S P O R T S

Grand finale to extravaganza
Hyderabad, November 1
The voices were chocked with emotion as the city of pearls and the Nizams bid adieu to thousands who had gathered here from Asia and Africa, and all parts of India, for the inaugural Afro-Asian Games at the majestic GMC Balayogi Stadium at Gachhibowli here tonight.

Hyderabad deserves full praise for a job well done
Hyderabad, November 1
Hyderabad enjoys a hoary sporting tradition not many state metropolis can boast of. Many of the country’s sporting icons have emerged from this magnificent metropolis, which gives it a unique status. Sania Mirza, Pullela Gopichand, Venkat Sai Laxman and Mohammad Azharuddin are the recent additions to a list that reads like the who’s who of Indian sports.

Hyderabad jottings
‘Among the best of homecomings’
For thousands of hockey fans present at the floodlit Gachibowli stadium here last night, India’s historic title win over Pakistan in the final of the Afro-Asian Games will remain etched in their memory. But those who missed the action also did not have any cause for complaint.

Indian Air Force's Surya Kiran aircrafts perform aerobatics over the BMC Balyogi Stadium during the closing ceremony of the first Afro Asian Games in Hyderabad on Saturday. — PTI photo by Adnan Abidi

An Indian Army 'Dare-Devils' motorcyclist rides through a ring of fire during the closing ceremony of the first Afro- Asian Games at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. Dubbed as the "first inter-continental games in the world", the October 24-November 1 event in Hyderabad came to a close with the next games scheduled for 2007 on the African continent. — AFP

	Football: Indians fail to get past Uzbeks in final November 1, 2003
	Indian eves beat SA, win hockey gold October 31, 2003
	Anju George, Anil, Shobha claim gold  October 30, 2003
	India take on Malaysia today October 29, 2003
	Shooters bag two silver, one bronze  October 28, 2003
	India overcome Nigeria October 27, 2003
	Spectacular show marks Afro-Asiad opening  October 25, 2003
	All set for grand opening October 24, 2003
	India eager to make amends October 23, 2003

Grand finale to extravaganza
Amardeep Bhattal & M.S. Unnikrishnan

Hyderabad, November 1
The voices were chocked with emotion as the city of pearls and the Nizams bid adieu to thousands who had gathered here from Asia and Africa, and all parts of India, for the inaugural Afro-Asian Games at the majestic GMC Balayogi Stadium at Gachhibowli here tonight. President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam presided over the closing function as the curtain was lowered on the first-ever games of the two continents. A sombre mood enveloped the packed stadium as the games flame was extinguished to signal the end of the 11-day sporting carnival.

The games were conceived to cement the sporting bonds of the two continents which found ready acceptance among the vast multitude of participants from Asia and Africa.

The opening and closing ceremonies had cost a fortune-Rs 15 crore to be precise-and children from India, China and some other Asian and African countries had been practising for the past 21 days to make the games opening and closing ceremonies something to cherish, long after the games torch had been put out. Hyderabad will always be etched in the minds of the people, not only of India, but also the rest of Asia and Africa, for mounting a games show, which was unique in its execution.

The competitions might not have scaled greater heights, but a beginning has been made, and the Afro-Asiad would hopefully emerge as a testing ground for the sporting talents of Asia and Africa before they take on the rest of the world in the big arena at the Olympics.

As strains of music from the Army band drifted across the sprawling complex, the dare-devil sky-divers of the Indian Air Force created breath-taking patterns in the sky, before making graceful descends, with the stands reverberating with the excitement of the spectators. The games concluded in a grand display of light and sound to keep afloat the Indian tradition of making great spectacle of their organizational skills. The 1982 Asian Games had set a never-before envisaged bench-mark, which has definitely been bettered by a dedicated band of people, headed by the dynamic Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu to make India a favourite sporting destination for those who have heard, seen and tasted the unmatched hospitality of the hosts.

The Afro-Asian Games were seen as a landmark in Asian and African solidarity, and this inaugural edition, held on a rather limited scale, seems to have served its purpose. It’s very difficult to predict the future of the games, but Hyderabad will always remain a trend-setter in realizing the dream of hosting the much-postponed games.

The evening warmed up to vibrant light and colours and the sounding of the bugles signalled the start of the closing ceremony with the arrival of Dr Abdul Kalam. The Army band played the National Anthem followed by a march past.

Flanked by Andhra Pradesh Governor Surjit Singh Barnala and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the President sat on the dais keenly observing the proceedings in the middle, and occasionally waving at the participants. Mr Naidu, the moving spirit behind the Games, was honoured with an award for “sports excellence”.

The President spoke extempore and highlighted the importance of the Games, saying that such inter-continental contests could go a long way in broadening the human outlook. Dr Kalam declared the Games closed and there were many misty eyes in the stands.

As soon as the games flame was extinguished, a brilliant display of fireworks lit up the night sky drawing loud cheers from the packed stadium. Hundreds and hundreds of sparklers shooting into the sky provided a etherial spectacle. This was followed by the ceremonial lowering of flags and dispersal of the participants.

And then followed a cultural fiesta and an enactment of marshal arts. The soulful ‘adieu’ sung by Hariharan to ‘Sheroo’ was followed by a scintillating performance by South Africa’s Umoja’s group which livened up the proceedings. China’s Imperial State Circus and later Diana Haddad’s performance was loudly applauded as was the show by Hisham Abbas.

The ‘Spirit of India’ depicted by animal dancers, fire dancers and Goan Carnival dancers drew wide appreciation from the foreign participants.

The ‘Celebration of Unity’ by Remo Fernandes struck a soft chord among the spectators as the ceremony reached its final lap.

With the theme song over, the stage was set for the spectacular Son-et-Lumiere, a laser show, which left the audience spellbound.

Eighteen committees, comprising 1,000 officers of the Andhra Pradesh Government, including 25 IAS officers, had been working virtually round-the-clock since September 17 to make the Afro-Asiad a qualified success.

The nation is proud of Hyderabad for showing us the path-a path of excellence and unmatched hospitality.

Hyderabad deserves full praise for a job well done
M.S. Unnikrishnan

Hyderabad, November 1
Hyderabad enjoys a hoary sporting tradition not many state metropolis can boast of. Many of the country’s sporting icons have emerged from this magnificent metropolis, which gives it a unique status.

Sania Mirza, Pullela Gopichand, Venkat Sai Laxman and Mohammad Azharuddin are the recent additions to a list that reads like the who’s who of Indian sports. The fifties and the sixties had witnessed the emergence of a profusion of football talent from here. Those were the golden days of Indian football when Hyderabad Police were a force to reckon with. The Indian football team in those days was dominated by players from Hyderabad. The core group of the Indian football team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games was made up of Hyderabadis — H.H. Ahmed, E. Kannan, Salam, P. Balram, Ahmed Hussain, Peter Thankaraj, S.A. Latif, Yusuf Khan, etc... Syed Nayeemuddin, Mod Akbar and Mohammad Habib carried on the great tradition for several more years.

Now, the game has got into a limbo here. But that’s another story. It was just as well that I.M. Vijayan chose the hallowed ground of the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium here to sign off from his international football career. And it was just as well that the inaugural Afro-Asian Games were held here.

The concept of the ‘friendship games’ movement between the two continents may or may not survive the test of time, for it’s a costly extravaganza many countries in the African and Asian continents can least afford to indulge in.

But those who conceived and executed the continental games argue that if the Asian Games movement, which too had a modest beginning when New Delhi hosted them in 1951, could grow into its present stature, there was no reason why the Afro-Asian Games concept could not catch up. But it requires the dynamism and vision of a Chandrababu Naidu to translate such dreams into a reality.

The successful conduct of the Afro-Asian Games is yet another precious jewel in Naidu’s crown. Had it not for his enthusiasm and energy, the games would not have taken birth in Hyderabad. He led from the front, as it were, and mobilised his men and material with ingenious management techniques to transform the city of Hyderabad and the majestic Gachhibowli sports complex on the outskirts of the city into dream facilities. The games were conducted in a flawless manner and the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister should be credited for mounting a memorable show. There were some teething troubles, but they were addressed promptly, to ensure that everything moved in clock-work precision, even when confronted with insurmountable odds. The Afro-Asiad has taught many a lesson to the hosts—that for Indian sports to attain a professional attitude, one needs to have dynamic people at the helm to get things moving.

It was indeed a sad spectacle to see career sports officials having a jolly good time, in five-star comforts, at the expense of the hosts. These officials, who emerge from their cocoons and make the rounds of the corridors of the Indian Olympic Association in New Delhi when a major sporting event comes around, were here too in hordes, causing severe stress and strain on the hosts. Their presence was a major drain on the resources, but the Andhra Government rolled out the red carpet for everyone, irrespective of the hierarchy, and earned all-round goodwill for their ‘hospitality and generocity’.

The view from the Falaknuma Palace rampart gives a magnificent overview of Hyderabad which glows like a jewel in the night. The city of the Nizams had been fully decked up for the 11-day sports carnival.Every nook and cranny had been brightly lit up in an imaginative and aesthetic manner.

Crores of rupees were spent to spruce up the city, and update the facilities for the games. Hundreds of boys and girls, students of various prestigious schools and colleges of the city, were drafted to entrust the jobs of the volunteers for a daily wage of Rs 200 each. They did a good job of it, and were richer by the experience. Hyderabad can cherish the memory of playing host to the first-ever Afro-Asian Games,and doing the works pretty well.

Well-carpeted, well-scrubbed roads, a city without litters,visible garbage and courteous people all helped to make the games a thumping success, though some of the sports stars from Asia and Africa had chosen to give the friendship meet a miss. Most countries fielded their second string and youth teams. But they were all far ahead in sporting skills than the hosts.

The games also provided a platform for some sports officials to bask in reflected glory at the exchequer’s expense. Some of them used the games to feather their own nests, to ensure for themselves minor posts in international sports bodies. When the stock-taking is done, this fact will jut out as sore point.

But all is well, that ends well, and Hyderabad deserves full praise for a job well done. Thank you.

Hyderabad jottings
‘Among the best of homecomings’
Amardeep Bhattal

For thousands of hockey fans present at the floodlit Gachibowli stadium here last night, India’s historic title win over Pakistan in the final of the Afro-Asian Games will remain etched in their memory. But those who missed the action also did not have any cause for complaint. Live telecast of the match by Doordarshan brought cheers in every nook and corner of the country. Among the dedicated band of Doordarshan personnel engaged in bringing the action live to every home was Jalandhar’s Agya Pal Singh Randhawa, producer, DD Kendra, Jalandhar, who was assisted by cameramen from Delhi and Jaipur. An ardent hockey fan, Mr Randhawa not only ensured uninterrupted coverage but also thoroughly enjoyed the game. “It will perhaps be the best of my homecomings,” he said after the gruelling tie.

Hyderabad is a city surrounded by mountains where natural beauty too is a refreshing experience for weary souls. Boulders resting precariously on hill slopes, palm trees standing majestically in the plains, and orchards of custard apple present nature in all its splendour. Today as buses carrying media personnel drove through mountainous terrain under police escort, it was indeed an enjoyable experience for scribes covering the Afro-Asian Games. Sparkling, clean water in a wayside pond, a deserted shed, and rows and rows of trees short of Nanak Ram Guda were ample proof that nature had not been vandalised in the city of pearls.

Skipper Tirkey’s finest hour
Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, November 1
Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirkey is basking in glory. The historic win over Pakistan in the final of the Afro-Asian Games has given him renewed confidence. Although he was also part of the Indian team who scripted history at Kuala Lumpur in the Asia Cup recently, the title was won under Dhanraj Pillay’s captaincy. With Pillay being rested for the Afro-Asian Games along with six others, Tirkey was chosen to wear the skippers’s armband. And it was under his command that India added another golden chapter to their hockey history.

In an exclusive talk with The Tribune, Dilip Tirkey was all praise for coaches Rajinder Singh and Baldev Singh. “They have played a vital role in shaping the team,” he said adding that every member of his squad was happy with them.

“The team spirit is unbelievable. The atmosphere is homely,” said Tirkey, who made his international debut in January, 1995, in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup in New Delhi.

Hailing from Sundargarh in Orissa, Tirkey has hockey in his blood. His father, now retired, played hockey for Central Reserve Police Force and also represented Orissa in various tournaments, including the nationals. Two of his younger brothers, Anoop Tirkey and Ajit Tirkey, are currently playing for DLW, Varanasi. While Anoop is a full back, Ajit is a forward.

The Indian skipper does not want to sit on laurels and achievements like the title win in the Afro-Asian Games. “We have to keep improving. To compete with the world’s best teams we have to develop a proper mindset for attack. Short corner conversion and passing have scope for improvement. Continuous exposure is necessary and we must play top teams more frequently,” he said.

Having represented India in 254 matches, the Indian skipper, who was born on November 25, 1977, is a full back, who has to his credit 70 goals, mainly off penalty corners. The title win in the 1998 Asian Games is among his most cherished moments but the 1-1 draw with Poland in the 2000 Sydney Olympics which deprived India of a semifinal berth continues to haunt him.

Indians choke under pressure as Australians hit back

Mumbai, November 1
Rattled by a blistering Australian batting onslaught, India succumbed to the pressure of chasing a huge total as the world champions made amends for the Gwalior debacle with a comfortable 77-run victory in the triangular series cricket match here today. Chasing a challenging 287 for victory, the Indians never really recovered from the early jolts despite valiant knocks by Sachin Tendulkar (68) and Rahul Dravid (59) to be bowled out for 209 with 3.4 overs to spare in what turned out to be rather one-sided floodlit encounter.

The Aussies not only erased memories of their 37-run defeat in Gwalior last Sunday but also jumped to the top of the table with 13 points from three outings while the Indians had eight points to their credit from as many matches. New Zealand, the third team in the fray, were at the bottom of the table with three points.

The visitors outplayed the Indians in their own backyard in all departments of the game despite losing the in-form Matthew Hayden for a first-ball duck on a track which provided some assistance to the bowlers.

Electing to bat, Damien Martyn led the Australian batting assault with a rollicking 100 capitalising on some wayward bowling by the hosts while Andrew Symonds (48), Michael Bevan (42), Adam Gilchrist (41) and Ricky Ponting (31) came up with useful contributions to leave the fully-packed Wankhede stadium in a daze.

The Indian run chase began on a disastrous note with opener Sehwag perishing in the very first ball off speedster Nathan Bracken who produced a lively opening spell.

Sehwag was trapped in front of the wicket as the Bracken delivery came in sharply with the batsman offering no stroke.

The stylish VVS Laxman, who joined the action after Sehwag’s first-ball departure, did not have a memorable 29th birthday as he never really looked comfortable in the middle being beaten outside the off-stump umpteen times.

Batting maestro Tendulkar, playing in front of his home crowd, was also a pale shadow of himself as he struggled with his timing though he did produce some glorious strokes on both sides of the wicket.

The hosts were precariously placed at 38 for two in the 10th over before Tendulkar and captain Rahul Dravid tried to salvage the situation with a 99-run third wicket partnership which kindled hopes of an Indian fightback.

With the Wankhede track providing turn and bounce to the spinners, both the batsmen found it difficult to accelerate the pace of scoring as the required run rate kept mounting after every over.

Tendulkar and Dravid had no option but to try out some innovative strokes and the strategy did fetch them some runs. The local hero notched up his 63rd half century in one-day internationals when he steered spinner Brad Hogg to the third man boundary giving his home crowd something to cheer about.

Just when the two experienced batsmen were looking to put the Indian innings back on track, Michael Clark, who was inducted into the team in place of Ian Harvey, struck a major blow by capturing the prized wicket of Tendulkar.

The hosts never recovered from the setback of losing Tendulkar at the midway stage of the innings as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals to allow the Aussies to tighten their grip on the match.

Earlier, the determined Australians turned on the heat from the very first over against the hosts and later Martyn (100) gave ample proof of his batting skills to steer his team to a commanding total.

The Australians lost in-form opener Hayden for a first-ball duck in Zaheer Khan’s erratic first overs which saw as many as four wides as the left-arm seamer struggled to control the swing.

But the early dismissal of Hayden, who holds the Test record of highest individual score, did not deter the world champions from unleasing an array of strokes with the hard-hitting Adam Gilchrist being particularly severe on Zaheer who looked totally off-colour in his first spell.

The reliable Martyn then took centrestage as he paced his innings brilliantly to not only torment the Indian bowlers but also put his team in the driver’s seat. — PTI

SCOREBOARD

Australia:

Gilchrist c Kaif b Harbhajan 41

Hayden c Yuvraj b Zaheer 0

Ponting lbw b Agarkar 31

Martyn b Agarkar 100

Symonds c Harbhajan b Yuvraj 48

Bevan c Kaif b Agarkar 42

Clarke run out 2

Bichel b Agarkar 1

Hogg not out 0

Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-8, nb-7) 21

Total (8 wkts in 50 overs) 286

FoW: 1-9, 2-55, 3-93, 4-171, 5-282, 6-283, 7-286, 8-286.

Bowling: Zaheer Khan 7-0-64-1, Sehwag 4-0-28-0, Harbhajan Singh 10-0-44-1, Kumble 8-0-50-0, Agarkar 9-0-37-4, Tendulkar 4-0-21-0, Yuvraj Singh 8-1-36-1.

India:

Sehwag lbw Bracken 0

Tendulkar b Clarke 68

Laxman c Gilchrist b Bichel 21

Dravid c Bichel b Clarke 59

Yuvraj c Gilchrist b Clarke 9

Kaif c Gilchrist b Bracken 10

Agarkar c Symonds b Bracken 2

Patel c Clarke b Hogg 16

Harbhajan c & b Bracken 6

Kumble b Clarke 6

Zaheer not out 5

Extras (lb-2, nb-1, wd-4) 7

Total (all out, 46.2 overs) 209

Fall of Wickets: 1-0, 2-38, 3-137, 4-153, 5-172, 6-175, 7-178, 8-185, 9-200.

Bowling: Bracken 10-2-29-4, Williams 5-0-20-0, Bichel 6-0-31-1, Symonds 10-0-57-0, Hogg 5.2-0-28-1, Clarke 10-0-42-4.

Nehra in for Balaji

Mumbai, November 1
Indian selectors today made one change for the next two matches in the TVS Cup tri-series, bringing in Ashish Nehra in place of L Balaji.

BCCI secretary S C Nair said that the fitness of Sourav Ganguly is being monitored and he will undergo a fitness test in Bangalore on November 12.

The Test team for the tour of Australia will be selected at Bangalore on November 13.

Team: Rahul Dravid (Capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Md Kaif, Ajit Agarkar, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Hemang Badani, Murali Karthik, Anil Kumble, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan. — UNI

Johnson fashions England win

Chittagong, November 1
England won the second Test against Bangladesh by 329 runs and took the series 2-0 today, with paceman Richard Johnson taking nine wickets in the match.

Bowling: Hoggard 12-3-37-1, Johnson 12.1-1-44-4, Giles 5-1-11-0, Saggers 7-1-33-1, Clarke 1-0-4-1. — AFP

SGFI playing with budding careers
Two dates, two venues for Indian schools football trials
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1
‘‘Report for the National School Football trials in Delhi on October 28, 29 and 30’’, says an order from School Games Federation of India Secretary P.S. Chhabra. Another communication from SGFI President C.L. Negi reads: ‘‘Probables for the national schools football team will be selected during the National School Games at Kolhapur from November 17 to 21’’.

Two dates and two venues for selecting the Indian team for the Asian Schools Football Tournament to be held in China from December 10 to 20!

Officials, sports directors, principals and others who matter in different schools are in a fix.

The first list of probables from the Delhi trials is already out. According to a fax message received from Mr Chhabra 26 probables have been selected. They include six from Chandigarh, two from Punjab, six from Uttaranchal, four from Uttar Pradesh, three from Delhi, two from Gujarat and one each from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Kerala.

The second stage of the selection will unfold in November when the National School Games are held in Kolhapur, as per the SGFI President’s directive.

The message is loud and clear : officials manning the federation are out to mar the careers of budding sportspersons at the school level. The internal bickerings in the federation have led to a virtual split in the national body that controls 25 sports disciplines in schools all over the country. In fact the SGFI is the only body that looks after sports in the under-14, under-17 and under-19 age-groups.

The SGFI is recognised by the Union Ministry of Sports and is affiliated to the Asian Schools Federation, the Asian Schools Football Federation and the International Schools Federation. Besides it is a member of the Indian Olympic Association.

At one time the federation was a transparent organisation. But the internal wranglings came into the open in 1998, And since then, the SGFI officials have been indulging in mud-slinging forcing the trial courts to discipline them.

The SGFI election meeting held in Delhi on May 30, 1998, was challenged as the units that were in arrears were allowed to vote. The trial court in Chandigarh declared the meeting null and void. The subsequent election meeting held in Kulu on February 8, 1999, was also declared null and void by a Chandigarh trial court on the same count. But the elected members Mr C.L. Negi (President) and Mr P.S. Chhabra (Secretary) challenged the trial court order. The District and Sessions Judge dismissed the appeal. A court observer was appointed. It also ordered the formation of an administrative committee and holding of fresh elections.

The order was kept pending as Mr Chhabra moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court also upheld the trial court verdict on September 4, 2001. The next step was a special leave petition in the Supreme Court. The Apex Court allowed the filing of the appeal. But on a prayer that elections were not being held because of the pending SLP, the Apex court passed orders on September 30, 2002, that pendency of the SLP shall not come in the way of holding elections. The Apex court finally dismissed the SLP on December 9, 2002.

During these four years the office-bearers elected in the Kulu meeting in 1998 continued to function, despite the court having declared the election meeting null and void.

But with the court finally asking for a meeting under the court observer and a date for election at the next hearing on November 4, 2003, there were hopes of some solution to the problem. But then came another blow to the transparency of the national body when Mr P.S. Chhabra issued a letter on September 9 giving a 28-day notice for a meeting of the general council on October 9. Twelve of the 30 units of the SGFI attended the meeting.

According to the minutes of the meeting the following units attended the meeting: Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal, NVS, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala and Gujarat. The minutes also carry the name of Mr K.L. Patil from Kharaghar and Mr P.C. Garg from SGFI.

The general council meeting took the shape of an election meeting in the afternoon. Mr Chhabra, according to the minutes, opposed the idea of election and did not come for the meeting in the afternoon. Under the SGFI constitution an election meeting can be called only on a notice of 60 days. This order was flouted.

The meeting elected two senior vice-presidents and four vice-presidents. The federation’s constitution provides for five vice-presidents with one lady member. As an afterthought a seventh vice-president was nominated at a later date.

Likewise there is provision for only four joint secretaries. But the meeting elected five joint secretaries. And according to sources one more name has been added to the list of joint secretaries.

According to the principal of a local school, the schools are in a fix. Who is heading the SGFI?

Mr Negi and Mr Chhabra appear adamant.

Will the SGFI make a mockery of the rules by fielding two teams in the Asian Schools Football Championship?

Vikrant surges ahead in Samarveer Golf
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 1
Vikrant Chopra of Kharga Golf Course who had slipped to seventh place on the second day became the leader after the end of the third day’s play in the 2003 Samarveer Sahi Amateur Golf Tournament here today.

Vikrant Chopra played a one under card of 71. He shot birdies on the second, third, 13th, 16th and 18th holes. This has placed him one stroke ahead of Sandy Lehal. The second spot is still held by Sandy Lehal who played a round of 74. Manav Das who had been leading on the first and second day slipped to third spot. Today he played a round of 76, playing three over on the first hole itself.

Manav Jaini of the DGC, Delhi, had the best round of the day. He had a three-under card of 69. Though he began the round with a one over on the first hole, Manav managed to hit birdies on the fifth, 11th, 13th, 16th and 18th holes. This brings him to number eight spot after the end of the third day’s play. Jaskirat Singh Dullet of Black Elephant golf Course, Patiala, and Sujjan Singh of the Chandigarh Golf Course had the second best rounds of the day. Both played two under cards of 70. While Jaskirat scored birdies on the second, fifth, 16th, and 18th holes, Sujjan Singh scored birdies on the second, eight, 10th and 11th holes.

Tomorrow is the final day’s play. With just a stroke of lead between the first, second and third spots tomorrow’s game should witness some keen and competitive golf.

The scores: Vikrant Chopra 71 + 72 +71=214; Sandy Lehal 72 + 69 + 74 = 215; Manav Das 70 + 69 + 76 = 215; Jaskirat Singh Dullet 72 + 74 + 70 = 216; Chirag Kumar 73 + 69 + 74 = 216; Simarjeet Singh 73 + 70 + 74 = 217; Harinder Gupta 72 + 71 + 74 = 217; Manav Jaini 72 + 80 + 69 = 221; Jaideep Patwardhan 73 + 71 + 77 = 221; Girish Virk 74+ 69+ 78= 221.

JCT defeat Army XI

New Delhi, November 1
JCT Mills set the 116th Durand Cup rolling with a 2-1 win over Army XI in a group A quarterfinal league match here today even as Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan pulled out of the tournament.

The organisers said they got a fax from Bagan today saying the team was forced to pull out due to injuries to a number of players. Bagan will be replaced by Air-India in group D.

In the second match of the day, Mohemmedan Sporting came from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw against Tata Footbal1 Academy in group C.

Beginning the match without star-striker IM Vijayan, who arrived here only today after playing his last match for the country in the Afro-Asian Games football final against Uzbekistan last night, JCT found the going tough in the first 45 minutes and the teams changed ends locked 0-0.

But four minutes into the second half Harbinder Singh put JCT ahead with a fine strike before Jo Paul Ancheri made it 2-converting a penalty kick in the 89th minute.

Their pride dented, the Army men went all out and immediately won a penalty kick which was converted by No 10 Raghu Kumar. — PTI

DM College enter last eight
Our Sports Reporter

Ludhiana, November 1
Sukhdeep Singh and Preetinder Singh hammered 46 runs each as DM College, Moga, recorded an easy 55-run win over Guru Nanak College, Ferozepore to advance into the last eight stage of the Panjab University ‘A’ Division Inter-College Cricket Championship being played at the GTB National College, Dakha, near here today.

DM College, Moga, won the toss and opted to bat first. They were all out for 196 runs in 36.1 overs with main contributions coming through Sukhdeep and Preetinder Singh who chipped in with 46 runs each. Sukhdeep’s innings included eight boundaries while Preetinder Singh’s essay was studded with six fours and two towering sixes. Other notable scorer was Dildar Singh, who contributed 24 runs.

For Guru Nanak College, Rajesh and Chetan took three wickets each conceding 25 and 28 runs, respectively, while Farik captured two for 47.

In reply, despite some consistent batting performance by Deepak and Rajesh, Guru Nanak College could manage only 141 runs, falling short by 55 runs. They contributed 31 and 23 runs, respectively. Sanjeev made 19 runs.

St Soldier lift hockey title

New Delhi, November 1
St Soldier Divine Public School annexed the 32nd Oriental Bank-Nehru Junior Hockey Tournament, edging past Government Model Senior Secondary School 1-0 in an all-Jalandhar finals, here today.

Varinder Kumar was the star for the winners as he scored the only goal of the match through penalty corner in the 22nd minute. — UNI

Banks’ Olympiad kicks off in style
Our Sports Reporter

Patiala, November 1
The eight-day 15 discipline sporting extravaganza- ‘Banks’ Olympiad’ — was formally inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, at the YPS stadium here today.

Each and every segment of the ceremony clicked, giving a rousing start to the sports festival. The torch was carried by Arjuna awardee Gopal Saini and Vijay Lakshmi, chess grandmaster Parvin Thipsay before yet another Arjuna awardee table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta lit the flame. However, organisers failed to find a place for eight-time national table tennis champion Indu Puri in the scheme of things during the torch procession. After the flag was hoisted by the Chief Minister, the mandatory oath was read by former India cricketer Pankaj Dharmani.