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| Tuesday, February 1, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Anand
jumps to joint 2nd spot
Akram talking rubbish: Steve Waugh |
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| Rathore, Jadeja lead North to
victory PUNE, Jan 31 — A brilliant knock of 106 by skipper Vikram Rathore and an unbeaten 60 runs by Ajay Jadeja enabled North Zone to score a convincing seven-wicket win over arch rivals South in their last one-day league tie and lift the Deodhar Trophy here today. Jaco causes a flutter CHANDIGARH, Jan 31—Qualifier Jaco T Mathew of India caused a flutter by outwitting sixth seed Vivek Jhaveri of India in the boys section of the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament (Grade 4) at CLTA complex, Sector 10 here today. In the girls event, dominated mainly by Indians, the presence of Radhika Tulpule the 82nd ranked ITF player, provided the much needed fillip to this mega event, and no upset was witnessed in the singles matches. Chance for SBT to avenge defeat THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Jan 31 — Revenge will be on the mind of State Bank of Travancore, Thiruvananthapuram, when they meet Mahindra and Mahindra, Mumbai, in their first match in the second phase of the National Football League here tomorrow.
FIFA “ready to” help
Maradona Torturous
route for Tyson Churchill
Brothers top table in first phase Roller
skating race from Feb 3 US
team win kabaddi title Grewal
academy, SPS in last 4 Usha
keen to run in Olympics
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Anand jumps to joint 2nd spot WIJK AAN ZEE (Netherlands) (UNI) — Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand (8 points) fought grimly to finish the Corus International Chess Tournament on a winning note when he jumped into the joint second spot with an emphatic win over Armenian Grandmaster Sambat Lputian (4.5) in the 13th and final round. Garry Kasparov (9.5) of Russia increased his winning margin by defeating Judith Polgar (5) of Hungary in an exciting game. However, the top seed, who has won all his previous encounters against the Hungarian girl was so much annoyed with himself that he barged out of the hall without meeting the Press. Anand is yet to recover from the bout of flu which is spreading all over Europe. The Indian had won just two games but drawn 10 games till this round. In the last round Sambat employed a rarely played move on his fifth turn. Anand, however was well prepared to meet it. He played solid chess and did not loosen his stronghold on the position. Anand’s queen and rook joined hands to launch a powerful offensive on the king side. The Indian Grandmaster was enjoying freedom for his pieces while Sambat was saddled with cramped game. Meekly he offerred exchange of queens on 35th move. Anand exchanged the queens but suddenly shifted on offensive on queen’s wing. His pieces penetrated the vital of the black’s position. On the other hand Sambat’s bishop was merely a spectator and a prisoner of his own pawns. Anand activated his own king. The white monarch marched majestically across the board to join its army in the final assault on the weak black pawns. Sambat Lputian thought for a long time after 61 moves and decided to surrender. Both Leko and Kramnik had decided for peaceful results. Leko (8) agreed for a draw with Englishman Michael Adams after playing just 15 moves of sicilian defence while Vladimir Kramnik (8) joined him soon with a draw in 22 moves against tailender Lock Van Wely (4). Contrary to these peaceful results from the younger generation, 68 year old former World Championship challenger Victor Korchnoy (5) displayed his fighting spirit when he outwitted Jeroen Piket (6.5) in a marathon battle of 60 moves in queen’s Indian defence. Though Garry Kasparov had assured himself of the title with a round to spare, his all-win-record and enmity with Judith Polgar were big attractions for the chess lovers who thronged the auditorium on the final day. Garry Kasparov had gotten rid of his sports jacket and was sporting a traditional three piece suit for his important game. Judith opened with Kasparov’s pet Najdort variation of the sicilian defence. The Hungarian girl played a new move on her tenth move and Garry Kasparov took a long time to answer. It was obvious that the top seed was not aware of the new move. Results of the 13th and final round: Garry Kasparov b Judith Polgar, V. Anand b S. Lputian, Van Wely drew with V. Kramnik, M. Adams drew with P. Leko, Korchnoy b J. Piket, A. Morozevich b P. Nikolic, N. Short drew with J. Timman. Final standings: Garry
Kasparov — 9.5 points; V. Kramnik — 8 points;
Peter Leko — 8 points; V. Anand — 8 points; A.
Moroievich — 7.5 points. |
Tendulkar ‘doesn’t need captaincy’ PERTH, Jan 31 (PTI) — Former Australian captain Greg Chappell, a good enough bat to find a place in his country’s team of the century selected the other day, feels Sachin Tendulkar doesn’t need the burden of captaincy at this stage of his career as it seemed to be affecting his batting. “Sachin (Tendulkar) has a lot of natural responsibility as a leading batsman of the team. The expectations from him are sky high. He has lot of pressure. I don’t think he needs the extra burden of captaincy,” said Chappell in an interview to PTI here. “It was bound to have some effect on his batting. It could have been positive or negative. I think it could have affected the way he played in this series. I don’t think he played his natural free-flowing style.” Chappell, who made 7110 runs from 87 Tests and was considered world’s leading batsman in the 70s and early 80s, said he would not have made Tendulkar captain. “But that is my personal opinion,” he hastened to add. “Mind you, I don’t think Tendulkar failed as a batsman in the series. Especially in the Tests, he had a reasonable series. But as I said, there were high expectations from him. “The Indian selectors should develop good enough cricketers to support Tendulkar. If you can’t have that, you are not going to succeed anywhere”. Chappell agreed the Indian team, which lost 12 of the 15 matches it contested in this country, was largely a young team. “But it has to be competitive”. “When the Indians came, I thought the top three would score runs and the bowling attack too would be reasonably successful in Australia. The fact the bowling could not get Australia out was as much a problem as making runs,” Chappell said. About Dravid, Chappell said the star number three batsman might have overlooked the basic philosophy of batting which affected his performance on the tour. “They must have talked before the tour to try and spend as much time as possible in the middle,” said Chappell. “They didn’t think about making too many runs. “Dravid’s
failure compounded the problem for the team”. |
Ganguly, Srinath lead averages NEW DELHI, Jan 31 (PTI) — Statistics tell their own story of the Indian cricket team’s highly disappointing performance in the triangular limited-overs tournament in Australia which also involved Pakistan, besides the hosts. An average of 24.75 with just one fifty in eight innings, underlines Sachin Tendulkar’s mediocre performance. With the exception of Saurav Ganguly (average of 50.85), Rahul Dravid (33.50) and Robin Singh (30.71), the failures of the other batsmen are reflected in their poor averages. Leading the list of failures is VVS Laxman with an average of just 4.00 followed by Hrishikesh Kanitkar (9.00), Devang Gandhi (9.50), Samir Dighe (17.00) and Jacob Martin (20.50). Even spinner Anil Kumble, with a batting average of 12.60, did better than Kanitkar, Gandhi, Laxman and Ajit Agarkar (3.50), who carries the tag of an all-rounder. In bowling, paceman Javagal Srinath was the main wicket-taker with 14 scalps at an average of 27.50 followed by Anil Kumble with ten wickets at 27.60 a piece. The bowling averages,
however, are headed by the much under-rated left arm
spinner Sunil Joshi who, in the only match that he was
played took two wickets while conceding just 33 runs in
his quota of 10 overs to return an average of 16.50,
according to the statistics provided by Syed Pervez. |
Akram talking rubbish: Steve Waugh MELBOURNE, Jan 31 (PTI) — Australia’s captain Steve Waugh says his Pakistani counterpart Wasim Akram is talking “rubbish” when he is suggesting Australia could fall apart under pressure in the one-day finals. “I’d like to see Australia under pressure,” said Akram after Pakistan confirmed their place in the best-of-three finals beating India in Perth on Friday night. “They might be all over the place.” Waugh was dismissive, citing Australia’s victory over Pakistan here last week as evidence. “Basically he’s talking rubbish. They needed 64 off 65 balls with six wickets in hand. I would have thought that’s pressure, and there’s only one team (that) cracked then. “He (Akram) said the same thing before the World Cup final (in England) and we saw what happened there.”
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Kale guides West to 5-wkt win MUMBAI, Jan 31 (PTI) — Abhijit Kale struck a well-paced, unbeaten 68 off 76 balls to guide West Zone to a five-wicket victory over Central with 18 balls to spare in their last Deodhar Trophy league tie here today. Maharashtra middle-order batsman Kale hit seven fours and also put on an unbroken stand of 42 runs for the sixth wicket with Amit Dani, who was unbeaten with 12, as West easily overcame Central’s modest 50-over total of 207 for eight by making 211 for 5 in 47 overs. Opener Sitanshu Kotak, who made 45 off 86 balls to anchor the innings, and his partner Connor Willams (28) gave West a good start by putting on 53 runs for the first wicket in 13.2 overs. West lost both openers, one-down Vinod Kambli, who hit a breezy, run-a-ball 23 with three fours and a six, Amol Muzumdar (8) and skipper Nayan Mongia (11) before Kale and Dani finished the job. Earlier, put in to bat Central made a poor start by losing their first two wickets with only 24 on the board before recovering to 70 for three. They lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter to set up a modest target. Devendra Bundela remained unconquered with a well-made 78 off 112 balls which contained six boundaries. Other useful contributions came from Jai Prakash Yadav (31), Amay Khurasia (22) and Sanjay Bangar (24) but their total was inadequate on a pitch holding no devils. Zaheer Khan, Dani, Ajit Bhoite and Nilesh Kulkarni finished with two wickets apiece. Central Zone: Khoda c Kulkarni b Zaheer Khan 13, Jyoti Yadav c Mongia b Zaheer 1, J.P. Yadav c Kale b Dani 31, Khurasia c Mongia b Bhoite 22, Bangar c Kambli b Bhoite 24, Bundgla not out 78, Abbas Ali c Muzumdar b Kulkarni 19, Mudgal c Kotak b Kulkarni 2, H.S. Sodhi c Bhoite b Dani 8, Gandhe not out 2. Extras: (lb 4, w 2, nb 1) 7 Total: (for 8 wkts, in 50 overs) 207 Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-24, 3-70, 4-74, 5-116, 6-165, 7-175, 8-199. Bowling: Zaheer Khan 10-2-41-2; Garsondia 10-0-36-0; Dani 10-0-52-2; Bhoite 10-1-42-2; Kulkarni 10-0-32-2. West Zone: Kotak c Jyoti Yadav b Jai Prakash Yadav 45, Williams c Khurasia b JP Yadav 28, Kambli c Khurasia b Bundela 23, Muzumdar c Khoda b Bundela 8, A. Kale not out 68, Mongia c (sub) b Gandhe 11, Dani not out 12. Extras: (b 2, lb 4, wb 4, nb 6) 16 Total: (for 5 wkts, in 47 overs) 211 Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-84, 3-102, 4-141, 5-169 Bowling: Sodhi 8-1-29-0, Bangar 8-0-44-0, J.P. Yadav 10-0-47-2, Bundela 6-0-20-2, Karthik 10-0-39-0, Gandhe 5-0-26-1.
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Rathore, Jadeja lead North to victory PUNE, Jan 31 (PTI) — A brilliant knock of 106 by skipper Vikram Rathore and an unbeaten 60 runs by Ajay Jadeja enabled North Zone to score a convincing seven-wicket win over arch rivals South in their last one-day league tie and lift the Deodhar Trophy here today. Put in to bat, South Zone rattled 278 for 8 wickets in the stipulated 50 overs, on a placid wicket. In reply, North reached the target in 44.4 overs losing just three wickets, with Jadeja and Virendra Sehwag (11 not out) at the crease.The win gave North six points and top position on the table.Earlier, Rathore survived two chances, before being snapped by Mohammed Azharuddin off Hemang Badani. Rathore slammed a breezy 106, which came from 87 balls in 151 minutes, including 19 boundaries. He also put on 136 runs for the first wicket with opener Ashu Dani, (40 off 62b, 4x4, 1x6), which featured the day’s highlight. After the exit of Rathore, Jadeja got his unbeaten 60 in 86 balls with 8 fours. Jadeja and Pankaj Dharmani (36 - 43b 5x4) were also involved in 84 runs partnership for the third wicket. T. Kumaran, S. Mahesh and Hemang Badani all chipped in with a wicket each for South Zone. North Zone have won three encounters and lost to Central Zone while South have won two ties and lost two. Rathore survived a run out chance on 65 runs and was dropped by S. Sriram off Kumaran on 106 before Badani had him on the same score caught by Azhar at mid-off. South Zone: J. Arunkumar c Minhas b Bhandari 14, Ruben Paul c Dharmani b Bhandari 15, S. Sriram c Jadeja b Sarandeep Singh 12, Azharuddin c Rathore b Bhandari 5, S. Sharath run out 104, Badani c Sarandeep b Jadeja 8, S. Mahesh b Sehwag 48, Ashish Kapoor c Dahiya b Jadeja 12, Doda Ganesh not out 27, T. Kumaran not out 0, Extras (lb-7, nb-1, w-25) 33. Total (for 8 wkts in 50 overs) 278 Fall of wkts: 1-35, 2-40, 3-52, 4-63, 5-76, 6-169, 7-200, 8-274. Bowling: Bhandari 10-2-56-3; Robin Singh (jr) 10-0-40-0; Jadeja 10-1-35-2; Sarnadeep Singh 10-0-58-1; Sanghvi 4-0-43-0; Sehwag 6-0-39-1. North Zone: A. Dani c N.P. Singh b Mahesh 40, V. Rathore c Azharuddin b Badani 106, A. Jadeja (not out) 60, P. Dharmani b Kumaran 36, V. Sehwag (not out) 11. Extras: (nb-16, w-10) 26. Total: (for 3 wkts in 44.4 overs) 279 Fall of wickets: 1-136, 2-182, 3-266. Bowling: D. Ganesh
8.4-0-45-0, T. Kumaran 10-0-59-1, N.P. Singh 7-0-58-0, S.
Mahesh 10-0-57-1, A. Kapoor 3-0-25-0, H. Badani 5-0-26-1,
S. Sriram 1-0-9-0. |
Jaco causes a flutter CHANDIGARH, Jan 31—Qualifier Jaco T Mathew of India caused a flutter by outwitting sixth seed Vivek Jhaveri of India in the boys section of the ITF Junior Tennis Tournament (Grade 4) at CLTA complex, Sector 10 here today. In the girls event, dominated mainly by Indians, the presence of Radhika Tulpule the 82nd ranked ITF player, provided the much needed fillip to this mega event, and no upset was witnessed in the singles matches. The strong winds at times disturbed the attention of the players, and at the clay courts where the girls matches were disrupted one could witness flapping curtains at the backdrop swinging much to divert the attention of the players. Local lad and seeded seventh in this meet, Amanjot Singh who is also the Under-16 national champion, managed to pull to hard fought win over Radu Mangiurza of Romania in three sets at 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Qualifier Chhatwinder Singh, a former CLTA trainee and now with BAT, Chennai representing India was involved in a cliff- hanger tie with another Indian Siddharth Sudhakar, but finally won at 7-6(7), 4-6, 7-6(8). Top seed Behroozian Omar of the UAE and second seed Shivang Mishra of India sailed into the next rounds with easy wins over Nikesh Singh of Malaysia and Uros Kuhar of Slovenia. In the girls section, local players Sanya Judge and Neha Singh surged ahead to enter the last eight of the event. In the boys category local lad Akshay Vishal Rao, the current under-18 national champion opted out due to examinations. Results :boys: first round— Behroozian Omar (UAE) b Nikesh Singh (Mal)1-6, 6-0, 6-1; Kamala Kannan (Ind) b R. Ravishankar (Ind) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5; Nikhil Murali (Ind) b Akash Sharma (Ind) 6-3, 6-1; Amanjot Singh (Ind) b Radu Mangiurea (Rom) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; P. Ravikrishnan (Ind) b Vivek Chandersekhar (Ind) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4; Chhatwinder Singh (Ind) b S. Sudhakar (Ind) 7-6(0), 4-6, 7-6(6); Vinod Sewa (Ind) b Zoltan Bus (Rom) 6-4, 6-1; H. Soufyan (Arm) b Dhruv Kumar (Ind) 6-1, 6-1; Jaco T Mathew (Ind) b Vivek Jhaveri (Ind) 6-4, 7-5; R. Luchiei (Rom) b Gursharan Singh (Ind) 6-4, 6-3; Vishal Punna b Akhund Makhamud (Uzb) 6-2, 6-2; Karan Doctor (Ind) b Ritesh Chitlangya (Ind) 6-1, 6-3; Parantap Chaturvedi (Ind) b Gurneet Singh (Ind) 6-0, 6-0; Nishang Mishra(Ind) b Harshit Sharma (Ind) 7-5, 6-1; Shivang Mishra (Ind) b Uros Kuhar (Slo) 6-3, 6-1. Girls: Ist round: R. Saiswapna (Ind) b Eriko Wada ( Jap) 6-0, 6-1; Sanya Judge (Ind) b Isha Toor (Ind) 6-0, 6-3; Anna Schupak (Uzb) b Nandita Chandersekhar (Ind) 7-5, 6-1; Samrita Sekhar (Ind) b Simmer (Ind) 6-0, 6-2; Neha Singh (Ind) b Bahar Paul( Ind) 6-0, 6-2; Geeta Manohar (Ind) b Ayako Tamura (Jap) 6-2, 6-1; Rati Kumar (Ind) b Monika Goel (Ind) 6-2, 6-2; Vishika Chettri (Ind) b Vishika Perumal (Ind) 4-6, 6-0, 6-3; Nischela Reddy (Ind) b Satvika Saboo (Ind) 6-3, 6-0; Parul Goswamy (Ind) b Gurneet Bains (Ind) 6-1, 6-1; Khushleen Kaur (Ind) w/o Anete Rozkalne (Lat). Girls doubles (QF):
Nischela & Nandita (Ind) b Satvika (Ind) & Eriko
(Jap) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; A. Schupak (Uzb) & A.
Kalasarieva (Kgz) b Samrita & Geeta (Ind) 6-2, 6-4;
Shuai and Xie Yain (Chn) b Vishika & Sai Swapna (Ind)
7-5, 6-2. |
Chance for SBT to avenge defeat THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Jan 31 (PTI) — Revenge will be on the mind of State Bank of Travancore, Thiruvananthapuram, when they meet Mahindra and Mahindra, Mumbai, in their first match in the second phase of the National Football League here tomorrow. The bankmen had lost their first round away match to the Mumbai outfit 3-0 and would strive hard to settle scores at the Chandrasekhar Nair Stadium here. But SBT, placed eighth with 14 points (four wins, two draws and five defeats) from 11 matches after the first phase in the 12-team league, might find it difficult to put it across the jeepmen, in the third position at 18 points, from four wins, six draws and one loss, behind Churchill Brothers (23) and Mohun Bagan (22). Mahindras, who rallied back superbly with four straight wins and had drawn their last two matches against East Bengal and defending champions Salgaocar, respectively, are in fine form with some good players in their ranks. SBT are however,
struggling and had suffered solitary goal defeats against
bottom-placed BSF and Dempo respectively in their last
two matches. The bankmen will however hope to capitalise
on home conditions against the Mumbai outfit and are
expected to strive hard for a win in their hope to
improve their position in the league. |
Torturous route for Tyson LONDON, Jan 31 (Reuters) — Ultimate rehabilitation for Mike Tyson depends on factors largely outside his control after Saturday’s 243 seconds of controlled savagery at the expense of Briton Julius Francis. In one of the bigger mismatches in the tarnished history of heavyweight boxing, Tyson clubbed Francis to the floor five times before the referee had seen enough. While Francis returns to deserved obscurity, Tyson faces a torturous route to the world title fight he craves against Lennox Lewis. Tyson is tied up with the American cable network Showtime. Lewis is aligned with Showtime’s rival HBO. Lewis, who defeated Evander Holyfield last year to win the undisputed world title, must fulfil his obligations to his paymasters starting with a defence against the imposing Michael Grant in Madison Square Garden on April 29. Tyson is in line for a fight against New Yorker Lou Savarese who should at least provide more resistance than Francis. Manager Shelly Finkel said Tyson, the youngest man to win the undisputed world title, could be only three contests away from meeting Lewis. Certainly both men want the fight to go ahead to ensure their places in the record books. “For me it is not only the money,” said Lewis, who declined an invitation to join a television commentary team for Saturday’s fight. “I have earned millions. Mike is the last heavyweight of my era left for me to defeat and I want my place in history.” Tyson needs the fight more than Lewis. His personal and professional life went into freefall after a 1992 rape conviction and he is regarded as damaged goods in the USA. He was suspended for a year for biting Holyfield’s ear, tried to break Frans Botha’s arm and hit Orlin Norris after the bell had rung for the end of the first round. Tysons’ handlers regarded Saturday’s exhibition as the first step in his latest comeback and they hope to return to Europe for possible bouts in France and Britain. “Right now if I fought Lewis, I wouldn’t do as well as I could but after a couple more fights I’ll be victorious,” Tyson said. Tyson, 34 this year, retains his aura of boundless menace although, as Holyfield twice demonstrated, his skills have irrevocably eroded. Francis can testify he still punches with brutal power. “I’ve never been hit so hard in my life,” he said. To the mystification of visiting American fight writers, Tyson was treated like a celebrity from the moment the British Government allowed him into the country. His unremarkable exploits while he trained in London for the Manchester fight earned him prime exposure in Britain’s myriad national newspapers and on television. Seats for the fight were snapped up even though the only real debate was whether it would last more than a round. The essential tawdriness
of the spectacle was demonstrated by the British tabloid
newspaper which sponsored the soles of Francis’s
shoes in the certainty that they would receive maximum
exposure. |
Indian team leaves for home PERTH, Jan 31 (PTI) — The Indian cricket team, after its disastrous tour of Australia, left for home this afternoon with coach Kapil Dev wondering if it was right for the key players of the team to play county cricket in England. “It is alright if you don’t get enough cricket, but that’s not the case,” said Kapil Dev, forthcoming as he always has been. The three key players — Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble and Saurav Ganguly — have signed up with different counties to play in England this summer. While Dravid and Kumble had signed up long back with Kent and Northamptonshire, respectively, Ganguly is the latest to join the list, after it was confirmed he would play with Lancashire. Ganguly, the commitments against South Africa and in Sharjah notwithstanding, is expected to play in the first match for his county on April 15. “I know money is
important and I don’t disagree with it,” said
Kapil Dev. “If I can’t give them money,
perhaps, I have no right to question their commitment
with English counties.” |
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Time
Punjab Govt took concrete steps CHANDIGARH, Jan 31— The burden on the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation for upgradation/renovation of the facilities for the 2000 National Games is less as compared to the expense to be incurred by the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana. The Jalandhar Municipal Corporation has to spend Rs 30 lakh on the construction of a pavilion at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium, where the football matches of the National Games will be held, Rs 30 lakh on an indoor hall for table tennis, Rs 20 lakh on Guru Nanak indoor hall where the gymnastic events will be held and another Rs 30 lakh on Raizada Hansraj indoor hall where the badminton competitions are to be conducted. On the other hand the State Sports Department has to spend Rs 1.6 crore on the astro-turf at Burlton Park, Rs 10 lakh on providing a pavilion at the equestrian stadium at PAP lines and another Rs 5 lakh for upgrading the golf course at Jalandhar. However, if the golf event is shifted to Chandigarh this money can be saved. Similarly, in case events like fencing, wrestling, kabaddi etc are shifted to Anandpur Sahib then the Rs 6 crore needed for the construction of an indoor hall at Jalandhar can also be saved. But a final decision on this will be taken by the President of the Punjab Olympic Association, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa. The Patiala Municipal Corporation will have to spend Rs 15 lakh on the renovation of the indoor hall at the Polo Ground while Rs 10 lakh will be needed for the upgradation of the shooting range. Besides this, a sum of Rs 6 crore will be the cost of the equipment for the games while Rs 16 crore will be spent on the actual conduct of the games. The Punjab Olympic Association had pointed out to the Punjab Government at the meeting on January 3 that the Centre will give assistance to the tune of 50 per cent on the cost of the synthetic surfaces needed for athletics and hockey. Similarly, the Centre will subsidise to the extent of 75 per cent the cost of the equipment . The Punjab Olympic Association is more or less certain to get some special grant from the Prime Minister’s discretionary fund as well as the Planning Board and the Finance Commission for the 2000 National Games. The state Olympic association is also certain to get sponsorship for the games. Given the high television audience for the games, the organisers of the National Games should be able to mop up anything between Rs 2 crore and Rs 3 crore as sponsorship. If the 2000 National Games are to be held on time it is time the Punjab Government takes concrete steps to get things moving in right earnest as the time is very short. The state government should immediately release the money required for the games and all construction work should be started on a war footing if the September 5, 2000, deadline is to be kept for the completion of all work. It is learnt that due to the financial crisis state sports associations have not been given their annual grants for participation in national meets for the past two years. Also, these associations have not been given grants to conduct camps prior to the national meets or to conduct the state meets, as was the practice earlier. Punjab has always been known as the sportsarm of the nation. The state’s contribution in terms of stars in various games will be difficult to fill. Even sportsmen who take part in the various nationals from units like Railways, steel plants or even the Services have their roots in Punjab. (Concluded) |
Churchill Brothers top table in first phase NEW DELHI, Jan 31 (PTI) — Goa professional league champions Churchill Brothers soared, Mohun Bagan rallied well and Mahindra and Mahindra of Mumbai came back from the dead to take the top three positions at the end of an eventful first phase of the National Football League. Churchill played consistently and led throughout except for two rounds when it went down to holders Salgaocar (0-1) and State Bank of Travancore (1-3). At the end of first phase of 11 matches, the Goan outfit coached by Scotsman Danny McLennan was leading with 23 points with Bagan (22) and Mahindra (18) close on its heels. Salgaocar and former champion JCT were tied on 17 points but the holder was placed fourth on better goal difference, followed by FC Kochin (14), East Bengal (14), SBT (14), Tollygunge Agragami (13), ITI (11), BSF (5) and Dempo (5) in the 12-team league, the second phase of which starts tomorrow. Churchill, which finished third last year, started with a bang, winning its first four matches which included a 5-0 thrashing of state-rival Dempo, went down by a lone goal to Salgaocar and was humiliated 1-3 by SBT at Trivandrum before recovering well with three wins and two draws. Churchill played as a cohesive unit in all its matches except against SBT with strikers Francis Silveria and Marcus Carvelho and medios Somatai Saiza, Andrei Malchevsky and Rockey Baretto shouldering most of the responsibility. In defence, Osmanu Hussain gave a good account of himself. Churchill used home advantage well, taking full points from five while the sixth game with Mahindras ended 1-1 and also did well to win two of the five matches away from home. But it was former champion Mohun Bagan which came up with the best roadshow, winning four, drawing three and losing one of its eight away clashes as it made light work of an indifferent start to end a point adrift of Churchill. The green and maroon brigade had struggled to a solitary goal win over first timer BSF and then slumped 1-2 to JCT, but recovered well to end with a 6-4-1 tally. Their victories included a 1-0 triumph in a Calcutta durby against arch-rivals East Bengal and a similar win against Salgaocar at Margao. The Subrato Bhattacharya trained squad came into the fourth edition of the league, played on home and away basis, with dismal performance in the Durand and Super Cup after clinching the IFA Shield but was in a strong position as it will play most of its matches at home in the second phase. Mahindra and Mahindra also pulled themselves back at the right time. The jeepmen were on the verge of being written off after three draws and a loss in four rounds but came back strongly, reeling off four wins in a row before they ended with two goal-less draws against East Bengal and Salgaocar. The Mumbai outfit’s fortunes apparently changed after coach S.S. Hakim was sacked as the squad performed superbly under stop-gap Harish Rao, including a 7-1 thumping of bottom-placed Dempo. Salgaocar, which came into the tournament with the Rovers, Durand and Super Cups in its bag, made a decent start, beating JCT by a lone goal in the lung-opener at the Ambedkar Stadium here. It also snatched the lead from Churchill Brothers after the fourth round but coach Shabbir Ali’s side struggled for big wins throughout the tournament, a 4-0 verdict against BSF at home being its best effort. It also beat table-topper Churchill by a lone goal in a keenly-contested match at the Nehru Stadium but slumped by the same margin to both FC Kochin and Mohun Bagan at home ending with four wins, five draws and two defeats. But last year’s runners-up East Bengal struggled throughout, despite showing good form in the Durand Cup while the highflying Tollygunge Agragami showed threatening form at the start stunning East Bengal 1-0. But the realities of the high-profile league caught up with it midway and the McDonald Cup winner slumped to finish ninth. Despite the presence of mercurial striker I.M. Vijayan, experienced Jo Paul Anchery and K.V. Dhanesh in their ranks, FC Kochin, the first fully professional club of the country, came up with a mediocre show as it ended the first phase placed sixth with a 3-5-3 record. Kerala champions SBT and
Bangalore’s ITI did well in patches while Dempo and
BSF were thoroughly outclassed by their superior rivals
and were plumbing the bottom with five points each. |
Roller skating race from Feb 3 CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The third National Roller Skating Marathon being organised by the National Adventure Club of India would be flagged off by Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, Governor, Himachal Pradesh, on February 3 from Narkanda, according to Mr B.K. Panigrahi, Director, Sports Haryana. As many as 50 skaters from different states would participate in this 210 km up and down hill roller skating marathon race. International speed skater of Haryana, Khushbo Saini, international skaters Rajesh Anand and Seema from Jammu and Kashmir, Bhupinder Singh and Sarabjeet from Punjab, Eva Kholi and Parminder Singh from Chandigarh would be the main attractions of the race. Mr Panigrahi also said
this roller skating marathon race would be a tribute to
late Sushil Kumar, former President of the Haryana Roller
Skating Association, who expired recently. The main route
of the marathon on the first day would be from Narkanda
to Matina, Shilaru and the stay at Theog in Navodya
Vidalya. The next day they will skate to Shimla, where
they would halt at Sports Complex. On February 5 the race
would start from Shimla for Solan and stay would be at
Horticulture Hostel. Finally on February 6, the race
would end in the Sector-16 Cricket Stadium. |
US team win kabaddi title JALANDHAR, Jan 31 — Team from the USA won the first Shri Guru Gobind Singh Kabaddi Tournament beating Tony Club, Ludhiana, 37-23.5 in the final at Guru Gobind Singh Stadium here yesterday. This mega event was organised by the Toronto Sports Club of Canada with the co-ordination of Gaunda Punjab Radio/TV Canada. The winners got a cash award of Rs 1,25,000 while renners-up pocketed Rs 75,000. In the opening match the American team beat Indian team by 52-44. The winners were leading by 26-23 till the half time. In second match Harjit
Club Moga beat PSEB Patiala by 27.5-26. Both the teams
were at 19-all till the half time. In the third match
Canada team defeated Indian team by 40-32. The score was
19-17 till half time in favour of winning team. In the
fourth match Tony Club Ludhiana played a draw against the
PSEB Patiala winner decided through toss. |
Grewal academy, SPS in last 4 LUDHIANA, Jan 31 — Father Agnel School, Delhi, and Shivalik Public School, Chandigarh, from pool ‘A’ and Grewal Hockey Academy, Kila Raipur, and Sports Academy, Jalandhar, from pool ‘B’ made it to the semifinals of the first All-India Jagtar Singh Memorial Hockey Tournament for junior boys being organised by Aryan Hockey Club at Punjab Agricultural University here today. In their last league fixture, Sports Academy, Jalandhar, edged out Dashmesh Academy, Ropar, 5-2 to garner nine points and finished second in pool ‘B’ behind Grewal Hockey Academy, Kila Raipur, who scored 10 points. Jalandhar lads led 2-0 at half time. For the winners. Satnam Singh and Manwinder Singh scored two goals each while Paviterjit Singh struck once. Rajinder Singh and Manjeet Singh excelled for the losers. The last league match of pool ‘A’ between Father Agnel School, Delhi, and Shivalik Public School, Chandigarh, ended in a 3-3 draw. However, both the teams with seven and six points, respectively, qualified for the last four stage. In the semifinals to be
played tomorrow Grewal Hockey Academy, Kila Riapur, will
take on Shivalik Public School, Chandigarh, while Sports
Academy, Jalandhar, will clash with Father Agnel School,
Delhi. |
Cash awards for Ricky, Munish AMRITSAR, Jan 31 — The Amritsar Games Association gave cash awards to Ravneet Singh Ricky and Munish Sharma, members of the under-19 team which won the World Cup in Colombo last week. The President of the association and Deputy Commissioner, Mr Narinder Singh, announced cash award of Rs 21,000 for each player for bringing glory to the district and the nation at a special function held here last night. Both openers registered two century partnerships, against Bangladesh and England, and were instrumental in forcing a victory in the final against Sri Lanka by putting up a 55-run opening stand. Both Munish and Ricky, products of the Gandhi Grounds have done the association proud by following the foot steps of former Indian skipper Bishan Singh Bedi, Madan Lal and Amarnath brothers, all from the city, he said. The general secretary of the association, Mr J.P. Shoor, speaking at the felicitation function held at the Gandhi Grounds said their dedication and hardwork had brought laurels to the city. He said their coaches, Balwinder Bhanot, J.D. Sharma and Swami Talwar, taught them the right technique and motivated them to excel in their sport. Both Ricky and Munish had the potential to play in the senior league with their good temperament and sound technique. In the under-19 World
Cup, Ravneet, who scored 327 runs with three half
centuries and one century, was adjudged the best batsman
of the tournament while Munish, his opening partner,
scored three fifties, with 85 as his highest score
against England. |
After Lankan conquest, Yuvraj
seeks India cap Chandigarh Jan 31 — "My next objective is to play for the country," said a candid Yuvraj, who was in the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium this afternoon after reaching the city only a couple of hours ago. This 18-year-old final-year student of DAV College, seems to have the right credentials to make it to the senior squad. Yuvraj has the Man of the Tournament award in the just-concluded under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka under his belt. A couple of months ago, he made 358 runs, the highest score by any batsman in the Cooch Behar Trophy final versus Bihar in Jamshedpur. Representing Punjab, he fared impressively this season, scoring a century against Haryana in a Ranji Trophy match and playing well in the shorter version of the game. "My immediate aim is to play in the Challenger Trophy, the teams for which will be selected on February 4," said Yuvraj. Considering his recent performance, the lanky youngster should be a natural choice for the tournament which features the best cricket talent the country has at the moment. "In the final against Sri Lanka at Colombo the umpire's verdict went against me. It was a full toss which I played," said the dissatisfied left-handed batsman. He also said he would have liked to do better. "Against New Zealand, I would have easily got a hundred," he said. Asked about his daring assault on the Australian bowlers which got him 58 runs off just 24 deliveries, including five big sixes and as many fours, Yuvraj said, "When I went in to bat, the team was already in a good position. They tried to bowl quick and I decided to play my shots." Yuvraj has also won skating gold medals in the Asian championships, besides being a good tennis player. He took up the game when he was 13. He said he practised for at least seven hours daily to sharpen his skills. Yuvraj whatever he had achieved so far was due to his father. He also expressed gratitude to Sukhwinder Singh Bawa, cricket coach at the Sector 8 DAV Higher Secondary School, for fine tuning his skills. Yograj, on his part, has never been found wanting in supporting his son's career. "I used to spend all the money earned from my shooting assignments on buying cricket gear for him." "At my residence, I have a huge collection of cricket equipment, arranged nicely on the first floor, something like a museum. I just wanted to create the right type of environment for him." Yograj who desires to see his son play for the country, said he was about to import a bowling machine, capable of hurling the ball at 100 miles per hour, for Yuvraj. The former Indian fast bowler has immense faith in the talent of his son to to make it to the senior team. "The type of batsman Yuvraj is, I feel that he can play top-level cricket for at least 15 years, scoring about 15,000 runs." Yuvraj said he would like to shape his career on the lines of Sachin Tendulkar. Yograj, however, said with a tinge of sadness, "I was surprised that there was not even one official of the Chandigarh Administration to receive Yuvraj when he reached at the airport this afternoon." Hero’s welcome for Reetinder
Sodhi PATIALA Jan 31 — It was garlands, roses and bouquets all the way for Reetinder Sodhi as he arrived at his residence today afternoon. Sodhi was the vice-captain of the Indian team which annexed the youth (U-19) World Cup held at Colombo recently. In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Sodhi told this reporter that on the eve of the final he was a little nervous, but confident of performing well in the final because he had been through such pressure situations earlier also. Describing his feelings on the eve of the final, Sodhi said he told his team-mates: “It is a big match for all of us and the nation’s pride is at stake. Losing at this stage would be too painful, particularly after having worked so hard,” he said he knew how painful it would had been had they lost because he and Mohammad Kaif had experienced it earlier when the Indians had missed the bus in the last edition of the youth World Cup held in South Africa, where after beating Pakistan in the super-league they could not quality for the final as they lost on net run rate to England, who won the final. Sodhi said he was confident as in the league match against Sri Lanka he had scored 74 when the chips were down for the Indians, apart from taking two wickets and two catches. Sodhi was all praise for his team-mates and coach Roger Binny. He added that the key to success was the fact that India had several all-rounders in the team which provided batting strength till No 8. Even as he arrived in
the afternoon, Sodhi excused himself as he wanted to have
nets right away. |
FIFA “ready to” help Maradona PARIS, Jan 31 (Reuters) — FIFA President Sepp Blatter has said that world soccer’s governing body was ready to help Diego Maradona who is in a Cuban clinic to solve the drug problems. “He was a great player but you can always help soneone if he wants to be helped. We wish to help him, but not against his will,” Blatter told French Television yesterday. “Some people accuse us of doing nothing but we sent a personal message of support to him. “I must say I’m very sad personally for Maradona, whom I have known since 1979 at the junior World Cup in Japan,” the FIFA chief added. Maradona is under
treatment in Cuba after initially being in a Uruguay
hospital with cocaine-related heart problems. |
Usha keen to run in Olympics NAGPUR, Jan 31 (PTI) — In a surprising change of stance former sprint queen PT Usha has decided not to quit athletics and is planning to participate in the Sydney Olympics. Usha, who announced her intentions to retire a couple of days back, said she has no immediate plans to retire from athletics but instead was concentrating on 200 metres for the Sydney Olympics. On the run up to the Olympics, Usha who finished fourth in 400m hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, said she also hoped to perform well in the Asian Track and Field Meet in Jakarta this year. “At Jakarta, I
would like to finish 200 metres in less than 23
seconds,” she told reporters at a sports function at
Yavatmal, about 175 kms from here, yesterday. Usha said
becoming a mother was no impediment in an athlete’s
career. |
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