Junior Invitational (International) Table Tennis Tournament concludes
Secretary Sports and Youth affairs Frederick Kharkongor (2L) are also seen.
SHILLONG: It was an all Meghalaya-Nepal affair in the finals of the Junior Invitational (International) Table Tennis Tournament organized by the Rilbong Sports and Cultural Club.
The three-day event, which saw 29 players from Meghalaya, Nepal and Bhutan battle it out in 60 matches, came to a fitting end at the packed Rilbong community hall here on Saturday with the paddlers keeping the best for the last.
While State’s Tanushree Das Gupta won the girls’ singles event beating her Nepal rival Sonu Thapa Magar 11-3, 11-5, 11-4 (3-0), Santoo Shreshtha (Nepal) beat fellow Nepal player Mani Kumar Lama 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (3-1) for the boys’ singles title.
In the girls’ doubles final Meghalaya’s Anwesha Choudhary and Tanushree beat fellow State paddlers Sylvie and Camelia 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 (3-1) while the boys’ doubles was an all-Nepal affair with Santoo and Mani beating Narayan and Bipul 8-11, 16-14, 11-5, 11-5 (3-1).
In the mixed doubles final Nepal’s Narayan and Sonu Thapa Magar beat Mani Kumar and Sikka Suwal (Nepal) 4-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 (3-1).
In the last match of the day, Meghalaya’s Tanushree made light work of her Nepal counterpart Sonu Thapa Magar of South Asian Junior Table Tennis Championship fame much to the delight of the home crowd. The State girl’s impeccable service was too hot to handle for her Nepal rival who gave up without much defiance. That Tanushree led the second game 10-1 at one stage says all about the one-sided contest. The last game was taken 11-4 thanks to some smashing forehand shots by Tanushree.
At the end of the three-day event, Nepal, who boasted of as many as four junior South Asian Games players, emerged as the best side emerging winners in three categories followed by a spirited Meghalaya who took two categories.
Commissioner and Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs, Frederick Kharkongor, who was the chief guest on the occasion, gave out trophies and medals to the winners along with other dignitaries including RSCC president Manas Chaudhuri.
Chaudhuri thanked the teams from the neighbouring nations for taking part in the event thus making it a unique affair.
He also expressed gratitude to the North Eastern Council, the Sports and Youth Affairs department and all the members and well wishers of RSCC for helping it realise its endeavours. Chaudhuri also said that the RSCC would be more than happy to offer a helping hand in its own humble way when the State hosts the National Games 2022.
Accepting the offer for help, Kharkongor lauded the RSCC for taking the sports event “one step higher”, by making it an international championship. He also asked the visiting players to be ambassadors of Shillong.
He hoped that the Shillong edition of the Games will be a memorable one and invited the public to be stakeholders for the sporting extravaganza.