Patrick Rafter, Davenport tuned up
By Sanjay Manchanda
REIGNING champion, Patrick Rafter and home favourite, Lindsay Davenport look perfectly tuned up for the year’s last grand slam — the US Open-beginning at Flushing Meadows on August 31.
S. Africa - England series highlights
By S. Pervez Qaiser
England defeated South Africa by 23 runs in the fifth and final Test match at Headingley, Leeds, to win the five-Test series 2-1. England also won the fourth Test match, by eight wickets, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. South Africa’s only victory in the series, by 10 wickets, came in the second Test at Lord’s.

Do not devalue
Arjuna Award
By Ramu Sharma
WHAT is happening in the world of the "Arjuna Award"? Every announcement of the names of the year’s nominees is received with protests from one source or the other.

Guru Nanak Dev
University
does it again
By Ashok Sethi
Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, has once again proved its supremacy in all-India inter-varsity sports by lifting the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for the thirteenth time for the year 1996-97.

Patrick Rafter, Davenport tuned up
By Sanjay Manchanda

REIGNING champion, Patrick Rafter and home favourite, Lindsay Davenport look perfectly tuned up for the year’s last grand slam — the US Open-beginning at Flushing Meadows on August 31. Both players carry a winning streak of 11 and 12 matches, respectively, into the prestigious championship being billed as the one that will bring to the fore fierce competitiveness and cut-throat oneup-manship. Rafter’s streak, however, was broken last week at the New Haven championship, when he felt drained out against France’s Guillaume Raoux.

Rafter, Australia’s latest tennis idol, undoubtedly has been the hottest player on tour recently, winning six consecutive matches against top-15 opponents. Ranked third in the world, behind Marcelo Rios and Pete Sampras, Rafter won his fourth ATP title of the year last week after defeating Sampras 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in the $ 2.45 million ATP championships. He, thus, became the first Australian to win four titles in a year since Rod Laver did it in 1975.

Most former Australian players rate Rafter very highly and John Newcombe is already backing him to win the 1998 US Open. He strongly believes that Rafter is yet to reach his peak and is capable of taking the world No 1 spot.

"By the end of 1999 you will see him as a pretty complete player and then he will have his best years in 2000 and 2001," Newcombe has declared. "I am fairly confident I will be proven right that by the end of 2001, Pat will have three or four grand slams under his belt and will have spent his share of time at No 1."

On the other hand, Sampras will also be fully geed up to thwart the Australian’s designs of annexing his second US Open title in a row. Moreover, the American would like to strengthen his hold on the No 1 ranking that he regained from Rios only this week, apart from avenging his recent loss to Rafter in the ATP championships. Another motivation for "Pistol Pete" would be to match the Australian great Roy Emerson’s all-time record of 12 grand slam singles titles and tie Jimmy Connors’s mark of five US Open singles titles in the open era.

Andre Agassi, another effervescent American, who is trying to rediscover his old magical form, will be the player to watch out for. A former champion at the US Open, Agassi has always found the hard courts of Flushing Meadows to his liking and he would like to use these as an ideal launching pad to vault him once again in the top-10 bracket.

Others expected to make a mark at the next week’s tournament include the current world No 2, Rios, the strong Dutchman, Richard Krajicek, the hard-serving Croat, Goran Ivanisevic, the ever-reliable Americans, Michael Chang and Todd Martin, and the powerful Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Indian tennis fans, however, will be keenly interested in none other than their own favourite star, Leander Paes, who after being ranked exactly at 100 in the latest ATP rankings, should get a direct entry into the championships. The tournament director, Jay Snyder has already announced that the top 104 players would be entered directly into the 1998 US Open Tennis Championships.

The Indian No 1 player, of late seems to have regained his footing in singles after clinching his first ATP title by winning the Hall of Fame Championships in Newport. Only last week, he notched another sensational straight-set victory over Switzerland’s Mac Rosset, a former top 10 player in the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament at New Haven.

But the real ripples he caused in tennis circles when he went on to scalp the players of the calibre of Sergi Bruguera and the world No 1 player, Pete Sampras in the next two rounds, both in straight sets. The amazing victories just went on to confirm that it is after seven years of rigorous ATP tour that Leander has now begun to play to his true potential. Though the American superstar has attributed the loss to his recent lack of motivation since winning Wimbledon, Leander’s feat can never be discredited, for it was achieved on a hardcourt that has always been considered by Sampras as his own backyard.

The closest the Indian No 1 had come to beating a player of Sampras’ stature was in the 1996 US Open, when he led Andre Agassi for two and a half sets before going down in five. After these astounding wins of New Haven, Leander looks headed for his best-ever tour ranking well into the 70’s.

His doubles partner, Mahesh Bhupathi, however, continues to struggle in singles. He has been constantly losing to lesser known players on the circuit to disappoint his Indian fans. For last week’s New Haven tournament, Bhupathi even failed to qualify, going down tamely to a rather unfancied opponent, Ivo Hemberger. And one wouldn’t be surprised if he meets the same fate at the US Open, given his current singles form and the enormity of competition in the grand slam qualifiers themselves.

In doubles, Leander and Bhupathi, must surely be aiming to fulfil their immediate ambition of pocketing the first grand slam title. Last year at the open, the Indian duo lost to the Dutch pair of Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh in the semi-finals, as they did at the same stage of this year’s Australian Open. Ranked No 3 in the doubles at present, behind the Dutchmen and the Aussies. Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge, the Indian pair must try at the Flushing Meadows to break the jinx of not winning a grand slam, which would go a long way in achieving their ultimate dream of becoming the top doubles combination in the world. The Woodies and the powerful Dutch duo, obviously, would be the biggest thorn in their flesh.

In the women’s section, though there may not be many contenders for the title, yet the interest among top five to six players would be at its peak.

Lindsay Davenport clearly enjoys an edge over others because she has hit top form just at the right time. In two lead-in tournaments to the US Open, the burly American has beaten the Swiss teenage sensation, Martina Hingis in two straight finals. As Davenport has herself admitted, she is better prepared for the open than any other earlier grand slams, the powerful right-hander looks all set to create history.

Besides Davenport, the world No 1 Martina Hingis, the deposed champion, Steffi Graf, all time favourite Monica Seles and the Wimbledon winner and runners-up, Jana Novotna and Nathalie Tauziat, respectively, will vie for the top honours. Of all these, Steffi’s performance at the open will be of great interest to her followers. Hampered by injuries last year and most of the first half of this year, the German, now 29, will probably look at this championships as her last chance to re-establish her supremacy, which she so admirably enjoyed until the end of 1996.

S. Africa - England series highlights
By S. Pervez Qaiser

• England defeated South Africa by 23 runs in the fifth and final Test match at Headingley, Leeds, to win the five-Test series 2-1. England also won the fourth Test match, by eight wickets, at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. South Africa’s only victory in the series, by 10 wickets, came in the second Test at Lord’s. It was England’s first five-Test series victory since they defeated Australia 2-1 in 1986-87.
• England have now played 751 Test matches, won 254, lost 214 and drawn 283. Their playing record against South Africa is — played 115 Tests, won 49, lost 21 and drawn 45. Of 49 victories recorded by England against South Africa, 25 were in South Africa and 24 in England.
• South Africa have now played 225 Test matches, won 58, lost 90 and drawn 77. Of 21 victories achieved by South Africa against England, 14 were in South Africa and seven in England.
• Hansie Cronje became the second South African batsman after Bruce Mitchell (3471 runs in 42 Tests) and 98th batsman in Test history to complete 3000 runs. He achieved this feat during his 65-run knock in South Africa’s second innings in the fourth Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. It was his 86th innings of his 50th Test match.
• Darren Gough became the 34th English bowler and 112fth bowler in Test history to complete 100 wickets. He achieved this feat when he had Johnty Rhodes caught by Flintoff in South Africa’s second innings in the fifth and final Test match at Headingley, Leeds. It was Gough’s 26th Test match.
• Graham Thorpe became the 42nd English player to play 50 or more Test match. The first Test match at Edgbaston, Birmingham, was Thorpe’s 50th Test match.
• Hansie Cronje became the second South African player after John Waite to play 50 or more Test matches. The fourth Test match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, was Cronje’s 50th Test match. After appearing in the fifth and final Test match at Leeds he set a new record of playing the Highest number of Test matches for South Africa. John Waite who played exactly 50 Test matches held the previous record.
• Mark Boucher became the second South African wicketkeeper and fifth in Test history to dismiss 25 or more batsmen behind the wicket in a Test series. He dismissed 27 batsmen in the series. It was the eighth instance when a wicketkeeper dismissed more than 25 batsmen in a series. Australian Ian Healy achieved this feat thrice while Rodney Marsh who holds the record of highest number of dismissals, 28 against England in 1982-83, performed this feat twice. Jack Russell (England), John Waite (South Africa) are the other wicketkeepers to achieve this distinction.
• Alec Stewart became the 19th wicketkeeper in Test cricket and sixth Englishman to dismiss 100 batsmen behind the wicket, Stewart achieved this feat when he caught Lance Klusener in South Africa’s first innings in the first Test match at Edgbaston, Birmingham. It was his 76th Test match. For the records Alec Stewart also took 27 catches in 41 Tests while not keeping wicket.
• By dismissing six batsmen in England’s first innings in the second Test match at Lord’s, Mark Boucher became the first South African wicketkeeper and second in Test cricket to dismiss six batsmen behind the wicket twice. He achieved this feat for the first time against Sri Lanka at Cape Town in 1997-98 series. England’s Jack Russell was the first wicketkeeper to achieve this distinction. Russell dismissed six Australian batsmen at Melbourne in 1990-91 and the same number of South African batsmen at Johannesburg in 1995-96.

Do not devalue Arjuna Award
By Ramu Sharma

WHAT is happening in the world of the "Arjuna Award"? Every announcement of the names of the year’s nominees is received with protests from one source or the other. What is more the person protesting is generally rewarded, his or her name figuring in the next list. "You want an Arjuna Award, make a noise and you will get it" appears to be the name of the game.

This year is no different. While one woman athlete has threatened a "stay-order" against the function to honour the "awardees" protests have come from S.D. Eashen, former shot putter, Premachandran, quarter-miler. And there are reports that one of the members of the gold medal winning women’s relay team in Fukuoka has sent in an application for Arjuna Award. Something is surely wrong with the people who decide on the Arjuna Awardees for the year. That is the only conclusion that can be drawn after the scrutiny of names announced for the current year by the Ministry of Human Resources and Development and Sports. No one grudges a sportsperson his or her due recognition. Sports in India needs all the encouragement it can but there is also need for some sort of a rational behind such acclaim.

Instituted in the 60s, the Arjuna Award, then in the hands of the Education Ministry officials, related to performances in the immediate past, say some two or three years. Not only that. The concerned Federation must recommend the names. But no matter how fair the federation and the government tried to be the selection of the sportspersons to be honoured with the Arjuna Award sometime left something to be desired. Not that those selected were underserving but maybe in some cases not as deserving as some of those not considered.

But this sort of thing was only to be expected. By and large the issue never received the media attention it does now. Of course some individuals with clout among the officials and in certain sections of the media did manage to draw the attention of the people concerned but such cases were rare. One can recollect just one instance when noise was made about alleged neglect of a senior sportsman, a world champion in his own right, and the prompt and positive response from the government. But this dispute was over the Padma Bhushan Award and not Arjuna Award.

It was Michael Ferreira, the world champion in billiards who voiced his protest, a genuine one, for being overlooked for the award. He felt slighted after it was announced that Sunil Gavaskar, the Little Master, would be honoured with the Padma Bhushan. Ferreira argued that his achievement was no less than that of Gavaskar and that he too should be treated on par. His argument was on the correct lines and the response from the awarding agency, the ministry, was also positive. He got his Padma Bhushan. It is quite a different matter that not everyone appreciated Ferreira’s outburst. For quite some people it amounted to begging for the award and that it did not suit either the personality or the person of Michael Ferreira, the world champion. But Ferreira did set a precedent.

It must, however, be noted that not many others, with equal credentials, were successful in their quest for recognition at that level. One of India’s most colourful athletes, Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, gold medal winner for decathlon in the Asian Games and fifth place in the final of the 110-metre hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics, is still fighting to get the much deserved honour of Padma Shri. Gurbachan, in fact, has a stronger case since some of those honoured with Padma Shri have achievement much less.

The latest edition to the list of protesters is Sunita Godora, the marathon queen of India. Making a beginning in ultra running with the annual Rath Marathon in Delhi, Sunita branched off on her own once the "running bug" entered her system and gripped her entire existence. Running marathons became the order of the day for this determined young lady and today she is the best known woman athlete doing the distance regularly. She takes part in events generally outside the country and is known to be making quite a decent packet. She, however, does not figure in the home circuit as regularly as one would have wished. That is quite immaterial though.

She has reacted to the latest list of Arjuna Awardees with rare vigour. Her names is not there. And she wants to know why? Maybe her performances are not scripted in the books of the Amateur Athletics Federation of India since she is not exactly a part of the establishment. She is an independent entity and perhaps her entry in various international marathon events does not need sponsorship by the AAFI. That could be the reason for the federation not recommending her name for the award.

The protest and the threat by Sunita Godara is on a personal level but very much solid grounds. But she should have approached the federation instead of going straight to the media. Maybe she was misled. The only thing that can be said, apart from the fact that she has gone about the whole affair in a wrong way, is that maybe her novel method to claim attention would pay dividends, with her name in the next year’s list.

There are quite a few precedents with the government stepping in with its own recommendations in the event of the federations overlooking some performers. In some cases the mere fact that a person has represented India or has been national champion in a particular event such as in athletics, has been reason enough for being nominated for the Arjuna Award. Excellence in a particular field has not always been a necessary ingredient.

As has been mentioned that with each year the government is finding it difficult to look for deserving candidates and has to dig up names from dust-laded old files to be able to fulfil its quota of Arjuna Award. That is only possible reason that could be advanced after scanning some of the lists.

GND University does it again
By Ashok Sethi

Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, has once again proved its supremacy in all-India inter-varsity sports by lifting the prestigious Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Trophy for the thirteenth time for the year 1996-97. Earlier, the university had claimed the coveted trophy for the years 1976-77, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1986-87, 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94.

The university had also secured the runners-up position for seven years. This running trophy, instituted in 1956, is given annually, along with a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, to the university achieving all-round performance in all-India inter-varsity, national and international sports competitions.

The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university, Dr Inder Pal Singh, expressed great delight and said the university had won 12 all-India, men and women championships and five runners-up positions besides other positions. This performance was the highest record ever achieved by any university in a year, he added.

The university had won titles in weightlifting for men and women, powerlifting, best physique, hockey (for men and women), kabaddi (men), cricket (men), handball (men and women), kho kho (women) and judo (women), while they were runners-up in six events.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor said it was indeed an unparalled performance by university sports persons who had achieved the results due to their hard work and dedication. However, it is disappointing that the prize money of Rs 1 lakh had remained unchanged for the past over 40 years, he said. The central government should raise the amount, which could be used to provide better infrastructure and incentives to sportspersons by way of scholarships and diet money, he added.

Inspite of various constraints, Guru Nanak Dev University had been able to set up the country’s first astro-turf hockey ground on the campus and added an international standard swimming pool, a well maintained sports track, basketball, volleyball and lawn tennis courts with its own resources.

The Director of sports, Dr Kanwaljit Singh, said the university occupied a unique place among all universities in the country as it had lifted the highest sports award for a record number of times.

He attributed the success to the dedication of the staff coaches and the enthusiasm among the affiliated colleges to excel. The area had produced top sports personalities and prominent among them were former cricketing heroes like Madan Lal, Mohinder Amarnath, Surinder Amarnath and present Indian fast bowler Harvinder Singh, he said. Besides cricketers the university had produced top national stars, including Charanjit Kumar Pargat Singh, Baljit Singh, Ranjit Singh and Varinder Partap Singh among others.

The President of India, Mr K.R. Narayanan, will present the trophy to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Dr Inder Pal Singh, at a ceremony to be held on August 29 at Rashtrapati Bhavan.