Monday, May 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India






THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

SA beat Windies, go 3-1 up in series
St George’s, May 6
A defiant knock of 72 by Gary Kirsten and an unbeaten 64 by HH Dippenaar powered South Africa to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the fourth one-day international at Queen’s Park here tonight.

Mushtaq stars in Pak victory
Nottingham, May 6
Mushtaq Ahmed bamboozled British Universities with an eight-wicket haul that bowled Pakistan to a two-day innings victory here at Trent Bridge in the opening match of their tour here yesterday.

China clinch Asia Cup
Singapore, May 6
China displayed all their class to defeat South Korea and take the Asia Cup badminton final 3-0 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium today.


China's Chen Hong plays to South Korea's Lee Hyun-il in the men's singles final of the Asia Cup in Singapore on Sunday. China beat South Korea 3-0 to win their first ever Asia Cup badminton title on Sunday. 
— Reuters photo

China's Chen Hong plays to South Korea's Lee Hyun-il in the men's singles final of the Asia Cup in Singapore on Sunday.


 

EARLIER STORIES

 

Bad refereeing marred our chances: Bhutia
Mumbai, May 6
Indian football team captain Baichung Bhutia today said bad refereeing at the UAE and Yemen prevented his team from winning either of the games in the Asian zone group-8 qualifying matches.

15 die in stadium collapse
Teheran, May 6
At least 15 persons were reported killed and hundreds injured today when the roof of a packed football stadium collapsed in Sari, northern Iran.

Singles title for Wang Liqin
Osaka (Japan), May 6
World number one Wang Liqin won the men’s singles title at the World Table Tennis Championships today, completing China’s clean sweep of all seven gold medals.

Pak denies visas to volleyball team
New Delhi, May 6
The participation of the Indian junior men’s volleyball team in the Asian qualification tournament (for the World Junior Championship), to be held in Islamabad (Pakistan) from May 10 to 19, looks doubtful as the Pakistan Embassy in Delhi has not yet issued visas to the team.

SA edge closer to World Cup finals
Johannesburg, May 6
South Africa moved to within a point of qualifying for next year’s World Cup finals when they beat Zimbabwe 2-1 yesterday with goals from Shaun Bartlett and Benni McCarthy.

Atwal finishes joint 11th
Macau, May 6
It was a poor last day for the four Indians in the fray as they finished way down the leaderboard as China’s number one Zhang Lian-Wei won the $ 2,50,000 Macau Open golf here today.

Third successive title for Manchester United

Manchester, May 6
Manchester United paraded the English premier league trophy for the third year running yesterday — after a rare home defeat at Old Trafford.


Manchester United players celebrate with champagne and the English Premier league trophy, following the match against Derby County at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester on Saturday. Despite losing the match 0-1, Manchester United won the championship by 11 points from second-placed Arsenal 
— AP/PTI photo
Manchester United players celebrate with champagne and the English Premier league trophy, following the match against Derby County at Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester on Saturday.

Kuerten gunning for Agassi
Rome, May 6
Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten has the perfect stage to show early-season pacesetter Andre Agassi who is the real world number one as he revisits a happy hunting ground at Rome’s Foro Italico for the ATP Masters Series Tournament beginning tomorrow.

Venus Williams wins title
Hamburg, May 6
Venus Williams today claimed her second Hamburg tennis title when the top seed crushed American compatriot Meghann Shaughnessy in the final of the $ 565,000 women’s Rothenbaum tournament.

Marion Jones
New York, May 6
Marion Jones could be after another gold medal haul this summer. This time, it won’t be at the Olympics but at the World Track and Field Championships.

Punjab beat Delhi
Chandigarh, May 6
Defending champions Punjab beat Delhi by a solitary goal in the opening tie of the under-21 National Football Championship (North Zone) which began here today at the football stadium, Sector 17. Earlier the 10-day meet was inaugurated by Mr J. S. Ahluwalia, Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Chandigarh zone.
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SA beat Windies, go 3-1 up in series

St George’s, May 6
A defiant knock of 72 by Gary Kirsten and an unbeaten 64 by HH Dippenaar powered South Africa to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the fourth one-day international at Queen’s Park here tonight.

Set to score 201 runs for victory, South Africa scored 203 for the loss of two wickets in 46.1 overs.

Earlier, a well-made 65 from Marlon Samuels helped West Indies recover from a top-order collapse to 200 all out in the fourth one-day international against South Africa at Queen’s Park Stadium today.

The 20-year-old Samuels came to the crease at 61 for four in the 21st over, after his side were put into bat, and shared with his captain Carl Hooper in a fifth-wicket stand of 67.

Hooper made 46 from 78 balls before pulling Allan Donald to the deep square leg boundary.

Samuels then took control for the rest of the innings, driving confidently between mid-on and mid-off to reach his fourth half-century in one-day internationals from 59 balls with six fours.

When South Africa captain Shaun Pollock trapped him leg before wicket for 65, however, the innings folded quickly and the home side were bowled out in 49.3 overs.

Earlier, all-rounder Justin Kemp picked up the first two wickets as the visitors took an early grip on the match.

Kemp, brought in for the rested all-rounder Jacques Kallis, struck in his second over when Ricardo Powell (7) drove high towards mid-off where Makhaya Ntini took the catch on the run. Chris Gayle (9) drove Kemp for a straight six but two balls later spooned the ball to Jonty Rhodes at backward point.

Ntini then claimed a wicket in his first over when Shivnarine Chanderpaul (10) sliced the ball hard to Kemp in the gully. Although Donald conceded 14 runs from his first over, all to Brian Lara, he quickly found his rhythm and picked up Lara’s wicket for 25.

The left-handed batsman edged behind to Mark Boucher as he attempted to pull out of an attacking stroke.

Pollock finished with impressive figures of 10-3-16-1 and Kemp with three for 54 as the West Indies failed to make the most of ideal batting conditions.

South Africa lead the seven-match series 3-1 after winning the fourth game on Sunday by 8 wickets.

SCOREBOARD

West Indies

Gayle c Rhodes b Kemp 9

Powell c Ntini b Kemp 7

Chanderpaul c Kemp b Ntini 10

Lara c Boucher b Donald 25

Hooper c Kemp b Donald 46

Samuels lbw b Pollock 65

Jacobs c Pollock b Ntini 8

McGarrell c Donald b Kemp 2

McLean c Gibbs b Donald 7

Jeremy not out 8

Cuffy c Boucher b Donald 3

Extras: (lb-3, w-6, nb-1) 10

Total: (49.3 overs) 200

Fall of wickets: 1-11, 2-22, 3-49, 4-61, 5-128, 6-174, 7-177, 8-185, 9-189.

Bowling: Pollock 10-3-16-1, Kemp 8.5-0-54-3, Donald 9.3-1-38-4, Ntini 10-1-26-2, Klusener 6.1-0-32-0, Ontong 5-0-31-0.

South Africa

Gibbs c Chanderpaul b Jeremy 27

Kirsten c Powell b Hooper 72

Dippenaar not out 64

Rhodes not out 30

Extras (lb 4, w 2, nb 4) 10

Total (2 wkts, 46.1 overs) 203

Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-154.

Bowling: Cuffy 8-2-36-0, McLean 6-0-34-0, Jeremy 4-1-18-1, McGarrell 4.1-0-23-0, Hooper 10-1-29-1, Gayle 10-0-38-0, Samuels 4-0-21-0.-0. AFP
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Comfortable 132-run win for South Africa

West Indies captain Carl Hooper lies on the ground after he was run out by South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, during the third Cable and Wireless one Day International match at the Queen's Park Stadium in St. George's, Grenada, on Saturday.
West Indies captain Carl Hooper lies on the ground after he was run out by South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, during the third Cable and Wireless one Day International match at the Queen's Park Stadium in St. George's, Grenada, on Saturday. On the left is Herschelle Gibbs. Hooper scored 29 runs. — AP/PTI photo

St George’s, Grenada, May 6
Jacques Kallis hit his seventh one-day international century as South Africa hammered the West Indies by 132 runs in the third one-day international at Queen’s Park yesterday.

Kallis made 107 in a South African total of 287 for four after West Indian captain Carl Hooper sent the tourists in on a good batting pitch.

With South African captain Shaun Pollock taking three wickets in his opening spell, West Indies were never on target to win and they were bowled out for 155. South Africa went ahead 2-1 in the seven-match series. The fourth contest will be at the same venue today.

West Indies gambled by strengthening their batting at the expense of their pace bowling, with Cameron Cuffy and Mervyn Dillon the only fast men in their line-up.

South Africa made a flying start, with Herschelle Gibbs following up his century in the second match in St John’s, Antigua, Wednesday with a cavalier 46 off 48 balls, which included drives for six off both Cuffy and Dillon.

Gibbs and Gary Kirsten, who returned to form with an innings of 50, put on 88 for the first wicket before Gibbs went for one big hit and was caught off left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell in the 15th over.

Kallis played a measured innings, placing the ball skillfully and hitting only four fours before he had a lucky escape when he was on 86. Kallis thrashed offspinner Chris Gayle to midwicket.

Both Cuffy and Dillon went for the ball before Cuffy pulled away. Dillon held it but stepped on the boundary before tossing it infield to Cuffy. The decision was referred to television umpire Evelyn Jones who ruled it was six to Kallis.

Kallis then hit Robert Samuels, another offspinner, for six to raise his century off 105 balls before he hit a hard return catch to Gayle in the final over.

The West Indies sent in big-hitting Ricardo Powell to pen their innings but his partner Chris Gayle chipped a catch to mid-on off Pollock’s fourth ball of the innings.

Powell slammed a six over midwicket off Pollock but in trying to repeat the shot in the same over top-edged a catch to Makhaya Ntini.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul was caught at deep fine leg and the West Indies’ last real hopes went when Brian Lara had his leg stump knocked out of the ground by Ntini.

Scoreboard

South Africa

Kirsten run out 50

Gibbs c Powell b McGarrell 46

Kallis c and b Gayle 107

Rhodes b Hooper 47

Klusener not out 25

Pollock not out 1

Extras: (lb5, w4, nb2): 11

Total: (4 wkts, 50 overs): 287

Fall of wickets: 1-88, 2-129, 3-219, 4-286.

Bowling: Dillon 6-0-43-0, Cuffy 10-0-54-0, McGarrell 10-0-60-1, Hooper 10-1-32-1, Samuels 9-0-61-0, Gayle 5-0-32-1.

West Indies

Gayle c Kirsten b Pollock 1

Powell c Ntini b Pollock 15

Chanderpaul c Dippenaar b Pollock 16

Lara b Ntini 31

Hooper run out 29

Samuels lbw b Klusener 20

Jacobs run out 10

Hinds c Ntini b Ontong 11

McGarrell c and b Ontong 8

Dillon b Ntini 4

Cuffy not out 1

Extras: (lb2, w5, nb2) 9

Total: (39 overs) 155

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-24, 3-48, 4-87, 5-119, 6-126, 7-133, 8-146, 9-153.

Bowling: Pollock 6-0-23-3, Kallis 6-0-35-0 Donald 6-0-26-0, Ntini 7-1-27-2, Klusener 7-0-30-1, Ontong 7-1-12-2. AFP
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Mushtaq stars in Pak victory

Nottingham, May 6
Mushtaq Ahmed bamboozled British Universities with an eight-wicket haul that bowled Pakistan to a two-day innings victory here at Trent Bridge in the opening match of their tour here yesterday.

The little leg-spinner — by no means a certain pick for Pakistan’s first Test team against England later this month — finished with match figures of 10 for 51 as the students were bowled out for 155 in their second innings.

After a first-day sighter which mustered a paltry 74 all out, the Universities found themselves needing 243 to make Pakistan bat again.

Initially they appeared much better equipped this time — but the task still proved way beyond them.

Openers Michael Brown and Will Jefferson blunted the early efforts of pacemen Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Mohammad Sami only to fall prey to a virtuoso performance from Mushtaq (eight for 49).

Brief scores: Pakistan 316 (Saeed Anwar 89, Saleem Elahi 78, Waqar Younis 50 not out; T Murtagh 6-86) bt British Universities 74 (Wasim Akram 4-18) and 155 (Mushtaq Ahmed 8-49) by an inning and 87 runs. AFP
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China clinch Asia Cup

Singapore, May 6
China displayed all their class to defeat South Korea and take the Asia Cup badminton final 3-0 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium today.

The triumph landed them the top prize of $ 80,000, while the South Koreans had to be content with half that amount.

In the play-off for the third place, the 1997 and 1999 champions Indonesia came back from a match down to overpower Thailand 2-1 and take the third place.

Thailand, last-minute replacements for India, returned home satisfied, boosted by the news that the 19-year-old Boonsak Polsana had been named player of the tournament.

The Thai’s presence in the tournament upset all predictions, forcing a semifinal meeting between the two strongest teams, China and Indonesia.

As a result, the final turned out to be a one-sided affair with the South Koreans, easy winners against Thailand in the semifinals, proving no match for the Chinese.

The 2001 All-England finalist Chen Hong began well against the South Korean number one Lee Hyun Il, with a 15-12,15-7 victory.

The game was in the balance 7-7 until Chen pulled away to take the opening game and when he opened up a 11-0 lead in the second the outcome was never in doubt.

The doubles match was even more one-sided. Zhang Wei and Zhang Jun proved too good for the South Korean pairing of Yoo Yung Sung and Chung Jae Sung, winning 15-5, 15-10 in just over 30 minutes.

With the result already decided, the teams agreed to entertain the crowd by playing the second singles. Chen Yu beat Shon Seung Mo 15-11, 15-13 to complete the rout.

Unlike the final, the third-place playoff provided plenty of thrills as Thailand’s Polsana defeated the top Indonesian player and twice All-England finalist Taufik Hidayat 15-11 13-15 15-10.

Polsana’s success against Hidayat was the only plus point for the Thais who were out of depth in the doubles and the second singles match.

Candra Wijaya and Sigit Budiarto continued their unbeaten run in the tournament by polishing off the Thai pair of Pramote Teerwiwatana and Tesana Panvisvas 15-5 11-15 15-5.

The experienced Hendrawan scored a clinical 15-10 15-1 win in the second singles against Anupap Thiraratsakul to cement third place for Indonesia. Reuters
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Bad refereeing marred our chances: Bhutia

India have a very slim chance now to progress further in the World Cup soccer 2002 qualifying round, Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh said here today. For India to reach the next round UAE will have to draw both their games against Yemen and India will have to win both their matches against Brunei, which will bring both on 11 points. However, to the beat the UAE on goal difference, India will have to score 17 goals in the remaining two matches without conceding any. If Yemen win one match and draw another then India do not even an outside chance.

Mumbai, May 6
Indian football team captain Baichung Bhutia today said bad refereeing at the UAE and Yemen prevented his team from winning either of the games in the Asian zone group-8 qualifying matches.

A tired-looking Bhutia told reporters after the team’s arrival here that it was very disappointing for him personally to see his team suffer in the middle as he watched from the sidelines after receiving two yellow cards against the UAE which India lost 0-1.

“The refereeing in the match against Yemen on Friday, where we were held to a 3-all draw, was equally bad and at the same time I should say we failed to defend the 3-2 lead which we had got through acting captain I M Vijayan”, he added.

“Now we have two games against Brunei and we will go all out to win as we still have an outside chance of making it to the next round”, Bhutia said.

When asked whether his presence could have made any difference to the outcome of the match, Bhutia said: “It could have, as Vijayan and I had combined well at Bangalore and we had a very good understanding between us which was disturbed to a large extent when I had to sit out against Yemen”.

Indian coach Sukhwinder Singh said: “The refereeing in Yemen was better than what it was against the UAE but the ground conditions at Yemen was very slippery due to rains and this created problems for our boys”.

“Our forward line played their heart out and helped us take a 3-2 lead six minutes from half time but our defence was found wanting. If our defenders were more practical on the field then I think we could have had a win on our hand”, Sukhwinder added.

“I also think Bhutia’s absence made a lot of difference to the outcome of the match and it must have been very disappointing for him to see his team’s performance from the sidelines”, Sukhwinder said and added that: “I personally felt that quite a few decisions went against us but then we have to take it in our strides and hopefully do well in the next two games on hand”. He said: “Though it is very difficult to predict our chances of making it to the next round, with a little bit of luck and hard work I still think we can pull it off”.

“The boys are very tired and we will rest today and start our practice session from tomorrow. It has been a little disappointing for the boys as well but they have to get over it and focus on the next two matches”, Sukhwinder added.

Sukhwinder’s real test starts now till the next seven months when India will play two matches in Brunei, the Merdeka Cup in Kuala Lumpur, the tour of England, the Afro-Asian Games and then the SAF Cup. PTI 
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15 die in stadium collapse

Teheran, May 6
At least 15 persons were reported killed and hundreds injured today when the roof of a packed football stadium collapsed in Sari, northern Iran.

State radio and the official news agency IRNA reported that an undetermined number of fans had been killed, while witness reports said at least 15 died and hundreds were injured - either hit by the falling structure, or trampled in the ensuing panic.

Many of the injured were reported in serious condition. They were lying on the pitch or in the stadium’s catacombs getting emergency treatment as services worked flat out to get them to local hospitals. Matches at the stadium in Sari, capital of the Caspian Sea province of Mazandaran, regularly attract sell-out crowds like that of up to 25,000 reported today for a national cup game between the host team and Teheran’s Pirouzi club.

The roof of the northeastern side of the stadium collapsed just after the second half began, the reports said.

The tragedy was the third worldwide within a month involving a major football stadium, following those in Johannesburg in which 43 persons died, and in the Democratic Republic of Congo in which 10 died.

Angry fans clashed with police trying to make their way into the Mottaqi Stadium, where the accident occurred, Ali Ansarian, a player with Persepolis, Iran’s most popular soccer team, told the Associated Press. He said fans had started fires on the field. “We are trapped in the locker room,” Ansarian said.

“There is such a thick crowd outside that we can’t force open the door to the locker room. Through a small window, I can see fighting outside between fans and the police,” he added. Ansarian said he had seen at least 30 persons dead.

State-run Tehran television showed fans wielding metal poles locked in battle with anti-riot forces trying to control the crowds at the stadium in the city of Sari, 250 km northeast of Tehran.

One wall of the stadium had been completely torn down. Iron fences separating the grandstand from the field had been rooted out. The field was packed with fans and police forces.

“The security forces are trying to direct the people out of the stadium” the report said in its latest news broadcast.

IRNA said “hundreds” of fans had been injured and “several” killed. It did not give an exact number of casualties. It said 20,000 fans were at the game.

An operator at a hospital in Sari said the injured were packed into the hallways and even in the courtyard of the Bu Ali Hospital. The telephone operator, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said many of the injuries were critical. DPA, AP
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Singles title for Wang Liqin

Osaka (Japan), May 6
World number one Wang Liqin won the men’s singles title at the World Table Tennis Championships today, completing China’s clean sweep of all seven gold medals.

Youth beat experience in a thrilling match bristling with hard-fought rallies, with the 22-year-old Wang narrowly beating second-ranked compatriot Kong Linghui 11-21 11-21 21-16 21-13 21-13 to take his first world crown.

Kong, singles gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics and 1995 world champion, stormed ahead in the first two games, tormenting Wang with a seemingly invincible fusion of skill and power.

But Wang was a different player in the third game, discovering the merciless form that has made him the world’s top-ranked player.

As if seeking revenge for losing the first two games, the gold medallist in the doubles recovered to even the score, before finishing off Kong with an eight-point margin to spare.

Earler, China’s Wang Nan and Li Ju trounced compatriots Yang Ying and Sun Jin to seize the women’s doubles gold medal.

Top-ranked Wang and number two Li, Sydney Olympic gold medallists and 1999 world doubles champions, attacked relentlessly from the start to secure a 21-16 21-14 21-14 victory.

The 22-year-old champion, increasingly being hailed as a successor to Chinese superstar Deng Yaping, attributed China’s dominance in the championships to preparation. “Training standards are higher than anywhere else in the world,’’ she said.

In the semifinal, Yang and Sun overcame Japan’s Akiko Takeda and Mayu Kawagoe 21-15 21-12 21-12, eliminating the last non-Chinese contenders from the championships. Reuters 
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Pak denies visas to volleyball team
M. S. Unnikrishnan

New Delhi, May 6
The participation of the Indian junior men’s volleyball team in the Asian qualification tournament (for the World Junior Championship), to be held in Islamabad (Pakistan) from May 10 to 19, looks doubtful as the Pakistan Embassy in Delhi has not yet issued visas to the team.

An official of the Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) has been making the rounds of the Pakistan Embassy in Delhi for the past few days to secure visas for the volleyball team, but the only response of officials concerned is “we haven’t received any orders from the Interior Ministry (in Islamabad)”.

An exasperated source in the VFI said here today that “we have now no hope of getting the visas from the Pakistan Embassy”, though a last-ditch effort would be made tomorrow to secure the visas.

It had indeed come as a big surprise when the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports cleared the participation of the Indian volleyball team in the Islamabad tournament, after denying permission to the cricket team to play in a triangular tournament in Sharjah, involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The volleyball team is scheduled to leave for Islamabad on May 8, as all other travel formalities of the team, including air tickets, have been completed, but the Pakistan Embassy’s hide-and-seek game in issuing the visas, has put a spanner in the works.

The VFI, meanwhile, has deferred the announcement of the Indian team, currently undergoing a coaching camp at the south centre of the Sports Authority of India in Bangalore, till the visa issue is sorted out. National coach Ramana Rao, who has been invited by the Asian Volleyball Federation as a member of the control committee of the tournament organising committee, has also been denied visa, and now the VFI source is hoping against hope that Ramana Rao’s name may be cleared along with the other members of the Indian team tomorrow.

Nine countries, including India, are scheduled to participate in the qualifying tournament. Other teams in the fray are Saudi Arabia, Japan, Iran, Pakistan, Korea, Australia, Chinese Taipei and Kazakhastan.

The VFI has included junior international setter Kashi Vishwanath Raju of Andhra Pradesh in the camp, following the vanishing trick played by Suraj Prakash of Punjab, who left the camp after taking a week’s leave to attend to his ailing mother, but did not report back to chief coach G E Sridharan in the camp.
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SA edge closer to World Cup finals

Johannesburg, May 6
South Africa moved to within a point of qualifying for next year’s World Cup finals when they beat Zimbabwe 2-1 yesterday with goals from Shaun Bartlett and Benni McCarthy.

The result means South Africa have a maximum haul of 12 points from their four matches. Zimbabwe have six points, Burkina Faso four and Malawi one and all have two games to play.

Zimbabwe can stop South Africa qualifying only if they win their last two matches, including a home win over South Africa by a better scoreline than 2-1. Bartlett kept up his record goal-scoring form for South Africa with the opening goal in the 17th minute at Soccer City on the outskirts of Soweto.

He also provided the second for McCarthy six minutes before the break as South Africa took advantage of some poor Zimbabwean defending.

Zimbabwe skipper Peter Ndlovu scored a 53rd-minute penalty for his side after striker Tauya Mrewa had been brought down on the edge of the penalty area to set up an anxious second half for the home side.

Bartlett’s record 23rd international goal for his country came after McCarthy had his initial shot blocked, only for the ball to roll perfectly for the Charlton Athletic striker to sweep home. Reuters
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Atwal finishes joint 11th

Macau, May 6
It was a poor last day for the four Indians in the fray as they finished way down the leaderboard as China’s number one Zhang Lian-Wei won the $ 2,50,000 Macau Open golf here today.

Zhang who finished on 11 under par 273 earned $ 40,375, and runners-up Simon Yates (Scotland) took a cheque of $ 27,825. Third placewinner Yeh Weh-Tze went back home with a cheque of $ 15,500.

Arjun Atwal, placed 23rd after third round, had the best card among the Indians. He fired his second successive three under par 68 to aggregate three under 281(74,71,68,68) and finished joint 11th. He earned a cheque of $ 4,200.

Jyoti Randhawa, who started the tournament on a promising note, had a dismal last round of 4 over 75 for a total of par 284(69,71,69,75) and was placed 20th along with compatriot Gaurav Ghei who carded par 71 for 284 (72,72,69,71). Both of them earned $ 2737 each for their efforts.

Arjun Atwal had another disastrous round of 7 over par 78 and with a total of 15 over 299 (73,71,77,78) ended 66th in the field of 68 golfers and earned 500 dollars.

Zhang Lian-Wei fired a three under par 68 to win the title by a stroke from Scotland’s Simon Yates who closed with a 70 while Taiwan’s Yeh Wei-Tze finished a shot further back after returning. UNI
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Third successive title for Manchester United

Manchester, May 6
Manchester United paraded the English premier league trophy for the third year running yesterday — after a rare home defeat at Old Trafford.

Their championship party was spoilt by Derby County who scored an upset 1-0 win — which sparked celebrations among the travelling fans. The victory meant Derby preserved their premier league status and avoided relegation.

Surprisingly it was their fourth win in eight years at old trafford and their wily old boss Jim Smith was warmly congratulated by United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end.

Smith duly congratulated Sir Alex who has now led United to the title seven times in the last nine seasons and will be looking for an unprecedented fourth successive English championship in his final season before retiring in 12 months time.

United celebrated their 14th English league title — and their seventh in the last nine seasons — by setting up a stage on the sun-drenched Old Trafford pitch and letting off fireworks as they collected the trophy after the final whistle. A crowd of 67,526 watched — with Derby fans staying on to carry on a party of their own.

The United players, who had left the pitch with heads bowed in defeat, returned, Sir Alex at the helm, to pick up their medals and the trophy before spraying each other with champagne as photographers captured the moment.

United wrapped up the title three weeks ago, by beating Coventry and then watching closest rivals Arsenal lose to relegation strugglers Middlesbrough, but they had to wait until this, their last home match of the season, before finally being handed the trophy.

Be-decked with scarves, the united players passed a massive shirt-shaped banner into the crowd before doing a lap of the pitch with their children to the sound of Tina Turner’s “Simply the best’’.

Brooklyn Beckham, son of David, brought the biggest cheer of the day when he kicked a ball into the net watched by his mother popstar “Posh Spice’’ Victoria Adams.

And Ferguson took the opportunity to promise the club’s fans that the current team will not be broken up and rebuilt — as widely predicted in the media — after failing to win the Champions League or the FA Cup as well.

He said: “This is not the end of this Manchester United team. We want to continue the progress and success that the supporters deserve and we are going to give it to you next year.’’ United won the premier league in record time this season and are currently 11 points clear of Arsenal with two games to play.

Ferguson admitted he felt his side were unlikely to be caught at the top of the league as long ago as New Year’s Day when they moved 10 points clear.

But he claimed the accomplishment had been tainted by United’s failure in the Champions League after they were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals.

Sir Alex said: “The championship race was really all over by the half-way stage, and I think that was an incredible achievement that has somehow been lost in the misery of our defeat in Europe.

“We need to keep things in perspective and the presentation of the trophies will, I hope, remind us all that this season has once again been something special. “Cast your minds back to the start of the season when everyone was saying how difficult it would be to win the league for a third time.

“All our rivals thought we wouldn’t be able to get away with it quite so easily and indeed I expected a harder time myself.’’ With the title already won, Ferguson used the opportunity to play his fringe stars and left eight first teamers either on the bench or in the stands.

French World Cup winning goalkeeper Fabien Barthez tried to keep the party atmosphere in full swing with an early audacious dribble from his own goal-line, past two men, before passing to Denis Irwin to clear. Reuters
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Kuerten gunning for Agassi

Rome, May 6
Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten has the perfect stage to show early-season pacesetter Andre Agassi who is the real world number one as he revisits a happy hunting ground at Rome’s Foro Italico for the ATP Masters Series Tournament beginning tomorrow.

The 24-year-old Latin American, already a victor on clay at Monte Carlo this year, finished the year 2000 as winner of the inaugural ATP Champions Race but has seen American Agassi post an early lead this year.

But on his favourite clay surface, in a Latin setting and on a court where he won this event in 1999 the stage is set for Kuerten, dubbed “Guga”, who has recovered from a thigh strain that caused him to miss the Barcelona Open.

Despite a brilliant career Agassi, who has already won three tournaments in 2001, including the Australian Open, is yet to win in the Eternal City although a $ 400,000 first prize will be an incentive for him to set the record straight.

But the American has what could be a tricky opener against Alex Calatrava who like many Spaniards excels on clay.

While Kuerten was resting his injured thigh at his home town of Florianopolis, Agassi came unstuck in last week’s ATP event in Atlanta, Georgia at the hands of an unknown Frenchman Nicolas Thomann and will be eager to avoid another slip-up.

The draw was kinder to Kuerten who faces a qualifier in this event which as well as being a prestige tournament in its own right serves as an important preparation for the French Open, where Kuerten will defend the title he won for the second time last year.

If the seeding goes to plan Kuerten’s opponent in the Rome final will be Russian Marat Safin, the US Open champion.

Like Agassi, Safin’s first assignment is also potentially hazardous with experienced Swedish campaigner Jonas Bjorkman the opponent.

Agassi’s compatriot Pete Sampras, seeded four, also tries to get to grips with the clay surface that has proved his Achilles heel and he tackles Israel’s Harel Levy first.

In 1994 Sampras won this tournament, a rare success on clay for the American, and “Pistol Pete” will be another man for whom the Foro Italico will be the launchpad for another tilt at the French Open, the only Grand Slam title to elude the most prolific slam winner in tennis history.

Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt tackles Czech Bohdan Ulihrach in his opener while Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia confronts Andrei Pavel of Romania.

Sweden’s Magnus Norman, the defending champion in Rome, has an apparently easy task against Vincenzo Santopadre, an Italian wildcard while Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero, seeded eight and aiming for a fourth title this year, opening his campaign against Holland’s Sjeng Schalken.

Italian tennis, meanwhile, is in the middle of a dreadful slump some 25 years after the Davis Cup final triumph over Chile in Santiago that remains the ultimate tennis achievement of the football-crazy peninsula. AFP
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Venus Williams wins title

Hamburg, May 6
Venus Williams today claimed her second Hamburg tennis title when the top seed crushed American compatriot Meghann Shaughnessy in the final of the $ 565,000 women’s Rothenbaum tournament.

Williams, who won her first title here in 1999, breezed to a 6-3, 6-0 victory as Shaughnessy couldn’t get to Williams’ overhead smash. The match lasted just 54 minutes.

Williams broke the Hamburg debutant Shaughnessy for a 2-0 lead in the first set. Shaughnessy broke back the next game and held for 2-2, but Williams claimed four of the next five games. DPA
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Marion Jones

New York, May 6
Marion Jones could be after another gold medal haul this summer. This time, it won’t be at the Olympics but at the World Track and Field Championships. The difference between last year’s chase of five gold medals at the Sydney Games and this season’s goal is that Jones is not discussing her plans yet.

“Maybe saying two years before the games that I wanted to win five golds was a bit too much,” she said. That’s why Jones is being cautious about her plans for this season. Reuters
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Punjab beat Delhi
Our Sports Reporter

Chandigarh, May 6
Defending champions Punjab beat Delhi by a solitary goal in the opening tie of the under-21 National Football Championship (North Zone) which began here today at the football stadium, Sector 17. Earlier the 10-day meet was inaugurated by Mr J.S. Ahluwalia, Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Chandigarh zone.

Both the teams were evenly balanced. Till the first half no goal could be scored. Devesh Kaushik of Delhi was shown the yellow card. In the second half, Punjab players went on the attack. In 71st minute Sher Singh struck a fine goal.

Chandigarh will play their first tie against Himachal Pradesh at 4.30 pm. The team will be lead by Manmohan Singh. In another tie tomorrow, Uttar Pradesh will take on Haryana. 
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 SPORTS BRIEFS

Coventry relegated, joy for Arsenal
LONDON:
Conventry City’s 34-year stay in English soccer’s top flight came to an end last evening when they were relegated after a 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa. Gordon Strachan’s side were 2-0 up at halftime but collapsed in the second half to a defeat which condemns them to division one football next season. Arsenal assured themselves of a place in next season’s Champions league with a 2-1 win over Leeds United at Highbury, while Liverpool kept up their bid with a 3-0 win over Newcastle United, Michael Owen getting a hat-trick. Derby County assured themselves of safety with a shock 4-0 win at champions Manchester United, taking the shine off the champions’ title celebration. Elsewhere Middlesbrough drew 1-1 at bottom club Bradford City and there were wins for West Ham United, Sunderland, Leicester City and Chelsea. Reuters

Casamayor triumphs
PHILADELPHIA, (MISSISSIPPI):
Undefeated WBA super-featherweight champion Joel Casamayor has recorded a unanimous decision over Edwin Santana to retain his title. Casamayor on Saturday recorded the only knockdown of the bout in the second round as he dropped Santana en route to a dominant performance. “I came to work 12 rounds”, Casamayor said. “I feel good. I did what I had to do to win. I came in and did my work.” Two of the three judges gave every round to the champion in scoring the bout 120-107, Casamayor (25-0) is now on collision course for a July “unification” fight with the undefeated Brazilian Acelino Fretias, who holds the WBO version of the title. Reuters

LECONTE WINS
MUMBAI:
Frenchman Henri Leconte upset five times Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg of Sweden 6-1 1-6 (10-5 Legends tie-break) in the men’s singles final of the Tata Tennis Legends Tournament at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) courts here today. Borg, who had qualified to final from Red Group, showed glimpses of his talent when he won the second set 6-1. Earlier, Leconte, with breaks in the second and fourth games won the first set 6-1. Borg stormed back into the match when he broke the Frenchman in the second game of the second set to lead 2-0 and then held his serve to increase the lead to 3-0. With yet another break in the fourth game, the Swede took a 4-0 lead and then held his own for 5-0. Leconte held his serve in the sixth game before Borg served out the set at 6-1. In the Legends tie-break, where the player who reaches 10 points first wins, the Frenchman served and volleyed better and served his sixth ace of the match to take a 8-4 lead. PTI

Pakistan win
NOTTINGHAM:
Mushtaq Ahmed bamboozled British Universities with an eight-wicket haul that bowled Pakistan to a two-day innings victory here at Trent Bridge in the opening match of their tour here yesterday. The little leg-spinner — by no means a certain pick for Pakistan’s first Test team against England later this month — finished with match figures of 10 for 51 as the students were bowled out for 155 in their second innings. 

After a first-day sighter which mustered a paltry 74 all out, the Universities found themselves needing 243 to make Pakistan bat again. Initially they appeared much better equipped this time — but the task still proved way beyond them. Brief scores: Pakistan 316 (Saeed Anwar 89, Saleem Elahi 78, Waqar Younis 50 not out; T Murtagh 6-86) bt British Universities 74 (Wasim Akram 4-18) and 155 (Mushtaq Ahmed 8-49) by an inning and 87 runs. AFP

Delhi team
NEW DELHI:
Debabrata Ghosh will lead a 20-member Delhi team in the National (under-21) North Zone Football Championship in Chandigarh. Asim Paul Ekka has been named the vice-captain. The team: Vijay Singh Dostana and Sandip Dhole (goalkeepers), Pradip Banduri, Asim Ali Khan, Bijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar Bhatnagar, Ranvijay Singh and Jaideep Singh (defenders), Devesh Kaushik, Asim Paul Ekka, Debabrata Ghosh, Deepak Giri, Vijay Kanti Dinkar and Navin Kumar (mid-fielders), Devender Verma, Navin Kumar Tanwar, Surinder Singh Butola, Rakesh Negi, Kabul Tyagi, Budhraj Singh (forwards). Officials: Abdul Aziz (manager), Anadi Barua (coach) and Ashok Kumar Ghosh (assistant coach). Our Sports Reporter
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