Bihar Sports

Shree Krishna keeps his momentum going

2012-05-29T14:09:00.001+05:30

Patna, May 28, 2012: Continuing his good form Shree Krishna of Bihar moved into the second round of the boys' U-16 singles in the AITA talent series tournament (fifth leg) at the Patliputra Colony tennis courts here on Monday.

In his first round match, Shree Krishna beat Bharat Banger of Haryana 6-0, 6-0.

Results: BOY’S U-16 SINGLES (FIRST ROUND)

SHREE KRISHNA (BIH) BT. BHARAT BANGER (HAR) 6-0,6-0

JASMER KALPANY (HAR) BT. VISHVENDER SINGH (DLI) 6-2,6-3

NILAY MISHRA (BIH) BT. UTKARSH SINGH (BIH) 6-1,6-0

CHINMAY (DLI) BT. RITWIK GARG (DLI) 6-1,6-0

ANUJ MALIK (HAR) BT. SANOJ KUMAR (BIH ) 6-2,6-3

AZAD SINGH (HAR) BT. HARISH BERA (RAJ) 6-0,6-0

RISHI RAJ SHEKHWAT (RAJ) BT. SIDDHANT RAJ (BIH) 6-2,6-2

YASH RAJ SHARAN (BIH) BT. VISHWAJEET SANGLE (MAH) 6-1,6-0

ADARSH ANAND (BIH) BT. AASHISH OJHA (AP) 6-1,6-1

VISHAL VIVEK (BIH) BT. ADITYA RAVI RAJ (BIH) 6-3,6-4

ADVEYA SHARMA (BIH) BT. CHIRAG DAHIYA (HAR) 6-2,6-3

RITWIK BHRIGUVANSHI (BIH) BT. RUSTAM DAHIYA 6-3, 6-2

ANKIT ANAND (BIH) BT. SHIVANK SINHA (BIH) 6-1,6-1

RAMYAK SINGH (BIH) BT. MOHIT MALL 6-1,6-0

GAURANG (DLI) BT. ANKIT RAO (HAR) 6-2,6-2

PARTH AGARWAL (DLI) BT. REWANT RAJ (BIH) 6-0,6-2

BOY’S U-18 SINGLES (FIRST ROUND)

YASH RAJ SHARAN (BIH) BT ANUJ MALIK (HAR) 6-3,6-3

ADVEYA SHARMA (BIH) BT. SIDDHANT RAJ (BIH) 6-1,6-0

ADAMYA VIKRANT (BIH) BT. CHIRAG DAHIYA (HAR) 6-1,6-1

DEVPRIYA JAISWAL (BIH) BT. AZAD SINGH (HAR) 6-0,6-1

AKSHAY PAWAR (MAH) BT. ASHOK BHATI (RAJ) 6-0,6-1

ABHISHEK GAUR (DLI) BT. ANKESH ANAND (BIH) 6-0,6-0

JEET RAJ PUROHIT (GUJ) BT. RISHI RAJ SHEKHWAT (RAJ)

SANOJ KUMAR (BIH) BT. VISHWAJEET SANGLE (MAH) 6-2,6-2

RITWIK BHRIGUVANSHI (BIH) BT. RAMYAK SINGH (BIH) 6-0,6-1

GAURANG (DLI) BT. SOHIL SINGH (DLI) 6-3,6-2

KARTIK YADAV (RAJ) BT. NILAY MISHRA (BIH) 6-0,6-0

NAZIM M. DAWLA (DLI) BT. HARISH BERA (RAJ) 6-1,6-0

ANKIT RAO (HAR) BT. RITWIK GURG (HAR) 6-1,6-1

SHREE KRISHNA (BIH) BT. ADARSH ANAND (BIH) 6-1,6-0

Photo caption : Shree Krishna of Bihar in action at Patliputra Colony courts in Patna on May 28, 2012.

India prevail over Malaysia 3-2 in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey

2012-05-29T14:02:00.001+05:30

Patna, May 28, 2012: India beat Malaysia 3-2 to register their second win in the 21st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament at Ipoh, Malaysia on Monday.

According to information reached here, the goal scorers for India were Danish Mujtabba (9thminute), Shivendra Singh (11th minute penalty corner) and Tushar Khandker (41st minute) while Mohd Amin Rahim (40thminute penalty corner) and Mohd Fitri Saari (58th minute) scored for Malaysia.

Danish Mujtaba and Shivendra Singh put India 2-0 ahead with just 11 minutes into the game. In the 9th minute Danish scored in a goal-mouth melee after Sarwanjit's shot rebounded off the Malaysian goalkeeper. Shivendra struck off a penalty corner India earned in the 11th minute, when he sounded the board from the top of the circle.

The hosts Malaysia scored their first goal in the 40th minute through Mohd Amin Rahim, who scored off a penalty corner.

However, Tushar Khandker made it 3-1 in the very next minute. The goal was set up by Indian centre-half Sardar Singh with a well-disguised reverse pass into the circle. Sunil collected it and took the initial strike that the goalkeeper stopped. The rebound fell in front of Tushar who slotted the ball in.

Mohd Fitri Saari scored another goal for Malaysia in the 58thminute. India will now face Argentina on Wednesday.

Hockey India Press release

India beat Korea 2-1 in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey

2012-05-29T14:00:00.001+05:30

Patna, May 25, 2012: India beat Korea 2-1 in their second match of the 21st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament played at Ipoh, Malaysia, according to information reached here.

The goal scorers for India were Sandeep Singh (12th minute Penalty corner) and S.K Uthappa (69th minute) while Nam Hyun (66thminute) scored for Korea.

India took the lead in the 12th minute when Sandeep Singh scored a goal through penalty corner while Korea scored an equalizer in the 66th minute with the goal scored by Nam Hyun.

With a draw looking as the likely result, Tushar Khandker sent in a cross from the left which was deflected by SK Uthappa to give India the much needed win in the 69th minute.

The Indian team managed to earn single penalty corner and encashed the same while the forward line did the job. The defenders and the goalkeepers also had an exceptional match. Korea earned 4 penalty corners but Indian defence line stood like a wall and did not allow the opponent to convert even a single penalty corner.

Hockey India Press release

India go down to Germany in hockey

2012-05-09T00:34:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, May 5, 2012: Indian gave a spirited performance against reigning Olympic champions Germany in their last league encounter of Four-Nation London Olympics Hockey Test Event at the Riverbank Arena, Olympic Park today.

Although they lost 1-2 to Germany but there were plenty of positives in the match. Indian defence and midfield showed good performance in this match.

The goal scorer for India was Shivendra Singh (15th minute) while Wesley (27th minute) and Florian Fuchs (65th minute) scored for Germany.

In the first half score was 1-1.

India will now play for 3rd place play-offs.

A Hockey India Press release

Deepika Kumari wins first World Cup title

2012-05-09T00:31:00.003+05:30

KOLKATA, May 5, 2012: India's Deepika Kumari, won her first World Cup individual recurve gold medal today at Antalya. She beat Korea's Lee Sung Jin by six set points to four in the final.

Deepika won the second set (29-27), third (27-26) and the fifth set (28-27) after losing the first (27-30) and the third (27-29).

Deepika is the current junior World champion and a gold medallist at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. She had also won the Cadet World Title in 2009.

Press release

India trounce Lanka in Junior Asia Cup hockey

2012-05-09T00:26:00.002+05:30

New Delhi, May 4, 2012: Two times defending champions India got off to a storming start as they beat Sri Lanka 11-0 in their opening match of the 7th Junior Men’s Asia Cup Hockey Tournament played at MBM Hockey Stadium in Malacca, Malaysia today.

The goal scorers for India were skipper Akashdeep Singh (3rd and 62nd minute), Amit Rohidas (Penalty Corner 6thminute), Satbir Singh (21st and 29th minute), Malak Singh (27th, 39th and 44th minute), PL Thimmanna (34th and 41stminute) and Prabhdeep Singh (67th minute).

India took only three minutes to open scoring through skipper Akashdeep Singh who deflected in a cross from the right.

And three minutes later it was 2-0 for India as Amit Rohidas sent in a powerful flick into the roof of the net from a penalty corner, giving Sri Lankan goalkeeper Nuwan Premathilaka no chance at all.

With the two goals in the bag, India started playing free flow hockey. Third goal from India was scored by Satbir Singh in the 21st minute, a gap of 15 minutes from their second goal, not reflective of the total domination of the match.

India then scored at regular intervals through Malak Singh (27th minute), Satbir (29th minute) and Pulyanda Lokesh Thimmana (34th minute) for a 6-0 lead at halftime.

Malak Singh completed his hattrick by scoring India’s seventh and eight goals in the 39th and 44th minutes respectively.

PL Thimmanna then scored his second and India’s ninth in the 51st minute.

India hit double figures as skipper Akshdeep scored his second in the 62nd minute with Prabhdeep Singh making it 11-0 in the 67th minute.

A Hockey India Press release

Indian men's recurve team reaches final

2012-05-09T00:22:00.004+05:30

Kolkata, May 4, 2012: The Indian men’s recurve team, comprising Rahul Banerjee, Jayanta Talukdar and Tarundeep Rai, sailed into the final of the team event of the World Cup archery Stage 2 at Antalya in Turkey today..

The team defeated Korea 225-224 points in the semifinals. the team will play Great Britain in the final tomorrow. The Indian men beat the Netherlands in the quarterfinals at 216-215 and Mexico in the pre-quarterfinals at 217-215.

The women’s team, consisting of L. Bombayla Devi, Chekrovolu Swuro and Deepika Kumari, went down to Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals at 210-223. India won the opening round against Ukraine 221-216.

Both the Indian compound teams lost in the quarterfinals. The men went down to the US 232-234 while the women lost to Italy 223-232.

Press release

India lose to Great Britain in 4-Nation hockey meet

2012-05-09T00:21:00.001+05:30

New Delhi, May 4, 2012: India went down fighting 2-4 to Great Britain in the Four-Nation London Olympics Hockey Test Event at the Riverbank Arena, Olympic Park yesterday.

The goal scorers for Great Britain were Rob Moore (4thminute), Simon Montell (11th minute) and Ashley Jackson (24th and 26th minute), while V R Raghunath (Penalty Corner 16th minute) and Sandeep Singh (Penalty Corner 47thminute) were on target for India.

Great Britain took the lead in the 4th minute through a direct flick by striker Rob Moore and seven minutes later Simon Montell made it 2-0. However India showed great commitment and reduced the margin when V R Raghunath brought his team back into the game by converting a penalty corner in the 16th minute. Great Britain's Ashley Jackson scored twice in three minutes to double the lead of hosts over India.

In the second half, India engineered some impressive plays in a strong fight back. Indian defence also put up a much improved show denying any goal to their rivals. Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh made a good save in the 40thminute denying a hat-trick goal chance for Great Britain striker Ashley Jackson.

India tried hard to reduce the margin in the second half of the game when they earned a penalty corner in the 47th minute through drag-flicker Sandeep Singh deflected a well directed ball by Sardar Singh to the nets.

India were distinctly unlucky not to get their third goal when Britain defender Richard Smith made a good save in the last minute of the match.

A Hockey India Press release

India leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup from today

2012-05-02T01:50:00.001+05:30

Jamshedpur, May 1, 2012: Nike in association with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) will kick off the 7^th edition of the India leg of the Manchester United Premier Cup (MUPC), its grass root initiative for football in India. On Wednesday, the North, North East and East Zone teams will battle it out in JRD Sports Complex, in Jamshedpur.

Nike India under the aegis of All India Football Federation is conducting the MUPC Championship for U-15 boys for North, North – East & East Zone qualifiers from May 2 to 5 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex with the able sport of Tata Steel in association.

Assam

, Chandigarh, Himachal, Haryana, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Orissa, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura and UP have been participating in the tournament..

Matches will be played on league cum knock out basis at two grounds within JRD Tata Sports Complex. Daily three matches will be played at each ground from 7 am to 10 am. Each match duration will be of 40 minutes; (20 -10 – 20). Teams reaching the final will qualify for the final competition to be played at Goa on from May 10.

AIFF has nominated Binod Kumar Singh of Jharkhand and Bikash Mukherji of West Bengal as match commissioner for this tournament. Nine technical officials nominated by AIFF out of which 6 were from Jharkhand will assist in conducting the matches.

Sanjiv Paul, VP (CS). Tata Steel will inaugurate the championship on Wednesday at 8.00 am at JRD Tata Sports Complex.

Press release

India face Australia in 4-Nation hockey opener

2012-05-02T00:15:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, April 27, 2012: The Indian men hockey team left for London today from New Delhi for participation in the Four-Nation Olympic Test Event to be played at Riverbank Arena, Olympic Park from May 2-6.

The 18-member squad is captained by goalkeeper Bharat Chetri while midfielder Sardar Singh is his deputy.

The Four-Nation test event will feature Australia, Germany, Great Britain and India. India will open its campaign against Australia on May 2 followed by matches against Great Britain and Germany.

The participation in this tournament will not only give India an opportunity to play against higher ranked teams, who have also qualified for the Olympic Games, but also give the team unique exposure at the same hockey venue that will host the London Olympics.

The tournament will be played on the blue artificial turf with yellow balls. The pitch has pink runaways.

A Hockey India Press Release

Pankaj Advani through to the quarterfinals

2012-05-02T00:12:00.001+05:30

Bangalore, April 27, 2012: Ace cueist Pankaj Advani continued his stunning form today at the Asian Snooker Championships, beating Ahmed Saif of Qatar 4 frames to nil, to pocket his seventh straight win in the Championships on the first day of play offs.

Pankaj had earlier blanked Ebrahim Alsharrah of Kuwait, 4 games to nil to enter the play off's as the top seeded player, following his unbeaten run in the tournament. He will now face the winner of the match between Ehsan Heydari of Iran and Lim Chun Kiat of Singapore in the quarterfinals .

Pankaj is looking to continue his winning streak at the championships while keeping a clear eye on a possible historical win, aiming to secure a double Asian Championship win in Billiards and Snooker in a single year.

Press release

Om Prakash Chouhan reigns supreme at Oxford Golf and Country Club

2012-05-02T00:10:00.001+05:30

Pune, April 27, 2012: Om Prakash Chouhan carded a sedate 72 in round four of the PGTI Players Championship presented by Oxford Golf & Country Club to bag his maiden professional title. The 25-year-old from Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, totaled 13-under-275 for the tournament. Delhi golfers Shamim Khan and Rashid Khan were the joint runners-up with matching totals of 12-under-276.

Om Prakash Chouhan (66-69-68-72) came home the winner by one stroke after making four birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey in his final round of 72. Chouhan had a poor start as he bogeyed the first hole. He then rallied with a magnificent chip-in for birdie on the fifth. Om Prakash's bogey on the sixth which came as a result of a three-putt was negated by his top-class chip-putt for birdie on the ninth.

Chouhan landed his approach shot from 100 yards to within seven feet on the 15th hole and thereby garnered his first birdie on the back-nine. He then endured some nerve-wrecking moments after he missed a three-feet putt and double-bogeyed the 17th. The Mhow-based professional was on level terms with Shamim Khan and Rashid Khan at this stage. Chouhan displayed his grit and determination with a near-perfect second shot on the 18th that stopped five feet from the pin. He then sealed the title by converting the five-footer for birdie.

"It is an amazing feeling to win my first professional title. I've finally crossed the line after being in contention on many previous occasions. This win will definitely do a lot for my self-belief. I started poorly today as I did feel the pressure towards the beginning of the round. However, I gathered my thoughts thereafter and tried to play my normal game. I hit it very well through the day and didn't let go of my opportunities despite the blemish on the 17th," said Chouhan.

Shamim Khan (69-68-71-68) had six birdies against two bogeys in his final round. He made a charge on the back-nine with three consecutive birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th but fell just short. Shamim was joined by Rashid Khan (71-66-69-70) in tied second place. Rashid made three birdies and a bogey in his round of 70 on Friday and missed out on a 15-feet birdie putt on the final hole that could've led to a play-off between him and Chouhan.

Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh was fourth at eight-under-280.

Pune's Shubham Jindal, the lone amateur to make the cut, took away the trophy for the best performance by an amateur. Jindal totaled 15-over-303 to grab a share of 46th place.

Photo caption: Om Prakash Chouhan displays his winner's cheque in Pune on April 27, 2012.

Press Release

Tiwana and Chouhan share the lead on day two

2012-04-28T02:51:00.000+05:30

Pune, April 25, 2012: Arshdeep Tiwana of the Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, and Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow share the lead after day two of the PGTI Players Championship presented by Oxford Golf & Country Club. On Wednesday, Tiwana and Chouhan fired scores of 68 and 69 respectively to be placed at the top of the leaderboard with matching totals of nine-under-135.

Arshdeep Tiwana (67-68) built on his first round 67 with some excellent putting in round two. He sank a 15-footer for birdie on the 11th and followed that up with a 10-feet birdie putt on the 15th. The 24-year-old continued the good work with birdies on the third and fourth. He landed his tee shot on the third within six feet of the flag. Tiwana’s lone bogey came on the fifth before he finally closed the round with a marvelous 25-feet birdie putt on the ninth.

“I did well in all departments of the game, especially in putting. I sank three birdie putts from more than 10 feet. One of the highlights of my round was my incredible recovery on the ninth. I need to keep putting this way in order to stay in the hunt,” said Tiwana.

Om Prakash Chouhan (66-69) made five birdies and two bogeys in his round of 69. Chouhan made 12-feet birdie putts on the first and third and landed it within five feet for birdies on the fourth and 11th.

The Delhi duo of Rashid Khan and Shamim Khan are in tied third at seven-under-137. Rashid Khan’s 66 was the day’s best round. Chandigarh’s Harendra Gupta occupies fifth place at five-under-139.

Pune’s Pravin Pathare and Lucknow’s Vijay Kumar are in joint sixth at two-under-142.

The cut was declared at six-over-150. Fifty-one professionals and one amateur made the cut.

Photo caption: Arshdeep Tiwana in action on the day two of the PGTI players championships in Pune on April 24, 2012.

Om Prakash Chouhan sets the pace in round one

2012-04-25T00:15:00.003+05:30

Pune, April 24, 2012: Om Prakash Chouhan of Mhow set the pace in round one of the PGTI Players Championship presented by Oxford Golf & Country Club after he shot a sizzling six-under-66 on Tuesday. Ranjit Singh of Chandigarh and Arshdeep Tiwana of the Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon fired scores of five-under-67 to be joint second.

Om Prakash Chouhan made an amazing seven birdies against a lone bogey in his opening round to take the lead. Chouhan enjoyed a great start as he landed his second shot within two feet of the pin to set up a birdie on the first. He followed that up with a chip-in for birdie on the sixth. The 25-year-old collected two more birdies on the 11^th and 13^thbefore conceding his lone bogey of the day on the 14^th.

Om Prakash produced two magnificent approach shots that landed within five feet to end up with birdies on the 15^th and 16^th. He then closed the day in style by converting a 15-feet birdie putt on the 18^th.

Chouhan said, “I stuck to my game-plan of making maximum fairways and hitting it as close as possible on the greens. I focused a lot on my hitting and therefore landed it quite close on many occasions. I need to play in similar fashion over the next three days in order to stay in contention.”

Ranjit Singh and Arshdeep Tiwana made six birdies and a bogey in their respective rounds to close the day in tied second at 67. Ranjit made birdies on all the four par-five holes and sank birdie putts from over 15-feet on the 12^th and third.

Arshdeep, on the other hand, hit it within four feet for birdies on the second, 15^th, 16^thand 17^th and made birdie putts from a range of 15 to 20 feet on the eighth and ninth.

Harendra Gupta of Chandigarh is in fourth place at four-under-68 while Vijay Kumar of Lucknow and Delhi’s Shamim Khan are in tied fifth place at three-under-69.

Photo caption: Om Prakash Chouhan in action at Golden Greens Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon, on April 24, 2012.

A PGTI Press release

India placed in tough pool in Junior Asia Cup hockey

2012-04-25T00:12:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, April 23, 2012: India will take part in the 7th Junior Men Asia Cup Hockey Championships to be held at Malacca, Malaysia from May 3-13.

The 8 teams participating in this tournament are divided into two pools. According to the draws, India have been placed in pool B along with Pakistan, China and Sri Lanka while Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Iran are placed in pool A.

India will play their opening match against Sri Lanka on May 4 and will take on arch-rivals Pakistan on May 6.

India won the last two editions of the tournament at Karachi and Chennai in 2004 and 2008 respectively. This tournament will be the qualifier for the FIH Junior Asia Cup to be held in 2013.

Indian team will be captained by striker Akashdeep Singh while defender Amit Rohidas will be the vice-captain.

Hockey India Press release

MLC Sanjay Singh felicitated

2012-04-25T00:10:00.001+05:30

Patna, April 22, 2012: Bihar Table Tennis Association (BTTA) on Sunday felicitated Sanjay Singh, a newly elected member of Bihar Legislative Council, at Bihar Young Men's Institute here. Sanjay Singh is also the president of BTTA.
BTTA secretary Mukesh Roy and other members of the association were present on the occasion.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui

Soumyajit, Ankita book London tickets, heartbreak for Sharath

2012-04-24T01:45:00.002+05:30

New Delhi, April 22, 2012: Soumyajit Ghosh and Ankita Das, both from Siliguri, booked their London Olympics berths on the concluding day of the Asian Olympic Qualification Table Tennis Tournament in Hong Kong, but it was a real heartbreak for top paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal.

For both Ghosh and Ankita, the berths came via the continental quotas, after they topped from the South Asian region. Ghosh defeated Anthony Amal Raj 4-0 (12-10, 11-9, 11-6, 11-7) and Ankita downed K. Shamini 4-3 (8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8) to clinch the two places for India.

Sharath Kamal, who earlier lost to Wu Chi-Chi of Taipei 9-11, 9-11, 7-11, 11-2, 8-11, had to take on Amal Raj to make progress and meet Ghosh, who had won against Vietnam’s Tran Tuan Quynh. But it was Amal Raj who defeated Sharath 4-3 (9-11, 12-10, 11-13, 12-10, 4-11, 11-9, 11-3) to shut out his chances and earn a meeting against Ghosh.

Elated as he was, the 19-year-old Ghosh said it was his dream to appear on the biggest of all stages. “I have realized my dream today and will prepare well for the Olympics. It was a real tough match against Amal Raj and it could have been anybody’s game. I am happy I won it to earn the spot,” said the Siliguri boy, who became the first Indian to win the world junior circuit title in 2010.

Ghosh also gave full credit to the ITTF scholarship programme at the Peter Karlsson academy in Sweden and thanked the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) for choosing him as a worthy player. “My coaches in India as well as my training at the Karlsson Academy for six months has stood me in good stead and I must thank TTFI for selecting me for the scholarship,” added the BPCL player, who was part of India team’s bronze-winning member at the world junior championships in 2011.

Similarly, the South Asian regional quota place was left open to both Ankita and Shamini after Poulomi Ghatak bowed out of the Qualification tournament early on the second day. And using the opportunity well, Ankita, 19, beat her senior compatriot to join the Indian contingent at London.

Incidentally, Ankita also became the youngest Indian girl to qualify for Olympics. The Siliguri girl, who entered the quarterfinals of the world junior championships last year at Bahrain, gave credit to national coach Bhawani Mukherjee for giving her the confidence. “Bhawani Da was always at hand to help in crunch situations. Today’s win against Shamini was my finest in a tense situation. I look forward to going to London,” said Oil India employee.

In his hour of despair, there were some encouraging words for Sharath from both Bhwani Mukherjee and TTFI general secretary Dhanraj Choudhary. According to them the top Indian pro was unlucky at the Hong Kong meet. “He had very good chances to finish among top four, but the loss to world No. 1 Ma Long did him and the second chance against North Korean Nam who he had beaten earlier in group stages,” said Mukherjee.

But Chodudhary said that now Sharath had a very good chance of qualifying for the London Games at Doha where Sharath will participate in the World Qualification championships. “With all top players from Asia having already made the grade at Hong Kong, Sharath’s chances are very good at Doha. I am sure, he will definitely qualify for the Olympics to make it a hat-trick of Games,” said Choudhry.

A TTFI Press release

Indian women beat USA to get third place

2012-04-24T01:44:00.000+05:30

Patna, April 22, 2012: India beat USA 1-0 to claim bronze medal in the second leg of Women Four-Nation Hockey Tournament at Llyod Elsmore Hockey Stadium in Pakuranga, Auckland.

According to information received here, Indian midfielder Deepika scored the all-important goal in the 40th minute after the two teams were locked goalless in the half time.

India showed good temperament and defended stoutly to deny USA, who have already qualified to play in the London Olympics to score.

Indian defence and midfield were compact with Joydeep Kaur, Ausnta Lakra, Deepika and Ritu Rani making timely interceptions.

Indian goalkeeper Yogita Bali made some splendid saves and was declared best goalkeeper of the tournament.

Hockey India Press release

Sharath makes his London trip a long haul

2012-04-22T00:59:00.001+05:30

New Delhi, April 21: Achanta Sharath Kamal failed to sealed the fifth qualifying spot at the ongoing Asian Olympic Qualification Table Tennis Tournament at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong, when he lost to Kim Song Nam of North Korea 2-4 (12-10, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 8-1) in a late night match on Saturday, according to reports reaching here.

Of the seven berths available at the qualifiers, six have already been grabbed with the lone seventh spot now on offer. To win that Sharath will have to bring in all his experience—first to beat the Chinese Taipei player Wu Chi-Chi and then expect to defeat the winner of the match between Jang Song Man of North Korea and Indian Soumyajit Ghosh.

By losing the match to the North Korean, whom he had beaten earlier in group stages, the Indian made his job at the qualifiers much tougher as he will have to play two more matches and win them to fancy any chance of joining the Indian contingent to London. If he does that, he will be the first Indian to make the Olympics grade for the third successive time. The Indian had represented at both the Athens and Beijing Games.

Sharath, who was playing the fourth match of the day, had a mixed luck on Saturday. Before taking on Kim Song Nam, he played a tough match against world No. 1 Ma Long and lost to the top Chinese in straight games of 9-11, 2-11, 4-11, 6-11. Earlier, he had played a gruelling 95-minute match to beat a top-rung North Korean Jang Song Man 4-3 (11-8, 13-11, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7).

Sharath started by winning the first game against Nam, supposedly the weakest among North Korean contenders here, but lost the next two games before regrouping himself. But then Nam was up to the task as he took the next two games to seal his Olympics place.

A dejected Sharath rued on the missed opportunities in earlier rounds. “Going into the match I was confident, but Nam played really well. It was sort of a revenge match for him,” said Sarath. On his chances on Sunday, Sharath didn’t want to commit himself. He, however, said he will approach the two matches on Sunday with an open mind.

But according to TTFI secretary-general, Dhanraj Choudhary, all is not lost for India. “We have the option of using the South Asian regional quota tie between Sharath and Ghosh and whoever wins will go to London,” he said.

In other words, Sharath can still hope for a hat-trick of Games appearance by either clinching the last qualifying chance or take the South Asian regional quota route to reach London.

A TTFI Press release

Indian eves hold New Zealand 3-3 in hockey

2012-04-22T00:55:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, April 21, 2012: India held New Zealand 3-3 in their last preliminary match of the second leg Women Four-Nation Tournament at Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium at Pakuranga, Auckland today.

The goal scorers for India were strikers Rani, Vandana Katariya and Chanchan Devi Thokchom while Katie Glynn, Cathryn Finlayson and Krystal Forgesson were on target for

New Zealand

who led 2-1 at half time.

The Kiwis started aggressively and went two up in 10 minutes with strikes by Glynn and Finlayson but India bounced back holding sway for most of the match.

India not only wiped off the deficit but went into the lead in the second half only to concede the equaliser to New Zealand in the 66th minute.

Defenders Joydeep Kaur and Kirandeep Kaur failed to block the initial New Zealand onslaughts which led to the first two goals, even as Indian forward Rani blew away a couple of chances in the Kiwi striking circle.

However Rani made amends in the 15th minute as her scorcher from atop the circle convincingly beat the New Zealand goalkeeper.

India continued mounting pressure on their rivals after the break and drew level with Vandana Katariya deflecting home a penetrative manoeuvre by midfielder Asunta Lakra in the 55th minute.

India broke into the lead in the next minute with Chanchan Devi Thokchom slamming a rebound past the New Zealand goalkeeper.

They could however not hold on to this lead as New Zealand forced a turnover in the 66th minute after Ritu Rani was dispossessed and Forgesson beat Indian goalkeeper Yogita Bali with a clinical sweep shot to draw the match.

India will now face USA tomorrow in the third place playoff, while New Zealand take on Tasman neighbours Australia for the title.

A Hockey India Press release

Sharath enhances qualification chances

2012-04-22T00:49:00.004+05:30

New Delhi, April 20: Achanta Sharath Kamal registered a comfortable win over Vietnam’s Quyinh Tran Tuan of Vietnam 11-1, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 in the third round and is just a couple of matches away from sealing his London berth at the ongoing Asian Olympic Qualification Table Tennis Tournament at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong this afternoon.

The top Indian pro is taking on North Korea’s Jang Song Man who earlier accounted for A. Amal Raj 4-2 in draw B. In the same draw Soumyajit Ghosh also lost to Kim Song Nam of North Korea 1-4, but the two Indians can still make the Olympics grade provided they win their next round matches.

Sharath, who is one match away from what could be a dream effort, to finish among the top four paddlers at the Qualifiers has the ability to put it across his North Korean rival, who is a defensive player.

However, Sharath enhanced his qualification chance this afternoon. As a draw A loser, Sharath defeated Iran’s top player Nima Alamian 4-2 (11-7, 3-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5, 11-8 to progress into draw B. Laater when he triumphed over the Vietnamese in a one-sided match, his approach was simple and plain as he just went about attacking his opponent who brooked no challenge.

“Sharath brought his aggressive style to the fore and it paid dividends,” said national coach Bhawani Mukherjee. “If he continues in the same vein later tonight against Jang Song Man, he should book his London berth tomorrow,” he added.

As for Amal Raj and Ghosh, Mukherjee said that all was not lost for the two Indians. As draw B losers they still have chances tomorrow and could well be the surprise package said Mukherjee. “The two have put up very good fights against their top opponents and are well in course to surprise with at least one more berth,” said Mukherjee.

Poulomi Ghatak faltered to deceive after a fine show last evening and bowed out of the tournament while Ankita Das and K. Shamini kept their Olympics dreams alive on Friday.

A TTFI Press release

Shamim Khan wins PGTI Players Championship title

2012-04-22T00:48:00.000+05:30

Pune, April 20, 2012: Shamim Khan of Delhi displayed nerves of steel to walk away with the title at the PGTI Players Championship presented by Poona Club Ltd. Shamim fired a two-under-69 at the Poona Club Golf Course on Friday to finish the tournament with a six-under-278 total. Amardip Sinh Malik of Meerut was the runner-up as he finished one stroke behind the winner.

Shamim Khan (69-67-73-69), the overnight joint leader along with Amardip Sinh Malik and Sanjay Kumar, established an early lead in round four after he bogeyed the third and made birdies on the sixth and seventh. Shamim sank a 20-feet putt for birdie on the sixth. The 33-year-old Khan hit a rough patch when he bogeyed the 11th and conceded the lead to Malik who posted three straight birdies on the ninth, 10th and 11th thanks to some brilliant hitting.

Shamim got back to level terms with Amardip after sinking birdies on the 14th and 15th. Shamim landed his second shot within a foot on the 14th and then sank a 12-footer on the 15th. The 18th turned out to be the decisive hole. Shamim recovered well after a poor tee-shot with an excellent chip and a 12-feet putt to make par on the 18th and seal the title even as Malik dropped a bogey on the same hole.

Shamim, who won his sixth professional title, said, “I did not miss short putts today, unlike the previous rounds. My chipping was also very good. This win gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I had to bring all my experience to the fore to get out of a tough situation today. I kept my composure and made a tremendous up and down on the final hole to set up the victory. I’m very proud of this performance.”

Amardip Sinh Malik (68-69-72-70) fired five birdies against four bogeys in his final round of one-under-70. Malik missed his 15-feet par putt by a whisker on the 18th to finish as the runner-up at five-under-279.

Mukesh Kumar of Mhow finished third at four-under-280 while Lucknow’s Sanjay Kumar was fourth at two-under-282.

Photo caption: Shamim Khan displays his winner's cheque at Poona Club golf course on April 20, 2012.

Press release

Three share lead in PGTI Players Championship

2012-04-22T00:40:00.000+05:30

Shamim Khan

Pune, April 19, 2012: Meerut’s Amardip Sinh Malik, Sanjay Kumar of Lucknow and Delhi’s Shamim Khan were the joint leaders at four-under-209 after round three of the PGTI Players Championship at Poona Club Golf Course here. Amardip, Sanjay and Shamim shot scores of 72, 71 and 73 respectively on a high-scoring day.

Amardip Sinh Malik (68-69-72) made a solid start with six straight pars and then found the green in two on the par-5 seventh to set up his first birdie of the day. Malik dropped a bogey after missing a three-footer on the eighth. The 26-year-old made birdie-bogey-bogey on the ninth, 10th and 11th to move to one over for the day. Amardip birdied the 14th and bogeyed the 16th to end the day with a one-over-72.

“I’m quite pleased with my round considering the kind of places I landed the ball today. I recovered from tough situations and made a couple of good chip-putts for birdies on the ninth and 14th. I’ve hung in there despite not being on top of my game over the last three days. I’ll need to sink more putts in the final round in order to stay in contention,” said Amardip, who is looking for his maiden professional title.

Sanjay Kumar (69-69-71) holds the joint lead thanks to an even par 71 in round three. Sanjay made six birdies and six bogeys on Thursday.

Shamim Khan (69-67-73) is also at the top of the leaderboard along with Amardip Sinh Malik and Sanjay Kumar. Shamim’s 73 included a triple bogey on the first, three birdies and two bogeys. Shamim, who also led in round two, made a 35-feet putt from the edge for birdie on the 12th.

Deepinder Singh Kullar of the DLF Golf & Country Club is placed fourth at three-under-210 while Pune’s Sameer M Shaikh and Arshpreet Thind of the Classic Golf Resort were joint fifth at two-under-211.

Press release

Men paddlers top groups, Ankita in second stage

2012-04-22T00:32:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, April 19, 2012: All the three men paddlers of India topped their groups to move a step closer and enter stage two of the Asian Olympic Qualification Table Tennis Tournament in Hong Kong this afternoon. But from among the women, Ankita Das alone has confirmed her second stage spot, having won two matches in the five-player group, as per reports received from Hong Kong.

Both Poulomi Ghatak and K. Shamini have won and lost a match each in their respective groups and the fate of these players hinge on the latter matches tonight. With top four players in each of the three groups going through to the second stage, Poulomi and Shamini are expected to make the grade.

Achanta Sharath Kamal, expectedly topped group D, beating all three rivals but what came as a pleasant surprise was the way both A. Amal Raj and Soumyajit Ghosh emulating their senior pro to attain the top perch in groups E and F.

Sharath had a bit of struggle against his North Korean opponent Kim Song Nam whom the Indian subdued 4-2 (11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3). Later he blanked out both Alinjawi Jassem of UAE and Rodel Valle of the Philippines for a similar margin of 4-0.

Similarly, Amal Raj had a tough opening match against the higher-ranked North Korean Kim Hyok Bong which the Indian won 4-3 (11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-5,9-11, 6-11, 12-10). This gave the necessary confidence as Amal Raj defeated both Nikom Wongsiri of Thailand 4-0 and Isaias Seronio of the Philippines 4-0.

As for Ghosh, he was playing the top-ranked Wu Chi-Chi from Taipei and the Indian matching stroke for stroke defeated him 4-1 (11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8. He also beat Iranian Alamian Nima, who made waves recently at the Macau Asian meet, 4-0 and later UAE’s Hassan Rashed for the same score-line.

Ankita Das downed both Malaysian NG Sock Khim 4-3 (9-11, 4-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9) and Vienatm’s Mai Hoang My Tarang 4-3 (10-12, 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 14-12, 14-16, 11-6). She has three more matches to go but Akita has ensured her second stage berth.

National coach Bhawani Mukherjee admitted the second stage matches will be much tougher. “But our boys and girls are geared up to win Olympic spots with seven berths for the London Games in each section on offer here,” he said. “I am really hopeful, particularly the way both Ghosh and Amal Raj played today to top their groups,” he added.

A TTFI Press release

Australian eves prove too strong for India in hockey

2012-04-22T00:30:00.001+05:30

Patna, April 19, 2012: India went down fighting 2-5 to Australia in the second leg of the Women Four-Nation Hockey Tournament at Lloyd Elsmore Hockey Stadium in Pakuranga, New Zealand, according to a Hockey India Press release.

The goal scorers for Australia were Jodie Schulz (penalty corners 7th and 28th minutes), Fiona Boyce (12th minute), Ashleigh Nelson (51st minute) and Georgia Nanscawen (60th minute), while Rani (13th minute) and Poonam Rani (penalty corner 63rd minute) were on target for India.

Australia took the lead in the 7th minute through a penalty corner direct flick by Jodie Schulz and nine minutes later Boyce made it 2-0. However, India showed great commitment and reduced the margin in the 13th minute when forward Rani scored a brilliant goal from the top of the circle.

In the 28th minute Australia earned another penalty corner and Jodie Schulz made no mistake in converting into a goal for the second time.

India made some penetrations at the start of the second half but couldn’t find the target.

Australia who led 3-1 at the half time scored twice in the second half with fourth goal by Nelson in the 51st minute and fifth goal by Georgia Nanscawen in the 60th minute.

India had their moments in the match and tried hard to reduce margin in the last 10 minutes of the game. India earned a penalty corner in the 63rd minute and Poonam Rani deflected a well-directed ball by Asunta Lakra to the nets.