Gruelling test for man & machine
GHAYAGI (HP), Oct 7 — Engines revved up, tyres screeched and rubber burnt as 17 four-wheelers and 30 motorcycles took the Starter’s Flag at 6.30 a.m today from Shilon Resorts on the Chail-Kufri road.

Irina, Vivek clinch titles
CHANDIGARH, Oct 7 — Fifteen-year-old Irina Brar of Vivek High School won the girls’ division trophy in the Northern India St Xaviers Junior and Subjunior Golf Championship with a massive lead of 23 strokes over her nearest rival Guneet Raikhy. Japneet Gharaya finished third.

Williams family shows the way
IT is never easy to become great at anything especially a sport and we are all aware of what it takes to eventually get there. The work, the dedication, the discipline, the sacrifices and eventually a bit of luck goes into one’s training before you get to the really good at a sport.

Testud thwarts Serena Williams
FILDERSTADT (Germany), Oct 7 — US Open Champion Serena Williams plunged to defeat in the second round in Filderstadt yesterday just three days after capturing the Grand Slam Cup in Munich.

3 tested positive in SAF Games
KATHMANDU, Oct 7 — The South Asian Sports Federation (SASF) Doping Commission said yesterday three athletes had tested positive for banned drugs during the just-ended 8th SAF Games here.

Sunil stuns Ismail, enters semis
NEW DELHI, Oct 7 — Up-and-coming Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh today caused an upset, sailing past former national champion and Davis Cupper Asif Ismail (Mah) to storm into the semifinals of the men’s section at the DSCL National Hardcourt Tennis Championship.

Harbhajan vows to do better
JODHPUR, Oct 7 — Young Punjab off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was today included in the Indian squad for the first cricket Test against New Zealand, today said he would concentrate on line and length and the wickets “will come by themselves”.

PCA granted tax exemption
Chandigarh, Oct 7 — The controversy regarding levying of entertainment tax on the first Test of the Pepsi Challenger series between India and New Zealand scheduled to start at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium at SAS Nagar, near here, on October 10 finally ended after the state government decided to grant tax exemption to the PCA today.

Boxer disqualified for biting
LONDON, Oct 7 — Shades of Mike Tyson. British boxer Adrian Dodson was disqualified for biting his opponent in a Commonwealth middleweight championship fight.

• Rovers Cup from November 1
• Rain hits golf tourney

McMillan hits ton in drawn tie

JODHPUR, Oct 7 (UNI) — Riding high on the splendid unbroken knocks of Craig McMillan (168) and Adam Parore (72) and their unbeaten 212-run stand for sixth wicket, New Zealand dominated the last day’s play to gain a 146-run first inning lead over Board President’s XI here today.

Board President’s XI lost four wickets in the space of 79 runs in the second innings, in the three day tie which ended in a tame draw at the Barkatullah Khan Stadium here.

With no result in sight, both the captains called off the match on mutual agreement after seven mandatory overs were bowled.

At close, the hosts finished at 79 for four with Harbhajan and Shewage remaining unbeaten after Fleming declared the first innings at 444 for five in reply to Board’s 298.

The showing in all departments of game by New Zealand in the last three days might not add to their stature, but certainly pumped them up for battles ahead and put the visitors in a positive state of mind.

Their batting, which had been mediocre in the Test series against England, looked relatively in good stead following their hasty work of 135 for six in the tour opener at Pune. However, Harbhajan spun a web around the Kiwis batsmen and exposed their vulnerability against spinners.

Besides, bowlers, especially spinners, will have to work hard as Vettori looked convincing while Wiseman has to strike the rhythm. Moreover they will have a lot of thinking to do about how to approach Test matches on designer tracks.

In the second innings Board lost their first wicket early as Rathore was trapped by Nash for five only in a total of ten. However, Khoda (49) entertained the audience with his fireworks before being caught at a eight by Nash off Vettori. Next two batsmen Mullick and Bundela went back in the pavilion in quick succession.

Resuming at 232 for five in the morning. Overnight batsmen McMillan and Parore got off to a rousing start. McMillan, who started slowly yesterday but was at no stage in any real trouble against Board’s bowlers, began the day with a boundary off as Ashish Nehra, who opened the bowling with Punjab off spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Looking in blistering mood from the very beginning, McMillan grafted his way to his half-century by hitting the ball to the ropes off Nehra again. However, the right-hander appeared severe over Sanghvi in whose over he scored 14 runs, including two fours and one six on three consecutive deliveries.

Board skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar persisted with Harbhajan, who inflicted the maximum damage to the visiting side with a haul of four scalps, but the Punjab lad could not repeat his magic. He was also thrashed by McMillan who lofted two skiers over the ropes for six, seeing his team score crossing the 300-mark.

Both the batsmen provided stability after the dismissal of two consecutive wickets with the team score at 232.

Board President’s XI (first innings) 298

New Zealand (over night score) 248 for 5

Craig McMillan not out 108, Chris Harris lbw Harbhajan 0, Adam Parore not out 72, Extra (b-4, lb-5, nb-14) 23.

Total 444 for five declared

Fall of wickets 4/232, 5/232

Bowling Ashish W. Zaidi 21-4- 66-1, Ashish Mehra 19-2- 57-0, Rahul Sanegai 31-5-114-0, Harbhajan Singh 29-3- 91-4, Hrishikesh Kanitkar 12-0- 51-0, Virendra Shewag 11-4- 25-0, Devendra Bundela 6-1- 23-0, P. Mullick 1-0- 8-0,

Board President’s XIi (second innings): Gagan Khoda -c Nash Bvettori 49, Vikram Rathore lbw Nash 5. P. Mullick b Wiseman 8, Devendra Bundella c Parore b Vettori 4, Harbhajan Singh not out 11, Virendra Shewag not out 2, Extra - 0.

Total : 79 for four

Fall of wickets: 1/10, 2/62, 3/62, 4/71

Bowling: Shyane O’ Connor 8-0-23-0, Dion Nash 6-2-11-1, Daniel Vettori 12-4-31-2, Paulwiseman 3-1-11-1.

Kafelnikov, Rusedski advance

BASLE, (Switzerland), Oct 7 (Reuters) — Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov swept into the second round of the Swiss Indoor Championships yesterday with a 6-3 7-5 win over Vince Spadea, keeping the pressure on Andre Agassi in the battle for the coveted number one year end ranking.

Third seed Greg Rusedski, fresh from a lucrative victory at the Grand Slam Cup and the winner here in 1997, stayed on course for another big payday brushing aside Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 7-6 6-2.

Kafelnikov, the world number two after holding top spot for six weeks in May and June, arrived in Basle determined to reclaim the number one ranking from Agassi, the French and US Open champion.

But Spadea, who had a 2-2 record against the Russian including a win earlier this year in their last meeting in Key Biscayne, looked to once again have Kafelnikov’s number when he broke his opening service game.

Kafelnikov, however, immediately broke back and went on to take the next three games and control of the set.

The American, ranked a respectable 19 in the world, continued to battle in the second but it was Kafelnikov who produced the timely break to go ahead 6-5 and hold serve for the match.

Rusedski, who pocketed $1.3 million for his victory in Munich, had problems finding the range on his booming serve in the opening set, battling 38th ranked Santoro to a tiebreak which he won 7-3.

“I was really pleased with the way I played,’’ said Rusedski, owner of the world’s fastest serve. “I had never beaten Fabrice before.

“Today I played some of my best tennis. In the first set the standard of play was very high.’’

The second set saw the Briton take early control breaking Santoro to jump in front 2-1.

With Rusedski serving to go up 3-1 the match was interrupted for almost 30 minutes to repair a broken light that Santoro complained was creating shadows on the court.

The delay did nothing to dim Rusedski’s concentration. He returned to the court to hold serve before breaking the Frenchman to put the match out of reach.

“When the lights went out I was a little concerned because I had built up some momentum,’’ said Rusedski. “But luckily I was able to maintain my level of play and went on to win.’’

In other action, Morocco’s Hichum Arazi ranked 40 in the world dumped seventh seed and world number 14 Nicolas Lapentti of Ecuador 6-3 3-6 6-3.

Gruelling test for man & machine
From Roopinder Singh
Tribune News Service

GHAYAGI (HP), Oct 7 — Engines revved up, tyres screeched and rubber burnt as 17 four-wheelers and 30 motorcycles took the Starter’s Flag at 6.30 a.m today from Shilon Resorts on the Chail-Kufri road. The Raid de Himalaya was flagged off by Secretary Tourism, Himachal Pradesh, Kanwar Shamsher Singh. The rallyists drove through Shimla. Their route took them over The Ridge, a rare occurrence that underlined the government’s commitment to motor sports.

The event wound its way to Theog and Guma from where the first competitive stage started on the winding hill roads of this hill state. This rally has attracted quite a bit of attention because it carries the highest cash prize in India — Rs 75,000 for the four-wheeler winner and Rs 50,000 for the two-wheeler winner.

In true Raid style, the competitive stage was 99.38 km from Guma to Nogli. The length of the competitive stage sets it apart from a rally in which a competitive stage is between 20-30 km. The drive is a challenging one with hair-pin bends galore, which test the man and machine to the ultimate. From Nogli the competitors joined NH 22 and followed it till Sainj, from where they started the climb up for the mighty Jalori Pass. The second competitive stage of the day started at Ani which took the competitors over Jalori Jot at 10,280 feet above sea level. This 38-km stage finished at Ghayagi. The climb to Jalori has a very steep gradient and even going downhill is a challenge. Most of the vehicles that came down the steep slope had their brakes smoking from overheating.

There were small crowds of local people and school children who lined the roads at various points along the route of the Raid.

The first biker came through the end of the day’s competitive stage at 2.30 p.m. It was Bitto Sondi followed by Rakesh Blokhra, Amardev Singh, Surhid Sharma and Sukhvinder Singh. The later said that his engine had seized four times on the uphill climb to Jalori, but the downhill section allowed him to finish the stage. Another competitor came the last 30 km on a flat tyre.

Soon after the first bikes, came in the four wheelers where Satkiran Hara lead in a Maruti Esteem followed by Sanjay Sikand, Raj Kapoor, Dharam Pal and Atul Mandhar. Mona Desai and Rajni Nagu comprise the only women’s team in the Raid. They also did well on the first day.Interestingly all the first five four-wheeled vehicles to finish the day’s competitive stage were Marutis, four Gypsys and an Esteem. The day’s competitive section ended at Jalori. This route of the Raid took the competitors through one of the most heavily forested deodar mountains of Himachal Pradesh.

Tomorrow the event take the competitors over Rohtang Pass (14,000 feet) to a high altitude desert which is in total contrast to the terrain they have traversed today.

The event has been jointly sponsored by the Government of Himachal and Shilon Resorts with Maruti Udyog being the major sponsor.

Female boxer faces male opponent

SEATTLE, Oct 7 (DPA) — She came out swinging, and nastier words by a female athlete were never printed on the sports pages of the venerable ‘’New York Times’’.

“If this guy feels at all hesitant to get out in the ring and hit a girl, well, I’ll belt him enough to get him upset and get him going,’’ Margaret MacGregor said about her upcoming fight that will make boxing history as the world’s first officially sanctioned male-female bout.

Thanks to MacGregor’s participation, a minor local event scheduled for Seattle, Washington next Saturday night has become a major sensation in boxing circles.

The 36-year-old MacGregor won all of her three previous professional fights against female boxing opponents and is also a successful professional kickboxer. After the man originally scheduled to fight her, a 23-year-old security guard from Vancouver, British Columbia bowed out, MacGregor is now set to fight another Vancouver man, 34-year-old Loi Chow.

Considering his record of two losses in two fights as a professional boxer, Chow, whose last fight took place in 1996, might be in for a severe beating against an opponent who won many of her fights with knockouts.

Irina, Vivek clinch titles
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 7 — Fifteen-year-old Irina Brar of Vivek High School won the girls’ division trophy in the Northern India St Xaviers Junior and Subjunior Golf Championship with a massive lead of 23 strokes over her nearest rival Guneet Raikhy. Japneet Gharaya finished third.

The ‘D’ category boys competition also concluded after 54 holes on the third day of the championship at the Chandigarh Golf Club. Local lad Ajitesth Sandhu battling for honours with Delhi’s Varun Wadhwa displayed maturity beyond his years. He played steady golf to make up his overnight deficit of one stroke and then went on to win with a three-stroke lead over his faltering opponent.

The A, B and C boys categories enter the final round tomorrow with Gurbaaz Mann still leading by four strokes over Mahammed Wazir. Gurbaaz Mann had a repeat of yesterday’s debacle in the back nine,

dropping five shots, including a triple on the 15th after playing the front nine level par, and finished five over par 77.

In the ‘B’ category Jaskeerat Singh Dullat played an excellent round-of five over par 77 and is now placed second behind Mohammed Wazir. In category ‘C’ Aditya Singh is 20 shots clear of the field, with Balpreet Singh Ghuman lying second.

The scores after the third day’s play:

Girls division (final results): Irina Brar 241, Guneet Raikhy 264, Japneet Gharaya 353.

Boys Category ‘D’ under-11 (final results): Ajitesh Sandhu 265, Varun Wadhwa 268, Raghav Wahi 278.

Category ‘A’ (under-18): Gurbaaz Mann 67 + 75+77=219, Mohammed Wazir 72+76+75=223, Sher Ali 80+81+73=234, Jassanjeet S Dullet 77+78+79=234, Rajiv Kumar 77+82+78=237, Manav Jaini 78+77+83=238, SK Abbas Ali 85+76+79=240, Jaskeerat S Dullet 85+82+77=244, Harinder Gupta 79+82+84=245, Sikander Ali 79+82+84=245.

Category ‘B’ (under-15): Mohammed Wazir 72+76+75=223, Jaskeerat S Dullet 85+82+77=244, Sagar Bhatia 81+84+83=248, Aditya Singh (Hcap 7) 85+83+81=249, Karan Talwar 86+83+81= 250.

Category ‘C’ (under -13) : Aditya Singh (Hcap 7) 85+83+81=249, Balpreet S Ghuman 92+88+89= 269, Gaganjeet Bhullar 90+95+92= 277, Karan Vasudeva 90+99+90=279.

Williams family shows the way
by Vijay Amritraj

IT is never easy to become great at anything especially a sport and we are all aware of what it takes to eventually get there. The work, the dedication, the discipline, the sacrifices and eventually a bit of luck goes into one’s training before you get to the really good at a sport. It must all start with a dream that can force you to have a single-minded devotion to attaining goal after goal before realising your dream. And, dreams can come true, but usually at great costs.

The Williams family in tennis is a perfect example of realising a dream. A father’s dream that he would first have two daughters with the intent of making them into the world’s No 1 and No 2 players. Venus and Serena Williams started life with no real choice but to be world class tennis players. It is not easy by any stretch of imagination to make one world class player from a family, but to produce two players right on top of the tennis world is practically impossible. Venus, the older sister, and Serena reached the semifinal of the US Open this year overcoming some stiff challenge. After Serena, 17, beat the defending champion, Lindsay Davenport, in three sets, the stage was set to see if Richard Williams’ bold and almost arrogant prediction that his two daughters would contest the final of America’s premier tennis tournament would come true. It was not to happen. Venus’ serve completely deserted her but she was still 3 games away in the final set from victory and creating history. Afterwards, she broke down in tears, while sister Serena went on to beat the No 1 seed Martina Hingis and become the first African American woman to win the Open since Aethea Gibson in the 1950”. Then, she and her sister regrouped, both in their own ways, one after the sweet smell of success and the other after a bitter semifinal defeat, to win the women’s doubles and become the No 1 team in the world. I had been talking to Richard Williams all through the US Open and his attitude to life itself was quite amazing. He reminded me that I had hit with him 20 years ago and that he had brought his two girls to watch me play when they were seven years old. I asked him about putting too much pressure on the young girls and he was quite candid. He said “Vijay, pressure is trying to bring up kids as a single mother with no money, living in a very tough neighbourhood, not knowing if you are going to make it till the next day. That’s pressure.” I thought that’s reality. He might be off the cuff a lot and says things that perhaps would not be normal but the fact remains that his two girls have performed more than one could have imagined.

The following week they led the USA to a Federation Cup victory and then went to Germany to play the Compaq Grand Slam Cup, for the top eight players in the Grand Slam tennis, the richest prize money event, per player in the world. Once again, the same four players reached the semifinal. This time, after Serena Williams beat Davenport in straight sets with some really mature tennis. Venus came through against Hingis in three tight sets to set up an all sister final. What an incredible moment for father Richard and mother Brandi to see their two girls contest the final of one of the biggest events in the world, certainly the richest event in the world of women’s tennis. Serena won for the first time in three sets in a fairly good match which really had no emotion from

either player. After the match they both hugged at the net and one could only hope that it would never cause any friction between the two. They have just built a new home for themselves to live together away from their parents.

Testud thwarts Serena Williams

FILDERSTADT (Germany), Oct 7 (DPA) — US Open Champion Serena Williams plunged to defeat in the second round in Filderstadt yesterday just three days after capturing the Grand Slam Cup in Munich.

The 18-year-old American lost 3-6, 6-4, 7-5 to France’s Sandrine Testud in 1 hour and 51 minutes, dashing her hopes of taking home the Porsche car awarded to the winner of this tournament in Southern Germany.

“I’m so disappointed. I don’t know what happened. I’ve never made so many unforced errors,” a disconsolate Williams said after the match, in which she had led 3-0 and 4-2 in the second set, and 5-1 in the third before Testud fought back.

Earlier, world number one Martina Hingis dispensed American Jenniffer Capriati in just 48 minutes 6-4, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals.

France’s Mary Pierce, on the other hand, needed nearly two-and-a-half hours to beat Natasha Zvereva of Belarus 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-4 to advance to the quarters of the $ 520,000 tournament.

Hingis 19, jumped out to a 4-2 lead in the first set, but Capriati fought back, breaking for a 4-5 deficit. A questionable call on a serve which Capriati thought was an ace went in the Swiss women’s favour and Capriati double-faulted the next three points giving Hingis the set.

Capriati’s spirit was broken and she virtually collapsed in the second set.

“I was a little fidgety in the first set. It was okay after that,” said Hingis.

American Mary Joe Fernandez, who won in Filderstadt nine years ago, lost in the first round of her final Filderstadt appearance to Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy 7-6 (7-4), 6-1. Fernandez, 28 will retire after this season.

The world number two Lindsay Davenport of the USA cruised into the quarter-finals with a 6-0, 6-1 defeat of Italy ‘s Silvia Farina, ranked 28th in the world.

In a first-round encounter Amy Frazier of the USA ousted Conchita Martinez of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

“Eject players who tackle from behind”

BRUGGE (Belgium), Oct 7 (AP) — FIFA President Sepp Blatter renewed his campaign to rid soccer of tackles from behind yesterday, calling on referees once again to follow FIFA mandates and eject players who employ the tactic.

“We need to control the referees more and to tell them they have to do their duties. If not, they shall be replaced,” Blatter said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Barely a year ago, red cards for tackles from behind became one of the most controversial issues at the World Cup in France, but Blatter says the issue has faded since.

“The instructions given in France seem to have been forgotten when referees went back to their countries,” Blatter said, arguing he saw several illegal tackles in recent friendlies such as Belgium vs. the Netherlands last month.

He said the loose standards were increasingly visible in the world’s marquee leagues, where referees also failed to apply the FIFA’s instructions.

The campaign to eliminate tackles from behind began with France ’98, including a stern warning to referees by Blatter midway through the first round to strictly follow the new rules. The result was a flurry of red cards and some obvious instances where defenders pulled up instead of challenging for the ball.

Blatter said a letter will be sent to all the national federations telling them to abide by the decision of the rule-setting international board, which outlawed tackles from behind.

3 tested positive in SAF Games

KATHMANDU, Oct 7 (AFP) — The South Asian Sports Federation (SASF) Doping Commission said yesterday three athletes had tested positive for banned drugs during the just-ended 8th SAF Games here.

Based on random urine samples two Sri Lankan and one Indian athlete tested positive, a press release issued by the Secretary General of the SASF Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan said.

It said the second ‘B’ samples taken from the athletes at the same time would now be analysed to confirm the result.

“Necessary action will only be formalised by the SASF after receiving the analytical report of the ‘B’ samples ...” it added.

This was first time SAF Games athletes have undergone doping tests.

McMillan wants to bowl to Sachin

JODHPUR, Oct 7 (PTI) — He relishes challenges in life and top New Zealand batsman Craig McMillan is gearing up to don a new role for the coming cricket series against India.

After tormenting the touring Indians with his consistent batting and stinging verbal volleys in Kiwiland late last year, McMillan now has set himself an ambitious agenda — to get Indian batsmen with his bowling in their den. And the 23-year-old has decided to target Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar — the best batsman in the world — with his slow medium stuff.

Boxer disqualified for biting

LONDON, Oct 7 (AP) — Shades of Mike Tyson. British boxer Adrian Dodson was disqualified for biting his opponent in a Commonwealth middleweight championship fight.

Dodson, who had a big lead over Canada’s Alain Bonamie going into the 12th and final round last night, bit him in the side as they wrestled on the ropes. Referee John Keane dragged Dodson away, ordered him to his corner and disqualified him.

“It is a behaviour no one can possibly condone,” promoter Jess Harding said.

Sunil stuns Ismail, enters semis

NEW DELHI, Oct 7 (UNI) — Up-and-coming Sunil Kumar of Chandigarh today caused an upset, sailing past former national champion and Davis Cupper Asif Ismail (Mah) to storm into the semifinals of the men’s section at the DSCL National Hardcourt Tennis Championship.

The sixteen-year-old Sunil, who is a qualifier, today completely outclassed the Maharashtrian Asif, who conceded the match in the second set after losing the first 6-2. Sunil was leading the second at 2-1 when Asif retired saying he was “tired.’’

Sunil now meets fourth-seeded Saurav Panja of West Bengal in the semis.

Also out of championship was defending champion and top-seeded Nitin Kirtane (Mah) bowing out in similar fashion, conceding his quarterfinal match on the verge of losing it. He bowed out to state-mate and seventh-seeded Mustafa Ghouse, giving up trailing 1-5 in the second set after losing the first 3-6. He also cited “fatigue’’ the reason for exit.

Others reaching the last four stage were the fourth-seeded Panja and fifth-seeded Vasudeva Reddy (AP). Both won closely-contested three setters.

While Panja prevailed over sixth-seeded Vishal Uppal of Delhi 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-0, Reddy came up after a set loss to win over third-seeded Vijay Kannan (Dli) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that lasted more than two hours.

Mustafa and Reddy clash in the second semifinal.

In the women’s section, the fight in the semifinals is now an affair between the top four seeds.

In the quarterfinal matches today, all the four seeds clinched their matches. Top-seeded Sai Jayalakshmi of Indian Oil Corporation breezed past unseeded Janaki Krishnamurthy (Mah) 6-0, 6-1 in just 54 minutes while the second-seeded Rushmi Chakravorti (IOC) also did not have any difficulty, as she outclassed unseeded Lisa Pereira of Maharashtra 6-3, 6-1 within an hour.

The other two in the last four stage were the Venkatraman sisters— Archana and Arthi, who are seeded third and fourth, respectively. While Archana moved past eighth-seeded Radhika Tulpule of Maharashtra 6-3, 6-3, Arthi had to battle three gruelling sets against unseeded Harsimran Kaur of Chandigarh to make it to the semis. Arthi won 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 after the 2 hours, 10 minutes match.

In the semis tomorrow, Sai, who was runner-up to Uzma Khan last year, clashes with Archana while Rushmi takes on Arthi.

In the boys U-18 section, top-seeded Akshay Vishal Rao of Chandigarh today moved into the last four stage, winning over sixth-seeded Nandkumar Mukundan (TN) 6-3, 6-2. In the semis tomorrow, he clashes with seventh-seeded Kedar Shah (Mah) who today moved past unseeded Amanjot Singh (Chd) 6-4, 6-3.

In the other semifinal in the section, Mithun Murali of Tamil Nadu clashes with Parantap Chaturvedi of Delhi. Mithun today overcame a spirited challenge by Sunil Kumar, winning in three sets sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in a match that lasted more than two hours.

Parantap also had to fight a three-setter to reach the last four stage as he moved past Maharashtrian Xavier Benjamin 1-6, 7-6 6-4 in more than two hours.

In the girls U-18 section, the top three seeds — Sheethal Gautham (Kar), Sonal Phadke (Mah) and Radhika Tulpule (Mah), entered the semifinal today, the last entry being that of unseeded Karishma Patel who defeated eighth-seeded Harsimran Kaur (Chd) 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 in a come-from-behind victory.

In the quarterfinal matches today, Sheethal defeated Italia Khushchehr (Mah) 6-3, 6-1, Sonal breezed past Nandita Chandrasekar (TN) 6-2, 6-2 while Radhika moved past seventh-seeded T. Yamini of Tamil Nadu 6-0, 7-5.

Results (quarterfinals):

Men’s: Mustafa Ghouse (7) b Nitin Kirtane (1) 6-3, 5-1 (Nitin conceded match) Vasudeva Reddy (5) b Vijay Kannan (3) 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 Saurav Panja (4) b Vishal Uppal 7-6, 3-6, 6-0 Sunil Kumar b Asif Ismail 6-2, 2-1 (Asif conceded match).

Women’s: Sai Jayalakshmi (1) b Janaki Krishnamurthy 6-0, 6-1 Archana Venkatraman (3) b Radhika Tulpule (8) 6-3, 6-3 Arthi Venkatraman (4) b Harsimran Kaur 6-0, 3-6, 6-4 Rushmi Chakravorthi (2) b Lisa Pereira 6-3, 6-1.

Boys U-18: A V Rao (1) b N Mukundan (6) 6-3, 6-2 Kedar Shah (7) b Amanjot Singh 6-4, 6-3 Mithun Murali b Sunil Kumar 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 P Chaturvedi b Xavier Benjamin 1-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Girls U-18: Sheethal Gautham (1) b Italia Krushchehr 6-3, 6-1 Radhika Tulpule (3) b T. Yamini (7) 6-0, 7-5 Karishma Patel b Harsimran Kaur (8) 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 Sonal Phadke (2) b Nandita Chandrasekar 6-2, 6-2.

Harbhajan vows to do better

JODHPUR, Oct 7 (PTI) — Young Punjab off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was today included in the Indian squad for the first cricket Test against New Zealand, today said he would concentrate on line and length and the wickets “will come by themselves”.

The 20-year-old Punjab tweaker, who won a race for selection with his Delhi counterpart Nikhil Chopra only on his ability to spin the ball more, said “I expected to retain my place,” but vowed to do much better than on his past outings.

Harbhajan, who won an early skirmish with the visiting New Zealanders by claiming four for 62 on the second day of the Board President’s xi tie here, admitted the selection meeting being held in Mumbai was indeed playing in his mind.

“Of course, that was playing on my mind. But once I got the news, there was no more burden and I went for wickets,” the bowler who took three wickets after receiving the news said at the end of the day’s play when the visitors were 248 for five in their first innings.

Harbhajan Singh, who burst onto the national scene as a bright prospect but was sidelined as wickets dried up and his action also came under the scrutiny, said he had developed an effective leg-cutter since being part of the Indian team last in the February Asian Test Championship series tie in Colombo.

PCA granted tax exemption
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, Oct 7--The controversy regarding levying of entertainment tax on the first Test of the Pepsi Challenger series between India and New Zealand scheduled to start at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium at SAS Nagar, near here, on October 10 finally ended after the state government decided to grant tax exemption to the PCA today.

"We are thankful to the Chief Minister. We made a representation and he responded to it positively," quipped Mr Inderjit Singh Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, talking to newsmen here today. Had it not been done it would have been really sad, a visibly relieved Mr Bindra said.

He said the profit earned from various international matches organised by the association were ploughed back into the game in the shape of creating infrastructure, equipment and coaching. The primary objective was development of the game.

The sale of tickets, which had to be halted just after one day as the controversy concerning the levy of the entertainment tax broke out, will resume tomorrow.Tickets worth only about Rs two lakh had been sold on the first day.

"We will try to break even," he said adding that the association would try to generate as much revenue as possible in the remaining two days. The PCA will be hard-pressed to collect a minimum revenue of Rs 40 lakh required for the match _ Rs 20 lakh as guarantee money and rest as the expenditure likely to be incurred for the conduct of the Test.The association has decided to offer discount to sponsors for in stadia advertisements to ensure that it does not turn out to be a losing proposition.

It has been decided to provide green and bouncy top for the match and the New Zealanders should better watch out for the likes of quick bowlers like Javagal Srinath, who after a fairly long rest, would only be too keen as well as feel tempted to go all out and make life difficult for the batsmen.

"We will maintain true character of the wicket," Mr Bindra said referring to a call received from Mr J Y Lele, honorary secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India ,who wanted to know about the nature of the wicket being prepared for the Test.

The wicket will be conducive to fast medium bowlers initially--probably for the first two days--but then ease out to help spinners. The wicket will have something for bowlers as well as batsmen. No instructions have been received from the team management about the type of track to be prepared for he match, said Mr M P Pandove, former north zone selector and secretary of the association adding that the coach and the captain themselves would decide about the track.

With the outfield lush green and smooth and easily comparable with the best an engrossing contest seems to be on the cards as the Indians launch their drive to get the better of Kiwis on October 10.

S Venkatraghvan (India) and Rudy Kurtzon (South Africa) will don white coats and do duty in the middle, S K Bansal and H S Sekhon will be the third and fourth umpires, while Ranjan Madhugale(Sri Lanka) will be the match referee.

Both the teams, who will be lodged in Hotel Mountview, are scheduled to arrive in the afternoon. Kapil Dev, the coach of the Indian team, is likely to reach in the morning, while the newly-appointed physiotherapist-cum physical trainer Andrew Leipus of South Africa is expected to be with the team on October 9.

Rovers Cup from November 1

MUMBAI, Oct 7 (PTI) — The Rovers Cup Football Tournament will be held at the Cooperage ground here from November 1 to 15, its organisers Western India Football Association (WIFA), announced here today.

“The All-India Football Federation (AIFF) has allotted us these dates to hold the tournament which, as per their calendar, follows the Sikkim Gold Cup”, WIFA spokesperson Pervez Ziauddin told PTI here today.

“The process of sending invitation to the various teams has started and we expect to get confirmations in about a week’s time,” he said. According to the AIFF calendar, the IFA Shield is to be held in Calcutta after the Rovers Cup and, in turn, will be followed by the Durand Cup in Delhi, he added.

Rain hits golf tourney
From Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, Oct 7 — The Surya Nepal Masters, scheduled to start at the Le Meridien Gokarna Forest Golf Resort today, was dealt a twin blow by incessant rain and a national strike call, and will be reduced to a 36-hole affair on Friday and Saturday.

Heavy overnight rain, which continued well-into the morning forced the Professional Golfers Association of India (PGAI) to abandon the first round. Despite the excellent drainage facilities at the course, the hilly terrains were slushy and the greens thoroughly wet. The rain had not stopped at 10 am when the decision was taken.

The second round on Thursday was also scrapped following a nation-wide bandh call which is expected to bring life to a standstill at Kathmandu.

“The tournament will now be played over 36 holes and all the 54 pros who have entered the event will play. Since the cut is applied at top 50 and ties, the organisers have decided that all 54 pros will be eligible for a share of prize money.

The Surya Nepal Masters is a Rs 5.5 lakh event.

Patiala beat Jalandhar

PATIALA, Oct 7 (FOSR) — A swashbuckling unbeaten century by India ‘A’ player Reetinder Sodhi (129 n.o.) aided by some tight bowling by leg spinner Ranjiv Sharma (5 for 36) enabled Patiala to thrash Jalandhar by nine wickets in the one-day Katoch Shield cricket match played at the Dhruv Pandove stadium here today.

Earlier, Amit Sharma’s century (128) helped Jalandhar to pile up a modest total of 236, which however, was quickly over hauled by Reetinder Sodhi and skipper Pankaj Dharmani (64 n.o.) after Sodhi and Gaganider Garry put on 103 for the first wicket.

Scores: Jalandhar: 236 all out in 49.4 overs. (Amit Sharma 128. A. Sondhi 40, Ranjeev Sharma 5 for 36, Lakhbir 2 for 33) Patiala: 241 for 1 in 47 overs (Reetinder Sodhi 129 no. P. Dharmani 64 no. G. Garry 42, Pankaj Kalia 1 for 55).

Khalsa College eves kabaddi champs

YAMUNANAGAR Oct 7 (FOSR) — Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Yamunanagar, has won the Kurukshetra University Women’s Kabaddi championship. Paramjeet Kaur of Guru Nanak Khalsa College was declared the best player of the championship. Dr Balbir Kaur, Principal, S.D. College, Panipat, who was the chief guest, inaugurated the championship. Sixteen teams of different colleges participated.

Hockey title for PPS Nabha

ROPAR, Oct 7 (TNS) — Punjab Public School, Nabha, clinched the title by defeating Mayo College, Ajmer, 1-0 in the 13th Indian Public Schools Conference Hockey Tournament which concluded at Sr Dasmesh Academy, Anandpur Sahib, yesterday.

Moti Lal Nehru School of Sports, Rai, finished third by defeating Sri Dasmesh Academy, Anandpur Sahib, 4-3, goals.

Air Marshal M.M. Singh, PVSM, AVSM, Vr C (Retd), member secretary of the Sri Dasmesh Academy Trust, who was the chief guest at the concluding function, gave away the prizes. He also released the annual magazine ‘The Falcon’ of the academy. The academy memento was presented to the chief guest by Mr Pradeep Mall, Principal of the academy.