Calicut varsity halts host KRU’s winning streak

Vijayawada: The league stage of the All India Inter-University Netball Women Tournament witnessed high-intensity action on Tuesday, with University of Calicut halting the impressive winning streak of host Krishna University. Calicut registered a commanding 66–26 victory, displaying complete dominance in both attack and defence. In another thrilling contest, Savitribai Phule Pune University edged past Hemchand Yadav Vishwavidyalaya with a narrow 61–59 win, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats until the final whistle. The five-day tournament, organised by Maris Stella College for Women under the aegis of Krishna University, is being held in Vijayawada. MLC Alapati Rajendra Prasad and Krishna University Vice-Chancellor Prof K Ramji attended the inaugural session of the league matches, where organisers introduced the participating teams to the guests. The national-level tournament will conclude on Wednesday with the finals, followed by a prize distribution ceremony.

In the knockout stage, in Pool D, defending champions Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, suffered a heavy defeat to the University of Calicut, which secured a massive 69–24 win — the highest margin of the day — to enter the league stage. In Pool A, Savitribai Phule Pune University defeated last year’s runners-up, Punjabi University, Chandigarh, 46–33 with superior attacking play and consistency. Pool B witnessed a closely fought encounter in which Hemchand Yadav Vishwavidyalaya overcame University of Delhi, last year's semi-finalist, with 50–44, relying on strong defence and teamwork. In Pool C, host Krishna University delighted the home crowd by defeating Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University 39–35 in a nail-biting finish.