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Pakistan whip India 4-1
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Indian men, women in TT semifinals
NIS awaits report on masseur
Dravid retained as captain till World Cup
Eden’s loss is Brabourne’s gain
Clark takes Australia to early victory
Minerva beat BBF Club by 9 wickets
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Jung shoots golden double
Melbourne, March 18 Samresh, who was dejected on missing a gold yesterday, won top honours along with Vivek Singh in 25m air pistol pairs and debutant Ronak Pandit in 25m standard pistol pairs events, as the Indians established new games records in both competitions. Samresh, competing in eight pistol events here, has bagged two gold medals and a silver in three pairs events so far. Samresh and Vivek tallied 1,154 points, erasing the previous mark of 1,145 by Michael Gault and Nicolas Baxter of England for their first yellow metal. Jung and Vivek individually scored 578 and 576, respectively. The 35-year-old Samresh (565) later paired with Ronak (574) for yet another record-breaking score, amassing 1,139 points in the 25m standard pistol pairs final at the Melbourne Gun Club. Jung broke his Manchester games record of 1130 set along with Jaspal Rana. However, Indian shooters misfired in men’s and women’s 50m rifle prone pairs finals, where they finished fifth and ninth, respectively. Joydeep Karmarkar (588) and Sanjeev Rajput (585) were placed fifth with a total of 1,173 in men’s 50m rifle prone pairs event at the Wellsford Rifle Range. Deepali Deshpande (568) and Damaraju VS Lakshmi Priya (577) ended up ninth with scores of 1,146. It was a thrilling contest in the 10m air pistol event, which went to the wire and the winners could not be predicted till the last shot was taken by the Indians and their English counterparts Mick Gault and Nick Bazter. “I am relieved at winning this gold medal after yesterday’s disappointment in an event where Vivek and I were the title holders,” Samresh said. “I came here with expectations of eight medals, and that’s intact. But the scores could have been better,” he said. Vivek, who had an erratic form yesterday which cost the duo a gold, said he was under pressure to perform today. “I was feeling the pressure,” he said. A gold medal for the English duo could have been a fitting way for Gault to break the English record of 11 games medals and an ideal birthday present for Baxter. Gault (569) and Baxter (557) took the silver with 1,152 points, while the Namibian pair of Leon Andre Malharbe and Friedhelm Ferdinand Sack took the bronze with 1,117 (557+560) points. Ronak, an up-and-coming shooter, fired his personal best on his debut in the games. The manner in which he went about his targets with clear accuracy, Ronak might have put pressure on his senior partner, having taken a lead of 19 points in the final stages of the last series. Ronak’s was also the best score among the 28 shooters competing in the event. “I am happy that I was able to set my career best in my debut games,” Ronak said. — PTI |
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Pakistan whip India 4-1
Melbourne, March 18 In search of an elusive Commonwealth medal, India started off well in their second outing at the State Hockey Centre by launching several attacks on the Pakistani post. But India, who drew with Malaysia 1-1 yesterday, could not keep up the momentum and allowed Pakistan to walk away with full three points from this crucial tie. Pakistani midfielder Adnan Maqsood (41st, 57th minutes) scored a brace to mow down the Indian spirit after experienced campaigners Mudassar Ali Khan (23rd minute) and Tariq Aziz (38th minute) had scored the first two goals. Tejbir Singh (14th) netted the lone goal for India. Although the Indians were guilty of lapses in stopping and passing, they displayed flashes of good hockey. A couple of misses by striker Deepak Thakur early on were compensated by Tejbir’s goal. Arjun Halappa provided an accurate and fast cross from the left and Thakur dived to push it forward. Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akbar saved it on the first attempt but an alert Tejbir jumped forward to put the rebounding ball in. Pakistan, however, surged ahead just nine minutes later. Rehan Butt’s electric hit from right corner kissed the stick of Sandeep Singh and flew off to an waiting Mudassar who shot home in style to score the equaliser. The Pakistanis came back armed with more firepower after the change of ends, initiating incessant attacks on the Indian citadel. Within three minutes of resumption, Tariq Aziz slammed the second goal for them. This time, too, the doughty Butt provided an on-the-run cross from right and Aziz beat Indian goalie Bharat Chetri, taking advantage of Kanwalpreet’s absence, who went up but could not recover in time. Just after three minutes, Adnan Maqsood’s spectacular goal stunned the Indians. A skilful Shakeel Abbasi moved on despite the simultaneous tackling by three Indian defenders and fed Maqsood to complete the formalities. Pakistan lost a golden chance to extend the lead when they were awarded a penalty stroke owing to bad tackling by Prabodh Tirkey. However, skipper Mohammed Saqlain shot it wide off the post. But it was Maqsood who sealed India’s fate when he deflected a Mohammed Imran drag-flick off a penalty corner to make it 4-1 for Pakistan. The weakness of the Indians to finish off good moves was once again exposed in the match. Thakur and Sardara Singh were particularly guilty of spoiling sure-shot scoring chances. However, Chetri was brilliant with his anticipation and quick movements, saving at least three goals on his own. India meet Trinidad and Tobago in their next match.
— PTI |
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Eves hold South Africa
Melbourne, March 18 Having started their title defence on the wrong note with a 2-4 loss to Australia, India seemed headed for another embarrassment as Henriette D Buisson struck in the eighth and 12th minutes for South Africa at the State Netball Hockey Centre.
However, Subhadra Pradhan found the mark once in each half to spare India the blushes and fetch her team their first point. The South Africans began with a flourish and 23-year-old Henriette exhibited her talent by converting a penalty corner, besides striking a field goal to leave a tentative Indian side gasping. With their backs to the wall, the Indians launched a counter-attack, carrying out constant raids into the opponent territory and earning penalty corners one after another. They pulled one back just six minutes before half time when Subhadra converted a penalty stroke in the 29th minute. The easiest of set pieces came India’s way after a South African defender deliberately stopped the ball following a penalty corner. India were then playing with 10 members as their skipper Sumrai Tete was sent out temporarily for arguing with the umpire after Rajwinder Kaur’s “goal” was disallowed. The Indians secured four penalty corners in the first half but lack of finishing proved their undoing as the match rolled into half time with the South Africans ahead 2-1. Indians returned after the breather with a mission as they put South Africa on the backfoot, launching relentless forays. They, however, failed to convert the brilliant moves from the flanks, choking at the goalpost. The Indians forced six more penalty corners but had to wait till the 69th minute to draw level. Subhadra again stole the limelight as she displayed fine stickwork to fox the South African defenders before finishing off with a spectacular reverse flick, that went in to the right of custodian Caroline Jack, who otherwise put up a confident display. The Indian eves had themselves to blame for not pocketing full points despite dominating the entire second session as they muffed up several rosy chances. The post also
stood in the way of the Indians in the 41st minute, with Mamta Kharab being the victim.
India have two more games to play in their pool against Malaysia and
Nigeria.
— PTI |
Yumnam Chanu lifts gold
Melbourne, March 18 Chanu lifted an overall 185 kg, which included 80 kg through snatch and 105 kg through clean and jerk, which was a good seven kg more than the other two podium finishers. Canada’s Emily Quarton grabbed the silver pipping Australia's Natasha Barker on lesser body weight count after the two girls finished with an identical score of 178 kg. Quarton tallied 77 kg in snatch and 101 kg in clean and jerk, while Barker carried 80 kg and 98 kg in the two sections, respectively. The confident 19-year-old Indian was excellent in all her six lifts — three each in snatch and clean and jerk sections — which she completed successfully without failing in even a single attempt. Chanu’s gold-winning score, however, was 18 kg less than her previous best of 203 kg which she lifted in the nationals, while as per the Commonwealth ranking list for 2004-05 her best total was 192.5 kg (85 kg+107.5 kg). Indian Weightlifting Federation general secretary Balbir Bhatia said the lifter was deliberately given lower weights as there was no need for her to stretch herself considering the strength of the other contenders. Sudhir wins bronze
India’s Sudhir Kumar Chitradurga won the bronze in the men’s 69 kg category of the weightlifting competition at the Commonwealth Games here today. Chitradurga lifted 129 kg in snatch and 158 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 287 kg. The gold went to Benjamin Alexander Turner of Australia who lifted 128 in snatch and 166 kg in clean and jerk on way to a total lift of 294 kg. Muhammad Hidayat of Malaysia got the silver carrying 130 kg in snatch and 163 kg in clean and jerk to lift a total of 293 kg.
— PTI |
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Indian men, women in TT semifinals
Melbourne, March 18 Both the men’s and women’s teams had to stretch themselves to get past Canada and Nigeria, respectively, with an identical 3-1 margin in the quarterfinals at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatics Centre. Three boxers in quarterfinals
India had a good day in boxing, with all three pugilists on show today sailing into the quarterfinals at the Commonwealth Games. Jitender, who made it to the games by virtue of a commendable showing at the pre-games trials, outclassed Nouman Karim in a lopsided match 14-5 in the 51 kg flyweight category. In the evening, Jai Bhagwan also moved into the last eight in the 60 kg lightweight class as he steamrolled past Robert Lyn Turley of Wales 30-9 in a completely one-sided bout. Another Indian boxer in the fray, Parminder Singh, also triumphed in his pre-quarter final clash as he prevailed over Charles Emmanuel Ngock of Cameroon 8-3 in the 75 kg middleweight class. Women cagers lose to England
Indian women tamely surrendered to England in their second basketball match at the Commonwealth Games here today. Indian eves, who were no match for the England team, suffered a 57-104 defeat. Anitha Pauldurai (16) was the top scorer for India, while Andrea Congresaves and Shelly Boston scored 17 points each for England. Gymnasts finish down the ladder The Indian trio of Ashish Kumar, Rohit Jaiswal and Mayank Srivastava put up a creditable display in the men’s individual all-round gymnastics final but finished outside the medal bracket. The Indians were never expected to fight for the top positions and ended up 16th, 21st and 24th, respectively, in the multi-apparatus competition. The gymnasts had to perform on the floor, pommel horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and horizontal bars to determine the best overall performer. Ashish finished 16th with a tally of 79.950 while Rohit Jaiswal was 21st totalling 75.500 points. Mayank Srivastava brought up the rear with a total of 28.350 from just two apparatus — the vault and the parallel bars. Swimmers sink without a trace
Indian swimmers found themselves in troubled waters on the second successive day as all four contestants failed to qualify for the finals at the Commonwealth Games here today. Rehan Poncha clocked 2 minutes 12.33 seconds to finish seventh in the men’s 200m backstroke event, while another Indian in the fray in the event, Arjun Muralidharan, was fifth with 2:11.23 seconds in another heat. Prem Kumar and Tirumalai Kumar Subbaiah also made up the rear in the heats of 50m EAD freestyle event. Prem finished seventh and last after returning with 36.57 seconds, while Tirumalai was sixth in 36.08 seconds. England shuttlers blank India
India set up a quarterfinal clash with third seed Singapore after being blanked 5-0 by favourites England in the badminton mixed team event at the 18th Commonwealth Games here today. Top seed England showed devastating form as they went on the rampage against India in the last league match of Pool D and placed themselves against Canada in the knock-out stage.
— PTI |
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NIS awaits report on masseur
Patiala, March 18 Mr Ranawat said ever since he had joined as RD at the institute two years ago, he had yet to receive any complaint against the masseur, whom he termed as “a soft spoken and affable person”. Mr Ranawat said the NIS authorities could not terminate the services of the masseur just on the basis of allegations levelled against him. He said he was still awaiting a detailed report from the Chef De Mission of the Indian contingent, Mr H.J. Dora, adding that action could be taken only after going through the report. Mr Ranawat said interim action had already been taken when the masseur was suspended from the games village and his accreditation card taken away. However, Mr Ranawat said final action, which may even mean termination for Nabi, would be taken only if he was proved guilty or on the basis of Mr Dora’s report. |
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India’s events today
(all timings IST)
ATHLETICS: Balwinder Singh EAD 100m (4.55 am); Vivek Monga EAD 100m (5am); Vikas Gowda (M) Shot put qualifying (5.55 am); Manjit Kaur (W) 400m qualifying (8.30 am). BADMINTON:
India v Singapore (mixed team event): quarterfinal (5.30 am). BASKETBALL:
India v Scotland: Men (6 am). BOXING: Ajay Kumar v Mokai Paraha (Tonga) 81 kg (10 am) S Maybengam v John Langley (Eng) 48 kg (1 pm); Vijender v Andy Gabriel (Sey) 69 kg (2.45 pm); V Johnson v Frederick Oracho 91 kg (4.30 pm). SHOOTING:
50m Rifle 3-Position Pairs (W) Anjali Bhagwat Mandar & Anuja Jung (3.30 am); 25m Rapid Fire Pairs (M) Pemba Tamang & Vijay Kumar (3.30 am); 10m Air Pistol Pairs (W) Harveen Srao & Sonia Rana (3.30 am); Double Trap Pairs (M) Rajyavardhan Rathore & V Bhatnagar (4.30). SWIMMING:
Puneet Rana (M) 50m breaststroke (4.30 am); Shikha Tandon (W) 50m backstroke (4.45 am); Arjun Muralidharan (M) 100m butterfly (4.55 am) K Pande (W- EAD) 100m freestyle (5.20 am); Shikha Tandon (W) 50m freestyle (5.45 am); Rehan Poncha (M) 400m IM (6.05 am); Kardam Dave Avani synch swimming (8.30 am). TABLE TENNIS:
Semifinals: India v Nigeria (Men) (7.30 am); India v Singapore (Women) (10.30 am). WEIGHTLIFTING:
Mohd Zakir Asadullah (M-77 kg) (8.30 am). — PTI |
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Dravid’s ploy backfires
Mumbai, March 18 Andrew Strauss led the English charge with a sparkling 128 which marked his return to form, while debutant Owais Shah (50 retired hurt) was the other notable contributor on a good batting track at the Wankhede Stadium. The batsman-friendly wicket is expected to help spinners after the first two days and the home side, 1-0 up in the series, have to bat last. England's first innings’ score will have a crucial bearing on their efforts to level the series. The day clearly belonged to Strauss, who drove splendidly in front of the wicket to raise his eighth Test ton in his 24th match to underline England’s dominance in the first two sessions. However, India came back strongly in the last session, taking the wickets of Strauss and the hard-hitting Kevin Pietersen (39). India’s best chance of making further inroads tomorrow would be to take the second new ball, which was already due but not opted for before stumps. The 29-year-old Strauss, who slammed 17 fours and a pulled six in his five-and-a-half-hour innings, put on 52 runs with fellow opener Ian Bell (18) to give his team a flying start. Strauss, who faced 240 balls, helped carry the score to 230 in the company of two batsmen — Owais Shah, who did not come on to bat after tea because of cramps in his hand, and Pietersen before he was caught behind trying to force Harbhajan Singh to the off side. He put on 106 runs with Shah and then 72 with Pietersen before falling in Harbhajan Singh’s third spell. The home team not only gifted away the toss but also let slip the few chances that came their way in the post-tea period with Strauss being let off on 92 and 123. Strauss was let off at slip by Dravid when the opener cut Harbhajan, while wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni floored a snick off Anil Kumble. Before these two lives, Strauss was unnerved by a fiery spell bowled from the pavilion end by Munaf Patel who rapped him on the pads twice and then made the batsman fend unconvincingly to a throat-high bouncer. Otherwise, the Middlesex batsman was well in control of the situation and played some splendid drives between long off and long on. Dravid tried to unsettle the batsmen by constantly shuffling the bowling but England seemed well in control in the first two sessions before losing Strauss and Pietersen, who was caught behind driving at a wide ball from S Sreesanth that moved a bit off the seam, in the space of five overs. But Collingwood, who once mis-hooked Sreesanth short of Yuvraj Singh at long off, and captain Flintoff made sure that England did not lose any further wicket. The England skipper especially looked in good form and even slammed Harbhajan for a huge six over long on during his short stay of 31 balls in which he hit two fours and a six. Sreesanth ended the day with 2 for 51, while Harbhajan had 1 for 68. Patel bowled well later in the day, while Pathan disappointed and was not used at all in the second session. Earlier, Strauss, whose previous best score in the series was 46 at Nagpur in the opening Test, and Shah dominated the Indian attack to help England end the second session at a comfortable-looking 158 for 1 in 55 overs. Shah, who came to the wicket after Strauss and Ian Bell (18) had put on 52 runs for the first wicket, was not out on 50, having reached it on his debut innings just before tea in 90 balls and with the help of eight fours. The home team attack, packed with five frontline bowlers, looked largely unimpressive throughout the day. England, who were 63 for one at lunch, added 95 runs in the second session in 30 overs with Strauss dominating the partnership with the 27-year-old Shah who also batted pretty confidently. Scoreboard England (1st innings) Strauss c Dhoni Bell c Harbhajan Shah retd hurt 50 Pietersen c Dhoni Collingwood not out 11 Flintoff not out 17 Extras
(b-3, lb-3, nb-2, w-1) 9 Total (3 wkts, 89 overs) 272 Fall of wickets:
1-52, 2-230, 3-242. Bowling: Pathan 11-1-53-0, Sreesanth 17-4-51-2, Munaf 18-3-45-0, Kumble 23-5-49-0, Harbhajan 20-3-68-1.
— PTI |
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Dravid retained as captain till World Cup
Mumbai, March 18 “The selectors met last night and appointed Dravid as captain till the 2007 World Cup,” BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah told reporters at the Wankhede Stadium after a felicitation ceremony ahead of the start of the third and final cricket Test against England.
— PTI |
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Eden’s loss is Brabourne’s gain
Mumbai, March 18 The Mumbai club is now gearing up to host the summit clash and has decided to install floodlights as per ICC requirements, a top source in the BCCI said today. “The CCI has been selected to host the final. They will install floodlights for hosting the final of the Champions Trophy one-day tournament,” the source said. The Eden Gardens, Kolkata, will not get to host any of the Champions Trophy matches with Ahmedabad’s Motera Stadium set to take its place. Kolkata’s loss would be the CCI’s gain as the Brabourne Stadium had stopped hosting international matches, barring a few ODIs once in a while, since 1972. All Tests and ODIs in Mumbai are held at Mumbai Cricket Association’s Wankhede Stadium, a stone’s throw away from the CCI venue. CAB cries foul
Kolkata: Accusing the BCCI of playing politics in denying the Eden Gardens an opportunity to host Champions Trophy matches later this year, Cricket Association of Bengal on Saturday said it had never put any “unreasonable demand”. “It is simply because of board politics that a venue like the Eden Gardens is being discriminated against,” CAB joint secretary Saradindu Pal told PTI here.
— PTI |
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Clark takes Australia to early victory
Cape Town, March 18 Clark took four for 34 as South Africa were bowled out for 197 in their second innings. Australian opening batsmen Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden put on 71 but fast bowler Makhaya Ntini took three wickets in five balls before Australia reached the victory target of 95. Australia's win in the first Test of a three-match series follows a 2-0 series win in Australia earlier in the season. Bowling accurately at fast-medium pace, Clark finished with match figures of nine for 89. He took five for 55 in the first innings.
— AFP |
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Salgaocar hold JCT goal-less
Ludhiana, March 18 In an edge-of-the-seat contest, Salgaocar seldom let down their guard and relied on tight man-to-man marking to check the marauding JCT forwards, who made a couple of close calls but failed to beat Juje Siddi under the rival bar. JCT were in command of the proceedings from the onset with star Brazilian striker Marcos Pereira spearheading wave after wave of well-orchestrated attacks. Striker Parveen Kumar, along with the diminutive Baldeep Singh also excelled upfront although the former missed a couple of gilt-edged chances in either half. Stopper back Julius Akpele’s stellar role in the defence also did not go un-noticed and he was deservedly chosen for the man-of-the-match award. The role of wing back Harish Sharma also came in for special praise. Led by stopper back Roberto Fernandes, Salgaocar, winners of the NFL title in 1998-99, were well served by Brazilian recruits Fabio dos Passos and Bruno de Oliveira. Fabio in particular looked threatening on a couple of occasions as he menacingly cut past JCT midfielders but failed to inflict any damage. Although JCT missed the services of regular goalkeeper Kalyan Chaubey following two yellow-card bookings and forward Johnson Banner, substitutes Karanjit Singh and Sunil Chhetri performed creditably providing JCT a clear edge in the fast-paced encounter. The match was off to an electrifying start as Baldeep Singh got past Fabio dos Passos and put Sunil Chhetri in possession. However, Chhetri was ruled off side. Salgaocar also launched a counter attack but Bruno Oliveira’s back volley from inside the box was off target. A few minutes later, Bruno again dodged past a couple of JCT defenders but Karanjit neatly collected his well-directed shot under the JCT bar. In the 23rd minute, JCT had a golden chance when striker Parveen, having got past Roberto Fernandes inside the box, found himself face-to-face with the goalkeeper. However, despite having a clear view of the goal, he shot wide. A powerful right footer by Marcos Pereira, who successfully dispossessed a defender, also went abegging as the ball sailed over the bar. Salgaocar, in fact, were lucky to survive a flurry of attacks carried out by Chhetri and Marcos Pereira a few minutes before half time. On changing ends, JCT were once again down to serious business with Shivraj Singh’s powerful shot from 25 yards skimming the bar by inches. A flag kick earned by JCT was followed by Sukhwinder’s well-directed header but the ball missed the target. Off a counter-attack, Salgaocar’s Bruno Oliveira despatched a powerful right footer but only managed to send the ball over the horizontal. In the dying minutes, JCT missed two good opportunities. First striker Parveen Kumar, who was air-borne to connect a cross inside the box with a bicycle kick, saw his attempt going waste as a defender took the full impact on his body. A few minutes before the long whistle, a misunderstanding between Marcos Pereira and substitute Surjit Singh saw the ball crossing the goal-line with neither being able to capitalise on the chance. With today’s draw, JCT’s tally has gone up to 10 points while Salgaocar now have seven points. |
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Minerva
beat BBF Club by 9 wickets Fatehgarh Sahib, March 18 Mr Charanjiv
Channa, president Municipal Council, Sirhind-Fatehgarh Sahib, inaugurated the tournament while Mr Bhupinder Singh presided over the function. In the match, Mr Saida Khan of the Minerva Academy scored the highest with 45 runs, where as Mr Rajesh Sharma of the academy scored 41 runs. In the second semifinal, the Gymkhana Club, Mohali, beat the Jai Bhawani Club, Ludhiana, by 22 runs. Mr Amarjit Singh Cheema, president, All India Gandhi Vichar Manch, inaugurated the second semifinal. In the match, Mr Navdeep Singh of Gymkhana Club scored the highest 29 runs. Mr Cheema donated Rs 21,000 to the Bassi Pathana club, where as Mr Bhupinder Singh donated Rs 7,500 to the club. According to Mr Sukhwinder Singh
ADTO, who is the patron of the club, said the final match would be played tomorrow. Dr Harbans Lal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, would be the chief guest and he would give away prizes to the winners.
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