Season-end bonza for Harmeet and Shamini

GUWAHATI, Nov 18: It was the end-of-season bonza for both Harmeet Desai and Shamini. They completed an unfruitful year not only with top-podium finishes but and the big purses in the tiol Ranking (East Zone) Table Tennis Championships at the Deshbakhta Tarun Ram Phukan Indoor Stadium here today.

Harmeet, who was a runner-up in season opening South Zone championships at Cheni, had a satisfying finish to the year, befitting his stature when he outsmarted PSPB colleague Anthony Amalraj 4-1 in the men’s singles fil.

In the women’s singles fil, K. Shamini who struggled throughout made nice amends to win her first women’s singles crown when beat another PSPB team mate Mouma Das 4-3 in a gripping fil for another equally great ending. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi attended the award giving function as a chief guest.

Results:Men: Fil: Harmeet Desai (PSPB) bt Anthony Amalraj (PSPB) 4-1 (7-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8, 13-11); Semifils: Anthony Amalraj bt Jubin Kumar (Har) 4-2 (11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 14-12, 11-7, 11-6), Harmeet Desai bt Devesh Karia (Guj) 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5).

Women: Fil: K. Shamini (PSPB) bt Mouma Das (PSPB) 4-3 (11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 12-10); Semifils: K. Shamini bt Nikhat Banu (Telg) 4-3 (9-11, 10-12, 11-3, 11-6, 13-15, 11-6, 11-8), Mouma Das bt Pooja Sahasrabudhe (PSPB) 4-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-4, 11-7).