Midhun Markose All India Basketball Championships: Day One

Ligy Mathew for KSEB in the opening match of the 1st All India Midhun Markose Basketball Championships. (Photo Courtesy: Kerala Basketball Association)

Arjuna Awardee Padmini Thomas, the President of the Kerala State Sports Council inaugurated the 1^st Midhun Markose TDBA All India Open Prize Money Basketball Tournament for Men and Women at the flood lit Central Stadium basketball court, Thiruvanthapuram.

In the inaugural match in the women’s section, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Thiruvanthapuram defeated Kerala Police 55-34. KSEB girls who trailed 23-26 at half time came back strongly in the second half to beat Kerala Police. For KSEB, Rosmy Thomas top scored with 13 points followed by Merlin Baby making 12 and Ligy Mathew with 11 points. For Police, Neenumol was the top scorer making 17 points.

The second match of the day featured the men’s section favorites Indian Overseas Bank against the Kerala Police men’s team. After trailing 32-38 in the first half, IOB made good use of their height advantage to mount a strong comeback and beat a fighting Kerala Police 68-59. IOB’s former international Aravind top scored with 17 points and Abhilek Paul contributed 16 points for the victory. For Police, Jijo Paul came up with 15 points and was supported by Jomon Jose with 13.

In the final match of the day, Indian Army led 26-17 in the first half and defeated KSEB with the final score of 59-38. For the Army team, Gopal Ram was the top scorer with 13 points followed by Mayor Bhat making 11. For KSEB, Edwin Irwin was the top scorer with 16 points.

The Tournament is being organised by the Thiruvanthapuram District Basketball Association (TDBA) which was established in 1930. TDBA has had the experience of conducting more than 20 National events. But this was the first time in 13 years that an An All India Tournament was brought to Thiruvanthapuram.

In the men’s section, seven teams are divided into two groups and will play on a league cum knockout basis while in the women’s section four teams will play on a league basis. The top teams from India which includes Indian Army from New Delhi, Indian Overseas Bank of Chennai, Vijaya Bank from Bangalore apart from the local outfits Customs and Central Excise Kochi, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), Kerala Police and Mar Baselios College of Engineering from Thiruvanthapuram . The women’s teams are Mumbai Central Railway, South Western Railway from Hubli and Kerala Police and KSEB from Thiruvanthapuram. The championship has a total prize money of 1.5 lakhs.

Detailed Scores

Women

KSEB, Thiruvanthapuram 54 (Rosmy Thomas 13, Merlin Baby 12, Rojamol G 11) bt Kerala Police 34 (Neenumol PS 17, Asha Abraham 10)

Men

Indian Army, New Delhi 59 (Gopal Ram 13, Mayur Bhat 11, Jitin Joseph 10) bt KSEB, Thiruvanthapuram 48 (Edwin Irwin 16, Ashin Xavier Philiph 10, Ajeeth Suguunan 10)

Indian Overseas Bank, Chennai 68 ( Aravind 17, Mihir Pandey 16, Sivabalan 11) bt Kerala Police 59 (Jijo Thankachan 15, Jomon Jose 13, Shan Shoukathali 11)

Monday’s Matches

· 4.30pm (Women) Central Railway VS Kerala Police

· 6.00pm (Men) Vijaya Bank, Bangalore VS Kerala Police

· 7.30pm (Women) South Western Railway, Hubli VS KSEB

· 9.00pm (Men) Customs and Central Excise, Kochi VS Mar Baselios Engineering College, Thiruvanthapuram