Rajputana Royals stay unbeaten; Kakatiya Knights notch first win in APL

New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) Rajputana Royals maintained their unbeaten run with a thrilling shoot-off win over Chero Archers, while Kakatiya Knights registered their first victory on a rain-hit Archery Premier League, here on Monday.

Mighty Marathas began the day with a 6-2 win over Prithviraaj Yodhas, before the Knights overcame Chola Chiefs 5-3 in a four-set battle.

In the marquee contest of the evening, the Royals and the Chero Archers were tied 4-4 after four closely fought sets (69-74, 77-74, 77-76, 74-77) before the Royals held their nerve in the shoot-off.

Substitute Ella Gibson proved to be the difference, hitting the lone target while all others missed, sealing the Royals' fifth straight win.

Compound archer Swati Dudhwal and recurve star Mete Gazoz starred for the Royals, while Katharina Bauer and Mathias Fullerton were the top performers for Chero Archers.

The result ensured the Royals stayed on top as the first round-robin stage heads into its final set of matches on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Knights finally ended their winless streak with a hard-fought win over the Chiefs, clinching the decider 77-75 after the sets were shared 75-75, 75-70, 73-75.

Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Nico were standout performers for the Knights, while veteran Tarundeep Rai and Yadav impressed for the Chiefs.

The opening match saw the Marathas dominate from the start with debutant Aman Saini and Parneet Kaur leading the charge.

Despite resistance from Abhishek Verma and Andrea Becerra, the Yodhas fell short 6-2, with the Marathas sealing the contest in the rain-affected fourth set. PTI TAP DDV