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Wednesday,
April 9, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Life ban on rower Laxman Singh NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Jeev, Mukesh knocked out in first round
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‘Athens will be ready in time’
Aussies survive a scare
McGrath may play third Test Indian cricketers to leave today ‘Vice-captaincy will boost responsibility’ PAP Zone lift overall trophy Chamba win Cricket trials
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Life ban on rower Laxman Singh New Delhi, April 8 He was slapped a life ban when his A and B samples, collected after he won the medal, tested positive at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) doping testing laboratory at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Though the SAI lab is not fully accredited by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the RFI, nevertheless, took a serious view of Laxman Singh’s offence and handed him out a life ban. “The International Rowing Association (FISA) is very strict about doping matters, and hence we decided to hand out the severest punishment on the guilty rower”, remarked secretary-general of the RFI Col (Retd) C.P. Singh Deo. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Randhir Singh, who is also the secretary general of the Olympic Council of Asia and a member of the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA), disclosed here today that out of the 465 athletes tested during the National Games in Andhra Pradesh, 22 tested positive for banned substances. He said nandrolone seemed to be a favourite with the athletes as nine of the 22 athletes tested positive for this banned substance while the others tested positive for a variety of banned drugs, including masking agents. Though Mr Randhir Singh refused to divulge the names of the athletes or the specific disciplines in which the athletes were caught for doping, he, however, disclosed that 13 of the 22 were medal winners, with five of them winning gold, four silver and as many bronze medals. The rest were tested randomly, and did not figure among medals. Mr Randhir Singh also revealed that a weightlifter’s B sample has also tested positive, though he did not name the lifter. In fact, Mr Randhir Singh refused to divulge names other than that of Laxman Singh, as the list would be made public only after the IOA’s medical commission, headed by Dr Man Mohan Singh, son of former Indian Hockey Federation secretary-general Prof Gurusevak Singh, meets in New Delhi on April 23. Mr Randhir Singh said the sports federations concerned had been asked to send their replies to the IOA by April 21, after which the IOA medical commission would take a final decision on the positive dope-testing cases. Mr Randhir Singh said those who had tested positive for banned substances had been given the option of either appealing or going for a test of their B samples in an IOC-accredited lab of their own choice. It may be recalled that Sunita Rani, who had won two medals in athletics in the Asian Games at Busan (Korea), tested positive for nandrolone, but she was eventually exonerated by the IOC, and the medals restored to her. The IOC also downgraded the dope-testing laboratory in Seoul, as discrepancies were found in the test results of Sunita Rani’s A and B samples. Mr Randhir Singh said the IOA’s role would be limited to taking away the medals of the athletes who had tested positive for banned substances. It was up to the federations to take punitive measures on the guilty athletes. “No federation has complained to us that it’s not acceptable to us. In fact, all the federations want to get rid of the menace of doping”, Mr Randhir Singh observed. Nineteen athletes had tested positive during the National Games held in Punjab in 2000. But Mr Randhir Singh admitted that no proper data was kept on the Punjab Games, and hence no action could be taken on the erring athletes. “Doping is a growing menace not only in Indian sports, but also the world over. We will do everything to root out this evil”, asserted Mr Randhir Singh, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Mr Randhir Singh said the guilty athletes would be stripped of not only their medals, but also the cash awards. Some of them have already received cash awards from their respective state governments though the hosts of the National Games, Andhra Pradesh, who bagged the maximum number of medals with the help of “imported” sportspersons, had not yet disbursed the promised cash awards to the medal winners, which reportedly works out to around a whopping Rs 6 crore. |
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE Chandigarh, April 8 With 18 rounds having been completed and another four matches in hand, the Phagwara mill men hope to make it big this time after a near-disastrous showing last season when they just about managed to ward off relegation. Although the title appears to be out of their grasp with East Bengal having taken a commanding lead, JCT are very much in the race for the second position provided they win the remaining four matches and
Vasco, along with Salgaocar suffer a couple of reverses. JCT's hopes hinge on international Joe Paul Ancheri, who in the absence of IM Vijayan, will need support from striker Hardip Gill, winger Jaswinder and diminutive midfielder Hardip Saini. The role of Harvinder may also be crucial given his lethal firepower. Ghanian forward Kwabena Yeboah has also displayed good form while compatriot Mansuru Mohammed under the bar has proved to be an asset. In 18 matches JCT have conceded 15 goals which is the second lowest number after Goa's Salgaocar SC for which the defence manned by Nigerian stopper back Musa Aliu and wing back Daljit also deserves credit. Defending champions Mohun Bagan, winners of the title thrice, have pinned their hopes on their forward line which includes star striker Baichung Bhutia who donned the green and maroon jersey after the expiry of his contract with England's Bury FC. A calf muscle injury hampered Bhutia's showing in the league's initial stage, but of late the diminutive forward, who incidentally starred in JCT's title triumph in 1996, has shown signs of recovery. On paper Mohun Bagan have the most fearsome strike force comprising Brazilian recruit Jose Ramirez Barreto, striker Baichung Bhutia, medio George Ekeh, who incidentally notched up a hat-trick against JCT in the drawn tie at Kolkata on November 30, and promising stars like Sheikh Sanjib, formerly of ITI, and Renedy Singh, who has also been scoring this season. Ekeh, in particular, has displayed devastating form notching up two hat-tricks, the first against JCT and the second against HAL at Bangalore on December 16. In all Mohun Bagan have scored 30 goals of which Ekeh alone has accounted for 11. JCT have so far won nine matches. They have tasted success in home and away matches against Indian Bank (2-1), Tollygunge (2-0), Churchill Brothers (2-0), Mahindra United(6-2), HAL (1-0), Mahindra United (2-1), Churchill Brothers (2-1), ITI (3-0) and the all-powerful East Bengal (2-0). The victory against East Bengal at Ludhiana on March 5 proves that JCT can upset even the best outfit on their day. Incidentally it was East Bengal's first defeat in the national league. Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, have won eight home and away
matches. They beat Churchill Brothers 3-2, HAL 3-1, ITI 1-0, Indian Bank 4-0, Dempo 5-1, Indian Bank 1-0, Salgaocar 1-0, and Churchill Brothers 3-0. The defeats include the two setbacks against East Bengal at Kolkata (0-2 and 1-2). On the whole, the match is expected to be a close affair although both the coaches, Sukhwinder Singh and Subrata Bhattacharya, preferred to keep their cards close to their chests on the eve of the derby clash. The kick-off is at 4 p.m.
The following are the latest standings of the teams in the seventh National Football League after taking into account the result of today's match between Dempo and Indian Bank in Goa (read under teams, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, and points) Teams P W D L GF GA Pts East Bengal 18 13 4 1 37 18 43 Vasco SC 18 9 7 2 25 16 34 Salgaocar 18 9 5 4 28 14 32 JCT 18 9 4 5 27 15 31 Mohun Bagan 18 8 5 5 30 20 29 Dempo SC 19 7 5 7 24 25 26 Churchill Bros 18 6 7 5 23 19 25 Mahindras 18 6 5 7 24 22 23 Tollygunge 18 6 4 8 25 30 22 Indian Bank 19 6 2 11 28 43 20 HAL 18 2 2 14 15 39 8 ITI 18 1 4 13 10 33 7
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Jeev, Mukesh knocked out in first round
New Delhi, April 8 A visibly-ill second seed Jeev lost to the 63rd seed local boy Prem on the final hole to set the tone of the only matchplay event on the Tour. Also shown the exit door was the reigning Order of Merit leader, Mukesh Kumar, who lost to the 62nd seed Hem Chand in the first playoff hole. Among the other big names, 15th seed Shamim Khan was upset by the 50th ranked Manohar Dige of Mumbai, also on 18th hole. Top seed Arjun Atwal registered an easy 6 and 5 victory over Romit Bose to advance to the second round from IS Malik bracket, while fourth seed Digvijay Singh won by similar margin against KS Sibia in the R K Pitambar bracket. No 5 Vijay Kumar beat Akbar Ali 4 and 3, No 6 Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia was an easy 6 and 4 winner over Mohd Maqbool, while No 7 Amandeep Johl won by same margin over Tarun Sardesai. Last year’s surprise packet, Suleiman Ali, could not repeat his giant-killing act and lost 4 and 3 to No 8 Arjun Singh. Ninth seed Gaurav Ghei won 4 and 3 against K P S Sekhon, while defending champion Shiv Prakash advanced to the second round by beating Dinesh Kumar 1-up. Jeev, who was playing with infected ear that was hampering his balance while swinging and running a 101 degree temperature, lost the opening two holes to birdies by Prem and never managed to catch his rival. Despite finishing with birdies on the 17th and 18th, Jeev lost on the final hole when Prem hit a magnificent third shot to less than two feet and answered with a birdie himself. “I didn’t play too well, while Prem was excellent. He made some great putts and produced some very good shots. I was a bit uncomfortable on the course, especially while making putts. But I cannot take anything away from Prem,” said the 31-year-old pro from Chandigarh, who recently became the first Indian to qualify for the Nationwide Tour on the US PGA. Mukesh, winner of 10 titles on the Hero Honda Golf Tour this season, lost to a birdie by Hem Chand on the first playoff hole. Mukesh, who was two-up after 12 holes, lost the 13th and 16th to get into the playoff. “My putting has been completely off colour since the Indian Open. I didn’t play well at all today,” said the Mhow based golfer. UNI
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Megha shocked; Rushmi triumphs
Mumbai, April 8 However, other seeded players seen in action including the first leg winner last week and fourth seed Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan, second seed Rushmi Chakravarthi and third seed Sai Jayalakshmi (both from India) sailed into the second round with straight set wins. Hard-hitting Amanmuradova took 55 minutes to sideline unseeded Isreali Yael Glitzenshtein 6-1 6-3 while Rushmi needed one hour 10 minutes to oust her unseeded compatriot Ankita Bhambri 6-1 7-5. Sai swept her unseeded Indian opponent Sonal Phadke 6-4 6-1 in just 46 minutes. Qualifier Liza Pereira hogged the limelight on day two with a 6-4 7-6 (9-7) win over unseeded English Woman Carly Homewood in one hour 45 minutes. Another Indian qualifier Isha Lakhani was unlucky as she had to concede her match trailing 0-1 due to joint strain in the lower back against another unseeded player Diana Costa of Portugal after just two minutes on court. Top seed Manisha Malhotra of India, unseeded Etzel Franziska of Germany, eighth seed Wilawan Choptang of Thailand, qualifier Shahar Peer of Isreal and unseeded Russian Julia Vorobieva had all moved into the second round yesterday. Liza-Carly duel witnessed some fierce battle for supremacy. It was the Indian who effected an early break to wrest the initiative when she broke the English woman in the second game of the first set. Carly managed to break Liza in the ninth game to narrow the margin to 4-5 before the local girl came up with some breathtaking passing shots on either flanks to break her rival and pocket the first set 6-4. In the second set, Liza had to contain a rejuvenated English girl who managed an early break in the very first game. The Indian, who again came out of a tight spot with a break in the fourth game, went ahead when she broke her rival’s serve in the sixth game and looked all set to wrap up the match. However, the English lass had other ideas and with a crucial break in the ninth game she not only managed to force a tie-break but also led comfortably at 5-1, which included a mini set point. Liza then played some superb attacking tennis to not only level the scores at 5-all but win the set at 9-7 and with that the match. Results (Women’s singles) first round: A Amanmuradova (Uzb) b Y Glitzenshtein (Isr) 6-1 6-3, Sai Jayalakshmi (Ind) b S Phadke (Ind) 6-4 6-1, R Chakravarthi (Ind) b A Bhambri (Ind) 6-1 7-5, L Pereira (Ind) b C Homewood (Gbr) 6-4 7-6 (9-7), D Julianto (Ina) b M Vakharia (Ind) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4, D Costa (Por) b I Lakhani (Ind) 1-0 (conceeded), M Malhotra (Ind) b G Manohar (Ind) 6-1 7-5, C Thimjapo (Tha) b Po-kuen Lam (HK) 6-2 6-4, W Chaptang (Tha) b S Dhawan (Ind). PTI
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‘Athens will be ready in time’
Athens, April 8 The International Olympic Committee team, headed by chief Athens inspector Denis Oswald, will focus on month-long delays in sports and infrastructure projects, including the Games’ soccer venue and a massive steel and glass roof for the main Olympic stadium. Mr Oswald had said some preparations were three months behind schedule but Mr Rogge told a Greek newspaper on Tuesday he was confident the Greeks would be ready for the Games which start in August 2004. ‘’I have confidence that at the last moment things will be ready,’’ Mr Rogge told the daily Kathimerini newspaper. ‘’We will have to continue to monitor and ask for an acceleration, but I am confident that at the end, things will come together.’’ Mr Rogge had reprimanded Athens organisers (ATHOC) in February, telling them to speed up preparations and stop bickering. It was the second time in three years the IOC had warned Athens. The first time, in 2000, it said Athens risked losing the Games if it did not pick up the pace. Mr Rogge said the preparations fell behind at the start of work which was why Greece now had to work at breakneck speed to catch up. ‘’In the first 18 months, frankly speaking, it was too disorganised,’’ he told Kathimerini. Mr Rogge said Greece had no choice but to meet its deadlines because there were no contingency plans if a venue was not ready. ‘’You cannot replace a venue that is not ready,’’ he said. Mr Oswald will question organisers over progress at several venues including a multisports complex at the former site of the Athens airport where preliminary work has just started, and the wrestling and judo centre at the suburb of Liosia, hit by delays which the government attributed to seismic activity in the area. Work at the Karaiskaki soccer stadium, site of the soccer finals, was scheduled to start this week after months of delays caused by lengthy negotiations between the stadium owners and the club using it as its home ground. Reuters
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3rd successive win for Pak Sharjah, April 8 Pakistan, whose first round exit from the World Cup resulted in a massive shake-up in the team, put up a polished performance in the inconsequential last league match with the young guns once again making their mark. Shoaib Malik scored an impressive 76 from 58 balls as Pakistan, who had earned a berth in Thursday’s final, raised 286 for eight after electing to bat. Mohammad Sami then claimed four wickets as the World Cup heroes Kenya collapsed to 143 with more than 18 overs to spare to end their campaign without a single victory. The Kenyan resistance was limited to a sparkling 54-run knock from former captain Maurice Odumbe and his sixth wicket partnership with Hitesh Modi that yielded 53 runs. Scoreboard Pakistan: Hafeez c Otieno b Ongondo 36 Umar b Angara 17 Iqbal c Odumbe b D Obuya 23 Misbah c Patel b Tikolo 42 Youhana b Tikolo 18 Malik c C. Obuya b Ongondo 76 Latif b Tikolo 38 Hasan c Obuya b Odoyo 13 Sami not out 12 Kaneria not out 0 Extras
(lb-2, w-7, nb-2) 11 Total (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 286 Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-63, 3-102, 4-129, 5-150, 6-222, 7-265, 8-280. Bowling: Odoyo 10-1-42-1, Ongondo 9-0-57-2, Angara 8-0-52-1, C. Obuya 9-0-56-1, Odumbe 6-0-35-0, Tikolo 8-0-42-3. Kenya: K Obuya c Latif b Rana 9 D Obuya run out 10 Patel b Sami 0 Tikolo c Latif b Sami 7 Odoyo run out 22 Odumbe c Latif b Malik 54 Modi c Latif b Sami 27 C Obuya lbw b Hafeez 0 Kamande lbw b Gul 3 Ongondo not out 0 Angara lbw b Sami 0 Extras (lb-1, w-5, nb-5) 11 Total (all out in 31.4 overs) 143 Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-18, 3-31, 4-31, 5-84, 6-137, 7-138, 8-143, 9-143. Bowling: Sami 6.4-0-25-4, Rana 6-1-32-1, Gul 2-0-23-1, Kaneria 6-2-16-0, Malik 8-1-42-1, Hafeez 3-1-4-1.
PTI
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Aussies survive a scare
Georgetown, April 8 Number three batsman Narsingh Deonarine (141 not out) and wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh (115 not out) both scored unbeaten centuries for the Guyana XI. Deonarine hit 20 fours and a six while Baugh, who is in the West Indies squad for the first Test in Bourda, Guyana starting on Thursday, struck 17 fours and three sixes. The pair shared an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 222 in just 140 minutes after left-arm spinner Brad Hogg had grabbed five early wickets to reduce the home team to 180 for six. Hogg finished with figures of five for 112. At one stage he had five for 50 as he took nine wickets in the match to emerge as the favourite to replace disgraced spinner Shane Warne in the first Test. Scoreboard Australia (first innings) 377-3 dec (S. Waugh 106 not out, M. Hayden 102, J. Langer 60, M. Love 56). Guyana Board XI (first innings) 132 (B. Hogg 4-23). Australia:
(second innings) (overnight 180-8). B. Hogg c Jan b Sanford 16, A. Gilchrist c Jan b Sanford 8, A. Bichel b Black 7, A. Noffke b Bravo 20, D. Lehmann c Joseph b Mohammed 42, M. Love b Sanford 59, J. Langer c Joseph b Banks 1, S. Waugh c and b Banks 2, J. Gillespie lbw b Mohamed 7, S. MacGill b Banks 23, M. Hayden not out 2. Extra
(b-4, lb-4, nb-1) 9 Total (all out) 196 Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-27, 3-33, 4-54, 5-126, 6-129, 7-139, 8-150, 9-190. Bowling: Sanford 9-1-28-3, Black 6-1-24-1, Banks 22.5-3-65-3, Bravo 6-1-26-1, (nb-1), Mohammed 14-3-45-2. Guyana Board XI (second innings): I. Jan lbw b Hogg 44, D. Smith lbw b Hogg 37, N. Deonarine not out 141, D. Bravo b Hogg 14, S. Joseph c Langer b Hogg 2, A. Kanhai c Love b Hogg 0, O. Banks c Hayden b MacGill 6, C. Baugh not out 115. Extras
(b-22, lb8, w-1, nb-7, pen 5) 43. Total (for six wickets) 402 Fall of wickets: 1-59, 2-120, 3-152, 4-162, 5-162, 6-180. Bowling: Gillespie 9-3-16-0, Bichel 9-2-35-0, Noffke 10-0-53-0, (nb-3), MacGill 26-3-126-1 (nb-4, w-1), Hogg 22-2-112-5, Lehmann 8-1-25-0.
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McGrath may play third Test
Melbourne, April 8 McGrath’s wife, Jane, who has been diagnosed with a secondary cancer infection in her hip, consulted a specialist in Sydney on April 4 and received a positive prognosis on her condition. She will undergo radiation therapy, with the treatment expected to lead to a recovery. Glenn McGrath, who is expected to travel back to the West Indies on April 21, will miss the first two Tests of the Travelex Tour of the West Indies. McGraths anticipated travel plans would have him arrive ahead of Australias tour match against the University of the West Indies Chancellors XI, which begins at Cave Hill in Barbados on April 26. The third Test of the four-Test series starts on May 1 in Bridgetown, Barbados. UNI
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Indian
cricketers to leave today Kolkata, April 8 Other than hosts Bangladesh, the 10-day tournament features World Cup hosts South Africa. The Indian selectors had to draft several rookies after batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, World Cup vice-captain Rahul Dravid and paceman Ashish Nehra made themselves unvailable for the tour due to injuries. Pace spearhead Javagal Srinath also opted to take rest while leg spinner Anil Kumble skipped the trip due to “personal reasons”. Young paceman Avishkar
Salvi, Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir, Abhijit Kale and Amit Mishra are the new faces in the team, which has dashing opener Virender Sehwag as vice-captain, while offie Sarandeep Singh has got a national recall after a fairly long gap. Ashok Malhotra has been appointed coach of the squad for the opening encounter against Bangladesh, with incumbent John Wright expected to join the team not before the second match against South Africa. Once Wright arrived, Malhota would serve as the assistant coach. “I am honoured. Touring with the national side entails spending a lot of time with not only senior pros, but also learning from the methods used by support staff like Adrian Le Roux,” Malhotra said
here.PTI
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‘Vice-captaincy will boost responsibility’ Chennai, April 8 But there was a touch of irony there. The publicity posters put up in the hall showed not him but Sachin Tendulkar, his senior opening partner. That was of little significance to the Delhi batsman, what with his often being regarded a ‘Sachin clone’ in terms of talent. Sehwag, the new vice-captain of the Indian team for the triangular series beginning at Dhaka in Bangladesh on April 11, interacted with the players of the cricket team of a school in the city which had won the regional leg of the Boost Cricket Tournament and presented them the trophy. The boys, seeing him at close quarters for the first time, seemed awed and dumbstruck when they were asked to interact with him. Sehwag, on his part was himself so shy and retiring that he smilingly turned down a request from a small group of pressmen who wanted to ask him a few questions, rushing to his room to get ready to catch a flight to Kolkata to join the Dhaka-bound Indian team. But one of the representatives of the advertising company for Boost carried the questions written down for him, to his room and returned with the answers. Sehwag had reportedly said, “I am happy to be vice-captain of the team,” adding it meant he would have to shoulder additional responsibility. “I hope the team wins. There is a very good chance for us to win in Bangladesh,” he said, to another question.
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PAP Zone lift overall trophy Jalandhar, April 8 Palwinder Singh Cheema (wrestler) was adjudged best sportsman of the year while Harjit Kaur was declared best sportswoman of the year. The best coach trophy was given to Narinder Singh (judo). PAP Zone established its supremacy in 11 disciplines winning in hockey, football, volleyball, basketball, handball, kabaddi, judo, boxing, weightlifting, wrestling (free style and Greco Roman) and gymnastic. Border Zone remained runners-up being winners in basketball, handball, boxing, weightlifting while Patiala Zone managed runners-up position in kabaddi and wrestling (Greeco Roman). |
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Chamba
win Chamba, April 8 Scores: Kinnaur: 60 all out (Parveen b Ashit 20, Munish b Ashit 4, Satya b Ashit 1, Rajmal b Ashit 0, Aman b Varun 14, Vijay b Ashant 5, Jatinder b Ishant 0, Raj Kumar b Varun 0, Dharam Pal b Varun 0, Nargo b Varun 0, Sanjay not out 2. Extras: 11. Total: 60. Bowling:
Ashit 5-0-18-4, Varun 4-0-12-4, Ishant 2-0-3-2. Chamba: 61 for no loss (Rahul 8 not out, Chandan 40 not out). Extras 13. Total 61. Scoreboard incomplete |
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Cricket
trials Bathinda, April 8 He said a maximum of eight players per district would be allowed to participate in the trials. These eight players should have recommendations of their respective district cricket secretaries. He said that those who are born before September 1, 1988 would not be considered.
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