Ahmedabad, Oct 25 Canada opened their account in the Group B points table with a clinical 74-28 victory over Australia on the third day of the inaugural Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship here on Sunday.
Canada became the first men’s team to score over 70 points in a single match in the tournament. Anmol Thakur and Manpreet Singh shone for Canada, claiming 18 and 15 points respectively. Divjot Singh was Australia’s standout performer with 11 points.
Australia struggled defensively in the early exchanges, failing to win crucial tackle points at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex.
Canada took control with an impressive attacking display. They put the opposition on the backfoot by securing two all-outs in the first half. Canada continued their dominance by inflicting three additional all-outs in the second half.
After the lopsided opening game of the day, Sri Lanka and Uganda squared off in a closely contested affair. Uganda put Sri Lanka under pressure with their defensive strategy aimed at containing ace raider Milinda Chathuranga. It helped them eke out a three-point lead in the first half.
However, Sri Lanka staged a brilliant turnaround in the final 10 minutes to secure a hard-fought 36-34 victory. They extended their unbeaten run to three matches. Chathuranga shone with 11 points, while Uganda’s Douglas Mulalira finished with eight points.
England took on Nigeria in the third match of the day. Both sides came into the clash searching for their maiden win of the tournament. Nigeria made a poor start, conceding an all-out in just seven minutes.
Nigeria could not recover after the early loss of momentum. Ahrujan Ragunathan and Alvin Jaison claimed 11 points each, powering England to a comfortable 68-18 triumph. The Nigerian side’s defence got completely exposed, and they managed just five tackle points.
Notably, England clinched 10 all-out points, not giving any chance of a comeback to their counterparts.
The women’s action kicked off with Singapore taking on Nigeria. The two teams were locked in a tight contest at the halfway mark, with just one point separating them as the score read 12-11 in Nigeria’s favour.
It turned out to be a one-sided contest in the second half, with Nigeria women claiming their historic first win of the tournament. Singapore women succumbed to their third straight defeat, losing 20-43.
Robert Moses led the attack with 13 points for Nigeria women, while Dennis Udeme showcased defensive brilliance with nine tackle points. Sindini Anandarajan scored 11 points for Singapore women, including eight touch points.
Sri Lanka women beat England women 65-16 in another fixture. Sri Lanka got off to a terrific start, completing an all-out in the first three minutes, with England yet to get off the mark.
The Asian side claimed a decisive 28-point lead in the first half. The English women managed just six points, five of which were courtesy of Aksheya Ambadi.
England failed to show significant improvement in the second half and slumped to a heavy defeat. England’s defence let them down as they failed to claim a single tackle point. Deshani was instrumental in Sri Lanka’s clinical win, recording 14 points.
(PTI News)
