Bangalore, March 31: Hosts Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited ensured that the handful of the spectators assembled to witness the team event final of the 19th PSCB inter-unit badminton championships at the KBA Stadium here on Tuesday did not waste their trip by putting up a valiant fight before surrendering to the might of reigning champions Indian Oil Corporation. IOC men downed BPCL 3-1 after their women had pipped the same opponents by a 2-1 score.Incidentally, all the points IOC earned came through singles victories, while BPCL got their points via doubles wins.Both IOC men and women thus won their respective titles for the fourth time in a row.
National women's champion Aparna Popat began the campaign on a none-too-impressive note for IOC losing the first game against Neelima Choudhary at 8. But the PPBA trainee pulled up her socks to win the next two at 3 and 1 to give her side a 1-0 lead. Aparna's prowess was at the best in decider, in which Neelima could earn her first chance to serve onlyafter her rival had raced ahead with a 9-0 lead.
Archana Deodhar and PVV Lakshmi dashed any hopes IOC would have nurtured for a 2-0 win by displaying better understanding and co-ordination in their 15-5, 15-0 doubles victory over Manjusha Kanwar and Sudha Mishra. That left the teams locked at 1-1.
As it proved by the scoreline as also by the performance, Manjusha initially toyed around with her opponent to win the first game 11-4 and then fought off a late upsurge to win the second 12-11 and took her team to the title.In the men's section, National champion Gopichand gave IOC a rousing start by routing Pradeep Iyengar 15-0, 15-4, which preceded Nikhil Kanetkar's win over George Thomas. Nikhil, who has been termed by the game's pundits in the country as a `fast improving player', won his match 15-11, 15-2.Like in the women's final, the doubles pair of BPCL came between IOC and a undefeated record, when the seasoned pair of Bhushan Akut and Vijay Lancy quelled the challenge of Markose Bristow and Jaseel PIsmail by a 15-11, 7-15, 15-7 margin.
In the following singles match, in which both the players were visibly exhausted after the doubles encounter and followed the `safety first' policy, Markose Bristow defeated Vijay Lancy 17-15, 9-15, 15-12 to help IOC retain their title.
Results (Finals)
Men: IOC bt BPCL 3-1 (Gopichand bt Pradeep Iyengar 15-0, 15-4; Nikhil Kanetkar bt George Thomas 15-11, 15-2; Markose Bristow & Jaseel P Ismail lost to Bhushan Akut and Vijay Lancy 11-15, 15-7, 7-15; Markose Bristow bt Vijay Lancy 17-15, 9-15, 15-12).
Women: IOC bt BPCL 2-1 (Aparna Popat bt Neelima Choudhary 8-11, 11-3, 11-1; Manjusha Kanwar & Sudha Mishra lost to Archana Deodhar & PVV Lakshmi 5-15, 0-15; Manjusha Kanwar bt PVV Lakshmi 11-4, 12-11).
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
