PEDRO JUAN CABALLERO : Peru's goalkeeper Oscar Ibanez can't stop Paraguay's Roque Santacruz from scoring his team's only goal in an America's Cup Group C game in Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay, Monday — AP/PTI

Bolivia knocked out PEDRO JUAN CABALLERO, (Paraguay), July 6 — Bolivia were knocked out of the Copa America yesterday after being held to a 1-1 draw by Japan, who picked up their only point of the competition and were also eliminated. Bolivia, who would have advanced with a win, were leading 1-0 until the 73rd minute when Brazilian Wagner Lopes equalised from the penalty spot following a foul on Shoji Jo by Luis Cristaldo.

Alexandra in wonderland
LONDON, July 6 — No one ever made a debut at Wimbledon like Alexandra Stevenson. She served at screaming speeds and curtsied to the crowds with theatrical flourishes in a historic trip from the qualifiers to the semifinals.

Wimbledon injects new life into tennis
LONDON, July 6 — Tennis has some zip again. Wimbledon, like the French Open a month ago, injected new life into the sport when it needed it most.

Martin Dahlin hangs his boots
STOCKHOLM, July 6 — Sweden’s international striker Martin Dahlin said yesterday he was being forced to quit soccer because of a severe back injury.

Sports Ministry fails to clear squad
PATIALA, July 6 — The Sports Ministry has failed to clear the nine-member contingent, selected by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), for the Spain Universaide.

Barla’s hat-trick for IHF XI
CHENNAI, July 6 — A superb hat-trick by international Lazarus Barla helped Indian Hockey Federation XI seniors score a 4-3 win over Air-India, Mumbai, and enter the semifinal by topping their group with a clean slate in the 77th MCC-AMM Arunachalam All-India Hockey Tournament here today.

Blake upsets Washington
NEWPORT, (Rhode Island), July 6 — James Blake made an auspicious professional debut, rallying to defeat former Wimbledon finalist Malivai Washington 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Hall of Fame tennis championships.

Swimmers for Asia Pacific, SAF Games
NEW DELHI, July 6 — The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) yesterday announced a 71-member list of probables for the Asia Pacific Championship to be held at the Talkatora Pool here from August 22 to 24.

PCA puts off benefit tie COLOMBO, July 6 — Sri Lanka has barred its cricket team from playing in a exhibition match against an Indian eleven at Mohali on July 10, officials said here today.

Tollygunge clinch McDowell Cup

CALCUTTA, July 6 (UNI) — Tollygunge Agragami lifted the glittering McDowell Cup nudging out fancied East Bengal 6-3 via the tie-breaker in an absorbing final of the soccer season’s lung opener at Salt Lake Stadium here today.

The scheduled time ended in a 2-2 draw with striker Srikanta Dutta scoring both goals for Tollygunge and striker Raman Vijayan and Ranjan Dey drawing parity for East Bengal.

The tie-breaker had to be introduced as neither side could find the net one more time in the extra time that could have decided the match by the golden goal.

Tollygunge thus repeated their performance in the semifinal wherein they ousted giant favourites Mohun Bagan 4-2 also in the penalty shoot out.

In the penalty shootout today, Tollygunge keeper Bivash Ghosh again rose to the occasion saving a stinger from East Bengal striker Supriyo Dasgupta to provide a vital 4-3 lead to his team after Biswarup Bishu and Rashmohan Mullick successfully converted while Ranjan Dey of East Bengal found the mark.

East Bengal’s chances took a nosedive when Chanchal Bhattacharjee shot wide after Tollygunge defender Partha Sarathi Dey scored. Tolly medio Jayanta Sen hit the last nail on East Bengal’s coffin converting his penalty to give an unassailable 6-3 lead to his team.

Tollygunge were the deserving winners today and they should have clinched the issue during the scheduled period itself as they were leading 2-0 till the 65th minute of the game. But the adverse situation seemed to bring out some of the brilliance of the East Bengal players who went all out for the equalisers.

Fresh from their victory over strong contenders Mohun Bagan, Tollygunge today began confidently combining well and with accurate passes outplayed their higher-rated rivals in all departments of the game.

On the other hand East Bengal, who scraped through to the final edging past a depleted Mohammedan Sporting 1-0 in the semi final, looked a confused lot from the beginning. Not only did they mispass, their deep defence crumbled whenever there was pressure.

Tollygunge took an early lead when striker Srikanta Dutta scored a gem of a goal in the 14th minute. Collecting the ball inside the rival half from a breakaway move, Tollygunge skipper Biswarup Bishu darted through the left flank and gave a pass to Srikanta who took an accurate side volley while on the move and it beat the East Bengal custodian Gopal Das hands down (1-0).

Inspired by the early lead, Tollygunge kept up their pressure and buttressed the lead in the 38th minute again through Srikanta Dutta. This time Srikanta’s stingy shot hit East Bengal defender Chanchal Bhattacharjee’s feet and went in (2-0).

Earlier, East Bengal missed their lone chance in the first half when medio Dinesh Dhundyal shot wide from close off Carlton Chapman.

Shakti Singh wins double

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, July 6 (PTI) — Shakti landed the men’s discus and shot put double while woman long jumper Anju Markose of Tamil Nadu leaped a personal best of 6.24 metres as most of the athletes gave improved performances in the second AAFI International Athletic meet here today.

Indian athletes won 10 out of the 15 events while foreign participants bagged the rest at the university stadium.

In shot put, Bangkok Asian Games silver medallist Shakti Singh improved upon his Nagercoil effort two days ago by 12 cm by achieving 18.99 metres.

His national record, however, stands at 19.73 metres. The veteran thrower took the discus title clearing 56.55 m.

The 24-year-old Chennai Customs employee, Anju Marcose, leaped a personal best to push G G Pramila, winner at the first circuit meet in Nagercoil, to second with 6.03 metres.

Kenyan runners ruled the distance events, making a clean sweep of the placings in the men’s 1500 m.

Kenyan Charles Kamati won the 5000 metres with a fine effort of 13:45.91.

Results: (Indians unless specified in parenthesis):

Men: 400- P Ramachandran 47.18 s 2, Felix Leboo (Kenya) 47.40, 3, Jata Sankar 47.60 s.

1500: Gideon Chirchir (Kenya) 3:44.73, 2. Joseph Mutua (Kenya) 3:47.12, 3. Mainade Dedan (Kenya) 3:47.15.

5000: 1. Charles Kamathi (Kenya) 13:45.91 2. Mohmoodian (Iran) 14:36.32, Zarekar Ahmed (Iran) 14:36.40.

Long jump: Jean Paul Arnudc (Mauritius) 7.84 mts., 2. Anil Kumar 7.42 mts, 3, Mestechkin Rostislav (Ukrain) 7.36 mts.

Shot put: Shakti Singh 18.99 mts, 2. Bhahadur Singh 18.25 mts 3. Jasveer Singh 17.35 mts.

Discus throw: 1. Shakti Singh 56.55 s 2. Hridayannad 56.23, 3, Anil Kumar 53.50.

Hammer throw: 1. Pramod Tewari 65.88 mts 2. Virender Poonia 64.23 mts 3. Naresh Choudhari 63.17.

WI to advertise for coach, manager

PORT OF SPAIN (Trinidad), July 6 (AP) — Seeking fresh faces to lead a team scarred by controversy, the West Indies cricket board says it will advertise for a coach and manager instead of choosing from a list of ex-stars and team employees.

“There will be no handpicking for it this time,” board president Patrick Rousseau told the Associated Press on Sunday. “Everybody who feels they have the qualifications can apply”.

The contracts of manager Clive Lloyd and coach Malcom Marshall expire in October.

The West Indies team has been shaken in the last year by a labour dispute and a drubbing by South Africa in December, a bottle-throwing attack by crowds in April and the storming of the field by players that stopped a match against Australia have further embarrassed the board.

Advertising is the “only way to ensure we make the best possible selection,” Rousseau said. “England opened it up to everybody including non-Englishmen. I don’t think we need to do that, but I am just showing how important it is to widen the net”.

The names of former players Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge have surfaced since Richards stood in for Marshall during the World Cup and Grenidge’s departure from the Bangladesh team.

Lloyd has already endorsed Greenidge to take over Marshall’s job. Marshall had to undergo an operation for cancer of the stomach during the World Cup and is unlikely to retain the job.

The cricket team’s troubles have attracted the attention of the Caribbean community, which is being asked to guarantee as much as $ 15 million in loans to prepare for the 2007 World Cup.

The region has to begin paying the international cricket conference in 2004 for planning of the event, Rousseau said.

Alexandra in wonderland

LONDON, July 6 (AP) — No one ever made a debut at Wimbledon like Alexandra Stevenson.

She served at screaming speeds and curtsied to the crowds with theatrical flourishes in a historic trip from the qualifiers to the semifinals.

Her mother, who raised her since birth to become a sports star, made headlines with charges of subtle racism and rampant lesbianism on the WTA Tour.

Her father, who saw her only once when she was three, made headlines by revealing his identity: Hall of Fame basketball player Julius Erving.

The story of Alexandra at Wimbledon seemed more like Alexandra in wonderland, curiouser and curiouser the longer it went on.

She took in everything with wide-eyed fascination, but she filtered out the distractions when it came time to go on court. She beat another terrific newcomer, Martina Hingis’ first-round conqueror, Jelena Dokic, and everyone else she played except the eventual champion, Lindsay Davenport.

She arrived as an amateur and left as a professional, pocketing $ 154,704 (approx Rs 67 lakh). Only one other player in Wimbledon history, John McEnroe in 1978, had gone from qualifier to semifinalist.

At 18, a few weeks after her high school graduation in California, Alexandra Stevenson came across as astonishingly poised and talented, well-adjusted and well-coached.

She also came across as someone who will have to cope with a variety of problems created by her parents.

Already there is backlash in the women’s game against the sweeping charges of racism and lesbianism levelled by Samantha Stevenson, a free-lance sports writer who writes frequently for the New York Times.

“I’m not sure if she’s doing it for attention or just saying these things, because they sound crazy, some of them,” Davenport said. “All this stuff that she’s calling all of us. I don’t think the players really appreciate it.”

Alexandra entered the fray briefly, reading a statement she wrote saying that her mother was right but was misquoted by some of the British newspapers. But the quotes were tape recorded, and they read about the same in all the papers.

The issue raised by Erving’s acknowledgement that he’s her father might have stayed private if her mother hadn’t written so many times in magazines about Alexandra’s championship bloodline and her destiny as a superstar.

Samantha Stevenson also talked a lot about her daughter, telling several confidantes over the years that Erving was the father. In tennis circles, it was common gossip and nothing more.

But it was inevitable that once Alexandra stepped on the world stage at a place like Wimbledon, the family secret would come out.

Two hours after Stevenson beat Dokic to reach the semis, Erving told the AP he was indeed, Alexandra’s father. He said he had been supporting her financially through his attorney, and had long ago informed his wife, Turquoise, and four children about the situation.

Erving congratulated Alexandra on her success and complimented Samantha on the way she had raised her.

He said it was up to Alexandra to decide whether she wanted to get together with him.

When asked about Erving’s statement, Alexandra refused comment, told that she’d probably be asked about it again and again until she did respond. She said she’ll do it when she’s ready. When Samantha Stevenson was asked when she might have a comment about Erving, she said bluntly, “never”.

And yet Samantha Stevenson has told friends she’s planning to write a book about her daughter.

The disclosure of Erving as Alexandra’s father did more than attach a certain celebrity status to her. It helped explain how this muscular, 1.86-metre (6-foot-1) daughter of a rather small and unathletic-looking white mother had become so imposing a sport figure.

Certainly there is more to tennis stardom than good genes. It takes desire and hard work and good coaching. Alexandra had the drive and discipline. Samantha knew and sought the best coaches.

Stevenson has long had a sense of destiny for herself as a tennis star. She was nine years old in 1990 when Navratilova won Wimbledon for the last time, and she heard someone ask Navratilova if there will ever be a great serve-and-volleyer like her again.

“She said there is some 9- or-10-year-old that is going to be coming up,” Stevenson said. “I was watching it and my mom was in the bedroom, and I said, ‘hey, mom, that’s me’.”

Wimbledon injects new life into tennis

LONDON, July 6 (AP) — Tennis has some zip again.

Wimbledon, like the French Open a month ago, injected new life into the sport when it needed it most.

The All England Club provided the stage for the coronation of a new female champion (Lindsay Davenport), the farewell of an old champ (Steffi Graf) and the emergence of potential future champs (Alexandra Stevenson, Jelena Dokic and Mirjana Lucic).

Wimbledon also confirmed the untouchable grass-court mastery of Pete Sampras, as well as the remarkable renaissance of Andre Agassi, who energises the men’s game like no other player.

“Andre brings out the best in me,” Sampras said after blasting Agassi in straight sets on Sunday for his sixth Wimbledon crown. “He elevates my game to a level that is phenomenal.”

Phenomenal sums up Sampras’ 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory, a virtuoso display of serving, volleying and shotmaking that was arguably the best performance ever on centre court.

Willie Renshaw is the only man with more Wimbledon titles (seven), and that was back in the 1880s. At 27 years old, Sampras looks certain to surpass that record as well as the mark for total Grand Slam championships (12), which he now shares with Roy Emerson.

Asked how many more times Sampras can win Wimbledon, Agassi said. “For the next four years — as many times as he wants.”

Sampras will be chasing the Grand Slam record two months from now at the US Open, a tournament he has won four times.

“I’d love to do it where it all started for me in 1990,” he said.

If Sampras is the best player ever to pick up a racket at Wimbledon, there is still debate whether he’s the greatest ever. Sampras has never won the French Open, or even reached the final of the clay court classic.

By contrast, Sampras’ idol, Rod Laver, won the French twice. Bjorn Borg did it six times. And Agassi won the French four weeks ago to become only the fifth man in history to win all four Grand Slam events.

The French Open is the toughest test in tennis, where baseline play and physical stamina are the key ingredients, neither is Sampras’ strong point.

But on the lawns of Wimbledon, where the rallies are few and the serve-and-volley dominates, Sampras is invincible. He’s slightly less omnipotent on the hard courts of Flushing Meadow, where the higher bounce gives players like Agassi a chance.

“I want another shot at him and I want another shot at him this summer,” Agassi said. “I want another shot at him in the finals of the US Open.”

Men’s tennis suffered in recent years from a shortage of personalities and a lack of a compelling rivalry. Now, with Agassi back at the top after climbing back from number 141, he could provide Sampras with the foil he needs.

But can Sampras and Agassi maintain a long-running rivalry matching Borg vs McEnroe and McEnroe vs Connors?

“Maybe it’s the start,” Sampras said. “But it’s difficult to have a consistent rivalry because the game is so strong today. It’s really hard to have two or three guys playing each other all year round. The game is not like it was 15 years ago when the top four were so much better than everybody else.”

Sampras, who has finished the year at number one for a record six years in a row, fell to number three behind Agassi and Australia’s Patrick Rafter in the new rankings released yesterday. But Sampras has other priorities.

“The game for me right now is to do well at the majors,” he said. “Grand Slams are always going to be the reason why I’m going to be playing this game in my early to mid-30s.”

Agassi, in what sounds like wishful thinking, thinks Sampras’ move from Florida to California may wind up cutting his career short.

“I’ve got a hunch la will break him down before his body does,” Agassi said. “If he starts getting comfortable on the lifestyle and changes his priorities, it’s different.”

Living in California hasn’t hurt Davenport, who punished Graf 6-4, 7-5, in the women’s final, adding the Wimbledon title to the US Open championship she won last year.

The match marked the end of seven-time champion Graf’s Wimbledon career. But it marked a breakthrough for Davenport, who had always struggled on grass.

“I look at someone like Lindsay as inspirational,” McEnroe said. “We had Andre at the French, and he lifted the spirits of the tennis world. But to see somebody like Lindsay, who wasn’t known as the best athlete, shows you can do it the old-fashioned way: hard work, dedication, love for your sport.”

Davenport was virtually overlooked throughout the tournament as the spotlight fell on younger, more glamorous players such as Venus Williams and Anna Kournikova.

The down-to-earth Davenport has never courted publicity or celebrity. “I think it’s the greatest thing to get attention for winning tournaments, and for being a good person and for being normal,” she said.

Plenty of attention was paid to Stevenson, the 18-year-old American who became the first player in Wimbledon history to come out of the qualifying rounds to reach the women’s semifinals.

Not only that, the world learned that Stevenson’s father is basketball great Julius Erving.

Stevenson wasn’t the only new face. Dokic, a 16-year-old qualifier, stunned number one Martina Hingis in the first round before losing to Stevenson in the quarters. And Lucic, the 17-year-old Croat, pushed Graf to three sets in the semis.

After some lean times, tennis should have plenty of storylines to follow in the months and years to come.

Martin Dahlin hangs his boots

STOCKHOLM, July 6 (Reuters) — Sweden’s international striker Martin Dahlin said yesterday he was being forced to quit soccer because of a severe back injury.

“I’ve delivered my last elbow, played my last game and scored my last goal,” Dahlin told reporters with a smile.

Earlier this year Dahlin joined German first division club Hamburg SV on loan from English side Blackburn who were relegated from the premier to the first division at the end of last season.

Dahlin said he first sustained the back injury during a practice session two years ago at Blackburn.

The 31-year-old was one of Sweden’s most successful strikers, scoring 29 goals in 60 internationals.

Sports Ministry fails to clear squad
From Our Sports Reporter

PATIALA, July 6 — The Sports Ministry has failed to clear the nine-member contingent, selected by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), for the Spain Universaide. The contingent included two swimmers (Jaspreet Singh and Tashina Singh), two athletes (Roshan and Parminder Singh) and a four-member lawn tennis team apart from Mr Noor Mohammad, coach-cum-manager for the World University Games, at Palma de Mallorca, Spain, which started on June 5 and will finish on June 13.

On July 4, on the departure of the contingent, the Sports Ministry sought clarifications regarding the procedure of the selections made by AIU.

The selection procedure had also been explained in the original proposal sent to the Sports Ministry by the AIU on May 27. The AIU has argued that its selections were based on performances in inter-varsity meets, and in individual events the yardstick applied was the sixth place position of the last World University Games, which were held in Sicily (Italy).

PCA puts off benefit tie

COLOMBO, July 6 (PTI) — Sri Lanka has barred its cricket team from playing in a exhibition match against an Indian eleven at Mohali on July 10, officials said here today.

They said the decision was taken because Sri Lanka did not want to risk injuries to its players ahead of the three-nation one-day series involving India and Australia next month here.

The board has threatened to remove players if they defy the ban and participate in the match, the officials said adding that Arjuna Ranatunga, whose position at the helm of the Lankan team is in danger, was keen to lead the team to Mohali.

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has indefinitely postponed the MP Pandove benefit cricket tie between India eleven and Sri Lanka eleven at the PCA Stadium, Mohali, on July 10.

PCA secretary MP Pandove told PTI here this evening that the tie had been postponed due to circumstances beyond the control of the association.

Barla’s hat-trick for IHF XI

CHENNAI, July 6 (PTI) — A superb hat-trick by international Lazarus Barla helped Indian Hockey Federation XI seniors score a 4-3 win over Air-India, Mumbai, and enter the semifinal by topping their group with a clean slate in the 77th MCC-AMM Arunachalam All-India Hockey Tournament here today.

Tamil Nadu, however, quelled the challenge of IHF juniors 2-1 to enter the semifinal from group B with six points.

IHF juniors (one point) still have a chance to make the grade, if they beat Mumbai XI tomorrow. Mumbai (four points) need a draw to progress to the semifinals.

Air-India (six points) are also in a similar situation as they would be eliminated if Karnataka (four points) beat Hyderabad with an eight-goal difference tomorrow.

Playing their last league match today, Air-India led 2-0 through goals from Len Aiyappa and Rajesh Chauhan. But IHF rallied through a superb field goal by mercurial forward Dhanraj Pillay before Barla equalised.

Cornelius D’Costa put Air-India ahead once again with a penalty corner conversion (h.t 3-2), but Barla struck twice more to guide his team to victory.

Tamil Nadu led 1-0 at half time against IHF juniors, who equalised through a penalty corner conversion by Sukhamritpal Singh.

Blake upsets Washington

NEWPORT, (Rhode Island), July 6 (AP) — James Blake made an auspicious professional debut, rallying to defeat former Wimbledon finalist Malivai Washington 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Hall of Fame tennis championships.

Blake, 19, who reached the National Collegiate Athletic Association final as a Harvard University sophomore before turning pro three weeks ago, blamed nerves for his rough first set yesterday.

Washington’s appearance was his first of the year and his first on grass since losing the 1996 Wimbledon final to Richard Krajicek. He has been working to strengthen a knee that has troubled him for more than two years.

The 30-year-old Washington acknowledged that his career is at a crossroads, He said he would determine his tennis future after seeking how his knee responds to a busier summer schedule.

In other matches of the championship, where India’s Leander Paes is the defending men’s singles champion, Blake’s older brother, Thomas, won a qualifying match against David Wheaton the tournament’s 1994 champion.

Swimmers for Asia Pacific, SAF Games

NEW DELHI, July 6 (PTI) — The Swimming Federation of India (SFI) yesterday announced a 71-member list of probables for the Asia Pacific Championship to be held at the Talkatora Pool here from August 22 to 24.

The SFI selection committee which met here on Sunday at the end of the national sub-junior championship also named 20 swimmers, including six women, for the South Asian Federation Games to come off in Kathmandu in September.

The squads for the Asia-Pacific meet, selected on the basis of performance in the junior and sub-junior meets as well as trials held for seniors here on July 2 and 3, will be undergoing coaching in camps to begin in Delhi and Bangalore from July 15, an SFI release said.

The two major names missing from the SAF probables list are freestyle ace Sebastian Xavier and top butterfly swimmer Suresh Kumar. Xavier could not attend the trials, but is expected to be included at a later stage.

The squad for the Asia Pacific meet includes 22 girls and 16 divers. Competition will be held in open (18 years and above), group I (15-17 years), Group II (13-14 years) and group III (11-12 years) categories.

Probables for Asia Pacific meet:

Boys:

Open: TA Surjith, Martin Joseph (both SSCB), M Satish Kumar, Kailash Nath, TK Senthil Kumar, Raja Ram Tokas, Kehar Singh, Abhijit Jayathirth (all police), Sandeep Kakkar (Del).

Group I: Elvis Ali Hazarika, Deepak Singh (both Pol), Reji Kumar, Nukul Narayan, Pavan S Vinay V (all Kar), Sachin Kakkar (Del), Akbar Ali Mir (Ben), Kaustabh Radkar (Maha).

Group II: Sudip Chaterjee, Rahul Batra, Rohan D’ Souza, Ashwin Kumar (all Kar), Amar Murlidharan, Riyad Patra, Avinash Kriplani, Jay Shah (all Maha), Gaurav Mondal, Snehshish Mukherjee (both Ben).

Group III: Parikshit Shetty, Saurabh Mundra (both Maha), Rehan Poncha, Ashish Kulkarni (both Kar), I Shivanand (Mani), M Santosh Chary (AP).

Girls:

Open: M Usha (Ker), Rajshree Chakraborty (Ben).

Group I: Nisha Millet, Reshma Millet, Chitra K (all Kar) Zeba Wadia (Maha), Richa Mishra (Del), Patul Nandy (Ben).

Group II: Shikha Tandon, Archana Bhushan, Nisha Mohite (all Kar), Tejaswi Shetty, Bhavna Sharma, Madhurika Ghatge (all Maha), Divya Chandrashekar (Del).

Group III: Shruti Reddy, Manshi Shelke (both Maha), Ambica NS Iyengar, S Sampada (both Kar), Shruti Arunkumar (TN). Meenakshi Tokas (Del).

Diving (Boys):

Open: Umesh Prasad, Bhav Sahib Dhige (both RSCB), G Prem Kumar (SSCB).

Group I: Sachin Tripathi (UP), Yogesh H Watve (SSCB),

Group II: MS Jawalkar (Maha), M Kunj Kishor Singh (Mani), GB Sharath (Kar).

Group III: Swaraj Patil (Maha).

Girls:

Open: Ishani Ghosh, Sweta Gogtay (both RSCB), Viraz Patil.

Group I: Suparna Paul (Ben).

Group II: Shruti Srivastava (MP).

Group III: Avni Shah, Pooja C Gosani (both Maha).

Probables for SAF Games:

Men: Elvis Ali Hazarika, TA Surjith, Martin Joseph, Kailash Nath, Amar Murlidharan, TK Senthil Kumar, Sachin Kakkar, Raja Ram, Kehar Singh, Deepak Singh, S Pavan, Shreesh Reddy, J Abhijit, HS Hakimudeen.

Women: Nisha Millet, Shikha Tandon, Reshma Millet, Richa Mishra, Zeba Wadia, Tejaswi Shetty.

Bolivia knocked out

PEDRO JUAN CABALLERO, (Paraguay), July 6 (Reuters) — Bolivia were knocked out of the Copa America yesterday after being held to a 1-1 draw by Japan, who picked up their only point of the competition and were also eliminated.

Bolivia, who would have advanced with a win, were leading 1-0 until the 73rd minute when Brazilian Wagner Lopes equalised from the penalty spot following a foul on Shoji Jo by Luis Cristaldo.

Erwin Sanchez had opened the scoring for Bolivia, who played the entire second half with 10 men after defender Oscar Sanchez was sent off for a wild, two-footed tackle on Toshiya Fujita in the 44th minute.

Sanchez scored in the 53rd minute from a powerful kick from the edge of the area, which flew past the Japanese wall and into the corner of the goal.

Japan captain Masari Ihara was also sent off in the 77th minute for a second bookable offence.

Bolivia finished third in group A with two points. The best two of the third-placed teams from the three groups qualify for the quarter-finals but Bolivia have fewer points than Mexico and Argentina, the third-placed teams in groups B and C which still have their last games to play.

Marco Etcheverry came close to a late winner for Bolivia, but saw his free kick tipped over the crossbar by Seigo Narazaki. At the other end, Teruyoshi Ita shaved the post with a powerful shot from the edge of the area.

Japan coach Philippe Troussier, whose team needed a huge win to have a chance of going through in third-placed, made seven changes from the team side that started Friday’s 4-0 defeat by Paraguay.

Roller hockey camp in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH, July 6 (TNS) — The Roller Skating Federation of India has decided to invite international coaches to national coaching camps and seminars for preparation of the Indian team for the forthcoming Asian Roller Skating Championship to be held in China in October this year.

The camps and clinics will be organised from July 20 to August 8 at Visakhapatanam in speed skating, artistic skating (Ahmedabad/ Mumbai) and roller rink hockey at Chandigarh. The medal winning skaters of 1997-98 nationals are entitled to attend along with coaches, judges and referees, who had officiated in these nationals.

The federation is laying special emphasis on the training programme in view of the excellent performance of Indian team in the previous Asian meet held in Korea in 1997, where of the 33 Indian skaters, 22 had won bronze medals.

Skaters have been directed to report at the respective venues on July 19. After the coaching camps selection trails for the Indian team for the Asian meet will take place from August 8 to 10.

Ludhiana Club in semis

LUDHIANA, July 6 (FOSR) — Karan Goyal (61 n.o. and 1 for 7) and Sunny Datt 3 for 14) fashioned Ludhiana Club’s nine-wicket convincing win over Desraj Coaching Centre ‘B’ in the fourth Chamanlal Malhotra Cricket Cup (u-16) being organised by the Ludhiana District Cricket Association at the S.D. Government College ground here today. With this victory, Ludhiana Club made it to the semifinals.

Chasing Desraj Coaching Centre ‘B’ total of 93 runs, Ludhiana Club scored 96 for 1 after 15.1 overs. Karan Goyal remained unbeaten on 61. His innings included nine hits to the fence.

Brief scores: Desraj Coaching Centre ‘B’ 93 all out in 27.3 overs (Abhimanyu 17, Hari 9, Rajeev 8, Sunny Datt 3 for 14, Tarun Kanish 2 for 10, Karan Goyal 1 for 7). Ludhiana Club 96 for 1 in 15.1 overs (Ashish Vinayak 19, Karan Goyal 61 n.o., Sushayant 1 for 9).

25 footballers for coaching camp

JALANDHAR, July 6 (FOSR) — The selection committee of the Shri Guru Gobind Singh Football Society has selected 25 young football players in the under-16 and under-19 age groups in the first phase of the selection trials which were held here yesterday, according to Mr Inderjeet Singh, president of the society. The society will organise a 10-day coaching camp for these players and during the camp they will be provided one time meal, free kit, playing equipment and coaching.

New ED of NIS

PATIALA, July 6 (FOSR) — Col B.S. Ahluwalia has been appointed Executive Director of the National Institute of Sports (NIS). Prior to this appointment, Col Ahluwalia was working as Executive Director (Stadia) at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) corporate office at New Delhi.