SQUASH
India finishes fifth in World Squash Team Championship 2024
Indian men’s team registered its best ever finish in World Squash Team Championship 2024 in Hong Kong on Saturday.
India defeated Hong Kong 2-0 in the fifth-place match. Abhay Singh defeated Tsz Kwan Lau 12-10, 11-7, 11-4 in the first game before Velavan Senthilkumar beat Henry Leung 12-10, 8-11, 5-11, 11-1, 11-8 in the second to confirm the position.
– Team Sportstar
FOOTBALL
Defending champion Services stunned by Manipur in Santosh Trophy; Bengal beats Jammu and Kashmir 3-1
Manipur shocked defending champion Services 1-0 in the inaugural match of the Santosh Trophy National Football Championship at Deccan Arena (Aziznagar) here on Saturday.
In other matches, West Bengal recorded a 3-1 win against Jammu & Kashmir, who are playing in the final round for the first time since 2015-16, while hosts Telangana salvaged a one-all draw against Rajasthan.
In the biggest upset of the day, last year’s semifinalist Manipur emerged winning a closely-fought contest with the match-winner coming through Shunjanthan Ragui in the 96th minute of a perfectly-placed header that looped into the top corner following Zahir’s cross.
For the home team, it was a decent start to its campaign to rally from a deficit with Amit Godara giving Rajasthan the lead in the 53rd minute. In the dying minutes, Tejavath Sai Karthik.
-V. V. Subrahmanyam
CYCLING
Sports Minister set to launch ‘Fit India Cycling Tuesdays’ on Dec 17
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will flag off the ‘Fit India Cycling Tuesdays’ initiative on December 17 at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.
The ‘Fit India Cycling Tuesdays’ initiative will spread to over 100 venues across India on December 17, with simultaneous events happening across the Sports Authority of India regional centres.
The initiative will be continued in the form of cycling events taking place every Tuesday across the nation following the launch.
CWG gold medallist boxer Nitu Ghanghas also shared an Instagram post, emphasising the event’s potential to combat pollution and create a brighter future.
Fit India champion Manas Saha and kettlebell sports athlete Anshu Taravath have also voiced their support, highlighting the dual benefits of fitness and environmental sustainability.
-PTI
BRIDGE
Indian Railway A, Fenesta enter Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge quarterfinals
Indian Railway A, Fenesta, Monica Jajoo, Pravaha, Eisk, Challengers, Shree Cement and Mohota entered the gold group quarterfinals of the Ashok Ruia Memorial Winter National Bridge Championship.
Eight other teams in the silver group made it to the quarterfinal round here in the tournament played in Balewadi, with Northern Green topping the league.
In the gold group, Indian Railway A emerged as the top performer in the eighth round, accumulating 120.55 points. Fenesta and Monica Jaju secured the second and third positions with scores of 108.39 and 103.12 points, respectively.
The Indian Railway A team consists of Sumit Mukherjee, Debabrata Majumdar, Sayantan Kushari, Sagnik Roy, Gopinath Manna and Sandip Datta.
Results:
Gold Group: 1. Indian Railway A (120.55 points); 2. Fenesta (108.39 points); 3. Monica Jajoo (103.12 points); 4. Pravaha (102.47 points); 5. Eisk (94.14 points); 6. Challengers (93.99 points); 7. Shree Cement (92.41 points); 8. Mohota (89.51 points).
-PTI
VOLLEYBALL
CAVA announces Nations Cup to promote sport across Central Asia
Central Asian Volleyball Association, announced decision to build CAVA Nations Cup to promote volleyball across Central Asian region. The tournament is poised to become a flagship event, bringing together top teams from Central Asia to compete at the highest level. The introduction of the CAVA Nations Cup aligns with the growing popularity of volleyball worldwide and serves as a catalyst for the sport’s development across Central Asia.
Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) is affiliated to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
Mohamed Latheef, President CAVA, expressed his excitement, “We are excited to partner with Baseline Ventures who have been the brainchild behind the very popular Prime Volleyball League in India. We are excited to work on the CAVA Nations Cup with Baseline as we witnessed India’s stand out performance during the last Asian Games which was a direct result of the success of Prime Volleyball League.”
The details on the number of participants in the CAVA Nations Cup, along with the qualification criteria, the venues and dates for the inaugural edition are yet to be finalised.
Speaking about the partnership, Tuhin Mishra, Co-Founder & MD, Baseline Ventures said, “We are proud to collaborate with Central Asian Volleyball Association on the CAVA Nations Cup, which promises to be a game-changer for volleyball in central Asia. This tournament will not only showcase the region’s talent but also provide players with a platform to compete for FIVB ranking points.”
-Team Sportstar
CAVA men’s volleyball club c’ship 2024: PVL 3 champion Calicut Heroes defeats HNSC to clinch maiden title
Prime Volleyball League season three winner Calicut Heroes won its maiden CAVA Men’s Volleyball Club Championship 2024, held in Kathmandu, Nepal.
India defeated home favourites HNSC, Nepal 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-14, 25-17) to win its first title.
The tournament features five teams from four countries: Nepal, India, Iran, and the Maldives. Gandaki and Help Nepal will represent the host nation, while Iran’s Chadormalu and Club HDC from the Maldives will join the Heroes from India.
-Team Sportstar
TENNIS
ITF women’s tournament: Shrivalli Bhamidipaty beats second seed Sahaja Yamalapalli
Shrivalli Bhamidipaty cruised past second seed Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals of the $25,000 ITF women’s tennis tournament at the District Sports Complex on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Shrivalli converted five of eight breakpoints in the match for her dominant performance. She faced only two breakpoints in the match and saved one.
In the final, fifth seeded Shrivalli will play unseeded Bunyawi Thamchaiwat of Thailand who was equally authoritative in her victory over Zhibek Kulambayeva of Kazakhstan.
Bunyawi won the doubles title in partnership with compatriot Thasaporn Naklo, beating Akanksha Nitture and Soha Sadiq for the loss of six games. It was the fifth doubles title in the professional circuit for Bunyawi.
The results:
Singles (semifinals): Bunyawi Thamchaiwat (Tha) bt Zhibek Kulambayeva (Kaz) 6-1, 6-4; Shrivalli Bhamidipaty bt Sahaja Yamalapalli 6-3, 6-1.
Doubles (final): Thasaporn Naklo & Bunyawi Thamchaiwat (Tha) bt Akanksha Nitture & Soha Sadiq 6-4, 6-2.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
GOLF
Rival factions of IGU to hold separate AGMs to elect office bearers on Sunday
Rival factions of Indian Golf Union (IGU) one led by its president Brijinder Singh and the other by its Secretary General Harish Shetty will hold separate elections here on Sunday with different electoral rolls and returning officers as infighting continued in the controversy-ridden national federation.
The elections called by Singh faction will be held at the India Habitat Centre here and will be conducted by Justice (retd) Rameshwar Singh Malik who has been permitted by the Delhi High Court to supervise the polls as Returning Officer (RO).
Singh is set to be declared elected as president by Justice (retd) Malik as he is the sole candidate for the top post, while Satish Kumar and Sanjeev Rattan were also the only contestants for secretary and treasurer respectively.
Justice (retd) Malik, the third appointee after Justice (retd) OP Garg and Justice (retd) Permod Kohli, has already stated that there was no need to conduct the elections since there was only one contestant for each post.
As per the election schedule, nominations were to be finalized by December 5, with the final list of candidates confirmed after scrutiny and withdrawals by December 10.
Meanwhile, Shetty is set to be elected president with Basant Kumar Repswal as secretary general in the elections being conducted by the rival faction on Sunday.
Interestingly, Shetty’s faction will hold the elective AGM at the Olympic Bhavan — the headquarters of the Indian Olympic Association — with Justice (retd) Garg as Returning Officer. The Bengal Golf Association had challenged the appointment of Justice (retd) Malik as the RO, but the Delhi High Court had declined to interfere with the IGU elections and allowed Malik to serve as Returning Officer.
However, the HC granted the petitioner — the Bengal Golf Association — the liberty to challenge the election after the results are declared.