PANJIM: Hotel Manoshanti registered a sensational 3-2 win over Regal Electrotech to emerge champions of Angley’s Cup table tennis team championship at gymkhana hall, Sunday.
The prestigious championship, in its 40th year in running, witnessed edge of the seat excitement with fortunes fluctuating every minute and the match going down to the wire.
P Adarsh representing Regal gave his team a 1-0 lead with a facile 11-7, 11-2, 11-8 win over Amit Naik. Manoshanti won the next two games to make it 2-1, with Diljeet Velingkar beating a tenacious Myron Pereira 12-10, 13-15, 11-7, 11-4 and former state champion Noel Noronha displaying his class and mastery with a 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 win over Noel Estibeiro. The fourth game was fought between Goa’s top seed P Adarsh and second seed Diljeet Velingkar and saw some exciting moments and great rallies. P Adarsh prevailed over his opponent with a hard fought 8-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-7 win to level the scores at 2-2.
With the match delicately poised, Myron Pereira took a 2 sets to 1 lead and looked all set to take his team to its third title in succession, but Amit Naik came back strongly to win the next two sets and the deciding game, thereby clinching the team championship title for the Manoshanti sponsored Panjim TT team. Siddhant Parekh and Gary Freitas were the other two players who represented the winning team, with Ajit Ghantker as the mentor and Arun Naik as the coach.
The winners and runners-up prizes and trophies were awarded to Manoshanti and Regal Electrotech. Parekh Brothers and BPS Sports Club, Margao were awarded semi-finalist prizes.
The prizes were distributed by chief guest Vero Nunes, president of Goa Table Tennis Association in the presence of Gaurish Dhond, vice-president Panjim Gymkhana Sunil Naik, joint secretary, Suresh Karapurkar, treasurer and member Sanjay Pednekar.
