The Hindu : Sport / Volleyball : Kozhikode crashes out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

Sport

Sport - Volleyball

Kozhikode crashes out

KOCHI, DEC. 27. Defending men's champion Kozhikode crashed out of the Kerala State senior volleyball championship at the Pappan Stadium, Varapuzha, on Monday. The team lost both its matches in the three-team Group `A' and failed to qualify for the quarterfinals from the league phase.

With State stars T.K. Sreesh and Azeez (both Customs players based in Ernakulam) playing for the team, Kozhikode had been a major force the last few years. But this year, with the Ernakulam District Volleyball Association failing to release the two to play for other districts, Kozhikode was just a mediocre side.

Despite being a district where some of India's best teams frequently rush to search for talent and to strengthen their teams, Kozhikode could not even field a full bench here. And the team lost to both Idukki and Kollam.

Idukki and Kollam marched to the men's quarterfinals from Group `A' while Thiruvananthapuram, packed with KSEB players, and Kannur made the grade from Group `B'.

The results (league): Men's Pool A: Kollam bt Kozhikode 25-20, 25-17, 17-25, 25-23; Idukki bt Kozhikode 25-14, 20-25, 25-19, 25-20. Pool B: Thiruvananthapuram bt Thrissur 25-18, 25-18, 25-15; Thiruvananthapuram bt Palakkad 25-20, 25-14, 25-22; Kannur bt Palakkad 25-11, 25-23, 25-14; Palakkad bt Thrissur 25-12, 25-21, 23-25, 14-25, 16-14. — Our Principal Correspondent

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