the goan I network
PANAJI
BPS Sports Club -- comprising India junior No 2 Anukram Jain, Goa’s numero uno Wesley Do Rosario, Tejas Shevde and Karnataka’s top-ranked player Rakshith Bargidad -- exhibited fine table tennis to edge past Verekers 3-1 to hoist a glittering men’s team championship trophy at the 3rd edition of the Miramar Sports Club Cup table tennis invitational championship held at Indoor stadium, Campal, Panaji.
Rakshith Bargidad gave his team a 1-0 lead with a facile 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-7) win over Goa’s former state champion Diljeet Velingker. Akash Pal, who is West Bengal junior No 1, pulled one back for Verekers with an upset 3-1 win over Anukram Jain (BPS). He won 11-9, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8 to level the scores. In the doubles match that followed Wesley-Anukram, who had lost twice before in this tournament to Nagesh Vereker-Akash Pal, extracted sweet revenge when it mattered the most by winning the crunch tie 3-1 (11-9, 8-11, 12-10, 11-7) to give their team a slender 2-1 lead.
In a duel between two of Goa’s top players which came up next, Wesley Do Rosario then sealed victory for BPS with a clinical win over Diljeet Velingker. Wesley’s topspins and whipping backhands were too much for Diljeet to handle as the former won the match 3-1 (11-13, 11-8, 11-9, 13-11) to seal the finals 3-1 in favour of BPS Sports Club.
The individual men’s singles finals, featuring two top India players Anukram Jain and Akash Pal, was a cracker of a contest. The edge-of-the-seat thriller saw both the players exhibit a fine array of shots, control and composure to brighten up the finals for the spectators. In the end, it was Anukram who prevailed with a scintillating 4-3 (10-12, 11-13, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9) win over Akash.
Gaurish Dhond, vice-president of Goa TT Association; Miramar Sports Club officials Joel Andrade (president), Myron Pereira (treasurer) and Noel Estibeiro (vice-president); tournament advisor Sandeep Heble; and special guests, Daniel Pinto, Sudin Vereker, A Baig and Diana Braganza graced the prize distribution function.
