Chandigarh, February 4
In a fast-paced match, India refused to buckle under pressure exerted by a relentless Holland in the dying stages of the game as the Punjab Gold Cup Hockey match at the Sector 42 hockey stadium ended in a 2-2 draw.

As was the case in the first game between the two teams, this game also turned out to be action packed and rose to dizzy heights, particularly in the second half.

Indian custodian Baljit Singh again proved his mettle under the bar to ensure that the hosts did not yield ground at the crucial stage to the rivals. Man of the Match Vikram Pillay played a crucial role. He fed forwards good passes and made crucial saves in thwarting sharp rival moves near the India goalpost.

Both the teams had their moments as they resumed on-field rivalry. India wove the first move just as the game began with Shivender making the first foray and then handing over the ball possession to Prabhjot, who, however, was thwarted by alert rival defenders.

Holland had a chance, but Lucas Judge lurking near the Indian goalpost shot wide. Jeroen Hertzberger was in the thick of action this time, but his stroke missed the citadel by a big margin. The rival forwards again raided the India danger area and unleashed a powerful shot, which was padded away by Baljit.

In a counter attack, Gurbaz did some spadework and let go a rasping stoke which an alert Teun Rohof easily cleared. Tushar Khandekar was in the action this time and wove a dangerous move in the 28th minute after being fed by Vikram Pillay. After entering the danger area, he gave a diagonal pass which remained out of the reach of Shivender.

An unmarked Hertzberger lurking just wards away from Bajlit tapped the ball in as Holland took 1-0 lead in 32nd minute. At half time Holland were leading by the lone goal.

The game gathered momentum after the resumption of play. India restored parity within no time when a measured Ajun Halappa pass charging from the right flank was shot home by Shivender in the 37th minute.

Holland launched an attack, but Eby Kesing’s diagonal pass went abegging. The visitors, desperate to snatch lead, forced the first corner of the match in the 51st minute, but the danger was averted by Baljit. Not the ones to give up, Holland again forced a penalty corner hardly a minute later but this time Geert-jan Derikx sounded the board after the attempt was blocked by Tushar Khandekar.

Not to be left behind, Prabhjot drew level for India barely two minutes after a goalmouth melee saw the veteran forward getting possession of the ball.

During the dying stages of the game, Holland made concerted efforts to forge ahead once again, but alert Indian defenders and Baljit standing tall, India weathered the storm without causing any damage.

Tribune News Service
Hockey, by it’s very nature, is considered to be a fast-paced and spontaneously exciting sport. But Olympic champions Germany and New Zealand had other things in mind as they stepped out to play their first game of the second round for the Punjab Gold Cup here today. The two teams played out a dull and at times painfully boring draw, which saw them ‘cement’ their place at the bottom of the points table.

The game had to wait till the 14th minute to come to life when New Zealand were awarded a penalty corner. But there was too much confusion in the German 16-yard box that eventually saw the ball being cleared out by the German defence.

There was barely a shot on either goal and it seemed like a pre-match practice session, lacking not only the end result but also the intensity at times. The Germans, who looked like they were on their defensive and wasteful best at the same time, got a penalty corner and finally the Kiwi custodian Pontifex was made to move a muscle to effect a save. The score was an expected 0-0 at the breather.

The last time the two teams had played, the second half had been action packed as Germany had pulled back two goals to earn a draw. But today, there were to be no such fireworks. Apart from a shot by Lloyd Stephenson that hit the post, there was not much to excite the crowd. The game ended 0-0 and for his contribution in ensuring the stalemate, New Zealand’s goal keeper Kyle Pontifex was declared the Man of the match.

New Delhi, February 4
Miffed with Harendra Singh for his emotional outburst against him, Indian hockey’s ad-hoc selection committee member Aslam Sher Khan today warned the coach-in-charge against interfering in selection matters.

Harendra and Sher Khan have been engaged in a war of words ever since the latter’s ‘perform or perish’ comment on team’s senior players in the middle of the on-going Punjab Gold Cup in Chandigarh.

An emotional Harendra yesterday lambasted Sher Khan for his comments, saying such statements were lowering the side’s morale. Reacting to Harendra's criticism, Sher Khan said his comments did not deserve such an angry outburst from the coach-in-charge.

“I didn’t say anything that should have invited such criticism. India has to compete in next year’s World Cup, the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games. So the team has be future-oriented. The senior players have got a chance to prove their worth in the ongoing Gold Cup,” he said.

“If they don’t live up to expectations then we have to find a way to give them an honourable farewell. Team selection is the selectors’ job and the coach shouldn’t interfere in such matters,” he added.

In his response Harendra said the selector should not have made such a statement in the middle of an international tournament as it hurts players’ morale.

“My point is that he shouldn’t be making such statements in the middle of the tournament. It affects the team morale. I am happy with the senior players' performance.

I will submit my assessment report regarding their performance after the tournament. If the selection committee doesn’t like it they can remove me,” he said. — PTI

Colombo, February 4
Having clinched the five-match series by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead, India will try out some of their reserve players when they take on Sri Lanka in an inconsequential fourth one-dayer here tomorrow, seeking to notch up a record-breaking ninth consecutive win.

Although the visitors would ideally like to make a clean sweep of the series, giving an opportunity to the bench players will be their priority in the remaining two matches.

Everything has gone well for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men in the series and the team will be keen to keep the winning sequence going for a record ninth consecutive match tomorrow.

The Indian batting has been far superior than the home team and the bowling has also been quite disciplined to bring about the desired results.

Dhoni made it clear after yesterday's match that giving reserve players a chance to prove themselves was more important than retaining the winning squad in pursuit of their record ninth straight ODI win.

"We are not looking at the record. Rather, we will give chance to players who didn't get a chance to play in the series so far," Dhoni said.

"We are 3-0 up and have already won the series. It gives us an opportunity to play those players. For us, this is the priority. The team is not looking at the record but giving chance to those players," he said.

India humiliated Sri Lanka with a 147-run win under floodlights at the R Premadasa stadium yesterday to seal the series.

Sri Lanka, however, have only pride to play for in the remaining matches which are of mere academic interest now.

The home side, who are playing non-stop cricket for last five months, will be under pressure to regroup and rediscover their winning form.

Captain Mahela Jayawardene will have to ensure that his team executed the game plan well to win the next two matches and reclaim their confidence ahead of the busy season.

Jayawardene admitted his team was not up to the standard of Dhoni's India and there were some grey areas to be fixed, especially the bowling which was absolutely off the mark yesterday.

"There are certain areas we need to tighten up. Against a good opposition like India, certain things were not up to the standard," he said.

"We'll definitely have a chat with the selectors now but we need our best team to win the next two matches, which is very important to get back the confidence. We have a lot of cricket ahead," he said. — PTI 

Chandigarh, February 4
The stage is set for a heady mix of Olympic and traditional sports events and a display of bizarre physical exploits when the 74th Kila Raipur Sports Festival unfolds its four-day sporting extravaganza at the seven- acre open stadium of this small village, situated 17 km south of Ludhiana, from February 12 to 15, organising secretary Sukhvir Singh Grewal, announced here today.

Popularly known as the Rural Olympics the annual rural event this time will see the country’s top athletes in action. Top hockey teams - Punjab Police and the BSF - besides the four best basketball teams of the state will also sweat it out for the title.

The rural mela attracts participants from all over globe, including a strong cxontingent of NRIs.. And age is no bar. From a seven-year-old to a 80-year-old they will display their physical prowess and trickery angling for the prize money which is being doled out for each event by the Grewal Sports Association, which has been running this annual carnival for the past 74 years.

This year the prize money for each event in athletics will be Rs 5,000 for the winner and Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 for the first and second runner-up, respectively.

More than 5,000 sportspersons, both in Olympic and traditional events, will converge on the dusty fields watched by over 4 lakh spectators and viewed on television as also lovers of this sporting event in Canada and England during the three-day carnival.

Foreign television companies will be competing with the Indian TV channels to shoot the entire three-day bonanza, which will include the prized bullock-cart race. The elimination races, starting on February 11 and 12, will see the bulls galloping down with the jockeys balancing precariously on their small carts.

This race is the main attraction of the mela. Prized oxen from all over the region will be participating in the elimination race to be held one day before the inauguration.

Tent pegging will also be a major event, which will require clocklike precision and uncanny sense of anticipation as the riders pierce the planted pegs while galloping down on their horses.

The festival on such a large scale has been made possible because of the sponsorship by companies who have love for the sport high on the agenda. The inauguration and closing ceremony will be colourful events with fireworks illuminating the skies. Each evening the spectators and the participants will be regaled by Punjabi folk singers and artistes performing the giddha, bhangra, Rajasthani dance and the Haryanvi dance.