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| Sunday, July
16, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Australia in final of Davis Cup Long jump Jones’ stumbling block ? Hockey title for PSB While probe is on, BCCI keen on Toronto |
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| Anand held,
shares lead DORTMUND (Germany), July 15 — Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand (4.5) of India was held to a draw by the computer programme “Junior 6’’ (3.5) in the seventh round of Sparkassen Chess Super Tournament being played here.
England crush Windies CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, July 15 — England stormed to a 10-wicket victory over ailing West Indies with 14.4 overs to spare in a triangular one-day tournament today.
Bangladesh “to play”
at Sharjah
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Australia in final of Davis Cup BRISBANE, July 15 (Reuters) — Australia reached their second successive Davis Cup final when they won an epic doubles match against Brazil today to open up an unbeatable 3-0 lead in their world group semifinal. Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde sealed the tie for Australia when they beat Gustavo Kuerten and Jaime Oncins 6-7 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a marathon encounter after Patrick Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt had won Friday’s opening singles matches. The reigning cup holders will now play either
Spain or the USA in the December final. “We’ll go on to Spain unless the USA can cause an upset,’’ Australia’s non-playing captain John Newcombe said. “And I’ve got this feeling we’re going to beat them (the Spanish) on their home soil.’’ Needing to win the doubles to keep the tie alive, the Brazilians put up a brave effort only to fall just short. They made the perfect start when they snatched the opening set in a tiebreak after the first 12 games all went with serve. Kuerten and Oncins had won nine of their previous 10 Davis Cup matches together and quickly showed they were a formidable pair despite playing on a temporary grass court expected to favour the Australians. But Woodforde and Stolle, who were on opposing sides of the net in last weekend’s Wimbledon doubles final, squared the match at one set apiece when they grabbed the second set in 31 minutes, breaking Kuerten in the third game. Brazil looked to be heading for victory when they took the third set 6-3, breaking Woodforde’s serve in the eighth game, but the Australians hit back to force the match into a deciding fifth set when Oncins double-faulted twice to drop serve. In a tense final set, the Australians broke Oncins in the third game to grab the early initiative. The Brazilians immediately broke back but Oncins’ serve once again let him down in the seventh game, giving Australia a 4-3 lead. Woodforde and Kuerten each held serve to allow Stolle, who had lost his three previous doubles rubbers for Australia, to serve out the match after three-and-a-half hours. Kuerten, who carried a groin injury into the contest, said he was proud of his team’s effort after such a disappointing opening yesterday when Kuerten and Fernando Meligeni both failed to win a set. “We knew we were going to have a tough time here,’’ Kuerten said. “We’ve got to be proud that we came out to play strong. We tried our best.’’ Stolle, who was chaired off the court by his team-mates, said he had endured a lot of disappointments in Davis Cup tennis and it was “just a great high’’ to score a win for the team. “I just felt in those other matches that I was letting the team down, more than anything,’’ Stolle said. “I was always going to keep putting my hand up because I love Davis Cup. I love getting the opportunity to play.’’ Woodforde (34) who is on the verge of retirement, said playing in two Davis Cup finals in the last two years of his career “would be a great way to walk out of tennis’’. Newcombe said he hoped the USA beat Spain so Australia host the final. If Spain win, they will be the hosts. “Especially for (coach) Tony (Roche) and myself, it will be our last tie, and Mark (Woodforde), to do that at home would be great,’’ Newcombe said. “I think if it is Spain, 17,000 people indoors at Barcelona will be a spectacle we’ll all remember.’’ In tomorrow’s concluding reverse singles, Kuerten is due to play Hewitt and Meligeni is scheduled to face rafter, although both teams can make changes with the tie decided.
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Long jump Jones’ stumbling block? SACRAMENTO (California), July 15 (AFP) — Marion Jones got down to business in her bid for five Olympic gold medals yesterday alongside her childhood idol Jackie Joyner-Kersee. “Not too much fun today, just business,” Jones said of the first day of the US Olympic athletics trials, where she easily led the first round of the 100m and qualified fifth in the long jump. Men’s sprint rivals Maurice Greene and Michael Johnson — who won’t meet on the track until next week’s 200m, — also got off to successful starts, Greene with an in-your-face 100m and Johnson with a “smooth and easy” 400m first round. Greene, the 100m world record-holder, admitted he had more than advancing to the semi-finals in mind when he clocked a 9.93 — second fastest in the world this year after his own 9.91 in May. “Get Michael Johnson,” Greene said of goals for the 10-day competition, in which only the top three finishers in each event book their tickets to Sydney. But Johnson, out to repeat his 1996 Olympic double in the 200m and 400m, refused to be rocked. He looked like he was on auto-pilot as he posted the quickest 400m time of 45.16, and that’s the way he wanted it. Johnson didn’t rule out the
possibility that he could break his own 400m world mark of 45.16 by the time the final is over tomorrow. “It’s possible,” he said. Johnson may have been smooth as silk, but he appeared to have ruffled Greene’s feathers with some dismissive remarks in Friday’s USA today. “He doesn’t think anyone can beat him, but if you look at our last race, who won it,” said Greene, who won their last meeting in 1998. Greene said he was delighted, but not surprised, by his performance, despite three surprising defeats in Europe in recent weeks. “A lot of people thought I came in here not ready to run, I showed I am,” Greene said. Jones is also seeking to add her first Olympic gold to her impressive array of achievements. In fact, she’s seeking to grab and unprecedented five athletics golds in one Games -in the 100 and 200m, long jump and two relays. The long jump is likely to be her biggest stumbling block. After two jumps of 6.57m, she fouled on her third and final attempt. “I went for it on my last jump and I fouled by a bit,” said Jones, who said she purposely attacked the board on the final try. With the first day out of the way, Jones said, her way was clear. “Tomorrow I have a fun-filled day in the 100. The following day I only have the long jump to worry about,” said Jones, who then has five days off before the 200m begins. In long jump final she’ll again get a chance to compete against her onetime hero, Joyner-Kersee, who came out of retirement at the age of 38 in a bid to qualify for a fifth Olympic team. Joyner-Kersee struggled in her first two jumps — her second was only 4.68m, but qualified with a leap of 6.42m on her third try. It was clear that Joyner-Kersee, the heptathlon world record holder, was happy not to be worrying about anything but the long jump. “Now I have a day’s rest,” she said. “At 38, you need that day.” Jeff Hartwig, the top pole vaulter in the world this year with a height of 6.03m in June, saw his hopes of Olympic glory evaporate when he failed at three attempts at 5.55. “For me to win the gold was possible if I made the team,” said a dejected Hartwig. “I have to live with that. It’s hard to swallow.” As Hartwig was winding up his night, and, virtually, his season, the first Olympic team places were being earned in the men’s and women’s 10,000m. Deena Drossin won the women’s 10,000m in 31:51.05, ahead of Jen Rhines (31:58.34) and Libbie Hickman (31:58.68). Mebrahtom Keflezighi, a naturalised American born in Eritrea, edged Alan Culpepper in a dramatic finish in the men’s 10,000 with another naturalised American, Somali-born Abdihakim Abdi finishing third. Keflezighi was timed in 28:03.32, Culpepper finished in 28:03.35 and Abdi grabbed the final ticket to Sydney in 28:19.08. |
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Hockey title for PSB CHENNAI, July 15 (UNI) — Despite Tamil Nadu captain L. Prabhakaran’s strike in the third minute, the experienced Punjab and Sind Bank kept their cool and scored an extra time golden goal to win the 78th All-India NCC Murugappan Gold Cup Hockey Tournament here today. The bankmen owed their victory entirely to luck which smiled on them through a gradually disintegrating Tamil Nadu attack with Prabhakaran’s magic touch failing despite his darting runs with winger S. Karthick. Getting firm possession of the ball with 21 minutes remaining in the first half, they equalised through a penalty corner when medio Sandeep Singh Ghuman’s shot was deflected into the goal by a Tamil Nadu defender in the melee. Tamil Nadu shook up the bank defence creating moves right from the push off and stole the psychological advantage when Prabhakaran caught the bank defenders Rajinder Singh and Sharanjit Singh napping striking off a three pronged move on the right flank. The bank goal keeper Maninder Singh let the ball go into the goal being out of position. But the goal only momentarily deterred the bankmen who kept their cool. In fact, the young Tamil Nadu squad put themselves under pressure failing to convert their first penalty corner in the eighth minute when Cedric D’Cruz shot over. Prabhakar failed to shoot home in the 27th minute and worst of all young Karthick who found himself in possession of the ball inside the D on the left flank, hopelessly missed the target with only the bank goalkeeper Maninder Singh to beat, midway in the first session. It was to the credit of the bankmen’s experience that they went into the crucial second session 1-1, shifting the pressure on Tamil Nadu, fighting in front of a big home crowd . Sandeep combed well with strikers Baljit Singh Chandi, the captain, and Parminder Singh, but could not really break free past the tight Tamil Nadu defence manned by R. Radhakrishnan and Lakhwinder Singh. But what saved the day for the bankmen was the failure of the Tamil Nadu frontline. |
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While probe is on, BCCI keen on Toronto CHANDIGARH, July 15 — In spite of all the pious promises made by the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) , Mr A.C.Muthiah, the Indian team will once again take part in an off-shore tournament — the five-match Sahara Cup against Pakistan at Toronto, in Canada, in September next. This will be the fourth and penultimate series of the tournament which was started in 1996. The cricket boards of Pakistan and India (at a time when Mr Inderjit Singh Bindra was president of the BCCI) had ironed out a five-year deal with a promoter for conducting the off-shore series at a time when India and Pakistan could play only at neutral venues. While this agreement was finalised in 1996, last year the tournament could not be held. The contract should have ended this year but as one series could not be conducted the contract will now end in 2001, according to sources. Shortly after the betting and match-fixing scandal surfaced with the Delhi Police revealing that visiting South African captain Hansie Cronje had accepted money from an Indian bookie during the five-match one-day series between India and South Africa at home in March last, the BCCI President went on record saying that the Indian cricket team would not take part in any offshore tournament. The BCCI President was quoted as saying that henceforth the Indian squad would take part only in recognised tournaments conducted under the aegis of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The term off-shore tournament came to be used for venues like Singapore, Toronto, Nairobi, Dhaka (before Bangladesh was given one-day status by the International Cricket Council) and Sharjah where the home country did not field teams but nevertheless international one-day tournaments were conducted there for the benefit of the local people, the players and the respective boards who raked in a lot of money. It were these tournaments which were said to be the main points for match-fixing and of course betting. It were matches in these tournaments which produced some upset results, specially those matches played at Singapore and Sharjah. While no finger is still being pointed to the matches played at Toronto the results of the past four tournaments — the tournament was not conducted last year in the wake of the Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan —makes interesting reading. Pakistan won the inaugural tournament 3-2 in 1996, but in the following year India, helped by the sterling performance of the current India captain Saurav Ganguly, totally outplayed the rival 4-1. India lost by the same margin the following year amidst the fiasco over the BCCI splitting the team to participate in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games after the sponsors of the Toronto tournament refused pointblank to shift the date of the tournament. Why did the BCCI agree to the holding of the tournament this year specially when Indian cricket is still clouded by the issue of match-fixing and betting? The CBI is yet to complete its probe and the BCCI is scheduled to give a development report to the government where the active Union Sports Minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, has gone on record to say that players and official named in the match-fixing case should voluntarily step down. In fact he recently hinted in Chandigarh that in case the board does not clean up its act the government might be forced to take action. It is to be seen whether the government would grant permission to the team to go to Toronto? If Mr Dhindsa has his way the permission should be refused (although it can well be construed as interference in the working of an autonomous sports organisation) but then the board Secretary, Mr J.Y. Lele, who more often than not has placed his foot in his mouth by his irresponsible statements, has already gone on record to say that permission to play in Toronto would not be a problem. |
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Anand held,
shares lead
DORTMUND (Germany), July 15 (UNI) — Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand (4.5) of India was held to a draw by the computer programme “Junior 6’’ (3.5) in the seventh round of Sparkassen Chess Super Tournament being played here. Anand continued sharing the lead with top seeded Vladimir Kramnik (4.5) of Russia and Hungarian Peter Leko (4.5). Leko, the only unbeaten player in the tournament so far, held Kramnik to a draw. “Junior 6” created history by reaching its first international grandmaster norms with two more rounds to go. It also became the first software to earn the official norm from the World Chess Federation. Anand tried to confuse the computer programme with his Colle system — an opening played at the highest level some 60 years ago but not in fashion today. Anand was taken by surprise by the sharp replies from the Israeli programme. “Junior 6” introduced a new move which put paid to Anand’s plans of gaining control of the black squares. |
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When Dennis Lillee felt like “a bit of an imposter” FORMER fast-bowling legend Dennis Lillee said he felt like “a bit of an imposter“ when he ran with the Olympic torch
recently. "It's a bit different to cricket — the Olympics are the real thing,” Lillee said. “I was surprised and shocked when contacted about carrying the torch. The Olympics are the real thing and I haven’t done anything like it.” Then he confessed to not being as “fit as I thought I was.” “I went for a run the next morning but felt a bit sore. I don’t think I’m as fit as I thought I was,” Lillee, who turned 51 this week, said. The blame for that could, innocently, lay with Harley Davidson motorbike riding copper David Jolley. Seconds before Lillee started carrying his burning torch, the Senior-Constable from Adelaide told him to “go at your own pace.” And D.K. Lillee only knows one speed — flat out. He clipped along the Perth highway at a pretty fair speed, leaving those trying to run nearby breathless. Lillee described carrying the Olympic as “ a real highlight.” “I haven’t done anything like that before and didn’t believe I deserved to be asked.” Chants of “Lillee, Lillee, Lillee” — words sang out at cricket grounds all over Australia years ago — were heard as groups of banner-waving youngsters cheered on their hero as he ran. And then there were the car horns. Thirty years ago, car horns rang out at a pennant cricket club in Perth to signal Lillee’s selection in the WA team for the first time. On the day he carried the torch, the horns gave approval to Lillee’s continued standing in the popularity stakes — regardless of whether he believed he should have been carrying the Olympic torch or not. Chinese being softened up The Chinese state media has been softening up the public for a prospect of a poor showing in the Sydney pool. This week, the English-language China Daily described the national swimming team as “ailing” and “aiming for only one gold in the Sydney Olympics.” The paper said the team was more focused on 2004 in Athens and the 2008 Games, for which Beijing is bidding. The state sport general administration has set up an anti-doping commission that is conducting urine and blood testing of athletes with the aim of having a “clean team” for Sydney. The issue is especially sensitive given Beijing’s bid for the 2008 Games. In an interview this year Shi said drug use was “not in the interests of the athlete or the state” and was “not in line with Chinese socialism.” In the meantime, Chinese swimmer Wu Yanyan’s positive test to using anabolic steroids which will miss keep him away from the Sydney Olympics is being seen as a positive step in China’s drugs campaign. Wu, world record-holder in the 200m individual medley, tested positive after the Chinese national trails in May. Australian swimming president Terry Gathercole described Wu’s positive drug test as a “significant” breakthrough in the fight against Chinese cheats. “It’s very encouraging,” Gathercole said from Canberra. “If the tests were conducted by China itself, it’s significant because it shows they are really trying to overcome the problem. It shows they’re trying to clean it up. They recognise that they have a not-too-enviable record.” Representatives of Australia’s track and field athletes are campaigning for the International Olympic Committee to survey all 10,200 competitors at the Sydney Olympics on the vexatious issue of drugs in sport. Australia Athletes’ commission representative Simon Baker (a former Olympic walker) is seeking to lead the campaign by enlisting his counterparts in swimming, cycling, rowing and gymnastics to contribute to a drugs policy that would be ready for international scrutiny in September. “In 63 days’ time we’re going to have as many Olympic athletes together in one place as we’ve ever had. We should use this historic opportunity for the IOC to conduct a poll of all athletes at the Sydney Olympics,” Baker said. “Athletes would be offered anonymity and immunity. I think that all athletes want to be clean. But in the current climate, are they allowed to be? “The sort of things we’re talking about asking the athletes is whether they have a commitment to remaining drug-free. That’s a question seldom asked. Then we might ask whether they thought their sport and their fellow athletes are by and large drug-free, or are drugs an issue in their sport? Do they have any personal observations where either they or others took banned drugs? Baker insists that there was a growing “mood of frustration” among athletes disillusioned at the lack of progress in the war against drugs. “But there’s a historical opportunity now, partly because of the realisation at the IOC level that there’s at least been tacit condoning, if not active ignorance, of the extent of the problem. “In many respects it’s seen that these Olympics are the last chance we have. After this it could spiral out of control.” Meanwhile, commission chairwoman Lee Naylor has written to her fellow track and field athletes asking them to offer a symbolic show of support by providing blood samples immediately after the team is named in August. It helps that high-profile swimmer Ian Thorpe has already gone on record as saying that he is happy to have his blood frozen and tested some time in the future to prove he is clean. Queensland’s sunshine Queensland’s sunshine had lured 151 Olympic and Paralympic teams from 31 countries for their pre-games training. This includes the Indian Hockey team who will be in Brisbane for a few weeks leading up to the Games. Yesterday four more international teams confirmed they were headed for the Sunshine State. They were the Polish and Czech track and field teams, the Korean baseball team and the Brazilian men’s soccer team. The beautiful weather and the beaches of Queensland have clearly impressed sporting authorities around the world. Most teams were expected in Queensland next month and would stay until just prior to the commencement of the Olympics in September. The decision of the teams to train in Queensland would mean the state would have a number of pre-games competitions: the next best thing to actually being in Sydney for the Olympics. —
PMG |
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England crush Windies CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, July 15 (Reuters) — England stormed to a 10-wicket victory over ailing West Indies with 14.4 overs to spare in a triangular one-day tournament today. Openers Marcus Trescothick, who hammered his one-day best of 87, and captain Alec Atewart, with 74, shared an unbroken stand of 171 to power England home after West Indies scored 169 for eight in their 50 overs. West Indies have lost three of their first four games and earned just one point from a rain-ruined match. They must win their last two fixtures to have even a slim chance of qualifying for the Lord’s final on July 22 ahead of England, who have five points. Zimbabwe, who play West Indies here on Sunday, are already through to the final with six points. England’s win was set up by controlled, economical pace bowling, backed up by good catching. Left armer Alan Mullally led the way with three for 27 off his 10 overs, including the wickets of Sherwin Campbell (14) and skipper Jimmy Adams (0) in three balls. Alan Ealham captured the key wicket of Brian Lara, who made the top score of 54 from 101 deliveries and added 61 for the fourth wicket with Chris Gayle (26) in the highest stand of the innings. West Indies: Campbell c White b Mullally 14 Hinds lbw b Gough 1 Lara c Flintoff b Ealham 54 Adams b Mullally 0 Gayle c Thorpe b Caddick 26 Powell c Trescothick b Mullally 15 Jacobs c Stewart b White 25 Rose c Flintoff b Gough 18 McLean not out 3 Dillon not out 0 Extras: (b-1 lb-6 nb-6) 13 Total: (for eight wickets, 50 overs) 169 Fall of wickets: 1-6 2-41 3-43 4-104 5-104 6-134 7-162 8-168 Bowling: Caddick 10-1-30-1, Gough 10-1-38-2, Mullally 10-1-27-3, Ealham 10-2-31-1, Trescothick 2-0-13-0, White 8-1-23-1. England M. Trescothick not out 87 A. Stewart not out 74 Extras (lb-4 w-1 nb-5) 10 Total: (for no wicket, 35.2 overs) 171. Bowling: King 6-0-30-0 (nb1 w1), McLean 6-1-22-0 (nb2), Dillon 6-0-24-0 (nb1), Rose 5-0-31-0 (nb1), Gayle 8-0-34-0, Adams 4-0-20-0, Powell 0.2-0-6-0. |
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Randhawa leads Asian challenge ST ANDREWS (Scotland), July 15 (PTI) — Wills Indian Open champion Jyoti Randhawa will scorch through the famed Scottish golf courses in a bid to join world number one Tiger Woods at the prestigious British Open at St. Andrews course next week. The 28-year-old Indian leads the 24-strong Asian challenge at the British Open qualifiers this weekend aiming for an estimated 50 remaining open slots at four qualifying courses. Taiwan’s Yeh Wei-Tze and former Thai soldier Thongchai Jaidee are the other Asian PGA players among the 480 from all over the world who will criss-cross the greens here during next two days for the British Open. Aspirants include marquee names such as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, Frank Nobilo of New Zealand, Costantino Rocca of Italy and Australian amateur star Aaron Baddeley. In the fourth year of “Asian Invasion” to the British Open, players are confident that they can emulate the past qualifying success of Mardan Mamat of Singapore, India’s Gaurav Ghei, Choi Kyung-Ju of South Korea and Thailand’s Prayad Marksaeng. “It’s going to be awesome if some of us can qualify for St Andrews. I’d like to do it again because I have some great memories of the Old Course,” said Ghei, who was the first Indian to play in the Open in 1997 at Royal Birkdale. The 32-year-old resurgent pro is again bidding for the honours at the par-71 Lundin Links. The Indian has special reasons to return to St Andrews as he defeated Scot Colin Montgomerie at the Alfred Dunhill Cup in 1996 when India pulled off a famous upset victory. Compatriot Randhawa, who is drawn to play at the par-71 Scotscraig, wore a St. Andrews Old Course sweater for inspiration during practice yesterday. The reigning Hero Honda Masters titlist, however, said: “I’m really not thinking about St. Andrews right now and will have to keep my focus on qualifying. |
Bangladesh “to play”
at Sharjah DHAKA, July 15 (AFP) — Test babes Bangladesh will participate in at least one tournament annually in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, a cricket board official said here today. “The decision was taken during talks between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Saber Hossain Chowdhury and Abdur Rahman Bukhatir, chairman of the Cricket Board of Sharjah, recently,” the BCB official told AFP.
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