Vineeth, Merit clinch crowns

By Our Sports Reporter

KOZHIKODE, SEPT. 13. Thrissur's dominance was almost complete in the Hero Honda Kerala State junior badminton championship. After winning both the boys' and girls' team championships on Wednesday, Thrissur players took all but one of the four titles in the open event at the V.K. Krishna Menon Indoor Stadium here on Thursday.

Vineeth Manuel won his maiden State junior singles before Merit George retained her title. Vineeth, who represented the country at the Asian schools championship in Malaysia recently, beat Ayyappan Krishnan of Thiruvananthapuram 7-3, 7-0, 5-7, 7-0 in the final. The stocky lad, a trainee at the SAI, Thrissur, took just 30 minutes to wrap up the game.

He, however, could not complete a double. Ayyappan Krishnan and Tariq Mohammed won the boys' doubles beating Vineeth and Savan Navas 3-7, 7-4, 4-7, 7-2, 7-5.

Merit did score the double though. She beat teammate Susan Rajan 7-5, 7-3, 7-5 in the girls' singles final and joined hands with the vanquished to win the doubles title with a 7-0, 8- 6, 7-0 victory against Aparna Balan and Samjida Majeed of Kozhikode. Eighteen-year-old Merit is also the defending State women's champion.

The results:

Boys singles (final): Vineeth Manuel (Tsr) bt Ayyappan Krishnan (Tvm) 7-3, 7-0, 5-7, 7-0; Semifinals: Vineeth Manuel (Tsr) bt Bidin Balan (Tsr) 7-3, 8-6, 7-0; Ayyappan Krishnan (Tvm) bt Savan Navas (Ekm) 7-5, 3-7, 7-2, 7-3.

Losers' final: Bidin Balan (Tsr) bt Savan Navas (Ekm) 7-2, 5-7, 7-1, 7-3.

Boys doubles (final): Ayyappan Krishnan- Tariq Mohammed (Tvm) bt Vineeth Manuel-Savan Navas (Tsr) 3-7, 7- 4, 4-7, 7-2, 7-5; Semifinals: Ayyappan Krishnan- Tariq Mohammed (Tvm) bt E.R. Vaisakh-Anoop Vasu 7-3, 7-5, 3-7, 7- 4.

Girls singles (final): Merit George (Tsr) bt Susan Rajan (Tsr) 7- 5, 7-3, 7-5.

Losers' final: Aparna Balan (Kzde) bt Neema Lakshmi (Tsr) 7-4, 7- 2, 2-7, 7-1.

Girls doubles (final): Merit George- Susan Rajan (Tsr) bt Aparna Balan-Samjida Majeed (Kzde) 7-0, 8-6, 7-0; Semifinals: Merit George-Susan Rajan bt Rhea Rashid-Miral George (Kzde) 7-4, 7-4, 7-0; Aparna Balan-Samjida Majeed (Kzde) bt Admina Antony-Neema Lakshmi (Tsr) 7-2, 0-7, 8-6, 2-7, 7-1.

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