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The week in Indian sports

GYMNASTICS
Bengal win National championship
Ambala, August 20: For 15-year-old Tumpa Debnath, her maiden senior National gymnastics championship proved to be a memorable one as she helped Bengal tally 35.65 points and dethrone Railways by a 2.80-point margin. The winner tallied 162.75, while the runner-up finished at 159.95. Maharashtra, with a total of 149.00, took the third spot.

The display on the balancing beam by Bengal, where it managed a cushion of 1.35 points, was the crucial apparatus. After a slow start, the Bengal girl improved considerably and executed the routines well. Tumpa, who represented India in the World championship in China earlier this year on the basis of selection trials at Patiala, asserted her class with over-eight scores in all the events.

The tenth standard student from Nodia district, managed best scores on all the apparatus with 8.95 on the floor exercise and vault being her best. After showing fine control on the beam, Tumpa had a nice elevation on her saltees in the floor, and firm landing on the vault. The other Bengali girls too looked good on the floor and the vault. Chanchala Chakrabothy came up with fine efforts on the respective apparatus with 8.75 and 8.45. Chanchala, the 17- year- old from Howrah district, too represented the country in China.

The other members of the winning squad were Amrita Sinha, Jhuma Bag, Rakhi Debnath, Dolly Ghosh and Dona Das. Railways, which had reigning SAARC champion Poonam Chhabra in its ranks, apart from Sundari Mondal, who had gone to China, was let down by the former. Poonam, who is a senior clerk with the Northern Railway, garnered only 24 points from three events. On the beam, she had a slip, while on the floor, she erred in landing. An effort of 8.15 on the uneven bars was her best score for the day.

Sundari was the pick of the Railways gymnasts, collecting scores of 8.40 on the floor and 8.90 on the vault. Railways could have fared better had Runa Das and Pampa Ghosh done better. Chetna Chahl had 8.30 on the vault, while Lusai Nath collected 8.65 on the same apparatus. Railways had a lead of 2.80 in the first event, but by the final apparatus, the winner looked in control, thanks to Tumpa and Chanchala.

TABLE TENNIS
Raman and Lin win Challenger titles
Bombay, August 20: India's top-ranked player S. Raman and women's top seed Zhan Xue Lin stamped their authority in the Challenger International table tennis tournament, playing the big points with ease to clinch the men's and women's singles titles. Raman brushed any ambitions fifth-seeded Shivaji Dutta entertained of repeating the round-robin league victory, surviving an early bout of aggression from the lanky Calcutta player to win the men's final 21-13, 19-21, 21-14, 21-15.

The men's final started off in promising fashion, with challenger Shivaji Dutta going into an attacking mode, surprising the more experienced Raman with booming forehand crosscourt returns. But the fifth seed's tendency to slip into periods of passivity cost him the game against an opponent who took time to get into his groove.

Dutta got it right in the second game, constantly probing Raman's backhand and hitting fierce service returns to draw level. At this juncture, the final could have gone either way, but the top- seeded Indian had his way, refusing to get rattled by the occasional aggressive strokeplay by his younger rival and began piling up the points with clever change of pace and steady backhand play.

The fifth seed from Calcutta attracted a round of applause for bringing off acrobatic returns, but by the time he got his act together, Raman had already turned the tables to deserving walk away with the men's title and Rs 50,000.

TENNIS
Kamala Kannan wins Junior national
Chennai, August 19: Tamil Nadu's Kamala Kannan proved he is still the best junior talent around. Denied the top seed slot, he proved his point on the court by retaining the boys' title as the third seed, with a confident 6-0, 6-4 win over P Ravikrishna (AP) in the IOB-MCC National junior hard court tennis championship at the MCC courts.

However, there was a new champion in the girls' section, with second-seeded Sonal Phadke stopping holder and top seed Radhika Tulpule, both are from Maharashtra, in straight sets. In terms of seeding, this may appear an upset, but Sonal, who has lately been focussing on ITF tournaments and garnered a few wins including a title, beating Radhika seemed quite in keeping with her stature.

For Kamala Kannan there was added expectation this time. A trainee at the Krishnan Tennis Centre and one who is playing his first big tournament as a trainee of the Tamil Nadu Academy for Tennis Excellence, Kamala Kannan could not have chosen a better moment to justify his presence in the select band. Far from being under pressure, the Loyola College student looked perked up for the occasion, with his crisp forehand strokes and serves having a telling effect on Ravikrishna's confidence.

The unassuming Hyderabad collegian had looked the dark horse of the tournament with his quiet efficiency but suddenly he found the heat in the final too hot to handle. Ravikrishna could not hold his serve at all in the first set in which he did not win even a game and in the second set held serve just once. Such was Kamala Kannan's control, which tended to loosen only in the second when he briefly lapsed into errors and even lost serve thrice. But poor Ravikrishna could not capitalise much, struggling in vain for the right rhythm all through.

Normally a tough player, it was a surprise watching Radhika belt the ball without control. "I have been having this effects of tennis elbow,'' she said about the poor show. But then she conceded that Sonal played to a plan and constantly attacked her weak backhand. Sonal, it must be said, was a picture of assurance as she unwound her backhand in particular for several down-the- liners. Each point won inspired her and in the end she made a mess of Radhika's play.

SHOOTING
Four Indians in World Cup finals
New Delhi, August 16: Four Indians have managed to gain entry into the World Cup shooting finals, following their good performances through the season in the World Cups in Sydney, Milan, Munich and in Delhi. The season-ending World Cup finals will be held for shotgun events in Nicosia, Cyprus from October 18 to 23 and the World Cup finals for rifle, pistol and running target, will be hosted in Munich, Germany from November 14 to 19.

Anjali Vedpathak, who made the finals of the World Cups in Sydney, Milan and Munich, qualified in style for the air rifle event, gathering 13 points from each of the three meets. Another air rifle shooter, Abhinav Bindra, who equalled the world junior record with a 596 out of 600 in the Munich World Cup and missed a medal by 0.1 points, has qualified for the finals with 16 points.

Trap shooter Manavjit Singh made the grade with eight points and double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore also grabbed a spot with seven points.