2nd Junior Inter state Squash Championship 2004, Ajmer

Maharashtra takes Gold in Boys Under-15  (2/11/2004) 

In a befitting climax what the participants rate as the best ever organized Junior National Squash event in terms of the venue, facility and atmosphere created, Maharashtra and Rajasthan vied for the 1st place in the Boys Under-15 Final. The first match between third seeds Laxman Joshi (Mah)and Sahaj Gulati (Raj) began amidst beating of the Rajasthani's drums and Maharashtrian's bugles- rubber pressure horns acquired from the local motor market- setting up an electric atmosphere within the spectators hall filled to capacity. Laxman subdued his opponent 3-0, and it took the top seed Vikram Malhotra (Mah) considerable effort to vanquish a determined Gunraj Singh (Raj) 3-0 before the tie and the gold went to Maharashtra and the drums fell silent. 

In the Boys Under-19 Final, defending champions Maharashtra had to settle for silver. Third seed Dhiraj Nagpal (Mah) put up a brave fight against A. Parthiban (TN) but lost 1-3. Top seed Vikas Jangra (Mah) could not match the speed and punch Saurav Ghosal (TN) had and lost 0-3.

Results

Boys U-19 : Tamil Nadu beat Maharashtra 2-0
A. Parthiban beat Dhiraj Nagpal 3-1
Saurav Ghosal beat Vikas Jhangra 3-0
Boys U-15 : 
Maharashtra beat Rajasthan 2-0
Laxman Joshi (Mah) beat Sahaj Gulati (Raj) 3-0
Vikram Malhotra (Mah)beat Gunraj Singh (Raj) 3-0
Girls round robin : 
Girls U-19 : 
Tamilnadu beat Maharashtra 3-0
Girls U-15 : 
Tamilnadu beat Maharashtra

Senior Inter state Squash 
Championship 2004

Double delight for TN (11/12/2004)

When Ritwik Bhattacharya groped in vain to return another one of those innumerable cross-court drives from Saurav Ghosal the curtains came down on the Inter-State competition of the Senior National Squash Championship with the defending men's champion, New Delhi, bowing out and a new powerhouse, Tamil Nadu, taking its place.

Significantly it was a Saturday to remember for the host with the women too cornering glory to make it a complete sweep. An elated national coach, Cyrus Poncha, who handles the Tamil Nadu teams in the ICL Academy, put the state's success to the systematic and structured training.

The difference was there for all to see be it in stamina or in the exhibition of skills. If A. Parthiban signified staying power then Ghosal gave an insight of his precocious talent with a stand out show against Ritwik Bhattacharya.

Barring an occasional drop or a drive that eluded Saurav, the Tamil Nadu collegian was the master on court. There were the delicate drops, the stiff drives both straight and cross-court, the clever lobs and the amazing reflexes to keep the small audience spellbound.

Probably the moment of the match came in the first game which he won without conceding a point, when he glided back to pick the ball virtually millimeter from the floor and what is more win the point.

At no stage could Ritwik challenge the young rival for so sure was Saurav's court movement and anticipation. The end result achieved in 47 minutes must rank as one of Saurav's best displays in his career.

That win came after Harinder Pal Singh had put Tamil Nadu ahead with his win over Amjad Khan in under 30 minutes. Then came Parthiban who gave a glimmer of hope to Delhi by his waywardness to start with against Yashvardhan Singh. But Parthiban is a great retriever and thrives on rallies. Yashvardhan was not made of that stern stuff. With Saurav getting the winning margin the tie ended without the need of the remaining two singles.

In the women's section the competition was a friendly affair with Tamil Nadu `A' side beating the `B' side.

Ms Lorraine Harding, Administrator, World Squash Federation, gave away the prizes in the presence of the Secretary-General, SRFI, N. Ramachandran among others.

Men:Tamil Nadu bt New Delhi 5-0
Harinder Pal Singh bt Amjad Khan 9-5, 9-0, 9-4;
A. Parthiban bt Yashvardhan Singh 3-9, 9-5, 9-5, 9-7;
Saurav Ghosal bt Ritwik Bhattacharya 9-0, 9-6, 9-2;
Rajat Johar w/o Naresh Kumar; Bala Murugan bt Gaurav Nandrajog).

Women:
Tamil Nadu `A' bt Tamil Nadu `B' 3-0
Harita Omprakash bt Jesheila Mani 9-7, 9-5, 9-10, 7-9, 9-6;
V. Anvesha Reddy bt Shibani Philip 9-2, 9-2, 9-1;
Ritika Reddy w/o Sruti Ashok.