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| SPORTS TRIBUNE | Saturday, May 31, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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Sustained mediocrity in TT NFL: Goan dominance visible TEEING-OFF |
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Fleming hero of Kiwis’ victory
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Sustained mediocrity in TT The one game India has participated in world and other championships without fail since Independence has been table tennis. That itself is a great achievement for a country in a game where its standards have rarely gone above mediocrity. One of the reasons for this regularity in participation is the high profile which it has always maintained at the administrative level. And the man who set such high standards was a diminutive man with a rare penchant for perfection, Mr T.D. Rangaramanujam. “Ranga” has since long retired from active involvement but his legacy is there for everyone to see. His organisational ability, the foundation he laid and the example he set are all still very much in vogue with high grade civil servants and politicians often clamouring to head the Table Tennis Federation of India. It is because of “Ranga” that India is held in such high esteem in the table tennis map of the world. In fact it is one of the very few countries which has organised world class tournaments despite not placing any player in the ranking list. As a team India’s most cherished performance has been the World Championships in Gothenburg where it was placed 12th. Individually there have been players who have made the world sit up and take notice, the most notable being K.Nagaraj who made the quarter-final of the World Championships held in Tokyo in 1956. Somehow the organisational efficiency has not been able to influence the overall standard of the game in the country. India hosted three World Championships among many other important international competitions by late 1980s, something not even China the top country in the game could boast of at that time. But as against this administrative and organisational achievement there was no matching contribution from the tables itself. That story continues, of high profile administration but sustained mediocrity from the tables. Just take the latest example of our performance at the world level. At the recent championships in Paris the two players who earned mention were Chetan Baboor among men and Mantu Ghosh in the women’s competition. They both made the main draw and made their exit with the very first outing. And how long have they been playing? According to record books, Chetan Baboor who has won the men’s singles title on four occasions made his international debut with the Asian Junior Championship at Kedari, Indonesia in 1987, the same year he entered the national scene at Allahabad, at the age of 13 in the sub-juniors. He was junior champion in 1990. Now at 29 he is still India’s best. Mantu Ghosh, though younger, has also had as long an innings. She started as the youngest-ever winner of the national women’s single title in 1991 and now, at 27, she has already spent 14 years as a player on the national scene. It is of course very creditable for these two players to have lasted so long. One hopes they continue to do well but on the negative side, their continuing to play for the country for such a long period is a reflection on the paucity of talent. India in fact has had players winning the national championships for as long as six or seven years. In no other country in the Asian continent is a player able to continue to dominate in such a fashion and for so long a period. The challenge is so strong and intense at the top that with rare exceptions not many last more than three or four years. Such is the depth of talented players down the line. In India the continuation of the same set of players virtually amounts to a case of lack of challenge from younger players. This lack of depth is one of the main reasons for the stagnation in standard of the game in the country. Not only has there been no perceptible change in the overall standard there is also the disturbing factor of the continuing fall in the popularity of the game. Up to the mid-80s table tennis was one of the most popular game in the country and used to attract large crowds even at the state level. But perhaps because of the pace of life and the increasing distances and the lack of proper mode of transport, table tennis tournaments at the state level, do not have the same rush of entries. And also there is the undeniable fact of the middle class of the earlier years now having graduated to tennis and other high profile games. All this notwithstanding the interest taken by institutional organisations like the Railways and the Petroleum Sports Board and others and the money available from sponsorships, is praise worthy. |
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NFL: Goan dominance visible Kolkata's soccer-crazy population had another occasion to rejoice as crowd-pullers East Bengal lifted the title in the seventh National Football League which concluded last month. Tallying 49 points from 15 victories and three draws, East Bengal in fact created an NFL record. Not only that, the red and gold brigade created a record of sorts, winning as many as five titles, including the Independence Cup, Kolkata Senior Division, IFA Shield, and the Durand Cup, However, runners-up Vasco's plea that East Bengal should be stripped of the title as they fielded Brazilian medio Douglas De Silva in the crucial match against them at Kolkata on April 25 sent ripples across the maidan. Vasco's stance was not without basis. The key player's visa had expired and as such his participation in the match which East Bengal won 4-0 was illegal. However, the AIFF refused to buy the argument while asserting that the title would stay with the Kolkata giants, providing some relief to Subhas Bhomick's squad. The domination of Goan outfits, namely Salgaocar, Vasco, Churchill Brothers and Dempo, was clearly visible in the six-month long league. All four finished among the top six and Vasco, in fact, came rather close to winning the title itself. The remarkable progress by Punjab's JCT Phagwara, significant role of foreigners, and relegation of two Bangalore outfits, namely Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and Indian Telephone Industries were among the highlights of the NFL. The promotion of Kolkata's Mohammedan Sporting along with Goa's Haywards Sporting Club only means that the next edition will be dominated by teams from Kolkata and Goa as nine outfits out of 12 will be from these two cities. As in the past, a foreigner, Yusif Yakubu of Goa's Churchill Brothers with 21 goals once again emerged as the top scorer. He was followed by East Bengal's Mike Okoro and Vasco's Marcos Pereira with 17 and 15 goals, respectively. Spread over six months, the national league featuring 12 top clubs of India provided shocks and surprises in abundance. While title winners East Bengal won 15 of the 22 matches, bottom placed Indian Telephone Industries, Bangalore, could register only one victory, which came in the 18th round against Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Chennai's Indian Bank and HAL had the dubious distinction of conceding the maximum goals, 53 to be precise, while runners-up Salgaocar conceded only 17. Punjab's JCT Phagwara, the only team in the national league from north India, registered remarkable progress this time, unlike the pathetic showing last season when they barely escaped relegation. The mill men, assisted by internationals Jo Paul Ancheri and IM Vijayan, besides Ghanians Mohammed Mansuru and Kwabena Yeboah fought their way to the top and with a little more luck could have even finished third. Striker Hardip Gill, medio Hardip Saini, winger Jaswinder Singh and stopper back Musa Aliu performed creditably,especially on home ground. The victories over East Bengal and Mohun Bagan were the high points of JCT's campaign, planned meticulously by former national coach Sukhwinder Singh, and his deputy and former Asian star Parminder Singh. In all 10 hat-tricks were scored in the league and foreigners clearly held the edge,
accounting for six. The hat-trick scorers were East Bengal's George Ekeh (two); Mike Okoro (one), Alvito D' Cunha (one); Vasco's Rui Wanderley Weis and Agnelo Jose Gomes (one each); Salgaocar's Dudu Omagbemi (one), Indian Bank's Kasun Nadika Jeyasuriya (two); and Yusif Yakubu of Churchill Brothers (one). The biggest victory of the league was recorded by Goa's Vasco SC who trounced Bangalore's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited 8-0 at Margao on April 9,2003. The match also witnessed the highest score by an individual with Agnelo Gomes scoring four, including a hat-trick. |
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TEEING-OFF The captain of the prestigious Delhi Golf Club (DGC) will henceforth be elected by the general house instead of by the management committee. This vital change was brought about by an overwhelming majority of ‘A’ members at the extraordinary meeting on Saturday, May 17, 2003. Some diehard and orthodox members, who have been connected with the club for decades, continue to feel that the system of choosing the captain through management committee functioned smoothly and it should have continued as such. But many members are of the view that the captain is the most important functionary of the club and he should be elected by the general house. The next general body meeting scheduled in October is likely to be more lively as apart from the president and committee members, there will be election for the captain. Already there are four or five candidates for the captain’s office. The club, unquestionably the best in the capital, has sadly lost much of its character owing to the Urban Ministry’s uncalled for interference amounting to black-mailing. Contrary to the club’s age-old tradition, non-golfers are being inducted as members. The club is getting unduly over-crowded causing inconvenience to the genuine lovers of the game. If the Urban Ministry’s arm-twisting and objectionable tactics were unethical and foul, the club’s weak attitude caused a lot of anguish to members. The government is indeed supreme but it could not have cancelled the lease, if the club had refused to succumb under the pressure of the ministry. When the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) was involved in several wrong-doings, its lease could not be cancelled despite public pressure. Whatever may be internal problems persisting in the DGC, it is still the best managed unit and the government could not have cancelled the lease. If the club authorities continue to yield, the club will be a social akhara’ instead of a golf club. Apart from ‘tenure members’, the club has also started enrolling ‘honorary members’. According to norms, the honorary membership is granted to eminent sportspersons, like Kapil Dev. But an eminent hockey stalwart like Ajitpal Singh is being denied membership just because one or two members are opposed to granting him the membership. Amidst bickerings, the junior training programme has been progressing satisfactorily. Nonita Lal Qureshi, a top class player-turned qualified coach and her renowned golfer-husband Faisal are endeavouring to make the programme a rip-roaring success. In this programme, emphasis is being given to ‘yoga’ and physical training. The stronger the physique and mind the better will be the quality of golfers. There are some who feel that the programme should continue throughout the year. |
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Fleming hero of Kiwis’ victory New Zealand earned plaudits by winning the tri-series final against Pakistan in Sri Lanka. Thus they ended their overseas one-day title drought dating back to 2000. It was their experience that helped them prevail over a young and inexperienced Pakistani side. Besides it was their ability to soak up pressure that stood them in good stead. Having restricted their rivals to a paltry 198, the Black Caps had no hiccups in overhauling the meagre total in the chase, losing only six wickets. However, the Kiwis owe their rare overseas victory to their pugnacious skipper Fleming who provided them the platform by smashing a superb 65. Had Pakistan not missed the services of their fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who was banned for two one-day internationals for ball tampering, the outcome of the final probably would have been different. Akhtar has landed himself in the soup on several occasions for wrong and non-cricketing reasons.
TARSEM S. BUMRAH Sodhi’s exclusion The non-inclusion of Reetinder Singh Sodhi, the best allrounder of Punjab, and Pankaj Dharmani in the India ‘A’ team scheduled to tour England is very unfortunate. It may be recalled that Reetinder Singh Sodhi was out of the national team due to injury and he is still the best allrounder in India. The selectors have not done justice to wicketkeeper Pankaj Dharmani either. During 2002-2003 he scored three centuries, including a double century and 10 half centuries. His average is still the best amongst the top batsmen of India. Even otherwise during the last couple of years, he is giving a consistent performance. What criteria the national selectors adopted is beyond comprehension. PRITPAL SINGH |
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Arch rivals and NFL's defending champions Mohun Bagan, who were pushed to the seventh position, had their cup of woes overflowing. A miserable run culminating in a shock defeat and sack of coach Subrata Bhattacharya and suspension of key players indicated the sorry state of affairs. The suspension of foreign recruits George Ekeh and Esa Musa Eroje followed by Vasco SC's threat to sue the former champions over the deal with Marcos Pereira only compounded Bagan's misery.