India team champions

S.M. Jiffrey ABDEEN -Kandy Sports Correspondent

India won the International Team Championship while 18-year-old Mohamed Sajib Ali of Bangladesh shot into the lead with an excellent 70 at the 124th Sri Lanka Amateur Golf Championship organized by the Sri Lanka Golf Union and Sponsored by E-wis and Audi and with the support of Victoria Golf and Country Resort and played at the Victoria Golf Course at Rajawella off Kandy yesterday.

The third round of the championship will be continued today at 7.30 a.m.

The Indian pair Gagan Varma (146) and S. Chikkarunappa (151) ran up a total of 297 points over the two rounds to pip Bangladesh at the post to win by a single stroke. Bangladesh made 298 through Mohamed Liton (155) and Mohamed Sajib Ali (143) and they were in total command of the championship till the final hole when poor play resulted in a 'bogy' and they lost valuable points which denied them of the championship title.

Sri Lanka finished with 299 points with Vijitha Bandara making 153 and N. Thangaraja totalling 146 over the two rounds.

Pakistan were placed fourth with 303 points and Malaysia finished fifth with 303 points in a closely contested championship. Sajib Ali of Bangladesh put up an excellent performance to register a fine 70 to lead the race in this prestigious champion. He made 73 in the first round and was placed fourth. Now he has a total of 143.

N. Range of Sri Lanka who led at the end of first round with a score of 69 made 77 yesterday and he has dropped to second place with 146 and also having the same scores were N. Thangaraja (SL) Gagan Verma (India).

Two more rounds will be played today and tomorrow and the competition is still open and anything could happen between the first ten.