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Wednesday,
July 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Indian spikers aiming high
Hepatitis dashes Michael’s Champions Trophy dream CONCACAF Gold Cup: McBride, Keller see USA through
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Jadeja case: HC seeks proceedings notebooks India A skittle out Surrey for 173 Cricket probables to be selected in August
Patil pleased with team showing Exhausted Akram quits Hampshire Mukesh adjudged Champion Golfer of the Year U-21 snooker: Pankaj heads Indian challenge Kamaraj never hoped to win award
Patiala cricketer aiming it big
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Indian spikers aiming high
New Delhi, July 15 After a rousing welcome at the airport yesterday that was followed by three banquets and the announcement that the team would get Rs 20 lakh as prize money, SAI secretary Narsimhan felicitated the players at a simple ceremony at the National Stadium here. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vikram Verma and Minister of State for Sports Vijay Goel, who were invited by SAI to felicitate the team did not turn up for the function. It was later officially stated that the two had met the players in their office prior to the function as they had to leave for Pune. C.R. Gopinath, Executive Director, Operations, SAI, told reporters that as many as eight players, including skipper Ratish Nair, had been groomed in the various SAI centres across the country. While Ratish was trained at the SAI training centre in Siliguri, Sanjay Kumar, who missed the coveted player of the tournament award by just two points was trained in Biwani. The other players trained at the various SAI centres are Rampal Singh, Darshan Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dinesh Singh, Ginson Verghese, P S Srikant and Kulvant Singh. Having surprised all by its second-place finish, the team is now aiming at bigger glories, the immediate focus being the junior world championship in Iran next month. Coach G E Sridharan said the silver medal in Thailand had not only brought recognition for the team but also put great responsibility on it. “This performance will raise the expectations of the nation. We need to keep performing consistently. We are aware of that. I am confident that we will put up a good show in Iran as well,” he said in an informal chat with reporters after the felicitation ceremony. Sridharan said his confidence stemmed from the fact that the performance in Thailand was not a sudden development but a result of sustained training and hard work over the last few years. “We have been training very hard with specific goals in mind. The silver medal at such a world-class event did not come by fluke. “And since we have worked hard, the results will not be restricted to this event only but will reflect in the coming tournaments also,” he said. The Indian youngsters put up a brilliant show in Thailand, defeating such formidable outfits like Brazil, Australia, Iran and Puerto Rico before losing to Brazil in the final. The smashing performance has not only resulted in rich cash incentives for the team, it has also forced a cricket-crazy country to sit up and take notice of a team that was virtually unknown outside its own circle. The players, looking a little amazed at the unprecedented media attention, were also hopeful of similar performances in future. “Hopefully, this is just the start. We have worked hard and we should continue to do well in future tournaments,” said Kamraj, who was adjudged the best setter in Thailand. The Sports Authority of India also felicitated the men’s and women’s wrestling team that won seven gold medals in the Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in Canada recently. — Agencies
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Hepatitis dashes Michael’s Champions Trophy dream Barog, July 15 Michael, who played a crucial role in India’s title triumph in the second leg of a three-nation tournament in Sydney last month, was found positive for jaundice last night, coach Rajinder Singh said, quoting medical test reports. “It is unfortunate that he has been diagnosed with the disease. He has been advised rest for at least six weeks. But I do not think he can resume playing before two months,” said the coach. Rajinder Singh said he did not want to take any chance and decided to send Michael back to his home early today. The player would head for his home from Delhi. The coach, however, made it clear that there will not be any replacement for Michael. “We will continue the camp here with 23 players and there will not be any immediate replacement,” he said. Michael is certain to miss the prestigious event in Amstelveen where India will start its campaign on August 16 with a match against hosts Holland. Coach Rajinder Singh said though the victories in Australia and Hamburg last month were very significant, the real test for the team would come in the prestigious Champions Trophy in the Netherlands where the world’s top six teams would participate. “Both the wins, in Australia as well as Hamburg, were quite important from the team’s point of view. But the real test will be the Champions Trophy where the boys will have to put into play what they learned from the last two tournaments,” Rajinder Singh said after a training session of the team at the Army Public School in Dagshai, 5 km from here. “Our showings there will give a clear picture of how far we have progressed since adopting new techniques in an effort to bring back the lost glory for Indian hockey. It will also be helpful in our Olympics endeavour,” he said. Besides India and Holland, the six-nation tournament also features Australia, world champions Germany, Pakistan and Argentina. Rajinder Singh expressed confidence that India had the potential to improve on their best ever performance in the Champions Trophy. The side has won a medal only once in the last 24 editions of the competition, a third-place finish in 1982 in Amsterdam. The team today jogged from Barog to Nagali bridge and back to Barog in the morning on the national highway. It was followed by another jogging exercise from Barog to Kumarhatti. The team proceeded to Army Public School, Daghsai, premises where they worked out for nearly two hours in the gymnasium. The exercise schedule of the team was marred by torrential rain which forced them to train indoor. Rajinder Singh said Barog had been chosen as the conditions similar to Holland. — UNI
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Pillay
celebrates birthday with team-mates Solan, July 15 Earlier, the governor of Himachal Pradesh, Mr VS Kokje, met the team at Barog and extended his warm wishes to them. |
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IHF
Juniors storm into semis Chennai, July 15 IHF Juniors, who lived up to the star status in the absence of the seniors, took control of the match right from the beginning. They scored two quick goals in the eighth and 12th minute of the match. While Hari Prasad struck in the eighth minute, Arumugam increased the lead in the 12th, off a penalty corner. In spite of the pressure, Tamil Nadu, did not give up, as they managed to reduce the lead in the 18th minute when S. Karthik, running down the left flank, beat the IHF defence. But, IHF Juniors struck again in the 31st minute, to lead 3-1 by half-time. Raju deflected in a pass from captain Vivek Gupta from the top of ‘D’. In the second half, Tamil Nadu’s cup of woes were full when, in the 45th minute, Raju struck again to make it 4-1, combining with Vivek. The captain, was declared Man of the Match.
— UNI |
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CONCACAF Gold Cup: McBride, Keller see USA through
Foxboro (USA), July 15 Steve Ralston assisted on both USA goals, while Keller faced only a handful of shots, none in the first half, en route to matching Tony Meola’s career mark. Keller, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, collected his 31st career shutout Saturday in a 2-0 victory over El Salvador. The victory over Martinique means the defending champion USA have won Group C of the competition and advance to the Gold Cup quarterfinals. McBride opened the scoring for the USA in the 39th minute, heading Ralston’s cross into the left corner of the net. Four minutes later, the pair teamed again, with Ralston taking a long cross on the right side of the goal and tapping it to McBride. The Columbus Crew forward slammed the ball in from about 5 metres out. The best chance for Martinique came in the 56th minute, but Keller came off his line and easily stopped the breakaway opportunity by Jose Gordon. Canada, who defeated Costa Rica in its first match and could have advanced to the quarterfinals with a draw, need Cuba to win or draw against Costa Rica, or Costa Rica to beat Cuba by three or more goals, to advance. After several forays into the Canadian defence, Cuba found the net in the 15th minute. Jaime Colome slid a through ball that caught More in stride in the right side in the box. More, running at full speed, knocked the ball home with a swift, right-footed kick into the corner of the goal. More struck again a minute after halftime. The forward took a short cross from Pedro Adriani Faife and slammed the ball home from a few metres out. In the 83rd minute, Iain Hume dribbled around a Cuban defender, but his shot hooked just wide of the net. In the 88th minute, Paul Stalteri eluded Cuban goalkeeper Odelin Molina, but the midfielder couldn’t control the ball as he moved toward the goal, and Molina smothered the ball on his end line. Mexico City: Brazil’s national soccer team, which outplayed Mexico but still lost, finds itself in a must-win situation against a confident Honduras. The two will play today at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium in the second of three opening-round matches in Group A, which is led by Mexico after its 1-0 win over Brazil on Sunday. It will be the first match of the tournament for Honduras. Another loss will eliminate the Brazilians, who joined Colombia as special invites to the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. The tournament is of little importance to Brazil, which sent its under-23 team to participate. The squad showed its inexperience Sunday as its bigger defenders had trouble controlling and clearing the ball and maintaining pressure against Mexico’s offensive stars. Young Brazilian stars Kaka and Robinho used blazing speed and superb ball control to attack the Mexican zone again and again, but failed to get on the scoreboard as a lack of team work ultimately doomed their cause. “We had better opportunities, but we didn’t play well enough to win,” Brazil coach Ricardo Gomes said. Honduras coach Edwin Pavon said his team was encouraged by Brazil’s thrilling but sloppy performance against Mexico, and added that the match gave his team more confidence. “The result of the Mexico-Brazil game is good for us because it allows us to take the field knowing that with two draws we are in,” Pavon said. Because Brazil already suffered a loss, two draws would be enough for Honduras to qualify for the quarterfinals. Honduras shutout Brazil 2-0 during the 2001 Copa America in Colombia and went on to take third place in the tournament. But the Hondurans have never won at Azteca, a venue the Honduran media often refer to as “the stadium of nightmares.” Speedy Brazilian midfielder Diego said his country hasn’t forgotten its embarrassing loss to Honduras two years ago. — AP
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Jadeja
case: HC seeks proceedings notebooks New Delhi, July 15 “The Arbitrator is requested to send the shorthand notebooks in a sealed envelope,” Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin said accepting the request of board’s counsel
C.S. Vaidyanathan. The BCCI also raised objection to the reported interview given by the all-rounder to a popular sports channel in which, according to the board, issues involving the case were discussed. The court is hearing the cricket board’s arguments challenging Arbitrator Justice J K Mehra’s award, lifting the five-year ban imposed on Jadeja on charges of involvement in match-fixing. Continuing the arguments, the BCCI counsel said Jadeja was banned from playing on the report of the disciplinary committe which had found his conduct undesirable. The telephonic records which are evidence indicated that he was in conversation with a bookie at midnight, he said. The BCCI told the court that the CBI report had found Jadeja guilty of match-fixing but the report of the BCCI appointed Madhavan committee was not conclusive on this charge and the former police officer was very considerate in his report despite the cricketer admitting his contacts with the punters in the statements given to him. Vaidyanathan contended that the board was not given opportunity to make its point after its counsel had walked out of the proceedings alleging bias on the part of the Arbitrator. |
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India A skittle out Surrey for 173
London, July 15 Bhandari claimed five wickets as Surrey were skittled out for 173 in their first innings after electing to bat first. Sriram, playing his first match on this tour, then struck a fine unbeaten 92 as India ‘A’ closed out the day at a healthy 235 for two, already 62 runs ahead. It was another good show by India ‘A’ who have won four out of six matches on this tour so far, the other two ending in draws. Apart from Bhandari, who finished with figures of five for 54 from 15 overs, Avishkar Salvi claimed three wickets while L Balaji and Amit Mishra took one each. For Surrey, Rikki Clarke top-scored with 38 runs. India ‘A’ made a strong reply with all the batsmen on show, except opener Wasim Jaffer, making handsome contributions. Skipper Shiv Sunder Das scored 74 runs from 97 balls with 12 fours and a six. He put on 48 for the first wicket with Jaffer (21) and 102 for the second with Sriram before falling leg before wicket to Matthew Todd. Sriram and Gautam Gambhir, who was batting on 43, then carried the good work forward with another fruitful stand. Sriram has so far struck 16 boundaries in his 112-ball knock and is looking well set for a century when play resumes tomorrow. Scoreboard
Surrey (1st innings): S Newman c Salvi b Bhandari 27, J Batty c Patel b Bhandari 24, N Shahid c Gambhir b Bhandari 0, R Clarke c Patel b Balaji 38, A Brown c Patel b Salvi 0, J Benning c Das b Mishra 22, B Scott c Das b Bhandari 16, T Murtagh c Patel b Bhandari 12, M Todd not out 6, N Saker c Das b Salvi 5, J Dernbach c Das b Salvi 3, Extras
(lb-4, w-2, nb-14) 20. Total (all out, 44 overs) 173. Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-55, 3-73, 4-75, 5-122, 6-144, 7-144, 8-158, 9-164.
Bowling: Salvi 12-3-49-3, Balaji 9-2-50-1, Bhandari 15-4-54-5, Mishra 8-4-16-1. India ‘A’: S S Das lbw b Todd 74, W Jaffer c Batty b Dernbach 21, S Sriram batting 92, G Gambhir batting 43,
Extras (lb-1, w-2, nb-2) 5. Total (for 2 wickets, 44 overs) 235. Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-150.
Bowling: Murtagh 8-0-39-0, Saker 8-1-38-0, Dernbach 5-1-35-1, Clarke 7-2-16-0, Benning 5-0-42-0, Todd 7-0-41-1, Shahid 4-0-23-0.
— PTI
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Cricket probables to be selected in August
Mumbai, July 15 BCCI secretary S.K. Nair told PTI here today that a few of the selectors were holidaying abroad and the selection committee would meet only after all of them are back in India by August 3. “The Indian cricket team will have another one-week camp (conditioning) from September 1 to 6 before New Zealand arrive on September 23 for a two Test series and a triangular one-day tournament later with the Aussies as the third team,” he added. When asked whether former Aussie captain Greg Chappell would assist Indian coach John Wright of New Zealand during the preparatory and conditioning camps, Nair said he was not aware of it. Nair also said the board’s marketing committee would meet here on July 23 the and BCCI’s brainchild, corporate cricket tournament, where all the Indian Test stars are expected to play for big companies all over the country, would be discussed duing the working committee meeting to be held next month. — PTI |
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Patil pleased with team showing
London, July 15 “So far we have done well. We have won four out of six matches - the other two ended in a draw. But we don’t want to be on cloud nine because it has been a learning process as I have maintained from the beginning of the tour,” Patil told PTI here. “This is an experimental tour. We have been advised to try out different things which we have been doing. I am pleased with the performance of the team so far,” he said. On his dissatisfaction with the boys after the opening match against British Universities, Patil said: “In the beginning you always have these problems. But I am happy that the team has settled down nicely and adopted to the changing conditions. We have done pretty well.” Asked to single out any player, the coach said “all the 16 are the future of Indian cricket and they are trying their best. Our aim is just to give them chance and try them out under different conditions.” “Things have gone well for the team but we still have another five important games to go. I hope they will continue the good work,” he said. The team also came in for high praise at a reception hosted in its honour by the Indian High Commission here last evening. Complimenting the team, Deputy High Commissioner Dr Satyabrata Pal said the team has so far played extraordinary cricket to remain unbeaten. —PTI
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Exhausted
Akram quits Hampshire London, July 15 Though the withdrawal was abrupt and took everyone by surprise, Hampshire said they had agreed to the fast bowler’s request. On Sunday Akram, 37, played with reasonable success in Hampshire’s National League match at the Rose Bowl before making his decision. Akram’s lawyer Naynesh Desai said: “There are genuine medical reasons and Akram needs a rest. He had a break after the World Cup but then went straight into county cricket.” Akram, who retired from international cricket in May, had intended his stint with the second division county side to be the last in first-class cricket but now he will not be able to complete his assignments, having
already missed three of the eight championship matches. Hampshire captain John Crawley said the team was shocked by Akram’s withdrawal. “His departure has come as a bit of shock to us. He has
been terrific this season even if he has not quite been able to sustain his old bowling aggression,” Crawley said.
— PTI |
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Mukesh
adjudged Champion Golfer of the Year New Delhi, July 15 Digvijay Singh received the “Putter of the Year” award while Ashok Kumar was given the “Most Promising Youngster” award. Mukesh Kumar had broken all existing earnings record by collecting a shopping Rs 21.77 lakh in a single season last year. He also scored a staggering number of 10 title wins. The awards were given away at an impressive function by Hero Honda Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Pawan Munjal. He said Hero Honda would continue to be the umbrella sponsors of the PGA Indian Tour, thus acquiring the naming rights. It would also continue their patronage to three events on the tour — the Hero Honda Open South, the Hero Honda Open West and the Chandigarh Open Golf. Hero Honda also sponsors the $300,000 Honda Masters, an Asian PGA Tour event that will be held this year in the second week of November and have supported India’s premier golfer Jeev Milkha Singh, a regular on the Japanese and the US PGA. Jeev Milkha Singh thanked Hero Honda for helping him flower as a golfer. He said his ultimate aim was to play in the US PGA Tour. He said the Indian circuit was the largest in Asia, with 25 tournaments round the year, and playing in the Indian circuit helped him hone up his skills and play in the US and European circuit. The 2003-04 season of the Hero Honda Golf Tour will commence with the Rs 18 lakh prize money Kashmir Open, to be held at the scenic settings of the Royal Springs Golf Course in Srinagar from July 23 to 27. The Tour will then move down South for the southern swing, and is expected to remain there for five successive weeks.
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U-21 snooker: Pankaj heads Indian challenge
New Delhi, July 15 According to information received here, the trio is accompanied by coach Manoj Kothari, Sourav’s father and a former world amateur billiards champion. In all, 64 players from 20 countries will take part in the championship being held on this small holiday town. The players have been divided into eight groups for a preliminary league. The top four from each group will advance to the knock-out round of 32. Pankaj, a semifinalist at the 2002 championship held in Riga, Latvia, appears to be India’s best bet for the title as he has been in fine fettle this season, while his team-mates, Aditya and Sourav would hope to make a mark in the tournament that concludes on July 29. In their opening group matches tomorrow, Pankaj takes on Shannon Swain of New Zealand, Aditya meets Sascha Lippe of Germany while Sourav faces Li Yinyi of China. The entry list includes the current title holder, Ding Junhui of China, and for the first time women are being allowed to participate, after it was agreed to accept them into the world under-21 championship at the 2002 IBSF AGM held in Cairo, Egypt. The quality of snooker is expected to be high with several players, including Pankaj, capable of winning the title. Junhui, who celebrated his 16th birthday on March 4, will, of course, be the front runner, having enjoyed a momentous 2002 when he won the Asian championship, the Busan Asian Games gold medal, the world, and Asian under-21 tournaments, apart from being a semifinalist at the world amateur championship. — UNI
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Kamaraj never hoped to win award
New Delhi, July 15 “We are a good team and we played well in the tournament but recognition and prize money is an important element for motivating the players to further success,” Kamaraj told UNI. The Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) has announced a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh for the team for securing the silver medal in the championship in Supanburi, Thailand, where the Indians lost to Brazil in the final. The VFI also confirmed that the team would get the Rs 10 lakh that was due to them as pize money for winning the gold in the Asian Youth Championship in Visakhapatnam in April. “It is extremely difficult to keep oneself motivated for eight to 10 months in a training camp. Wins like this will get us some recognition and prize money. Now that the prize money has been announced, it will further motivate the players to perform at the World Junior Championship in Iran next month,” he said. Kamaraj, who is a product of the Sports Hostel of Excellence and is now with the ONGC, said he was happy to win the award of the best setter though he never really expected it. He said he was now looking forward to the tournament in Iran, the team for which will have seven faces from the under-19 team. India is placed in a tough pool with Russia, Germany and China and will need to play three league matches and one playoff. If the team does top the pool, it will directly qualify for the quarter-finals. — UNI
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Sania Mirza tops doubles rankings NEW DELHI: Sania Mirza has shot to the top of the junior doubles girls rankings, the first Indian girl to have done so, after her maiden Grand Slam victory at Wimbledon early this month. Her singles ranking has also got a boost and she is now 15th in the list, according to the rankings released by the International Tennis Federation on Tuesday. It has been a watershed year for 16-year-old Sania who has made her presence felt in the junior competitions of Grand Slams. She reached the semi-finals of the French Open partnering compatriot Sanaa Bhambri before the historic triumph at Wimbledon where she clinched the girls doubles crown with Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova. Sania is now eyeing the US Open where she had reached the quarterfinals last year in company of Isha Lakhani. — PTI
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Patiala
cricketer aiming it big Patiala, July 15 Mohit, a standard VII student of British Co-ed School, is an opening batsman and is the son of a former Punjab minister, who rarely interferes in his son’s fledgling career. He has left it to the coaches of the academy to see to it that Mohit’s inherent talent is channelised in a professional manner. Mohit shot into limelight with a series of good scores in a local tournament meant for under-15 boys. He scored heavily and notched up 43, 44, 67 and 50 not out in all four innings he played. He gave enough glimpses of his fine temperament when in one of the matches he saw four of his teammates marching back to the pavillion with not much on the board. The youngster took charge and binded the innings beautifully. Playing in the ‘V’ with a straight bat, Mohit remained unbeaten with a solid half century to his name. This innings gave him enough confidence and when his academy team went to Dehra Dun to play a series of practice matches, he once again found himself in the limelight by scoring fluently in almost all innings he played. In addition to being a good batsman, Mohit is also a decent fielder. The young cricketer, who spends close to six hours while practicing, knows there are many roadblocks on the way for which his coaches are fine tuning his technique.
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