Indian sports wrap, December 19: Kerala beats Odisha in Santosh Trophy 2024; Rider Raju makes Asian Continentals

FOOTBALL

Santosh Trophy 2024: Kerala beats Odisha to register third straight win

Kerala scored its third win in-a-row when it notched up a 2-0 win against Odisha to maintain its position at the top with nine points while Meghalaya recorded its first win in the final round of the 78th Santosh Trophy national football championship at Deccan Arena here on Thursday.

Former champions, Kerala, took the lead in the 40th minute after some impressive individual skill from Muhammad Ajsal, who raced from the half-way line, left two defenders in the lurch and rifled a left-footer into the bottom corner.

Kerala scored again with a rapid turnover in the 54th minute. Odisha lost the ball in the middle of the park and Muhammed Musharaf was quick to turn and release Naseeb Rahman through on goal. Rahman with all his composure swiftly tucked the ball past Siddhanta Padhan in the Odisha goal.

In another match, Donlad Diengdoh fired Meghalaya into top gear against Delhi, striking twice in the space of two minutes to leave Delhi stunned. The first one came in the 49th minute as he took full advantage of a rebound after Delhi goalkeeper Raj Kumar Mahato saved a long-range strike. Diengdoh was in the right place at the right time to poke home from close range.

The Delhi defence was then caught napping two minutes later as Diengdoh latched onto a through ball and went around Mahato, who had ventured out to the edge of the box in an attempt to clear the ball. As the Delhi defenders rushed to the goal line, the Meghalaya forward squeezed the ball into the net with precision.

– Team Sportstar

EQUESTRIAN

Rider Raju secures spot in Asian Continental Championships

Rider Raju Singh finished twice on the podium at the FEI’s CCI 3-star event to qualify for next year’s Asian Continental Championships in Pattaya, Thailand.

Raju secured first place with his horse Mawillan and a close second with Matakali, cementing his superiority in the prestigious event that concluded on Wednesday.

Showcasing their prowess, Raju, Pradeep Kumar and Kumabhar Mahesh K Sharayu also successfully met the challenging Minimum Eligibility Requirements by completing the event with penalties of 48 or less–and will make up the Indian team at the Asian Continental Championships.

“The exceptional performances witnessed here in Jaipur reflect the growing calibre of equestrian sports in India,” EFI Secretary General Col. Jaiveer Singh said.

“Raju Singh, Pradeep Kumar, and Kumabhar Mahesh K Sharayus’s success in this event is a significant milestone, and their achievements, especially with the MER qualification of the Indian team, set an inspiring precedent for the upcoming Asian Championship in Pattaya.”

Competing in the Dressage Test, Show Jumping, and Cross Country back-to-back days, Raju took the top podium in the latter with horse Mawillan and second place with horse Matakli, accumulating 38.8 and 40.6 penalty points, respectively.

Kumar followed with horse Parinda in third place with 42.3 penalty points, while Sharayu, with horse Indian Glory, also finished within the MER with a score of 46.7.

Furthermore, in the Dressage Test, Kumar restricted himself to a prudent 33.5 penalty points, ahead of both Raju and Sharayu.

Meanwhile, Singh prolonged his outstanding display by also taking the top two spots in Show Jumping, scoring 38.4 with Mawillan and 40.6 with Matakali. Lt Col Ashish Malik, riding on De Baune De Landette, finished third in Show Jumping with a score of 41.1.

The competition witnessed remarkable performances from a diverse group of riders, especially in the Cross Country section.

Neel Kamal, riding Rajpal Singh Rock, secured fifth place with a score of 55.0, followed closely by Vishwanath P Shankar on Amar with 55.4.

-Press Trust of India

MOTORSPORTS

Novice Cup to begin on Friday

The Novice Cup is a feeder series from where many racers have graduated to the higher level.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement/JK Tyre

Seven teams with 22 racers will battle it out for podium at the Novice Cup, which is a part of the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship, scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Zion Racing, MSport, DTS Racing, Momentum Motorsport, Delta Speed, Ahura Racing and Avalanche Racing will compete across five races over the two days to decide the overall champion of 2024.

The Novice Cup is a feeder series from where many racers have graduated to the higher level such as Ruhaan Alva, reigning Formula LGB4 champion Tijil Rao, Amir Sayed, Vishwas Vijayraj, Arjun Nair and Naethan.

-Press Trust of India

GOLF

Avani and Amandeep on course for LET card

Avani Prashanth stayed on course to getting her playing rights on the Ladies European Tour, despite an over par third round at the Final Qualifier of Lalla Aicha Q-School.

Avani, who shot 69-69 in the first two rounds carded 1-over 73 at Par-72 Al Maaden Golf Course.

Avani at 6-under through 54 holes is Tied-15th with the next best Indian being Amandeep Drall (70-71-72) at 5-under and Tied-20th.

Sneha Singh (73-70-72) is 3-under and T-35, while Hitaashee Bakshi (76-77-67) is 2-over and T-71 and Vani Kapoor (72-73-75) is 3-over and T-84.

The competitors for the 90-hole five-round qualifier alternate between the Par-72 Royal Golf Marrakech and Par-73 Al Maaden Golf Marrakech courses.

The fifth round will be played on Al Maaden Golf Marrakech.

The Top 20 and ties will get Category 12 status with No. 21-50 getting Category 16 and the rest will get Category 19.

Spain’s Blanca Fernandez fired a round of 67(-6) for a 13-under on day three at Al Maaden Golf Marrakech to lead by one-shot.

The Spaniard began the day in a share of third place and started well with a birdie on the first before making an eagle on the fourth. She had six birdies and an eagle against two bogeys.

Daniela Darquea continued her fine form at the Royal Golf Marrakech firing a round of 68 (-4) on day three in Morocco. She was second at 12-under.

Ireland’s Anna Foster had an exceptional third day firing the round of the week at Al Maaden with a 65 (-8). She is tied third with Teresa Toscano (67).

Germany’s Polly Mack, who is in outright fifth place on 10-under-par, posted a bogey-free 69 (-3) at Royal.

-Press Trust of India

Tata Steel Championship: Thangaraja, Chhibber, Bedi move to joint lead

N Thangaraja of Sri Lanka led along with Saarthak Chhibber and Aadil Bedi with six-under 65 on the opening day of the Rs.3 crore Tata Steel golf championship at the Golmuri and Beldih golf courses on Thursday.

Despite the unique pattern of competing over nine holes each in the two courses that play a little different, with par 35 and 36 respectively, there were a lot of good scores.

One of the recent champions in the circuit, Jamal Hossain of Bangladesh was joint fourth with three others, one shot behind the leaders.

Two-time winner Udayan Mane, the current ranking leader Veer Ahlawat and the seasoned SSP Chawrasia were among six tied joint eight with four-under 67.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Ajeetesh Sandhu lying tied fifth in Asian Tour Q-School

Ajeetesh Sandhu dropped a late double bogey and another bogey in the last three holes, but stayed in top-5 after the third round of the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School.

Sandhu, who had a share of the first round lead, is now 12-under with rounds of 63-70-68.

The Qualifier is being played on two courses — the A and B course and the C and D at Lake View Resort and Golf Club in Hua Hin.

The next best Indians are Karandeep Kochhar (67-73-69) and Aryan Roopa Anand (69-71-69) and both are 4-under for three rounds. They are T-45.

Arjun Sharma (70) at T-96, Pukhraj Singh Gill (71) at T-110, Anshul Kabthiyal (73) and S Chikkarangappa (73) at T-123, Rashid Khan (74) and Honey Baisoya (72) at T-130 are still in the fray as top-35 earn Tour cards.

Kyungnam Kang, who has 20 years of experience in the professional game drained a 40-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole soon after an eagle on 15, on the A and B course to open up a three-shot lead after the third round.

He fired a six-under-par 65 to sit at 16-under with two rounds remaining in the school — which after Saturday’s final round will decided the top-35.

Behind the leader, Kang, are American Christopher Hickman (65) plus Japan’s Takumi Murakami (66) and Taiki Yoshida (67) who are tied for second.

Sandhu (68) and second-round leader Australian Jack Thompson (70) are a shot further back.

Lying in a tie for seventh five off top spot are Australia’s Lawry Flynn (65), Yosuke Asaji (67) from Japan, and Korean Doyeob Mun (70).

The top-70 and ties will make the second and final cut of the week.

-Press Trust of India

CRICKET

CSK launches ninth edition of Junior Super Kings inter-school T20 cricket tournament

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) left-arm pacers Mukesh Choudhary (second from right) and Gurjapneet Singh (third from right) were the special guests at the launch of the ninth edition of the Junior Super Kings (JSK) inter-school T20 cricket tournament.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) launched the ninth edition of the Junior Super Kings inter-school T20 cricket tournament at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium on Thursday.

The competition, which begins on December 26 and ends on January 22, will feature 108 schools from across 23 districts in Tamil Nadu and three other states (Goa, Andhra, and Karnataka). The tournament is recognised by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).

CSK left-arm pacers Mukesh Choudhary and Gurjapneet Singh were the special guests.

K.S. Viswanathan, CSK CEO, R.N. Baba, TNCA Assist. Secretary, Louis Mariano, Operations Head – Super Kings Academy, Vignesh Murali, Head of Marketing – Equitas Small Finance Bank, and S. Sriram, CSK Head of Finance, also graced the occasion.

The first phase of the tournament will be held for teams from Chennai and 22 other districts from December 26 to 31. Matches will be conducted in Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Trichy, Ariyalur, Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Vellore, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Dindigul, Sivagangai, Tirunelveli, and Kanyakumari.

The second and final phase will take place from January 17 to 22 in Tirunelveli, where the champion will be crowned. Eight teams will contest the second phase – three from the Districts, the winner and runner-up of the Chennai phase, and one team each from Andhra, Goa, and Karnataka. The semifinals and final will be played under floodlights.

“CSK has always taken pride in tapping talent at the grassroot level. JSK was started in 2012, originally only for Tamil Nadu, where we started with a city and a couple of Districts. Then, it spread to more Districts, and now, in the second phase, we also have teams from Goa, Andhra, and Karnataka. So, over the years, it is our plan to make it an All-India tournament,” said K.S. Viswanathan.

“JSK is a tournament that has gone on to produce the players of the calibre of Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, and Sai Sudharsan, all of whom have gone on to do well in the IPL,” he added.

-Team Sportstar

TENNIS

Defending champion Shrivalli goes down

Qualifier Zuzanna Pawlikowska of Poland beat the champion of the last tournament, the seventh seed Shrivalli Bhamidipaty 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 in the pre-quarterfinals of the $40,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the Ganesh Naik Complex on Thursday.

The top seeded Ankita Raina also retired midway through the second set against Thasaporn Naklo of Thailand. However, Ankita was able to return for her doubles quarterfinals in partnership with Prarthana Thombare, and made the semifinals.

Second seed Sahaja Yamalapalli shoulders the Indian hopes in singles, as she meets Ekaterina Reyngold in the quarterfinals on Friday.

India thumps Japan at Asia-Oceania Rod Laver Junior Challenge

The champion Indian team at the Asia-Oceania IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge in Singapore on Thursday. From left, Captain
Vikram Anand, Rishitha Basireddy, Sohini Mohanty, Samarth Sahita,
Aradhya Kshitij.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The Indian team asserted its prowess by beating Japan 4-2 in the second league match of the Asia-Oceania IC Rod Laver Junior Challenge tennis event at the Winchester Arena on Thursday.

India, thus qualified for the world wide challenge, that will be hosted by Spain next year.

The Indian team won the four singles through Aradhya Kshitij, Sohini Mohanty, Samarth Sahita and Rishitha Basireddy to ensure its qualification from the three-team competition. Later, the Japanese were able to assert themselves by winning both the boys and girls doubles matches.

India had won the worldwide challenge last year through Manas Dhamne, Rushil Khosla, Sohini Mohanty and Asmi Adkar, with the team receiving the trophy from the legend Rod Laver himself in the USA.

The captain of the Indian team, Vikram Anand, captured the thrill of the tie against Japan.

“Samarth and Sohini really came back from the brink to clinch this incredible victory for us. The high humidity and the heavy Slazenger balls made the play difficult on the indoor arena. The Japanese don’t play many ITF junior tournaments and thus it was difficult to know about their game. Our players will continue to play the international circuit and should be ready for the worldwide challenge, when it is held in Spain, tentatively in June,” said Vikram Anand.

Host Singapore was the third team, and was beaten by both India and Japan.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

AITA men’s tournament: Parth beats Sarthak in Rajesh Patel memorial semifinal

Top seed Parth Aggarwal beat third seed Sarthak Suden 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the semifinals of the Rajesh Patel memorial Rs.100,000 AITA men’s tennis tournament at the Tennis Vidyalaya in Sector-61 on Thursday.

In the final, Parth will play Mayank Sharma who outplayed Bhicky Sagolshem for the loss of four games.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

Inter-Services championship: Balaji cruises past Vikrant in quarters

Olympian Sriram Balaji eased past Vikrant Dahiya 9-1 in the quarterfinals of the 76th Inter-Services tennis championship organised by the Indian Navy at the DLTA Complex on Thursday.

Balaji had earlier knocked out the top seed Ajay Malik 9-6 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Balaji will play fellow former national champion Mohit Mayur. The other semifinal will be between Suraj Prabodh and second seed Manish Ganesh.

-Kamesh Srinivasan

SQUASH

Akanksha Salunkhe knocks out Tanvi Khanna in Western India Slam Squash tournament

India’s top seeded Akanksha Salunkhe recorded a hard-fought win against compatriot Tanvi Khanna in their second round match of the 79th Western India Slam Squash Tournament on Thursday.

Salunkhe defeated Khanna 11-3, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 12-10 at the Cricket Club of India.

In another women’s game, Hong Hong’s Bobo Lam knocked out the fourth seeded Malta’s Colette Sultana with a 9-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-9 win.

In men’s category, Czech Republic’s top seed Viktor Byrtus defeated India’s Suraj Kumar Chand 11-6, 11-7, 11-4.

– Press Trust of India