Kelkar,Sawant help BOI win title

Stylish paddler Prakash Kelkar spearheaded Bank of India to 3-2 victory over Kandivli Recreation Club in the men’s team championships final in the Maharashtra State Veteran table tennis tournament,hosted by PJ Hindu Gymkhana here. The team event was played on Davis Cup format with two singles,followed by doubles and then reverse singles.

Left-hander Kelkar,who won the individual and team silver medals in the Asian Veteran Table Tennis Championships,held at Pataya (Bangkok),won both his singles. But both his victories were hard fought. First he downed Shelarka 8-11,11-6,13-11,10-12,11-6 in the opening singles and later in the reverse singles tie he rallied from 1-2 to get the better of Prasad Naik 11-6,6-11,5-11,11-8,11-5. Though BOI pair of Kelkar and Sawant lost the doubles tie to yogesh Desai and Dinkar Shelarka,Rajendra Sawant saw to it that BOI emerge winners,by he defeating Shelarka 11-4,11-7,11-13,5-11,11-7. The National plus 49 champion and top seeded Rajeshwari Mhetre ,kept her reputation intact,by beating Pratibha Sawant 11-8,11-6,11-4 to enter the plus 49 final. Incidentally,earlier Pratibha surprised fancied Sunanda Rao 11-6,6-11,8-11,11-8,14-12 to make the last four grade. In the men’s plus 49 singles,Prakash Kelkar,after bring the team title for his employer Bank of India,also made the semifinals with 11-7,11-7,10-12m 11-5 win over Anil Rasam.

Results: Women (+49) singles (Quarterfinals): Rajeshwari Mhetre bt Ujwala Marathe 11-5,7-11,11-3,11-6; Pratibha Sawant bt Sunanda Rao 11-6,6-11,8-11,11-8,14-12:Preeti Pardeshi bt Vibha Shinde 11-6,11-7,12-10; Manisha Bodas bt Shailja Kamat 3-11,11-7,11-9,11-7.(Semifinals): Rajeshwari Mhetre bt Pratibha Sawant 11-8,11-6,11-4; Men’s (+49) singles (quarterfinals): Jagannath Mohite bt Avinash Joshi 11-7,11-8,11-3; Prakash Kelkar bt Anil Rasam 11-7,11-7,10-12,11-5; Rajesh Mudan bt Jayant Kulkarni 11-4,11-6,11-5; Deepak Tilak bt Girish Acharya 11-8,11-8,11-5. Team championship final: Bank of India bt Kandivli Rec. Club 3-2: Prakash Kelkar bt Dinkar Shelarka 8-11,11-6,13-11,10-12,11-6; Rajendra Sawant lost to Prasad Naik 11-6,9-11,8-11,4-11; Kelkar/Sawant lost to Yogesh Desai/Shelarka 3-11,6-11,11-6,12-10,7-11; Prakash Kelkar bt Prasad Naik 11-6,6-11,5-11,11-8,11-5; Rajendra Sawant bt Dinkar Shelarka 11-4,11-7,11-13,5-11,11-7.