Snehit makes a mark in sub-juniors: Naina in title clash

New Delhi: Ronit Bhanja of West Bengal emerged the champion in the sub-Junior Boys category, beating Manav Thakkar of PSPBA 4-3 while his state mate Abhijit Basu defeated another West Bengal player Rounak Majumdar 4-2 in a thrilling final in the Cadet section of the Vatika-sponsored National Ranking North Zone Table Tennis Championships here at the Hansraj Model School hall today.

In the Cadet Girls, it was Tulika Roy, also of West Bengal, who claimed the title outsmarting her Madhya Pradesh rival Anusha Kutumbale 4-1 for what turned out to be more or less a clean sweep for the West Bengal paddlers. However, it remains to be seen whether another West Bengal girl, Moumita Dutta, who is in the final of sub-junior category can wrap it up for her state to complete the sweep. She is slated to meet Andhra Pradesh’s Naina Jaiswal in the final.

But it was a tough fight for Bhanja to overcome the PSPBA boy, Thakkar in the sub-junior section as the match went the full distance with none yielding an inch of advantage to the other. However, what made Bhanja put it beyond Thakkar was the way he played the last two games.

The battle between Basu and Majumdar too kept the audience interested though Basu proved to be a better player on the day in the Cadet section, making most of his opponent’s inability to convert easy points on his own returns. For Tulika, however, it was an easy going against Anusha as the girl from MP failed to counter the West Bengal girl as well as she should have.

Results: Sub-Junior Boys Singles Final: Ronit Bhanja (WB) bt Manav Thakkar ( PSPBA) 13-11, 4-11, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3; Semi-finals: Manav Thakkar ( PSPBA) bt Snehit SFR (AP) 9-11, 13-11, 12-10, 11-6, Bhanja Ronit (WB) bt Chandra Jeet ( WB) 9-11, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-2, 12-10.

Sub Junior Girls: Semi-finals: Moumita Dutta (WB) bt Abhinaya Ramesh (TN) 13-11, 11-07, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10, Naina ( AP) bt Yashini S 11-9, 14-12, 11-7, 7-11, 6-11, 11-8.

Cadet Boys Singles Final: Abhijit Basu (WB) bt Rounak Majumdar (WB) 12-10, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7; Semi-finals: Ahbijit Basu bt Udit Bhattacharya 16-14, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8, Rounak Majumder bt Alberto (PSPBA) 11-8, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6.