NEWS LETTER OF THE INDIAN SQUASH PROFESSIONALS Issue No.12
WEBSITE: www.ispsquash.com E-MAIL : squashindia@hotmail.com
DIRECTORS: MAHENDRA
AGARWAL/ NARENDRA GOUR (I.R.S.) CHANDRAKANT
PAWAR. OUR HONORARY MEMBERS: NAVNEET SONI(I.R.S.) / BHARAT BHUSHAN (I.R.S.) / SAIFEE
JANI (M.D. JANI SALES LTD.) / RAJESH LIHALA( M.D. SHIVA MARKETING LTD) / RAKESH LAKHANPAL
(M.D. S.S.KNITTING IND.) MUKESH BABU(CHAIRMAN, MUKESH BABU SECURITIES LTD)
HONOURED PATRONS: VIVEK NAIR (VICE CHAIRMAN & MD THE LEELA) /
SAJJAN JINDAL VICE
CHAIRMAN & M.D. JINDAL GROUP OF COMPANIES)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A unique squash tournament involving players on the threshold of national stardom set the trend of producing more champions in the country than there already are when the four-leg Air-India-SRAM Junior Squash Tournament got under way at the Otters Club, Bandra on September 24.
Initiated with this
noble aim in mind, Air-India and SRAM lined up four exclusive legs for the
tourney followed by the Grand Finals in perhaps what is a
first-of-its-kind endeavour. The system has been meticulously planned so
as to involve juniors boys and girls in the U-11, U-13, U-15, U-17 and
U-19 categories. Among the seniors, Deepali Anvekar mauled all opposition
en route to the girls' under-19 title, though there was a major upset when
Supriya Balsekar shocked favourite Rhea Bhandare in a pulsating
semi-finals which also will be remembered as the match of the first-leg,
held at Otters from September 24 to 27.
Mihir Kapoor showed why
Air-India's and SRAM's dream can turn to reality when he stunned favourite
Junaid Nathani in an absorbing boys under-19 final. Mihir was forced to
sweat but the victory in the end was sweet. His brother Vishal added
another trophy to their shelf when he ended the winning streak of Sahil
Vora with a 3-1 rout for the under-17 crown, to cap a rewarding day for
the siblings. It was all in the family for another pair of siblings as
well when Vikas and Sandeep Jangra (Jindal) overcame stiff opposition to
clinch the under-15 and under-13 titles, respectively.
All eyes are currently
focused on the Jangras who are in the process of creating waves. As the
tournament progresses you should hear more from brothers-in-arms Vir and
Nikhil Seth. Though both were runners-up in their respective groups they
certainly caught the eye with impressive performances. Alisha Mashruwalla
looks invincible among the junior girls, while Vikram Malhotra, who beat
Vir for the under-11 title, seems to be enjoying his place in the sun. The
top eight players in each age-group will qualify for the Grand Finals
where the winner of each age-group will receive an air ticket from
Air-India to participate in an event which would be in Asia or as decided
by the SRAM committee.The second leg is scheduled to be held at the
Willingdon Sports Club from October 28 to 31; third leg (CCI, Dec. 16-19);
fourth leg (Otters, Feb. 3-6, 2000); Grand Finals (CCI, Feb. 17 to 20,
2000).
FIRST
LEG (final results):
BOYS
U-11: Vikram Malhotra bt Vir Seth 9-1, 9-4, 9-0.
U-13: Sandeep Jangra bt Nikhil Seth 9-7, 5-9, 9-2, 9-5.
U-15: Vikas Jangra bt Karan Sethi 3-9, 9-1, 9-4, 10-8.
U-17: Vishal Kapoor bt Sahil Vora 7-9, 9-4, 9-2, 9-2
U-19: Mihir Kapoor bt Junaid Nathani 9-2, 9-7, 4-9, 10-8.
GIRLS
U-15: Alisha Mashruwalla bt Liana Deboo 9-0, 9-1, 9-3.
U-19: Deepali Anwekar bt Supriya Balsekar 9-1, 9-3, 9-1.