<p>Karnataka men overcame a slow start to thump Andhra Pradesh 40-10 and qualify for the pre-quarterfinals in the 63rd Senior National Kabaddi Championship at the Malleswaram grounds here on Friday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Both sides concentrated on their defending during the first few minutes as the game took a while to gather pace.<br /><br />Sukesh Hegde and Prashanth Rai failed with their initial few raids but the defence did their job as Karnataka took time to settle into a rhythm.<br /><br />Hegde then started doing what he does best, scoring freely with his raids and, at one stage, bagged seven points from two raids.<br /><br />The defensive trio of BS Santosh, Jeeva Kumar and Rajaguru were rock solid as Andhra's raiders Harathi Vadan and P Manikanta were stifled on each raid.<br /><br />With every department firing on all cylinders, Karnataka went into the break with a comfortable 25-6 lead.<br /><br />In the second half, Hegde continued to enthral everyone present with his fine footwork and evading capabilities.<br /><br />The game was stopped for a short while as a light pole malfunctioned causing a minor fire. Fortunately, the organisers were alert and doused the fire, which could have put the audience in risk of serious harm.<br />After the restart, Karnataka slowed their pace but were tactically compact as they coasted home. Hegde top scored, collecting 13 points in 16 raids.<br />In an earlier fixture, Karnataka women had it easy as they drubbed Assam 44-16.<br />Assam had no answers to Divya and Navya's raids as they bagged an impressive 11 points each.<br /><br />The real dangers of kabaddi were exposed when Assam’s Bhanita Bora collapsed after a tackle during her side's fixture against BAKA.<br /><br />Bora was immediately given first aid but since there were complications with her breathing, she was rushed to the nearby KC General hospital.<br /><br />“She is fine now, the doctors did an ECG and X-rays just to be safe and it was normal,” said a player from the Assam men's team. She was discharged from the hospital later in the night.<br /><br />DH News Service<br />Results: Men: Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Jharkhand 69-24; Jharkhand bt Jammu and Kashmir 46-44; Group B: Gujarat bt Vidarbha 45-44; Himachal Pradesh bt Manipur 42-19; Himachal Pradesh bt Vidarbha 53-22; Group C: Puducherry bt Chhattisgarh 37-33; Group D: Telangana bt Bihar 37-8; Group E: Karnataka bt Andhra Pradesh 40-10; Uttarakhand bt West Bengal (state unit) 46-27; Uttarakhand bt Maharashtra 19-17; BAKA bt BSNL 41-35; Group F: Indian Railway bt Tripura 49-17; Delhi bt Goa 25-19; Delhi bt Chandigarh 37-28; Madhya Pradesh bt Chandigarh 38-12.<br /><br />Women: Group A: Andhra Pradesh bt Vidarbha 41-21; Group B: Kerala bt Odisha 40-15; Odisha bt Jammu and Kashmir 44-5; Odisha bt Chhattisgarh 38-34; Group C: Himachal Pradesh bt Telangana 49-21; Uttar Pradesh bt Puducherry 66-14; Uttar Pradesh bt Telangana 33-16; Group D: Bihar bt Goa 23-14; Group F: Karnataka bt Assam 44-16; BAKA bt Assam 37-22; Chandigarh bt Karnataka 36-20. </p>
<p>Karnataka men overcame a slow start to thump Andhra Pradesh 40-10 and qualify for the pre-quarterfinals in the 63rd Senior National Kabaddi Championship at the Malleswaram grounds here on Friday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Both sides concentrated on their defending during the first few minutes as the game took a while to gather pace.<br /><br />Sukesh Hegde and Prashanth Rai failed with their initial few raids but the defence did their job as Karnataka took time to settle into a rhythm.<br /><br />Hegde then started doing what he does best, scoring freely with his raids and, at one stage, bagged seven points from two raids.<br /><br />The defensive trio of BS Santosh, Jeeva Kumar and Rajaguru were rock solid as Andhra's raiders Harathi Vadan and P Manikanta were stifled on each raid.<br /><br />With every department firing on all cylinders, Karnataka went into the break with a comfortable 25-6 lead.<br /><br />In the second half, Hegde continued to enthral everyone present with his fine footwork and evading capabilities.<br /><br />The game was stopped for a short while as a light pole malfunctioned causing a minor fire. Fortunately, the organisers were alert and doused the fire, which could have put the audience in risk of serious harm.<br />After the restart, Karnataka slowed their pace but were tactically compact as they coasted home. Hegde top scored, collecting 13 points in 16 raids.<br />In an earlier fixture, Karnataka women had it easy as they drubbed Assam 44-16.<br />Assam had no answers to Divya and Navya's raids as they bagged an impressive 11 points each.<br /><br />The real dangers of kabaddi were exposed when Assam’s Bhanita Bora collapsed after a tackle during her side's fixture against BAKA.<br /><br />Bora was immediately given first aid but since there were complications with her breathing, she was rushed to the nearby KC General hospital.<br /><br />“She is fine now, the doctors did an ECG and X-rays just to be safe and it was normal,” said a player from the Assam men's team. She was discharged from the hospital later in the night.<br /><br />DH News Service<br />Results: Men: Group A: Tamil Nadu bt Jharkhand 69-24; Jharkhand bt Jammu and Kashmir 46-44; Group B: Gujarat bt Vidarbha 45-44; Himachal Pradesh bt Manipur 42-19; Himachal Pradesh bt Vidarbha 53-22; Group C: Puducherry bt Chhattisgarh 37-33; Group D: Telangana bt Bihar 37-8; Group E: Karnataka bt Andhra Pradesh 40-10; Uttarakhand bt West Bengal (state unit) 46-27; Uttarakhand bt Maharashtra 19-17; BAKA bt BSNL 41-35; Group F: Indian Railway bt Tripura 49-17; Delhi bt Goa 25-19; Delhi bt Chandigarh 37-28; Madhya Pradesh bt Chandigarh 38-12.<br /><br />Women: Group A: Andhra Pradesh bt Vidarbha 41-21; Group B: Kerala bt Odisha 40-15; Odisha bt Jammu and Kashmir 44-5; Odisha bt Chhattisgarh 38-34; Group C: Himachal Pradesh bt Telangana 49-21; Uttar Pradesh bt Puducherry 66-14; Uttar Pradesh bt Telangana 33-16; Group D: Bihar bt Goa 23-14; Group F: Karnataka bt Assam 44-16; BAKA bt Assam 37-22; Chandigarh bt Karnataka 36-20. </p>
