PSPB tennis tourney
Guwahati, Jan. 5: Anshuman Dutta, national number two in the under-16 category, will take a crack at another title, spearheading Oil India Limited’s challenge in the XXII Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) inter-unit tennis tournament that got under way in Numaligarh today.
Anshuman started 2003 by capturing the under-18 title in an all-India ranking tournament in Calcutta on Saturday.
The 15-year-old could have made it a grand double had the schedule of the doubles final not clashed with his flight timing for Guwahati to participate in the PSPB tournament.
The national age-group number two is on a six-month contract with OIL from December 1.
Anshuman, partnering state-mate Avinab Sharma, had conceded the doubles semi-finals despite leading 7-5, 1-0 after the organisers turned down his request to advance the timings of the singles and doubles finals so that he could catch the 3.30 pm flight to Guwahati.
“The organisers, whose hands were also tied because of the television coverage and closing ceremony, agreed to advance the the timing for the singles final. However, they declined to do the same for the doubles. Anshuman defeated Sidharth Gulati 6-3, 6-1 to win the singles title,” Rita Dutta, mother of the promising tennis player, told The Telegraph.
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation’s Assam Oil Division outclassed OIL (B) and hosts Numaligarh Refinary Limited (A) respectively in the team event on the opening day of the PSPB meet.
The HPCL team came from behind to outplay OIL (B) 2-1. Ramanuj Dutta gave OIL the lead with a 6-2, 6-1 win over S.S.V. Prasad of HPCL in the first singles encounter.
However, Narandranath of HPCL blanked OIL’s Rajib Rajkhowa 6-0, 6-0 in the second singles and teamed up with Prasad to beat the OIL’s Ramanuj Dutta and B. Thakuria 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in the doubles.
In the other encounter, Mridul Syam of IOC’s Assam Oil Division beat Abhijit Gogoi of Numaligarh 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 in the first singles, while Suresh Kalita from the hosts team defeated Biswajit Dutta 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 in the second singles.
In the deciding doubles match, Nandan Saikia and Mridul Syam of IOC’s Assam Oil Division edged out home pair of Abhijit Gogoi-S. Kalita 6-4, 7-6.
Demand for venue
A section of lawyers in Darrang district’s Mangaldoi town has demanded that some of the disciplines of the 33rd National Games in 2005 should be held there.
The lawyers demanded that events like handball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, fencing, boxing, shooting and kabaddi can be held in Mangaldoi because the town already has the infrastructure for these events.
They pointed out that construction of the six-gallery Mangaldoi stadium is almost complete, while the Gopinath Bordoloi indoor stadium can be renovated at a minimum cost.
