Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) extended their reign for yet another year as they lifted both the men's and women's team titles at the 76th Table Tennis Senior Nationals at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here today.
In both the team finals, PSPB men and women beat their West Bengal opponents by identical 3-0 verdicts.
Soumyajit Ghosh was in some sort of a discomfort against a fighting Sougata Sarkar who, however, could only stretch him in every game in the first rubber.
Sarkar, not afraid to attack, replied in the same vein executing his forehands and indulging in rallies. But he was committing mistakes at the net at crucial junctures, thus giving away negative points to his opponents.
Sathiyan, who has had a very good domestic season, was slow to start but had positioned himself well after that to account for Sourav Saha. Once Saha was tackled well by Sathiyan, as PSPB led 2-0, things became rather easy for Harmeet Deasi to put it beyond the reach of West Bengal. Desai simply toyed with young Surajit Sarkar.
Too much reliance on Mousumi Paul was the bane of West Bengal as PSPB's women's team of Ankita Das, K Shamini and Manika Batra just went about its task clinically in the final. Except for Manika Batra, who conceded a game to her opponent Pallabi Kundu, both Ankita and Shaimi played as if they were playing against novices.
Results (Team Events):
Men: Final: PSPB bt West Bengal 3-0 (Soumyajit Ghosh bt Sougata Sarkar 13-11, 12-10, 14-12; G Sathiyan bt Sourav Saha 9-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-7; Harmeet Desaia bt Surajit Das 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7);
Women: Final: PSPB bt West Bengal 3-0 (Ankita Das bt Mousumi Paul 11-7, 11-6, 11-6, K. Shamini bt Anandita Chakraborty 11-6, 11-5, 15-13, Manika Batra bt Pallabi Kundu 4-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5).
