Priority Titans beat AK Smashers to clinch the late Pundalika Shenoy Memorial Sarsangan Premier Badminton League 2023 title.
Priority Titans emerged champions with an emphatic 4-1 margin in the finals at SAG Indoor Hall, Fatorda. Sultan of Shuttles finished in third place, getting past The Acers 4-2 in the 3rd-place match.
In the title-clash, Pranjal Chimulkar and Chinmay Kamat gave the Priority Titans a winning start with a convincing 21-8 win in the 1st game against the AK Smashers mixed doubles team of young Sanvi Kelekar and Kapil Kamat. Priority Titans went up 2-0 as the men’s doubles pair of Sharang Kamat and Sohan Kelekar put it across Gaurish Borker and Akshay Prabhu in a nail-biting game 21-18.
AK Smashers came back fighting in the 3rd game of men’s doubles with icon player Sanath Kamat and Chandan Sinai Kenkre winning a nail-biting encounter 21-19 against Chinmay Kamat and Ganesh Pai Vernekar to reduce the margin to 2-1. However the men’s doubles combination of the Priority Titans owners Dinesh Pai and Swapneel Nachinolkar convincingly beat the pair of Guruprasad Khandeparkar and Deepankar Naik 21-12 to give the Priority Titans a 3-1 lead.
Parasmay Praveen Shenoy won the 5th game 21-15 by getting past the young Rishi Shiraj Pai Khot in the boys singles to give an unassailable 4-1 lead to the Priority Titans and also the Sarsangan Premier Badminton League Championship Title with 2 matches to spare.
The left-handed duo of Pranjal Chimulkar and Chinmay Kamat were adjudged the best players of the tournament.
Renowned Badminton coach Vinayak Kamat was felicitated at the hands of V. M. Prabhudesai, former Director of Sports & Youth Affairs. Also felicitated on the occasion was Mohit Redkar, upcoming Off-spin bowler from Goa. V. M. Prabhudesai also gave a special memento to Rishi Shiraj Pai Khot as a promising player of the future.
Priority Titans were handed the winner’s trophy and a cash prize of Rs.50,000. AK Smashers pursed cash prize of Rs.30,000 and runners-up trophy.
Sarsangan’s regular Badminton and Table Tennis tournaments will be held in mid-October while Sarsangan 7-a-side Futsal Tournament is planned on Sunday, 1st October 2023 in Salcete.
