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Hewitt sets up title clash with Safin
Kuznetsova-Molik win doubles crown
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BCCI clarifies stay on appointing
representative
No controversy over venues: PCB
Lara powers Windies to victory
Hi-Fliers edge out
Maratha Warriors
Jyoti Randhawa keeps Indian hopes alive
JCT to take on Salgaocar today
Jr, sub-jr skiing at Solang
Kang clinches golf title
Tollygunge hold Dempo
Collage Group enter final
Pbi varsity make winning start
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Hewitt sets up title clash with Safin
Melbourne, January 28 “It’s awesome,” the 23-year-old said after downing the second seed. “I always said I’d do anything to play in the first night final in Australian Open men’s history and I’ve got my chance.” Only Marat Safin stands between Hewitt and his dream of becoming the first Australian to win the men’s title since 1976. The Russian, twice a runner-up, beat runaway world number one Roger Federer yesterday and Hewitt knows he faces an uphill battle. “Obviously, Marat’s beaten the best player going around. He’s obviously playing extremely well. He always plays well at the Australian Open,” Hewitt said. “I’m going to have to raise my game again, go out there and give it everything I’ve got and see what happens.” American Roddick had dominated third seed Hewitt with his heavy service game in the opening two sets, crashing down 31 aces in total, but eventually he crumbled as Hewitt stood firm. “You know, I’m mad. I felt like I was in there with a shot. To lose two breakers like that, which either one of them would have given me a distinct advantage, it’s disappointing,” Roddick said. “When you just lose a third-set breaker and then all of a sudden the wheels start turning a little bit faster... I mean, it’s tough to stop.” Hewitt, who survived two tough five-set matches to reach the semifinals, absorbed everything Roddick threw at him and gradually wore the American down with his superior court coverage, groundstrokes and never-say-die attitude. Hewitt, whose win lifts him to number two in the world, sank to his knees with his arms raised to wild cheers from the Rod Laver Arena centre court crowd when a Roddick backhand sailed long on the final point after two hours and 54 minutes. Hewitt had never made it past the fourth round at Melbourne Park since he began as a 15-year-old qualifier in 1997 but is now bidding to become the first Australian to win the men’s title since Mark Edmondson beat John Newcombe 29 years ago. The winner of the US Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002, Hewitt is the first Australian to reach the final since Pat Cash in 1987 and 1988. Roddick, last year’s Wimbledon runner-up, began strongly against a subdued Hewitt and grabbed an early break in the second game as the local favourite grumbled about a bad line call. The American then revealed his match plan by slamming six aces past Hewitt to serve out the first set, even risking his 200 kmph-plus bombs on second serves. Roddick added four straight aces to hold serve in the second game of the second set, apparently intent on battering Hewitt into submission. But instead of crashing through, Roddick crashed, with the momentum shifting as Hewitt clung on to his own serve to force a tiebreak in the second set. Hewitt turned the tables on Roddick and brought up set point with an ace of his own and a backhand error by Roddick gave the Australian the tiebreak 7-3. Hewitt handed Roddick an early chance in the third set, gifting the American a service break with three double faults. Roddick raced to a 4-1 lead but again the Australian scrambled back, snaring his own service break for the first time in the match on a Roddick double fault in the seventh game. Hewitt again dominated the third-set tiebreak, whipping a backhand past a stranded Roddick to claim it 7-4. The fourth set went all Hewitt’s way as a dispirited Roddick dropped serve twice in the second and fifth games, the first time with a double fault as his serve was all but blunted. Roddick finished the match with nine double faults but was also let down by poor volleying, winning only 18 of the 32 points he played at the net.
— Reuters |
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Kuznetsova-Molik win doubles crown
Melbourne, January 28 Kuznetsova, embroiled in a drug controversy during the tournament, was knocked out of the singles draw in the quarterfinals by Russian compatriot Maria Sharapova. Molik, who lost to Davenport in the quarterfinals, was considered a strong hope for a homegrown singles title. Davenport is playing Serena Williams in tomorrow’s women’s singles final. Davenport and Morariu lost to Serena Williams and Venus Williams in the 2001 doubles final here. In between, Morariu underwent chemotherapy treatment for leukemia and has had two shoulder operations. Morariu had her service broken twice in the first set and once in the second, including the seventh game that gave Kuznetsova and Molik a 4-3 lead. The winning point came on a backhand intercept volley. Serving for championship, Molik saved two break points and then, on the second match point, Kuznetsova finished the match on a sharp, backhand volley. Molik was the first Australian woman to advance to the quarterfinal in singles in her national championship since 1988. Kuznetsova was identified as the player who tested positive to ephredine at an exhibition tournament in Belgium in December. The matter blew over when it was revealed ephredine isn’t completely off limits for tennis players in the offseason.
—AP |
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BCCI clarifies stay on appointing
representative
Kolkata, January 28 Terming the claims by some Board members and a lawyer as “distorted facts”, the legal adviser to the BCCI Ushanath Banerjee said in a statement here that a court order and not Dalmiya had restrained the BCCI in appointing such a representative at its re-convened annual general meeting here yesterday. “It has been reported that these members and the lawyer have claimed that Dalmiya did not allow anyone else to be selected as the BCCI representative to the ICC merely because he was injuncted by the Madras High Court in a new case filed by Sir Theagaraya Recreation Club from being the BCCI’s representative to the ICC. This is a totally misplaced and distorted representation,” he said. “The fact is that the Assistant City Civil Judge of the City Civil Court in Chennai had passed an order on September 28, 2004, in the case of the Bharathi Cricket Club restraining the Board from selecting any representative to the ICC or any other similar conference in the AGM as per agenda item number 13. This order is still in existence and the final decision is pending in the High Court at Madras,” Banerjee said. “Therefore, the BCCI could not have selected any representative to the ICC in the adjourned AGM,” he added.
— PTI |
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No controversy over venues: PCB
Islamabad, January 28 "The PCB and the BCCI have good relations and we will take all decisions with consensus," the PCB chief was quoted as saying in local daily 'Dawn'. Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests and five one-dayers on their first full tour of India in six years. Asked about reported reservations of PCB about playing in Ahmedabad, he said the venues and itinerary would be finalised with understanding. "We have to look at logistics and distances between cities so that our team members can get maximum rest during series," he said. Shaharyar said all issues would be sorted out during his proposed meeting with former BCCI chief Asian Cricket Council chief Jagmohan Dalmiya at the ACC meeting in Dubai on Jan 30. The PCB chief reiterated Board's decision to continue with Inzamam-ul Haq as captain and former cricketer Wasim Bari as Chief Selector despite the poor showing of the team on the current tour of Australia till the West Indies tour which would follow the Indian tour. "A decision has already been announced and the Board does not find it appropriate to clarify the issue again," he said.
— PTI |
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Kapil XI win by
five wickets
Mumbai, January 28 Those who took the field included former Indian captains Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin. Former Sri Lankan skipper Aravinda de Silva flew down from the island nation to be part of the event. Ace shuttler and former All-England badminton champion P. Gopichand turned up in blue for the match. Film stars included Suniel Shetty, Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani and Mithun Chakraborty.
— Agencies
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Fund-raiser
New Delhi, January 28 Former Indian Test opener Chetan Chouhan, along with other former players like Atul Wassan, Nayan Mongia, Surender Khanna, Rakesh Shukla and Madan Lal, will participate in the match, the proceeds of which will go to the tsunami victims.
— OSR |
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Charity match on Feb 16
Dubai, January 28 The friendly match to be held on February 16 will be followed by a star-studded Indo-Pak Mega Achievements Film Awards function, Indian actor Sohail Khan told a press conference here. Cricket gear used in the match will be donated to Unicef and Dubai Humanitarian City
(DAC) so that more money can be raised from an auction, he said.
— PTI |
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Lara powers Windies to victory
Adelaide, January 28 Pakistan made a respectable 281 for 9 in reply, batting through their 50 overs, but never approached the onerous winning run-rate that the West Indian total required. Pakistan were 116 for 5 at the halfway point of its innings, still needing 223. In the last 10 overs of the match, they required 124 runs, or two off every ball. The West Indies scored 122 in the same period, but also had wickets in hand. The West Indies’ win lifted them into second place in the tri-series competition with nine points, behind Australia with 26 and ahead of Pakistan which took a bonus point to move to seven. The early part of Lara’s innings, which began when the West Indies were 56 for 2, was tentative. Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss and sent the West Indies in on a pitch freshened by recent rain and there was enough early movement for the bowlers to make batting difficult. Lara put on 197 for the fourth wicket with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (85) to see the West Indies through the most dangerous period before fully launching his assault. Lara managed the tempo of the West Indian scoring, keeping the run rate ticking over with singles and twos in the early part of the innings, then launching his barrage of fours and sixes in the last 10 overs. Lara reached his 19th one-day international century from 117 balls. Of his first 100 runs, Lara scored 39 in singles and 24 in twos, overcoming a wrist injury to steer the ball into gaps in the Pakistan field. His first half century came slowly, from 81 balls, but when he let loose he smashed his next 100 runs from only 51 deliveries. At the height of his innings, he went from 100 to 150 in only 19 balls. The West Indies were only 177 for 2 after 35 overs, scoring at barely five runs and over and looked like struggling to reach 250 at the same scoring rate. Scoreboard West Indies: Gayle b Anjum 9 Powell lbw b Hasan 23 Sarwan retired hurt 2 Lara b Hafeez 156 Chanderpaul c Hafeez Hinds not out 30 Bravo not out 3 Extras (1b, 9lb, Total (4wkts, 50 overs) 339 Fall of wickets:
1-17, 2-56, 3-243, 4-327. Bowling: Rana 9-0-77-1, Anjum 9-1-50-1, Mahmood 9-1-63-0, Razzaq 10-0-41-0, Afridi 10-0-64-1, Hafeez 3-0-34-1. Pakistan: Butt c Chanderpaul Akmal b Hinds 19 Hafeez c sub (Samuels) Malik b King 7 Haq c Bravo b Hinds 30 Youhana run out 45 Razzaq c Lara b Bravo 44 Afridi c Browne b Bravo 17 Mahmood not out 40 Hasan b Powell 10 Anjum not out 8 Extras
(6lb, 12w, 1nb) 19 Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 281 Fall of wickets:
1-1, 2-65, 3-65, 4-87, 5-107, 6-182, 7-206, 8-219, 9-254. Bowling:
Collins 4-1-13-0, Bradshaw 8-0-42-1, King 10-0-51-2, Hinds 10-0-62-2, Bravo 10-0-40-2, Powell 4-0-30-1, Gayle 4-0-37-0.
— AP |
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Hi-Fliers edge out Maratha Warriors
Hyderabad, January 28 After the regulation 70 minutes remained goal-less, the match was extended to extra time, when both sides played with nine men as per the PHL rules, during which Khandekar scored the all-important goal. The forward got a pass inside the striking circle from Amar Aiyamma and unleashed a powerful reverse flick for the winner. Bangalore Hi-Fliers got two points from the match while Maratha Warriors got one as the match was extended to extra-time. Dazzlers blank Lucknow Nawabs
Keeping their reputation intact, Delhi Dazzlers blanked Lucknow Nawabs 3-0 in a Tier II match here today. Gurcharan Singh put Delhi in the lead with a 20th minute strike while Ajit Pal Singh (31st and 36th) scored a brace as the team secured three points to join table leaders Chandigarh Dynamos with 18 points. After a goal less first quarter, Gurcharan Singh made no mistake in hitting the back of the net with a neat drag flick off a penalty corner. In the closing moments of the second quarter, Delhi earned one more penalty corner and Gaganpreet’s hit was blocked by the custodian, but Ajit Pal scored off the rebound. Ajit Pal struck again early in the third quarter when he took a pass on the right flank from Amar Singh Negi and shot it inside beating the goalkeeper comprehensively as Delhi went up 3-0. Delhi Dazzlers converted two penalty corners while Lucknow squandered away both the penalty corners they got in the match.
— PTI
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Jyoti Randhawa keeps Indian hopes alive
New Delhi, January 28 Atwal, the first Indian to qualify to the USPGA Tour, carded a three-over 75 to end up with 152 after the second round at the Laguna National Golf and Country club. He had a disastrous first round, carding five-over 77 yesterday. The cut was applied at 146, according to information received here. Randhawa finished with 141, carding a superb second round 68 to add to his moderate opening round score of 73. England’s Nick Dougherty produced the fireworks in his five-under-par 67 to seize the halfway lead. The 22-year-old Dougherty finished the second round one stroke ahead of defending champion Colin Montgomerie of Scotland, who carded a 71 in the event jointly sanctioned by the Asian Tour and European Tour. Asia’s charge was led by Malaysian Danny Chia and China’s Liang Wen-chong, who carded rounds of 70 and 68, respectively, for joint third place with Danish Ryder Cup star Thomas Bjorn and Welshman Jamie Donaldson. The quartet are three off the lead.
— PTI |
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JCT to take on Salgaocar today
Ludhiana, January 28 Both the teams had played three matches each so far and with two victories (against the DTDC Tollygunge Agragami, Kolkata and Vasco Sports Club of Goa), the visitors have collected six points while the home team, with one win (against Fransa Club) have gathered three points. The Salgaocar Club would take the field without their two main players, striker Fredy and deep defender Remus. While Fredy has been nursing a knee injury and Remus has earned two yellow cards in a row. Talking to The Tribune, Savio Medvia, coach of Salgaocar Club said that despite this, his boys were rearing to go all out and avenge their defeat they suffered at the hands of the JCT players here last year during the 8th edition of the tournament. However, two Nigerians, in their ranks, Felix and Bello would be the trump cards to match their rivals, the coach said. Savio admitted that the cold condition here in the city was the main cause of worry for them but they would overcome this hurdle also as the encounter is scheduled to be played during the afternoon. Whereas, the home team, JCT Mills, without the services of the seasoned players Vijayan and Ancheri would mainly depend upon their Hardeep Gill and Harpreet Singh who had played for Mohun Bagan and Sukminder Singh who took the field for Vasco Sports Club last year. The hosts will have the services of goalee, fighter of many battles Mansura under the bars and Stephen. JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh expressed hope that the home team would take the field as favourites and check the visitors’ march. The match will start at 2 pm tomorrow. |
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Jr, sub-jr skiing at Solang
Manali, January 28 Mr R.D. Nazeem, Deputy Commissioner cum-Director Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, held a meeting with the District Officers, DMAS staff and presidents and representatives of various ski clubs of Himachal Pradesh at the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, here yesterday. The following are the organising committee of the championship. Chairman, Deputy Commissioner, Kullu cum-Director Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, Co-Chairman, Col. H.S. Chauhan, President HP winter games association, Organising Secretary-Cap. Randhir Singh Salhuria, Deputy Director Mountaineering and Allied Sports, here and Joint Organising Secretary Mr Rupesh Kanwal, General Secretary, HP Winter Games Association Mr Salhuria said that skiers from all over India from various ski associations affiliated to the Winter Games Federation of India would participate. The skiers and taking part in the age group 15 to 18 years slalom (boys and girls) giant slalom (boys and girls), slalom boys (age 11 -12), slalom girls (age 11-12), slalom boys (13-14 years) and slalom girls (13-14). |
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Kang clinches golf title
In the Open Ladies Category Kanika Minocha won the championship with a comfortable margin. In category C Anish gupta was the winner and the runner-up was Raghav Bhandari. The final results: Open category: H.S. Kang 147, Sagar Bhatia 153. Category-A (15-17 years): Rohan Bakshi 164, Mahesh 179. Category-B (13-14): Rahul Bakshi 155, Abhijit Chadha 172. Category-C (11-12 years): Anish Gupta 177, Raghav Bhandari 199. Category-D (below 10 years): Tarundeep S. Chadha 92, Jairaj S. Sandhu 98. Category-E (open ladies): Kanika Minocha 157, Preet Inder Kaur 185. Category-G (below 15 years): Tanya Anand 97, Mani Chander 97. Nearest to pin: Jatinder Kumar 7.3 ft. Longest drive: Sagar Bhatia 248 yards. |
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Tollygunge hold Dempo
Kolkata, January 28
The visitors, still leading the league table with 10 points from four matches, dominated the midfield but failed to penetrate the defensive wall of Tollygunge and lost points after three consecutive victories. Tollygunge, on the other hand, played with a draw in mind to cull one point from their first home tie following the humiliating 1-5 loss against Salgaocar in the previous match. The city outfit now have five points from four outings.
— PTI |
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Collage Group enter final
New Delhi, January 29 Sonnet in the title clash. Collage Group: 163 for 3 in 23.1 overs (Farman Ahmed 96 n.o., Rajinder Bisht 23 n.o.).
— OSR |
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Pbi varsity make winning start
Patiala, January 28 In the men’s section, the hosts downed strong contenders GND University 18-13 while on the distaff side, Punjabi University just about managed to scrap past the same team 21-20. The hosts also won their second match in the men’s section when they easily downed Delhi University 23-17. Other matches: (men) Delhi University beat LNIPE, Gwalior 30-24. (women): Delhi University given walkover by Bangalore University.
— OSR
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In video: Cricket ground slated to host
Pakistan is in bad shape. (
Chandigarh, January 28
