Sudhanshu, Suthirtha new junior champs

New Delhi, July 22, 2013: Sudhanshu Grover defeated Abhishek Yadav 4-3 to emerge the Junior Boys singles champion while it was another new face, Suthirtha Mukherjee who won the Junior Girls singles crown beating the experienced Manika Batra 4-2 to win the Junior Girls crown on the concluding day of the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships at the IG Stadium here on Monday.

Earlier, two more fresh names—Anirban Ghosh and Sagarika Mukherjee—won maiden international singles titles in the Cadet sections which, along with the doubles crowns in the junior sections, made it a Perfect Ten for India in the championships. The doubles titles went to Abhishek and Suidhanshu Grover in the boys’ category, while Manika Batra and Suthirtha Mukherjee combined to claim the girls’ crown. In both finals, their opponents were Sri Lankan.

Sri Lanka, who along with India qualified for the Asian Junior championships to be held in Doha, finished the table as the second best team with reasonably good performances coming up from their paddlers. India also won two silver medals through Abhishek Yadav and Manika Batra to add to their tally.

Sudhanshu had to pull all tricks to beat Abhishek who was not the one to give up easily. The see-saw final had its ups and downs with each of the players keeping their interest alive. But in the end Sudhanshu kept his lead intact in the seventh game, before Abhishek made it 7-all. At that point of time, it looks the match could go any way.

However, Sudhanshu stopped the southpaw on his tracks and took four straight points to win the match and the crown.

“It was a pulsating final and Abhisheh was strong on his forehand. I had to counter that and that was my problem initially. But was lucky on some points and they made my day,” said Sudhanshu on his maiden international title. “Last year Abhishek had beaten me and I had to give it back this year,” added Sudhanshu. 

Suthirtha took the first two games rather easily, but Manika, who is ranked 27th in the world, staged a fine comeback to win the next two to bring some balance into the final. But Suthirtha, without playing into Manika’s game plan of push and prod, attacked winning the vital points, particularly in the fifth game. Once she took the upper hand, the sixth game became a formality for the West Bengal girl who won by a mile to shut out whatever little challenge that had come from the Delhi girl.

“I was into attacking mode in the third and fourth games. But Monika blocked well to keep her in the match. I changed my plan in the fifth even though she (Manika) was breathing down my neck. The moment I took 3-2 lead, I knew what my game plan should be. It (attack) paid me rich dividends,” said the 35th ranked player.

THE RESULTS:

Junior Boys Singles: Final: Sudhanshu Grover (Ind) bt Abhishek Yadav (Ind) 4-3 (11-9, 9-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7); Semi-finals: Sudhanshu Grover (Ind) bt Rameez Muhammad (Pak) 4-1 (15-13, 7-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9), Abhishek Yadav (Ind) bt Awal Piyush (Nep) 4-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-6).

Doubles: Final: Abhishek Yadav/Sudhanshu Grovere (Ind) bt Vimukthi Wijesiri/Liyanahe Kahawaththa (SL)3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-6); Semi-finals: Abhishek Yadav/Sudhanshu Grover (Ind) bt Jubair Ahmed/Sajid Wahid (Bang)3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-6), Vimukhi Wijesiri/Liyanahe Kahawaththa (SL) bt Mani Lama/Awal Piyush (Nep) 3-1 (8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-7).

Junior Girls Singles: Final: Suthirtha Mukherjee (Ind) bt Manika Batra (Ind)4-2 (11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-6); Seim-finals: Manika Batra (Ind) bt Tharakie De Silva (SL) 4-1 (11-6, 11-3, 11-5, 11-13, 11-4), Suthirtha Mukherjee (Ind) bt Bandara Rajaguru (SL) 4-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-4, 11-7).

Doubles: Final: Manika Batra/Suthirtha Mukherjee (Ind) bt Tharakie De Silva/Bandara Rajaguru (SL)3-1 (11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 13-11); Semi-finals: Manika Batra/Suthirtha Mukherjee (Ind) bt Shamin Akhter Minara/Esrat Jahan Nahima (Bang) 3-0 (11-4, 11-4, 11-8), Tharakie De Silva/Bandara Rajaguru (SL) bt Kajol Rauniyar/Manita Chitrakar (Nep) 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-3).

Cadet Boys Singles: Final: Anirban Ghosh (Ind) bt Birdie Boro (Ind) 3-1 (11-7, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8), Semi-finals: Anirban Ghosh (Ind) bt Udaya Ranasinghe (SL) 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-9), Birdie Boro (Ind) bt Jayasanka De Silva (SL) 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-8).

Cadet Girls Singles: Final: Sagarika Mukherjee (Ind) bt R. Harshavardhini (Ind) 3-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-7); Semi-finals:Sagarika Mukherjee (Ind) bt Pavani Siresena (SL) 3-0 (11-5, 11-9, 15-13), R. Harshavardini Calange (Ind) bt Sheshala Bandara (SL) 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-5).

A TTFI Press release

Indian paddlers on a gold rush

New Delhi, July 21, 2013: Indian paddlers completed the formality in a way they were expected to claim all the four team gold medals on the second day of the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships at the IG Stadium here on Sunday.

Sri Lanka finished behind them to win the four silver medals, while the bronze medals were shared by Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan. Bhutan remained the only country not to finish among medals in the team events.

Indian paddlers’ results were a foregone conclusion, but the point interest remained about the way the new crop performing. In fact, all the fresh faces did really well while it was Sudhanshu Grover and Abhishek Yadav  in the Junior Boys sections were extended by their rivals.

First, it was Grover who was surprised by Nepal’s Mani Lama who took the Indian to the brink before the latter won by a margin of three points. In the semifinal game, Lama gave some anxious moments in the second and third games to put pressure on Grover. The Indian played into Lama’s hands and allowed him the 2-1 lead. But in the fourth Grover came back nicely to restore parity. In the decider, Lama stretched the Indian but Grover finished strong.

Similarly, in the final southpaw Abhishek had pull out all tricks against Sri Lankan Niroshana Kahawathatha Liyanahe who matched the Indian stroke for stroke. After leading comfortable at 2-0, the Indian made errors at the next with his backhand not working as well. Taking the cue, the Sri Lankan took the game to bring some excitement in the match. But that was all he could do as Abhishek shut out his challenge. Then Abhishek combined with Rohit Rajasekhar to win the doubles to seal the fate of Sri Lanka.

The women teams in both the Junior and Cadet sections finished on top of the group to win the titles. The first stage in singles events have begun and the early indications are that India were on way to sweep the medal tally.

Results:

Junior Boys (Stage II-Final): India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Sudhanshu Grover bt Vimukthi Wijesiri 11-5, 11-6, 11-6, Abhishek Yadav bt Niroshana Kahawathatha 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6, Rohit Rajasekhar bt Dilshan Ekanayaka 11-6, 11-4, 11-6); Semi-final: India bt Nepal 3-0 (Sudhanshu Grover bt Mani Lama 11-7, 9-11, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8, , Abhishek Yadav bt Awal Piyush 11-7, 11-4, 11-2, Utkarsh Gupta bt Nihal Shrestha 14-12, 11-9, 11-6), Sri Lanka bt Pakistan 3-0 (Niroshana Kahawathatha bt Rameez Muhammad 11-13, 11-6, 8-11, 12-10, 11-5, Vimukhit Wijesiri bt Khurshid Tabish 11-6, 11-9, 12-10, Krishan Wickeramaratha bt Jamal Aziz 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 14-12).

Junior Girls (Round 3): India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Suthirtha Mukherjee bt Tharakie De Silver 11-8, 11-7, 11-5, Manika Batra bt Sankalpana Kannangara 11-4, 11-7, 11-5, Reeth Rishya Tennison bt Chamathasara Fernando 11-3, 11-4, 11-8; Nepal bt Bangladesh 3-1.

Cadet Boys: (Stage II-Final: Indian bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Birdie Boro bt Udaya Ranasinghe 11-4, 9-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, Anirban Ghosh bt Jayasanka De Silva 11-7, 11-6, 11-5; Anirban Ghosh/Lalrin Puia bt Udaya Ranasinghe/Poornima Warusawithana 11-3, 11-7, 11-9); Semi-final: Indiaa bt Nepal 3-0 (Birdie Boro bt Santoo Shretha 11-4, 11-8, 11-5, Lalrin Puia bt Krishan Thapa 11-4, 11-7, 11-5, Anirban Ghosh/Birdie Boro bt Santoo Shretha/Krishna Thapa 12-10, 12-10, 11-3).

Cadet Girls: Round-3: India bt Sri Lanka 3-0 (Sreeja Akula bt Pavani Sirisena 11-1, 12-10, 11-5, Sagarika Mukherjee bt Ri Karadanaarachchi 11-3, 11-5, 11-4, Sagarika Mukherjee/R. Harshavardini bt Pavani Sirisena 11-2, 11-3, 11-9).

TTFI Press release

Hockey India inducts Hockey Hyderabad as Associate Member

New Delhi, July 21, 2013: Hockey India today inducted Hockey Hyderabad as an Associate Member.

Hockey India now has 15 Associate Members, with 28 Affiliated Members and two State Olympic Association Members.

With this inclusion, Hockey Hyderabad can take part in all the National Championships to be conducted by Hockey India in future.

Hyderabad has produced numerous Olympians and international players and now with the entry of Hockey Hyderabad in the mainstream of hockey it will rejuvenate the sport of hockey in Hyderabad. 

  

Dr. Narinder Batra, Secretary General, Hockey India said “The entry of Hockey Hyderabad would play a major role in promoting and developing hockey in its traditional fashion and would give an opportunity for young talent to showcase their skills to Hockey Hyderabad. We are hopeful that three times Olympian N Mukesh Kumar who is the Secretary of Hockey Hyderabad and its other members who are former international players can help in the growth of the sport at the grassroots level”.

“Hockey India will give its full support to Hockey Hyderabad for the development of hockey in their area” further added Dr. Batra.

Jayesh Ranjan (IAS) is the President and N Mukesh Kumar is the Secretary of Hockey Hyderabad.

Indian paddlers go through motions

New Delhi, July 20, 2013: The Indian teams did not have even a semblance of resistance from any quarter as their boys and girls in the Junior and Cadet sections went through the motion on the opening day of the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships, being played at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here today.

The Cadet and Junior Boys events, which are played in two stages, saw the Indians taking their respective top slots to move into Stage II. As for the girls, particularly in the junior section, kept a clean slate winning both their matches against Nepal and Bangladesh, beating them with an identical margin of 3-0.

They have a match against Sri Lanaka, who too have four points from two wins and their match tomorrow with the hosts will decide the group topper. For the Indians, it should be a cakewalk.

Interestingly, both India and Sri Lanka have a 3-0 win each against Nepal and with just three teams competing in the Cadet girls section, India will have to beat Sri Lanka to complete a formality.  

The results in the Cadet and Junior Boys sections were no different. The Indians, part of group A, defeated Pakistan and Bhutan 3-0 to occupy the top position. Similarly, in Cadet Section, India routed Bangladesh and Pakistan by the same margin.

Sri Lanka, who are proving to be the second best team from the region, have kept their date with destiny beating the smaller nations that are struggling to find their feet in the discipline.

Results:

Cadet Boys: Group A: India bt Bangladesh 3-0, India bt Pakistan 3-0; Bangladesh bt Pakistan 3-0; Group B: Sri Lanka bt Bhutan 3-0, Sri Lanka bt Nepal 3-0.

Cadet Girls: India bt Nepal 3-0, Sri Lanka bt Nepal 3-0.

Junior Boys: India bt Pakistan 3-0, Pakistan bt Bhutan 3-1, India bt Bhutan 3-0; Group B: Sri Lanka bt Nepal 3-0, Bangladesh bt Nepal 3-1, Sri Lanka bt Bangladesh 3-0.

Junior Girls: India bt Nepal 3-0, Sri Lanka bt Nepal 3-0, India bt Bangladesh 3-0, Sri Lanka bt Bangladesh 3-0.

A TTFI Press release

Kapur ends round two in tied 24th, six strokes off the lead

Muirfield, Scotland, July 19, 2013: India’s Shiv Kapur, dropped from overnight tied fourth to tied 24th place after shooting a six-over-77 in the second round of the 142nd Open Championships in Muirfield, Scotland. The 31-year-old however, made his first cut at a Major with relative ease on a high-scoring day that saw some big names including World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and US Open champion Justin Rose fall by the wayside.

Kapur’s (68-77) second round of 77 featured two birdies against eight bogeys and took his total to three-over-145. The Delhi golfer trails the leader Miguel Angel Jimenez (68-71) of Spain by six shots. World no. 1 Tiger Woods (69-71) is in tied second along with fellow American Dustin Johnson, Englishman Lee Westwood and Swede Henrik Stenson, one stroke behind the leader.

The cut fell at eight-over-150. Eighty-two professionals and two amateurs made the cut.

Kapur, playing in his second Major, admitted that he could not help feeling ecstasy and agony in so short a period, yet he kept his composure. “On a course where scores have been tough and conditions so demanding, to be three-over is alright,” he said.

From six-under after nine on the first day, Shiv ended at three-under. Then on Friday he went six-over for the day and ended at three-over for 36 holes. Yet he was in the top half of the players who will play over the final two rounds and he has enough chance to improve on the best finish-ever by an Indian at tied 27th achieved by Jyoti Randhawa way back in 2004.

Kapur also became only the fourth Indian after Jyoti Randhawa (2004), Anirban Lahiri (2012) and Jeev Milkha Singh (2012) to make the cut at the British Open. Only Jeev has made the cut at the other three Majors, too.

Kapur struggled from the start after four bogeys on the first six holes. “I went into the bunkers far too often and had to keep guessing the wind direction as it kept changing. It was like playing over two different courses over two days. But then that’s links golf. It’s exciting and yet very challenging and frustrating.”

With his score at four-over after six, Shiv sank birdies on the ninth and 12th and dropped bogeys on the 10th and 13th to stay at four-over till the 17th tee. He then signed off the day with a bogey-bogey finish on the last two holes.

“Today the wind was totally opposite. So when you're standing on the tees you're trying to figure out -- it's a lot of guesswork. For example, on the ninth hole today I've hit 3-iron off the tee followed by a 6-iron. Yesterday on the same hole, I hit driver, 2-iron, 8-iron, you know. So it's a completely different golf course,” said Kapur of the conditions.

He added, “When you get off to a bad start, you're just trying to hang on, because there's not too many birdie opportunities, so to speak. I thought I did a pretty good job after that bad start to hang on for a while. Unfortunately I had the dreaded "S" word (shank) on the 17th with my third shot. I had a wedge in there and I shanked it onto the green and actually did well to make a bogey. A bad drive on 18th meant a finishing bogey. But I felt I did well to hang on and keep the score for 16 holes.”

His putting let him down in a way. “Yeah, the putter was just not hot. Yesterday you're holing putts and the game seems easy. I hit a lot of good putts that didn't really go in. I had a horseshoe out on 13. It came straight back at me.”

He added, “On the front nine I found myself leaving quite a few putts short, because in any mind I still had the speed from yesterday. You can't get yourself to hit it far enough past the hole, because you've seen them roll that far past yesterday. But on the back nine, I'm told they're drying out again. On the last five or six holes, some of that stuff that happened yesterday afternoon was happening again.”

Speaking of his first day experience, he said, “Yeah, definitely yesterday gave me a lot of self-belief that, hey, if you're going to lead a Major at some point, you can do it. The more times you put yourself in that position, the better you'll be at it. I think that's the difference between, perhaps me, and most of the players. They regularly get themselves in contention. But the fact that I even did it for nine holes means the ability is there, it's just a question of getting a bit more consistency in the game and being able to do it on a regular basis.”

Press release

Indian paddlers start favourites in South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships

New Delhi, July 19, 2013: Indian paddlers start favourites yet again to make another clean sweep of all the 10 gold medals on offer when they start their campaign in the South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championships that get underway at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here from tomorrow.

 In the last edition held at Shillong, the Indians not only won the gold in team and individual events of all the four sections—Cadet Boys, Junior Boys, Cadet Girls and Junior Girls—but also claimed four silvers in the singles events to make it a India-centric event.

The verdict this time will be no different because that is the maximum that the Indians can aim for in a format that tries to accommodate the interests of the visiting teams as well.  Nevertheless, there is so much to gain from the championships as it provides the gateway to the Junior Asian Championships, the big platform for the junior paddlers.

 Indian paddlers have been consistently walking into the Asian Juniors as the top team from the region, leaving the second position to other five teams. Last year, it was Sri Lanka who qualified in all but one section and they will want to make amends. Nepal managed to qualify in the Junior Boys section while Sri Lanka grabbed spots in other three sections as the second-best team.

 But where one expects an intense rivalry—limited to only Indians—to come in is in the singles events. India have cleverly chosen their squads by including some experienced hands as well as a few fresh faces. For the likes of Abhishek Yadav and Utkarsh, the winners of Junior Boys and Cadet Boys singles crowns, along with Sudhanshu Grover, Birdie Boro and Lalrin Puia this will be the second appearance in succession while Rohit Rajsekhar and Anirban Ghosh are the new faces.

 Similarly, Suthirtha Mukherjee, who has grown in stature, and Reeth Rishya SAF championships are not new. But for the likes of Manika Batra, who was pulled out last year to compete in the senior section, Ayhika Mukerjee, R. Harshavardhani, Sagarika Mukherjee and up-and-coming Sreeja Akula, the meet provides a bigger platform.

Suthirtha gets her opportunity to win the title in Junior Girls section but Manika will be breathing down her neck. Suthirtha, who is ranked 35 in the world, has not only beaten Manika, ranked 27, at the Slovak Open recently, but the West Bengal girl went on to annex the Polish title in May. So, the dice is heavily loaded against the Delhi girl.

As for the boys section, each one of them knows the other like the back of his palm. All of them are capable of beating one another on a given day, but both Abhishek and Utkarsh have a lot at stake to defend their crowns.

With six teams in fray, the Cadet Boys and Junior Boys teams will play in two stages while the girls in both sections will play in a league format.

In the Cadet Boys section, group A has India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and group B has in Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Nepal. In the Junior Boys section, India, Pakistan and Bhutan have been put together in group A, while Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh form group B.

Ganeshan Neelakant Iyer will be the competition manager for the event while A.S. Kler is the referee of the championships. Stag 1000 DX table and Nittaku ball (orange) will be used for the championships. The synthetic flooring used will be red in colour.

The events start at 10 am with the opening ceremony on Saturday is slated for 4.30 p.m.

A TTFI Press release

Kapur enjoys a dream start at The Open, finishes round one in tied fourth

Muirfield (Gullane, Scotland), July 18, 2013: Shiv Kapur enjoyed a dream start at the 2013 British Open as he fired a super three-under-68 to end round one in tied fourth place on Thursday. He currently trails the leader, American Zach Johnson, by two shots.

Kapur, currently ranked 210th in the world, had a whirlwind front-nine on the first day of the 142nd Open Championships. He had an unbelievable run of six birdies on the first seven holes that helped him grab the lead. The 31-year-old held on to the lead till the 10th where he found the bunker and double-bogeyed to slip into joint second behind Zach Johnson. He landed his shot in the bunker once again on the 14th to drop another stroke.

Shiv’s sublime effort on the first-nine ensured he ended the day in tied fourth at three-under for the day.

At three-under 68, Kapur was two behind Zach Johnson, the 2007 Masters champion and just one behind Spaniard Rafael Cabrera-Bello and veteran American Mark O’Meara, who shot 67 each. Miguel Angel Jimenez, Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Tom Lehman were tied with Kapur at 68.

Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Angel Cabrera and Francesco Molinari were among those at two-under.

Kapur, making his second appearance at the Open, was proud of his opening round effort. He said, “Yeah, it's nice. Nobody is expecting me to be up there and nobody was really. It's a funny name in the middle of all those sort of proven Major winners and stuff. But it was nice to see my name up there. At least I can hold my head up high and say I led The Open Championship, the greatest tournament I think there is. That's something I'll take a lot of pride in.”

Kapur went on to add, “I got off to a dream start. I birdied my first three, and after that I just said, just keep doing what you're doing, do the basics right, hit fairways and greens. Probably the fastest greens I've ever played in my life. They weren't green, they were white out there. I couldn't get the ball to sort of stop. So I knew it's tough to hole putts out there, but you've just got to keep giving yourself chances.”

Talking of the difference between the front and back nines, he said, ““It's probably pretty close to the best nine holes I've ever played. The back nine, obviously was a bit scratchy. The putts fell for me on the front nine. I didn't really feel like I played badly on the back nine either. But on the 10th, I found a fairway bunker and made a three-putt out of nowhere. That happens on this golf course. I hit a bad drive on the 14th as I pulled it a bit left. But you have to take your medicine, take your bogey and just get out of there. I guess if at the start of the day you'd said 3-under I would take it. Obviously when you're 6-under after 9, you hope you can hold on to it on the back nine. All in all the way the course was playing, I don't think I could really complain.”

Kapur, who missed the cut by one stroke in his only previous appearance at the Open back in 2006, on Thursday, became the first Indian ever to hold the sole lead at any stage in a Major. Jeev Milkha Singh had shared the lead after nine holes on the opening day of the 2007 US Masters.

The Delhi lad’s putter was on fire on the fast greens at Muirfield. He had a great putt on the first and then hit his approach shot on the second to a tap-in distance. He followed this up with a long putt on the third to accumulate three birdies in a row.

Kapur made par on the fourth before firing three more birdies in a row from the fifth through the seventh.

His sixth birdie on the seventh made him the sole leader, as he leapt past the 2007 Masters Champion, American Zach Johnson (66).

In the morning, Johnson, Miguel Angel Jimenez (68) and Mark O’Meara (67) had scorched the front nine with five-under 31 each but Kapur went one better.

After a victory-drought for seven years since his first and only triumph on the Asian Tour in 2006, Kapur finally won at the end of 2012 in a domestic event in India. He followed that up with another win at the start of 2013 at the Gujarat Kensville Challenge, a European Challenge Tour event, in Ahmedabad, India.

Press release

Hockey India appoints Dhananjay Mahadik as video analyst of the senior men team

Dhananjay Mahadik 

New Delhi, July 19, 2013: Hockey India today announced the appointment of  Dhananjay Mahadik as video analyst of the senior men national team.

Hockey India Secretary General, Dr. Narinder Batra said that in the modern hockey video analysis is an essential element to get a complete bio-mechanical feedback of performance which serves as a valuable resource in player’s development. With his domain knowledge, Mahadik will prove to be a good video-analyst who is familiar with current modern practices of analysis.

Dhananjay said “I am excited to be a part of the national coaching set-up. Asia Cup is very important tournament for us and we have to win it to qualify for the World Cup 2014. It will be a good experience for me to work under highly experienced Roelant Oltmans and MK Kaushik. I have played with many of the current player’s of the Indian team and will try to guide them with the best of my knowledge”.

“The inaugural season of Hero Hockey India League was a big learning experience for me as a video analyst of the Delhi Waveriders” said Mahadik.   

As a player, Dhananjay Mahadik has 64 international caps and has represented the country in the FIH Hockey World Cup in New Delhi 2010, Commonwealth Games in New Delhi 2010, FIH Champions Challenge 1 in Argentina 2009, Asian Games in China 2010, South Asian Games in 2006 Sri Lanka and Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament in Malaysia 2010 and 2011.

HI Press release

Hero Hockey India League appoints Todd Faulds as its Director Competitions

Todd Faulds

New Delhi, July 17, 2013: Hero Hockey India League announced the appointment of the vastly experienced Todd Faulds as its Director Competitions. The second edition of the Hero Hockey India League will be played from January 23 to February 23, 2014.

Dr. Narinder Batra, Chairman Hero Hockey India League said “I am delighted to welcome Todd Faulds to the Hero Hockey India League team. Todd worked as a Competitions Manager for the FIH Champions Trophy Men 2012 in Melbourne, International Super Series 2012 in Perth and was also involved in Australian Youth Olympic Festival this year as Competitions Director. We are looking forward to working with Todd and utilizing his experience as Hockey Australia’s Competitions Manager to bring additional expertise to Hero HIL and make season-2 more successful event”.

Speaking on his appointment Todd Faulds said “I am extremely excited about the opportunity to join Hero Hockey India League and positively contribute to an organisation that is such a key figure in world hockey”.

“The hosting of two world level FIH events in the Men’s Junior World Cup and World League Round 4 will be a great opportunity for India to showcase its passion for hockey. And in addition to this, the second season of the Hero Hockey India League provides us with the opportunity to welcome the world’s best players to India for one month of world class hockey played in various regions in India and promoted globally. I certainly look forward to working with everyone to ensure these events are a fantastic representation for Hockey India and for all involved” further added Faulds. 

Faulds is currently representing Hockey Australia on Continental Federation Committees and has also been Project Administrator at Sports Technology International in 2010 and Business Developer at Grassports Australia in 2009. 

He also worked as a coach of the numerous club teams in Australia for more than 9 years and during this period he worked with Mentone Club, Hawthorn Club, Old Aquinians Club etc. As a player, he represented Western Australia (U-21), Victoria (U-21) and Camberwell.

HI Press release

Indian junior women team departs for FIH Junior Women World Cup

New Delhi, July 15, 2013: Indian Junior Women Hockey Team today departed for Germany to participate in the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup Women 2013 to be held in Monchengladbach, Germany from  July 27 to August 4.

India is placed in Pool-C with New Zealand, Australia and Russia. India will play their opening match against Australia on  July 27 followed by New Zealand on  July 28 and Russia on  July 30. All the matches will be played at the two pitches of the Warsteiner Hockey Park in Monchengaladbach..

The Indian team will be playing four warm-up games ahead of their World Cup campaign commencing on July 17. India will play their first warm-up game against Belgium on July 17 followed by Netherlands on July 19, South Africa on  July 21 and Argentina July 24.

Defender Sushila Chanu is the Captain of the team while forward Rani is the vice-captain.

The List of 18 players is as under-

GOALKEEPERS
 

1. Sanarik Chanu
2.  Bigan Soy

DEFENDERS

3.  Pinky Devi
4.  Deep Grace Ekka
5.  Namita Toppo
6.  Manjit Kaur
7.  M. N Poonamma
8.  Sushila Chanu (Captain)
9.  Monika

MIDFIELDERS

10. Lily Chanu
11. Lilima Minz
12. Navjot Kaur
13. Vandana Kataria
14. Ritusha Arya

FORWARDS

15. Poonam Rani
16. Rani (Vice-Captain)
17. Anupa Barla
18. Navneet Kaur

Press release

Hockey India appoints MK Kaushik as coach of the Indian men hockey team

New Delhi, July 10, 2013: Hockey India appointed Olympic gold medalist Maharaj Krishan Kaushik as coach of the senior men hockey team.

Kaushik will assist Roelant Oltmans, Director, High Performance, who will now take the charge in place of Michael Nobbs till the appointment of the new chief coach.

Kaushik will join the training camp of the senior men team starting from July 16, 2013 at SAI Centre in Bangalore for the preparations for the 9th Asia Cup to be held in Malaysia next month from August 24 to September 1, 2013.

 Elena Norman, CEO, Hockey India today handed over an appointment letter to Kaushik.

On welcoming Kaushik for his appointment as a national coach, Narinder Batra, secretary general, Hockey India said “Kaushik had the desired credentials to work with the senior men team. I am hopeful that with his contribution the team will make improvement in the coming days and wish the team good luck to win the 9th Asia Cup and book their berth for the FIH World Cup 2014”.   

M K Kaushik who was a member of the team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow said “I am happy with my appointment with the senior men team. I have experience of working with different people from the coaching fraternity and will give my best”.

Kaushik who retired as Deputy Director of Sports, Government of Haryana had earlier coached both the senior men and women teams. Under his coaching, India men team had won their last major international tournament, the 1998 Asian Games, Bangkok. In 1998, he received the Arjuna Award. Also, Indian women team had won bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006 under his coaching. 

Photo caption: Ms Elena Norman, CEO, Hockey India handing over appointment letter to MK Kaushik for coach of the senior men team.

HI Press release

Indian men draw a blank in Asian Table Tennis Championships

 Busan, July 6, 2013: The Indian men’s challenge in the singles event ongoing at the Asian Table Tennis Championships at the Sajik Gymnasium here came to an end today with all four paddlers in fray, including Achanta Sharath Kamal, biting the dust.

The only highpoint of Indian participation was the way left-handed Sanil Shetty, ranked 311, fought his way in the third round against 28th ranked Matsudaira Kenta before being subdued by the Japanese 4-2 (11-3, 11-7, 11-8, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5).

The 23-year-old Shetty, after trailing 0-3, surprised his Japanese opponent with an excellent attacking game to upset his rhythm. Shetty was equally good on his backhand and his forehand scorchers brooked little challenge from the Japanese in the fourth and fifth games. But Kenta made amends for his lapse of concentration in the earlier two games and finished the sixth game without giving much leeway to the Indian.

Earlier, Sharath Kamal lost to a higher ranked Chinese opponent Zhou Yu in straight games. The 44th ranked Chinese took a while before coming to grips to beat Sharath Kamal 12-10, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4. Another Chinese and world No. 1 Xu Xin accounted for Harmeet Desai as the Indian lost 5-11, 9-11, 10-12, 1-11. Except in the third game where the Indian had some measure of his opponent, there was little chance for Desai. Hong Kong’s Jiang Tiani then defeated Anthony Amalraj 4-1 (14-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6, 13-11) to culminate the Indian participation at the meet.

A TTFI Press release

Senior National Kabaddi to be held in Patna from December 22

Patna, July 5, 2013: Bihar State Kabaddi Association will host the the 61st Senior National Kabaddi Championships (men and women) at the Patliputra Sports Complex here from December 22 to 25.

BSKA secretary Kumar Vijay said all state and institution teams affiliated to Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) would participate in the tournament.

BSKA president Anjani Kumar Singh said this would be for the second time, Bihar would be hosting the prime event of the national kabaddi. Earlier, in 2003, Darbhanga had hosted the 50^th Senior National Kabaddi Championships, he added.

Anirban Lahiri sails to an emphatic five-stroke victory

Anirban Lahiri receives the trophy from Mr Chetan Meda, Director, Eagleton - The Golf Resort in Bangalore on July 5, 2013

Eagleton – The Golf Resort, Bangalore, July 5, 2013: Anirban Lahiri posted a determined three-under-69 in the final round of the PGTI – Eagleburg Open to sail to an emphatic five-stroke victory at his home course, the Eagleton Golf Resort, near Bangalore. Lahiri totaled 20-under-268 for the tournament. Chikkarangappa S, another local lad from Eagleton, fired a 68 in the final round to finish runner-up with a total score of 15-under-273.

Anirban Lahiri (73-62-64-69), had an eventful start to the day. He birdied the first from 25 feet, dropped bogeys on the next two holes and came back with a birdie on the fourth where he found the par-5 green in two shots. The crowd favourite then consolidated his position with birdies on the sixth, ninth and 10th. Lahiri holed a 15-footer on the ninth and chipped it from the bunker within three feet of the pin on the 10th.

Anirban then had a momentary downslide as he dropped bogeys on the 12th and 14th holes after finding the bunker and missing up and down on both occasions. He finally sealed it with birdies on the 15th and 17th. The 26-year-old converted a 25-footer for his final birdie of the day on the 17th.

“It’s great to win at my home course at last. I started well today but then a bad lie on the second and a wrong club selection on the third tee led to bogeys. I came back well thereafter but got a little complacent in the early stages of the back-nine to drop two more bogeys. I was happy that I managed to close it out with two birdies at the end to ensure a big victory margin,” said Lahiri.

He added, “I made some crucial putts today and pushed myself to perform well through the week. I’ve enjoyed a good run through the last four weeks and would like to keep it going when I play the upcoming international events. I’m also happy for my close friend Chikka for having done so well. I’d like to dedicate this win to the Late Mr. M Ashok Kumar, the former Chairman and Managing Director of Eagleton – The Golf Resort, who passed away recently. He was like a father figure to me and encouraged and supported me for many years.”

Lahiri’s win on Friday was his second in two weeks on the PGTI and lifted him from fifth to third position in the Rolex Rankings. It was also his 12th win as a professional (ninth PGTI win). Mukesh Kumar continues to lead the Rolex Rankings followed by Shamim Khan.

Chikkarangappa S (72-67-66-68) fired a bogey-free 68 to finish second at 15-under-273 to the delight of the home crowd.

Sanjay Kumar of Lucknow shot a 71 in the final round to claim third place at 13-under-275. Kolkata’s Rahil Gangjee was a further shot behind in fourth place.

Trishul Chinnappa of Bangalore, the lone amateur to make the cut, bagged the trophy for the best performance by an amateur. Chinnappa finished tied 18th with a total score of one-under-287.

Press release

Chouhdary retained as Asian Table Tennis Union treasurer;

Busain, July 5, 2013: The Indian Table Tennis Federation’s (TTFI) secretary-general Dhanraj Choudhary was again returned as the Honorary Treasurer of the Asian Table Tennis Union (ATTU) during the General Council Meeting of the Asian body held at here yesterday. Cai Zhenhua of China and Tony Yue of Hong were elected as president and secretary-general respectively.

Choudhary, who was recently elected for the first time as a Board of Directors at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) in Paris during the World Championships, will serve as treasurer of the ATTU, second in success, for the next four years.

The ATTU also took on board other TTFI representatives as it president, P.C. Chaturvedi was elected to the  General Council as its member. Besides Chaturvedi, Rajeev Boads, vice-president of the TTFI, was also nominated as Chairman of the Coaching and Junior Committee.

Ganeshan Neelakant Iyer, who has been a permanent feature in the conduct of sevral international events as chief referee in India as well as abroad, was nominated to the Technical Committee as a full member.

A TTFI Press release

Ankita loses in pre-quarters as Indian challenge ends in women's singles

 Busan, July 5, 2013: The Indian challenge in the women’s singles came to an end at the Asian Table Tennis Championships with Olympian Ankita Das joining the ranks of compatriots K. Shamini and Mouma Das at the Sajik Gymnasium here today.

Ankita Das, who gave a great push to Indian table tennis hopes by conquering 20th-ranked South Korean Yang Haeun in the third round this morning, faltered in the pre-quarterfinals as she went down to China’s Chen Meng, ranked eighth in the world, in straight games of 6-11, 1-11, 5-11, 8-11.

Ankita was still regrouping herself from the exhaustive 4-3 (11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 11-4) victory over the Korean who had stretched the Siliguri girl to seven games in the morning, but had to meet the Chinese soon after. That took a toll on the 20-year-old who did not have an answer to the guiles of the Chen Meng. Ankita faltered both on her back and forehands and failed to overcome a heavy top spin game of Meng.

“I was feeling tired and exhausted after the morning match. But the Chinese was too good in the pre-quarters. I could not employ my backhands well and she (Meng) executed excellent forehand shots,” said Ankita after her loss.

As for the other paddlers, Shamini’s result was foregone as she lost to world No. 1 Ding Ning of China. The 261st-ranked Indian 4-0 while the seasoned Mouma Das too looked tired after her marathon win yesterday against the Singapore girl Issabelle. Mouma was accounted for by Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa, ranked ninth, 11-4, 8-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-7 in the round of 32.

In the men’s doubles Indian pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sanil Shetty frittered away a good start against Hong Kong’s Cheung Yuk and Leung Cun Yan in the pre-quarterfinal stage. The Indian duo lost 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 8-11, 8-11.

The men’s singles events will see Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty and Anthony Amalraj in action tomorrow.

A TTFI Press release

27 get National Youth Awards

 New Delhi, July 4, 2013: President Pranab Mukherjee today conferred the National Youth Award 2011-12 on 27 individuals and one organization at a function held at the historic Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

The Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Jitendra Singh and several other dignitaries were present on the occasion. It is for the first time the National Youth awards have been given by the President of India.

National Youth Awards, instituted in the year 1985 are conferred on youth each year who have demonstrably excelled in youth work in different fields of youth developmental activities and social service. The award carries a pure silver medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 40,000/- in case of individual awardee and Rs. 2.00 lakhs for voluntary organization.

The selected young individuals are expected to possess leadership qualities and use them in successfully carrying out voluntary activities in the field of Youth Development.

This award is a source of encouragement to the awardees, as well as an example and catalyst to others in future.

Selection of awardees is first made at State level and then at National level. At the National level, a Screening Committee headed by the joint secretary scrutinizes the proposals recommended by the State Government/UT administration at first. These screened proposals are thereafter placed before the Central Selection Committee headed either by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports or secretary, Youth Affairs that makes the final selection of youth awardees. The Central Selection Committee may, at its discretion, consider on merits, individuals or youth organizations not recommended by a State Government/UT, for the Award.

National Youth Award winners for the year 2011-12:

Sl. No.	Name of the Individuals
1.	M. Ramulu, Andhra Pradesh
2.	Aluwala Vishnu, Andhra Pradesh
3.	Tilling Yam, Arunachal Pradesh
4.	Pardeep Raj(physically challenged), Delhi
5.	Chanchal Aggarwal, New Delhi
6.	Girish Kumar, New Delhi
7.	Malisa Zemira Simoes, Goa
8.	Suman, Haryana
9.	Ruchi Kaushik, Haryana
10.	Ashok Kumar, Haryana
11.	Gurmeet Kaur, Himachal Pradesh
12.	Besar Dass Harnot, Himachal Pradesh
13.	Kiran Kumar Sharma, Jammu and Kashmir
14.	Lakshminarayana Kajegadde, Karnataka
15.	B. Hanumanthappa, Karnataka
16.	Fasal Varis, Kerala
17.	Tara Usman Mulla, Maharashtra
18.	Jagdale Shantanu Ramdas, Maharashtra
19.	Soraishanm Taruni Devi, Manipur
20.	Shri Kitboklang Nongphlang, Meghalaya
21.	M. Tejeswar, Odisha
22.	Gangadhar Behara, Odisha
23.	Dhyanananda Panda, Odisha
24.	Khusmeet Kaur Bains, Punjab
25.	Gurnam Singh Sidhu, Punjab
26.	Ladu Lal Jat, Rajasthan
27.	Gulab Chand Salvi, Rajashtan

S.No.	Name of the Organizations
1.	Bhavishya Educational and Charitable Society, West Bengal

Press release

Lahiri asserts authority on home turf, builds five-stroke lead

Eagleton – The Golf Resort, Bangalore, July 4, 2013: Anirban Lahiri followed up his blistering 62 in round two with an equally impressive eight-under-64 in round three to build a five-stroke lead at the PGTI Eagleburg Open being played at the Eagleton Golf Resort near Bangalore. The local favourite’s total score now reads 17-under-199. Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar held on to second place with a 68 in round three which moved his overall score to 12-under-204.

Anirban Lahiri (73-62-64) had a terrific start to the day as he landed his approach shots from a distance of about 100 yards to within a couple of feet on both the first and second holes to collect two birdies. Anirban, the overnight leader by one shot, made pars on the next seven holes even as Sanjay Kumar drew level with him at the turn. Lahiri started to pull away from Sanjay thanks to a well-timed 15-feet eagle conversion from the back fringe of the green on the 10th.  

Lahiri then had an outstanding run of six birdies against two bogeys on the last eight holes that helped him consolidate his lead. He landed his approach within five feet for birdie on the 11th and found the par-5 15th green in two shots to set up another birdie. The 26-year-old sank birdie putts from a range of 15 to 20 feet on the 13th, 14th and 17th holes.

“I enjoyed a good start today but Sanjay grabbed more chances on the front-nine and drew level with me on the ninth. I needed some momentum at that stage and the 15-feet eagle putt on the 10th did the trick for me. There was no looking back from there on as I putted much better on the back-nine. Interestingly, I didn’t have a single par on the back-nine. I wasn’t that accurate off the tee today but hit some great approach shots with the wedges,” said Lahiri, looking to win his second title in two weeks.

He added, “I’m glad I finished with birdies on the last two holes as it was important to stay well ahead of Sanjay and Chikkarangappa heading into the last round. I’m delighted to be playing the final round along with my good friend Chikka in the same group. We’ve both spent many years playing together here at Eagleton so it’ll be great fun playing in the same group at our home course once again. However, it will be a tough contest as Chikka knows the course well.”

Sanjay Kumar (69-67-68), hung in there with a 68 on Thursday to hold on to second place. Sanjay, who will celebrate his 42nd birthday during the final round on Friday, made five birdies against a lone bogey in round three.

Kumar, a winner of four professional titles, had an amazing run of five consecutive birdies from the seventh to the 11th hole before he dropped his only bogey of the day on the 12th. He converted birdie putts from a range of six to eight feet from the seventh to the 10th. Sanjay landed his second shot within a foot of the flag for birdie on the 11th.

Bangalore’s Chikkarangappa S (72-67-66) fired a 66 on his home course to climb from overnight tied fourth into third place. He made an eagle, six birdies and two bogeys in the third round to take his total score to 11-under-205.

Rahil Gangjee of Kolkata is in fourth place at 10-under-206 while Gurgaon’s Arshpreet Thind occupies fifth place at nine-under-207.

PGTI Press release

Mouma, Shamini and Ankita in third round

Busan, July 4, 2013: India’s national champion K. Shamini, veteran Mouma Das and Ankita Das all moved into the third round of the women’s singles from their respective quarters, while Neha Aggarwal and Madhurika Patkar made their exit at the Asian Championships here this evening.

On a day which saw three women paddlers making progress, two were standout performances and the most talked about being the one between Mouma Das and Singapore’s Singapore’s Isabelle Siun Li whom the Indian beat 4-3 in 75 minutes, the longest so far in the championships.

Mouma eventually overcame the Singaporean in a contest that went the full distance with the minimal two-point margin sealing the issue in seventh game. Mouma won 11-6, 11-5, 13-11, 7-11, 17-19, 9-11, 11-9. Mouma will take on Japanese Ishikawa Kasumi in the next round.

In a long hard-fought duel Mouma had to strain every bone of her to penetrate the defensive artistry of Isabelle. Mouma, who took the first three games rather easily, was made to work for her points as she made mistakes on her backhand. “She changed her game plan and I was lured into it,” she admitted. “I played a forehand top spin and then followed it up with a push. Coach Bhawani (Mukherjee) Sir asked to attack and it paid dividends,” added Mouma.

For Akita Das, it was equally a tough ask against Vienamese Mai Hoang My Trang who stretched the Indian almost the full distance before Indian clinching the match 4-2 (6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9) in her favour. Ankita said her rhythm was going well today and that reflected in her attacking game. “I often had to mix it up, but I was sure I could bet my opponent,” said Ankita.  The Siliguri girl next runs into Korean Mang Haeun.

As for Shamini, she had the best of outings as she complted her second-round demolition of Iranian Omrani Mahjobeh in less than half an hour for a 4-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6) victory. ). Shamini will play Chinese Ding Ning in the next round.

 But Neha Aggarwal lost her first-round match to Korean Cho Hala 1-4 (8-11, 9-11, 11-9, 4-11, 4-11) while Madhurika Patkar made her exit in the secound round losing to Chinese Liu Shiwen 5-11, 9-11, 3-11, 4-11. Earlier she had beaten Taipei’s Huang Hsin 4-2 (11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6).

In men’s doubles the pair of Soumyajit Ghosh and Harmeet Desai lost to Ma Long and Xu Xin 2-3 in the second round, while the other Indian duo of Sharath Kamal and Sanil Shetty entered the third round after they got a walkover from the Iranian pair of Teharkhani Hamidreza and Mohammad Akhlaghpasand. They will meet Hong Kong’s Cheung Yuk and Leung Chu Yan in the next round.

As for the men’s singles fare, Sharath Kamal, Anthony Amalraj, Soumyajit Ghosh, Sanil Shetty and Harmeet Desai all are slated to play their matches later tonight.

A TTFI Press release

Indian men finish seventh, women eighth

 Busan, July 3, 2013:  Achanta Sharath Kamal, India’s top-ranked paddler in the world, led from the front as he helped the country beat Iran 3-1 to finish seventh in the men’s team event at the Asian Championships here on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Indian women paddlers had finished eighth, behind Malaysia. While our women had ended their campaign as runners-up in the first division of the team event, the men paddlers emerged as the champion team, qualifying to play for the 7-8 positions.

In the playoff match between India and Iran, Sharath Kamal paved the way for India finishing ahead of them with an excellent win over 44th ranked opponent Noshad.

Alamiyan. Though the 30-year-old Indian surged ahead with a 2-0 lead, it must be said to the credit of the Iranian who staged a fine comeback to take the match to the deciding fifth game. Sharath Kamal, however, held his nerve to win the game and match, clinching it 11-5 11-9 7-11 2-11 11-7.

In fact, it was Sharath Kamal who had given India a superb start, despite losing the first game, by beating Nima Alamian, who is ranked at 282 in the world. Sharath won 8-11 12-10 11-9 11-9. 

However, Soumyajit Ghosh failed to match his opponent’s defensive game plan in the second match against Alamiyan and went down 7-11 6-11 9-11 much quickly.  But Anthony Amalraj made amends for Ghosh’s loss with a 9-11 11-7 11-7 10-12 11-5 win over 301 ranked Mohammadreza Akhlaghpasand in a see-saw five-setter.

Sharath Kamal came for a special praise from coach Bhawani Mukhrjee who said the ace Indian paddler was back in his groove. “Sharath played really well. His fore hand topspin was working well for him. He varied his speed well. His back block also work for him,” said the coach.

He also praised Amalraj but admitted that the Indian had put himself in a spot of bother against Akhlaghpasand before overcoming them.  “Overall, I would say, we have done our best because all top Asian nations are participating in the championships. Our target was to play in the champion division and our men and women achieved that. This performance has made us eligible for the Incheon Asian Games as per government guidelines," he said.

Meanwhile in the mixed doubles, the pair of Ghosh and Mouma Das, who had beaten Mongolian pair of Lkhagvasuren Enkhbat and Byamba Erdenesuvd 3-0, lost in the pre-quarters to Gao Ning and Yu Mengyu of Singapore 10-12 2-11 7-11.      The other Indian pair of Sharath Kamal and Neha Aggarwal too lost in the second round to Chih-Yuan Chuang and Yi-Hua Huang of Chinese Taipei 7-11 8-11 10-12.

A TTFI Press release

Lahiri produces a sizzling 62 to seize the lead

Anirban Lahiri 

Eagleton – The Golf Resort, Bangalore, July 3, 2013: Local favourite Anirban Lahiri sizzled with an awesome 10-under-62 to seize the lead in round two of the PGTI Eagleburg Open being played at the Eagleton Golf Resort near Bangalore. Lahiri’s two-day total stands at nine-under-135. Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar fired a five-under-67 on Wednesday to be placed second at eight-under-136.

Anirban Lahiri (73-62) was off to a flying start in round two as he had a 30-feet eagle putt on the opening 10th where he managed to extract a birdie. The 26-year-old went on to convert 15-footers for birdies on the 11th and 12th. Anirban’s chip for eagle missed the hole by a whisker on the 15th where he picked up his fourth birdie of the day.

Lahiri carried on the good work on his second-nine as he collected birdies on the first, third, fourth and fifth. He nailed a 20-feet putt on the third and a 12-footer on the fifth. The three-time Asian Tour winner recovered well from the bunker to salvage a birdie on the seventh before landing his chip within inches of the pin for his last birdie on the ninth. He thus signed off with a near-perfect bogey-free round.

Incidentally, Lahiri also holds the record for the joint lowest-to-par score in a single round ever recorded in India, thanks to his round of 12-under-60 posted a couple of years back in Greater Noida.  

“It was pretty close to a dream round. I didn’t miss a single green today and had eight one-putts. I felt good about my hitting as I did not hit bad golf shots unlike the first round. I was very calm through the day and judged the speed of the greens to perfection,” said Lahiri, who won on the PGTI last week.

The 2009 Rolex Rankings champion added, “Another positive aspect was finding the green in two shots on two par-5s, the 10th and fourth. I had three missed putts from a range of six to eight feet but that’s bound to happen in every round. I’d say I’m back on friendly terms with the course after the ordinary score in round one.”

Lahiri’s score was lower than the course record of 64 but did not count as a course record due to the application of the ‘preferred lie’ rules.

Sanjay Kumar (69-67), who is the joint holder of the course record of 64, sank six birdies against a lone bogey in his 67 on Wednesday thanks to his good form with the wedges. Sanjay now occupies second position one shot behind the leader.

Sri Lankan K Prabagaran (68-69), the overnight joint leader, slipped to third place despite a solid 69 in round two. His total reads seven-under-137.

Gurgaon’s Arshpreet Thind and Rahil Gangjee of Kolkata, the other two joint leaders from round one, are now placed tied fourth at five-under-139 along with Bangalore’s Chikkarangappa S, Abhinav Lohan of Faridabad and Delhi’s Naman Dawar.

The cut came down at three-over-147. Fifty-three professionals and one amateur made the cut.

Lahiri congratulates Kapur

Anirban Lahiri, who made his debut appearance at a Major during the British Open last year, congratulated Shiv Kapur on qualifying for the 2013 British Open. Lahiri said, “I got the news about Shiv’s qualification last night. I’m really happy for him and would like to congratulate him for making it to his second Open. The Open is the most prestigious golf tournament in the world and every golfer’s ultimate dream. I wish Shiv all the best.”

Shiv Kapur qualifies for the British Open

Dunbar, Scotland, July 3, 2013: India’s Shiv Kapur qualified for his second Major appearance after he earned a berth for the 2013 Open Championship at the 36-hole Local Final Qualifying (LFQ) event in Dunbar, Scotland.

The 31-year-old Kapur fired scores of 69 and 64 in wet and cold conditions to total seven-under-133 for the event. He finished the event in tied second place to become one of three players in the field to make the cut for The Open.

Shiv’s only previous appearance at a Major was at The Open in 2006 at Hoylake where he missed the halfway cut by one shot.

Kapur’s opening round of one-under-69 had featured an eagle-three on the second hole while his second round of 64 was punctuated by six birdies.

Kapur, a former winner on the Asian Tour, said, “I wanted to try and qualify on a links course because I think that’s the proper way to do it. It was the first time I had played a links course since this time last year, so it was all a bit strange to start with, but I soon got the hang of things again. I played beautifully in the afternoon.”

He will rely on Italian Golf Federation coach, Alberto Binaghi, who also works with Italian sensation Matteo Manassero, to guide him to a successful campaign at The Open which will be played at Muirfield from July 18 to 21.

“I’ve been working with Alberto for the last few months. We had a three hour session in Milan earlier this week and we worked mainly on my short game and hitting shots in the wind. I think that helped a lot,” said Kapur, who has two top-five results on the Asian Tour this season.

Press release