Twin delight for PSPB teams
The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board underlined their supremacy once again as they retained the men’s and women’s team’s titles at the Institutional table tennis championships in Dharwad, Karnataka, on Saturday.
PSPB men got the better of Railway Sports Promotion Board 3-1, while their women’s counterpart thrashed Airports Authority of India 3-0 at the District Indoor Hall.
In the men’s team final, Aman Balgu scored an upset 3-2 (6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7) win over Anthony Amalraj to give Railways a winning start. But Balgu had to surrender before reigning champion Soumyajit Ghosh, who disposed him in the fourth singles, 3-1 (11-3, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9).
Soumyajit had earlier outplayed Souvik Kar 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-4) to equal the scores, before Harmeet Desai defeated Noel Pinto 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7) to give PSPB a 2-1 lead.
Before Soumyajit sent Balgu packing, he played under pressure, particularly in the third game which he won 12-10 after a close fight.
The see-saw battle saw some impressive rallies and away-from-the-table game with no quarters given. But some crucial errors by Balgu at 10-10 proved his undoing.
“Balgu played a great game, but I woudn’t have played any different. The third game was too close for my comfort. I managed to pull it off. Even in the fourth, I was leading. But a silly mistake trying to put the ball back on the table and he made it 9-9,” said Soumyajit.
In the women’s section, national champion K. Shamini saw off A.V. Nivedita 3-1 (11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8) to put PSPB 1-0 up. Nivedita failed to control her game despite giving some anxious moments to her opponent.
Ankita Das, playing the second singles, defeated Kritwika Sinha Roy 3-1 (11-2, 7-11, 11-06, 11-9).
Nikhat Bhanu, however, raised some hope for the AAI as she opened strongly against Madhurika Patkar but could not hold on for long. Bhanu lost 1-3 (11-2, 7-11, 6-11, 9-11).
Post new comment