Sunday, December 27, 1998
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S P O R T | Sunday, December 27, 1998 |
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Azhar’s ton rescues India WELLINGTON, Dec 26 — Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin struck an invaluable, unbeaten 103 defying a rampaging New Zealand paceman Simon Doull to pull India to a modest 208 in their first innings on the opening day of their second cricket Test at the Basin Reserve here today. Opening day’s play washed out MELBOURNE, Dec 26 — Rain washed out the opening day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test between Australia and England today without a single ball being bowled. Play was abandoned almost two hours before the scheduled finish after a day of persistent showers and drizzle at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
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Mark Taylor not to retire |
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BCCI
to ‘cooperate with’ probe panel Windies
bowled out for 198 Sarabjit
bolsters Services Punjab
subdue Karnataka Mandeep,
Prabhsimran cruise into final Tejas,
Neelotpal score easy wins GND
varsity eves beaten Delhi
slump to 81 for 7 Dupuis
clinches title Punjab,
Haryana eves advance |
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Azhar’s ton rescues India WELLINGTON, Dec 26 (PTI) — Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin struck an invaluable, unbeaten 103 defying a rampaging New Zealand paceman Simon Doull to pull India to a modest 208 in their first innings on the opening day of their second cricket Test at the Basin Reserve here today. Doull made one of cricket’s most inspired comebacks from injury to wreak havoc on the Indian batting line-up with a career-best seven for 65 as Azharuddin’s decision to take first strike on winning the toss failed to click on a bright and ideal day on a slow pitch. New Zealand, in reply, had made a confident start, reaching 52 for one in 22 overs, seamer Venkatesh Prasad removing Matthew Bell for four. Skipper Stephen Fleming (27) and Matt Horne (16) added 45 runs for the second wicket. Indian hopes of a sound start simply vanished in the face of brilliant swing bowling by Doull, who had a superb morning spell of 8-4-15-4 and at one stage threatened to run away with all 10 wickets after leaving the visitors reeling at 91 for four at lunch and then at 186 for eight at tea. Azharuddin stemmed the rot with a strokeful 21st century in his 93rd Test, repairing the damage by putting on 83 runs for the fifth wicket with Sachin Tendulkar, who struck a breezy 47 before falling soon after lunch. Spineless Indian batting saw them straightaway in trouble as opener Navjot Sidhu and Rahul Dravid fell for nought with Ajay Jadeja, back as Test opener, adding a measly 10 and a promoted Saurav Ganguly also falling victim to Doull’s guile after contributing just five. India were left reeling at 16 for four at one stage. All the four top order batsmen had no clue to the huge swing Doull extracted bowling with good rhythm and close to the stumps. Veteran Sidhu, playing his 50th Test, fell in the very first over to begin the early procession as he edged an intended drive to Fleming at first slip. Dravid missed most of the six deliveries he faced from Doull before failing with a half-attempt to play Doull’s inswinger to be caught in front. Jadeja misjudged the line padding up to be trapped leg before and left-hander Ganguly fell the last victim to Doull’s devastating first spell by edging a steer to wicketkeeper Adam Parore. Ganguly was promoted ahead of Tendulkar and Azharuddin in the hope that a right-left combination would be able to counter the prodigious swing extracted by the bowlers. Tendulkar, looking in ominous form, rattled off a quick 75 runs with Azhar to enable India recover and go into the lunch interval at 91. The star bat took his time to settle down before opening out by powerfully square-driving Doull. He then cut Dion Nash to the point fence and when two gullies were introduced, responded with ferocious pulls. But he perished soon after lunch flicking Doull uppishly off what he rated "a rank half volley on the leg stump" into the hands of square leg Matthew Bell to end his enterprising 72-ball knock which had seven fours. Doull delivered the next blow when he claimed Nayan Mongia a ball later as the wicketkeeper dropped his wrist but could not move out of the line of a lifter to leave India reeling at 98 for six. Kumble defended stoutly but could not resist flinging his bat at Doull, now bowling into the breeze from the far end, to be caught at gully and Javagal Srinath guided Nash into the hands of Fleming at slips to reduce India to 149 for eight. Azharuddin, desperately needing to build a stand, found his man in Venkatesh Prasad as they built a crucial ninth wicket stand of 58. Knowing the Indian captain’s penchant for onside strokeplay the Kiwi bowlers kept an off-stump line, but he responded by cutting and steering for most of his 14 fours. Despite a third man and deep point being posted, Azhar found the boundary with regularity. "It was a pleasure to score on the offside and not on the on where I am favoured to make runs," Azhar said after his unbeaten knock. Finding Prasad defend well, Azhar stopped shielding his partner. Both ran well between the stumps as Azhar moved into his 90’s with a steer off Doull. The Indian skipper reached the landmark in left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori’s sixth over, slamming a four over the bowler’s stretched hand and flicking one to midwicket for a couple. His 21st hundred in his 93rd Test was a sublime effort despite the pressure to come good. The innings folded soon after tea once Prasad departed to end the stand which lasted 63 balls and came in 105 minutes. Prasad made an early breakthrough when he had bell edging to Mongia for four, but Horne and Fleming played soundly to see the day without further loss. Scoreboard Sidhu c Fleming b Doull 0 Jadeja lbw b Doull 10 Dravid lbw b Doull 0 Ganguly c Parore b Doull 5 Tendulkar c Bell b Doull 47 Azharuddin not out 103 Mongia c Astle b Doull 0 Kumble c McMillan b Doull 11 Srinath c Fleming b Nash 7 Prasad c Fleming b Vettori 15 H Singh c Astle b McMillan 1 Extras (lb-3, nb-6) 9 Total (in 65.4 overs) 208 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-2, 3-15, 4-16, 5-99, 6-99, 7-132, 8-149, 9-207. Bowling: Doull 24-7-65-7, Cairns 17-3-69-0, Nash 14-1-46-1, Vettori 7-0-20-1, Astle 2-0-5-0, McMillan 1.4-1-0-1. New Zealand (1st innings): Bell c Mongia b Prasad 4 Horne batting 16 Fleming batting 27 Extras (lb-5) 5 Total (for one wicket in 22 overs) 52 Fall of wicket: 1-7. Bowling: Srinath 8-2-19-0, Prasad 7-1-18-1, Kumble 4-3-5-0, Harbhajan Singh 3-1-5-0.
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Opening day’s play washed out MELBOURNE, Dec 26 (Reuters) — Rain washed out the opening day of the fourth Ashes cricket Test between Australia and England today without a single ball being bowled. Play was abandoned almost two hours before the scheduled finish after a day of persistent showers and drizzle at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Officials said an extra hour would be added to each of the remaining four days of the match, although more rain was forecast. Crowds exceeding 70,000 are commonplace on the opening day of the annual boxing day Test. At least 50,000 turned up today, despite the poor weather, and were told they would be given full refunds because a minimum of 12 overs had not been bowled. The rain began falling shortly before the two captains tossed the coin. It stopped long enough for Australian captain Mark Raylor to win the throw for the fourth time in the series and send in the English to bat, before the brooding skies opened up again. Ground staff immediately covered up the centre wicket in the hope that the showers would pass but the rain persisted for another five hours. Umpires Daryl Harper and Steve Bucknor eventually inspected the pitch at 4.15 p.m. Local time (1045 IST) after the rain momentarily eased up before calling an end to the day with the outfield soaked. The bad weather proved particularly frustrating for England’s Warren Hegg and Australia’s Matthew Nicholson after they had been selected to make their Test debuts. Hegg, England’s reserve wicketkeeper, was called in when captain Alec Stewart decided to focus on his batting after combining his captaincy duties with batting and also wearing the gloves in the first three Tests. Hegg replaced batsman John Crawley, who was named 12th man, in one of two changes to the side that lost in Adelaide, ensuring Australia retained the Ashes. Paceman Angus Fraser was also recalled after missing the last two Tests, replacing off-spinner Peter Such. "This is the ultimate. There’s no bigger place in the world to make your Test debut, apart from may be Lord’s," Hegg said. "When they didn’t toss the first time because of the rain I was a bit worried because I realised they could still change the side and I could miss out. But whatever happens now, they can’t take my England cap away from me." Nicholson, who has played just seven first-class matches, was awarded his first cap at the expense of all-rounder Colin Miller who was chosen to carry the drinks for Australia. Nicholson’s career was in tatters a year ago after he contracted chronic fatigue syndrome, but the 24-year-old recovered to emerge as one of Australia’s most promising fast bowlers. He has taken 17 wickets in four Sheffield Shield matches this season and claimed seven wickets in an innings in Western Australia’s drawn tour match against England last month.
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Start preparing for Sydney Olympics, CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — "We should not discard players on the basis of their age. Fitness should be the criteria," says hockey legend Balbir Singh. Complimenting the players, coaches, manager and the Indian Hockey Federation on the golden triumph at Bangkok, three times Olympic gold medallist Balbir Singh says "It is a special victory. To defeat South Korea twice within a week is quite creditable. The win has not only given the much needed boost to Indian hockey, but it has enhanced our reputation as a hockey power all over the globe. As an Indian and a former hockey player, I can now walk with my head held high. The win has enhanced the prestige and reputation of our nation." In an exclusive interview with The Tribune here last evening, he, however, cautioned against complacency. "I am saying it from my experience. After our triumph at Kuala Lumpur in the 1975 World Cup, we had so much of celebrations. The win had come after 11 years. Celebrations made us complacent. And in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, we slipped from world champions to sixth place. We must learn from our past experience. We must celebrate and rejoice but at the same time should not allow these festivities to overshadow our goal. "After winning the gold, we have now moved to the top six group of the World Cup. Our target has to be number one position. For this we have to work hard. This is not to underestimate the superb team performance our boys put at Bangkok but at the same time we have to improve upon some of our weaknesses, make amends and move ahead," says Balbir Singh, who stays most of the time with his sons at Vancouver and comes here in winters to stay with his son-in-law, Wg Cdr M.S. Bhomia (retd). "I have always been optimistic about our coming back and wresting the top position. Our problem in the recent past has been our consistency with inconsistencies. After a long time, we played as a team and not as skilful individuals. Again, it has been our skills that came to our aid. Taking penalty pushes is a skill and trapping a penalty push is again a goalkeeping skill. We performed better than our rivals. So we won. And the much needed little luck was with us. That makes the difference. "In the Olympics, to be held in less than two years from now, I personally feel that our forwards will have to improve their penetration power substantially. Our deep defence and wing halves played exceedingly well at Bangkok. The Olympic games, the World Cup and Champions Trophy are the real major tests and to do well in these events, I think we must improve upon our weaknesses. I do not agree that age alone should be the criteria for discarding a player. There is no idea of taking a youngster who is not fit. Let fitness alone be the selection criteria," suggests Balbir Singh. Mr Balbir Singh, who retired as Director of Sports, Punjab, also cautions those controlling sports in general and hockey in particular in the country against discrimination with certain team games compared to cricket. "Why hockey or kabaddi should be discriminated against ? These teams have brought glory to the country. Why not their team members should be treated at par with those who won individual gold medals ? "Veterans and former players, including myself are to be blamed for this discrimination against hockey players. I illustrate my point with the past examples. If you ever go to Calcutta and see the 'maidan' where the world's oldest hockey tournament, Beighton Cup, is held and the cricket stadium across the street, you can understand the discrimination. The Eden Gardens cricket stadium has been built by people's money and not by players. Then why not hockey stadium. Not only that. When India won the cricket World Cup, the Union Railways Ministry in a goodwill gesture gave special passes to the members of the team to travel free in first class AC while on the other hand, similar facility extended to hockey players, for those with three Olympic gold, was bereft of travel in Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express. Why this discrimination ? Why cannot they be treated at par with cricket players for their equally , if not more, important performances." He also wants a change in the format of hockey in the country. Tournaments for seniors are losing their significance. Instead, he says, the emphasis should be on more and more tournaments for under-16, under-18 and under-20 teams. Too many tournaments for seniors make the players stale. The IHF would do well to have second and third string teams ready by inducting talented players and training them round the year. Supporting the revival of Indo-Pak series, Mr Balbir Singh says that it is for the benefit of both the teams. "We cannot match Europeans in fitness and facilities. We can counter them and overpower them through our skills. We should never try to ape their style of play." He is also opposed to the idea of a foreign coach. "See our own boy has shown the results at Bangkok. We can consult foreign coaches. We can organise workshops and seminars for the benefit of our coaches by inviting experts from abroad. But the actual coaching should be left to our own coaches." "I still feel that hockey is still the sport which can take us to Olympic gold. Compared to other sports, we still run a much higher chance of winning an Olympic gold in hockey than in any other sport.. So our target should be gold at the Sydney Olympic games. For that we must start our preparations in the right earnest," he adds. Mr Balbir Singh also complimented other Asian Games medallists for their excellent performance at Bangkok.He had a word of praise for the hockey girls who put up a sterling performance to wrest back the Asian Games silver. Mr Balbir Singh has been invited by NRI Welfare Society of India for conferring upon him "Hind Rattan Award" at New Delhi on Sunday (December 27) at the two-day conference of the NRIs.
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Mark Taylor not to retire MELBOURNE, Dec 26 (AFP) — Australian Test captain Mark Taylor yesterday dismissed speculation that he might retire, saying he wanted to take on the West Indian bowlers on tour early next year. The Australian skipper had previously committed himself only to the current Ashes series against England, prompting speculation about his plans. But he told reporters on Christmas Day that he wanted to settle one nagging shortcoming in his illustrious career. "The one side I haven’t played well against is the West Indies. They have been the one bogey side," Taylor said on the eve of Australia’s Boxing Day Test against England at the Melbourne cricket ground. "I’ll be going over there if selected just trying to relax and play the way I would play against any other side." Australia tour the West Indies for a four-Test series starting in March. Taylor (34) said he had not given retirement much thought, focusing more on Australia’s fourth Test battle against England. The 102-Test veteran enters the match just two victims shy of the world record 156 Test catches held by his predecessor as Australia captain, Allan Border. "I’ll stop playing when I’m out in the middle and things aren’t happening for me with the bat, as a captain or in the field or I’m standing out there one day thinking `what the hell am I doing out here,’ he said. "That will be the reason I will stop playing."
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Susanthika to train abroad COLOMBO, Dec 26 (PTI) — Controversial Sri Lankan sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, facing nation-wide criticism for her abrupt withdrawal from the Bangkok Asian Games, has said she would soon leave Sri Lanka and train abroad. "I have been harassed for a long period and I cannot take it any more", Susanthika was quoted as saying in the local media. Accusing the country’s Olympic Committee, Athletic Association and top Sports Ministry officials of harassing her, the 23-year-old star said she had had "enough" and would go to either Australia or Europe for training. "The National Olympic Committee, Athletic Association and top officials of the Sports Ministry are behind this harassment", The Island newspaper quoted her as saying. Susanthika, who burst into world attention when she won the 200m silver medal at the Athens World Championship last year, has been fighting drug charges against her and drew widespread criticism here for hurting Sri Lanka’s medal prospects when she quit the Asian Games just before the 100m final complaining of a hamstring injury. The sprinter said she was discriminated against by Sri Lankan sports officials at the Asian Games. "This aggravated my injury and brought my mind to zero. So how can I compete?" Controversy has dogged the athlete after she returned home to stardom from Athens. She was suspended in April after failing a dope test. A Sri Lankan appeals panel cleared her of the charge by a split verdict to enable her to run in Bangkok, but the International body (IAAF) has set up a new board to make a final decision. Susanthika had made it to the 100 m final as the second fastest qualifier behind eventual Chinese gold medallist Li Xuemei, but pulled out of the final citing the injury. Doctors accompanying her had said they did not find her suffering from any injury and said she did not heed their advice that she should compete in both 100m and the 400m relay to win medals for her country. Susanthika returned to Colombo midway through the games saying she was not fit enough, sparking speculation she was unwilling to undergo a drug test if she won a medal. The IAAF had kept Susanthika on notice that she could retain any medals won in Bangkok only after being cleared by its disciplinary committee. However, it was not all despair for Sri Lanka in the Asian Games as they found a new track star in Damayanthi Darsha, who won the 400m gold and then went on to win the 200m crown in a games record time of 22.48 seconds. Sri Lanka finished with three gold and three bronze medals at the Bangkok Games.
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Windies bowled out for 198 DURBAN, Dec 26 (AFP) — Brian Lara’s half-century was the high point of West Indies’ poor batting display as they were bowled out for 198 on the first day of the third Test against South Africa at Kingsmead here today. South Africa, leading the five-match series 2-0, took the initiative thanks to medium-pace swing of Jacques Kallis and Hansie Cronje, who both took three inexpensive wickets. South Africa had made 46-0 in their first innings by close of play. Fast bowlers Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock, the destroyers in the first two Tests, took only one wicket between them for 100 runs. Donald had to limp off before completing an over because of a thigh strain. He returned to the field but did not bowl again. The West Indies made five changes from the side that was beaten by 178 runs in the second Test in Port Elizabeth but the only improvement was an opening stand of 50 between Philo Wallace and Junior Murray, the new opening pair. Lara made 51 and wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs 39, while Wallace, Murray and 19-year-old Darren Ganga all topped 20. Kallis twice made crucial breakthroughs and finished with three for 18, while Cronje, whose first ball was pulled for six by Jacobs, claimed a test-best three for 19. Scoreboard Wallace c Cullinan b Kallis 21 Murray lbw b Terbrugge 29 Chanderpaul c Boucher b Kallis 4 Lara c Cronje b Terbrugge 51 Hooper c Cullinan b Kallis 10 Ganga b Pollock 28 Jacobs b Cronje 39 Lewis c Cullinan b Cronje 0 Rose c Kallis b Cronje 6 Ambrose run out 0 Walsh not out 0 Extras (lb-5, nb-5) 10 Total (in 71.1 overs) 198 Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-52, 3-57, 4-105, 5-133, 6-178, 7-179, 8-185, 9-186. Bowling: Donald 13.4-1-55-0, Pollock 23.2-8-45-1, Terbrugge 12-2-39-2, Kallis 10-3-18-3, Symcox 8-1-17-0, Cronje 4.1-0-19-3. South Africa (1st innings): Kirsten not out 15 Gibbs not out 26 Extras (b-4, nb-5) 5 Total (no wkts, 16 overs) 46 Bowling: Ambrose 6-0-22-0, Walsh 6-3-12-0, Rose 3-0-6-0, Lewis 1-0-2-0.
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Dingko sets sight on Olympics gold MUMBAI, Dec 26 (PTI) — Asian Games gold medal winning boxer, Dingko Singh, who ended India’s 16-year drought of the yellow metal in Bangkok, has now set his eyes on a gold medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Dingko, who was selected at the last minute, fought with a steely resolve and proved his critics wrong by punching his way to glory in the bantam weight category (51 to 54 kgs). The 21-year-old pugilist from Manipur, who has been promoted as chief petty officer in Indian Navy (INS Hamla), after he struck gold, told reporters here today that his next goal would be to win medals at the forthcoming National Games to be held in Imphal (from February 14 to 25) and at the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000. Dingko, who received a rousing naval welcome from his colleagues including Commodore F.H. Dubhash and other top officers at his base INS Hamla in Marve Road in Malad, said he was very happy to win the gold beating number three ranked boxer in the world, Timur Tulyakov of Uzbekistan in the final. "Luck too had a big role to play in it (winning the gold) and I thank God for this success", he added. Dingko, who would be leaving for Vishakapatnam to prepare for the National Games, said: "I was not at all aware Timur was carrying an injury in the final. After winning my first bout I knew I had a very good chance of winning the gold. "It was a blessing in disguise that I was not aware of my opponent's injury in the final and I fought strongly from the very first round which sort of threw Timur's calculations out of gear," he added. "According to boxing rules you can not carry an injury to the next round and Timur's game-plan was to fight hard in the first round and then declare his injury which could have given him the advantage of winning the gold. "However, with a barrage of right hooks and punches (Dingko's strong points) I wrested the initiative from my rival and once I led on points I knew the gold could not elude me", the champion said. Dingko, who wants to continue to fight as an amateur, surprised everyone when he said he was not very keen to train abroad. The clarified later that there was no point in going abroad for training if one was not focused totally and the personally was comfortable training here. "Though the competition at the Olympics will be much stronger I will try my best to win a medal", the Manipur lad added. Speaking on Dingko's poor performance at the last Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur, navy's coach Hardeep Singh Randhawa said his ward had reduced his weight from 58 kg to 54 kg in a short time and this affected his stamina resulting in his first round debacle. "Dingko was a naturally talented boxer when he joined us. His self motivation and the will to work hard has brought glory not only to him but to the country as well. We in the navy have helped him sharpen his talent", Randhawa added. Dingko has modelled his career on another Manipur star Z.V. Jollyson, who has won laurels at national and international levels.
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Sarabjit bolsters Services NEW DELHI, Dec 26 (PTI) — Opener Sarabjit Singh struck a fine 65 as Services batsmen came up with a sound display to reach 201 for five at close on the first day of their Ranji Trophy cricket tie against Haryana at Harbaksh Stadium today. Former champions Haryana, struggling this season and looking to grab the third superleague berth from the North Zone, tasted early success after Services captain Chinmoy Sharma chose to bat first but the rest of the batsmen applied themselves to reach a decent total at close. Sarabjit Singh (65 — 197 m, 156 b, 9 x 4) added 64 runs for third wicket with Sanjay Verma (29 — 3 x 4) as Services reached 105 for two at tea. But a mini collapse saw the hosts lose three wickets for 21 runs to be left at 140 for five into the final session. Sarabjit fell when he played off-spinner Sanjay Dalal to Jitender Singh at silly point. CD Thomson (29 batting — 89 m, 69 b, 5 x 4) and Amit Nadkarni (31 batting - 71 m, 60 b, 5 x 4) overcame the cheap dismissal of skipper Chinmoy Sharma (16) by putting on 61 runs for the unfinished sixth-wicket partnership with some confident shots in the last hour to keep hopes of a big total going. Left-arm spinner Pradeep Jain was the most successful Haryana bowler with two for 40 with pacemen Vineet Jain and Parinder Sharma and Sanjay Dalal chipping in with one apiece. Morning fog delayed start of play by 90 minutes and play was extended by about 30 minutes beyond the scheduled close. scoreboard: Narender c Jitender b Parinder 9 Sarabjit c Jitender b Sanjay 65 Pankaj b Vineet 5 Sanjay c Nitin b Pradeep 29 Chinmoy c Vijay b Pradeep 16 Thomson batting 29 Nadkarni batting 31 Extras: (7 b, 2 lb, 8 nb) 17 Total (for five wkts in 76 overs) 201 Fall of wickets: 1/29, 2/55, 3/119, 4/124, 5/140. Bowling: Vineet Jain 13-3-47-1; Parinder Sharma 17-8-30-1; Pankaj Thakur 18-1-55-0; Pradeep Jain 19-5-40-2; Sanjay Dalal 9-1-20-1.
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BCCI to ‘cooperate with’ probe panel MUMBAI, Dec 26 (UNI) — The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced that it will cooperate with any enquiry committee that the government may set up to go into the allegations of betting and match-fixing. The BCCI was responding to Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development Uma Bharati's statement yesterday that if needed she will order an enquiry into the allegations. BCCI President Raj Singh Dungarpur asserted that the board was the first to make a move to give a clean image to Indian cricket by empowering retired Chief Justice Y.S. Chandrachud for an independent enquiry into match-fixing allegations. He exonerated everyone, Mr Dungarpur added. Mr Chandrachud submitted a thick volume of report on the basis of which the BCCI filed a defamation case against Manoj Prabhakar, the volatile former Delhi Test player. Prabhakar had spilled the beans in an interview with a weekly disclosing that he was offered a big amount by a senior player to throw a match in Sri Lanka few years ago but refused to divulge the name fearing his life. Mr Dungarpur said the BCCI had nothing to hide and had no intention to protect anyone. The BCCI co-operation may lead to submitting the Chandrachud report to the government.
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Punjab subdue Karnataka JALANDHAR, Dec 26 — PSCB Acadmey, Bengal, Maharashtra-A, host Punjab, Maharashtra-B and Tamil Nadu, all seeded teams, entered in the quaterfinal knock out stage in boys team championship in the second day of the 60th Jr. National and Inter State Table Tennis Championship currently underway at Hans Raj Stadium here. In women's section the hosts Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra-A, Maharashtra-B, Pertoleum Sports Control Board Academy and Assam teams made it to quarterfinal knockout stage in the girls team championship. In the league match in the girls section between Bengal and Kerala, Bengal trio of Poulmi Ghatak, Mouma Das, both international, and S. Roy trounced Kerala 3-0. In the first match Poulmi scored consistently with her forehand strokes, varying pace to outwit V. Ashwathi (21-12, 21-9). In the second tie Mouma proved too good for her rival Ranjana and won 21-6, 21-14. In the Third match S. Roy faced little resistance from her opponent N. Moorthy and won 21-7, 21-18. In the boys teams championship Punjab team started with a bang trouncing Karnataka 3-0. Bakul outwitted Anil Mohan in two straighrt games (21-14, 21-19). National school games champion, Manish Bhardwaj defeated Aswan 21-12, 21-18 and in the third match Disney made shortwork of C.K. Yatish (21-11, 21-18). The following are some of the results: Boys (team championship): PSCB Academy b Haryana 3-0: Subhajeet Saha b Neeraj 21-16, 21-11, Anil Kashyap b Sunil 21-16, 21-15, Arunav Ganguly b Neeraj Kumar 21-13, 21-8. Group 'B': Kerala b J&K 3-0: Dinil Poulbe b Anil Dutta 26-24, 21-14, P. Prasanth b Nikul Kesar 21-18, 21-14, C.J. Balaji b Mohil Gupta 21-18, 21-8. Group 'C' Maharashtra 'A' b up 3-0: Eric Fernandes b Swarn Singh Thakur 21-17, 21-19, Ankur Mahajan b Sanjeev Kumar 15-21, 21-14, 21-13, Mitesh Puranik b Sourab Poddar 21-10, 21-16. Maharashtra 'A' b Chandigarh 3-0: Eric Fernandes b Rahul Sharma 21-10, 21-13, Aditya Mahagonkar b Gaurav Bhatia 21-8, 21-15, Ankur Mahajan b Harpreet Singh 21-14, 21-18. Assam b Chandigarh 3-0: Pankaj Chutia b Gaurav Bhatia 21-11, 21-16, Amitabh Kaushik b Amit Aggarwal 21-13, 21-13, Manas P Das b Rahul Sharma 21-8, 21-17. Group 'D' Punjab b Karnataka 3-0: Bakul b Anil Mohan 21-14, 21-19, Manish Bhardwaj b V Aswan 21-12, 21-18, Disney b C.K. Yatish 21-11, 21-18. Delhi b Gujarat 3-0: Anishj Adhlakha b D Pandya 21-17, 21-17, Nitin Mahajan b Vahed Malubhai 21-17, 21-16, Mrinal Mandal b Viral Patel 21-14, 15-21, 21-12.
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Mandeep, Prabhsimran cruise into
final LUDHIANA, Dec 26 — Mandeep Aulakh, a student of Hindi Putri Pathshala, Khanna, and Prabhsimran Kaur of Guru Nanak Public School, Ludhiana, scored emphatic victories on their way to the final in the girls (U-13) section of the Sunanda Bhanot Memorial Ludhiana District Badminton Championship at the Shastri Hall of Guru Nanak Stadium here today. Mandeep thrashed Sukhpreet Kaur 11-1, 11-0 while Prabhsimran drubbed Sukhpreet of Khanna 11-4, 11-2. In the boys singles (U-19), top seed Dilpreet of Malwa Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Ludhiana, and second seed Amandeep Sekhri of S.D. Government College won their matches quiet easily to move into the semi-final. Dilpreet defeated Munish Dhawan 15-3, 15-1 while Amandeep beat Maninder Singh in an identical fashion. Ranbir Singh outplayed Nitin Dhanda 15-4, 15-10 and Ankit Dhir outclassed Prabhjeet Singh 15-5, 15-5 to complete the semi-final line up. Results Boys singles (U-13): Nikhil Dhand b Harpreet Singh 15-12 15-13 Sahil Puri b Vishu Arora 15-13, 15-1 Gurbax Singh b Amandeep Singh 15-9, 5-15, 15-6 Aman Arora b Simarpreet Singh 15-7, 15-10. Boys singles (U-16): Anuj Dhand b Kamal Nanda 15-9, 15-10 Bhuvan Dhanda b Ritesh Garg 15-0, 15-1, Ramnik Sharma b Manu Soni 15-7, 15-2, Abhishek b Harmandeep Singh 15-2, 15-2 Gaurav Dhand b Kapil Gupta 15-8, 15-9, Dinesh Gupta b Amit Kumar 15-5, 15-0. Boys singles (U-19) 2 finals: Dilpreet b Munish Dhawan 15-3, 15-1, Ranbir Singh b Nitin Dhanda 15-4, 15-10 Ankit Dhir b Prabhjeet Singh 15-5, 15-5 Amandeep Sekhri b Maninder Singh 15-3, 15-1. Men's singles: Ranbir Singh b Happy 15-3, 15-13. Dilpreet Singh b Rattandeep 15-0, 15-0 Deepak Ramdev b Varinder Gogna 15-3, 15-2 Tajinder Singh b Prabhjeet Singh 15-8, 15-8 Raman Deep Singh b Raja Jain 15-10, 15-8. Girls singles (U-13): Sukhpreet b Prabhjot 11-6, 11-5 Mandeep Aulakh b Sukhpreet 11-1, 11-0 Prabhsimran b Sukhpreet (Khanna) 11-4, 11-2. Girls Singles (U-16) qfinals: Prerna Sood b Sukhpreet 11-2, 11-3, Harneet b Mandeep Aulakh 11-6, 11-0 Balreet b R. Ratti 11-3, 11-5, Kamaljeet b Mandeep Mangat 11-6, 8-11. Girls singles (U-19): Paramjit b Prerna 7-11, 11-3, 11-7, Balreet b Rupinder 7-11, 11-7, 11-0. Women's singles: Prerna b Rupinder 11-7, 11-9 Paramjit b Balreet 11-7, 11-6.
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Tejas, Neelotpal score easy wins JALANDHAR, Dec 26 (PTI) — All seeded players scored easy wins in the first rounds except for A Vikramjit of Manipur who drew the game with Bidyat of Assam in the 28th National Junior Chess Championship being held here. The tournament which had a late start as players’ arrival was delayed by heavy fog in the region, saw top seed I M Sasikaran playing kings Indian defence capitalising on a mistake by Kumardeep, laying a trap in tenth move and wrapping up the game in just 39 moves in the second round. Tejas Bakre, the only other international master in the tournament, also played kings Indian opening and outplayed advantage capturing the game in 30 moves. Neelotpal Das of Calcutta played Scandinavian variation of Scicilian defence and beat his opponent in 37 moves. At the end of second round, I M Sasikiran, Neelotpal Das of Calcutta, defending champion R Kailtik, I M Tejas Bakre, S Kidamri, Abhlay Karnatki, S Satyapragyan, former world under 10 champion P Harikrishna, Vindo Gopal, Beinish of Hyderabad and Dipanjan Das were leading with two points. However, the internationally noted player of Punjab, Vikas Sharma, drew his second game with Parveen Prasad of Andhra Pradesh following the leaders with one and a half points. Results: Sasikiran b Kumardip, Tejas Bakre b Navaneetta, Neelotpal Das b Sudhir, R Kailtik b Sameer Singh S Kidambi b Soumayadrshan, Satyaprragyan b Ashish, P Harikrishna b Yashpal, Vindo Gopal b Arinderpreet, Beenish Bhatia b Ramachandran, Dipanjan b Surjit Singh, Rahul b Naveen Jain, Vikas Sharma draws with Parveen, Arvind b Sushant.
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GND varsity eves beaten HYDERABAD, Dec 26 (PTI) — A superb 111-run partnership between opener Jaya Sharma (58 n.o) and Vandana (56) helped Delhi University register an emphatic nine-wicket victory over hosts Osmania University to annex the title in the All-India Inter-University Women’s Cricket Championship here today. Opting to bat first, Osmania were all out for 152 in the stipulated 50 overs. Sapna Yadav (39) and Sabeeta Rani (37) were the only batswomen who could stay for a longer period at the crease. Delhi’s medium pacer Asha Jain claimed 5 wickets for just 19 runs. Chasing an easy target, Delhi University scored the required runs by losing only one wicket in just 27.1 overs. Dav University, Indore, claimed the third place by defeating GND University, Amritsar by 3 wickets. Brief scores: Osmania - 152 all out in 50 overs (Sapna Yadav 39, Sabeeta Rani 37, Asha Jain 5/19) lost to Delhi - 153 for 1 in 27.1 overs (Jaya Sharma 58 not out, Vandana 56, Seema Wadhava 16 not out). Third place: GND varsity: 142 all out in 47 overs (Gulshan 36, Preeti 4/26, Kavita 3/18) lost to DAV Indore - 145 for 7 in 47.3 overs (Sapna 28, Preeti 21, Priya 37 n.o).
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Delhi slump to 81 for 7 JAMMU, Dec 26 (PTI) — Jammu and Kashmir medium-pacer Surinder Singh struck four vital blows to restrict strong Delhi to 81 for seven on a truncated first day of the four-day North Zone Ranji Trophy league match at the M A Stadium here today. Surinder Singh claimed 4/28 and with Vijay Sharma (2/29) acting able foil had Delhi batsmen in all sorts of trouble after heavy fog delayed the start by around two hours in the morning. Surinder Singh and Vijay Sharma exploited the conditions well after Jammu and Kashmir invited Delhi to bat first under difficult conditions with visibility very low. Delhi soon ran into trouble losing both their openers for just five runs as Ashu Dani and skipper Vijay Dahiya were out for four and one runs, respectively. However, Mithun Manhas and seasoned Ajay Sharma played well and took the score to 28 before the former Delhi skipper fell to an in-swinger from Surinder Singh. He made 20. Surinder Singh again struck to despatch Akash Malhotra for a duck while Vijay Sharma sent back Virender Sehwag (8) as Delhi slumped to 42 for six. Nikhil Chopra (24) looked like restoring some respectability to the Delhi score but he was out just before the close. At stumps, Ashish Nehra (1) was batting with Sandeep Angurala (0). Brief scores: Delhi 81 for 7 (Mithun Manhasn 14, Ajay Sharma 20, Nikhil Chopra 24, Surinder Singh 4/28, Vijay Sharma 2/29).
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Dupuis clinches title AHMEDABAD, Dec 26 (PTI) — Playing a cool and calculated game, Frenchman Anthony Dupuis made short work of Oleg Ogorodov of Uzbekistan 6-4 6-2 to claim the men’s singles title on the concluding day of the first leg of the Bharat Petroleum ATP Challenger Tennis Championship here today. Ogodorov as usual started by winning the first two games in the first set as Dupuis took time to settle down. He was not getting his first serve going and Ogorodov’s fast serves had him in all sorts of trouble. But Dupuis gradually took control of the game and won the set in 37 minutes. The Uzbek mixed caution with aggression but could not find the winning sequences which he had displayed in earlier matches. In the second set, Ogorodov was not able to give out his best. Dupuis maintained his cool and except for a couple of times he was never troubled by his rival. Earlier, Okun and NIR
Welgreen defeated Eyal Ran and Behr Noam to clinch the
doubles title. |
Punjab, Haryana eves advance CHINSURAH (WB), Dec 26 (PTI) — Defending champions Kerala continued their winning run crushing Rajasthan in straight sets in a men’s group a league tie of the 47th Senior National Volleyball Championships here today. Kerala, who got the better of Uttar Pradesh after a close encounter yesterday, did justice to their reputation by opening up an early lead and then consolidated their position through a sharp attacking display to wrap up the match 15-6, 15-6 15-5 in only 62 minutes. In group D, the in-form Orissa spikers got the better of Assam 15-2 15-7 15-5 to register their third straight win in the championships while Manipur triumphed over Maharashtra 15-4 15-9 4-15 15-5 after a 78-minute duel. In group A, Services outclassed Uttar Pradesh 15-7 15-10 15-6 and Tamil Nadu crushed Andhra Pradesh 15-3 15-9 15-7. In women’s group C, Punjab had a cakewalk victory over Manipur 15-3 15-2 15-2 in only 37 minutes while Haryana beat Himachal Pradesh 15-11 15-13 15-0. The day’s most absorbing encounter was in group D, where Karnataka eves edged past Tamil Nadu 15-11 2-15 3-15 15-10 15-12 after a 117-minute marathon struggle.
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H
Sunny, Anil win CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 (BOSR) — Sunny Bhalla and Anil Sharma won their respective matches in Snooker against Amit Swamy and Harjot Singh in the Haryana State Billiards and Snooker Championship here today. Sunny beat Amit in five frames at 29-56, 62-26, 30-39, 69-1, 61-48, while Anil outclassed Harjot in three frames at 59-30, 70-32, 60-37. In the Billiards section, Lalit demolished B Khurana by a huge marginal of 424-210. PU eves enter semis CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 (BOSR) — Panjab University, Chandigarh reached the semifinal of the All India Inter University Tennis Tournament for Women being played at Vanastnali University (Rajasthan), as per information reaching here. PU girl faced a tough time before overcoming the stiff challenge of Delhi University in the pre-quarterfinal at 2-1. PU team got a walk over in the quarterfinal and now they will meet hosts Vanasthali University in the semifinal. Jind beat Sirsa AGROHA (Hisar), Dec 26 (FOSR) — Jind edged out Sirsa 2-1 in the inaugural match of the 17th Haryana State Women's Hockey Championship at Medical College hockey ground today. The two teams were locked goalless at the breather. In the second half Sunita captain of the Sirsa, team scored a field goal in the 50th minute of the game. Soon after centre-forward Nanhi of Jind equalised the score through a field goal. Both the teams tried their best but failed to score any goal in the extra time and the allotted time. Tie-break was applied to decide the winner. Twelve teams are taking part in the Championship. Coaching Centre move into final LUDHIANA, Dec 26 (FOSR) — Coaching Centre defeated Riat XI by four wickets in the second semifinal of the third M.L. Sethi Memorial Cricket Tournament at the SD Government College ground here today. Coaching Centre won the toss and elected to field. In the stipulated 25 overs. Riat XI made 139 runs losing seven wickets. Parminder Singh top scored with 32 runs followed by Anand Singh and Kuldeep who scored 18 runs each. Coaching Centre made the required runs after losing 6 wickets with two balls to spare. The notable contributors were Punjab Ranji players Harminder Jugnu (42 n.o.) and Bharat Bhushan (20). In the final to be played tomorrow, Coaching Centre will take on NKH XI. Brief scores: Riat XI 139 for 7 (Parminder Singh 32, Bharat Bhushan 2 for 17) Coaching Centre: 140 for 6 (Tony Lamba 27. Harminder Jugnu 42 no Sukhwinder 2 for 28). Police meet results JALANDHAR, Dec 26 (TNS) — The 43rd Jalandhar range police sports and athletics meet was inaugurated with great pomp and show at Guru Nanak Stadium by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar range, Mr Suresh Arora. Four districts — Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Nawanshahr — are participating. The cold weather did not deter the players from participating in various disciplines. 1500m (men)-: SPO Bhajan Lal (Hpr) 1 HC Baldev Raj. (Jal) 2 SPO Balraj Singh. (Hpr) 3 1500 mtrs run (women): SPO Joginder Kaur (Hpr) 1. SPO Sukhbir Kaur (Hpr) 2. Lady Ct. Balbir Kaur. (Jul) 3. Long jump (men): Ct. Ravinderdip Singh. (Hpr) 1, Gurmukh Singh (Kpt) 2, Jaswant Singh (Hpr) 3. Long jump (women): Gurdip Kaur (Jal) 1 Balbir Kaur. (Jal) 2 Satpal Kaur. (Kpt) 3 10,000 metres run (men): SPO Bhajan Lal (Hpr) 1, HC Baldev Raj. (Jal) 2 C-II Amrik Singh (Jal) 3 Shot-put (men): Ct.
Bhupinderjit Singh. (Kpt) 1, ASI Harjodh Singh (Hpr) 2,
Ct Kamal Kumar (Jal) 3. |
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