Manipur beaten by Kerala 1-5 in Santosh Trophy

Manipur lost to Kerala 1-5 in semifinal of men's senior National Football Championships for the Santosh Trophy in Hyderabad on Sunday (December 29)

Goal Scorers:

Kerala 5 (Naseeb Rahman 22nd minute, Muhammad Ajsal 45+1, Muhammad Roshal 73rd, 88th, 90+5 pen) beat Manipur (Shunjanthan Ragui 30th minute, penalty)

Captain Gouramangi Singh, Nirmal Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua posing for a group photograph before India's match against Maldives in the SAFF Football Tournament in Kathmandu on Monday (Sept 9). India won the match 1-0. 

Jeje vying for the ball with Maldives player Ali Ashfaq.

Shillong Premier League postponed after one match

The organisers of the Shillong Premier League received a jolt on Tuesday (Sept 3) after they were forced to postpone the league after just one game.

Although the first match between Rangdajied United FC and Meghalaya Police Football Team went ahead on Tuesday, the second game, set to be played under floodlights between Royal Wahingdoh FC and Malki SC, was called off after the Deputy Commissioner denied permission for evening matches.

Games during the day also became a non-option after the State Sports Council made it known that it needs to fix up the JN Stadium, the venue for the SPL.

Meanwhile, Rangdajied defeated MLP 3-0, following Man-of-the-Match Sandesh Gadkari’s brace.

Despite the scoreline, it was not the best performance from the newly-promoted I-League outfit, who need to use this opportunity to prepare for their debut in the national league.

Gadkari’s first goal came in the 32nd minute after placing the ball neatly past keeper Rickseng Sangma, who was kept busy throughout the game.

Gadkari’s second followed after he headed a cross into the net in the 58th minute to give Rangdajied a two-nil lead.

MLP failed to make the most of their chances despite penetrating their way into the box on a number of occasions.

In the 78th minute, Bansharai Sun found an opening in the MLP defence before he darted down the pitch to send a well-timed right-footer into the corner of the net to seal the fate of the match.

Earlier, Rangdajied United were felicitated by the SSA for their promotion to the I-League and were presented a memento.

Source: Shillong Times

30th Abhiruchi Sports Day celebrated

The birthday of noted Assam athlete Bhogeswar Baruah, the first Arjuna Award winning athlete from Assam, was observed as Abhiruchi Sports Day on Tuesday. The central function of the 30th edition of Abhiruchi Sports Day was celebrated here in the city with a day–long programme. The birth day was celebrated in 117 venues of the state including Guwahati. The central mass run was flagged off from Chandmari flyover in Guwahati by Arjuna award winner  athlete Shiny Abraham Wilson, who represented India more than 75 times in international competition, in the morning and was attended by Bhogeswar Baruah and around 3000 school students from 30 different schools. After the jogging, a group dance and physical training (PT) competitions were held at the Tarun Ram Phookan Indoor Stadium among the city based schools. In group dance, 16 schools took part while in the PT competition, five school teams showed their skills. The organizers also felicitated sportspersons, organizers, former players. Name of the players who were felicitated: Shiva Thapa (Boxing), Jayanta Talukdar, Hri Das, Shamla Boro, Rajib Basumatary, Himani Boro, Dipali Boro (Archery), Kalyani Brahma (Wushu), Pranjal Gogoi (Athlatics), Birdie Boro (Table Tennis), Parikhit Somani (Tennis), Surendra Bhandari, Rekha Rani Gogoi, Raghu Boro, Joyshree Basumatary (Taekwondo), Alen Deori, Baoringdao Boro (Football), Dipak Singha, N Saoba Devi ( Fencing), Papul Sangmai, Apurba Chetia, Zameer Hussain, Pompy Saikia (Weightlifting) and Nafisa Sadik (Rowing)

SAFF Championships:

Gouramangi Singh, Nirmal Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhklua during training session in Kathmandu today.

India play hosts Nepal in their final Group A match tomorrow.

Gouramangi Singh and Nirmal Chhetri vie for the ball in India's match against Bangladesh

India drew with Bangladesh 1-1 in their second Group A match in SAFF Football Championships in Kathmandu on September 3.    

Top sportspersons to be honoured on Assamese Sports Day

Boxer Shiva Thapa and archer Jayanta Talukdar are among a host of prominent sportspersons to be honoured on the occasion of the 30th Abhiruchi Sports Day on September 3.

The Day has been organise on the occasion of the birth day of Bhogeswar Baruah, the first Assamese sportsperson to win Arjuna Award.

Giving details about the central function, to be organised in the city with a day-long programme, organising chairman Balendra Mohan Chakravorty said in a press conference that former international athlete Padmashree Shiny Wilson, but not Ashwini Nachappa as mentioned earlier, will be the chief guest of the function and she will arrive here tomorrow.

The Day will start with a mass jogging at the Chandmari flyover at 6.15 am. Wilson will lead the mass jogging where several noted sportspersons along with school children will take part.

Later PT and group dance competitions will be organised among the city based schools. The organisers will also felicitate 24 State sportspersons who have represented the country in various sporting events last year. Some sports organisers and promising youngsters will also be honoured on the occasion.

The sportspersons, organisers, promising players to be honoured are: Shiva Thapa (boxing), Jayanta Talukdar (archery), Kalyani Brahma (wushu), Hari Das , Shyamla Boro, Rajib Basumatary, Himani Boro, Dipali Boro (all archery), Pranjal Gogoi (athletics), Birdie Boro (TT), Parikhit Somani (tennis), Surendra Bhandari, Rekha Rani Gogoi, Raghu Boro, Jayashree Basumatary, (all taekwondo), Alen Deori, Bawringdao Baro (both football), Dipak Sinha, N Chauba Debi (both fencing), Papul Changmai, Apurba Chetia, Zamir Hussain, Pampi Saikia (all weightlifting), Nafisa Sadique (rowing). Oragniser-Dr Utpal Sarma, coach-Dibyajyoti Bhagawati, promising cricketer-Abhinab Choudhury, promising players-Priyanoj Bora (karate), Elliko Sujalo Hazarika (TT). Noted sports organisers-Jayanta Boro, Chandrasekhar Das, Kalindra Kr Baruah, Ashis Sengupta, Pradip Kr Singh, Minati Das, Girish Ch Deka, Prafulla Talukdar.

Source: Assam Tribune

Indian hockey team which has two Manipuris in it finishes runners-up in Asia Cup
Chinglensana Singh Kangujam and Kothajit Singh Khadangbam in Indian sqaud

It was a close call but Korea reaffirmed their status as Asia’s best thanks to a dramatic and hugely entertaining 4-3 victory over India in the final of the 9^th Asia Cup, which was played at the Azlan Shah Stadium in Ipoh, Malaysia. The Koreans played arguably their best game of the tournament and managed to subdue a determined Indian side hoping to seal their World Cup berth by winning the title. 

There was certainly no shame in the defeat for the Indians, who matched their opponents with a high quality performance, being beaten only by a team that had players with skills to match them.

With Korea having already booked their place at the 2014 Rabobank Hockey World Cup, it was in India’s interest to go for a win and confirmed their place at hockey's showpiece event. However, Korea's victory has now confirmed Malaysia as latest qualifiers for the world Cup, with India now having to wait until the completion of the Oceania championships in November before their place is confirmed.  

Korea established a 2-0 lead ahead of half time thanks to goals from eventual tournament top scorer Jang Jong Hyun and You Hyo Sik, but India hit back with goals in the 48th and 55th minutes from Rupinderpal Singh and Nithin Thimmaiah to set up a dramatic final fifteen minutes. 

Incredibly, Korea regained the lead in the 57th minute when Nam Hyun Woo netted, only for Mandeep Singh to restore parity with an instinctive volley four minutes from full time.  

Just as it seemed certain that the match would be settled by a penalty shoot-out, Korea won a 68th minute penalty corner. It proved to be the decisive moment of the match, with Kang Moon Kweon brilliantly converting a penalty corner to give Korea a glorious triumph in the Asian continental championship. Kang's winning goal was enough to earn him the man-of-the-match award. 

Earlier in the day, Pakistan claimed third place thanks to a 3-1 win over Malaysia. Faizal Saari gave Malaysia the lead in the 34th minute only to see his team's advantage cancelled out a minute later thanks to a strike from Abdul Haseem Khan. Pakistan sealed the win with second half goals from team captain Muhammad Imran and another for Haseem Khan, a player who is rapidly developing a reputation as a fearsome goal-scorer. 

Source: www.asiahockey.asia

Three from Northeast take field in India's 1-0 win over Pakistan in SAFF Championships   

Jeje, Gouramangi and Nirmal Chhetri play whole 90 minutes 

India started their defence in the 2013 SAFF Championship with a hard-earned victory over Pakistan at the Dasrath Stadium in Kathmandu on Sunday (September 1). The victory took them to three points and they next play Bangladesh on September 3.

India took the lead in the 14^th minute. Nirmal Chhetri tried to find an onrushing Sunil Chhetri between the two rival Central Defenders on the top of the rival goal area. In a desperate attempt to keep Chhetri off, Pakistan Captain Samar Ishaq’s clearance entered his own net.

Chhetri who didn’t mind it, however, would have by now surely complained to lady Luck for not staying by his side. From the 75^th minute to the final whistle, he could have scored a hat-trick for himself. But despite doing everything right he couldn’t have the last laugh – as all of his four placements travelling wide.

Francis Fernandes was a livewire on the right. He tormented Kamran Khan whenever he had him in an one-to-one situation. So much so that Khan had to be replaced in the 33th minute itself.

Francis was always able to keep himself free from his marker. And once Mehtab Hossain and Lenny Rodrigues found him, he wrecked havoc. He timed his runs to perfection, went round Khan and essayed crosses behind the rival defence.

India started off on a flash, pressed hard and were rewarded with four corner kicks in the first four minutes itself. But Pakistan regrouped after Saddam Hussain replaced Khan but the Indian defence stood tall.

Immediately after resumption, Jeje Lalpekhlua barged in from nowhere trying to head in a Mehtab free-kick down the right but it went inches wide.

Another header sailed over agonisingly in the 62^nd minute – this time Gouramangi Singh staying unlucky. The next minute, Chhetri and Jeje combined but Pakistan averted the danger. And then off the next attack, Chhetri averted Zesh Rehman but his effort was thwarted by Pakistan custodian Yousaf Ejaz Butt.

Sunil Chhetri could have sealed the fate in the 75^th minute. He snatched the ball from the centre-line, played an one-two with Mehtab Hossain and found himself all in the clear. But his left footed placement went wide.

Off the next attack, his left-footer was again fisted away by Butt.

Chhetri, perhaps, wasn’t destined to score because in the 80^th minute, he found himself again in the clear inside the Pakistan penalty box but this time too, his placement just went wide.

The fate stayed the same off the next Indian attack, this time too, Chhetri’s powerful shot missing by a whisker. His wait to overhaul IM Vijayan as India’s second-ever highest goalscorer, continues.

In the 85^th minute, another of Francis Fernandes’ shot from inside the box narrowly missed the mark. But all of that didn’t matter.

INDIA: Subrata Paul; Nirmal Chettri, Gouramangi Singh, Arnab Mondal, Mohanraj Nallappan (Syed Rahim Nabi – 63^rd); Francis Fernandes, Lenny Rodrigues, Mehtab Hossain, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Allwyn George (Jewel Raja Shaikh – 46^th), Sunil Chhetri (Captain).

Source: www.the-aiff.com

India finish fourth in Sepaktakraw World Super Series

Team with two Manipuris in it wins bronze medal alongside Indonesia

Akash Singh from Manipur taking a shot; captain Jiteshor Sharma, also from Manipur, seen along with him

Akash Singh taking another shot

Indian men's team lost 12-15, 10-15, 12-15 to Indonesia in the 3^rd-4^th placing match of ISTAF SuperSeries INDIA 2013/14 campaign by Indonesia at Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi today.

The national team won a bronze nonetheless, as match results only count towards the official ISTAF World Rankings.

Results:

 3-4^th placing - Indonesia bt India 3-0 (15-12, 15-10, 15-12)

5/6 placing - Thailand bt Iran 3-0 (15-5, 15-4, 15-4)

7/8 placing - Japan by Singapore 3-1 (14-16, 15-8, 15-8, 15-12)

9/10 placing - Brunei bt the United States 3-2 (8-15, 15-10, 15-11, 6-15, 12-15)

Women’s

 Final – Thailand bt Indonesia 3-1 (15-10, 17-15, 15-3, 15-8)

 3-4 placing - Vietnam bt Malaysia 3-0 (15-7, 15-8, 15-7)

 5/7^th placing - South Korea bt India 3-0 (15-5, 15-9, 15-6); Japan bt India 3-1

(14-16, 12-15, 13-15, 13-15)

ISTAF SuperSeries INDIA 2013/14 is the first round of ISTAF SuperSeries 2013/14. Alongside the ISTAF World Cup, the elite, internationally-recognised ISTAF SuperSeries is the only sepaktakraw tournament recognised by ISTAF and therefore plays a key role in deciding the official ISTAF World Rankings

The tournament’s men’s and women’s competition sees the top two teams from each group advance to the play-off stage based on points accumulated. The second round in the men’s competition is a single elimination, 8-team play-off stage while the women’s is a 4-team play-off stage.

ISTAF SuperSeries INDIA 2013/14 will be televised for the first time throughout the entire Indian sub-continent via Doordarshan and reach over 1.4 billion viewers. Sports fans throughout the region will get to enjoy over eight hours of live TV coverage, as well as selected matches featuring the India men’s and women’s teams.

All in all, ISTAF SuperSeries INDIA 2013/14 will be watched by fans in 70 countries.