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| Friday, October 20, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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India open campaign against Lanka today PCB not to toe ICC
line on players’ ban
Plenty of scope for improvement Daei powers Iran into last 8 |
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Pedestrian show
by Indian duo
Fest venues getting finishing touches ROHTAK, Oct 19 — Olympians Shakti Singh and Jitender are among the six sportspersons selected by Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) to complete the process of lighting flame at the opening ceremony of 16th Haryana State Sports Festival starting here at Chottu Ram Stadium on October 21. Delhi 246 for two
against Himachal Shahabad girls triumph
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India open campaign against Lanka today SHARJAH, Oct 19 (PTI) — Having stumbled at the finishing post after performing admirably in Nairobi, India open their campaign here against Sri Lanka tomorrow in the triangular cricket series, also involving Zimbabwe, with a lot at stake. The Indians have brought a glimmer of hope for their fans with their fine all-round performance in the
ICC Knockout Tournament in Nairobi, and Sharjah gives them an excellent opportunity to prove their credentials once again. Nobody gave the Indians any chance of proceeding beyond the quarter-finals in Nairobi, when they took on world champions Australia. However, they not only beat Australia but crushed the formidable South Africans on their way to the final. And though the loss in the final to New Zealand was disappointing, it looked more a case of having one bad day, or the opponents proving to be the better team on the day, rather than the abject surrender that had so notoriously come to be associated with the Indian team. However, the important thing is not that India defeated Australia and South Africa - which in itself was no mean achievement considering the state of Indian cricket in recent times - but their attitude and body language throughout the tournament. From a team of no-hopers, suddenly, the Indians, with the addition of some exciting youngsters in their ranks, look transformed into a team who play to win, and win on their merits rather than their rivals’ demerits. And now they must be looking forward to prove that their performance in Nairobi was no flash in the pan, that their approach to a game has indeed seen a marked turnaround. Captain Saurav Ganguly is not averse to trying out his limited options in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka tomorrow. His hands are forced in terms of bowling and batting options but shuffle he must if India is to test fire its ammunition before the tournament really gets serious next week. The three participating teams, India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe would have played two matches each by Sunday before they repeat the cycle next week to identify the finalists for the trophy. The final is slated for October 29. Ganguly is seriously restricted in the batting options and must look to add depth in the middle order even if it means dropping a regular bowler from the side. At present India have five regular batsmen in Sachin Tendulkar, Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Vinod Kambli and Yuveraj Singh with allrounder Robin Singh coming in at number six. Wicketkeeper and four main bowlers make up the remaining side. If the icc knockout tourney in Nairobi was any indication, s sriram is set to resume his one-match old international career at the expense of Ajit Agarkar. The Mumbai paceman was a shadow of his former bustling self in Nairobi and it seems the spate of injuries and his slim frame have put a question mark over his career. Agarkar had a brilliant start to his career in 1997, in the year in which he became the fastest first 50 wickets-taker in one-day cricket. But then he has regularly been forced to attend to his knee and back injuries and has lost at least two yards in pace. To top it all, Agarkar as a batsman seems just unable to make any contribution and, instead, exposes the brittle Indian lower half to opposition bowlers. Against Australia last winter, Agarkar was out for duck five times in a row. Sriram rates high in Ganguly’s esteem as a sharp inside-the-ring fielder and a useful batsman and left-arm tweaker. He has the makings of a useful one-day allrounder and with Robin Singh could make the Indian tail appear that much shorter. Otherwise Ganguly will struggle to put either Sunil Joshi or Hemang Badani in the playing eleven tomorrow. Joshi, the left-arm spinner from Karnataka who has had a chequered career since making his debut against England in the Edgbaston Test of 1996, is unlikely to find a place against a strong Sri Lankan batting line-up. As for prospects of including Badani, Ganguly will have to drop a batsman to accommodate the Tamil Nadu left-hander but it is a tall order. It would be interesting to see if Ganguly retains Dravid and Kambli at number three and four spots or swaps their batting positions. Kambli could be said to have a point against his demotion in the last two games at Nairobi but here he is scheduled to bat at number four. Dravid will serve the team well at number three when the ball is fresh and the spinners are yet to come on in the middle overs. The Karnataka star, will need to push the rate of scoring against the stingy Sri Lankan slow bowlers on an apparently slow wicket and given his technique and inclination, Dravid will have to bat far above his potential to make an impact in this tournament. Vijay Dahiya as a wicketkeeper did sufficiently well in Nairobi but his batting is woefully out of depth at this level of cricket. Most of the one-day international sides have a batsman-wicketkeeper playing these days but that does not appear to be the case with India. Sri Lanka appear well-drilled for the battle ahead. Their batting runs deep with two explosive batsmen in Kumar Sangakkara and Rumesh Kaluwitharana coming late at number six or seven. The first five batsmen in Sanath Jayasuriya, Avishka Gunawardena, Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold and Mahela Jayawardene can make any bowler sweat. Sangakkara and Kaluwitharana precede the four bowlers in the side. Sri Lanka have two newcomers in Kaushalya Weeraratne and Tillekeratne Dilshan and coach Dave Whatmore said they are the future of Sri Lankan cricket. Weeraratne is primarily a genuine swing bowler who bowls at a good pace and moves the ball either way with little change in his action. He also hits extremely cleanly while batting. He first came into limelight in the Asia Cup in Dhaka earlier this year when, against India, he picked up Sachin Tendulkar, Ajay Jadeja and Robin Singh. Dilshan, who celebrated his 25th birthday last week, made an impact on the Zimbabwe tour last winter when Aravinda de Silva pulled out at the last minute. He smashed 163 in one of the Tests to signal his arrival. He is also earning his spurs in one-day internationals, having played nine matches so far. Teams (from): Sri lanka:
Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold. Mahela Jayawardene, Avishka Gunawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Rumesh Kaluwitharana, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Upul Chandana, Kumara Weeraratne, Muthiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa and Kumara Upasantha. Umpires: Steve Dunne (nz), George Sharp (Eng). Third umpire: Daryl Harper. |
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Indian coaches could be biased: Dungarpur SHARJAH, Oct 19 (PTI) — Former cricket board chief Raj Singh Dungarpur has come up with a strange argument that Indian coaches could be biased against their own players. Indian coaches could be biased, said Dungarpur, as reported in the Gulf News here today. “Foreign coaches are better in analysing players. They are computer savvy and trained for the post. Most of the countries have today gone in for coaches from other nations,” said Dungarpur who along with current chief A.C. Muthiah will interview contenders John Wright and Greg Chappell for the Indian coach’s post. The Indian team, which arrived here this morning, has Anshuman Gaekwad as coach but by all accounts this is his final assignment. Gaekwad, who came in the wake of Kapil Dev’s resignation in September, was the coach in Nairobi where India finished runners up to New Zealand. But now it is going to be either Wright or Chappell. “The two shortlisted coaches are highly qualified and were very talented players too. Their services, I am sure, will immensely help the Indian cricketers,” Dungarpur said. He also felt in countries abroad, former cricketers undergo intense training through various institutions before becoming coaches. “In India former Test cricketers turn to coaching but they do not go in for any advanced training. In countries like Australia, the prospective coaches are taught the various aspects of coaching before being allowed to coach,” he said. According to Dungarpur, one important advantage of appointing a foreign coach is that he will not be biased. “Indian coaches could be biased. Most of the former Test cricketers represent various associations and chances are they could be biased towards certain players. This factor can be eliminated when we choose a foreign coach.” He said foreign coaches were the trend in international cricket today. “Sri Lanka has Australian Dave Whatmore, England has Zimbabwean coach Duncan Fletcher and Englishman Bob Woolmer proved to be a big success for South Africa.” |
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Charges unsubstantiated: Bukhatir SHARJAH, Oct 19 (UNI) — As the desert venue prepares to host the first tournament since the match-fixing scandal rocked the world of cricket in April this year, Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, the man who brought the game in the tiny emirate which has come under a cloud of suspicion, says the charges remain unsubstantiated. Fingers were pointed at Sharjah, which many including former Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) President I.S. Bindra thought is the epicentre of match-fixing and betting. Bindra had characterised the tournaments played at Sharjah as “masala matches”. But Bukhatir says nothing has been established against the venue. “It is easy to say it all happens in Sharjah, but all the incidents (of match-fixing and bribery) have actually come out of South Africa, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand or England,” Bukhatir was quoted as saying by “Gulf News” today on the eve of the Coca Cola Cup tri-nation tournament involving India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. “Barring one isolated incident of run-out, no one has come out to substantiate the allegations that match-fixing happens in Sharjah,” said the Cricketers’ Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) chief. In order to drive home his point further, he said: “Pakistan is alleged to be the most fixable team, but they have won over 90 per cent of their matches here. How can Sharjah be the centre of match-fixing?” he posed a counter. The last tri-nation tournament was held here in March involving India, Pakistan and South Africa and barely a week later, Delhi Police on April 7 came up with evidence of match-fixing against the then South African skipper Hansie Cronje and some of his teammates, a disclosure which opened a Pandora’s Box in the cricketing world and saw a lot of upheavals in India Bukhatir emphasised that Sharjah, which has hosted the maximum number of 160 odis, would continue to organise international tournaments in the same manner. Every year, two tournamets are held at the majestic Sharjah Cricket Stadium, an oasis for the large number of expatriate lovers of the game here. Bukhatir is not worried about India’s absence in the next edition in April next year when Pakistan and Sri Lanka are also scheduled to participate. Indian government had denied permission to the team to play against Pakistan in the Sahara Cup in Toronto in September and India’s tour of Pakistan next January hangs in balance. “Sharjah is not about India and Pakistan. We host proper three or four-nation tournaments,” Bukhatir said and exuded confidence that both India and Pakistan would continue to play at the desert venue. The CBFS tried to get both India and Pakistan in one of the two championships held here every year. This generates additional interest among the populace. India, of course, are an important element considering the large number of Indian expatriate population. Bukhatir felt venues at Sharjah, Singapore and Toronto helped globalise cricket. “We should try to find more suitable places,” he said revealing his plans to inject cricket in Morocco. “Morocco is an ideal place, weather wise, geographically and people of that country are great athletes built naturally to play the game,” he pointed out. The cbfs chief has started a set-up called ‘Hercules’ to propagate the game there. Mohinder Amarnath, who is now part of the cbfs set-up, is taking care of inducting and coaching local boys and preparing the grounds with assistance of his brother Surinder. Commenting on Mohinder’s induction into the cbfs team, Bukhatir said, “We are getting old, so new people have to inject new ideas.” Since the organisation was getting better, he felt, there was need for more people and since Mohinder was there for the Morocco project, he was found suitable for the cbfs team. |
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PCB not to toe ICC
line on players’ ban KARACHI, Oct 19 (PTI) — Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Lt Gen Tauqir Zia today struck a defiant posture against International Cricket Council (ICC), saying he would protect the six Pakistani players censured and fined by the board even if the world body called for a life-ban on them. “The ICC is nobody to tell the PCB that these six players cannot play. We will play them whenever we want. They’ll only be dropped on performance and nothing else,” the daily Dawn quoted him as having said. These six players, including Wasim Akram and Ata-ur Rahman, were punished on the recommendation of Justice Malik Mohammed Qayyum, who went into allegations of match-fixing. Lt Gen Zia said, “I am not trying to make a confrontation with ICC, but the fact is that these players are in our control. If we want them to play, they will play and will only get out on performance.” |
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Expert comments INDIA were beaten but not disgraced in the finals of the ICC Knockout tournament in Nairobi, Kenya. For a team that left India with no hopes from cricket lovers of even beating Australia it was a tremendous performance. The team just went from strength to strength and but for a few elementary errors in the finals would have come home with the trophy. That it did not is a blessing in disguise for immediately after that everybody would have thought that everything is right with Indian cricket while the fact is that there are still gaps to be filled and plenty of scope for improvement. The first step towards filling these holes were taken in Kenya and if the same progress is maintained then in another year or so India should have one of the best teams in the world and will be serious contenders for every trophy played. What was most encouraging about the team’s performance in Kenya was that they reached the finals without a major contribution from Sachin Tendulkar with the bat, but though the little champion did not light the Nairobi Gymkhana ground after with his batting the psychological advantage he gave his teammates with that daring assault on Glen McGrath was enough to propel the others to play aggressively and give the world champs a dose of their own medicine. Sharjah has been a favourite hunting ground for Tendulkar and he is the kind of player who will make someone or the other pay for his earlier lack of runs and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe may well find that out over the next few days. The advent of two young players Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan has given Indian cricket just the boost it needed. Yuvraj will find the Sharajh pitches to his liking while Zaheer may not but it will be a great learning experience for the left hand pacer to bowl on good batting pitches to quality batsmen. Hopefully he will have also learnt from the finals of the Kenya tournament that if one delivery is not working on the day it is better to try another tactic and this will take lots of hours at the nets. Ganguly’s form has also been quite superb and there are no better sights in the game than when the Prince of Calcutta is batting. He is leading by example which is always the best way to get the maximum out of the rest of the team and those who are being harsh on him for his captaincy in the finals are actually paying him a compliment by expecting him to be a superman in everything he does. Remember he is in his first year as captain and even the most experienced of captains make mistakes. The Sri Lankans were unlucky to find Pakistan at their best in Nairobi but the manner in which Jayasuriya was batting then and the way Gunawardena and Jayawardena batted in the earlier match gives their batting a real solid look especially on the placid pitches of Sharjah. Their fielding has improved beyond recognition and in Vaas and Zoysa they have a new ball attack not to be trifled with Muthiah Muralitharan with the addition of the delivery that goes away from the right handers added to his repertoire is now even more dangerous for like Saqlain Mushtaq he bowls it without any change in action. They have regrouped well after the disastrous 1999 World Cup in England and any team that takes them lightly will do so at their own peril. This is exactly what can be said of Zimbabwe. In spite of losing two quality players in Murray Goodwin and Neil Johnson the Zimbabwe team did well beating New Zealand in the one-day series played in Zimbabwe. They are match fit and their fielding is outstanding. Alistair Campbell and Guy Whittal are finally realising their own potential and Whittal’s form in recent times makes him the player to watch out for. The ever reliable Flower brothers are there and new captain Streak is turning out to be a dangerous allrounder. It promises to be a treat this Sharjah tournament and don’t be surprised if you find close finishes which Sharjah is famous for.
— PMG |
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BEIRUT, Oct 19 (AFP) — Asian footballer of the year Ali Daei fired pre-tournament favourites Iran safely into the Asian Cup quarter-finals with a late goal to give his team a 1-0 victory over arch-rivals Iraq here yesterday. The result saw Iran top group A with seven points, keeping them apart from a showdown with in-form Japan in the last eight. Iraq, who could have played bitter enemies Kuwait if they had topped the group, claimed the second automatic berth after Lebanon and Thailand played out a 1-1 draw here. The Thais were left kicking themselves as they let another one goal lead slip — just as they did against Iran — but can still dream of making the last eight as one of the two best third placed teams. For the organisers though the spectre of even sparser crowds looms as Lebanon exited after finishing bottom of the group. Hertha Berlin striker Daei pounced in the 77th minute, scrambling in a rebound from close range after team-mate Karim Bagheri had blasted a low-shot at the Iraq goal. “The important thing is that we won and we came top of the group,” satisfied Iran coach Jalal Talebi said afterwards. It was a far from impressive performance by Iran, who struggled to break down a compact Iraq team who appeared content to defend in numbers and wait for an opportunity to catch their opponents on the break. Talebi’s pre-match prediction that the bitter history between the two countries would not be a factor proved accurate in a largely passionless affair. Thai star striker Sakesan Pituratana, who scored in the 1-1 draw with Iran on Sunday, netted in the 58th minute and the Lebanese, who missed a succession of chances, finally levelled with seven minutes to go through Brazilian midfielder Luis Fernandez. “It’s frustrating because we didn’t take all our chances just as we didn’t against Iran,” Thai coach Peter Withe said. “It is a feature of South East Asian football that the finishing isn’t the highest standard and we must aspire to be like Japan who showed against Uzbekistan (8-1 winners) how to put them away,” he added. His Croat-born counterpart Josip Skoblar, formerly coach of elite Croatian side Hajduk Split, said that his side had suffered from lack of experience in playing in front of so many people. Fernandez, who also had a golden chance to win the match in the dying seconds but saw his header sail over the bar, levelled the game when he was left free after ‘keeper Kittisak Rawangpa dropped the ball. Sakesan, leading scorer in the Thai league, put away the chance from rightback Anuruck Srikerd’s superb curling cross which beat the outstrectched leg of Brazilian defender Jadir Morgenstern — ‘keeper Ali Fakih was stranded at the near post - that set the goal up. The Lebanese, cheered on by over 50,000 fans, poured on the pressure but twice playmaker Moussa Hojej — their best player in all two and a half games he played — was denied. First he dragged his shot wide of the far post when in a one on one with Kittisak and eight minutes later in the 71st the previously out of favour star was again in on the ‘keeper but the latter got down well to block his effort. |
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CHEJU ISLAND (Korea), Oct 19 (PTI) — The Indian team of Mukesh Kumar and Feroz Ali looked pedestrian against a classy field in the Johnnie Walker Asian Nations Cup as they struggled to two-under-par 70 for ninth place among 10 nations on the opening day of the event here today. In-form Mukesh Kumar and former Indian Open champion Feroz Ali were seven strokes behind the leaders from Korea. Defending champions Korea took the first round lead at Pinx Golf Club with top two ranked players, Choi Gwang-Soo and Park Nam-Sin, combined brilliantly to fire a score of nine-under-par 63 in the event that also doubles as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the EMC World Cup. Korea lead by two strokes from Thailand’s Thammanoon Sriroj and Chawalit Plaphol and Hong Kong’s Wilson Choy and Danny Kan. Malaysia’s Danny Chia and Rashid Ismail and Singapore, represented by Lam Chih Bing and Poh Eng Wah, are a stroke further back along with Raiwan’s Lu Wen-teh and Chung Chun-hsing. Korea made the perfect start to the tournament, which will see the top three teams qualify for the EMC World Cup, being played at Buenos Aires Golf Club in December. Park nailed five birdies while Choi carded four. They made five birdies in a row from the eighth when Choi birdied eight, nine, and 11 along with Park’s birdies on 10 and 12. The format for the Johnnie Walker Asian Nations Cup is the same as the World Cup. Fourball better ball is played on days one and three and foursomes on the second and final days. |
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Woods to face Els in Presidents Cup GAINESVILLE, Oct 19 (AFP) — An alternate-stroke foursomes showdown between world number one Tiger Woods and second-ranked Ernie Els of South Africa will highlight the opening day of the fourth Presidents Cup. British Open, US Open and PGA Championship winner Woods joins friend Notah Begay for the USA against Els and Masters champion Vijay Singh of Fiji for the international team after pairings made here yesterday. “Tiger has risen above us a little this year, winning three majors and being unstoppable at times. He has been dominant,” said Els, a two-time US Open champion. “But this event is completely different. I have got a partner this time to help me out. We’ve got to bring down the American team. It’s not just Tiger. He’s one guy. He can’t beat us by himself. He’s one team member.” Yet he is the one who relegated masters runner-up Els to second at the US and British Opens. And Woods is playing for one of the few major golf prizes he has never captured. “This tournament is one we’re all excited about, being with each other and teaming up,” Woods said. We’re excited to get going. The team is playing very well. I feel pretty good about my chances of playing well.” As US President Bill Clinton looked on during the opening ceremonies, US Cup captain Ken Venturi said American golfers would wear black armbands to honour 17 US sailors who died in a bomb blast on the USS Cole. “I want to thank captain Venturi and the team members for wearing the black armbands in memory of the USS Cole,” Mr Clinton said. “Like you, they stood for the common humanity and united to celebrate our diversity. When you play in the tournament, you show those rooting for you the way we ought to live and work.” Two Australia-US foursomes
match ups find Greg Norman and Steve Elkington facing Tom Lehman and Phil Mickelson while Aussies Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby play Hal Sutton and Jim Furyk. A cup debutantes duel finds Americans Stewart Cink and Kirk Triplett playing South Africa’s Retief Goosen and Canada’s Mike Weir with the day’s final duel between Americans David Duval and Davis Love against Zimbabwe’s Nick Price and Paraguay’s Carlos Franco. Captain’s choices Loren Roberts and Paul Azinger sit out for the US team. Japan’s Shigeki Maruyama and New Zealand’s Michael Campbell are also out. Action continues with five foursomes and five best-ball matches tomorrow, five best-balls on Saturday and 12 concluding singles matches Sunday. The non-European internationals hold the trophy after a 20 1/2-11 1/2 triumph in 1998 at Melbourne, Australia — the worst US team golf loss ever suffered. “We certainly didn’t enjoy receiving that,” Duval said. “There’s some motivation. I was third match out and it was over. That wasn’t fun for anyone.” US players have said the December timing and long plane flight were factors in the defeat, but Love gives the internationals their due as well. “It was a little hard to get into the competition,” he said. “We wanted to ease into it and we were eased out by the first lunch break. They took it to us. We weren’t prepared and we got beat. “We didn’t do the things you have to do to win. If we had played 20 per cent better, we would still have gotten beat pretty well. This time we’re more motivated. Any time you get beaten that badly you’re more motivated next time.” Sutton, a 1999 US Ryder Cup standout, has stressed to team-mates to attack rather than await an opponents’ mistake. “My advice to this team is to try and go out and make something happen,” he said. “We have got to go out and try to take it to them rather than react to what they are doing. We need to play smart, aggressive shots and make as many birdies as we possibly can.” Price has teamed with eight different partners in cup play and should make his South American partner reach his peak on day one, international captain Peter Thomson said. One could come if the match reaches 16-16 and a sealed envelope reveals the name of a pre-selected player for a one-on-one cup playoff showdown. Woods is the clear favorite to be the American player selected after his amazing year. |
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Venus struggles
to win LINZ, (Austria), Oct 19 (Reuters) — Second seed Venus Williams struggled to beat Japan’s Ai Sugiyama at the Generali Open in her first appearance since clinching gold at the Sydney Olympics. A weary Williams, currently third in the world rankings, won the second round indoor hardcourt match 7-5 6-2 yesterday for her 33rd successive triumph. “I have not played tennis or done any training for two weeks. I wasn’t playing my best tennis today,’’ said Williams, adding the court at Linz’s design centre was very fast. “But I know that I can deliver my best tennis against top players,’’ she added. Top seeded American Lindsay Davenport will be making her first appearance at Linz on Thursday in a second round match against Amanda Hopmans of the
Netherland. |
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Jarnail’s death
mourned CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — The Principal, staff and students of St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School, Chandigarh, today mourned the death of Olympian Jarnail Singh. According to a press note, Jarnail Singh was closely associated with students of the school and imparted training to the players of the school. A condolence meeting was also organised at YPS, Mohali, to mourn his death. At the Sector 17 football stadium as many as 50 footballers assembled to condole the sad demise of Jarnail Singh. The DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8-C, at a meeting , today expressed shock over the death of Jarnail Singh. Sportsmen of the school observed a two-minute silence. The Mohali Football Club also mourned the death of the former Olympian. According to Mr K.S. Nanda, Secretary, the death of Jarnail Singh was an irreparable loss to Indian football. NAWANSHAHR
(FOC): A meeting of the district tournament committee was held here at JSFH Khalsa High School on Thursday under the chairmanship of the District Education Officer, Mr Santokh Singh Ranu, to mourn the death of famous footballer, Jarnail Singh Panam. |
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Fest venues getting
finishing touches ROHTAK, Oct 19 — Olympians Shakti Singh and Jitender are among the six sportspersons selected by Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) to complete the process of lighting flame at the opening ceremony of 16th Haryana State Sports Festival starting here at Chottu Ram Stadium on October 21. Mr H.S. Bhadu, joint secretary, HOA, revealed that besides Shakti and Jitender Olympians Devi Singh and Major Ram Mehar along with Kamla Dalal and Sonika Kaliravan, who is the daughter of wrestler Chandgi Ram, will complete the torch relay. Preparations are still on for the smooth conduct of the games at different venues in the city. Officials of Haryana Olympic Association and the Sports Department were busy giving final touches to the preparations. But the centre of activities remains the Chottu Ram Stadium where opening and closing ceremonies are to be held. A visit to the other stadia revealed that these are being paid less attention at Saini School, venue of gymnastics, some girls were crushing the uneven soil with bricks to level the ground. The installation of equipment was also not complete. Similarly, the hockey ground at Jat College looked so dry and it appeared as if it has neither been properly watered nor adequately rolled. Huge spendings on decoration have invited catcalls also. A section of sportsmen appear to be furious over the idea of spending large amounts on decoration. Some of them expressed the view that the expenditure on decoration should have been curtailed to the minimum possible to provide more funds for extending facilities to the sportspersons of the region. A media centre is also being set up at the main venue. A computer and fax machine is being installed for providing timely results and their prompt transmission. |
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Delhi 246 for two
against Himachal NEW DELHI, OCT 19 (UNI) — Delhi, after suffering the humilation of being followed on, fought back and were 246 for 2 in their second innings to take 86-run lead against Himachal Pradesh with eight wickets in hand on the penultimate day of the three-day North Zone Cooch Behar (U-19) Cricket Tournament here today. Earlier in the morning, Delhi started their first essay chasing Himachal Pradesh’s total of 293. Medium pacer Mohan Singh (5 for 42) and Abhishek Gujral (3 for 26) ripped through the batting to bundle out the hosts for paltry 133 runs in 45 overs to take 160-run lead. Dipender Bola who hit 54 with the help of 7 boundaries and Kunal Lal’s 34 (4x4) helped Delhi to cross the three-digit mark as at one stage they were tottering at 25 for 5. Yashpal and Kunal put on 89 runs for the sixth wicket. Scores: Himachal Pradesh (Ist innings): 293 all out. Delhi (Ist innings): 133 all out in 45 overs (Dilpit T.T 11, Dipender Bola 54, Kunal Lal 34, Mohan Singh 5 for 42, Abhishekh Gujral 3 for 26, Prince Angaria 2 for 28). Delhi (2nd innings): 246 for 2 (Dhurv Mohan 26, Gautam Ghambir 92, Rajeev Unyal not out 90, Dilip T.T. not out 32, Hitesh Angrish 1 for 34, Paras Dogra 1 for 41). |
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Shahabad girls triumph NEW DELHI, Oct 19 — SGNP Girls Senior Secondary School, Shahabad (Haryana), blanked Mother Khazani Convent School, Mungesh Pur, Delhi, 3-0 while Nari Shiksha Niketan, Lucknow toyed with Krida Prabodhini, Pune, 6-0 in the seventh Nehru Girls Hockey Tournament at the National Stadium here today. The Haryana girls, in a one-sided match, scored all the goals in the first half, through Jasjeet Kaur and Rajwinder Kaur (2). In the other match, the Lucknow girls led by 3-0 at half time, with Moni Sonker scoring all the goals. She also struk home the sixth goal, while Rijuta Mullick and Gunja Sonkar accounted for the fourth and fifth goals. However, the Lucknow girls could not make it into the final as the Delhi girls had tallied six points on the Super League table to finish second, behind leaders Haryana who collected nine points. Lucknow could gather only three points. The Haryana school take on Delhi in the final tomorrow. |
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OBC, PU record
victories CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — On the second day of the 13th Lal Bahadur Shastri Memorial Football Tournament being played at railway grounds, Kalka, three matches were played. In the first match Oriental Bank of Commerce, New Delhi, beat DFA, Fatehgarh Sahib 2-0. After a barren first half the bankmen started dominating the proceedings. They succeeded in taking the lead in the second half through striker Sanjiv Sharma. Sanjiv made it 2-0 few minutes later. In the second match, Panjab University trounced 14th Gurkha 4-1. Playing attacking football, Panjab University took the lead in the fifth minutes through striker Charanjit Kumar. Parveen Kumar made it 2-0 and right winger Dharminder Singh scored the third goal to make it 3-0. After the interval Panjab University scored another goal. Centre half Vinod Thapa converted a penalty in the 89th minute to reduce the margin. In the last match of the day Punjabi University, Patiala, beat Gurkha XI (Junior) 2-0. Rahil maintains lead in
Samarvir Golf CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 — Rahil Gangjee of Tollygung Golf Club, Calcutta, continued to lead in the Samarvir Sahi Chandigarh Amateur Golf Championship here today. Rahil returned a six over card of 78 for an overall gross score of 217 after the third round. His nearest rival, Manav Dass of Chandigarh, was three strokes behind in the overall gross rating. Ashok Kumar of Delhi and Simmerjit Singh of Noida Golf Club had scores of 221 and 222 after the third day’s play. In the nett category Ashok Kumar of Delhi was ahead with an overall nett score of 209. His nearest rival, Harinder Gupta, a caddy from the Chandigarh Golf Club, was four strokes behind. Girish Virk of the Chandigarh Golf Club and Rahil Gangjee of Calcutta made nett scores of 214 and 217, respectively, after the third day’s play. The tee off on the fourth day will be at 8 a.m. tomorrow. TT tourney BATHINDA, Oct 13 — The Mansa district Table Tennis Association (DMTTA) is organising the 3rd Punjab Ranking Table Tennis Tournament at Bareta Mandi from October 20 to 22. In a press note issued here today, Mr Kewal Garg, general secretary, DMTTA, said that the last date for the entries was October 19. Patiala defeat Jalandhar PATIALA, Oct 19 — Patiala beat Jalandhar by 177 runs in the Punjab state inter-district Katoch shield cricket tournament league match which concluded at the Dhruv Pandove stadium here today. Despite putting up a comfortable 391 for six in their first essay, the hosts just could not afford to relax as Jalandhar had a deep batting line up, led by former Test player Vikram Rathore. Once the hosts had Vikram Rathore, after he had threatened to run riot, the batting line up simply caved in without putting in even a semblance of a fight. Brief scores: Patiala (Ist Innings): 391 for 6 declared Jalandhar (Ist Innings): 214 all out (Vikram Rathore 53, Sandeep Sharma 47, Vaneet Sharma 27, Harminder Jugnu 24, Babloo Kumar 5 for 53, Reetinder Sodhi 1 for 47, Rajeev Sirhindi 2 for 40, Lakhbir Singh 1 for 25) 56 yoga probables selected CHANDIGARH, Oct 19 —Haryana State Yoga Association has selected 56 probables (men and women) for a state-level coaching camp to be held at Community Centre, Sector 7, Panchkula from November 5 to 12. This was disclosed by Mr Ashok Aggarwal secretary of the association. The final selection comprising three competitors in each age group for the 25th National Yoga Championship to be held at Palani (Tamil Nadu) from December 27 to 30 will be made during the camp. The probables are: 8-11 yrs — Girls: Rishi Makkar, Pratima Arora, Nisha Singh. Boys: Satish
Kumar, Vinit Ruhil, Rudra Mukherjee. 11-14yrs — girls: Pratima Malik, Malvika,
Priyanka, Vijay Lakshmi. Boys: Gautam Makkar, Ram Kumar, Rajinder Kumar. 14-17 yrs — Girls: Lisha Singh, Umesh Godara, Sarika. Boys: Randeep Roperia, Kapil Dev, Kuldeep, Bhupinder. 17-21 yrs — Girls: Neelam, Shweta Jain, Davinder Kaur. Boys: Parveen Verma, Ramesh
Kumar, Vinod Godara, Mukesh. 21-25 yrs — Women: Shashi Kala, Sukhwinder Kaur, Reema Sharma. Men: Pawan Kumar, Ajay Singh, Naveen Kumar. 25-35 yrs — Women: Sant, Vandna, Sonika, Sandhya. Men: Mange Ram, Lalit, Mahesh Goyal, Narinder Kumar. 35-45 yrs — Women: Usha Chauhan, Kamlesh, Neelam Bahri, Sarlesh. Men: Jasbir Singh, Ishwar Singh, Raj Nath, Brij Mohan, Satya Vir Singh. |
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