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Kumble, Kaif help India grab initiative
Sourav confident of victory
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Buchanan hopes Aussies will
set stiff target
Sachin optimistic about 3rd Test
Jayasuriya wrecks Pakistan
Indian men start campaign with win
Durand Cup in two phases
Chandigarh lose quarterfinal hopes
Seeded players sail into last eight
Anand gives India early lead
Punjab boys excel in mountain bike meet
Gayatri, Anurag emerge badminton champions
Rajinder does country proud
Shahabad girls clinch
hockey title
YPS Patiala lift hockey trophy
Khalsa School enter semis
ONGC spikers beat AG Himachal
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Kumble, Kaif help India grab initiative
Chennai, October 16 Trailing by 141 runs in the first innings, the visitors reshuffled their batting order and managed to wipe out the deficit, reaching 150 for four at close at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here today. First innings hero Anil Kumble removed the two Aussie openers in quick succession before clean bowling the dangerous Adam Gilchrist in the penultimate over of the day to swing the momentum in his team’s favour. Gilchrist promoted himself to the No 3 position and the move seemed to pay dividends as he led the Australian fightback with a 49-run knock before Kumble struck. Indians would now be looking to wrap up the Australian innings as quickly as possible tomorrow as even a target of 150 could pose problems for them on a deteriorating track. Earlier, India relied on a record 102-run seventh-wicket partnership between Mohammad Kaif (64) and Parthiv Patel (54) to take a vital 141-run first innings lead before being bowled out for 376, 40 minutes after the lunch break. The bat dominated the ball for a change as against the proceedings on the first two days. It was another entertaining day’s cricket with 335 runs scored as eight wickets fell. Kumble’s dismissal of the Australian captain might have tilted the scales slightly in India’s favour. With shadows lengthening, the leg spinner bowled a perfect wrong ‘un’ to bowl Gilchrist around his legs. On the previous delivery, the left-hander had gloved a similar ball as he tried to sweep to fine leg but Patel, having a horrible time behind the stumps with two missed catches of Matthew Hayden, failed to pick it. It was Kumble’s sixth 10-wicket haul of his career. Gilchrist until that moment of bad shot selection was leading from the front. He was unconvincing against the slow bowlers but helped the scoreboard keep ticking. Damien Martyn (19 n. o.) combined with his captain to pitch in some valuable runs with sharp running between the wickets. Hayden (39) and Langer (19) provided the visitors with the brisk start needed as they put on a half century stand for the first wicket for the second time in the match. Kumble broke their association immediately after tea when Langer pushed at him and edged it to Rahul Dravid in the slips. Hayden failed again with his sweep shot and skied a top spinner from Kumble to Laxman at midwicket. Zaheer Khan bowled with intensity he had not shown before in the series and a searing reverse swing trapped Simon Katich (9) in front. Patel, for all his good work with the bat, left his glovework much to be desired. He had problems in picking the variations of the spinners, and his misery was heightened when he had to keep for the left-handed batsmen as he had to cover his wrong side. He dropped Hayden on zero off Zaheer and on 21 off Kumble. But his batting proved to be fruitful as Kaif and he shared a vital partnership to stretch the Indian lead. Patel also ‘walked’ after he was caught behind off Warne, his knock of 54 coming off 121 balls, with seven fours. Kaif (64) was heroic as he celebrated his Test recall after a gap of three years with a half century. He came back to bat for the second time with a runner after retiring hurt due to dehydration. Ironically, Kaif, the most athletic in the team, was run out after he ran for a single by instinct. When he realised Yuvraj Singh was completing the run for him, he was struck by cramps and could not make it back to the crease in time. Under energy sapping conditions, which forced two drinks break in the evening session and an extended one in the morning, Warne (6-125) claimed his first five-wicket haul in India. It was his 28th five-wicket haul and put him third behind Muttiah Muralitharan (44) and Sir Richard Hadlee (37) in the all-time list. Scoreboard
Australia (1st innings): 235 India (1st innings): (overnight 291-6) Yuvraj c Gilchrist b Warne 8 Sehwag c Clarke b Warne 155 Pathan c Hayden b Warne 14 Dravid b Kasprowicz 26 Ganguly c Gilchrist b Gillespie 9 Laxman b Gillespie 4 Kaif run out 64 Patel c Gilchrist b Warne 54 Kumble b Warne 20 Harbhajan
c & b Warne 5 Zaheer not out 0 Extras
(b-6, lb-3, w-2, nb-6) 17 Total (all out, 134.3 overs) 376 Fall of wickets:
1-28, 2-83, 3-178, 4-203, 5-213, 6-233, 7-335, 8-369, 9-372 Bowling:
McGrath 25-4-74-0, Gillespie 35-8-70-2, Warne 42.3-5-125-6, Kasprowicz 25-5-65-1, Lehmann 5-0-26-0, Katich 2-0-7-0. Australia (2nd innings): Langer c Dravid b Kumble 19 Hayden c Laxman b Kumble 39 Gilchrist lbw b Kumble 49 Katich lbw b Zaheer 9 Martyn batting 19 Gillespie batting 0 Extras
(b-9, lb-5, nb-1) 15 Total (4 wkts, 50 overs) 150 Fall of wickets:
1-53, 2-76, 3-121, 4-145 Bowling: Pathan 6-2-17-0, Zaheer 10-3-15-1, Harbhajan 18-3-46-0, Kumble 15-1-53-3, Sehwag 1-0-5-0.
— PTI |
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Chennai, October 16 Talking to newspersons after he along with Rahul Dravid and Parthiv Patel interacted with children of an orphanage late in the evening, Sourav said ''we have been doing well in the match. Our batsmen have played well, our bowlers have been bowling well.'' ''We will try to turn this performance into victory tomorrow,'' the southpaw said. Mohammad Kaif, who marked his return to Test cricket with a heroic 64, today said 100 to 130 runs should be a safe target for India to chase in the fourth innings for levelling the Test series against Australia. "It is going to be hard to bat in the fourth innings under humid conditions but we look to chase a target of 100 to 130 runs," Kaif said after the third day's play of the second cricket Test here. The middle-order batsman said the Indian bowlers bowled well today but it was important to get a couple of quick wickets in the first session tomorrow to get a firm grip on the match. "Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan bowled well today. Let us see, how they perform tomorrow. Sending back (Adam) Gilchrist was very vital since he is capable of turning the tide and we require two-three quick wickets tomorrow morning." Kaif said the pitch was getting slow and spinners were able to extract some bounce and turn and it was a battle for the batsmen with many fielders around them. On his illness, Kaif said "I did not drink enough water. I also had a viral fever in Bangalore. It is a combination of these two and I am feeling quite weak now. I will have to assess my fitness tomorrow." Referring to his run-out, Kaif said "it was funny. Probably it was due to weakness and I lost control of my mind and it was also tough for anyone to play in this heat. I was sweating a lot and I took a long time to reach my 50." — PTI, UNI
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Run out due to weakness: Kaif
Chennai, October 16 "It is going to be hard to bat in the fourth innings under humid conditions but we look to chase a target of 100 to 130 runs," Kaif said after the third day's play of the second cricket Test here. The middle-order batsman said the Indian bowlers bowled well today but it was important to get a couple of quick wickets in the first session tomorrow to get a firm grip on the match. "Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan bowled well today. Let us see, how they perform tomorrow. Sending back (Adam) Gilchrist was very vital since he is capable of turning the tide and we require two-three quick wickets tomorrow morning." Kaif said the pitch was getting slow and spinners were able to extract some bounce and turn and it was a battle for the batsmen with many fielders around them. On his illness, Kaif said "I did not drink enough water. I also had a viral fever in Bangalore. It is a combination of these two and I am feeling quite weak now. I will have to assess my fitness tomorrow." Referring to his run-out, Kaif said "it was funny. Probably it was due to weakness and I lost control of my mind and it was also tough for anyone to play in this heat. I was sweating a lot and I took a long time to reach my 50." He described his 102-run partnership with Parthiv Patel as very crucial and said he wanted to stay there for more runs. On the lower order batsmen clicking for the second time in the series, Kaif said "Pathan batted well in the Bangalore Test. If we get more runs, it suits us, especially against teams like Australia." He said his performance in the recent tour to England had helped him a lot. "I got couple of half centuries in England, which made me feel better and provided the required confidence".
— PTI |
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Buchanan hopes Aussies will
set stiff target
Chennai, October 16 Talking to the media at the end of the third day’s play, Buchanan said the Aussies were planning to set 250 or 300 as the target for India. He said, “As things stand, much would depend on how the remaining main batsmen play on the morrow. We still have three good batsmen and if we post at least one good partnership, like India’s seventh-wicket pair did, we can make a match of it.’’ “If they can well bat well tomorrow, it will be a good test for the Indians,’’ he said. Buchanan also expressed disappointment at the Aussie captain Adam Gilchrist losing his wicket just as he was getting to bat well. “Gilchrist was playing a good innings, promoting himself to No 3. But unfortunately, for him and us, he is not there,’’ Buchanan rued. The Australian coach also expressed disappointment at his team’s poor fielding on the second day yesterday. “If we could prevent at least 50 per cent of the runs we had given away, I think our score would have been close to India’s,’’ he said. Asked if Brett Lee would continue to sit out as the team had persisted with Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz, Buchanan said, “We will know where we stand as a team after the second Test. I am happy the way the three bowlers are going.’’
— UNI |
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Sachin optimistic about 3rd Test
Mumbai, October 16 Speaking to UNI here today, Tendulkar said that the pain in his left elbow had reduced considerably and he was feeling much better. Tendulkar also said that he would start practising in the next three or four days. He has been practising indoors with tennis balls.
— UNI |
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Jayasuriya wrecks Pakistan
Lahore, October 16 Pakistan - which was unbeaten in its previous four league games - was knocked out for 168 runs in 38 overs after Sri Lanka posted a total of 287 for seven in its 50 overs. Jayasuriya finished with impressive figures of 8-2-17-5 with his magical left-arm spin. Pakistan successfully chased a 294-run target against Sri Lanka under lights on Thursday, but disappointed around 20,000 supporters at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday with a dismal batting display. Jayasuriya made his impact from the first delivery when he had Yousuf Youhana smartly stumped by Kumar Sangakkara in the 24th over and Pakistan struggled at 108 for four. Jayasuriya also accounted for the wickets of Abdul Razzaq - brilliantly snapped up by Tillekeratne Dilshan - Shahid Afridi (11), Mohammad Sami (4) and the last man, Shoaib Akhtar, as Pakistan lost its last nine wickets for a mere 83 runs in a dramatic collapse. Sri Lanka Jayantha run out 0 Jayasuriya c Haq b Naveed 21 Atapattu st Moin b Malik 66 Sangakkara b Razzaq 68 Jayawardene b Afridi 49 Dilshan b Afridi 39 Chandana b Sami 7 Vaas not out 18 Maharoof not out 2 Extras:
(lb-5, nb-6, w-6) 17 Total: (7 wkts, 50 overs) 287 Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-35, 3-141, 4-181, 5-244, 6-257, 7-275 Bowling: Akhtar 7-1-41-0, Naveed 7-0-29-1, Sami 9-0-53-1, Afridi 10-0-60-2, Malik 10-0-56-1, Razzaq 7-0-43-1.
— AFP Pakistan: Butt b Chandana 40 Hameed b Fernando 18 Malik st Sangakkara
b Chandana 37 Inzamam lbw b Vaas 4 Youhana st Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 7 Moin c Sangakkara
b Chandana 14 Razzaq c Dilshan b Jayasuriya 8 Afridi c Maharoof b Jayasuriya 11 Sami c Atapattu b Jayasuriya 4 Hassan not out 14 Akhtar b Jayasuriya 0 Extras:
(nb-4, w-7) 11 Total: (all out, 38 overs) 168 Fall of wickets:
1-40, 2-85, 3-91, 4-108, 5-124, 6-134, 7-149, 8-150, 9-168 Bowling:
Vaas 7-0-42-1, Zoysa 4-1-12-0, Maharoof 4-0-20-0, Fernando 5-1-21-1, Chandana 10-0-56-3, Jayasuriya 8-2-17-5.
— AFP
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Indian men start campaign with win
Mallorca (Spain), October 16 Playing without the services of world rapid champion Viswanathan Anand and national champion Surya Shekhar Ganguly, both of whom were rested in the opening round, the all-Grandmaster Indian team saw only Sandipan Chanda winning his board with white pieces. Krishnan Sasikiran and Abhijit Kunte were held to draws with black pieces, while P Harikrishna had to split points with the favourable colour. Sasikiran signed peace in just 23 moves against GM Andres Rodriguez while Kunte got into some opening problems against Curi Gabriel and decided against going for risky ventures in his 21-move draw. Harikrishna was held to a draw by Bernardo Mailhe Roselli in a marathon 68-move game. Sandipan Chanda defeated Alejandro Bauza in a finely crafted game to gain full points. Some of the other boards also witnessed a few customary first round upset results, typical of team competitions. Former world champion Alexander Khalifman of Russia was denied much pleasure by unheralded FM Marc Simonet of Andorra with the latter drawing in an
apparently superior position. On the other boards for top seed Russia, Alexander
Grischuk, Alexey Dreev and Vadim Zvjaginsev scored victories to complete a 3.5-0.5 win. Second seed Ukraine and third seed Israel had little trouble and blanked Indonesia and South Africa 4-0,
respectively. — PTI |
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Durand Cup in two phases
New Delhi, October 16 The first phase, the qualifying knock-out round, will be played from October 23 to 30 at the Air Force Station ground and the New Wellingdon Camp ground. Sixteen teams will participate in the qualifying round, including seven-time former champions BSF, Jalandhar, and last year’s qualifiers Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Srinagar. Other teams are: SAIL, Army Green, Air Force XI, Indian Navy, Assam Rifles and five top teams from the Army and four teams from the Delhi Soccer Association. |
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Chandigarh lose quarterfinal hopes
New Delhi, October 16 Chandigarh, who drew goal-less with Bihar in their opening match on Thursday, are now out of reckoning as Railways whipped Bihar 3-0 in the second match of the cluster for their second successive victory. Railways had trounced Uttaranchal by a similar margin on the opening day on Thursday, to be strong contenders for a berth in the quarterfinal league. Railways need a draw with Chandigarh on Monday to enter the quarterfinal league, starting on October 21. Though Chandigarh put up a stout resistance against Uttaranchal, they could not prevent the latter from scoring the match-winner in the 57th minute. Sunil Choudhary scored the all-important goal. Railways, on the other hand, were on a roll against Bihar, scoring the first goal in the 30th minute, through Kasif
Jamal. Though they created a few more openings, they couldn’t hit the target in the rest of the first session. On resumption, Gaurav Dutta got the second goal in the 48th minute while Subashish Ray enhanced the lead (3-0) in the 83rd minute. Andhra Pradesh defeated Mizoram 2-0 in a cluster I match at the Chhattrasal Stadium. Andhra, who are clubbed with 29-time champions Bengal in the three-team cluster, played compact football and forged ahead in the third minute through Syed Hussain, who plays for East Bengal, while Mohammad Azeem booted home the second goal in the 62nd minute (2-0). Andhra suffered a big blow when Syed Hussain was shown the red card about 10 minutes into the second session, for a rough tackle. Andhra will clash with Bengal on October 20, sans Syed Hussain. Though Andhra played with 10 men most of the second half, Mizoram could not make any inroads to threaten the custodian. Uttar Pradesh defeated Jharkhand 3-0 in a cluster IV match, which was shifted from Nehru Stadium to the Ambedkar Stadium. Uttar Pradesh, who got a walkover from Meghalaya in their opening cluster match, were helped by four India junior and senior players, including custodian Nazim Akhtar and striker Ramesh
Rawat. Karam Singh opened Uttar Pradesh’s account in the 29th minute while Ramesh Rawat added the second goal in the 52nd minute. Shamshi Raza completed the scoring in the 58th minute. Arunachal Pradesh failed to turn up against Maharashtra. They have now been scratched from the championship. Punjab, who crushed Chhattisgarh yesterday, tomorrow take on Tripura, who too may prove easy fodder for the former champions. One more victory will see Punjab through to the quarterfinal league from cluster V. |
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Myskina in Kremlin Cup final
Moscow, October 16 Myskina beat Davenport 6-4, 7-6 (1), while Dementieva downed Bovina 6-4, 7-5 in a match that saw eight service breaks. Davenport will regain the No 1 position in the WTA Tour rankings next week, overtaking Amelie Mauresmo, who skipped the Kremlin Cup due to a thigh strain. “Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t work the way you would have wanted,” said Davenport after losing to the French Open champion. The second-seeded American, who hadn’t dropped a set in her four previous matches against
Myskina, saved a break point on her first service game in the opening set.
Myskina, looking for her third title this season, returned well, forcing Davenport into long rallies. “I was pretty inconsistent out there... I tried to make good shots early in the rally and it didn’t work out,” said Davenport, adding she had a headache and did not feel well. The Russian third seed fought off four break points in the ninth game before breaking Davenport in the 10th when, up 40-30, she sent a precise backhand down the line. “I just decided that I try to make points shorter and she was running very well and getting a lot of balls back,” said Davenport.
— AP |
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Seeded players sail into last eight
Ludhiana, October 16 In sub-junior girls section, Ludhiana paddlers Nirdosh and Kirti got the better of the rivals to enter the quarterfinals. Nirdosh fought valiantly to outscore Maniti of Ferozepur in three sets. In the first set, Nirdosh romped home quite comfortably 11-6. However, in the second game she waged a spirited battle before going down at 10-12. In the third game Nirdosh proved her mettle as she came out triumphant 11-5 and clinched the issue. Kirti, another upcoming player, survived some anxious moments before emerging winner 12-10 and 11-8 against Harkamal of Ferozepur. Earlier, Mr M N A Chowdhary, Commissioner, Income Tax, inaugurated the tournament in which around 250 players are taking part. Results: Pre-quarter final: (Boys u-14): Manpreet Singh (Ludh) beat Akashdeep (Pat) 11-5, 11-8; Amritpal (Dhuri) beat Rohit (Asr) 11-5, 11-9; Rohan (Khanna) beat Abhineet (Asr) 11-8, 7-11, 11-6; Virat (Jal) beat Rajwant (Kotakpura) 12-10, 14-12; Aseem (Jal) beat Raghav (Ludh) 11-6, 11-7; Gagandeep (Asr) beat Varun (Jal) 11-9, 11-7; Mehak (Ludh) beat Honey (Jal) 11-6, 11-5 and Sumit (Jal) beat Gaurav (Asr) 9-11, 11-7, 11-8. Girls (u-14): Mamta (Ropar) beat Mandeep (Pat) 11-4, 11-3; Kirti (Ludh) beat Harkamal (F'pur) 12-10, 11-8; Isha (Khanna) beat Rajni of (Jal) 11-9, 11-8; Nirdosh (Ludh) beat Maniti (F'pur) 11-6, 10-12, 11-5; Aruna (Asr) beat Shruti (Ludh) 11-8, 11-2; Ekta (Jal) beat Harmeet (Kotakpura) 11-4, 11-7; Harleen (Khanna) beat Shruti of (F'pur) 11-8, 11-7 Mohanjit (Ropar) beat Shweta (Ludh) 11-8, 7-11, 12-10. Girls (u-17): Ritika (Ropar) beat Amita (Ludh) 11-8, 11-9; Mohanjit (Ropar) beat Shruti (Ludh) 11-8, 11-6; Jaswinder (Ropar) beat Ekta (Jal) 11-5, 11-6; Aruna (Asr) beat Neha (Khanna) 11-9, 11-8; Dimple (Khanna) beat Kirti (Ludh) 11-7, 6-11, 11-9; Mamta (Ropar) beat Ruchi Kalia (Jal) 11-8, 11-7; Kamalpreet (Pat) beat Rashpreet (Kotakpura) 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 Nirdosh (Ludh) beat Manisha (Pat) 11-8, 12-10. Women's singles: Shikha Ghai (Asr) beat Sarita (Khanna) 11-6, 12-10, 11-8; Ravneet (Ropar) beat Jaswinder (Ropar) 11-8, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9; Mandakni (Asr) beat Charu (Jal) 11-8, 11-7, 11-4; Anu (Jal) beat Dimple (Khanna) 11-8, 11-4, 11-9; Nitika (Asr) beat Sunandika (Asr) 11-6, 11-8, 11-9; Minakshi (Jal) beat Rishu (Jal) 11-8, 9-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-8; Tejinder (Jal) beat Ritika (Ropar) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 Shelly Dhawan (Asr) beat Sukhbir (Kotakpura) 11-9, 13-11, 11-7. |
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Anand gives India early lead
Mallorca (Spain), October
16 Anand, in whose absence the Indian team could manage only a 2.5-1.5 victory over Uruguay in the first round game, gave an emphatic display to outplay Ramirez from the white side of a French defence game. The victory came in almost no time as the game ended in just under two hours time. At the time of going to press, the other Indian men team members Krishnan
Sasikiran, P Harikrishna and Surya Shekhar Ganguly were in fine position and it might well be a clean sweep for the Indians. Playing his pet Winawer against the French, Anand gave absolutely no chances to teenager Ramirez who is amongst the growing bagon of young Grandmasters in the World today. The Indian ace was on top right from the beginning with an excellent opening and cashed in on an erroneous plan by
Ramirez to win two rooks for two minor pieces. The Costa Rica youngster had absolute no clue as to what had hit him and continued in vain for a long time in the ensuing endgame before calling it a day. Round two India's pairings: Men: Viswanathan Anand v/s Alejandro
Ramrez; Krishnan Sasikiran v/s Gonzalez Bernal; P Harikrishna v/s Valdes Leonardo; Surya Shekhar Ganguly v/s Francisco Hernandez Women: Arribas Maritza v/s Koneru Humpy; D Harika v/s Marrero
Yaniet; Vivian Ramon v/s Nisha Mohota. — PTI
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Punjab boys excel in mountain bike meet
Anandpur Sahib, October 16 Riders were hemmed in by traffic at the starting point near Lohgarh fort. The problem was compounded when the flow of traffic was in the opposite direction as the riders failed to go all out. Barring a minor injury, riders completed the circuit. The NIS dope control team set up camp at the nearby Government Elementary School. Results of age verification tests conducted yesterday showed that nearly 30 contestants had tried to hoodwink their way into lower age categories. The Cycling Federation of India (CFI) has decided not to disqualify them and these riders would compete in upper age categories. In the cross country (mass start) for U-14 boys, Punjab’s Jagpreet Singh and Rameshwar Singh were first and second while Amit Dhingra of Chandigarh was third. Initially, Jagpreet didn’t look in command. However, he mixed speed, skill and aggression to find form. Patiala lad Rameshwar, who practices at the NIS under the ‘pay and play’ scheme passed through the swampy river bed showing great skill and resilience. He made a determined bid on the steep hill but inexperience hindered him in his quest. Talented Punjab girl, Malveen Kaur, a protege of Kiran Bala, finished second in the cross country mass start race for U-14 girls. The race was won by Y Nanadeshori Devi of Manipur while Sami M of Kerala slipped but recovered midway through the route to finish third. Other results: Senior men: cross country (time trial): Balwant Singh (Chd) 1, Mohan Singh (Har) 2, Ajay Trehan (Chd) 3; women: Kulwinder Kaur (Pun) 1, R Sandhya 2, Reshmi BR (Ker) 3; boys (U-16) mass start: Ankur Kakar (Chd) 1, Rahul Anand (Pun) 2, Deepinder Singh (Pun) 3; girls: Mahita Mohan (Ker) 1, Radhika Bisht (Chd)-2, Aashi (Har) 3.
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Gayatri, Anurag emerge badminton champions
Chandigarh, October 16 The sub-junior girls doubles title was won by Ashwini Ponnappa and Nitya Sosale of Karnataka while the sub-junior doubles title was grabbed by top seed Suranjan Bhobora and Dibyajyoti Borah of Assam. Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, was the chief guest at the closing function. He announced a grant of Rs 1.5 lakh for the purchase of a synthetic
court. The day began with the sub-junior girls singles final played between Gayatri Vartak of Maharashtra, a trainee of the Prakash Padukone Academy, Pune, and her Prakash Academy, Bangalore, mate V. Ruth Misha of Karnataka. Ruth played a superb game and her fine drop shots were troublesome for Gayatri. Misha was able to stretch Gayatri to 9-9. However, the latter played some good shots to finish the first game at 11-9 in 16 minutes. The second game saw Gayatri change her tactics and it seemed she knew Ruth Misha’s game plan and accordingly made her play at
baseline. Gayatri wrapped the second game in 14 minutes to win the title. The sub-junior boys singles final began on a rather unexciting note with top seed Samruddha Rathod of Maharashtra proving a better player to win the first game 15-6 in just 12 minutes. In the second game, after trailing 0-11, Anurag bounced back and after levelling it at 11-11, went on to win the game 15-13. This game lasted 21 minutes. In the decider, a spirited Anurag did not let the Pune Prakash Padukone Academy player to come back and finally finished the game in 17 minutes to win this title. Anurag hails from Allahabad and is coached by Sudhir Singh, an SAI coach. The sub-junior girls doubles final between top seed A. Ponnappa and Nitya Sosale, both from the Bangalore-based Prakash Padukone Academy, and Gayatri Vartak and GM Nischita lasted 29 minutes. The fine shots of Ashwini and Nitya proved detrimental for Gayatri and Nishchita, who could never take the lead at any point and finally lost 11-15, 9-15. The sub-junior doubles final between top seed Surabnjan Bhobora and Dibyajyoti Borah of Assam and Ram C. Vijay and Arun Vishnu of Kerala turned out to be a thrilling affair. The cliffhanger witnessed superb smashes and returns from both sides and it took nearly 75 minutes for the top seed pair to win the tie 15-11, 5-15, 15-8. Results: (all finals): Sub-junior girls singles (under 16): Gayatri Vartak (Mah) b V. Ruth Misha (Ktk) 11-9,11-5; Sub-junior boys singles (under-16): Anurag Sharma (UP) b Samruddha Rathod (Mah) 6-15, 15-13, 15-4; Sub-junior girls doubles (under-16): Ashwini Ponnappa and Nitya Sosale (Ktk) b Gayatri Vartak (Mah) and
G.M. Nishchita (Ktk) 15-11, 15-9; Sub-junior boys doubles (under-16): Suranjan Bhobora and Dibyajyoti Borah (Asm) b Ram C.Vijay and Arun Vishnu (Ker) 15-11, 5-15, 15-8. |
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Rajinder does country proud
Ludhiana, October 16 Rajinder Singh, afflicted with polio since he was one year old, has done the nation proud by winning a bronze medal in powerlifting at the Paralympics Games held from September 17 to 29 at Athens. A resident of Mehsampur village, near Phillaur, in Jalandhar district, 30-year-old Rajinder was part of the 12-member contingent which competed in the mega event for disabled players. A computer systems manager, Rajinder is the youngest of the five children of Rattan Singh. Besides teaching computer science in a small school of the village, Rajinder gives tuition to help his old father, who is a member of a band party. Talking to this correspondent, Rajinder said he finished third with an attempt of 157.5 kg in the 56kg category bench press. A competitor from China, with a 185kg lift, emerged victorious while the world record holder, Mohammad Ahmed of Egypt (180 kg) secured the silver medal. The earlier record of 193 kg stood in the name of the Egyptian. Rajinder rued that on reaching Athens, he fell sick and could not repeat his performance of 180 kg which he accomplished during the qualifying round at Nagpur early this year. Rajinder expressed gratitude towards Sambhav, an NGO in Ludhiana, and Hero Cycles Limited for providing financial assistance which enabled him to take part in the Paralympics. Besides this achievement in the Paralympics, Rajinder is the national record holder in the 56kg category in the regular section, which he set in 2002 with a lift of 150 kg at Delhi, while he set another record of 170 kg in the disabled section at Nagpur last year. Rajinder, however, laments that prior to the Olympics, whereas the Union Government had announced cash prizes for medal winners , none bothered to talk about the competitors for the Paralympics, who faced numerous difficulties while preparing themselves for such events. He urged the government to provide a suitable job to him so that he could supplement the income of his poor father. He also appealed to the Union Railway Minister, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, to announce sops for disabled sportspersons as promised by him before this year’s Olympics.
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Shahabad girls clinch
hockey title
New Delhi, October 16 In a lop-sided final, the Shahdabad team were helped by a brace each from Saravjeet Kaur and Harjinder Kaur while Ritu Rani, Aarti Sharma and Karamjeet Kaur accounted for the other goals. Gangi Mundu pulled off the consolation goal for the losers. Birsa Munda Vidyapitha, Rourkela (Orissa) trounced Govt. Girls Senior Secondary School, Kairaon (Amritsar) 4-1 to take the third position. Roseling Dung Dung and Sarita Hanuman scored a brace each for the winners while Gurpreet Kaur scored the consolation goal for Amritsar, who trailed by 0-2 at half time. The 33rd Nehru Junior Hockey Tournament for boys under-17 will be held from tomorrow at the Shivaji Stadium. |
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DK Mukherjee gets Lifetime award
Chandigarh, October 16 Mr Mukherjee was instrumental in getting direct affiliation with the Badminton Association of India in 1987. Earlier city players used to represent Punjab. During his tenure, Chandigarh played host to two North Zone Inter-State meets and two nationals. It was Mukherjee who initiated a new exclusive badminton hall in Sector 42 about two decades back when the Sector 7 badminton hall was given to gymnastics. Before 1956, Mukherjee founded the Patiala District Badminton Association and was the secretary of the PEPSU Badminton Association when late Raja Bhalender Singh was its first President. He retired as OSD to then Governor of Punjab, Mr S.S. Ray, but remained associated with Chandigarh Badminton Association. After receiving the award, Mukerjee pledged to continue working for the betterment of badminton and its players. |
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YPS Patiala lift hockey trophy
Subathu, October 16 In the first match of the day, YPS, Mohali, defeated Vivek High School 3-1. Kanwardeep Singh scored all three goals for the winners while Pranav Gupta was the lone scorer for Vivek High School. In the second match, Lawrence School, Sanawar, defeated St Stephen’s School, Chandigarh, 2-1. Jigmet and Fatehbir Singh scored one goal each for the Sanawar team, while Amandeep (Sr) scored for the losers. Mohammad Talib of the Sanawar school was adjudged the best player while Agyapal of Pinegrove School was given the highest score award. Ranbir Singh of YPS, Mohali, was adjudged the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Mr Gianshewar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Solan, gave away the prizes. |
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Khalsa School enter semis
Jalandhar, October 16 The Jalandhar boys earned four penalty corners in the first half. One of them was converted in the 28th minute by Gurpreet Singh. Field goals were scored by Manjit Singh in the second minute and Major Singh in the 33rd minute. In the second half, the Jalandhar team earned four penalty corners, of which one was converted in
the 69th minute by Kulwant Singh. Field goals were scored in the 41st, 62nd, 67th, and 37th minutes. Throughout the match, the Jalandhar boys dominated the proceedings and the Moga team could not convert a penalty corner in the 54th minute. In the second match of the day, Luxmi Bai Senior Secondary School played good hockey but it was the Dadial Khalsa School team that took lead by converting their second penalty corner in the 35th minute through Deepak. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. In the third match of the day, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, Jalandhar, thrashed Raj Government School Sangrur, 11-0. |
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ONGC spikers beat AG Himachal
Rohroo, October 16 Suba Rao and Abhijit of ONGC gave a startling display as his power-packed smashes rattled AG, Himachal by 32-34, 25-16, 25-19, 25-12. In another match, ICF Chennai beat Mayor’s
Hyderabad 25-18, 25-23, 25-19. Southern Railway beat Muthoot Group 25-16, 25-20, 25-17. In their second match, Mayor’s Hyderabad lost to HSIDC Haryana by 25-19, 25-11, 25-17. In Women section NSS College Trivandrum created a flutter, eliminating fancied K.R. Haryana 3-2. NSS College beat K.R. Haryana 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 20-25 and 15-12. Central Railway Mumbai beat GKM Chennai 25-06, 25-07, 25-08 in a easy fight.
— UNI |
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