India won 8 medals in recently concluded Boxing Championship in Czech republic. Indian boxers won total of 5 golds, 2 Silvers and 1 Bronze medal.
Several boxers will be going to compete in upcoming World Championship from August 25 to September 2.
Amit, 49kg;
Gaurav Bidhuri, 56kg;
Shiva Thapa, 60kg;
Manoj Kumar, 69kg;
Satish Kumar, 91kg+.
Kavinder Singh, 52kg;
Manish Panwar, 81kg
Sangwan 91kg.
New Delhi, 29 July 2017: With the tagline of Hit Harder, the action in the Super Boxing League continued tonight as the Mumbai Assassins took on the Bahubali Boxers in the last match of the league for both teams in Group B encounter here at the Siri Fort Squash & Badminton Stadium. The match between both the teams ended in a 9-9 draw as Bollywood actors Suniel Shetty, Sohail Khan and Rana Daggubati witnessed the action.
It was Asif Asad Khan and Pawan Goyat who had given the Mumbai Assassins’ a 6-0 lead after two bouts. But Bahubali Boxers’ Preeti Shah and Sandeep Dhull won their respective bouts to equalise. The match became interesting as Mumbai’s Satish Dhull won the fifth bout before the night ended with Bahubali Boxers’ captain equalled the score at 9-9 as he won the last bout.
The first bout of the night was between Asif Asad Khan from the Mumbai Assassins and Sunil Sharma from the Bahubali Boxers in the Feather Weight category. The boxer from the Mumbai Assassins, Asif Asad Khan started the bout on the front foot as he threw some good combinations on his opponent in Round 1 & 2 to set the rhythm for his team. It was important for Asif to end his team’s campaign on a high in the Super Boxing League. Bahubali Boxers’ Sunil Sharma also impressed in Round 3 as he was looking to hit Khan on the counter. But Assassins’ Khan came back again in Round 4 through some better punches as he stole the match by Unanimous Decision to give the Mumbai Assassins a 3-0 lead.
In the second bout of the night, it was up to Bahubali Boxers’ Joseph Emmanuel to cut down the lead for his team as he faced Pawan Goyat from the Mumbai Assassins in the Welter Weight category. Boxers’ Emmanuel started Round 1 with a good strategy as he kept his guard up and tried hitting Goyat on the counter; however the latter did manage to throw some punches on his opponent. Round 2 was equally spread between the two pugilists as they both hit each other with some beautiful combinations, uppercuts and jabs. But it was Round 3 & 4 which got the victory for Goyat as he got some good jabs and combinations on Emmanuel. The latter seemed to have lost his speed and thrust as Goyat took advantage of it to win by Unanimous Decision to extend Assassins’ lead to 6 points.
Mumbai Assassins seemed to be in a perfect position after the first two bouts but it was debutant Urvashi who took on Bahubali Boxers’ Preeti Shah in the Super Fly Weight category. Both the boxers started Round 1 slowly as Urvashi was eager to start well, but Preeti turned it around later on as she got some nice punches on Urvashi. Boxers’ Shah started Round 2 aggressively as she hit Urvashi with some good jabs and combinations. Round 3 & 4 were dominated by Preeti Shah as she hit harder to claim the victory by Unanimous Decision and win an all important 3 points for her team Bahubali Boxers.
In the fourth fight of the night, it was the Mumbai Assassins’ Siddharth Verma and Bahubali Boxers’ Sandeep Dhull in the Middle Weight category. The latter started the fight strongly as he hit some beautiful combinations on Verma in Round 1 & 2. However, the Mumbai Assassins’ man wasn’t going down without a fight as he hit back on Dhull in the latter two Rounds to make it a very interesting match. However, it was Dhull who kept his smacks on target to win the bout by Unanimous Decision to level the scores at 6-6.
In the fifth bout, it was Bahubali Boxers’ Dushytant Shrivastav who faced Mumbai Assassins’ Satish Dhull in the Super Middle Weight category. It was an important bout for both the teams as a win for either team would put them into the lead. It was Assassins’ Dhull who started the bout confidently as he aimed to dent Bahubali Boxers’ chances in SBL. The Assassins’ man took an aggressive approach, which saw him dominate most of the fight with some amazing combinations. At the end of four Rounds, it was Satish Dhull who was awarded the victory by Unanimous Decision to give the lead to the Mumbai Assassins 9-6.
In the deciding bout of the night, it was Mumbai Assassins’ skipper Ram Singh who returned to action as he was up against Bahubali Boxers’ captain Kuldeep Singh in the Heavy Weight category. Ram Singh started the fight strongly in Round 1 & 2 but he seemed to slow down in the end as Kuldeep Singh came into his own. The latter hit some amazing punches in the third Round to take the upper hand as Ram Singh struggled in the last Round. It was a fight which was dominated by Kuldeep and it was important for him to win to equalise the scores. In the end, Boxers’ captain Kuldeep’s efforts were enough to win him the bout by Unanimous Decision to level the scores 9-9.
Bengaluru, 29th July 2017: The Indian women’s basketball team has been elevated to Division A after beating Kazakhstan in an exciting finale.
BFI President K Govindaraj has announced a cash prize of INR 10,00,000/- to the Indian squad.
The Division B final was a clash between two undefeated Division B teams, India and Kazakhstan. The two teams were meeting for the first time in the tournament. With the winner getting promoted to Division A for the next edition of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup, both teams came out hungry for the victory.
Kazakhstan held the size advantage over the Indian team and this was punctuated by the play of Kazakh centre Nadezhda Kondrakova. She was able to score from inside and outside to begin the game. For India, the scoring came from a balanced team effort. Shireen was aggressive on her drives to the basket, while guards Paul Durai and Raspreet created space to knock down their jumpers.
Kazakhstan held a slim 3-point lead entering the second quarter and the built on it immediately. Tamara Yagodkina hit a couple of big triples in the second period to build on the Kazakh lead. Centre Kondrakova and forward Kurazova were attacking the boards for Kazakhstan, leading to multiple second chance opportunities. Kazakhstan ended the first half with another buzzer-beating triple and extended their lead to 8 points (39 to 31).
In the third quarter, the Kazakh offense continued to flow from bigs Kondrakova and Kurazova. But India slowly started to find their offensive rhythm. Shireen and Raspreet hit a couple of jumpers to give India some momentum. Debutante Grima Merlin came off the bench to provide an offensive spark with her strong drives to the basket. Shireen punched in a triple to end the third quarter, holding the Kazakh lead to 8 points again.
In the fourth, India began with a 6-0 run, with Paul Durai and Raspreet hitting a triple each. Grima followed it up with another shot from beyond the arc and the Kazakhs were thrown off their game. With the lead finally down to just one point, Jeena stepped up to give India the lead with a nifty move in the post. But Kazakh centre Kondrakova continued to fire, playing to her strengths in the post against the smaller Indian defenders. It all came down to the final minutes, when Kazakhstan arrested a 5-point lead, with a bucket from Kondrakova followed by a huge triple from forward Oxana Ossipenko.
But the Kazakh lead was soon cut down by a Shireen layup followed by a Jeena and-1 drive to the hoop. With the game tied at 71 apiece, both teams exchange buckets – Shireen from India and Oxana from Kazakhstan. There was 19 seconds left in the game and possession belonged to India with the ball in the hands of India’s MVP in the game, Shireen Limaye. Despite being a scambled play, Shireen managed to create space and hit a deep stepback jumper, putting India up with under a second left. The last ditch effort from Kazakhstan was to no avail and India secured a historic win, advancing to Division A of the FIBA Asia zone.
“All the hard work over the past 5 months paid off!” said India star Limaye after the thrilling victory.
India (Jeena Skaria 20 pts, Shireen Limaye 17 pts 10 rbs 6 asts, Grima Merlin Verghese 14 pts) bt Kazakhstan (Nadezhda Kondrakova 30 pts 18 rbs, Zalina Kurazova 17 pts, Oxana Ossipenko 8) 75-73 [16-19, 15-20, 19-19, 25-15]
Pic: fiba.com
Dhruv Sarda of Delhi retained the title at the Wissen 3rd Bangalore Open Tenpin Bowling Championships which concluded at the Amoeba Bowling Center.
In the Finals of the Open Division, played on Challenge the Leader Format, Top Seeded Dhruv Sarda comfortably won the match against Shabbir Dhankot of TN (234 – 180) to take home Prize money Rs 1.25 Lakhs.
Dhruv who started with 2 spares followed it up with a turkey in next 3 frames. And finished the final 2 frames with a bagger and a score of 234. Shabbir opened Frame 1 with a 7 – 10 split scored double strikes in next 2 frames. But he opened again in Frame 8 and did not get connection of strikes to finish with score of just 180 and losing the finals.
Earlier Shabbir had pipped local favorite Akaash Ashok Kumar by 2 pins (247- 245) to move into the Finals.
Akaash comfortably won his match against teenage sensation Kishan R of Karnataka who played his maiden Step ladder round (247- 158).
In the Masters Round of the Open Division, Dhruv Sarda (3418), Shabbir (3404), Kishan R (3357) and Akaash Ashok Kumar (3346) finished on top of the table after 16 games and made it to the Step Ladder Knock out Round.
Tauranga (New Zealand): India finished 6th overall in the girls team event of the 2017 WSF-World junior squash championship here on Saturday.
In the final placings match for the 5-6 positions, India went down to USA 1-2.Once again it was Sunayna Kuruvilla who rose to the occasion by winning her singles match after Akanksha Salunkhe had lost hers. In the deciding third match of the tie, Aishwarya Bhattacharya did not prove a match for Elle Ruggerio.
In the 2015 edition held in Eindhoven, Netherlands, India had ended up in the 8th place.
Results: for 5-6 place: USA bt India 2-1 (Marina Stefanoni bt Akanksha Salunkhe 11-2, 11-9, 11-4; Grace Doyle lost to Sunayna Kuruvilla 11-7, 3-11, 7-11, 7-11; Elle Ruggerio bt Aishwarya Bhyattacharya 11-7, 11-5, 11-8)
Bengaluru, 28th July 2017: The semifinals of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017 were played today, with the two Division A semifinals and one Division B semifinal at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium in Bengaluru, and the other Division B semifinal at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium.
As the fourth ranked team in the world, Australia are favourites to go all the way and deny Japan their shot at the three-peat. They reached the semi-finals with ease, winning all their games in the group stages and brushing DPR of Korea aside in the quarterfinals. But Korea began today’s game with a desire to upset the Australian canter, and by the end of the first quarter they were within range at 17 – 22.
As the game wore on, Korea continued to shoot the ball well. Their three point shooting (36%) kept them in the game early on, but the Australian offensive juggernaut proved impossible to stop. The Australian women shot the ball at a respectable 45% from the field, but were superior in passing the ball around to find the driving lane. They racked up 42 points in the paint, compared to only 14 points for Korea.
Australian bigs Sara Blicavs and Marianna Tolo dominated the backcourt, and did not allow Jisu Park the room to repeat her performance against New Zealand. She was limited to shooting one of eight from the field, and grabbed only 5 rebounds. At the other end of the floor, Blicavs and Tolo combined for 25 points.
Korea were further disadvantaged by the fact that Kim Danbi played no part in the first half, and was struggling at the start of the second before checking out within 2 minutes.
For Australia, Kelsey Griffin top scored with 21 points, shooting the ball at an impressive 64% from the field.
Australia (Kelsey Griffin 16 pts; Alanna Smith 12 pts; Sara Blicavs 10 pts) bt Korea (Leeseul Kang 14 pts; Sungyoung Sim 14 pts; Yung Hui Lim 12 pts) 81 – 64 [22 – 17, 23 – 13, 16 – 11, 20 – 23]
Japan and China squared off in the second semi-final to decide who would face Australia in the gold medal game. China entered the game undefeated, trouncing most of their opponents on the way to the final four. Japan, on the other hand, dropped a game against Australia in the league stages, in an otherwise trouble-free run to the semi-finals.
The defending champions are known for their speed, rather than size. That is exactly what they showed the crowd today. Japan looked to push the tempo, right from the start, and play a fast paced game. Despite China fielding a bigger lineup, Japan stuck to their small ball strategy, led by dynamic point guard Manami Fujioka. Japan looked to put up their shots before China got their defense in place and the strategy paid off.
With Japan leading 18-15 to begin the second quarter, China went on a 6-0 run, taking the lead. Shao Ting carried the offensive load for China, connecting on all 3 of her 2-point attempts in the first half. Both teams exchanged buckets and ended the first half tied up at 32.
In the second half, China brought back their 6-foot-7-inch centre Yueru Li and she had an immediate impact on the game. There was no Japan defender who could contain her when she got deep post position and this worked to China’s advantage. While Japan continued to work through their backcourt of Fujioka and Rui Machida, China relied on the shooting of Shao Ting and post play of Li. The third quarter ended with China up 55-54.
In the fourth, China began to pull away building a slim lead. This is when Japan went on a blistering run led by their fiery point guard Fujioka. She penetrated the China defense with ease and created multiple opportunities for her teammates. Japan went on an 11-0 run to take a 2-point lead (71-69) in the final minutes. But China managed to tie things up with 2 minutes to go. However, a clutch triple by Japan’s Yuki Miyazawa in the penultimate minute game Japan a crucial 3-point lead. China hurried their opportunity to tie the game, which gave Japan possession in the final minute. Two offensive rebounds by Japan down the clock, forcing China to foul Fujioka. She had the opportunity to seal the game, but missed both freethrows, giving China life. China had a good look at a game-tying triple but Xiufeng Shi was unable to convert. Japan held on to clinch a thrilling victory.
“We just looked to get out and run. Forty minutes of pace!” said Japan coach Hovasse after the game. Japan will face Australia in the final, and will look to make amends this time around after losing to them in the league stages.
Japan (Manami Fujioka 19 pts 14 asts 8 rbs, Yuki Miyazawa 16 pts, Maki Takada 13 pts) bt China (Shao Ting 16 pts, Song Gao 13 pts, Yueru Li 13 pts)74-71 [18-15, 14-17, 22-23, 20-16]
New Zealand beat DPR of Korea by a comfortable margin (82 – 61), securing their status in Division A. In the first quarter, the Tall Ferns shot the ball well, building up an early 23 point lead. DPR of Korea could not find their way back from there. New Zealand’s women dominated in the middle, outrebounding Korea 53 – 27 and scoring 48 points in the paint. Kalani Purcell led the effort with a double-double (13 points and 14 rebounds), and Jillian Harmon chipped in with 15 points. DPR of Korea must now play Philippines tomorrow in a battle against relegation to Division B.
New Zealand (Jillian Harmon 15 pts, 9 rebs; Kalani Purcell 13 pts, 14 rebs; Georgina Agnew 10 pts) bt DPR of Korea (Jong Ok Ri 19 pts; Hyang Ok Kim 17 pts; Suk Yong Ro 11 pts) 82 – 61 [31 – 8, 18 – 17, 22 – 16, 11 – 20]
Philippines lost to Chinese Taipei in a one sided game that saw them go behind in the first quarter and trail throughout the game. Centre Hsi-Le Bao led her team with a double-double (16 points and 11 rebounds), as her team shot a healthy 44.3% from the field. For Philippines, France Mae Cabinbin led the scoring with 14 points, but did not find much offensive support from any of her teammates. Philippines must now battle DPR of Korea to avoid being relegated back to Division B.
Chinese Taipei (Hsi-Le Bao 16 pts, 11 rebs; Yu-Ting Lin 14 pts; Ying-Chieh Wu 14 pts) bt Philippines (France Mae Cabinbin 14 pts) 87 – 53 [25 – 17, 13 – 8, 21 – 17, 28 – 11]
Hosts India took on Lebanon in their Division B semi-final in the last game of the day. India has had an untroubled run in Division B thus far, entering the game unconquered. Lebanon’s only loss was against an impressive Kazakhstan side in the league stages.
In the first quarter, Lebanon was the more aggressive team. Despite none of their players touching 6 feet, Lebanon outrebounded India and created 6 second-chance points. Their shooting was on point as well, with guards Rebecca Akl and Lama Moukaddem combining for 3 triples, including a buzzer-beating three to end the first quarter. For India, veteran point guard Anitha Paul Durai connected on both her shots and Shireen Limaye found her way to the basket, for 5 points each.
Lebanon held a 4-point lead entering the second quarter, leading 20 to 16. In the second, Lebanon continued their good shooting and was also forceful on drives to the basket. For India, the scoring came from multiple players. Raspreet Sidhu found her touch, while IMG Academy graduates Barkha Sonkar and Kavita Akula contributed with a triple each. India entered halftime down by 5 (33 to 38).
The third quarter was an up-and-down affair with both teams finding the bottom of the bucket at regular intervals. Veteran guards Paul Durai and Raspreet continued to fire, knocking down shots with efficiency. Forward Jeena Skaria got her mid-range game going creating for her teammates from the post, while centre Rajapriyadarshini contributed with a couple of buckets in the paint. For Lebanon, the 3-point barrage continued from Lama Moukaddem and Rebecca Akl. Paul Durai hit a buzzer-beating triple to end the third, ensuring that the Lebanon lead remained at 2 points (58-56).
In the final period, both teams played good defense in the first five minutes. Lebanon continued to maintain a slim lead, until India forward Jeena Skaria caught fire, hitting three straight shots and knocking down a technical freethrow, putting India ahead by 6 points. India never looked back, holding off Lebanon and maintaining their lead in the final minutes. Late clutch freethrows from Jeena and Raspreet sealed the deal, giving India a memorable 79-69victory. They now advance to the Division B final where they will face Kazakhstan.
India (Jeena Skaria 20, Raspreet Sidhu 17, Anitha Paul Durai 13) bt Lebanon(Rebecca Akl 20, Lama Moukaddem 16, El Charif Chirine 15) 79-69 [16-20, 17-18, 23-20, 11-23]
The second Division B semi-final took place earlier in the day between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan have remained undefeated so far, and carried on their fine form into this game. After a largely even first quarter, Kazakhstan put their pedal to the gas in the second quarter, outscoring Uzbekistan 23 to 9. This opened up the game, giving the Kazakhs a comfortable double-digit lead.
Zalina Kurazova led the scoring for Kazakhstan with 24 points, while Kondrakova had a big double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Kazakhstan sealed the deal with a strong fourth quarter (22-9), registering a 77-51 blowout win and qualifying for the Division B final tomorrow. Sevastyanova had 19 points for Uzbekistan in the loss.
Kazakhstan (Zalina Kurazova 24 pts, Nadezhda Kondrakova 18 pts 10 rbs) bt Uzbekistan (Anastasiya Sevastyanova 19 pts, Irina Averyanova 13 pts 15 rbs, Aliya Samatova 10 pts) 77-51 [17-13, 23-9, 15-20, 22-9]
Sri Lanka and Fiji played out a nail-biting game in what was essentially a dead rubber, with Fiji narrowly edging the game 65 – 64. The teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 47, and the lead changed hands several times before Fiji went ahead for the final time in the last minute of the game. Mili Koyamainavure top scored with 22 points for Fiji, and made some crucial plays down the stretch.
Fiji (Mili Koyamainavure 22 pts; Bitila Tawake 11 pts, 13 rebs; Tiyana Kainamoli 10 pts, 10 rebs) bt Sri Lanka (SulochanaIddamalgoda 12 pts; Imesha Durage 10 pts; Nadeeshani Silva 12 rebs) 65 – 64 [16-13, 8-15, 23-19, 18-17]
Pic: FIBA.com
New Delhi, 28 July 2017: Action in Super Boxing League resumed here today at Siri Fort Squash & Badminton Stadium as the Delhi Gladiators played a draw with OPM Punjab Sultans 9-9 to secure their spot in the semi-finals of the league. The draw meant that the Delhi Gladiators and the Haryana Warriors qualify for the semi-finals of SBL. The match was witnessed by OPM Punjab Sultans’ owner, Bollywood actress Sunny Leone alongside Bill Dosanjh, Owner of Super Boxing League. Also present on the occasion was Punjabi actor Parmish Verma who was seen supporting the Sultans.
Delhi Gladiators went into the match high on confidence as they had won their first two matches of Super Boxing League whereas the OPM Punjab Sultans needed a huge victory to qualify for the semi-finals as it was a do-or-die match for both teams as the winner would eventually qualify for the semi-finals. It was the Delhi Gladiators who kept their unbeaten run intact as Shivani Dahiya, captain Pawan Maan, and Gaganpreet Sharma; all won their respective bouts to make a comeback into the match. It was Amandeep Singh, Balkar Singh and Sumit Rangi who won the three bouts for the OPM Punjab Sultans.
The first bout of the night saw Delhi Gladiators’ Rakesh Lohchab take on OPM Punjab Sultans’ Amandeep Singh in the Feather Weight category. The Sultans’ man Singh started the bout on the front foot as he threw some good combinations on his opponent in Round 1 & 2 while Gladiators’ Lohchab focused on keeping his guard up. Singh kept his upper hand in the latter stages of the bout as well, countering Lohchab well in Round 3 with jabs and uppercuts. The last and final Round saw Lohchab push the pace as he wanted to turnaround the match, but Amandeep Singh smacked the better punches on his opponent to run away with the victory by Split Decision as OPM Punjab Sultans took a 3-0 lead.
In the second bout of the night, it was up to Delhi Gladiators’ Munish Sharma to cut down the lead for his team as he faced Balkar Singh from the OPM Punjab Sultans in the Welter Weight category. Both the boxers started Round 1 cautiously as they waited patiently to work out each other’s strategy. However, Round 2 saw Singh get the better of his opponent as he hit Sharma with some beautiful combinations. The latter looked to have slowed down as he lost some composure. Singh on the other hand, took advantage of the slowness of his opponent and smashed some strong right punches on Gladiators’ Sharma in Round 3. The Sultans’ man kept his shape in the fourth Round, as he struck some aggressive combinations on Sharma to seal the victory by Unanimous Decision to extend his team’s lead to 6 points.
The situation was looking bleak for the Delhi Gladiators as the next bout was between Shivani Dahiya from the Delhi Gladiators and OPM Punjab Sultans’ Saroj Bugalia in the Super Fly category. It was important for Shivani Dahiya to bring back the Gladiators into the match through a win in her bout. Dahiya started the fight brightly as she impressed with some barging blows on Bugalia to get the Round 1 underway. Gladiators’ Shivani Dahiya utilised her experience in Round 2 as she dodged Saroj Bugalia’s punches to hit her on the counter. 22-year-old Dahiya came into her own in Round 3 & 4 to hit Bugalia with strong jabs and combinations. The fight was very well matched between the two fighters, but it was Shivani Dahiya who got the better hits, which resulted in her being awarded the victory by Unanimous Decision to bring back Delhi Gladiators into the tie as scores read 6-3 in favour of OPM Punjab Sultans.
The fourth fight of the night saw OPM Punjab Sultans’ Sagar Narwat face Delhi Gladiators’ captain Pawan Maan in the Middle Weight category. The Gladiators’ skipper proved why he is so dangerous in such matches as he started Round 1 with a flurry of punches on Narwat to put him on the defence. Round 2 saw a similar story as Sultans’ Narwat seemed to have slowed down as a result of getting hit and Gladiators’ Maan made the most of it to hit him with some clean and strong combinations. It was an exciting bout as Narwat also got into his own in Round 3 to give Maan some competition; therefore Round 4 became important for both the boxers. Narwat got the better hits in the last Round but it proved to be too little, too late for the Sultans’ boxer as Pawan Maan was awarded with the victory by Unanimous Decision which meant that the Gladiators equalised 6-6.
The next bout was between Gaganpreet Sharma of the Delhi Gladiators and Vicky Singh of the OPM Punjab Sultans in the Super Middle Weight category. The former started the first Round with some strong punches on Singh and continued the rhythm in Round 2 as he knocked some amazing punches. Sharma looked to have found the mojo on the night as he took advantage of Singh’s weakness to make the bout one sided. Round 4 was also won by Delhi Gladiators’ Gaganpreet Sharma as he did not allow Singh to make a comeback. It meant that the Gladiators’ Sharma was awarded the victory by Unanimous Decision to put his team into a 9-6 lead.
The last bout of the night was a crucial one as a win for the Delhi Gladiators would win the match for them, and a win for the OPM Punjab Sultans would make them equalise or even take a lead. It was Delhi Gladiators’ Deepak Malik who faced OPM Punjab Sultans’ Sumit Rangi in the Heavy Weight category. The two boxers started the first Round slowly as they looked to maintain their shape. It was an important fight for Rangi as he had to win the bout as a consolation victory for his team. Round 2 saw Rangi take the most points as his accurate punching saw him take the lead. In the last two Rounds between the two boxers, it all came down to who could Hit Harder to secure a win for their team. Sultans’ Rangi kept the momentum going for his team as he won the bout by Unanimous Decision to equalise the scores 9-9 on the night.
Bengaluru: JSW Bengaluru FC’s Academy U18s side will face Japanese side Avispa Fukuoka’s U18s in a friendly, to be played at the Bangalore Football Stadium, on August 5, the club announced on Monday. The match, which has been approved by the Asian Football Confederation, will see the Blues’ academy side take on an international opponent for the first time.
“We’re very pleased that our Academy side will be playing Avispa Fukuoka in what’s going to be a fantastic experience for our youngsters. This is our future and it’s important that we give them as much quality exposure as possible. I hope our fans come out to back the boys,” said club COO, Mustafa Ghouse.
The match plays its part in strengthening Indo-Japan ties, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe last year. Avispa Fukuoka U18s, whose senior side takes part in the Japanese J2 League, have planned tours to India and Korea, as U18s Head Coach Yusuke Ogura says that playing against strong opposition is the aim.
“This year is a turning point in ties between Japan and India. This served as one of the main reasons why we planned this tour. This is the first time we will visit India and I’m looking forward to the game against Bengaluru FC. I have heard that they are a strong team and we will do our best against them,” Fukuoka U18s Head Coach Yusuke Ogura said.
The match is set to kick-off at 3:30 pm IST on Saturday, August 5th.
Mumbai, July 27, 2017: On Friday, Mrs Nita Mukesh Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation and India’s only woman member in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) graced the occasion of India’s first ever professional TT league, CEAT Ultimate Table Tennis, which saw players from DHFL Maharashtra United and Falcons TTC slug it out for a final berth here at the NSCI.
Apart from watching the matches in the 1st Semi-Final, Mrs. Ambani also encouraged some of the Indian paddlers with inspiring words. She met with India’s Olympian Sharath Kamal, four-time Paralympic Gold Medalist Natalia Partyka, Olympian Kim Song I and India’s young sensation Archana Kamath.
Abhishek Dhudasiya of Tamil Nadu won the Men’s Graded ‘A’ Division Title at the Wissen 3rd Bangalore Open Tenpin Bowling Championships – 2017 being held at the Amoeba Bowling Center, Church Street, Bangalore.
In the Masters Round, held this morning, where Top 20 bowlers bowled 8 games block to decide the winner based on total pinfall. Abhishek bowled quite consistently, scoring 6 games above 200 and ending up with total pinfall of 1674 and an impressive average of 209.25.
[media-credit id=1 align=”alignnone” width=”716″]
[/media-credit]
The 22-year-old Abhishek finished 91 pins ahead of Salman Khan of Karnataka who finished 2nd with total pinfall of 1583. Former International Antony Rajkumar (1535) of Karnataka finished 3rd.
In the Masters Round of Open Division, out of 16 bowlers who made the Cut, 8 bowlers are from Karnataka. Vijay Punjabi of Karnataka is injured and in his place, 1st Reserve Surendra Babu from TamilNadu will play this evening.
All 16 bowlers will bowl 8 games this evening and 8 games tomorrow morning. Top 4 bowlers, based on cumulative pinfall of 16 games will move to the Knock-Out Stepladder round. The Finals will be held at 5 pm tomorrow.
Bengal Warriors, the Kolkata based kabaddi franchise powered by Future Group announces a partnership with Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar. The Padma Shri and National Film Award winning actor is also extremely popular for fitness regimen and his love for sports. With the new partnership with Akshay Kumar, Bengal Warriors will bring in a breath of fresh air and positivity packed with a stronger team.
Speaking about partnering with Akshay Kumar, Sandip Tarkas, CEO, Bengal Warriors says, “There couldn’t be a better partner than Akshay Kumar who apart from being a versatile actor is also known for his extreme fitness routines. This ownership will certainly boost the morale and energy of the team which will help all the players put their best foot forward. With few hours left for the league to commence, I would like to wish all the teams the very best. Fingers crossed, may the best team win.”
Commenting about the association, Akshay Kumar says, “I have always believed that sport plays a key role in shaping ones personality and health. I have admired how Star Sports has helped make kabaddi so popular across the length and breadth of India and I am delighted to partner with Future Group to promote a homegrown sport like Kabaddi.”
Bengal Warriors’ revamped team features strong raiders like Jang-Kun Lee, Deepak Narwal, Anil Kumar, Kuldeep, Maninder Singh, Virender Wazir Singh, Vinod Kumar, defenders Ameares Mondal, Sandeep Malik, Surjeet, Young Chang Ko, Rahul Kumar, Shashank Wankhede and all-rounders Bhupender Singh, Ran Singh, Ravindra Ramesh Kumawat, Srikanth Tewthia and Vikash.
New Delhi, July 28: It was an Indian show at Amman as Snehit Suravajjula and Yashini Sivasankar beat their Indian opponents Jeet Chandra and Prapti Sen, respectively, in the Junior Boys and Girls finals to claimed gold medals in the 2017 Jordan Junior and Cadet Open.
The no.15 seed Snehit accounted for teammate Jeet Chandra, the no.3 seed, to win the title 12-10, 7-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-6. The Hyderabad lad, who turned 16 a few weeks ago, earlier caused a major second round upset when he outsmarted No. 2 seed Youssef Abdel-Aziz from Egyp 13-15, 13-15, 11-9, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4.
Placed in the opposite half of the draw, Jeet accounted for Iran’s Hamid Shams 11-9, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 and Qatar’s Mohammed Abdulwahhab, the no.4 seed and winner in 2015 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-8), prior to reserving his place in the final by beating the man in form.
He overcame colleague, Parth Virmani, the no.9 seed (9-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-7); the player who earlier in the day in the second round had beaten Thailand’s Yanapong Panagitgun, the top seed (8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 14-12, 11-8).
Following Snehit’s gold in the singles, in Junior Boys Doubles which was an all- India final, he and Anukram Jain combined well to finish with the silver. The duo went down to Manush Shah and Parth Virmani by the very narrowest of five-game margins 11-7, 11-13, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, who clinched the gold.
[media-credit id=1 align=”alignnone” width=”473″]
[/media-credit]
Earlier in the semi-final, both Indian pairs had ended the hopes of Chinese Taipei. Anukram and Snehit had beaten Hsu Po-Hsuan and Peng-Chih (3-11, 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9) whil Manush Shah and Parth defeated Li Hsin-Yu and Wang Yi-Fan (6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-3).
Yashini shines
In Junior Girls, Yashini defeated Prapti 7-11,5-11,11-4,8-11,11-8,11-6,
In fact, the domination of Indians in the Junior Girls’ singles was evident when four quarter-finalists—Yashini, Prapti, Kushi Vishwanath and Vanshika Bhargava—were from India. Even in team events the girls performance was praiseworthy, thanks to India A team members Priyanka Pareek and Yashini, who set the tone.
They accounted for the Jordanian duo of Lima Khater and Yara Aldmaisy 3-0before recording a similar victory against India B’s Manushee Patil and Prapti Sen. However, Yashini was tested by Manushee, being required to recover from a 0-2 deficit before emerging successful 4-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.
Defeat for India ‘B’ but when facing colleagues, Jiya Jain and Kushi Vishwanath on duty for India ‘C’ it was success. A 3-0 was the order of the day but there was a close call for Manushee who lost the first two games against Kushi before staging a recover to win 6-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-7.
India C’s Jiya Jain and Kushi Vishwanath also tasted some success when they overcame the Thai-Jordan combination of Suthasini Sawettabut and Razan Alqrabawi 3-0.
Ajay Singh won 3 bronze medals during 24th Women and 31stMen Asian Junior Weightlifting Championships being held at Kathmandu, Nepal from 21st to 29thJuly, 2017 with a lift of 315 kg (143 kg + 172 kg) in 77 kg Junior Men weight category.
Bengaluru, 27th July 2017: The quarterfinals of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017 concluded today for both Division A and B, with games played at the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium and Koramangala Indoor Stadium.
The first quarterfinal was a clash between South Korea and first-timers in the FIBA Asia Zone, New Zealand. This was a golden opportunity for New Zealand to qualify for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup next year after spending years falling short in the Oceania zone due to the mighty Australians.
The first quarter was a low scoring affair for both teams. Korea especially struggled while shooting from the field, with only 20% of their shots falling. As many as five New Zealand players got on the scoreboard in the first period, as they ended the quarter with a 14-8 lead.
The second quarter was pivotal in the scheme of the game: Korea fought back, dramatically improving their shooting percentage, and going on a huge 26-2 scoring run. Guards Han Byul Kum and Yung Hui Lim combined well with bigs Joo Yeong Kwak and 6-foot-4-inch Jisu Park. On the defensive end, Korea switched to a 3-2 zone and challenged New Zealand to knock down shots. Unfortunately, the outside shots were not falling for New Zealand and on the inside, Jisu Park made life difficult for the New Zealand slashers.
Starting the second half down 20 to 34, New Zealand’s veteran point guard Micaela Cocks sparked the offense with back-to-back 3s. This kicked off a 12-2 run for New Zealand, as they cut the lead down to 4 points. But Korea continued to score down low through their bigs Park and Kwak. As many as 32 points were scored by Korea in the paint in the first three quarters, compared to New Zealand’s 14.
In the final period, it all came down to making shots. Korea carried on their momentum, knocking down clutch buckets down the stretch. Jisu Park continued to hold the fort down low and was aggressive around the basket on offense. New Zealand’s shooting woes continued and they were just not able to bridge the gap.
“The ball didn’t go into the hoop enough!” said NZ coach, Kennedy Kereama after the game. Korea pulled away for a 64-49 win, sealing a semifinal berth tomorrow.
Korea (Jisu Park 10 pts 11 rbs, Yung Hui Lim 14 pts, Joo Yeong Kwak 11 pts) bt New Zealand (Jillian Harmon 13 pts 10 rbs, Antonia Edmondson 11 pts 9 rbs, Micaela Cocks 11 pts) 64-49 [8-14, 26-6, 11-18, 19-11]
Favourites Australia took on DPR of Korea in the second quarterfinal of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017. Both teams entered the game with contrasting records. While Australia are unbeatean, DPR of Korea came out of the league stages with no wins under their belt.
There was a stark size difference between the two teams. Australia, with the bigger lineup, ran their offense through the post, as usual. The Opals were able to score in the paint over the smaller Korean defenders with ease: 28 of Australia’s points were scored in the paint. Australia held a significant rebounding advantage as well, outrebounding Korea 50 to 22. Their offensive rebounding led to 25 second-chance points.
DPR of Korea’s players fought valiantly, but were outmatched in all departments. The superior Aussies held the lead from start to finish. They were led by Alanna Smith’s 20 points, followed by Sara Blicavs’ 13 points. Australia will now face South Korea in the semifinal.
Australia (Alanna Smith 20, Sara Blicavs 13, Stephanie Cumming 11) bt DPR of Korea (Suk Yong Ro 22, Ryu Jong Kim 7, Hyang Jong Pak 7) 81-48 [28-12, 21-11, 11-12, 21-13]
China made light work of the Philippines in the third quarterfinal of the day, sealing a spot in the semifinals tomorrow. Just like the previous quarterfinal, size was the crucial difference between the two teams.
There was too much one-on-one play by the Philippines guards, which did not pay off against the bigger China lineup. China, on the other hand, executed their offense to perfection. On half court sets, their ball movement created easy open looks, which they were able to knock down at a high percentage. China also used their post players to run a lot of offensive possessions against the undersized Perlas.
6-foot-7-inch China centre Yueru Li led the way once again with 19 points and 12 rebounds. China was able to test their bench strength in today’s game and they performed exceptionally well, contributing 62 points. China dominated in all departments and closed out on a massive 117-43 win, breaking the Cup scoring record thus far. Philippines remain winless in a disappointing welcome to Division A.
China (Yueru Li 19 pts 12 rbs, Sinjin Huang 15 pts, Shao Ting 12 pts 7 asts) bt Philippines (Afril Bernardino 11 pts, Camile Sambile 10 pts) 117-43 [33-13, 28-2, 25-16, 31-12]
Defending champions Japan took the last semi-final spot with a gritty 73–57 victory over Chinese Taipei. The challengers came out of the blocks with a clear plan to stifle Japan’s transition game, and it worked well in the first quarter. The Chinese Taipei offense also complemented their defensive effort, as they were hitting their shots. Hsi-Le Bao started strong with a block and a three pointer, as they ended the first quarter with a narrow lead (15 – 13).
But as the game wore on, their effort began to slacken. Japan’s star point guard Asami Yoshida dished out some splendid passes to find her teammates in space, as the Japanese took the lead 33 – 30 into halftime. From there on, Japan’s lead only continued to grow, and they eventually won by a comfortable 16 point margin.
Japan’s offensive effort was led by Moeko Nagaoka, who shot at a remarkable 70% and top scored with 28 points; Asami Yoshida notched up 8 assists and 3 steals. Japan will now face China in the semifinals, in a rematch of last edition’s final which Japan won comfortably.
Japan (Moeko Nagaoka 28 pts; Saki Mizushima 11 pts; Asami Yoshida 8 asts) bt Chinese Taipei (Ping-Jen Huang 17 pts; Hsi-Le Bao 16 rebs) 73 – 57 [13 – 15, 20 – 15, 19 – 15, 21 – 12]
Hosts India played Fiji in the last quarterfinal of the day, as they looked to continue their charge towards promotion. The Indian offense was on fire once again in the first half, as they raced to a 42 – 23 lead by halftime. Anitha Paul Durai and Jeena Skaria did the bulk of the scoring in the first half, with 24 points between them. Kavita Akula put in an assured performance at point guard, even knocking down a buzzer beater three at the stroke of halftime.
In the second half, Coach Zoran Visic gave his bench a run-out, allowing Grima to continue her run of good performances in this tournament (15 points). India’s centres were offensively productive, as Rajapriyadharshini finished with 12 points and Poonam Chaturvedi had 10 points.
India was superior in almost every department, outrebounding the Fiji team 55 – 25. Fiji were also clumsy with their passing, allowing the Indian women to notch up 28 points from turnovers.
In the final analysis, the team shot the ball well, at a healthy 45% from the field. Anitha Paul Durai led the scoring for India with 19 points and Grima Merlin chipped in with 15 points. Mili Koyamainavure led the scoring for Fiji with 23 points.
India (Anitha Paul Durai 19 pts; Grima Merlin 15 pts; Rajapriyadharshini Rajaganapathy 10) bt Fiji (Mili Koyamainavure 23 pts) 93 – 51 [19 – 11, 23 – 12, 25 – 16, 26 – 12]
Uzbekistan set up a semifinal clash with Kazakhstan after an emphatic come-from-behind victory over Singapore. Singapore began the game well, going up 37 – 32 by halftime. But Uzbekistan came back strongly in the third quarter and outscored their opponents 33 – 16. The game eventually finished 84 – 79. Singapore played hard, looking for high percentage shots and racking up 46 points in the paint. But the 12-point deficit to start the fourth quarter proved too much to overcome. Elena Khusnitdinova starred for Uzbekistan with a double-double (19 points and 11 rebounds), while Natalya Koneva top scored with 26 points. Uzbekistan was on fire from beyond the arc, shooting an impressive 47.4%.
Uzbekistan (Natalya Koneva 26 pts; Elena Khusnitdinova 19 pts, 11 rebs; Anastasiya Sevastyanova 16 pts) bt Singapore (Jia Min Lim 18 pts, Cheryl Poon 13 pts; Jacqueline Chu 13 pts) 84 – 79 [18 – 22, 14 – 15, 33 – 16, 19 – 26]
Lebanon booked their spot in the Division B semifinals with an easy 86 – 37 victory over Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka shot the ball poorly, hitting only 20% of their shots from the field. Veteran centre Nadeeshani Silva top scored for Sri Lanka with 17 points, but none of her teammates broke into double figures. They were also outrebounded by Lebanon 60 – 41. For Lebanon, power forward Narine Gyokchian notched up a double-double, with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Lebanon will now face India in the semifinal.
Lebanon (Lama Moukaddem 16 pts; Nancy Maalouf 14 pts; Narine Gyokchian 13 pts, 12 rebs) bt Sri Lanka (N. Silva 17 pts) 86 – 37 [25 – 11, 22 – 9, 29 – 10, 10 – 7]
Bengaluru, 27th July 2017: In a much awaited decision, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) has formally granted recognition to the Basketball Federation of India (BFI) as a National Sports Federation (NSF). This recognition has been granted as the BFI has fulfilled all the conditions laid down by the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011 for grant of recognition as a National Sports Federation (NSF).
It is important to recall that both the international basketball association (i.e. FIBA) and the Indian Olympic Association (lOA) had already granted recognition to the Basketball Federation of India.
Ever since the election of Shri K Govindaraj, Shri Chander Mukhi Sharma and Shri V Raghothaman as President, Secretary General and Treasurer, respectively, of the BFI in March 2015, Indian basketball has grown from strength to strength. The Indian national teams have participated in 16 prestigious international competitions across various age groups in both the men and women sections. In terms of competitive events, BFI has hosted two South Asian Basketball Association (SABA) Championships and important FIBA gatherings such as the FIBA Asia Central Board Meeting and the FIBA New Competitions System Workshop. The BFI has also been successfully conducting regular National Championships and various FIBA Coaching Certification courses. The BFI has also been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting prestigious FIBA competitions this year, starting with the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2017 which is already underway in Bengaluru.
Speaking about the MYAS decision, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma said, “This positive step is in recognition of the continued service to the game under the leadership and guidance of our President Shri K Govindaraj. I’m thankful to all the stakeholders who have stood by us and supported us in the last two and a half years. We will take the game to new heights.”
Shoumick Datta and Kishan R, both 17-year-old, of Karnataka made the cut in the Open Division of the Wissen 3rd Bangalore Open Tenpin Bowling Championships – 2017.
In the final day of Qualifying rounds, Shoumick Datta scored an impressive 692 (207, 237 and 248) and 651 in 2 blocks of 3 games to finish with total pinfall of 1343 and comfortably making it to the Masters Round. And Kishan R had qualified earlier with total pinfall of 1306. Shabbir Dhankot (1438) of TamilNadu and Defending Champion Dhruv Sarda (1417) of Delhi are still on top. 7 Men from Karnataka are likely to make it to the Masters Round.
In Men’s Graded A category, 7 Men Bowlers led by 17-year-old Misam Rizvi at the Top are in the race to qualify for the Masters Round. In the Men’ s Graded Division Finals, Susil Adam of Tamil Nadu (1537) was the winner, Praveen Kumar of Karnataka (1522) finished Runner Up and Ziauddin of TamilNadu (1433) finished 3rd.
The Masters Round Finals of Men’s Graded A will be held tomorrow morning and the First Round of Masters of Open category will be held tomorrow evening.
[media-credit id=1 align=”alignnone” width=”989″]
[/media-credit]
[media-credit id=1 align=”alignnone” width=”921″]
[/media-credit]
Chennai: Harinder Pal Sandhu’s last minute health issue has forced him out of the Indian team for the WSF – World doubles squash championship scheduled in Manchester (England) from August 1 to 5.
The man in touch after his recent spectacular performances in the PSA circuit, Harinder had looked forward to this event and begun preparations in right earnest. But a painful inner tooth problem that turned up suddenly proved to be an issue which required emergency medical attention. Though the problem was surgically solved, the pain and swelling were still to subdue and the man himself has not been able to get on to the court for practice. “We waited till the last minute before deciding to keep him out,” said national Coach Cyrus Poncha, who is travelling with the side and who had also overlooked the preparatory camp in the Indian Squash Academy. The camp will have its final session tomorrow before the team embarks for England on Saturday morning.
The other members of the team Saurav Ghosal, Vikram Malhotra, Mahesh Mangaonkar, Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik have been going through intense practice sessions with top juniors Velavan Senthilkumar and Abhay Singh as also Academy coach Balamurugan joining in to assist in the sparring. As per the plan, India will field two pairs for the mixed doubles, Saurav – Dipika and Vikram -Joshna. The other combinations are Mahesh and Vikram (men’s event), Joshna-Dipika (womens). Harinder was originally to pair Mahesh in the men’s doubles.
Expressing happines otherwise with the way the camp had gone with each player sweating it out, Poncha said the competition in Manchester would be tough. “England, Australia and New Zealand pairs are strong forces but we are aiming for medal positions,” he said. At Darwin, Australia last year, the highlights were Saurav and Dipika winning the silver and Harinder and Joshna winning the bronze, both in mixed doubles while Joshna and Dipika taking the bronze in the women’s doubles.
India lose to Hong Kong
Tauranga (New Zealand): Poor Sunayna Kuruvilla’s heroics went in vain as Hong Kong, seeded four to India’s six, ensured victory, even if by a 2-1 margin in the quarterfinal of the girls team event in the WSF World junior squash championship here on Thursday.
Sunayna, the national junior champion, had made the first appearance as the number two player of the team, in keeping with the day’s order of play (2-1-3) and played her heart out in stopping Chan Sin Yuk in four games. The Indian had lost the first game but showing good touch in drives and drops from there she worked her way up to win the next three games. The 31 minute-tussle ended with Sunayna emerging 9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-7 victor. The 1-0 advantage drifted away soonafter with neither Akanksha Salunkhe able to do much nor Aishwarya Bhattacharya next producing anything better. Akansha lost to Lui Hiu Lam 5-11, 2-11, 4-11 and Aishwarya went down to Ka Wing Ho 8-11, 5-11, 7-11.
India will now play for the the 5-8 placings matches.
Seram Nirupama Devi won 3 bronze medals during 19thAsian Youth (Boys & Girls) and 24th Women and 31st Men Asian Junior Weightlifting Championships being held at Kathmandu, Nepal from 21st to 29th July, 2017 with a lift of 178 kg (79 kg + 99 kg) in 69 kg Youth Girls weight category.
New Delhi, July 27, 2017: Super Boxing League will witness some nail-biting encounters this weekend as the last three fight nights of the Group stage take place at the Siri Fort Squash & Badminton Stadium here in New Delhi. It will be a penultimate week of boxing for the six teams participating this weekend as OPM Punjab Sultans will have a do-or-die match against the Delhi Gladiators in Group A. Mumbai Assassins and Bahubali Boxers will play for pride as they have both lost their two games, and are already out of contention for a semi-final spot in Group B. Whereas, Maratha Yoddhas will take on North East Tigers in the last match of the league stage to determine who tops Group B on Sunday night.
Five teams are still in contention for the four semi-final spots of Super Boxing League while UP Terminators from Group A have already been knocked out as they failed to win any of their three matches. In Group B, Mumbai Assassins and Bahubali Boxers are also out of contention as they have lost their first two games.
The first fight night of the weekend will see OPM Punjab Sultans take on the Delhi Gladiators in Group A’s last encounter. OPM Punjab Sultans started the tournament with a win against the UP Terminators but lost to the Haryana Warriors, which sees them sit on the third spot in Group A with three points. However, a win against the Delhi Gladiators on Friday will put them level on points with Haryana Warriors and Gladiators. It will be an interesting match as a win for either team would see them through to the semi-final as the points difference will come into play.
Group A match will see some exciting line-ups as OPM Punjab Sultans’ skipper Amandeep Singh will take on Delhi Gladiators’ Rakesh Lohchab in Feather Weight category in the opening fight of the night while Gladiators’ captain Pawan Maan will fight against Sultans’ Sagar Narwat in the Middle Weight category. Gladiators’ impressive Shivani Dahiya will look to Knock Out Sultans’ Saroj Bugalia in the Super Fly category.
The second fight night of the weekend will be between strugglers Mumbai Assassins and Bahubali Boxers in Group B on Saturday. It will be a face-off between the captains of the two teams as Assassins’ skipper Ram Singh will make a comeback into the league when he takes on Boxers captain’ Kuldeep Singh in the Heavy Weight category.
Sunday night will see Group B joint-leaders Maratha Yoddhas and North East Tigers face off in match which will determine who tops the Group. Super Boxing League’s star boxer, Tigers captain Asha Roka will aim to keep her undefeated run intact as she takes on Yoddhas’ Luxmi in the Super Fly category. Yoddhas’ skipper Deepak Tanwar will also be in action as he takes on Tigers’ Naoba Meitei in the Middle Weight category.
Please find below the Points Table of Super Boxing League:
GROUP A
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | PTS |
| DELHI GLADIATORS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6 | 25 | 6 |
| HARYANA WARRIORS | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 21 | 15 | 6 |
| OPM PUNJAB SULTANS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 3 |
| UP TERMINATORS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 49 | –40 | 0 |
GROUP B
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | PTS |
| NORTH-EAST TIGERS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| MARATHA YODDHAS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 15 | 9 | 6 |
| MUMBAI ASSASSINS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 24 | -9 | 0 |
| BAHUBALI BOXERS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 24 | -9 | 0 |
Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC kicked off their 2017-18 pre-season with an open training session at the Bengaluru Football Stadium on Wednesday in front of the Blues’ faithful who turned out in numbers to vociferously cheer their heroes on.
With the AFC Cup Inter-zonal Semifinal against North Korean side April 25 SC fast approaching, the Blues wasted no time in starting off their pre-season training in the city three days post the ISL Draft.
Speaking on the sidelines of the season’s first ever training session, Head Coach Albert Roca was delighted to be back in action. “We’re happy to be back on the field. Our target is to build on last season’s progress as we move into a new chapter in the club’s history. But before our domestic season begins, we’ve got big matches coming up fast in the AFC Cup. We don’t want to waste any time and prepare the best way possible for the first leg at home. The Spain tour will also help us massively as it gives us a good opportunity to gel as a squad,” he said.
The day at the BFS began with an introductory meeting between the new players and the staff, both technical and non-technical as the club welcomed its new signings into the fold. Albert Roca and co. then quickly briefed the players about their expectations for the tough season ahead while encouraging them to train at the highest level always.
Club captain Sunil Chhetri said he was confident of the task ahead despite the reshuffle in the squad. “Things will get tougher from here given we have only just assembled a squad. But we’ve got a really good set of players that I’m confident will turn into a unit with time. There’s a nice blend of experience and youth and it’s going to be an exciting season ahead.”
On the field, it was all about sessions in endurance training which was overlooked by the entire coaching staff. The idea was to assess the players’ physical condition before the day was rounded off with a core session. The players and staff then interacted with the fans before posing for selfies and signing autographs.
Bengaluru/Tokyo, 26th July 2017: On Saturday (22nd July), India international Palpreet Singh’s team AGLEYMINA.EXE won round five of the PREMIER.EXE league, in Kobe Harborland, Kobe City.
Earlier this May, Palpreet, who is an Indian international star and 2016 NBA D-League draftee had moved to Japan to play professional 3×3 basketball for Team AGLEYMINA.EXE in Hamamatsu, replacing fellow Punjab and India player Amjyot Singh Gill.
Palpreet’s team had got off to a dream start in the PREMIER.EXE league, winning the first round in Tachikawa, Tokyo (17th – 18th June), and reaching the finals of the second round in Shingawa-ku, Tokyo (24th – 25th June).
In the group stages, Team AGLEYMINA.EXE conceded a walkover against YOKOHOMA CITY.EXE because they missed the game, but won 21 – 20 against CRAYON.EXE. They cruised through the semi final, winning 21 – 9 against TOKYO WINGS.EXE, before beating YOKOHOMA CITY.EXE 21 – 18 in the finals. Teammate Bikramjit Gill was adjudged MVP of the weekend again.
Next up, Team AGLEYMINA.EXE will play in the sixth round at Shonan, Kanagawa Prefecture, on 5th and 6th August 2017.
