Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Bihar to host sub-junior Natioal tenni-koit

Patna, December 30, 2008
Neeraj Kumar Pappu, secretary, Bihar Tenni-Koit Association has been elected joint secretary of the Tenni-Koit Federation of India for the second successive term. The new office-bearers of the TKFI were elected in Madurai during the Junior National tenni-koit championships recently.

On his arrival in Patna, Pappu said Bihar girls performed well in the tournament losing to Talmil Nadu in the quarter-finals. In the league matches, Bihar beat Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

Pappu said, the federation had allotted sub-junior National championships to Bihar. The event would be held May/June, 2009, he added.

AG volleyball: UP set up final clash with AP

Patna, December 29
Just guess it: Who will win All-India Audits and Accounts inter-zone volleyball championships? If Monday’s semi-final results are any indicator, this will be AG, Uttar Pradesh. Unexpected can happen but chances are remote. Moreover, game is the name of uncertainty.

The fate of the tournament swung in such a way the two teams from group B, AG, Uttar Pradesh and AG, Andhra Pradesh set up summit showdown on the morrow.

AG Uttar Pradesh boys proved they came here with a mission. They accomplished their first mission moving into the final of the tournament at the cost of hosts Bihar. The Up men played like a well-knit unit to beat Bihar 25-18, 28-26 and 25-23 in the second semi-final of the day at the Mahalekhakar Bhawan courts.

Earlier, AG, Andhra Pradesh showed defending champions Himachal Pradesh the door in a tough match 25-17, 20-25, 17-25, 25-21, 17-15. With Andhra moving into the final, the chances brighten for Uttar Pradesh of winning the title. Uttar Pradesh had earlier registered a three-set straight win over Andhra in a pool B match of the league stage.

Himachal Pradesh began with a bang winning the first game 25-17 in only 25 minutes. Andhra bounced back in the second set and made the score level at 1-1 with a 25-20 win. Himachal Pradesh players produced some remarkable spikes, smashes and blocks to win the third set 25-17.

After conceding 1-2 lead, Andhra men fought hard in the fourth set and grabbed the set at 25-20. The fifth and final game began with a 2-2 lock and both teams went all out to win the battle. Points were hard to come by as players showed their top most skills to save and steal the points. Finally, Andhra Pradesh made it with a 17-15 win.

In the second semi-final, hosts Bihar were just no match to Uttar Pradesh, who kept their slate clean thus far in the tournament. Bihar players sparkled on patches and that were certainly not enough to see them through.

Monday, December 29, 2008

BPA chief Tiwari meets BCA working president



Bihar Players' Association president Mritunjay Tiwari (left) discussing the issue relating to commencement of Patna senior divison cricket league and future of Bihar cricket with former Bihar minister and working president of Bihar Cricket Association, Abdul Bari Siddiqui in Patna on Sunday.

After his meeting Tiwari said BCA working president Siddqui had assured him the cricketing activity in Bihar would start within 10 days.

Photo: Aftab Alam

AG, Bihar storm into semi-finals


Patna, December 29
A rejuvenated Bihar lived to the expectations of home crowd by clinching a berth in the semi-finals of the IA and AD inter-zonal volleyball championships at the Mahalekhakar Bhawan courts here on Sunday.

Others who made it to the semi-finals were defending champions Himachal Pradesh from pool A, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh from pool B.
Now, pool toppers Himachal Pradesh will take on pool B runners-up Andhra Pradesh, in the first semi-final while pool A runners-up Bihar will lock horns with pool B champions Uttar Pradesh in the second semi-final.

AG Bihar men dished out an impressive performance to outplay Rajasthan in four-set nail-biting match 25-18, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23 to move into the semi-finals. Virtually, it was a do-or-die battle for the hosts as both the teams lost their match against Himachal Pradesh and got walk-over against Karnataka.

The battle began with the balance tilting towards Bihar in the first set. Shambhu Kumar Singh, Jitendra Kumar Singh and Samarjit Singh gave a perfect display of mutual understanding and stole the points through effective serves and volleys. Bihar won the first set at 25-18 in 20 minutes.

In the second game, Rajasthan combined well and played attacking volleyball to win the set at 25-23.

The third game too witnessed a ding-dong battle as both teams went all out to fetch points. After several ups and downs in the middle Bihar took the set at 26-24.

In the fourth game, Bihar maintained their tempo and captured the set and the match at 25-23.
In the other matches of the day, Uttar Pradesh proved too strong for Andhra Pradesh 25-12, 25-17, 25-19 and West Bengal trounced Nagpur 25-20, 25-12 and 25-18 to earn their first win.

Earlier on Saturday, defending champions AG, Himachal Pradesh booked their berths in the semi-finals scoring their second successive victory in pool 'A' against AG, Rajasthan 25-21, 25-15 and 25-18.

AG, Karnataka failed to turn up against hosts AG, Bihar in the pool A. The day’s other matches saw AG, Uttar Pradesh defeating AG, West Bengal 25-17, 25-16 and 25-19 and Andhra Pradesh beating Nagpur 25-18, 25-17, 26-24.
Photo Caption: Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh spikers in action during their league match of the All-India Audits and Accounts inter-zone volleyball championships in Patna on Sunday.
Photo: Aftab Alam

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Bihar deaf and dumb cricket team

Members of Bihar deaf and dumb cricket team in Patna on Saturday. The team will take part in the East Zone championships to be held at Jamshedpur.
Photo: Aftab Alam

Saurav, Kritika get Bihar U-7 chess titles


Patna, December 28, 2008
Purnia lad Saurav Anand claimed the Bihar Under-7 chess championships crown collecting four points in as many rounds at the end of final day’s play at the RBI Recreation Club Hall here on Saturday.

Kritika Chowdhary of Muzaffarpur won the girls title with four points to her credit.

All Bihar Chess Association’s secretary Arvind Kumar Sinha gave away the prizes.

Standings:
1. Saurav Anand (4); 2. Nayan Kumar (3); Mrigyansu (2), Shivans Sengar (2); Kumar Harshvardhan (2); Sachin Kumar (2); Saurav Siddarth (1.5); Kumar Sambhav (1) and Tushar Sinha (0.5).

Girls: 1. Kritika Chowdhary (4); 2. Janhavi (3),; 3. Usha Arya (3); 4. Sakshi Priya (3); 5.Garima Gaurav (2); 6. Simran Singh (2); 7. Manya Diptam (2); 8. Priya Rani (2); 9. Swapnil Raj (1); 10. Khushbu Kumari (1).
Photo caption: Whizkids plotting their next moves during Bihar U-7 chess championships in Patna on Saturday.
Photo: Aftab Alam

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Three share lead in Bihar U-7 chess

Patna, December 27, 2008
Saurav Anand, Saurav Siddarth and Nayan Kumar shared the lead jointly with two points each at the end pf second round play of the Bihar State under-7 chess championships at RBI Recreation Club hall here on Friday.

In the girls’ section four players Kritika Chowdhary, Usha Arya, Janhavi and Garima Arya were jointly leading the table with two points each.

Earlier, RBI, Patna, General Manager SS Soy inaugurated the tournament. RBI, Patna, Deputy General Manager CS Azad graced the function as guest of honour. Pramod Kumar welcomed the guests while Dharmendra Kumar proposed a vote of thanks.

Results
Boys: Saurav Anand (2) beat Mriganshu (1), Saurav Siddarth (2) beat Kumar Sambhav (1), Nayan Kumar (2) beat Sengar (1), Harshvardhan (1) beat Tushar (0) and Dibyanshu Singh (1) beat Sachin (0).
Gilrs: Krika Chowdhary (2) beat Manya (1), Usha Arya (2) beat Sakshi Priya (1), Janhavi (2) beat Swapnil (1) and Garima (2) beat Akhauri Harshik (0).


Bihar carrom team for Fed Cup announced

Patna, December 27, 2008
Bihar State Carrom Association secretary Bharat Bhushan on Friday announced state teams for the 36th Sub-junior National carrom championships and 16th All-India Federation Cup which began at Vadodara today.

Teams
Boys: Pawan, Shamim, Sumit, Ijazi, Sprit Verma and Ashish.
Cadet boys: Shubham and Kumar Vivek.
Girls: Kajal, Vibha, Archana, Neha, Suraiya and Singdha.
Cadet girls: Manisha and Mansi.
Federation Cup team:
Men: Jalaj Kumar, Raja Jaiswal, Vikram and Akhtar.
Women: Khushbu Rani, Khushbu Karn and Sndhya Sinha.
Manager: Satish Kumar and Sanjay Gupta.

AG Bihar bow to Himachal Pradesh













Patna, December 27, 2008
Defending champions Himachal Pradesh edged past East Zone champioms Bihar in a grueling three-setter 25-23, 17-25 and 33-31 in the opening match of the All-Indian Audit and Accounts volleyball championships at Mahalekhakar Bhawan courts here on Friday.

Fresh from their victory in the East Zone championships, Bihar spikers began on a sound note but could not strike the finishing touches and lost the first set at 23-25.

In the second set, local lads improved their team combination and executed the game plan quite effectively to win the set at 25-17. For Bihar, Shambhu Kumar Singh, Rakesh Nandan and Jitendra Kumar were brilliant in their respective positions

The decider proved to be a cliff hanger for both the teams. Fierce battle for each and every point was the order of the set. The set finally ended in a heart-throbbing finish with Himachal Pradesh men winning the set and the match at 33-31.

For Himachal, Sanjeev Sharma, Bhupendra Chowhan and Anil Tanti kept the crowd spell bound with their immaculate display.

Eight zonal teams have been participating in the team and they are divided into two pools. Bihar have been placed in Pool A with Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka. Pool B consists of Uttar Pradesh, Bengal, Nagpur and Andhra Pradesh.

In the other matches of the day, Andhra Pradesh beat Bengal 25-18, 25-22, and 25-21 while Uttar Pradesh beat Nagpur 25-13, 25-20 and 25-21.

Earlier, former Bihar minister and chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Bihar Assembly Abdul Bari Siddiqui inaugurated the tournament in a colourful function. Chief Accountant General, Bihar, Arun Kumar Singh and Accountant General, Bihar IDS Dhariwal graced the function. Organising secretary, Praveen Kumar welcomed the guests.

Photo Caption: Bihar Legislative Assembly's Public Account Committee chairman and former Bihar minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui being introduced to the players during the inauguration of All-India Audits and Accounts volleyball championships in Patna on Friday.

Middle: Siddiqui and other officials of AG Office, Bihar releasing the balloons with a placard of the tournament.
Bottom: Siddiqui trying his hands on a ball.

Photos: Aftab Alam





Friday, December 26, 2008

Only Indian citizen can avail Government assistance to represent India in sports

New Delhi, December 26, 2008
The Union Government decided on Friday the players who are Indian citizens only can avail themselves of government assistance to represent the country in the national teams. This will also be applicable in the consideration of proposals for the participation of national teams in international sports events.

The issue of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) representing the Country in international sports events has been a subject matter of debate in some of the National Sports Federations (NSFs), and in the absence of a uniform national policy on the matter, different federations have been following different rules in this regard.

Recently, the decision of the Squash Racket Federation of India (SRFI) to restrict the representation of the Country to only those players who hold the citizenship of India, has been challenged by affected players and the Delhi High Court has directed the Government to formulate a uniform policy on the matter in the best interest of sports in the Country.

Pursuant to the above direction of the Delhi High Court, the Government had consulted the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and all recognized NSFs and sought their comments on the following issues:
a) Whether a person who is not a citizen of India should be allowed to carry the flag of India or walk under it and represent the country in any national / international sports events.
b) Whether the local talent should be given overriding preference in terms of talent scouting, nurturing and training with the ultimate objective of promoting and developing local talent to international standards.
c) Whether it is appropriate that slots available to represent India may be taken up by non-citizens depriving citizens the opportunity to learn and develop from competitions.

The majority favoured restricting the representation of India in international sports events to players who are citizens of India. Some federations have not offered any comments on the matter and have indicated that they would adhere to the policy laid down by the Government in this regard.

Based on the responses received from the federations, the entire matter had been carefully examined in Government and after taking into account all relevant considerations, the Government took the decision to provide assistance only to those players who have Indian citizenship. The IOA and all the recognized NSFs have been advised accordingly.

Source: PIB release



Patna soccer probables named

Patna, December 26, 2008
Patna Football Association on Thursday released a list of probables to select Patna team for the 60th Bihar State football championships to be held in Gaya from January 4. The selection camp of the probables will be held at Sanjay Gandhi Stadium here from Janauary 2 to 10.

Patna Football Association secretary Rajendra Prasad Yadav said Shyam Babu Yadav would be the in-charge of the camp. Hemant Kumar Chowdhary (Bihar Police) would be the coach of the team, he added.

List of probables:
Goalkeepers: Surendra Gurung (Bihar Police), Robin Mazumdar (FCI), Mukesh Kumar (Raj Milk), Md Jamal (BSEB), Chandan umar (Civil Audit), Nilesh Kumar Singh (Patna Police).
Defender: Adil Ansari, Md Afzal, Ranjit Sen (all Raj Milk), Jawahar Yadav, Girdhari Singh, Chand Bahadur Thapa (all Bihar Police), M Thapa, Satish Devgum (both FCI), Krishna Singh, Sunil Kumar, Mukesh Kumar (all BSEB) and Shyam Bahadur Limbu (Bihar Police).
Midfielder: Krishna Shahi, KC Suraj, Virendra Gurung,Martin Larecha (all Bihar Police), Jitan Lohar (FCI), Sushil Hansda, Chhotu Sil, Lalan Singh, Shiv Shankar Singh (all Patna Police), Rajgrih Yadav (SAI Centre), Kanhaia Prasad (Rainbow) and Vidhan Bairagi (FCI).
Forwards: Naushad Ahmad, Debashish Rai, Navin Thapa, Prabal Thapa (all Bihar Police), Md Shahbaz, Arjun Tuddu, Shyam Bahadur Yadav (all Raj Milk), Abhishek Vishwakarma (SBI), Viren Gurung, Manoj Topo (FCI), Md Irfan and Bhuvaneshwar (both BSEB).

Bihar table tennis camp begins

Patna, December 26, 2008
Selection-cum-coaching camp of Bihar table tennis team for the 70th senior National table tennis championships to be held at Secretariat Hall here from January 5 to 11 began at the Bihar Young Men’s Institute under the watchful eyes of Sanjeev Shankar.

Rajkumar Singh, Somnath Roy, Lekhraj, Kishan Raj, Ankit Tarve, Piyush D Gandhi, Nishant Chandra, Priya Sinha, Rinki Ghosh, Suparna Joshi, Deepali Sarkar and Chumki Mandal have been participating in the camp.

Neeraj is Bihar Bodybuilding president

Patna, December 26, 2008
Neeraj Kumar (MLC) has been nominated president of Bihar Bodybuilding Association. Shyam Babu Mehta will be the secretary. The new committee of the association has been formed in a meeting the members here on Monday.

Other office-bearers: Dr Jhon Mukherjee (chief patron), Dr Nagendra Dubey (patron), Anil Kumar, MLA, Shravan Singh and Om Prakash Arya (all vice-president), Sunil Kumar (assistant secretary), Md Shahid (joint secretary), Alok Kumar, Vivekanand, Navnit Kumar and Ravindra Kumar (all organizational secretary) and Ashok Kumar (treasurer).

Abhishek claims silver in triple jump

Patna, December 26, 2008
Abhishek Kumar Rathore of Veer Kuer Singh University won a silver medal in the triple jump event of the All-India Inter-University athletic championships in Kochi recently.

According to information received here, Abhishek leaped to 15.44 metres to claim the silver.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Vijay, Rishi, Srishti win Airtel chess crowns


Patna, December 25, 2008
The fourth Day of the fourth Airtel Mastermind inter-school chess championship at Rajendra Nagar Government High school hall here had not witnessed notable upsets as overnight leaders in the respective age group sections coming out of the pack safely to emerge deserving winners.

In the boys’ under-16 section, overnight leader Vijay Kumar played a lackluster draw in the sixth and final round to take his tally to 4.5 points. The half point lead was sufficient enough for him to capture the crown. Three players Rupesh Ranjan, Nilesh Shankar and Ashutosh Anand with 4 points got the second, third and fourth positions respectively under the progressive score rule.

The boys’ under-14 group saw Rishi Shanker becoming the champion with 6 points to his credit in as many rounds. Md Dilshad, Rahul Raj and Vikas Kumar Dwivedi with 5 points each claimed the second, third and fourth spots.

Under-12 boys group was the most exciting one. The result itself showed the intensity of battle as four players Siddarth Khanna, Ayush Anand, Sameer Sengar and Kumar Mayank collected five points each out of six-round play.
Siddrath Khanna finally took the title after winning lightening matches played among the four players.

Siddhant Gautam won the boys’ under-10 title with full six points under his belt. Ashwani Arya (5), Vikas Kumar (5) and Gaurav Anand (5) bagged the second, third and fourth position respectively.

In the girls’ under-16 section, Pammi Rani won the title while Srishti Gautam with four points clinched the under-14 crown. Ankita Raj, Priyanka Kumari and Sukrit (all three points) got the second, third and fourth positions respectively in the girls’ under-14 section.
Aditi Arya with three points to her credit claimed the girls’ under-12 title while Usha Arya won the girls’ under-10 title scoring 3 points.

Labour Minister Awdhesh Narain Singh and Airtel (Bihar and Jharkhand) C.O.O. Shishir Kumar gave away the cash prizes and trophies to the rank holders. Arvind Kumar Sinha, secretary, All Bihar Chess Association, Dr Anil Kumar Singh, principal, Maharana Pratap College, Dr Rashmi Prabha, principal, Government High School, Rajendra Nagar and Mritunjay Tiwari, president, Bihar Players Association were present at the function. Tournament Director Rakesh Ranjan welcomed the guests while Shakuntala Sinha, senior member APWAD (the organizer of the tournament) proposed a vote of thanks.
Photo Caption: Winners of Airtel Mastermind chess championhips display their trophies and certificates in Patna on Wednesday.
Photo: Aftab Alam

AG Bihar clinch EZ volleyball title

Patna, December 25, 2008
Hosts AG Bihar came out with flying colours winning the IA and AD East Zone volleyball championships title at the Mahalekhakar Bhawan courts here on Wednesday,

In an engrossing final Bihar outplayed AG, West Bengal 25-14, 25-20 and 25-22 in a three-set thriller.

Bihar began the first set in a whirlwind fashion and completed the task easily at 25-14. Shambhu Kuamr Singh, Jitendra Kumar Singh, Ajay Kumar Rai and Rakesh Nandan executed perfect team planning and combination to outsmart their rivals.

In the second set, Bengal men proved to be tough customer as they fought hard on every point. But Bihar despite having some hiccups in the middle stage of the match, won the set at 25-20.

The decider too witnessed ding-dong battle as Bengal's Rana Banerjee and Abhijeet Dutta dished out superb game in attack as well as in defence. The Bengal fight back, however, did not last long as Bihar won the decider 25-22 to win the crown.

Chief Accountant General, Bihar, Arun Kumar Singh gave away the prizes.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Bihar sub-junior taekowndo players excel

Patna, December 24, 2008
Bihar won two silver and one bronze medals in the National sub-junior taekwondo championships in Lucknow recently.

Bihar Taekwondo Association (BTA) secretary Ajay Kumar said Puja and Pratima won silver medals while Hufeza Akhtar got the bronze medal in their respective weight groups.

BTA president Leema Inchen and assistant secretary Manish Chandra Roy congratulated the players for the medal-winning feat.

Prachi to lead Bihar karatekas
Surbhi Prachi will lead an 18-member Bihar team in an International karate championship to be held at Navi Mumbai from December 26, according to Sensei Pankaj Kambli. The tournament is being organized by Itosu-Rio-Karate-Do-India.

While giving a warm send off to the team, principal of the St Joseph's Convent High school, Sister Jayce distributed the track suits to all members of the team.

Team: Surbhi Prachi (captain), Pushpanjali (vice-captain), Kavya Komal Gupta, Aparajit Singh, Moulika Prasad, Sanjna Priya, Garima Bharati, Khushbu, Arpana Gupta, Priya Kumari, Samella Ambrin, Sagar Kumar, Sagar Lee, Sarvajit Kumar, Samarth, Aditya Sirjan, Abhishek and Praveen.

Bihar in third position at Deaf badminton
Arun Kumar and Varsha Soni claimed the third spots in the men's and women's singles event of the fifth National badminton championship of the deaf at Indore recently, according to Md Athar Ali, secretary, Bihar Sports Council for Deaf. Sofia Salma and Ruchi Kumari got third position in the women's doubles event.

EZ AG Volleyball: Bihar face Bengal in final

Patna, December 24
Hosts AG, Bihar will lock horns with AG, West Bengal for the crown in the IA and ID East Zone volleyball championship at the newly built Mahalekhakar Bhawan courts here.

The four-team event got off to a flying start as Bihar edged out defending champions Orissa 25-18, 25-21, 23-25 and 25-20 in the first match and the first semi-final of the day. West Bengal thrashed Jharkhand in straight sets 25-22, 25-20 and 25-13 in the second semi-final to set up final showdown with Bihar.

Bihar’s ace striker Shambhu Sharan Singh stole the limelight with his thundering smashes. He virtually single-handedly guided his side to victory. Bihar team captain Ajay Rai did his job well. Orissa's lifter Praveen Kumar worked hard through out the match but his efforts were not enough to see his team through.

Earlier, DN Gautam, DGP (Bihar) inaugurated the championship hoisting flag and releasing balloons and pigeons.Praveen Kumar, Deputy Accountant general and organising secretary, welcomed the guests. Captain of the Bihar Ajay Kumar Rai administrated the oath to participating teams. Chief Accountant General Arun Kumar Singh and Accountant General IDM Dhariwal addressed the function.

Airtel Chess: Vijay takes sole lead




Patna, December 24
The third day of the 4th Airtel Mastermind inter-school chess championships saw Vijay Kumar with four points taking the sole lead at the end of fifth round in the boys' under-16 section at Rajendra Nagar Government High School hall here on Tuesday.
Rupesh Ranjan with 3.5 points to his credit was at the second spot in the same age group.

Rishi Shankar earned five points in as many rounds to emerge the sole leader in the boys’ under-14 section while Siddhant Gautam with five points surged ahead in the boys’ under-10 age group.

Four players Ayush Anand, Siddhartha Khanna, Ayush Kashyap and Samir Sengar with four points each were at joint second position in the boys’ under-14 category.
In the girls’ under-14 category, Ankita Raj and Srishti Kumari shared the top spot with three points each after the end of third round.

Results:
(fifth round)


Boys’ under-16:
Vijay Kumar (5) beat Nilesh Shankar (3); Rupesh Ranjan (3.5) beat Ganesh Kumar (2); Ashutosh Anand (3) beat Vikas Kumar (2); Sumit Kumar (2) beat Abhinav Raj (1); Guptesh Kumar Singh (2) beat Suraj Kumar (1); Binod Kumar (2) beat Pankaj Pratap (1) and Suman Kumar (2) beat Neeraj Kumar (1).

Boys under-14: Rishi Shankar (5) beat Md Dilshad Ashraf (4); Rahul Raj (4) beat Amit Kumar Maurya (3.5); Sindhu Shekhar (4) beat Tatparya Shankar (3.5); Vikas Kumar Diwedi (4) beat Samir Anand (3); Satyaki (4) beat Vinayak Prasad (3); Sonu Kumar (4) beat Abhishek Kumar (2); Anirvan (3) beat Prabhat (2); Kumar Satyam (3) beat Shubham Sinha (2); Utkarsh Nath (3) beat A Brother (2); Taru Shashwat (3) beat Amul Kumar (2) and Vishal Kumar Raman (3) beat Ashwani Kumar (2).

Boys’ under-10: Siddhant Gautam (5) beat Ashwani Arya (4); Pankaj Kumar (4) beat Shivam Kumar (3); Ramesh Kumar (4) beat Das Kumar (3); Gaurav Anand (4) beat Shwetank Lal (3); Kishan Utkarsh (4) beat Utkarsh Kumar (3) and Vikas Kumar (4) beat Chintu Kumar (2).


Girls: (third round)
Under-10: Usha Arya (3) beat Kanchan Kumari (2); Minakshi Kumari (2) beat Sakshi Arya (1.5) and Farha (2) beat Jasmin Kaur (1).
Under-14: Ankita Raj (3) beat Priyanka Kumari (2), Srishti Kumari (3) beat Kamani Kumari (1); Sukriti (2) beat Priya Kumari (1) and Pragya Raj (2) beat Aditi Aditya (0).
Photo caption: Whizkids contemplating their moves during Airtel Mastermind inter-school chess championships in Patna on Tuesday.
Photo: Aftab Alam

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Airtel chess: Nilesh, Vijay share lead


Patna, December 23
Nilesh Shankar and Vijay Kumar led the table jointly with three points each at the end of third round play in the boys’ under-16 group of the 4th Airtel Mastermind chess championships at the Rajendra Nagar Government Girls School hall here on Monday.

In the boys’ under-14 section Sonu Kumar and Rishi Shankar were on the lead with three points each. Ayush Anand, Siddharth Khanna and Ayush Kashyap were in front with three points each in the boys’ under-12 category.

Results:
Boys’ under-16 (third round): Nilesh Shankar (3) beat Abhinav Raj (0); Ganesh Kumar (2) beat Suman Kumar (1); Rajnath Singh (3) beat Suraj Kumar (1) and Guptesh Kumar (2) beat Sumit Kumar (1).
Under-14: (third round): Sonu Kumar (3) beat Kumar Satyam (2); Rishi Shankar (3) beat Rahul Raj (2); Tatparya Shankar (2.5) beat Nitin Chandra (1); Amit Kumar Mourya (2.5) beat Anirvan (1); Abhinav Anand (2) beat Abhishek (1); Satiyki (2) beat Abhishek Kumar (1); Shubham Sinha (2) beat A Brother (1) and Abhishek Kumar (2) beat Prabhash Kumar Raman (1).
Under-12: (third round): Ayush Kumar (3) beat Alok (2); Siddhant Khanna (3) beat Shashi Ranjan (2); Ayush Kashyap (3) beat Vijay Kumar (2); Samir (3) beat Sunil Kumar (2); Pratyush Pratik (2) beat Abhiuday (1); Raghunandan (2) beat Alok Kumar (1); Ranjit Kumar (2) beat Ashutosh (1); Rohit Mishra (2) beat CM Nazir (1); SK Bagaria (2) beat KM Choudhary (1) and Kumar Mayank (2) beat Saurav Kumar (1).
Under-10: (third round): Siddhant Gautam (3) beat Anshul Ranjan (2); Ashwani Arya (3) beat Das Kumar (2); Vikas Kumar (3) beat Abhuday Bhartiya (2); A Azim Anwar (3) beat Aditya Ranjan (1.5) and Ranjit Kumar (2) beat Amitesh Raj (1).
Photo caption: Players contemplating their next moves in the Airtel Mastermind chess championships in Patna on Monday.
Photo: Aftab Alam

Combined African XI win Unity Cup

Patna, December 23, 2008
Combined United Africa earned a lone goal victory over Junior Army XI, Lucknow to clinch the first Unity Cup All-India football tournament title at Jalkaoura (Kahgaria) on Sunday.

In an exciting battle for supremacy, both the teams dished out quality football to give glimpses of class play for strong rural crowd who had thronged the stadium braving the bone chilling cold.

After a barren first half, Esimi netted the mach winner for the African team in the 65th minute of the game. Junior Army XI boys tried hard for the equalizer but in vain.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Airtel Mastermind chess begins in Patna


Patna, December 22, 2008
The fourth edition of the Airtel Mastermind chess championships for school students began at the Rajendra Nagar Government Girls School hall here on Sunday with a colourful opening function.

About 150 players drawn from various schools of the state have been participating in the event which is being organized by Association for People Welfare and Development (APWAD) to provide a competitive platform to budding talents.

S Gangwar, DIG (Patna Range) and Manish Upadhaya, Zonal Business Manager, Airtel inaugurated the tournament playing a board. Mirtunjay Tiwary, president, Bihar Players Association, Dr Rashmi Prabha, principal, Rajendra Nagar Government Girls High School and Arvind Kumar Sinha, secretary, All Bihar Chess Association graced the inaugural function. Rakesh Ranjan, director, tournament welcomed the guests and also proposed a vote of thanks. Senior athletic coach Abhishek Kumar anchored the event in his charming way.

On the opening day first round matches were played and as expected experienced players faced no difficulties to win their respective encounters. Sidhant Gautam, Pankaj Kumar, Ashwani Arya and Abhiyuday Bhartiya were among the prominent winners in the Boys' under-10 section.

Important results:
Boys under-12 (first round): Ayush Anand (1) beat Kumar Mayank (0); Siddhartha Khanna (1) beat Prashant Kumar (0); Ayush Kashyap (1) bat Pratyush Pratik (0); Samir Sengar (1) beat Raghunandan Prasad (0); Rahul Kumar (1) beat Abhinav (0); Abhiuday (1) bat Ranjit Kumar (0); Rohit Mishra (1) beat Alok Kumar (0); Alok Priyadarshi (1) beat SK Bagaria (0) and Suraj (1) beat KS Choudhary (0).
Boys’ under-10 (first round): Sidhant Gautam (1) beat KH Singh (0); Pankaj Kumar (1) beat Kunal (0); Ashwani Arya (1) beat Migranshu (0); Abhiuday (1) beat Mukund (0); Pranjal (1) beat Amitesh Raj (0); Anshul (1) beat Rahul Kumar (0); Ramesh Kumar (1) beat Arshil (0) and Ranjit Kumar (1) beat Aryan (0).
Girls under-10 (first round): Usha Arya (1) beat Kumari Shursti (0); Minakshi (1) beat Deep Shikha (0); Priya (1) beat Farha (0); Sakshi (1) beat Jasmin (0) and Kanchan Kumari (1) beat Soumya (0).
Photo caption: S Gangwar, DIG, Patna Range and other guests during the inauguration of the fourth Airtel Mastermind chess championships in Patna on Sunday.
Photo: Aftab Alam

Ajai to lead AG, Bihar volleyball team

Patna, December 22
Ajay Kumar Rai will lead a nine-member AG, Bihar team in the East Zone AG volleyball championship to be held here from December 23, according to Binod Kumar, general secretary, Bihar Civil Audit and Accounts Recreation Club.

Team: Ajay Kumar Rai (captain), Rakesh Nandan, Jitendra Kumar Singh, Samarjit Singh, Sharwan Kumar, Shambhu Kumar Singh, Sudesh Ranjan, Ajay Kumar Sinha and Birendra Mishra. Manager cum coach: KD Singh.

Sports Hostel clinch SIS Cricket Cup

Patna, December 22
The final of SIS Cup Randhir Verma memorial inter-school cricket tournament turned out to be an anti-climax as Sports Hostel did not face any worthwhile resistance beating Alliance Cricket Club by seven wickets at the Sanjay Gandhi Stadium here on Sunday.

Batting first Alliance boys could muster 75 runs off 22.2 overs. They looked hapless against tight bowling and fielding of Sports Hostel boys. Vivek (24) and Rupak (14) were the two batsmen to reach the double figures. Animesh and Dharmesh claimed two wickets each.

In reply, Sports Hostel boys reached the target losing three wickets off 9.5 overs. Shashim Rathore played a brilliant knock of 46 runs to set up the tone for victory. Later, he was declared man of the match.

Former Art, Culture and Youth Affairs minister Janardan Singh Sigriwal (the chief guest of the function), Nitin Navin, MLA and Anil Sulabh gave away the prizes.

Earlier, chief patron of the Randhir Verma Foundation, Ravindra Kishore Sinha inaugurated the final match.

The organising committee declared Shashim Rathore of Sports Hostel as man of the series, Shahzad of Zig-Zag Club as best batsman, Sajid Faridi of Zig-Zag Club as best bowler, Ritesh of ISHED as best wicketkeeper, Sumit of Alliance as best fielder and Sonu Kumar of ISHED as best promising player of the tournament.

Brief scores: Alliance Cricket Club: 75 all out in 22.2 overs (Vivek-24, Rupak-14, Animesh-2/11, Dharmesh-2/10).
Sports Hostel, Patna: 77 for three wickets in 9.5 overs (Shamim Rathore-46, Nitish Anand-15, Rupak-1/15)

Murmu to lead Bihar U-19 football team

Patna, December 22
Lakhi Ram Murmur will lead Bihar in the 45th junior National under-19 football championship for the BC Roy Trophy to be held at Bhilai from December 24, according to Jwala Prasad Sinha, office secretary, Bihar Football Association.

Team: Lakhi Ram Murmur (captain), Kaushal Kumar, Dhanraj Kumar, Moidul Mallick, Pintu Sardar, Ronit Raj, Vikas Kumar, Sudarshan Kumar, Babu Lal Hemburm, Dukhi Ram Tuddu, Biren Gurung, Anmol David Lakra, Ranjit Kumar, Abhimanyu Kumar, Gautam Kumar, Laxman Murmur, Manoj Topo, Govinda Kumar, Manish Anand and Dilip Kumar. Manager: Ganga Kumar Yadav. Coach: Mukesh Ranjan Srivastava.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Priyanka is Magadh Mahila College champion


Top: Sports Minister Renu Devi inaugurating Magadh Mahila College sports meet in Patna on Friday.
Bottom: Students performing during march past at the opening function.
Photo: Aftab Alam




Patna, December 20, 2008
Priyanka of BA Part III won the 100, 200 and 400 metres race to steal the limelight in the Magadh Mahila College annual sports meet here on Friday.
The three gold medals in athletics crowned Priyanka the overall champions of the college.

Priyanka also claimed first position in the long jump event taking her tally to four gold medals in the meet.

The meet began with a colourful opening function and students drawn from different courses presented attractive march past, yoga postures, aerobic exercises and free-hand exercise. Sports Minister Renu Devi, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the meet and she also distributed the prizes at the closing function.
Magadh Mahila College principal Dr Sukhda Pandey welcomed the guests while college sports board president Dr Meera Verma proposed a vote of thanks.

Madras University emerge chess champs

Patna, December 20, 2008
University of Madras emerged overall champions in the All-India inter-university chess championship with 17 points at Bodh Gaya on Friday. The championship was organized by Magadh University at its Bodh Gaya campus.

Calcutta University got the second position with 15 points. Osmania University too earned as many points to finish third on progressive scores.
SRM University and Delhi University bagged the fourth and fifth positions respectively.

Unity Cup: United African team moves into final

Patna, December 20, 2008
Combined United Africa will take on Junior Army XI, Lucknow in the final of the first Unity Cup All-India football tournament at Jalkaoura (Khagaria). In the second semi-final on Friday, Combined United Africa steamrollered Sikkim Police 5-1.

African team started in whirl-wind fashion and tormented Sikkim Police defence umpteen times through their power-packed and adroit football. Sikkim Police just were no match to this African team and surrendered meekly.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Unity Cup: Junior Army XI, Lucknow in final

Patna, December 19, 2008
Junior Army XI, Lucknow, stormed into the final of first Unity Cup All-India football tournament trouncing GTC, Shillong 4-1 in the first semifinal at Jalkaoura (Khagaria) on Thursday.

Junior Army boys dominated the entire match from the very start and never allowed their rivals to have some breathing space. Shillong men did not play their best and resorted to rough play throughout the match. They were upset over a referee’s penalty kick decision in the 10th minute of the first half against their side.

Deepak Shreshta of Army XI played a total and heart out football. He engineered several moves by and fed his forwards well. Abhishek Gurung capitalized the moment much as he scored three goals. CB Thapa netted in the other goal for Army XI.

NIIT MindChampion Academy launched in Bihar







Patna, December 19, 2008
World champion Vishwanathan Anand on Thursday said chess now needs to be taken to rural areas for tapping and nurturing the potential champions.

Speaking at the launch of NIIT MindChampion Academy, Anand said the chess had grown by leaps and bounds in India during the last 10 years, as more numbers of children were taking to the sport. “We have already captured the minds of urban area. Now we must move a step forward to capture minds of rural areas”, he remarked.

“The NIIT MindChampion Academy offers a tremendous opportunity to explore children's potential, as it is aimed at providing them with requisite guidance and facilities”, he said.

Talking about his next target he said he wanted to win the Linares chess championship to be held in February next year.

Anand reminded his association with Bihar and said though it was his first visit to this state he had an old connection with the state as his father spent a brief stint of his student life here.

"My father studied at Jamalpur in Munger district and it is a great pleasure to be here in Patna," said the top Grandmaster of the world.

Replying to a question Anand said he did not believe cricket had overshadowed other sporting disciplines in the country. “I think government has been fair to all sports”, he said.
"The amount of media attention chess gets now-a-days is quite big compared to 10 years back," Anand said.

Earlier, Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi launched NIIT's MindChampiom Academy in the state. NIIT MindChampion Academy is a joint initiative of NIIT, a leading Global Talent Development Corporation and World chess champion, Viswanathan Anand, to initiate children across India to the game of chess.
NIIT MindChampion Academy is being launched in 400 schools in the state where NIIT is offering the education services. The Academy has been successfully introduced in over 5000 schools across the country during the past 5 years, thus exposing students in the age group of 7-17 years to the world of Chess.

Marking the symbolic launch of the academy in the state, Modi and Anand made their first moves on the board. Anand handed over the MCA kits to the principals of some of the identified 400 Government Schools.

Speaking at the launch, Modi said, "It is encouraging to see NIIT comes forward to Introduce children to the world of chess through computer aided skills. I sincerely feel that initiatives like these will go a long way in enabling development of these young minds."
Lauding the role of Anand for uplift of chess in India, Modi said India had won seven world titles in the year 2008 and the credit should go to the chess maestro, who had popularised and revolutionised the game in the country.

Modi also announced that there would be a hall in the upcoming indoor stadium at Kankerbagh in Patna only for chess activities.

Dr. Anil Kumar, IT Minister also joined the Deputy Chief Minister in highlighting the importance of promoting IT in education at school level and initiating school children in the game of chess through technology. Alok V Chaturvedi, Secretary, IT and Naveen Kumar Commissioner, Finance were present among other senior dignitaries from the State.
Launched in 2002 with an objective of initiating students into the world of Chess, NIIT MindChampion Academy has today fostered nearly 6180 chess clubs with more than 1,75,000 students as its members in schools where NIIT offers computer education.
Students use computer-based tutorials, during and after school as a virtual playfield to hone their skills in the game of Chess. Apart from tutorials, promising Chess players get an opportunity to interact with NIIT MindChampion and World chess champion Viswanathan Anand, in person at regular intervals. Leveraging its inherent strength in technology, NIIT MindChampion Academy has created a virtual community of Chess enthusiasts in the country.

Photo Caption: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and World chess champion Viswanathan Anand inaugurating NIIT MindChampion Academy.

Middle: Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and Viswanathan Anand playing a board during inaugural function.

Bottom: Girl students greet World chess champion Viswanathan Anand in Patna on Thursday.

Photos by Aftab Alam

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Bihar fencing teams for Senior Nationals
























Patna, December 16
Deepak Kumar and Renuka Kumari will lead Bihar fencing teams in the 19th Senior National championships to be held in Imphal from December 21 to 24.

Announcing the teams here on Wednesday, Bihar Fencing Association secretary Rama Shankar Prasad said Shravan Kumar Gupta and Mukesh Kumar would be the coaches while Bindia Banerjee would the manager.

Men: Deepak Kumar (captain), Ravi Kumar, Pranav Raj, Ashutosh Kumar, Kumar Kush, Raunak Kumar, Bhaskar Banerjee, Vikas Sharma, Manish Kumar, Devraj and Rajan.

Women: Renuka Kuamri (captain), Ambika Kumari, Jyoti Kumari, Khushbu Singh and Priyanka Kumari.


Photo Caption: Members of Bihar fencing team in Patna on Wednesday.

Unity Cup: African team Sikkim Police in semis

Patna, December 18, 2008
Combined United African team thrashed UKFC Darjeeling 3-0 while Army Boys Danapur stumbled out of Unity Cup All-India football tournament losing to Sikkim Police 3-5 in shootouts at Jalkaoura (Khagaria) on Wednesday.

With this victories both the winners moved into the semi-finals.

In the first match of the day, Army Boys Danapur shot into lead off a 58th minute goal by Lakshman Mumrmu after a barren first half play. Karma Bhutia brought the equalizer for Sikkim Police in the 74th minute to make the score even 1-1.

In the shootouts, Danapur boys struck two while Sikkim Police netted four goals to win the match. Lakshman Murmu of Danapur was adjudged man of the match.

The second match of the day saw Combined United African team dominating the proceedings from the word go and made series of attacks on Darjeeling citadel. African team struck in 35th, 85th and 87th minutes of the game. At the breather, winners were leading 1-0.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Azad Sporting, Jalkaoura bow out of Unity Cup

Patna, December 16, 2008
Hosts Azad Sporting, Jalkaoura, bowed out of Unity Cup All-India football tournament losing to Junior Army XI, Lucknow 0-2 at Jalkaoura (Khagaria) on Tuesday.

In the second match of day, GTC Shillong struggled to down Junior Mohammedan Sporting Club 1-0.

In the first match, Govind Ghosh of Army XI Lucknow stole the show with his dazzling display. Ghosh scored a brilliant goal with a power-packed shot that was treated to be the best thus far in the tournament. He was later adjudged man of the match.

The second match witnessed an intense battle between the two teams. Despite shining in splashes both the teams failed to break the dead lock in first half.

After the lemon break, Nadum Bhutia scored the match-winner for Shillong in the 65th minute. Deepak Shreshta of GTC won the man of the match award. Three players received yellow cards during the match

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Army Boys, Danapur edge past Bihar Police

Patna, December 15, 2008
Army Boys, Danapur edged out Bihar Police 7-6 via tiebreaker in the Unity Cup All-India football tournament at Jalkoura (Khagaria) on Monday.

Army Boys shot into the lead in the very fifth minute of the first half as Rajesh Soy scored a brilliant field goal.

Army Boys were leading 1-0 at the lemon break.

After the change over, Army boys mounted pressure on the rivals' penalty area and J Lohar put his team 2-0 up in the 50th minute.

At this stage, the real drama began. Bihar Police, who were surprised to have a 0-2 deficit from new bees, rejuvenated themselves and combined well to launch counter attacks from both the flanks. Mohammad Fayaz netted the first goal for Bihar Police in the 52nd minute of the match to make it 1-2.

Bihar Police took complete command of the game as their halves feeding the ball well to their strikers. Pankaj Kumar of Bihar Police brought the equalizer in the 54th minute 2-2.

After gaining the equalizer, Bihar Police looked like a different team altogether. Debashish Roy put Bihar Police into the lead in the 73rd minute with his solo effort 3-2.

Army Boys fought hard in the closing moments of the match and Arjun Tuddu got the parity in the 84th minute 3-3.

In the tiebreaker, Bihar Police struck three out of five while Danapur boys converted four in to the goals.

In the inaugural match of the tournament on Sunday, Azad Sporting Club Jalkoura thrashed Jamshedpur Sports Association (JSA) 4-0 to begin their title hunt in style.

Azad Sporting shot into lead off a third minute goal by David. Illiyas made it 2-0 in the 11th minute of the game while Shahwaz increased the margin 3-0 in the 35th minute of the match
Jalkoura tea was leading 3-0 at the breather

Anwar Hussain did it 4-0 in the 75th minute. Earlier, Dular Chandra Yadav, MLA inaugurated the tournament.

Zunaid, Priyanka to lead Bihar tenni-koit teams


Patna, December 15
Zunaid and Priyanka Dayal will lead the Bihar boys and girls teams in the 23rd National sub-junior tenni-koit championships to be held at Madurai from December 20, according to Neeraj Kumar Pappu, secretary, Bihar Tenni-Koit Association.

Team (boys): Zunaid (captain), Praveen, Shakir, Ajitesh and Rupak. Coach: Amaresh Kumar. Girls: Priyanka Dayal (captain), Akansha Lal, Simran Singh, Khushbu Kumari, Pooja Patel and Nisha Kumari. Coach: Rakesh Ranjan.

Airtel mastermind chess from December 19
The fourth Airtel mastermind inter-school chess tournament will be held at the Rajendra Nagar High School hall here from December 21, according to Rajdev Prasad, convenor. The last date of entry is December 19. The championship is being organised by Association for people’s Welfare and Development (APWAD).

Photo Caption: Members of Bihar tenni-koit teams in Patna on Sunday.

Photo: Aftab Alam

Patna to host Sr National TT from January 5


Patna, December 15, 2008

Buoyed by its successful hosting of the East Zone table tennis championships last year, the Bihar Table Tennis Association geared up to host Senior National table tennis championships at the Secretariat Indoor Hall here from January 5 to 11.


Talking to newsmen at the Bihar Young Men’s Institute on Sunday, organizing president and MLC Sanjay Singh said it would be for the first time, Bihar is hosting the Senior National championships. National champion and Olympian Neha Agrawal and Commonwealth champion S Sarat Kamal would be the star attraction of the tournament that would see about 450 players from different parts of the country vying for the honours, he added.


Singh said Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) and IFFCO would be the main sponsors of the 7-day long event that would incur an expected expenditure of Rs 70 lakh. About Rs 6.5 lakh would be disbursed among the prize- winners of the tournament, he said.


BTTA president Dr Utpal Kant Singh said the matches would be organized simultaneously on eight boards. Team events would be held on first three days while rest four days had been kept for individual championship matches, he added.


He said about 150 technical officials of Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) would conduct the matches. Thirty-four states and two institutions would take part in the meet, he remarked.


BTTA secretary Mukesh Roy said top players including Subhajeet Saha, Anirban Nandy, Pathik Mehta, Subhajeet Dutta, G Jitendra, A Amalraj, Sanil Shetty, Ranvir Das and Saurav Chakraborty in men’s section while Paulomi Ghatak, Mauma Das, K Shamini, Montu Ghosh, Mausumi Pal, J Swarna, Mamta Prabhu, Soumi Mandal and Kasturi Chakraborty in women’s section would be seen in action.
Photo Caption: From left Bihar Table Tennis Association secretary Mukesh Roy organising president and MLC Sanjay Singh and BTTA president Dr Utpal Kant Singh at a press conference for senior National TT in Patna on Sunday. Photo: Aftab Alam

Sardar Patel athletics: St Karen's School boys, Notre Dame Academy girls emerge champions


Patna, December 15
St Karen’s High School, Gola Road (Danapur) proved their supremacy once again at the 7th edition of the Sardar Patel inter-school athletic championships retaining the overall championships title with 187 points to their kitty on the third and final day at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium here on Sunday.

It was their sixth successive championships title in seven appearences. Notre Dame Academy with 150 points won the overall champions in girls' section while St Karen’s High School, Patna with 92 points won the overall champions title in boys' section.

Komal Kumari with 15 points and Sunny Kumar with 13 points were adjudged as individual champions in the senior girls and boys groups respectively. Ashish Singh of Gyan Niketan with 10 points and Shraddha Choudhary of Notre Dame Academy claimed the individual crowns in the junior boys and girls categories.

Abdul Bari Siddiqui, MLA gave away the prizes in gala closing function. He also released a souvenir. Upendra Kumar Singh, president, Sardar Patel Sports and Cultural Foundation welcomed the guests while KC Mahajan, general secretary of the foundation proposed a vote of thanks. Krishna Choudhary, DIG, Tirhut Range, Sanjay Rai, vice-president, Bihar Athletics Association (BAA), Md Shamim, former MLC, Arun Keshri, technical director, 2010 Commonwealth Games and Liaquat Ali, secretary, BAA were present at the function.

Results
Mini girls (400 m): Deborupa Roy (first), Sweta (second) and Suman Kumari (third).
Senior boys (400 m): Sunny Raj (first), Lav Kumar (second) and Prakash Prabhakar (third).
Junior boys (400 m): Abhishek Ranjan (first), Nitish Kumar (second) and Bal Krishna Kumar (third).
Mini boys (400 m): Suryamani Singh (first), Pintu (second) and Rupam (third).
Sub-junior boys (400 m): Ravi Ranjan (first) and Ritesh Kumar (second).
4x100 m relay (mini girls): St Karen’s School (champion).
4x100 m relay (sub-junior girls): Raj Hans School, Barh (champion).
4x100 m (cadet girls): St Karen’s High School (champion).
4x100 m relay (cadet boys): KPSR Public School (champion).
4x100 m relay (senior girls): Notre Dame Academy (champion).
4x100 m relay (junior girls): Notre Dame Academy (champion).
Shot put (junior girls): Shmbhari (first), Kavya Dutta (second) and Saina Mahmood (third).
Shot put (senior girls): Arpana Laneet (first), Rupa Rani (second) and Neda Ashraf (third).
Shot put (junior boys): Amal Krishna (first), Rakesh Kumar (second) and Rahul Kumar & Suraj Kumar (third jointly).
Shot put (senior boys): Anish (first), Dheeraj Kumar (second) and Atish (third).
1,500 m race (senior boys): Dashrath Kumar (first), Mohit Kumar (second) and Mukesh Kumar third).
High jump (junior boys): Suraj Kumar (first), Mohit Kumar (second) and Bal Krishna Kumar (third).
High jump (sub-junior boys): Md Afzal (first) and Gaurav Kumar Tiwary (second).
Photo Caption: Medal winners of Sardar Patel inter-school athletic championships in Patna on Sunday. Photo: Aftab Alam

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Patel athletics: Ayush is track king




Patna December 14, 2008
The champion of 100m is crowned as track king and on Saturday Ayush Kumar of Patna Central School got the title winning the blue ribbon event in 12.7 seconds on the second day of the Sardar Patel inter-school athletic championships at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium.

Notre Dame Academy’s Abha Suman emerged track queen covering the distance in 15 seconds.

Sunny Kumar and Navin Kumar (both Hansraj School) followed Ayush for silver and bronze medals respectively.

An intense battle for supremacy over 100m senior girls was the highlight of day’s events. Nikki Kumari tried her best to finish second with 15.1 seconds while Sonal Singh of St Karen’s School finished third with 15.59 seconds.

Technical committee director of 2010 Commonwealth Games Arun Kumar Keshri and Bihar Athletic Association secretary Liaquat Ali Khan were the chief guests at second day events and gave away the medals and prizes to the winners.

Results

Sub-junior boys (shot put): Md. Ali Khan (first), Abhijit Pankaj (second) and Rahul Raman (third). Sub-junior boys (800 m): Jitendra Kumar (first), Ashish Anupam (second) and Vibhuti Kumar (third).
Junior boys (800 m): Abhishek Ranjan (first), Ram Basu Kumar (second) and Raj Kumar (third).
Senior boys (800 m): Manish Kumar (first), Mohit Kumar (second) and Jitendra Kumar (third).
Junior girls (Javelin throw): Saima Mahmood (first), Neha Sinha (second) and Kabya Dutta (third).
Senior boys (Javelin throw): Akash Anand (first), Shashi Kant Singh (second) and Santosh Kr Mukhiya (third).
Cadet boys (100 m): Brajesh Kumar (first), Anand Krishan (second) and Ankit Kumar Sinha (third) Junior boys (100 m): Ashish Singh (first), Karan Raj (second) and Saubham Arjun (third).
Mini boys (100 m): Suryam Singh (first), Rupesh (second) and Sushil Kumar (third).
Sub-junior boys (100 m): Rustam Ali (first), Rajesh Kumar (second) and Ankit Raj (third).
Junior girls (100 m): Shardha Chaudhary (first), Priyanka Rani (second) and Meha Sananeria (third).
Senior girls (100 m.): Abha Suman (first), Nikki Kumari (second) and Sonal Singh (third).
Sub-junior girls (100 m): Monu Kunt (first), Deepika (second) and Irasharma (third).
Senior boys (100 m): Ayush Kumar (first), Sunny Raj (second) and Navin Kumar (third).
Cadet girls (100 m): Tanaya (first), Kashpi Jamal (second) and Aishamaya Manish (third).
Mini girls (100 m): Deborupa Ray (first), Nedhi (second) and Aparna Nandan (third).
Cadet boys ((300 m): Ravi Prakash (first), Rajan (second) and Rohit Kumar (third).
Cadet girls (300 m): Alisha (first), Kashfi Jamal (second) and Surbhi (third).
Sub-junior boys (Discus throw): Rahul Gupta (first), Bipul Raj (second) and R Ali (third).
Junior boys (Discus throw): Shiv Kumar (first), Piyush Ratan (second) and Amit Kumar (third).
Senior girls (Long jump): Ignatia (first), Abha Suman (second) and Ayushi Suman (third).
Junior girls (Long jump): Shraddha Choudhary (first), Sumita (second) and Abhilash Jaidev (third).
Sub-junior girls (Long jump): Monu Kant Shree (first), Anjali Kumari (second) and Chetna (third). Sub-junior girls (400 m): Chetna (first), Manita Kumari (second) and Binita Das (third).
Senior boys (Discus throw): Atish (first), Shashi Shekhar Raj (second) and Alok Kumar Singh (third).
Junior girls (400 m): Rekha Sinha (first), Neha Singh (second) and Gloria Anthony (third).
Senior girls (400 m): Komal Kumai (first), Nikki Kumari (second) and Aishwarya Sinha (third).
Sub-junior girls (Discus throw): Sneha (first), Rishabha Mehta (second) and Rachita (third).
Mini boys (Long jump): Rupam (first), Piyush Kumar (second) and Vishwajeet (third).
Junior girls (Discus throw): Ankita (first), Saima Mabmood (second) and Sambabi (third).
Junior boys (Long jump): Amal Krishna (first), Sujeet Kumar (second) and Rajat Kumar (third).
Senior girls (Discus throw): Chitrangada (first), Nikita Sinha (second) and Jagriti (third).
Sub-junior boys (Long jump): Ravi Ranjan (first), Sahit Verma (second) and Vibhuti Kumar (third).

Photo Caption: Top: Athletes leaping for glory in long jump. Bottom: Athletes participating in mini girls 300m events during Patel inter-school athletic championships in Patna on Saturday. Photo: Aftab Alam



Saturday, December 13, 2008

SIS Cup: Sports Hostel face Alliance in final

Patna, December 13
Sports Hostel, Patna will lock horns with Alliance Cricket Club in the final of the SIS Cup Randhir Verma memorial inter-school cricket tournament. In the first semi-final at the Sanjay Gandhi Stadium here on Friday, Sports Hostel crushed ISHED by ten wickets while Alliance Cricket Club scored a narrow 5-run victory over Zig-Zag Cricket Club, Buxar in the second match of the day.

Brief scores: ISHED: 91 all out in 18.5 overs (Saket-29, Rohit Gupta-3/14, Rajiv-2/13)Sports Hostel, Patna: 95 for no loss in nine overs (Rathore-52 not out, Rajiv-33 not out)
Man of the match: Rajiv (Sports Hostel)
Alliance Cricket Club: 135 all out in 19.5 overs (Ranjan-24, Sumit-16, Rupak-13, Aftab-2/21, Ravi-2/15, Navin-2/18)Zig Zag, Buxar: 130 all out in 20 overs (Sultan-17, Sumit-3/32, Ranjan-1/21)
Man of the match: Sumit (Alliance Club)

BSNL Bihar kabaddi team
CDP Singh will lead a 12-member BSNL, Bihar Circle team in the 8th All-India BSNL kabaddi championship to be held in Hyderabad from December 16, according to Parmanand Jha, chief public relations officer of the institution.

Team: CDP Singh (captain), Om Praksh Yadav, Sudhanshu Kumar, Ashok Kumar Singh, Nirmal Thakur, Manoj Kumar Dewedi, Ajay Rai, Raghubir Sah, Ratan Lal Gupta, Jaimangal Mishra, Ram Murat Ram and KN Jha.

Patel athletics: Rakesh, Khushbu shine on Day One





Patna, December 13
Sardar Patel Sports and Cultural Foundation did all possible it could to make the opening of the 7th Inter-School athletic championships at the outer ground of the Moinul Haq Stadium a grand function here on Friday. Students drawn from various schools of Patna presented attractive march past, gala cultural shows and won applauds from spectators.

Rural Works Department minister Brishen Patel declared the meet open. Former Bihar minister and present MLA Shyam Rajak, general secretary of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD, Bihar) Dr Nihora Prasad Yadav and Director Indian Institute of Health Education Anil Sulabh graced the opening ceremony. Former MLC and president of the Sardar Patel Sports and Cultural Foundation Upendra Kumar Singh welcomed the guests while federation’s general secretary KC Mahajan proposed a vote of thanks.

Suranjana of Notre Dame Academy and Sonal of St Karen's High School took joint oath on behalf of the participants. St Karen's High School clinched the best march past trophy for the second year in a row.

In the on-field action Rakesh Kumar of St Karen's High School and Khushbu Kumari of Notre Dame Academy hogged the limelight on the first day of the meet. Rakesh won the gold medal in mini boys 600m race while Khushbu cornered glory over the same distance in mini girls’ section.

Results:
Girls’ (600 m): Kushbu Kumari (first), Soumya (second), Suman Kumari (third).

Mini boys’ (600 m): Rakesh Kumar (first), Md. Navshad (second), Abhay Kumar (third).

Senior girls (800 m): Komal Kumari (first), Renu Kumari (second), Aishwarya Sinha (third).

Sub-junior girls’ (600 m): Marita Kumari (first), Binita Das (second), Priti Kumari (third).

Junior girls’ (600 m): Rekha Sinha (first), Neha Singh (second), Gloria (third).

Sub-junior girls’ (shot put): Rishav Mehta (first), Sneha (second), Suchita Sinha (third).
Mini girls’ (long jump): Aditi (first), Sweta (second), Alisha Lakra (third).Cadet Girls’ (long jump): Tanya (first), Khushboo Kumari (second), Alisha (third).Cadet Boys’ (long jump): Ravi (first), Mukesh Kumar (second), Saurav (third).



Photo Captions: Students presenting a clutural show (top) and Mini girls racing for glory (bottom) during the Sardar Patel athletic championships in Patna on Friday.

SJFI donates Rs 51,000 for flood-hit Bihar


Patna, December 12
The Sports Journalists' Federation of India (SJFI) on Friday donated Rs 51,000 to Bihar government to help flood-hit people of the state. Bihar had witnessed a devastating flood in September when river Kosi changed its course sweeping away the embankments. About 40-lakh people in five districts of the state had affected by the worst-ever flood.

Expressing sympathy for the flood affected people in Araria, Purnia, Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura districts due to the breach of river Kosi in Nepal, the SJFI hoped that the money would help in relief and restoration work in the affected areas.

On behalf of the SJFI, Sports Journalists Association of Bihar (SJAB) secretary Pradeep Modak handed over the bank draft to state Art, Culture and Youth Affairs department secretary Vivek Kumar Singh, here to be deposited in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Speaking on the occasion, Singh said the state government was serious to restore sports activities in the flood-affected areas.
Senior SJAB members Abhijeet Biswas, Nawin Chndra Manoj, Arun Singh, Manoj Kumar Sinha, photographers association president AP Dubey, sports organsier Neeraj Kumar Pappu and senior athletic coach Abhishek Kumar were present at the function.
Photo Caption: Sports Journalists Association of Bihar members led by its secretary Pradeep Modak presenting a draft of Rs 51,000 to Government of Bihar's Sports Secretary Vivek Singh (standing in the middle) for Chief Minister's Relief Fund in Patna on Thursday.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Tenni-koit: Rebika wears women's singles crown


Patna, December 11, 2008
Rebika of Patna Women’s College won the women’s singles title of the Star India state-level tenni-koit championships defeating her teammate Sugandha 2-1 at Bankipore Government Girls School, courts here on Thursday.

Priyanka Dayal of Arya Kanya Vidyalaya clinched the under-16 singles title outplaying Sakshi Kumari of Dayanand Girls School 2-0. Mala Kumari of Bankpore Girls High School captured the under14 singles crown beating her school mate Smrit Kumari 2-1 in the final. The under-12 singles title was won by Sonu Kumari of Bankipore Girls School. Sonu struggled to beat Puja Kuamri of Dayanand Girls School 2-1.

Arya Kanya pair of Akansha Lal and Priyanka won the doubles title defeating the Dayanand Girls School’s pair of Sakshi and Khushbu 2-0.

At the end, Star India Constructions chairman-cum-managing director SB Prasad gave away the prizes.Bankipore Girls School principal Bilkis Jehan presided over the function while Bihar Tenni-Koit Association secretary Neeraj Kumar Pappu proposed a vote of thanks.
Photo caption: Winners and participants of Star India tenni-koit championships in Patna on Thursday.

IAF lift Chaturbhuj soccer trophy

Patna, December 11, 2008
The 18th All-India Chaturbhuj Ram memorial soccer tournament witnessed a spate of tiebreakers to decide the outcome of the matches. The final too met the same fate. This time the lucky team was Indian Air Force, Delhi who beat Sikh Regimental Centre, Jallandhar 4-2 via tiebreaker to win the coveted trophy at Khudiram Bose Stadium in Muzaffarpur on Thursday.

The tiebreaker rule came into force after the ding-dong 90-minute and extra-time battle between Delhi and Jallandhar teams ended in a goalless draw. Indian Air Force goaltender MK Jina made two immaculate saves under the bar to steer his side to title win.

M Negi, Farhat, Stephen and Dhanesh hit the target for Indian Air Force while Jitendra Pal Singh and Ramesh Rai found the target for Sikh Regimental Centre. Majnider Singh and Gurudev Singh spoiled their shots powering it into the safe hands of MK Jina.

The match began with a brisk pace as Air Force men mounted pressure on rival citadel right from the word go. They got scoring chances in the 12th minute when striker Stephen shot wide from a close range inside the box. Later, in the 18th minute, winger M Negi too squandered a golden chance.

Sikh Regimental Centre men launched counter attacks midway through the first half of the play and got several corners but of no avail. Air Force defenders kept Army striker Maninder Singh well under check throughout the match. In the 33rd minute Maninder got a good aerial pass off Saroj Singh header but before Manindar could set himself for a strike, Air Force defender MC Peru cleared the ball.

The match saw its lemon break goalless. The second half too witnessed the game confining in the midfield as both the teams failed to create perfect opportunity for a goal.

At the end of the match, former treasurer of Bihar Volleyball Association Krishna Mohan Tiwari, who was the chief guest at the closing function, gave away the winners trophy to Air Force team while Muzaffarpur’s deputy mayor Md Nisaruddin presented the runners-up trophy to Jallandhar team.