LAHORE, PAKISTAN : Australian cricket team pose for photographers after their victory in one-day cricket match series against Pakistan at Ghaddafi stadium in Lahore on Tuesday — AP/PTI

Defeat due to injuries: Sohail
LAHORE, Nov 11 — Pakistan skipper Aamir Sohail has said that fitness problems of players was the root cause for his team's defeat in the Test and one-day cricket series against Australia.

Blind cricketers gear up for World Cup
NEW DELHI, Nov 11 — Seven countries — Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India — will take part in the Kanishka World Cup, a truly Indian initiative — on November 17.

Olonga, Campbell fashion Zimbabwe win

SHARJAH, Nov 11 (PTI) — Zimbabwe paceman Henry Olonga rocked the batting with four quick wickets from where India recovered late only to squander the chance and go down by 13 runs in the final league tie of the Coca Cola Cup triangular cricket tournament here tonight.

In a tie which was inconsequential as both teams had already qualified for the November 13 final but ended up a thriller, Indian batsmen choked against the tearaway Olonga early on and later against the superb fielding by the Africans to be bowled out for 192 in 47.4 overs after inserting the rivals and restricting them to 205 for seven wickets.

The Indian top order, including Sachin Tendulkar (11), fell to the inspired bowling of Olonga playing his first match here and were reduced to 75 for five in the 20th over.

But Robin Singh, who struck an unbeaten 49 (75 b, 2 x 4) and Nikhil Chopra (39 - 62 b, 3 x 4), added 55 runs before emerging all-rounder Ajit Agarkar (14 - 9 b, 2 x 4) joined action as the two plundered 17 runs in the 46th over by Olonga to almost turn the match around for India.

With 20 runs needed off four overs, Agarkar was stumped and Sunil Joshi run out two balls later to help Zimbabwe regain initiative and score a morale-boosting win ahead of the final.

The Indian innings was a story of pathetic running between the wickets with four batsmen run out which added to the damage done by Olonga, who returned figures of 8-0-46-4 despite giving away 17 runs in the last over he sent down.

India, needing just over four runs an over to end the league with an all-win record, started disastrously as left hander Saurav Ganguly (1) on again failed to get going by falling leg before as Olonga struck in his very first over.

Rahul Dravid, coming in as one of the three changes in the Indian side, failed to play himself in by edging Olonga to Grant Flower in the second slip for a meagre three.

Tendulkar was lucky to survive after edging Olonga to wicketkeeper Andy Flower off a no-ball, but fended a lifter from the fired-up bowler to give Grant Flower a comfortable catch at gully which India struggling at 29 for three.

Ajay Jadeja (26-58B), standing-in for Mohd Azharuddin who rested with Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath today, then repaired the innings with V.V.S. Laxman, before the latter became the first run out victim, again Grant Flower showing alacrity to come up with a direct hit at the bowler's end.

Jadeja and Robin Singh took the score to 75 when the skipper became Olonga's fourth victim, driving without getting to the pitch of the ball to be caught at point.

Robin Singh, surprisingly struggling to get going on the pitch which once again made batting difficult, and newcomer Nikhil Chopra together took a few overs to settle before the off-spinner chanced his arm to keep India in quest for a win.

But Chopra like Nayan Mongia (10) before him got into a terrible mix-up with Robin Singh to be run out.

With 37 runs needed off last five overs, Robin Singh broke out of his shell by carting Olonga for a six over midwicket and Agarkar followed with a boundary to set up an exciting finish. But two quick wickets helped Zimbabwe emerge victors.

India:

Ganguly lbw b Olonga 1

Tendulkar c G. Flower

b Olonga 11

Dravid c Johnson b Olonga 3

Jadeja c Goodwin b Olonga 26

Laxman run out 11

Robin Singh not out 49

Mongia run out 10

Chopra run out 39

Agarkar st A. Flower b Whittal 14

Joshi run out 0

Prasad c A. Flower b Johnson 2

Extras (LB-4 W-10 NB-12) 26

Total (all out 47.4 overs) 192

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-19, 3-28, 4-48, 5-75, 6-104, 7-159, 8-186, 9-186.

Bowling: N. Johnson 8.4-1-36-1, H. Olonga 8-0-46-4, M. Mbangwa 10-0-33-0, A. Huckle 10-0-39-0, A. Whittal 9-1-22-1, M. Goodwin 2-0-12-0.

Zimbabwe:

Wishart run out 0

G. Flower c Joshi b Prasad 6

Johnson b Robin Singh 18

Goodwin run out 13

A Flower c Chopra b Joshi 11

Campbell not out 83

Rennie c Dravid b Joshi 28

A Whittal b Tendulkar 29

Huckle not out 2

Extras: (lb-3, w-9, nb-3) 15

Total: (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 205

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-9, 3-33, 4-46, 5-65, 6-120, 7-201.

Bowling: Ajit Agarkar 10-1-41-0, Venkatesh Prasad 10-2-42-1, Robin Singh 5-0-33-1, Nikhil Chopra 10-1-24-0, Sunil Joshi 9-0-43-2, Sachin Tendulkar 5-0-14-1, V V S Laxman 1-0-5-0.

Defeat due to injuries: Sohail

LAHORE, Nov 11 (ANI) — Pakistan skipper Aamir Sohail has said that fitness problems of players was the root cause for his team's defeat in the Test and one-day cricket series against Australia.

Speaking shortly after losing the third and final one-day match by six wickets, Sohail said that it was alarming situation for Pakistan that junior players were also facing fitness problems. Citing examples, the veteran of 146 one-day matches, maintained that players like Muhammad Zahid, Arshad Khan and Shoaib Akhtar, all were facing fitness problems during or before the start of a match.

"And these things always upset your planning," he said.

Meanwhile, Australian captain Steve Waugh said that any target was not hard for a professional side.

"We played professionally and you saw Australia achieved a good target easily," he said.

Waugh said his team was studded with seven top batsmen who were capable of achieving the target.

Steve Waugh termed the pitch of the Qaddafi Stadium an ideal for the one-day cricket.

In reply to a question, the Australian skipper said his team's performance was improving and they enjoyed good cricket during the tour. However, he said Austalians were needed the service of leg-spinners to have good rating for the next World Cup.

Lara wins battle, not war

LONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) — Brian Lara and his West Indies’ teammates have won a significant battle but not necessarily the war in their fight for more money and better conditions.

After four days of haggling at a London hotel, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) agreed to reinstate Lara as captain and resurrect the tour of South Africa threatened by a players’ strike.

The West Indies arrived in South Africa yesterday to start their tour which will now begin with a match in the black township of Soweto.

In a joint statement, the WICB and the West Indies Players Association agreed to a series of measures improving the players’ lot.

WICB president Pat Rousseau also agreed to reinstate Lara and his deputy Carl Hooper, sacked last Wednesday after refusing to fly to Antigua to meet the board at the start of the dispute.

The outcome shifts the balance of power for the moment from management to the players, whose solidarity forced the WICB into a corner.

The board had the option of sending a seriously under-strength team or cancelling an historic tour, featuring the first full West Indies’ team to tour the republic.

Both choices were unacceptable and, after a dispute which featured a personal intervention from South African President Nelson Mandela, the WICB backed down.

But to consolidate improved conditions and guarantee decent pay levels, the team must deliver on the field and arrest the decline in West Indies’ cricket, or risk forfeiting public sympathy at home.

Early warning shots have been fired in both the West Indies and South Africa which should help to concentrate the players’ minds.

Barados Prime Minister Owen Arthur questioned Lara’s role in the dispute and said West Indies cricket was in a sorry state if a Caribbean issue had to be resolved in London.

"The West Indies’ cricket captain is not just a player, he is also a a member of the management structure in West Indies’ cricket," Arthur said.

"I see him as a member of the management system that is involved in the selection of West Indies’ cricket and therefore he is not just a player."

Arthur said Lara, as captain, had been obliged to meet the WICB in Antigua.

"I feel personally that by refusing to exercise his responsibility, that Mr Lara effectively severed his role as West Indies’ captain and that should be the non-negotiable aspect of this entire matter," he said.

South African sports lawyer Mark Spiro acknowledged the rebel cricketers’ successful tactics.

"Lime any other employee, you strike when it is most inconvenient and they felt striking now was their hard bargaining tool because of the magnitude of the tour," he said.

But Spiro added the dispute had angered the South African public.

"This whole situation has put a damper on the tour and I think the West Indies are not going to be as well received as they would have been, which is unfortunate," he said.

"They are going to take a bit of flak when they venture on to the field in the first match and they are going pick up a couple of boos and jeers."

Blind cricketers gear up for World Cup
From Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, Nov 11 — Seven countries — Australia, England, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India — will take part in the Kanishka World Cup, a truly Indian initiative — on November 17.

Structured on a league cum knock-out basis, this tournament is the first-ever cricket tournament for the blind for seven countries. The final will be held on November 28.

The competition is aimed at providing a fitting platform to the visually handicapped so that they are able to develop self confidence as also improve their aptitude through cricket, according to Madhav Rao Scindia, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) here today.

Association for Cricket for the Blind in India (ACBI) chairman George Abraham says: "It has been a heartening experience to organise the meet as we have received tremendous support from whomsoever we have contacted."

"It is nothing short of thrilling and fascinating to watch blinds play cricket", said Abraham, adding: "Children should watch how the disabled can conquer their handicap meaningfully. If children watch them play, the participants will all the more encouragement", added Abraham.

The matches will be played at Palam, Harbaksh Stadium Roshanara Club and Karnail Singh Stadium. The league matches will conclude on November 24. Seni-final will be played on November 26 and final on November 28.

The teams will arrive here by Nov ember 14, while the inauguration will take place on November 16.

Leander loses in first round

STOCKHOLM, Nov 11 (DPA, AP) — India’s Leander Paes made an early exit from the $ 825,000 Stockholm Open Tennis Tournament as he lost the opening round match to Vince Spadea of the United States here yesterday.

Vince Spadea defeated Paes in straight sets 7-6 (7-5), 6-1.

Australian qualifier Wayne Arthurs upset second-seeded Karol Kucera of Slovakia 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4).

In the second round, Arthurs, a doubles specialist, will face Todd Martin, a 6-1, 6-2 winner over swiss qualifier Ivo Heuburger.

Arthurs, ranked 168th in the world, had earlier stunned the seventh-ranked Kucera, who already has qualified for the ATP Championships in Hanover, Germany, this month.

In the first-set tiebreaker, Arthurs took a 4-1-lead, before winning on his first match point.

Arthurs appeared to falter early in the second set, dropping his service, giving Kucera a 2-0 lead. But he recovered and won the second tiebreaker for the biggest singles victory of his career.

"My plan was to serve well, attack on Kucera’s second serve and win at the net,’’ the left-hander said.

I had nothing to lose. If I lost, nobody would care. If I won everybody would be very surprised.’’

Martin has played impressively the past few weeks.

"This is a good surface for me,’’ said Martin, ranked 22nd in the world. "If I can repeat the level of play I have achieved in the last few weeks, I will certainly move up in the rankings next year.’’

Martin reached the final in the 1996 Stockholm Open before losing to Thomas Enqvist.

In other matches, France’s Cedric Pioline defeated wild-card entry Andreas Vinciguerra of Sweden 6-3, 7-5 Daniel Nestor of Canada beat Johan Van Herck of Belgium 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) seventh-seed Thomas Johansson of Sweden beat Fabrice Santore of France 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) and Hendrik Dreekmann beat Sweden’s Magnus Norman 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

Indian cagers bow to South Korea

CALCUTTA, Nov 11 (PTI) — India’s hopes of finishing among the top 10 suffered a jolt as they succumbed to South Korea by a huge margin in their last group-IV classification league match in the 15th Asian Basketball Confederation Championship for junior men at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here today.

The hosts, who pulled off an upset win over Lebanon in their previous match, failed to display the same form against their superior opponents, who played to a plan to carve out an emphatic 122-69 verdict.

The Indians, with two wins and a loss, will now battle for the 11th-12th place in the 15-team event being held in India for the first time.

The fleet-footed Koreans, who failed to qualify for the quarterfinals, raced to a 60-33 lead and then piled up the misery on the Indians by adding 62 more points in the second session.

The Koreans took control of the defensive and offensive rebounds and their shooting was far more consistent unlike the Indians, who failed to get their act together under the basket.

Sun Kyu secured 20 points, including four three-pointers, for the winners, while Dang In and Yu Seop chipped in with 17 points each.

Ranjeet Singh was the most impressive Indian as he caged 30 points displaying very good poise and control. Captain S Robinson, who has done the bulk of the scoring for India in the championship, pitched in with 20 points.

Defending champions China, runners-up in the last edition Qatar, Japan and Chinese Taipei have qualified for the semifinals. The semifinal line-up would be decided after the four teams complete their last quarter-final league ties.

Iran outplayed the Philippines 64-56 in a keenly contested group-II quarterfinal league match which saw the fortunes of both teams fluctuating till the very end.

Iran, who along with the Philippines could not qualify to the semi-finals from group-II, completed their quarterfinal engagements with a win and two losses. They will now clash with Kazakhstan for the 5th and 6th places in the championship.

The in-form M R Esla was the top scorer for the Iranians with 18 points, including one three-pointer, while Aidin Kabir chipped in with 16 points, which included two three pointers.

For the Philippines, E S Oreta was the highest scorer with 11 points, while Y R De Ocampo garnered nine points.

In another group-II quarterfinal league match, Kazakhstan played a cohesive game to brush aside Malaysia’s challenge 104-80.

Transplant Games from Nov 14
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Nov 11 — Ist SAARC and 5th All India Transplant Sports Games will be held here on November 14 and 15. These games are held every year in India and it is for the first time that SAARC countries have been involved.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Dr Sarin, organising secretary, said that those who have undergone either kidney transplantation or other organ transplantation will be taking part in these games. More than 500 people from seven countries, who were going to die because of organ failure but warded off death through noble act of organ donation by others, will parade skills in the holy city of Amritsar.

Giving details, Dr Sarin said 80,000 Indians were awaiting organ transplants and their number was increasing every year. People in India were dying because of acute shortage of organs. The best way to convince the public was to show them a thousand healthy people who otherwise would have been dead leading normal healthy lives after transplantation, he added.

Dr Sanjay Mehra, joint organising secretary, told that confirmation of participants from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Japan had been received. Elaborate arrangements of food and stay have been made free of cost for the participants for their convenience to make this occasion a memorable one.

The participants will take part in all athletic events like 100 mtrs. 200 mtrs. 400 mtrs races, long jump, discus throw, shot put, table tennis, badminton and fun games. These are unique type of games in which male and females of all age groups ranging from four to 84 will take part.

Punjab Police down depleted Air-India
From Amardeep Bhattal
Tribune News Service

JALANDHAR, Nov 11 — Strong and sturdy Punjab Police joined the semifinal line-up of the 15th All-India Surjit Memorial Hockey Tournament beating a depleted Air-India 6-3 on the penultimate day of the league fixtures at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium here today.

Although the semifinalists have been spotted after today's matches, the battlelines will be drawn tomorrow after Border Security Force and Russia XI play the last league match in pool 'A' which will decide the toppers from this group. In all likelihood, BSF should encounter little difficulty in topping pool A with a victory tomorrow which will boost their tally to 12 points. In that case BSF will meet Indian Airlines, who are placed second in pool 'B' with six points while Punjab Police will take on archrivals Punjab and Sind Bank for securing a berth in the final.

The match between Punjab Police and Air-India, Mumbai, was evenly poised till the 41st minute when the two teams were level 3-3 but the Punjab cops gradually tightened their grip scoring three more goals in quick succession to send Air-India packing.

In another inconsequential match of pool 'B', title contenders Punjab and Sind Bank paid dearly for their laxity as Army XI, rallied to register their first win in the tournament with a 3-1 verdict over the bankmen.

However, it was the tie between Punjab Police and Air-India which generated a lot of excitement. Goals, attacks and counter-attacks came in abundance and there was seldom a dull moment for the spectators.

Although Air-India took the field with a depleted strength with some of their key players like Anil Aldrin, Rajesh Chauhan and Romeio having been summoned for national duty, the Mumbai outfit put up a brave fight. Promissing forward Gagan Ajit Singh, who recently represented India in the Commonwealth Games, also joined the team only today and as usual played a key role upfront along with international Davinder Kumar.

Punjab Police, on the other hand, displayed grit and determination in every department. With a battery of internationals in their ranks, including Olympian Jagdev Singh, and Daljeet Singh Dhillon, the cops withstood the onslaught with fortitude and eventually carried the day much to the delight of the crowd.

The match was hardly nine minutes old when Daljeet Dhillon, with vast international experience, found the target off a penalty corner to put his team ahead by one goal. However, in the very next minute, Air-India restored parity through an opportunistic strike by centre-forward Gagan Ajit Singh who scored a field goal.

Midway through the first half Punjab Police once again took the lead when Daljeet Dhillon, capitalising on a pass, shot home making it 2-1. Ten minutes later, Gagan Ajit Singh once again rose to the occasion by hitting the ball home from an acute angle (2-2).

After the lemon break, skipper Sarabjeet Singh made it 3-2 in favour of Punjab Police when he converted a penalty corner, but Air-India once again wiped out the deficit in the 41st minute through international Edward Aranha who scored a field goal.

However, that was all the Mumbai outfit could achieve. Thereafter, Punjab Police gained the upper hand and skipper Sarabjeet sounded the boards with a deft placement in the 50th minute following a counter attack. Six minutes later, full back Manpreet Singh converted a penalty corner making it 5-3.

With hardly five minutes to go for the final hooter, Punjab Police earned a penalty stroke when Daljeet Dhillon, who had moved into striking circle like lightning, was brought down by the rival goalkeeper. The stroke taken by Daljeet himself had the goalkeeper completely beaten and Punjab Police romped home victorious by a 6-3 margin.

The second match between Punjab and Sind Bank and Army XI was more or less a listless affair. Punjab and Sind Bank, who had already qualified for the last four, played in a relaxed mood. For army XI, the unexpected victory though inconsequential, was sweet as they salvaged some prestige by finishing ahead of RCF in the third position on better goal average in pool 'B'.

After a goal-less first half, Punjab and Singh Bank took the lead in the 40th minute through right back Rajinder Singh (junior) who converted the third penalty corner awarded to his team.

However, seven minutes later Army XI drew even following a combined move by F.Ravi Kumar and Anand Vellu. Vellu's rasping hit gave custodian Teja Singh no chance.

In the 65th minute, the proceedings were temporarily halted when Army XI scored their second goal through inside right Lakhwinder Singh. In fact Lakhwinder's hit was palmed away by the bank custodian but the umpire blew for a goal as the ball had crossed the goal-line.

In the last minute Ravi Kumar capitalised on a move set up by inside-right Lakhwinder and deflected the ball into the goalmouth from a difficult angle (3-1).

Beneet, Sushmita set new records

HYDERABAD, Nov 11 (PTI) — Beneet K. Raja and Sushmita Singha Rai created new meet records in boys u-20 long jump and girls u-16 high jump events of the three-day 10th Inter-Zonal Junior National Athletic Championship which began at the Lal Bahadur Stadium here today.

Andhra boy Raja, representing South Zone here, lept to 7.68 metres to shatter the old record of 7.53 metres created by Sanjay Kumar of Delhi in 1996 at Pune.

Soumya Ghosh of East Zone (7.22 metres) and P.J. Vinod of South Zone (7.10 metres) claimed the second and third places.

West Bengal’s Sushmita Singha Rai, representing East Zone, cleared 1.61 metres to create the record. The earlier mark was in the name of lucky Desmukh of Kerala (1.60 metres).

Results (all finals):

Boys: under-20:

800 mts: R.H. Binu (SZ) 1:55.44 secs, Sohan Singh (WZ) 1:55.80 secs, Yogesh Tharre (WZ) 1:56.20 secs.

Shot put: Sukhcharan Singh (NZ) 15.50 mts, Kulvinder Singh (NZ) 15.00 mts, Dinesh Kumar (NZ) 14.29 mts.

100 mts: P. Senthil Kumar (SZ) 10.78, T. Shandra Mohane (SZ) 10.98 secs, Rafique Islam (EZ) 11.10 secs.

Javeline throw: Fazal Ansari (EZ) 69.04 mts, Mukesh Warhare (WZ) 62.60 mts, Vaibhav Shukla (WZ) 62.42 mts.

Long jump: Bennet K. Raja (SZ) 7.68 mts (NMR), Soumya Ghosh (EZ) 7.22 mts, P.J. Vinod (SZ) 7.10 mts.

400 mts hurdles: Aishwarya (WZ) 55.4 secs; A. Prabhudas (SZ) 56.0 secs, Golak Mondal (EZ) 57.2 mts.

Under-18: Javeline throw: Ramesh (WZ) 58.16 mts, Hari Krishna (NZ) 57.54, Sunil Mandal (EZ) 56.14.

800 mts: P.S. Premesh (SZ) 1:56.94 secs, N. Sonamani (EZ) 1:57.25, Mustakeen (NZ) 1:57.35.

Long jump: Satish Kumar (NZ) 7.04 mts, Bagwan Singh (WZ) 7.04 mts, Rajendra Kumar (NZ) 6.80 mts.

Under-16: High jump: Dalbir (WZ) 1.80 mts, Sanja Mahata (EZ) 1.75, Mantu Singh (EZ) 1.70.

800 mts: Sunmay Sharma (SZ) 2:01.15 secs, Surender (NZ) 2:02.56, Ratan Singh (WZ) 2:02.60.

100 mts hurdles: P. Shanker (SZ) 14.01 secs, G. Sarvanan (SZ) 14.20 secs, Rajeev Kumar Shukla (EZ) 14.30 secs.

Girls:

Under-20: Long jump: Jelly Joseph (SZ) 6.15 mts, Mamata Prajapathi (EZ) 5.45, Neeta Pandukar (WZ) 5.18.

800 mts: B. Hemalatha (SZ) 2:19.31 secs, Suresh Kumari (NZ) 2:20.46, Tulsi Gope (EZ) 2:21.44.

100 mts: Shilpa Sequeria (SZ) 15.44 secs, Amita Sethi (EZ) 16.37 secs, Prajakta Mole (WZ) 16.49 secs.

400 mts hurdles: Rashmi Ramachandran (SZ) 1:04.4 secs, Richa (EZ) 1:06.7 secs, Nazeen Shah (WZ) 1:0.4 secs.

Javeline throw: U. Shobhana (SZ) 37.04 mts, Namita Disinga (EZ) 36.86, Chandini (WZ) 36.26.

Under-18: Javeline throw: Tiya Das (EZ) 37.44 mts, Namitha (EZ) 35.70, Suman Devi (NZ) 34.50.

800 mts: R.V. Sumalatha (SZ) 2:17.65 secs, N. Swetha (SZ) 2:18.05, Parvita Kaushik (WZ) 2:18.90.

Shot put: Priti Shivgude (WZ) 10.56 mts, Asha Bisht (NZ) 10.20 mts, Tiya Das (EZ) 10.11 mts.

Long jump: Snehal Sonawane (WZ) 5.60 mts, Vijaya Laxmi (NZ) 5.50, Noosheen Rajendran (SZ) 5.34 mts.

Under-16: High jump: Sushmita Singha Rai (EZ) 1.61 mts (NMR), Sangeeta (SZ) 1.56 mts, B.L. Bharathi (SZ) 1.45 mts.

Top film stars for PCA club opening
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 — Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor will lead a Bollywood team of 20 artistes who will present a three-hour cultural extravaganza at the formal opening of the Punjab Cricket Association's Club House on November 15.

The Bollywood team besides the two leading lights will include Atul Agnihotri, Hemlata Sawant and Kamal Khan. The Club will be inaugurated by the Union Industry Minister, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, who will also be conferred the membership.

Top cricketers and cricket administrators will be witnesses to the gala event on the lush lawns of the club. Those who will be formally conferred the club membership will be Lala Amarnath, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Yashpal Sharma (all cricketers). The other will include the sitting Cricket Board President, Mr Raj Singh Dungarpur, and former presidents Mr N.K.P. Salve, Mr M.R. Scindia, Mr M.A. Chaindambaram, Mr P.M. Rungta and Mr B.N. Dutt.

The programme will be compered by the renowned TV host Ruby Bhatia.

Sandeep Kirtane tames Mankad

CALCUTTA, Nov 11 (PTI) — Unseeded Sandeep Kirtane of India pulled off a stunning victory over seventh-seeded compatriot Harsh Mankad even as the other seeds sailed into the third round of the singles in the ITF Futures Tennis Circuit meet today.

Kirtane played a steady and disciplined game at the South Club here to tame Mankad for a facile 6-0, 6-4 win, causing the first major upset of the $ 15,000 championship.

Top seed Oleg Ogorodov of Uzbekistan kept himself on course for the title, beating India’s Arun Avinash 6-1, 6-1.

Second seed Vadim Kutsenko (Uzbekistan) too faced little resistance as he beat India’s Nitin Kirtane 6-2, 6-4.

Third seed Patrick Erhardt of Germany also had a relatively easy outing against local qualifier Ravi Kiran Bhat, whom he beat 6-1, 6-0.

Fourth seed Syed Fazaluddin of Calcutta knocked out qualifier David Mcabe (Australia) 6-2, 6-0, while sixth seed Danai Udomchoke (Thailand) got the better of qualifier Vishal Uppal with a facile 6-4, 6-1 victory.

Eighth seed Abduhamid Makhramov (Uzbekistan) disposed of Indian qualifier Vishal Gupta 6-3, 6-0.

SJOBA rally on November 14
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, Nov 11 — The SJOBA-Nike rally, scheduled to be run in the city on November 14 from St John's School, Sector 26, has already received very welcome response from runners in Chandigarh, according to a spokesman of the organising committee.

The spokesman said this year the organisers would limit entries to a maximum of 1000 runners, on first-come-first-served basis. Last year the rally, held in December, had seen a total of 600 entries. The spokesman said that prizes worth about Rs 1 lakh would be given to the winners of the various categories.

The SJOBA rally was started way back in the eighties, but it was from last year with sponsorship flowing in that rally really took off. The St John's Old Boys Association and Nike have promised to make the rally an annual feature on the lines of the Boston run. While the Boston run is a full-fledged marathon, the SJOBA rally is currently limited to a distance of 9 km.

This year competitions will be held for men, women, boys 14 to 18years, boys under-14, girls 14 to 18 years, girls under-14, veterans (40 to 60 years), veterans (60 to 75 years) and veterans above 75 years.

Entries close on November 13.

Neeraj upsets Amit
By Our Sports Reporter

PANCHKULA, Nov 10 — Neeraj Bansal of Jalandhar registered a thrilling three-game victory over fancied Amit Sachdeva of Chandigarh on the opening day of the 4th Tara Chand Memorial Invitational Badminton Tournament at Sector 7 community centre here today.

Neeraj beat the Chandigarh men's champion at 15-13, 9-15, 15-8. The other men singles players to advance into the next round are Ram Lakhan of Punjab, Vivek Sharma of Chandigarh and Gagan Ratti of Punjab.

Prateek of Haryana and Sahil of Punjab also entered the second round with easy victories over their rivals in the under 13 age group.

Earlier the tournament was inaugurated by Mr Bhasker Chatterjee, Commissioner, Housing, Haryana.

Results:

Boys Single: Under 13 (1st round): Prateek (Har) b Manoj (Har) 15-5, 15-4; Sahil (Pb) b Anshul (Har), 15-5, 15-8; Gaurav (Har) b Manish (Har) 15-9, 3-15, 15-13; Sumit (Har) b Bharat (Har) 15-0, 15-6; Md Kazim (Pb) b Shoban (Har), 15-6, 15-8; Gurinder (Pb) b Narinder (Chd) 15-6, 15-0; Mandeep (Har) b Manpreet (Chd) 15-2, 15-8; Gaurav Kapoor (Har) b Ashish (Har) 17-15, 15-4; Sahil (Pb) b Prateek (Har) 15-4, 15-10; Saurav Kapoor (Har) b Gaurav (Har) 15-4, 15-3.

Doubles (U-13): Gaurav & Prateek (Har) b Ashish & Manoj (Har) 15-8, 15-9; Sumit & Saurav b Narinder & Manpreet (Chd) 15-5, 15-4; Sachin & Varinder (Har) b Anshul & Shobhan (Har) 15-7, 15-4.

Vikrant, Amit, Piyush, Umesh, Anuj, Varun and Rohit (Haryana) and Puneet Chandigarh and Ankit of Punjab moved into the next round of the under 16 boys singles event.

India, South Korea in same pool

CHENNAI, Nov 11 (PTI, UNI) — India and South Korea, silver and gold medalists, respectively, in the 1994 Hiroshima Games, are in the same group in the men's while in the women's competition India are placed in Group ‘B’ with China, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka in the hockey schedule for next month's Bankok Asian Games.

In the men's event India are slotted with Bangladesh, China, South Korea and Singapore in Pool ‘B’ while Hong Kong (China), Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand are in Pool ‘A’.

India take on Singapore on December 8, Bangladesh the next day, China on December 11 and Korea in the last match of the pool on December 14. December 15 is a rest day.

In the women's Japan, Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan are in Pool ‘A’.

The following are the schedule of matches:

Mens: Dec 7: Malaysia vs Sri Lanka, Hong Kong vs Thailand; Pakistan vs Japan; China vs Bangladesh.

Dec 8: Hong Kong vs Malaysia; India vs Singapore; Sri Lanka vs Pakistan.

Dec 9 : Japan vs Thailand; Korea vs China; Bangladesh vs India.

Dec 10: Pakistan vs Malaysia; Thailand vs Sri Lanka; Japan vs Hong Kong.

Dec 11: Korea vs Singapore; China vs India; Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong.

Dec 12: Bangalore vs Korea; Malaysia vs Japan; Thailand vs Pakistan.

Dec 13: Singapore vs China; Japan vs Sri Lanka; Thailand vs Malaysia.

Dec 14: Hong Kong vs Pakistan; Singapore vs Bangladesh; Korea vs India.

Dec 15: Rest day.

Dec 16: 6th Pool A vs 5th pool B; 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B; 4th Pool A vs 3rd Pool B.

Dec 17: 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B; 2nd Pool A vs 1st Pool B.

Dec 18: Classification matches for 9th and 10th places, 7th and 6th places, 5th and 6th places.

Dec 19: Classification match for 3rd and 4th place, followed by the final.

Women’s: Dec 8: Japan vs Uzbekistan; Korea vs Thailand.

Dec 9: China vs Sri Lanka; India vs Kazakhstan.

Dec 10: Thailand vs Uzbekistan; Japan vs Korea.

Dec 11: Sri Lanka vs Kazakhstan; India vs China.

Dec 12: Thailand vs Japan; Uzbekistan vs Korea.

Dec 13: Kazakhstan vs China; Sri Lanka vs India.

Dec 14: Rest day.

Dec 15: Classification matches.

Dec 16: semifinals.

Dec 17: Placement matches.

Dec 18: Matches for third and fourth places and final.

SGGS College-26 win handball crown
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 — SGGS College, Sector 26, emerged victorious in the Panjab University Inter College Handball (Men) Championship while Government College, Ludhiana finished second, PU Campus third and GGD SD College Chandigarh fourth.

Results: (SGGS College beat PU Campus, Chandigarh, 24-21 (Half time score 11-11), Government College, Ludhiana, beat GGD SD College, Ludhiana, 22-14 (Half time score 15-12), PU, Chandigarh, beat GGD SD College Chandigarh, 28-23 (Half time score 12-12). SGGS College, Chandigarh beat Government College Ludhiana, 25-23 (Half time score 10-10).

Earlier, in the Panjab University inter college cycling championship for men and women, GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana won the men's event with 25 points while Panjab University Campus, Chandigarh, claimed the women event with 25 points.

Results: Men: 1000 m time trial; GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana 1

1000 metre Sprint: GGN Khalsa College, Ldh 1, GGD SD College, Chd 2 GGN Khalsa College, Ldh 3.

4000 metre individual pursuit: GGN Khalsa College Ldh, 1, GGD SD College Chd. 2, PU Campus, Chd. 3.

4800 metre massed start: GGD SD College, Chd 1, GGN Khalsa College, Ldh 2, AS College, Khanna 3.

Women: 1000 massed start: GCG Sector 11, Chd 1, GN Girls College, Ludhiana 2, GCG Sec. 11, Chd 3.

3000 metre individual pursuit: PU Campus, Chd 1.

1000 matre time trial: PU Campus, Chd 1, GCG-11, Chd 2, GNGC, Ldh 3.

3000 metre team pursuit: PU Campus, Chd 1, MCM DAV College for Women, Chd 2, Govt College for Girls Sec. 11, Chd 3.

PU campus score 108-run victory

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 (BOSR) — Panjab University campus scored an 108-run victory over Government College, Sector 46, thanks to a fine knock of 53 not out by Manoj Rajan in the National Panasonic Inter College Cricket Tournament for Kapil Dev Trophy at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium here today.

In another match of the day, DAV College, Sector 10, defeated Government College for Boys, Sector 11, by 83 runs.

Brief Scores:

PU campus; 202 for 3 in 35 overs; (Manoj Rajan 53 n.o., Gautam 41, TD Singh 39, Amit Dehra 25 n.o., Raj Kumar 2 for 10). Government College, Sec 46; 94 all out in 28.1 overs; (Kuldeep 49, Amit Dehra 3 for 18, Nitin 2 for 12).

DAV-10 181 all out in 34.4 overs; (Vikram 40, Vishal 27, Vinod Thakur 27, Mukteshwar 2 for 24, Sharad 2 for 37). Government College for Boys-11; 98 all out in 26.4 overs, (Vinay 4 for 22, R. Chaudhary 2 for 18).

PNB sports meet

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 (FOSR) — The 17th inter region sports meet of the Punjab National Bank, Northern Zone, Chandigarh, will be conducted at DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, on November 14 and 15. The competition will be held in all athletic events, badminton, table tennis, carrom and chess. Besides, trials in basketball, kabaddi, kho kho, volleyball and cricket will also be organised.

The North Zone team for the all-India inter zone meet to be held at Delhi from November 29 to December 6 will also be selected on the basis of performance in this meet. A total of 10 regions are expected to take part in this two-day meet. Mr R.P. Gupta, General Manager, PNB, Northern Zone, will inaugurate the meet.

Soccer tourney

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 (FOSR) — The VK Rana Memorial Football Tournament will be organised by Workers Welfare Association, Pinjore, from December 1 to 3 at HMT Sports Club Ground, at HMT Pinjore. Entries close with Y. Kwatra, A-133, HMT Colony on November 25.

St John's boys score easy victories

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 (BOSR) — St. John's School, Sector 26, scored victories in under 14 and under 16 age groups in the UT Inter-School Knockout Cricket Tournament being played at Govt. Sr. Sec. School, Sector 32 and Govt. SS School, Sector 27, here today. In the U-14 St. John's boys outplayed DAV Public School, Sec 8, by eight wickets while in U-16, they beat Govt. High School, Sector 7, by five wickets.

Brief scores: (U-14; DAV-8; 88 for 7 in 25 overs; (Abhinav 22, Madhur Kaushik 2 for 9, Tarun Bajaj 2 for 7) St. John's 98 for 2 in 13 overs; (Gauhar Pruthi 45 n.o., Harneet Arora 15, Aseem 11 n.o., Aditya 1 for 6).

U-16; GHS-7; 102 all out in 21.1 overs; (Ajesh 12, Harjot 3 for 19, Saurav Talwar 2 for 14, Sanjeev 2 for 24.) St. John's; 106 for 5 in 12 overs; (Kanu Sarin 23 N.O., Sikander 22, Sanjeev Jerath 22 n.o. Sanjeev 2 for 17.)

Kho-kho trials

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 (BOSR) — Chandigarh Kho-Kho Association will conduct selection trials on November 14 at 2.30 p.m. to select the Chandigarh Jr. Kho-Kho team for the Junior National Kho-Kho Championship to be held at Nasik from December 6 to 10. Boys below 18 years and girls below 16 as on December 31, 1998, are eligible.

Ladies billiards

CHANDIGARH, Nov 11 (BOSR) — The Chandigarh Billiards and Snooker Association is organising the first Ladies Billiards and Snooker Championship and 16th Junior Snooker and Billiards Tournament from November 20, according to a press note of the association.

The junior players below the age of 21, are eligible to take in this championship. The qualifiers of this tournament will participate in the forthcoming National Championship to be held at Delhi in January next year. Entries close with Mr R K Duggal, Secretary of the association, on November 19.

Nipun upsets top seed

NEW DELHI, Nov 11 (PTI) — Unseeded Nipun Gupta toppled his top seeded Delhi rival Parantap Chaturvedi in straight sets in the boys under-16 section and two seeds lost in the girls under-14 on the opening day of the Aita All India ranking (under-14 and under-16) Tennis Tournament here today.

Nipun Gupta dominated a subdued Chaturvedi to register a 6-1, 6-2 verdict while all other seeds moved up along with all four seeded players seen in action in the girls under-16 at the Delhi Tennis Association courts.

Tamil Nadu’s Shamya Pattabhi upset third seed Ankita Bhambri of Delhi 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 and Radha Devendrappa of Karnataka defeated fourth ranked Sasha Abraham (AP) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2 in the only two reverses in the girls under-14 section.

Cricket trials

LUDHIANA, Nov 11 (FOC) — The Ludhiana District Cricket Association will conduct trials to select the district (U-14) team for the Punjab State Inter-District Cricket Tournament for the Sushil Bali Trophy, to be organised by the Punjab Cricket Association, here at the SD Government College ground on November 17 at 2 pm, Mr Vinod Chitkara, General Secretary, LDCA has informed.

Players born on or after September 1, 1984, are eligible for the trials.

Punjab squad for Jr badminton

JALANDHAR, Nov 11 (FOSR) — The Selection Committee of the Punjab Badminton Association has selected the following badminton team for participation in the junior National Badminton Championships being held at Chennai from November 18 to 23, according to Mr Rajinder Kalsi, General Secretary of the Punjab Badminton Association.

Boys: Rohan Kapoor-Dilpreet Singh, Rohit Kapoor-Harinder Singh, Amandeep Sekhri and Ritin Khanna.

Girls: Nazma Parveen-Shehnaz, Vidhu Vatrana-Navdeep Kaur, Navneet-Indermeet and Balreet Sandhu.

The team will leave for Chennai on November 17. The team will be accompanied by Mr Vinod Vatrana as manager and Mr Gursharan Singh as coach.

Himachal V’ball

SHIMLA, Nov 11 (TNS) — The Himachal Pradesh State Volleyball Championships for men and women will be held at Solan from December 4 to 6.

Stating this here yesterday, Mr Ram Lal, President, Himachal Pradesh Volleyball Association, said the state team to represent Himachal Pradesh in the ensuing Senior National Volleyball Championship being held at Chinsura (West Bengal) would be selected on the basis of this championship.

Jalandhar squad held to draw

NEW DELHI, Nov 11 (UNI) — Fancied St. Ignatitus High School, Gumla, were held to a 1-1 draw by Lyallpur Khalsa School, Jalandhar, but moved into the semifinals of the 16th Nehru-ONGC Sub-Junior Hockey Tournament here yesterday.

The Gumla team topped Pool I with seven points from three outings while Lyallpur Khalsa ended the league assignment with four points.

In the first match of the day, D.A.V School, Shahbad, stayed in contention for the second semifinal slot from Pool-II, downing B.R.C., Danapur, 3-2 in a keenly contested tie.

43-run win for Haryana

JAMMU, Nov 11 (PTI) — Haryana medium pacer Pankaj Thakur and leg spinner Pardeep Jain combined superbly to wreck the Jammu and Kashmir batting line and fashion a thrilling 43-run win for Haryana on the final day of the four-day North Zone Ranji Trophy match here yesterday.

Chasing a victory target of 123, J and K were sent packing for the paltry 80 just before tea, as the Haryana bowlers ran through the hosts batting order.

Only two J and K batsmen - Ashwani Gupta (25) and Rohit Mattoo (18) reached double figures for a 41-run seventh-wicket partnership.

Pankaj Thakur (5/17) and Pardeep Jain (4/27) were the pick of Haryana bowling attack.

Earlier in the morning, Haryana were all out for 167 which set J and K a winning target of 123 runs.

Ashwani Gupta today took his 100th Ranji victim, finishing with figures of five for 46.

Brief scores: Haryana: 310 and 167. J and K: 354 and 80.