Goemkarponn Desk
PANAJI: Lethal Shooters edged out Pirate Gang 105-102 to emerge Champions of the Enthu Badminton League, an annual event organized by Enthu Buddies, a prominent All India community of Masters players.
The 2023 edition was held in collaboration with the Panjim Badminton Club (PBC) and concluded on Sunday at the Indoor stadium Campal, Panjim, Goa. The event showcased exceptional skill, intense competition, and a celebration of the passion for badminton among the Masters players, which included many National Masters medal winners.
Both Lethal Strikers and Pirate Gang emerged with 6 wins a piece at the end of 7 rounds in the 8 Team League. But having won the head-to-head tie in the final round of the league, Lethal Shooters were crowned as Champions while Pirate Gang had to settle for the runners up place. Anubis Squad, led by Shirish Nadkarni, and Cosmic Warfare, led by Arcot Devdas, claimed the third and fourth place respectively.
Lethal Shooters, the championship-winning team, comprised of Amit Kakkar as the captain, with Parag Chauhan leading as the Icon Player. The team also featured Archana UV, Ashutosh Naik, Chaithanya Chakravarthi, Chanchalakshi Kulal, Sandeep Heble, and Sanjib Hazra.
The Pirate Gang, the runners-up team, was led by Mahesh Prabhu as the captain, with Sanjay Kumar as the Icon Player. Ajish Kumar, Dr. Shankar Rivankar, Marina Albuquerque, Pankaj Lunge, Ravi Sarangapani, Shikha Lamb, and Veerpal Singh Verma were the other members of the runners up squad.
Bibhash Chatterjee, the Founder of Enthu Buddies, Vinayak Kamat (SAG Coach), Sandeep Heble, Parag Chauhan, and Darwin Barreto, committee members of the Panjim Badminton Club, graced the finals among others.
In addition to the team competitions, the Masters Badminton League featured various individual events, showcasing the exceptional talent of the players. The results of the individual events are as follows:
Men’s Doubles 80+ (Combined age):
Winners: Navneet Nasnodkar / Parag Chauhan; Runners-up: Mahesh Prabhu / Parimalzeghan
Men’s Doubles 90+ (Combined age):
Winners: Parag Chauhan / Darwin Barreto; Runners-up: Mahesh Prabhu / Parimalzeghan
Men’s Doubles 110+(Combined age):
Winners: Sunil Pai / Ravish Kumar; Runners-up: Wilson D’Souza / Aniruddha Bhosle
Women’s Doubles:
Winners: S. Banu / Sujaya Shetty; Runners-up: Archana UV / Junaida
Mixed Doubles:
Winners: S. Banu / Parimelazhagan; Runners-up: Parag Chauhan / Savio Lamb