Date:09/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/09/stories/2008110960442000.htm

Sport - Squash

Tamil Nadu holds sway

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu clinched three of the four titles on offer in the inter-State squash championship here on Saturday.

Tamil Nadu upset Maharashtra to lift the Boys U-19 title and then put it across New Delhi in the Girls U-15 and U-19 finals.

In a thrilling Boys U-19 decider, Tamil Nadu’s Karan Malik rallied from a two-game deficit to outlast Laxman Joshi in five games. Karan hung on in the face of some lusty hitting by Laxman to clinch the decider 11-6.

The results : Boys: U-19: final: TN bt Maharashtra 2-1 (Ravi Dixit lost to Vikram Malhotra 11-6, 11-4, 11-5; Ramit Tandon bt Mahesh Mangaonkar 2-11, 3-11, 0-11; Karan Malik bt Laxman Joshi 7-11, 2-11, 11-4, 11-8, 6-11). 3rd/4th place playoff: TN ‘B’ bt New Delhi 2-0 (Abhishek Pradhan bt Gunraj Singh 8-11, 2-11, 8-11; Akshay Deepak bt Shakir Hussain 13-11, 6-11, 6-11, 9-11).

U-15: final: New Delhi bt Maharashtra 2-0 (Kush Kumar bt Mahesh Mangaonkar 9-11, 7-11, 8-11; Deepak Mishra bt Rahil Fazalbhoy 12-10, 10-12, 7-11, 11-0, 2-11). 3rd/4th place playoff: TN bt Maharashtra ‘B’ 2-1 (Vrishab Kotian bt Anuj Bhal 11-6, 11-8, 11-8; Rishi Tandon bt Ishaan Advani 11-6, 12-10, 11-5; Arjun Kochhar bt Sandeep Ramachandran 4-11, 5-11, 8-11).

Girls U-19: final: TN bt New Delhi ‘B’ 3-0.

U-15: TN bt New Delhi 2-0 (Anaka Alankamony bt Sachika Ingale 11-3, 11-9, 11-4; Aparajitha Balamurukan bt Pankhuri Malhotra 11-4, 11-4, 11-1). — Sports Reporter