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Popat, Jitender stumble at final hurdle

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (PTI) — India trooped off the Commonwealth Games competitions a day early scooping up 25 medals, including seven of the golden hue, after grabbing three silver and one bronze here today.

Pistol ace Jaspal Rana, national women’s badminton champion Aparna Popat and middle weight boxer Jitender Kumar stumbled at the final hurdle despite brave efforts and settled for a silver each on what turned out to be the final competitive day for India.

The fourth medal, a bronze, was provided by men’s national champion Pullela Gopichand who lost in the singles semifinals against a higher-ranked Malaysian opponent.

The Indian haul, at the end of their campaign, stood at 7 gold, 10 silver and 8 bronze medals which was a distinct improvement on their performance at Victoria, Canada four years ago where they picked up 24 which included only three titles.

Aparna Popat went down fighting to top seed Kelly Morgan of Wales in the women’s final to claim the silver while Pullela Gopichand lost in the men’s semifinals to Malaysian third seed Wong Choon Hann and settled for bronze.

National women’s champion Aparna fought tooth and nail against the Welsh world number 10 Morgan in the first game which she lost narrowly over extra points and then ran out of steam in the second to be beaten 13-10, 11-5 in the gold-medal-deciding contest.

Gopichand was beaten in straight games 15-1, 15-11 by Wong after the Indian champion staged a fine recovery act to rally from 1-7 to 11-13 in the second game.

World number 10 Morgan gave Wales their first ever badminton gold medal after holding off a determined fightback by Aparna who had taken her to three games in the team event’s league and shocked second seed Julia Mann of England after coming back from the brink in the semifinal yesterday.

Aparna trailed 5-10 in the opening game before saving the game point and drawing level in brilliant fashion by showing superb touch at the net only to lose it on extra points.

But the Welsh woman’s deft drops gave her the edge and she regained control, coming from 3-4 down to win the second game comfortably.

The silver won by 20-year-old Bangalore-based Aparna, who is the first Indian woman to reach the final in the Games history, boosted her medal tally in the games to two, including the team bronze.

The Indian ace, a former world junior finalist, was beaten by her Cardiff-based rival Morgan who had prepared for the tournament methodically by having sessions with a Welsh sports council psychologist which helped her relax mentally.

Gopichand, who had performed very well to reach the semifinals, was outclassed by Hann in the opening game. He was down 1-7 in the second game when he got a second wind and fought back superbly by taking the attacking reins.

Gopi, ranked in the 70s globally, rallied from 5-13 to 11-13 and threatened to take the game and draw level before the Malaysian regained serve and grabbed the next two points, when the Indian committed two return-of-serve errors, to earn a shot at compatriot and top seed Yong Hock Kin for the gold tomorrow.

Yong outclassed 32-year-old Darren Hall of England 15-7, 15-1 with his speed around the court in the other semifinal.

Medal hopes in hockey dashed

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (PTI) — India’s hockey medal hopes were dealt a body blow as their nervous men succumbed 3-5 via tie-breaker to England and New Zealand swamped their women 3-0 in the bronze medal playoff to push them to fourth at the Commonwealth Games hockey competition here today.

Required to put their best foot forward to clinch at least the Bronze medal after a shocking 0-1 loss to hosts Malaysia in the semifinal, the Indian men failed to keep their cool in crucial moments after being deadlocked 1-all in the regulation and extra-time against England.

A nervous Baljit Singh Dhillon and Mohammed Riaz made a hash of their penalty stroke tries in the tie-breaker to hand England the third place. India were a pale shadow of themselves as they did everything but score in a tussle where the fortunes kept fluctuating from one team to the other till the dying stages of the contest.

Attacking with gusto, the Indians shot into the lead in the 15th minute with Dhillon, fed by a lovely pass from Riaz, slotting home with the defence looking on bemused. But the Englishmen equalised midway through the second half when Guy Fordam struck for them.

Jon Wyatt, Russel Garcia, Duncan Woods and Brett Garrard made no mistake with their tries in the tie-breaker but both Dhillon, who took the first stroke, and Riaz hit it straight to England goalkeeper David Luckes’s pads with only Daljit Singh and Ramandeep Singh able to find the target.

Leading by the solitary goal at half time, the Indian stepped up the pace in the second session but could not sustain the tempo for long as the forwards began to make too many passes which broke the rhythm.

England, who were at the receiving end for most part of the opening session, toned up their game in the second half with speedy counter attacks which put some pressure on the Indian defence.

The equaliser was the result of a fast counter with fordham taking a powerful hit following a measured long pass from Duncan Woods. None of the Indian defenders were in position to ward off the attack.

The Indians like in their encounter against Malaysia yesterday found the goal difficult to come by despite breaking through the defence time and again.

But again the forwards, true to the Indian tradition, were keen to display their stickwork a little too much or ran themselves into tight corners.

India got a scoring opportunity two minutes before the breather but right winger Mukesh Kumar, who broke through the defence with deft stickwork, failed to control his hit in front of the goalmouth much to the dismay of his colleagues.

Captain Dhanraj Pillay also made some flashy moves here and there but never could get his act together inside the circle like all the other forwards.

The cup of woes for India was full at the hockey field where they failed to garner any medal in the game’s debut at the Commonwealth Games.

The Indian women kept the far-superior New Zealand eves at bay with a water-tight defence in the first half, only to cave in into the second session to enable the all blacks to pump in three goals in the space of just eight minutes.

The Kiwis went on the offensive from the word go, but India, with the return of defender and skipper Sita Gussain after serving a one-match suspension for a red card, thwarted them time and again till into the second half.

Sita Gussain, sidelined for the semifinal following the booking she received in India’s final league clash against Scotland, made a big difference.

But there was no stopping the world’s fifth ranked team as they scored their first goal through skipper Anna Lawrence off their 10th penalty corner in the 42nd minute. Four minutes later, Tina Bell-Kake banged in her tenth goal of the tournament and Lisa Walton rounded off the tally in the 50th minute.

India, who lost 0-2 to England in the semifinal, had only a couple of good chances in the entire match, but star forward Pritam Rani Thakran, who had scored eight goals in the league stage, messed up both despite finding excellent openings.

India, looking to redeem some pride after finishing last in the Utrecht World Cup, just had no answer to the speedier and sturdier rivals who once again made it a habit to post a comeback win.

Rana claims silver in air pistol event

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (UNI) — India’s shooting star Jaspal Rana would have liked to end his splendid performance at the Commonwealth Games at Langkawa on a more truimphant note today but the marksman could manage only a silver in air pistol.

That nevertheless saw the country produce the largest number of medals from the event, four gold, two silver and one bronze.

With today’s slightly disappointing show, Rana finished the games with two gold and two silver medals. Mansher Singh and Manavjit Singh in trap pairs and Roopa Unnikrishnan in sport rifle prone were the other gold winners for India while the lone bronze was brought in by Bhanwar Dhaka in free pistol.

The 23-year-old Rana who was chosen to be the flag-bearer of the Indian contingent, won the centre fire pairs gold with Ashok Pandit and then took the individual gold yesterday. Along with Satendra Kumar, who ended fifth today, Rana had won the air-pistol pairs silver.

Rana, who won two gold medals at the last games in Victoria, was expected to improve on that this morning. But luck did not stay with him and the silver too came after the tie-off with New Zealand’s Gregory Yelavich.

The talented marksman was only one point behind the eventual gold winner, Michael Gault of England in the qualifying. The Indian shot 98, 97, 97, 98, 93 and 95 for 578, while Gault went ahead with a shot of 100 in the sixth.

In the finals, Yelavich with a tally of 100.4 to Rana’s 99.4 drew level and both shooters had 677.4. In the shoot-off Rana fired 9.2 to the New Zealander’s 8.4 and won the silver. Gault was a clean winner for the gold with 679.9

Satendra Kumar got 572 with a show of 94, 97, 96, 94, 94 and 97 and was fifth. In the final round, Kumar’s series score was 9.6, 10.3, 8.5, 10.1, 10.1, 9.3, 9.2, 10.4, 10.3 and 8.9.

Free pistol shooters, A.P. Subbiah and T.C. Pallangappa were nowhere in the class of marksmen from other countries on show today and finished 14th and 20th respectively. Subbiah had a score of 1113 and Pallangappa could manage only 1098 in the field of shooters led by Canada’s Wayne Sorensen who logged 1141.

India thus finished their campaign in shooting on an impressive note. The performance is even more credible since many shooters from former Soviet republics have shifted their base to Commonwealth countries, making the competitions much tougher.

Games bring winds of change in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Reuters) — Bring on the Olympics. Malaysia has not even finished hosting the first Commonwealth Games in Asia and fiesty Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is already setting his nation’s sights on capturing the holy grail of sport in 2008 — the Olympic Games.

"We think we should be able to make a bid perhaps for the year 2008, although it’s just to register our willingness to make a bid," Mr Mahathir said today on the penultimate day of the first Commonwealth Games held in Asia.

It may be too early to tell whether Mr Mahathir’s dream is wildly misplaced hubris or a realistic goal.

But the games have unmistakably fuelled Malaysia’s ambitious development plan and provided a backdrop for a political drama, extraordinary in its openness and bitterness, pitting Mr Mahathir against his dismissed former deputy, Mr Anwar Ibrahim.

Newspaper headlines today were dominated by graphic details of six-month jail sentences given to Mr Anwar’s adopted brother and a former speechwriter for gross indecency with him

"We were sodomised," ran the banner headline in the New Sunday Times. Mr Anwar’s denial headlined "I did not commit despicable activities", was also front-page news.

Malaysia’s games have always been inextricably linked to the Prime Minister’s vision of the southeast Asian nation of 22 million people.

They were a cornerstone in a building programme that included a 550 million ringgit (more than Rs 600 crore) sports complex, nine billion ringgit airport, a 20 billion ringgit new federal capital and a two billion ringgit office complex featuring the world’s two tallest towers at 450 metres.

Malaysia spent the lion’s share of the money before the onset of Asia’s economic crisis in mid-1997. If the crisis had struck much earlier, it would have greatly inflated the cost of the projects and perhaps jeopardised their completion.

But the work, including a new international airport, is now mainly done apart from the new federal capital, and the review from athletes and officials has been largely glowing.

"It is without doubt the best Commonwealth Games I have attended," said Mr Jim Ferguson, Executive Director of the Australian Sports Commission.

"I have no doubt Malaysia could host the Olympic Games successfully in the future."

Mr Mahathir concedes the country requires more than world-class facilities to host the Olympics, and a large number of top local athletes would be needed to attract spectators.

Malaysia stood a respectable fifth in the medals table today, but well behind the Australian, English and Canadian powerhouses. The games end tomorrow.

Attendance at the games has been patchy, with large crowds at some events such as rugby, hockey and swimming but thousands of empty seats during the athletics competition.

But the games have gone off without any of the major hitches that marred the Olympics in Atlanta. And they have helped to pump up Malaysia’s pride, battered by the economic turmoil.

"Malaysia Boleh (go Malaysia) — against all odds and criticisms", read a recent headline in the New Straits Times.

"The games have gone much better than I expected," Mr Mahathir told reporters today.

Mr Mahathir looks sure to have the last laugh against sceptics who had predicted that one or another scourge — smog, drought heat or downpours — would ruin the event.

The head of Malaysia’s organising committee has said that although the economic downturn had forced a 15 per cent cut in the operating budget to 260 million ringgit, organisers expected to turn a five million ringgit profit.

An indefatigable fighter who has rebounded countless times from political setbacks during his 17 years as Prime Minister, Mr Mahathir, (72) might use the momentum from the Games to call snap elections for October, opposition leaders have said.

"I should hold an election now and I would win hands down, Mr Mahathir quipped today.

Politics and sport are never far apart. And it has been no exception in Malaysia where a bruising battle between Mr Mahathir and sacked Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been played out against the backdrop of the "friendly games".

Mr Anwar, sacked as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister on September 2 barely a week before the Games started, has said he believes authorities have refrained from arresting him while international attention is focused on Malaysia.

He has predicted he will be detained after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, who is to close the games tomorrow, leaves here on Wednesday.

If that is true, the sporting event has provided Mr Anwar with breathing space which he has used to mount an aggressive campaign against Mr Mahathir and party leaders.

An unruffled Mr Mahathir today brushed aside Mr Anwar’s challenge, calling it a "minor" distraction.

In a country ruled by a coalition led by the same party since independence from Britain in 1957, the bitter open debate between the two while the games went on could mark a watershed moment as enduring in the political realm as the stadiums are in the sporting arena.

Pak humiliate India, clinch series

TORONTO, Sept 20 (PTI) — Pakistan clinched the third Sahara Cup in style with an overwhelming 134-run verdict over arch-rivals India in the fourth match to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series here yesterday.

India were bundled out for 182 in 46.3 overs chasing Pakistan’s awesome 316 for six.

Opener Shahid Afridi blazed his way to a brilliant 109, off just 94 balls and with as many as six hits over the ropes and seven fours, to put Pakistan in command after they were put in to bat by Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin.

Afridi put on 141 runs for the second wicket with his captain Aamir Sohail (46). Later, the Indian bowlers were clobbered by the beefy Inzamum-ul-Haq (78) and Salim Malik (39), who put on 103 runs for the fourth wicket to propel Pakistan past the 300 mark.

Faced with the daunting task of overhauling the mammoth total, the Indian batsmen put up an inept display, with only Navjot Sidhu (62 off 76 balls, 3 fours) and Azharuddin (40 off 56 balls, 3 fours) making sizeable contributions.

The 72-run stand between the two veteran campaigners for the third wicket, before both were dismissed by the left-arm spin of Sohail, was the best the Indians could offer.

The Indian reply was marked by some poor running between the wickets with both Rahul Dravid (1) and Hrishikesh Kanitkar (1) run out in one over by Afridi after mix-ups with Ajay Jadeja, playing his first match of the series.

The Indian run-chase got off to a false start as opener Saurav Ganguly (10), hero of India’s first-match win, and one-down batsman Nayan Mongia (4) left with only 32 on the board.

The rescue act by Sidhu and Azhar saved some face but once they were sent back by Sohail, three more wickets fell in a heap so that India were as good as beaten at 143 for seven wickets.

Azhar was the first of the third wicket duo to fall at 110 when he was caught by Aaquib Javed off Sohail. Then four wickets fell for the addition of 12 runs starting with Sidhu who was lured out yards down the track by off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and stumped.

Dravid and Kanitkar then foolishly got run out to reduce India to a pathetic-reading 136 for six. Dravid failed to make the ground while going for a third run and Kanitkar failed to beat Afridi’s throw at the striker’s end trying for a cheeky single.

And it was as good as over when India lost Jadeja too at 143 when he lost his off stump trying to cut Mushtaq.

Mushtaq picked up three wickets for 20, Sohail got 2 for 38 and Javed, Azhar Mahmood and Salim Malik ended up with a wicket each.

The Pakistan bowlers’ figures were in stark contrast to their Indian counterparts. Frontline pacemen Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Ajit Agarkar were punished while Ganguly was thrashed in five overs.

The Indians can now only hope for a consolation win in the final match scheduled today and for which Tendulkar, who reached here yesterday, is available.

Pakistan:
Saeed Anwar b Agarkar 10
Shahid Afridi c Agarkar b Joshi 109
Aamir Sohail c Mongia b Joshi 46
Inzamam-ul-Haq b Srinath 78
Salim Malik b Prasad 39
Ijaz Ahmed c Dravid b Agarkar 5
Moin Khan not out 0
Azhar Mahmood not out 10
Extras (lb-8, w-10, nb-1) 19
Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 316
Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-160, 3-195, 4-298, 5-303, 6-306
Bowling: Javagal Srinath 10-0-51-1, Ajit Agarkar 10-0-67-2, S. Ganguly 5-0-62-0, V. Prasad 10-0-62-1, Hrishikesh Kanitkar 5-0-30-0, Sunil Joshi 10-0-36-2.
India:
Ganguly b Mahmood 10
Sidhu st M. Khan b Sohail 62
Mongia c Inzamam b Javed 4
Azharuddin c Javed b Sohail 40
Jadeja b S. Mushtaq 15
Dravid run out 1
Kanitkar run out 1
Agarkar c Mahmood b S. Mushtaq 21
Joshi lbw b S. Malik 15
Srinath lbw b S. Mushtaq 2
Prasad not out 2
Extras (lb-4, w-3, nb-2) 9
Total (all out in 46.3 overs) 182
Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-32, 3-110, 4-131, 5-135, 6-136, 7-143, 8-173, 9-176.
Bowling: Aaquib Javed 7-1-23-1, Azhar Mahmood 8-1-28-1, Mohammad Zahid 3-0-25-0, Sagalain Mushtaq 9-2-20-3, Salim Malik 3.3-0-10-1, Aamir Sohail 10-0-38-2, Shahid Afridi 6-0-34-0.

Azhar flays team's performance

TORONTO, Sept 20 (PTI) — Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin said that the team batted, bowled and fielded badly in their last three matches against arch-rivals Pakistan in the Sahara Cup series in which the latter took a winning 3-1 lead yesterday.

Azhar said after the Indians slid to a 134-run defeat in the fourth match of the five-match series, "I do not want to blame a single person. We bowled, batted and fielded poorly in the three matches. You can’t win matches if you continue to do that."

He also defended his decision to field first yesterday by saying, "one took this decision knowing the strength of the medium-pacers in the squad. Unfortunately, they could not deliver."

Pakistani captain Aamir Sohail said he would not blame Azharuddin for putting his side in first. "Probably I would have done the same in his place. On paper it was not a bad decision since the ball has done a great deal in the first three games here."

"It was different on Saturday though. The wicket played flat and there was nothing in it for medium-pacers," said Sohail and added that he would not criticise the Indian fast bowlers as the conditions were not conducive to them.

Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad too refrained from blaming the bowlers. "You must give some credit to Pakistan team as well. One must praise the rival team too," he said.

When asked to comment on the poor running between the wickets of his team’s batsmen Gaekwad said, "these things happen. When one loses all the reasons are brought forward. How disjointed the team was, how groupism has come into play, etc, etc."

On the Indian cricket board’s decision to announce the squad for Zimbabwe in the middle of the Sahara Cup series, particularly as it could have affected Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Sunil Joshi and Venkatesh Prasad who do not figure in it, the Indian coach said, "I do not think the guys get upset like that."

His Pakistan counterpart Javed Miandad praised the responsible knock played by the temperamental Afridi. "He is powerful. Even his mishots can go for sixes," said Miandad.

Pak owe it to Shahid Afridi
From Geoffrey Boycott

It was a day to remember for Shahid Afridi as he single handedly blasted the Indian bowlers. Early on, it was obvious the tactics were not to allow him to get on the front foot by bowling short of a length. It took him a few overs to get his pull shot working and then when they pitched the ball up he belted it out of the park. A big six off Ganguly over wide mid-on and then an overthrown four by the same bowler really got him going. Prasad went for six and the fielders spread out. Whatever length was bowled he smashed it.

He has such a 'good eye' for the ball that he would have hit dozens of home runs at baseball if he had been brought up with that game. If he had played baseball in America he would have been paid millions of dollars and stadiums would have been full in anticipation of his hitting.

Call him a hitter, a swiper, a striker of a cricket ball but never a slogger. There is something clean and clinical about the way he dispatches the ball. I don't think he does a lot of thinking but relies on instinct but whatever it is that makes him tick when it's his day he strikes terror into the opposition bowlers. They run up not knowing where to bowl or what length to put the ball on and consequently are half beaten before they let the ball go. Not so good if you are bowling at him in full flight but thrilling, exciting and enjoyable if you are a true cricket lover.

From the moment Pakistan closed their innings on 316 for six, India had no chance to winning. Only six teams have scored 300 runs or more batting second but none of them made 317 and won! India came closest with 316 for 7 to beat Pakistan in Dhaka in 1998.

The biggest problem for India was that too many early batsmen were looking for the boundary hits and not taking singles. The fielders were able to stay as deep as possible on the edge of the 30 yard circle cutting off many good shots. I realise the total was daunting and the Indian batsmen felt they had to score quickly but a run a ball off 50 overs is 300 — plus a few no-balls and wide and the target is achievable. Also once the batsmen drop the ball with relaxed hands a few times the fielders will come in closer. — the bowlers get initiated that you are scoring off good balls and then it is easier to hit through the fielders.

When Bobby Simpson spent time at a training camp with the Indian team, I can't believe he didn't stress the value of rotating the strike and 'pinching' the singles. He was a master at doing that with his opening partner Bill Lowry. Neither Sidhu nor Ganguly are athletic between the wickets or even look for the single.

By not starting with the right tactics immediately the run rate went up and even though Azhar and Sidhu made some runs you always felt the collapse was inevitable. Then Afridi put the final nails in the Indian coffin by brilliantly running out Dravid and Kanitkar. — IMG

Holyfield struggles to retain title

ATLANTA, Sept 20 (Reuters) — Evander Holyfield struggled against lightly-regarded Vaughn Bean before taking charge with a controversial 10th-round knockdown as he retained his International Boxing Federation heavyweight title by unanimous decision yesterday.

Holyfield, surging into action after a lethargic stretch in the middle rounds, put Bean to the floor for the first time in the challenger’s career late in the 10th round.

Two right uppercuts jarred Bean and the champion followed with a left to the side of the head that had him wobbly.

With Bean struggling to hold on, Holyfield turned and threw him into the ropes. As Bean bounced off, bent low.

Referee Brian Garry began to step in, but Holyfield hit the challenger with a whipping right to the temple that put him down.

Bean bravely survived the round and withstood more fierce Holyfield combinations in the 11th before slugging it out with the champion in the last round of a surprisingly competitive fight before a crowd of more than 40,000 at the Georgia Dome.

One judge scored it 116-111, with the other two cards giving the bout to Holyfield 117-110.

The victory improved Holyfield’s record to 36-3. Bean, who had only once before in his career fought past the seventh round, dropped to 31-2.

Holyfield, who had looked so brilliant in twice beating Mike Tyson and stopping Michael Moorer in his last three bouts, said, "I was fighting a guy who was inspired."

The man fought a good fight. You have to give the man credit. He came to fight."

Geeta, Amit emerge champions
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — Geeta Aggarwal (FCI), a trainee of Panjab University Coaching Centre bagged the women singles title for the eighth time in a row and later partnered Geeta Prajapati to claim the women's doubles title, on the concluding day of the 10th Chandigarh State Badminton Championships at the Sector 42 Indoorhall here today.

Mr Gian Chand Gupta, Mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, distributed the prizes.

Panjab University CC claimed 13 titles while the Sector 42 centre could gather only three. The Sector 23 centre and Home Science centre drew a blank.

The men singles title went to Amit Sachdeva who with his fine half smashes made Vikas Mahajan run all over the court.

Mala Gaba bagged three titles — girls singles and doubles (under-16) and girls singles (under-19). Harleen Kaur of the Sector 42 centre won two titles in the girls (under-13).

Following are the result of the finals.

Boys u-13: (singles): Narinder (PUC) bt Manpreet (Sec 42) — 2-0 (15-7, 15-6). (doubles): Narinder & Manu Vivek Sharma (PUC) bt Manpreet & Gurkishandeep Singh (Sec. 42) — 2-1 (9-15, 15-12, 15-7).

Girls u-13: (singles): Harleen (Sec. 42) bt Tanveer (Sec. 42) — 2-0 (11-4, 11-0). (doubles): Harleen & Tanveer (Sec. 42) bt Shilpa & Mehak (PUC) 2-0 (15-11, 17-14).

Boys u-16: (singles): Akash Singh (PUC) bt Gurjeet Bajwa (PUC) — 2-0 (15-5, 15-2). (doubles): Dhananjay & Gautam (Sec. 42) bt Gurjeet and Akash Sethi (PUC) 2-1 (9-15, 15-8, 15-10).

Girls u-16: (singles): Mala Gaba (PUC) bt Parnita (PUC) — 2-1 (11-3, 9-11, 11-9). (doubles): Bhavna & Preeti (PUC) bt Mala & Isha (PUC) 2-1 (13-15, 15-9, 15-11).

Boys u-19: (singles): Vivek Sharma (PUC) bt Rajat Johal (PUC) — 2-0 (15-12, 15-11). (doubles): Rajat Johal & Gurdev Singh (PUC) bt Pankaj & Vivek Sharma (15-5, 9-15, 15-2).

Girls u-19: (singles): Mala Gaba (PUC) bt Pallavi Jain (PUC) — 2-1 (7-11, 11-8, 11-8). (doubles): Mala & Isha (PUC) bt Pallavi & Bhavna (PUC) 2-0 (17-16, 15-10).

Women: (singles): Geeta Aggarwal bt Geeta Prajapati (PUC) 11-7, 11-8. (doubles): Geeta Aggarwal & Geeta Prajapati (PUC) bt Mala & Isha (PUC) 2-0 (15-5, 15-6).

Men: (singles): Amit Sachdeva (PUC) bt Vikas Mahajan (PUC) 9-15, 15-9, 15-4. (doubles): Amit & Rajnikant (PUC) bt Surjit & Rajnish (Sec. 42) 15-9, 11-15, 15-7.

Above-35: (singles): Varinder Mehta bt M. Dogra 2-1 (15-11, 12-15, 15-10). (doubles): Varinder Mehta & M. Dogra bt A.S. Bawa & Mehal Chand 2-1 (15-1, 14-17, 15-4).

Above-45: (singles): M. Dogra bt V. Mehta 2-1 (15-10, 11-15, 17-14). (doubles): M. Dogra & V. Mehta bt Subash Nagpal & Vijay Kumar 2-0 (15-4, 15-7).

Above-55: (singles): C. Parvaz bt M.C. Sethi 2-0 (15-7, 15-4). (doubles): M.C. Sethi & C. Parvaz bt D.K. Mukerjee & Dr G.S. Bajwa 15-7, 15-9.

Karnataka swimmers reign supreme
From Our Sports Reporter

LUDHIANA, Sept 20 — Karnataka swimmers continued their winning streak bagging seven out of 12 gold medals at stake in the junior section of the 15th Sub-Junior and 25th Junior National Aquatic Championship for boys and girls at the Municipal Corporation Swimming Pool here today.

In the boys section, Nakul Narayan of Karnataka timed 2:05.85 second and managed to scrape past his immediate rival Akbar Ali Mir of Bengal (2:06.27) to clinch a gold in the 200m freestyle. Mario Johnson of Karnataka clocked 2:12.41 second to bag the bronze.

In the 100m breaststroke, Karnataka’s Preetham S.V. with 1:15.32 second finished ahead of Sarvendra Singh from Uttar Pradesh (1:16.06 second) and Veeresh Karkera of Karnataka (1:16.22 second).

Bharath Rangovi of Karnataka clocked 2:23.31 second to clinch a gold in the 200m backstroke. Bengal’s Akbar Aki Mir with 2:25.16 second won silver while Karnataka’s Mario Johnson bagged the bronze with 2:27.51 second.

In the 4x100m freestyle relay, Karnataka lads took 3:58.34 second to emerge clear leaders followed by Bengal quartet 4:05.40 second and Kerala team 4.11.60 second. In the girls section, Karnataka clinched gold in 400m freestyle through Chitra K. (4:51.90 second) and in 200m individual medley through Sri Kalpa Murali (2:37.49 second).

Hosts, Punjab struck their first medal on the third day of the meet today when Jaspreet Singh finished third in the 200m individual medley with 2:25.00 second. In this event the gold went to Elpis Ali Hazarika of Assam (2:20.45 second) while Preetham S.V. of Karnataka took (2:24.68 second) to win a silver.

In water polo (boys), Punjab went down fighting 8-9 to favourites Maharashtra, Kerala trounced Delhi 17-0 and Bengal outclassed Manipur.

In the girls section, Maharashtra stunned Karnataka 5-0.

India Cup judo meet from today
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — Fiftyfour judokas from nine Asian countries are here to participate in the India Cup International Judo Championship to be held at the Panjab University gymnasium from tomorrow.

Besides the hosts India, which is fielding two teams, other countries participating in the first-ever international judo meet in the city are Singapore (four joudokas), Nepal (seven judokas), Iran (two judokas), Sri Lanka (five judokas), Thailand (four judokas), Uzbekistan (six judokas), Mauritius (two judokas), Japan (three judokas) and Bangladesh (three judokas).

All the four judokas in Thailand team are national junior champions in their respective weight categories. They are Thawatchai Choklap (50 kg), Jakkawan Chompoo-Ngam (55 kg), Worachat Nakkoet (60 kg), and Tharalat Sutthiphun (open). The Thai participants belong to 14-18 age group.

On the other hand, Uzbekistan has virtually brought its World Youth Games team here. They have the 1998 World Youth Games silver medallist in Oybck Dalimov in 55 kg category. Yusuf Gulliev had finished fifth in the World Youth Games in the 73 kg category. S. Rustamov (55 kg category), Abdullo Tangriev (Open) had also participated in the World Youth Games. In the 66 kg category, Chingis Baymatov is the current Uzbekistan champion.

Kevin Ladouce (60 kg) and Patrict Augustin (73 kg) are national chamipions of Mauritius in their respective weight categories.

All the three judokas from Japan — Atsushi Hotta (73 kg category), Katsuyi Suzuki (81 kg category) and Akira Sawada (open) — belong to 18 age group. Interestingly, Japan is not participating in lighter weight categories.

Bangladesh have Abdul Hasnat Rana in 55 kg category; Abu Bakkar Siddik in 60 kg and Tariqul Islam in 66 kg category.

Singapore also have a youthful team here. Shi Choo Huang (60 kg), Chun Nang Tsui (73 kg), Bing-He Chua (81 kg) and Detting Neo (Open) are their competitors here. Nepal has a full seven-member team. Hari Shretha (50 kg), Meghraj Yadav (55 kg), Padam Budhathoki (60 kg), Mohan Sunuwar (66 kg), Hari Kumar Lama (73 kg), Rajesh Basnet (81 kg), and Om Parkash Singh (open) are the judokas representing Nepal here.

Iran will be represented by Mohsen Chafar (50 kg), Amin Jamshidi (55kg), Mohammad Ali Sedighi Khovidar (60 kg), Arash Miresmaeili (66 kg), Babar Poladi Baras (73 kg) and Saeid Khoshavi Nejad (Open).

Mohammad Mohinudeen (50 kg), Susantha Attanayake (55 kg), Bahanuka Jayaweera (66 kg), Asanka Hewapathirange (60 kg) and Ranil Seneviraatne (Open) are judokas form Sri Lanka participating here.

The host teams are: India "B"— Madan Lal, Vikram Solanki, Jatinder Handa, Rajeev Ruhil, Vinod Solanki, Satish Badsar and Munish Riat.

India "A" — Ajay Dhir, Rakesh Kumar I, L. Dinit Singh, Rakesh Kumar II, Jai Pal, Sanjeev Kumar and D.D. Adarsh.

The Union Minister of State for Industries, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, will inaugurate the championship. The President of the International Judo Federation, Mr Y.S. Park of Korea, is expected to arrive here in time for the inaugural ceremony tomorrow morning.

Competitions will be held in 60 kg, 66 kg, 73 kg and 81 kg category tomorrow while in the remaining weight categories, competitions will be held on second and final day.

PSCB win chess championship

MOGA, Sept 20 (UNI) — Top seed and favourites Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB) team annexed the 21st National Team Chess Championship by defeating second seeded Bank Sports Board in the seventh and final round with a narrow 2.5-1.5 margin here today.

PSCB topped with 19.5 points, due to a commendable performance in the last three rounds, and won the championship a clear point ahead of runners up Tamil Nadu who could not keep up with PSCB’s giant killing spree and had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Indian Airlines in the last round.

The duel between grandmaster P.M. Thipsay (BSB) and International Master D.V. Prasad ended in a draw soon after the opening phase of a Sicilian Scheveningen with both players deciding to play it safe .

On the second board, V. Saravanan (PSCB) obtained a slight advantage against his BSB counterpart Sudhakar Babu but eventually drew the game.

IM P. Konguvel gave his PSCB team a decisive advantage by defeating IM R.G. Hegde in an irregular opening .

On the fourth board, IM R.B. Ramesh drew with his opponent and romped his team home with a victory.

Final standings: PSCB — 19.5 pts (1), Tamil Nadu — 18.5 pts (2), ICF — 17.5 pts (3), BCB — 17.5 pts (4), IA — 17.0 pts (5).

Board prizes: Ist board: K. Visweswaran — TN, IInd board: Himanshu Sharma — Haryana, IVth board: S. Vijayalaxmi — IA, Vth board: T.J. Sureshkumar — ICF.

Mohali Gymkhana win
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 20 — Fine allround performance by Punjab Ranji player Navdeep Singh (60 and 3 for 14) enabled Mohali Gymkhana to beat Panther Cricket Club by 44 runs in the second Paradise Cup Cash Prize Cricket Tournament at Panchkula today.

Navdeep’s knock of 60 included two sixes and eight fours. The other contributions came from Deepinder (28) and Banish Singla (24). Gymkhana CC scored 175 runs in the allotted 25 overs. Navdeep Singh later bowled a tight line and length to bowl out Panther CC for 131 runs.

Brief scores:- Gymkhana CC 175 for 9 in 25 overs (Navdeep Singh 60, Deepinder 28, Banish Singla 24, Gurbachan 17, Ved Parkash 3 for 34, Vishal 2 for 16 and Naveen 2 for 36.

Panther CC 131 all out (Sukhdev 25, Vishal 18, Navdeep Singh 3 for 14).

In another match fine batting by Aman Kumar (41) enabled Godrej to rout Kalsi CC by 73 runs.

Brief scores:- Godrej 140 for 9 in 25 overs (Aman Kumar 41, Vikash Soni (26), Umesh Kera (19), Jaswinder Singh (18), J.S. Kalsi 2 for 21 and Sahmbu 2 for 23, Manoj 2 for 24).

Kalsi CC 67 all out (Amarjeet Singh (19), Umesh Kera 4 for 12, Vikram 3 for 19, Sunil Kala 2 for 19).

Kamalpura school lads score win
From Our Sports Reporter

LUDHIANA, Sept 20 — Government Senior Secondary School, Kamalpura, and Government High School, Roomi, scored emphatic wins in the 6th Sardar Harbans Singh Pannu Memorial Punjab School Hockey League Tournament being organised by Aryan Club here at the Guru Nanak Stadium.

In the first match, Kamalpura lads thrashed Government High School, Jarkhar, 12-1 in which Harjit Singh with five goals excelled. Other scores were Manjit Singh (2), Harjinder (2), Balwinder and Mandip (one goal each). The lone scorer for the losers was Jaspreet Singh.

In the second match, Roomi boys blanked Malwa Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, 4-0.

In another absorbing match Government Senior Secondary School, Kila Raipur (B), drew with Government Senior Secondary School, Halwara 1-1.

In another league fixtures, Bhagwan Mahavir Senior Secondary School, Raikot, defeated Government Senior Secondary School, Sudhar, 3-0; National Senior Secondary School, Rampur, prevailed over Government Senior Secondary School, Sudhar 1-0, and Government Senior Secondary School, Doraha, went down fighting 1-3 to National Senior Secondary School, Rampur.

Brazilian sets world record

BERLIN, Sept 20 (Reuters) — Brazilian Ronaldo Da Costa, running only his second marathon, set a world best time of two hours six minutes five seconds with victory in Berlin today.

The Brazilian turned a cartwheel across the finish line as he completed the 25th Berlin marathon more than a minute ahead of second-placed Kenyan Kiprono Josephat.

"I came simply to run under 2:08 but the conditions were so good I just decided to go for it," said Da Costa whose only previous experience of marathon running came at last year’s Berlin event when he finished fifth in 2:09.07.

Da Costa’s time bettered the 10-year-old mark of 2:06.50 set by Ethiopian Belayneh Dinsamo in Rotterdam.

Josephat, who finished just in front of compatriot Samson Kandie, set a personal best time of 2:07.27.