Monday, November 6,
  2000, 
Chandigarh, India







THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

Durand Cup
JCT go down to East Bengal

NEW DELHI, Nov 5 — Calcutta soccer giants and last year’s runners-up East Bengal sailed into the semifinals of the Durand Cup by beating JCT Phagwara 1-0 in their last quarterfinal match at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.

Rohnique Posey (left) dodges a punch from richard Lee Hall during their welterweight bout on Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Hall won the bout.





Rohnique Posey (left) dodges a punch from richard Lee Hall during their welterweight bout on Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Hall won the bout.—AP/PTI photo

Tiger rejects big appearance money
SYDNEY, Nov 5 — World No.1 Tiger Woods has turned down $ 2.3 million Australian US $ 1.2 million appearance money to play in the Australian Open later this month, a report said today.


EARLIER STORIES
 

Azhar’s charge dismays Mongia
BARODA, Nov 5 — Former stumper Nayan Mongia today expressed his dismay over having been charged with match-fixing in the CBI report, saying he was not even a member of the Indian team for the two matches stated to have been fixed in the report.

Asif denies involvement
DUBAI, Nov 5 — Former Pakistani skipper Asif Iqbal has vehemently denied his involvement in match-fixing or betting even as he admitted that he knew Mumbai-based bookie Anil Steel, with whom, the CBI says, he had close links.

Vijay, Tiger tied after third round
ATLANTA, Nov 5 — Masters Champion Vijay Singh shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 65 to tie Tiger Woods after three rounds at the Tour Championship yesterday.

Indian men lose to Bulgaria
ISTANBUL, Nov 5 — An unexpected blunder from in-form grandmaster Abhijit Kunte led to India’s 1.5-2.5 defeat against Bulgaria in the seventh round of the 34th Chess Olympiad being played here.

J & K bundled out for 168 runs
JALANDHAR, Nov 5 — The absence of match-fixing accused Ajay Jadeja affected the performance of Jammu and Kashmir when they were bowled out for 168 runs in 96.3 overs by Punjab on the opening day of their four-day North Zone Ranji league match at Burton Park cricket stadium here this evening.

New Zealand rider Gillian Meacham falls from her mount Hynds Pipe Mulberry Walk at the water jump at the Adelaide international horse trials on Saturday.
New Zealand rider Gillian Meacham falls from her mount Hynds Pipe Mulberry Walk at the water jump at the Adelaide international horse trials on Saturday. The trials make up the Southern Hemisphere's only four-star equestrian event, and about 50,000 spectators are expected to attend the four-day event.
—Reuters photo

Atwal shoots six under par 66
GURGAON, Nov 5 — Playing dream golf, Arjun Atwal shot six under par 66 in the final round to win the $ 200,000 Hero Honda Masters, here today.

Sirsa reign supreme
FARIDABAD, Nov 5 — On the concluding day of the 32nd Hero Honda Haryana State Table Tennis Championship, Sirsa maintained their supremacy.

Underdogs Bathinda shock Patiala
PATIALA, Nov 5 — Underdogs Bathinda shocked favourites Patiala today as they won by 15 runs in a match of the Punjab State Inter-District (under-16) Cricket Tournament in Dhruv Pandove Stadium here.


REGIONAL SPORT BRIEFS

  • Roller skating results

  • MDU kabaddi champs

  • Inter-varsity kho-kho

  • Gambhir to lead

    Top







 

Durand Cup
JCT go down to East Bengal 

NEW DELHI, Nov 5 (UNI) — Calcutta soccer giants and last year’s runners-up East Bengal sailed into the semifinals of the Durand Cup by beating JCT Phagwara 1-0 in their last quarterfinal match at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.

In another quarterfinal match, Churchill Brothers of Goa, who have already qualified for the semis, defeated Muktijoddha Sangsad of Bangladesh 2-1.

East Bengal fired the winning salvo in the 57th minute when newcomer Nigerian Isiaka Aowemy intercepted a JCT midfield pass and lobbed it to Dipendu who was inside the JCT penalty box. Dipendu flicked the ball to medio Suley Musah who gently tapped the ball inside the goal.

The way JCT attacked East Bengal conveyed the message that they were playing to a plan and were out to prove their mettle.

JCT launched an attack in the 13th minute when forward Hardip Sangha passed the ball to Hardip Gill inside the Bengal penalty box. Gill shot a powerful-right-footer but East Bengal defender Falguni Dutta jumped in to block it which was subsequently cleared by stopper back Jackson Agaypong.

Being shaken by the attack East Bengal made some good forays into the rival half but failed to score on each occasion. The team missed a scoring opportunity when it earned a free-kick which was taken by Chandan. Chandan’s powerful grounder was saved by JCT custodian Arvind Kumar.

Again a few minutes later Dipendu’s 15-yard shot was fisted by the JCT custodian and Tarsem Kumar cleared it.

In another inconsequential match of the day, semifinalists Churchill Brothers held complete sway over their rivals Muktijoddha Sangsad of Bangladesh. Churchill lads showed no complacence and played an attacking game, much to the delight of the crowd.

In the twelfth minute, Churchill forward Uday Konar snatched a wayward pass and lobbed it to Abhishek whose shot was saved by a rival defender. Again a few minutes later Churchill earned a free kick. The Muktijoddha custodian Aminul Haque failed to collect and defender Prodeep had to make the clearance.

Churchill scored the first goal in the 56th minute when right-half Edson Crasto received a pass and dribbled two defenders to pass it to Brazil-born forward Andre Requena in the right flank. Andre’s powerful right-footer swerved into the Muktijoddha goal to make it 1-0.

The Goa league champions clinched the lead eleven minutes later when Andre intercepted a Muktijoddha pass and lobbed the ball to substitute forward Somatai Shaiza. Shaiza gave a long cross to fellow substitute forward Francis Silviera inside the rival penalty box. Silviera’s angular grounder beat Haque to hit the net.

Following these goals, Muktijoddha made three quick substitutions to bolster their line-up and it paid off in the 84th minute when the outfit reduced the margin. Substitute left winger Saurav Raju passed the ball to forward Moni who lobbed it again to medio Masud Rana inside the Churchill penalty box. Masud, on seeing two rival defenders, passed it to substitute forward Litton whose shot rocketted into the net to make it 2-1.
Top

 

Tiger rejects big appearance money

SYDNEY, Nov 5 (AFP) — World No.1 Tiger Woods has turned down $ 2.3 million Australian US $ 1.2 million appearance money to play in the Australian Open later this month, a report said today.

Quoting PGA Tour insiders, Sydney’s Sunday Telegraph said Wood’s price had skyrocketed to between $ 3.5 million and $ 3.8 million (Australian) dollars to play in an Australian or an Asian tournament.

“Tiger has rewritten the appearance fee book. No tournament can actually afford him,” said Tony Roosenberg, championship director of the two richest tournaments on the Australasian scene this year — the Heineken Classic in Perth and the World Match Play in Melbourne.

“What I hope for is that Tiger becomes so rich that he begins to play at Australia’s great golf courses simply because they have worldwide stature,” he said.

“That’s why I am hopeful Tiger will play at Royal Melbourne when the Heineken Classic moves there (from Perth) after this year.”

The International Management Group which manages Woods and stages the Australian Open would not comment.

Greg Norman, Briton Nick Faldo, American Mark O’Meara and Irishman Padraig Harrington, are the lead attractions at this year’s Open from November 23-26 at Kingston heath in Melbourne, with prize-money boosted by 25 per cent to $ 1.25 million Australian.

It is believed O’Meara and Faldo will be paid about $ 150,000 US each to play.

Former winner Robert Allenby, a two-times US PGA Tour winner this year, and Stuart Appleby will be joined by Greg Chalmers and Mat Goggin.

Australian Open chief Colin Phillips recently suggested the number of Australasian tournaments be slashed in half to cope with the soaring cost of appearance fees.

He called for six big events over the Australian summer instead of the current schedule which lists 11, including the World Match Play in January.

“Prices have gone up dramatically since Tiger came on the scene and there is so much money on offer from competing events around the world,” Phillips said.
Top

 

Azhar’s charge dismays Mongia

BARODA, Nov 5 (PTI) — Former stumper Nayan Mongia today expressed his dismay over having been charged with match-fixing in the CBI report, saying he was not even a member of the Indian team for the two matches stated to have been fixed in the report.

The report quotes former captain Mohammad Azharuddin as having told the investigating agency that Ajay Jadeja and Mongia fixed matches along with him.

Mongia, along with four other cricketers, including Azharuddin and Jadeja, have been banned by the cricket board from playing international or domestic cricket pending an inquiry based on the report.

“His (Azharuddin’s) statment is totally false,” Mongia told PTI here today.

“The absurdity of the allegation can be gauged by the fact that I was not a member of the team in the two matches referred by Azharuddin,” Mongia said.

“My record speaks for me. Since 1995, I have never dropped any catches or missed stumping chances in the matches I played for the country.

“I am not a recognised batsman, so the question of my involvement in match-fixing does not arise.

“My inclusion in the team was as a wicket-keeper and I was doing my job perfectly and have played the game to the very best of my ability and skill.

“I am always proud of representing the country, state or board,” Mongia said.

Mongia denied having known any bookie or spoken to them over phone.

He said it was unfair on part of Azharuddin to drag his name into the controversy.

“Without offering any evidence of any kind to back his statement, how can one make such allegations?” he asked.

Mongia also denied that he had undisclosed wealth.

“I don’t have disproportionate income and all my properties have been accounted for,” he said.

“I will put before the commissioner of inquiry (of the cricket board) K. Madhavan, my case whenever I am asked to appear before him and I am confident of proving my innocence.

Mongia said he hoped to be back in the national team.

“It is a matter of great privilege of representing the country.” 
Top

 

Asif denies involvement

DUBAI, Nov 5 (UNI) — Former Pakistani skipper Asif Iqbal has vehemently denied his involvement in match-fixing or betting even as he admitted that he knew Mumbai-based bookie Anil Steel, with whom, the CBI says, he had close links.

Reacting to the CBI report on match-fixing and betting in which his name also figures, Asif, the coordinator of the Cricketers/Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) at Sharjah told Khaleej Times from his London residence that "Yes, I know Anil and I was friendly with him but it does not mean that I am involved in any kind of match-fixing or anything".

He said "This is true that Anil used to ask me my opinion on a particular match or things related to cricket and I used to give him my opinions but there was nothing like match-fixing involved in our discussions".

Asif went on to say: "See, I am a retired cricketer and commentator. Nothing can stop me from expressing my opinions on a cricket match. I am not a serving player and I cannot influence the game in any respect".

The 162-page report, released recently by the premier Indian investigative agency, has sent shock waves in the cricket world by naming five Indian and seven foreign players for their involvement in match-fixing.

A chapter on foreign players in the report said Mumbai-based bookie Anil Steel claimed to have close links with Asif. "Anil Steel, the bookie from Mumbai has stated that he is on very friendly terms with Asif Iqbal, the former Pakistani captain. He has also stated that he has sought ‘information’ from Asif Iqbal about international matches and has also given him ‘gifts’ or jewellery items etc".

The report said: "Anil Steel has disclosed that he introduced MK (alleged bookmaker Mukesh Gupta, the central character in the CBI report), to Asif Iqbal during the World Cup inaugural ceremony at Calcutta in 1996. MK has stated that Asif Iqbal had introduced him to Jayasuriya at Sharjah, sometime in 1996".

Asif said: "I don’t think the CBI report is going to harm cricket in any way. I think it will benefit the game once and for all and will help in bringing back the fast-fading integrity of the sport".

He said: "There are some retired players who work as consultants to legal bookmakers in England. I don’t think there is any law to stop it".

The former Pakistani skipper also refused to subscribe to the view that the CBI report would restrict the off-shore cricket around the world. "If you look into the report, the majority of the matches suspected to be fixed were played in regular Test-playing countries and there is no mention of Sharjah in this report".

Asked what the CBFS would do if any of its future beneficiaries was implicated in the match-fixing scandal, he said: "It is up to the respective boards to find out the whole truth behind the allegations. As far as the CBFS is concerned, we have nothing to do with the list of beneficiaries as the players are nominated by the boards in consultation with the CBFS".

He concluded: "Let me take this opportunity to say that the CBI has done a great job in preparing this report and now it is up to respective boards to rise to the occasion and take some solid steps". 
Top

 

Match-fixing in county cricket?

LONDON, Nov 5 (Reuters) — Allegations that two matches between Essex and Lancashire nine years ago were fixed are being investigated, the England Cricket Board said on Sunday.

ECB chairman Lord MacLaurin told BBC Radio 5 Live that an inquiry was "in progress".

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper said the allegations that the results of the matches — one a county championship game and the other a Sunday League limited overs fixture — were fixed originally came from former Zimbabwe coach and Essex player Don Topley.

His claims in a series of newspaper articles were dismissed some years ago but the Sunday Telegraph said the ECB had decided to reopen investigations earlier this year when further witnesses came forward.

In the championship match Essex, having been set 270 to win in 67 overs, won by eight wickets and went on to take the title by 13 points.

In the Sunday match Essex made a modest 169 for six from 40 overs after being put in and Lancashire knocked off the runs with five wickets and five balls to spare. 
Top

 

B’desh opposition puts off rally plan

DHAKA, Nov 5 (PTI) — Bangladesh opposition parties have deferred their plan to hold a protest rally near the Bangabandhu National Stadium, where the country is scheduled to play its first cricket Test match from November 10. The four-party opposition alliance said it would instead hold the “grand rally” in other parts of the capital city on November 7. Secretary-General of Bangladesh Nationalist Party Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said the decision of postponing plans to hold the rally at Paltan Maidan near the stadium, venue of the one-off Test match between Bangladesh and India, was taken after a joint meeting.
Top

 

Vijay, Tiger tied after third round

ATLANTA, Nov 5 (Reuters) — Masters Champion Vijay Singh shot a bogey-free 5-under-par 65 to tie Tiger Woods after three rounds at the Tour Championship yesterday.

Woods shot a 66 to stand at 10-under 200.

David Duval, who held a one-shot lead over Woods heading into the third round, stumbled to a 4-over 74, to sink into a tie for ninth place, seven strokes back of the leaders at 207.

Phil Mickelson also shot a 65 yesterday to sit a stroke off the pace with a 9-under 201.

Ernie Els, who shot a 66, was another two strokes behind at 6-under 204. Nick Price of Zimbabwe, Australian Stuart Appleby and David Toms were at 4-under 206 going into the final round.

“This is probably the best I’ve felt,” Singh said. “I like the way I am putting. I feel really comfortable and more I putt, I feel more and more at ease with it. I think it is a good way that I am putting and hopefully it is going to do me good.”

Singh rolled in four of his five birdies on the front nine and sank a 12-footer on No. 10 to go 5-under. He played even-par the rest of the way.

Woods said both he and Duval, his playing partner, hit a lot of “borderline shots,” but the 24-year-old showed again what has made him one of the most dominant players the game has ever seen.

“I think David had one of those days where shots that he hit that were borderline ended up terrible,” Woods said. “I was the exact opposite. Hit some borderline shots, ended up great”.

Woods looked like he was going to leave the field behind, with birdies on three of the first four holes, but then his troubles started.

He put a 9-iron over the green and missed a 6-footer to bogey 5, and after tapping in from six inches for birdie on the sixth, he hit a tree and missed an 8-foot putt, bogeying the seventh.

He came out of the up-and-down stretch on 8, lofting a sand wedge to 10 feet and rolling it in for a birdie.

“No doubt about it, today was one of those days where I didn’t feel like I was hitting the ball well,” woods said. “But it was good enough where I was in play initially on the front nine. Then from there I felt pretty good with my irons. I just needed to get the ball in play. That was the struggle all week, actually, all day.”

Woods rolled in a 15-footer for birdie on 10 and on 15 left himself a 2-footer to go 5-under for the day. He ran into trouble on 17, where his drive found the left rough, and he three-putted from 30 feet for his third bogey of the day.

“Even though I got off to such a great start, I wasn’t feeling that great,” he said. “A lot of it was just timing and kind of, just basically playing by timing and feel. I didn’t really have the club in the right position at all. Consequently he ended up catching up with me.”

Like Singh, Mickelson played bogey-free golf, and also credited his improved putting. Chasing Woods and Singh, he said he’ll need more of the same today.

“For me, I need to go out tomorrow, get off to a good start just as I had yesterday and today,” he said yesterday. “If I can just make a couple birdies early, being the group in front I think will have its advantages.

“But if I don’t get off to a good start, then being in front will be a negative.” Seeking his second Tour Championship in four years, Duval, a former star at nearby Georgia Tech, carded a 2-under-par 68 on Friday to move past struggling first-round leader Els and grab a one-shot lead after 36 holes of the $5 million event.

Els rebounded after posting a 72 in the second round with a solid day, putting himself back in contention.

Duval was sidelined for two months with a nagging back injury but returned to claim his first title of the year and 12th of his career last month in Georgia.

The Tour Championship features the top 30 players on the money list, minus an injured Jim Furyk, creating a 29-player field.
Top

 

Indian men lose to Bulgaria

ISTANBUL, Nov 5 (PTI) — An unexpected blunder from in-form grandmaster Abhijit Kunte led to India’s 1.5-2.5 defeat against Bulgaria in the seventh round of the 34th Chess Olympiad being played here.

The women, however, put up a spirited show to down Azerbaijan 2-1 with WGM Vijayalakshmi continuing to excel on the top board.

Germany, with 20.5 points, maintained their one point supremacy over nearest rivals Russia with a 2-2 draw against Slovakia in the men’s event. Indians have tallied 17 points to be on the joint 21st spot.

Chinese women outclassed Moldova 3-0 to lead with 16.5 points. Georgia is a close second with 15.5 while India has 13 points.

Indian men started as underdogs for the fifth day in succession. With big guns like GM Veselin Topalov and Kiril Georgiev, the Bulgarians, pitted their best team.

On the top board, Topalov opened with the queen pawn and opted for the fashionable Bayonet attack against GM Krishnan Sasikiran’s King’s Indian defence.

After established theoretical manoeuvres, Sasikiran emerged with a dynamic equality in the middlegame with his sights focussed on the opponent’s king.

Topalov opened the queenside and Sasikiran blockaded the central passed pawn in copy book fashion. To complicate further Topalov went for a highly tactical variation but found Sasi well armed.

After the tactical skirmishes, an endgame where Sasikiran had three minor pieces against two rooks was reached.

However, the nature of the position became level as very few pawns remained on board. At the first opportunity Topalov sacrificed all material and left Sasikiran with two knights to draw the game via a stalemate after 94 moves.

Abhijit was apparently surprised with the Sicilian Nazdorf of Kiril Goergiev and burned the bridge early in the middle game. After some fine shows against strong opposition in the earlier rounds, Abhijit could not keep the momentum and blundered a piece soon after the opening.

A relieved Kiril gobbled the piece in no time and forced Abhijit resignation.

On the third board, 14-year-old IM P. Harikrishna faced the English opening of Delchev and the game took shape in a reverse Sicilian Dragon. Harikrishna equalised comfortably in the middlegame and Delchev decided not to press for a victory.

The draw was agreed to after 34 moves.

Indian captain D.V. Prasad could not make much use of his white pieces and had to settle for a draw against A. Kolev in just 19 moves of a French Winawer variation.

In the women’s section Vijayalakshmi continued her top form with victory over F. Babaeva to take her personal score to 6/7. Playing black Vijayalakshmi outsmarted her opponent in an Italian game.

Vijayalakshmi was a pawn up in the middlegame and she capitalised on the advantage to romp home easily.

On the second board, Subbaraman Minakshi made short work of Shukurova in a King’s Indian defence game with white pieces.
Top

 

J & K bundled out for 168 runs

JALANDHAR, Nov 5 (UNI) — The absence of match-fixing accused Ajay Jadeja affected the performance of Jammu and Kashmir when they were bowled out for 168 runs in 96.3 overs by Punjab on the opening day of their four-day North Zone Ranji league match at Burton Park cricket stadium here this evening.

Kanwaljit Singh played sheet anchor’s role for the visitors he top scored with 54 runs off 229 balls staying at the crease for 282 minutes. He was followed by Idris Quadroo who scored 43 runs off 108 balls and Vidya Bhaskar who scored 28 runs of 79 balls.

Leg spinner Sandeep Sawal was Punjab’s most successful bowler who claimed four wickets for 39 runs.

Off spinner Harbhajan Singh and left arm spinner Navdeep Singh claimed two wickets each.

SCOREBOARD
Jammu and Kashmir (Ist innings):
Ranjit Bali c Amarinder Singh b Gagandeep Singh 01, Vidya Bhaskar c Vikram Rathore b Navdeep Singh 28, Kanwaljit Singh b Sandeep Sawal 54, Ashwini Gupta c H. Jugnu b Sandeep Sawal 07, Dharv Mahajan lbw b Harbhajan Singh 01, Idrish Gaudroo b Navdeep Singh 43, Vikrant Taggar run out 11, Sanjay Sharma lbw Harbhajan Singh 03, Ash Sashi b Sandeep Sawal 12, Abdul Qayom c D. Mongia b Sandeep Sawal 00, Surinder Singh not out 04.

Extras: (nb 3 lb 1) four
Total:
all out in 96.3 over 168
Bowling: Gagandeep Singh 14-5-25-1, Amrinder Singh 11-3-18-0, Navdeep Singh 23-8-32-2, Harbhajan Singh 27-8-53-2, Sandeep Sawal 21.3-6-39-4.
Top

 

Delhi 270 for 7 against Haryana

GAWAL PAHARI (Gurgaon), Nov 5 (UNI) — A spirited 67-run unbeaten eighth wicket stand between spinners Nikhil Chopra and Rahul Sanghvi enabled Delhi to score 270 for 7 against Haryana on the opening day of the North Zone Ranji Trophy Cricket Championship here today.

Put in to bat by Haryana skipper Parinder Sharma, Delhi were given a sound start by openers Akash Chopra and Ashu Dani who put up 95 runs but after that the visitors lost four quick wickets within a space of 47 runs.

It was left to veteran off spinner Pankaj Thakur to break the opening partnership which was assuming dangerous propositions.

SCOREBOARD
Delhi (Ist innings):

Akash Chopra c Parinder Sharma b Pankaj Thakur 51, Ashu Dani b Pankaj Thakur 40, Vijay Dahiya st Deepak Kaushik b Amit Mishra 26, Mithun Manhas lbw Pankaj Thakur 12, Virender Sehwag lbw Pankaj Thakur 44, Pradeep Chawla c Ishan Genda b Feroz Ghyas 14, Nikhil Chopra c Amit Mishra b Feroz Ghyas 4, Rahul Sanghvi batting 25, Amit Bhandari batting 36,

Extras: 18
Fall of wickets: 1/95, 2/96, 3/132, 4/146, 5/189, 6/197, 7/203
Bowling: Vineet Jain:15-3-58-0, Feroz Ghyas:17-2-52-2, Parinder Sharma:2-0-6-0, Amit Mishra:27-4-65-1. Pankaj Thakur:29-7-81-4.

NEW DELHI: A 138-run fourth-wicket partnership between Amit Nadkarani and Sarabjit Singh helped Services reach 264 for eight against Himachal Pradesh on the opening day of the North Zone Ranji Trophy Cricket Championship at Palam ground here today.

Electing to bat, Services started rather poorly but a solid 84 by Amit Nadkarani and 79 by Sarabjit Singh enabled them to end the day with a comfortable total with two wickets still in hand.

Amit hit 12 boundaries in his knock while Sarabjit’s 79 were studded with seven boundaries.

At stumps J.P. Pandey was batting on 30 while S. Javed was on 1.

Brief scores:
Services (first innings):
264 for 8 in 90 overs (Amit Nadkarni 84,

Sarabjit Singh 79, J.P. Pandey batting 30, S. Javed batting 1, Jaswant Rai 3 for 53, Rahul 2 for 39, Amit Sharma 2 for 82).
Top

 

Atwal shoots six under par 66

GURGAON, Nov 5 (UNI) — Playing dream golf, Arjun Atwal shot six under par 66 in the final round to win the $ 200,000 Hero Honda Masters, here today.

Calcutta-based pro Atwal, who shot sub-par rounds on all four days, aggregated 18-under 270. That was two strokes better than runner-up Simon Dyson of England.

Dyson tallied 16-under 272 for his back-to-back runner-up spot after last week’s Lexus International but had the satisfaction of dislodging Yeh Wei-Tze from top of the Order of Merit after winning a cheque of $ 22,260.

Atwal’s earning for the week was $ 32,300 which helped him to eighth position in the Order of Merit with total earnings of $ 95,107.

American Andrew Pitts finished third at 15-under 273, while overnight leader Rodrigo Cuello slipped to tied fourth place at 13-under 275 along with Scott Kammonn of the USA.

Defending champion Jyoti Randhawa shot a three-under 69 on the final day to finish in sixth place at 12-under 276.

Atwal began the day two strokes behind Cuello and was soon three strokes back as the Philippine golfer made birdies on the first and fourth holes against Atwal’s birdie on the second. But Cuello’s game fell apart after a bogey on the fifth, while the Indian’s caught fire as he made four consecutive birdies from the sixth hole onwards.

"Those four birdies turned the tide for me. By the time I started the back nine, I was confident that I will win," said the 28-year-old whose earlier victory on the Asian PGA Davidoff Tour was the 1999 Wills Indian Open.

On the back nine, Atwal made a birdie on the 12th and then brilliantly saved a par on the 13th when he was facing a 15-footer downhill par putt.

He then birdied the 15th, made his fourth three-putt bogey in four days on the 17th. In fact, he finished with another three-putt on the 18th, but he had reached the green in two and the title was secured by then.
Top

 

Sirsa reign supreme
From Our Correspondent

FARIDABAD, Nov 5 — On the concluding day of the 32nd Hero Honda Haryana State Table Tennis Championship, Sirsa maintained their supremacy.

In the men’s category reigning champion of the state, Ganesh Ahuja of Sirsa convincingly defeated eighth seed Sunil Ahuja in straight sets in the final by 21-18, 21-13 and 21-9. Sixth seed Gaurav Jain defeated Nalin Somani to secure the third position.

In the women’s section Vandana Singh of Rewari scored an upset victory defeating first seed Monika of Sirsa in the finals to claim the championship.

In the boys’ section, second seed Sunil Ahuja of Sirsa defeated top seed Neeraj Mani of Karnal in the finals while Sandeep Yadav of Sirsa secured the third position. In the girls’ section top seed Monika of Sirsa claimed the title defeating second seed Charu of Rohtak in straight sets by 21-17,21-12 while Meenu of Sirsa was placed third.

In subjunior boys’ section Rahul Dahiya of Rohtak defeated top seed Rohit Verma 21-18, 14-21 and 21-19 in a closely contested final to clinch the title.

In the subjunior girls’ sections Preeti Singh of Rohtak scored an upset victory over top seed Suman of Sirsa.

In cadet girls Steffi of Sirsa defeated top seed Suman to claim the title while Veena secured the third position. In cadet boys’ category top seed Rohit Verma of Sirsa defeated his younger brother and third seed Mohit Verma in straight sets 21-14, 21-19 to win the singles title.

In the kids section it was all among Sirsa players. In the boys’ category Mohit Verma scored an easy win over Satish to clinch the title while Hitesh also from Sirsa was placed third. Among girls Suman from Sirsa won the title defeating Neha 21-13, 21-15 while Raghu of Sirsa claimed the third position.

Thus in this meet Sirsa dominated and won the overall championship. The Sirsa District Table Tennis Association has given cash prize to each player who has won in this tournament.

Mr Ajay Singh Chautala, MP, and president of the Haryana Table Tennis Association, presided over the closing ceremony and gave away the prizes to the winners. Mr B. P. Vaish, former minister and vice-president, Indian Table Tennis Association was the guest of honour at the function. Mr Ajay Singh Chautala reiterated that the state government would extend all possible help to deserving players.
Top

 

Underdogs Bathinda shock Patiala
From Our Sports Reporter

PATIALA, Nov 5 — Underdogs Bathinda shocked favourites Patiala today as they won by 15 runs in a match of the Punjab State Inter-District (under-16) Cricket Tournament in Dhruv Pandove Stadium here.

The Patiala batsmen were shackled by some penetrative bowling by Rahul (3 for 35) and Sarabjit Singh (3 for 40) both bowled a nagging line and length to help their team reach the semi-finals.

Brief scores : Bathinda — 169 all out; Patiala: — 155 all out (Rupitender Singh 30, Nirmal 23, H.K. Mandora 18, Sandeep 11, Navjot 11, Rahul 3 for 35, Sarabjit 3 for 40, Bharat 2 for 45, Kuldeep 1 for 06).

Golf tourney
Girish Virk scored 74 to win the overall gross title in the Patiala Open Golf Championships that concluded at the Black Elephant Golf Course here today. More than 100 players took part in the championships that were organised by the Punjab Golf Association.

Girish Virk was closely followed by 14-year-old Jaskirat Singh Dullet and H.S. Kang.

In the junior’s section, Kabir Dhaliwal of Yadavindra Public School held his nerves and putted superbly to stand first in the net category in the under 18 age group. In the gross section, J. Gill was placed first in the same age group.

The longest drive prize was won by Keerat Bhattal and the nearest-to the-pin-prize was won by Col. C.P. Sood.

Results: Overall gross — Girish Virk 1 (74), Jaskirat Singh Dullet 2 (75), H.S. Kang 3 (76); Handicap 0-7; net — Rupinder Sandhu 1; Randeep Singh 2; below 18 (overall gross) — J. Gill 1; Balpreet Ghuman 2. net — Kabir Dhaliwal 1; Amit Kumar 2; below-15 (overall gross) — Gagandeep Bhuller 1; Navjosh Singh 2; net — Nitan Mittal 1, Sunehal Sood 2. 
Back

 
REGIONAL SPORT BRIEFS

Roller skating results
From Our Sports Reporter

PATIALA, Nov 5 — Young Heena Bharti stole the limelight in the junior section by winning the rink race-1, rink race-2 and the enduring road race in the 12th Punjab State Roller Skating Championships which concluded at the local Rink hall here today.

The other results: Roller hockey (boys): Subjunior: Patiala-1, Ludhiana-2, Amritsar-3. Junior (Boys): Patiala-1, Amritsar-2, Ludhiana-3. Junior (girls): Patiala-1, Muktsar-2, Amritsar-3. Senior (boys): Patiala-1, Ludhiana-2, Amritsar-3.

Rink Race-2 (girls)-(under-6): Rippen Preet Kaur (Ludhiana)-1, Alisha Puri (Ludhiana)-2, Shreya Tuli (Amritsar)-3.

(Girls between 6-8 years): Suman (Amritsar)-1,Aishwarya (Ludhiana)-2, Abhra Arora (Amritsar)-3. (Girls 8 to 10 years): Jasmeen Puri-1, Liza Malhotra (Patiala)-2, Prabhjot Kaur (Ludhiana)-3. (Girls 10 to 12 years)-Pallavi Sharma (Patiala)-1, Gurpreet Kaur (Amritsar)-2, Puneet Kaur (Ludhiana)-3. (Girls above 14 years)-Heena Sandhu (Amritsar)-1, Sanya (Ludhiana)-2, Divya (Ludhiana)-3. (Boys above 14)- Mandeep Singh-1, Navdeep Singh (Sangrur)-2, Sarwinder Singh (Patiala)-3.

Mr D.S. Sandhu, Commissioner, Income Tax, Punjab and president of the Punjab Roller Skating Association distributed the prizes.

MDU kabaddi champs
From Our Sports Reporter

ROHTAK, Nov 5 — Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, emerged winners in the North Zone Inter-University Kabaddi (men’s) Championship which concluded here. The hosts defeated Punjabi University, Patiala, 26-20 in a keenly contested battle.

Kurukshetra University and Punjabi University finished third and fourth respectively. All theses four universities will now represent the zone in the All-India Inter-University Kabaddi Tournament scheduled to be held at Shivaji University from November 10 to 13.

The results:
Knockout matches:
HAU b HPU 33-25, Gurukul Kangri University b Jammu 67-35; Punjabi University b Kumaun University 73-4; Delhi University b Ruhelkhand University 60-13; MD University b Gurukul Kangri University 24-4; Delhi University b CCS Merrut University 30-18; Kurukshetra University b CCS HAU 32-23; Punjabi University b GND varsity 44-27.

League: MD University b Kurukshetra University 51-34; Delhi University b Punjabi Uiversity 47-14; MD University b Delhi University 27-8; Kurukshetra University b Punjabi University 40-30; Delhi University b Kurukshetra University 33-14; MD University b Punjabi University 26-20.

Inter-varsity kho-kho
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, Nov 5 — North east zone kho-kho championships and hosts Panjab University, Chandigarh, surged ahead on the opening day on the All-India Inter Zonal Inter-University Kho-Kho (women's) Tournament at Panjab University campus here today. In a league match, Panjab University outplayed Bangalore University by one turn and nine points.

The results:
Punjabi University beat Calicut University by one turn and three points; Pune University defeated Delhi University by 14 points; Calcutta University got the better of Bharthidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, by one turn and three points; Panjab University beat Calcutta University by one turn and five points; BU Tiruchirapalli defeated Bangalore University by three points; Punjabi University beat Delhi University by 11 points while Pune University outscored Calicut University by four points.

Gambhir to lead
From Our Sports Reporter

ROHTAK, Nov 5 — Haryana Ranji cricketers Ajay Ratra, Ishan Ganda and Amit Mishra have been included in the 15-member North Zone team for the inter-zonal C.K. Nayudu (under-19) Cricket Tournament.

According to the chairman of the selection committee, Mr Rajinder Goel, Delhi’s under-19 opener Gautam Gambhir has been named captain, whereas Haryana’s Ajay Ratra will be the vice-captain. Mr Goel disclosed that besides himself, the meeting was attended by Sunil Dev (Delhi), Tilak Singh (Jammu & Kashmir) Manjit Singh (Punjab) and R.R. Rohi (Himachal Pradesh).

The team: Gautam Gambhir (captain, Delhi), Ajay Ratra (vice captain, Haryana), Gagan Deep Tur, S.P. Singh, Gagan Inder Singh (all Punjab), Dilip T.T., Yogesh Sachdeva, Rajiv Uniyal (all Delhi), Nitin Aggarwal, Amit Mishra, Joginder Sharma, Ishan Ganda, Manvinder Bisla (all Haryana), Paaras Dogra (Himachal Pradesh) and Satyajeet Singh (Jammu & Kashmir).
Top


Home | Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial |
|
Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune
50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations |
|
120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail |