Wednesday, May 7, 2003, Chandigarh, India






National Capital Region--Delhi

S P O R T S

Mumbai make amends for earlier lapses
Mumbai, May 6
The Nishit Shetty struck a fine century to lead an impressive batting performance by Mumbai who fought themselves back into a strong position in the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu here today.

New Zealand gain slender lead
Kandy, May 6
Sri Lanka’s captain Hashan Tillakaratne missed a second successive century by seven runs as New Zealand gained a slender first innings lead in the second Test here today.



Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya returns to the pavilion after being dismissed for 82 on the fourth day of the second Test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand at Kandy on Tuesday. — Reuters photo
Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya returns to the pavilion after being dismissed for 82

Waugh sees promise in Windies team
Bridgetown, May 6
Australia captain Steve Waugh, whose team are on the brink of handing the West Indies their first 5-0 whitewash in the Caribbean, still sees a bright future for his opponents.


Los Angeles Laker's Shaquille O'Neal slam the ball into the net
Los Angeles Laker's Shaquille O'Neal slam the ball into the net during the NBA Western Conference semifinal match in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday. Lakers lost the game 87-82. — Reuters

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

 

Lara unfazed by defeats
Bridgetown, May 6
West Indies captain Brian Lara, whose team went 3-0 down to Australia after losing the third Test, said he wanted to stick with his young side and was not concerned about an impending whitewash.

Azad slams BCCI’s offer to Pakistan
New Delhi, May 6
National selector Kirti Azad has slammed as premature the open offer for resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Vaughan one-day captain
London, May 6
Leading batsman Michael Vaughan has been appointed as England’s new one-day captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced today.
Michael Vaughan listens to a question at an England and Wales Cricket Board news conference
Michael Vaughan listens to a question at an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) news conference, at the Lords cricket ground in London, which announced him as the new England captain for one-day matches on Tuesday. — Reuters photo

EARLIER STORIES

 


Yuvraj to play for Yorkshire

Chandigarh, May 6
Stylish left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh will play for English county Yorkshire this season, an opportunity which he considers will help "improve his cricket. "I will play for Yorkshire for four months starting a fortnight from now.

Foreign football players in India stir debate
New Delhi, May 6
The growing domination of foreign players in India’s National Football League (NFL) has stirred a debate on the pros and cons of their impact on the game in the country.

Agassi loses No 1 ranking
Rome, May 6
David Ferrer dashed Andre Agassi’s hopes of holding on to the No. 1 ranking when the surprising Spaniard beat the defending champion in the first round of the $ 2.75 million Italian Open. As a result of yesterday’s defeat, Lleyton Hewitt of Australia will replace Agassi at the top when the rankings are published next week. Ferrer’s 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory came in Agassi’s first match as the oldest player to hold the top spot in the rankings.




Andre Agassi of the US leaves the court after being defeated by Spain's David Ferrer at the Italian Open in Rome on Monday.
— AP/PTI photo

Andre Agassi of the US leaves the court

Khushboo lifts gold
Faridabad, May 6
Khushboo Saini of Haryana has won the gold in the 5-km (point to point) race in the ongoing National Roller Skating Championships at Kolkata , today. She has already won a silver medal in the 5-km road race category in the tournament.

Minor Districts take lead
Patiala, May 6
fluent Knocks of 68 by Varun Sharma and 59 by Pardeep Kumar enabled Minor Districts XI to take a crucial 16-run first innings lead against Patiala on day two of a league match of Punjab State Inter District Cricket Tournament (u-17) being played at the Dhruv Pandove stadium here today.

Poor display by Ludhiana batsmen
Amritsar, May 6
Amritsar consolidated their position against Ludhiana on the second day of the three day inter-district (u-17) cricket tournament as visitors had to follow on while chasing a target of 328 at Gandhi Grounds here today.

Kangra win
Chamba, May 6
Kangra beat Mandi by 60 runs in the Himachal Pradesh State (Under-19) Cricket Championship at Chamba today. Kangra with all the three wins has topped the Chamba zone.


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Mumbai make amends for earlier lapses

Wasim Jafer of Mumbai caresses the ball to the fence
Wasim Jafer of Mumbai caresses the ball to the fence. — PTI photo

Mumbai, May 6
The Nishit Shetty struck a fine century to lead an impressive batting performance by Mumbai who fought themselves back into a strong position in the Ranji Trophy final against Tamil Nadu here today.

Mumbai finished a satisfying day three at 228 for four in their second innings after restricting Tamil Nadu’s first innings advantage to a mere 11 runs.

Shetty struck exactly 100 runs off 133 balls, putting on 188 for the second wicket with opener Wasim Jaffer as Mumbai made amends for their first innings batting lapses. Jaffer missed his century by just two runs, his 98 coming off 173 balls.

Earlier in the morning, Tamil Nadu resumed at their overnight 223 for four and were dismissed for 271, only 11 runs ahead of Mumbai’s first innings score of 260. Ajit Agarkar, who finished with four wickets for 57, and captain Paras Mhambrey (2-36) were the leading wicket-takers for Mumbai.

Mumbai batsmen then benefitted from poor fielding by Tamil Nadu to place their team in a strong position. Tamil Nadu, who had floored three catches in the first innings, have already dropped four in the second.

Shetty benefitted the most as he was dropped thrice, the first time when had scored just four runs.

Jaffer also had a slice of luck, being dropped in the slips when on 90.

M.R. Srinivas struck thrice towards the end of the day’s play to send back both Jaffer and Shetty and also Vinayak Samant for six, but Mumbai were still very comfortably placed.

Jaffer and Shetty came together after Mumbai lost opener Vinayak Mane for two in the seventh over to get off to another poor start. Mane, who had scored 13 in the first innings, was trapped leg before wicket by L. Balaji while attempting a drive on a full-pitched delivery.

Jaffer and Shetty then batted for more than 45 overs together to string a fine partnership. The 30-year-old Shetty went for his shots, even playing a few lofted drives on either side of the wicket. He hit left-arm spinner S. Sriram for the only six of the innings so far.

From the other end, Jaffer played some delectable flicks and attractive cover drives against both Balaji and Srinivas.

Shetty, who reached his hundred with an uppish drive against Srinivas, was out the very next ball when he holed out to Suresh in the point region.

His innings included 13 fours apart from a six.

Jaffer, who was on 96 when Shetty was dismissed, fell leg before wicket in Srinivas’ next over. He hit 15 boundaries during his 253-minute stay at the crease.

Srinivas also sent back night watchman Samant who was caught by S. Badrinath at the mid-wicket. Samant’s dismissal brought the end of day’s play with Amol Mazumdar batting on four.

SCOREBOARD

Mumbai (Ist innings): 260

Tamil Nadu Ist (innings):

Suresh c Sawant b Agarkar 3

Ramesh c Mazumdar b Bahutule 85

Sriram c Samant b Agarkar 26

Badrinath c Mane b Bahutule 42

Badani lbw b Agarkar 56

Sharath c Jaffer b Agarkar 15

Srinivas c Samant b Mhambrey 0

Gokhulakrishnan lbw b Bahutule 15

Raaju c Samant b Salvi 5

Balaji b Mhambrey 8

Dandapani not out 0

Extras (b-3, lb-6, nb-7): 16

Total (all out in 115.3 overs):  271

Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-72, 3-131, 4-202, 5-228, 6-239, 7-239, 8-251, 9-271.

Bowling: A Agarkar 29-8-57-4, A Salvi 25-9-50-1, P Mhambrey 16.3-1-36-2, R Powar 24-5-60-0, S Bahutule 21-4-59-3.

Mumbai (2nd innings):

Mane lbw b Balaji 2

Jaffer lbw b Srinivas 98

Shetty c Suresh b Srinivas 100

Samant c Badrinath b Srinivas 6

Mazumdar batting 4

Extras (b-5, lb-9, nb-3, w-1):  18

Total (4 wkts, 58.2 overs):  228

Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-210, 3-271, 4-228.

Bowling: L Balaji 15-3-39-1, M R Srinivas 11.2-1-39-3, J Gokhulakrishnan 11-1-39-0, S Suresh 9-3-36-0, S Sriram 4-0-25-0, D Dandapani 8-1-36-0. PTI

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New Zealand gain slender lead

New Zealand's Daniel Vettori watches the fourth day's play
New Zealand's Daniel Vettori watches the fourth day's play in Kandy on Tuesday. Vettori's left leg was heavily bandaged and the bowler was using a crutch after he injured himself in a collision with Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu during the third day's play. — Reuters photo

Kandy, May 6
Sri Lanka’s captain Hashan Tillakaratne missed a second successive century by seven runs as New Zealand gained a slender first innings lead in the second Test here today.

The left-hander, who hit 144 in the drawn first Test at Colombo last week, scored 93 as Sri Lanka made 298 in reply to New Zealand’s 305 before being all out after tea on the fourth day.

The Kiwis extended the seven-run lead to 99, closing the day at 92 for 1 in their second knock as the rain-hit final Test of the short series headed towards a draw.

Mark Richardson followed his 55 in the first innings with 51 not out, while skipper Stephen Fleming was unbeaten on 10.

Securing the first innings lead was the only point of interest left in the game after the entire first day’s play and two sessions of the second day were cancelled due to the slushy outfield at the rain-ravaged Asgiriya Stadium.

Tillakaratne, who took over the captaincy before this series after Sanath Jayasuriya resigned to concentrate on his game, anchored his team’s innings for five-and-a-half hours.

He looked set for a 12th Test ton when he was last out, bowled by off-spinner Paul Wiseman who finished with four wickets at a cost of 104 runs on the run-laden track.

New Zealand’s attack was weakened by the absence of left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who was injured yesterday during an on-field collision with Sri Lanka’s Marvan Atapattu.

Atapattu made a brief appearance at the crease just before tea, batted for 10 minutes to make two, but did not return after the break as he found himself unfit to bat.

The duo, who both hurt their ankles, escaped serious injury and are expected to be fully fit for the one-day tri-series starting on May 10.

SCOREBOARD

New Zealand (Ist innings): 305

Sri Lanka (Ist innings):

Sangakkara c Hart b Tuffey 10

Jayasuriya c Fleming b Wiseman 82

Jayawardene c Hart b Oram 15

Tillakaratne b Wiseman 93

Kaluwitharana c Tuffey b Bond 20

Dharmasena c Fleming b Wiseman 5

Lokuarachchi c Tuffey b Oram 20

Vaas b Oram 22

Atapattu retired hurt 2

Nissanka b Wiseman 6

Muralitharan not out 2

Extras (b-6, lb-11, nb-4): 21

Total (all out, 97.3 overs):  298.

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-69, 3-126, 4-169, 5-189, 6-234, 7-264, 8-285, 9-298.

Bowling: Tuffey 20-6-45-1, Bond 25-6-78-1, Oram 20-2-54-3, Wiseman 32.3-4-104-4

New Zealand (2nd innings):

Richardson not out 51

Horne c Tillakaratne b Muralitharan 27

Fleming not out 10

Extras (lb-4):  4

Total (for one wicket, 30.5 overs):  92.

Fall of wicket: 1-65

Bowling: Vaas 4-2-15-0, Nissanka 5-2-10-0, Dharmasena 4-0-16-0, Lokuarachchi 7-1-15-0, Muralitharan 7.5-1-19-1, Jayasuriya 3-0-13-0. Reuters

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Waugh sees promise in Windies team

Bridgetown, May 6
Australia captain Steve Waugh, whose team are on the brink of handing the West Indies their first 5-0 whitewash in the Caribbean, still sees a bright future for his opponents. Waugh, remembering that the roles were reversed when he came into Test cricket 18 years ago, believes the West Indies are one of the few teams in the world which are improving and that their young team needs time to mature.

Australia have won their last eight tests against the West Indies, having handed them a 5-0 whitewash in 2001 in Australia. Despite this, Waugh sees promise.

“I think they’re one of the few sides in the world who are on the way up, I think they’ve shown a lot of improvement since we beat them in Australia,” he said. “You need to give the guys time because there’s a good deal of talent in the side.” Waugh’s words will lend moral support to West Indies captain Brian Lara and the team selectors, who are under increasing pressure in the region to bring back more experienced players.

West Indies fielded two debutants, Barbadian fast bowler Tino Best and Anguillan off-spinner Omari Banks, in the third test in a team with an average age of 25.

Lara has stood by his team, saying that more experienced players had come up short in the past.

Waugh remembered when he began his record-breaking test career, West Indies were the dominant force. Reuters

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Lara unfazed by defeats

Bridgetown, May 6
West Indies captain Brian Lara, whose team went 3-0 down to Australia after losing the third Test, said he wanted to stick with his young side and was not concerned about an impending whitewash.

West Indies, with an average age of around 25, suffered three consecutive home defeats for the first time on Monday and could also suffer their first home whitewash if they lose the fourth and final test in Antigua, starting on Friday.

“The records are not really my main worry. That’s of little importance,’’ Lara said, adding that better days lay ahead.

“We have got some very good players here and they are on the verge of making the breakthrough in Test cricket.

“I’m quite happy with the look of the team, I want us to play cricket the way we are playing. We are not to going to play Australia every day of the week. It’s all about character building and that is what is happening.’’

He added: “The experienced players have been tried and tested, a lot of them have come up short and I don’t see any need to go back to them”.

“In the batting department, we have done pretty well. The batting is going to take care of itself.’’

Lara, who raised eyebrows when he won the toss and asked Australia to bat first on a docile pitch, admitted he had miscalculated after the tourists made a match-winning 605 for nine declared.

“The pitch came up short,’’ he said. “It was not the greatest Test track and I couldn’t tell it was going to deteriorate so much, so it was unfortunate I chose to bowl.’’

Lara praised the performance of 20-year-old debutant off-spinner Omari Banks from the tiny island of Anguilla.

“Omari bowled well, there are areas he has to improve to play Test cricket,’’ said Lara. “When you play first-class games, you get away with things but not in Test cricket.’’

Australia captain Steve Waugh joined in Lara’s criticism of the pitch.

Waugh said before the match that he had special plans for getting Lara out but said they were not put into action because of the pitch.

“They were not applicable on this wicket. They couldn’t be put into action in this test, so it was back to plan B,’’ he said.

“We are not overcritical of the pitch but it was different to what you expect in the West Indies.

“The pitches here have been flat and we don’t want pitches worldwide to become too similar. I’d hate to think they will all become like one-day wickets.’’ Reuters

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Jacobs in squad for fourth Test

St. John’s, May 6
West Indies wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs has been included in the 14-man squad for the fourth Test against Australia.

Jacobs missed the last two Tests against Australia because of a groin strain and was replaced by Carlton Baugh.

The West Indies selectors have also named fast bowler Mervyn Dillon and batsman Marlon Samuels, who were both left out from the final 11 for the Bridgetown Test, in the squad.

Squad: Brian Lara (captain), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Ridley Jacobs, Devon Smith, Daren Ganga, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Mervyn Dillon, Omari Banks, Carlton Baugh, Vasbert Drakes, Jermaine Lawson, Tino Best. Reuters
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Azad slams BCCI’s offer to Pakistan

New Delhi, May 6
National selector Kirti Azad has slammed as premature the open offer for resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“We cannot possibly play cricket with Pakistan when thousands of innocent lives are being massacred in Kashmir. The relations between the two countries must first stabilise before we take the field together,’’ Azad told UNI here while inaugurating an exhibition of World Cup 2003 photographs by Kamal Sharma, yesterday.

In a stance that might give the top cricket Board honchos sleepless nights, Azad, who is also a BJP MP, said,’’ We had good sporting relations with our neighbours from 1978-1999. But what have we got in return?’’

India and Pakistan along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and two qualifiers - Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates - are scheduled to participate in the Asia Cup in March-April 2004. This was decided after the cricket board chiefs of the two countries had consultations in the Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF) meeting in Dubai last weekend.

Continuing his verbal tirade, the former India batsman said: “We cannot disassociate politics from cricket. Cricket is a religion. And when the two countries play it is like war. Whatever happens in the field has wide repurcussions.’’ UNI

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Vaughan one-day captain

London, May 6
Leading batsman Michael Vaughan has been appointed as England’s new one-day captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced today.

The Yorkshire batsman takes over from Test skipper Nasser Hussain, who resigned from his one-day responsibilities after England failed to progress beyond the first round of this year’s World Cup in southern Africa.

The 28-year-old opener, who made his one-day international debut against Sri Lanka in 2001, will lead the team in 10 one-day matches at home later this year.

Vaughan, who skippered an England A tour to South Africa and Zimbabwe in 1998-99, was given the captaincy ahead of rival candidates Adam Hollioake and Marcus Trescothick.

Hollioake has already had one spell as one-day skipper, leading England to victory at the 1997 Champions Trophy tournament in Sharjah before losing the job two years later.

Vaughan was one of the few success stories for England in their 4-1 Ashes series defeat to Australia at the turn of the year, with his three centuries earning him the player-of-the-series award.

It followed a successful 2002 English season when he scored four Test hundreds.

He heads the PricewaterhouseCooper Test batting ratings and is the first Englishman since Graham Gooch 10 years ago to top the rankings.

Meanwhile, Rodney Marsh, the former Australian wicketkeeper who has been running the ECB academy, has been appointed as an England selector. Reuters

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Yuvraj to play for Yorkshire

Chandigarh, May 6
Stylish left-handed batsman Yuvraj Singh will play for English county Yorkshire this season, an opportunity which he considers will help "improve his cricket.
"I will play for Yorkshire for four months starting a fortnight from now. I will be playing 10-12 four-day games which will be a good opportunity for me as playing under tough conditions will help improve my cricket," the all-rounder said here today.

Sachin Tendulkar was the first overseas star to be selected by Yorkshire in 1992.

"Batting on English tracks is going to be a challenge." My seniors have told me so. Overall, the conditions should be good for cricket," the 21-year-old said, sounding excited about the prospect. PTI

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Foreign football players in India stir debate

New Delhi, May 6
The growing domination of foreign players in India’s National Football League (NFL) has stirred a debate on the pros and cons of their impact on the game in the country.

Of the top nine goal scorers in the 12-team tournament, eight were foreign players, with Churchill Brothers’ Yakubu Yusif, a Ghanian, topping with 21 strikes.

Nigerian Mike Okoro, who turned out for champions East Bengal, was the second-best with 17 goals.

Just these two served to underline the growing reliance of Indian clubs on foreign players, especially forwards.

While there are many who favour continuing with foreign players as they add “glamour” to the NFL, there is a conservative school of thought that maintains that their presence is stifling the growth of local players.

“It works both ways — the dominance by foreigners is good as well as bad for Indian football,” said an expert. “It is the duty of the clubs to encourage local players, who, on the other hand, only learn and improve by playing with foreigners.”

According to the rules of the All-India Football Federation (AIFF), each Indian club can take in four foreign players but can include only a maximum of three in the playing eleven. “The standard of Indian football has gone up slightly over the past seven years, since the launch of the NFL,” argued an AIFF official.

However, there are others who feel that the “foreign invasion” is not helping the national cause.

“Foreigners are not good for Indian football, as they hamper the development of local players,” said an expert.

The foreigners have not only come to dominate the scene, but are also better paid. Mohun Bagan striker Jose Barretto, a Brazilian, is reportedly the highest paid player at Rs 5.5 million, while India’s Baichung Bhutia is said to be netting only Rs 4 million.

The expert contended that local players could also deliver if they were given proper opportunities.

“Take for instance the case of JCT Phagwara. They always encourage home players and the team has not done badly,” he said of the team that finished fourth this season.

“Moreover, these foreigners are less skilful and instead bank on their stamina, physique and height.” The AIFF itself seems to be increasingly relying on foreigners.

Former England player Stephen Constantine is the national coach of a team that is currently ranked 126th by FIFA, the game’s governing body. Constantine was hired despite considerable opposition.

The AIFF has also hired foreign sports management firm Strata to market the game. This was done with assistance from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in the hope that it would help bring in sponsors.

Although things have improved slightly this season, the indifferent attitude of AIFF officials towards the game in general and the lack of sponsors remains a worry, say observers.

The telecast of NFL and other matches, through which the AIFF could earn attractive revenue, is also not handled in a professional manner.

State broadcaster Doordarshan, which had the television rights for the NFL, disappointed millions by its haphazard telecast of the league, AIFF officials said.

“Most often it comes out with some lame technical excuse for not telecasting matches — even from established football centres like Goa,” said an AIFF official.

Doordarshan had reportedly promised the AIFF Rs 60 to 70 million in the season which just concluded. How much Doordarshan will eventually pay is the big question.

“This season, Strata had worked an arrangement with the Sharjah-based Ten Sports channel, which showed highlights of important NFL matches,” said an AIFF official.

The official hoped the next season could be a more profitable one for AIFF, provided more matches were telecast live.

“These days, almost all big companies invest in cricket,” rued the official. “All the business houses that we have approached have disappointed us. They say they have no budget to sponsor football.”

One school of thought is that unless India starts winning international titles, sponsors will not show interest.

The non-availability of playing fields and the gradual decline in interest among football fans are other areas the game’s administrators need to look into.

Despite these shortcomings, the AIFF is planning to start a third division national league, comprising state champions and runners-up teams, from the 2003-04 season.

The AFC has promised some help, but it is basically the responsibility of the AIFF to run the game professionally and effectively, the two areas where it falters badly.

In this gloomy scenario, East Bengal’s clean sweep of five important titles comes as a breath of fresh air.

East Bengal, which earned 49 points to leave behind second-placed Salgaocar Sports Club of Goa by five points in NFL, earlier wrested the Independence Cup, the Kolkata Super Division, Indian Football Association Shield and the Durand Cup. IANS

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Agassi loses No 1 ranking

Rome, May 6
David Ferrer dashed Andre Agassi’s hopes of holding on to the No. 1 ranking when the surprising Spaniard beat the defending champion in the first round of the $ 2.75 million Italian Open.

As a result of yesterday’s defeat, Lleyton Hewitt of Australia will replace Agassi at the top when the rankings are published next week.

Ferrer’s 0-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 victory came in Agassi’s first match as the oldest player to hold the top spot in the rankings.

Despite an easy first set, Agassi failed to maintain control of the match as the 60th-ranked Spaniard began holding serve in the second set and slowly gained confidence.

In the decisive third set, Ferrer forced Agassi to hit into the net on break point to go up 5-4. Agassi then produced four unforced errors as Ferrer served out the match.

“He didn’t play his best,” Ferrer said. “I think I played the match of my life. In the first set I was very nervous. But then I just told myself: ‘Stay calm, relax, enjoy,’ and I started playing better.

“In the third set I wasn’t nervous, I thought ‘if you win great, if you lose, you’ve done everything you could to win,’” he said.

Agassi’s brief day-long foray on the Foro Italico courts was very different from last year’s performance, when he stormed to the final and beat Tommy Haas of Germany in straight sets.

Just over a week ago, Agassi fought back to defeat fellow American Andy Roddick in the final of the US Men’s Claycourt Championships.

The win gave him the No. 1 ranking for the first time since September 10, 2000, when he was replaced by Pete Sampras.

Hewitt and Sampras have both withdrawn from the tournament, but the Australian is still set to regain the top ranking as he had much fewer points to defend in Rome. A disappointed Agassi complimented his opponent, praising Ferrer’s speed and backhand consistency.

“To get to No. 1 at my age was already an accomplishment, and it’s a long year so we’ll be going back and forth,” Agassi said. AP

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Khushboo lifts gold
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, May 6
Khushboo Saini of Haryana has won the gold in the 5-km (point to point) race in the ongoing National Roller Skating Championships at Kolkata , today. She has already won a silver medal in the 5-km road race category in the tournament.

According to report reaching here, Saini, who is captain of the Haryana team beat Varsha from Karnataka to win gold in the event. Varsha had beaten her in the 5-km road race.

Vihangi from Madhya Pradesh won the bronze. Khushboo, a student of DAV Public School here has been the national champion in speed racing. In other event Haryana boys (senior) beat Delhi by 7-0 in the preliminary round of the roller hockey event.

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Minor Districts take lead
Our Sports Reporter

Patiala, May 6
fluent Knocks of 68 by Varun Sharma and 59 by Pardeep Kumar enabled Minor Districts XI to take a crucial 16-run first innings lead against Patiala on day two of a league match of Punjab State Inter District Cricket Tournament (u-17) being played at the Dhruv Pandove stadium here today.

Brief scores:

Patiala (1st innings) : 290 all out ( Sonu Mandora 49, Ravinder 48, Rahul Sharma 42, Gajinder Singh 23, Tarun Kapoor 21, Ravinder Rinku 22, Sandeep Sharma 22, Gurmeet Sahni 18 n.o, Rahul Kumar 3 for 84, Rahul Gandhi 4 for 73, Varun Sharma 2 for 40)

Minor Districts XI-1st innings: 306 all out ( Varun Sharma 68, Pardeep Kumar 59, Himanshu Sharma 38, Vivek Bawa 28, Rahul Kumar 29, Digvijay 16, Parikshat Virdi 3 for 71, Sandeep Kumar 2 for 36, Gurmeet Singh 2 for 48). Patiala (2nd innings): 3 for no loss.

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Poor display by Ludhiana batsmen
Our Sports Reporter

Amritsar, May 6
Amritsar consolidated their position against Ludhiana on the second day of the three day inter-district (u-17) cricket tournament as visitors had to follow on while chasing a target of 328 at Gandhi Grounds here today.

Ludhiana were all out for 156. Top wicket takers for Amritsar were Harman Singh Bajwa and Charanjit Singh who managed to scalp three wickets each.

Earlier, Ludhiana resumed their innings at the last day’s score 19 for one. In the second innings again the rival batsmen again lost wickets quick succession and were at 90 for eight. The top scorer for Ludhiana was Rattan Bricher at 23.

For Amritsar Tarun, Sohit Kapoor and Manish Bhatia brought got two wickets each.

Scores: Amritsar (Ist innings): 328 all out

Ludhiana (Ist innings): 156 all out

Ludhiana (II innings): 90 for eight.

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Kangra win
Our Correspondent

Chamba, May 6
Kangra beat Mandi by 60 runs in the Himachal Pradesh State (Under-19) Cricket Championship at Chamba today. Kangra with all the three wins has topped the Chamba zone.

Kangra won the toss and elected to bat. Kangra did not do well in the beginning and lost three quick wickets but it was Aditya who saved the collapse and scored 60 runs. Sushil got 3 for 18 and Rajinder 4 for 22. In reply, Mandi were all out 100.

Scores: Kangra: 160 all out (Aditya 60, Rajinder 17, Paras Dogra 13, Amit 15. Bowling: Sushil 3 for 18, Rajinder 4 for 22). Mandi: 100 all out (Mayour 25, Ajay 12. Bowling: Sunil 2 for 31, Neeraj 2 for 16, Paras 2 for 25, Amit 2 for 15.

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 SPORTS BRIEFS

AUSSIE CRICKETERS TO BE HONOURED
SYDNEY:
Australia’s 199 living Test cricketers will be honoured at a dinner and presentation night here in July, the Australian Cricket Board said on Tuesday. Each player will receive a commemorative baggy green cap and the older players will be issued with an official Test number. Players began wearing their official numbers on shirts and caps in the 1990s. The function, to be held on July 11, is a joint initiative of the ACB and the Australian Cricketers’ Association (ACA) to reunite Australia’s Test players. AFP

WILLIAMS TO RETURN
SYDNEY:
Paceman Brad Williams will return home from Australia’s tour of the Caribbean this week following his stint as cover for Glenn McGrath, the Australian Cricket Board said on Tuesday. Williams went to the West Indies at the beginning of the tour last month when McGrath returned home to be with his ill wife. McGrath subsequently returned to the Caribbean. Williams remained in the Caribbean on standby during the third Test in Bridgetown, Barbados, won by Australia by nine wickets on Monday to take a 3-0 lead in the four-Test series. AFP

OLYMPIC BID
LONDON:
British premier Tony Blair was reported on Tuesday to be ready to back a bid by London to host the 2012 Olympic Games. Government endorsement of the campaign could come next week as ministers rush to put the finishing touches to the project, the London Evening Standard reported. Whitehall sources say a clear majority of the Cabinet now backs the plan to bring the world’s greatest sporting extravaganza to Britain for the first time since London was asked to host the first post-war Games in 1948. AFP

BECKHAM BEST PAID
PARIS:
Manchester United midfielder David Beckham is the best-paid player in the world with annual wages estimated at 15 million euros (17 million dollars), France Football reported in a survey published on Tuesday. The respected soccer magazine said a contract signed by Beckham with the new English champions had allowed him to overtake Real Madrid’s Zinedine Zidane. The French playmaker comes second with yearly earnings estimated at 14 million euros with Brazilian team mate Ronaldo third on 11.7 million euros. Real Madrid and Inter Milan both have four in the top 20 of the world’s best-paid players and Manchester United three. Reuters

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