Staff Reporter RAIPUR 

 

The Chhattisgarh senior women’s beach handball team has made a strong start at the Senior National Beach Handball Championship held in Guwahati, Assam. In their opening match, they defeated Bihar by 40-14. Organised by the Assam Handball Association under the aegis of the Handball Association of India, the championship is being held at the Sarusajai Sports Complex from January 10 to 13. The 12-member Chhattisgarh team, comprising 10 players, a coach, and a manager, has been training rigorously for this competition. The team members are Bhavika Ramteke, Kanchan Mahanand, Priya Tiwari from Durg district, Priya, Kajal, Meenu, Nikki, Gaurav, Kajal from South East

 

 

Central Railway, Bilaspur, and Preeti Sahu from Raipur District. The team is coached by Amita Mohapatra and Shabnam Feroz Ansari of South East Central Railway, Bilaspur. Selected after a rigorous trial held in Bhilai on January 2, the team underwent a week-long training camp before departing for Guwahati. The team’s dedication and hard work have already paid off, as evidenced by their impressive victory over Bihar. The Chhattisgarh team is placed in Pool C along with Bihar, Manipur, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh. The quarter-finals are scheduled for the evening of January 12. The Chhattisgarh Handball

 

Association has provided the team with railway tickets, daily allowances, sports kits for players, and T-shirts for the coach and manager. The team left for Guwahati on January 7 and will return on January 16. The team has received widespread support from various sports associations in Chhattisgarh, including the Chhattisgarh Handball Association, Chhattisgarh Olympic Association, and others. Officials and members of these associations have extended their best wishes to the team and expressed confidence in their ability to win a medal at the championship.