• Shivalik Trophy cricket
• Ludhiana football
• Cricket meet
• Trials

Sampras, Williams sail into semis

NEW YORK, Sept 10 (AP) — Venus Williams needed a set to adjust to the wind and cold before turning on her power game. Pete Sampras needed no such warmup period, hitting his first serve of the match at 214 kph.

As spectators huddled beneath blankets, Williams and Sampras overpowered quarterfinal opponents on a chilly Wednesday night in the US Open.

Undermined by repeated errors in the first set, the fifth-seeded Williams overwhelmed No 4 Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario during the rest of her 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory to set up a semifinal match against No 2 Lindsay Davenport.

The top-seeded Sampras had 13 aces in a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over No 9 Karol Kucera, who had eliminated Andre Agassi a day earlier. Sampras will play defending champion Patrick Rafter in the semifinals.

Once Williams adjusted to the wind and cold, she was able to play her game. And there are few players in women’s tennis who can handle that kind of power.

"In the first set I was missing a lot, I wasn’t patient. I stayed away from my game plan," said Williams, a US Open finalist last year. "I just had to stop missing. I just had to make up my mind that I wasn’t going to miss anymore."

Williams began the match wearing a bright yellow hooded sweatshirt, but still seemed bothered by the chilly evening. She was trailing 3-2 and had already lost her serve twice when she stripped to a light-blue tank top.

Williams seemed to lunge for shots the rest of the set, battling the swirling wind as much as her opponent.

But then she decided to become more careful with her shots, and began to turn the match around.

"It was windy. I wasn’t hitting my big serves. I just had to spin them in," Williams said. "The errors had to stop or else I was just going to be heading home. There was just no other alternative, no other option available."

After 18 unforced errors and three double faults in the first set, Williams had just 17 unforced errors and two double faults the rest of the match. And, as she regained control of her shots, she was able to turn up the power.

The game of the match came late in the second set. On the 22nd point of the game, Williams finally converted her sixth set point to even the match.

Williams broke Sanchez-Vicario’s serve in the first game of the third set, and again in the fifth on a shot the Spaniard thought was going out and watched as it hit the line. Williams closed out the match with yet another break, wrapping up the victory with a backhand down the line.

"She started playing much more aggressive. She started attacking," Sanchez-Vicario said. "I mean, she’s a player that hits the ball really hard."

The third-seeded Rafter had 44 winners and only 14 unforced errors in a 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 victory over No 12 Jonas Bjorkman.

Rafter was far too quick for Bjorkman, who played in long sleeves on a chilly afternoon made even colder by a 38 kph wind. Rafter used his exceptional speed to control the match, running down Bjorkman’s passing shots and darting to the net for winning volleys.

The wind turned service tosses into adventures. On one toss, the ball was blown so far away from Rafter that he didn’t even attempt to catch it instead, letting it bounce and roll toward a ballboy.

Rafter said the conditions were no worse than those in Mount Isa, the Australian town where he grew up playing tennis.

"I’ve been brought up in the wind, whether it’s winter or summer it’s very windy conditions," he said. "I’ve played in that since I’m 10 years old."

Davenport’s power was too much for No 13 Amanda Coetzer in a 6-0, 6-4 quarterfinal victory.

Davenport was consistent, if not spectacular, getting 94 per cent of her first serves in during the first set. She never lost her serve in the match, despite struggling with the wind.

"It’s tough. When you’re with the wind, you can’t hit the ball too far or it flies long. On the other side, you have to hit the ball hard," Davenport said. "You never know what’s going to happen out there in the wind."

There were two short rain delays during the Davenport-Coetzer match.

"The wind and the delays probably helped me a little bit. I was definitely struggling with the way she was hitting the ball," Coetzer said. "Often the wind is a little bit of an equalizer. And the rain delays gave me a little bit of an opportunity to slow things down, have a chance to speak to my coach."

Indian eves trounce Jamaica

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (UNI) — Pritam Rani scored a hat-trick as Indian women overcame severe crowding tactics to beat Jamaica 4-0 in their opening pool-A tie of the Commonwealth Games hockey competition at the Lembah Pentai Stadium here today.

Much of the game was played in the Jamaican half but the Indian girls had difficulty moving through the Jamaicans’s defensive play. Coach G.S. Bhangu was, however, happy with the performance of his players, saying that whenever the Jamaicans gave an opening his players managed to score.

But what was worrying for the Indian camp was that the team could only convert two of the 17 penalty corners they were awarded. Nevertheless, since the match was played partly under floodlights, it might have affected India’s game.

Defending champions Australia, who have never lost a major tournament since 1992, began their campaign for the gold with the 6-0 humbling of Scotland and the Canada-Wales pool B match had to be postponed because eight Welsh women fell ill, one of them requiring hospitalisation.

The Indian women’s team, a blend of youth and experience, played well considering it was their first big match after the World Cup in May at Utrecht. Particularly impressive were Sita Gussain, the team captain, and Suraj Waikhom who managed the game for India.

A penalty corner goal by Pritam Rani in the 14th minute set the ball rolling for the 1982 Asian Games champions. In fact it was Mary Tirkey who took a hard crack at the goal, and Pritam Rani in to deflect it in.

Five minutes later, Pritam deflected Nidhi Khullar’s shot into the goal putting India 2-0 up. Pritam claimed her hat-trick with a powerful reverse hit into the goal on a pass from Nidhi in the 30th minute.

A direct penalty corner conversion by Sandeep Kaur in the 58th minute gave India its fourth and last goal. The Indians initiated several more moves but were stopped by the crowded tactics employed by the slower Jamaican women.

India are in group ‘A’ along with Australia, Malaysia, Scotland and Trinidad and Tobago. They play Trinidad and Tobago on September 12, Malaysia on September 14, Australia on September 16 and Scotland on September 17.

Pakistan not the only side involved: May

SYDNEY, Sept 10 (PTI) — Former Australian Test off spinner Tim May said today it might be naive to think Pakistan was the only side involved in match fixing, adding that some former Indian players had alluded to its happening in other sides.

According to a leaked report, three Pakistani players — Salim Malik, Wasim Akram and Ijaz Ahmed — were found guilty of match-fixing by a Pakistan inquiry.

The inquiry followed an allegation made by May, now chief executive of the Australian Cricketers Association, and Shane Warne four years ago that Salim Malik had offered them bribe in the first Test in Karachi.

May told Channel Nine TV today: "I think people would be pretty naive if they just thought Pakistan were the only side that were involved in this.

"Certainly there have been reports that have come out of India and I think some former Indian players have alluded to the fact that perhaps it does occur in other sides.

"I know there was a report in an Indian paper that, from a person who allegedly should know about these things, who said Australia and England were the only sides that basically couldn’t be bought," he told Channel Nine.

(A single-member probe body headed by former Chief Justice of India Y.N. Chandrachud, set up by the Indian Cricket Board, had absolved the cricketers of the charges of match-fixing and betting levelled by former Test all rounder Manoj Prabhakar).

Feeling vindicated, especially since in 1995 an internal Pakistan inquiry rejected the allegations describing them as "concocted", May said "we’ve got the game of cricket at the top of our interest and it’s sad to think that the extent of match-fixing or whatever as reported today in the paper is present in the game.

"Time is always the best test of truth and four years down the track, I think, plenty of people will be sitting around and saying they they didn’t concoct that.

"So, perhaps things should have been addressed a hell of a lot better back in 1994 and we wouldn’t be in this position we are today."

May said the findings should have no effect on Australia’s cricket tour of Pakistan coming up in a fortnight’s time, saying "I don’t think it affects that one way or another."

"I imagine the Pakistan Cricket Board, they’ll select a side they want to have out on the field. We’ll just basically put the Pakistan internal inquiry aside and just play cricket against them."

Earlier, he had said there was no place for bribery in sport but the corruption would have to be dealt with locally.

"I think at the end of the day that’s up to the Pakistani authorities, they’ve got to deal with it in the way they deem fit," the ABC radio quoted May as saying.

"They’ve got different culture over there than we’ve got over here. We’re into fines or bans and I think sometimes over there in Islamic countries they’re into cutting things off — I think it’s best left in their hands."

Besides players, Australian media and cricket commentators too have also called for rooting out of corruption from the sport once described as gentlemen’s game.

"The guilty must be rooted out. Those with honour intact must be protected," wrote Peter Roebuck in the Sydney Morning Herald today.

"Scandals occur in every sport. The merit of a sport is not determined by the scandals that befall it but by its reaction to them."

He said it was a pity action was not taken immediately and partly blamed Australians for it.

"Senior players were prepared to say their piece under oath but were not willing to go to Karachi to appear before a respected judicial officer. They thought it was too dangerous."

A few months later the entire team appeared in a World Cup final in the same country, Roebuck pointed out.

The Melbourne Age newspaper said May had called for the international cricket council to step in.

"However, indications last night were that ICC would again sit on its hands," the paper said.

Reuters adds: The Australian cricket board reacted cautiously today to a report naming three leading Pakistan test players as suspects in a match-fixing probe.

ACB chief executive Malcolm Speed said he would not comment on the matter until he had received official word from Pakistan.

"Essentially it is an internal matter for the Pakistan Cricket Board. The Australian Cricket Board has nothing to add," Speed said.

"We are waiting until we receive the formal advice of the Pakistan Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council regarding the inquiry outcomes and any proposed courses of action."

Warne, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, and Mark Waugh who is representing Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, said they had been ordered not to comment on the matter.

But May, who once threatened to take legal action after a judge investigating the case accused the three Australians of concocting the charges, said the findings vindicated their original statements.

"In my own personal way there is a genuine sense of relief that perhaps people are becoming more aware of a problem," said May.

"Before the finding there was not evidence to suggest it but now it seems there is the evidence to take this thing further."

South Africa, Kiwis post victories

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (AP) — New Zealand overcame a tenacious young Kenyan team to win their opening pool D tie by five wickets in the Commonwealth Games cricket tournament today.

Set a winning target of 145 in 50 overs, New Zealand scored the required runs in 47.2 overs against its non-Test playing opponent.

In pool C encounters, South Africa downed Northern Ireland by four wickets and Barbados beat Bangladesh by the same margin in matches which were delayed by up to three hours by rain. Both winners had to reach revised victory targets.

New Zealand medium pacer Chris Harris was the major contributor for his team, taking 3-7 off 10 overs and the Kiwis stayed calm during their run-chase.

"Our patience and deliberate batting, chasing a small total under difficult conditions, also contributed,’’ said New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.

The Kiwi innings was in early trouble when opener Nathan Astle was run out for seven in the third over.

After the setback, Matthew Horne (39) and left-hander Fleming (24) stabilized the innings and Craig McMillan added a useful 33.

Despite aggressive fielding and a creditable total of 144 for eight on a slow pitch, and a rain-drenched outfield that prevented many boundaries, Kenya could not match the experience of the Kiwi team, which included many Test stars.

Kenya’s main batting hopes, Stephen Tikolo (9) and Maurice Odumbe (10), failed to stay at the crease and it was right-hander Ravindy Shah who topped the scoring with 35 before being run out.

Harris got rid of Tikolo, Alpesh Vadher and Sandip Gupta in an amazing spell which put the brakes on the Kenyan innings.

For Kenya, the Suji brothers, Martin and Tony, opened the medium-pace attack.

New Zealand reached the 100-run mark with three wickets down in the 32nd over. At the same stage the Kenyans had lost five wickets and scored 15 fewer runs.

Barbados, with West Indian batsmen Philo Wallace and Sherwin Campbell, won the toss and sent Bangladesh in to bat at the Selangor Turf Club ground.

Bangladesh opener Shahrier Hossain scored an unbeaten 70 in his team’s 144-7 off 47 overs before the innings was disrupted by rain.

Barbados were set a winning target of 160 in 47 overs and passed the mark in 41.3 overs.

Results: Group C- Bangladesh 144-7 Barbados 160-6 Barbados won by 4 wickets (revised target because of rain).

Northern Ireland 89-5 South Africa 131-6 South Africa won by 4 wickets (revised target because of rain).

Group D- Kenya 144-8 New Zealand 145-5. New Zealand won by 5 wickets.

Enough action to keep fans glued

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Reuters) — Some of sport's biggest names are missing, injured or otherwise engaged, but there will be more than enough action to keep fans glued to their armchairs when the 16th Commonwealth Games kick off this weekend.

It will help if you're an Australian: the Aussies are once again expected to be the dominant power as they warm up for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

But from Anguilla to Zimbabwe, from swimming to boxing to tenpin bowling, everyone will be in with a chance as more than 4,000 athletes from 70 nations and territories battle it out for 1,176 medals in 219 events.

And organisers say it should all be good clean fun.

"Although sports today is seriously about winning and national pride, I do hope that the old so-called ‘sporting spirit’ will still permeate the games," Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told Commonwealth sports bosses.

"Winning is important of course, but the camaraderie and the spirit of friendly competition should still be valued."

The list of absentees from the Games is depressingly long — friendly competition doesn’t pay the bills any more in the brutal world of professional sports.

Four of the five fastest men in the world this year could have started the men’s 100 metres sprint in the brand new Kuala Lumpur stadium but only one is expected to do so, Trinidad’s Ato Boldon.

Olympic champion and world record holder Donovan Bailey of Canada is injured. Compatriot Bruny Surin decided to take a break. Frankie Fredericks of Namibia dropped out at the last moment.

And even Boldon, world champion over 200 metres, had to be persuaded to come. He hopes to break Bailey’s 9.84 second 100 metres world record, but thinks his American rivals will just laugh when he boasts of being the new Commonwealth champ.

Also missing will be Australian Cathy Freeman, who made headlines at the last Commonwealth Games in Canada four years ago when she wrapped herself in both aboriginal and Aussie flags after winning the 400 metres. Freeman loves the Commonwealth Games but has an injured foot.

British athletes, who race under the colours of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have seen their ranks depleted. World record long-jumper Jonathan Edwards and Colin Jackson, the fastest man in the 110-metre hurdles, are missing

Controversially, England also decided against sending a team for cricket’s Commonwealth Games debut — not that an English presence would have worried favourites Australia, even though they are missing both Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

In the first week of the Games, before the athletics start, swimming will dominate, and Australia’s stunning young crop will be competing against each other to become the Games’ big star.

In pole position is Michael Klim, the shaven-headed 21-year-old who took two individual and two relay gold medals at January’s world championships in Perth. Up against him will be 15-year-old Ian "Thorpedo" Thorpe, who became the youngest world champion in swimming history at the championships.

Swim King Kieren Perkins, double Olympic champion in the 1,500 metres and world record holder at three distances, cannot be written off yet — as long as he can get past teammate Grant Hackett.

Netball is making its debut and Sydney star Nicole Cusack is tipped as the woman to watch.

In the boxing ring, Kenya and South Africa will be out to upset the traditional order. And in the gymnastics arena the Canadian women will be hoping to maintain their dominance.

Hosts Malaysia are favourites for the men’s team badminton gold after opening the pool matches with a 5-0 win over Mauritius. In the women’s competition, the top-ranked New Zealanders should be hard to beat.

Malaysian fans are also expected to turn out in force at the tenpin bowling alley to cheer on local pin queen Shalin Zukifli. The 20-year-old should be Malaysia’s best chance for an individual gold, but the Australians could spoil that party too in the form of world champion Cara Honeyworth.

At the last Commonwealth Games, the Australian team won a record 87 gold medals, more than the next three teams combined. So powerful are they — 100-plus golds is the unofficial targe - that team chiefs have been forced to order a touch of humility.

Indian shuttlers impress

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (PTI) — Indian shuttlers maintained rousing form at the Commonwealth Games badminton competition with the men blanking lowly Botswana in their inaugural group encounter and the women registering their second straight win by thrashing lowly South Asian rivals Sri Lanka to maintain momentum for a knockout berth today.

National champion Aparna Popat downed Renu Chandrika 11-7, 11-5 in the first singles to set the tone as the SAARC champions overwhelmed Sri Lanka 5-0 to post their second straight victory in women’s group-X.

India, led by national champion Pullela Gopichand found little resistance as they thrashed the clueless Africans 5-0 in men’s group-B league.

The Indian eves, who had registered a facile 4-1 win over Wales on the inaugural day yesterday, were more ruthless to hand the islanders their second successive defeat after their 0-5 rout by group favourites Scotland yesterday.

Popat, ranked 28 in the world, faced some fight from Sri Lankan number one Chandrika before hoisting the lead. Neelima Choudhary breezed past Dilhani De Silva 11-4, 11-0 and former national champion Manjusha Kanwar beat D Dharmasena 11-6, 11-6.

Veteran Madhumita Bisht and P.V.V. Lakshmi then subdued Renu Chandrika and Inoka De Silva at 15-11, 15-7.

Manjusha and Archana Deodhar beat D Dharmasena and Dilhani De Silva 15-2, 15-12 to complete the formality.

The victories, followed by tomorrow’s rest, should keep the Indian eves in fine trim ahead of their crucial tie against Scotland in the quest for a knockout berth.

Rivals brace up for Aussie onslaught

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Reuters) — If Michael Klim, Ian Thorpe and Kieren Perkins have their way, swimming fans could be pretty tired of the Australian national anthem by the end of the Commonwealth Games.

The swimming programme begins on Saturday and the Australians are expected to win all but a few of the 32 gold medals on offer.

They will be hard pressed to better their tally from the 1994 games in Victoria, where Australia embarrassed the Canadian hosts by winning 25 golds in the pool and 53 medals overall. Canada took 19 swimming medals, but only two golds.

Australia's stunning performance forced other countries to start copying their training methods, but while coaches from their main challengers Canada and England say their teams have improved, the gap has not been closed.

"The Australian men as a team are probably the best in the world, even better than the Americans," said head Canadian coach Dave Johnson.

"We have improved quite dramatically as a team since Victoria, but on the other hand so has Australia," Johnson said. "With a guy like Klim as their cornerstone, they're very tough."

Australian head coach Don Talbot refuses to predict the number of golds his team win, but has to acknowledge that they are the ones to beat.

"We are probably the number one-rated team in the Commonwealth," Talbot said. But, he added, "England is very strong in the women's events — on paper they are probably stronger than we are."

While the Australian women face a challenge from Britain and Canada, the Australian men will mostly be racing each other.

Led by four-time world champion Klim, double world champion Grant Hackett, double Olympic champion Perkins and Thorpe, the sport's youngest world champion ever at 15, the Australian men could sweep six of the men's 13 individual events, win another four and take all three relays.

In addition to his four golds, Klim, 21, also took a silver and a bronze at the world championships in Perth in January.

Klim and Thorpe are expected to stage an epic battle in the 200 metres freestyle on Saturday and some experts think Italian Georgio Lambert's nine-year-old world record could be broken.

"I personally think this is going to be his meet," Talbot said of Sydney schoolboy Thorpe. "His training has been going very well."

Talbot also said Hackett, Perkins and team mate Daniel Kowalski could all go under 15 minutes in the 1,500 freestyle race, an unprecedented event to round off the swimming programme.

The only times hymn-like tones "advance Australia fair" are likely to be silenced will be after the 100 and 200 metres backstroke, where Canada's Mark Versfeld is the favourite, and the 200 metres butterfly where young Englishman James Hickman is the top-rated swimmer in the Commonwealth.

But the English and Canadian challenges have been hurt by withdrawals. Englishman Paul Palmer, a highly-ranked freestyle racer, pulled out with muscle fatigue syndrome and Canada's Commonwealth record holder in the 200 individual medley, Curti Myden, stayed home because of school commitments.

The English and Canadian women are likely to pose more of challenge, even though Australia have Olympic gold medallist Susie O'Neil, who is scheduled to compete in eight events, and former world and Commonwealth champion Samantha Riley.

"I think our women are good enough to match the Australian and English if they keep their cool on the day," Johnson said.

He said his top medal hopes were Kelly Stefanyshyn in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke, Marianne Limpert in the 200 metres individual medley and Joanne Malar in the 200 and 400 individual medley.

England's hopes will rest on Susan Rolph in the 50 and 100 metres freestyle and veteran Karen Pickering, a double gold medallist in Victoria, said head coach Ian Turner.

Sunita emerges fastest woman

GURGAON, Sept 10 (UNI) — Sunita Dahiya of Sonepat clocked 12.96 seconds to become the fastest woman at the 12th Haryana State Women’s Sports Festival being held here.

However, she could not break her last year’s 100-metre record of 12.69 seconds. Sunita also clinched the titles in 100 metres and 1500 metres.

Baljeet Kaur of Yamunanagar followed Sunita very closely in 100 metres, but could finish second clocking 13.17 seconds and Chaman Deep of Rohtak remained third in 14.10 seconds.

Ambala Girl Mamlesh won the under-16 title in 100 metres clocking 13.74 seconds, while Sunil of Jhajjar clocked 13.80 seconds to finish second and Sangeeta of Rohtak remained third with 14.11 time.

On the second day of the meet today, two new records in javelin (women) and shot put (under 16 girls) were also created. Babita of Sonepat threw the javelin 35.92 metres and broke the old record of 31.76 metres established by Kailash of Rohtak.

In shotput (under-16), Seema Antil of Sonepat created the new record of 10.27 metres and improved her last year’s record of 9.72 metres.

The Hisar handball team routed Kurukshetra 11-1 in a pre-quarter final match. Kurukshetra girls could score only one goal in the seventh minute of the match. Kiran, Chanderesh and Aruna contributed maximum goals for Hisar.

In handball, Bhiwani beat Yamunanagar 18-9, Karnal beat Gurgaon 10-2, Rewari beat Sirsa 9-7 goals, Kaithal beat Rohtak 15-3 goals, Yamunanagar beat Faridabad 6-5, Jhajjar beat Narnaul 9-2 goals and Rewari beat Jind 10-4 goals.

In kabaddi (under-16), Jind beat Karnal 49-30 and Rohtak got a walkover against Panchkula. In the women’s section Rohtak routed Panchkula by 21-1, Panipat beat Faridabad by 35-5, Jhajjar beat Jind by 46-20 points and Yamunanagar got a walkover against Kurukshetra.

In kho-kho, Sonepat beat Panipat by 12-6, Sirsa beat Fatehabad by 12-1, Hisar beat Panchkula 14-0, Kurukshetra got a walkover against Karnal, Gurgaon beat Faridabad by 15-2, Jind beat Kaithal by 9-7 (one inning two-points), Sonepat got a walkover against Ambala, Narnaul got a walkover against Rewari, Bhiwani beat Jhajjar by 3-1 (one inning and two points), Sirsa got a walkover against Yamunanagar and Rohtak beat Gurgaon by 11-7 (one inning and 4 points).

In volleball, Gurgaon beat Faridabad 15-0, 15-0, Sonepat beat Narnaul 15-2, 15-2, Hisar beat Rohtak 15-2, 15-6, Kurukshetra beat Jind 15-13, 15-5, and Sonepat beat Panipat 10-15, 16-14, 15-6.

In hockey (women), Kurukshetra beat Sirsa by 9-0, Bhiwani beat Ambala 1-0 and Sonepat beat Yamnanagar 3-1.

In hockey (under 16 girls), Gurgaon beat Bhiwani 1-0, Kurukshetra beat Fatehabad 4-0, Bhiwani beat Karnal 4-0, Jhajjar beat Sirsa by 2-0, Yamunanagar beat Jind 3-0.

In basketball - Kurukshetra beat Faridabad by 29-21 points, Ambala beat Hisar 36-6 points, Panipat beat Fatehabad 26-02, Bhiwani beat Ambala 25-18 and Yamunanagar beat Kaithal 2-0 points.

Jaspal Rana raises medal hopes

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (UNI) — Jaspal Rana raised the medal hopes for India when he won the badge match for the second consecutive day today in the individual air pistol event of the Commonwealth Games at the Langkawi Ranges.

The badge events are warm-up matches to the championship.

Rana looked all set to justify his selection as the flagbearer for India at tomorrow’s opening ceremony at the National Stadium here, having beaten the opposition in two badge matches.

Yesterday, he had topped in the individual centre fire pistol event tallying 584 to better Ashok Pandit’s Commonwealth Games mark of 581.

The young Arjuna Award winner today shot 582, once again better than the Commonwealth Games record of 580 by Australia's Sandstorm.

Another Indian competitor in the air pistol, Satendra Kumar, finished sixth with 571 in the badge match. The shooters, after four days of warm-up matches now rest till September 13 when the main events start. Except for Roopa Unnikrishnan, who is coming from London, all the Indian shooters are here.

Whether the 16-member shooting contingent can do better than the three gold, two silver and two bronze medals won at Victoria four years ago, will depend on how the others perform in the main competitions.

Except for Rana and Bhanwarlal Dhaka, who finished second in the event, none of the others have performed notably in their badge matches. A lot is expected from Mansher Singh, who has had a stint in Italy under the ace coach Marcello Dradi.

KVS national meet in October
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 10 — The Kendriya, Vidyalaya Sangathan will hold the KVS National Sport Meet in Chandigarh from October 6 to 10.

About 3,200 students from all over the country, divided in six zones, will participate in football, kho-kho, kabaddi, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, lawn tennis, hockey, swimming, cricket and athletics.

These events will be held at different venues, which include Hockey Stadium (Sector 42), Table Tennis Hall (Sector 23), grounds of Air Force Station, 3 BRD, High Grounds and Chandimandir, and KV, HMT, Pinjore.

The meet will begin with an opening ceremony on October 6 at 10 a.m. at the Sector 42 Hockey Stadium. The closing ceremony will be held at the same venue on October 10 at 3.30 p.m.

Hockey star's finger sliced off

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (AFP) — Canadian hockey player Laurelee Kopeck was back in action in Commonwealth Games competition here today 24 hours after the top of her finger was sliced off in a freak mishap.

The 28-year-old British Columbia defender, known as "Jumbo", came off during Canada's opening 3-0 win over Namibia yesterday when her right index finger caught the full impact of a hit from a penalty corner.

She was taken to a games clinic while a search for the missing finger top was carried out on other players.

"I had to put about five stitches in the finger to reattach it," said Canadian team chief medical officer, Dr Peter Fowler.

"Someone got down on their hands and knees and found the missing finger tip."

"It was packed in saline and ice and sent to the clinic where I attached it on to the finger."

Top wrestler honoured
By Our Sports Reporter

SAS NAGAR, Sept 10 — Padma Shrre Kartar Singh Wrestling Club, Mohali, today honoured international grappler Manoj Kumar who bagged the silver medal in the Junior World Wrestling Championship in the USA recently with a cash prize of Rs 11,000 at the Dara Film Studio here today.

Manoj participated in the world cadet meet in Germany in 1993, Senior Asian Wrestling Meet at Manila in 1995, International Taktti Cup in Iran in February, 1997, where he finished fourth and the Senior Asian Wrestling Championship held in Teheran in April 1997 where he finished fifth.

His coach was also honoured with a cash prize of Rs 2100 and another grappler Jaiveer was awarded a tin of ghee. Weightlifter Rampal was also honoured with a 4 kg tin of ghee.

Mr Harinderpal Singh Billa, president of Municipal Corporation, SAS Nagar, presided over the function while Mr C. Mescarnhas, Director in charge, SAI (North Centre) Chandigarh gave away the cash awards to the winners.

Earlier, the Padma Shree Kartar Singh Wrestling Club was inaugurated here today.

Ribbeck replaces Berti Vogts

BONN, Sept 10 (Reuters) — Former Bayern Munich coach Erich Ribbeck was appointed Germany head coach yesterday.

Ribbeck, 61, replaces Berti Vogts who quit on Monday.

Ribbeck, national team coach Jupp Derwall's assistant from 1978 to 1984, agreed a contract until the 2000 European Championship finals, the German soccer federation (DFB) said in a statement.

"Two days after Berti Vogts quit we have found a very good solution," DFB president Egidius Braun said.

Vogts resigned suddenly following growing media criticism since Germany's shock World Cup quarterfinal defeat by Croatia.

Vogts, 51, who led his team to the European Championship title in England in 1996, became only the second German coach not to see out his contract.

Ludhiana football
From Our Sports Reporter

LUDHIANA, Sept 10 — The Ludhiana District Football Championship for junior boys will be held from September 25 to 27 at the sports stadium, Latala village, near here, according to Mr Tara Singh, Secretary, Ludhiana District Football Association, yesterday.

Entries may be sent by September 23 to Mr Hardev Singh, DPE or Mr Tara Singh, Ramgarhia Senior Secondary School, Millerganj, Ludhiana.

Shivalik Trophy cricket
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Sept 10 — The Shivalik Trophy Cricket Tournament for government schools and private schools of Chandigarh will be organised by the UT Cricket Association here from September 26 to October 11, a press note of the association, has said.

All matches will be of 50-over duration and will played at DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector-23, and Cricket Stadium, Sector 16.

Entries close on September 19 with Mr S.S. Bawa, Secretary, UTCA, 2499, Sector 19-C, Chandigarh.

Edmund Rice cricket meet
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Sept 10 — The inaugural Edmund Rice Limited Over Cricket Tournament for boys under 12, under 14 and under 16 years will be held at St John's School, Sector 26, here from September 27 to November 15, a press note of the school has said.

Entries close on September 20 with the school Principal.

Trials

CHANDIGARH (BOSR): Trials to select the Chandigarh team for the Punjab Inter-District Cricket Tournament for the Katoch Shield, will be held at the DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8, here on September 13 at 3 p.m., according to Mr Mohinder Singh, secretary of the Chandigarh Cricket Association affiliated with the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA). Chandigarh will face Fatehgarh Sahib in the opening match at Mohali on September 21.