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| Thursday, January 20, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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MacGill
sends Pak reeling
Anand held, slips to 2nd place |
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JCT favourites against BSF Rlys eves retain hockey crown
Kambli’s century in vain India
meet Germany in opener Organisers
clarify Vijaylakshmi
wins 3rd WGM norm Dingko
bows out; Ramanand wins Ropar thrash Fatehgarh Sahib State
hockey meet from Jan 27
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MacGill sends Pak reeling SYDNEY, Jan 19 (PTI) — Australia scored a comprehensive 81-run victory over Pakistan to overshadow Wasim Akram’s new landmark as well as do the winless India a big favour by keeping them afloat in the one-day cricket triseries today. The World Cup champions piled up 286 before being all out with two balls to spare and then snipped early enterprise by Pakistan — penalised one over for slow over rate — to dismiss them for 205 in 45.2 overs at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Pakistan skipper Akram became the first in the history of one-day internationals to claim 400 wickets, moving from 397 with a haul of three for 40 today. Australia’s fourth straight victory in five games lifted them into the best of three final and also dashed the hopes of Pakistan, who suffered their second consecutive defeat to the hosts to hold a 2-2 win-loss record in the series, to win today and render the Indian campaign meaningless. Chasing 287 to win in 49 overs, Pakistan began in a whirlwind fashion with pace spearhead Glenn McGrath bearing the brunt of the fury, but leg spinner Stuart McGill, included only because his famous counterpart Shane Warne is injured, made a dream one-day debut to capture four for 19 and wreck the Pakistan innings effectively. The 30-year-old MacGill edged out one-day specialist Michael Bevan for the Man of the Match accolade after the left-hander top-scored with a strokeful 77 to give Australia the right momentum towards a huge score on electing to bat. Today’s result gladdened the Indian camp stationed at Hobart as they brace themselves for their fourth game, against Pakistan on January 21. India, after losing the first three ties, have the arduous task of having to win all their five remaining league ties to make the final at Pakistan’s cost. Pakistan began their chase in a rapid fashion as Ijaz Ahmed, opening the innings, hit a racy 23 before Abdur Razzaq really stepped up the tempo. The young all-rounder, who top-scored with 40 off 38 balls, stunned the packed 40,000-strong SCG crowd into silence as he smashed five consecutive boundaries off McGrath’s fifth over that went for 20 runs. The fast bowler, unplayable in earlier matches, looked helpless on a nice batting track and his first spell of five overs went for a whopping 61 runs and Pakistan reached 100 for two in just 13 overs to be well set for a splendid win. But MacGill’s introduction brought about a dramatic turnaround. He had the rampaging Razzaq caught behind off his very first over and then followed it up by removing Yousuf Youhana (10), Azhar Mehmood (1) and Saqlain Mushtaq (2) to wreck the chase and return a dream analysis of 10-2-19-4. With the match settled, Waqar Younis once again showed his ability with the bat by scoring 37 to delay the end. Earlier, Akram, playing his 285th game, became the first to claim 400 wickets in limited overs cricket. He was on a hattrick removing opener Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting for a first ball duck — his third successive dismissal without scoring in the series — before achieving the landmark by having Damien Martyn caught by Ijaz Ahmed. Till home boy MacGill came on to the stage, bat had dominated the ball on a placid pitch and lightning fast outfield. Australia: M.Waugh b Akhtar 43 Gilchrist c Moin b Akram 13 Ponting lbw b Akram 0 Bevan c Akhtar b Mahmood 77 S.Waugh b Akhtar 6 Martyn c Ahmed b Akram 50 Symonds c Mahmood b Razzaq 47 S.Lee c Akhtar b Mushtaq 26 Fleming b Razzaq 0 MacGill run out 1 McGrath not out 0 Extras (b-1 lb-6 w-12 nb-4) 23 Total (49.4 overs) 286 Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-23, 3-113, 4-132, 5-177, 6-245, 7-265, 8-266, 9-286, 10-286. Bowling: Akram 9-1-40-3 (w-4, nb-1), Younis 7-0-32-0 (w-1), Razzaq 10-0-56-2 (w-1, nb-1), Akhtar 7-0-50-2 (nb-2), Mahmood 8-0-37-1 (w-1) Mushtaq 8.4-0-64-1 (w-5). Pakistan: Anwar run out 23 Ahmed c S Waugh b Fleming 23 Razzaq c McGrath b MacGill 40 Inzamam lbw b S Lee 12 Youhana c Gilchrist b MacGill 10 Moin c Symonds b McGrath 13 Mahmood c S Lee b MacGill 1 Akram c MacGill b S Lee 23 Mushtaq lbw b MacGill 2 Younis lbw b Symonds 37 Akhtar not out 3 Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-8, nb-5) 18 Total (all out in 45.2 overs) 205 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-62, 3-100, 4-116, 5-122, 6-124, 7-138, 8-143, 9-186. Bowling: McGrath
8-0-67-1, Fleming 10-0-48-1, Martyn 1-0-11-0, Lee
9-0-25-2, MacGill 10-2-19-4, M Waugh 2-0-8-0, Bevan
3-0-17-0, Symonds 2.2-0-5-1. |
Anand held, slips to 2nd place WIJK AAN ZEE, Jan 19 (PTI) — World No 2 Viswanathan Anand slipped from his overnight joint lead after being held to a draw by his former second Peter Leko of Hungary in the third round of the Corus Super Grandmasters Chess Tournament. Three players, world No 1 Gary Kasparov, No 3 Vladimir Kramnik (both Russia) and Dutchman Jeroen Piket continued to lead the table with 2.5 points in their kitty. Close on the heels of the leaders were Anand, who was sharing the lead with Kasparov, Kramnik, Piket and Jan Timman after the second round, and Russian Alexander Morozevich with two points. Playing with the black pieces last evening, Anand employed the solid Petroff defence to counter Leko’s king pawn opening. In the classical variation, Anand came up with an excellent idea and struck in the centre on his 12th move to equalise comfortably. Leko (1.5) forced the Indian ace to concede the bishop pair advantage with a knight manoeuvre on the 15th move but in the process weakened his queen side pawn structure and had to confine his dark square bishop to the defence of his pawns. After trading a pair of rooks on the 20th move, draw looked imminent and the two signed the peace treaty after seven more moves. Kasparov accounted for Dutchman Leok Van Wely (0.5) with white pieces. Van Wely opted for the Sicilian Najdorf against the ultra-sharp English attack of Kasparov, himself an exponent of the Sicilian. After reeling out the opening moves, Kasparov unleashed a dangerous attack in the centre with a brilliant rook move in the middle game. Van Wely had to pay a heavy price for not castling as Kasparov sacrificed a knight and then put a rook to finish the game on the 25th move. Piket defeated team-mate Jan Timman (1.5) from irregular opening with black pieces. Both players castled on the queen side and Timman enjoyed spatial advantage in the middle game. However, Piket uncorked a tactical finesse and checkmated Timman by sacrificing a knight. Morozevich scored his first win in the tournament over Hungarian Judit Polgar, the highest ranked women player in the world, in a tactical battle arising out of Winawer variation of the French defence where the latter was playing with white. This victory earned Morozevich the best game prize for the third round. Results: Kasparov (Rus)
2.5 b Van Wely (Nde) 0.5; Timman (Nde) 1.5 lost to Jeroen
Piket (Nde) 2.5; Leko (Hun) 1.5 drew Anand (Ind) 2; J.
Polgar (Hun) 1.0 lost to Morezevich (Rus) 2; Kramnik
(Rus) 2.5 b Nigel Short (Eng) 1.0; Nikolic (Bih) 1.O drew
with Lputian (Arm) 0.5; Korchnoi (Swz) 1.5 drew Adams
(Eng) 1.0. |
Agassi, Sampras advance MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (AP) — The toll of seven seeded men ousted in the first three days added weight to Pete Sampras’ warning that there are no safe matches on the Australian Open tennis tournament’s slick courts. No 1 Andre Agassi made a few adjustments. No 3 Sampras coped by trying to get to the net on every point. Agassi beat Dutchman Sjeng Schalken 7-5, 6-0, 6-3 and Sampras followed in the main stadium with a 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-1 victory over Sweden’s Mikael Tillstrom. While they advanced to third round today, No 8 Todd Martin and No 9 Richard Krajicek left the Agassi-Sampras half of the draw with gaping holes at the top, despite expectations that their big serves would give them an edge on the resurfaced courts. Both mentioned health or injury problems, but Krajicek said the fast courts were helping even players whose serves usually aren’t considered dangerous. Spain’s Fernando Vicente beat Martin 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 after the American blew a 5-2 lead in the fifth. Nicolas Escude, a 1998 semifinalist here, beat Krajicek, the 1996 Wimbledon champion 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-3. On women’s side, 1999 finalist Amelie Mauresmo lost 6-4 6-4 to Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, but her problem looked to be more the burden of expectations after she beat three of world’s top five women in winning a warm-up event last week. Another French player, No 5 Nathalie Tauziat, sprayed 38 unforced errors around the court in a 7-6 (3), 6-4 loss to Canadian qualifier Sonya Jeyaseelan. On the fast courts, “balls were flying all over the place. So each match is pretty dangerous out there,” Sampras said. “It’s even quicker than Wimbledon in a way,” said Sampras, who has six championships on the Wimbledon grass among his record-equaling 12 grand slam titles. He predicted changes next year following this year’s barrage of complaints. Agassi, who lost his first service game, said he had trouble trying to dictate against Schalken’s deep, solid shots. “I made the necessary adjustments to overcome what could have been a real, real difficult day, and that’s always a good sign for me,” he said. Martin declined to elaborate on his health problems. Krajicek said he hurt his left knee with a wrong move, and had trouble reaching Escude’s wide serves. No 11 ranked Tim Henman advanced when Germany’s Rainer Schuttle withdrew with a pulled stomach muscle. Earlier losers in the Agassi-Sampras half of the draw included No 6 Thomas Enqvist, last year’s finalist, and No 14 Karol Kucera. In the half headed by defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov, No 5 Gustavo Kuerten, No 13 Cedric Pioline and No 15 Albert Costa have lost. In other matches today, Lindsay Davenport beat American compatriot Marissa Irvin 6-4 7-5, No 4 Mary Pierce beat France’s Amelie Cocheteux 6-2 6-2, No 8 Amanda Coetzer completed a 6-2 6-3 first round victory over Russia’s Tatiana Panova, No 9 Julie Halard-Decugis defeated Colombia’s Fabiola Zuluaga 6-3 6-3, and Anna Kournikova beat Belarus’ Natasha Zvereva 6-1 6-4. Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, playing with new confidence from a doubles triumph, breezed into the third round of singles with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Adriana Gersi. Another prominent Asian player, Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, couldn’t keep up the form that carried him past no 14 seed Karol Kucera in the first round. He fell victim to errors in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 loss to Czech player Slava Dosedel. China’s Yi Jingqian, a wild-card entry ranked 137th, won her women’s second-round match 6-3 2-6 9-7 against British qualifier Julie Pullin, ranked 174th. Sugiyama and France’s Julie Halard-Decugis beat Martina Hingis and Mary Pierce 6-0, 6-3 last week for the women’s doubles title in a warm-up tournament in Sydney. They are seeded 10th in the Australian Open. “The year has just
started great,” Sugiyama said. She said doubles is
more fun, but she is taking the singles seriously. |
Leander Paes eliminated MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters) — Indian tennis ace Leander Paes was today ousted in the second round of the $ 7.65-million Australian Open, bowing out to Andreas Vinciguerra of Sweden in straight sets. Paes, who had won the first round on Monday defeating Australian wildcard entrant Dejan Petrovic, today lost 6-7 (3-7), 4-6, 3-6. AFP adds: The amiable Paes said after the defeat: “I’m not so disappointed.” “In the first set I did everything else but win it. I was serving for the set 5-4 and serving well and suddenly I throw in one double fault, allow a couple to get past me and I’ve got my back against the wall.” “The tie break was close but once he won that he got a lot more confidence under his belt and made it difficult for me to break his serve.” Paes struggled to get his first serve in and conceded 40 unforced errors, but the 26-year-old right-hander wasn’t too despondent. “I thought the match was really close with just a few points here and there but I’m pretty happy with my singles performance so far.” Paes, who last year won the French and Wimbledon doubles titles and made the finals in Melbourne and Flushing Meadow, said his doubles plans had been on hold this year to work on his singles. “Last year there was so much doubles going on that my singles really took a back seat so this year I’m looking to really focus on my singles again,” Paes said. “I don’t really have any expectations or match progress targets. What I’m looking at is getting my singles rhythm into play again.” Bhupathi, suffering a rotator cuff injury similar to the one ailing Australian star Pat Rafter, is aiming for an August return, to challenge for the US Open and, particularly the Sydney Olympics. “I’m hoping he will be ready for the US Open and, it being an Olympic year, one is really looking to target that so one hopes he’s ready for that.” Asked if singles would again take a back seat to doubles when Bhupathi returns, he said: “That’s a question I’ll have to answer at the end of this year.” In the meantime, Paes is
back with former doubles partner Sebastien Lareau of
Canada. They play their first game later this week
against Jack Waite and Geoff Grant of the USA. |
JCT favourites against BSF CHANDIGARH, Jan 19 — A keen contest is on the cards as JCT Phagwara square off with another regional outfit, Border Security Force, jalandhar, in the fourth National Football League at Guru Nanak Stadium, Ludhiana, tomorrow. At the end of the eighth round, JCT have accumulated 10 points from two wins and four draws, while BSF are precariously placed near the bottom with only four points from one victory and one draw. Of the eight matches that JCT have played so far, they have won two. The first victory for the mill men was against Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan here on December 13, whom they beat 2-1 while the second success was against Tollygunge Agragami at Calcutta on January 2. Three of their matches against Dempo, East Bengal and State Bank of Travancore, ended in goalless draws while another against FC Kochin at Kochi on January 10 ended in a 2-2 draw. The two setbacks for JCT were against Salgaocar, Goa, and Mahindra and Mahindra, Mumbai. BSF’s only success in the league so far has been against Dempo, Goa, whom they beat by a solitary goal in their second home tie at Ludhiana on December 16. The security men snatched another point by holding FC Kochin to a goalless draw at Kochi on January 3. However, in the remaining six matches, against Mohun Bagan, East Bengal, Tollygunge, Salgaocar, Churchill Brothers and Mahindra and Mahindra, the Jalandhar outfit tasted defeat. The worst showing was against Salgaocar at Margao on January 3 where they lost 0-4. Going by present form JCT appear favourites for tomorrow’s tie. Their scoring rate, as compared to BSF, is superior. In the eight matches played so far, JCT have scored seven goals while conceding six where as BSF have managed to score only two while conceding 11 in eight outings. By a rough comparison, JCT seem to be a superior side. Although there is no foreigner in the team, as was the practice previously, the team is quite balanced. However, the outfit does lack a quality striker. Much will depend on the Hardip trio of Sangha, Saini and Gill who, have performed creditably in previous outings. Striker Hardip Gill, in fact has shown a lot of promise and incidentally he scored both the goals against FC Kochin in the drawn tie at Kochi. JCT’s defence manned by Deepak Mondal, Kuldip Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Daljit Singh also lends valuable support to the midfield while protecting its territory with gusto. BSF, though a hard-working team, have been at the receiving end in the league so far. This is primarily due to poor finishing. The two strikers — Gurjit Atwal and D.S. Negi — do manage to create openings but the conversion rate remains unsatisfactory. This is one of the reasons why BSF have been able to score only two goals in eight outings. BSF’s defence comprising Raghbir Singh, Pradip Gorai, K. Mobi Singh and Souvik Ganguly will also have to work overtime to thwart rival attacks. In Prasanta Das, Sane Lama and J. Oseph, BSF have dependable midfielders who lend support to the attack. Both the teams will be returning to the home ground after a long spell. While JCT last played at Ludhiana on December 23 against East Bengal, BSF clashed with Tollygunge a day later in their fourth home tie of the league, which they lost 1-2. On the whole, the
contest promises to be lively as every point gained is of
immense value to the participating teams. The kick-off,
as usual, will be at 2.30 p.m. |
Tollygunge hold Mahindras CALCUTTA, Jan 19 (PTI) — Tollygunge Aggragami shrugged off their lethargy in the nick of time to hold Mahindra and Mahindra to a 1-1 draw in the fourth National Football League here today. Striker Seriki Abdulateef struck the equaliser midway through the second session to save the day for the home team after Mahindra and Mahindra shot into the lead at the stroke of interval through striker N Najeeb. Tollygunge failed to play cohesively in the initial stages but raised their game by several notches in the second session and could have even won the match had their forwards not squandered a few scoring opportunities. With this draw, Mahindra have 16 points to their credit from nine matches while Tollygunge have secured 13 points from as many matches. The Mumbai outfit, who had won their last four matches in a row, forged ahead in the 43rd minute with striker N.Najib finding the target, capitalising on a defensive lapse. The goal was the result of a fast counter attack which saw Najib break through the defence with a sudden burst of speed and deft footwork and place the ball into the goal, beating Tollygunge custodian Bivash Ghosh who rushed out to foil the move but without much luck. Trailing by a solitary goal, Tollygunge played their hearts out in the second session to fetch the equaliser though they struggled to find the rhythm in the early stages of the second half also. The home team restored parity in the 19th minute of the second half when striker Abdullateef brilliantly headed home from close to the goalmouth a curling centre from Awoyemi Isiaka from the right flank. The hard-working Isiaka, who took the bulk of the load for his team, did the spadework by getting past the defence before centering the ball towards Seriki. The goal served as a tonic for Tollygunge players who suddenly seemed a transformed lot as they unleashed a flurry of raids and kept their rivals on tenterhooks during the remaining part of the fast-paced contest at the Rabindra Sarovar stadium. FC Kochin pip Salgaocar MARGAO: F C Kochin today handed out Salgaocar their first defeat through Liberian new recurit Eugine Gray’s 10th minute strike in the fourth edition of the National Football League here. The all-important goal was scored when Tejinder Kumar from the right sent a goalmouth cross for Gray. He beat defender Franky Baretto and sent a firm right footer to the net. Salgaocar defended their citadel for the major part of the first half and came back strongly in the last quarter of both the sessions. They had a chance in each halves but first Sabir Ali Mondal failed to direct his shot into the goal and later Robert’s long ranger was fisted by keeper Sunday Seah over the bar for a corner. Referee Walter Pereira
booked K V Dhanesh and K Noushad of Kochin. |
SA media hails Cronje JOHANNESBURG, Jan 19 (Reuters) — Hansie Cronje has been praised by South Africa’s media for setting up historic innings forfeits to achieve a definite result in the rain-hit fifth and final Test against England yesterday. After three days were washed out, South African captain Cronje offered England skipper Nasser Hussain a deal involving a declaration of South Africa’s first innings on 248 for eight, the forfeiture of the touring side’s first innings and the home side’s second innings. The forfeits were unprecedented in Test cricket but Hussain accepted and England, set 249 off 76 overs, won by two wickets with five balls to spare. Despite the result, which saw the series end 2-1 in South Africa’s favour, Cronje’s throw of the dice was supported in today’s newspapers. “The South African captain rocked the cricket establishment to its bootlaces with yesterday’s historic innovations,’’ wrote National Daily Business Day. “England captain Nasser Hussain said Cronje deserved all the credit for making the result possible. “Cronje admitted, however, that had the series been poised at 1-1, the declaration would not have been nearly as generous. “The finish was a triumph for cricket, a tribute to Cronje and Hussain, who had resolved to make something out of a no-hope situation.” The Pretoria news reported: “The South African captain gave the strongest indication that he did not want to be part of a system which allowed for the overseeing of the last rites of a Test, and that it was time for the game to move on. “Some purists may blanche at what took place. It may seem contrived and at odds with some unwritten code of conduct. “Long-term,
however, Cronje’s move, with Hussain joining in the
spirit was the most dramatic decision in the game for
more than two decades and led to one of the most exciting
finishes to a Test since the famed tied Test in Brisbane
between Australia and the West Indies in 1960-61.” SA squad for tri-series CENTURION PARK (South Africa), Jan 19 (AFP) — Boland seamer Henry Williams was a surprise inclusion in South Africa’s squad of 14, named here last evening for the first three triangular limited matches against England and Zimbabwe. The omission of Allan Donald was not surprising after the strike bowler indicated that he wanted a break from international cricket, but Williams’ call up was unexpected. The 32-year-old returned undistinguished figures of 8-0-55-0 in his only previous outing for South Africa against the West Indies in East London last season. Seam bowler David Terbrugge, 22, makes his debut on the international one-day scene, as does allrounder Pieter Strydom. The squad: Gary Kirsten,
Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Hansie Cronje
(captain), Dale Benkenstein, Jonty Rhodes, Pieter
Strydom, Lance Klusener, Shaun Pollock, Mark Boucher,
Nicky Boje, Mornantau Hayward, David Terbrugge, Henry
Williams. |
Rlys eves retain hockey crown JABALPUR, Jan 19 (PTI) — Railways proved their superiority once again when they defeated Haryana 2-0 in the final of the 15th Senior National Women’s Hockey Tournament here today. Railways, winners of the tournament without break since the inaugural edition in 1980, lifted the glittering Lady Ratan Tata shield while Haryana finished runners-up in a repeat of last year. The winners opened their account in the third minute when captain Preetam Rani converted a penalty corner. At half time, the score was 1-0 in favour of Railways. Kamala Dalal made it 2-0 six minutes after the break with a brilliant field goal. Haryana made many moves in a bid to draw level, but failed largely due to their poor finishing. Earlier, Mumbai beat Punjab 3-1 and bagged the third place in the tournament. Shangi Channu scored the first goal for Mumbai in the 20th minute, but Punjab equalised through Mohan Davinder in the 45th minute. Poonam Surin and Channu then scored fine field goals in the 55th and 56th minutes, respectively, to give Mumbai a 3-1 victory. Today, Railways converted one of the nine penalty corners they won while Haryana wasted three, Mumbai four and Punjab one. Kirtane in last 8 BANGALORE, Jan 19 (PTI) — Nitin Kirtane became the lone Indian to qualify for the quarterfinals in the ITF Futures tennis tournament here today when he overcame a first set loss to beat compatriot Mustafa Ghouse 2-6 6-3 6-1. Ghouse, who had upset sixth seed Nir Welgreen (Isr) yesterday, continued his stride and went on to win the first set at 6-2, breaking Kirtane in the first game with his favourite forehand shots and again in the fifth. In the second set, both players failed to hold their serves in the beginning but Kirtane held in the third game to go up 2-1. Sudden lapse in concentration saw Ghouse losing his serve in the fourth. Kirtane held on to the lead and despite hurting his right thumb, went on to win the set 6-3. Playing to his potential, Kirtane dominated the decider, while Ghouse lacked stamina and stuck to a baseline game. Ghouse managed to hold serve only in the fifth game and Kirtane won the set and the match with ease. Kirtane will clash with
Denis Golovanov of Russia in the quarter-finals. |
Kambli’s century in vain RAJKOT, Jan 19 (PTI) — Vinod Kambli’s superb ton went in vain as North Zone defeated West by 29 runs in the Deodhar Trophy limited overs league tie here today. The Mumbai left-hander, eagerly looking to get back into the national squad, struck 12 fours before being run out by a direct hit at the stumps by Ajay Jadeja for 106 (129 balls) as West were bowled out for 283 off exactly 50 overs chasing North’s commanding total of 312 for 8. Another national castaway and West skipper Nayan Mongia tried his level best after Kambli’s dismissal by making 29 off only 23 balls. But it was not enough to deny North, who won the toss and chose to bat first, from earning their first two points in the league. Two other batsmen — Amol Muzumdar (42) and opener Sitanshu Kotak (28) — were also run out in the West innings besides Kambli. Earlier, Jadeja struck a run-a-ball 91 with 10 fours and a six, Punjab’s Pankaj Dharmani made 70 and up-and-coming Delhi all-rounder Virender Sehwag blasted 66 off only 39 balls with three sixes and six fours to help North post the 300-plus score after the early loss of opener Ashu Dani. West, chasing the huge target, were off to flying start by notching hundred in the 18th over despite losing opener Wasim Jaffer (21) in the process. Kambli was in punishing form and an array of sparkling shots flowed from his bat as he slammed 5 fours in 9 balls from Robin Singh (Jr) and Jadeja. Things were shaping up well when Kambli and Muzumdar put on 83 runs for the third wicket. But the loss of Muzumdar, who faced 50 balls, and Hitesh Parsana (3) in quick succession put West once again on the backfoot. Scoreboard North Zone: Dani run out 09, Rathore c Kulkarni b Siddique 33, Jadeja c Mongia b Khan 91, Dharmani c Parsana b Khan 70, Sehwag run out 66, Mongia c Kale b Mhambrey 11, Minhas b Kulkarni 09, Sarandeep run out 05, Amit not out 04, Sanghvi not out 01. Extras (2-lb, 5-nb, 6-w) 13. Total: 312. Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-74, 3-172, 4-266, 5-290, 6-294, 7-305, 8-309. Bowling: P Mhambrey 10-0-59-1 (1w, 1nb), Zahir Khan 10-0-54-2 (3w, 4nb) I Siddique 10-0-68-1, Nilesh Kulkarni 10-0-56-1, Hitesh Parsana 10-0-73-0 (2 w). West Zone: Zaffer c Rathore b Robin Jr. 21, Kotak run out 28, Kambli run out 106, Muzumdar run out 42, Parsana c S. Singh b Robin Singh jr. 03, Kale c Sahwag b R. Sanghvi 20, Khan b Robin Singh Jr. 01, Mongia not out 29, P Mhambrey c V Rathore b R. Sanghvi 12, Siddique lbw A Jadeja 02, Kulkarni not out 08. Extras (4-lb, 5-nb, 2-w) 11. Total: 283 for nine in 50 overs. Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-115, 3-198, 4-204, 5-211, 6-219, 7-230, 8-258, 9-265. Bowling: Robin Singh Jr.
10-0-53-3, Amit Bhandari 9-0-59-0 (2-w, 3-nb), Ajay
Jadeja 9-0-56-1 (1-nb), Sarandeep Singh 10-0-38-0, Rahul
Sanghvi 8-0-46-2 (1-nb), Virendra Sehwag 4-0-27-0. |
Organisers clarify LUDHIANA, Jan 19 — Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, organisers of the All India Inter-University (inter-zonal) Hockey Tournament for men, have clarified that since one of the two umpires appointed for the final match between PAU and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, on January 17 did not report for duty, they had no alternative but to appoint Sanjeev Kumar (employed with the PAU) who is also a qualified umpire. The final was abandoned as the GND varsity team walked out of the field alleging “biased umpiring” by Sanjeev Kumar. In a press release issued by Mr JS Toor, joint director, Sports and Cultural Activities, PAU, and organising secretary of tournament committee, it was stated that the name of substitute umpire was announced on the public address system 20 minutes before the start of the match. In case, official of GND varsity had any reservation, they had enough time to raise objection. He further said that three players of GND varsity Tejbir Singh, Lakhwinder Singh and Ajit Pal Singh were shown yellow card by Sanjeev Kumar for indiscipline as they abused the umpire. Regarding the allegation of wrong formation of pools, Mr Toor said that the relevant papers were shown to the jury of appeals comprising All India Universities (AIU) observers and they were found in order and the teams played according to the fixtures already circulated. The winner, runners-up, third and fourth position holders in the north zone inter-varsity championship were placed in different pools. Mr Toor lamented that Dr
Kamaljit Singh, Director, Sports, GND University, should
have persuaded his team to play the match when he was
fully aware of AIU rules. |
Maradona happy to be a ‘rebel’ HAVANA, Jan 19 (AFP) — A shaky Maradona arrived in Cuba to be treated for his cocaine habit telling waiting journalists that he was happy to be a rebel. En route to Havana on a brief stop over at Holquin yesterday in the east of the country, Maradona, showing off a large tattoo on his right arm depicting Cuban revolutionary hero Che Guevara, declared in a slurring voice: “I’m a rebel and I’m thrilled about it.” The football giant, sporting dark glasses and bermuda shorts, added: “I hope that my heart will allow me to put on an exhibition match to say thank you to the people of Cuba.” The 39-year-old Maradona was joined on the flight from Buenos Aires on Monday by his wife Claudia Villafane, his mother Dona Tota and business manager, Guillermo Coppola. Argentina’s ‘sportsman of the century’ was taken to a group of waiting Cuban doctors which included Dr Barnabe Ordaz, Director of Havana’s psychiatric hospital. On his arrival one
Argentine tourist cried out: “You are a bad example
for the young who look up to you.” |
India meet Germany in opener CHENNAI, Jan 19 (PTI) — Asian Games gold medallists India will take on Germany in the inaugural match of the 10th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament at Kuala Lumpur on February 16. India will play five other matches in the seven-team competition, a Press note from the Indian Hockey Federation general secretary K. Jyothikumaran said here yesterday. India’s other matches are against Pakistan (February 18), Canada (February 19), Korea (February 21), Malaysia (February 22) and New Zealand (February 24). According to Mr Jyothikumaran, the 18 players who toured Spain for the four-nation tournament and Test series, have been asked to join the camp at SAI south centre, Bangalore from January 22. The final team for the Azlan Shah Cup Tournament will be picked on February 5. At present, 39 probables are in the camp. The following is the schedule of matches for the Azlan Shah Cup: February 16: India vs Germany (1605hrs), Malaysia vs Canada (1805hrs) and New Zealand vs Korea (2005) February 17: Germany vs Malaysia (1605), Korea vs Pakistan (1805hrs), Canada vs New Zealand (2005) February 18: Pakistan vs India (1805), February 19: New Zealand vs Malaysia (1605hrs), India vs Canada (1805), Germany vs Korea (2005) February 21: India vs Korea (1805), Malaysia vs Pakistan (2005hrs) February 22: Korea vs Canada (1605hrs), Germany vs New Zealand (1805hrs ), Malaysia vs India (2005), February 23: Pakistan vs Germany (1805hrs) February 24: Canada vs Pakistan (1605hrs), Korea vs Malaysia (1805) and New Zealand vs India (2005). February 25 - rest day, February 26:
classification match for fifth and sixth position (0805
hrs). Classification match for third and fourth positions
and final (1935hrs). |
Vijaylakshmi wins 3rd WGM norm UDAIPUR, Jan 19 (PTI) — National women’s champion S Vijaylakshmi earned her third women’s grandmaster (WGM) norm by creditably holding WGM Wang Pin of China in the ninth round of the Asian Chess Championship here today. Vijaylakshmi (6), who defeated top seed Qin Kaying of China yesterday, played sharply with the black side of the Ruy Lopez to achieve equality early and completed her final WGM norm with consummate ease. Vietnamese WGM Hoang Thanh Trong continued her dream run by moving to eight points after scoring a facile victory over her young Indian opponent Koneru Humpy. In the men’s section, junior national champion Suryasekhar Ganguly completed his second IM norm by trouncing Zia-ur-Rehman of Bangladesh. The national B champion adopted the Maroczy bind setup against the Sicilian Defence to win an exchange and later continued flawlessly to clinch a full point. Important results (round 9) Men: K Sasikiran (5.5) drew with Zhang Zhong (6); Wu Weinjin (5) lost to Xu Jun (6.5); Dao Than Hai (6.5) bt Reefat Bin Sattar (5); Yuldachev (5.5) bt Hakim (4); S S Ganguly (5.5) bt Zia-ur-Rehman (4.5); P Harikrishna (5.5) bt Wang Zili (4.5). Women: K Humpy (4.5)
lost to Hoang Thanh (8); Qin Kaying (6.5) drew with
Sargeeva (5.5); Wang Pin (5.5) drew with Vijaylakshmi
(6); Xu Yuan (4) lost to Bhagyashree Thipsay (5). |
Dingko bows out; Ramanand wins TAEJEON CITY (Korea), Jan 19 (PTI) — Bangkok Asian Games champion Ng Dingko Singh dealt Indian aspirations a stunning blow by crashing out in the first round of the Seoul Cup International Boxing Tournament and second Olympic qualifying meet here today. The 22-year-old bantamweight star put up an ordinary performance against unheralded Tsuji moto of Japan to squander an early lead before losing a close 7-8 points decision. Featherweight Ramanand, however, salvaged Indian pride on the opening day with a facile 12-4 points victory over Adnan Yusou of Malaysia to move into a quarterfinal matchup against Haider Ali of Pakistan. Dingko Singh came here as a major hope to make the grade after missing the Asian meet in Tashkent owing to a right wrist injury, but put up a pathetic performance. The usually agile boxer could neither throw his sharp punches nor move out of his opponent’s blows and seemed to lack stamina. The Indian led by two points after the first two rounds, but Tsuji Moto reorganised himself and delivered effective combination punches to clinch the bout. It was apparent the Indian boxer had not trained well for this tournament. National champion
Ramanand outboxed his Malaysian rival Yusou. The
fleet-footed boxer kept his opponent at bay from the
opening round and came up with sharp left straight
punches and right cross combinations whenever he caught
his rival on the wrong foot. In the second round, the
Services boxer came up effective one-two punches and
established a comfortable 5-1 lead. |
Ropar thrash Fatehgarh Sahib JALANDHAR, Jan 19 — In a one-sided match on the second day of the Punjab junior boys’ hockey championship currently underway at the Burlton Park here, Ropar recorded a 9-0 victory over Fatehgarh Sahib while in a closely contested match Amritsar defeated Ferozepore by 8-7 in a battle of tie-breakers. With these victories Ropar and Amritsar reserved their berths in the semifinal. In other matches of the day Faridkot beat Gurdaspur by 1-0 and entered the quarterfinal of the championship. In the first match of the second day Faridkot defeated Gurdaspur by 1-0. In the opening minutes Gurdaspur team displayed some good move. In the 24th minute of the game Faridkot team opened the goal account through Vishal Kumar, who scored a brilliant goal from the left flank. In the second half Faridkot team and an upper hand but they were unable to increase the lead and score remained 1-0 in favour of Faridkot. With this victory Faridkot entered in the quarterfinal. In quarterfinal they played against the host Jalandhar to ensure their place in last four. In the second match of the day Ropar outplayed Fatehgarh Sahib in all departments and reserved their berth in semifinal. It was in fact a one-sided match. From the very start, Ropar had an upper hand. Amarjit Singh of Ropar earned the lead for his side in the 14th minute by converting a penalty corner. Ropar’s Rajpal scored two goals in the 18th and 20th minute. Budhraj of Ropar sounded the board with an angular hit in the 27th minute and score moved to 4-0. Till the half time the score was 4-0 in favour of Ropar. On resumption Fatehgarh
Sahib tried to reduce the margin but their poor
coordination did not allow them to reduce the margin. For
Ropar the fifth-goal was scored by Rajpal in 40th minute.
Sarbjeet scored sixth, seventh and ninth goal in the
45th, 60th and 69th minute, respectively. Mandeep also
contributed a goal from Ropar side in the 68th minute of
the play to complete the tally. |
State hockey meet from Jan 27 PATHANKOT, Jan 19 — The 10th State Invitation Hockey Tournament will be held here from January 27 to February 1, at Government Senior Secondary School, Lamini, according to Mr Baldev Raj Yaduvanshi, Secretary, Pathankot Sports Club. The tournament will be organised at two levels, first at the state level and the second at the district level. It will be inaugurated
by the Deputy Commissioner, Gurdaspur, and the prize
distribution function will be presided over by Master
Mohan Lal, higher education minister, Punjab on February
1. |
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