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Raina, Patel
in reckoning
Allow combined universities team in Ranji: AIU Sachin opens ‘India Room’ at The Oval A lot of cricket left in Sachin, says Kapil ICC meeting on June 24 ECB team to inspect security in Pakistan Anand aims for World Championship title AITA ex-chief R.K. Khanna dead Harlem Globetrotters to play in India Team did not play to potential: coach Anil Kumar is fastest athlete
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Henin-Hardenne crashes out London, June 21 Both players had trouble serving and the Greek world number 76 took the first set tie-breaker on her fifth set point, helped by a dubious line call. Seventh seed Henin-Hardenne raced through the second set, but Daniilidou shrugged off a leg injury in the third to score a major upset, with the Belgian conceding defeat after another of the double faults that had plagued her throughout. Maria Sharapova opened her title defence, but despite a one-sided scoreline, her tennis was of a lesser lustre on Centre Court. The Russian moved into the second round with a 6-2, 6-2 win, but the scoreline had as much to do with Spanish claycourter Nuria Llagostera Vives’ unease on the slick grass as the champion’s prowess. Spraying backhands long and shanking miss-hit forehands wide, little in Sharapova’s opening display would have rattled her rivals for the crown. In men’s action, a vengeful Andy Roddick underlined his title credentials by hurtling into the second round with a 6-1, 7-6, 6-2 demolition of Czech Jiri Vanek. Vanek had beaten last year’s runner-up in their only previous meeting, at Delray Beach in 2001. But Roddick, the second seed, was in no mood for a repeat performance and fired 14 aces as he charged to victory in 82 minutes. Roddick would next meet Italian lucky loser Daniele Bracciali. Arriving at Wimbledon as the Stella Artois champion for the third successive year, the American dropped only two points on serve in the first set as he won seven games on the trot. Vanek’s sorry plight was summed up as produced two consecutive double faults to lose his serve and the set in 19 minutes on Court One. The world number 100 was quick to pounce on a momentary lapse of concentration by Roddick in the second set and broke the American to love in the third game. But once Roddick got back on to level terms at 3-3, thanks to yet another Vanek double fault, the owner of the world’s fastest serve got fired up for the tie-breaker. He sent Vanek scurrying to the net as the Czech attempted to get his racket on to a delicate dropshot. Instead of getting the ball over the net, Vanek lost his balance and ended up flat on his back after toppling over the barrier. The point was enough to give Roddick the mini-break and moments later, the American sealed the two-set advantage and the match was all but over. A backhand service return into the net ended Vanek’s challenge and condemned him to his 11th consecutive first-round defeat in Grand Slam events. Tim Henman dug deep into his vast reserves of Wimbledon experience, coming to his senses in the nick of time to beat Finn Jarkko Nieminen 3-6, 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 and avoid a shattering first-round exit. The sixth-seeded Briton, charged annually with ending his country’s interminable wait for a men’s singles champion, was two sets down and sliding towards defeat as the inspired 70th-ranked Nieminen outplayed him on Centre Court. Thirty-year-old Henman gradually found his feet, and his fight, to pull off an unlikely victory after three hours and 31 minutes on the emotional roller coaster. Nieminen, who had not played a match on grass for two years, played perfect counter-punching tennis in the first two sets, but he wavered for the first time at 4-5 in the third, dropping serve as Henman suddenly woke up to the crisis. Serving at 5-6 in the fourth, he buckled again as a chip and charging Henman, roared on by a capacity crowd, dragged the match into a decider. With the tide now turned completely in his favour, four-time semifinalist Henman charged through the fifth set, breaking twice as Nieminen’s brave resistance crumbled. The Briton knew he had been let off the hook and that his tennis had been sub-standard. Other results: Men’s singles: Dmitry Tursunov (Russia) b Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 7-6(2), 7-6(4), 6-1; Fabrice Santoro (France) b Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-2, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-1; Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) b Robby Ginepri (United States) 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4, 6-2; Davide Sanguinetti (Italy) b Andreas Seppi (Italy) 6-3, 6-2, 6-1; Danai Udomchoke (Thailand) b Stefan Koubek (Austria) 5-7, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 8-6; Juergen Melzer (Austria) b Ivan Ljubicic (Croatia) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4; Alex Calatrava (Spain) b Tuomas Ketola (Finland) 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-4; Andrew Murray (Britain) b George Bastl (Switzerland) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) b Peter Wessels (Netherlands) 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-4; Guillermo Coria (Argentina) b Tomas Behrend (Germany) 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Women’s singles: Laura Granville (United States) b Klara Koukalova (Czech Republic) 6-1, 6-2; Conchita Martinez (Spain) b Katerina Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-1, 7-6(4); Virginie Razzano (France) b Catalina Castano (Colombia) 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4; Kristina Brandi (Puerto Rico) b Francesca Schiavone (Italy) 6-3, 3-6, 9-7; Cara Black (Zimbabwe) b Zuzana Ondraskova (Czech Republic) 6-3, 6-3; Nicole Pratt (Australia) b Ludmila Cervanova (Slovakia) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1; Venus Williams (United States) b Eva Birnerova (Czech Republic) 6-2, 6-4; Severine Beltrame (France) b Claudine Schaul (Luxembourg) 6-2, 6-1; Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia) b Evgenia Linetskaya (Russia) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2; Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) b Anabel Medina Garrigues (Spain) 6-3, 6-3; Shahar Peer (Israel) b Meilen Tu (United States) 6-3, 6-3; Vera Zvonareva (Russia) b Marlene Weingaertner (Germany) 2-6, 6-4, 6-0; Kveta Peschke (Czech Republic) b Dally Randriantefy (Madagascar) 7-5, 6-1; Yoon Jeong Cho (South Korea) b Arantxa Parra Santonja (Spain) 6-3, 6-3.
— Reuters |
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Sania loses in doubles
London, June 21 |
Raina, Patel in reckoning
Bangalore, June 21 Railway paceman Harvinder Singh staged a comeback after a four-year gap while all other established players, barring Sachin Tendulkar, found a place in the list announced by BCCI Secretary S.K. Nair here. Tendulkar, who recently had a surgery on a troublesome elbow, has been ruled out of action for 14 weeks and was therefore not considered for the camps to be held at the National Cricket Academy here in three phases. Nair said the selection committee, before its meeting, had a discussion with coach Greg Chappell, who gave his thoughts on the composition of the team. "The committee had deliberation with the new coach on various aspects, including the camp. The committee also gave Chappell a feedback on the performance of the Indian team in the recent past," Nair said. The probables:
Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rahul
Dravid, Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, V.V.S. Laxman, Dinesh Mongia, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Venugopala Rao, Neeraj Patel, Dheeraj Jadhav, M.S. Dhoni, Dinesh Kaarthick, Parthiv Patel, Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, S. Sriram, Hemang Badani, Zaheer Khan, L. Balaji, Ashish Nehra, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Gagandeep Singh, S.S. Paul, Ranadeb Bose, Harvinder Singh, Amit Bhandari, Siddharth Trivedi, Sreeshanth, Joginder Sharma, Munaf Patel, J.P. Yadav and Jesuraj. "The coach also said what he expects from the team in the coming season. The selection committee heard his views on all these matters very patiently before starting the meeting," Nair said. The board secretary said there would be three separate camps, starting with the physical conditioning camp for the fast bowlers in the list to be held from June 27 to July 4. It would be followed by a conditioning camp for all the probables from July 5 to 12 before a final cricket camp from July 13 to 22. Nair said the players doing duty for various English counties have been exempted from attending the first two camps. Four Indians — Sourav Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan — were currently playing county cricket. He said the final squad for the tri-series, also involving hosts Sri Lanka and the West Indies, would be announced on July 18 and the team was expected to leave on July 24. Nair said the BCCI would request for advancing the tournament by a couple of days for "convenience of telecast". He said Tendulkar, who was undergoing rehabilitation, would be present in Bangalore on the first few days of the last phase of the camp. "He will interact with the coach, who wants him to be here," Nair said. The 18-year-old Raina and stylish left-handed batsman Patel were rewarded for their consistent performances in the domestic circuit. Both were in the India ‘A’ squad that played against Pakistan in a three-day match at Dharmshala in March and are regarded as highly promising cricketers. Railway paceman Harvinder, in the wilderness for close to four years, forced his way back into reckoning with a rich scalp of wickets in domestic matches. The 27-year-old nippy right-hand pacer had played his last one day match against Kenya in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 2001. Maharashtra opener Dhiraj Jadhav and fast bowlers S. Sreeshanth (Kerala), Siddharth Trivedi (Gujarat) and Jesuraj (Tamil Nadu) were some of the other new faces in the probables list. Jadhav was named in the Indian Test squad for the fourth and final Test against Australia in Mumbai last year.
— PTI |
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Allow combined universities team in Ranji: AIU Amritsar, June 21 He said the proposal was put forth with the aim of providing the right platform to university players to show their worth. He said best players from various universities would be selected on the basis of their performance in the All India Inter-University (AIIU) Tournament. Mr Dongaonkar said 20 university players had participated in the two-week training camp held at National Cricket Academy, Bangalore, last year. He said they also played against the visiting New South Wales team of Australia. The AIU was constituted in 1925 by the then British Government to manage sports and cultural affairs of the universities in the subcontinent. It was then known as the Inter- University Board and was re-christened AIU in 1968. Beginning with 18 member universities, it now boasts of a strength of 277. It conducts zonal and national tournaments. In all it holds competitions in 87 disciplines in the all-India inter-university competitions. Keeping in view the absence of Indian university players at the International Federation of University Sports, Mr Dongaonkar said they were contemplating to send teams to participate in its tournaments. He said a plan had been drawn under which initially teams in five disciplines — badminton, football, hockey, athletics and shooting — would be formed. Earlier, he said sports directors and sports teachers of the universities would be trained with the help of the Sports Authority of India (SAI). The assistance of federations of these sports would also be solicited. He felt it was high time for the AIU to prepare its players for the international arena before sending them to overseas tournaments. Under a new programme, local clubs, federations and other teams would be invited to play with university teams during the AIIU championships. The AIU would involve five non-university sportspersons and four to six university players in policy making, he said. |
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Sachin opens ‘India Room’ at The Oval London, June 21 A visibly thrilled Tendulkar, who was here to support the Twenty 20 tsunami fund-raiser between an Asia XI and an International XI, said: “It is a great honour. Surrey is my favourite place where I played my hundredth Test. It was a special moment for me.” Present on the occasion were Sir John Major, former British Prime Minister, who played a key role in raising funds for the new stand, Kamalesh Sharma, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, and some of the leading NRI industrialists, including Sir Gulam Noon of Noon products, G.P. Hinduja and Ashok Hinduja of the Hinduja Foundation, Kartar Lalvani, Chief of Vitabiotics Ltd, Lord Bagri, Nadeem Ahmed, Chief of Global Tea and Commodities and Sonjoy Chatterjee, Chief of ICICI, UK, who among them raised Rs 4 crore for the India Room. Others present included former India wicket-keeper batsman Farooq Engineer. Describing Tendulkar as “the greatest batsman I have ever seen,” Paul Sheldon, Chief Executive, Surrey County Cricket Club, said the Indian maestro had always extended his support for raising funds for relief of the tsunami victims. He said though Tendulkar underwent an operation for tennis elbow, he still insisted on being present at all the matches organised to raise funds for the tsunami victims. “We deeply appreciate what you have done,” Paul said. Talking about the surgery, Tendulkar said: “I’m making steady progress. I am leaving for Mumbai tomorrow.” More than £ 1.1 million was raised through the match and it would be spent on building 100 new houses, including a community centre and a sports/cricket field in Sri Lanka. Sir Gulam Noon thanked the Surrey County for giving the NRIs an opportunity to raise funds and naming one of the magnificent rooms in the newly built stand as ‘India Room’. “It is a proud moment for all of us.” Describing Tendulkar as “one of the world’s greatest cricketers of all time,” Sir Major, a former Chief of the Surrey County Club and a keen cricket enthusiast, recalled the “tremendous contribution made by Indians” to cricket right from Ranji (Indian Prince Ranjitsinhji, one of the finest batsmen of all times) and Poly Umrigar (former India captain) who scored a century here in 1959. “It is a tremendous feeling to have this room named as India Room because of the great contribution to cricket by Indians — the very different style and glamour and the tremendous entertainment they have brought to the game,” he said.
— PTI |
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A lot of cricket left in Sachin, says Kapil Chandigarh, June 21 However, he was of the view that with age, it would be difficult for Sachin to find his famed golden touch. Reacting on the question of Sachin’s retirement, Kapil mused, “He will leave cricket gracefully when the right time comes , but that time has not come yet”. Commenting on the retaining of Sourav Ganguly as captain of the Indian team, Kapil was of the view that whatever step the cricket board would take, the interest of the country should come first. On the appointment of Greg Chappell as coach, he said we should give him time to work before assessing his capabilities. On the issue of a bowling coach for the Indian team, Kapil plainly said, “If it helps the country, just do it”. He set aside the idea of including fast bowlers in the Indian squad on a rotation basis to avoid injuries. However, he advised the Indian fast bowlers to work hard on their fitness to prevent frequent injuries. Kapil was in the city to kick off the week-long first anniversary celebrations at the Rotary and Blood Bank Society Resource Centre, Sector 37. He met the blood donors at the centre and motivated others to participate in voluntary blood donation. He also donated blood at the centre. |
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ICC meeting on June 24
London, June 21 The ICC cricket committee had recommended several changes to the way one-day cricket is being played after its meeting in Dubai last month to make the game more interesting. Key agenda item which would be discussed in the two-day ICC chief executives meeting included consideration proposals from the cricket committee regarding the Super Series technology trials and changes to ODI playing conditions, the ICC said in a press note here. The meeting will also consider the proposed amendments to the ICC code of conduct, including issues relating to right of appeal and formulation of recommendation to IDI Board regarding format of next year’s Champions Trophy. The series of meetings will begin with the chief executives’ meeting and will conclude with the ICC annual conference and the ICC cricket business forum on June 28. Also incorporated into the programme will be a meeting of the ICC executive board on June 27, the annual ICC associate members meeting and the first ever women’s committee meeting. Further, the executive board meeting on June 27, to be chaired by ICC Chairman Ehsan Mani, will discuss on the anti-doping and anti-racism policies.
— PTI |
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ECB team to inspect security in Pakistan Karachi, June 21 Abbas Zaidi, PCB’s Director (Board Operations), said from Lahore that the two-man team would be joined by two more ECB officials, including Any Carr (Manager, Cricket Operations), a week later. “The ECB officials will inspect all the Test centres and review security arrangements,” Zaidi said, adding, “Karachi is very much in the tour schedule of the ECB officials”. Besides Karachi, the ECB officials would also visit Faisalabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore. The ECB had expressed reservations about playing in Karachi, not because it believed that its team would be a target, but because “they do not want to be trapped in crossfire”.
— PTI |
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Anand aims for World Championship title
Chennai, June 21 “After I play in the Mainz tournament on August 9 and 10, I will focus and concentrate 100 per cent on the proposed FIDE World Championship for a positive result. All the eight top seeds have confirmed participating in the event,” he said on the sidelines of a function here. Anand, the first non-Russian to win the Chess Oscar, had won the coveted title four times — in 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2004. “For me, it was a bit unexpected. We never had any warning that the World Championship was going to come up. But, on the whole, for me, it is very brilliant.” “I am very happy that it has come up because it is also something to focus on. It is always nice to have some immediate goal, not just very long term,” Anand said. In 2004, Anand made a clean sweep of titles at the Melody Amber Rapid and Blindflod tournament, winning all three sections. “I just won everything I played. That is an awesome feeling. I need to keep the momentum going,” the Grandmaster said. On his plans for the coming season, Anand said, “I played well post-Prague in 2002. I need to keep the momentum going. I feel I can still improve my chess knowledge. There are new areas to work on.” “I think keeping my curiosity in chess alive is what sparks my creativity. I am enjoying my chess immensely and I hope to do that this year too.” “At present, I am focusing on the Mainz tournament and will start to think of the World Championship in August only,” Anand, flanked by his wife Aruna, said. “Of course, I will do a special training camp, more importantly, since it is double round-robin, it will be a tough format,” Anand, considered by many as the world’s leading player since Kasparov and Kramnik had been playing fewer events, said. Anand would be playing in Argentina after 11 years, having played in Buenos Aires in 1994 in a Sicilian tournament. The Argentine World Championship, with a purse of $ 1 million, would be held in a double round-robin format. Each player would play the others four times.
— PTI |
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AITA ex-chief R.K. Khanna dead New Delhi, June 21 R.K. Khanna, a visionary sports official, had not only put Indian tennis on a pedestal through his administrative acumen, but also built a world-class tennis stadium in Delhi, named after him, which has hosted many international events, including Davis Cup and an ATP Tournament. After demitting office as the AITA president, he was made the life president of the association, taking into account his immense contribution to the development of the game in the country. And during his life time, the AITA spread its wings to different parts of the capital and the country and set up its own tennis academy at Gurgaon. The India Tennis Centre at the R.K. Khanna stadium in Delhi not only boasts of a full-fledged tennis club with all the accompanying facilities, but also facilities for swimming and indoor sports. The AITA now conducts the maximum number of challenger and satellite tennis tournaments in the world to earn the appreciation of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). Khanna, who was the non-playing captain when India reached the challenge round of the Davis Cup in 1966, was also a former vice-president of the ITF and president of the Asian Tennis Federation. In recognition of his contribution to the game, Khanna was awarded the Padma Shri in 1974 and the Padma Bhushan a year later. He was the AITA secretary from 1966 to 1974 and again from 1988 to 1992 before becoming its president for eight years — from 1992 to 2000. He is also famous for his scrape with the legendary Vijay Amritraj before the two made up and worked jointly to promote Indian tennis. When Prakash Amritraj came of age to play for India, the AITA readily drafted him into the Indian Davis Cup team and is now an integral part of the Cup squad. Indian Olympic Association secretary-general Raja Randhir Singh, who is a close friend of the Khanna family, has condoled the death of the former AITA president. “R.K. Khanna had dedicated his whole life to the sports in general and tennis in particular. His passing away has left a great void in the world of sports,” Randhir Singh said in a message from Dehra Dun. The Sports Journalists Federation of India and Delhi Sports Journalists Association have also condoled the death of Khanna. |
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Harlem Globetrotters to play in India New Delhi, June 21 Ray F. Garman, president of the Hong-Kong based Lighthouse Events, who are sponsoring Harlem Globetrotters’ visit to India along with SportzIndia, said here today that India was a “virgin territory with huge potential” for development of basketball skills. Mr Anil Kumar, head of SportzIndia, announced that the Harlem Globetrotters will play matches in Bangalore (on September 20), Delhi (September 21 and 22), Hyderabad (September 23), Chennai (September 24 and 25), Kochi (September 26) and Trivandrum (September 27). Ray Garman said the contract with Harlem Globetrotters to tour Asia was upto 2008 during which period they would play 260 games, involving 21 Asian countries. He said the landmark deal fructified in August, 2004 with a tour of China. He said Globetrotters would challenge any team to play against them in India as the team would be focussing on India in 2005. Starting with five cities, the show will eventually reach 40 odd cities across the country in the subsequent years. The idea of utilising the Globetrotters to promote Indian basketball to higher levels has found rapid acceptance, with several institutions and clubs wanting to be a part of the Harlem Globetrotter system in India. Schools and other institutions would be involved in the promotion of the game, and the school programme would involve the participation of more than a lakh school children in the first year, and more than 15 lakh at the end of the five-year contract with the basketball giants. Harlem Globetrotters, who first played a game in Hincley (Illinois, USA) 78 years ago, became a household name when they defeated world champions Minneapolis Lakers twice in 1948 and 1949. In 1993, former Globetrotter player Mannie Jackson purchased the team that was on the brink of bankruptcy. Since then, the team have not looked back, earning fan following throughout the world, to gain the reputation of the “most liked and recognised team in the world”. Globetrotters were only the fifth team inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on September 27, 2002, and the team have visited 120 countries over the years. |
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Team did not play to potential: coach Phagwara, June 21 He was commenting on the performance of the team in the first Indo-Pak Friendship Football Series which ended in a draw after Pakistan beat India 3-0 in the last match at Lahore on June 18. Sukhwinder Singh admitted that the first minute Pakistan goal at Lahore turned the tables against India. Ours was a better team and technically more sound and this was admitted by Pakistani officials too, said Sukhwinder. However, motivation and the home crowd made the Pakistan team play better in the Lahore match while our team’s performance was below par, he said. The first match at Quetta was dominated by India but a mistake by our keeper resulted in the match being drawn, he said. In the second match at Peshawar, our team played even better and won it 1-0. We would have won it 2-0 had not the linesman disallowed our second goal, he added. He was all praise for the crowd at Quetta, where the Indian team was equally cheered and the Indian flag was waved by Pakistani fans. He clarified that the series was drawn and Pakistan had not won it on a better goal average as was being made out in the media. He favoured more such series between the two countries. Praising Pakistani hospitality, Sukhwinder Singh said they were treated very well. He was not happy with the condition of the football pitch at two places. |
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Anil Kumar is fastest athlete New
Delhi, June 21 Piyush Kumar of India, with a time of 10.63 seconds, won the bronze, making for two Indians on the podium. India won two more gold medals through Maha Singh in the men’s long jump and Harwant Kaur in the
women’s discus throw for an overall tally of three gold, three silver and seven bronze medals.
— IANS
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SAI coach
dead Chandigarh, June 21 |
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Uday Kaul
scores ton Chandigarh, June 21 |
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