|
Calcutta: Top amateurs from India and other parts of the South-Asian region will battle for supremacy at the 112th Tata Steel Amateur Golf Championship — the first golfing event of 2013 — which gets underway from Tuesday, here, at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club.
The six-day event will witness team and individual contests, as it opens with an 18-hole international match and stroke play competition on the first two days, which will also act as a qualifying-cum-seeding exercise.
The team event, which features competition from Bangladesh, Bhu-tan, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and the hosts, will be followed by 32 qualifiers battling it out on match-play format over the next four days, with the two finalists competing for the title over a 36-hole contest on Sunday.
India start as the favourites, boasting of a strong contingent. India A will be represented by Simarjeet Singh and Karan Taunk, India B features Udayan Mane and Gagan Verma, whi-le Sa-marth Dwivedi and Syed Saqib Ahmed form India C.
Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka Cricket president Ana Punchihewa, who is in the city as head of the Sri Lankan repres-entation for the golf championship, voiced his concerns over the national cricket team.
“The Board lacks in vision and planning to take the game forward and create a roadmap for a brighter future.
“There’s no proper cricketing structure in Sri Lanka. Things might reach a stage beyond critical after the likes of Mahela (Jayawardene) and Kumar (Sangakkara) retire. It’s high time the SLC gets up and takes notice of the present scenario.”
| 
