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Wednesday,
June 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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India clash with Australia today Serena mauls Mauresmo to reach semis
Salvi, Gavaskar join camp |
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Asian cross country meet at Pune AAWC general body meeting today Strong Indian squad
for Asian chess Junior netball begins today Judo meet put off
Talented footballer bound to go places Hockey camp starts
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India clash with Australia today
Sydney, June 3 The match at Wollongong here would give India the perfect opportunity to avenge two defeats against Australia in the previous leg of the tournament in Perth. The Indians lost to Australia in a league match and then in the final where they conceded two goals in the last five minutes to lose the match from a winning position. But India’s overall showing last week was commendable as they beat arch-rivals Pakistan and also Australia ‘A’ on account of some good performances. India coach Rajinder Singh sounded optimistic about the challenge ahead when he said his team was ready to take on the mighty Australians, who are likely to make few changes to their side that played the Perth final on Sunday. “I am expecting a major change in the Australian side, which I feel will be very different to the one we played against in Perth.” But he was quick to add that the players were keen to perform well and continue experimenting here as this would be their last chance to finetune their skills before the Champions Trophy in Amsterdam in August. “We played well throughout the tournament in Perth. We were unfortunate to lose the final but the team’s showing improved with each outing,” Rajinder Singh said. “Here we will be sticking to our task of trying out new combinations and strategies with an eye on the Champions Trophy and next year’s Olympics,” Rajinder Singh said. Despite finishing second, the first-leg gave the Indians the opportunity to try out new combinations to make their defence strong, which was till now considered a weak link in their preparations for bigger tournaments in future. Former captain Dilip Tirkey showed his class in the matches against Pakistan and the final in the company of Kanwalpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh. The much-improved performance of the defenders denied the Pakistanis penalty corners till the 50th minute and they hardly gave any space to the rampaging Australian strikers to have a go at the Indian goal for most part of the final. The veterans, including skipper Dhanraj Pillay and Baljit Singh Dhillon, shone at Perth scoring goals at crucial times. Rajinder Singh said the veterans gelled quite well with the youngsters in the team to help the side reach the final. “It was good to see the veterans and seniors playing in tandem. Their performance here augurs well for the future of Indian hockey.” Despite emerging stronger after the Perth meet, the chief coach said he would be making some changes to the side for tomorrow’s match. “I am still thinking on whom to drop, but I know two or three players are feeling the fatigue and need rest”, he said. Though the chief coach declined to go into details regarding the changes in the side, sources close to the team said three young players — Tushar Khandekar, Sandeep Michael and Prabodh Tirkey — were likely to play tomorrow’s match. After tomorrow’s opener, India’s next match will be against Australia ‘A’ on Thursday. On Saturday, India will take on Pakistan, who will open their campaign in the tournament tomorrow against Australia ‘A’. The Pakistani side, without short corner expert Sohail Abbas and former captain Mohammad Nadeem, who were dropped from the side on disciplinary grounds, have been quite disappointing in the tournament which could serve as a jolt to their preparations for the six-nation Champions Trophy, which will also features Australia, Germany, Holland and Argentina besides India. Nothing has gone right for the struggling Pakistanis, who came here winning the prestigious Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia in March, as they suffered defeats in all their four matches in Perth. Schedule: June 4: Australia vs India, Australia ‘A’ vs Pakistan; June 5: Australia vs Pakistan, Australia ‘A’ vs India; June 6: Rest Day; June 7: India vs Pakistan, Australia vs Australia ‘A’; June 8: Australia ‘A’ vs 3rd, Final 1st vs 2nd.
PTI |
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Serena mauls Mauresmo to reach semis
Paris, June 3 “She gave 100 per cent but it is hard to play your best game when I am playing well.” The slight Justine Henin-Hardenne is next to step into the firing line after she beat American Chanda Rubin 6-3, 6-2. It will not be a prospect the Belgian will relish if she watches a recording of Williams’s performance. Second seed Kim Clijsters and Russian surprise package Nadia Petrova will meet in the other semifinal on Thursday. Serena was awesome. She leapt into a 4-0 lead on a damp and overcast centre court as Mauresmo wondered what had hit her. Broad-shouldered and standing 1.75 metres tall, the French player is one of only a handful who can stand up to the formidable Williams sisters, matching them for strength. Today, however, Serena was irresistible. She motored through the set in 22 minutes, Mauresmo and her compatriots blinking as the winners flew past. Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters crunched Spanish 24th seed Conchita Martinez 6-2, 6-1 in 68 minutes today to race into the semi-finals of the women’s singles at the French Open. Nadia Petrova kept her nerve today to reach the semi-finals of the women’s singles at the French Open, winning an all-Russian duel with 22nd seed Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in 1hr 52min after a battle royal on centre court. Petrova now meets Belgian second seed Kim Clijsters, who earlier put out Spanish 24th seed Conchita Martinez in straight sets. Zvonareva had beaten US third seed Venus Williams in the previous round while Petrova had ended the challenge of 2001 champion Jennifer Capriati - but she needed to fight tooth and nail this time to see off a dogged rival. Martinez, Wimbledon champion in 1994 in scoring a surprise win over Martina Navratilova, clubbed a forehand wide as Clijsters, watched by boyfriend Hewitt, broke for a 3-1 lead in the opening set. But the Spaniard dug in and broke straight back only to drop her serve yet again as Clijsters moved out to 4-2 and then held. A drop shot from Clijsters, winner this season at Sydney, Indian Wells and the Italian Open, then caught Martinez far too deep and a thumping forehand gave the Belgian the set in 36min. Martinez, disgusted with her inability to hurt her rival and with 20 unforced errors, hammered her racquet into the clay in frustration. The Spanish veteran, who was hoping to keep Spanish interest alive in the women’s tournament whereas her countrymen are dominating the men’s event, then saved triple break point on her opening service game at the start of the second set, Clijsters having first held for 1-0. But the Belgian began to force the pace once more as she again broke for 3-1. A clubbed backhand moved her to 30-0 on Martinez’s next service game and when Martinez netted Clijsters moved out to 5-1. The Belgian first had to stave off a break point before a big serve took her to match point. She double faulted but shrugged that off as a superb forehand to the backcourt gave her another opportunity and she found the line with another confident sweeping forehand which zipped past a flat-footed Martinez. Gustavo Kuerten was once an obscure young player with an unorthodox flair who developed a knack for knocking off Grand Slam champions - much like the Spaniard who just ended his bid for a fourth French Open title. Kuerten smiled when asked about the comparison, then rejected it. He said Tommy Robredo is not a replica of the 19-year-old Kuerten who won at Roland Garros in 1997. “No, I think the hair is a lot different,” the Brazilian said with a laugh. “And my clothes were blue and yellow.” But like Guga six years ago, the 21-year-old Robredo is making his mark on the Paris clay. He upset top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in the third round, then eliminated Kuerten 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 yesterday. The No. 9-seeded Costa eliminated the final Frenchman, Arnaud Clement, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. Ferrero improved to 7-0 against Spanish compatriot Felix Mantilla, winning 6-2 6-1, 6-1. AP Corio upsets Agassi Argentine Guilllermo Coria outpaced 1999 French Open champion Andre Agassi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final on today. The seventh seed, overawed at first against his childhood hero on centre court, lost the first set but then showed his pace and claycourt skills to win in two hours and 32 minutes. Coria is the most successful player on clay this season, winning the Hamburg Masters and reaching the final in Monte Carlo. Former world number one Agassi also lost in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros in 2001 and last year.
Reuters |
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Paes winner
in battle of ex-partners
New Delhi, June 3 Paes and Rikl, the fifth seeds, came back from the brink of ouster to beat Bhupathi and his partner, Max Mirnyi of Belarus, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 in a quarter-final classic at the Roland Garros in Paris. The second seeded duo of Bhupathi and Mirnyi comfortably took the first set 6-3 and were leading 5-3 in the second before Paes and Rikl rallied remarkably to cause the upset. Paes and Bhupathi were meeting each other for the first time in a Grand Slam. They had won the French Open together in 1999 when they reached the finals of the all the four Grand Slams.
PTI
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Salvi, Gavaskar join camp
Bangalore, June 3 Along with Das, who was away at England playing county cricket, Wasim Jaffer, Avishkar Salvi and Rohan Gavaskar also joined the camp. Players were put to vigorous training with Indian coach John Wright and team coach Sandeep Patil giving instructions and former medium-pacer Madan Lal imparting bowling tactics to the youngsters. Besides, practising in the field, the team would practise inside the National Cricket Academy with the bowling machines and have physical exercise in the gym. NCA Chairman Sunil Gavaskar, who arrived here to witness the academy inter-zonal ties, would interact with the zonal cricket academy coaches. He would also visit the camp. Patil, who has drawn up an eight-day programme for the camp and for the remaining period, would consult Wright and the BCCI selection committee Chairman Brijesh Patel to chalk out the schedule. UNI
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Asian cross country meet at Pune
Pune, June 3 The AAA executive committee which met under the presidentship of Mr Suresh Kalmadi, apart from chalking out the yearly calendar for 2004, also decided to hold the annual Asian cross country one month before the world event. This will enable long distance runners to prepare themselves well in advance for the world meet, said Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) joint honorary secretary Prahlad Sawant. The other point is to avoid the clash of dates with the world championship, he added. It may be recalled that the Asian Cross Country Championship was originally scheduled to be held at Pune on May 1 this year but was postponed due to war in Iraq. The event will be organised by the Pune District Amateur Athletic Association (PDAAA) at the scenic Pune race course of the Western India Turf Club (WITC). All arrangements have been made in view of the earlier date, Mr Sawant noted, adding that probably the venue would remain the same. A very strong field is expected to assemble in Pune as top long distance runners from 30 countries, including India, will be vying for honours, he said. Apart from men and women, the event will be held for junior boys and girls as well. A 2 km artificial track will be created at the Pune race course. The AAFI general secretary Lalit Bhanot visited the venue and given his approval. Meanwhile, the AAFI technical committee, under the chairmanship of Mr Krupal Singh of Uttar Pradesh and comprising Baptist D’Souza, P.K. Srivastav, Ramesh Tawde, a former joint secretary of the AFFI, and Ram Bhagwat also visited the venue in May. Pune also boasts of a large number of international repute technical officials in Ramesh Tawde, Baptist D’Souza and Ram Bhagwat, who have the acumen and the skills and have been instrumental in organising many mational and internationals meet all over the country. The Asian athletic calendar for the year 2004 is as under: The Asian indoor athletic Championship at Iran on February 7 and 8 . The Asian junior athletic championship at Penag, Malaysia from June 12 to 15. The Asian Grand Prix meets at Hyderabad, Bangkok, Colombo and Manila second and third week of June. The all-star athletic meet at Singapore on September 25. World half marathon on October 2 at Delhi. The ninth Asian marathon to be held at Korea on November 7. UNI
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AAWC general body meeting today Chandigarh, June 3 Promotion of the game source generation, preparation and participation in the Olympics-2004 being held at Athens, induction of women wrestling in the Olympic will be vital issues of discussion during the meeting. This was disclosed by Mr M.S. Malik, President, Wrestling Federation of India here today. In order to promote game, the WFI has allowed free entry to the 16th Asian Wrestling Championship being held at IG Stadium, New Delhi from June 5 to 8. Nearly 700 participants from 13 countries are taking part in the gala event. Mr Vikram Verma, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports will declare the championship open on June 5 while Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, Haryana, will be the Chief Guest during closing ceremony on June 8. The championship is being held in seven weight categories each in Greco Roman and Free Style for men and women wrestling. |
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Strong Indian squad for Asian chess Kozhikode, June 3 According to Koya, who is also the Vice-President of the FIDE, the potential future grandmasters from India could be spotted from the 90 stars on view. “The federation’s request to field such a large contingent of 90 players was agreed to by the Asian Confederation. This will definitely help the AICF to unearth the talented boys and girls and groom them to the levels of achieving GM norms in about three years times,” he said. The winners of these three categorised championships would qualify to represent Asia in the World Youth Chess Championship to be held in Greece during October this year. Top ranked players from Vietnam, Iran, Krygyzstan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Malaysia will compete in the event being held in the country for the third time. PTI
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Junior netball begins today Chandigarh, June 3 A special umpires clinic is also being held along with the championship, in which about 20 technical officials will take part, followed by a written and practical test to be conducted by umpires board, headed by Narinder Sharma. He said the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and the School Games Federation of India had already included netball in their calendar of activities. On the verification of age of players, Mr Gurbir Singh said, they had sounded the respective affiliated units regarding the issue. Prof P.S. Sharma, secretary general, Netball Federation of India, said the federation was affiliated to the International Federation of Netbal
Association (INFA). India has so far played in five Asian championships and a youth girls tournament. It also won gold medal in the south Asian netball meet held at Colombo in December 2000. When asked about the scarcity of qualified coaches, Sharma said they had already approached the Sports Authority of India who have promised to conduct a certificate course in netball, so that a beginning could be made. The Australia Sport Commission will also send reputed netball coaches to
India. Due to large number of entries the matches will be held in the floodlight also. Defending champions Uttar Pradesh are favourites for the title in both the boys and girls events. The matches will be from 6 am to 9.30 am in the morning and from 5 pm to 7.30 pm in the evening. Tomorrow the tournament will be inaugurated at 6 pm by Mr Virendra Singh, IAS and Adviser to the UT Administrator. |
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Judo meet put off Patiala, June 3 The Judo Federation of India (JFI) has disbanded the camp being held at the NIS and has decided to reschedule it from June 30. The IJF will now hold the championship at the same venue from October 27 to 31. The JFI had conducted trials at the NIS last month to select a 14 member team, comprising seven men and an equal number of women. The federation, last week, received an e-mail from the IJF in which it was stated that since some top ranked teams like China, Macau, Taiwan and Hong Kong had expressed their inability to take part in the meet, the IJF was left with little option except to postpone the championship. India will now take part in the world championship to be held at Osaka (Japan) from September 11 to 14. This meet assumes all the more significance as berths for the Athens Olympics will be up for grabs during this meet. Top eight Judokas in both the men and women’s sections in the Osaka meet will automatically qualify for the Athens Olympics. The lone Indian participant in the Sydney Olympics was Brojeshwari Devi.
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Talented footballer bound to go places Patiala, June 3 To channel the young footballer’s talent in a professional manner is a task that his coach S.S. Gill has taken on himself. Today was a red-letter day in Amarinder’s career as he came to know in the morning that his transfer to a Delhi club from the Patiala District Football Association
(PDFA) had been cleared by the All-India Football Federation (AIFF). Says Mr Gill about Amarinder: “he is talented enough to play in the senior ranks. He needs to work on his fitness and the day is not far when he will don the India senior colours.” Amarinder has already played for India in the Asian Schools Football Championships in Kuala Lumpur in 2001 and then in Singapore last year. He says Ms Balbir Kaur, Principal of Government Senior Secondary School,
Tripuri, has been a great source of inspiration for him. Whenever the going gets tough, he turns to her. The visit to Kuala Lumpur to play in the Asian school championship was Amarinder’s first foreign tour. There he faced familiarity problems which were proving to be detrimental to the interests of the youngster on the soccer field. However, once he adjusted to the conditions, he played a vital role in the country’s fortunes in the meet. At the meet in Singapore, Amarinder recalls how he scored one of the best goals of his career. He collected the ball in his own half and after dodging his way past a crowded defence, Amarinder sent the rival goalkeeper the wrong way before caressing the ball in the netting. He is computer savvy and keeps in touch with European football through the television. Mr Gill says with a little more effort, the Patiala youngster may well prove to be a boon to the Indian team one day.
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Hockey camp starts Amritsar, June 3 President of the club Mr Daljit Singh Randhawa said the players had been drawn from various schools of the district and would be given meal and hockey kits. At least 72 players would be selected from this camp. They would further be divided in to six teams. The teams would play with one another in the Summer Hockey League matches, which would be held in the end of this month.
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Nahan beat Una Chamba, June 3 In reply, Una started well and at one stage were 120 for three. Varun scored 71 but as soon he was out the rest of the Una team was out for 155.
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ITF meet at Chandigarh Chandigarh, June 2 There will be a qualifying draw of 64 players, while in the main draw the number of players will be 32. There will be 12 countries participating in the tournament — Indonesia, China, the UK, Japan, Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Germany, Thailand, Hong Kong, the USA besides India. |
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Sonika
to lead Rohtak, June 3 The team: Varsha, Monika, Rani Devi, Shivani, Jasmeet Kaur, Suman, Sneh Lata, Poonam Rani, Sweeti, Sonika (captain), Roma, Sushila, Reena (vice-captain), Mukesh, Monika, Pooja Joon, Renu Dahiya and Rajni. |
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Softball trials Ludhiana, June 3 The selected boys and girls will represent the state in the 16th Sub Junior National Softball Championship scheduled to be held at Agra from June 28 to July 3. |
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GRAND FAREWELL FOR AKRAM PAPA BECKENBAUER BATISTUTA FOR GULF MIANDAD’S BOOK ZIMBABWE DRAW
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