Kolkata, Nov 11 : Defending champion Chikkarangappa took the sole lead after the second round of the Lalit Suri Eastern India Championship golf at the par-70 Tollygunge Golf Club here Wednesday.

A second-round 69, which followed his two-under 68, has put him at three-under for the tournament, one shot clear of second-placed Ashbeer Saini.

Arjun Puri emerged the leader in the juniormost group as the Category D (u-10) player at 12-over 82. Roshan Raj, at eight-over 148, leads in Category B (u-15) and is closely tailed by Delhi kid Honey Baisoya, who is one back at nine-over 149.

Local lad Viraj Madappa, one of the favourites in Category C (u-12), maintained his lead in this group despite a poor second round of five-over 75. At four-over 144 for the tournament, he holds a two-shot lead over Feroze Grewal.

But the main action was in Category A as the top two juniors, Chikkarangappa and Saini resumed their battle. Both players, playing together, had a similar start with Chikkarangappa making the turn at level-par with a bogey on the 18th (he started from the 10th) while a double bogey on the 17th pushed back Ashbeer by one stroke. But on their second-nine both of them played one-under to be the only players under par after the first two rounds. (IANS)