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Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
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Double delight for PSPB

S. R. Suryanarayan

BADMINTON / Ninth successive win for the champions

— By Special Arrangement

CHAMPIONS: The PSPB men’s and women’s teams, which won the Senior National badminton titles at Panaji on Tuesday.

PANAJI: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board recorded its ninth successive win in both the men’s section for the Rahimtoola Cup and the women’s section for the Chadha Cup as the Inter-Sate phase of the senior national badminton championship ended at the SAG indoor facility here on Tuesday.

The men’s team defeated Air India 3-2 (read 3-0 because the team conceded the third singles and the second doubles after the win-margin was attained) and the women beat Railways 2-1 (actually 2-0, for it forfeited the second singles).

Veteran Prakash Padukone was in attendance to watch the proceedings and give away the prizes. Even he would have wondered if this victory trend of PSPB can ever be stopped. With the best of Indian talent in its ranks, PSPB had little worries on hand.

New rule puts pressure

Padukone believed that the new rule in force (rally point system) actually put pressure on the favourite and provided an incentive to the underdogs. For an attacking game becomes a necessity than a waiting game.

To that extent, there was interest in the men’s section where Air India, slowly getting re-organised after its recent merger issues, had a point to prove and the team delighted with its fighting spirit. But Railways was a big disappointment.

PSPB’s Saina Nehwal is invincible in the country but quite another for a rival to just buckle in as Parssa Naqvi did so pathetically.

Dhanya Nair had done so much in the semifinal. Overall it was not the same Railway team. Even the doubles pair of Dhanya Nair and Anita Ohlan hardly caused a ripple against the established duo of Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien.

But Utsav Mishra, known for his gritty displays, as also Anand Pawar were a refreshing contrast in the men’s contest.

Both of them failed but not before Anup Sridhar and Chetan Anand respectively were stretched.

The cauldron-like atmosphere inside the asbestos-roofed facility put an added pressure on the players.

Anup, in keeping with his high ratings knew when to take the big points, his smashes and deft touches at the net coming to the fore. But national champion Anand had a scare from Pawar, his rival in the last National final.

A cool head and the ability to wriggle out of tight spots showed Anand’s experience where a tiring Pawar even missed a match point in those last moments of excitement in the one-hour thriller.

The doubles pair of Jishnu Sanyal and Akshay Dewalkar could not sustain the tempo against the redoubtable pair of Rupesh Kumar and V. Diju and there grounded Air India.

The open events get underway on Wednesday.

The results (final):

Men: PSPB bt Air India 3-2 (Anup Sridhar bt Utsav Mishra 21-19, 21-18; B. Chetan Anand bt Anand Pawar 20-22, 21-16, 23-21); Rupesh Kumar and V. Diju bt Jishnu Sanyal and Akshay Dewalkar 21-19, 21-19; PSPB concedes the 3rd singles and doubles)

Women: PSPB bt Railways 2-1 (Saina Nehwal bt Parssa Naqvi 21-2, 21-15; Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien bt Dhanya Nair and Anita Ohlan 21-11, 21-13; PSPB concedes the second singles).

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