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Tropical Titans leads Points Table after 8 races of CBL-2

Winning their fourth race in a row, reigning champions Tropical Titans pushed Mighty Oars to the second position in season two of the Champions Boat League (CBL-2) amid an equally strong challenge from Raging Rowers, who finished third in the eight races at Thazhathangadi in Kottayam district.

Only towards the last 20 metres of the finals did Tropical Titans (originally named Pallathuruthy Boat Club, on the famed ‘Mahadevikad Kattil Thekkethil’ snake-boat) manage to overtake their rivals, and emerge victorious in the final where the picture kept altering, much to the thrill of the cheering crowds. The reigning champions clocked 3:15.09 minutes, just ahead of Mighty Oars (traditionally NCDC, Nadubhagam) who finished second in 3:16.16 minutes, followed by Raging Rowers (Kerala Police Boat Club, Champakulam) in 3:17.32.

The Thazhathangadi results popped up the same set of top three winners as did the Kainakary races in Alappuzha district last Saturday, but the final here was peppered with nail-biting moments. All three teams surged at the same pace in the first 100 metres, after which Mighty Oars began to take lead. But halfway along the track, Raging Rowers looked set to be the winners. This provoked Tropical Titans and Mighty Oars, who then began leading the race in a neck-and-neck competition. The last 20 metres saw the reigning champions rising to their true form and out-rowing their best rivals.

The next round of CBL-2 is slated at Pandanad near Chengannur in Alappuzha district on November 5. The final of the IPL-style nine-boat tournament by Kerala Tourism is at Kollam on November 26.

With the Thazhathangadi races, Tropical Titans (78 points) continue to stay on top of the overall tally. The reigning champions are followed by Mighty Oars (69) and Raging Rowers (60). Ripple Breakers are the fourth with 54 points, and the next is Pride Chasers (48). Coast Dominators (43) stands at the sixth spot, while Backwater Knights (28) comes seventh, followed by Backwater Warriors (27) and Thunder Oars (25).

The CBL-2 venues after next Saturday’s Pandanad are Kayamkulam in Alappuzha district (November 12) and Kallada in Kollam district (November 19) before the finals in Kollam.

If you want to catch up on the boat races, see the videos at https://www.keralatourism.org/video-gallery/champions-boat-league