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India need to get over last-minute blues
Pakistan draw with Spain
Paes ends title drought
Navratilova signs off with title win
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Mahmood helps England level series
SGFI finalises event schedule
Indian colts post huge win
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India need to get over last-minute blues
India vs Korea
Monchengladbach, September 10 Not only against the Koreans, but India would also have to put it across the Netherlands the following day — a tall ask given their lacklustre show in the mega event so far. Coach Vasudevan Baskaran attributed India’s 3-2 defeats to Germany and England followed by the 1-1 draw with South Africa to the inability of the Indian players to see through the final 10 minutes of the match. “We were 2-2 with Germany on the first day and led England and South Africa 1-0 until the last 10 minutes or so when we conceded goals. I would put it down to lack of communication on the pitch and also our inability to regroup during difficult situations,” said Baskaran as he reflected on India’s showing. The rest day today was spent on introspection and as goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza said the players now need to get together for the difficult matches ahead. The Korean campaign began on a strong note when they surprised the Dutch 3-2 in their opening fixture, but struggled to beat England 1-0 as if they had run out of steam after their Herculean effort on the first day. Nevertheless, the Koreans can be expected to come out full blast against India as a win would take them closer to a semifinal berth. India had comfortably beaten Korea 3-0 in their previous meeting in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup eight-nation tournament at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in June. However, not much can be read in that result as the tournament was more a warm-up for the World Cup with all teams, including India, in the process of preparations for the trip to Germany. If anything, the Indians are expected to go into tomorrow’s match with a little more confidence keeping in mind the result at Kuala Lumpur. “In the World Cup, there are no easy matches. True, we have not had a good run so far, but still, if we play positively in our remaining two matches in the league, then we can fare well,” Baskaran said. There is a huge gap between a good performance and a good result. Though the Indians played well enough to keep pace with the Germans on the first day, it did not reflect in the end result. India also blew away a good chance to beat England and South Africa. The Dutch have recovered well after the defeat to Korea, and beat South Africa 2-0. However, a 2-2 draw with Germany last night checked the Dutch progress with their coach Roelant Oltmans stating that his team was cheated of a penalty stroke and a possible goal. The topsy-turvy results in the pool matches could yet continue this week. Should India play out of their skins to win their remaining two matches, then they will finish with seven points. However, Korea (6 points) and the Netherlands (4) are still to play South Africa, the weakest team in the pool.
— PTI
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Pakistan draw with Spain
Monchengladbach, September 10 Abbas, who came out of retirement earlier this year, converted Pakistan’s only penalty corner in the 52nd minute to level the scores 2-2 and ensure that the teams remain tied on points, each having five from three matches. Earlier, Rehan Butt tapped the ball between goalkeeper Bernardino Harrera in the 11th minute after a fast left-wing move to put Pakistan ahead. But Spain equalised in the 28th minute as Santiago Freixa shot a reverse hit into the goal and past the 40th minute took a 2-1 advantage when Pol Amat converted a penalty stroke that Pakistan hotly disputed. Australia rout Argentina 4-0
Olympic champions Australia turned on the heat and romped to a 4-0 win against Argentina for their first win in two pool A matches of the hockey World Cup here yesterday. The Aussies, No.1 in the FIH world rankings, exhibited awesome pace and power on way to the runaway victory with goals by Luke Doerner (24th), Russell Ford (25th), Michael McCann (31st) and Robert Hammond (55th). Argentina just could not match the Aussies in pace and precision and were simply outplayed while sliding to their second defeat in three matches. Australia, hungry for their first success after losing to Spain in their opening league match, hustled Argentina from the start and never let up on the pressure. Germany beat England 2-1
Two goals by Christopher Zeller set up a 2-1 win for Germany against a fighting England here today. Zeller, the key man for the hosts, first converted a penalty corner in the 24th minute and then a penalty stroke in the 42nd after his attempt on goal struck defender Scott Cordon on the foot. For England, Simon Mantell came good with a 34th minute penalty stroke after goalkeeper Ulrich Bulbolz brought down Richard
Mantell. Germany, who are the defending champions, increased their tally to seven points from three matches. It was England’s second defeat following their 1-0 loss to Korea after having beaten India 3-2 in their opening league fixture. New Zealand beat Japan
A 43rd minute goal by Simon Child powered New Zealand to a 1-0 victory against Japan and placed them at the top of pool A with seven points in the hockey World Cup here yesterday. The Kiwis had to work hard for their second win in three matches by the determined Japanese who had lost their previous game to Pakistan. But the Kiwis were never really threatened and bided their time before Child flicked in a pass from Phillip Burrows.
— PTI
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Sharapova wins US Open
New York, September 10 Sharapova burst onto the tennis - and endorsement - scene by winning Wimbledon in 2004 at age 17. She’d come close to adding more major championships since but went 0-5 in Grand Slam semifinals - until this tournament. When Henin-Hardenne, a finalist at all four majors this year, slapped one last forehand into the net, Sharapova dropped to her knees and covered her face, then rose and trotted to shake hands. Then Sharapova hopped up and down, looking for the first time all night like any other teen. She climbed into the stands, losing her way briefly until being helped by an usher, for hugs with her father and her hitting partner, who’ve been sending her signals during matches about when to drink water or eat bananas. But Sharapova needed very little help on court against Henin-Hardenne, a five-time major champion who would have returned to No. 1 in the rankings with a victory. Sharapova was pretty impressive against a player of Henin-Hardenne’s calibre. The Belgian entered the night leading all women in matches won (54), Grand Slam matches won (25) and tournament titles (five). But she finally succumbed to Sharapova’s power and relentless shotmaking. Sharapova makes about $ 20 million a year from endorsement deals, and she signed a “lifetime” contract with her racket maker shortly before the US Open began. Federer, Roddick to battle for title
Twice defending champion Roger Federer and former world No. 1 Andy Roddick will square off in a mouth-watering U.S. Open final after rolling over Russians in their semifinals. Federer needed an hour and 43 minutes to breeze past iron man Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 to become the first man in the Open era to reach six straight Grand Slam finals. Roddick recovered from a first-set wobble to oust unseeded Mikhail Youzhny 6-7, 6-0, 7-6, 6-3 and reach his first Open final since winning the tournament in 2003. “I’m going to enjoy this for about five minutes and then eat a lot tonight, try to get some sleep, and then try to win the U.S. Open tomorrow,” Roddick told a cheering, capacity crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Federer has a 10-1 record against Roddick, the lone setback in 2003 on a hard court in Montreal. The Swiss has won both times they have met in Grand Slam finals, both at Wimbledon. Federer has a 20-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows and has lost just one set, a tiebreaker, in his six matches on the Open hard courts this year. Davydenko, a tireless 25-year-old baseliner who has taken just two weeks off this year, has now lost to Federer in all eight career matches. The Russian was beaten by Federer in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6 but this time
offered less resistance. Ninth seeded Roddick won the Open three years ago but despite reaching two straight Wimbledon finals has failed to capture any grand slams since and slipped out of the world’s top 10 this year.
— AP, Reuters
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Paes ends title drought
New York, September 10 Paes and Damm scored a shock 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-3 victory over second seeds Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden and Max Mirnyi of Belarus in the final at the Flushing Meadows. Paes, 33, last registered a Grand Slam triumph in 2001 at the French Open with Mahesh Bhupathi, with whom he also won the French Open and the Wimbledon in 1999. This is also Damm’s first ever major title. Paes has also won three mixed doubles titles in Grand Slams. Paes and Damm pocketed $ 400,000 as winner’s prize money. The lengthy opening set was a power struggle that stayed on serve to force a tiebreak. Even then, Bjorkman and Mirnyi just barely slid by. The 6’5” Mirnyi, nicknamed “the beast,” used his enormous reach to take care of some high overhead shots. While across the net, Paes clinched numerous points by poaching. Both teams were equally fierce on their serves, but Bjorkman and Mirnyi’s 15 unforced errors and 9 double faults cost them the match. In the second set, the gap started to widen. The expressive Paes, who was slamming down his racket in frustration in the first set, now pumped his fist, initiated chest pumps with Damm, and performed erratic dance moves as the two nudged their way ahead in the second set. In the third set, both teams fought it out until Paes and Damm, up 4-3, managed to snatch a break to serve for the match. When Damm pounded back an overhead for a sideline winner to secure the title, a jubilant Paes bounded into his arms. Leander mulls singles action
After winning his first Grand Slam men’s doubles title in five years at the US Open, Leander Paes has his eyes firmly set on the Doha Asian Games and has not ruled out taking the court in singles competition at the quadrennial mega event. “I still love playing singles and still feel really fit to continue my duties in Davis Cup and Asian Games or Olympics. Singles is definitely not out of the question. It is a matter of whether the body is ready for it just when the time is calling,” Paes said. Paes was also looking forward to grabbing an Asian Games gold medal in Doha by teaming up with Sania Mirza in the mixed doubles. “I would look forward to playing with her. I was surprised when four days ago in the gym, Sania came up and asked ‘are you playing mixed doubles with me or what.’ “Last Asian Games, we got a bronze medal so there is lot of history in the partnership. It would be nice to share space on the court and hope we can do it better and come home with a gold,” he told NDTV. The US Open triumph victory of Paes and Damm sealed their spot at the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai and Paes was expecting a good performance in the Chinese port city. “It (qualification) is fantastic. I enjoy my partnership with Martin and look forward to the Masters Cup with him.”
— PTI
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Navratilova signs off with title win
New York, September 10 It was the 354th title in singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles of her career, the first being when she was still a citizen of Czechoslovakia in 1974. “I won my first (US Open) title here in 1983. It has been quite a run. This will make my mother happy. She gets so nervous when I play. I have so many memories.” The 49-year-old Navratilova retired once before and did not play on the WTA Tour for five years between 1995 and 1999. She returned in 2000, playing almost entirely doubles. Navratilova’s longevity over a glorious 31-year professional career has brought her a string of titles and trophies. Besides her seven Wimbledon crowns she has 167 singles titles, the most by any player of either sex.
— AFP |
Schumacher wins Italian GP
Monza, September 10 McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen took second place after starting on pole position with Poland’s Robert Kubica an impressive third for BMW Sauber in only his third grand prix since replacing former champion Jacques Villeneuve. Meanwhile, Schumacher, the most successful Formula One driver of all time, told a post-race news conference that he was retiring from the sport at the end of the season. Ferrari announced the German’s decision just minutes after Schumacher won the Italian Grand Prix. “It has been a really tough decision not to work together at this level but I knew that one day it had to come,” Schumacher said. “All these years in Formula 1 have been amazing, especially those spent alongside my friends in the Scuderia (Ferrari),” he said. “Soon my future will belong to my family, while I am happy to be still part of Ferrari. But for now, what matters is this world championship,” said the German. Schumacher is second in the championship, just two points behind Renault’s Fernando Alonso. Finland’s Kimi Raikkonen and Brazilian Felipe Massa will race for Ferrari next season, the team said. Raikkonen, currently with McLaren, has agreed a three-year deal while Massa’s contract was extended to the end of 2008. Schumacher said he was happy with the signing of Raikkonen. “I was really pleased to hear that he would be the person,” said the German. It was not clear what future position Schumacher might take with Ferrari but the team said they would define his role at the end of the year. “Now I just want to concentrate on the last three wins and finish the season in style, hopefully with the championship. We took a big step today,” said Schumacher. The German has won an unprecedented seven titles in a career that has seen him set a long list of records, including most wins, pole positions, podium finishes, fastest laps and wins in a season.
— Reuters
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Mahmood helps England level series
Birmingham, September 10 Set a meagre 155 to win, England finished on 155 for seven with 19 overs to spare. Michael Yardy was 12 not out and Mahmood, who came in at 118 for seven, was 22 not out after taking two for 24 in his maximum 10 overs. England's attack had put them in a position to gain a morale-boosting victory ahead of next month's ICC Champions Trophy one-day tournament in India by restricting Pakistan to 154 for nine in 50 overs. Fast bowler Mahmood, the son of Pakistani immigrants, responded to the jeers of the massed ranks of Pakistan supporters with two wickets the only individual total above 18 in Pakistan's innings with extras scond-top on 24. What made Pakistan’s performance all the more impressive was that they were without lead fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar because of a knee injury. Scoreboard Pakistan Hafeez b Mahmood 18 Farhat run out 15 Afridi b Lewis 2 Younis c Joyce b Dalrymple 47 Yousuf c Strauss b Mahmood 11 Inzamam lbw Collingwood 2 Razzaq b Collingwood 5 Akmal c Read b Yardy 4 Naved b Dalrymple 8 Anjum not out 14 Asif not out 4 Extras
(lb-10, nb-1, w-13) 24 Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 154 Fall of wickets:
1-43, 2-47, 3-51, 4-68, 5-72, 6-91, 7-102, 8-124, 9-135. Bowling:
Broad 9-0-37-0 , Lewis 10-1-25-1, Mahmood 10-2-24-2, Collingwood 8-0-23-2, Yardy 7-0-22-1, Dalrymple 6-0-13-2. England Joyce b Asif 8 Strauss c Akmal b Anjum 35 Bell c Farhat b Asif 2 Pietersen b Afridi 34 Collingwood lbw Razzaq 22 Dalrymple lbw Afridi 0 Yardy not out 12 Read c Naved b Razzaq 4 Mahmood not out 22 Extras
(b-6, lb-2, w-6, nb-2) 16 Total (7 wkts, 31 overs) 155 Fall of wickets:
1-23, 2-49, 3-49, 4-102, 5-102, 6-106, 7-118. Bowling: Asif 10-1-57-2, Naved 2-0-22-0, Rao Iftikhar 8-1-31-1, Razzaq 6-0-23-2, Afridi 5-1-14-2.
— AFP
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SGFI finalises event schedule
Chandigarh, September 10 It was presided over by Mr Ravinder Talwar. Members of both factions from 13 states participated. The members, displaying solidarity, desired that the allotment of disciplines for holding National Games be made. Punjab was allotted u-19 handball and volleyball (boys and girls), u-14, 17 and 19 basketball, judo and table soccer; Haryana will host u-14, 16 and 19 cricket (boys) and u-19 cricket (girls) and hockey (boys and girls); All-India DAV schools will conduct archery, karate, roller skating and table tennis in categories of u-14, 17 and 19, football and floorball (boys and girls) in u-14; Himachal Pradesh was allotted volleyball (boys and girls) in u-14 and u-17; Jharkhand will conduct tournaments in kho-kho and kabaddi (boys and girls) in u-19 categories while Chhattisgarh will hold football tournaments in u-19 category for both boys and girls. Members from the units of Chandigarh, J&K Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas conveyed the house to inform them about the disciplines they would conduct the games within a week. Mr K.S. Bharti, Assistant Director, Sports (Education), represented Chandigarh. Key office-bearers of the Satpal faction stayed away from the meeting. “Seven states having affiliation with Satpal faction, including Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and J&K, and KVS and NVS have joined hands with us to evolve some solution to bring about unity among the factions so that the school players should get the necessary international exposure. Two more states of south India have also confirmed their participation to join in”, said Mr Talwar. The SGFI is responsible for conducting school sports in the country. Its key office-bearers have been fighting over the control of the federation for the past many years. The Worst suffers are the children who participate in different disciplines under these two parallel bodies.
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Indian colts post huge win
Rawalpindi, September 10 Some dour batting by the late order Pakistani batsmen raised the host team’s hopes of saving the match but pacer Yo Mahesh picked four for 44 and leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who had picked three wickets in the first innings, claimed four for 50 to set up the win for India. Resuming at 63 for five this morning, the overnight pair of Imad Wasim and Behram Khan were separated only after lunch as they batted ultra defensively to save the game after being set an imposing 446 runs for victory on the third day. Wasim scored 35 from 249 balls and Behram faced 113 balls for his 18 runs. Abdul Rauf also scored a stubborn 36 from 100 balls to before Pakistan were bowled out in 75.4 overs on the final day of the match, Sunil Raju, who had taken three wickets in the first innings, and Ravindra Jadeja picked one wicket each. India, batting first, had scored 289 while Pakistan were bowled out for 147. In their second innings, India declared on 303 for six with opener Cheteshwar Pujara scoring 85 runs. — PTI
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