Friday, May 31, 2013

Rookie Angad Cheema bags maiden professional title


Jaipur, May 30, 2013: Rookie Angad Cheema of Panchkula won the second leg of the 2013 PGTI Feeder Tour at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur on Thursday after he fired an even-par-70 in the third and final round. Cheema totaled five-under-205 for the tournament to bag his maiden professional title. Dehradun’s Richard Stephen Hilton was the runner-up as he finished one stroke behind the winner.

Angad Cheema (69-66-70), who was overnight second, had an ordinary start to the day. He bogeyed the first and third holes after a couple of poor shots. The 23-year-old Cheema picked up his first birdie of the day with an eight feet putt on the eighth. However, he stumbled with another bogey on the ninth.

Angad then produced a far better back-nine as he birdied the 10th and 15th and made a good par to win on the 18th. Cheema, a winner of three events on the amateur circuit, landed his approach shots within five feet and two feet for birdies on the 10th and 15th respectively.

Cheema said, “The turning point for me was the birdie on the 15th as that gave me a two shot lead. I also made a good chip-putt for par to win on the 18th. My putting was much better as compared to last week’s event in Faridabad where I missed the cut. After the poor performance in Faridabad, I came to Jaipur just to prove to myself that I can play much better golf. I wanted to get in the right frame of mind before the season’s bigger events.

“I knew I would do well at the Rambagh Golf Club as I had won a team event at this venue during my amateur days. It’s great to win my first title within five months of turning professional. This victory is of huge significance to me.”

Angad Cheema is now placed second on the PGTI Feeder Tour Order of Merit behind Arjun Singh Chaudhri who won the first leg of the season at Faridabad last week.

Richard Stephen Hilton (68-69-69) was the runner-up with a four-under-206 total. The 25-year-old Richard made four birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey in his final round of one-under-69. Hilton, playing in his second season as a professional, posted the best ever result of his professional career after he finished second at Jaipur.

Overnight leader Honey Baisoya of Delhi secured tied third place along with Amardeep Rawat of Lucknow at three-under-207. Baisoya shot a three-over-73 in the final round.


Vishal Singh of Jaipur and Chandigarh’s Roop Singh were in tied fifth place at one-under-209.

Photo caption: Angad Cheema (3rd from left) receives the winner's cheque from Mr. Vikram Singh, Captain, Rambagh Golf Club (extreme left), Mr. Yogendra S Shekhawat, Hony. Secretary, Rambagh Golf Club (2nd from left) and Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI (extreme right).

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Indian women hockey team for FIH World League Round 3 announced

New Delhi, May 30, 2013: Hockey India announced its senior women hockey team for FIH Women’s Hockey World League Round 3 (semifinals) to be played at Rotterdam, The Netherlands from June 13-23.

Hockey India selectors Col. Balbir Singh, B P Govinda, director High Performance Roelant Oltmans and chief coach Neil Hawgood along with government observer Harbinder Singh selected the list of 18 players during the meeting held on May 17.

The 18 member squad will be captained by midfielder Ritu Rani (150 caps) while midfielder Chanchan Devi (82 caps) will be the vice-captain.

The senior women team camp is currently underway and commenced at NIS, Patiala on May 12 as final preparations for this tournament. The team will depart for Rotterdam on  June 5, with their opening match against New Zealand on June 13.

The Indian team has qualified for the FIH Women World League Round 3 (semifinals) in February this year by winning the World League Round 2 tournament in Delhi. The FIH World League is a qualification tournament for the FIH Women’s World Cup 2014 to be played in The Hague, The Netherlands from May 31to June 14, 2014.

India is placed in Pool B with New Zealand, Germany and Belgium while hosts The Netherlands, Korea, Japan and Chile are placed in Pool A. 

Team
Goalkeepers
1.   Savita
2.   Rajni Etimarpu

Defenders
3.   Deep Grace Ekka
4.   Kirandeep Kaur
5.   Namita Toppo
6.   Sushila Chanu
7.   Sunita Lakra
8.   Manjeet Kaur

Midfielders
9.      Ritu Rani (Captain)
10.  Chanchan Devi (Vice-Captain)
11. Navjot Kaur
12. Vandana Katariya
13. Lily Chanu

Forwards
14. Anupa Barla
15.  Poonam Rani
16. Roselin Dung Dung
17. Lilima Minz

18. Ritusha Arya

A Hockey India press release

Honey Baisoya stays ahead in round two

Honey Baisoya 

Jaipur, May 29, 2013: Honey Baisoya of Delhi fired a two-under-68 to stay in the lead in round two of the PGTI Feeder Tour event being played at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur. Baisoya now has a total of six-under-134. Angad Cheema of Panchkula is one stroke behind the leader in second place.

The cut was declared at six-over-146. Thirty-eight professionals made the cut for the third and final round scheduled to be played on Thursday, May 30.

Honey Baisoya (66-68), the overnight joint leader, started from the 10th and bagged his first birdie of the day with a magnificent chip-in on the 12th. Honey then dropped bogeys on the 13th and 14th. He came roaring back on the par-5 17th where he found the green in two. Baisoya’s eagle putt lipped out on the 17th but he still salvaged a birdie there.

The young rookie picked up shots on the 18th and first as well to make it three birdies in a row. He sank a 15-footer on the first. A bogey on the fourth and a birdie from seven feet on the seventh meant Baisoya ended his day with a score of 68.  

Baisoya said, “I’ve been consistent on the first two days and earned the reward for it. I had a better finish today as compared to yesterday as I made good pars on the last two holes. I hit it well today to set up some birdie opportunities. My chipping was great today and I sank a few crucial putts. I’ll look to keep the intensity going in the final round.”

Angad Cheema (69-66) is placed second at five-under-135. Cheema, also a rookie on the PGTI like Baisoya, posted the joint best score of the day. His four-under-66 on Wednesday included two eagles, three birdies and three bogeys. He chipped-in for eagle from 30 yards on the seventh.

Balwinder Singh Mattu’s 66 was the day’s best score along with Angad Cheema’s round. The Jalandhar-based Mattu currently shares third position with Richard Stephen Hilton of Dehradun at three-under-137.

Vishal Singh is currently the highest-placed among the professionals from Jaipur. Vishal is in tied 10th with a total score of even-par-140 at the end of round two.

Akshay Sharma of Chandigarh was the other golfer besides Angad Cheema who made two eagles in the second round. Akshay ended the day with successive eagles on the 17th and 18th after making two birdies, five bogeys and a double-bogey earlier in his round. His score of one-over-71 on Wednesday placed him in tied 17th at two-over-142.

Press release


Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Sardar Singh to lead Indian hockey team for World League Round 3

New Delhi, May 29, 2013: Hockey India announced its senior men team for the FIH Men's World League Round 3 (semifinals) to be played at Rotterdam, The Netherlands from June 13-23.

Hockey India selectors Col. Balbir Singh, B P Govinda, director High Performance Roelant Oltmans and chief coach Michael Nobbs along with government observer Harbinder Singh selected the list of 18 players during the meeting held on May 17.

The 18-member squad will be captained by midfielder Sardar Singh (167 caps) while defender VR Raghunath (137 caps) will be the vice-captain.

The senior men team camp is currently underway and commenced at Netaji Subhas Southern Centre (NSSC), Bangalore on May 16 as final preparations for this tournament. The team will depart for Rotterdam on June 5, with their opening match scheduled against Ireland on June 13.

The Indian team qualified for the FIH Men World League Round 3 (semifinals) in February this year by winning the World League Round 2 tournament in Delhi. The FIH World League is a qualification tournament for the FIH Men’s World Cup 2014 to be played in The Hague, The Netherlands from May 31-June 15, 2014.

India is placed in Pool B with hosts The Netherlands, New Zealand and Ireland while Australia, Spain, Belgium and fourth team (to be known after the conclusion of the final tournament of FIH World League Round 2 on 2 June 2013) are placed in Pool A.

Team:
Goalkeepers
1. P R Sreejesh
2. P T Rao

Defenders
3. VR Raghunath (Vice-Captain)
4. Sandeep Singh
5. Rupinder Pal Singh
6. Harbir Singh Sandhu

Midfielders
7.  Birendra Lakra
8.  Sardar Singh (Captain)
9.  Manpreet Singh
10. Kothajit Singh
11. Gurmail Singh

Forwards
12. SV Sunil
13. Shivendra Singh
14. Chinglensana Singh
15. Nithin Thimmaiah
16. Dharamvir Singh
17. Akashdeep Singh
18. Mandeep Singh

Hockey India Press release


Ashbeer Saini, Honey Baisoya shine on Day 1

 Ashbeer Saini 
Honey Baisoya

Jaipur, May 28, 2013: Ashbeer Saini of Kapurthala and Delhi’s Honey Baisoya, both playing in their first season on the PGTI, shot scores of four-under-66 to be the joint leaders in the first round at the PGTI Feeder Tour event being played at the Rambagh Golf Club in Jaipur. Dipankar Kaushal of Noida was in third place having posted a three-under-67.

While Ashbeer Saini fired a bogey-free 66, Honey Baisoya’s round featured six birdies and two bogeys.

Saini said, “I was in brilliant putting form today as I sank birdie putts from 20 and 15 feet on the 10th and third respectively. I also created some birdie opportunities with my hitting. I almost drove the par-4 green on the seventh and found the green in two on the par-5 eighth for successive birdies. I’ve gained some good experience this year and the runner-up finish in my first event lifted my confidence.”

Baisoya, who played alongside Ashbeer on the amateur circuit till last year, said: “The top-10 finish in Nepal couple of weeks back has helped me raise my game. My putter was hot on the front-nine today as I sank birdie putts from 10 feet on the first and fifth. I also hit it really well. I landed my tee shot within five feet for birdie on the fourth. I narrowly missed out on eagle opportunities on the 12th and 18th where I eventually bagged birdies. My approach shot from 150 yards landed within one inch of the pin on the 12th while my eagle putt from 15 feet lipped out on the 18th.”

Dipankar Kaushal is one stroke off the lead in third place. His round featured an eagle on the 18th, four birdies and three bogeys.

Jaipur’s Vishal Singh is in tied fourth along with Gurgaon’s Arshpreet Thind and Richard Stephen Hilton of Dehradun at two-under-68.

Railways, UP, Chandigarh, Air India, MPHA start campaign in style

New Delhi, May 28, 2013: Railways, Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Air India, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and Hockey Bhopal started their campaign on the opening day of the 3rd Hockey India Senior Men National Championship 2013 played at Shiv Chattrapati sports complex and Major Dhyan Chand Hockey stadium, Pimpri in Pune on Tuesday. 

Sanjay Bir and B Horo scored five goals each as Railways easily defeated Jammu & Kashmir 20-1 in their Pool F league match. Railways scored through Sanjay Bir (2, 56, 63, 66, 68 min), Jagandeep Singh (9 min), B. Horo (11, 17, 40, 43, 61min, Jasjeet Singh (19, 26, 44min), Gurpreet Singh (27 min), Niyaz Rahim (34 min), Ram Prakash (35 min),  Irshad Mirza (59 min) and Vinod Kumar Singh  (67, 69min) while Sikander Pal Singh (12 min) scored the only goal for Jammu & Kashmir.

In the other game of Pool F, Hockey Bhopal thrashed Sashastra Seema Bal 12-5. Hockey Bhopal scored through Irfan Ali (1, 38min), Mayank Jemef (6, 36min), Shadab Khan (10, 48min), Neubeem Rehman (31, 69min), Osaf UR-Rehman (33min), Azam Baig (55min) and Imran Yusuf (62,65min) while Gunamuni Singh (7, 63min), Romi Kumar Singh (11min), Surchanrda Singh (18min) and Kanta Singh (54min) scored for Sashastra Seema Bal.

Chandigarh defeated Rajasthan 18-0 in their Pool H league match. Harmanpreet scored maximum number of seven goals for Chandigarh. The goal scorers for Chandigarh were Harmanpreet Singh (15, 16, 19, 39, 47, 55, 61min), Own goal (17min), Davinar Singh (20min), Shanvaz Alam (24,28min), Gagandeep Singh (33, 51, 65min), Lakhwinder Singh (37min), Ravinder Singh (46min), Amrik Singh (63min) and Sukhadeo Singh (66min,) while Rajasthan failed to score any goal.

In the other match of Pool D, Uttar Pradesh beat Mumbai Hockey Association Limited 2-1. Laxmishankar Yadav (19 min) and Imran Khan (29 min) scored for Uttar Pradesh while Tyran Pereira scored the only goal for the Mumbai Hockey Association Limited.
In Pool B, Air India defeated Puducherry 11-2 while Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy beat Tripura 16-1.
                                              
Results 
Pool F: Railways 20 (Sanjay Bir 2, 56, 63, 66, 68, Jagandeep Singh 9, B. Horo 11, 17, 40, 43, 61, Jasjeet Singh 19,26,44, Gurpreet Singh 27, Niyaz Rahim 34, Ram Prakash 35, Irshad Mirza 59, Vinod Kumar Singh 67,69) beat Jammu & Kashmir 1(Sikander Pal Singh 12)
Hockey Bhopal 12 (Irfan Ali 1, 38, Mayank Jemef 6, 36, Shadab Khan 10, 48, Neubeem Rehman 31, 69, Osaf UR-Rehman 33, Azam Baig 55, Imran Yusuf 62,65) beat Sashastra Seema Bal 5(Gunamuni Singh 7, 63, Romi Kumar Singh 11, Surchanrda Singh 18, Kanta Singh 54)
Pool H: Chandigarh 18(Harmanpreet Singh 15,16,19, 39, 47, 55, 61, Own goal 17, Davinar Singh 20, Shanvaz Alam 24,28, Gagandeep Singh 33, 51, 65, Lakhwinder Singh 37, Ravinder Singh 46, Amrik Singh 63, Sukhadeo Singh 66) beat Rajasthan 0.
Pool D: Uttar Pradesh Hockey 2(Laxmishankar Yadav 19, Imran Khan 39) beat Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd 1(Tyran Pereira 51)

Haryana win sub-junior women hockey title

New Delhi, May 27, 2013: Haryana defeated Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 3-2 in the final of the 3rd Hockey India Sub-Junior Women National Championship (Finals) 2013 at Aish Bagh Hockey Stadium in Bhopal on Monday.

The goal scorers for Haryana were Sonika (3 min), Ritu (35 min) and Navneet Kaur (49 min) while Karishma (4 min) and Neelu (24 min) were on target for Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy.

Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy failed to defend its title.  

Earlier, Jharkhand defeated Chandigarh 2-1 to claim third position. For Jharkhand, Reshma struck in the 28th minute from a goalmouth scramble following a left wing move and in the 46th minute Divya Dung Dung converted a penalty corner before its counterpart Saroj scored in the 64th minute via penalty corner. Chandigarh wasted few scoring chances in the first half of the game.

In the men’s category Punjab defeated Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 1-0 in the hard fought match to claim third position. Punjab took the lead in the 30th minute with the penalty corner converted by Arvinder Singh.

Women
Final- Haryana 3 (Sonika 3, Ritu 35, Navneet Kaur 49) beat Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 2 (Karishma 4, Neelu 24)
Third / Fourth Position-Jharkhand 2 (Reshma 28, Divya Dung Dung 46) beatChandigarh 1 (Saroj 64)

Men

Third / Fourth Position- Punjab 1 (Arvinder Singh 30) beat Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 0

MPHA and Chandigarh women complete semifinal line-up

New Delhi, May 24, 2013: Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy and Chandigarh women entered the semi-finals of the 3rd Hockey India Sub-Junior Men & Women National Championship (Final) 2013 played at SAI Centre in Bhopal on Friday.

Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy defeated Karnataka 6-1 in their last league encounter of Pool A. The goal scorers for Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy were Upasna (10 min), Anuja (39, 52 min), Preeti (40 min), Karishma (65 min) and Neha (70 min) while Spurthi (12 min) scored the only goal for Karnataka.

In the other match of Pool A Chandigarh beat Odisha 2-0. Chandigarh scored through Sarabdeep Kaur (19 min) and Saroj (34 min).
   
In the first semifinal, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy will face Jharkhand while Haryana will take on Chandigarh in the second semifinal.

In the men’s category, Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy qualified for semifinals.

Kumud Ekka and Sudhir Mundu scored twice each as Jharkhand registered 6-5 win over Karnataka in Pool A to enter the semifinals.

Karnataka was leading 4-1 till half time but Jharkhand came from behind and scored five goals in the second half to register second consecutive win in the tournament. Jharkhand scored throughKumud Ekka (22 min), Amit Bhengra (37 min), Sudhir Mundu (43, 60 min), Budu Tuti (46, 62 min) and while Karnataka scored through Aron Saroj Anand (14, 27, 29 min), Own Goal (28 min) and Kumud Ekka (48 min).

In the other match of Pool A, Odisha edge past The Hockey Maharashtra 9-0 to enter the semi-finals. Odisha scored through Sudhir Kujur (3, 68 min), Suraj Minz (4 min), Punit Kujur (7 min), Ashwin Kujur (22 min), Amit (27 min), Dipshan (34 min), Tikie Kujur (43 min) and Ashish Toppo (56 min).

Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy defeated Chandigarh 3-0 in Pool B. Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy scored through Manish Gurung (30, 63 min) and Arjun Sharma (48 min) while Chandigarh failed to score any goal.

Women results
Pool A – Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 6 (Upasna 10, Anuja 39, 52, Preeti 40, Karishma 65, Neha 70) beat Karnataka 1 (Spurthi 12)
Chandigarh 2 (Sarabdeep Kaur 19, Saroj 34) beat Odisha 0.

Men results
Pool A- Jharkhand 6 (Kumud Ekka 22, 48, Amit Bhengra 37, Sudhir Mundu 43, 60, Budu Tuti 46) beat Karnataka 5 (Aron Saroj Anand 14, 27, 29, Own Goal 28)
Odisha 9 (Sudhir Kujur 3, 68, Suraj Minz 4, Punit Kujur 7, Ashwin Kujur 22, Amit 27, Dipshan 34, Tikie Kujur 43, Ashis Toppo 56) beat The Hockey Maharashtra 0

Pool B- Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 3 (Manish Gurung 30, 63, Arjun Sharma 48) beat Chandigarh 0.  

FICCI calls for regulating sports betting to counter spot fixing

New Delhi, May 24, 2013: In the wake of latest controversies related to spot fixing case in cricket and revelations of role of underworld in leveraging ban in sports betting, FICCI has once again reinitiated its call for regulating sports betting in India.

Despite several attempts to ban it, betting is continuing albeit in an underground way and substantial resources have been invested into enforcing such a ban; Thus middle way out is it should be regulated in a way which reduces this to an acceptable level. Hence, the Government should think of legalizing and regulating betting.

India is continuing to lose billions of dollars in taxable revenue (an estimated Rs. 12-20,000 crore annually) through black marketing operations in sports betting. According to FICCI, the greatest advantage of regulating sports betting is going to be the accountability for the large amounts of money transferred through illegal channels and reduction in cases of match fixing, money laundering and crimes.

If gaming and betting is regulated in India, it will benefit exchequer and could potentially fund sports development, social protection or welfare schemes and infrastructure development plans.

In a representation submitted to Government, FICCI has highlighted how blanket ban on sports betting has been impossible to be sustained without a proper regulation. In fact, this representation also highlighted the number of international examples of different countries who have benefitted from regulating the betting, added FICCI sources.

A system which seeks simply to prohibit rather than control gambling is turning its back on the problem. Ban cannot be implemented but sports betting can be controlled with proper regulation to prevent further deterioration of conduct of sports in country. When regulation arrives, it is true that problems are revealed, actions need to be taken and policies are enforced. FICCI realizes the negative aspect of sports betting on the society. 

The question now is how to tax the money involved in gambling and we need to devise a system which encourages betting operators to function openly. We also need to devise systems for protection for the young and vulnerable against the dangers of unwise betting behavior but these can be addressed only if we spot the victim and which is possible only through proper regulation. Active regulation is the only real solution – whether the underlying philosophy is to permit or restrict.

Press release


Haryana, Jharkhand women enter sub-junior hockey semifinals

New Delhi, May 23, 2013: Haryana and Jharkhand women entered the semifinals of the 3rd Hockey India Sub-Junior Men & Women National Championship (Final) 2013 played at SAI Centre, Bhopal on Thursday.

Haryana registered their third consecutive win, as they defeated Jharkhand 5-1 in their Pool B match. The goal scorers for Haryana were Ritu (53 min), Manpreet (60 min), Navpreet (61 min), Nidhi (69 min) and Sonika (70) while Nisha Rani (44 min) scored the only goal for Jharkhand. 

On the basis of goal difference with other teams in Pool B Jharkhand women’s have also qualified for the semifinals.

In the other match of Pool B, Aishwarya Chavan scored twice for The Hockey Maharashtra to register a 2-1 victory over Andhra Pradesh.

Chandigarh women registered easy win over Karnataka 7-0 in their Pool A match. Out of the two matches played in the tournament, Karnataka women’s have failed to win a single match. Anjali scored maximum number of three goals for Chandigarh followed by Saroj (2), Manisha (1) and Poonam (1).

In the other of Pool A, Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy beat Odisha 2-0. Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy scored through Anuja Singh (6 min) and Suman (56 min).

In the men’s category, Jharkhand defeated The Hockey Maharashtra 6-3 in Pool A.

Jharkhand scored through Mahendra Topno (9 min), Amit Bhengra (27 min), Deepak (56, 64 min), Joseph Nag (63 min) and Budu Tuti (69 min) while Ajinkya Jadhav (49 min) and Sumit Prasad (59, 61 min) were on target for The Hockey Maharashtra.

Women Results
Pool A- Chandigarh 7 (Saroj 3, 22, Anjali 13, 40, 50, Manisha 23 and Poonam 33) beat Karnataka 0
Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 2 (Anuja Singh 6, Suman 56) beat Odisha 0
Pool B- Haryana 5 (Ritu 53, Manpreet 60, Navpreet 61, Nidhi 69, Sonika 70) beat Jharkhand 1 (Nisha Rani 44)
The Hockey Maharashtra 2 (Aishwarya Chavan 14, 35) beat Andhra Pradesh 1 (Spandana Bokam 10)

Men Results

Pool A- Jharkhand 6 (Mahendra Topno 9, Amit Bhengra 27, Deepak 56, 64, Joseph Nag 63, Budu Tuti 69) beat The Hockey Maharashtra 3 (Ajinkya Jadhav 49, Sumit Prasad 59, 61)

Arjun Singh Chaudhri registers emphatic five-stroke win

Left to Right - Arjun Singh Chaudhri receives the winner's cheque from  Naveen Sood (Chairman, Vee Gee Group of Industries), Dr. Ashok Bhatia, Mr. Sukhdev Singh (MD, Hind Hydraulics) and Mr. R K Gupta (Director - HR, MGT).


Faridabad, May 23, 2013: Noida’s Arjun Singh Chaudhri claimed his second professional title with an emphatic five-stroke victory at the Aravalli Golf Club in Faridabad on Thursday. Chaudhri shot a one-under-71 in the third and final round to total eight-under-208 at the inaugural event of the 2013 PGTI Feeder Tour season. Faridabad’s Abhinav Lohan fired an even-par-72 to finish second at three-under-213.

The 33-year-old Arjun Singh Chaudhri (69-68-71), who enjoyed an overnight four-shot lead, had a poor start to the day as he made triple-bogey on the par-5 second after finding the bushes and taking a penalty drop. He birdied the third but dropped a bogey again on the fourth. Arjun then took control once again with five birdies against a lone bogey over the last 12 holes. He landed his tee shot within four feet for birdie on the 13th and converted an 18-feet putt for his final birdie of the day on the 17th.

Chaudhri said, “I had narrowly missed out on making the top-60 on the PGTI last year that would’ve earned me an exemption. This win is therefore a huge morale-booster for me. I drove well, hit the irons to perfection and made most of the putts through the week. I gave myself plenty of opportunities today by landing my shots around the green on as many as five occasions. I had a poor start to the day but the turnaround came for me with the 10 feet birdie putt on the seventh.”

Local favourite Abhinav Lohan (68-73-72) was the runner-up with a total of three-under-213. Lohan’s final round of 72 featured four birdies and four bogeys.

Wasim Khan (69-72-76) of Delhi secured third place with a one-over-217 total.



Press release

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Arjun Singh Chaudhri establishes four-shot lead in round two


Arjun Singh Chaudhri 

Faridabad, May 22, 2013: Arjun Singh Chaudhri of Noida took a four-shot lead in round two of the PGTI Feeder Tour event being played at the Aravalli Golf Club in Faridabad. Chaudhri carded a four-under-68 on Wednesday that took his total to seven-under-137. Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and the Delhi duo of Kapil Kumar and Wasim Khan are in tied second at three-under-141.

The cut was declared at 11-over-155. Thirty-nine professionals made the cut.

Arjun Singh Chaudhri (69-68), who was overnight tied third, made his way to the top of the leaderboard after a solid round of 68 that featured an eagle, seven birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. Arjun, the PGTI Feeder Tour Order of Merit champion in 2011, missed a hole-in-one by a whisker on the sixth and drove the green on the par-4 seventh to set up a birdie. He drove the green again on the par-4 16th and produced a 25-feet putt to bag an eagle on that hole.

Chaudhri said, “My hitting was top-class and I converted most putts. I enjoyed a great start as I was five-under after seven holes. I then made a few errors in the middle of the round but came back well towards the end with eagle-birdie on the 16th and 17th. There are a lot of birdie opportunities on this course if one keeps it in play. I’ll need to be patient in order to finish well in the final round.”

Local lad Abhinav Lohan (68-73) occupies tied second place along with round one leader Kapil Kumar (67-74) and Wasim Khan (69-72) at three-under-141.

Akshay Sharma of Delhi and Amardeep Rawat of Lucknow are in tied fifth place at two-over-146.



Haryana women registered second consecutive win


New Delhi, May 22, 2013: Four goals by skipper Navpreet helped Haryana women to register their second consecutive win as they defeated The Hockey Maharashtra 11-1 in the Pool B match on day 2 of the 3rd Hockey India Sub-Junior Men and Women National Championship (Final) 2013 played at SAI Centre, Bhopal on Wednesday. 

The goal scorers for Haryana were Navpreet (2, 14, 53, 64 min), Devika (5, 45 min), Sonika (6 min), Manpreet (30, 40 min) and Asha (52 min) while The Hockey Maharashtra scored through Alaknanda (43 min).

In the other match of Pool B, Jharkhand beat Andhra Pradesh 15-2. Betan Dung Dung and Pramila Soreng scored four goals each for Jharkhand.

In Pool A, Odisha beat Karanataka 7-0. Odisha scored through Anjilina Minz (4 min), Rashmita Minz (5, 14 min), Manju Lakra (7 min), Ashim Kanchan Barla (30 min), Elima Minz (33 min) and Asmita Barla (35 min). Karnataka missed out some easy scoring chances and failed to score any goal.

In the men’s category, Odisha hammered Karnataka 6-2 in Pool A match. Odisha scored through Suman (2 min), Sudhir Kujur (5, 6, 54 min), Ashwin Kujur (37 min) and Tikie 17 min) while Karanataka scored through Sanna Hamaumayya (18 min) and an Own Goal 26 min).

In the other match of the Pool B, Punjab defeated Chandigarh 8-2. Punjab scored through Shubh Karman Singh (12, 18 min), Arvinder Singh (17 min), Inderjit Singh (23 min), Kawaljit Singh (26, 57 min) and Harjot Singh (39, 60 min) while Harmeet Singh (51, 52 min) scored for Chandigarh.
  
Men Results
Pool A- Odisha 6 (Suman 2, Sudhir Kujur 5, 6, 54, Ashwin Kujur 37, Tikie 17) beat Karnataka 2 (Sanna Hamaumayya 18, Own Goal 26)
Pool B- Punjab 8 (Shubh Karman Singh 12, 18, Arvinder Singh 17, Inderjit Singh 23, Kawaljit Singh 26, 57, Harjot Singh 39, 60) beat Chandigarh 2 (Harmeet Singh 51, 52)

Women Results
Pool A- Odisha 7 (Anjilina Minz 4, Rashmita Minz 5, 14, Manju Lakra 7, Ashim Kanchan Barla 30, Elima Minz 33, Asmita Barla 35) beat Karnataka 0
Pool B- Haryana 11 (Navpreet 2, 14, 53, 64, Devika 5, 45, Sonika 6, Manpreet 30, 40, Navneet Kaur 52, Reet 61) beat The Hockey Maharashtra 1 (Alaknanda 43)  
Jharkhand 15 (Betan Dung Dung 4, 31, 43, 63, Sitamari Topno 7, Pramila Soreng 16, 39, 44, 68, Nisha Rani 20, 23, 69, Own Goal 52, Alka Dung Dung 57, Anupam Horo 62) beat Andhra Pradesh 2 (Bharathi Taticherla 35, 47)

Hockey India Press release


Kapil Kumar takes the round one lead with a 67


Kapil Kumar 

Faridabad, May 21, 2013: Kapil Kumar of Delhi shot a five-under-67 to take the round one lead in the PGTI Feeder Tour event being played at the Aravalli Golf Club in Faridabad, Haryana. Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad is one shot behind the leader in second place.

Kapil Kumar got going on the par-5 third hole as he landed the ball in two shots on the green. Even though Kapil missed a 10-footer for eagle, he salvaged a birdie on the third. The 20-year-old then drove the green on the par-4 ninth to add another birdie to his card. Kumar set up another 10-feet eagle putt on the 12th thanks to some excellent driving. However, he managed to pick up a birdie on the 12th. A couple of good chip shots earned him birdies on the 16th and 18th.

“I’ve been in good form with the driver over the last few events. I drove the ball really well today and therefore set up a couple of eagle putts from 10 feet. I’m carrying forward the confidence after posting two top-20s this season,” said Kapil.

Local lad Abhinav Lohan is in second place. His round of four-under-68 included six birdies and two bogeys.

Delhi’s Wasim Khan and Arjun Singh Chaudhri of Noida are in tied third with matching scores of three-under-69.

Press release


Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy start campaign in style


New Delhi, May 21, 2013: Defending Champions Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy women defeated Chandigarh 2-1 in their opening match of Pool A of the 3rd Hockey India Sub-Junior Men and Women National Championship (Final) 2013 on Day 1 at Aish Bagh Hockey Stadium in Bhopal on Tuesday.

Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy scored their opening goal through Neelu in the 3rd minute. Preeti Dubey scored another goal for Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy in the 19th minute while Saroj scored the only goal for Chandigarh in the 17th minute.

In Pool B, Haryana registered a 13-0 win over Andhra Pradesh. Haryana scored through Udita (1, 39 min), Navpreet Kaur (10, 61 min), Reet (17 min), Navneet Kaur (31, 38, 57 min), Ritu (22 min), Pooja (34 min), Nancy (62 min), Sonika (65 min) and Manpreet (68 min).

In the other match of Pool B, Jharkhand beat The Hockey Maharashtra 7-1. Jharkhand scored through Kanti Pradhan (2, 26 min), Promila Soreng (8, 21 min), Priyanka Topno (33 min), Supriya Mundu (50 min) and Own Goal (60 min) while The Hockey Maharashtra scored their only goal through Nisha Rani (39 min).

In the men’s category, defending champion Odisha drew 4-4 against Jharkhand in the Pool A match. Goal scorers for Odisha were Sudhir Mundu (9 min), Mahendra Toppo (51 min), Amit (54 min) and Jospeh Nag (65 min) while Nitin Mukesh (16 min), Sujar Minz (40 min), Amit (70 min) and an Own Goal (12 min) helped Jharkhand to level the score.

In the other match of Pool A, The Hockey Maharashtra defeated Karnataka 3-1. Sumit Prasad scored two goals for The Hockey Maharashtra (2, 28 min) and Aniket Gaurav (55 min) while Shashi Dung Dung scored the only goal for Karnataka (27 min).

Women Results
Pool A- Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy 2 (Neelu 3, Preeti Dubey 19) beat Chandigarh 1 (Saroj 17)
Pool B- Haryana 13 (Udita 1, 39, Navpreet Kaur 10, 61, Reet 17, Navneet Kaur 31, 38, 57, Ritu 22, Pooja 34, Nancy 62, Sonika 65, Manpreet 68 ) beat Andhra Pradesh 0.
Jharkhand 7 (Kanti Pradhan 2, 26, Promila Soreng 8, 21,Priyanka Topno 33, Supriya Mundu 50, Own Goal 60) beat The Hockey Maharashtra 1 (Nisha Rani 39)

Men Results
Pool A- Odisha 4 (Sudhir Mundu 9, Mahendra Toppo 51, Amit 54, Jospeh Nag 65) drew Jharkhand 4 (Own Goal 12, Nitin Mukesh 16, Sujar Minz 40, Amit 70)
The Hockey Maharashtra 3 (Sumit Prasad 2, 28, Aniket Gaurav 55) beat Karnataka 1 (Shashi Dung Dung 27)

Choudhary included in ITTF’s Board of Directors


New Delhi, May 17, 2013: Dhanraj Choudhary, secretary-general of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), was elected as one of the Board of Directors (BoD) to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) during the Annual General Meeting held at the ongoing World Championships in Paris last evening. 

This is the first time ever that an Indian representative has made it to the decision-making body of the international federation. Choudhary was nominated to the BoD by the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU), following his unrelenting service to the sport in the region, particularly India. In fact, it is the Board which manages the work of ITTF between AGMs with several committees, commissions, working groups or panels coming under it.

“I feel honoured to have been elected to the BoD of the IITF. I have an added responsibility of discharging my duties towards promoting the game globally. I will do it with all consciousness and to the fullest ability. But, first and foremost, I will want to take Indian table tennis to another level,” he said from Paris

Choudhary has been associated with table tennis for more than two decades, first as a player—he has represented his state and employer LIC—and then as a bright technical hand. He was part of the ITTF’s technical committee until last year when it was wound up to take another form.

Even otherwise, Choudhary has been among the jury members of various technical committees, representing the country at various international events, including the CWG, Asian Games, Olympics and World Championships. To his credit, Choudhary was heading the technical teams of two of the three World Championships that India organized in 1975 (Kolkata) and 1987 (New Delhi).

Choudhary took over as secretary-general of the Indian body when his predecessor Moolchand Chouhan died in office in 2009.


In fact, Choudhary was assured of a position by Adham Sharara, who has been reelected to as president of the world body for yet another term, when Choudhary successfully hosted the World Junior Table Tennis Championships at Hyderabad last December with less than a year to prepare following the last-minute pullout by South Africa.

A TTFI Press release

Janamejay of Delhi Public School wins boys U-10 chess title




Winners of Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament in Patna on May 12, 2013


Patna, May 12, 213: Janamejay of Delhi Public School clinched the U-10 boys' title of the Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament bagging 5.5 points at the end final round at the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Sunday.

Ujjawal of Litera Valley and Rupesh B Ramchandra of CGG School got second and third respectively with 5 points each.

Nilesh Kumar of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kankarbagh, got the top spot in the boys’ U-12 category collecting 5.5 points. Kumar Sambhav of Baldwin Academy and Mrignashu of DPS were in the second and third spots respectively with 5 points each.

In the boys’ U-14 group, Veer Sharma of Litera Valley won the title with 5.5 points. Kumar Vishesh of Loyola School earned the second place. Syed Hasan Musa of Muslim High School was in third position with 5 points.

Other results: U-17 boys’: Amit Kumar of Commerce College (5.5) 2. Himanshu Kumar of DAV School, Board Colony, (4.5 points). 3. Rahul Kumar of Patna Collegiate School
Girls U-10: 1. Mahima Shankar of St Joseph’s School
2. Sanchita Giri of International School
3. Ashwani Aza of Nutre Dame Academy
Girls’ U-12: 1. Shivani Priya of Ishan International School, 2. Sada Nizami of Krishna Niketan, 3. Smriti of DAV School, Kankarbagh.
Girls U-14: Jaya Kumar of Ishan International, 2. Aarti of Krishna Niketan, 3. Shristi of Notre Dame Academy
U-17: Kumari Shristi of Krishna Niketan, 2. Swati, 3. Snehlata Kumari of Mount Carmel High School.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Sharath lone Indian singles hope at worlds


New Delhi, May 15, 2013: On a difficult day for India at the World Championships in Paris, Achanta Sharath Kamal proved to be the lone flag-bearer of the country when he defeated Spaniard Carlos Machado in first round of the men’s singles late tonight.

Except for the top-ranked Indian at 69, all other paddlers made exit and it included Soumyajit Ghosh, Athony Amalraj and all three women players—Mouma Das, K. Shamini and Madhurika Patkar.

Sharath defeated world No. 106 Spaniar 4-2 (11-7, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9) to advance to the second round while Amalraj lost to a higher-ranked (22) Koki Niwa in straight sets of 5-11, 4-11, 8-11, 7-11. Ghosh too lost his first round battle against world No. 2 Ma Long as the Chinese proved too hot for the Indian. The Chinese won 11-8, 11-4, 11-3, 11-9.

The Indian challenge in the women’s singles came to an end as Shamini was outclassed by Italian Nikoleta Stefanova 4-11, 5-11, 7-11, 9-11 and before that Madhurika, though managed to take game off her opponent Wing Nam NG, the Hong Kong paddlers was too good on the day with 8-11, 4-11, 8-11, 12-10, 3-11 triumph. Mouma Das, who began promisingly, went down to another Hong Kong girl, Ho Ching Lee. The world No. 37 paddler outlasted her Indian rival with a 7-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5 victory.

There was some hope in the mixed doubles as the Soumyajit Ghosh- Mouma Das pair secured a spot in the round of 32 with a win over Russian duo of Alexander Shibaev and Elana Troshneva 16-14, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8. But in the next round they will be running into Peng Tang and Wing Nam NG, a strong pair from Hong Kong.

But life was not easy for the other pairs—Sharath and Shamini and Amalraj and Madhurika. Sharath and Shamini were defeated by Germany’s Patrick Franziska and Petrissa Slja 4-0 and the Japanese duo of Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa accounted for Amalraj and Madhurika 4-2.

TTFI Press release


Indian paddlers qualify for preliminary rounds


New Delhi, May 13, 2013: All Indian paddlers made an impression at the ongoing World Table Tennis Championships in Paris, crossing the first hurdles in the group stages and making it to the preliminary rounds in their respective singles today.

With Achinta Sharath Kamal being the lone Indian to get a direct entry into the main draw of the championships, the other players in both the sections had to slug it out in the qualifiers to make most of the occasion to not only top their groups, but also qualify for the preliminary rounds.

In the preliminary rounds, Sanil Shetty, who had an exceptional outing in the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships at home last week, defeated Jose Miguel Ramirez of Gautemala 4-1, to move ahead. He will next take on Egyptian Saleh Ahmed in the next outing. Earlier in a group match he was stretched full by Estonian Aleksander Lusin but the Indian was up to the task to overcome his European rival.

Harmeet Desai and Soumyajit Ghosh too made progress in the prelims with victories over Pablo Tabachnik of Argentina and Zokhid Kenjaev of Uzbekistan, respectively. While Desai beat his opponent in straight games, Ghosh won 6-11,13-11,8-11,11-6,11-5,11-8. Desai will meet Poland's Robert Floras and Ghosh will play Julian Indeherberg from Belgium.

On the distaff side, K Shamini, Mouma Das, Neha Aggarwal and Madhurika Patkar have completed their group engagements to qualify for the preliminaries. Both Shamini and Mouma received in the preliminary round, Neha went through the motions by defeating Gokec Nur Gungor of Turkey 11-3,11-9,3-11,12-10,11-6.

Group results:
Men: Soumyajit Ghosh bt Kin Wa Leong (Mac) 11-7, 14-12, 11-9, 12-10, Soumyajit Ghosh bt Anthony Corbin (Tri) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7.
Harmeet Desai bt Herman Matam (CMR) 11-6, 13-11, 11-8, 15-13, Harmeet Desai bt Aissa Belkadi (Alg) 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 10-12,11-9,11-7, 11-2.
Sanil Shetty bt Mahbub Billah (Ban) 11-5, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6, Sanil Shetty bt Aleksander Lusin (Est) 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 10-12,11-9,11-7, 11-2  

Women:  Mouma Das w/o Amina Namaganda (Uga), Mouma Das bt Aziza Karieva (Tjk)  11-3, 11-2, 11-2, 11-5.
K.Sahmini bt Krystle (Bar) 11-1, 11-5, 11-2, 11-4, K.Shamini bt Ridhmi Karadanaarachchi (SL) 11-5, 11-4, 11-8, 11-1.
Madhurika Patkar Kaltham Alyassi (Brn) 11-1, 11-4, 11-3, 11-6,  Madhurika Patkar bt Ana Silva (Por) 11-7, 12-10, 12-10, 11-5.

A TTFI Press release

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Ninad shares lead with Janamjay in Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament


Snehil Sinha and Abhishek Kumar play their boys U-14 section game in Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament in Patna on May 11, 2013.
Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui 



Patna, May 11, 2013: Ninad Sharma and Janamjay shared the lead with 4.5 points after the end of fifth round play of the Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament at the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Saturday.

Results:
Under-10: Keshav Kumar (4) bt Mudassir Iman (3.5), Ujjawal (4) bt Kumar Hanu (3), Rupesh Ramachandra (4) bt bibhor (3), sanidhy Kumar (4) bt sarthak  Pandey (3.5), Prazwal (3) bt  Abhishek Raj (2), nakash imam (3) bt abhigyan (2), Sakib Alam Khan (3) bt Ankit kumar (2), Keshav Varma (3) bt Srijan Kumar ( 2), Ayush Raj (2.5) bt  Rideep Panza (2).  Ninad Sharma (4.5) and Janamjay (4.5) match drawn.

Boys U-12 (fifth wheel): Nilesh Kumar (5) bt Tarub raj (4), Kumar Sambahav (4) bt  Shubham Goyal (3.5), Shivang Aryan (4) bt Lokesh Yadav (3), Suman Kumar (4) bt M. Arslan Hassan (3), Mriganshu (4) bt Sourav Kumar (3), Aman Vmar (3) bt Siddhartha Pandey (2), Ashr Ismail (3) bt swayam Kumar (2), Vivek Kumar (3) bt AYUSH Aman (2), Tonul Tanay (3) bt Vipin Kumar (2), Dhruv Raj (3)  bt Sneh Sanu (2), Saurabh Kumar (3) bt Onkar Pranab (1.5), Tushar Sinha (2.5) bt Prashant Kumar ( 1), Prashant Nair (2) bt Aryan (1), Saket (2) bt Mo-Azhar Alam (1) beat.

Boys Under-14:
Snehhil Sinha (4) bt Abhishek Kumar (3), Sayyed Hassan Musa (4) bt Saket Saurabh (3), Satyam Raj (4) bt Yuvraj (3), Utkarsh Sinha (3.5) bt Akash Raj ( 2), Dharmesh Kumar Singh (3.5) bt Abhinav Kumar Pandey (2), Abhishek (3) bt Shubham Kumar (2), Chaitanya Mohan Sharma (3) bt Md. bashir Imam (2), Udit Raj Kumar (2.5) bt  Shashank Kumar (1.5), Neeraj (2) bt Mohammad Ayub Khan (1.5), Nilesh Kumar (2) bt Utsav Arun (1). Kumar Vishesh (4.5) and Veer Sharma (4.5) played draw.

Boys U-17: Alok Priyadarshi (4.5) bt Ravi Ranjan Kumar (3), Sonu Nigam (4) bt Piyesh Pankaj (3), Manish Kumar (3.5) bt Kumar Sambabh (2), Rahul Kumar (3.5)bt Prince Kumar (2.5), Shivam Vmar (3) bt Kapin Ketan Mehta (2), akshit Ranjan (3) bt Utkarsh Kumar (2), Veer Singh (3) bt  Kamlesh Kumar, Suman Kumar (3) bt Svetansh (1.5), Ankit Ranjan (2) bt Sunk Kumar (3), Sudhanshu (2) bt md Shami (1), Rahul Raj (2) bt  Sristm (1), Neeraj Prakash (1) bt Utkarsh Priyadarshi (0). Amit Kumar (4.5) and Himanshu Kumar (4) played a draw.

Girls U-12 (third cycle): Shomya Shankar (3) bt Shristi (2), Shivani Priyka (3) bt Tanisha Singh (2), Smriti (2.5) bt Aditi (1.5), Sada Nizami (2.5)bt  Hrtika Kiran Singh (1), Kriti Priya (2) bt Anjali (1), Sakshi Gupta (1) bt Prathana lal (0). Jarana Pratyusha (1.5) and Vnishka Lal (1.5) played draw.

Under-14 girls' category: Arti (3) bt Shristi (2), Jai Kumari (3)bt Ankita Priya (1), Shivangi (2) bt Nidhi Prakriti (1), Nupur Anand (2) bt Nimisha Varma (1).

Four share lead in boys U-10 chess


Patna, May 10, 2013: Four players shared the lead with three points each in the boys’ U-10 section at the end of third round play of the Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament at the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Friday.

Results:
Boys U-10: Janamjay (3) beat Rupesh B Ramchandra (2), Vibhore (3) beat Naksh Karim (2), Ninad Sharma (3) beat Sanidhya Kumar (2), Ujjawal (3) beat Sarthak Pandey (1.5), Muddasar Imam (2.5) beat Abhishek Raj (1), Kumar Hanu (2) beat Abhigyan Sahay (1), Prajwal (2) beat Amitesh Adarsh (1).
Boys U-12: Shivang Aryan (3) beat Aman Verma (2), Saurav Kumar (3) beat Lokesh Yadav (2), Nilesh Kumar (3) beat Suman Kumar (2), Taruv Raj (3) beat Tushar Sinha (1.5) and Subham Goyal (2.5) beat Aryan (1).
Boys U-14: Satyam Raj (3) beat Akash Raj (2), Veer Sharma (3) beat Abhinav (2), Abhishek Kumar (3) beat Yuvraj (2), Kumar Vishesh (3() beat Dharmesh Kumar Singh (2) and Abhishek Kumar (2) beat Neeraj Kumar (1).
Boys U-17: Amit Kumar (3) beat Manish Kumar (2), Ravi Ranjan Kumar (3) beat Shivam Verma (2) and Alok Priyadarshi (2) beat Rahul Raj (1).
Girls: U-12 second round: Soumya Shankar (2) beat Anjali (1), Shivani Priya (2) beat Haritika Kiran Singh (1), Sada Nizami (2) beat Vanita Lal (1) and Srishti (1.5) beat Sakshi Gupta (0.5).
Girls U-14: Jaya Kumar (2) beat Prapti Sinha (1), Srishti (2) beat Nimisha Verma (1) and Ankita Priya (1) beat Isha Singh (0).
Girls U-10: Mahima Shankar (2) beat Ashwani Kuamri (1)
Girls U-17: Kumari Srishti (2) beat Swati (1), Snehlata Kumari (1) beat Aditi (0).


Saturday, May 11, 2013

Indian table tennis team leaves for Paris


New Delhi, May 11, 2013: High on confidence, following their best ever showing in the 19th Commonwealth Championships here, a 9-member Indian table tennis team left this afternoon for the World Championships, beginning Monday in Paris.

The five men and four women paddlers, led by Achanta Sharath Kamal and Mouma Das, who put up a sterling performance with four medals, including a silver medal in mixed doubles, will be the inspirational leader in the women's section. K. Shamini, who was declared fit last evening, will be part of the squad and the reigning national champion was confident on the eve of her departure.

Sharath, who gave himself 6.5 marks on a scale of 10, said he was in good shape for the world meet and should peak in Paris. "You can expect a better performance from me in the world event. I am mentally prepared for it. I am also happy for the women squad which did better than the men's team at home. That is a good sign before a big event," he said.

Though coach Bhawani Mukherjee rued the fact that India could not win a gold in the championships, he was satisfied with the overall preparations of the team members. "We would have liked at least one yellow metal. But despite our best efforts, Singapore paddlers continued to be the thron in our flesh, and that didn't help our cause. However, I am happy our players must have gained mentally after playing the Singapore paddlers," he said.

"I am sure our players must have learnt a lot from the home championships and will be confident to put their best foot forward in Paris. I am happy that our players have got good match practice before the world championships," he added.

Indians finished with nine medals--two silver (men's team and mixed doubles) and seven bronze medals at the Commonwealth championships that concluded on Friday. 

The squad:
Men: Achantha Sharath Kamal, Soumyajit Ghosh, Anthony Amalraj, Sanil Shetty, Harmeet Desai.
Women: Mouma Das, K Shamini, Madhurika Patkar, Neha Aggarwal.
Coaches: Kamlesh Mehta (men) and Bhawani Mukherjee (women).

TTFI Press release

Indian players bag six bronze medals on the final day of Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships


New Delhi, May 10, 2013: Indian paddlers came up with their best ever performance, but the chalk and cheese difference became palpable in the 19th edition Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships when the hosts miserably failed to up the ante in six of the eight semifinals they were in on Friday.

Thus the great Indian show at the Thyagraj Stadium here ended, minus the glitter of gold, as the hosts had to remain satisfied with six bronze medals which they added to the collection of two silver medals (men’s team and mixed doubles) and one bronze (women’s team) they had won until Thursday for an overall tally of nine medals.
   
Canada’s Zhang Mo, who won gold in women’s singles beating Yu Mengyu 4-3, stopped Singapore on their tracks from making a clean sweep. Singapore, however, finished with six gold, two silvers and three bronze medals. England finished with three silver and two bronze medals.

The biggest Indian culprits were world’s top-ranked Indian Achanta Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra and defending champions in men’s doubles, Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha. Even Mouma Das, the best Indian on view with four medals at the championships, flattered to deceive.

It was an outing that Sharath would like to forget for he and Saha first lost to a relatively inexperienced English pair of Christopher Doran and Samuel Walker 11-4 8-11 11-6 10-12 7-11. The Indian duo had its chances on several occasions but messed them up at crucial times, giving away easy points to their opponents.

Sharath could have made amends in the singles semifinals, but failed to match the speed and guile of Hu Li. The 31-year-old Indian was making far too many mistakes, including service errors, which cost him the match. But the world No 55 must get his due as he rarely allowed the Indian any liberty and went for the kill. Li won 4-1.

In the first game, Sharath levelled the score 8-8 and then 10-10 with his serve on. But another service error allowed his opponent take 1-0 lead. So frustrated was Sharath that he flung his racquet up in the air. Luckily for the Indian, the umpires missed failed to show him the yellow card. Then the Singaporean went 2-0 up before Kamal staved off some threat in the third to win it 13-11 with good back hand returns and longer rallies.

There was a time in the fourth when the two were almost going neck and neck, but for the third time Sharath made the cardinal blunder at his serve and Li clinched the game 12-10.  Li was merciless in the final game as he wrapped it up with 11-4 score.

Sharath admitted to his mistakes. “I failed to make a match of it and the first game loss really hurt me. Though I executed my plans (attacking Li on his forehands) well, I was very bad with too many service errors,” Sharath rued missing his chances.

In the women’s singles, Mouma Das fell to top-seed Mengyu Yu 2-4. Despite leading 2-1, the 29-year-old Indian failed to measure up to a classy world No. 27. Mengyu, with excellent footwork and sharp returns troubled the Indian far too much. The Singaporean did give some opportunities, but the Indian failed to cash in on their loose offerings.

In the other women’s semifinal, Manika Batra was done in by her own mistakes against Mo Zhang of Canada. The Indian teenager was erratic in her shot select and gifted away several points. Lacking in maturity, the Delhi girl’s lapses were visible when she let the Canadian take the first game despite the Indian’s 6-0 lead. Zhang, who won 4-3, was the cleverer of the two to make a match of it, winning the crucial points as Manika wilted under pressure.

In the women’s doubles, Mouma Das and K Shamini lost to the top-seeded duo of Feng Tianwei and Mengyu Yu of Singapore 0-3. In the other semifinal, England’s Joanna Parker and Kelly Sibley beat the Indian pair of Madhurika Patkar and Neha Aggarwal 3-1.

Chaturvedi, Ganeshan in CTTF
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation (CTTF) nominated TTFI chief P.C. Chaturvedi as president of the CTTF, while inducting Ganeshan Neelakanta Iyer, the chief referee at the championships here, as the full member of its technical committee during the AGM held on Thursday. Chan Foong Keong of Malaysia has been nominated as the secretary-general, according to Allan Ramsome, chairman of the international body.

Chaturvedi, whoses term as president is for the next two years, replaces Helen Hamilton, who passed away recently.

RESULTS:
Final: (Men): Singles: Zhan Jian (Sin) bt Li Hu 12-10, 11-7, 11-13, 12-10, 11-4;Semifinals: Zhan Jian (Sing) bt Chen Feng (Sin) 11-7, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9, Li Hu (Sin) bt A. Sharath Kamal (Ind) 12-10, 11-7, 11-13, 12-10, 11-4.

Doubles: Final: Zhan Jian/Yang Zi (Sin) bt Chiristopher Doran/Saumel Walker (Eng) 13-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-3; Semifinals: Christopher Doran/Samuel Walker (Eng) bt A. Sharath Kamal/Subhajit Saha (Ind) 3-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-7, Zhan Jian/Yang Zi (Sin) bt Andrew Baggaley/Daniel Reed (Eng) 11-5, 11-3, 11-4.

Final: (Women): Singles: Zhang Mo (Can) bt Yu Mengyu (Sin) 11-6, 11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 10-12, 8-11, 11-8; Semifinals: Yu Mengyu (Sin) bt Mouma Das (Ind) 11-8, 15-17, 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4, Zhang Mo (Sin) bt Manika Batra (Ind) 11-9, 10-12, 12-10, 6-11, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6.

Doubles: Final: Feng Tianwel/Yu Mengyu (Sin) bt Joana Parker/Kelly Sibley (Eng) 9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 11-3; Semifinals: Feng Tianwei/Yu Mengyu (Sin) bt K. Shamini/Mouma Das (Ind) 11-9, 11-9, 11-2, Joanna Parker/Kelly Sibley (Eng) bt Neha Aggarwal/Madhurika Patkar (Ind) 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9.

Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament begins in Patna


Patna, May 9, 2013: Seeded players won their first round matches without much hiccups in the Vector Classes Super Challenge Inter-School Chess Tournament at the Moinul Haq Stadium here.

Dr Diwakar Tejaswi and Vector Classes director Abhishek Kumar Mishra jointly inaugurated the tournament. Bihar Players Association president Mritunjay Tiwari, Bihar Basketball Association secretary Suhil Kumar and Throwball Association of Bihar secretary Niraj Kumar Pappu were present in the opening function.

Results:
Boys’ U-10: Naksh Karim (1) beat Abhishek Raj (0), Ninad Sharma (0) beat Abhigyan Sahay (0), Prabhat Kumar (1) beat Amitesh Adarsh (0), Prajwal (1) beat Ankit Ranjan (0), Kidip Panja (1) beat Ankit Smile (0), Rupesh B Ramchandran (1) beat Anurag Kumar (0).

Boys’ U-12: Prashant Nayar (1) beat Aditya Chauhan (0), Amand Vema (1) beat Prashant Kumar(0), Saket (1) beat Anchit Chaturvedi(0), Saurav Kumar (1) beat Aryan (0),
Ashar Ismile (1) beat Shivan Aryan (0), Siddarth Pandey (1) beat Ayush Aman (0), Vipin Kumar(1) beat Snesh Sanu (0), Saurav Kumar (1) beat Dhruv Raj (0).

Boys’ U-14: Akash Raj (1) beat Neeraj Kumar (0), Abhinav Kumar (1) beat Nilesh Kumar (0), Abhishek Kumar (1) beat Raj Kumar Udit (0), Satyam Raj (1) beat Amritanshu (0).

Boys’ U-17: Shivam (1) beat Piyesh Pankaj (0), Alok Priyadarsh (1) beat Prince Kumar (0), Rahul Kumar (1) beat Akshit Ranjan (0), Ravi Ranjan Kumar (1) beat Ankit Ranjan (0), Himasnhu Kumar (1) beat Sristam (0), Kamalesh Kumar (1) beat Kapi Ketan Mehta (0), Kumar Raunak (1) beat Sudhanshu Ranjan (0).

Girls’: U-12: Anjali (1) beat Sambhavi (0), Haritika (1) beat Sara Singh (0), Shreya Shankar (1) beat Pratyusha (0), Shivani (1) beat Kriti (0), Srishti (1) beat Prarthana (0).

Girls’ U-14: Arti (1) beat Nidhi (0), Manisha (1) beat Ankita (0), Nupur Anand (1) beat Ankraj (0), Parpti Sinha (1) beat Isha Singh (0), Jaya Kumari (1) beat Shivangi (0).

Girls’ U-17: Kumari Srishti (1) beat Snehlata Kuamri (0), Swati (1) beat Aditi Anand (0).

BTTA to host summer camp from May 20


Patna, May 9, 2013: A Summer Table Tennis Camp would be held at the Bihar Young Men’s Institute here from May 20, said Mukesh Roy, secretary Bihar Table Tennis Association (BTTA).

He said former international player Sanjeev Shankar and former state champion Rahul Das would guide the players.

“Players interested for the camp can get them registered at BTTA office (Bihar Young Men’s Institute) during working hours”, he said.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Soumyajit-Mouma earns silver in mixed doubles


New Delhi, May 9, 2013: The Indian paddlers, nearing the homestretch, assured themselves of six more medals on Thursday to make it the most memorable outing ever in a Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships at the Thyagraj Stadium here.

The mixed doubles pair of Soumyajit Ghosh and Mouma Das added a silver on Thursdayto the two—silver (men) and bronze (women)—already won in team events and added a bronze today in the mixed doubles where.

Ghosh and Mouma lost 3-11, 13-15, 7-11 to the Singaporean pair of Zhan Jian and Zhou Yihan. They had earlier beaten another Singaporean duo Yang Zi and Yu Mengyu, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10 to enter the semifinals. In a fast-paced final, the Indians struggled to find their feet before surrendering to the guiles of Zhan and Zhou.

Thus, the hosts went past the tally seven—one gold (men’s doubles), two sliver and four bronze medals —they won at Glasgow championships in 2009 to rewrite the record in a most befitting manner.

As of now, the Indians are assured of two medals in women’s doubles, two in women’s singles and one in men’s doubles, and one in men’s singles.

After the exit of Jubin Kumar and Anthony Amalraj, the entire focus shifted to the quarterfinal match between Achanta Sharath Kamal and Singapore’s Yang Zi. The way Sharath began against Yang, it seemed to be a one-sided affair until the Singaporean began attacking from both flanks to catch the Indian on the wrong foot.

Taking the next two games with sheer grit and power, Yang took the match to the decider. Sharath began well and surged into 6-4 lead, but the Singaporean made a strong come back to level the score at 6-6, then 8-8 to give some really worry to the lone Indian in fray. But Sharath, egged on by the crowd, sent down a scorching forehand to go 9-8 up and then he retrieved an intricate return from his opponent to go 10-8 which upped his confidence. With the serve returning to Yang, he was already on the back foot and Sharath’s superb forehand return had no answer from his rival.

Sharath, speaking after the match, admitted that he was not prepared for the sudden attacking game by his opponent. “After the first two easy games, he started attacking and I was put down by his strategy. But I must give credit to him that he was able to return and kill with full power even when I tried to keep the ball short. I am happy I played okay today but he managed to get some crucial points off me. That was a bother,” he said.

Defending men’s doubles champions Sharath Kamal and Subhajit Saha were also through to the semifinals.  The pair defeated the Nigerian duo of Onaolapo Ojo and Omotavo Olajide 3-0. The Indians will take on the English pair of Christopher Doran and Saumuel Walker, who beat Singapore’s Li Hu and Ma Liang 3-2, in the semifinals tomorrow morning.  

On the penultimate day, India had several positives. To begin with, Soumyajit Ghosh and Mouma Das made the mixed doubles final. Indeed, the pair’s performance in the morning was so good that it rubbed on the other Indians who followed it up with sterling showing in the afternoon. Mouma Das, in particular, came up with fine display, entering the women’s singles and doubles semifinals, to add to her personal medal count after having helped the team to a bronze medal on Wednesday. In fact, the championships have proved to be a happy one for the 29-year-old.

Mouma defeated England’s Joanna Parker 3-1 in the women’s singles and before that she combined with K. Shamini to go past Malaysian duo or Lee Wei Beh and Sock Khim NG 3-1 (11-3, 10-12, 11-7, 11-7) while the Neha Aggarwala-Madhurika Patkar pair sent compatriots Divya Deshpande and Pooja Sahasrabudhe packing with straight games win (12-10, 11-4, 11-3). Earlier, Neha and Madhurika also won their respective quarterfinals.

A TTFI Press release

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Singapore men, women retain Commonwealth TT titles


Indian men team which won silver medal in Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in New Delhi on May 8, 2013

New Delhi, May 8, 2013: Singapore, deservedly, retained the men and women team titles in the 19th edition of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships at the Thyagraj Stadium here today. Their women paddlers first downed England 3-0 and their men followed it up with a perfect decimation of India for a similar score, taking a little over 90 minutes in all.

The only hiccup, however, was their third player Ma Liang who was taken to the full distance by India’s Sanil Shetty. But for this minor aberration the Asian powerhouse yet again proved, if any proof was needed, how the rest of the Commonwealth nations in fray lagged far behind them—in pace, fitness and the mental ability to come out of any tricky situation.

One example of that was Ma Liang’s game against Sanil Shetty. The left-handed Indian, who had his excellent moments in the match against an edgy Ma, looked to coast along nicely in the decider with a 7-4 lead. Then the forehand shots, his strong points, deserted him and he was forced into errors at the net. Seizing the opportunity, the world No. 180 Singaporean took the next seven points to seal the fate of India. Sanil lost 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11. 

Even before Ma played a gripping match, his compatriot Zhan Jian showed glimpses of Singaporean grit in large measure in the first game.  Trailing 6-10 in the first match against Soumyajit Ghosh, the highest world ranked player here at 26, first equalled the score at 10-10 before notching up 13-11 win. That set the ball rolling for the top-ranked team in the championships as Zhan completed his job clinically to win 13-11, 11-8, 11-3.

Achanta Sharath Kamal was completely off colour against a superior Li Hu as the 56th ranked player pounded the Indian with blistering forehands. Even his backhand topspin serves brooked little challenge from the Indian as Li won 3-0 in double quick time. Only in the third game did Sharath give his opponent some fight but his resistance was too little and too late as Li swiftly wound up his business at the table with a fast-paced game. Sharath did admit as much after the match.

“It was a bad result for us. But they were far superior, very sharp and equally well focused,” he said.  Men’s coach Kamalesh Mehta, while praising the champions’ efforts, admitted that our paddlers needed to do a lot of work to measure up the top Tt playing nations.

“We have to traverse a long distance. They were not only sharp, but also very much focused. I could only admire their mental aptitude because at no stage was any of their players looked hassled when the chips were down. They could always raise their game and we must learn from them,” he said.

As for the English women, there were occasions when both Joanna Parker and Kelly Sibley made brilliant efforts to stage comebacks. They managed to take a game each off their opponents, but Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu shut out whatever little challenge came from the two English women. Their third English player, Ho Tin-Tin, just went through the formality lost to in straight games.

Results (team finals): Men: Singapore beat India 3-0 (Zhan Jian bt Soumyajit Ghosh 13-11, 11-8, 11-3; Li Hu bt A. Sharath Kamal 11-4, 11-4, 11-9; Ma Liang bt Sanil Shetty 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-7.

Women: Singapore beat England 3-0 (Feng Tianwei bt Joanna Parker 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7; Yu Mengyu bt Kelly Sibley 14-12, 16-14, 9-11, 11-9; Zhou Yihan bt Ho Tin-Tin 11-4, 12-10, 11-8).

A TTFI Press release