St Stanislaus School win Anu Anand Cup

 Best player of the tournament: Samuel Murmu of St Stanislaus School 

 DAV Public School-BSEB Colony (Patna) team 

St Stanislaus School team

Patna, December 30, 2013: St Stanislaus School, Gokhala (Bhagalpur) clinched the Anu Anand Cup Super Challenge Inter-School Football Tournament trophy beating DAV Public School, BSEB Colony, 4-0 in the final at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Monday.

Suleman Kisku scored three goals in 16th, 54th and 69 minutes but unfortunately he missed the coveted hat-trick as Sanjay Lucas netted a goal for the winners in 68th minute.

Bihar Legislative Council deputy chairman Md Salim Parvez was the chief guest at the closing function and he gave away the prizes. Bihar Players Association president Mritunjay Tiwary welcomed the guests and Abhishek Kumar proposed a vote of thanks.

Sataym Raj of DPS claimed the golden boot award while Samuel Murmu of St Stanislaus School won the best player of the tournament trophy. Himasnhu Sharma of Acharya Sudarshan Patna Central School was adjudged best promising player of the tournament.

St Stanislaus School enter Anu Anand Cup football final

Patna, December 29, 2013: Playing attractive and attacking soccer, St Stanislaus School, Gokhala (Bhagalpur) crushed Ishan International School 8-0 and entered the final of Anu Anand Cup Super Challenge Inter-School Football Tournament at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Sunday.

In the final, Gokhala boys will play with DAV Public School, BSEB Colony for the crown.

Samuel Murmu scored the first goal of the match in the very first minute. Simon Marandi made it 2-0 in the 6th minute (2-0). Suleman Kisku increased the tally in the 14th minute (3-0). Simon Maranadi again struck in the 16th minute (4-0). Sushil Murmu netted the fifth goal in the 23rd minute (5-0).

At the lemon break, Bhagalpur took unbeatable 5-0 lead. In the second half, Hemburm made it 6-0 in the 42nd minute. Suleman Kisku scored his second goal of the match in the 47th minute (7-0). Rehfel Soren completed the tally in the 50th minute (8-0).

Samuel Murmu was adjudged player of the match. Former Bihar Santosh Trophy player Shashi Nath Bhagat gave away the award.

Anirban Lahiri registers impressive four-shot win at McLeod Russel Tour Championship

Anirban Lahiri (4th from left) receives the winning cheque and trophy of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship from (left to right) Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, Master Akhil Khaitan (son of Mr. Aditya Khaitan, MD, McLeod Russel), Mr. Rajeev Takru, Director, McLeod Russel & Mr. Aveek Sarkar, Captain, Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC)

Kolkata, December 29, 2013: Anirban Lahiri of Bangalore took top honours at the Rs. 1.35 crore McLeod Russel Tour Championship after registering an impressive four-shot victory at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Sunday. Lahiri came up with a three-under-69 in the final round of the PGTI’s year-ending event to end the week with a total of 17-under-271. Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee finished runner-up at 13-under-275.

Anirban Lahiri (66-71-65-69), the overnight leader by three strokes, had an early hiccup in the final round as he double-bogeyed the second after his second shot reflected off a water sprinkler. The 26-year-old then got into his stride with birdies on the fourth, fifth, ninth, 12th, 16th and 17th to wrap up his 13thprofessional title in style. Lahiri’s putter was on fire as he sank birdie putts from 15 to 20 feet on the fifth, ninth, 16th and 17th. He also landed his approach within two feet for a tap-in birdie on the 12th. Anirban’s only error on the back-nine was the bogey on the closing 18th.

      

Lahiri said, “I’m really delighted with my first win at the RCGC. I’ve been coming here since I was 11-years-old but was never able to win a title before. The double-bogey early on made me focus better as it shook me up. I focussed really well thereafter and holed almost everything on the greens. The birdie on the ninth was the turning point of the day as it increased my lead from one shot to three shots since Rahil bogeyed the same hole. The birdie on the 12th was crucial as well as it helped me further expand my lead to five shots.

“The 2013 season has been my most consistent season so far as I won four titles this year. My golf and my physical conditioning improved by leaps and bounds this year. The win today gives me a further boost for the coming season. McLeod Russel has set the benchmark in India as far as domestic events are concerned. It’s a great tournament, very well organized and at par with some of the top events that I have played abroad,” added Lahiri, who took home a cheque worth Rs. 21,39,750.

Rahil Gangjee (70-68-68-69) had an eventful front-nine where he made five birdies and three bogeys. He had a relatively quieter back-nine with two birdies and a bogey. Gangjee was a threat to Lahiri in the initial stages of the round as he made some long putts on the first, second and fifth. However, bogeys on the eighth, ninth and 12th pulled him back and he ended up with a three-under-69 for the day.  

Gangjee said, “It looked like I would shoot a six-under when I began the round but I’m glad that I gave it my best and at least shot a three-under. Nonetheless, was great to perform well in front of my home crowd. It was an emotional moment for me as I was missing my father who passed away recently. He used to follow me when I played events at the RCGC.”

Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Delhi’s Chiragh Kumar finished tied third at 10-under-278. Jyoti Randhawa was a further shot behind in fifth place.

Delhi’s Rashid Khan earned sixth place at eigh-under-280 and thus ended up in number one position on the Rolex Rankings to emerge as the Rolex Player of the Year for 2013.

Gaganjeet Bhullar and Chikkarangappa of Bangalore were in tied eighth at six-under-282. Chikkarangappa, as a result, claimed second position on the Rolex Rankings and also won the Emerging Player of the Year title.

SSP Chowrasia of Kolkata finished in 17th place with a total score of two-under-286.

Rashid Khan wins Rolex Player of the Year Award

Rashid Khan of Delhi claimed number one position on the 2013 Rolex Rankings after finishing sixth at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. Rashid’s total earnings for the 2013 season were Rs. 46,38,284. He thus sealed the Rolex Player of the Year title. Rashid, the Rolex Rankings runner-up last year, posted 10 top-10s in 2013 which included two wins.

Rashid said, “It’s been a highly satisfying year for me. I won two events and was in contention in a number of events. Importantly, I’ve improved on last year when I finished second in the rankings. This is a huge boost for me as I’ll be playing as a full-card holder on the Asian Tour next year.”

Chikkarangappa S of Bangalore was second on the Rolex Rankings with earnings of Rs. 32,65,313 post his tied eighth place finish at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. Chikkarangappa, who had one win and nine other top-10s in the season, also won the Emerging Player of the Year race as he recorded the maximum earnings among all the rookies in the 2013 season.

Chikka said, “When I began the year my target was a top-10 finish on the Rolex Rankings. But as the year progressed, I thought I had a realistic chance of finishing in the top-3 for the season. I’m delighted that I managed to finish second on the rankings and win the Emerging Player race as well. The rookies were very strong this year and coming out on top among the rookies is special. My putting was the highlight of the season. I really started putting well midway through the year when I started using a new putter.”

Angad Cheema of Panchkula ended up in second position in the Emerging Player of the Year race with earnings of Rs. 26,50,448.  

Nath wins from brink, Archana re-writes history

Ajmer, December 29, 2013: North Bengal’s Akash Nath and Karnataka’s Archana Kamath emerged new champions in the sub-junior section, while Rounak Majumdar (WB) and Swastika Ghosh (Maharashtra A) annexed titles in the Cadet category at the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the MC Chowhan Indoor Stadium here today.

What made Nath’s maiden win special was the way he fought from the brink to snatch the crown from PSPB Academy’s Manav Thakkar. Nath won 4-3 in one of the finest finals in recent years. Equally the maiden title for Archana, who beat Maharashtra A’s Shruti Amrute 4-0, was sweeter as she became the first girl in 13 years to win the sub-junior crown. The last win for a Karnataka girl came at Calicut in 1999.

Thakkar was just a point away from championship at 10-6 in the decider, but Nath saved four straight match-points to level the score and then win at 12-10. That changed the complexion of the match as from here, the North Bengal boy gained ascendancy while Thakkar went into despair, losing the last three games and the title. Indeed, both put on display some excellent rallies and treated the capacity crowd with a fine table tennis feast.

Archana, on the other hand, kept her excellent momentum that she picked from the pre-quarterfinals, where she ousted No. 1 seed Moumita Dutta. Continuing her great form, the Karnataka girl made a remarkable comeback in the semifinals. Down 1-3, the Karnataka girl trapped opponent Mansi Chhajed in her own defensive game. Archana was gaining in confidence, playing some astonishing forehand winners, while the Maharashtra girl was losing her poise. In the decider, Archana was leading 7-1 and from there allowed Mansi come closer. A couple of service return errors saw Archana losing grip but the girl from the south shut her opponent out when Mansi sent the ball out.

Archana had earlier accounted for No. 1 seed Moumita Dutta in the pre-quarterfinals yesterday. From there it was a real fairytale accomplishment for Archana. From the bottom half, Maharashtra’s Shruti Amrute overcame a determined Saundrya Pathak from UP 4-3 to enter the final. The UP girl, after being down 0-3, made a valiant attempt only to finish on the losing side at 2-4. 

In the semifinal between Snehit and Akash Nath, the former started off well before the West Bengal boy upped the ante to lead 2-1. But the Andhra boy, who had helped his team win the CBSE title, was up to the task and took the stretched fourth game 12-10. However, Akash decided to stop Snehit then and there to enter the final with a 4-2 verdict. Earlier, Manav Thakkar beat another Andhra boy Hari Krishan 4-1.

Results:

Sub-Junior Boys: Final: Akash Nath (NB) bt Manav Thakkar (PSPBA) 4-3 (9-11, 4-11, 8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-5, 11-9); Semifinals: Manav Thakkar bt Hari Krishna VS 4-1 (12-10, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7), Akash Nath bt Snehit SFR 4-2 (10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 10-12, 11-7, 11-4).

Doubles: Final: Manav Thakkar/Anukram Jain (PSPBA) bt Jeeth Chandra/Akash Choudhary (WB) 3-1 (11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 11-8).

Sub-Junior Girls: Final: Archana Kamath (KNT) bt Shruti Amrute (Mah A) 4-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5); Semifinals: Archana Kamath bt Mansi Chhajed 4-3 (10-12, 11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8, 11-7), Shruti Amrute bt Saundrya Pathak 4-2 (12-10, 11-4, 11-4, 4-11, 9-11, 11-8).

Doubles: Final: Yashini S/Selena Deepthi (TN) bt Naina/Shailo Noor Basha (AP) 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 12-10).

Cadet Boys: Final: Rounak Majumdar (WB) bt Snehasish Paul (WB) 4-2 (7-11, 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 12-10); Semifinals: Snehasish Paul bt Rohan Ghosh 3-0 (11-9, 11-5, 11-9), Rounak Majumdar bt Kabir Chaudhary 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 12-10).

Cadet Girls: Final: Swastika Ghosh (Mah A) bt Vanshika Bhargava (Del) 4-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9); Semifinals: Swastika Ghosh bt Ayushi Ghia 3-1 (10-12, 11-9, 11-6, 13-11), Vanshika Bhargava bt Tanisi Kirani 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9).

TTFI Press release

DAV School Board Colony enter Anu Anand Cup football final

DAV Public School, BSEB Colony, and Delhi Public School (DPS) boys in action during their match.


Patna, December 28, 2013: DAV Public School, BSEB Colony, scraped past Delhi Public School (DPS) 6-5 via sudden death and moved into the final of Anu Anand Cup Super Challenge Inter-School Football Tournament at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Saturday.

Earlier, St Stanislaus School, Gokhala (Bhagalpur) drubbed International School 7-1 to enter the semifinal. On Sunday, St Stanislaus School will take on Ishan International School for a berth in the final.

The match ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Adarsh put DAV into the lead while Sumit equalized the score for DPS. In the extra time, both the teams scored on goal each to take the score to 2-2. Naved (DAV) and Kaushik (DPS) were the goal getters in the extra time. Tiebreaker rule came into force to break the deadlock but in the shootouts both the teams netted three each (5-5). In the sudden death, Nikhil slotted home for DAV while Rittik of DPS missed the target (6-5).

The first match between St Stanislaus School and International School was a one-sided affair. Bhagalpur boys scored goals at their will. Suleman Kishku, Benjamin Murmu, Simon Maranadi, Refel Soren, Samuel Murmu, Deepak Hembrum, Sushil Murmu netted one goal each for Bhagalpir school. Rudra Kumar reduced the margin for International School.

Samuel Murmu was adjudged best player of the match. S Imtiaz Hussain, secretary, Bihar Football Association gave away the award. Satyam of DPS was named best player of the match in the second match. National-level anchor Sailesh Kumar gave away the prize to Satyam.

Lahiri seizes the lead with a sublime seven-under-65

Anirban Lahiri

Kolkata, December 28, 2013: Anirban Lahiri shot a sublime seven-under-65 to seize the lead in round three of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). The Bangalore lad’s total moved to 14-under-202 after he posted the tournament’s best score. Delhi’s Chiragh Kumar also signed in a 65 to be three strokes off the lead in second position.

Anirban Lahiri (66-71-65) overcame an upset stomach to shoot an incredible round of 65 that placed him three shots clear of the field. The 26-year-old, who was overnight second, claimed his first birdie after converting a 30-footer on the second. Anirban then made as many as three chip-ins. Two of them resulted in eagles on the fourth and 15th and the third resulted in a birdie on the 14th. His other two birdies came on the fifth and 17th. The bogey on the 18th was the only blemish on his card.

Lahiri said, “Three chip-ins in a round are a rarity and so are two eagles. I’m thrilled with my effort today. I capitalized well on both the par-5s. I started well as I converted my longest putt in six months, a 30-footer, for birdie on the second. I just kept picking up strokes thereafter. This is my best single-round score at RCGC. I was quite surprised with what I achieved on the course as I haven’t been feeling too well since last night and was therefore just trying to get through the round. I didn’t even have anything to eat today. I’m quite confident going into the final round now.”

Chiragh Kumar (71-69-65) produced a spectacular bogey-free 65, the joint best score of the tournament, to climb from overnight tied seventh to second position. Chiragh, the 2011 Rolex Rankings champion, earned five birdies on the front-nine that featured putts from 12 to 15 feet on the fifth and sixth. He also landed it within four feet on the second and eighth. Chiragh chipped-in for birdie on the 13th and picked up another birdie on the 15th to end the day with a total score of 11-under-205.

Chiragh said, “I had a solid start and just kept it going, unlike the second round where I couldn’t capitalize on the start. My ball-striking was great and I kept the errors out of my game. I’ve been playing well as I had a good outing at Jamshedpur last week where I finished in the top-5. I’ll just look to play to my potential in the final round as Anirban has the ability to shoot very low scores and is going to be a tough contender.”

     

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee sank an eagle from 45-feet and also made two birdies in his round of 68 that moved his score to 10-under-206 and helped him end the day in third place.

Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar, the overnight leader, slipped to joint fourth place after posting a 71. Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad fired a 69 to join Sanjay in tied fourth at nine-under-207.

Jyoti Randhawa is in seventh place at six-under-210 while Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan of Delhi are in tied eighth spot at five-under-211.

Defending champion SSP Chowrasia lays tied 24th at one-over-217.

Six more join overage gang, ousted from meet

Ajmer, December 28, 2013: With six out of eight paddlers turning overage positives, the focus shifted back to the age-old issue once again at the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the MC Chowhan Indoor Stadium here today.

Of the six, who were sent out of the championships following the medical jurists’ report, two belonged to West Bengal (Avijit Basu and Koushani Nath) and one each from North Bengal (Ritika Kundu), Assam (Shankar Gautam Barua), Himachal (Aryan) and Karnataka Rohan Jamadagni). Except for one Cadet boy, all others were sub-juniors.

In fact, Koushani Nath, seeded 7 in sub-junior singles, played a crucial role in helping West Bengal win sub-junior girls’ team crown. According to rules, the team also stands to lose the title, but it has been left to the TTFI’s executive board, which is meeting in Patna on January 12, to arrive at a decision.

If the executive board decides to withdraw the title from West Bengal, then Tamil Nadu, who finished runners-up, will be elevated to the top. However, no team will be given the silver medal since there was no bronze medal playoff.

Admitting that the TTFI measures have put the others teams on alert, TTFI secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary said: “Our message was loud and clear to all state associations before the championships. We are only trying to put an end to this malady.”

In the first lot of medical tests conducted on the second day of the championships, three players and the Mizoram team were scrapped. With the championships coming to its business end tomorrow, the TTFI has already noted down a few more names that are under the scanner.  

“We will continue this drive relentlessly to weed out suspicious cases. Some players have already withdrawn from the championships citing medical reasons and we may soon ask them to appear before a medical board,” added Choudhary.

Intensity retained

The overage issue may have taken the sheen off the singles events somewhat, but matches in both the Cadet Boys and Girls retained their intensity as pre-quarter finalists were spotted. However, the sub-junior section matches were still on and it will be interesting to note who all move up.

Six from the top half of Cadet Boys were stretched but Andhra’s B. Vishnu, Delhi’s Payas Jain, PSPBA’s Alberto, West Bengal’s Snehasish Paul, PSPBA’s Jeho and North Bengal’s Mainik Das moved into the pre-quarterfinals. From the bottom half, only Subhra Jyoti Paul (North Bengal) and Tamil Nadu’s Kushagra Verma struggled before making the grade.

In Cadet Girls, Tamil Nadu’s V. Vaishnavi passed the test 6-11, 14-12, 11-8, 11-7 after some tough fight against West Bengal’s Koushiki Dasgupta. In another four-setter, Neha Kumari of North Bengal defeated Suhana Saini of Haryana 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7.  Shereya Ghosh of West Bengal too was stretched by Aditi Sinha of Maharashtra A which the former won 13-11, 12-10, 10-12, 14-12. In the bottom half, West Bengal’s Munmum Kundu, Maharashtra A’s Neeha Gupta and Delhi’s Vanshika Bhargava were taken to the full distance by their opponents.

All quarterfinal matches will be played tonight with only the semifinals and finals slated for the last day tomorrow. 

A TTFI Press release

Bihar Minister visits Patliputra Sports Complex

Patna, December 27, 2013: Bihar Building Construction Minister Damodar Raut, along with chief patron of the organizing committee and Bihar Food Consumer Protection Minister Shyam Rajak and Bihar Table Tennis Association president Sanjay Singh, MLC visited the Patliputra Sports Complex to review the preparations for 75th Senior National & Inter-State table Tennis Championship to be held there from January 7 to 12.

Raut inspected the indoor stadium where the renovation is going on at war level. He also inspected the hostels in which players and officials of the tournament will be accommodated. Raut looked into the arrangements in details and instructed the engineers and contractors of the stadium to complete the work urgently. He assured the officials of the organizing committee that the players and the officials would have no problem in smooth conduct of the tournament and all possible help would be extended by the state government.

Sanjay Kumar grabs the halfway lead with a 68

 Sanjay Kumar 

Kolkata, December 27, 2013: Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar carded a solid four-under-68 to grab the halfway lead at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship, the PGTI’s year-ending event, being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). Sanjay’s total reads eight-under-136 after round two. Bangalore’s Anirban Lahiri returned a one-under-71 to be one shot off the lead in second place.

Sanjay Kumar (68-68) fired a second successive 68 to rise from overnight tied third to first position. Sanjay’s 15-feet birdie putt on the first hole laid the platform for him on day two. The 42-year-old, a winner of six professional titles, consolidated thereafter with birdies on the fifth and 12th, sinking putts from eight to 12 feet. His only bogey came on the 13th where he missed a chip-putt. The seasoned Sanjay, who turned professional back in 1987, more than made up for his lapse on the 13th with birdie putts from a range of six to eight feet on the 15thand 17th.

“I hit it better today as compared to round one. I also landed it close on several occasions. The birdie on the opening hole got me in rhythm. I capitalized on the good start from there on. Importantly, I just dropped one bogey today. I’m not looking at a number for round three but will look to hit maximum fairways. The fairways are narrow here, so once you find the fairway, hitting the green in regulation becomes easier,” said Sanjay, currently placed 23rd on the Rolex Rankings.

He added, “I’ve not had the greatest of seasons but still managed three top-10 finishes on the PGTI this year. The win on the PGTI Feeder Tour at my home course in Lucknow this October lifted my confidence. I’ve been playing better since then. My wife and two sons are here this week and my elder son is following me on the course. I feel that is an added incentive for me to perform well this week.”

Anirban Lahiri’s (66-71) total moved to seven-under-137 after he followed up his first round of 66 with a modest 71 on Friday. Lahiri made a confident start with a 15-feet birdie conversion on the second and another birdie on the fourth to maintain his overnight lead. However, he fell back and conceded the lead to Sanjay Kumar after hitting a rough patch from the 11th to the 13th. A poor second shot meant his ball landed on the cart-path on the 11th. Anirban missed the green from there and thus made a double-bogey. The three-time winner on the Asian Tour dropped another stroke on the 13th as a result of a poor bunker shot. Lahiri, finally recovered some ground as he sank 10-footers for birdies on the 14th and 16th.

Lahiri, yet to win a title at RCGC, said, “I played some solid golf. However, the double-bogey on the 11th broke my rhythm. It was a decent round barring one bad hole. I’d still say I did not make my share of putts today.”

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee kept local hopes alive as he shot a 68 to end round two in tied third at six-under-138. Gangjee’s second round was punctuated by five birdies and a bogey and included two birdie putts from 20 to 25 feet.

Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad joined Rahil in tied third after signing a card of 70 that featured four birdies and two bogeys.

Jyoti Randhawa and Noida’s Gaurav Pratap Singh are a further shot back in tied fifth place. Randhawa posted an even-par-72 to drop from overnight second place.

Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan is in tied 10th place at three-under-141 while Gaganjeet Bhullar lies tied 15th at two-under-142.

Delhi’s Kapil Kumar shot a 67 to record the best score of the day. He is currently placed tied 15th.

Defending champion SSP Chowrasia fired a 70 in round two to be placed tied 33rd at one-over-145.

Press release

More entries, more headaches for officials

Ajmer, December 27, 2013: With the singles entries having touched an unprecedented number, roughly 650, the organizers and the technical officials have had a tough time in completing over 1,000 Stage 1 group matches in the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the MC Chowhan Indoor Stadium here on today.

For instance, the sub-junior singles had boys divided into 56 groups of three or four with just one from each group qualifying to join the top eight—Manav Thakkar, Jeeth Chandra, Shaurya Pednekar, Akash Nath, Akash Choudhary, Mishal Dilawar, Neeldeep Das and Snehit—who are directly seeded in the main draw.

The situation was more or less repeated in sub-junior girls’ category where they were divided into 52 groups with matches going late into the night. Only the group leaders become eligible for the main draw where they will rub shoulders with the eight seeded players, Moumita Dutta, Naina, Abhinaya Ramesh Aishwarya Pathak, Shruti Amrute, Yashini, Koushani Nath and Poulami Das.

In both the sections, the top eight have had an off day thanks to their higher ranking points, accumulated over a period of time, after consistent performance. But their real business will begin once the Stage 2 knockout, best-of-seven matches begintomorrow.

As for the group winners, a few matches did go the full distance but otherwise they were mostly one-sided affairs in the sub-junior girls’ section. It was no different among the boys as the most favoured ones made the grade.

The scene in the Cadet Boys and Girls sections will not be clear until the group matches get over tonight.

Yielding results

Meanwhile, the TTFI’s strict adherence of instructions to associations, asking them to submit the players’ original birth certificate, seems to be bringing in the desired results. Accordingly, only those players who have submitted their original birth proof will be handed over the participation certificates.

“This was necessary because every time they (parents and coaches) assure only not to follow the rules. We were a bit lenient so far but this time we have made it compulsory for every participant to produce the original certificate. Otherwise, we are not going to issue any participation certificate,” asserted competition manager Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer.

Obviously, this has forced parents to contact people back home and rush in their wards’ original certificates through courier or some other means. Alternatively, according to Ganeshan, the parents or the state associations can collect their participation certificates from the TTFI office in New Delhi after going through the right process.

TTFI release

13th Jharkhand State Basketball Championship from January 5

Ranchi, December 27, 2013: The 13th Jharkhand State Basketball Championship for Men & Women will be held from January 5 to 7 at the Indoor Basketball Stadium, Mega Sports Complex, Hotwar, here.

Preparatory camp of the senior hockey probables to begin from today

New Delhi, December 27, 2013: In preparations for the FIH World League Final to be held at New Delhi from January 10 to 18 next, the training camp of the senior men core probables will commence at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, here from Saturday.

India is placed in Pool A with Germany, England and New Zealand, while Australia, Netherlands, Belgium and Argentina are placed in Pool B. India will open its campaign against England on 10 January 2014 followed by New Zealand on 11 January 2014 and Germany on 13 January 2014.

Playing against all top teams of the World in this tournament will be good exposure for the Indian Men Hockey team prior to their preparations for the FIH Men’s World Cup to be held in The Hague, Netherlands from May 31 to June 15, 2014.

The 28 senior men core probables will be part of the preparatory camp starting from Saturday 28 December 2013.

The list of probables is as under: Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, PT Rao, Harjot Singh
Defenders: Harbir Singh Sandhu, Rupinder Pal Singh, V R Raghunath, Birendra Lakra, Gurmail Singh, Amit Rohidas, Kothajit Singh Khadangbam, Gurjinder Singh
Midfielders: S K Uthappa, M B Aiyappa, Dharamvir Singh, Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, Sardar Singh, Manpreet Singh, Danish Mujtaba, Satbir Singh
Forwards: Nikkin Thimmaiah, Nithin Thimmaiah, S V Sunil, Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Gurwinder Singh Chandi, Affan Yousuf,  Yuvraj Walmiki.

HI Press release

Ishan International School make it to semifinals

Ishan International School and St Michael's School players vie for the ball during their match in Patna on December 26, 2013.

Patna, December 26, 2013: Ishan International School advanced into the semifinals of the Anu Anand Cup Super Challenge Inter-School Football Championships defeating St Michael’s High School 5-4 via sudden death at outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Thursday.

The sudden death rule was applied after the two teams were locked 4-4 in the tiebreaker. The match ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time.

In the sudden death, Achinta Narayan of Ishan International netted the match-winner. Kushagra Akhauri of Ishan International was named best player of the match. Sourabh Chakraborty, GM, Anu Anand Construction, gave away the prize.

Saturday’s fixtures: Quarterfinals:  St Louis School, Gokhala vs International School, Patna at 12 pm.

Semifinals: DPS vs DAV Public School, Board Colony at 2pm.

Lahiri’s super 66 gives him round one lead

Anirban Lahiri of Bangalore 

Kolkata, December 26, 2013: Anirban Lahiri of Bangalore fired a sizzling six-under-66 to take the round one lead at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship, the PGTI’s year-ending event, being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). Gurgaon-based Jyoti Randhawa returned a five-under-67 to be on the leader’s tail in second place.

Anirban Lahiri made a perfect start to the tournament by registering eight birdies against two bogeys in round one. Lahiri’s putter was hot as he made birdie putts from 15 to 25 feet on the third, eighth and 17th holes. The 26-year-old from the Eagleton Golf Resort, Bangalore, also hit it well by landing it within six feet for birdies on the ninth, 10th and 18th. Anirban, a winner of three titles in 2013 (one on Asian Tour and two on PGTI), capitalized on both par-5s, the fourth and 15th, after finding the green in two shots and setting up two-putt birdies.

Lahiri’s two bogeys came as a result of his ball being plugged in the bunker on the seventh and his tee shot landing in the water hazard on the 16th.

Lahiri said, “I holed almost everything except for one short par putt on the 16th. The best shot of the day has to be the 25-feet downhill birdie putt on the 17th. That putt wasn’t easy to execute. I struck it well and found most fairways. The conditions were tough in the morning as it was windy. I feel a lot more comfortable at RCGC now than I was few years back.

“I’ve played a lot of golf with Rashid and Chikka, both of whom were my playing partners today. Therefore it was like a fun game and there was no pressure. This week the key will be to find the fairways with the tee shots as the fairways are quite narrow here. It’s not easy to recover if one misses the fairway.”

Jyoti Randhawa had a flurry of birdies on the front-nine to make the turn at five-under. He landed it within four feet on the first to pick up his first birdie. Randhawa then chipped-in on the third and sank 10-feet birdie putts on the fifth and sixth holes. The former Asia no. 1 who hails from the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, added a birdie and a bogey on the back-nine. 

“I had a top-5 on the Asian Tour recently. I’ve had some momentum going since that performance. I’ve been swinging well. However, my form has been a little patchy and I need to fire lower scores. I hit a lot of good shots today and putted well. It’s great to be back in Kolkata since this is the city where I played my first competitive event as a sub-junior,” said Randhawa.

Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar occupy joint third place at four-under-68. Lohan’s bogey-free 68 featured an eagle and two birdies. His eagle on the fourth came as a result of a 40-feet conversion from the fringe. Sanjay, on the other hand, recorded five birdies and a bogey. He landed his approach shots within five feet on the first, 12th and 17th.

Rookies Khalin Joshi of Bangalore and Angad Cheema of Panchkula are a further shot behind in tied fifth place.

Rahil Gangjee finished round one in tied seventh place at two-under-70. He is currently the highest-placed among the professionals from Kolkata.

Gaganjeet Bhullar is in tied 13th position at one-under-71.

Rolex Rankings leader Rashid Khan lies tied 23rd at even-par-72.

Defending champion SSP Chowrasia is placed tied 50th at three-over-75. His opening round featured a birdie and two double-bogeys.

Press release

West Bengal, PSPBA strike a barter deal

Ajmer, December 26, 2013: In a give-and-take bargain, West Bengal and Petroleum Sports Promotion Board Academy bartered titles in two events while in another North Bengal surprised West Bengal to win the crown. Yet, West Bengal laid their claim on two of the four titles in the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships here at the MC Chowhan Indoor Stadium today.

PSPB Academy, who lost the Cadet Boys title 2-3 to West Bengal in the fires session of the finals, reclaimed the Sub-Junior Boys crown from the latter in the second with a 3-2 win. Earlier, West Bengal had won the sub-junior girls’ crown, beating Tamil Nadu 3-1 only to lose both the finals in the second session. PSPBA won 3-2 and North Bengal triumphed by the same margin.

In the sub-junior boys’ final, Manav Thakkar of the Academy was the star as he, apart from winning his two singles, combined well with Anukram Jain in the doubles against West Bengal’s pair of Akash Choudhary and Jeeth Chandra, which made the real difference.

Similarly, the doubles was West Bengal’s Achilles’ heel yet again as the North Bengal pair of Neha Kumari and Diksha Biswas won the crucial match against Koushiki Das Gupta and Tulika Roy. In the ultimately analysis, this win proved to be crucial for North Bengal.

PSPAB lose title

Earlier, West Bengal defeated PSPBA 3-2 with Avijit Basu doing the star turn for his team as he won both his singles, which eventually put the issue beyond PSPBA. He won his first match 3-1 against Alberto and Rohan Ghosh provided West Bengal a 2-0 lead. But the Academy duo of Jeho and Alberto first won their doubles 3-1 and Alberto restored parity by winning his singles against Ghosh. However, their celebrations lasted hardly for 15 minutes as Basu outclassed Jeho 3-0 to wrest the title from the Academy.

The West Bengal girls in the sub-junior section did not have to sweat it out much despite Tamil Nadu’s Abhinaya Ramesh and Yashini putting up a brave front. The two played well, but only in patches as West Bengal’s Koushani Nath and Moumita Dutta warded off all possible threats from their rivals.

In the semifinals, West Bengal boys defeated Uttar Pradesh 3-1 while PSPB Academy overcame a determined North Bengal 3-2 in the sub-junior section. In the quarterfinals, the boys from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam, who gave PSPBA a real run for their money, bowed out of the contest. As for the girls, Tamil Nadu trounced Andhra Pradesh 3-1 and West Bengal outwitted Maharashtra A 3-2 in a thrilling match.

In Cadet Boys, PSPBA blanked out North Bengal 3-0 in the semifinals to earn a final meeting with West Bengal, who downed Maharashtra A 3-1.

In Cadet Girls, North Bengal overcame a stiff semifinal resistance from Andhra Pradesh to enter the final on a 3-2 verdict in the morning. From the top-half, it was West Bengal who notched up a 3-2 win over Tamil Nadu. It must be said to the credit for the Tamil Nadu girls who put up a great show only to end on the losing side.

Reporting sick!

Meanwhile, two sub-junior boys Zedan Gogoi of PSPBA and Asif Khan of Rajasthan, who were under the overage scanner, pulled out of the championships citing medical reasons. Surprisingly, both reported sick even as they were considered for medical tests by the TTFI. However, a boy each from Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka were randomly picked on Thursday and sent for medical tests.  

Results (all finals):

Cadet Boys: West Bengal bt PSPB Academy 3-2 (Avijit Basu bt Alberto 11-8, 11-3, 6-11, 11-9, Rohan Ghosh bt Jeho 11-9, 11-6, 11-8, Basu/Ghosh lost to Alberto/Jeho 5-11, 11-8, 5-11, 10-12, Rohan Ghosh lost to Alberto 13-15, 9-11, 6-11, Avijit Basu bt Jeho 11-5, 13-11, 11-6).

Cadet Girls: North Bengal bt West Bengal 3-2 (Neha Kumari btg Koushiki Dasgupta 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 11-5, Diksha Biswas lost to Tulika Roy 7-11, 7-11, 5-11, Neha/Diksha bt Koushiki/Tulika 11-6, 11-6, 11-4, Neha Kumari bt Tulika Roy 8-11, 15-17, 8-11, Diksha Biswas bt Koushiki Dasgupta 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9).

Sub-Junior Boys: PSPBA bt West Bengal 3-1 (Manav Thakkar bt Akash Choudhary 11-9, 11-8, 11-5, Anukram Jain lost to Jeeth Chandra 11-6, 4-11, 9-11, 8-11, Manav/Anukram bt Akash/Jeeth 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 11-6, Manav Thakkar bt Jeeth Chandra 11-6, 11-9, 11-7).

Sub-Junior Girls: West Bengal bt Tamil Nadu 3-1 (Koushani Nath lost to Abhinaya R. 5-11, 12-10, 7-11, 8-11, Moumita Dutta bt Yashini S. 14-12, 12-10, 13-11, Koushani/Moumita bt Abhinaya/Yashini 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, Moumita Dutta bt Abhinaya R. 11-9, 11-7, 11-7).

A TTFI Press release

Star Sports shoots ad-campaign with Delhi Wave Riders’ star players at Jantar Mantar

Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh 

New Delhi, December 26, 2013 – Star Sports, the official broadcaster of the Hero Hockey India League, shot the ad-campaign featuring Delhi Wave Riders’ star players Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh at New Delhi’s landmark location Jantar Mantar on December 26, 2013. This is part of the marketing blitz that Star Sports plans to launch to promote Hero Hockey India League which starts from January 25, 2014.

Hero Hockey India League will see world’s best hockey players playing in diverse cities across the country. Star Sports is therefore shooting the marketing campaign across all six team cities to build team affinity and local pride. The campaign will show star players of all the teams showcasing their hockey skills with the most iconic location of the city/ region in the backdrop.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Juju Basu, Head of Communications for Sports Business, Star India, said, “The core idea behind the campaign is to get India’s hockey playing regions to celebrate the game that’s been a part of their culture for decades. The campaign is therefore based out of the regions that the teams are from, using iconic backdrops and elements from their hockey heritage.”

Besides the Delhi Wave Riders shoot, the plan is to shoot Dabur Mumbai Magicians team playing Hockey in a Mumbai local train; Ranchi Rhinos ad-campaign will be shot with star players playing at Dassan Falls, Jharkhand.  The campaign featuring Kalinga Lancers’ players will be shot at the Odisha Beach while players from the Uttar Pradesh Wizards will be shot playing Hockey in the lanes of Varanasi. The star players of Jaypee Punjab Riders team will shoot in Amritsar with the Golden Temple as the back drop.

Press release

International School enter quarterfinal

Patna, December 25, 2013: International School, Patna, moved into the quarterfinal of the Anu Anand Cup Super Challenge Inter-School Football Tournament after their rivals Anugrah Narayan Singh School, Barh, were scratched by the organizers for allowing players in their team from other schools at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Wednesday.

Now, International School will face St Satins Louis High School, Gokhla, in the quarterfinals on December 28

75th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championship to be held in Patna from January 7

Bihar Food and Consumer Protection Minister Shyam Rajak (centre), Sanjay Singh, MLC and BTTA president (right) and BTTA secretary Mukesh Roy at a Press conference in Patna on December 25, 2013.

Patna, December 25, 2013: The 75th Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championship will be held at Patliputra Sports Complex here from January 7 to 12 next under the auspices of Bihar Table Tennis Association.

The Championship will be held second time in Patna in which 600 players from 34 States and Public Sectors like Petroleum Sport Promotion Board, LIC, Bank Sports Board, BSNL, Railways, Airport Authority of India, Indian Audit & Accounts Department and other eligible organizations will be taking part in the event. This tournament was earlier held in Patna in the year 2009 very successfully.

Shyam Rajak, Minister for Food and Consumer Protection, Govt. of Bihar, addressing the Press as the Patron in Chief of the tournament committee said that there is prize money in different events for the winners and runners amounting to Rs.16 lakhs.

President of Bihar Table Tennis Association Sanjay Singh, MLC briefed the press that the tournament will be conducted on the guideline provided by Table Tennis Federation of India. Singh stated that visiting players and officials will be accommodated in the hotels and sports hostel of the stadium. He further communicated that AK Chauhan, senior IAS officer has been made chairman of the organizing committee.

He also communicated that the tournament is likely to be inaugurated by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. PC Chaturvedi, President and Dhanraj Chowdhary, General Secretary of TTFI will be present during the opening ceremony.

BTTA secretary Mukesh Roy said that about 150 technical officials and umpires would be present for smooth conduct of the tournament. He also stated that all the current Indian Team players in men’s and women’s were expected to take part in this mega event.

The Bihar team which has been selected to represent the state in this tournament is going under a coaching camp supervised by former senior state players. 

A BTTA Press release

Tough draw for Delhi, top teams qualify

Ajmer, December 25, 2013: Holders West Bengal, who lost the services of Ronit Bhanja because of overage issue, managed a table-top finish in the sub-junior boys’ category with Delhi following them in Group A in the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships here at the MC Chowhan Indoor Stadium today.

Bhanja, who was part of the West Bengal team but was not played yesterday, was debarred from the championships. Yet, in his absence, West Bengal team pulled it off to be the No. 1 team, keeping a clean slate. Delhi, who lost to West Bengal, won the other two matches to take the second place in the group.

Delhi boys, however, have a tough opponent in the pre-quarterfinals, drawn against the PSPB Academy. But for this, the rest of the big teams have easy draws and should go through to the quarterfinals.

All top teams qualified for the main draw without much difficulty. Tamil Nadu, placed in a five-team Group H, had to play an extra match than the teams in other groups. Yet, they showed their mettle to be the group topper.

In sub-junior girls, a tough pre-quarterfinal battle is on cards between Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Champions Andhra did top group A, but Karnataka finished behind Maharashtra A in group C. The latter is drawn to meet Assam in the last 16 stage. Delhi, expectedly, topped group G and will meet Chandigarh in the pre-quarters. Hosts Rajasthan did manage a last-16 berth and will run into Goa.

Rajasthan also made it to the pre-quarters in the Cadet Boys section, finishing behind Tamil Nadu in group G. The hosts clash with North Bengal while Tamil Nadu will meet a vibrant Uttar Pradesh. Delhi run into neighbouring Haryana in the pre-quarters after both teams finished second in their respective groups. The other teams that qualified for the main draw include PSPB Academy, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra A, Maharashtra B, Assam, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

In group toppers’ clash in Cadet Girls, Delhi will take on Andhra Pradesh while Tamil Nadu are to meet Gujarat while the other group leaders have rather an easy draw as they meet the second finished teams from different groups. 

With semifinals and finals slated for tomorrow evening, all the semifinals will be spotted tonight. After that, the individual qualification matches will begin tomorrow in all categories. 

A TTFI Press release

Race to Royal Calcutta Golf Club to tee-off today

Kolkata, December 25, 2013: McLeod Russel, the world’s largest tea producer, and the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI), will be staging the McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2013, the PGTI’s Year-Ending Championship, at the esteemed Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) from December 26 – 29, 2013. The tournament’s prize purse of Rs. 1.35 crore is the highest-ever for a domestic event in India.

The event will see the top 60 players from the PGTI’s 2013 Rolex Rankings compete for top honours along with five sponsor invites. The tournament will be a 72-hole stroke-play championship and there will be no cut applied after 36 holes. All players will be guaranteed prize money. The top-60 includes the likes of Rashid Khan (current Rolex Rankings leader), Shamim Khan (2012 Rolex Rankings champion), rookies Chikkarangappa S and Angad Cheema (both currently in the top-5 of the Rolex Rankings), Chiragh Kumar (2011 Rolex Rankings champion) and Mukesh Kumar, to name a few. The five professionals playing on sponsor invites are defending champion SSP Chowrasia, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Anirban Lahiri, Jyoti Randhawa and Rahil Gangjee.

There are eight foreign players in the field and the prominent names among them are Md Zamal Hossain Mollah (Bangladesh), N Thangaraja (Sri Lanka), Mithun Perera (Sri Lanka), Shivaram Shrestha (Nepal) and Kunal Bhasin (Australia).

The eight Kolkata-based professionals in the fray are SSP Chowrasia, Rahil Gangjee, Shankar Das, Feroz Ali Mollah, Divyanshu Bajaj, Rafick Ali Mollah, Raju Ali Mollah and Mohammad Sanju.

While the inaugural edition of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship in 2012 carried a prize purse of Rs. 1.25 crore, the second edition has an increased prize purse of Rs. 1.35 crore. The prize money for the next edition in 2014 will witness a further increase to Rs. 1.5 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Aditya Khaitan, Managing Director, McLeod Russel, said, “After the success of 2012, we are very happy to be hosting the second edition of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship. This is our small way of giving golf a boost in this region and we hope that it will eventually lead to the growth of the game. McLeod Russel’s heritage is based on values, culture and commitment and a strong belief in supporting and backing the right talent, and keeping that in mind, we will be sponsoring one professional and two amateur golfers from Kolkata for the 2014 season. We hope this will help the young golfers in taking the next steps in realizing their full golfing potential. We will be on the lookout for budding golfers in the future as well, and have put in place a committee to evaluate and identify budding golfers. We take this opportunity to thank the PGTI and the Royal Calcutta Golf Club for the opportunity to host the Championship this year. We are committed to the McLeod Russel Tour Championship and in the development of golf.”

Announcing the event, Mr. Padamjit Sandhu, Director, PGTI, said, “It is always great to be back at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). The race for the Rolex Player of the Year at the 2013 McLeod Russel Tour Championship will make it a befitting week with our top players and invited Indian golf icons making it the strongest ever player field at a PGTI championship. We thank McLeod Russel for their strong support to professional golf and look forward to an exciting week at the richest ever prize purse domestic championship of Rs. 13.5 million.”

Mr. Gaurav Ghosh, General Committee Member, RCGC, said, “On behalf of the members and the committee, I would like to thank McLeod Russell and PGTI for bringing the tournament to the Royal for the second year.”

Press release

Ishan International School cruise into quarterfinals

Ishan International School (orange) and Acharya Sudarshan Patna Central School players battle for the ball during their match in Patna on December 24, 2013

Patna, December 24, 2013: Ishan International School defeated Acharya Sudarshan Patna Central school 2-1 and moved into the quarterfinal of Anu Anand Cup Super Challenge Inter-School Football Tournament at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Tuesday.

Kartik Bharatiya netted a brace for the winners in the 43^rd and 55^th minutes. Sudhanshu Shekhar reduced the margin for PCS in the 59^th minute.

V S Agriculture School win Delhi Waveriders School Cup

New Delhi, December 24, 2013: In its bid to promote hockey at grass root levels, the real estate major Wave Group embarked on a journey to host an exciting “Delhi Waveriders School Cup 2013” presented by The Ponty Chadha Foundation. This first-of-its-kind hockey school tournament was flagged off on December 16, 2013 and came to a grand end on December 24, 2013 at the historical Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

The tournament was organised under the aegis of Hockey India (HI) wherein 32 schools across Delhi/ NCR battled against each other to win the Best Hockey School team in the city.

The closing ceremony was presided over by Mr. Ajit Saran (Secretary Sports, Government of India). The winning team is proposed to play an exhibition match against last year’s HIL runner up, Delhi Waveriders , at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Manpreet Singh Chadha, Vice-Chairman, WAVE Group said, “It is indeed a pleasure to see the enthusiasm and passion among the children for the national game. This initiative was an endeavor to promote the national game and bring back its glory. The vision is to take this tournament to other cities as well, thus creating the best national level school hockey tournament in the country.”

The Ponty Chadha Foundation has been actively promoting several societal causes including education for specially abled, operating Food Banks in partnership with Indian Food Banking Network (IFBN) and running medical camps for poor.

To help the cause, Hockey India offered its full support to the tournament, providing all the technical assistance to the organizers and the participating players. The young buds got a chance to showcase their talent in front of national selectors, who were present for the matches.

Key Highlights of the Tournament:

Winning Team: V S Agriculture School, Kheragarhi

Player of the Tournament: Prakash (Shirt Number 10) from Ganga International School who scored 12 goals

Promising Player: Somjeet (Shirt No 12) from V S Agriculture School, Kheragarhi

Best Goalkeeper: Ankit (Shirt Number 11) from Govt. Boys Sr. Sec School, Begampur

Best Match—First Quarter Final

Bakner School (Narela) vs Ganga International School (Hirankudna)

Score: 3 – 4

Winning Team: Ganga International School

Total Goal scored- 363

Through Field Goal- 298

Through Penalty Corner- 48

Through Own- 09

Through Penalty Stroke- 08

Press release

3 overage boys debarred, Mizoram scratched

Ajmer, December 24, 2013: Ronit Bhanja, Udit Bhattacharya and Lalruat Puiab, who were found to be overage after medical tests conducted at the Jawaharlal Nehru Government Hospital here, were debarred from participating in the ONGC Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the MC Chowhan Indoor Stadium today.

Mizoram borne the extra brunt as it was scratched from the Sub-Junior Boys team event since Puiab was part of the state’s team. West Bengal, however, escaped the punishment since Bjanja and Bhattacharya did not compete in the team championships.

The decision to debar the players and the team (Mizoram) was taken following adverse reports by the Medical Jurists from the hospital. Any further punishment, including a proposed five-year debarment of the players, will be taken by the TTFI’s executive board when it meets next.

Both Bhanja and Bhattacharya, competing in the sub-junior and Cadet sections, respectively, were warned of the medical tests during the North Zone Ranking Championships since their birth certificates aroused suspicion. In fact, Bhanja was the sub-junior titlist at Delhi, while Bhattacharya was a semifinalist in the Cadet category and their prize money and ranking points were withheld for want of original birth certificates.

“We had asked all players to produce proper birth proof documents, besides asking for undertakings to their correctness. Wherever we had suspicions about a boy or a girl, we randomly picked them for medical tests. Today we sent five boys and three were ruled to be overage. We have acted as per our guidelines. Before scratching the team and debarring players, we had consulted our president P.C. Chaturvedi and he was for taking the strictest action possible to put an end to this menace,” said TTFI secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary.

Choudhary also added that they have informed the respective associations and asserted that there will be more such random tests conducted during the championships.

Mismatches galore

Meanwhile, the stage one group matches had the usual mismatches with the known teams making easy forays at the end of two rounds in all sections.  Indeed, there were a few surprises in the form of better-known teams being extended by the lesser ones but, by no stretch of imagination, did the latter cause any upset. In the Sub-Junior Boys, Andhra Pradesh managed a 3-1 win over Maharashtra A, while North Bengal struggled to beat Maharashtra B 3-2 in round two.

PSPB Academy almost ensured a place in the main draw by winning both their matches against Goa and Chandigarh with 3-0 verdicts. Similarly, Andhra notched their 3-0 win against Jammu and Kashmir to be at the doorstep of the main draw. Delhi, who trounced Himachal 3-0, suffered a 0-3 loss to West Bengal. Hosts Rajasthan defeated Sikkim 3-0 in the second round but lost 1-3 to Uttar Pradesh. UP are also closing in on their qualification with a match at hand.

In Sub-Junior Girls, Rajasthan had a bright start to beat Gujarat 3-1 in the first round, with Bhuvaneshwari and Priyanka Pareek doing the star turn for the hosts. After Priyanka won her singles, Bhuvaneshwari lost to Arushi Nandwani in a stretched rubber. But Bhuvaneshwar combined well with Priyanka Pareek to beat the Gujarat duo Fagun Bhatt and Abhija Desai 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 to go 2-0 up. Then Priyanka completed the formality with a straight sets win against Arushi.

In the Cadet Girls section, Haryana rattled Tamil Nadu with a 3-2 verdict in the first round in group E. With Suhana Saini and Trisha Pal, playing well, they provided a runaway lead of 2-0 for Haryana. However, Suhana and Anjali Rohilla lost their doubles to Vaishnavi and Sharmitha, which put pressure on Suhana who lost her reverse singles to Sharmitha 5-11, 3-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11. But Trisha Pal restored Haryana’s pride by beating Vaishnavi 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 to win 3-2.

A TTFI Press release