Hyderabad, Oct 14 (IANS) Prithviraaj Yodhas made light of the three Sudden Death tiebreakers they had needed against Chero Archers in the reverse fixture on Wednesday, and registered a convincing 5-1 win in Season 2 of the Archery Premier League (APL) in Hyderabad.
The Yodhas were led by some superb shooting by 16-year-old recurve archer Gatha Anandrao Khadake, who shot 58 out of a possible 60, and Asian Games compound medallist Ganesh Thirumuru (59).
With this win, Yodhas arrested their own mini slump and moved up to eight points while Chero Archers – who had started the season brightly- have now suffered three straight defeats.
Archery Premier League (APL), the world’s first franchise-based archery league, is initiated by the Archery Association of India and comprises six teams and a total of 48 archers, with 36 Indians and 12 elite international stars. The league, taking place at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, will culminate on October 18 with the grand finale featuring the top four teams in the semifinals, followed by the title clash.
Carrying on from where they left off in their previous meeting, it appeared as though there would be very little to separate the two sides as they tied the first set 75-75. But the second set would slip away from Chero as Kumkum Mohod was left with little time to shoot the final arrow, and she could manage only a 7, while Yodhas finished the set strongly with four 10s.
USA’s Casey Kaufhold then replaced Kumkum ahead of the third set, but she started with an 8 that opened up a window for Yodhas, who saw Gatha step up once more with two 10s in that set. Mathias Grande calmly closed out the set and match 77-74.
On Thursday, as the league phase heads into its business end, Prithviraaj Yodhas will hope to capitalise on Chola Chiefs’ inconsistent form and move closer to the semifinals in the first match. Defending champions Rajputana Royals will face the red-hot Mighty Marathas in the second match, and the day’s action will conclude with local franchise Kakatiya Knights facing Chero Archers in what could be the match of the day.
SCORES: DAY 7
Match 1: Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-1 (75-75, 77-75, 77-74) Chero Archers
–IANS
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