FOOTBALL
Namdhari FC holds Aizawl FC after late equaliser
Aizawl FC was held to a 1-1 draw by Namdhari FC in their I-League match on Monday.
With an all-Indian starting line-up, Aizawl took the lead in the 40th minute thanks to 21-year-old R Ramdinthara’s third league goal of the season.
Namdhari left it late to equalise, doing so in the 85th minute courtesy of its Spanish striker Ivan Garrido scoring for the second successive match.
With the draw, Aizawl moved up to the eighth spot in the table with 25 points from 21 matches. Namdhari, on the other hand, remained in 11th spot with 24 points from 23 games.
Aizawl will now travel to Vasco da Gama to face Churchill Brothers on April 5, while Namdhari have a 12-day gap until it takes on Real Kashmir FC in Srinagar on April 13 to end its first-ever I-League campaign.
- PTI
Churchill Brothers blank TRAU FC 2-0 in I-League
Churchill Brothers registered its seventh win of the ongoing I-League season, defeating TRAU FC 2-0 at the Kalyani Municipal Stadium here on Monday.
Both of Churchill Brothers’ goals came in the first half, as the Red Machines went into the half-time break with a two-goal cushion.
Midfielder Stendly Teotonio Fernandes didn’t waste a minute as he scored right after kick-off, while TRAU’s Kongbrailatpam Manjit Sharma was adjudged to have scored an own goal in the first half injury time.
With this win, it provisionally moved up to the eighth position in the I-League table, having garnered 27 points from 22 matches.
Ninth-placed Aizawl FC is two points behind Churchill Brothers, and has played one game less.
TRAU, who had already been relegated, remained rooted to the bottom of the table with 10 points from 21 games.
-PTI
BADMINTON
KBSA introduces scholarship scheme for young shuttlers
The Kerala Badminton (Shuttle) Association has introduced a scholarship scheme for the singles winners and runners-up of its State championships in the under-13, 15, 17 and under-19 age groups.
Each player will receive an annual amount of Rs 24,000 which will be paid on a monthly basis as long as they are State champions in singles events in the above age groups.
This was decided at the KBSA executive committee meeting held in Kochi on Saturday.
“We are planning to start the scholarship in doubles too in future,” said R. Rakesh Sekhar, the KBSA secretary, on Monday.
Eligible players for KBSA’s scholarship scheme (Rs 24,000 per year, 2023-24)
ZONAL TRAINING CENTRES
The KBSA has also decided to run three zonal training centres, at Ernakulam, Karunagapally (Kollam) and Ottapalam (Palakkad) where promising players will be offered long-term coaching either at ‘no cost’ or on subsidised rates.
- Stan Rayan
National sub-junior badminton in Kozhikode in September
Kerala will host the National sub-junior badminton championships (under-15 and under-17) in Kozhikode from September 12 to 17.
The Kerala Badminton (Shuttle) Association released its annual tournament calendar on Monday and the State senior championships (seniors and under-19) have been allotted to Thrissur. Alappuzha will host the under-15 and under-17 State championships while Malappuram will be the venue for the State under-11 and under-13 events.
The KBSA tournament calendar (2024-2025)
2024
2025
- Stan Rayan
EQUESTRIAN
National Eventing Championship: Sthavi Asthana crowned champion in individual category
Sthavi Asthana was crowned champion in the individual category at the National Eventing Championship that concluded here on Monday.
It is his second successive podium finish in the two-legged Nationals, having secured a third-place finish in the opening leg.
Ashish Malik took the second spot before his joy was doubled after earning a podium finish in the team event, finishing third.
Asthana copped four penalty points in the Jumps section, as the error was committed on obstacle number 10A. He also conceded four penalty points in Show Jumping but did not cop any time penalty before excelling in the Dressage and Cross Country section, recording 36.9 points.
On the other hand, Malik copped two penalty points (Time) but came out clean in jumps. He finished Dressage and Cross Country with 38.9 points.
Sthavi Asthana in action at the National Eventing Championship that concluded at the Army Polo and Riding Centre in New Delhi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Asthana and Malik were joined by Raju Singh (42.5) on the podium after he secured the third position. Prince Sharma (56.4) finished fourth.
However, Prince earned relief in winning the team championship alongside Vimal Kumar, Pradeep Kumar and K Mahesh. Competing as team RVC C and College, the quartet finished the competition with 198.6 points.
The winners were much ahead of the second-placed team comprising Ankit Tyagi, HS Tomar, Saurabh Kumar and Sachin Chandel, also from the RVC C and College team. They finished with 243.6 points.
The third place was grabbed by the Team ASC Centre North, which possessed Sandeep, Narayan Singh, Ashish Malik and Mahendra Singh, logging 244.9 points.
- PTI
TENNIS
Junior selection takes place for Asia-Oceania Junior Billie Jean King Cup
The top six girls in the under-16 ranking list assembled at the DLTA Complex on Monday as part of the selection process for the Indian team scheduled to compete in the Asia-Oceania Junior Billie Jean King Cup.
Maaya Rajeshwaran, Diya Ramesh and Sohini Mohanty registered wins in the round-robin league, played on a best-of-17 games format.
Yashika Shokeen, Aakruti Sonkusare and Hirva Rangani were the other three players in the selection trials.
Coach Namita Bal was also present as part of the selection exercise. The Indian team will compete in the Junior Billie Jean King Cup to be held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, from May 13 to 18.
Similarly, the top six under-16 boys will assemble at the DLTA next week to go through the selection trials. Coach Sajid Lodi will also be present to finalise the selection.
Aradhya Kshitij, Samarth Sahita, V Thirumurugan, Prateek Sheoran, Kanishk Kathuria and Ranvir Singh have been called for the Junior Davis Cup team selection.
The Asia Oceania Junior Davis Cup is also scheduled to be held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, from May 20 to 25.
In the WJT Asia-Oceania under-14 event held recently in Kuching, Malaysia, the Indian boys secured the second spot and qualified for the World Group competition to be held in Prostejov, Czech Republic. The Indian under-14 girls, however, had failed to qualify as they placed ninth in the Asia-Oceania event, having finished third in their group behind Australia and Thailand.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
KHO KHO
National championship: Maharashtra wins in men’s and women’s category
Maharashtra emerged champion in both the men’s and women’s sections in the 56th National kho kho championship at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Monday.
In an exciting men’s final, Maharashtra and Railways were tied 32-32 at the end of two innings. In the extended game, Maharashtra prevailed 52-50.
In the women’s final, Maharashtra beat Airports Authority of India (AAI) 18-16.
The results
- Team Sportstar
GOLF
Father-son duo of Jeev and Harjai Milkha Singh to compete at inaugural Chandigarh Open
The legendary Jeev Milkha Singh and his 14-year-old son Harjai Milkha Singh will be in action at the inaugural Chandigarh Open which will witness some of the top golfers teeing off at the Chandigarh Golf Club here on Wednesday.
Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) on Monday announced the launch of the Rs 1 crore prize money tournament, to be held from April 3-6.
Harjai, who won the US Kids Golf European Championship in the boys U-13 category last year, alongwith Ayaan Gupta and Ram Singh Maan are the three amateurs who will get the chance to rub shoulders with the top professionals.
A host of stars including Veer Ahlawat, who finished tied 2nd at Hero Indian Open on Sunday, Gaganjeet Bhullar, SSP Chawrasia, Rahil Gangjee, Rashid Khan, Yuvraj Singh Sandhu, K Chikkarangappa, Karandeep Kochhar, Om Prakash Chouhan and Manu Gandas will be part of the field.
The field will also comprise international golfers such as N Thangaraja and K Prabagaran from Sri Lanka, Jamal Hossain and Badal Hossain from Bangladesh, Kevin Esteve Rigaill from Andorra and Varun Chopra from the USA.
“We are pleased to announce the inaugural edition of the Nissan presents Chandigarh Open 2024 hosted by Chandigarh Golf Club. The golf-loving Chandigarh crowds can expect a visual spectacle,” said PGTI CEO Uttam Singh Mundy in a release.
The field also includes rookies like PGTI Qualifying School winner Matias Dominguez from Chile, Subash Tamang from Nepal, Michele Ortolani from Italy and Stepan Danek from the Czech Republic.
The other prominent golfers from the city competing this week include Ajeetesh Sandhu, Jairaj Singh Sandhu, Angad Cheema, Harendra Gupta, Abhijit Singh Chadha, Aadil Bedi, Gurbaaz Mann, Amritinder Singh and Ravi Kumar.
- PTI
CUE
Advani outwits Causier to retain CCI billiards crown
World champion Pankaj Advani continued his impressive run as he thrashed Englishman David Causier 1836-743 in a lop-sided final to retain the All India CCI Billiards Classic title on Monday.
Advani was in outstanding form as he constructed two humungous breaks of 801 and 460 to outwit Causier, a former 10-time World champion, in the four-hour summit clash played at the CCI’s Wilson Jones billiards hall.
At the end of the first two-hour session, Advani enjoyed a slender lead of 593-570 and was on a break of 204, which he converted to a 460.
This was Advani’s fourth successive triumph at this venue. He claimed the CCI Snooker Classic over the last two years and now retained the billiards title.
In workmanlike fashion, Advani went about his task of building those massive breaks which knocked the fight out of his rival.
The Bengaluru-based cueist, who has 27 World titles in his kitty, showcased his artistry as he executed his shots with silken touch, a high-degree of precision and consistency.
He showed superb touch and exquisite control over the balls as breaks flowed from his cue.
Causier started with a flourish and on his second visit constructed a break of 248 and followed it with breaks of 146 and 103 to stay in the lead, before the Indian came into his own and hammered stupendous breaks to wrest the initiative.
Advani was presented with the winners’ trophy and a cash prize of Rs 2,50,000, while Causier was awarded a cheque of Rs 1,25,000 and the runner-up trophy.
Earlier, Causier staved off a spirited fight back from India’s Dhvaj Haria to clinch a narrow 1108-969 victory in an engrossing semifinal encounter.
In the second semifinal, Advani was in fine form and outclassed Singapore’s Peter Gilchrist -- 1040-595.
- PTI
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