ONGOLE: Punjab men defeated National Games champion Delhi 33-32, while host Andhra Pradesh women registered their first-ever senior National triumph defeating Chandigarh 32-26 in the 26th senior National netball championship, which concluded here on Wednesday.

In a keenly fought encounter, Punjab bounced back in the second quarter to take a three-point lead. Punjab's centre Sheriff Khan rotated the ball effectively and kept feeding goal shooter Rajpal Singh with accurate long passes.

However, Delhi narrowed the lead to just one-point thanks to a series of crisp passes by centre Sikandhar and the scoring prowess of Rajesh.

In front of a vociferous local crowd, A.P.'s internationals K.P. Monalisa and Paramaeshwari combined well to enable their team create history. Monalisa, apart from exhibiting her shooting abilities, also dazzled at rebounds by converting difficult chances.

Earlier, in the women's semifinals, Chandigarh defeated Haryana 21-19 and A.P. outplayed Tamil Nadu 31-23.

The results: Men (final): Punjab bt Delhi 33-32; Play-off: Haryana bt Chhattisgarh 26-20.

Women (final): A.P. bt Chandigarh 32-26; Semifinals: Chandigarh bt Haryana 21-19; A.P. bt Tamil Nadu 31-23; Play-off: Haryana bt Tamil Nadu 37-16.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail