Ranking T-T set to see huge participation

LUCKNOW: The first UP State Ranking Table Tennis Championship, starting June 29 here, is all set to witness a record participation as so far over 400 paddlers from all the parts have registered for the three-day event.

Uttar Pradesh Table Tennis Association is expecting more entries by the time events start at the Integral University campus at the Kursi Road. “So far we have received a record 407 entries, and expecting more by the start of the event,” UPTTA’s secretary Arun Banerjee said on Friday.

“It shows the growth of the game in the state as we too had a huge number of entries in the recently concluded junior state tournament at Ghaziabad,” said Banerjee, adding, “There has also been a sea change in competition in the game too as in the state event almost all the matches even in the first round witnessed close finish.”

As many as 10 events for both boys and girls in senior, junior, youth, sub-junior and cadets would be played during the three-day championship. UPTTA would honour the medal winners and felicitates others on the penultimate day of the event on June 30.

Vartika Bharat of Agra, who had a bronze medal in the cadet girls at nationals, would be given Rs 30,000, whereas UP’s cadet girls team, which also had a bronze at the Goa nationals, would be awarded Rs 30,000.

Besides this Vartika Bharat, Radha Priya Goyal, team of DPS, Indira Puram (Ghaziabad), who excelled at the School Nationals, along with AN Bhargava of Allahabad and Satish from Kanpur, who had a gold in doubles in the 80+ category at the veteran nationals would also be felicitated.

AYUSH SHINES

An all-round performance by Ayush Pandey (69 runs, 2wkts) helped Sandeep Cricket Academy (SCA) enter final of the CAL’s Under-14 Cricket League, defeating Kalpana Cricket Foundation by 108 runs here on Friday. Sahil Singh too made 70 as SCA piled up 233 for eight in 40 overs. In reply, KCF collapsed for paltry 125 in 30.3 overs. In a quarterfinal match, LDACC ‘Red’ crushed ASCA by 130 runs, at the LDA Stadium.

EASY WIN

K Sports Red scored an emphatic 98-run win against Champions League Cricket Club in a league match of the 3rd SL Cricket Tournament, at the NER Stadium here on Friday.