Lahiri eyes title after Selangor heartbreak

MUMBAI: Fresh from a runners-up finish at the $400,000 Selangor Masters in Malaysia, ace golfer Anirban Lahiri will seek to end this week with the PGTI Players Championship title at the Oxford Golf & Country Club near Pune beginning Tuesday. It must have been heartbreaking for Lahiri to miss out on a possible Asian Tour title outside India by one stroke at Selangor and obviously the Bangalore lad will be hoping to lay his hands on the winner’s cheque in the Rs 30 lakh event.
However, Lahiri has to contend with India’s top-ranked professional Shamim Khan and defending champion Om Prakash Chauhan for the trophy.
The tournament will also feature the likes of 2011 Singapre Handa Classic champion Himmat Singh Rai, 2012 Panasonic Open winner Digvijay Singh, Japan Tour regular Rahil Gangjee, 2012 CG Open winner Harendra Gupta, Chiragh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar and Rashid Khan.
"The city of Pune is fast emerging as a major golfing centre in India and this tournament gives local professionals an opportunity to take on the best in the country in favourable home conditions," said PGTI director Padamjit Sandhu.
Catholic Gym rout Tata Power: A charged up Catholic Gymkhana outplayed Tata Power 5-1 in a third division match of the Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd. (MHAL) League –13, at the MHAL Stadium, Churchgate. The star for Catholic Gym was Carl Patel who hit the target twice, while Robin Fernandes, Gavin Vandrine and Sheldon Fernandes struck one each.
Results (Div-IV): Borivali Stallions 3 (Aayush More 3) beat Mumbai Wonders 2 (Sandeep Patel 2); Blue Dragon 9 (Dereyk Murzello 5, Grenville Murzelho 2, Joywin Fernandes, Julian John) beat Ajju Acadmey 3 (Santosh Patil 2, Naresh S); Div-III: Catholic Gymkhana 5 (Carl Patel 2, Robin Fernandes, Gavin Vandrine, Sheldon Fernandes) beat Tata Power 1 (Godfrey D).
Verma nets brace for Young XI: Rohit Verma’s barce enabled Young XI record a 3-0 win against KW Stars in the opening Division One match of the 10th edition of the Bandra West Football League at the Dr. Norman Lewis Supari Talao Municipal Grounds, Bandra. Clint Leembruggen netted the third goal for the winners.
Results (Div-I): M.W.Strikers 0 drew Carmelites ‘B’ 0; Athletico Titans 2 (Christan Pinto, Kunal Padave) drew Rebels SC 2 (Jonathan D’Souza, Ashwin D’Souza); Young XI 3 (Rohit Varma 2, Clint Leembruggen) beat KW Stars 0.