The Hindu : Sport / Table Tennis : No stopping PSPB paddlers

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Wednesday, Jan 30, 2008
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Sport - Table Tennis

No stopping PSPB paddlers

Amitabha Das Sharma

SILIGURI: Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) extended its lease on the National table tennis title by one more year.

Host North Bengal in the women’s and Railways in the men’s category surrendered meekly to allow Petroleum’s invincibility to continue for the sixth successive season.

Powerful performance

The women’s team set the trend, displaying a powerful performance that reduced North Bengal to mere spectators.

Neha Aggarwal, the India No. 2, started the demolition act by blowing away seasoned Kasturi Chakraborty in straight games. K. Shamini, coming in for the National champion Mouma Das, began shakily against Nandita Saha losing the first game.

Shamini regained her composure in the second game and improved her returns in the following games to claim the next three to ensure a 2-0 lead for Petroleum.

The defending champion made it 3-0 when Poulomi Ghatak, the former National champion, proved too good for the junior champion Aankita Das, who could wrest only one game. The 3-1 win for Poulomi ensured PSPB retain the Jayalakhshmi Cup.

In the men’s section, Railways tried hard to put the brakes on PSPB’s winning run. PSPB drew the first blood with Sharath Kamal beating Sourav Chakraborty 11-9, 11-2, 3-11, 11-9. Railways’ A. Amal Raj sprung a surprise, scalping India No. 2 Soumyadip Roy in a marathon five-game exercise in the second.

India’s No. 1 Subhajit Saha managed to scrape through with a 3-2 verdict, after trailing 0-2 to Railways’ Anirban Nandi. In the decisive game, it was left to Sharath who made no mistake against Amal Raj.

The results (team championship): Men: Final: Petroleum bt Railways 3-1 (Sharath Kamal bt Sourav Chakraborty 11-9, 11-2, 3-11, 11-9; Soumyadeep Roy lost to Amal Raj 18-16, 11-5, 3-11, 11-13, 8-11; Subhajit Saha bt Anirban Nandi 3-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9; Sharath Kamal bt Amal Raj 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8).

Semifinals: Petroleum bt North Bengal 3-1 (S. Roy bt Soumyajit Ghosh 11-8, 11-9, 11-8, S. Saha bt Birupakha Saha 11-3, 11-8, 11-9; Zubin Kumar lost to Raj Mondal 8-11, 0-11, 9-11, S. Saha bt S. Ghosh 11-5, 11-2, 11-9; Railways bt Gujarat 3-0 (A. Nandi bt Pathik Mehta 9-11, 13-11, 11-4, 11-7; S. Chakraborty bt Jignesh Jaiswal 11-5, 11-8, 11-6; Amal Raj bt Harmeet Desai 11-9, 14-12, 14-12.

Quarterfinals: Petroleum bt Maharashtra ’A’ 3-0; North Bengal bt Delhi 3-0; Gujarat bt Tamil Nadu 3-1; Railways bt Andhra Pradesh 3-0.

Women: Final: Petroleum bt North Bengal 3-0 (Neha Aggarwal bt Kasturi Chakraborty 11-9, 11-5, 11-8; K. Shamini bt Nandita Saha 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7; Poulomi Ghatak bt Ankita Das 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8).

Semifinals: Petroleum bt West Bengal 3-0 (N. Aggarwal bt Mousumi Paul 10-12, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4; Mouma Das bt Soumi Mondal 11-7, 11-9, 4-11, 11-9; P. Ghatak beat Susmita Ray 17-15, 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-8); North Bengal bt Banks 3-0 (N. Saha bt Mamta Prabhu 11-3, 12-10, 11-7; K. Chakraborty bt Swetha Kumaravel 10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6; A. Das bt Arul Selvi 11-6, 13-11, 11-5).

Quarterfinals: Petroleum bt Maharashtra ‘B’ 3-0; West Bengal bt Maharastra ’A’ 3-0; Banks bt Tamil Nadu 3-1; North Bengal bt Rajasthan 3-0.

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