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March 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Gopi is All-England
champ
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Harbhajan dedicates feat to
father Reetinder Sodhi puts Punjab in command Asif Saheer helps SBT shock
Salgaocar;
Kirsten, Kallis in century
stand Kiwis try to save
Test Top shooters for camp
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Gopi is All-England champ
Birmingham, March 11 World No 10 Gopichand, who did not drop a single game throughout the tournament, won 15-12, 15-6 to emulate the legendary Prakash Padukone who triumphed here in 1980. The 27-year-old Indian, who had ousted world’s top ranked player Peter Gade of Denmark in the semifinals yesterday, was in command throughout the match and displayed excellent net-play and brilliant drop shots to clinch the affair in less than an hour. The brilliance at the net which saw him defeat Olympic champion Ji Xinpeng of China in the third round and 1999 champion Gade yesterday, was in evidence once again as Gopichand deflated the power play of the 12th-seeded Chinese with the expertise of a touch artist. Gopichand once again got off to a good start and led 2-0 in the opening game before Hong came back with some powerful smashes to go ahead 3-2. The Indian ace equalised at 3-all but a couple of service exchanges later Hong, capitalising on a few unforced errors by Gopichand, went ahead to 5-3 and then 7-3. But the champion from Hyderabad overcame his sluggishness and won three points in a row that did wonders for his confidence. He began looking more of his usual self and was not unnerved as the Chinese took four consecutive points to lead 11-6. He won back the service when Hong’s return found the net and took three points to make the score 9-11. A fierce battle ensued with long rallies and frequent service exchanges that saw both players refusing to give anything away. Gopichand came into his element with the score 12-10 in favour of his opponent. He played to his strength deliberately slowing down the game which forced the Chinese into committing a series of unforced errors. From 10-12 down, Gopi took five straight points to close out the game 15-12. Hong was clearly unnerved by the first game loss while luck smiled on Gopichand whose first two points in the second game came from serves that landed on the back line. The Indian took a 4-0 lead before Hong wrested the serve and took five points in a row to go ahead 5-4. After five service exchanges at 5-all, Gopichand, who kept growing in confidence as the game progressed, frustrated his opponent with some accurate play at the net and raced ahead to a commanding 10-5 lead. The Chinese saw his grip on the game loosening and became desperate as he tried to beat Gopichand at his own game. Leaving aside his normal power play, Hong also tried gentle flicks and drop shots but was no match to the artistry of the Indian who looked in total command of the situation. Gopichand, who finished on the losing side when the two players met last time in the quarterfinal of the 1999 Thailand Open, led 12-5 and then 13-6 and his win looked only a formality as Hong’s body language showed he had almost given it up. The Chinese got his last chance at 6-13 but luck once again favoured Gopichand as his gentle flick touched the net and just rolled over to leave his opponent standing helpless. Gopichand did not make any more mistakes as he reached the match point with a brilliant reverse smash to the left of Hong and then raised his arms in ecstasy as his opponent’s return landed long. Gopichand won $10,000 for his first triumph at a Grand Prix while Hong had to be content with runner-up purse of $ 5000. PTI |
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Gopi repeats history after 21
years Chandigarh, March 11 In February 2000, while covering Thomas-Uber Cup at Delhi, when this reporter asked Gopi regarding his future plans, he had said he wanted to be consistent in his performance. Gopi was given best of coaching at every step. First it Mohammad Arif, from whom he learnt the rudiments of the game. Then he fell into safe hands of Prakash Padukone, which finally helped him attain the current level. Gopi was ranked No. 32 as per February 10, 2000, list of the International Badminton Federation. He was still not among the top 20 before the Sydney Olympics and now before the All-England he was ranked No. 10 as per March 1, 2001, rankings. Today morning, Padukonewhile talking over phone to a satellite channel, said it was the sheer hardwork on Gopi’s part and the timely match coaching of G.V. Prasad, a SAI coach in Bangalore, at Birmingham, which turned the tables in favour of Gopi. Vijaydeep Singh of Patiala, a Thomas cup player on whose wedding, Gopi was present alongwith other national players in December last at Patiala, quipped: “Gopi is a real gentleman player who will forego everything for the cause of the game”. Vijaydeep, who has partnered Gopi in doubles at international meets, said the did not have an inch of ego which was vital for a player. He was more humble than Padukone in his behaviour on and off the court. Interestingly, this reporter received an e- mail from former Chandigarh badminton champion Kiran Dhillon, now a doctor in New York. It said: “We in the USA heard the news of Gopi reaching the finals last evening and hoped that in India and at Chandigarh, badminton will certainly grow”. Gopi an employee with the Indian Oil Corporation had a humble beginning and for the past five years has been the unchallenged national champion. It may be recalled that last year Gopi could not take part in the All-England due to typhoid , while in 1999, he had lost in the first round to Xia Xuanze of China and in 1998, he had gone down fighting to Yong Hock Kin of Malaysia in the pre-quarterfinal. In 1997 also he had reached the last 16 before bowing down to Luo Yigane of China. Mr Sarabjit Singh, Director-General of Police, Punjab, who is also the President of the All-India Carrom Federation, while congratulating Gopi on win said it was a great day for India as in the morning it was Harbhajan Singh in cricket and in the evening it was Gopichand. D.K. Mukerjee, founder of the Chandigarh Badminton Association, termed the victory as an upsurge in Indian badminton after two decades. Vinod Vatrana, another former international badminton player based at Patiala, said in the 1995 senior nationals, Gopi played at Patiala just after having undergone knee surgery and no one could have visualised that this player would one day don the national colours with such honour. |
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Harbhajan halts Aussie march Kolkata, March 11
A tense Warne, with five players close around him, played forward tentatively and Sadagopan Ramesh latched on to a low catch at forward short leg sending the spectators into a frenzy. But the young spinner’s moment of glory had to wait for a while as umpire S.K. Bansal referred the catch to the third umpire. There was pin drop silence in the ground before the red light flashed, signalling Harbhajan’s entry into the record books. At stumps, Steve Waugh stood amidst the ruins with a brave 29 while Jason Gillespie was giving him company with six. After they won the toss and elected to bat, the Australian opening pair provided a solid foundation by stitching 103 runs as the Indians allowed them to settle down early in the innings by bowling a number of loose balls. Just when the partnership was assuming dangerous proportions, Zaheer Khan provided the vital breakthrough by getting rid of Slater shortly after the lunch break much to the delight of the huge holiday crowd who had very little to cheer in the pre-lunch session. Slater, who invited ICC match referee’s wrath by commenting on his controversial catch of Rahul Dravid in the Mumbai Test, could add just one run to his lunch tally before flashing at an away going delivery to Nayan Mongia behind the stumps. The hosts had themselves to blame for allowing the Aussie openers to flourish as the script would have unfolded differently if the Indians could latch on to the catches that came their way. Dravid dropped a fairly easy catch of Hayden at first-slip when he was on 67 while Tendulkar spilled a rather difficult chance of Justin Langer at the mid-wicket region to let the visitors off the hook early in the proceedings. Langer, who joined the action after Slater’s dismissal, gave able support to the hard-hitting Hayden as the duo put on 90 runs for the second wicket to consolidate the position for the visitors. Hayden was particularly severe on the spinners who failed to check the run flow as the post-lunch session yielded a brisk 105 runs to leave the hosts a demoralised lot. The last session, however, saw a dramatic turn-around due to Harbhajan’s hat-trick. Harbhajan Singh produced the dream spell to virtually turn the match on its head and leave the visitors gasping at 252 for seven after being comfortably placed at 214 for two at one stage. The hosts got rid of Mathew Hayden (97), Justin Langer (58), Mark Waugh (22), Ricky Ponting (6), Adam Gilchrist (0) and Shane Warne (0) in quick succession to shatter Australian hopes of a big first innings total. The departure of Hayden, who fell three runs short of what could have been his second consecutive century, opened the floodgates as Harbhajan Singh suddendly looked a totally different bowler showing excellent control. Scoreboard Australia (1st innings): M Slater c Mongia b Z Khan 42 M Hayden c sub (Badani) b H Singh 97 J Langer c Mongia b Z Khan 58 M Waugh c Mongia b H Singh 22 S Waugh batting 29 R Ponting lbw b H Singh 6 A Gilchrist lbw b H Singh 0 S Warne c Ramesh b H Singh 0 M Kasprowicz lbw b Ganguly 7 J Gillespie batting 6 Extras (b 11, lb 7, nb 6) 24 Total (for 8 wkts) 291 Fall of wickets: 1-103, 2-193, 3-214, 4-236, 5-252, 6-252, 7-252, 8-269. Bowling: Zaheer Khan 18.4-4-55-2, Venkatesh Prasad 21-5-69-0, Ganguly 10.2-2-31-1, Raju 15-2-49-0, Harbhajan Singh 24-6-66-5, Tendulkar 1-0-3-0.
PTI Kolkata, March 11 Even scribes covering the opening day of the second Test between Australia and India were in for a trying time, having to go without water the entire length of the day. With the authorities putting a blanket ban on carrying any kind of bottle, including plastic ones, presspersons were denied supply of mineral water bottles as in the early years. Employees of the caterer engaged by the organisers cab also pleaded helplessness saying they were being prevented by the police from bringing drinking water to the press box. There was also no trace of the promised water pouches in the media box. Fervent requests from the scribes only elicited empty assurances from the organisers.
PTI
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Harbhajan dedicates feat to father Kolkata, March 11 The 20-year-old spinner said he concentrated on a good line and forced the batsmen to make mistakes as the pitch slowed down in the post-tea session. “I only thought I had to bowl well as we have no option but to win the match. I just bowled a good line and God was on my side,” the Jalandhar-born tweaker told reporters after the first day’s play. Harbhajan, who lost his father Sardev Singh six months ago, said the captain’s support and the selectors’ faith in his ability encouraged him to perform well. The spinner virtually turned the match on its head in the last session by scalping five wickets after the visitors were cruising along comfortably at 193 for one at one stage. He dismissed Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Shane Warne with consecutive deliveries in his 16th over to become the fourth Asian to record a hat-trick in Test history. Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram did it twice while his compatriot Abdur Razzak and Sri Lankan Nuwan Zoysa were the others to perform the fairy-tale feat. Gaining in confidence after evicting the dangerous Matthew Hayden and Mark Waugh shortly after the tea break, the young spinner got into his magic act by plotting the dismissal of Ricky Ponting off the second delivery of his 16th over with a ball which was pushed through the air. “Ponting went on the back foot but the ball kept low and he was plumb in front of the wicket,” he explained. An almost similar delivery accounted for the in-form Adam Gilchrist. On the record-making third dismissal, he said “Sachin came and talked to me before the third ball which boosted my morale. It is actually Ramesh’s wicket as he took a brilliant catch”. Asked whether he was tense when umpire S.K. Bansal referred the catch to the third umpire, Harbhajan said “No, I was confident the catch was taken cleanly”. On why he was proving to be expensive in his earlier spells, Harbhajan said: “Cricket is like that. I was bowling well but they played good shots. But they could not pull or cut me. The Punjab spinner, who made his debut against the same opponents in the third Test at Bangalore in the 1997-98 series, was unaware that no other Indian bowler had achieved the feat in the longer version of the game. “I didn’t know about it. I am hearing it from you people (mediamen),” he said. The spinner, who was once under the scanner for his suspect bowling action, had found himself on hat-trick situations on two earlier occasions in Test cricket. Besides picking up two consecutive wickets during the recent home series against Zimbabwe, he found himself in a similar situation in the first Test of the current series in Mumbai. “Even in Ranji Trophy matches I was on a hat-trick on three or four occasions, but could never manage to do it. I am happy to have done it at the Eden Gardens,” he added. Harbhajan Singh’s feat piloted a dramatic turn-around for India against the mighty Aussies who were reduced from a comfortable 252 for four to a shaky 252 for seven within a span of three balls in the 72nd over of the innings. With his maiden five-wicket haul, Harbhajan has taken his tally to 30 wickets in 10 Tests. It took 69 years and 38 matches for an Indian bowler to get a hat-trick in Test cricket. India had first played a Test match in 1932 in England.
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‘I was expecting something big’ Jalandhar, March 11 Punjabis sprang up in joy as soon as they caught Harbhajan doing the wonder on the pitch on their idiot boxes. They came out of their houses, danced in the streets, particularly in Jalandhar — Harbhajan’s birthplace — and some even distributed “ladoos” in Daulatpuri locality where he lives along with his mother, brother and five sisters. When The Tribune team visited his house this evening, elated neighbours were already making a beeline to congratulate Harbhajan’s mother
Avtaar Kaur and his brother Gurpal Singh, a sports officer with the Punjab Sports Department. Their joy knew no bounds, particularly as Harbhajan had promised to do something different, when he left his house for Kolkata to join his Indian team colleagues on March 7. Harbhajan is a plus two student and has just crossed 20. “I cannot express my happiness in words,” was the first reaction of Gurpal. “We were watching TV as usual when he came forward to accomplish something unusual,” said a smiling Gurpal. “After the match, we got a call from Harbhajan. He said it was his tribute to his late father Sardev Singh,” said Gurpal. “It is a matter of pride for me. I was expecting something big from him and he has done it,” quipped Avtaar Kaur, who was virtually fumbling with joy over the feat achieved by her son. “We are tried attending to hundreds of phone calls by those who appreciate and love Harbhajan,” said Gurpal Singh while sharing the time-light hogged by his brother with the dancing neighbours. |
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Gopi storms into All-England final Birmingham, March 11 The world No 10, who defeated Olympic champion Ji Xinpeng of China in a third round match on Thursday, beat Gade, winner here in 1999, 17-14, 17-15 to become only the second Indian to reach the final after the legendary Prakash Padukone won the prestigious championship in 1980. Gopichand, who reached a career-high world ranking of No 6 earlier this year, established comfortable leads in both the games but made a few unforced errors at crucial points to allow his opponent to catch up with him. However, he kept his nerves in the tense moments to bring to an end a 30-match winning streak of the Dane. Gopichand, who defeated another Danish Player Anders Boesen 15-11, 15-7 in the semifinals on Friday night, will take on Cheng Hong of China. Gopichand took an early lead in the first game and capitalised on a rather sluggish start by his opponent to race ahead 8-1 and then 13-6. The loss of two successive points unnerved the Indian a bit and he made a series of unforced errors as Gade equalised at 13-all. Gade had a game-point at 14-13 but Gopichand fought back and won a point to extend the game by three points. Chen saved three match points before ousting Malaysia’s Muhammad Roslin Hashim 10-15, 17-16, 15-12 in the other semifinal.
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Reetinder Sodhi puts Punjab in command SAS Nagar, March 11 Having bundled out Rajasthan for paltry 111 runs in the first innings yesterday after losing the toss, the hosts put the hapless rivals in an unenviable situation amassing 429 runs before being all out just before the conclusion of the second day’s play. Rajasthan in their second essay were four without loss conceding an imposing 318-run first innings lead. Young Patiala player Reetinder Sodhi deserved credit for giving a superb allround performance. After scalping five wickets with his seam bowling yesterday, Sodhi batted well to notch up a half century before losing his wicket in a rather casual manner, having been castled by left-arm seamer P. Krishan Kumar. Another Patiala lad Pankaj Dharmani and Chandigarh’s Dinesh Mongia also displayed sparkling form. While Dharmani notched up a well-deserved century Mongia scored 75. Vineet Kumar, Jalandhar seamer, was another key performer. Making his debut he bowled an impressive spell and claimed four wickets. Rajasthan gave a spineless batting display. None of their recognised batsmen could bat well and stay at the wicket in the face of an inspired rival bowling attack. Vineet Kumar made a dream debut. Opening the bowling along with Gagandeep Singh he jolted Rajasthan batting immediately claiming the wickets of opener Nikhil Doru and Vineet Saxena, the prolific scorer in the league phase, in his first two overs. Sodhi then struck repeatedly thereafter sending back Rahul Kanwat, skipper and former international Gagan Khoda and Saket Bhatia as half the side was back in the pavilion with just 31 runs on the board. Number eight batsman Rohit Jhalani and left-arm seamer P. Krishan Kumar offered some resistance as the side was dismissed at 111 less than an hour after the lunch break. Chasing the meagre total Punjab openers Ravneet Ricky and Vikram Rathore looked in control providing a confident start to his side before Rathore was trapped lbw while Ricky fell playing an injudicious hook shot. Dharmani and Mongia combined well and playing some handsome strokes added 159 runs to the total for the fourth wicket partnership. Dharmani’s century contained 14 fours and a six. Sodhi struck six fours and a six in his 55 runs. Leg-spinner Sandeep Sawal also batted well for his 36 runs. The last-wicket pair of Mohammad Aslam and Pramod Yadav exposed the stingless bowling attack staying at the wicket for 46 minutes adding 38 runs. Medium pacer Sanjiv Sharma emerged as the most successful Rajasthan bowler claiming a five-wicket haul, while left-arm spinner Mohammed Aslam also bowled well taking three wickets. Scoreboard Rajasthan (1st innings): N. Doru c Yuvraj Singh b Vineet Kumar 3, V.A. Saxena c Rathour b Vineet Kumar 1, R.J. Kanwat c Rathour b Sodhi 12, G.K. Khoda c Dharmani b Sodhi 7, P.K. Krishnakumar b Vineet Kumar 21, S. Bhatia c Yuvraj Singh b Sodhi 0, Sanjeev Sharma c Dharmani b Gagandeep 15, R.B. Jhalani c Rathour b Sodhi 22, D.P. Singh c Sanwal b Vineet Kumar 15, M. Aslam not out 0, P.R. Yadav c Manish Sharma b Sodhi 5. Extras (b1, lb4, nb5) 10. Total
(all out, 40.3 overs) 111 Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-5, 3-24, 4-31, 5-31, 6-53, 7-75, 8-106, 9-106. Bowling: Gagandeep Singh 13-2-35-1, Vineet Kumar 14-4-25-4, Sodhi 12.3-5-40-5, Ricky 1-0-6-0. Punjab (1st innings): Ravneet Ricky c R. Jhalani b Sanjeev 40; Vikram Rathore lbw P. Yadav 39; Yuvraj Singh c S. Bhatia b Sanjeev 18; Pankaj Dharmani c R. Jhalani b Sanjeev 101; Dinesh Mongia c R. Jhalani b Mohd Aslam 75; Reetinder Sodhi b P. Krishan Kumar 55; Munish Sharma b M. Aslam 4; Sandeep Sanwal c. R. Jhalani b Sanjeev 36; Gagandeep c Davender Pal b Sanjeev 1; Vineet Kumar not out 25; Babloo Kumar c Davender Pal b M. Aslam 14. Extra (b 9, lb 7, nb 5): 21 Total
(for 10 wickets in 129.1 overs): 429 Fall of wkts: 1-73; 2-90; 3-113; 4-272; 5-302; 6-324; 7-350; 8-353; 9-391; 10-429. Bowling: Parmod Yadav 20- 2- 100- 1; P Krishan Kumar 26- 4- 86- 1; Sanjeev Shama 30- 6- 84-5; Rahul Kanwat 17-5- 46-0, Gagan Khoda 1-0-9-0; Davender Pal 12-0-36-0 Mohd Aslam 23.1-7-52-3. Rajasthan (2nd innings): Vineet Saxena not out 3, Gagan Khode not out 1. Total (in 5 overs): 4 Bowling: Gagandeep 2-1-1-0, Vineet 2-0-3-0, Sodhi 1-1-0-0. |
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Asif Saheer helps SBT shock
Salgaocar; Thiruvananthapuram, March 11 It was every inch a deserving victory for bottom-placed SBT who also avenged their 2-0 away defeat at the hands of Salgaocar on February 26. Dimunitive Saheer scored in the 73rd and 88th minutes of the game to upset the calculations of Salgaocar who are in the fourth place of the NFL table. SBT thus have eight points from 12 matches and Salgaocar 19 points from 12 matches. SBT will take on Mohun Bagan, in their next match here on March 14. Salgaocar got into their stride only in the second session. They took time to familiarise with the pitch and were at the receiving end throughout the first half, which was almost one way traffic for SBT. The Salgaocar defence was fully stretched when the SBT forward trio of Saheer, Hakeem and Ignatius created chances with their menacing speed only to fritter away all of them. The second half provided some attractive contest. SBT goalkeeper Rajeev Kumar who had a virtual holiday in the first session, came to the rescue of SBT twice in the second half. He brought off a brilliant save in the 30th minute when he collected a point blank header from Salgaocar midfielder Dennis Cabral. Ten minutes later Rajeev made a similar reflex save off another header from substitute forward Alex Ambrose. SBT celebrated these escapes with a goal ‘which came off a counter attack. Hakeem received a through ball from the rear and sprinted down the right flank before square passing the ball to Saheer who found the net with a smart first timer. Two minutes before the end of regulation times Saheer made it 2-0 by capping a brilliant solo with a cute right footer. AI hold JCT MUMBAI: Local outfit Air-India and JCT Phagwara, played a goal less draw in the fifth edition of the National Football League at the Cooperage here yesterday. Air-India, after their 6-1 thrashing of SBT, were expected to put more punch in their game, but their strikers Bungo Singh, Tomba Singh and Anthony Fernandes failed to convert. Several scoring chances came for Air-India, which were frittered away by their strikers. On the other hand, JCT played a more attacking game in the second half but again failed to capitalise on the scoring opportunities. With this draw, both the teams had to be content with one point each.
Vasco hold ITI BANGALORE: Vasco SC of Goa played a goal-less draw with local giants, Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) in the second phase of the fifth National Football League here yesterday. This is the second time that the two teams failed to break the stalemate after the 0-0 verdict in ITI’s away match against the Goan outfit in the first phase. Both the teams, looking for a confidence-boosting victory, played with full steam but frittered away chances with fumbling being the order of the day. Going into this match, Vasco SC had 17 points from 11 fixtures — four wins and five draws — to be placed in the fifth position in the 12-team ladder, while the telephonemen had tallied eight points — one win and five draws — finishing at the 10th spot. In the keen action IT’s Iranian import Hameed had a chance in the very third minute but he missed the target. Two minutes later, his powerful shot was deflected over the bar by the visitor’s Brasilian goal-keeper Rogerio Ramos. With few minutes to go for the break, ITI’s Nigerian flair George Ekeh’s powerful strike was superbly saved by Ramos. The second half was dominated by Vasco, who however, could not forge ahead with their Brazilian import Edson Wanderley failing to score twice.
Churchill hold Bagan KOLKATA: Churchill Brothers capitalised on a late charge to hold title holders Mohun Bagan 2-2 in a fifth National Football League exchange here yesterday. The city giants went ahead 2-0 through R.C. Prakash and Basudeb Mondal, but surrendered the lead with Francis Silveira and Jose Bolaco finding the target for the Goans deep into the second half of the tie. The in-form striker Prakash drew first blood for the home team as early as the 10th minute when he banged home with a powerful left foot side volley from a melee following a Basudeb Mondal freekick. Bagan dominated the first half, but failed to increase the margin as a number of gilt-edged opportunities went abegging, much to the dismay of the handful of spectators at the Salt Lake Stadium. However, Bagan seemed to have sealed the issue in the 62nd minute when medio Basudeb Mondal pushed in after Jayanta Sen headed down a James Singh centre from the left. But the grins on the faces of the Bagan supporters faded within a minute as following a snap counter attack, Silveira foxed rival custodian Rajat Ghosh Dastidar to make the scoreine 2-1. Spurred by the goal, the Goans attacked relentlessly and finally levelled in the injury time. Brazilian Andre Requena’s flag kick from the right, saw substitute Koustov Ghosh chip into the box, and Balaco finished with a spectacular back volley. After 12 matches, Bagan now have 22 points, six more than Churchill.
FC Kochin hold Tollygunge KOCHI: An equaliser in the dying seconds of injury time by skipper I.M. Vijayan enabled F.C. Kochin to maintain their unbeaten run in their 12th round match of the fifth National Football league against Manaksi Tollygunge Agragami, which ended in 1-1 draw here yesterday at the floodlit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. After a barren first half, the Kolkota side took the lead in the 70th minute through Nigerian striker Abdul Lateef Sereki who found the net with a glancing header off a left wing cross from midfielder Sasthi Duley. FC Kochini’s equaliser came when a lob from right wing back Dinesh Nair dipped in front of Tollygunge goal and entered the net via the legs of I.M. Vijayan and Tollygunge defender Felix Abayomi. As expected the day’s match was defence dominated. The game in the first half was slow paced and listless, with the ball being confined to the midfield most of the time. The home side began to mount pressure towards the second quarter but the Kolkota team defended in depth to thwart the raids. F.C. Kochin forced three corners and off the second, midfielder Suresh back passed to Ancheri who, however, ballooned the ball. The game livened up in the second session. In the firth minute a long range attempt by Ancheri saw keeper Prasanta Dora parrying it at the expense of another corner. Five minutes later Tollygunge missed a sitter. After a snap raid Sereki passed the ball to his attacking partner Achilefu who, however, bungled with an empty goal in front. Tollygunge slowly, but surely were gaining the initiative and they were rewarded with a smart goal by Sereiki, who incidentally was adjudged man of the match. Referee K. Sankar of Tamil Nadu showed the yellow card to I.M. Vijayan and Dinesh nair of F.C. Kochin and Raizul Mustafa of Tollygunge. Tollygunge will meet Salgaocar at Kolkota on March 14 and F.C. Kochin will meet Air-India at Mumbai on March 13. UNI, PTI |
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India beat Scotland Dhaka, March 11 Indian captain Baljit Singh Dhillon and star striker Dhanraj Pillay scored a brace each while Deepak Thakur scored the fifth. For Scotland, Graham Joyce scored the lone goal. Former world champions Pakistan beat upcoming China 3-1. China tried to fight back against the hockey giants but failed to convert any of the 10 penalties they earned from Pakistanis, who in turn succeeded pushing two of the 11 penalties into the net. For Pakistan, penalty specialist Sohail Abbas, who was adjudged man of the match, opened the score in the eight minute and then hit again with only two minutes left on the clock. In between, Muhammad Nadim found the back of the net at the 41st minute. China’s lone face-saving goal was earned by Yang Wang in the 55th minute. In another match Egypt beat Malaysia 4-2. Belal Ibrahim, adjudged man of the match, led Egypt to a commanding position after opening the score in the 17th minute and then adding another two minutes later. Hossam Ibrahim added the third to end the first half with a convincing 3-0 lead. But the Malaysians managed to bounce back in the last five minutes of play after Abdel Fattah of Egypt added another blow in the 51st minute to make it 4-0. Malaysian captain K. Shanmuganathan led a face-saving fight posting his team’s first goal at the 65th minute. Three minutes later his compatriot Nor Azlan Bakar added another to finish the match 4-2. PTI, AFP |
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England win by three wickets Kandy, March 11 Chasing a victory target of 161, England lost three wickets in the morning session to go to lunch at 152 for seven. But the eighth wicket pair of Craig White and Ashley Giles held their nerve against some testing bowling by the Sri Lankan spinners to knock off the remaining runs. White made the winning hit, a cover drive off Sanath Jayasuriya and ran a single to signal the victory for England. White was unbeaten on 21 and Giles on four. Sri Lanka made 297 and 250 and England replied with 387 and 161 for seven. Sri Lanka won the first Test at Galle by an innings and 28 runs and both teams now go to the third and final Test beginning at the Singhalese SC grounds on March 15 level at one-all. Chaminda Vaas achieved the breakthrough for Sri Lanka when England resumed at their overnight total of 91 for four by having Alec Stewart leg before wicket in the sixth over for seven. A stand of 25 runs followed between nightwatchman Robert Croft and Graeme Hick which took England to 122. Hick was missed by wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara off Vaas at four when he got an inside edge on a drive. SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka (Ist innings): 297 England (Ist innings): 387 Sri Lanka (2nd innings): 250 England (2nd innings): M Atherton c Sangakkara b Vaas 11 M Trescothick lbw b Vaas 13 N Hussain c Sangakkara b Vaas 15 G Thorpe c Sangakkara b Muralitharan 46 A Stewart lbw b Vaas 7 R Croft lbw b Dharmasena 17 G Hick b Jayasuriya 16 C White not out 21 A Giles not out 4 Extras (b1, lb8, nb2) 11 Total (7 wkts, 71.1 overs) 161 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-25, 3-86, 4-89, 5-97, 6-122, 7-142. Bowling: Vaas 18-4-39-4, Zoysa 2-0-16-0, Dharmasena 8-0-25-1, Muralitharan 27-7-50-1, Jayasuriya 16.1-5-22-1. AFP |
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Kirsten, Kallis in century stand Georgetown, March 11 They put on 105 to carry the touring team to 130 for one by close in reply to West Indies’ first innings score of 304. Kirsten was the main aggressor, hitting nine fours and a six in his unbeaten 80. Kallis ended the day on 39. Earlier, new captain Carl Hooper marked his international comeback with 69 as West Indies’ last three wickets added 71 valuable runs on Saturday. Scoreboard W. Indies (1st innings) overnight 232-7 W. Hinds c Boje b Pollock 13 C. Gayle c Boucher b Kallis 81 M. Samuels b Boje 40 B. Lara c Donald b Klusener 47 R. Sarwan b Donald 7 C. Hooper c Klusener b Boje 69 R. Jacobs lbw b Donald 0 N. McLean b Klusener 6 D. Ramnarine run out 5 M. Dillon c Cullinan b Ntini 9 C. Walsh not out 2 Extras (b-2 lb-12 w-2 nb-9) 25 Total 304 Fall of wickets: 1-43 2-131 3-165 4-206 5-221 6-221 7-228 8-238 9-300 Bowling: Donald 23-9-43-2 (1w), Pollock 18-2-54-1 (4nb), Ntini 12-2-48-1 (1nb), Kallis 17-2-33-1 (2nb, 1w), Klusener 35-13-56-2 (2nb), Boje 19.1-6-56-2 South Africa (first innings) G. Kirsten not out 80 H. Gibbs b Dillon 8 J. Kallis not out 39 Extras (lb-1 nb-2) 3 Total (for one wicket) 130 Fall of wicket: 1-25 Bowling (to date):
Walsh 11-3-19-0 (1nb), Dillon 12-3-19-1 (1nb), McLean 7-0-27-0, Ramnarine 18-3-46-0, Hooper 5-0-16-0, Samuels 1-0-2-0.
Reuters |
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Kiwis try to save Test Auckland, March 11 Pakistan (1st innings): 346 New Zealand (1st innings): 252 Pakistan (2nd innings): I Farhat c and b Wiseman 63 S Elahi c Wiseman b Tuffey 7 Misbah-ul-Haq c Parore b Tuffey 10 Y Youhana c Astle b Franklin 42 S Mushtaan b Tuffey 7 Y Khan not out 149 Fiqbal not out 52 Eq c Parore b Tuffey 2 Extras (4b, 6lb, 1nb) 11 Total (for 5 wkts decl, 103 overs) 336 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-59, 3-97, extras (4b, 6lb, 1nb) 11 Total (for 5 wkts decl, 103 overs) 336 Bowling: Tuffey 17-3-43-3, Martin 12-2-65-0, Franklin 18-2-59-1, Wiseman 36-6-107-1, McMillan 7-0-27-0, Astle 13-6-25-0. New Zealand (2nd innings): Richardson batting 59 Matthew Bell run out 28 Paul Wiseman batting 2 Extras (12b, 3lb, 1nb) 16 Total (for 1wkt, 35 overs) 105 Fall of wicket: 1-91. Bowling: Waqar Younis 6-2-18-0, Mohammed Sami 8-1-30-0, Saqlain Mushtaq 13-2-21-0, Mushtaq Ahmed 8-2-21-0.
AP |
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Top shooters for camp Chandigarh, March 11 In all, 25 pistol shooters and 28 rifle shooters will attend this camp which will also serve as the basis for the selection of shooters for various international shooting competitions. These trials will begin on March 28 and the final selection will be done on March 31. Giving this information, Dhillon said that it was for the second time consecutively that such a prestigious camp was allotted to Phillaur which also organised two national shooting meets in 1999 and 2000. |
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