4.     The IOA people led by their then Chairman, all pressed the fear of the IOC action in their defense, and suggested to the PM not to do anything.

5.     Rajiv Gandhi rejected their threat and said let the IOC ban us. We will use money spent on all of you for coaching of young sports persons. I have this knowledge from the then Union Sports Minister, who especially telephoned me to tell me and urge me to carry out the reforms. I dug out the minutes of 1987 meeting.

6.     Soon after, I became Minister for Sports; I faced serious questions from the Delhi High Court. I looked into the matter and decided that the reforms had to be done immediately for the good of Indian sports persons.  I framed a detailed order (2nd May 2010) in which I limited everyone to finally retire from sports management at age 70. I limited the president’s tenure to 12 years and executive members’ tenure, to 8 years. These, in fact, I copied from the IOC’s own regulations.

7.     The IOC had faced world condemnation when Avery Brundidge, the American president of IOC had continued for more than 30 years. I saw him at Mexico 1968 Olympics. He had poor eye sight and could hardly walk. He was followed by Samaranch, a Spanish President, who also continued for more than 30 years. The IOC was forced to reform and fixed 70, 12, and 8 years formula.

8.     I, therefore aligned India to the IOC’s own regulations, and issued an order immediately applicable to IOA and all federations.

9.     I filed this order in the Delhi High Court, who has continued to back this order. It is still valid unless cancelled by the Union Cabinet.

10.  The IOA’s then President and then Secretary General, played the same old game, went to IOC HQs in Lausanne, and encouraged them to attack India’s patently good policy decision, which was the same as their own.

11.  The Secretary General made many visits there. The IOC started raising objections to me, saying we should not do it, and in fact, we should also stop the High Court. How can this be possible? We have to obey the Constitution and the law. The country should look at the correspondence between Rogge writing through Miro, and Indian Sports Minister MS. Gill writing through Joint Secretary Injeti Srinivas. All the correspondence is on sports ministry’s website where we totally exposed the improper stand of the IOC itself.

12.   What was good practice for the IOC was being sought to be blocked in India. Finally, I sent Srinivas for a meeting in Lausanne. Sadly, the IOA Secretary General, accompanied by a prominent lawyer, went there to attack India, including its former Prime Minister in the 70s, and seeking IOC’s support to let them continue forever and ever with no limit. All this is on the sports ministry’s website.

13.  At the CWG opening ceremony, Rogge sat next to me, and I told him that this will not work with us. Will the IOC try the wrong bullying tactics with China, and with many many dictators around the world? IOC has never a word to say on their dubious election practices, in non-democratic regimes.

14. The Chairman of Asia Olympic Association is a Middle Eastern sheikh. What democracy does he represent in sports, or even in his country? Rogge had nothing to say, and suggested that we will have discussions in China at Asian Games. I didn’t go there.

15.  The reformed elections process, I copied from the Election Commission of India, where I was the CEC. It is simply this: there has to be a voters list published well in advance for the knowledge of the country, proper nomination well in advance of voting, secret ballot, and finally the returning officer a retired High Court Judge. Has the IOC seen such good election practices in their member countries? Is it not their moral duty to promote India’s good example, to their members, without worrying about their annoyance.

16. It has to be remembered that the IOC, International Football Federation, IHF and all of them are desperate for the votes of their members. They do not like to annoy their voters in any manner. I also see that there is clear sports imperialism of the west in all games. The control over each game is essentially with the western world. Political imperialism has gone, but not sports imperialism.

17.  The IOC’s current pressure is part of the same old game, and I see an Indian hand behind it, as in my time. I hope the Indian authorities will not cave in on spurious arguments, and abandon the valid reforms of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. For myself, I say this: don’t be frightened, they are paper tigers.

Press release

Mithun Perera has the edge ahead of the final round

Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka 

Jamshedpur, November 24, 2012: Sri Lankan Mithun Perera enjoys a one-stroke advantage after the penultimate round of the 11th TATA Open. Perera carded a four-under-67 on Saturday that took his total score for the tournament to 10-under-204. The Delhi duo of Rashid Khan and Vinod Kumar along with Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow are in tied second place with matching totals of nine-under-205.

Mithun Perera (65-72-67), who was overnight tied second, had his first success of the day on the fourth hole where he made a chip-putt from 50 yards for birdie. The 26-year-old made steady progress through the day as he birdied the eighth and 12th as well. Mithun sank a 10-footer on the eighth and then found the green in two shots on the par-5 12th that set up a two-putt for birdie.

Perera, a two-time winner on the PGTI, sneaked into the lead with a birdie on the closing 18th where he landed his second shot from 130 yards to within five feet of the flag. The Colombo-based professional thus ended the day with a 67 to raise his title hopes.

“I have played very consistent golf this week. I had a bogey-free round today thanks to my good hitting. I made 15 greens in regulation today and kept the ball in play. I chatted a lot with my playing partners through the day and that really eased the pressure on me and helped me in staying calm and relaxed.

“As we are playing on two different courses on the same day, one needs to adapt well to both courses in order to play well. I have my work cut out on the final day as a lot of quality players are right behind me and will be breathing down my neck,” said Perera, who already has an individual title and a team championship win under his belt in 2012.

Rashid Khan’s (70-69-66) five-under-66 was the best round of the day and helped him climb from overnight tied fourth to tied second. Rashid’s third round featured an eagle on the fourth, four birdies and a bogey. He chipped-in for eagle on the fourth.

Vinod Kumar (68-67-70), the round two leader and defending champion, slipped to tied second on day three after firing a one-under-70. Om Prakash Chouhan (69-68-68) held on to his overnight tied second place with a round of three-under-68 on Saturday.

Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka and Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh share the fifth spot with identical totals of six-under-208.

Karan Taunk of Jamshedpur, the lone amateur to make the cut, is placed tied 28th at one-over-215.

After the cut was made at two-over-145 on Friday, the field was restricted to 56 professionals and one amateur. On Saturday the entire field played nine holes each on both the courses - Beldih as well as Golmuri. While one half of the field teed off from Beldih, the other half began its round from Golmuri. Thirty golfers with the best scores at the end of round two teed off from Golmuri and finished at Beldih. The par for the combined courses was 71. This format will also be followed in the fourth and final round on Sunday.

Press release

Defending champ Vinod Kumar takes the honours in round two

Delhi’s Vinod Kumar

Jamshedpur, November 23, 2012: Delhi’s Vinod Kumar produced a four-under-67 at the Golmuri Golf Course on Friday to take the honours in round two of the 11th TATA Open. Vinod now has a tournament total of eight-under-135. Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow and Sri Lankan Mithun Perera are in joint second place at six-under-137.

On Thursday one half of the field had played its 18 holes at the par 72 Beldih Golf Course while the golfers in the other half had completed their rounds at the par 70 Golmuri Golf Course. On Friday both halves of the field switched venues (those who played at Beldih on day one, played 18 holes at Golmuri on day two and vice-versa).

The cut was declared at two-over-145. Fifty-six professionals and one amateur made the cut.   

Defending champion Vinod Kumar (68-67), who also won on the PGTI last week, didn’t get off to a great start in round two as he missed a one-foot birdie putt on the second hole. Vinod’s tee shot on the par-4 fourth ended up in the greenside bunker from where he made an up and down for birdie. He followed that up with a 15 feet birdie putt on the seventh.

The 32-year-old Vinod, currently placed 11th on the Rolex Rankings, was a little unfortunate on the ninth as his chip for eagle from the edge of the green lipped out. He salvaged a birdie on that hole. Kumar landed it within four feet for birdies on the 10th and 13th as well. His lone bogey of the day came on the 17th where he missed a chip-putt.

Vinod said, “The win last week has really lifted my spirits and there is a lot more self-belief in me now. I was in very good hitting form today. The only disappointment in round two was missing some short putts. I’m equally comfortable at both the courses here (Beldih & Golmuri) and have adapted well on both. I’m confident of repeating last year’s performance.”

Om Prakash Chouhan (69-68) of Mhow posted a three-under-68 at Golmuri in round two to take his total to six-under-137. Chouhan made seven birdies against four bogeys. He made four consecutive birdies from the 11th to the 14th.

Mithun Perera (65-72) of Sri Lanka fired an even-par-72 at Beldih to join Chouhan in tied second place. Mithun’s round was punctuated by four birdies and four bogeys.

The Delhi trio of Shamim Khan, Rashid Khan and Anirudh Goyal were joined by Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha, Amardip Sinh Malik of Meerut, R Murthy of Bangalore and Bangladesh’s Md Zamal Hossain Mollah in joint fourth place at four-under-139.

R Murthy’s three-under-69 was the best score at Beldih on Friday.

Mukesh Kumar of Mhow shot the day’s best score, a seven-under-64, at Golmuri. Mukesh’s bogey-free round placed him tied 11th at three-under-140. 

Round one leader Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka returned a six-over-78 at Beldih in round two to slip down to tied 11th place.

Karan Taunk of Jamshedpur was the lone amateur to make the cut. His two-day total of two-over-145 placed him tied 44th.

Press release

Ankita flies the flag for India, hole-in-one for Arjun Gulati

Ankita Kedlaya, with David Range,chief referee, AJT

Greater Noida, November 23, 2012: Ankita Kedlaya put in a gutsy performance to emerge winner of Category ‘B’, on the third and final day of the 4th Albatross International Junior Golf Championship India, being held at Jaypee Greens Golf Resort. In a close contest, Ankita came from three strokes back to pip Thailand’s Kanyalak Preedasutthijit by a shot.

The fourth edition of the tournament came to an end with Thailand’s golfers dominating both the individual and team competitions. The Thais topped Category ‘A’ (boys and girls), Category ‘B’ (‘boys), Category ‘C’ (girls) and Category ‘D’ (boys and girls). The exceptions to the rule were Ankita, Lucas Lee Jung Jim of Malaysia (Category ‘C’ boys), and Puneet Kaur Bajwa, topper in Category ‘E’. Thailand swept the board in the team event, winning all four trophies on offer – Category A&B (boys and girls) and Category C&D (boys and girls).

Ankita didn’t know she had won until after her round, so focused was she throughout the final day. “I was hoping to win, and gave it all I got,” said a very satisfied winner. Ankita, from Bangalore, closed with a one-over 73 and Kanyalak a five-over 77. Ankita held on despite a double bogey on 18, and it was ultimately the 14-year-old’s touch on the greens that made the difference. “The putts were falling,” she admitted.

India’s other hero of the day was Arjun Gulati. The Category ‘B’ lad, playing from the gold tees, aced the 5th hole, a day after Lucas Lee Jung Jim made an amazing albatross. Lucas returned his worst score of the three days but still ran out a comfortable winner, by 12 shots.

Apart from Puwit Anupansuebsai (Category ‘B’ boys), Nitithorn Thippong (category ‘A’ boys) and Benyapa Niphatsophon (Category ‘A’ girls), who won by one, three and five shots respectively, the Thais romped to victory. Kornkamal Sukaree finished Category ‘C’ (girls) 14 shots clear, Nattabutara Unyamanee was a 23-shot winner in Category ‘D’ (boys), while Unyamanee Wongaroon (Category ‘D’ girls) ended her campaign at Jaypee Greens a whopping 29 shots ahead of her nearest challenger.

Clearly, the Thais will be the ones to catch when the Albatross International Junior Golf Championship returns for a fifth edition in 2013. A fantastic week’s golf ended with a spectacular firework display, after the trophies and prizes had been handed out.

Press release

Anura Rohana’s phenomenal 62 earns him the opening round lead

Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka 

Jamshedpur, November 22, 2012: Anura Rohana of Sri Lanka fired a phenomenal nine-under-62 at the Golmuri Golf Course on Thursday to grab the opening round lead at the 11th TATA Open. Mithun Perera of Sri Lanka, Sandeep Syal of Chennai and Bangalore’s Abhishek Jha are in joint second place at six-under-65.

On Thursday one half of the field played its 18 holes at the par-72 Beldih Golf Course while the golfers in the other half completed their rounds at the par-71 Golmuri Golf Course. The Golmuri Golf Course has recently been expanded from nine holes to eighteen holes. On Friday both halves of the field will switch venues (those who played at Beldih on day one, play eighteen holes at Golmuri on day two and vice-versa).

Anura Rohana, a winner of four professional titles, wrecked havoc at the newly-designed 18-hole Golmuri Golf Course with an eagle and eight birdies besides a bogey. The 39-year-old from Colombo was on fire from the very outset as he collected his first birdie on the second hole. Anura then drove the green on the par-4 fourth hole and sank a four-footer to register an eagle. He landed his shots within four feet on the sixth and ninth to pick up two more strokes.

Rohana dropped a bogey on the 11th but followed that up with a splendid birdie on the par-4 12th where he once again drove the green. An up and down from 10 yards earned him another birdie on the 13th. The happy-go-lucky Sri Lankan ended the day with a flourish as he birdied the last three holes (16th, 17th and 18th) to establish the course record at the newly-designed course.

Rohana said, “All aspects of my game were in top shape today. I couldn’t have hit it better. I drove the green on two of the par-4 holes. I made greens in regulation on all holes and didn’t miss any putts. It was a good day to shoot a low number since there was no wind. As far as my strategy is concerned, I’ll look to hit the greens and make two-putts from here on and strive to end up with a four-day total of about 15 under.”

Mithun Perera, another Sri Lankan, shot a bogey-free six-under-65 at Golmuri to be placed tied second. His round featured an eagle on the fourth and four birdies. Sandeep Syal, like Perera, also returned a bogey-free 65 at the Golmuri Golf Course that placed him joint second. Syal’s round included an eagle on the 12th and four birdies.

Abhishek Jha, who also played at Golmuri, recorded an eagle on the 16th, five birdies and a bogey to join Perera and Syal in tied second at six-under-65.

  

Arshdeep Tiwana of the Golden Greens Golf & Country Club posted the best score at the Beldih Golf Course in round one. Tiwana’s five-under-67 placed him tied fifth along with Lucknow’s Vijay Kumar who produced a five-under-66 at Golmuri.

Defending champion Vinod Kumar of Delhi carded a four-under-68 at Beldih to be placed seventh.

Press release

Gurki Shergill’s team wins the Pro-Am event of the 11th TATA Open

Jamshedpur, November 21, 2012: The Pro-Am event of the 11th TATA Open provided amateur golfers from the Tata Group and Jamshedpur an opportunity to play alongside some of the top professional golfers in the country.

The event was inaugurated by Mr T V Narendran, VP (Safety and Flat products), Tata Steel.

The Pro-Am event was played in the Team Stableford format with each team comprising of one professional and three amateurs.

The event was won by PGTI member Gurki Shergill’s team. Shergill’s team comprised of amateurs Mr. Karna Parikh, Mr. Ryan D’Costa and Mr. Ravi Parikh. Their team total was 113.

PGTI member Shamim Khan’s team finished runners-up with a team total of 112. The amateurs who made up Shamim’s team were Mr. Amitava Bakshi, Mr. Rahul Sawa and Mr. Sanjay.

The straight drive contest on hole no. 12 at Beldih Golf Course was won by Mr. Ashok Jha whose drive landed five inches from the centre of the fairway.

The closest to the pin contest on hole no. 7 at Golmuri Golf Course was won by Mr. Sanjay as his tee shot stopped nine feet and six inches from the hole.

The closest to the pin contest on hole no. 17 at Beldih Golf Course was won by Mr. Ravi Parikh. His tee shot ended up at a distance of five feet and three inches from the hole.

The longest drive contest on hole no. 8 at Golmuri Golf Course was won by Mr. Nitin Khosla who came up with a drive of 273 yards.

Picture caption: Standing left to right are Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI, Mr. Farzan Heerjee, Chief - Corporate Relations, TATA Steel, Mr. T V Narendran, VP (Safety and Flat products), TATA Steel, Mr. Ravi Parikh, Mr. Karna Parikh, Mr. Ryan D’Costa and Mr. Gurki Shergill.

An albatross at Albatross junior championship!

Greater Noida, November 22, 2012: It was a historic day for junior golf in the country. On day two of the 4th Albatross International Junior Golf Championship, Malaysia’s Lucas Yee Jung Jin, participating in Category ‘C’, became the first player to record an albatross in a junior tournament in India. An albatross is achieved when a golfer finds the hole in three shots under par – a rarity in golf – and the Albatross Junior Tour began in 2007 with hopes as high. How appropriate, then, that such a feat should take place in an event sanctioned by the Albatross Junior Tour!

Lucas followed his three-under 69 on day one with a two-under 70. His two-day score of five-under 139 handed him a commanding lead of 18 strokes. This impressive 12-year-old is on his way to becoming the standout player of the 4th Albatross International Junior, being held at Jaypee Greens Golf Resort.

On the par-five third hole, after a perfect drive of 260 yards into the middle of the fairway, Lucas pulled out a TaylorMade rescue club. “I was actually nervous because there was a bunker to the right of the green, and water to the left. I aimed a bit right, the ball went really high, landed in the middle of the green, and just rolled into the hole. Only when my caddy starting clapping did I realize that the ball was in the hole!”

India’s boys took the honours in Category ‘A’, with Feroz Garewal and Tapendra Ghai in a share of the lead going into the final day. Meanwhile, Ankita Kedlaya maintained hopes of victory in Category ‘B’ (girls), finishing the second day three shots behind Thai girl, Kanyalak Preedasutthijit.

Otherwise, it was another day when international players hogged the limelight at Jaypee Greens. South Africa’s Cara Gorlei held on to top spot in Category ‘A’ (girls), and heads into the final day a shot ahead of Benyapa Niphatsophon of Thailand. In Category ‘B’ (boys), Puwit Anupansuebsai, the 13-year-old prodigy from Thailand, returned a three-under 69 for a 36-hole total of level-par 144, two shots better than South Africa’s Luca Filippi, and five clear of India’s Piyush Sangwan.

Thailand’s juniors, in fact, dominated the second day at Jaypee: Kornkamal Sukaree led Category ‘C’ (girls) by a comfortable 11 shots, Nattabutara Unyamanee was ahead in Category ‘D’ (boys) by 13, and Unyamanee Wongaroon led by a whopping 19 strokes in Category ‘D’ (girls).

In Category ‘E’, Puneet Kaur Bajwa held on to the lead, and goes into the final round four clear of Hunar.

Photo caption: Lucas Yee Jung Jin of Malaysia in action at Jaypee Greens Golf Resort on November 22, 2012

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Piyush stars for India on day of foreign domination

Greater Noida, November 21, 2012: It was a day dominated by the foreign contingent, but India had her moments as the 4th Albatross International Junior Golf Championship got under way today.

Tapendra Ghai shone in the top category (‘A’), his card of level-par 72 one shot better than Feroz Garewal and three ahead of Manu Gandas, giving India a good start in this category.

Meanwhile, Piyush Sangwan was superb on the opening day, holding off the challenge of top internationals to lead Category ‘B’. Piyush, unfazed as ever, shot a 73 to trump the efforts of Luca Filippi of South Africa and Thailand’s Puwit Anupansuebsai.

Indian girls also sparkled on day one, with Ankita Kedlaya and Seher Atwal excelling in Category ‘B’. Ankita goes into the second day with a one-shot lead over Seher and Kanyalak Preedasutthijit of Thailand.

The star of the day, undoubtedly, was Malaysia’s Lucas Yee Jung Jin, who returned a brilliant three-under 69 in Category ‘C’. It was the day’s best score by far, and gave Lucas a commanding lead of nine shots. Category ‘A’ (girls) saw South Africa’s Cara Gorlei finish 18 holes on 73, a lead of two over her fellow South African, Magda Kruger, and Benyapa Niphatsophon of Thailand.

In Category ‘C’ (girls), Kornkamal Sukaree enjoyed a comfortable advantage over her challengers; the Thai’s 79 was six shots to the good over India’s Arshia Mahant. Thais also held the upper hand in Category ‘D’ with Nattabutara Unyamanee (boys) and Unyamanee Wongaroon (girls) topping the leaderboard, ahead of, respectively, Pratyush Sharma and Anika Varma.

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India’s best talent among 152 players in the Hockey India League Players’ Auction

NEW DELHI, November 21, 2012: Hockey India Secretary General and Hockey India League Chairman Dr Narinder Batra expressed confidence that the quality of competition in the inaugural edition of the tournament, scheduled from January 5 to February 3, 2013, would be very high and that the Indian players would draw a great deal from the event.

Releasing the list of 152 Indian players who have signed up for the Hockey India League Players’ Auction to be held in the capital in December, Dr Batra said Hockey India League was proud of having not only sparked interest in the hockey fraternity but also ensured more than 250 players, including over 90 players from overseas has signed up for the HIL Players’ Auction.

From HIL Brand Ambassador and Captain of the Indian team for the FIH Champions Trophy 2012, Sardar Singh to skipper of the Indian Junior Men’s team which made it to the Sultan of Johar Cup final in Malaysia, Manpreet Singh and Bharat Chetri who led India in the Olympic Games in London earlier this year to the exciting Kothajit Singh, the 152 players are the best available Indians talent.

“I am sure the six franchisees will find the task of picking combinations of 10 overseas and 14 Indian players to be a very exciting. We have signed up a number of players for all positions,” he said. “We are sure each of the six sides that will take shape at the HIL Players’ Auction will be very competitive squads and can offer wonderful quality.

“From the players’ perspective, we are sure that each of the 84 Indians, including a number of juniors, who will be picked up by the franchisees, will benefit from being a part of the Hockey India League,” Dr Batra said. “We believe Hockey India League will give terrific exposure to our players and help groom a generation of players who can compete with the world’s best.”

The list of 152 Indians comprises 19 goalkeepers, 23 defenders, 39 midfielders and 71 forwards.

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Hockey India felicitates India junior team members

NEW DELHI, November 21, 2012: Hockey India felicitated the Indian junior men team that won Silver medal at the 2nd Sultan of Johar Cup at Malaysia earlier this week. The felicitation was held at Hotel The Lalit at New Delhi on Tuesday.

Hockey India presented Sushant Tirkey, who was declared best goalkeeper of the tournament at 2nd Sultan of Johar Cup, a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.

Also Hockey India announced that it would present an iPad to each of the 18 members and the support staff of the team. The senior men’s team leaving for Australia to participate in the International Super Series at Perth and 34th Champions Trophy at Melbourne was also present at the function.

“We are happy that the junior team came home after a good showing in the Sultan of Johor Cup. It has come as good preparation for the team that will compete in the FIH Junior Men World Cup in India in December 2013,” Hockey India Secretary-General Dr Narinder Batra said.

Speaking on behalf of the team, Sushant Tirkey said the rewards came as encouragement for the squad. “We feel happy that Hockey India has recognised our efforts,” he said. “I can assure you that I will continue to work hard and contribute towards bringing India back in the elite league of hockey nations.”

Photo caption (top): Members of Indian junior men hockey team celebrating their victory during a party organized by Hockey India in New Delhi on November 21, 2012.

Bottom: Mr Tapan Das (Executive Member, Hockey India), Ms Elena Norman (CEO, Hockey India) and Cdr R.K Srivastav presenting cheque of Rs 1 lakh to goalkeeper Sushant Tirkey in New Delhi on November 21, 2012.

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