Poulami Ghatak showed fine form

Panvel (Maharashtra): Strong favourites Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) retained the men?s and women?s team titles in convincing fashion by beating Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) in both finals of the 66th national and inter-state table tennis championship here Thursday.

PSPB lifted the Barna Bellack Cup and the Jayalakshmi Cup, symbols of supremacy in the men?s and women?s team championships, respectively, by overpowering Railways 3-1 and 3-0 at the Reliance Industries township in Lodhivali.

The only hiccup in the PSPB men seeking their third straight crown and tenth in 11 years was the shock loss suffered by two-time former national singles champion and India number two Soumyadeep Roy at the hands of talented Railways left hander Sourav Chakraborty, nationally-ranked six, in five hard-fought games.

The PSPB women, spearheaded by the top three nationally ranked players, did not lose a single match in the title-clash against long-time rivals Railways and clinched their eighth straight team championship.

Poulami Ghatak, who will be defending her singles crown later in the tournament, gave the holders a flying start by outclassing Railways opponent Mamta Prabhu in straight games in a totally one-sided clash, which lasted only 12 minutes. (PTI)