New Delhi, July 25: The Petroleum Sports Promotion Board men and women beat Reserve Bank to enter the finals of the AAI 46th All India Inter-Institutional Championships at the SMS Indoor Stadium here today.

But it was Airports Authority of India (AAI) who will celebrate and cherish today’s moment for a long period as the hosts and an organization proud of churning out talent for their men and women’s team entered their maiden final of an institutional event. As if this was not enough, earlier in the day their Youth Girls had retained the crown to complete the momentous occasion.

The triple achievement by AAI even brought out a lone cracker which they burst inside the arena to mark a mild merriment. On the other hand, last year’s runners-up Railways not only failed to chug along but their paddlers lost track of vision and foresight.

In other words, the PSPB men defeated RBI 3-0 and their women, who struggled before overcoming RBI 3-1, will meet hosts AAI in the two finalstomorrow.

Sushmit Sriram was the cynosure of all eyes as he completed an easy victory over Ravindra Kotiyan, their last hope, and shunted Railways to the yards for a revamp.

But before that Anirban Nandi came in the way of Sushmit to give Railways 1-0 lead which Kotiyan consolidated. But it was Sarthak Gandhi who breathed fresh air into AAI for Anirban Ghosh and Sushmit to give the much-needed oxygen to AAI bench.

The results: Team championship:

Men Semifinals: Petroleum beat Reserve Bank of India 3-0 (G. Sathiyan bt Vighney Reddy 12-10, 11-2, 11-7; A. Amalraj bt Raj Mondal 11-8, 11-9, 11-7; Harmeet Desai bt Souvik Roy 11-5, 11-4, 11-6); Airports Authority of India beat Railways 3-2 (S. Sushmit lost toAnirban Nandi 5-11, 11-13, 7-11; Anirban Ghosh lost to Ravindra Kotiyan 11-13, 9-11, 11-1, 8-11 Sarthak Gandhi bt E. Prabhakaran 11-6, 11-3, 11-4; Ghosh bt Nandi 15-13, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6; Sushmit bt Ravindra 11-9, 13-11, 11-8).

Women: Semifinals: Petroleum beat Reserve Bank of India 3-1 (Manika Batra bt Shweta Parte 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9; Madhurika Patkar lost to Pallabi Kundu 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 6-11, 7-11; K. Shamini bt Shruti Talnikar 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 4-11, 11-9; Manika bt Pallabi 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7);  Airport Authority of India bt Air India 3-0 (Ayhika Mukherjee bt Devika Bhide 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 4-11, 11-4; Archana Kamath bt Mallika Bhandarkar 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5; Sreeja Akula bt Shruti Amrute(11-9, 11-8, 11-6).

New Delhi, July 25: The women’s team of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) and Airports Authority of India posted contrasting wins in the semifinals of the AAI 46th All India Inter-Institutional Championships at the SMS Indoor Stadium here this today.

AAI’s women, who have made it to their maiden final of an institutional event, blanked out Air India with a straight win while it was whimper of a triumph for the PSPB, given their reputation, over Reserve Bank in the second semifinals.

PSPB, who won 3-1, could have been staring at the wall but for Shruti Talnikar’s folly against K. Shamini. The latter escaped to win 3-2 and put PSPB 2-1 up after Pallabi Kundu had taken Madhurika Patkar to the cleaners.

Manika had put PSPB ahead with an easy 11-4, 9-11, 11-6,, 11-9 win over Shweta Parte but Madhurika’s loss of 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 6-11, 7-11 to Pallabi really hurt them with Shamini to follow in the third singles. The former national champion led 2-0 but Shruti did well to recover and mount pressure on her rival. That she lost the decider by minimal point (4-111, 3-11, 12-10, 11-4, 9-11) is an indicator of the mental fame in which the PSPB bench was.

After Shamini won the third singles, it was business as usual for Manika to return for her reverse singles and beat Pallabi 11-5, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7 and ease the pressure.

RBI were the surprise entrants in the final last year and they had gone on to play the Nationals at Hyderabad, thanks largely to Krittiwika Sinha Roy and Shweta.  

AAI women, on the other hand, were never expected to win the way they did against an experienced Air India outfit. But they did it in style, with a 3-0 victory, speaks volume of their determination and it augurs well for the institution that has recruited them.

Ayhika Mukherjee defeated with some struggle Devika Bhide 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 4-11, 11-4 but Archana Kamath’s 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 triumph over Mallika Bhandarkar, AI’s No. 1 player, was the real clincher as Sreeja Akula dealt with Shruti Amrute rather efficiently to seal their rival’s fate with a straight 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 win.

AAI will now have both their women and youth teams making appearance together in the Junior and Youth Nationals as well as the Senior Nationals at Manesar (Haryana).