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Saturday,
September 15, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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No decision yet on Afro-Asian Games India-USA Davis Cup tie put off Zimbabwe hold upper hand Indian cricket on ‘a good wicket now’ Srinath,
Prasad
receive advice
from Lillee |
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22 selected for hockey academy
Salgaocar lift Governor’s Cup Yogeshwar in quarterfinals India jrs win series against Malaysia Safin, Kafelnikov in q-finals
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No decision yet on Afro-Asian Games New Delhi, September 14 “We have not received any official communication, either in writing or verbally, from the government regarding the Cabinet’s decision to postpone the games”, IOA President Suresh Kalmadi said here today. Mr Kalmadi met representatives of the eight sports disciplines included in the Afro-Asian Games to apprise them of the current developments. But the IOA chief asserted that it was a routine meeting “as we are continuing with the preparations for the games”. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is learnt to have advised the government against holding the games on the ground of security concerns following the terrorist attacks in the USA. Sources said that in the CCS meeting, External Affairs and Defence Minister Jaswant Singh reportedly insisted on the postponement of the games to express India’s solidarity with the USA in their hour of crisis as the Afro-Asian Games would have attracted the participation of 53 countries from Africa and 42 from Asia, including a sizable number from the Arab countries. Interestingly, both Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Uma Bharati and IOA President Suresh Kalmadi, who were at loggerheads till very recently, are very keen to get the games going. Mr Kalmadi held the optimism that the games would be held, but a clearer picture would emerge only after a couple of days after he gets an appointment with the Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Mr Kalmadi and Ms Uma Bharati have been seeking appointments to meet the Prime Minister, but their efforts had not borne fruit till late on Friday evening. In the meanwhile, Mr Kalmadi said the IOA was trying to get in touch with Presidents of the National Olympic Committees of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) to convey to them the latest developments on the games front. In fact, IOA Secretary-General Randhir Singh, who is also the Secretary-General of the OCA as well as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was busy the whole day trying to speak to the Olympic heads of various countries, though he could not get through to the IOC head. Mr Kalmadi minced no words when he said that it would be ridiculous to postpone the Afro-Asian Games if Pakistan decides to go ahead with the South Asian Federation (SAF) games in October. But the IOA chief was confident that at the worst, the games may be postponed, and not cancelled. “If the games are to be held, they should be held before the current financial year, i.e March, 2002”, said a source. Meanwhile, the news of the possible postponement of the games met with mixed reaction in the Afro-Asian Games secretariat, the SAI and the IOA. The harried officials of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), racing against time to complete the infrastructure and other works, heaved a sigh of relief as they could relax for a couple of days before a definitive decision was taken on the games. However, there was a pall of gloom in the IOA and a section of the SAI, who were eagerly looking forward to the games. The IOA has spent a considerable sum of money for the publicity of the games after Uma Bharati and Kalmadi patched up their differences. “Now that we are pulling in the same direction, there is the specture of the games being postponed”, Mr Kalmadi said wistfully. Mr Kalmadi said the IOA was fully prepared to host the games as everything was in place. Randhir Singh said the IOA had done major jobs like booking of hotel accommodation, air tickets etc. He said the facilities in Delhi will improve if the games are held, even if they are held at a later date in the near future. The hectic pace of the construction work was slowed a bit at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium today, as the officials were busy attending a series of meetings, to tackle the situation arising out of the latest development. Meanwhile, Mr Randhir Singh was very upset at the reported remarks of Mr Indrajit Singh Bindra on BBC that the IOA was wasting money by hosting the Afro-Asian Games at the cost of the National Games in Punjab. Mr Randhir Singh said if the National Games got postponed, it was due to the fault of the concerned people in the Punjab Olympic Association and the state government, and not due to the faults of the
IOA. |
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India-USA Davis Cup tie put off New Delhi, September 14 All-India Tennis Association secretary Anil Khanna told PTI over phone from Mexico, where he is attending the annual meeting of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), that fresh dates would be decided later today in consultation with the US Tennis Association (USTA). “The Davis Cup tie is being rescheduled either in October or even in November. The dates will be finalised later today in consultation with the USTA and the ITF,” Khanna said. He said the AITA had told the ITF that it fully understood the situation in the USA and appreciated the position of the USTA. “We told the ITF we are ready to cooperate with the USTA for rescheduling the tie.” Non-playing captain Ramesh Krishnan and three of the team-members, Mahesh Bhupathi, Syed Fazaluddin and Harsh Mankad, are already in the USA for the Davis Cup tie while coach Nandan Bal is on his way. Khanna said Leander Paes, now in Mumbai, had been informed about the postponement. “Paes has expressed his total commitment to playing in the Davis Cup tie even on the fresh dates,” he said brushing aside reports that the Indian ace might not play as he was distraught by the tragedy in the USA. “Paes has told the AITA that he would definitely play the matches and adjust his schedule once he gets the fresh dates for the tie,” Khanna said.
PTI |
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Zimbabwe hold upper hand Bulwayo, September 14 Alistair Campbell (77) and Dion Ebrahim (71) put on 152 for the first wicket after Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat. Campbell struck eight boundaries from 243 balls while Ebrahim hit seven fours from 258 balls. The pair were dismissed in the final session when Campbell was caught by Herschelle Gibbs at point off a Lance Klusener off-cutter. Five overs later Ebrahim was caught at slip by Shaun Pollock from a delivery by left-arm spinner Claude Henderson. South Africa won the first Test by nine wickets on Tuesday. At tea, Zimbabwe were 126 without loss batting on a docile pitch. Alistair Campbell was 67 not out with Dion Ebrahim on 55. Campbell has faced 202 balls and hit seven fours, while Ebrahim has dispatched four of the 202 deliveries he has faced for fours. The stand is the first century partnership for the first wicket by Zimbabwe since Gavin Rennie and Grant Flower put on 144 for the first wicket against New Zealand in 1997-98. South Africa came close to breaking the stand when Campbell, on 44, edged a delivery from fast bowler Shaun Pollock just short of Jacques Kallis in the gully. Campbell offered another half chance in similar fashion on 59, off Pollock again but this time short of Lance Klusener at slip. Ebrahim also escaped when, on 29, he squeezed a ball from Henderson on to his pad, only for the catch to drop short of Gary Kirsten at short leg. The South African attack has been weakened by a back strain to all-rounder Kallis, who has yet to bowl in the match. Team manager Goolam Rajah said Kallis had been selected as a batsman, but said he may “bowl a bit if required”. Both teams observed a minute’s silence before the start of play and took the field wearing black armbands in memory of those killed in Tuesday’s terror attacks on the USA. The pitch provided early encouragement for the bowlers with Ebrahim beaten by both Shaun Pollock and Andre Nel by deliveries that seamed back into the right hander. However, few deliveries deviated off the seam in the second hour, giving Zimbabwe the opportunity to post a big first innings total in their bid to square the two-Test series. South African captain Pollock acknowledged as much by gradually opting for more defensive field settings and by resorting to the left arm spin of Claude Henderson as early as the 20th over. Zimbabwe (1st innings): Campbell c Gibbs b Klusener 77 Ebrahim c Pollock b Henderson 71 Masakadza not out 2 Carlisle not out 0 Extras (lb-4) 4 Total (for two wickets) 154 Bowling: Pollock 13-6-25-0, Nel 10-2-22-0, Ntini 12-4-28-0, Klusener 22.1-9-31-1, Henderson 29-13-44-1.
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Indian cricket on ‘a good wicket now’ New Delhi, September 14 In its annual report, the BCCI lauds itself for taking strict action against match-fixing practices and cleansing the game of corruption, and paints a rosy picture for the future. “Far from descending into a slough of despair, the game has emerged stronger from the crisis brought about by match-fixing and related malpractices. The alacrity with which the board acted during the year may have helped save a crumbling image. It took great moral strength to condemn our very own,” says the report prepared by secretary Jaywant Lele and joint secretary Jyoti Bajpai. “But all of us well know that welfare of the game and the preservation of its fair name is greater than individuals. Suffice it to say, cricket in India is on a good wicket now,” the report says. The report, to be tabled at the 72nd annual general meeting of the cricket board on September 29 and 30 in Chennai, invokes quotations from the Bible and writings of Mark Twain while detailing its efforts to curb match-fixing. “The truth shall set you free’ is a quotation from the Bible of which we were reminded in a year in which we had to act firmly to root out the corrupt from the game and take severe measures to safeguard its integrity. “To say the game is back on the rails after going through a very severe crisis of confidence would be most appropriate. ‘Justice is truth in action’ is a homily no one will disagree with. Yet it is a secure future that we look to as we leave the great scandal behind,” the report says. “That will be a future free of the kind of disruptive influence that bookmakers brought to bear on the game as they toyed with the integrity of some of the players of the game,” the report says. “The board had to take several difficult decisions during the year. The most difficult had to do with those of our players who may have at some time or the other compromised the integrity of the game.” “The board hopes that by virtue of the decisions of the disciplinary committee and the punishment it meted out to some players, all cricketers will have received a stern warning of what fate awaits them if they indulge in influencing the course of matches for a consideration. As Mark Twain said ‘truth is the most valuable thing we have’,” it says. The report praises president A.C. Muthiah, who is seeking a third term in office, for his “effective and firm leadership during turbulent times”. “While he faced challenges in his first year that were not quite cricket, in his second year, Mr Muthiah had to take firm action and tough decisions to save the fair name of the game, when cricket was gripped by an unprecedented crisis.” Listing the achievements of the board, the report says, “the appointment of national and international consultants, the placing of orders for video aided analysis for the national team, the setting up of regional and national cricket academies to give thrust to Indian cricket on par with international standards, were the succe3s stories, besides many other matters like eradicating the overage problems of cricketers in age group tournaments, improvement of pitches and strict financial governance.” On the vexed and knotty issue of revival of cricketing ties with Pakistan, the report says, “Although the BCCI was not always in agreement with the decisions of the government not to play Pakistan for the next three years at off-shore venues like Singapore, Toronto and Sharjah, the board was able to present its case for the need to keep up cricketing ties.” “Of course, as a consequence of a government directive, the board had to take the painful decision of not taking part in events like the World Cup, ICC Knock-Out Trophy and such other tournaments, until a clear picture emerges,” it says.
PTI |
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Srinath,
Prasad
receive advice
from Lillee
Chennai, September 14 Venkatesh Prasad, Harvinder Singh and Reetinder Singh Sodhi also received tips on how to adjust their bowling actions for better results at the MRF Pace Foundation here. Srinath, facing “a minor problem” (bending his back while releasing the ball) seemed to be able to bowl better, including his outswingers, within minutes of receiving advice from the Aussie. Prasad was asked to change his movement before releasing the ball for bowling a good line and length, while Harvinder was told to shorten his run up slightly to maintain line and length. Reetinder was asked to come ‘side on’. Though Lillee considered these as “small technical things”, he emphasised that technique was all important to perform well in match situations. “The same happens to Australian bowlers. I think because sometimes you play so much cricket, you do not have a break to go back to the nets to practice as much as you can. One develops bad habits. It depends on things like playing on different wickets and different balls. It is a small thing,” he said. On the BCCI’s decision to send South Africa-bound Indian bowlers to the foundation, Lillee said “the idea was that I should have a look and see if there is any problem with the bowlers”. Lillee who refrained from discussing the fitness of the bowlers however said that they possessed good rhythm. Refusing to divulge details, the Aussie said he had discussed some ‘minor’ technical points with the bowlers.
PTI |
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Tushar, Isha Toor, Neha win titles Chandigarh, September 14 The other winners are: Vivek Showkeen (under-14), Isha Toor (under-14 girls) and Neha Singh (under-16 girls). Mr Rajan Kashyap, Chairman, Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association, was the chief guest and gave away the scholarship money to the players. Earlier in the opening match, Delhi’s Vivek Showkeen, the top seed, took on Honey Rana in an all-Delhi final, Vivek playing as consistently sent Honey packing 6-2, 6-2. The girls under-14 final threw up a surprise, when Simmer who had yesterday upset second seed Shilpa Dalmia did not play according to her full potential today. Isha a class IX student of Sacred Heart School, Sector 26, did not allow her school-mate Simmer to bounce back at any point of game. Tall and tough Isha, a trainee at Total Tennis Academy, Sector 11 with her volleys put all kind of pressure on Simmer, who showed signs of lethargy. Isha wrapped up the match conceding only three games, winning 6-1, 6-2. Her father, Mr Amritpal Singh, himself a former national hockey player said he felt that Isha needed to build a better temperament on court. The girls under-16 final also had some crucial moments with Satvika Saboo playing against Neha Singh, daughter of tennis coach Baldev Singh. Satvika narrowly lost the
first set. The second set saw Neha introduced more variations in her game, which helped her win the second set and match 6-4, 6-2. Results: (all finals) Under-14: Boys: Vivek Showkeen (Dli) b Honey Rana (Dli) 6-2, 6-2; girls: Isha Toor (Chd) b Simmer Singh (Chd) 6-1, 6-2. Under-16: Boys: Tushar Liberhan (Chd) b Jitin Bishnoi (Chd) 6-3, 6-0; girls: Neha Singh (Chd) b Satvika Saboo (Chd) 6-4, 6-2. |
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22 selected for hockey academy Chandigarh, September 14 He said the academy, a dream project of Education Minister, Punjab, Tota Singh, will provide free education, training, kit, diet money and playing facilities to the players. He said ever since the Asian schools hockey meet was held in Ludhiana last January, he was asked by the miniter to personally look into the possibility of having a hockey academy in a rural set up where the boys had the natural urge to achieve laurels by working hard. Chhabra said since Takhanbadh was a hockey-loving village and many players from to this village had gone to the national circuit, so finally the academy was planned there. The selected boys are: Kamaldeep Singh, Jatinder Singh, Jamandeep Singh (GSSS, Takhanbadh), Manish Kumar (Khalsa Sr Sec school, Ropar), Talwinder Singh and Jagbir Singh (Bhupinder SSS, Moga), Bhupinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh (GHS, Ladha Munda, Asr), Gurjinder Singh, Pritpal Singh (BKSSS, Moga), Sandeep Pal Singh (DAVSS, Ropar), Harman Inder Singh (GSSS, Mehta Nangal, Asr), Harveer Singh (GHS, Pooli, Bhatinda), Harpreet Singh (GHS, Bhuttar, Moga), Gagandeep Singh, Karandeep Singh, (DAVSSS, Shahbad, Haryana), Sarabjeet Singh (Raj Kiyonch Vidyalya, Haryana), Jaswant Singh, Ramandeep Singh (DAVSSS, Shahbad, Haryana), Eakam Singh (GSSS, Takhanbadh), Ranjodh Singh and Gurchain Singh (both GHS, Marar, Gurdaspur). Standbys: Harwinder Singh (GSSS, Moga), Shamsher Singh, Hardeep Singh (GHS, Marar, Gurdaspur) and Ranjodh Singh
(BKSSS, Moga). |
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Indian eves safely reach Paris
New Delhi, September 14 The team, which had left for France early yesterday morning to take part in the World Cup hockey qualifiers to be held at Amiens and Abbeville (France) from September 17 to 30, were affected by the flight reschedulings following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Tuesday. “After many frantic calls to find out about their whereabouts, the team was finally located in Paris,” Indian Women’s Hockey Federation secretary Amrit Bose told PTI here. Meanwhile, the USA has confirmed its participation in the tournament. However, this would be subject to normal commercial air travel resuming in that country in time for the event. Kenya have withdrawn from the competition, due to lack of funding. Following consultation between the FIH and the French Hockey Federation, it has been agreed that the only changes to be made in the match schedule would be for a bye, to be given to any team originally scheduled to play Kenya, the release added.
PTI |
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Salgaocar lift Governor’s Cup Margao, September 14 The two teams were locked goalless at the end of 90 minutes of regulation time. Churchill dominated the match throughout especially in the second half but failed to get past the agile Chaubey, who thwarted attempts by Roque Barreto, Aquel Ansari, substitute Francis Silveira and Noel Wilson to score. Salgaocar converted all their four penalties through Eugene Gray, Jatin Bist, Dharamjit Singh and Covan Lawerence. For Zee Churchill, Noel Wilson and Tejinder Kumar found the net while Roque Barreto and Yakubu Yusif’s attempts were saved by keeper Sunday Seah, who replaced Kalyan Chaubey during the tie-breaker. Salgaocar, who won the cup for the second time, became richer by Rs 75,000 while Zee Churchill earned Rs 50,000 and the runners-up trophy. Both teams started on a cautious note. Zee Churchill who controlled the midfield, made moves from the left flank and had four scoring chances in the first half but their strikers failed to score. Churchill made the first move in the 13th minute when Somatai Shaiza relayed a pass to Yakubu Yusif inside the box off a flag-kick taken by Ratan Singh but Yakubu directed his shot wide off the mark. Six minutes later, defender Franky Barreto came to the rescue of his team when he thwarted Yakubu from scoring from close. Salgaocar made a countermove and medio Eugene Gray who had the ball in possession on the right sent a goal mouth cross but Sunday Seah failed to connect.
PTI |
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Yogeshwar in quarterfinals Rohtak, September 14 In the 54 kg category, junior international wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt of MD University defeated Nitin Barage of Pune University on technical ground to enter the quarterfinals. The bout lasted four minutes 30 seconds. In the 63 kg category Paramjit registered victory against his rival Jadhav Santosh of Pune University by fall. In 76 kg Tasvir overpowered Ranbir Singh of Amarawati University on the basis of technical fall. In 97 kg Shri Pal also emerged victorious by beating Panjab University Chandigarh wrestler Kanwardeep by 10 points. All the three winning grapplers entered the qualifying round. Three other wrestlers, also representing MDU, won their respective bouts in the 58 kg, 69 kg and 85 kg weight categories. In 58 kg Sunil Kumar defeated Shivanand of the Barakatullah University on technical grounds in a bout which lasted only three minutes and 10 seconds. Vijender (69 kg) faced no difficulty in defeating his opponent Kashid of Aurangabad University by fall. In the 85 kg category Krishan Chander also managed to move into the next round by beating Bhisham of Jammu University also by fall. In the 85 kg weight category Ravi Kumar of Guru Nanak Dev University Amritsar won a close contest by defeating Manjit of Delhi University on points. The semifinal and final bout of the 54 kg, 63 kg, 76 kg and 97 kg categories will be held tomorrow. The results: 58 kg: Simranjit (Pbi. Uni, Patiala) b. Vinod Kumar (Sampurananand Uni), Amit Singh (Jammu) b Niraj Pratap (Gwalior), Amit Tewetia (Meerut) b Parmod Kumar (Jiwaji Uni). 69 kg: Sanjay Kumar (HPU) b Jimmy Kumar (Saurashtra), Hardeep (GND University, Amritsar) b Manvinder (Kanpur), 85 kg: Ravi Kumar (GND University) b Manjit (Delhi). |
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India jrs win series against Malaysia Hyderabad, September 14 The fourth and the final Test match ended in a 1-1 draw. India won the first Test 3-1, and drew the second 2-2, while Malaysia won the third 2-1. The winner of the series was determined on the basis of goal average. India had scored seven against Malaysia’s six. In today’s match, it was Indian Prabhjot Singh who scored the first goal in the 17th minute when he capatalised on a cross pass from Somesh Kantha and scored on the run to put India into a 1-0 lead. The Malaysians tried hard for the equaliser which eluded them but two minutes before the lemon break, Hawk Eyed Zahrin scored off the rebound and put his team on par with India. After the break, both teams had an equal number of chances to score by their forwards only muffed them.
UNI |
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Safin, Kafelnikov in q-finals Tashkent, September 14 The 27-year-old Kafelnikov won 4-6 6-4 6-3. His countryman, top-seeded Marat Safin, ousted Marc Rosset of Switzerland 6-4 7-6(3). Koubek broke Kafelnikov in the opening game of the match and held his serve to win the first set 6-4 in 34 minutes. The 24-year-old Austrian then jumped to a 4-2 lead in the second set as he broke his experienced opponent in the third game. That was all he could do. Kafelnikov broke back after a long rally in eighth game of the second set to an even 4-4 and was back in the match. He then won five games in a row to win the set 6-4 and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the decisive third set, which he closed 6-3 in 31 minutes. Kafelnikov, US Open semifinalist this year, is currently 6th in the ATP Champions race and is seeking his 24th career title. Safin, another US Open semifinalist this year, and currently placed 14th won the first set 6-4 and broke Rosset, his double partner at this tournament, in the opening game of the second set.
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Munish hits ton Amritsar, September 14 Earlier, Jalandhar were all out for a mere 146. For the home team Munish Sharma scored a brilliant 138 and was well supported by Chandan Madan (60) Baljeet Singh (67) Sandeep Sawal (54). In the second innings Jalandhar had scored 79 for two facing a defecit of 355. |
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Yoga
meet Amritsar, September 14 |
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