Manush in a City of Joy, Manushree joins the party

Kolkata, December 28, 2015: City of Joy brought top-seeded Gujarat boy, Manush Shah, an advanced New Year gift in the form of a maiden Sub-Junior singles title when he defeated state mate Soham Pandya 4-0, while it was Maharashtra’s Manushree Patil who won the Sub-Junior Girls crown beating North Bengal’s Nikita Sarkar 4-3 in the 77th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here today.

Earlier, Tamil Nadu’s Vishwa Deenadayalan kept his top billing intact and beat Delhi’s Payas Jain to win his first Cadet Boys singles gold. What Payas couldn’t do Lakshita Narang did for Delhi, blanking out qualifier Ambika Gupta from UP for a 4-0 verdict and gold on her first appearance.   

Earlier the pair of Manush and Soham had claimed the sub-junior doubles title to make it a very profitable nationals’ outing for themselves and Gujarat. They beat PSPBA’s Jeho and Alberto Lrruata 3-1. The Gujarat boys had also lifted the team trophy earlier. The Sub-Junior Girls doubles went to Delhi’s Ishita Gupta and Amiesha Dhall who thrashed top-seeded Maharashtra pair of Manushree Patil and Swastika Ghosh 3-1.   

Unlike the boys final which went only one way, the sub-junior girls’ final was a see-saw battle with the pendulum swinging from one end to another with the players taking one and giving one. But once the decider began, it was Maharashtra all the way as Manushree drove and countered well to shut her North Bengal opponent quite early. Similarly, even the Cadet Boys final witnessed tense moments with Payas and Vishwa doing everything possible to keep their seeding and reputation intact. But the error-prone match finally went the top-seed way as he shifted gears to finish in style and speedily.

Pathetic PSPBA

It was a pathetic performance by the PSB Academy boys. Surprisingly, not a single player could lay his hands on an individual medal. However, the team had won silver in the nationals. As if this was not enough, there were more shocks in store for the seeded players in all categories. In Sub-Junior Boys, apart from four PSPBA seeds, Delhi’s Shivjit Singh Lamba (No. 5) and Wesley D Rozoario (6) also exited. In Sub-Junior Girls, West Bengal’s Prapti Sen (No. 2) and No. 6, 7 and 8th seeds, Tanishi Kirtani (Goa), Diya Chitale (Mah) and Anusha Kutumbale (MP) bowed out in the quarterfinals.

In Cadet Boys, only the first four seeds survived to enter semifinals while the rest fell by the way in the quarters itself.  But the biggest surprise was in Cadet Girls as top-seed Kavyasree Baskar from Tami Nadu bit the dust in the quarterfinals. Two other Tamil Nadu seeds—Nehal Suriya Narayanan (5), Sathvika Venkata Chalapathi (8)—followed her apart from No. 4 seed Suhana Saini (Har), West Bengal’s Prithoki Chakraborty (6) and Maharashtra’s Kheya Shah (7).

All-Gujarat final

In sub-junior semifinals, top-seeded Manush Shah easily defeated Jayabrata Bhattacharjee of North Bengal 4-0 while state mate Soham Pandya downed Delhi’s Shakreja Gourang by the same margin to make it a Gujarat final. As for the girls, North Bengal’s Nikita Sarkar, who accounted for Maharashtra’s Swastika Ghosh, will take on another Maharashtra padder Manushree Patil.

The top seed struggled before outsmarting Delhi girl, Ishita Gupta who led 3-2. Manushree was down and out at 5-2 and 7-9 before making it 10-10 and with Ishita gifting away two points, sending the ball on to the net, Manushree entered the maiden final.

In Cadet Boys, the final battle will be between Delhi’s Payas Jain and TN’s Vishwa Deenadayalan who beat state mate Varun Ganesh in straight games. Payas had earlier dealt 4-0 blow to UP’s Divyansh Srivastava in the first semifinal. In Cadet Girls, giant killer left-hander, Ambika Gupta, felled another seeded player from Tamil Nadu, Sathvika to earn a final meeting with Lakshita Narang of Delhi. She defeated Karnataka’s Anargaya Manjunath 3-0.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee gave away medals to the players who made it to the podium.

Results:

Sub-Junior Boys: Final: Manush Shah (Guj) bt Soham Pandya 11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5; Semifinals: Manush Shah bt Jayabrata Bhattacharjee (NB) 11-4, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3, Soham Pandya bt Shakreja Gourang (Del) 11-5, 11-5, 12-10, 11-4; Quarterfinals: Manush Shah bt H. Jeho (PSPBA) 4-0, Jayabrata Bhattacharjee bt Hardik Khurana (Del) 4-0, Shakreja Gourang bt Shubahdeep (WB) 4-2, Soham Pandya bt Anukram Jain (PSPBA) 4-3.

Doubles: Final: Manush Shah/Soham Pandya (Guj) bt H. Jeho/Alberto Lrruata (PSPBA) 11-6, 12-10, 9-11, 14-12.

Sub-Junior Girls: Final: Manushree Patil (Mah) bt Nikita Sarkar (NB) 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7; Semifinals: Nikita Sarkar bt Swastika Ghosh (Mah) 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7, Manushree Patil bt Ishita Gupta (Del) 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10; Quarterfinals: Nikita Sarkar bt Prapti Sen (WB) 4-1, Swastika Ghosh bt Vanshika Bhargava 4-1, Ishita Gupta bt Diya Chitale (Mah) 4-3, Manushree Patil bt Ameisha Dhall (Del) 4-2.

Doubles: Final: Ishita Gupta/Amiesha Dhall (Del) bt Manushree Patil/Swastika Ghosh (Mah) 12-10, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6.

Cadet Boys: Final: Vishwa Deenadayalan (TN) bt Payas Jain (Del) 14-16, 10-12, 13-11, 11-4, 13-11, 7-11, 11-5; Semifinals: Payas Jain bt Divyansh Srivastava (UP) 11-3, 11-9, 13-11, 11-4, Vishwa Deenadayalan bt Varun Ganesh (TN) 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-2, 11-6; Quarterfinals: Payas Jain bt Marcose Gigu (KNT) 3-1, Divyansh Srivastava bt Jash Modi (Mah) 3-0, Varun Ganesh bt Rudra Narayan Ghosh (WB) 3-1, Vishwa Deenadayalan bt Soumyadeep Sarkar (NB) 4-0.

Cadet Girls: Final: Lakshita Narang bt Ambita Gupta (UP) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8; Semifinals: Ambika Gupta bt Sathvika Srinivasan 11-8, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9, Lakshita Narang bt Anargya Manjunat (KNT) 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-7, 11-9; Quarterfinals: Ambika Gupta bt Kavyasree Baskar (TN) 3-1, Sathvika Srinivasan bt Sucheta Prosad (WB) 3-1, Anargaya Manjunath bt Tiyasa Chatterjee (WB) 3-2, Lakshita Narang bt Shreya Shiva Kumar (TN) 3-0.

TTFI Press release

Double delight for Chikkarangappa as he wins McLeod Russel Tour Championship & Rolex Ranking crown

Kolkata, December 27, 2015: It was double delight for Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa S as he capped a memorable 2015 season with victory at the season-ending McLeod Russel Tour Championship which also paved the way for his ascendancy to the status of Rolex Player of the Year. Chikka shot a tenacious final round of three-under-69 at the Rs. 1.5 crore event at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Sunday to register a one-shot win with a 12-under-276 total.

Gurgaon-based Indian golfing great Jyoti Randhawa and Khalin Joshi, another Bangalorean, were joint runners-up at 11-under-277.

Chikka’s brilliant win at RCGC earned him his highest ever pay cheque of Rs. 22,50,000 which took his season’s earnings to an outstanding Rs. 48,87,440. He thus climbed from second place to first position in the money list to take home the Rolex Player of the Year title. At 22 years and three months of age, Chikka became the youngest winner of the Rolex Ranking title. In his seven starts in the season he posted three wins, a runner-up and three other top-10s. The seasoned Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, who finished tied sixth at five-under-283 this week, claimed second place on the 2015 PGTI merit list with earnings of Rs. 39,41,710.  

Chikkarangappa (68-69-70-69), who was overnight third, three off the lead, had a steady start to the day with pars on the first three holes. He started making inroads with birdies on the fourth and sixth, having converted a 15-footer on the latter. The pro from the Eagleton Golf Resort, made the turn at one-under after dropping a shot on the eighth where his ball was plugged in the bunker.

While Chikka’s nearest rivals Jyoti Randhawa and Khalin Joshi couldn’t really make a move on the back-nine, Chikka seized the initiative with three birdies against a lone bogey. The 22-year-old marched towards his eighth career title, sinking birdie putts from eight to 12 feet on 12 and 17. He also capitalized with a birdie on the par-5 15th after finding the green in two shots. The 2013 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year finally sealed the victory with a two-putt for par on the 18th.

Chikka said, “It’s amazing to win the biggest tournament on the PGTI and also the Rolex Ranking title on the same day. Emerging Order of Merit champion is special for me because I’ve been finishing second on the merit list for the last two years. I’m also delighted to have won here at RCGC since I missed cuts for three weeks running on the Asian Tour before this event.

“It was a tough fight today as I knew Jyoti and Khalin will not give up till the end. I think the turning point for me was the 12-feet birdie conversion on the 17th. That’s when I thought, I can take this, since I was one ahead with one hole to play. I didn’t strike it well through the week but my short-game was very sharp. I made very few birdies at this event as compared to my other successful weeks.

“The change of caddie this week also helped my cause. I had Anirban Lahiri’s previous caddie Narasimha on the bag this week. His inputs were quite useful. The focus will now be on making it back on the Asian Tour through the Qualifying School and thereafter doing well on the tour,” added an elated Chikka.

Jyoti Randhawa (68-65-71-73), the overnight leader by one stroke, slipped to joint second place on Sunday after mixing three birdies with four bogeys during his final round of 73. Jyoti, who had struggled with stomach cramps on Saturday, scrambled for most part of the final round and was three-over through 15 holes. Despite his tap-in birdies on 16 and 17, Randhawa could not catch up with Chikka.

“I was in a much better physical condition today but couldn’t really produce a round that could’ve helped me win on the final day. Nonetheless, I’m glad to have finished in the top-3 after all that I went through in the third round,” said Randhawa.

Khalin Joshi (70-67-68-72), lying overnight second, one behind leader Jyoti, showed promise in the first half of the day as he took the lead at one stage. However, he finally brought in a card of 72 and had to settle for tied second place along with Randhawa. Joshi was three-under through seven holes, having sunk three birdie putts from 10 to 20 feet. Khalin, a two-time winner on the PGTI, then missed some short putts to add three bogeys to his card.

Joshi said, “It was disappointing that I couldn’t close it despite taking the lead today. A bad tee shot on the eighth that landed in the hazard took away the momentum from me. I’ll now look to earn my card on the Asian Tour through the Qualifying School and make an impact there.”     

Kolkata’s SSP Chawrasia, the 2012 champion, fired the day’s joint best score of 68 to finish fourth at 10-under-278. Rahil Gangjee (71), another local favourite, finished three shots behind in fifth place.

Mukesh Kumar (68) of Mhow and Sri Lankan Anura Rohana (70) were tied sixth at five-under-283.

Kolkata’s Shankar Das, the 2014 champion, ended eighth at four-under-284 after his final round of 75.

   

Bengaluru’s Udayan Mane, who finished tied 20th this week at one-over-289, won the 2015 PGTI Emerging Player of the Year title for recording the highest earnings among the rookies this season. Mane’s earnings for 2015 stood at Rs. 22,21,507. Mane also finished a creditable fifth in the Rolex Ranking. Feroz Singh Garewal of Chandigarh, tied 27th this week, finished second in the Emerging Player list with season’s earnings of Rs. 6,81,040.

 Picture Caption:

Chikkarangappa receives the trophy and cheque from Mr. K K Baheti, Director, McLeod Russel (centre) and Master Akhil Khaitan also representing McLeod Russel (left)

Heat on sub-junior boys; seeds get no byes!

Kolkata, December 27, 2015: With days truncated, schedule squeezed and the number of entries showing a quantum jump, the top-eight seeded players in the Sub-Junior Boys will, for the first time in any national championships, have not been accorded any byes in the 77th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships being played at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here today.

The normal luxury of first-round byes has been deprived to them, thanks to 56 boys from as many groups qualifying to make the cut in main draw which began this afternoon. It will be a very hectic schedule for the players in the all four sections as they have to play two rounds of main draw events each with five rounds to follow tomorrow, depending on how a player progressed.

In Sub-Junior Boys, there is a large presence of PSPBA players with four figuring among the top eight. But Gujarat’s Manush Shah has been given the pride of place as the No. 1 seed, having maintained his ranking intact. But among qualifiers entering the second stage, Maharashtra led with eight players making the cut, followed by Tamil Nadu, who had six qualifying and hosts West Bengal five.

However, the seeded players in Sub-Junior Girls, Cadet Boys and Cadet Girls received the benefit of first-round byes because of the lesser number of groups. From group qualifiers, five girls from Tamil Nadu, there each from Maharashtra and West Bengal moved into the knockout stage.

This somehow filled up the gap as the hosts had only three players—Prapti Sen, Rudhra Narayan Ghosh and Prithoki Chakraborty—directly seeded in all but the Sub-Junior Boys category.

Maharashtra’s Manushree Patil and Prapti Sen has won two national ranking titles each but Manushree having garnered more points has been seeded at No. 1 ahead of Prapti, who follows here immediately. In fact, there are three Maharashtra players, including Manushree, as Swastika Ghosh and Diya Chitale are figuring in the seeding list.

With Tamil Nadu dominating the Cadet events in recent time, one could see on an average three players coming into the top-eight bracket. That became pretty much evident when seeding list was released just before the main draw matches were to start today.

Vishwa Deenadayalan, who is top-seeded in Cadet Boys, is followed by state mates Anuj Mahipal and Surfeshraj at No. 7 and No. 8. Similarly, in Cadet Girls Kavyasree Baskar, who is No. 1 seed, has for company from Tamil Nadu Nehal Suriya Narayanan (No. 5), Sathvika Venkata Chalapathi (TN).

    

In Cadet Boys, four West Bengal qualified while Maharashtra sent seven and Tamil Nadu just two to lend strength to the main draw while in Cadet Girls, West Bengal’s four girls made it to the main draw even as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra had only three each. Delhi was another state that had a presence of 15 of their players from all sections qualifying for the second stage.

Seeding List (1-8):

Sub-Junior Boys: Manush Shah (Guj), Anukram Jain, Alberto Lrrutta, H.Jeho (all PSPBA), Shivjit Singh Lamba (Del), Wesley D Rozario (Goa), Jayabrata Bhattacharya (NB), Harsh Srivastava (PSPBA).

Sub-Junior Girls: Manushree Patil (Mah), Prapti Sen (WB), Swastika Ghosh (Mah), Ishita Gupta (Del), Nikita Sarkar (NB), Tanishi Kirtani (Goa), Diya Chitale (Mah), Anusha Kutumbale (MP).

Cadet Boys: Vishwa Deenadayalan (TN), Payas Jain (Del), Divyas Srivastava (UP), Varun Ganesh (TN), Soumyadeep Sarkar (NB) Rudhra Narayan Ghosh (WB), Anuj Mahipal (TN), Suresh Raj Preyesh (TN).

Cadet Girls: Kavyasree Baskar (TN), Lakshita Narang (Del), Anargya Manjunath (KNT), Suhana Saini (Har), Nehal Suriya Narayanan (TN), Prithoki Chakraborty (WB), Kheya Shah (Mah), Sathvika Venkata Chalapathi (TN).

TTFI Press release

Shiva Keshavan wins silver at Asian Championship in Japan

New Delhi, December 27, 2015: The Asian Championship in Japan concluded today with Shiva Keshavan from India bringing home the Silver Medal. The race consisted of 2 heats closely contested by the Asian athletes. Though in the first heat Shiva was a mere 2/10th of a second behind, minor technical snags cost him the gold medal in the second heat.

The first place was claimed by Japan’s Hidenari Kanayama, and third by Korea’s Dong Hyeon Kim.

“I am happy to add another medal to our kitty. This year has been extremely difficult for me financially and I am proud that despite that I have managed to keep India’s flag flying in international winter sports. I was hoping to bring home the Gold, but I still have another 2 years before Korea 2018, and am hopeful that support with come forth so I can put my best performance yet for our country.”

Shiva will aim to continue the Season by participating in 3 of the remaining World Cups, all to be held in Germany. The Season will end with the Homologation of the Olympic Track in Korea, where selected athletes will be able to preview and test the track there. 

Gujarat boys, West Bengal girls win sub-junior team titles; TN make sweep of Cadet crowns

Kolkata, December 26, 2015: Gujarat boys and West Bengal girls smiled from ears-to-ears when they lifted the Sub-Junior Boys and Sub-Junior Girls team trophies afloat and stood on the podium for a longer period for a photo-op in the 77th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here this afternoon.

It was a proud moment for both as Gujarat, who beat PSPA boys 3-1 in the final, have done it for the first time in 77 editions, while West Bengal, who thrashed Maharashtra A 3-0, could do it again before the home crowd in 13 years.

Much water has flowed down the Hooghly since 1992 when West Bengal had made a clean sweep of all titles at home and their previous title had come three years ago at Ajmer.

Even as the two teams celebrate their sub-junior title success, there was a tensed but quiet festivity in the Tamil Nadu benches as their Cadet Boys and Cadet Girls, particularly the latter, achieved what looked impossible minutes before the finals ended.

If the Tamil Nadu girls had to endure a 24-game final to beat Karantaka 3-2, their boys had to play only six games fewer to overcome a resilient Delhi by the same margin. In the end, their boys and girls came out of the arena triumphant after the two and a half hours duels, beaming all the way last night.

No doubt, Gujarat boys deserved to wear the crown today more than the PSPBA boys for just simple reason. It was Gujarat’s strong willpower that carried the day for them as PSPBA’s H. Jeho and Anukram Jain, better, capable and higher-ranked players, didn’t have the steely nerves in them to make a match of it.

Starting trouble

Their beginning was as bad as it can get when Jeho went down to Manush Shah 1-3 despite winning the first game. The left-handed Manush drove and served better with good display of variations seizing the moments that were presented by his rival. Anukram Jain, who has had two titles this season, had a nervous start against Soham Pandya, Gujarat’s second singles player. The normally average Soham played beyond his capability, executing excellent shots to the bewilderment of his PSPBA opponent. Yet, Anukram levelled after being stretched the full distance.

But the Gujarat duo of Manush and Soham outsmarted PSPBA’s Anukram and Alberto Lrrutta to go 2-1 up. Anukram, who played the reverse singles, went in for the fourth rubber of the final with drooping shoulders and completely exhausted. The result was palpable when Manush, who by then had touched his peak with a nice rhythm, took the first two games as he completed the onslaught with a game loss to Anukram.

Scrappy Manushree

When Shrubabati Moitra won 3-1 in the opening rubber against Maharashtra’s Manushree Patil, things became crystal clear. Manushree, a resolute player with all shots in the book to boot with two national ranking crowns, was just scrappy today. But Swastika Ghosh was brilliant to begin with against Prapti Sen but she faltered to deceive as the West Bengal girl came from behind after being 0-2 down to win 3-2 and put the hosts 2-0 up. Next, in the doubles, both Manushree and Swastika squashed the momentary resistance from Manushree and Diya Chitale to blank out Maharashtra.

The V-factor

The V-factor worked well for Tamil Nadu Cadet Boys as Vishwa Deenadayalan and Varun Ganesh, despite being taken the full distance by Delhi’s Payas Jain—Delhi’s real game changer. It was Payas who restored order raised vision of a comeback when he won his reverse singles too against Vishwa. But Varun rolled over Tejas Narang, a promising player, to pull down the shutters on Delhi. Coaches R. Ramnath Prasad and R. Jai Prabhuram had their hands in shaping the careers of both Vishwa and Varun.

Fascinating display

But what made everyone awestruck was the showing put up by Shreya Shiva Kumar. Tamil Nadu’s Cadet Girls title fortunes heavily hinged on her reverse singles against Karnataka’s second player Yashaswini Ghorpade who first equalized 2-2 in the decider and in the last game was 9-5 up. Ten out of 10 times, one would expect the Karnataka girl to win, not just the rubber but with it the title.

Unfortunately, she netted three times and the sixth standard student of Sri Shakara Senior Secondary School, Adyar (Chennai) served to level nine-each and went 10-9 up at the first opportunity. To her and Coach Subin Kumar’s relief, Shreya returned well and low but her rival Yashaswini only managed to put the ball back on the net again. A quiet hug from the coach and players followed at the bench but the Tamil Nadu supporters sitting in the galleries on both sides went wild with celebrations of hi-fives.

Meanwhile, singles qualification group matches in all sections began soon after the medal ceremonies. The nationals conclude on Monday.  

Results:

Sub-Junior Boys: Final: Gujarat bt PSPBA 3-1 (Manush Shah bt H. Jeho 5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4, Soham Pandya lost to Anukram Jain 11-6, 8-11, 11-6, 10-12, 12-14, Manush/Soham bt Alberto Lrruata/Anukram 11-8, 11-4, 11-9, Manush Shah bt Anukram Jain 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5).

Sub-Junior Girls: Final: West Bengal bt Maharashtra A 3-0 (Shrubabati Moitra bt Manushree Patil 11-7, 11-1, 5-11, 11-4, Prapti Sen bt Swastika Ghosh 9-11, 6-11, 11-2, 11-4, 11-6, Shrubabati/Prapti bt Manushree/Swstika 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-2).

Cadet Boys: Final: Tamil Nadu bt Delhi 3-2 (Varun Ganesh lost to Payas Jain 11-3, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 5-11, Vishwa Deenadayalan bt Tejas Narang 11-6, 11-5, 11-8, Vishwa/Varun 11-5, 11-5, 11-5, Vishwa Deenadayalan lost to Payas Jain 11-9, 8-11, 10-12, 9-11, Varun Ganesh bt Tejas Narang 11-6, 11-8, 11-8).  

Cadet Girls: Final: Tamil Nadu bt Karnataka 3-2 (Kavyasree Baskar bt Yashaswini Ghorpade 11-4, 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5, Shreya Shiva Kumar lost to Anargaya Manjunath 2-11, 10-12, 11-7, 11-3, 3-11, Kavyasree/Shreya lost to Yashaswini/Anargaya 10-12, 12-10, 5-11, 7-11, Kavyasree Baskar bt Anargaya Manjunath 8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-5, Shreya Shiva Kumar bt Yashaswini Ghorpade 11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9). 

TTFI Press release

Randhawa endures stomach cramps to shoot brave 71 and stay ahead by one

Jyoti Randhawa

Kolkata, December 26, 2015: Jyoti Randhawa endured stomach cramps in round three to shoot a brave one-under-71 that kept him in the lead by one shot at the Rs. 1.5 crore McLeod Russel Tour Championship being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC). The Gurgaon-based professional took his three-day tally to 12-under-204 on Saturday.

Bengaluru’s Khalin Joshi fired the day’s joint best score of four-under-68 to lurk behind the leader in second place at 11-under-205.

Jyoti Randhawa (68-65-71), the overnight leader by four shots, felt the effects of an upset stomach through the third day but still managed to deliver a resolute 71 to continue in the lead. Jyoti was quick off the blocks picking up birdies on the first, second and fourth, landing it within five feet on the first two occasions, to build a comfortable five-stroke lead. He dropped a stroke after missing a six-footer on the ninth but came roaring back with a 20-feet birdie conversion from just off the green on the 10th.

Randhawa missed the greens on 12 and 13 for consecutive bogeys as his lead was cut down to three strokes. It was on the 14th tee that the 43-year-old seasoned campaigner considered withdrawing from the tournament due to the pain and discomfort caused by the cramps. However, cheered on by the big crowd, he decided to carry on. Jyoti was solid thereafter, making pars all the way till the finish.

“It was a tough and draining day for me today due to my physical condition. However, I’m glad to have hung in there to stay in front. I look forward to coming back strong on the final day,” said Randhawa.

Khalin Joshi (70-67-68), who was overnight joint second, had a birdie and a bogey on the front-nine but he made his move on the back-nine with an eagle and two birdies. He made a 15-feet birdie conversion on 12 and then drove the par-4 16thgreen and followed up with a 25-feet putt for eagle there. He finally had a birdie chip-in on the 17th which helped him end the day within one shot of the lead.

“I think the 12th was the turning point for me today as I started swinging better from there on. I was far better on the back-nine in all aspects of the game. I was also very relaxed playing alongside my good friend Chikka. I play a lot of practice rounds with him back home in Bengaluru. I’m in a decent position now just one shot off the lead and will look to raise the tempo in the final round,” said Joshi.

Chikkarangappa, who was lying joint second after round two, slipped to third place at nine-under-207 after his 70 on Saturday. Chikka, second in the order of merit, is still the strongest contender for the Rolex Ranking title as money list leader Mukesh Kumar of Mhow is currently placed tied 15th in the tournament at one-under-215.

Defending champion Shankar Das (70) of Kolkata occupies fourth place at seven-under-209. The Kolkata duo of 2012 champion SSP Chawrasia (68) and Rahil Gangjee (72) are a further shot back in tied fifth.

Kapurthala’s Gaganjeet Bhullar moved up to seventh place at five-under-211 thanks to his third round effort of 68.

PGTI Press release

Premier Badminton League announces Akshay Kumar as the Brand Ambassador

New Delhi, December 26,  2015: Premier Badminton League today announced Bollywood superstar and sports enthusiast Akshay Kumar as the brand ambassador for the much-awaited badminton League (PBL) beginning January 2, 2016.  

With him coming on board this will add further to the excitement and glamour towards the tournament. Sports lovers already perceive the superstar as a sport and fitness freak and his association will be seen as a perfect fit to all sports lovers.

The League will even witness Akshay Kumar actively post his comments and updates on the social media via his official Twitter handle, blogs and podcasts talking on PBL and how players fared each day. 

Speaking on the announcement, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, President BAI & Chairman PBL said, “We welcome Akshay Kumar as the Brand Ambassador and his association with the League is in line with our focus to create the required excitement. His presence will not only attract sports lovers but even excite the players. We are sure we will witness a successful edition not only on the court but even off the court. ”

Speaking on his association, Akshay Kumar said “I have always believed in associating with sports and this League is yet another platform for me to showcase my support. Badminton has given us reasons to rejoice for years now and I am very excited to meet the young stars who have conquered many feats on the court. For me they are the true Brand Ambassadors to this beautiful and exciting game, I wish each one Good Luck and may the best team win.”

The Premier Badminton League will start from 2nd January 2016 where six franchisees - Delhi Acers, Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors - will compete for the top honour. The opening day of the League will witness Awadhe Warriors taking on Mumbai Rockets in Mumbai.

BAI Press release

Jyoti Randhawa soars with two eagles to take commanding four-shot lead

Jyoti Randhawa

Kolkata, December 25, 2015: Jyoti Randhawa’s campaign at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship took flight with a sizzling seven-under-65 in round two. The Gurgaon-based Indian golfing legend thus established a commanding four-stroke lead at 11-under-133 at the Rs. 1.5 crore season-ending event of the PGTI being played at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).

The Bengaluru duo of Khalin Joshi and Chikkarangappa S were next best on the leaderboard at seven-under-137.

Jyoti Randhawa (68-65) soared to the top thanks to the tournament’s best round so far which featured an impressive two eagles, four birdies and a bogey. The 43-year-old Randhawa, the joint overnight leader along with four others, came out all guns blazing on Friday as he made two chip-ins in quick succession on the second and fourth, the first for a birdie and the second for eagle.

Jyoti, a winner of nine international titles, made his only error on a windy day on the 10th where he overshot the green with his approach and as a result dropped a bogey. He then collected his second eagle of the day on the 15th and three more birdies on the last seven holes to end up with a seven-under. He landed his second shot within six feet for eagle on the par-5 15th before signing off with a 12-feet birdie conversion on the 18th.

Randhawa, who won his last title in March 2012, said, “I sorted out some errors in my hitting today and was swinging it well. I capitalized on both the par-5s with eagles. I felt I played the stretch from the 15th to 18th really well. It was a very satisfying round.

“The wind worked to my advantage as I’m used to playing in such conditions, having played in Europe for seven years. My experience helped me negotiate the weather conditions. I’m now looking at repeating this effort over the last two days. I’ll look to keep the intensity going,” added Jyoti, who has had two top-10s on the Asian Tour this year.

Khalin Joshi (70-67), a winner on the PGTI this year, sought to put behind the disappointment of recently missing out on his Asian Tour exemption by two spots, with a solid 67 that included seven birdies and two bogeys.

“I haven’t been striking it well but my putter was hot today. I made three long birdie putts from 15 to 20 feet. I still feel I need to hit it closer to stay in the hunt this week. The back-nine offers more scoring opportunities and I made it count today. Jyoti will be the man to catch since he’s playing really well,” said Joshi, who climbed four places form his overnight tied sixth.

Chikkarangappa (68-69), the overnight joint leader, mixed five birdies with two bogeys for his 69 to drop to joint second. Chikka, placed second in the Rolex Ranking, however, is still on course for the Rolex Player of the Year title as the leader Mukesh Kumar (73) of Mhow lies a distant tied 20th at one-under-143.

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee, who was part of the five-way lead in round one, slipped to tied fourth at six-under-138 after his second round of 70. Om Prakash Chouhan (68) of Mhow shared fourth place with Gangjee.

Defending champion Shankar Das of Kolkata was bunched together with the Noida duo of Gaurav Pratap Singh and Amardip Sinh Malik in tied sixth at five-under-139.

The Kolkata duo of former champion SSP Chawrasia (72) and Divyanshu Bajaj (70) were in joint 14th along with four others at two-under-142.

PGTI release

West Bengal girls’ team enters final

Kolkata, December 25, 2015: West Bengal’s sub-junior girls were the only exception as they upset runners-up Tamil Nadu to enter the team championship final while their boys bowed out early in the 77th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here today.

In the sub-junior girls’ semifinals, West Bengal defeated runners-up Tamil Nadu 3-1 and earned a final meeting with Maharashtra, who accounted for Delhi. Earlier, title-holders Karnataka girls bowed out in the quarterfinals.

In sub-junior boys’ semifinals, PSPBA boys blanked out Uttar Pradesh 3-0 to meet Gujarat in the finaltomorrow. Gujarat handed out a 3-0 drubbing to Telangana in the second semifinals.

In Cadet Girls, West Bengal went down 1-3 in the first semifinal to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu defeated Haryana 3-2 in a hard-fought second semifinal. In Cadet Boys, Delhi beat Uttar Pradesh 3-1 while it was Tamil Nadu boys who downed North Bengal 3-1 to enter the final.   

Earlier, in the quarterfinals where calculations went topsy-turvy when both last year’s winners Maharashtra A and runners-up Delhi were sent packing. First, Haryana shocked Maharashtra A 3-1 and hosts West Bengal defeated Delhi 3-2 in a tough encounter.

Haryana’s Suhana Saini did the star turn for Haryana winning both her singles and apart from combining with Bishu Gulati to win the doubles. Suhana started her team’s campaign brightly beating her Maharashtra A rival Aeeha D’Souza 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7 but Bishu Gulati failed to keep the momentum going as she her singles to Kheya Shah 9-11, 3-11, 1-11. Then both Suhana and Bishu combined well to down Aneeha and Kheya 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 before Suhana downing Kheya Shah 11-5, 11-3, 11-6 to ensure Team Haryana at least the bronze medal.

As for Delhi, they fought really well against the hosts but what made the difference was Prithoki Chakraborty who had to bail out her team. Delhi led 2-1 after Prithoki beat Tamanna Gulshan in her first singles. However, Lakshita Narang and Tamanna came back well to take the doubles in their favour beating Prithoki and Sucheta Prosad 3-1. Prithoki beat Lakshita 3-1 with a bit of struggle but it was Sucheta who finally gave West Bengal a berth in the semifinals when she defeated Tamanna in straight games.

Earlier, in sub-junior girls Tamil Nadu moved into the semifinals while winners at Rajahmundry, Karnataka made a meek 0-3 surrender to Delhi in the quarterfinals. Likewise, in Cadet Boys, PSPBA boys were ousted while Maharashtra A survived to move on. However, Both PSPBA and Telangana boys, the title holders and the second finisher, respectively, in sub-junior boys had no hiccups in the quarters.

Results:

Sub-Junior Boys: Semifinals: PSPBA bt Uttar Pradesh 3-0 (H. Hejo bt Adarsh Srivastava 3-11, 5-11, 11-2, 11-9, 11-7, Anukram Jain bt Divyansh Srivastava 11-3, 11-6, 11-8, Chinmaya Kapil bt Satyamgiri Gupta 11-9, 11-3, 11-9), Gujrat bt Telangana 3-0 (Soham Pandya bt Amaan Mohammad 6-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-9, Manush Shah bt Varun Shankar 11-6, 11-8, 11-7, Soham/Manush bt Amaan/Varun Shankar 11-6, 11-9, 11-8); Quarterfinals: PSPBA bt Tamil Nadu 3-0 (H. Jeho bt Kannan Srirram 11-9, 11-7, 11-7, Anukram Jain bt Piyush Sagar Gowthaman 11-9, 11-8, 12-10, Jeho/Anukram bt Kanan/Karana Jawahar 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 11-4), Uttar Pradesh bt Haryana 3-1 (Adarsh Srivastava bt Ritwik Chawla 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 13-15,11-4, Divyansh Srivastava lost to Shakreja Gourang 8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5, 5-11, Adarsh/Divyansh bt Ritwik/Shakreja 11-3, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, Adarsh Srivastava bt Shakreja Gourang 11-7, 11-7, 11-9), Gujarat bt Delhi 3-1 (Soham Pandya lost to Shivjit Singh Lamba 12-14, 7-11, 8-11, Manush Shah bt Payas Jain 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 11-2, Manush/Soham bt Yashansh Malik/Payas 11-6, 1-11, 11-4, 11-5, Manush Shah bt Shivjit Singh Lamba 11-5, 11-5, 11-4), Telangana bt Mharashtra A 3-1 (Amaan Mohammad bt Hrishkesh Malhotra 11-8, 11-9, 12-10, Varun Shankar lost to Ashwin Subramanian 11-7, 4-11, 5-11, 6-11, Amaan/Varun bt Ashwin/Dev Shroff 9-11, 13-11, 14-12, 5-11, 15-13, Amaan Mohammad bt Ashwin Subramanian 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 7-11, 11-9).

Sub-Junior Girls: Semifinals: Maharashtra A bt Delhi 3-1 (Swastika Ghosh lost to Ishita Gupta 7-11, 6-11, 6-11, Manushree Patil bt Ameisha Dhall 11-7, 12-10, 11-8, Manushree/Diya Chitale bt Ishita/Ameisha 5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8, Manushree Patil lost to Ishita Gupta 11-6, 4-11, 4-11, 7-11, Swastika Ghosh bt Ameisha Dhall 11-5, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9), West Bengal bt Tamil Nadu 3-1 (Shrubabati Moita bt Yogashree Sundaram 16-14, 11-9, 11-7, Prapti Sen bt Swetha Steffi 11-7, 11-3, 11-5, Shrubabati/Prapti lost to Yogashree/Kowishika Venkatesan 11-9, 12-10, 6-11, 5-11, 8-11, Prapti Sen bt Yogashree Sundaram 11-8, 11-3, 11-2;  Quarterfinals: Delhi bt Karnataka 3-0 (Ishita Gupta bt Aditi Nandi 13-11, 11-5, 11-5, Amiesha Dhall bt Anargya Manjunath 4-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-6, Ishita/Amiesha bt Anargya/Yashaswini 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5), Maharashtra A bt Madhya Pradesh 3-1 (Swastiak Ghosh lost to Anusha Kutumbale 11-4, 7-11, 11-13, 5-11, Manushree Patil bt Khusi Jain 11-3, 11-6, 11-8, Diya Chitale/Manushree bt Anusha/Khushi 11-13, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5, Manushree Patil bt Anusha Kutumbale 11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 14-12), West Bengal bt North Bengal 3-1 (Shrubabti Moitra bt Diksa Biswas 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, Prapti Sen bt Nikita Sarkar 5-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, Shrubabti/Prapti lost to Nikita/Diksa 14-16, 4-11, 9-11, Shrubabati Moitra bt Nikita Sarkar 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6), Tamil Nadu bt Gujarat 3-0 (Swetha Steffi bt Fagun Bhatt 11-4, 13-15, 11-9, 11-6, Yogashree Sundaram bt Malpani Sanskruti 11-3, 11-5, 11-5, Yogashree/Kowshika Venkateshan 11-5, 11-6, 11-8).

Cadet Boys: Semifinals: Delhi bt Uttar Pradesh 3-1 (Tejas Narang lost to Divyansh Srivastava 8-11, 2-11, 6-11, Payas Jain bt Vibhor Garg 11-6, 11-3, 11-9, Tejas/Payas bt Divyansh/Vibhor 7-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6, Payas Jain bt Divyansh Srivastava 11-9, 11-5, 11-13, 10-12, 11-7), Tamil Nadu bt North Bengal 3-1 (Vishwas Deenadayalan bt Shreyangshu Sen 11-2, 11-5, 11-7, Varun Ganesh bt Soumyadeep Sarkar 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, Vishwa/Varun lost to C. Kaushik/Soumyadeep 14-12, 9-11, 9-11, 8-11, Vishwa Deenadayalan bt Soumyadeep Sarkar 11-2, 15-13, 10-12, 11-4); Quarterfinals: Uttar Pradesh bt West Bengal 3-2 (Vibhor Garg bt Rudranarayan Ghosh 11-8, 9-11, 11-5, 8-11, 7-11, Divyansh Srivastava bt Swarnava Saha 11-8, 11-5, 11-4, Vibhor/Divyansh lost to Runak Roy/RN Ghosh 11-5, 12-14, 9-11, 8-11, Divyansh Srivastava bt Rudranarayan ghosh 9-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-7, 11-5, Vibhor Garg bt Swarnava Saha 13-11, 11-6, 11-7), Delhi bt Telangana 3-1 (Payas Jain bt Karthik Sai Krishana 11-9, 11-3, 11-7, Narang Tejas lost to Kesavan Kannan 10-12, 3-11, 9-11, Payas/Tejas bt Karthik/Kesavan 11-4, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, Payas Jain bt Kesavan Kannan 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8), Tamil Nadu bt Karnataka 3-0 (Vishwa Deenadayalan bt Marcose Gigu 11-7, 11-8, 11-13, 11-2, Varun Ganesh bt Sujan Bharadwaj 14-12, 11-8, 4-1, 11-8, Vishwa/Varun bt Marcose/Sujan 11-7, 11-2, 11-5, North Bengal bt Maharashtra A 3-1 (Soumyadeep Sarkar bt Dhruv Das 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5, Kaushik Chhetri lost to Rajveer Shah 7-11, 9-11, 14-16, Soumyadeep/Kaushik bt Thirumalai Kumaran/Dhruv 11-5, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7, Soumyadeep Sarkar bt Rajvee Shah 11-2, 11-5, 11-3).

Cadet Girls: Semifinals: Tamil Nadu bt Haryana 3-2 (Kavyasree Baskar bt Bishu Gulati 11-3, 11-8, 11-5, Shreya Shivakumar lost to Suhana Saini 7-11, 7-11, 8-11, Kavyasree/Shreya bt Suhana/Bishu 11-5, 12-10, 11-3, Kavyasree Baskar lost to Suhana Saini 3-11, 6-11, 7-11, Shreya Shivakumar bt Bish Gulati 11-4, 11-5, 11-8); Karnataka bt West Bengal 3-1 (Yashaswini Ghorpade lost to Prithoki Chakraborti 11-13, 11-4, 11-2, 9-11, 8-11, Anargaya Manjunath bt Sucheta Prosad 11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5, YashaswiniAnargaya bt Prithoki/Sucheta 11-9, 11-9, 13-11, Anrgaya Manjunath bt Prithoki Chakraborti 11-4, 11-6, 11-6);Quarterfinals: Haryana bt Maharashtra A 3-1 (Suhana Saini bt Aeeha D’Souza 11-8, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, Bishu Gulati lost to Kheya Shah 9-11, 3-11, 1-11, Suhana/Bishu bt Aneeha/Kheya 11-7, 11-9, 11-5, Suhana Saini bt Kheya Shah 11-5, 11-3, 11-6), Tamil Nadu bt Telangana 3-1 (Kavyasree Baskar bt Ruchira Reddy 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 11-4, 11-4, Shreya Sivakumar lost to Bhaavitha Nagulapalli 10-12, 4-11, 8-11, Kavyasree/Shreya bt Bhaavitha/Ruchira 11-5, 11-3, 11-3, Kavyashree Baskar bt Bhaavitha Nagulapalli 11-9, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5), Karnataka bt Uttar Pradesh 3-1 (Yashaswini Ghorpade lost to Ambika Gupta 11-7, 12-10, 6-11, 5-11, 7-11, Anargya Manjunath bt Reedhi Bhaskar 11-5, 11-5, 11-6, Yashaswini/Anargyana bt Ambika/Reedhi 11-8, 11-3, 11-5, Anargya Manjunath bt Ambika Gupta 11-7, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5), West Bengal bt Delhi 3-2 (Sucheta Prosad lost to Lakshita Narang 4-11, 5-11, 7-11, Prithoki Chakraborty bt Tamanna Gulshan 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11, Sucheta/Prithoki lost to Lakshita/Tamanna 7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11, Prithoki Chakraborty bt Lakshita Narang 11-9, 11-7, 13-15, 12-10, Sucheta Prosad bt Tamanna Gulshan 12-10, 11-7 12-10).  

TTFI release

Teams get fair chance and equal opponents

Kolkata, December 24, 2015: There cannot be a better and even second-stage open draw than the one that was taken out teams in the sub-junior girls section of the 77th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here today.

The teams’ group matches getting over as smoothly as possible and with top 16 teams making it to the main draw the open draw always generates curiosity. Generally, some teams may get luckier drawing against weak teams. But it was not the case in the sub-junior girls as, except for the top two seeded teams—No. 1 Karnataka and No. 2 Tamil Nadu—other squads have draw more or less equal opponents in the pre-quarterfinals which start from tomorrow.

Karnataka will play Punjab in the top half and Tamil Nadu will take on Pondicherry in the bottom half. Among the other 10 teams, Telangana will clash with Delhi, Madhya Pradesh is pitted against Uttar Pradesh and Kerala will face Maharashtra A from the top half. As for the bottom half, North Bengal take on Goa, Assam meet West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh clash with Gujarat from the bottom half.

With only two teams becoming eligible to make the second stage grade, some of the group matches in all sections witnessed good matches, particularly for the second place in their groups. The leader in each group, expectedly, asserted their supremacy to go through to the main draw.

As for interesting matches in sub-junior boys, the second round match between Maharashtra B and Telangana went down to the wire and the latter came out 3-2 winners. The Telangana players, despite down 1-2, came back nicely thanks to Mohammad Amaan Rahman who won both his singles to restore parity. However, it was Varun Shankar Balusuri who finished the match by winning his singles against Yash Deshkum 3-2 in a tough decider.

Andhra Pradesh, however, was not lucky as they lost to Kerala 2-3 in a second-round encounter. Sahil Mohammad emerged the star winning his first and reverse singles but while team mate Mohammad Inush managed to win his reverse singles only. The pair lost their doubles rubber to P. Jaya Surya and G. Pavan Teja as the Andhra boys won it 3-2. Earlier, Jaya Surya beat Inush 3-0 in the singles.

In sub-junior girls, the second round match between Assam and Karnataka not only went the full distance but took almost two and a half hour to get over. The match saw 20 out of a possible 25 games, thanks to a fine performance by Grisha Gogoi. But in the end it was Karnataka who emerged 3-2 winners with both Anargya Manjunath and Aditi Nandi sharing the burden equally.

Andhra girls too struggled before overcoming a determined Uttar Pradesh 3-2 in the first round. Suhana Narjimary put UP ahead but Kajol Ramjali defeaed Radhapriya Goel to level the score. Then the next two rubbers, including doubles, were share in that order before Mahita Chowdary doing her important bit to win the match against Radhapriya 3-1 which eventually decided the fate of UP.

In Cadet Boys, Mizoram were stretched to five rubbers by Chhattisgarh in their second round group match. It was creditable on the part of Chhattisgarh to put up a fantastic fight against strong and defensive Mizoram boys. Aayush Sharma not only won his second singles but also partnered Ashish Singh Yadav to win doubles. But Aayush lost his reverse singles to Thangsiansanga 1-3 which proved costly for his team.

Nevertheless, there was an upset when PSPBA boys went 2-3 down to Manipur in the first round last night. It was an-edge-of-the-seat group A match in which the Manipuri boys came from nowhere—they were trailing 0-2—to beat the PSPBA boys. The winners’ real hope was kindled by the doubles win by Roddy Heigrujam and Samsung Meitei who beat Juba and Khelengrajit Yengkhom 11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9. The turnaround happened there as Roddy beat Khelengrajit 3-2 in the fourth rubber and then Bairal Athokpam accounted for Aaradhya Sharma in straight games.

The Cadet Girls second round too witnessed at least four difficult yet interesting matches. Chhattisgarh defeated Mizoram 3-2 in group E, Madhya Pradesh overcame Uttarakhand 3-2 in Group F, Telangana beat a tough UP 3-2 in group G and Maharashtra B surmounted resilient Chandigarh 3-2 in group H.

In the final analysis the early group matches may or may not make much of difference to the top teams but if and when there is a three-way tie happens, some teams’ fortunes of could alter dramatically.  

TTFI Press release    

Chikka off to promising start in pursuit of Rolex Ranking crown

 Chikkarangappa S

Rahil Gangjee

Kolkata, December 24, 2015: On a high scoring opening day at the McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2015, the top honours were shared by Bengaluru’s Chikkarangappa S, local lad Rahil Gangjee, Gurgaon-based Jyoti Randhawa, Australian Kunal Bhasin and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja, all of whom shot scores of four-under-68. The leading quintet was two shots clear of the rest at the Rs. 1.5 crore event on an overcast day at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC).

Chikkarangappa, currently second in the Rolex Ranking, about eight and a half lakh rupees behind leader Mukesh Kumar of Mhow, began his campaign for his first Rolex Player of the Year title on a promising note with an eagle and four birdies against two bogeys.

Chikka produced a massive drive on the 15th followed by an eight feet conversion to help himself to an eagle. He also had two early birdies on 2 and 3 where he rolled in a 12-footer and a mammoth 70-footer respectively. He seemed to be heading for the sole lead with a 15-feet birdie conversion on the 16th but found the trees on the last hole to drop a shot.

“I didn’t drive that well today but was sharp with my short game as I managed to make a number of long putts. My tee shots need to improve if I have to be in contention this week. I’ve won junior and amateur events at RCGC so I quite enjoy playing here. Winning the Rolex Ranking crown is a big motivation since I’ve been finishing second in the merit list for the last two years,” said Chikka.

Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee too negotiated the tough scoring conditions well with five birdies and a bogey. His round featured four birdie conversions from 10 to 15 feet and a couple of brilliant par-saves.

“The course is quite challenging this year and playing longer due to some of the tees being moved back as well as the rough and the colder weather conditions. I did really well to save par from difficult situations on the 6th and 7th, perhaps two of the toughest holes on the course,” said Gangjee.

Jyoti Randhawa, one of India’s all-time greats, also ended the day on top of the pack thanks to six birdies and two bogeys. He was one-under through 11 before picking up three more shots on the last seven holes.

Randhawa said, “I hit it good today and got my timing back which was lacking for some time. I holed a lot of putts from a range of eight to 10 feet. I feel the front-nine here is tougher than the back-nine which has more potential for birdies. The greens are also not easy to read. But the golf course is in great shape.”

N Thangaraja, also a joint leader on day one, set up three tap-in birdies for himself on the front-nine courtesy some accurate iron-play. He narrowly missed a hole-in-one on the second. However, Thanga also missed half a dozen short putts that stopped him from going lower.

Kunal Bhasin made it a five-way lead at the top as he sank some long putts on the back-nine en route his 68.

The chasing pack of 10 golfers in tied sixth place at two-under-70 included former champions Shankar Das and SSP Chawrasia, both from Kolkata, Rolex Ranking leader Mukesh Kumar and Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha, who is currently third in the Rolex Ranking.

Rookie Udayan Mane of Bengaluru, at the moment coasting towards the Emerging Player of the Year title, got off to a solid start with a one-under-71 to be tied 16th.

Three of the pre-tournament favourites Chiragh Kumar (72), Gaganjeet Bhullar (74) and Himmat Singh Rai (80) were placed tied 25th, tied 44th and 68th respectively.

PGTI Press release

   

Hoping for an opening clash against Srikanth at PBL, says P Kashyap

New Delhi, December 24, 2015: Come 2nd January 2016, the Premier Badminton League is all set to commence with a huge bang as Mumbai Rockets will take on Awadhe Warriors on the former’s home court. With Hyderabad Hunters gearing up to take on Bengaluru Top Guns, it is  Parupalli Kashyap of Hyderabad is awaiting his first clash against Bengaluru as he is expecting a clash against K Srikanth and hoping to give a sin to his team.

Speaking on his first match, P Kashyap said, “I am awaiting my first match and hoping that it will be a clash against Srikanth. If we play against each other it will be an exciting game, giving the in stadia crowd as well as the viewers an exhilarating game of badminton. Also With Lee Chong Wei in our team, we look a formidable line-up and we are all set to give a tough time to the opponents.”

The Premier Badminton League will start from 2nd January 2016 where six franchisees - Delhi Acers, Hyderabad Hunters, Bengaluru Top Guns, Chennai Smashers, Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors - will compete for the top honour. The opening day of the League will witness Awadhe Warriors taking on Mumbai Rockets in Mumbai.

Press release

Dilip Tirkey raises voice for unemployed international sportspersons in Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, December 23, 2015: Mr. Dilip Tirkey, Member Parliament (Bhartiya Janta Dal) and former Captain of Indian Hockey Team today raised the issue of Sports Quota recruitments in Government Departments and Centre PSU’s during the proceedings of Rajya Sabha.

Raising the voice for rural and tribal players in the Rajya Sabha Mr. Tirkey said “Players from rural and urban areas do not participate in the sports only for the entertainment or fun sake, Infact they play sports to make their careers and earn their livelihood”.

Giving examples of some rural and tribal players who have represented country at the international levels but are now in woeful state due to unemployment. He mentioned that how national shooting woman player is forced to run a Dhaba, International women athletes are forced to sell gol-gappas, international Karate players are selling tea and woman football players are running pan-shops.

Mr. Tirkey said “It is highly saddening what do we want to give to our coming generations by showing this apathy towards our international players. This is happening because our Government  Departments and PSUs are not filling jobs under sports quota. I would like to further request that government should interfere in this matter and all our distinguished sportspersons including these four should be recruited through sports quota”.

He also mentioned that all the Government Departments and Centre PSUs have a provision of five percent recruitment under sports quota. Giving some examples of Central PSUs in his own state Odisha who are not doing the sports quota recruitment as per norms Mr. Tirkey said “The central PSUs like SAIL, NTPC, MCL, NALCO, Paradip Port Trust, HAL etc are also not doing the sports quota recruitment as per norms. Because of which our tribal people are now forced to migrate for jobs. It is very sad that our national players are not able to secure even a job for themselves even after 8-10 years of national and international careers. If it continues, our sports will further go down. Therefore I would like to urge upon the government to look into this matter”.

During this Mr. Tirkey also urged the government that the guidelines for s five percent ports quota recruitment in the private sector to be also issued soon.  

Press release        

All NE states turnout, entries touch new mark in sub-junior nationals

Kolkata, December 23, 2015: The 77th Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships, which was formally inaugurated at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here today, has already become a hit as the event has attracted the maximum participation of teams and institutions ever, including all northeastern states in attendance.

This, no doubt, is a great improvement on previous editions as it reveals how more and more state teams are serious about participation in the nationals. However, the fact remains that the organizers as well as the competition management of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) had to work overtime to accommodate all the 34 teams and summon more officials—there are 60 of them—conduct the championships, particularly in less than five and a half days.

Normally, the eight groups draw contains three teams in early groups with the last couple of them having four teams. But, in order to accommodate all those who have given their entries, the competition department has the first six groups with four teams while the last two with five. Interestingly, all seven northeastern states have sent their teams in different categories, making the event even more important.

Probably, the easy accessibility or the lesser travelling distance to Kolkata could have done the trick for all these northeastern teams to consider participation here. Otherwise, except for a few NE states like Assam, Manipur, Mizoram and Meghalaya the rest generally skip tournaments.  

If this is the case in team events in which four players per category is permitted, the individual events which start from Saturday is bound to touch a figure of nearly 650 entries as, apart from players who are part of the teams, four extra entrants are allowed per category, per team in each category.  

Coming to the difficult part, with teams having already planned their travel details according to original schedule, one round of matches on the opening day today will be confined to only those squads that have checked in by evening. This means the matches could go beyond 10 p.m. while the rest of the teams that arrive late tonight will start their day early tomorrow with last set of third round matches beginning by 7.30 p.m. to bring things on track.

The main draws in all events are slated to begin on Friday with the Cadet finals scheduled at 8 p.m. on the same day. The sub-junior finals will be played on the following day.

“This is the most difficult part because we want to give all those teams arriving late their due. They could not have changed their reservations and arrive a day before as railway bookings are difficult to obtain,” said competition manager Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer.

“Luckily, the stadium is huge and we can have 20 tables but the team members have to be here to play matches,” he added.

Meanwhile, during the formal inauguration earlier this evening a small cultural event was held to enthrall the team members after the march-past. The championships which conclude on Monday next will have West Bengal chief minister Mamata Bannerjee as the chief guest during the medal distribution ceremony.

TTFI Press release

Form favours Chiragh Kumar, Himmat Singh Rai at McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2015

Kolkata, December 23, 2015: Delhi-based professionals Chiragh Kumar and Himmat Singh Rai start the McLeod Russel Tour Championship as serious title contenders thanks to their recent exploits at the international stage.

While Chiragh is riding high on his maiden Asian Tour success, achieved at his home course, the Delhi Golf Club, last month, Himmat is in hot form at the moment, having recently posted two top-3 finishes in Asia. The two golfers ended the Asian Tour season in 14th and 31st place in the money list respectively.   

The 32-year-old Chiragh, the 2011 Rolex Ranking champion, hadn’t had good results on the Asian Tour till the Macao Open in October where he finished a creditable joint second. He then enjoyed a blockbuster week in Delhi to lift the Panasonic Open India trophy which was his first international triumph.

   

“It was a fantastic week in Delhi as I finally broke the victory barrier in Asia after coming close on a few occasions before. I’ve played a lot in the last three months so I’m a bit drained. However, playing the McLeod Russel is always special and gets the best out of me. So I’m looking to end the year with another top performance this week,” said Chiragh, a four-time winner on the PGTI.

He added, “The RCGC course is playing a lot longer than it did when I last played here. There are a few new tees, so those holes play differently now. It will not be a very low scoring week as the rough is up and hitting the fairways is important. One needs to create a lot of chances here since RCGC is not a place where you can make too many birdies or get lot of chances.”

The 28-year-old Himmat, like Chiragh was struggling to keep his card in Asia, for the major part of the season. However, the turnaround for Rai came with his joint runner-up finish at the Ho Tram Open in Vietnam where he lost to Spanish star Sergio Garcia in a playoff. The pro from the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, followed that up with an equally impressive tied third finish at the season-ending Philippine Open thanks to a sensational nine-under-63 in the final round.

  

Himmat said, “I kept grinding despite not being anywhere close to my best in the first part of the season. However, my game started coming together during the Asian Development Tour event in Eagleton (near Bengaluru) as I was once again striking it well and shooting low scores.  Then out of nowhere I missed four cuts back to back on the Asian Tour. But the outstanding week in Vietnam changed everything even though I lost in a close playoff. The performance in Philippines further added to my confidence. I really got it going on the last day with some long putts.

“I love playing golf in Kolkata as I won my first professional title here at Tollygunge Club in 2009. I also won two amateur titles at the RCGC back in 2005 and 2006.

“The RCGC track requires percentage golf. This week it’s going to be about knowing what clubs to hit off the tee and knowing where to place the ball on the greens,” said Rai, a winner on the Asian Tour.

The other leading contenders this week include the top-3 in the Rolex Ranking - veteran Mukesh Kumar of Mhow and youngsters Chikkarangappa of Bengaluru and Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha. The three will be gunning for glory to bag the Rolex Player of the Year title.

The winner’s prize of Rs. 22,50,000 will ensure that leader Mukesh is kept on his toes despite his season’s earnings of Rs. 34,91,710, as Chikka (Rs. 26,37,440) and Chadha will still have a shot (Rs. 25,41,203) at number one.

Rookie Udayan Mane of Bengaluru, fourth in the merit list with earnings in excess of Rs. 20 lakh, is the outright favourite to bag the Emerging Player of the Year title. Mane, a winner of two titles this year, will also be a name to reckon with this week.

Seasoned Indian professionals and multiple winners on the Asian Tour Jyoti Randhawa, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rashid Khan are some of the biggest names competing this week and cannot be taken lightly when playing in India.

The top foreign names in the field consist of Bangladeshi Md Siddikur Rahman and Sri Lankan Mithun Perera. While Siddikur is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, Perera is a multiple winner on the PGTI and an Asian Tour regular.

PGTI Press release

Mithun Perera and team win second Pro-Am event of McLeod Russel Tour

Kolkata, December 23, 2015: Sri Lankan Mithun Perera, one of the top foreign names in the field, led his team to victory at the second Pro-Am event of the McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2015 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) on Wednesday.

The Pro-Am event was played in the Strokeplay (nett) format with all amateurs receiving 3/4th of their original handicap as their allowance. Maximum strokes permitted were 18. Two best nett scores per hole were counted towards the team total. The team score comprised the aggregate of the two best nett scores on each hole over 18 holes.

Mithun Perera led his team, comprising of amateurs Mr. Gaurav Ghosh, Mr. G S Atwal and Mr. Palden Dorjee, to victory with a team total of 129 (-15).

The runner-up team was led by Panchkula-based professional Angad Cheema. Cheema’s team consisted of amateurs Mr. N S Thapa, Mr. Ravi Rungta and Mr. Arun Chakraborti. Their team total was 133 (-11).  

Press release

Premier Badminton League announces Yonex as the equipment partner

New Delhi, December 23, 2015:The much awaited Premier Badminton League which is scheduled to commence from 2 January 2016, today announced Yonex as the equipment partner. Yonex under the partnership will provide the teams with racquets, shuttlecocks and team jersey.

Speaking on the association, Mr. Vikram Dhar, Country Head of Yonex, “We are excited to be associated with the Premier Badminton League. Badminton has always given us many reasons to rejoice and this is all because of the players who have won laurels for the country and made us proud of them. So, a platform where the world’s best will be fighting it out against each other, gives us enough reasons to be associated with this League. Yonex is known for its unmatched equipment and I am sure that this association will add to the entire grandeur of PBL”.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, Badminton, President BAI and PBL Chairman said, “I, on behalf of the Premier Badminton League, welcome Yonex on board. Yonex has shown their support toward the Badminton Association of India for the last two decades and I am happy to announce this association with them. Yonex is known for their superlative equipments and which adds the zeal to any game. We have always strived to get the best on board the League and this is yet another proof to that.”

The Premier Badminton League is all set to kick-start on 2nd January 2016, with some high-voltage action expected between Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors. The League will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports.

Press release

Anup Sridhar to coach Awadhe Warriors in Premier Badminton League

New Delhi, December 23 2015: Awadhe Warriors, the Lucknow franchisee for Premier Badminton League, today announced Anup Sridhar as the coach for the team. An international player, Anup will mark his first stint as a Badminton coach through the much awaited League.

Known for captaining the Thomas Cup he ended the year 2007 at a rank of 25 and which was followed by rank 24 in 2008. He is even remembered for his historic win over Former World No. 1, Taufiq Hidayat.

Speaking on the announcement Anup Sridhar, Coach, Awadhe Warriors said: “I am honored to be part of the Awadhe Warriors team and look forward to coach players like Saina Nehwal and the rest. This is my first stint as a coach and I am excited on how things turn out for me. This will be a good platform for me to prove myself as an International coach”.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Abhijit Sarkar, Director – Awadhe Warriors, Sahara India, said, “Anup has proved himself on the badminton arena as a brilliant player and is known as an extremely versatile player. Hence, getting him on board as a coach was an easy decision because we are looking up to him to showcase the same versatility as a coach as well. We are confident that he will be a huge boost to the entire team and will guide them to the path of victories”.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr Akhilesh Das Gupta, President, Badminton Association of India and Chairman PBL, “We are happy for Anup Shridhar and wish him luck for being a successful coach. He has proved himself to be a great player and Awadhe Warriors can take learning’s from his huge experience and put to play during the League.”

The Premier Badminton League is all set to kick-start on 2nd January 2016, with some high-voltage action expected between Mumbai Rockets and Awadhe Warriors. The League will be telecast LIVE on Star Sports.

Press release

Chawrasia, Das, Gangjee lead local challenge at season finale McLeod Russel Tour Championship

Kolkata, December 22. 2015: The trio of SSP Chawrasia, Shankar Das and Rahil Gangjee will spearhead a strong local challenge at their home course, the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC), during PGTI’s season-ending McLeod Russel Tour Championship 2015, a Rs. 1.5 crore event, which begins on Thursday.

While Chawrasia and Das are both former champions, Gangjee is hard to write off on his home turf.

SSP Chawrasia, the champion at the inaugural edition in 2012, has enjoyed a fruitful season on the Asian Tour, having finished fourth in the merit list. However, the last few weeks have been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for him.

First, he narrowly missed qualifying for his first-ever Major, the 2016 British Open, as he missed the mark by one position at the Thailand Golf Championship. This was followed by the happy news of his inclusion in Team Asia for the big-ticket EurAsia Cup next year.

  

“The year’s been a good one for me as I came close to matching my best-ever ranking of number three in Asia. However, the last few weeks have been of mixed emotions. I was first disappointed to miss out on the British Open after coming so close. But then making Team Asia for the EurAsia Cup helped me get over the setback quickly.

“I now want to end the year with a flourish on my home turf since I’m focused and playing well. I changed my driver one month back and that has helped my game. I see Chikkarangappa, Mukesh and Khalin as some of the top contenders this week. Chikka is a very aggressive player and could do well here,” said Chawrasia, a winner of three international titles.

Defending champion Shankar Das sent out a strong signal to the rest of the field with his team’s triumph at the Pro-Am event on Tuesday. Shankar, fresh from his win in Assam last month, will be looking to make gains in the Rolex Ranking, as he is once again expected to perform well in his backyard.

He lies 10th in the money list with earnings of Rs. 15,48,828 and trails the leader Mukesh Kumar by over Rs. 19 lakh. Since the winner is set to take home a handsome cheque of Rs. 22,50,000, Shankar still has an outside chance in the Rolex Player of the Year race depending on how the leaders perform.

Shankar said, “It wasn’t a great year for me till I won in Digboi last month. I regained my putting form and confidence with the victory. At the moment I’m striking it well with the driver and the irons. The one area I need to improve on is my wedge-play.

“There’s a premium on hitting the fairways here since it’s not easy to come back if you find the rough. I’ll look to draw inspiration from my win last year.”

Rahil Gangjee, who safely retained his Asian Tour card with a 44th place on the Order of Merit, is also eager to make a mark in front of his home crowd.

“The first half of the year was an average one for me but I managed to capitalize on some of the big tournaments at the back end of the season. I’ve won here at RCGC at both the professional and amateur level. I would love to win this week not only because of the prize purse but also to have the satisfaction of winning in front of my friends and family.

“My putting has been decent but I need to drive better this week. One has to get it in play here and once you do that the golf course becomes easier. If you put it in the rough and trees it’s going to be a very difficult week. The weather would also be a factor. If it stays overcast and cold like today, it would make the course play longer,” said Gangjee, a winner on the Asian Tour.

Besides Chawrasia, Das and Gangjee, the other three Kolkata-based professionals in the field, Feroz Ali Mollah, Mohammad Sanju and Divyanshu Bajaj, would also look to take advantage of their local knowledge to make an impact at PGTI’s blue-riband event.

PGTI Press release

Singapore claim both singles gold, India silver as hosts end with highest ever tally

Surat, December 21, 2015: Anthony Amalraj could not become the only second Indian after Achanta Sharath Kamal to win the men’s singles gold as he went down to Singapore’s Chen Feng 2-4 in the Avadh 20th Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships at the Pandit Dindayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium here today. The women singles gold, too, went the Singapore way when Zhou Yiyan beat Mouma Das 4-1.

However, this was the best ever Indian showing in a Commonwealth Championships as the hosts led the medal tally with three gold, five silver and seven bronze medals, including a gold and silver in team championships, for the total count of 16 medals. India’s highest tally was nine medals which the hosts had won at New Delhi two years ago.

Incidentally, Sharath’s was also the only individual medal in any championships and that came in 2004, besides leading the team to its first gold.

Singapore finished behind India with four gold and a team bronze medal. England’s men ended with one silver and their women, a bronze while Northern Ireland men and the women from Wales shared a bronze each.

Amalraj did well to come back but Chen’s strategy in game five paid off. Playing topspin game and serving with a lot of backspin, he put Amalraj in all sorts of trouble even as the game went neck and neck. No doubt, the Indian covered and used the angles well sending in down-the-line strokes which surprised the Singaporean. There were good, fast topspin rallies too from both. However, once he pocketed game five on the second game point, he surged ahead with a 9-3 lead in the sixth and Amalraj could at best close in but never alter the course of the final.    

The women’s singles final went along the expected line. Mouma could not raise her game against the world No. 46 and a superior paddler. After losing the first two games 7 and 5, the Indian gave a glimpse of return when she took the third. However, before Mouma could cause any further damage Zhou went on the offensive mode which fetched her gold, leaving the lesser medal to Mouma.   

In what was all-Indians second semifinal, Amalraj had the upper hand despite losing the first game rather sedately. But he picked momentum to lead 3-1 before allowing Sanil one game. But that was all he could do as Amalraj sealed the fate soon than later in the morning session.

When Ghosh was up 7-4 in the decider in the semifinals against Chen Feng, it looked he had preserved silver, if not gold. But the world No. 95 let the world No. 176 Singaporean off the hook, allowing him, initially a fewer points, and then the liberty to walk into the final. Ghosh tried his comeback and reached 9-10. Maybe a deuce at this stage could have brought him back in the match, but his push-return only went out to the elation of Chen.  

In women’s singles semifinals, Manika Batra couldn’t do much against top-seeded Zhou Yihan as the latter was on top right from the word go. The Indian managed just five points in each game was an indicator of the authority with which Zhou played. Zhou was adept to whatever variations that Manika brought in her service and simply smashed all highballs Manika sent at her.

On the other hand, Mouma after taking the first two games was pushed into her shell by Lin Ye. The Singapore woman was strong with her heavy topspin rallies and backspin service. That fetched her real dividends and she went a game up at 3-2. But Mouma, summoning all her experience, brought her back in the match when she took the sixth game. From there, it was Mouma all the way as Lin couldn’t do much against the wily Indian veteran.

Ghosh-Desai claim gold

Soumyajit Ghosh and Harmeet Desai deservingly won the men’s double gold, beating teammates G. Sathiyan and Devesh Karia 3-2. The tough final saw good, speedy rallies but the experienced pair held on to go over the line. Earlier in the semifinals, Ghosh and Desai did not have to push themselves far to beat compatriots Sudhanshu Grover and Abhishek Yadav 3-1. But it was a shock defeat for another reputed pair of Anthony Amalraj and Sanil Shetty against the new combination of G. Sathiyan and Devesh Karia. The latter duo simply packed off, winning the second semifinal 3-0.

In women’s doubles, Lin Ye and Zhou Yihan of Singapore defeated Manika Batra and Ankita Das 3-0 without a whimper for the gold medal. The Indians had to satisfy with the silver. Earlier, India won another bronze through Mouma Das and K. Shamini who lost 2-3 in the semifinals to Singapore’s top pair of Lin Yee and Zhou Yihan who had to shed early glitches to beat their Indian opponents.

Results:

Men’s Singles: Final: Chen Feng (SIN) bt Anthony Amalraj 4-2 (11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 6-11, 14-12, 11-7);Semifinals: Chen Feng (SIN) bt Soumyajit Ghosh 4-3 (11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9), Anthony Amalraj bt Sanil Shetty 4-2 (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3, 7-11, 11-7).

Women’s Singles: Final: Zhou Yihan (SIN) bt Mouma Das 4-1 (11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 11-2, 11-3);Semifinals: Zhou Yiyan (SIN) bt Manika Batra 4-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5), Mouma Das bt Lin Ye (SIN) 4-3 (12-10, 11-9, 8-11, 1-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7).

Men’s Doubles: Final: Soumyajit Ghosh/Harmeet Desai bt G. Sathiyan/Devesh Karia 3-2 (5-11, 11-.8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-3); Semifinals: Soumyajit Ghosh/Harmeet Desai bt Sudhanshu Grover/Abhishek Yadav 3-1 (11-1, 12-14, 11-9, 11-2), G. Sathiyan/Devesh Karia bt Anthony Amalraj/Sanil Shetty 3-0 (15-13, 11-4, 11-6).

Women’s Doubles: Final: Lin Ye/Zhou Yihan (SIN) bt Manika Batra/Ankita Das 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-9);Semifinals: Manika Batra/Ankita Das bt Koh Kai Xin Pearlyn/Yee Herng Hwee (SIN) 3-0 (11-4, 11-2, 11-8), Lin Ye/Zhou Yihan (SIN) bt Mouma Das/K. Shamini 3-2 (3-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8).

TTFI Press release