Sri Devi are Kabaddi champs again Ajitpal Singh

KUALA LUMPUR: Sri Devi Club captured their third consecutive Kuala Lumpur Open Kabaddi Championships by defeating Selangor's Sivasangkari 34-17 at Dataran Merdeka, last weekend.

Sivasangkari, led by lead raider A. Anantharaju, had drawn first blood by taking a 5-3 lead against their Kuala Lumpur rivals.

But Sivasangkari then began to play cautiously and soon paid the price by conceding two easy points. The score was tied 7-7 at halftime.

In the second half, Sivasangkari seized the initiative and took a 21-7 lead.

But Sri Devi, comprising players who won gold for Selangor in the recent Terengganu Malaysia Games, quickly erased the deficit.

With their lead raiders -- former national player M. Paramasiven and skipper K. Siva -- getting into their rhythm, Sri Devi drew level at 12-12 and raked in points after points against Sivasangkari to win 34-17.

Sri Devi's P. Dharmenthiran was named the tournament's best player.

But Sri Devi failed to land the women's title when they were edged by Seri Garing whose S. Gomathi was named best player of the event.

A total of 17 clubs from Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak, Pahang and Negri Sembilan participated.

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