Kerala complete a ’trick as Tom watches from gallery

Kozhikode: With their former captain and Arjuna awardee Tom Joseph, who has played more than fifteen senior national championships, watching them from the gallery, Kerala men lifted their game when it mattered to brush aside the challenge from a strong Punjab side 25-20, 25-20, 27-25 in the 66th Senior National Volleyball Championshi at Calicut Trade Centre Indoor Stadium on Friday.
Tom, who was not invited for the inaugural function by the organizers, rubbed salt into their wounds by buying a gallery ticket from the venue ticket counter to sit amongst the crowd and cheer on his former teammates. And seeing an international sitting amongst them, fans in the northern side of the gallery gave him a standing ovation before Kerala completed their third successive win .
C Ajith Lal, not the tallest player in the side, surprised everyone with a spike touch of more than 3.40 metres. He was at his best throughout the game which helped Kerala overcome Punjab with ease.
The hosts, who struggled a bit against Andhra Pradesh in the first set, were not ready give away the early momentum to Punjab. Former Indian international Vibin M George, who is playing his last national championship, was the hero for Kerala in the first set.
Vibin's powerful jump serves and heavy smashes shattered Punjab completely. With captain Jerome and Ajith Lal joining him in the attack, Kerala took the early lead at 7-4. Punjab captain Gurinder Singh and their attacker Hardeep Singh brought Punjab back into the game and even took a two-point lead at 12-4. But Kerala regrouped quickly and won the first set within 20 minutes.
With Saqlain Tariq, who replaced setter Ranjit Singh in the second set, setting well, Punjab had their chances to make a comeback. If attack helped Kerala bag more points in the opening set, hosts’ defence stood out in the second set. GS Akhin, P Rohith along with A Muthu Sami were like a rock at the net to thwart Punjab’s attacking plans as Kerala clinched the second set comfortably.
Punjab coach Gurjot Singh ringed in the changes in the final set and it saw them regroup in the final set. For the first time in the match, Kerala’s attack was tested and they were forced to fight for every point. But the experience of Kerala players saw them through.
Earlier in the morning, Karnataka men registered their fourth consecutive win in Group E over Delhi. Karnataka, after losing the first set, made a great comeback and emerged winners 22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-21.
In the women’s division, defending champions Railways had yet another easy outing as they rolled over Andhra Pradesh in straight sets 25-13, 25-11, 25-17.
Important results:
Men: Kerala bt Punjab 25-20, 25-20, 27-25; Karnataka bt Delhi 22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-21; Chandigarh bt Bihar 25-18, 25-18, 25-19; Uttarakhand bt Telangana 25-17, 25-18, 25-21; Goa bt Jharkhand 25-17, 25-22, 25-23; Andhra Pradesh bt Rajasthan 25-20, 25-21, 25-19
Women: Himachal Pradesh bt Jammu and Kashmir 25-10, 25-6, 25-3; Rajasthan bt Delhi 25-14, 18-25, 27-25, 25-21