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| Friday, January 7, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Media campaign against Sachin?
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| They’re definitely not stupid: Hewitt ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 6 — Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt today tried to win back the support of local fans he had labelled “stupid” by conceding he could improve his off-court behaviour. 3rd successive defeat for Pakistan BRISBANE, Jan 6 — Pakistan’s cricketers suffered their third consecutive defeat ahead of the triangular one-day series in Australia when they crashed to Queensland by four wickets today. Paes succumbs to Pioline CHENNAI, Jan 6 — The Indian challenge in the singles event of the ATP Gold Flake Open Tennis Tournament ended today as Leander Paes succumbed to the power game of second-seeded Frenchman Cedric Pioline in a pre-quarterfinal match here.
Anuj Gupta upsets Sachin Ratti
Himachal skaters dominate
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Media campaign against Sachin? SYDNEY, Jan 6 (PTI) — Sachin Tendulkar will be keeping an eye on a few disturbing developments as he leads his team into the triangular series against Australia and Pakistan next Sunday. His reaction on the sawdust issue to the Indian reporters was first distorted by the media here and now the cry has started for his head, so to speak. Tendulkar was asked by Indian media on the second evening of the Sydney Test about his animated conversation with the two umpires — Darrell Hair and Ian Robinson — in the middle and he explained he had requested sawdust to be put on the slippery spots behind the wickets which the umpires refused. Even though not a single Australian journalist was present at the briefing, the local media here claimed Tendulkar was very angry which he was not and that the Indian captain was upset why the request had been turned down. This is not true. Tendulkar was not upset nor did he react angrily. It is on the tape recorders of Indian mediamen and that could be the crucial evidence as the witch-hunt against the Indian captain could turn serious in the near future. The Sydney Morning Herald this morning claimed Tendulkar could be in trouble. The newspaper, quoting a few officials, believed action was warranted against Tendulkar immediately after his comments became public knowledge. Under ICC rules, action can be initiated against a player if he chooses to criticise or comment on umpires or match referees. It will be a distortion of truth if it comes to that since Tendulkar never complained. He only explained, on being asked, what transpired between him and the umpires on the issue which caused a hold up of four minutes in the middle on the second afternoon of the Sydney Test. Whipped up media campaign, presumably in collusion with some officials here, has already claimed Shoaib Akhtar this summer. Another such orchestration has led to the Australian media drumming its chest in triumph today when it said the officials in the Sydney Test have cleared Brett Lee of any suspicion of throwing. The newspapers reported match referee Ranjan Madugalle had cleared Lee after putting him under the microscope in the second Test at Sydney. All the papers were full of cheer claiming the former Sri Lankan Test captain and umpires Robinson and Hair watched the speedster in slow motion and found no justification for any action to be taken against him. The Sydney Morning Herlad claimed it was a whispering campaign initiated by the Indians that Lee could be an occasional chucker. The Sydney Test officials discussed the Lee issue briefly and saw no reason to refer the matter to the ICC’s illegal action committee, it added. Interestingly, a few Indian players were surprised to see Lee look so clean at Sydney — given their experience of him in previous matches — and which probably led to him being thrashed for 52 runs in five overs on the third day at Sydney. The possibility of Lee being alerted of his scrutiny by the Sydney officials can not be ruled out, more so since Darrell Hair and he, both, belong to Sydney and owe allegiance to New South Wales Cricket Association. In any case the ICC, or its appointed match referee, does not have to go by the evidence of a single Test. They can easily seek the footage from the previous Test to make a ruling, if they want to. Madugalle, whose rulings in the present Test series have not appeared fair on the scales of justice, is to return home and West Indian Cammie Smith will be the match referee for the coming triangular series. Indians, for the moment, are reprieved from Hair’s posting in the one-day series since the controversial umpire is leaving for Pretoria to officiate in the fifth and final Test between England and South Africa. |
Is racial prejudice plaguing cricket? SYDNEY, Jan 6 (PTI) — Racism is nothing new to cricket down the ages, but there are increasing signs that prejudices over the colour of skin still continue to rule the game. When Pakistan board secretary Shafaqat Rana told the Australian broadcast authority that he felt the ban on express paceman Shoaib Akhtar was “racially motivated”, he brought into open words which have been whispered in Press boxes and among cricketers and officials. This summer in Australia, shared by two Asian countries, has been disruptive as both visitors have complained about umpiring and match-refereeing, capped by the ban on world’s fastest bowler, Shoaib Akhtar. After Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan went through the nightmare of being no-balled for throwing to mar his team’s 1995 and 1998 tours of Australia, it is Akhtar’s turn to feel aggreived after the world body slapped a temporary suspension for illegal bowling action. The Indians, who lost the Test series 0-3, have been frustrated by the biased approach of Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle who is content with handing out harsh treatment to the visitors and treating Australian tantrums with kid gloves. If Akhtar has been tarnished, the umpires have turned a blind eye on Australia’s own tearaway Brett Lee, who is also judged by experts to be chucking his faster deliveries. The Australian media acknowledged the growing concern with cricket columnist Mike Coward of “The Australian” saying: “Let us stop beating around the bush. The cricket communities of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka feel there is an anti-Asian sentiment in Australian cricket. There is a perception of prejudice. “The reason for it is a belief that Australian umpires are aggressive interventionists. The new millennium has begun with a real crisis confronting the game.” He criticised the ICC for not deciding on Akhtar’s fate till he had left for Australia with the team to take part in the one-day series and recalled that Sri Lanka had refused to accept a code of conduct ruling against then skipper Arjuna Ranatunga. It came after Ranatunga almost led a walkout of his team after Australian umpire Roy Emerson no-balled Muralitharan for throwing despite the world body giving him a clean chit. Pakistan captain Wasim Akram made a provocative statement when he said he expected trouble simply because his team had reached Australia. Coward says “Australia’s cricket has a problem and must confront it. As the most influential force in the world game, it has an obligation to examine the wider picture”. He says the perception of racism is “real”. There have been many a mention of ‘cultural elitism’ in editorial references to matches and issues involving Australia and subcontinental sides over the past four years. This is often a euphemism for racism. Cricketer-turned-columnist Peter Roebuck, in the “Sydney Morning Herald” too talks about racism. “Some seem intent upon creating the sort of divisions recently abolished in South Africa. Pakistan Cricket Board secretary Shafaqat Rana has said, it’s only against the Asian cricketers. Why not against others? Why not against Brett Lee when he bowled the faster ones? Why not Ian Meckiff, why not Darren Gough?” Akhtar himself is livid. “They said they got the footage on December 2 so why they chose to ban me on 31st? What’s that about? They decided on my future on phone,” he said referring to the chucking panel members holding a tele conference to decide his fate. The report by match referee John Reid indicting Akhtar was signed by Darrell Hair of Australia and Peter Willey of England. “The game is suffering whether the reasons for such interpretation are real or imagined. And a part of the game is hurting as it perceives prejudice and injustice. “Australian cricket must ask some hard questions. And answer them honestly,” Coward added. |
Fleming guides Kiwis to win NAPIER (New Zealand), Jan 6 (Reuters) — Captain Stephen Fleming today guided New Zealand to a stuttering four-wicket victory over West Indies to seal a winning 3-0 lead in the five-match series. After his side bowled West Indies out for 159 with one ball of their 50 overs remaining, Fleming scored 66 not out as New Zealand reached 160 for six in 37.2 overs of the third one-dayer. New Zealand were cruising at 106 for one after losing Craig Spearman on the third ball of the innings. But after Nathan Astle was dismissed for 50, shortly after he and Fleming had brought up their 100-run partnership, the wheels threatened to come off the home side’s run chase. Roger Twose went first ball, Chris Cairns was out for eight and West Indies demonstrated a renewed urgency. McMillan did not last long and 106 for one had become 126 for five. It was 142 for six after Chris Harris went for 10 and it was left to Adam Parore (11 not out) to nurse the side home with Fleming. Earlier Nehemiah Perry, the off-spinning number eight batsman, had saved the West Indies’ blushes with a defiant 52 not out. He came to the wicket when the West Indies were 70 for six and shared an eight-wicket partnership of 48 with Mervyn Dillon. Captain Brian Lara made 30 after coming in at 15 for three after another poor start by the West Indies top order, before being undone by leg-break bowler Chris Harris and offering a caught and bowled chance. Harris and Cairns both took three wickets for New Zealand and Reon King grabbed three in New Zealand’s crawl to victory. West Indies: S. Campbell c Parore b Cairns 0 R. Jacobs lbw Cairns 4 J. Adams c Parore b Nash 2 S. Chanderpaul b Cairns 10 B. Lara c and b Harris 30 R.Powell c Astle b Harris 11 W. Hinds c and b Harris 18 N. Perry not out 52 M. Dillon c Parore b Astle 15 D. Ramnarine b Styris 2 R. King lbw Nash 5 Extras: (w-9, lb-1) 10 Total: (All out, 49.5 overs) 159 Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-6, 3-15, 4-33, 5-62, 6-70, 7-97, 8-145, 9-147. Bowling: Cairns 8-0-23-3 (w-8), Nash 4.5-0-11-2 (w-1), Styris 10-1-31-1, Vettori 10-1-40-0, Harris 10-1-28-3, Astle 7-0-23-1. New Zealand: Spearman c Jacobs b Dillon 0 Astle c Chanderpaul b Perry 50 Fleming not out 66 Twose c Adams b King 0 Cairns lbw King 8 McMillian c and b Hinds 6 Harris c Adams b King 10 Parore not out 9 Extras: (b-4, lb-2, w-2, nb-3) 11 Total: (For six wickets, 37.2 overs) 160 Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-106, 3-106, 4-114, 5-126, 6-142. Bowling: Dillon 8-0-45-1 (w-2, nb-3), King 10-1-35-3, Ramnarine 6.2-2-23-0, Perry 10-0-37-1, Hinds 3-0-14-1. |
Anuj Gupta upsets Sachin Ratti MUMBAI, Jan 6 (PTI) — Unseeded youngster Anuj Gupta of Gujarat caused the first major upset when he shocked fifth seed Sachin Ratti of Railways 15-7, 15-13 on way to the men’s singles quarter-finals of the NSCI senior Grand Prix All-India prize money (Rs 4 lakh) badminton tournament here today. Gupta, playing from the back of the court, came up with some fine drop shots and also moved his experienced rival all over the court with some well-executed backhand shots to either flanks. However, the other men’s seeds, including top seed Abhin Shyam Gupta of Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB) and his second seeded colleague Nikhil Kanitkar recorded easy wins. Gupta crushed qualifier Hemant Duggal of Delhi 15-4, 15-5 while Kanitkar drubbed another qualifier K.A. Anish of Kerala 15-3, 15-5 on way to the last eight stage. Third seed Siddharth Jain and fourth seed Ajit Wijetilak (both from the PSCB), sixth seed Abhishek Bakshi, seventh seed Chetan Anand (both Air-India) and eighth seed Sushant Saxena of Uttar Pradesh all moved up with ease. In the women’s doubles pre-quarter-finals, D.Shweta (AI) and Gelory Xavier of Kerala sidelined Air India’s K. Thakar and T. Murgande 15-1, 15-13 while B.R. Meenakshi of the Railways and T. Begaum of Kerala beat Pooja Patil and Aditi Biswas of Karnataka 15-2, 15-4. In the mixed doubles quarter-finals, K. Vaswani and V. Shah of Maharashtra subdued Vicent Lobo and Archana Deodhar of the PSCB 15-9, 15-2 while Mitesh Hazernio of the Railways and Ketri Thakur of Air-India put it accross Jaseel P. Ismail and Manjusha Kanwar of PSCB 15-10, 15-12. Results: Men’s singles (pre-quarterfinals): A. Bakshi (AI) b Thomas Kurian (Rlys) 15-6, 15-8; A. Gupta (Guj) b S. Ratti (Rlys) 15-7, 15-7; S. Jain (PSCB) b A. Shinde (Rlys) 15-6, 15-3; N. Kanitkar (PSCB) b K.A. Anish (Ker) 15-3, 15-5; A.S. Gupta (PSCB) b H. Duggal (Del) 15-4, 15-5; A. Wijetilak (PSCB) b Praveen Gehlewat (Del) 15-9, 15-3; C. Anand (AI) b Devinder Dhillon (Del) 15-8, 15-4; S. Saxena (UP) b Srikant Bakshi (Rlys) 15-0, 15-6. Mixed doubles (quarter-finals): Marcos Bristo/Madhumita Bist (Rlys) b S. Bodes/T. Meena (Mah) 15-9, 15-5; Vinod Kumar/B. R. Meenakshi (Rlys) B J.B. Vidyadhar/Aditi (Kar) 15-7, 15-7; K. Vaswani/V. Shah (Mah) b V. Lobo/A. Deodhar (PSCB) 15-9, 15-2; Mitesh Hazernio (Rlys)/Ketri Thakar (AI) b J.Ismail/Manjusha Kanwar (PSCB) 15-10, 15-12. Women’s doubles (pre-quarter-finals): Swati Moghe/P. Nagaveni (Guj) b M. Kanwar/A. Deodhar (PSCB) 15-7, 15-7; Neha/G. Narayan (AI) b N. Ramesh (KTK)/P. Priyadarshini (Rlys) 15-7, 15-12; D. Shweta (AI)/Gelory Xavier (Ker) b K. Thakkar/ T. Murgande (AI) 15-1, 15-13. |
They’re definitely not stupid: Hewitt ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 6 (Reuters) — Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt today tried to win back the support of local fans he had labelled “stupid” by conceding he could improve his off-court behaviour. Hewitt yesterday hit out on Wednesday at the Australian tradition of favouring the “underdog” after his hometown crowd supported a struggling local opponent at the men’s hardcourt championship. “It’s weird, but I think that’s just the stupidity of the Australian public, you always knock the better players”, he told a news conference after thrashing Dejan Petrovic 6-0, 6-2 yesterday. Waking to a frontpage headline: “Fans stupid, says Lleyton”, the 18-year-old tried to make amends. “The Australian public has been fantastic....I rise every time when they get behind me ....they’re definitely not stupid at all” he told reporters. Hewitt said he had been goaded by journalists into making the comments, but also conceded that being a top professional athlete involved more than just playing well. “I’ve learnt a lot (about being in the public eye), but I still have a lot more to learn”, he said. Some fans at Memorial Drive and on websites were already doling out their own lessons to the young champion. “He should look at himself as the stupid one — his ruthless attitude will gain him no support overseas and after this he will struggle to find supporters in Australia”, another critic said. But Australian Davis Cup coach Tony Roche and former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash acknowledged it might be tough for the prodigy to cope with losing his own underdog status. Hewitt shot to international prominence after entering the Adelaide tournament in 1998 on a wildcard and beating seeds such as Andre Agassi on his way to becoming the lowest ranked player, at 550, ever to win an ATP event. Last year he rose to 22nd in the world and was a key member of Australia’s victorious Davis Cup team, beating American Todd Martin and Russia’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov on the way to the final where Australia triumphed over France last month. “He is a great guy, off the court you wouldn’t get a better kid and when he goes out and plays he gives everything he’s got,” Roche said.”We are lucky to have him as an Australian...I think tennis needs a bit of colour.” |
Paes succumbs to Pioline CHENNAI, Jan 6 (PTI) — The Indian challenge in the singles event of the ATP Gold Flake Open Tennis Tournament ended today as Leander Paes succumbed to the power game of second-seeded Frenchman Cedric Pioline in a pre-quarterfinal match here. A 4,000-strong crowd gathered to cheer the home favourite watched in dismay as the Indian ace went down 3-6 4-6 to Pioline’s solid all-round game at the Nungambakkam Tennis stadium. Paes did try to make a fight of it, but Pioline stepped on the pedal when it mattered most, leaving the world number one doubles player looking helpless at times. The Frenchman was rusty to begin with, having problems with his serve, but after being broken in the third game of the first set, he made sure that his serve was never threatened again. In fact, Paes won only six points on Pioline’s serve thereafter. Both players had held their serve before Pioline dropped his in the third game. He immediately broke back and levelled at 3-3. With a break in the eighth game, Pioline nonchalantly served out the ninth. Paes sent down five aces to Pioline’s one, all of them in the first set. The second set went the same way. Pioline secured the break in the fifth game and held to take a 4-2 lead. Then it was 5-4 with Paes managing to hold after saving two breakpoints. |
3rd successive defeat for Pakistan BRISBANE, Jan 6 (Reuters) — Pakistan’s cricketers suffered their third consecutive defeat ahead of the triangular one-day series in Australia when they crashed to Queensland by four wickets today. The touring team, who face Australia in the opening tri-series match on Sunday, produced another dismal display which left their captain Wasim Akram shaking his head in disbelief. After winning the toss and choosing to bat first on a good Gabba pitch, Pakistan compiled a dismal total of 169 all out in 40.4 overs. It would have been much less if not for an unbeaten 77 from wicketkeeper-batsman Moin Khan. The next best was Saeed Anwar with 18. Pakistan’s bowlers made a better fist of things as they tore through the Queensland top order to reduce the state side to 24 for five, but they were always struggling to defend their inadequate total. Geoff Foley and Wade Seccombe quickly turned the match queensland’s way with a 136-run partnership before Foley departed for 64 with the total on 160. Dale Turner, who hit a quick 12, completed Queensland’s victory with more than five overs to spare, leaving Secombe unbeaten on 64. Scores: Pakistan: 169 in 40.4 overs (Moin Khan 77 not out, Michael Kasprowicz 3-40), Queensland 173 in 44.4 overs (Wade Seccombe 64 not out, Geoff Foley 64, Waqar Younis 3-40). |
ITI upset Tollygunge BANGALORE, Jan 6 (PTI) — Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) shocked Tollygunge Agragami 2-0 in their National Football League match here today. Attacking from the word go, ITI put pressure on their opponents and the tactics paid off in the 15th minute when a brilliant header from a well-positioned R.C. Prakash off Nowshad Pari found the net. The Calcutta side, who intially failed to marshal their defence, opened out later but displayed poor coordination. In the 79th minute, ITI scored their second goal when Nowshad crossed from the left flank to George Iekeh to tap gently into the post. It was a well initiated move by R.C. Prakash from the centre. Tollygunge sorely missed their main medio, Isiaka, who is out with a yellow card. Their right back Rashmohan Mullick and right stopper back Kajal Bhattacharjee were totally off colour. The winners enjoyed chances aplenty and Nowshad, George and R.C. Prakash worked out their moves well. With this win, ITI have five points from six outings and take on Mohan Bagan on January 12 at the same venue, while Tollygunge cross swords with Dempo at Calcutta.
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Hussain hopeful of better show CAPE TOWN, Jan 6 (Reuters) — South Africa’s early dismissal of England’s three key batsmen was a major factor in their series-deciding victory in the fourth Test yesterday, said victorious captain Hansie Cronje. “It’s been important for us to try and get the wickets of Alec Stewart, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain quite cheaply, and we managed to do so,” Cronje said. “Once you get past those three you can make inroads into their batting line-up.” Atherton, Stewart and Hussain lead the England batting averages in the Test series so far and they have scored two centuries and five half-centuries between them. Yet yesterday they were dismissed for 35, five and 16, respectively, as England lost by an innings and 37 runs on the fourth day, giving South Africa a 2-0 winning lead in the five-Test series. Cronje conceded that England’s solid top order batting in the first innings had made him a worried captain. “At 115 for nothing we were obviously a little concerned at the pace they were scoring at, and with the fact that we were not making inroads despite there being clouds over table mountain,” Cronje said. “But Allan Donald’s bowling after lunch on that first day was very important to us.” Donald overcame an ineffective morning spell on the first day before storming back to take five for 47, his 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, as England were dismissed for 258. England’s fine start to their first innings was one of the few times in the series so far that Cronje felt his men were not on top. “I feel we’ve had the upper hand other than maybe for 30 overs at Durban when they bowled particularly well and dismissed us for 156,” Cronje said. “It’s been a case of killing them off when you’ve got them down.” England captain Nasser Hussain felt his team let the fourth Test slip when they lost the advantage their top order batsmen gained in the first innings. “It was disappointing to be 115 for nought and 200 for three and then get bowled out for 258,” Hussain said. “That’s where this Test match was lost.” “Today we were fighting back, but it was a case of trying to paper over the cracks.” However, Hussain was determined his team would give a better account of themselves in the fifth Test. “The only way to try and improve is to learn from our mistakes, and once everyone’s calmed down we’ll see where we went wrong and try and make sure that our mistakes are not repeated,” Hussain said. Match referee Barry Jarman of Australia decided not to take action over volatile behaviour by players of both teams in the wake of dubious umpiring decisions by Sri Lankan umpire B.C. Cooray. South Africa’s team for the fifth Test is to be announced next week. |
Rajasthan shock PSCB LUCKNOW, Jan 6 (UNI) — Holders and star-studded Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB) in a major upset on the first day of the 61st Senior National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championship were beaten by Rajasthan in the team events of the men’s section at the BR Ambedkar Stadium here today. In the other significant matches of the day in group ‘A’, PSCB beat Himachal Pradesh (3-0), Rajasthan beat Karnataka (3-2), Gujrat beat both Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir (3-0).In group ‘B’ UP beat Pondicherry (3-0) in the men’s section while host Uttar Pradesh girls lost their both the matches against Kerala (2-3) and Delhi (2-3). PSCB who were winning the title for the last five times in a row faced a tough challenge against Rajasthan. In the first game between S Roy of Rajasthan and Arjun Dutta of PSCB, Rajasthan took the lead in the first game at 21-19,2-21 and 21-10 (1-0). S. Raman equalised the match by beating A Kashyap at 20-22, 21-17 and 21-11(1-1). PSCB took control over the match when Arup Basak beat Abhay Gupta at 21-11,21-13 in two straight sets (2-1). In his reverse game S Roy clinched the set from S Raman at 18-21,22-20,21-14 and came into the game. In the decider game, A Kashyap won against Arjuna Dutta at 22-20,22-20. In the other match of group ‘B’, Uttar Pradesh won at 3-2 against Maharashtra ‘A’. In the first game, Kaushik Dey Sarkar won his outing against Gandeep at 16-21,21-18 and 21-13 (1-0) while Rahul Prakash consolidated the lead 2-0, beating Sanjay Nemlekar at 13-21,21-19,21-17. G Joseph narrowed the lead 1-2 beating Parag Agarwal at 21-14, 21-12 . In his reverse game Namlekar avenged his defeat from Sarkar at 20-22,21-16,21-13 and made 2-2 while in the decider game Rahul Prakash clinched the tie against G Bnnhiwandkar at 21-12,18-21 and 21-17. With this Uttar Pradesh won the team event. In the women’s section, hosts Uttar Pradesh lost their both events against Delhi and Kerala with the same margin of 2-3. Following are the results: The group’A’: PSCB beat Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Rajasthan b Karnataka 3-2, Guajrat bt Himachal Pradesh 3-0, Guajrat b J and K 3-0, Andhra Prdesh b Tripura 3-0 and Karnataka b Guajrat 3-2. Group ‘B’: W Bengal beat Orissa 3-0, UP beat Pondichery 3-0, Chandigarh beat Pondichery 3-0, Orissa b Maharashtra ‘A’3-2. Group ’C’: Railways b Tripura 3-0, Assam b AP 3-2, Railway b Bihar 3-2, Punjab b Assam 3-0, Punjab b Tripura 3-0, Railway b AP 3-0, Assam b Bihar 3-0. Group ’D’: Delhi b MP 3-0, Kerala b Maharashtra ‘B’ 3-1, TN b MP 3-1, Maha b Delhi 3-2, TN b Kerala 3-0. Women group ‘C’, Railway b Tripura 3-0, Railway b Bihar 3-1, Assam b AP 3-2, Punjab b Assam 3-0, Punjab b Tripura 3-0, Railway b AP 3-0, Assam b Bihar 3-0. |
Sridhar, Kannan in title clash HYDERABAD, Jan 6 (PTI) — Top seed Vinod Sridhar will clash with Vijay Kannan in an all-Tamil Nadu men’s singles final of all-India prize money ranking tennis tournament here tomorrow. The women’s final would be an all-Karnataka affair between S.K. Tara and Sheetal Gautham tomorrow. In the men’s semi-finals today, Sridhar dropped a set outplaying S.K. Shiv Shanker of Karnataka 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 while Kannan made short work of former national champion Vasudeva Reddy of Indian Oil Corporation to win 6-2, 6-4. Tara shattered the hopes of third-seeded Geeta Manohar of Andhra Pradesh by winning 6-2, 6-3, and Sheetal rallied to beat Nischela Reddy of Andhra Pradesh 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Results (all semi-finals): Men: Vijay Kannan (TN) b Vasudeva Reddy (IOC) 6-2, 6-4, Vinod Sridhar (TN) b S.K. Shiv Shanker (Kar) 6-2, 3-6, 6-0. Women: S.K. Tara (Kar) b Geeta Manohar (AP) 6-2, 6-3, Sheetal Gautham (Kar) b B Nischela Reddy (AP) 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Boys (under-16): V Vignesh (AP) b Dhananjay (Mah) 6-1, 6-2, R Arun Kumar (TN) b Rohan Gajjar (Mah) 6-4, 6-4. |
BCCI bending rules for Jadeja? MUMBAI, Jan 6 (PTI) — Ajay Jadeja was yesterday chosen to lead the Wills XI in the Wills Trophy limited over tournament by the national selectors without the player registered with any unit affiliated to the Board, of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The BCCI secretary, Mr Lele, told reporters after announcing the Wills XI and Board President’s XI teams that the India one-day stalwart was registered with Haryana. But the Haryana Cricket Association secretary Mr Ranbir Singh, told PTI in New Delhi that Jadeja was not registered with his association this year. As per the board rules a player has to registered himself with one of its affiliates to be eligible to play in their events. Jadeja, nursing a shoulder injury, was not selected for the tri-series in Australia following the board chief Mr A.C. Muthia’s, insistence that he prove his fitness first. Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has already raised a query on the issue in one of his columns wondering whether Jadeja is registered with any board unit or not. According to BCCI sources here, the team management in Australia is also very keen to have Jadeja Down Under for the tri-series. A way was left open by the selectors by not only naming Jadeja as Wills XI skipper but by also deciding to meet in Baroda on January 19, if needed, to re-assess the performance of the Indian team and send re-inforcements if the show is not satisfactory by that stage. India would have played three league matches by then. |
Himachal skaters dominate SHIMLA, Jan 6 — The Himachal skaters continued to dominate the rink on the third day of the second National Winter Games here today. The hosts made a clean sweep in women’s speed skating and men’s marathon speed skating, winning all the medals in both the events. The local skaters also excelled in the men’s figure skating event and bagged two of the first three positions. While state’s best skater Deepak Sood won the figure skating title, Himant Vaid, another local boy bagged third position. Vasudev Tandi of Delhi was the runner-up. Mandira Khanna, Ritu Nagpal and Anjali Sood, all from Himachal Pradesh won the first, second and third positions, respectively, in the women speed skating. Pankaj Prabhakar also of Himachal won the men’s marathon speed skating. His team-mates Pawan Verma and Neeraj Dutta came second and third, respectively. In ice-hockey Himachal Pradesh (Blues) thrashed Himachal Pradesh (reds) 10-3. In another match Indian Army outplayed Jammu and Kashmir (blues) 4-1.
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Arantxa toils to enter semis SURFERS PARADISE (Australia), Jan 6 (Reuters) — Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario saved five match points before rallying to beat Patty Schnyder 2-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Women’s Hardcourt Championship today. The veteran Spaniard, seeded fourth, fought off the match points in the second set before winning a tiebreak to force the match against the defending champion into a deciding set. Sanchez-Vicario now plays Silvija Talaja after the Croatian beat second seed Anna Kournikova yesterday. Conchita Martinez of Spain, seeded third, also advanced to the semifinals after a tough 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-4 win over Belgium’s Sabine Applemans today. The 1994 Wimbledon champion looked to be in control after taking the first set tiebreaker before problems with her ball toss scuttled her hopes of a straight sets win. Martinez’ win earned her a semifinal with France’s Nathalie Dechy after the sixth seed defeated Bulgarian Magdalena Maleeva 6-4 6-7 (7-2) 7-6 (8-6). With the top two seeds already eliminated — top seed Julie Halard-Decugis of France was knocked out yesterday — the two Spaniards are favoured to meet in Saturday’s final. “It would be really good to have a Spanish final,’’ Sanchez-Vicario said. “I have played her many times and it would be a good way to start the year.’’ |
Punjab take on Rest of India PATIALA, Jan 6 — The stage is set for the M.A. Chidambaram Trophy match between Punjab and the Rest of India at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium here tomorrow. Although the match has whipped up enough interest among cricketing fans of the city, the contest will be shorn of lustre as top players of both the teams have been selected for the country and have already left for Colombo to participate in the under-19 World Cup which is slated to be held from January 9. As many as four players from Punjab are in the World Cup squad. They include allrounder Reetinder Sodhi, hard hitting southpaw Yuvraj Singh and openers Munish Sharma and Ravneet Ricky, a last-minute inclusion in the Indian team. However, the equation is hardly disturbed as theRest of Indian team, led by Rajan Gupta, will also miss the services of Mohammad Kaif, who is leading the Indian team and other talented cricketers like Venugopal Rao, Saliabh Srivastva, M. Tripathi and Niraj Patel. Punjab owe their place in the match due to the fact that they won the All India Cooch Behar Trophy by beating Bihar in the final in a hopelessly one-sided match played at Jamshedpur last month. Punjab coach S.S. Bawa exuded confidence over his players performance in tomorrow’s encounter. |
Srinath, Fazaluddin get wild cards NEW DELHI, Jan 6 (PTI) — Davis Cupper Prahlad Srinath was today given an out-of-turn wild card entry into the main draw of the $ 10,000 Futures Tennis Tournament to be held at Secunderabad from January 10 to 15. Srinath’s entry pushed out Rohan Bopanna, one of the four Wildcards named yesterday, from the main draw. Bopanna joins Manoj Mahadevan as alternate. Syed Fazaluddin, Mustafa Ghouse and Saurav Panja are the other three given wild cards. Srinath had earlier cited his unavailability saying he was to take part in the qualifying tournament preceding the Australian Open. Srinath today confirmed he was not headed for Melbourne and instead would take part in the Futures circuit in India. Srinath is currently playing in the doubles tournament of the Gold Flake Open in Chennai. Wildcards for the qualifying and doubles tournament will be announced by the organisers, AITA said. |
Mahesh not to play Davis Cup BANGALORE, Jan 6 (ANI) — India’s ace doubles tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, who underwent an operation for a shoulder injury on November 27, in New York is not yet fit to play. Talking to ANI in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, Mahesh made it clear that he cannot play Davis Cup as well as Australian Open as he is still recovering from the shoulder injury. Mahesh who is moving ground with his arm in a sling, is currently ranked number four in the world tennis doubles. Canada’s Sebastian Loreau who has become a new partner to World number one Leander Paes in his absence are expected to be the favourites to win any tournament. |
Chandigarh defeat Manipur LUDHIANA, Jan 6 — Chandigarh defeated Manipur 28-23 in the opening match of the 22nd Junior National Handball Championship for boys on the opening day at the Guru Nanak Stadium here today. In a group ‘B’ encounter, Chandigarh’s Amit Sherpal Singh opened the account in the fourth minute. In the very next minute, Manipur restored parity when Sanjoya netted a goal. Right winger Satish and Amit Sherpal Singh of Chandigarh combined well to unsettle their rival’s defence and gained the lead. Chandigarh lads established 13-10 lead at half time. After the break, Manipur boys matched their opponents well and almost levelled with them at 15-14. Chandigarh boys re-organised themselves and penetrated Manipur’s defence successfully to win 28-23. For Chandigarh Satish (8) was the top scorer while Amit Sherpal Singh and Yadwinder Singh contributed seven goals each. Sanjoya scored seven goals for the losers. The group ‘A’ match between National Handball Academy, Bhilai and Tamil Nadu proved to be a one-sided affair in which the former emerged victorious 29-3 after leading 15-2 at half time. Shekhar Singh (6), Sushil Kumar (5) and Naya Chander (5) were the main scorers for the winners. In a group ‘C’ match, Uttar Pradesh had to fight it out to outplay Orissa 19-11. The winners led 7-3 at the breather. Nadim and Abhijit Ray scored six goals each for Uttar Pradesh while Uma Shankar and Manoj scored five and two goals respectively, for the losers. |
| MUMBAI, Jan 6 (PTI) — Former champions Jct, Phagwara, hold a clear edge over local outfit Mahindra and Mahindra when the two clash in the National Football League at the Cooperage here tomorrow. Despite Mahindra’s thumping 7-1 win in their last match against Dempo Sports Club at Goa, Jct, with quite a few internationals in their ranks, look formidable. |
Boxing squad SHIMLA, Jan 6 — The Indian Amateur Boxing Federation has selected an eight-member team for the 2nd Olympic qualifying championship to be held at Tenjan in Korea. The members of the team are:- light fly weight — S. Suresh Singh fly weight — H. Sriniwas, bantam weight — Dingko Singh, feather weight — Ramanand, light weight — Narinder Rana, welter weight — Sanjit Singh, middle weight — Jatinder Singh, light heavy weight — Gurcharan Singh. |
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