United States National Carrom Championship 2013 : Dr. Nilesh D. Mehta

Carrom enthusiasts from all over the United States flocked to Cleveland, Ohio to participate in the 18th US National Carrom championship and the prestigious D. D. Mehta Carrom Trophy.  While the city of Cleveland is famous for Rock and Roll museum, NFL franchise Browns, NBA team Cavaliers, and MLB Indians, it was carrom that garnered attention for the weekend in September.

In conjunction with the indefatigable secretary Atul Bhave, Saravanan Chandrababu picked an extremely friendly venue at Tadka restaurant that provided impeccable playing conditions for the carrom lovers. Sanjay Modi, owner of the restaurant ensured that the voracious appetites of the players would be met with generosity by the massive spread of food that was available each day.

There was a record participation of women players this year and Umamaheshwari Munagala emerged as the champion by beating Nilima 25-2. She was clearly the pick of all women participants and displayed her carrom abilities in an extremely cool temperament.

There was a significant presence of carrom players from the land of Canucks. Our carrom friends north of the border came in large numbers to challenge their US counterparts. Francis D’costa, an accomplished player, has rendered yeomen service in Toronto by motivating players to participate and give this sport a new meaning.

In the Canadian group of players, a “new” talent emerged and he became the talk of the tournament.  Louis Fernandes dusted off his carrom striker a few months ago to get into the fray of this annual competition.  Louis took the crowd by surprise by storming into the final of this 18th edition of the carrom championship. There were predictions amongst the elite carrom players that it would be US vs. Canada final.  And, they were not disappointed.

Louis was in for a fierce match in the finals facing the dominant Saravanan Chandrababu. Saravanan has practically “owned” the Championship by winning six consecutive tournaments and the D. D. Mehta trophy. According to some senior carrom players, there was a concern that since Saravanan has not had any serious competition in the previous championships, this final might not be a cakewalk.

There were several moments that captured the attention of fans. Louis displayed a cool and calm character throughout the game while he fought the Cleveland based champion. Saravanan trailed by one match and now it was time for him to show his class and authority. Saravanan is known for his supreme confidence and it was his innate aggression that allowed him to level the match 1-1.

The fans were in for a truly remarkable third match of the final that went down to the wire with the last board deciding the outcome. After Louis displayed a fantastic cut and pull stroke, Saravanan roared back with a tremendous finish to clinch the seventh D. D. Mehta trophy and seventh consecutive US National championship. That truly is a remarkable achievement in any corner of the world of sports.

Sridhar Galipelli and Sekhar Challa captured the 3rd and 4th spots in Singles competition.

US Nationals Carrom Doubles Championship:

27 pairs participated in the doubles tournament and the top four pairs made it to the semi-finals after a Swiss Round Robin format. In the semi-final match between Dr. Nilesh D. Mehta/Saravanan vs. Atul Kharecha/Sridhar Galipelli, there were some anxious moments for both teams, but the opening board of the second match set the tone for Saravanan’s team to leap into the finals. Saravanan swept the board after a tremendous break by Nilesh that made Atul Kharecha a mere spectator on that board.

Dr. Shivaram Gowdagere/Subramanian L “Subbu” paired up and played against the established and dominant pair of Sekhar Challa/Vishal Karangutkar. Subbu played the shot of the tournament when he caressed a coin on the opposite frame with a silken touch into the pocket and the crowd erupted with “Subbu” “Subbu” chants.

In the final, Nilesh Mehta and Saravanan won in two straight games. Despite some good finishes by Subbu, Nilesh and Saravanan persisted with their game plan of controlled aggression. Saravanan again emerged the ultimate winner securing his place as the best player of the tournament. Nilesh was an able ally throughout the finals.

This was an emotional event for Saravanan who just got married two weeks prior to the tournament. It was a family event for the tournament host and US Carrom’s celebrated champion with his brother, wife, and his parents witnessing history being made in the US carrom championships. There was hugs all around the Saravanan family following this triumph making him the best player US Carrom fraternity has ever seen. The best new player award was given to Louis Fernandes and Uma emerged as the best woman player.

It was an extremely well organized event in Cleveland and all carrom players showered their praise for the local organizers as well as the volunteers – Parag Pandit, Vishal Karangutkar, Atul Bhave, Neil Khatu. A special mention was made for the President of US Carrom Association Mr. Hasmukh Patel who has been a pillar for the organization during some tough previous years.

Congrats to US Carrom Association.

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