The Hindu : Sport : Moyan School girls bring joy to Palakkad

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Moyan School girls bring joy to Palakkad

Principal Correspondent

— Photo: H. Vibhu

PROUD MOMENT: The Palakkad girls’ team — (from left) K. Revathy, Haritha Menon, Machat Jeethu Menon and Shaima Hussain — which won the under-17 tennis title in Chalakudy on Friday.

CHALAKUDY: They could not raise funds to set up proper tennis facilities. So, the players at the Government Moyan Girls HSS used the available ball badminton net for their tennis sessions.

The gritty Moyan girls, led by their star Machat Jeethu Menon, helped Palakkad shock defending champion Thiruvananthapuram 2-1 and win the under-17 girls’ tennis title in the 52nd Kerala State School Games which began at the Carmel Stadium, here on Friday.

“This is our first triumph,” said Jeetha, a former State under-14 champion. “But when Shaima Hussain lost the second singles tie, I was very worried.”

After Jeetha won the opening singles comfortably, Shaima frittered away a 3-0 lead in the next singles match and lost to the gutsy Begum Yasmin of Thiruvananthapuram.

However, Jeetha and Shaima won the deciding doubles tie easily to script Palakkad’s maiden success in the event.

“We had waited so long for this success, tying the ball badminton net up and down. We don’t even have a coach,” said the Moyan School’s Sports teacher Premakumari.

The Thiruvananthapuram players, all regulars at the TTC which has nine quality courts, however, retained the boys’ title defeating Palakkad 2-0.

Sachin Vinoth had to suffer a few agonising moments when his second singles match against Palakkad’s Thejus went to the tie-break. S.S. Nikhil had won his opener against Machat Balakrishnan Menon, Jeethu’s twin brother, earlier.

The results: U-17: Tennis: Finals: Boys: Thiruvananthapuram bt Palakkad 2-0 (S.S. Nikhil bt Machat Balakrishnan Menon 6-4; Sachin Vinoth bt Thejus 6-5(4).

Girls: Palakkad bt Thiruvananthapuram 2-1 (Machat Jeethu Menon bt Gowthami Devi 5-2; Shaima Hussain lost to Begum Yasmin 5-4(5); Jeethu & Shaima bt Gowthami & Yasmin 5-1).

Table tennis: Boys: Final: Wynad bt Thrissur 3-2. Third place: Palakkad.

Girls: Final: Wynad bt Thiruvananthapuram 3-0. Third place: Idukki.

Badminton: Boys: 1. Thiruvananthapuram, 2. Palakkad, 3. Ernakulam.

Girls: 1. Thiruvananthapuram, 2. Kannur, 3. Kozhikode.

Ball badminton: Girls: 1. Palakkad, 2. Thiruvananthapuram, 3. Ernakulam.

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