Maharashtra women clinch silver medal
Manesar (Haryana), February 3: Maharashtra ‘A’ team did exceptionally well and clinched the women’s Team Championship silver medal. The Maharashtra women, who were outstanding in the earlier rounds, saw their brilliant winning run of form came to a grinding stop by West Bengal in the final of the 11Even Sports 78th Senior National Table Tennis Championships at the Manesar Sports Club, late on Thursday night.
The fancied West Bengal team came out all guns blazing in the finals and dashed the hopes of the Maharashtra women and cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win to emerge supreme and regain the Jayalakshmi Cup.
The Maharashtra paddlers after churning out a terrific combined performance to defeat title-favourites and defending champions Petroleum Sports Contol Board (PSPB) 3-1 in the semi-finals were unable to produce the same kind of form against the Bengal side who seized the opportunity and took advantage of the situation to run away with the match and the top honours.
Pooja Shasrabuddhe, who had won both her matches in the team’s win over the petroleum outfit, put up a gallant fight but fell to the guiles of Krittwika Sinha Roy in the opening rubber. Krittwika held her nerves to brush aside the challenge from Pooja to clinch a 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 11-13, 11-7 win which set the tone for Bengal’s triumpoh. Later, the Bengal team won the next two rubbers with Suthirtha Mukherjee beating Charvi Kawle 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 and Anindita Chakraborty defeating Shruti Amrute 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 to wrap up the match.
West Bengal had to wait for 19 years to win their fourth title, the previous three coming in 1973, 1994 and 1998.
Meanwhile, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) huffed and puffed their way to retain the Barna Ballack Cup, the symbol of supremacy in the men’s Team Championship, for the 19th occasion. PSBP defeated hosts Haryana 3-2 in the final.
Results - Women (final): West Bengal bt Maharashtra A 3-0 (Krittwika Sinha roy bt Pooja Sahasrabuddhe 11-5, 11-9, 4-11, 11-13, 11-7, Suthirtha Mukherjee bt Charvi Kawle 11-4, 12-10, 11-6, Anindita Chakraborty bt Shruti Amrute 11-6, 11-9, 11-5).
Men (final): PSPB bt Haryana 3-2 (G. Sathiyan bt Sourav Saha 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 11-9, Anthony Amalraj lost to Soumyajit Ghosh 9-11, 5-11, 4-11, Harmeet Desai bt Jubin Kumar 12-10, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, Sathiyan lost to Soumyajit 8-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, Amalraj bt Sourav Saha 7-11, 11-8, 12-10, 13-11).