NAIROBI : The Indian cricket captain Ajay Jadeja (left) and Saurav Ganguly train at Nairobi Gymkhana on Thursday for their four-nations LG Cup International tournament which starts on Saturday. India plays their first game against South Africa on Sunday Sept.26. The four teams in the tournament are Kenya, India, Zimbabwe and South Africa.— AP/PTI

Tendulkar likely to be skipper MUMBAI, Sept 24 — The Indian captain for the home series against New Zealand will be decided at the selection committee meeting to be held at Chennai tomorrow. Bindra’s warning on TV rights NEW DELHI,Sept 24 — Former President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) I.S.Bindra has cautioned against efforts being made to award TV rights to a satellite channel in place of Prasar Bharati.

Rich haul of medals expected as SAF Games open today
KATHMANDU, Sept 24 — Striving to bridge the gap in standards with athletes in other parts of the world, the cream of South Asia’s sporting talent will renew their effort to break the shackles of mediocrity when they battle for glory in the eighth SAF Games which formally get under way tomorrow.

Australia grab 2-0 lead against Russia
BRISBANE, Sept 24 — Rookie Wayne Arthurs stunned world No 2 Yevgeny Kafelnikov to give Australia a surprise 2-0 lead over Russia after the opening day of the Davis Cup tennis semifinal here today.

‘Potato field’ & not court: Kafelnikov
BRISBANE, Sept 24 — World No 2 Yevgeny Kafelnikov dismissed the grass court used for the Davis Cup semifinal against Australia as a “potato field” after crashing to a 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-0 defeat against Wayne Arthurs today.

Kidambi wins, Nisha draws in 6th round
YEVERAN (Armenia), Sept 24 — After a bad patch, India’s national champion S. Kidambi played his best game in the sixth round against Swiss Kumin Soman at the World Junior Chess Championship today.

Ranjit outboxes Inderjit
SANGRUR, Sept 24 — Ranjit Singh of Sangrur defeated Inderjit of Bathinda in bantam weight category in the Punjab State Senior Boxing Championships in progress at War Hero’s Stadium here.

7 new records set in sport fest
HISAR, Sept 24 — Seven new records were set, five in the women’s section and two in girls under -16 section, in the 13th Haryana State Women Sports Festival here today.

Lanka spinners rip through Australia

GALLE, (Sri Lanka), Sept 24 (Reuters) — Sri Lankan spinners Muthiah Muralithran and Rangana Herath took nine wickets to bowl out Australia for 228 in their first innings on the rain-affected third day of the second Test today.

Australia, resuming on 188 for five, added just 40 runs for their last five wickets in 51 minutes at the crease today. Captain Steve Waugh struggled to 19 before losing his wicket to Test debutant Herath.

Herath took four of the wickets to fall to finish with figures of four for 97. The left-armer was included after taking four for 57 for a Sri Lanka board XI against Australia earlier this month.

Sri Lanka were 44 for no wicket in their second innings at stumps.

(AP): Australian fast bowler Damien Fleming may be punished for pushing a Sri Lankan player and using abusive language during the second cricket Test today.

Match referee Cammie Smith spoke to Fleming and umpire B. C. Cooray of Sri Lanka, who reported the incident. Smith said he would be ready with his report tomorrow.

Fleming, already under warning, may face one match suspension or fine. Fleming pushed Chaminda Vaas with his shoulder and then reportedly used abusive language as Vaas got out after belting the Australian bowlers.

Vaas is known for his pace bowling and not batting prowess. But he ruffled the Australians by scoring 41 runs off 58 balls. He struck four boundaries and one six off the bowling of Fleming and Glen McGrath in Sri Lanka’s first innings.

There was a strong case against Fleming as it was a direct breach of the player’s conduct on the field, a cricket official said on condition of anonymity.

SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka (Ist innings): 296
(A. de Silva 64, R. Aronld 50)

Australia (Ist innings): (overnight 188-5).
Slater st Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 96

Blewett b Muralitharan 62 Langer c
Ranatunga b Muralitharan 7
M. Waugh c Ranatunga b Muralitharan 10
S. Waugh c Kaluwitharana b Herath 19
Healy c Jayawardene b Muralitharan 4
Ponting c Ranatunga b Herath 1
Warne c Atapattu b Herath 0
Fleming b Herath 16
Miller run out 6
McGrath not out 0
Extras: (B-1, LB-4, NB-2) 7
Total: (all out, 96.3 overs) 228
Fall of wickets: 1-138, 2-160, 3-179, 4-182, 5-188, 6-189, 7-189, 8-215, 9-228.
Bowling: Vaas 9-3-31-0, Zoysa 6-1-9-0, Herath 34.3-6-97-4 (1nb), Murali-tharan 38-10-71-5 (1nb), Jayasuriya 9-1-15-0.

Sri Lanka (IInd innings):
Jayasuriya not out 19
Atapattu not out 21
Extras: (LB-3, NB-1) 4
Total: (for no wicket, 13 overs) 44.
Bowling: McGrath 5-2-13-0, Fleming 4-0-15-0 (1nb), Miller 2-1-8-0, Warne 2-0-5-0.

SAF Games football

Maldives rout Lanka in inaugural match

KATHMANDU, Sept 24 (PTI) — Maldives capitalised on a sloppy defence to rout Sri Lanka 4-0 in the inaugural group “B” league match of the SAF Games football championship today, as action opened at the eighth edition of the regional games.

Playing an organised and cohesive game, Maldives forwards had a field day as captain Mohammad Ibrahim, Adam Latheef, Ali Shahim and substitute Abdullah Ibrahim fired in goals with ease in what turned out to be a woefully one-sided contest.

Mohammad Ibrahim gave Maldives the lead in the 22nd minute when he converted a spotkick, awarded after Shahim was brought down by the Lankan goalkeeper Tillekaratne, to help his team go into the break with the edge.

Maldives stepped up the pace in the second session to pump in three more goals much to the embarrassment of the Sri Lankans, who had won the bronze in the last games in Chennai.

Two minutes after change of ends, Adam Latheef found the target following a measured pass from Ismail close to the penalty box.

Five minutes later, Maldives took a stranglehold on the match with Ali Shahim producing a brilliant goal, cashing in on a defensive lapse while substitute Abdullah Ibrahim completed the rout at the stroke of the final whistle.

Defending champions India open their campaign against Pakistan in a group “A” league match on September 26, a day after the opening ceremony of the games here.

India, who may have to struggle hard to retain the title they won in the Chennai SAF Games in 1995, will then take on Bhutan in their second group league match on September 28, as per the fixtures released by the organisers here.

India have been clubbed in group A along with Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan. Group B consists of last year’s runners-up Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The Indian team which flew this morning along with the athletics and swimming contingent, will begin their practice sessions from tomorrow.

“We are confident of doing well here, but we cannot be complacent against any team,” chief coach Sukhwinder Singh said.

Hosts Nepal could prove to be India’s toughest opponents in group A though Pakistan were also capable of springing a surprise on any fancied team on their day. The India-Nepal clash has been scheduled for September 30.

Chandigarh, Delhi in last 8

MUMBAI, Sept 24 (UNI) — Bihar, in the first evenly fought match of the Junior Women’s National Hockey Championship, beat Uttar Pradesh by a solitary goal today to advance into the quarter-finals here at the Mahindras Stadium.

Earlier Bombay, Orissa, Delhi and Chandigarh had also booked a last eighth berth each with facile wins over Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Mahakoshal and Kerala, respectively in their group matches.

Mumbai and Delhi took it easy with an identical 3-0 wins over Gujarat and Mahakoshal while Orissa and Chandigarh routed Andhra Pradesh and Kerala with 6-0 goals each. For the third successive day the losers were unable to open the account.

Bihar, mostly built around Ranchi SAI unit girls, scored the goal through penalty stroke in the 25th minute of the first half and it was hotly disputed by rivals. Then Pushpa Pradhan, who was found guilty of pushing an attacker, led the team towards the team bench and the game was halted for few minutes. When it started Masira Surin sent in a ground push for the goal.

On resumption both sides kept each other’s defence busy. The Bihar Troika of Surin, Adline Kerketta and Anita Ekka, worked splendidly but could not terminate the moves with goals. Uttar Pradesh made enough inroads with three short corners in the second half but could not fetch an equaliser. Now they have to go home.

Orissa which has similar short stick work of Biharis, slammed three goals on the either side of the match against Andhrites. Pratima Tirkey led the assault with a brace.

Nishi Chauhan of Chandigarh became the third player to register a hat trick. She was unstoppable in scoring the first three for her side against Kerala and for a good measure she also homed in the sixth and last goal.

Bombay’s Shanghai Chanu was today subdued against Gujarat and could manage only one goal. She will need her energy for tougher rounds ahead.

Delhi’s Pooja Rawat after being thwarted for 40 minutes pushed home a solo and few minutes before the final whistle shot in the third goal for her side against Mahakoshal.

Results: Pool D Delhi b Mahakoshal 3-0, pool E Chandigarh b Kerala 6-0, pool B Bihar b Uttar Pradesh 1-0, pool G Orissa b Andhra Pradesh 6-0, pool F Mumbai b Gujarat 3-0.

Kidambi wins, Nisha draws in 6th round

YEVERAN (Armenia), Sept 24 (UNI) — After a bad patch, India’s national champion S. Kidambi played his best game in the sixth round against Swiss Kumin Soman at the World Junior Chess Championship today.

In the girls’ section, IWM Nisha Mohota (3) had to be satisfied with a draw against seventh-seeded Slavina Irina (3) of Russia.

Kidambi demonstrated his positional game skills by gaining the full control of D5 square through which he was moving the pieces all over the board. This forced Soman to resign on the 46th move.

Nisha, who drew against Irina, played Dutch defence and got a slight advantage position. However, after the 31st move, she agreed to a draw on an offer.

Kouvatsov Maria (5) of Greece was held to a draw by K. Sopio (4.5) of Georgia, and still leads the girls group alongwith Cnilyti Viktorjia (5) of Lituania. Cnilyti won her game against second seed Vazda Sridonia (3.5) of Romania.

Bindra’s warning on TV rights

NEW DELHI, Sept 24 (UNI) — Former President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) I.S.Bindra has cautioned against efforts being made to award TV rights to a satellite channel in place of Prasar Bharati.

There had been enough instances in the recent past to sully the image of the BCCI and make one doubt the motives behind many of its statements and actions, Mr Bindra said in a letter to BCCI secretary J.Y. Lele.

Let not award of TV rights to a satellite channel (in case Prasar Bharti does not accept armstwisting on the part of the BCCI at an amount which is most certainly less to the extent of Rs 300 crores on the basis of offers already received and perhaps more than that in case open bids are invited on the basis of totally transparent parameters) create a scam with wide ramifications, Mr Bindra said.

Mr Bindra, who, at present, is the president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), further said: “I appeal to you let’s not allow award of TV rights to become the straw that bring the whole edifice down to an unsalvageable level-not only damaging the BCCI’s reputation but more importantly that of Indian cricket’’.

The former BCCI chief said that he has come to know through sources that annual general body meeting (AGM) of the board which was held at Jaipur early this week had decided that the contract may be awarded to Parsar Bharti by virtue of its highest bid of Rs 45 crore per annum for a minimum of 27 days of cricket per year for a period of five years.

Mr Bindra claimed that according to his source the said decision was subject to Doordarshan paying damages to WorldTel to the extent of $7 million relating to arbitration award of Mr N.K.P. Salve regarding 1996 World Cup dispute.

“I was also informed that one of the vice presidents had suggested that in case Doordarshan does not accept stipulation regarding discharge of its obligation towards WorldTel (BCCI share being restricted to only 37 and half per cent of damages awarded that too dependent upon WorldTel discharging its obligation), the board may award the rights to the second highest bidder which happened to be a satellite channel at the price being offered by Parsar Bharati), Mr Bindra further added.

Mr Bindra said during the discussion on this issue in the working committee held at Mumbai on August 20 he had reiterated the views of his association and gave in writing to the board.

Agassi confirms relationship

LAS VEGAS, Sept 24 (AP) — Score it love-love for Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

Agassi confirmed rumours yesterday that the two tennis greats are romantically linked. He said the relationship “has probably come on a little quicker than anticipated”.

“Sometimes life can throw you some curves. It’s nice when good curves come along. She’s a good one,” he told a TV channel.

Agassi (29) and Graf (30) have been seen around town together, most recently at Saturday’s De La Hoya-Trinidad boxing fight.

Agassi and actress Brooke Shields divorced in April after two years of marriage. Graf, who retired from tennis during the summer, recently split with her boyfriend of seven years, racing driver Michael Bartels.

Australia grab 2-0 lead against Russia

BRISBANE, Sept 24 (AFP) — Rookie Wayne Arthurs stunned world No 2 Yevgeny Kafelnikov to give Australia a surprise 2-0 lead over Russia after the opening day of the Davis Cup tennis semifinal here today.

Arthurs, ranked 91, unsettled Kafelnikov with his penetrative left-handed serves to win 6-2, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-0 in just over two hours.

Earlier, Lleyton Hewitt gave Australia a psychological early lead with a convincing win over Russian Marat Safin, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Australia are on course for an upset victory over Russia and if they win tomorrow’s double rubber they will be in the final against either France or Belgium.

The final straw for the Russians was Kafelnikov’s humiliating loss of the last set without winning a game as Arthurs, playing in his first Davis Cup, surged to victory.

Kafelnikov had boasted before the tie not to even consider a 2-0 loss after the first day’s play — but now the Russians have to win all the remaining three rubbers to get to the final.

It was a red-letter day for 28-year-old Arthurs, who was playing Kafelnikov for the first time before a partisan home crowd on a favoured grass surface.

Arthurs was summoned to the Australian team after the loss of first-string players, Patrick Rafter and Mark Philippoussis, through injuries.

Australian captain John Newcombe decided on Arthurs after he had his best-ever result at this year’s Wimbledon, where as a qualifier he reached the last 16 before losing to eventual finalist Andre Agassi.

Arthurs also reached the semifinals on grass at Newport.

Earlier, 18-year-old Hewitt, ranked 31 in the world, was too consistent for the streaky Safin.

Such was Hewitt’s superiority that world No 36 Safin said it would be difficult to come back on to the court for a potential fifth rubber match on Sunday against Arthurs.

“I feel so bad right now, it will be difficult to come back to the court after this match,” said Safin, who was playing just his second match on grass.

“I had no serve, no baseline, no anything. It was like it was my first time on the court. I had no confidence at all,” he said.

Hewitt, who fed on the home support of a 13,000 sellout crowd, remains unbeaten in Davis Cup following his singles victories over Todd Martin and Alex O’Brien in the Boston quarterfinal against the USA last July.

HAMILTON (New Zealand), (Reuters): Spain took a 2-0 lead over New Zealand after a dramatic first day of a Davis Cup group relegation playoff on Friday that featured mixed debuts for leading players Felix Mantilla and Francisco Clavet.

Mantilla, ranked 18th in the world, struggled through a back injury to win the opener against Mark Nielsen while Francisco Clavet put on a smooth display of precise technique to overpower New Zealand No 1 Brett Steven in straight sets.

Though Mantilla won his first set 6-2, Nielsen grabbed the next two 6-3, 6-4 and then took the Spaniard to 5-4 in the fourth and served for the match.

But Mantilla broke back, took the youngster to a tie-breaker that he won 7-2, then cruised through the final set 6-3.

It was the first Davis Cup outing for Mantilla, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Thursday, and he was followed by Clavet, also a debutant.

Despite a much more experienced New Zealand opponent, Clavet won 6-2, 6-4, 6-4, with ease, showing excellent movement around the court and mixing baseline and serve and volley tactics.

Spanish captain Manolo Santana described the day as dramatic, having got off to a shocking start that looked set for at least one loss when Mantilla was playing in pain.

He complemented Clavet on his win, saying, “Brett is very dangerous’’.

Santana has brought in the relatively inexperienced Juan Balcells to play in doubles alongside Julian Alonso.

Balcells replaced Fernando Vicente, ranked 40th on ATP.

If Mantilla remains fit, he is scheduled to meet Steven in Sunday’s reverse singles.

Rich haul of medals expected as SAF Games open today

KATHMANDU, Sept 24 (PTI) — Striving to bridge the gap in standards with athletes in other parts of the world, the cream of South Asia’s sporting talent will renew their effort to break the shackles of mediocrity when they battle for glory in the eighth SAF Games which formally get under way tomorrow.

Nepal’s King Birendra Bir Bikram Shahdeva will declare the games open during a two-hour opening ceremony at the Dashrath Stadium, heralding the 12-event extravaganza which is expected to reaffirm India’s overwhelming sporting dominance in the South Asian region.

The Indians have monopolised the games since its inception in 1984 and the 232-member strong squad is expected to return with a rich medal harvest in the mega event being held in this picturesque valley after a gap of 15 years.

The SAF Games has not only been a consciously designed platform to improve the standard among the SAARC countries but has also been used to project the sports ethos of a region plagued by political turbulence and economic imbalance.

A total of 1,069 athletes from all the seven participating countries will be competing for 532 medals, including 161 gold medals, during nine days of competitions which would see a few of the existing SAF Games records fall by the wayside.

Setting aside the tensions in the aftermath of the Kargil conflict, Indian and Pakistani sportspersons would be seen in action together for the first time, exemplifying the power of sports to strengthen friendship and camaraderie.

The introduction of events like karate and taekwondo for the first time in the games means there will be more gold medals at stake this time around and hosts Nepal are likely to benefit the most by these additions, though from this edition onwards the number of disciplines will remain at 12.

Outclassing their neighbours in most events, India had bagged a whopping 106 gold medals in the last games at Chennai in 1995 and would be hoping to improve the tally here despite the absence of a few star performers in their ranks.

India will take part in all the 12 events - athletics (men and women), boxing, football, karate (men and women), kabaddi, shooting (men and women), swimming (men and women), table tennis (men and women), taekwondo (men and women), volleyball (men and women), weightlifting and wrestling.

The athletic, shooting and swimming contingents are expected to do the bulk of medal hunting for India as in the previous editions, while the boxers, grapplers and lifters are also expected to emerge with notable contributions to the overall medal tally.

The absence of star performers like Asian Games double gold medallist Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, ace quartermiler Paramjit Singh, middle distance runner Bahadur Prasad will be felt but the athletic contingent is still capable of returning home with more than 20 golds in their kitty.

The athletes had accounted for 21 gold medals in Chennai and barring the sprint events, where the Sri Lankans have excelled over the years, the Indians are unlikely to face stiff competition.

Led by pistol ace Jaspal Rana, the Indian shooters have often done the country proud abroad and the strong contingent is again expected to rule the BIS Complex shooting range with any challenge expected only from Bangladesh marksmen. Shooting events will be held from September 28 to October 3.

The diminutive Asian Games bantamweight gold medallist Ng Dingko Singh, who will be India’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony tomorrow, will spearhead the challenge in boxing where apart from Pakistan and Nepal the fast improving Sri Lankans may also prove tough rivals in some weight categories.

With many of the boxers having just returned from an outing in Cuba, the Indians are confident of securing at least eight gold medals from the 10-member contingent. The boxers had fetched a record 10 golds and two silvers in the last SAF Games in Chennai.

From this edition any country can field pugilists in only 10 of the 12 events, to ensure a more even spread of medals.

Indian swimmers had virtually swept all the gold medals at stake at Chennai and the story could be more or less the same here, with their women counterparts also waiting to make a big splash.

In football, India who regained the gold in Chennai after a long gap, may have to work hard to retain the title as hosts Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have more or less the same standard in what promises to be a keenly contested championship to be played under floodlights at the main Dashrath Stadium.

The city is all geared up for staging the sporting extravaganza and special security arrangements have been made for the opening ceremony, which would showcase the rich cultural heritage of the Himalayan kingdom.

Most of the contestants from the participating countries have already flown in and had been accommodated at various hotels. The second batch of the Indian contingent comprising the shooting, boxing, table tennis, weightlifting, kabaddi, wrestling and taekwondo squads, reached the city this morning.

Tendulkar likely to be skipper

MUMBAI, Sept 24 (UNI) — The Indian captain for the home series against New Zealand will be decided at the selection committee meeting to be held at Chennai tomorrow.

The new selection committee headed by Chandu Borde is likely to retain Sachin Tendulkar as the captain. Sachin was selected as captain up to the L.G. Cup in Nairobi. He, however, had to pull out of the tournament to receive treatment for his back in Australia.

The committee will also select the Rest of India team to play the Ranji champions Karnataka at Bangalore from October 1, the India “A” team and the Board President’s XI will play against the visiting New Zealanders in 3-day ties at Pune and Jodhpur.

The New Zealanders are scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on September 28 and will play against India ‘A’ at Pune from September 30 to October 2, before meeting the Board President’s XI in Jodhpur from October 5 to 7. The visitors will also play against Ranji champions Karnataka at Bangalore from October 17 to 19, the Board of Control for Cricket in India said.

‘Potato field’ & not court: Kafelnikov

BRISBANE, Sept 24 (Reuters) — World No 2 Yevgeny Kafelnikov dismissed the grass court used for the Davis Cup semifinal against Australia as a “potato field” after crashing to a 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 6-0 defeat against Wayne Arthurs today.

“I have never seen anything like it in my life, that court is just not acceptable for this kind of event,” he said.

Today the reigning Australian Open champion said the home side had nothing to be proud of. “I’m not going to give any credit for that,” Kafelnikov said. “The condition of the court was so pathetic, it was like a potato field.”

Arthurs was only called into the Australian team after Pat Rafter and Mark Philippoussis were forced out by injury, and he laughed off the Russian’s complaints. “I don’t care what he thinks, we’re the ones leading 2-0. He can go home crying if he likes,” Arthurs said.

“This is the greatest day of my career. I’m really over the moon. I could tell he was hating it so that just made it even better.”

Both Russians looked uncomfortable on the grass court, which is normally home to the Brisbane Broncos rugby league team, making fundamental mistakes while their opponents flourished.

Safin looked all at sea in only his second match on grass. “Once I got on top of him, he basically just chucked in the towel,” Hewitt said. “I really should have won in straight sets.”

“In my whole life, I have never played like that,” a despondent Safin said.

“It’s going to be hard for me to come back on the court after this match. Maybe I should quit tennis in a few days.”

Arthurs, who was making his Davis Cup debut at the ripe old age of 28, caught the two-time Grand Slam winner by surprise in the first set with his booming serve and sharp volleys.

Kafelnikov drew on his experience to win the second set in a tie-breaker before completely losing the plot in the closing sets, winning just two of the last 12 games. “I’ve never performed worse than that in my life,” Kafelnikov said.

Ranjit outboxes Inderjit
From Our Sports Reporter

SANGRUR, Sept 24 — Ranjit Singh of Sangrur defeated Inderjit of Bathinda in bantam weight category in the Punjab State Senior Boxing Championships in progress at War Hero’s Stadium here. In middle weight category another Sangrur boxer Narinder Singh managed to beat spirited Amarvir Singh of Amritsar on points.

Results: Lt middle wt: Balwinder Singh (Sang) b Parminder (Jal), Ram Nath Singh (Mansa) b Tarsem Pal (Kot Bera), Bhupinder Singh (Sunam) b Amandeep Singh (Sang), Jagtar Singh (T. Sabo) b Sanjiv Sharma (Hsp), Satpal Singh (Pta) b Raj Kumar (Asr), Anil Bhatti (Bth) b Sunil Kumar (Ropar).

Middle wt: Narinder Kumar (Sang) b Amarvir (Asr), Gursharan Singh (T Sabo) b Ramandeep Singh (Pta).

Lt heavy wt: Chira Lal (Sang) b Gagandeep (Sang), Nirvail Singh (Jal) b Kanwarjit Singh (Sunam).

Heavy wt: Anil Kumar (Jal) b Sandeep Kumar (Asr).

Super heavy wt: Sukhdev Singh (Sang) b Hardeep Singh (Jal), Saravjit ((Fzr) b Paramjit Singh (Sunam), Kulwinder Singh (Bth) b Naresh Kumar (Dhuri), Gulbag Singh (Asr) b Kultar Singh (T Sabo).

Lt welter wt: Mohd Yakoob (M kotla), b Talwinder Singh (Khanna), Kuljit Singh (Moga) b Jagtar Singh (Dhuri), Deepak Kumar (Sang) b Satnam Singh (Jal), Rahul (Sang), b Parminder Singh (Pta), Yogesh (Gpr) b Ashok (Dhuri).

Lt fly wt: Malkiat Singh (Sunam) b Paramvir (Asr), Deepak (Khanna) b Harpreet Singh (Pta), Sukhdev Singh (Bti) b Paramjit (Sang), Pardeep Kumar (T Sabo) b Rakesh Kumar.

Lt welter wt: Hardeep Singh (T Sabo) b Kamaljit Singh (Asr), Sukhinder Singh (Bti) b Karnail Singh (Sunam), Amandeep (Sang) b Farooq (M’kotla).

Fly wt: Narinder Singh (Pta) b Amandeep (Khanna), Ravinder Singh (Jal) b Virbant Singh (T Sabo).

Bantam wt: Ranjit Singh (Sang) b Inderjit Singh (Bti), Ravi Parkash (Pta) b Bahadur Singh (Barnala), Anthony (Asr) b Birbal Singh (Mansa), Love Kumar (Hsp) b Kulwinder Singh (T Sabo).

7 new records set in sport fest
From Our Sports Reporter

HISAR, Sept 24 — Seven new records were set, five in the women’s section and two in girls under -16 section, in the 13th Haryana State Women Sports Festival here today.

Sunita Dahiya of Sonepat improved her own state record in 400 metres completing the distance in 58.2 seconds against the previous record of 1.01.9 seconds set in 1992. Sunil of Jhajjar and Suman of Hisar were second and third, respectively.

The 100 metres record for women was broken by all the medal winners, Baljeet Kaur of Gurgaon, who clocked 12.3 seconds, Sunita Dahiya of Sonepat (12.5 ) and Poonam Sahu of Hisar, who timed 12.6 seconds in a closely contested race. The old record of 12.69 seconds had been set by Sunita of Sonepat in 1994.

Gurpreet of Sirsa, Poonam of Hisar and Babita of Sonepat broke the record in javelin throw by recording 40.80 metres, 39.85 metres and 39.80 metre, respectively. The earlier record of 39.10 metres was set by Poonam of Bhiwani in 1997.

Promila’s jump of 5.01 metres in the long jump broke the 4.96 metres record of Sudesh of Sonepat. Sunil of Jhajjar with 4.84 metres and Poonam Sahu of Hisar with 4.74 metres finished second and third, respectively.

The first record was established in the girls section with Ambala’s Memlesh running the 100 metres in 12.8 seconds to erase the 13.44 seconds record of Seema (Rohtak). Sangeeta of Rohtak (13.1) and Sameeksha of Ambala (13.3) also broke the previous record.

In long jump (girls under-16) Puja Ahlawat of Bhiwani jumped 4.78 metres to break the previous record of 4.56 metres set by Promila of Rohtak in 1997.

Harpreet of Ambala won 400 metres (girls under-16) clocking 1:05.3 seconds followed by Anila of Bhiwani. Poonam of Rohtak finished third. Seema of Sonepat won the women’s discus throw with a record throw of 44.99 metres. Poonam Sahu of Hisar ( 36.57 ) and Sweety of Gurgaon (26.70) finished second and third.

Other results:

Volleyball: Sonepat b Panchkula 25-03, 25-5; Mohindergarh b Kaithal 25-10, 25-12; Rewari b Rohtak 25-6, 25-15.

Basketball (women) : Sirsa b Panipat 46-2; Ambala b Kurukshetra 23-10; Hisar b Karnal 29-11; Faridabad b Fatehabad 23-10;

Handball: Sirsa b Karnal 10-2; Bhiwani b Faridabad 10-5; Kaithal b Fatehabad (w.o); Ambala b Rewari (w.o); Gurgaon b Karnal (w.o.); Jind b Rohtak (w.o) ; Jhajjar b Yamunanagar.

Hockey: Karnal b Fatehabad 4-0; Yamunanagar b Jind 4-2; Kurukshetra b Sirsa 13-0; Gurgaon b Hisar 5-0.

Kabaddi ( U-16): Sonepat b Bhiwani 38-24; Jind b Sirsa 41-12; Kurukshetra b Faridabad 73-19;

Women: Jhajjar b Panchkula 38-8; Sonepat b Faridabad 47-34; Mohindergarh b Hisar 50-21.

Dhayia scripts IA victory

CHANDIGARH, Sept 24 (TNS) — Indian Airlines, propped up by a valuable knock of 80 runs by skipper Vijay Dhayia defeated PCA Colts XI by four wickets and reached the semi-final of the 6th J.P. Atray Memorial Cricket Tournament at the PCA Stadium, SAS Nagar, today.

For PCA Colts, Munish Sharma and Ankur Kakkar started off consciously as they scored only 17 runs in the first seven overs. Munish was caught at mid on by Fazal Khaleel off R.P. Singh. Skipper Rakesh Saini too did not last long as he was caught and bowled by Subhash Chaudhary.

Sanjay Kumar then joined Kakkar and they paced the innings well. Ankur Kakkar hit six boundaries in his knock of 40 runs. Sanjay Kumar was in his elements today as he reached his 50 in only 62 balls with five hits to the fence.

For the seventh-wicket partnership of 51 runs between Tejinder Singh and Sanjay took the score to 185 as the PCA Colts could manage 206 runs. They were bundled out in the 46th over.

Indian Airlines openers Vijay Dhayia and J. Arun Kumar made a mockery of the inexperienced Colts attack as their partnership of 79 runs came off just 15 overs.

Arun Kumar showed his class as he struck exquisite cover drives and square cuts. His knock of 39 runs included eight hits to the fence. Yuvraj Singh, the next man in, started timing the ball elegantly.

His power-packed knock of 38 runs contained one huge six and four boundaries. At his exit, Haryana Ranji player Shafiq Khan took the score to 195 but he too fell trying to finish the match early. Fazal Khaleel was stumped off Ankur Kakkar, who then accounted for Subhash Chaudhary in the same over.

A wide ball by Sanjay Dhull in the next over decided the issue with Indian Airlines coasting home in the 45th over. Vijay Dhayia was declared the man of the match.

The second quarter-final will be played at the PCA Stadium between Godrej Cricket Club, Chandigarh and PUNCOM XI tomorrow.

Brief scores: PCA Colts: 206 all out in 45 overs (Sanjay Kumar 60, Ankur Kakkar 40, Tejinder Singh 26, R.P. Singh 3 for 32, Onkar Singh 2 for 43, Subhash Choudhary 2 for 65).

Indian Airlines: 207 for 6 in 44 overs (Vijay Dhayia 80, J.Arun Kumar 39, Yuvraj Singh 38, Shafiq Khan 22, Ankur Kakkar 4 for 27).

PSEB upset BSF

CHANDIGARH, Sept 24 (TNS) — Holders Border Security Force suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Punjab State Electricity Board in the opening game of the men’s section in the Punjab state annual basketball league which got underway at the newly commissioned basketball stadium at Bhikhi in Mansa district yesterday. Punjab Powermen won 74-53.

Earlier, the league was inaugurated by Mr Rajdeep Singh Gill, President, Punjab Basketball Association. All the participants observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect to Mr Gurmail Singh Matta, a noted basketball coach and a retired Deputy Director of Sports (Punjab), who died some weeks ago in a scooter accident.

Ravinder Pal Singh (20) and Arun Gill (12) were the main scorers for PSEB while Vipan (17), Ashok Kumar (12) and Devinder Hooda (13) excelled for securitymen.

In the second match, Punjab Police had no difficulty in setting aside the challenge of debutants, RCF. Parminder Singh (17) and Gagnesh (12) were the main scorers for policemen while Dildar (10) and Dalbir (8) were the highest scorers for RCF.

In the women’s section, Ludhiana defeated the Rest of Punjab 51-28 after leading 26-23 at the breather. In another match, Jalandhar defeated the Rest of Punjab Red 37-9. Kiranjeet (35) and Pavneet (10) played well for the winners.

Rock Rovers beat CISF

CHANDIGARH, Sept 24 (TNS) — Rock Rovers, Chandigarh, defeated the CISF 7-5 via the tie-breaker to emerge winners in the Chandigarh State Hockey Championship, which concluded at the Sector-42 hockey stadium here today.

The two teams were level 3-3 at the end of the regulation period. The scorers for Rock Rovers were R.S. Grewal, Navdeep and Sourav while for the CISF Pardeep, Parvesh and Arfaz scored the goals.

The score at half-time was 2-2.

Gurmit hockey from today

CHANDIGARH, Sept 24 (TNS) — The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will take on Shivalik Club in the inaugural match of the 29th All-India Gurmit Memorial Hockey Tournament, which begins at the Sector-42 hockey stadium here tomorrow.

The match will begin at 3 pm. Mr Chandershekhar, IG, Punjab Police, who is the Senior Vice-President of the Indian Hockey Federation and the President of the Chandigarh Hockey Association will inaugurate the tournament.

Kangra cricket team

KANGRA, Sept 24 (FOC) — Kangra district under-19 cricket team, which well participate in the HP Inter-District Under-19 Cricket Championship to be held at Chamba from October 2, was announced here today.

Hitesh, HP Ranji player, will lead the team. The other members are Rajesh, Prince, Manoj, Sanjeev (Dharamshala) Dinesh, Hemant, Paras, Sachin Rana (Palampur) Puneet, Kusagar, Abhinabh, Ankit, Mukesh (Kangra) and Varun Bandla (Jawalamukhi).

A spokesman of Kangra District Cricket Association said coaching would start here from September 27.