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Arthur defends Xavier’s selection at expense of Lyon
‘Just wanted to stay at wicket for long’
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Tiwary sustains shoulder injury, off to NCA for rehab
Sharmila still bewitched by Tiger Pataudi’s ‘hiran dance’
Pak beat South Africa by 95 runs
Djokovic’s Dubai victory widens gulf to his rivals
Fair play: Hockey stumps cricket, for now
‘Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford difficult’
Westwood feeling at home in Florida
Services retain Santosh Trophy
Deepika named ‘sportsperson of the year’ by steel major
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Young guns inflict pain on Australia
Hyderabad, March 3 Their pacemen, who were expected to be their fearsome, fiery artillery, have clearly landed in India with gunpowder damp. Their spinners, to whom Michael Clarke turned in desperation, are completely innocent of guile and skill. Australia’s day started with excessive hope and ended in intense pain; India’s day started with care and discretion, and ended with explosive strokeplay that blew the Australians apart. Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay have scored centuries that have shown that Australia don’t have the bowling to win in India. India were 311/1 at the end of the second day, already 74 runs ahead. Some fearsome hitters are waiting to have a go at the flogged, aching Australians, reduced to a pitiful state by Pujara (162) and Vijay (129). The two have already added 294 for the third wicket. They seemed good enough for another 294 when they walked back after the day’s 90 overs. To merely draw this match, Australia need a miracle. It’s unlikely to materialise because they seem to lack the right men to provide the ignition to a miracle. The day showed up Michael Clarke’s declaration yesterday, at 297/9, as excessively optimistic. He wanted to take a wicket yesterday — he got one in the whole day’s play today. The novelty and bravery of his declaration showed that he’s got the right attitude. It’s just that there are no men to do his bidding — in foreign conditions, Australia’s aggression, the flinty quality of their game exists only in their minds. It was such quality that actually kept India on the defensive in the morning session today. Only 49 runs were scored in 27 overs in the morning as James Pattinson and Peter Siddle kept a tight line and length, disallowing the Indians from breaking free. The early dismissal of Virender Sehwag — caught-behind for six — caused Vijay and Pujara to be cautious. Yet, there was no cause for alarm; the Australian threw everything, hard, at the two. Pujara and Vijay remained unruffled. Vijay, whose last Test before this series was in July 2011, was patience personified, determined to make this a big one. Pujara, a habitual scorer of big centuries, played with greater assurance. The two bade their time, waiting for the pacemen to tire out; only five fours were struck in the morning session, though they did attempt at least two risky singles. On one occasion, when he was on four, the danger of getting run-out made Pujara dive hard at the non-striker’s end. He hurt his knee in the process and was often hobbling through the course of the day. After lunch, the two opened up. Pattinson, after bowling four quick overs in the morning, returned frequently, each time with reduced number of overs and reduced pace. But Australia’s only realistic wicket-taking hope rarely beat the bat today. Glenn Maxwell, who came in as a second allrounder due to his off-spin, was introduced into the attack only as late as the 47th over. After being punished for 55 runs in 10 overs, Maxwell clearly emerged as a kneejerk, ill-advised selection. The Indians increased the scoring in the second session, scoring 106 runs off 33 overs. The last session saw the visitors endure fearful hiding, 151 runs in 30 overs. Vijay has struck 17 fours and two sixers in his 288-ball knock; Pujara has played 251 balls for his 162, and hit 25 fours and one six — only the second of his 11-match career. Vijay has taken 79 runs off 111 balls from the spinners; curiously, Pujara also has faced 111 balls from the three hapless spinners, knocked 75 runs off them. Both were confident against the spinners.
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Arthur defends Xavier’s selection at expense of Lyon
Hyderabad, March 3 Doherty, who came into the side at the expense of off-spinner Nathan Lyon, gave away 85 runs in 26 wicket-less overs and never looked like getting a wicket. Primarily, we wanted a left-arm spinner. We looked at Chennai and thought that the Indian middle-order played the off-spin particularly well. We wanted somebody who could turn it away as our primary resource, which gave Xavier an opportunity," Arthur argued as the Australian media hounded him with queries. "I thought he (Doherty) went very well today. He toiled manfully. He went about three an over which was pretty decent," he added. Although Arthur had words for praise for the axed Lyon, but he denied that this decision will dent the offie's confidence. "Not at all," he said adding, "Nathan and I have spoken at length about the summer he's had and we've given him 19 consecutive Test matches. (Dropping him) It doesn't mean we don't back him any more. We just think it was the right time after Chennai, just to give him a little bit of a break. He had a couple of technical things that we wanted to work on a little bit away from the game." The Indians batted with ease today on the same strip where Aussies found it difficult to encounter the Indian slow bowlers. "It's interesting. It was almost a little bit like Chennai. Once you got a partnership going, it looked pretty comfortable to bat. We got a partnership yesterday and suddenly all the demons that were supposedly there went away. "But it is still a pitch, where you can lose wickets in clusters. It always is in India. If you can get one, you can get two or three pretty quickly, because it’s a tough place to start. We saw that yesterday when we lost Matthew Wade and we're hoping we see a bit of that tomorrow." Arthur was honest in his assessment that both his batsmen as well as bowlers let him down. "I think it's a bit of both. The bowlers worked really tirelessly today. They had a good first session. In the second session, they started to dominate and if you have two in-form batters at tea time, they are going to hurt you, which they both did. Both of them were outstanding today. I do think we should have got more in our first innings without a doubt and again we tried and toiled today without much success." The coach tried to put up a brave front. “There's still three days left. I am backing batsmen to stand up when they need to.”
— PTI Scoreboard Australia 1st Inns: 237/9 DEC. India 1st inngs: (overnight 5/0) Vijay batting 129 Sehwag c Wade b Siddle 6 Pujara batting 162 Extras: 14 Total: (1 wkt in 93 ov) 311 Fall of wickets: 1-17 Bowling Pattinson 18-7-56-0 Siddle 19-5-51-1 Henriques 19-7-38-0 Doherty 26-7-85-0 Maxwell 10-1-55-0 live on star cricket ( 9.30 am) number game 294 run unbroken partnership between Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara is India's highest second wicket partnership vs Oz eclipsing the 224 between Mohinder Amarnath and Sunil Gavaskar at Sydney (1985-86) 3 highest for the second wicket behind the 344 (unbroken) between Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Vengsarkar against West Indies at Kolkata in 1978-79 and 314 between Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir against England at Mohali in 2008-09 64.5 is Pujara’s strike rate when he has posted a Test hundred. His aggregate of 321 at an average of 321.00 in two innings is the highest at Uppal
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‘Just wanted to stay at wicket for long’
He’d grabbed the chance to open with Virender Sehwag after Gautam Gambhir was banned for the final Test match after exchanging strong verbals with Shane Watson and elbowing him in the previous Test. Gambhir, who had made 463 runs in the series before being banned, walked back into the team and Vijay had to walk out. The next time Gambhir's missed a Test, to attend his sister’s wedding, Vijay was back in the XI, one full year later. This time he made 87 against Sri Lanka in Mumbai even as Sehwag spanked the bowling for 293. But Gambhir was soon back — he’d made centuries in the first two Tests against Sri Lanka, after all. Vijay got his next chance when VVS Laxman missed the second Test on the tour of Bangladesh in early 2010; Vijay made 30 in the only innings he got. He was in and out of the team thereafter, depending on the unavailability of someone or the other. Vijay made 139 against Australia in Bangalore in October 2010 — that seemed to be the start of a great career; Sourav Ganguly was out of the team, and two other spots seemed to be ready to be vacated. But the next nine innings yielded him only 137 runs. His knock of 116 in the Irani Trophy in January earned him a place for the series against Australia. His inclusion in the Rest of India squad had been a surprise, for he’d made only 138 in eight innings in the Ranji Trophy season. He made the occasion count. He did the same today, after failure in the first Test, in his home ground in
Chennai. After play today, Vijay said he’d been upset with himself for his failure in the first Test. “The last game really hit me hard because I gave my wicket in the second innings,” he said. “I just wanted to stay at the wicket as long as possible. that was my intention, it didn’t matter how the wicket was playing. My intention was to give a good start to the team.” This was a rare occasion he got into the team for a reason other than someone missing a Test due to some reason. Vijay was glad that he got his chance on his own merit. “Every innings in international circuit is very important for everybody,” he said. “I was really pumped up to play this series and that is what I worked for.” Vijay said it was excellent to bat with Cheteshwar Pujara, with whom he’s added 294 runs. “It is always wonderful to get a good start to the team. Partnerships like this don’t happen always,” he said. “We really cherished it. Pujara batted really well for the team.” "We took it session by session. I and Pujara decided to bat as long as possible because on this wicket, batsman coming in will find it little difficult. So that was a conscious effort by us,” Vijay added. “To be honest, pressure was there. I’m a person who does not things from outside bother me,” he said. “I was preparing to fight it out there as long as possible.” Vijay said the wicket was aiding spin, but not consistently. “Some balls are really turning and some are not,” he said. “You have to play well and not take it easy against any spinner. I think we really batted well because we did not give chances.” |
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Hyderabad Blues: Cricket in the time of bomb blast
Hyderabad, March 3 The local association forgot to pay tribute to victims of the bomb blast at Dilsukhnagar at the beginning of the match. Having realised their mistake, a two-minute silence was observed on the second day by the players of both teams. "There was a lack of coordination because we were so stressed to ensure that all security arrangements were foolproof," admitted former Hyderabad opener and senior official Dr M V Sridhar. A BCCI official remarked that players were "even ready on the first day as it should have been the case. But it was the prerogative of the local association." In the end, it was the case of better late than never. Best crowd response in a Test match: Bomb blast hasn't been able to dampen the spirit of the Hyderabadis who came in large number during the first two days. If anyone wanted to reassurance that Test cricket is alive and kicking, the first two day were examples of that. On the first day, the official attendance during tea-time was 29,435 in a stadium with 34,000 capacity. On Sunday, it was 26,071 at lunch. During the first two Tests played at this venue against New Zealand, the attendance barely reached double figures. Considering that the All India board exams (CBSE) are on, this is a big turn-out and proof that to save Test matches, one needs to have atleast two among first three days in the weekend. Like father, unlike son VVS Laxman always loved to caress the ball to the boundary but he wants his six-year-old son Sarvajeeth to "hit the ball as hard as possible." "During our backyard cricket, I always tell my son to hit it hard and forget about everything else. I hate young kids being coached excessively and stuffed with information. The basic thing is to hit the ball. "The wrist position, elbow position and these things can be taught much later. My nephew, who is seven now asks me to check his 'elbow position' during drive. I wish the fun element shouldn't be taken away from kids," Laxman was heard saying during a recent book release.
— PTI |
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Tiwary sustains shoulder injury, off to NCA for rehab
Hyderabad, March 3 Tiwary today reached Bangalore for another extensive rehabilitation programme with the physios. "The physio will be assessing my condition over there and then take a call on my rehab programme," Tiwary told PTI. Asked whether it's a shoulder dislocation, he said, "I am not very sure although the bone popped out from the shoulder region after I fell awkwardly. As of now, it looks like there has been a soft-tissue damage." Since there isn't any competitive cricket at the moment save Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (National T20), Tiwary will get exactly a month's time before the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League starts. "No one likes to be out of action and it's really frustrating to get injured. I stopped the ball but then this happened. Hopefully, I will recover in time," a dejected Tiwary said about the incident that happened yesterday. The player also missed out the entire India versus England as well as the India-Pakistan series with a severe side strain injury. He had recently made a successful comeback to competitive cricket with a half century in the Irani Trophy against Mumbai. He followed that up with a century against Australia for the India A side in a warm-up game. He also scored three half centuries for Bengal in the limited overs version with 87 against Delhi in a losing cause.
— PTI |
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Sharmila still bewitched by Tiger Pataudi’s ‘hiran dance’
"When I think back on some of Tiger's attitudes, actions and reactions that were so uniquely his own, I realise how he was an excellent mix of multiple cultural influences," Tagore writes in the foreword of "Pataudi: Nawab of Cricket", an anthology of essays on the late cricketer, published by HarperCollins. Tagore also says that punctuality was another virtue which she had to learn very quickly after her marriage to him. "The only Bengali sentence he learnt to say was 'Tumi jodi poneroh minute-er modhe toiri na howe, tahole kintu ami chole jabo' (If you don't get ready in 15 minutes, I am leaving) and that's precisely what he did," she recalls. Pataudi's father introduced him to the richness and beauty of Indian classical music and at his behest, he learnt to play the flute, the harmonium and the tabla. Tiger had also great dancing skills. “Whenever the family got together, Tiger regaled us with his 'hiran dance', which could compete with any present-day item number, and his hilarious 'Hawa mein udta jaaye' caper.” Another oft-repeated favourite was the cricket dance. “Tiger was a great Lata (Mangeshkar), Talat (Mahmood) and (Mohammad) Rafi fan and it was he who introduced me to Begum Ahktar. He was equally sporting on the dance floor if Harry Belafonte or Ella Fitzgerald were belting out their numbers," she writes. Another incident which Tagore mentions in the foreword is her photograph in a bikini that was carried on the cover of a film magazine during her acting days that created a lot of furore. "It was still early days in our relationship, he was playing at Hove for Sussex, and I was shooting for 'An Evening in Paris' in Europe. He sent me a telegram that read: 'Relax! You could only be looking very nice.' Simply that." On her association with Tiger, she writes, "I had loved Tiger for 47 years, was married to him for almost 43. We didn't make it to 50. But it was a memorable partnership; certainly, an enriching one for me." He had a form aversion to cuss words. "This always surprised me, given that he spent most of his youth away from parental proprieties. There was a time in my life when I used the word 'crap' regularly and unthinkingly. One day he asked me, 'But do you know what it means?' "And I must tell you, I stopped using it almost instantly on discovering that minor detail. He would allow himself an 'O Christ!' in moments of surprise and exasperation. That was the most extreme expression of dissatisfaction I heard through all our years together," she says. The book also has essays by Pataudi.
— PTI |
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Pak beat South Africa by 95 runs
Hafeez hammered 86 and took three wickets for 25 runs, while fast bowler Umar Gul took five for six as South Africa collapsed to 100 all out in reply to Pakistan's 195 for seven in what was effectively a series decider after the first match in Durban was washed out. Appointed Pakistan's captain in the shortest form of the game, Hafeez thrashed four sixes and nine fours off 50 balls and when he reached 73 became the first Pakistani to reach 1,000 runs in T20 internationals. His innings was in dramatic contrast to his struggles in a three-match Test series which ended last week, in which he could score only 43 runs in six innings at an average of 7.16 A second wicket partnership of 83 off 48 balls with Ahmed Shehzad (46) set Pakistan on target for a massive total but the innings lostx momentum when Hafeez was out off the third ball of the 17th over, with the total on 170. Hafeez slipped as he stepped back in his crease to hit Rory Kleinveldt to the cover boundary and he dislodged his bails. South Africa made a flying start, with AB de Villiers batting audaciously as the home side reached 48 for one in four overs. But Gul then took four wickets in six balls, spread across two overs, as the match swung irrevocably in Pakistan's favour. In between, De Villiers was bowled by Mohammad Irfan for 36, made off 22 balls with two sixes and four fours. Brief Scores: Pakistan 195/7 in 20 overs (Mohammad Hafeez 86, Ahmed Shehzad 46, C morris 2/35, RK Kleinveldt 2/27, Abbott 1/41); South Africa: ( 100 in all out 12.2/20 overs (AB de Villiers 36, Kleinveldt 22, Umar Gul 5/6, Mohammad Hafeez 3/25). WI begin steady Antigua: West Indies skipper Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bat against Zimbabwe in the second T20 match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday. West Indies were 35/1 in 5.5overs after winning the toss. Lendl Simmons (15) and Dwayne Bravo 9 were at the crease. Earlier An 85-run third wicket Partnership between Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Bravo, guided the Windies to an eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the first of the two-match T20I series between the two teams. Zimbabwe set them a target of 131 runs, and in reply Windies’ opening batsmen smashes six sixes and overhauled the target easily. West Indies captain Darren Sammy said "It was a clinical result because we did just what we wanted to do. We wish for to win our home town trophy after world title.” The opener had hit five consecutive fours off fellow opening bowler Kyle Jarvis, before Zimbabwean strike bowler Mpofu trapped Johnson Charles leg-before. Zimbabwe did not cash in on the opportunity of getting rid of Dwayne Bravo early on, as Malcolm Waller and Craig Ervine put on 60 for the fourth wicket. Zimbabwean captain, who once again called correctly at the toss and chose to take first strike, continued his poor run on the tour with the bat, falling without scoring to Samuels. A downcast Taylor said that "It`s really frustrating that our top three batters aren't giving us good starts, but despite that, I thought Waller and Ervine played really well," West Indies hosts were outstanding in the first T20 on Saturday and registered a comfortable win by eight wickets. Zimbabwe, on the otherhand, will look to carry some momentum to level the series 1-1. — Agencies
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Nadal wears the sombrero
Acapulco, Mexico, March 3 The former world number one, who has never lost to a fellow Spaniard in a final, kept his perfect record intact by routing reigning three-time champion Ferrer 6-0, 6-2 to win his 38th clay court title. Since returning from a seven-month absence with a left knee injury in February, Nadal has won 12 of his 13 matches, finishing as runner-up in Vina del Mar, Chile, before triumphing in Sao Paulo last month. “I have had some difficult months, especially during my time away from tennis. But I take with me fond memories of returning to Acapulco,” said Nadal, currently ranked fifth in the world. “I feel good being back on court,” the Spaniard added. “I have to thank my family and everyone involved in my rehabilitation. It has been a difficult time over the last few months.” The 11-time Grand Slam winner needed just 65 minutes to clinch his 52nd ATP Tour title, serving brilliantly throughout and winning 81 percent of his first-serve points. He saved both break points he faced. “I am sorry about this result but I know Ferrer will be back and I consider him one of the great players of today,” Nadal said of the world number four and top seed, who won the title in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Nadal, 26, never allowed Ferrer to get into the contest, winning the first eight games and breaking his countryman five times. “I want to congratulate Rafa. He is not an easy player to beat,” said Ferrer, 30. “If I have to lose I am happy to lose to Rafa.” In the women’s final, Italian top seed Sara Errani breezed past second seed Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-0, 6-4.
— AFP |
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Djokovic’s Dubai victory widens gulf to his rivals Dubai, March 3 Djokovic, who did not drop a set all week and played better with every match, has been on fire ever since losing to Andy Murray in last year's US Open final. He has won five of the six tournaments he has played since New York, his only defeat coming at the Paris Masters in October, when his mind was clearly elsewhere, his father having been taken seriously ill. The 36th title of Djokovic's career is set to take the 25-year-old Serb some 3,700 points clear of Roger Federer, the world No 2, in tomorrow's updated rankings. It is hard to envisage any scenario, other than a serious injury, in which he will not be world No 1 by the time the French Open and Wimbledon. Djokovic is at his best on outdoor hard courts and loves the quick conditions here. He has now won 23 of his past 24 matches in Dubai, his only defeat is against Murray in last year's semifinals. — The Independent
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Fair play: Hockey stumps cricket, for now
As if in a descent from a dream, we had the world's best players, coaches, umpires and hockey managers come together, to choreograph world- class hockey of frenetic pace. There were 34 games in 28 days, something unheard of at this level. Where did we have 59 Olympians, 45 World Cup players and 56 Champions Trophy players from 5 continents and 9 countries play in one hockey league? Apart from 70 players from India, there were 20 from Australia and 9 from the Netherlands alone, and players from England, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Malaysia as well. Ranchi Rhinos alone had players from 8 countries. The league's cosmopolitanism was matched by a crackling contest. As Michael Nobbs, the coach of the Indian men's team told me, the criss- crossing travel to distant venues, and the short recovery time between matches made this the hardest tournament in the world. Victorious Ranchi's composed resilience in the finals sent 15,000 adoring home fans into delirium. "I have never experienced this before," said FIH Player of the Year 2012 Moritz Fuerste at the awards ceremony. In the Delhi games I watched, the presence of so many youths was heartening, with festoons and flags, I Love Hockey stickers, and chants of paeans to their favourite players and teams. All this, while the Indian and English cricket teams were playing a series of one- day internationals. The League had 14.6 million television viewers for the 6 matches during the first week, 1.7 times the viewers for the UEFA Euro 2012, and 24 times the viewers for the I- League. Is hockey at last able to offer a parallel sporting universe to cricket? To make hockey work, ordinary people need to understand its nuances. In India, we have not often seen live coverage of the same hockey game in Hindi and English on two different channels. Despite its fall, Indian sports editors carve regular space for hockey stories. In contrast, hockey faded from the sports pages of British newspapers soon after the London Olympics, even though Great Britain is fourth- ranked in the world. Hockey's growing internationalism is evident in the coverage the League got in leading hockey- playing nations. It was telecast live on Australia's Fox 2 sports channel, and One World Sports of the U.S. The League was live streamed on You Tube and America ONE Sports, and had 2,400 Twitter followers. According to Dr. Narinder Batra, Secretary General of Hockey India, it was telecast in 83 countries in 5 continents. FIH President Leandro Negre noted a good following in Europe. Hockey will thrive if we create an anecdotal history around the sport's heart- warming moments. In the League the players played hard, but not ugly. My heroes were Sardar Singh and Moritz Fuerste. While Singh led by example and made his power hockey look sublime, Fuerste couched his brilliance in endearing human stories. Who could have expected Fuerste, a double Olympics gold medallist, to hug the teenager, Mandeep Singh, after Singh had missed an easy scoring opportunity against Delhi in the finals? The League has barrelled through the month to a glittering climax. In the coming years it will lose the feel of being a spectacle, as the contests become psychologically searing. But it has bonded the hockey fraternity in one of the most multinational and multicultural events that was not the Olympics or the World Cup. But longevity requires careful nurturing. After a fine start, the League will need to lure the smart phone generation to taking time off to celebrate our beautiful sport. But first, let us salute Hockey India for pulling off such a daring feat. — Jitendra Nath Misra is an Indian Foreign Service officer. The views are his own, not those of the government of India. |
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‘Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford difficult’
One British Sunday newspaper reported he would be willing take a massive pay cut to rejoin United, the club he left for a world record 80 million pounds (92 million euros, 120 million dollars). But, according to another, manager Alex Ferguson has rubbished reports the former idol would be back with the club next summer. All the same, United captain Patrice Evra is hopeful his old team-mate is overwhelmed by the reception awaiting him. Evra says that having spoken to him after the 1-1 draw in Madrid, he feels Ronaldo may find it difficult knowing so much good feeling for him remains amongst the Red Devils faithful. "It is difficult when you play with love," Evra told MUTV. "Cristiano will get a great reception on Tuesday because of what he achieved for Manchester United. The fans will never forget what he did. "Also, he still loves the club. I remember after the game in Madrid we had a chat. He said it was going to be more difficult to come here. "This is his house, so there will be a lot of emotion. I hope he doesn't play well because of that. "But Ronaldo is a winner." Arsenal owner committed for 'long term' says club
Arsenal says owner Stan Kroenke has no plans to sell his majority stake after reports in a British newspaper claimed a Middle East consortium was ready to make a bid of 1.5 billion pounds ($2.25 million) for the Premier League club. The Sunday Telegraph said an unidentified group backed by funds from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates wanted to make a cash offer to buy 100 percent of the club, and would make substantial transfer funds available and slash ticket prices. The report said a meeting had been requested with Kroenke, who owns 66.83 percent of Arsenal. Arsenal communications director Mark Gonnella said Sunday that "Stan Kroenke is committed to Arsenal for the long term and has no intention of selling his stake."
— Agencies |
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Westwood feeling at home in Florida
Nothing is a problem really and playing on this tour, you are spoilt really," Westwood told reporters after his even-par 70 left him two shots off the Honda Classic lead heading into Sunday's final round. Last week, Westwood officially moved into his home by the Old Palm golf club, just two miles from this week's tournament and a very diffent environment to his home town of Worksop, 20 miles from Sheffield. The world number nine is therefore enjoying a version of home support at the PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, where he will aim to unseat American joint leaders Luke Guthrie and Michael Thompson. "When I walk on 17 and they say I'm from Palm Beach Gardens, a bigger cheer goes up than when it's from Worksop, for sure," joked Westwood. "But I've got a lot of support in the States as it is, but probably even more so now that I've moved here," he said. It took a while for Westwood to make the move away from his roots. Unlike Luke Donald and Graeme McDowell, Westwood didn't play college golf in the United States and long resisted the temptation to follow many British and Irish golfers and set up his main base in the golfer's paradise of Florida. Instead, his non-tournament time was spent in Worksop, where the weather wasn't always conducive to practice and the different green speeds forced him to adapt when coming to tour events. "I was just getting frustrated with the weather in the winters in England, not being able to work as hard as I would like and coming out at the start of the year really rusty," he said. "I wanted to come and live in the sunshine." Having spent years on the PGA Tour, Westwood is no stranger to the States, and he is familiar with the sporting scene in the country - watching the NBA, the NFL and making sure to correct football to soccer when talking to American reporters. His main concern was whether his wife Laurae, and their two children, Sam and Poppy, would feel at home in Florida but so far the family is adapting well. "Everyone is loving it so far, my family have settled in well which was my main worry really, that the kids weren't going to settle at school, but they have lots of friends already," he said. Victory on Sunday would surely help the entire process but Westwood's broader goal is to add considerably to his two wins on the PGA Tour. "I've got 40 career wins and only two of them in the States, I need to try and change that," he said.
— AP |
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Bulls beat Nets to close on Central lead
Chicago, March 3 Joakim Noah had 21 points and 10 rebounds while Carlos Boozer scored 20 points for the Bulls, who began March on a winning note after going 5-8 in February; just their second losing month in 2½ seasons under coach Tom Thibodeau. Also Saturday, Philadelphia ended a seven-game skid by beating Golden State, Milwaukee downed Toronto in overtime and Portland earned only their second win in almost a month by defeating Minnesota. Chicago's Noah followed up the third triple-double of his career with another terrific performance that also included four blocks. He committed five turnovers, but it was an impressive follow-up to Thursday's gem, when he had 23 points, 21 rebounds and a career-high 11 blocks in a win over Philadelphia. Brook Lopez led Brooklyn with 22 points - 14 in the first quarter. Philadelphia's Evan Turner had 22 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists while Jrue Holiday scored 27 as the 76ers won 104-97 against the Golden State Warriors. The Sixers, who are 5½ games behind Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left. Stephen Curry scored 30 for the Warriors, who've lost four in a row. Milwaukee's Monta Ellis scored six of his 23 points in overtime and Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings added five apiece in the extra period to spark the Bucks to a 122-114 win over the Toronto Raptors. Portland's Damian Lillard scored 24 points and J.J. Hickson added 18 points and 16 rebounds as the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-96. Heat streak reaches 13 with win over Grizzlies
The Miami Heat extended their NBA winning streak to 13 games with a 98-91 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, with LeBron James shaking off his worst shooting night of the season to sink a key 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Dwyane Wade scored 22 points for the Heat, who maintained a 6-1/2 game lead in the Eastern Conference. In other key games, a last-second basket gave Denver a win over Oklahoma City to cut the gap between the division rivals, San Antonio capitalized and increased its West lead to three games by beating Sacramento, Boston notched a home win over Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers finished strongly to beat Cleveland, and Dallas held on to beat Brooklyn. Miami's James scored 18 points on a season-worst 4 for 14 shooting, plus added 10 assists and eight rebounds. Marc Gasol scored 24 for the Grizzlies, who had won their previous eight. Denver's Wilson Chandler tied his career high with 35 points and Ty Lawson's jumper with 0.2 seconds left lifted the Nuggets to a 105-103 win over Oklahoma City Thunder. Guarded tightly, Lawson swished his jumper from just inside the 3-point arc on the right wing. With no time to catch and shoot, the Thunder failed to get off a final tip attempt after their timeout. Chandler led a Nuggets bench that outscored Oklahoma City's reserves 71-11. Rusell Westbrook scored a season-high 38 points for the Thunder, who have lost five of their past six road games. The Nuggets improved to 25-3 at the Pepsi Center. Only the Miami Heat, at 26-3, are better at home. San Antonio's DeJuan Blair scored 16 points off the bench to lead eight players in double figures as the Spurs overcame the loss of Tony Parker to beat the Sacramento Kings 130-102. The Spurs rebounded from their first home loss in 18 games two nights earlier against Phoenix.
— AP |
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Services retain Santosh Trophy Kochi, March 3 The two sides were locked in a goal-less draw in the regulation and extra time and Services players held on their nerves to emerge champions in front of 35,000 crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Kerala right-back Surjith's shot hit the horizontal and the Services players erupted in unbridled joy to the disappointment of the home side supporters who turned out in large numbers. For Services, Dhanji Singh, Sharwan Kumar, M Dileep and Kiran K Varghese scored while two shots were saved by Kerala custodian Jean Christian. For the hosts, Rino Anto, Abdul Basid and BT Sarath found the back of the net in the penalty shootout. This was Services' third Santosh Trophy title. Services had the first go at the opponents' goal in the sixth minute. But the hero of the second semifinal, Lalian Mawia shot over from inside the box. Kerala's first chance came in the 11th minute. Kannan, who played in the final shrugging off an injury, latched on to a cross from the midfield inside the 18-yard box. But his strike brought out the best in Services goalkeeper Nano Singh. Mawia had another chance to make amends in the 25th minute when he was set up on top of the box by Subrata Sarkar. But this time the Kerala goalkeeper blocked his effort. Change of ends saw no change of fortunes for either outfit. They played with same verve but the elusive goal was not coming. If Kerala's rearguard must be credited for their resilience, Services custodian Nano proved to be a rock under the bar. The midfield battle was intriguing too as both the sides could read each other's moves, thus increasing the interception rate. In extra time, Kerala looked the more purposeful side. Not only did they raid the rival citadel frequently, but the hosts also defended sturdily. Goalkeeper Jean Christian deserves a special mention for his couple of acrobatic saves. Usman came closest twice in each half in the extra time. His shot off Shibin Lal's spadework flew inches over the bar in the 105th minute. Early in the second half of extra time, the striker's effort hit the chest of the goalkeeper after he was set up by substitute Nazarudeen beautifully. Services lacked the teeth up front and the reason was the absence of their top goal getter V V Farhad due to injury. Congratulating the Services team, All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das said, "I congratulate the Services team for winning the 67th Santosh Trophy. It was a great game of football and I am overwhelmed with the turnout. It must be very motivating for the players as well playing in front of a full house. Overall, the ambience was amazing."
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Deepika named ‘sportsperson of the year’ by steel major
Jamshedpur, March 3 It was the third consecutive time when Deepika, who recently topped the National Senior Ranking Archery Tournament held in Hyderabad, was given the honour. Deepika, who has decided to skip the forthcoming Asian Grand Prix scheduled to be held from March 9 to 15 at Bangkok due to her ongoing intermediate examination, was not present.
— PTI |
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Hyderabad, March 3
New Delhi, March 3
Centurion, March 3
The inaugural Hockey India League has shown that hockey is fun, hip, and even glamorous. The talent on display and the spectator- friendly format created a carnival grandeur, almost a sporting fantasy.
London, March 3
Palm Beach Gardens,
Florida, March 3
