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

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

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

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

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

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

West Bengal favourites, but focus on overage culprits

Ajmer, December 23, 2013: The much-delayed Cadet and Sub-Junior National Table Tennis Championships will be finally underway with the team events setting the ball rolling in both the sections at the MC Chouhan Indoor Stadium from Tuesday.

The event, allotted to the Rajasthan Table Tennis Association, had to be put off from November to December with the state assembly elections dates clashing with the championships preparations. Nevertheless, the number of entries received, touching around 650, and the enthusiasm of participants indicate not only the growing popularity of the sport, but also the significance of the national event.

As per the draw, teams from West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh have been given the top slots in the Sub-Junior Boys and Girls categories, while PSPB Academy and West Bengal in the Cadet Boys and Girls sections lead the group charts. However, what happened last year need not be repeated this year as, on a given day, any individual or a group of paddlers can make the groupings ridiculously topsy-turvy.

Since the format in these age-group events is such that it gives a great opportunity to each and every player, representing different states, to have a go at their rivals. With four singles and one doubles rubber to play, every team, barring a few, can think about having a real shot at the titles.

Yet, what makes the West Bengal squads in both the sub-junior Boys and Cadet Girls sections favourites yet another time is their steady supply line. But what one saw at last week’s North Zone National Ranking championships at Delhi where the issue of overage cropped up to spoil the show could come into play here. Ronit Bhanja, who won the sub-junior title in the boys’ section, had come under a cloud after he failed to submit his birth certificate when the TTFI went on a surprise verification-spree.

Bhanja’s title trophy was withheld, points not added to the ranking list and he was told to submit his birth proof documents here at Ajmer. He would be spearheading West Bengal’s attack once again and, if he fails to provide valid documents before the start, he would be suspended, spelling doom for his team. There were three other overage cases at Delhi and it remains to be seen how many of them are going to participate here, though their teams have sent in the entries.

The TTFI has asked the four players to report the Medical Jurist at the Jawaharlal Nehru Government Hospital, which has been approached to conduct the medical tests.

The PSPBA, who practice day in and day out at the Academy here, know the conditions too well to exploit and retain the title in Cadet Boys. Similarly, Andhra led by Naina, is too strong a team to be dismissed at this juncture. Then the paddlers from North Bengal, Maharashtra (‘A’ team particularly), Tamil Nadu and all those eight group leaders are eminently capable.

With the singles events slated to begin from Friday, the players to watch out for in Cadet Boys are Udit, Abhijeet, Rohan and Sohan, all from West Bengal. As for the Cadet Girls, it could be anybody’s crown with Tulika Roy, Swastika Ghosh, Tanishi Kirtani and Anushree Kutumble vying with one another. Manav Thakkar, Jeet Chandra and Akash Nath, besides Bhanja and Moumita Dutta, Naina, Abhinaya Ramesh and Aishwarya Pathak are a few names from among the boys and girls in the sub-junior sections, who have the ability to turn the tables against one another.  Incidentally, these are all top-ranked paddlers competing here for the top prize.

A TTFI Press release