Photo: Jamnabai Narsee’s ace player Vidhi Shah in action during their 3-0 win against Rainbow International (HP) in a Senior Girl’s team match of the 2nd 11even Sports Inter-School Table Tennis National Championships 2016, at Sama Indoor Sports Complex, Vadodara on Sunday.
Vidhi, Mihika combine perfectly to take Jamnabai into quarter-finals
Vadodara,December 11: Mumbai girl’s Vidhi Shah and Mihika Rohira of Jamnabai Narsee School representing Maharashtra combined perfectly to carry their school to the quarter-final round of the 2nd 11even Sports Inter-School Table Tennis National Championships 2016, jointly organized by 11even Sports (ESPL) and Table Tennis Association of Baroda (TTAB), and played at Sama Indoor Sports Complex, Vadodara on Sunday.
In a pre-quarter-final match, Jamnabai proved too superior for Rainbow International School, Himachal Pradesh and coasted to a comfortable 3-0 victory. In the quarter-finals, Jamnabai will take on Learning Paths School, Mohali, Punjab, who earned a bye.
In another senior girls last 16 encounter, Maharishi Vidya Mandir from Assam played a marathon against Uttar Pradesh Delhi Public School for their 3-1 verdict to enter the quarter-finals where they will take on top-seeded Ugdam School from Gujarat. The nearly three-hour match saw 20 out of a possible 25 games making it the toughest match so far.
In other pre-quarterfinals, SBOA School from Tamil Nadu and Sri Aurobindo from Karnataka advanced to the next round.
In senior boys’ action, SBOA School team from Tamil Nadu had to play out of their skins to beat Chandigarh’s Ryan International boys. The former won 3-2, after being 1-2 down, including the crucial doubles, as S. Aadithya and G. Varun won their reverse singles against Sahil Sharma and Karandeep Singh. Earlier, Aadithya had beaten Karandeep Singh 3-1.
In other matches, LG Kakadia School from Gujarat were taken the full distance before they beat Haryana’s Scholars Rosary 3-2, Rabindra Path Bhavan (WB) beat Paradise English School (Manipur) 3-0 and St Paul’s Higher Secondary School from MP beat Radhabal Inter College (UP) 3-2.
In Junior Boys section, Cambridge Convent from UP, Techno Indo School from North Bengal, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home from Karantaka and St Paul’s High School from Telangana entered the quarterfinals with just one aberration—the last named struggled before overcoming neighbouring Andhra Pradesh’s Nalanda Vidya Niketan 3-2.
As for Junior Girls, SICA secondary School from MP, which reported half an hour behind schedule, managed to put it across Ponicherry’s St Patrick’s School 3-1. Fortunately for the MP outfit, the Pondicherry girls or, for that matter, their coach did not lodge a protest and were sporting enough to wait for their rivals. But their neighbouring Tamil Nadu school, Bharathiddasanar, outplayed Don Bosco from Kerala for a 3-0 blank out, Gujarat’s GM Donda, DPS from Karanataka advanced to the quarters with easy triumphs.
Results (all pre-quarter-finals) – Junior Girls: SICA Senior Secondary School (MP) bt St Patrick’s (Pon) 3-1, Bharathidhasanar (TN) bt Don Bosco (Ker) 3-0, GM Donda (Guj) bt Rainbow International (HP) 3-1, DPS (Kar) bt Gayatri Vidya Peet (Ukd) 3-1.
Junior Boys: Cambridge Convent (UP) bt The King’s School (Goa) 3-1, Techno India (NB) bt Maharishi Vidya Mandir (TN) 3-0, Sri Kumaran Children’s Home (Kar) bt Naihati Narendra (WB) 3-1, St. Paul’s HS (Telg) bt Nalanda Vidhya Niketan (AP) 3-2.
Senior Girls: Maharishi Vidya Mandir (Asm) bt DPS (UP) 3-1, SBOA School (TN) bt DPS (MP) 3-0, Jamnabai Narsee (Mah) bt Rainbow International (HP) 3-0, Siri Aurobindo (Kar) bt St Xavier’s School (Raj) 3-0.
Senior Boys: SBOA School (TN) bt Ryan International (Chd) 3-2, Rabindra Path Bhavan (WB) bt Paradise English School (Man) 3-0, LG Kakadia (Guj) bt Scholars Rosary (Har) 3-2, St Paul Hr Sec School (MP) bt Radhabal Inter College (UP) 3-2.