Australian batsmen have a field day

Nagpur, February 19
A superb 115 by Justin Langer and 68 by Ricky Ponting powered Australia to 365 runs for nine wickets as their three-day match against India A ended in a draw here today.

The Australian batsmen had a field day against the India A bowlers on the last day at the close of the third and final day’s play. Australia, behind by 77 runs in their first innings, reached 365 with Kasprowicz on 15 at the crease.

Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting took Australia to safety with a 149-run fourth wicket partnership. The two came together just after lunch when their captain Steve Waugh was caught at silly point by Das off Balaji Rao with the total score on 111 for three.

At this stage, another wicket would have had the Australians in trouble but both Ponting and Langer thrashed the attack of the India A bowlers to all parts of the ground.

Langer, who had failed in the first innings, played some exciting shots.

He picked on young Punjab off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, hitting him for consecutive fours on a couple of occasions as he reached his fifty off 102 balls with seven boundaries and a six.

His second fifty off just 37 balls contained nine fours and a six. He reached his hundred in 139 balls with 16 fours and two sixes.

Not to be left behind, Ponting cracked nine fours in his fifty.

Langer, however, was soon caught out as he played back to take the outside edge off Harbhajan for Laxman to take an easy catch at first slip. Langer made 115. However, by the time Langer fell, the Aussies already had a draw in their hands.

Ponting, at 68 with ten fours and a six, was dismissed after tea playing back to part-time bowler V.V.S. Laxman to be trapped in front.

The next man to go was Gilchrist who was run out in a horrible mix-up with Damien Martyn with both batsmen at the same end. Gilchrist made 21.

A good diving catch by Badani off Balaji Rao saw Gillespie, at the score of five, leaving the ground.

Martyn, after scoring a half century, was bowled round his legs by Badani.

The match was called off after Fleming was caught out by Laxman off Balaji Rao in the 13th mandatory over.

Earlier in the morning, resuming at 39 for one, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer added just 32 runs in the first hour.

However, Hayden, immediately after the drinks break, was beaten in flight by Harbhajan Singh and the resultant edge was taken by Hemang Badani at sillypoint. Hayden made 37.

For India ‘A’, Harbhajan was the most successful bowler with three wickets. Balaji Rao, who also took three wickets, was disappointed giving away too many loose deliveries. However, Rahul Sanghvi, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, was given only five overs in the second innings, with Laxman preferring Balaji Rao over him.

SCOREBOARD

Australia (Ist innings): 291

India ‘A’ (Ist innings): 368

Australia (IInd innings):

Hayden c Badani b H. Singh 37

Slater c Rao b H Singh 13

Langer c Laxman b Singh 115

S. Waugh c Badani b Rao 17

Ponting lbw Laxman 68

Gilchrist run out (Badani) 21

Martyn b Badani 53

Gillespie c Badani b Rao 5

Kasprowicz not out 15

Fleming c Laxman b Rao 2

Extras: 21 (w-2, lb-14, nb-5)

Total 365 for nine in 95.1 over

FoW: 1-31,2-62, 3-111, 4-260, 5-287, 6-300, 7-324, 8-354, 9-365

Bowling: D. Mohanty 16-5,51-0, A. Nehra 15-4-52-0 (5 nb), H. Singh 20-3-81-3, R. Sanghvi 5-1-16-0, Rao 18-1-101-3, V. Laxman 9-2-22-1, D. Mongia 8-2-20-0, H. Badani 4-2-6-1. UNI

Hockey rule changes in offing

New Delhi, February 19
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is contemplating more radical alterations to make the game more attractive and viewer-friendly.

The rule board of the FIH had already earlier made sweeping changes which have made dramatic impact on the game.

The earlier changes were: elimination of offside; prolonging play to permit the completion of a penalty corner at half-time and full-time; substitutions at penalty corners not permitted, except for an injured (or suspended) defending goalkeeper (though they are still permitted at penalty strokes); introduction of the mandatory experimental rule allowing use of the edge (but not the rounded side) of the stick, subject to the normal safety considerations.

Now the FIH’s rules board has proposed more stringent action against deliberate fouls and misbehaviour by the players.

It is of the view that players indulging in deliberate fouls are often not penalised correctly. It wants to place greater emphasis in the rules on such acts that can negate the promotion of skilful play.

The board is of the opinion that besides putting the game in bad light, deliberate fouls also disrupt the fast and furious game.

The board has also expressed its concern over the increasing levels of misconduct by the players and has decided to impose more stringent penalties.

Substitute players when not on the field, are still under the control of the umpires. It has been decided that they can be cautioned, warned, temporarily or permanently suspended.

In the event of a suspension, the number of players on the field will be reduced accordingly.

According to an FIH Press note, the important changes proposed by the rule board include: short “distance” markings on the side and back-lines of the field; they are to be placed outside the field of play, rather than inside, as at present. This will help avoid undue wear and uneven surfaces, especially on synthetic pitches.

It has also been decided to convert the penalty corner markings on the back-line to 5m and 10m. The existing 4.55m and 9.10m markings are inconsistent with other rules.

These change will be effective immediately for any new pitches but those with existing markings will still be permitted. The wording of the rules will accommodate both existing and new pitch markings.

Captain: the need for each team to have a captain (who must wear a distinctive arm-band) actually on the field of play is no longer considered to be necessary given the use of rolling substitutions.

As per the new rule the captain could be on the field or, at particular times in a game, could be on the substitute’s bench.

However if a captain is suspended, a replacement must be indicated.

Goalkeepers restricted: when goalkeepers participate in play outside their normal areas, it is confusing to players and spectators. The board has become increasingly concerned about the involvement of goalkeepers in the completion of the penalty corner at half and full-time.

The new rules makes it clear that goalkeepers cannot play outside their own half of the field, unless taking a penalty stroke.

Penalty corner experiment discontinued: the experiment to essentially simplify the existing penalty corner, mooted a year ago, appears to be a worthwhile objective based on feedback from national associations that conducted them voluntarily.

It is not clear that the version used in the trial addressed all the issues associated with the current penalty corner or, for example, provided adequately for the unintentional and intentional offences that currently lead to this award.

Now the board has decided that the experiment be discontinued but that the information gathered to be utilised for the future. UNI

Sugiyama upsets Jana Kandarr

Oklahoma City, February 19
Sixth-seeded Ai Sugiyama of Japan was upset by Jana Kandarr of Germany 1-6 7-5 7-5 on the opening day of the 170,000 IGA US Indoor Championship.

Jana Nejedly of Canada won yesterday’s only other match with a 6-2 6-0 romp past Li Fang of China.

Sugiyama, ranked 39th, got off to a fast start, but eventually wilted against the big-serving Kandarr.

Sugiyama had three service breaks in the first set and won six straight games for the 6-1 victory.

But the 85th-ranked Kandarr used seven aces and two service breaks to take the second set 7-5.

Both players broke serve to begin the third set, but Kandarr broke Sugiyama again in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead. She wrapped up the two-hour, 11-minute match with her ninth ace of the day.

Nejedly breezed through the day’s first match, beating Li in 44 minutes.

Nejedly, number 76 in the world, was leading 3-2 when she ran off the next nine games to register the victory.

It was Nejedly’s first win in four tries against Li, who is ranked a lowly 501.

“I felt like I came out pretty strong,” Nejedly said. “I had played her three times before and knew when I could go for it. I had some opportunities and didn’t let them get away.”

Monica Seles and Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati are the top seeds and will not begin play until Tuesday and Wednesday.

Two seeded players are in action on Monday, with fourth seed Amy Frazier taking on fellow-American qualifier Sandra Cacic, while seventh-seeded Cara Black of Zimbabwe meets qualifier Aniko Kapros of Hungary.

MARSEILLE: Russia’s Yevgeny Kafelnikov treated himself to a birthday present here yesterday when he defeated home favourite Sebastien Grosjean at the $500,000 Marseille Open ATP event.

The Olympic gold medallist, who celebrated his 27th birthday today, ruined Marseille-born Grosjean’s dream of his second career title at home.

The Russian number two seed proved too strong for his 22-year-old opponent winning 7-6 (7/5) 6-2 to take the 23rd title of his career. He won his last title in Moscow last October.

“It’s a very special day as I won this wonderful tournament on my birthday. I always wanted to win here,” said Kafelnikov, playing for the seventh time in Marseille.

“Sebastien played a good match and I tried hard to stay away from his forehand,” added the Russian, who was defeated in the 1998 final here by Swede Thomas Enqvist.

It was Grosjean’s fourth time playing here and his first time reaching the final. His previous best performance was reaching the semi-finals in 2000 where he lost to Marc Rosset of Switzerland.

DOHA: Top-seed Martina Hingis continued her unbeaten record against third-seeded Sandrine Testud of France when she galloped to a straight sets victory here at the $ 170,000 Qatar Open.

The world number one took just 50 minutes yesterday to continue her 14-match record against Testud winning 6-3 6-2 to lift the inaugural event here in a country where competitive sport is practically non-existent for women. Reuters, AFP

Dimi stuns 6th seed

Bangalore, February 19
India’s unseeded Ashel Dimi shocked sixth seeded compatriot Yamini Thukaiandini 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 to move into the second round of the ITF women’s satellite championship here today.

Joining her were Iciri Rai (India) who beat compatriot Sricharanya Thiagarajan 6-3, 6-3 and third seeded Archana Venkataraman (India) who notched up a 6-1, 6-1 win against compatriot Padma Preetham Mahalingam.

Other first round winners today were eighth seed Nanditha Chandrashekhar and unseeded Chirashanthi Rajur, Liza Perreira, Lata Ashudani and Vishnu Preetham Mahalingam (all India).

In doubles, the top seeded pair of Archana Venkataraman and Arthi Venkataraman defeated Assudani and Swetha Devraj 6-1, 6-2 to enter the quarter-finals. Second seeded duo of Sheetal Goutham and Liza Perriera also had an easy outing, crushing Kamini Murugaboopathy 6-1, 6-0, while the third seeded pair of Tara Kanburgimath and Geeta Manohar also reached the last eight, getting the better of Nandini Perumal and Medini Sharma 6-4, 6-3.

Other results:

Singles (Ist round): Nanditha b Sai Swapna Ramakrishnan 6-1, 6-3; Chirashanthi b Varsha Shiv Shankar 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5); Liza b Kalpita Raje 6-1, 6-4; Lata Asudhani b Anupama Rajur 6-4, 6-3; Vishnu b Sukriti Patnaik 6-4, 6-1.

Herculean task ahead for JCT
Amardeep Bhattal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19
Punjab’s premier soccer outfit JCT Phagwara will require a Herculean effort to pull themselves out of the abyss as the high-profile National Football League enters the eighth round tomorrow. While JCT are mobilising all their resources for their opening home match against Tollygunge Agragami at Ludhiana’s Guru Nanak Stadium tomorrow, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram will be the venues of three other ties,which undoubtedly will be fiercely contested. Nevertheless, all eyes are on the Phagwara outfit, who have hurtled down the ladder to hit the rock bottom. With only three points from three draws, winless JCT are virtually struggling to keep afloat. A couple of more setbacks might eventually put them on the precipice.

It has indeed been the worst showing by the mill men in recent years. Bereft of foreign talent, JCT Phagwara are heavily dependent on the old guard but injuries to key players is the biggest worry of the team management.

In the seven matches played so far, JCT have drawn three and lost four. So far they have managed to score only four goals and have conceded 11, the highest number in the fifth edition of the league. On the other hand, Tollygunge Agragami have some what improved their position after their victory over ITI at Bangalore on February 10. Currently placed at the eighth position, Tollygunge have six points from one victory and three draws.

JCT did show some promise early on, holding Mohun Bagan 2-2 in the opening match at Delhi’s Ambedkar Stadium on December 14. Striker Hardip Gill and Ram Pal ensured that honours were even with the top Kolkata outfit. But subsequently JCT began to lose their way, although they did manage to snatch a point against Mahindra United thanks to Ram Pal. On January 28, they lost to Salgaocar 0-1, and later went down to debutants Vasco by a similar margin. On February 6, JCT crashed to the most humiliating defeat, losing 0-4 to Goa’s Churchill Brothers. This, in fact has been the worst defeat for any team in the NFL so far. Later against State Bank of Travancore, medio Harinder gave the mill men a valuable point but the subsequent defeat at the hands of FC Kochin sent them crashing to the last position

Injuries to key players have definitely hampered JCT’s progress but the absence of stalwarts like Deepak Mondal, who switched over to East Bengal last season, have compounded their misery. Assistant coach Parminder Singh, talking to TNS today, said key defenders like Prabhjot Singh and midfielder Hardip Saini were ruled out for the time being due to injury. Hardip Sangha, who was in the national team in the Millennium Cup has also not recovered but he is likely to take the field tomorrow.

Tollygunge Agragami are largely dependent on some talented foreigners like Nigerian Abdulateef Seriki, who some time back was in the fold of JCT. In fact Seriki struck the match-winner against ITI. He is ably assisted by Emeka Achilefu who also was with JCT earlier. The diminutive Sashti Duley is the main playmaker. Among other key players are Nigerian Abdul Wasiu Salisu and defenders Reazul Mustafa, Debasis Pal Chowdhury and Parthasarthi Dey. Abayomi Felix has also been lending support to the midfield. Goal-keeping is another department where the Kolkata team hold the edge. In the previous match against Vasco, coach Amal Dutta preferred a defensive screen which was one reason why Vasco failed to score. If Dutta employs a similar strategy tomorrow, it will only add to JCT’s frustrations.

The following are the latest standings of the teams in the National Football League (read under teams, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, and points):
Teams	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
East Bengal	7	5	1	1	10	3	16
Salgaocar	7	5	0	2	12	7	15
FC Kochin	7	4	3	0	12	8	15
Mohun Bagan	7	4	2	1	11	6	14
Vasco	7	3	4	0	6	3	13
Churchill Bros	7	2	2	3	8	6	8
Mahindras	7	1	4	2	5	6	7
Tollygunge	7	1	3	3	2	6	6
ITI	7	1	2	4	2	5	5
Air-India	7	1	2	4	5	10	5
SBT	7	0	4	3	5	11	4
JCT	7	0	3	4	4	11	3

Upset wins for Mazur, Borgula
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, February 19
The day one of the Indian Oil-Servo ATP Challenger tennis began with two seeds, third seed Oleg Ogorodov of Uzbekistan and Vasillis Mazarakis of Greece falling to unseeded players Dmitri Mazur of Uzbekistan and Boris Borgula of Slovakia, respectively, at the CLTA Courts, Sector 10, here today.

The match played between Oleg and Mazur was a marathon 110 minutes tussle. Mazur began exerting pressure on Ogorodov right from the first beginning. He was up 40-15 but was put on defensive when Mazur took him to deuce, but Ogorodov managed to keep his serve. In the second game down at 15-40 on his serve, Mazur saved three break points and held his serve. In fifth game, Mazur finally broke Ogorodov. Here Ogorodov served two double faults in the game. Mazur won the first set at 6-4. In the second set, Mazur was broken in the fourth game and again in the sixth game to give a formidable lead of 5-1 to Ogorodov. This was a wake up call for Mazur who took the next six games. In seventh game, Ogorodov failed to take advantage of a set point.

Andy Ram of Israel, ranked 218, was stretched in first set by Briton Miles of Great Britain (ranked 318) before winning at 7-6(4), 6-3. In the first set, Ram broke Maclagan in the fourth game to lead at 3-1. Serving for the set at 5-3, Ram was not able to hold the serve. In fact, he did not get a single point and Maclagan managed to draw level. In the tie breaker, Ram broke Maclagan in the second and third points but Maclagan broke Ram in fourth and fifth. Maclagan lost the sixth point but retained his serve on the seventh point. The set was decided in Ram’s favour with tie break score of 7-4. In the second set Maclagan was broken in the third and ninth game as Ram won. The 239 ranked and seeded fifth here Jamie Delgado of Great Britain was stretched to three sets by 263 ranked Russian Igor Kuniticin. Delgado won at 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4).

Results: Artem Derepasko (Russia) b Stefano Cobolli (Italy) 6-4, 6-0; Girgio Galimberti (Italy) b Jean Michel Pequery (France) 6-4,7-6 (8-6); Jamie Delgado (GB) b Igor Kuniticin (Russia); Andy Ram (Isr) b Miles Maclagan (GB) 7-6,(4),6-3; Dmitri Mazur (Uzbek) b Oleg Ogorodov (Uzb) 6-4,7-5;Boris Borgula( Slk) b Vasilis Mazarakis (Greece) 7-6(12-10),6-1.

Haryana to have 4 Astroturf grounds
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19
In a significant development which can go a long way in building the proper sports infrastructure and giving a fillip to sports activities in Haryana it has been decided to lay as many as four Astroturf grounds in Gurgaon, Ambala, Kurukshetra and Sirsa in the state.

According to Dr B. K. Sinha, Director, Sports, Haryana, tenders have already been floated for laying the Astroturf grounds at Gurgaon and Ambala. ‘‘Before the end of March the modalities for the allocation of work will be completed so that the construction work begins in April,’’ Dr Sinha revealed to newsmen here today.

‘‘Top 12 contractors of the world have been approached individually to participate in the tenders and only the best among these would be allotted the work. There would be no compromise on quality,’’ he emphasised, adding that the turfs would have specifications similar to those in the international competitions like the Sydney Olympics and the Champions Trophy.

Dr Sinha said that the laying work would be completed in nearly six months. He stressed that efforts had been made so that no sub-standard party, if any, was able to participate. Each turf was likely to cost around Rs 2 crore. Besides the main turf one practice turf would also be there to lessen the wear and tear of the main ground.

In addition to these two turfs SAI would assist in the laying of two more turfs at Kurukshetra and Sirsa. All the expenses on the laying of the grounds would be incurred by SAI. The land would be provided by the State Government. Haryana would , therefore, have four Astroturf grounds by the end of the next financial year, he said.

‘‘We want to attract or take away tournaments from New Delhi. We will concentrate on development of Gurgaon as a major sporting centre where international-level tournaments could be organised, he stated.

He further revealed that a huge sports complex was also being constructed in Gurgaon for which 42 acres of land had been acquired. To be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 46 crore the complex would be situated in Sector 38 in Gurgaon.

‘‘Gurgaon has top class lodging facilities for players of visiting teams. The pollution level was low and its proximity to Delhi were the factors which could be very helpful in this regard,’’ he added.

Himachal to focus on infrastructure
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 19
The new sports policy of the Himachal Government will focus on improving facilities at the school level besides ensuring better coaching to sportspersons.

Stating this here today, Mr Praveen Sharma, Youth Services and Sports Minister, said that top priority would be given to development of sports infrastructure in the state. A large number of projects have already been sanctioned.

A Rs 241.72 lakh sports project had been sanctioned for Una district under which an indoor stadium would be constructed along with an 80-bedded sports hostel. It would provide hostel facilities for 50 boys and 30 girls. A swimming pool was already under construction at Una which will cost nearly Rs 121 lakh. Besides, an Astro-turf had also been sanctioned which would provide best possible facilities for the hockey players. He said that land had been earmarked for construction of shooting range at Una which would involve an investment of Rs 40 lakh.

The minister further said that the government had recently sanctioned indoor stadium at Dharamsala involving an investment of Rs 142.60 lakh. A 400-metre athletic track had been approved for Dharamsala on which Rs 35 lakh would be spent. The state government had recommended a scheme for construction of synthetic track at a cost of Rs 250 lakh. Besides, a youth hostel would be constructed funds for which had been provided.

Mr Sharma informed that Bilaspur was also being developed as a major sports centre by the government and a sports hostel which provided hostel facilities for 50 boys was already functioning there. He said that indoor stadium with an estimated cost of Rs 124 lakh was under construction and this project was likely to be completed by June 2001.

He revealed that a project with an investment of Rs 92 lakh had been sanctioned for development of ice skating rink at Shimla sports complex which included construction of stadium and pavilion block. A swimming pool with an estimated cost of Rs 50.29 lakh had been sanctioned for Mandi the construction work for which had already started. He informed that an indoor stadium had been completed at Mandi.

Mr Sharma said that the state government had decided to set up district sports complexes at each district headquarters which would provide indoor and outdoor facilities within next two years.

P.D. Durga Rao, Rajni are best weightlifters
From Our Correspondent

Ambala, February 19
P.D. Durga Rao of the Railways and Rajni Bala of DAV College, Naniola, were declared best weightlifters in the men’s and women’s section, respectively, in the Ambala District Weightlifting Championship held at Ambala City yesterday. The Ambala police won the men’s championship, while the Railways remained runners-up.

As many as 36 women weightlifters took part in the championship, which was inaugurated by an NRI, Mr Ravinder Kumar. The results are follows.

Men’s section: 56kg: Varinder (Polytechnic) 1 and Gurbaksh Singh (Railways) 2; 62kg: Vinod Kumar (Polytechnic) and Pushpinder Singh (Mohra village) 2; 69 kg: Chamkaur Singh (Police) and Ravinder Kumar (DAV College) 2; 77kg: Saurabh Bhaskar (Police) 1, and Satish Kumar (DAV College) 2; 85kg: PDN Durga Rao (Railways) 1, and Gurdarshan Singh (Police) 2; 94 kg: Baldev Singh (Police) 1 and Malkiat Singh (Mohra village)2; and 105 kg: Jagjit Singh (Police) 1.

Women’s section: 48 kg: Rajni Bala (DAV Colleges Naniola) 1 and Rupinder Kaur (MDSD College)2; 58 kg: Mohinder Kuar (DAV Colege, Nanioa) 1 and Kamal Preet Kaur (MDSD College)2; 60 kg: Kavita Devi (DAV College, Nanioa) 1 and Ashish Rohella (MDSD College)2; 69kg: Ashish Rohella (MDSD College)1.

Delhi, Chandigarh in finals

Vijayawada, February 19
Delhi and Chandigarh defeated Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, respectively, to enter the finals of 46th National School Cricket Tournament for under-14 boys here today.

In first semifinal Delhi defeated Maharashtra by 81 runs. Electing of bat, Delhi scored 197 for five in 35 overs with the help of Tarun Chowdary (51), Chatterjee (31) and Prem Partik (23). Aditya Bagadade was the most successful bowler for Maharashtra claiming three victims for 28 runs.

In reply Maharashtra managed 116 for 7 in the stipulated 35 overs. H Joshi (25) and R Karthik (19) were the main scorers. Prem Partik took four wickets for Delhi conceding 18 runs.

In other semifinal Chandigarh defeated Madhya Pradesh by three wickets.

Madhya Pradesh made a disastrous start and were all out with just 100 on board in 31.4 overs. Raghavendra (35) was main run getter. Chandigarh lost seven wickets to achieve the target in 31st over.

Semi-final losers Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh will tomorrow clash for third place. PTI

CRY-Cadence cricket
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, February 19
A cricket tournament — CRY-Cadence Corporate Cricket Challenge — is being held here to raise funds for Child Relief and You (CRY) which runs 300 projects where education, health awareness and income generation programmes are the key focus areas. The contributions from all participating teams will be utilised for the education and health of 500 underprivileged children.

Twelve teams, divided into three groups of four teams each, are in the fray. Microsoft (156/7: Jagan 52, T S Krishnan 33, Chandra 17, Pradee 3/36) lost to Cadence (160: Vinayak 34, Mukul 30, Madhur 27, Harish 2/21) by four wickets while HT beat the KPMG by six wickets in the matches played today.

Jonex-XI win
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 19
In a cliff-hanger tie Jonex-XI, Amritsar, beat AIR Jalandhar by five runs to move into semifinals of the IIIrd Pathankot Challenge Cup Cricket Tournament at Pathankot today.

For Jonex-XI, Arminder Singh played aggressively for his 24 runs. Vishal Sethi captured 5 wickets in his spell of six overs. Mandeep Singh (13 n.o.) was only the other batsman to reach double figures as Jonex-XI innings folded at 97 runs in 25.1 overs.

Chasing a modest total, AIR Jalandhar were in trouble from the beginning against an accurate bowling attack by Pankaj Behal and Arminder Singh who claimed 6 wickets with the scoreboard reading 44. AIR lost their 8th wicket at the score of 48. Gaurav (16) and Raja (15) played sensibly and took their time to score runs. But AIR Jalandhar fell short by 5 runs.

Brief scores: Jonex-XI Amritsar-97 all out in 25.1 overs (Arminder Singh 24) AIR Jalandhar — 92 all out in 21.4 overs (Vishal Sethi 16, Raja 15, Gaurav 16 n.o., Pankaj Behal 4 for 30, Arminder Singh 3 for 18, Mandeep Singh 3 for 17).

SPORTS BRIEFS

Pak pull out
DUBAI: Citing other commitments, Pakistan have pulled out of the Rashid International Volleyball Champion-ships to be held in March. A Cuban team has now stepped in to fill the vacuum left by Pakistan who were regular participants at the tournament and their matches against traditional rivals India had proved to be a big draw among the expatriates. The six teams for the championship are: bronze medallists India, holders Ukaraine, runners up Tunisia, Lebanon, UAE, AGCC selection, Australia and Cuba. India have finally confirmed participation but Pakistan, despite giving a nod about participation have withdrawn at the last moment. PTI

Vijay Kumar champ
PATNA: Top seed Vijay Kumar of Uttar Pradesh has won the Hindustan Times Pro-2001 East India Open Golf Championship. The Lucknow golfer pocketed Rs 81,000 carding two-under to accumulate 13-under-267 on the final day at the Patna Golf Course here on Sunday. Mukesh Kumar and Shiv Prakash were tied for the second spot to share the runner-up prize money, while veteran Rohtas Singh of Delhi finished third. PTI

ECB plea
DUBAI: The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has requested its Indian counterpart to help in its matchfixing inquiry led by former West Indian skipper Clive Lloyd. The ECB has asked India and four other national cricket boards to prepare a list of potential witnesses and also make them available to be questioned by the probe panel, the Gulf News quoted an ECB spokesman as saying. The spokesman said he had already received copy of an affidavit submitted to the Pakistan Cricket Board by former PCB chairman Khalid Mehmood and ex-PCB secretary Waqar Ahmed in which they have denied having told the former Indian board chief I.S. Bindra anything on match fixing during the tournaments in Sharjah. PTI

Edmundo
NAPLES: Napoli’s Brazilian striker Edmundo was the subject of a new controversy after a touchline tantrum at his club’s coach Emiliano Mondonico during the 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Italian first division. Edmundo, dubbed ‘the animal’ for his sometimes reckless behaviour, made his feelings perfectly clear to Mondonico yesterday after the coach substituted him, bringing on midfielder Oscar Magoni. The move was a tactical one to preserve Napoli’s lead as Brazilian midfielder Da Sa Matuzalem had just been sent off for earning a second yellow card for celebrating his goal too extravagantly. Mondonico did not talk to the Press after the match but Napoli president Giorgio Corbelli said: “He (Edmundo) has got to understand it was a purely tactical change, it was nothing against him. We will decide later whether to punish him.” AFP

Nirupama wins
DUBAI: India’s ace woman tennis player Nirupama Viadyanathan moved a step closer to the main draw of the Dubai Tennis Championships with a hard-fought victory over Leizel Horn of South Africa. Nirupama came from behind to beat Horn 2-6, 7-5, 7-6, (10/8) in a gruelling encounter here on Sunday to set up the final qualifying clash with Lina Krasnoroutskaya of Russia. A win against the Russian, who defeated Bulgaria’s Lubomira Bacheva 6-4, 6-2 in the other match will see Nirupama through to the main draw. The Indian committed a series on unforced errors in the opening set to lose it tamely. But she came back strongly in the second and kept her cool in the nerve-wrecking tie-breaker of the decider to win the match. PTI