Madras Boat Club upsets Karachi team

On a day when local rowers stole the limelight, Madras Boat Club team upset the Pakistan and Calcutta teams in the 65th Amateur Rowing Association of the East (ARAE) Regatta on the waters of the Adyar river here today.

The men's fours team comprising Siddharth, Neville J. Bilimoria, Palaniappan, Veethraj and coxed by Ritesh Gopinath trounced the Pakistani team consisting of Asif Adam Ali, Asgher Ali, Mohammad Tobeh, Akhund Siddqui from Karachi The coxed rower Rahul lead with a timing of 2.37 seconds, in one boat. The Men's Fours team trounced Karachi Boat Club, in the closest race of the day by one length.

In the men's pairs race, Madras Boat Club B team upset Calcutta Rowing Club.

The other upset was the Madras sculler beating the last year's winner. Rahul Baliga defeated Guru Preeth in about 2.49 seconds.

Madras Boad Club B team also stole the limelight when they beat Colombo Rowing Club in the men's Single Sculls.

Each team is allowed to field two teams in each category of a race. With traditional rivalry and simmering undercurrents taking over, close races are expected on the morrow and the day after in the finals.