A match in progress at the HA Block tournament. (Below) Local MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar hands over a trophy to one of the winners. (Saradindu Chaudhury)

A six-day table tennis tournament was held in HA Block recently with school and college students battling it out for the crown. The event was organised by HA Block Residents Forum and held at the block’s community centre.

There were a total of 120 participants with some shining brighter than others. Nine-year-old Shreya Saha made it to the finals of the under-12 girls category, the under-16 girls category and even the above-16 girls category.

“I have been practising for four hours every day, in the morning and evening,” she said after winning the under-12 and under-16 titles back to back. When asked how others could learn to concentrate like her, the little girl quipped: “By seeing me”.

Uday Shankar Jha, the sports convenor of the block, said that the last such tournament had taken place in 2003. “But we are overwhelmed by the number of participants this time and might make it an annual event,” he said.

The block also conducts table tennis coaching classes. Sudipto Mondal, who is a five-time Bengal team coach, is in charge here. “I have been teaching here for many years now and we follow certain time-tested methods of training. The students are skilled and some of them have it in them to make a mark at higher levels too,” he said.