Fancied MIG Cricket Club (Bandra) and Goregon Sports Club made impressive start in their campaign for the team honours on the opening day of the ICICI Lambard-6th Shuttlecraze Inter-Club Masters Badminton tournament hosted by Matunga Gymkhana at their air conditioned courts, here last night.
MIG thrashed Garware Club House and SCN Club by identical 3-0 margins in group ‘F’. MIG, however, had to struggle all the way before they got the better of Navi Mumbai Young Uncles 2-1. While earlier SCN Club did well to outplay Garware Club House 3-0. Each team plays on the best of three games of 21 points each basis played on league- cum- knock out format.
In group ‘C’, one of the strong outfits Goregaon Sports Club drubbed Banda Gymkhana 3-0 without much ado. Willingdon, too, beat Bandra Gymkhana 2-1, but the former were at the receiving end, losing 0-3 against Gorgaon SC.
In some of the closely contested ties in the open women doubles (plus 35) category, played of one game of 30 points, the pair of Ushma Mehta and Nishi Dua had to bring out their best to overcome Puja Kothari and Vandita Jain 30-29. Reenaa Wadhwa and Ruplai Gupta, too, were stretched by Farogh Mukadam and Sushmita Dutta before they prevailed 30-29 before they advanced to the last 16 stage.
Some of the other teams like hosts Matunga Gymkhana, P.J.Hindu Gymkhana, Catholic Gymkhana, Jolly Gymkhana and Chembur Gymkhana will make their presence tonight.
Results: Women’s doubles (Pre-quarterfinals): Ushma Mehta/Nishi Dua bt Puja Kothari/Vandita Jain 30-29; Reenaa Wadhwa/Ruplai Gupta bt Farogh Mukadam/Sushmita Dutta 30-29; Sarla Kotak/Shalini Singh bt Navita Rajoria/Neha Dhingra 30-23; Maheet Desai/Sybil Miranda bt Kajal Mehta/Simran Bajaj 30-23; Lorraine D.Mello/Rita Teotia bt Payal Mehta/Prerna Rajput 30-7; Pooja Khandekar/Swapnal Chakraborty bt Bhavyan Mehta/Roohi Penwala 30-12.
Team Championships:
(Group ‘C’): Goregaon SC bt Bandra Gym 3-0; Goregaon SC bt Willingdon Catholic Gym 3-0; Willingdon Catholic Gym bt Bandra Gym 2-1.
(Group ‘F’): SCN Club bt Garware Club House 3-0; MIG CC bt Navi Mumbai Young Uncles 2-1; Navi Mumbai Young Uncles bt Garware Club House 3-0; MIG CC bt SCN Club 3-0; SCN Club bt Navi Mumbai Young Uncles 3-0; MIG CC bt Garware Club House 3-0.