“Need to restore the doubles event back to its glory”

State-level invitation senior doubles ball badminton tournament held

M. Marshal and A. Saravanan receiving the winner's trophy from District Sports Officer P. Kalaiselvan in Tiruchi on Sunday. Photo: R. Ashok

With five-a-side ball badminton tournaments getting more popular, conduct of doubles event has become a rarity.

“The doubles event was very popular till a couple of decades back. It demands more skill and agility from the players. There is a need to restore doubles event its original importance,” observed G. Joseph, champion player of yesteryear.

The State-level invitation senior doubles ball badminton tournament, organised here by the Elders Ball Badminton Club (EBBC), he felt, was a step in the right direction.

The fourth edition of the tournament concluded at the Jamal Mohammed College on Sunday.

Eight teams from various districts were invited to take part in the one-day tourney.

“The presence of seasoned players in the teams lit up the competition,” said S. Mathivanan, General Secretary, Tiruchi District Ball Badminton Association, of the tournament that was organised in memory of veteran players R. Rajagopalan, R. Jaganathan and G. Sambandam.

M. Marshal and A. Saravanan of Coimbatore won the title beating P. Subash and S. Udayakumar of Dharmapuri in the final.

P. Kalaiselvan, District Sports Officer, gave away the prizes in the presence of K. Selvaraj, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Southern Railway; R. Balagangadharan, EBBC president; K. Sivanandam, secretary; and G. Srinivasan, treasurer.