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| Monday, December 25, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Anand is world champion
South Korea beat Thailand, lift Asia
Cup PSB retain Farmtrac Cup |
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B’desh set eyes on
2010 World Cup Steve Waugh looks to sweep series Muralitharan set to join ‘300 club’
Haryana win jr
boxing New Zealand eves
lift World Cup Ottey set to
return to track Panjab University
lift hockey title
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Anand is world champion TEHRAN, Dec 24 (UNI) — Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand became India’s first chess world champion by beating an extremely tired and desperate Alexei Shirov for the third time in a row and closing the six-game match of the FIDE World Chess Championships in the fourth game today. A crushing victory of this nature will be hard to repeat in a world championship. The Indian grandmaster, who celebrated his 30th birthday by beating the defending champion Alexander Khalifman in New Delhi exactly two weeks ago on December 11, will celebrate Christmas as the world champion. Anand won the fourth game with yet another exemplary performance and took a 3.5-0.5 lead with two games to spare. That makes the remaining two games redundant. The early finish to the match also throws the whole sequence of functions into disarray. He had drawn the first game with black pieces and then won the next one with white. In the third game, Anand registered another win with black, his first with the black pieces, in the championships, and finally sealed the title with another win with white pieces. It was his sixth win in eight games with white pieces in these championships. The only person who avoided defeat when Anand had white in classical games was Khalifman. The official prize distribution ceremony was to have been on December 27, but it could now be brought forward. And all the celebrations being planned for his earlier return on December 28 will also have to be advanced. But no one, at least in India, is complaining. Towards the end it became a fascinating battle as Shirov was getting ready to sacrifice virtually anything to get a chance. But the wily Anand, not getting carried away by the amount of material being sacrificed, just stuck to a task. At one stage after the 24th move, Shirov was playing with two pieces down, a knight and a bishop and both sides had twin rooks. But Shirov had an incredible four passed pawns at one stage. That was his hope to get one of them to queen. But Anand kept at it not allowing himself to be carried by all that seemed available. He knew it was all his. He only had to wait. He did and got it all and the world title. It was Shirov’s turn to play the French defence, what Anand had done in the first game of this match. It was the classical variation. The game may have looked sedate, but it was as tense as it could be. For the first 14 moves, all 32 pieces on the board were intact. And when the first capture took place, it started with Anand taking Shirov’s e5 pawn with his f pawn. That led to a series of captures which resulted in Shirov sacrificing his knight for three pawns. Shirov had clearly come prepared to attack. Sure he had little option but with black pieces, it was indeed a bold line considering Anand’s success rate with white pieces in this tournament. Shirov’s 19th move bxh4 to check the white king, may at first sight look a blunder. But had Anand taken it with his rook on h3, it could have led to a loss of a full rook for nothing for white and also created complete chaos in his ranks. Anand saw it and did not take the capture. His simple move on the 19th to move his King to d1 indicated he wanted an exchange of queens but Shirov prevented that. In doing so, he actually worsened his position. Shirov’s only thought must have been to get a positive result and at this stage he had three pawns for Anand’s knight. A desperate Shirov tried to play in too adventurous a manner. He had earlier sacrificed a knight for four pawns - though Anand could get back at least one or two - and now Shirov was willing to throw caution to the winds and give up another piece, a bishop. Though for what, it was not clear. Meanwhile his queen was almost caged. Shirov continued his attacking play which often bordered on the reckless. Yet he had nothing more to lose. The title had all but gone. He could at best try to stall the defeat and delay the inevitable. |
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South Korea beat Thailand, lift Asia
Cup NEW DELHI, Dec 24 — South Korea beat Thailand 3-0 to inscribe their name on the Asia Cup, when they won the fourth edition of the $ 90,000 prize money tennis tournament, sponsored by Bharat Sanchar Nigam and Central Bank, at the R K Khanna Stadium here today. It was a replay of their ‘tanked’ round-robin league match against Thailand yesterday, but in a reverse order, that too after some sweat letting. South Korea thus “avenged” their 1-2 defeat at the hands of the Thais, which had shattered India’s title hopes. But Korea’s cup of glory will carry the stains of “match-fixing”, to dilute its impression. Yong-II Yoon beat Attapol Rittiwattanapong 6-2,6-2 in the first singles while Hyung-Taik Lee was made to work hard, before beating Danai Udomchoke 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), to ensure Korea’s cup triumph. In the doubles, which was reduced to best of 15 games, Seung-Hun Lee and Yong-II Yoon beat Supparat Chukawan and Attapol Rittiwattanapong 8-2. All-India Tennis Association (AITA) secretary Anil Khanna, who is also the president of the Delhi Tennis Association, said he would report Korea’s unsporting tactics to the International Tennis Federation, though he refrained from making a written complaint to the Asian Tennis Federation (ATF), after almost doing it. However, ATF executive director S Uttarapathi saw nothing wrong in Korea’s defeat to Thailand, as the Korean players, being professionals, were keen to win the top prize at any cost, and if in the process they sacrificed the interest of hosts India, they were not to be blamed, looking at it from a professional angle.”But on the ethical side, such things are just not done”, felt Utharapathi. South Korea received a cash prize of 25,000 along with the Cup, while Thailand pocketed $ 12,500. India got $ 6500 for finishing third. The title clash went on expected lines, though Hyung-Taik Lee had to put in an extra effort to tame Danai Udomchoke. Yong-II Yoon beat Attapol Rittiwattanapong 6-2, 6-2 in 59 minutes. Breaks in the third and fifth games of the first set, and third and seventh games of the second set, were enough for Yoon to seal Attapol’s fate. It was a match of unequal strength, as Yoon was too good for the Thai’s comfort. Yoon played a steady game from the base line, and his clean passing shots, and some quick-silver finishes, afforded Attapol not much opportunity to make an impact. However, Hyung-Taik Lee, ranked 90, was forced to take the tough route by Danai Udomchoke, ranked 301. Lee seemed to be well on course, when he achieved an early break, forcing Udomchoke drop serve in the first game. Thereafter, the Thai Number One played with determination to hold serves, after being let off in the fifth and ninth games, when Lee muffed two and one break point respectively. Lee closed out the set, with a down the line forehand winner. In the second set, Udomchoke threw himself fully into the match, to give Lee a hard run. No point was taken or conceded without a fight, and with both the players using their backhands to good effect, the match took an interesting turn. Udomchoke was finally broken in the 11th game, partly due to his own mistakes, and more importantly, due to the efforts of Lee, who smashed a cross-court volley and a down the line winner, to corner his rival. A deep return, which flew out, saw Udomchoke drop serve, but he broke back in the tenth game when Lee, serving for the match at 40-30, slipped and his unsteady return, landed in the net. Udomchoke then played a couple of down the line winners to tie the score 6-6. In the tie-breaker, Udomchoke led 2-0, and 7-6, but Lee shone at the big point, and the Thai could do very little, when the Korean stormed to a 9-7 tie-break victory. |
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PSB retain Farmtrac Cup LUDHIANA, Dec 24 — Punjab and Sind Bank outstayed Bharat Petroleum 8-7 to retain the trophy in the fourth All-India Ramesh Chander Memorial Farmtrac Hockey Cup Tournament at the PAU here today. The nerve-wrecking final had to be decided through sudden death as both the teams were locked 6-6 after the tie-breaker. The match began at a fast pace with the oilmen forcing their first penalty corner in the 10th minute but Saurab Bishnois’ hit missed the target by mere inches. Three minutes later, the bankmen made a counter-attack and in the process earned a penalty corner. Centre forward Parminder Singh capitalised on the opportunity with a reverse flick to put his team ahead. Next minute Bharat Petroleum forwards organised a good move storming into the danger zone but centre forward Sabu Varkeys’ hard shot went abegging. In the 19th minute, right in Baljit Singh Chandi of PSB dodged past two deep defenders to enter the circle and increase the lead to 2-0 with a stinging shot that sounded the board. Barely two minutes before the lemon break, center forward Gagan Ajit Singh of Bharat Petroleum reduced the margin (2-1) with a fine field goal. Soon after the breather (36th minute), the oil men initiated a fine move in the left wing. Unmarked right in Sabu Varkey tapped a cross pass from K.T. Mohan to sound the board with an angular shot (2-2). The oilmen and PSB players got one and three penalty corners respectively, in the remaining period of the game but they could not utilise these opportunities. As the golden Goal rule failed to resolve the affair, tie-breaker was applied. But even tie-breaker could not produce any result. Then in the sudden death the bankmen clinched the issue 8-7. In the junior boys section final, Namdhari XI overpowered Escorts Ramesh Chander Memorial Hockey Academy (ERCMHA) 2-1. Namdhari boys shot into the lead midway through the first half. Center forward Harshpreet found the target (1-0). After changing ends Harshpreet scored another goal in the 31st minute to make it 2-1. In the 41st minute right in Harpreet of Ramesh academy converted a penalty corner into a goal to reduce the margin to 2-1. Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers, while declaring the tournament closed, announced a grant of Rs 2 lakh to the Escorts- Ramesh Chander Hockey Academy. |
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B’desh set eyes on 2010 World Cup SHILLONG, Dec 24 (UNI) — Cricket has come a long way in Bangladesh as after being accorded the Test playing status, the country has now set its target on winning the 2010 World Cup. “We have set the target and started work on our dream project. Within next five years we will be in the mid-level,” said national selector Raquibul Hassan. Mr Hassan, former captain and present member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) told UNI here that a ‘dream team’ would be formed with its strength on the ‘composite formula’ derived from two most professional teams in the world — Australia and South Africa. Coaches from Sri Lanka were appointed to train the youngsters, particularly under-13, 15, 17 and 19 year groups, said the recipient of Bangladesh’s national sports award. Elaborating on the four age-group categories, Mr Hassan, who is also the cricket ambassador and Vice-President of the Asian Sports Press Union, said the best talent in these categories would be groomed to play in the national squad meant for the World Cup. “Our basic idea is to make a team comprising boys full of strength and talent. The present players may not be fit enough after 10 years,” he said. Expressing the hope that finance should not be a constraint for the BCB in the way of their dream project, he said not only the sponsors but the government had also accorded support in this regard. He regretted that the sub-continent lacked in fast pitches and hoped that the cricket playing countries in the region would put more stress on the fast turf. Bangladesh was recently accorded the Test playing status and in a one-off Test against India at Dhaka, the visitors won the Test by nine-wickets. The Test match was played from November 10 to 14 at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Stadium. About the 10th Test playing nation’s preparation to produce fast bowlers, Mr Hassan said 10 boys, under 19 years of age were sent to the MRF Foundation in India and an equal number to Australia. He said Bangladesh had basically focussed on the one-day matches, the challenge has now come after it got the Test playing status. “We will have to work hard, but not for a long period,” Mr Hassan added. On domestic cricket, he said six divisions according to the age groups had been created, which would play matches against each other. |
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Steve Waugh looks to sweep series MELBOURNE, Dec 24 (Reuters) — Australian captain Steve Waugh today claimed he was fit to return for the fourth Test against the West Indies starting on December 26, saying it was a great opportunity to sweep the series 5-0. Waugh (35) missed the third Test in Adelaide last week which Australia won by five wickets to take a 3-0 lead in the series. The 130-Test veteran, who is nursing a buttock muscle strain, said the Australians were keen to extend their world record winning streak to 14 Tests and beyond. Waugh, who rated himself about 95 per cent fit, trained at full-pace today to indicate he had fully recovered from the injury which allowed vice-captain Adam Gilchrist to step into the leadership role in Adelaide. “I haven’t made a final decision, but unless anything goes radically wrong tomorrow, I’ll be playing,” Waugh told a news conference. “We’ve got a great opportunity to win 14 in a row. The West Indies have never been beaten 5-0 in a series so there is plenty to play for. “Spots are up for grabs and guys want to keep a high standard so that doesn’t come into it, the complacency factor.” The Windies’ star batsman Brian Lara has been cleared of injury after being struck in the eye while batting in the nets yesterday. Waugh’s likely inclusion means Damien Martyn is left out, despite some superb catching and unbeaten innings of 46 and 34 in Adelaide. Australian fast-bowler Brett Lee was ruled out of the series on Saturday night because of back problems after originally being rested from the third Test and then failing to convince selectors he was worth the risk for the Melbourne and Sydney back-to-back Tests. The Sydney Test starts on January 2 and Lee is now aiming for the triangular limited-overs series which starts on January 11 and includes Zimbabwe. Australia must also decide on their bowling attack with two spinners, Colin Miller, fresh from a 10-wicket haul in Adelaide, and Stuart MacGill battling paceman Andrew Bichel for the chance to partner opening bowlers Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie. A crowd of more than 60,000 is expected for the opening day’s play on Tuesday and West Indies captain Jimmy Adams says his memories are mixed on the challenges Melbourne Tests pose. “It’s obviously one of the biggest stadiums in the world and to have it nearly full is something special,” Adams told a news conference. “I’ve won one and lost one and the atmosphere is simply quite extraordinary.” Adams said the players knew they had let an opportunity slip in Adelaide when they made only 141 in the second innings, setting Australia 130 to win on a difficult wicket. Lara had made 182 in the first innings to put the Windies in the contest but none of his team-mates made a half-century in either innings. “As a group we’d like to prove that we’re capable of carrying our performances for five days,” Adams said. Adams said the Windies were considering promoting spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo although he lacks match practice and has not played a Test in this series so far. Waugh, having watched the third Test with his family in Sydney on television, has returned to the group with fresh ideas including banning the use of night-watchmen, where lower order batsmen are sent in to “protect’’ leading batsmen from the demands of surviving the last few overs of the day’s play. One of the problems has been the ploy means Gilchrist, who averages 53.28 in 12 Tests, comes in as low as No 8 the day after a nightwatchman is used. “We want to try to set the standard and do things a little bit differently than they’ve been done in the past,” Waugh said. “We just threw it around ... do we just do it for the sake of it? And we all came to the conclusion we probably do.’’ Teams: West Indies
(probable 12): Jimmy Adams (capt), Sherwin Campbell, Daren Ganga, Wavell Hinds, Brian Lara, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Nixon McLean, Mervyn Dillon, Marlon Black, Courtney Walsh, Mahendra Nagamootoo. Australia (squad of 13): Steve Waugh (capt), Adam Gilchrist, Michael Slater, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Colin Miller, Stuart MacGill, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Bichel. |
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Muralitharan set to join ‘300 club’ DURBAN, Dec 24 (Reuters) — Sri Lankan master off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan seeks to join Test cricket’s “300 club” in the first Test with South Africa starting on Tuesday. Muralitharan has taken 291 wickets in 57 Tests and if he captures his 300th scalp in this series he will have done so in fewer matches than any other bowler except for Australia’s Dennis Lillee, who reached 300 wickets in his 55th Test. “I think I must get those nine wickets in the first Test, because if I get eight or nine then we will have a good chance to win,” Muralitharan told reporters. But he agreed that the home side’s ability to play spin bowling had improved. “When I was here in 1992 they had no idea how to play spin,” Muralitharan said. “When I came in ’95 they were better and now they are even better. They are better than the English.’’ The home side have been pitched as firm favourites to win the three-match rubber, but they could have a fight on their hands if the Sri Lankans’ extravagant style of batting pays off. With exciting batsmen like captain Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene and Romesh Kaluwitharana to draw inspiration and runs from, Sri Lanka are equipped to build sizeable totals against any opposition. However, they could also prove vulnerable to South Africa’s disciplined pace bowling and their preparation for the first Test has been less than perfect with 162 overs lost to the elements in the drawn three-day match against Natal which ended in Pietermaritzburg yesterday. “You’re never happy with preparation, you just make the best with what you’ve got,” Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore said. “We need to get used to the hard work and pressure that lies ahead of us.” The first Test will be played on Kingsmead’s traditionally high-bouncing, seaming pitch. “We’re looking forward to bowling on it with our quicks,” whatmore said. “I know South Africa are looking forward to bowling on it.” Sri Lanka look almost certain to select three seamers to make up their frontline attack along with Muralitharan. South Africa, fresh from their 2-0 home series win over New Zealand, are keen to let their fast bowlers loose. “The pitch looks quite friendly for South Africa, but we won’t know for sure until we bowl on it,” coach Graham Ford told reporters. But he added: “Sri Lanka have some real matchwinners and we will have to be at our best to beat them.’’ South Africa go into the match with an unchanged team from the side that drew the third Test against New Zealand. Sri Lanka have yet to finalise their line-up. Teams: South Africa: Gary Kirsten, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Daryll Cullinan, Neil McKenzie, Lance Klusener, Mark Boucher, Nicky Boje, Shaun Pollock (captain), Makhaya Ntini, Mfuneko Ngam, Justin Ontong. Sri Lanka: Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Russel Arnold, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Avishka Gunawardene, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Upul Chandana, Muttiah Muralitharan, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Chaminda Vaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Pramodya Wickramasinghe. |
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Resurgent Liverpool shock Arsenal LONDON, Dec 24 (AFP) — Manchester United regained control of the English Premiership with a 2-0 home win against Ipswich yesterday as second-placed Arsenal crashed 4-0 to resurgent Liverpool at Anfield. Norwegian international Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the man draped in red handing out the presents, his first-half double permitting some half-time festive cheer ahead of a scoreless second half. The result puts United back in pole position with an eight-point lead over closest rivals Arsenal — and left manager Sir Alex Ferguson beaming following the disappointment of last week’s home defeat to Liverpool. Ferguson praised the two-goal contribution of ‘baby-face assassin’ Solskjaer, who eased United’s striking woes with two clinical finishes. “Nine time out of 10 you can bet your life on him scoring,” Ferguson enthused after the victory. “The first half was a superb performance and that’s what we expect from the players. It was good to see after last week,” he added, referring to the 1-0 home loss against Liverpool. While Ferguson’s team handed him the perfect Christmas present, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was left pondering another heavy jolt to his team’s title chances after the thrashing at anfield. Wenger said Gerard Houllier’s side were now as good a bet as his own team for a crack at the title, even though Liverpool are 10 points behind United. Houllier played down his team’s chances however, and said United’s anticipated 10-point hold on the league would be hard to dislodge even with 19 games to go. Houllier was nevertheless delighted with his team’s showing. “Not many teams beat Arsenal like that and I think the team will get stronger and stronger as the league goes on but to my mind we are short of five points,” Houllier said. Houllier was also happy with a second successive clean sheet and paid tribute to his defence. “The back four were tremendous, just as they were at Old Trafford. I thought they were absolutely superb and also, when we had the ball we made better use of it this time. “After the second goal there was a lot of confidence and I could feel the team was getting stronger and stronger.” Liverpool got the show on the road with a stunning volley from Steven Gerrard. Further goals from Michael Owen, Nicky Barmby and Robbie Fowler sealed the rout. Leicester moved up to third spot after their decisive home win over West Ham. An early eighth-minute goal by Hammers’ striker Frederic Kanoute was cancelled out by Muzzy Izzet on 26 minutes, with Robbie Savage scoring midway through the second half to secure the points. Ipswich, meanwhile, drop down to fifth spot after their defeat to league leaders United. Leeds, who were celebrating Friday after signing Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane from Inter Milan, went back to the drawing board as Aston Villa walked out of Elland Road with full points. England international defender Gareth Southgate scored two minutes before half time to give the visitors the lead and George Boateng wrapped it up with Villa’s second on 88. Leeds defender Jonathan Woodgate grabbed a late goal for Leeds, but his welcome effort proved futile in Leeds’ attempt to climb out of midtable and they remain in 12th place. Elsewhere, Chelsea got back on track with a 3-0 win over basement side Bradford, and Charlton gave Everton manager Walter Smith food for thought over the festive period with a 1-0 home win which leaves the Merseysiders stuck in the lower reaches of midtable. Derby scored a goal in either half to hold Newcastle to a 2-0 win, while Sunderland grabbed a 1-0 home win over Manchester City. Tottenham, who held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on Monday, could only watch in despair as second-from-bottom Middlesbrough walked out of White Hart Lane with a valuable point. |
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Haryana win jr boxing GURGAON, Dec 24 (UNI) — Spearheaded by Robin Dev, Puneet Yadav and international Sanjay Kumar, last year’s runners-up Haryana bagged five golds and collected 42 points to win the 33rd Junior National Boxing Championship here today. Defending champions Services with three golds and 32 points had to contend with second place while Bengal pugilist Mujtaba Kamal was declared best boxer of the championship. Haryana started their gold hunt from the very first bout when Robin Dev of Sai hostel, Bhiwani, overpowered Punjab’s Arun Singh 10-7 in the light fly weight category. The hosts have to be thankful to their boxers in heavy weight categories for claiming the championship as they won four golds in these bouts. Parvinder Singh gave the hosts their second gold when he won the light welter weight title. Unleashing furious blows, Parvinder outlasted Manipur’s S.Ning Thousaing. The Manipur boxer could not continue the bout for long and had to quit the ring in the very first round after getting hurt. In welter weight,international Sanjay Kumar was offered tough resistance by Andhra’s E.Ranjit. In the bout which went to full length, Sanjay managed to emerge winner 15-12. Earlier yesterday, Andhra Pradesh’s E. Ranjit and Punjab’s Amandeep Singh outclassed their rivals to move into the finals of the welter and light middle weight categories, respectively. In late last night contests, E. Ranjit overwhelmed V. Lavi of the Services in the welter weight semifinals. The bout ended in the first round as the referee stopped the contest. Ranjit was to face Haryana’s Sanjay Kumar in the title clash. Sanjay defeated Delhi’s Virender Kumar who retired in the third round. In the light middle category Amandeep Singh pulverised Karnataka’s K.C. Suresh Babu and the bout ended when contest was stopped in the fourth round. Amandeep set up clash with Services’ Hardeep Singh who also outclassed Madhya Pradesh’s Baldev Singh in the fourth round. E. Balram (Karnataka) and Services’ Gurmail Singh set up clash for the gold in the middle weight category. Balram outclassed Chandigarh’s Sunil Kumar in the first round, while Gurmail Singh defeated Andhra Pradesh’s P. Raghubir, who retired in the first round. In light heavy, Harpal Sandhu (Madhya Pradesh) and Manoj Kumar (Haryana) scored identical victories over their rivals to set up the summit clash. Harpal forced his rival Chiranjeevi Kola (Andhra) to retire in the first round. Manoj beat Gurvinder Singh of Chandigarh, who retired in the first round. Puneet Yadav of Haryana defeated Shebin Harve of Kerala in the heavy weight semifinal. Harve retired in the second round. Yadav’s rival in the final will be Delhi’s Sandeep Daggar. Daggar outclassed Tasanjeet Singh of Services. In super heavy weight, the contest for gold will be between Punjab’s Gurpreetpal Singh and Haryana’s Ravinder. Gurpreetpal outclassed Kirandeep (MP) in the first round. Ravinder outpointed Harpreet Singh (Services) 11-8. |
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New Zealand eves
lift World Cup LINCOLN (New Zealand), Dec 24 (PTI) — New Zealand sprang a surprise defeating title-favourites Australia by four runs in a cliffhanger to clinch the women’s World Cup cricket trophy here yesterday. In a low-scoring match, defending champions Australia failed to cross the 184-run mark of the hosts, managing 180 before the last wicket of Charmaine Mason was well pouched by Kiwi wicketkeeper Rebecca Rolls off Clare Nicholson in the penultimate over. Australia, off to a disastrous start as the first two wickets fell for as many runs, at one time looked poised to retain the cup when Belinda Clarke, later declared player of the match, played a superb skipper’s knock (91) to coast the team to 155 for six. The wicket of Clarke, clean bowled by Nicholson, proved to be the turning point of the edge-of-the-seat thriller as the Kiwi bowlers wreaked havoc with some accurate bowling and restricted the Australians from getting required runs, despite having enough overs in hand. Two-wicket haul apiece by k. keenan (2/19),
R. J.. Pullar (2/35) and Nicholson (2/38), complimented by solid fielding finally won the coveted trophy for the Kiwis. Earlier, Rebecca Rolls, 34 with 6 fours and
K. Ramel, 41 off 63 balls including three fours, ensured New Zealand put up a respectable total before being bowled out off 48.4 overs. |
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Ottey set to
return to track KINGSTON, Dec 24 (AFP) — Jamaican sprint star Merlene Ottey will contest next year’s Grand Prix track and field season, The Jamaica Observer newspaper reported here. The 40-year-old Ottey, whose late inclusion for the 100 metres at the expense of national sprint champion Peta-Gaye Dowdie at this year’s Sydney Olympics sparked a protest in the games village by placard-bearing team-mates, is working on some new training techniques in preparation for the coming season. |
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Panjab University
lift hockey title CHANDIGARH, Dec 24 — The hosts Panjab University, Chandigarh clinched the All-India Inter-varsity Hockey Championship for women which concluded here this afternoon. The defending champions GND University, Amritsar secured the second place while Punjabi University, Patiala, and Ranchi University got third and fourth positions, respectively. The last league match between PU and Ranchi University was played amidst confusion as the Ranchi team staged a walk out when the second goal was scored by Babita of PU. As per the official decision, PU, Chandigarh, outplayed Ranchi University 2-1. The Ranchi team had a fine beginning when Salony Purty scored the first goal in the 17th minutes. But it was Sangeeta Kadiyan, the versatile player from the Sports Authority of India, who struck with a field goal in the 27th minutes to level her team at 1-1. In the second half, both sides tried various ways to outscore each other, but in the 59th minutes, Babita scored the field, giving a 2-1 lead to PU winners as they got maximum of six points. GND University secured five points when they overpowered Punjabi University, Patiala 2-0, with goals scored by Mandeep in the 12th minute and Amandeep (Sr) who scored through a penalty corner in the 17th minute. Chanchal Surjit Randhawa a former Olympian gave away the prizes. |
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