Ranchi shuttle event for veterans

Jamshedpur: Jharkhand veterans will be lining up in Ranchi for a three-day tournament to showcase their shuttle prowess.

State Masters Badminton Championship, which will be held at Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo Indoor Stadium in Hotwar mega sports complex from January 5 to 7, will witness the presence of around 150 veterans in the age group of 35-70 years.

Shuttlers from different districts affiliated to Jharkhand Badminton Association (JBA) will take part in the event. The championship assumes significance since performance will be the key in stitching out the state squad for the National Masters Meet to be held in Visakhapatnam from February 18 to 22. The championship will be played in singles and doubles (men and women) format.

JBA secretary K. Prabhakar Rao said senior players who are 35 years and above can take part.

"There are some senior shuttlers who are still active in our domestic circuit. They are also eligible to take part in the event," he added.

Rao said the Badminton Association of India (BAI) had four years ago reduced the age eligibility criteria (for participating in masters events) from 45 to 35. "This way, senior shuttlers who are 35 years and above can also participate. Earlier, the championship was meant for players in the 45-70 age group," Rao said.

The masters meet in the capital is the last event of the JBA 2016-17calender. "We will release our calendar of events for 2017-18 after the champion-ship," the JBA secretary said.

"I am looking forward to the championship in Ranchi. I play badminton for fitness but I will try to give my best in the upcoming event," said 62-year-old Ramakant Sinha, a Jamshedpur-based veteran shuttler.

"Competition will come from senior players who are still active and comparatively fit. For me, participation is everything," said 57-year-old Ratnesh Singh, another veteran player from the city.

Ball badminton

A 17-member (men and wom-en) team will represent Jharkhand at the 63rd Senior National Ball Badminton Championship to be held in Gurgaon (Haryana) from January 5 to 9. Ball badminton is played with a yellow ball made of wool on a 12 metres by 24 metres court divided by a net.

Aerobics tourney

For the first time, Jharkhand on Wednesday sent its teams in three age groups for participating in the National Aerobic Championship to be held in Ghaziabad from January 5-7.

Cricket trials

Ranchi district cricket association will conduct selection trials for the Under-19 district team at Rockman's Club ground on January 5. The team will participate in inter-district cricket U-19 cricket championship.