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Tuesday,
September 25, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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BCCI ELECTIONS
Indian team leaves for South
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Azhar stands by
charges Hyderabad, September 24 Former cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin, challenging the life ban imposed on him by the cricket board for his alleged involvement in the match-fixing scandal, today stood by his charges against the BCCI president, Dr A C Muthiah, and the board’s inquiry commissioner, Mr K Madhavan, both defendants in the case. GURMIT HOCKEY Seeded players sail through in ITF
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Manchester United keen to snatch a point Knife stops
Beckenbauer Indian eves lose to England School shooting at Kila
Raipur CPFI promotion bid
fails Powerlifter moves high
court Punjab inter-school
cricket from East Bengal win BSF win Baba Farid hockey Uncertainty worries
Leander Paes Patiala 137 all out Ranji trials
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BCCI ELECTIONS New Delhi, September 24 Mumbai Cricket Association president Sharad Pawar, MP boss Madhav Rao Scindia, Maharashtra president D.C. Agashe and sitting board president Muthiah, among many other important office-bearers of the affiliated units are scheduled to have a meeting here
tomorrow to assess their strength and also finalise strategy for the election meeting. The Cricket Club of India (CCI) president and former president of the BCCI, Raj Singh Dungarpur, is said to be supportive of Muthiah to continue for yet another year. But even if he crosses over to the Jagmohan Dalmiya group, the Muthiah club appears to be well placed. The Association of Indian Universities (AIU), and two government votes, those of the Services and the Railways, have also been secured by the Muthiah faction. There are at least four units, which can change their loyalties. Among them is Delhi which is supportive of the Dalmiya group. But the representative is capable of switching over to the Muthiah faction. Owing to court cases, Jammu and Kashmir representative may not be able to cast his vote. If Jaywant Lele (Baroda) and Kishore Rungta (Rajasthan) are barred from voting for certain technical reasons, the Muthiah faction will be the gainer. The Goa unit, caught in ticket scam, seems to be inclined to favour the Muthiah group. If Muthiah retains his office as president and his faction gains in power, Dilip Vengsarkar will be the chairman of the selection committee. He will replace Chandu Borde. There will be some other changes in the panel. Among vice-presidents, there will also be far-reaching changes. As has been customary in the last few years, the election meeting is expected to be stormy and, some walk outs are not ruled out. According to a Dalmiya supporter, it is a touch an go, as has been the case in recent years.
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Indian team leaves for South Africa Mumbai, September 24 Agarkar, a last minute replacement for speedster Ashish Nehra, who has been declared unfit for the triangular one-day series starting on October 5, will leave tomorrow as he is yet to receive his visa. On Saturday, Nehra became the third player from the original squad to be ruled unfit for the one-day series. V.V.S. Laxman and Zaheer Khan had earlier opted out as they had not fully recovered from their respective injuries. Left-hander Hemang Badani, a stand-by, who was named Laxman’s replacement, injured himself during a domestic tournament and he too couldn’t make it to the team. India will play three Tests against South Africa and will feature in a triangular one-day series with Kenya as the third team. There would be some changes in the composition of the team for the Test series starting on November 3. NEW DELHI: After drawing comparisons with batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar for his masterly knock against New Zealand in Sri Lanka recently, dashing batsman Virender Sehwag is determined to raise his level of performance in “crunch situations’’ during one-dayers in South Africa. “The most important thing for me is to do well in the crunch situation when it matters most and I am all set to raise the level of performance under pressure. I have the temperament to overcome heavy odds and rise to the occasion,’’ he said. Describing that the tri-series —also involving Kenya — in South Africa as a big opportunity in his cricket career, Sehwag said it would be a great challenge to face the likes of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis on the bouncy and fast tracks. “I will take the bull by the horns and make more than a mark,’’ he added.
PTI, UNI |
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Azhar stands by charges Hyderabad, September 24 Azharuddin in the 17-page main petition in the city civil court in January last made strong charges against the cricket board, its president Mr Muthiah and also questioned the very appointment of Mr Madhavan as the inquiry commissioner. Challenging the appointment of the Madhavan, Azhar said “it was illegal and arbitrary”. He also questioned the method of inquiry by Mr Madhavan saying “it was not at all open, transparent, fair and independent and had been biased in favour of BCCI”. He sought the inquiry report to be treated as null and void. Azhar also questioned the competence of Mr Muthiah, saying “he (Muthiah) being an industrialist has no experience or knowledge of the game’. Second Additional Chief Judge of city civil court J Shyam Sunder Rao, while accepting the counter filed by Azhar’s counsel M Narotham Reddy, posted the matter for hearing and arguments on October 3. Mr Muthiah and Mr Madhavan, against whom Azhar levelled several charges in his main suit, in their petitions filed on September 20, said the charges were “baseless” and sought these to be struck down. The Hyderabadi batsman questioned the very election of Mr Muthiah as board president apart from raising objections to the appointment of Mr Madhavan as BCCI’s inquiry commissioner and his method of inquiry. Azhar in his counter to the BCCI stand that certain pleadings in his plaint were “vexatious, irrelevant and scandalous” and hence should be struck down, maintained that these “charges are correlated to the main case and cannot sought to be separated”.
PTI
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GURMIT HOCKEY Chandigarh, September 24 Determination, it
seemed, was the Army outfit’s password as they not only defended their territory resolutely but also struck lethal blows to knock out the security men, who were aiming for something spectacular after their success in the local
championship. However this is not to deny CISF the credit of putting up a tough
fight. In fact till the 60th minute they were trailing by a solitary goal and with a little more luck could have tilted the scales in their favour. A 12th minute goal by Jenz Minz off a penalty corner saw SRC surging ahead but CISF retaliated with some quick moves, which failed to achieve the desired
results. On changing ends, SRC were again in command but had to wait till the 60th minute for their second goal which came as a result of a combined move by Harninder, M. Minz and the promising Suman Kumar. Finding himself
unmarked, Suman flung himself forward to shoot home (2-0). Three minutes from the hooter, Suman was again at his best when he beat the CISF custodian Riazudin with a neat scoop after finding himself in a one-to-one situation following a cross by Baljit (3-0). Indo-Tibetan Border Police lost to Shivalik Academy 7-8 in sudden
death. The Shivalik Academy lads fought their way to victory after taking a 2-0 lead through Balwinder and Harwant which
was, however, neutralised by A. Nag and Raghubir off penalty corners. In the tie
breaker, the two teams were again level after converting five strokes each but Parminder settled the issue in favour of Shivalik Academy in sudden death (8-7). Earlier,
Bhaini Sahib XI of the Namdharis overpowered Ropar Hawks 4-1 after leading by a goal at half
time. Hanspal Singh scored the opening goal off a short corner but the second goal came as late as in the 45th minute off Gurcharan’s stick. Ropar Hawks reduced the margin in similar fashion through Major Singh but that was all that they could achieve. Thereafter, the Namdharis scored two more goals through Anmolak Singh to shatter the hopes of the Ropar lads. Tuesday’s fixtures: Northern Railway v Chandigarh XI — 1 p.m.; Bhaini Sahib XI v Western Railway — 2.30 p.m.; Signals v SRC — 4 p.m.
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Seeded players sail through in ITF meet Mumbai, September 24 In the girls singles first round action, where only unseeded players were in action, an injured Shefat Baishakhi of Bangladesh conceded her match to Nupoor Desai when trailing 5-7 0-3 while Vandana Murali set aside Nawthali Silva of Sri Lanka 6-1 6-0. In another interesting duel, Johan Fernandes got past Priyanka Mehta 6-3 1-6 7-6 (7/2). In other boys first round matches, Kartik Subramanium battled hard to beat Amrit Rupsinghe of Sri Lanka 5-7 6-3 6-3 while Domic Stoecwer of Switzerland blanked Denny Eldo 6-0 6-0. Also moving to the second round with hard fought wins were K. Kiran Kumar, Arjun Vaidya, K. Mahalingam, Lal Shree Babu of Bangladesh and Al Imran of Thailand. PTI |
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Manchester United keen to snatch a point Paris, September 24 United made only a lukewarm start against Lille last week, a last-minute effort from David Beckham securing a far from convincing 1-0 win over the French minnows. Deportivo, the 2000 Spanish league champions, are looking well capable of giving Real Madrid, Barcelona and company a run for their money once more in the Primera Liga, which they top after four matches. United, if nothing else, illustrated their strength in depth — and the appetite of “reserves” such as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to stake their own claims for a regular place — when coach Sir Alex Ferguson made nine changes ahead of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Ipswich. Sir Alex says the squad rotation principle will be resolutely applied because a successful club is in operation day after day. “The idea of having two teams applied today,” Ferguson explained after the Ipswich encounter. “With us training on Sunday, travelling on Monday and playing in Spain on Tuesday it was forced on me,” Ferguson told the Sunday Mirror. Nicky Butt spoke for many United fringe stars in saying a squad number at United was as good as a starting place elsewhere. Butt, who finally made his first appearance of the season against Ipswich, has Juan Sebastian Veron and Paul Scholes ahead of him in the pecking order for the trip to Spain but is happy to be involved at all. “There are a lot of games so hopefully we will all get a few games under our belts,” explained Butt. At least, United managed to garner the three points last week without playing well. Deportivo, in contrast, just managed to claw a home draw against Olympiakos, thanks to Juan Carlos Valeron’s late leveller before following up with a weekend success at Alaves. Coach Javier Irureta has no selection worries save for injured Brazilian playmaker Djalminha. Deportivo will want to wipe the slate clean with English opponents having last year gone out in the quarters to Leeds. Lille and Olympiakos face off in France in the other match in the group. In group E, Celtic host Porto after losing out to Juvetus to a disputed penalty last week. Celtic manager Martin O’Neill is considering an appeal against his one-match touchline ban after his dismissal in Italy, where he slammed German referee Helmut Krug for the last-minute dubious decision which handed Juventus victory. Porto won in Rosenborg and a point in Glasgow would see them take a stride towards the second phase.
AFP
Knife stops
Beckenbauer Munich, September 24 Beckenbauer had to leave a small pocket knife behind as his team Bayern Munich boarded a plane for Moscow at Munich airport for the Champions League match against Spartak. Security personnel asked the Bayern president to empty the toiletries bag he had in his hand luggage and found a small pocket knife inside. When told that he could not take the knife aboard the plane, Beckenbauer offered it as a gift to security officials. They declined, saying rules prevented them from accepting such gifts. AP |
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Indian eves lose to England Abbeville (France), September 24 In a match soured by controversial umpiring decisions, India trailed 0-2 at half-time before narrowing the margin in the 50th minute. India later lodged an official complaint against umpire Irina Sive Sovai of Russia for her alleged biased decisions. England drew first blood in the ninth minute through Leisa King and Ane Smith made it 2-0 in the 24th minute. India’s only goal was scored by inside left Jyoti Sunita Kullu.
PTI |
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School shooting at Kila
Raipur Chandigarh, September 24 He said shooters drawn from different schools of the state could vie for top honours in this meet. He said the competitions could be organised by District Rifle Association, Ludhiana under the aegis of the PRSA. The matches for juniors and sub-juniors in air rifle and air pistol will be held in NR and ISSF sections. Entries will be accepted on the spot along with original birth certificates. Mr Sidhu said the above meet would also be a qualifying competition for the 5th All-India Kumar Surendra Singh Inter-School Shooting competitions to be held at Badal village Muktsar district from October 20 to 24. The shooters achieving a minimum score of 60 per cent in ISSF and 40 per cent in national rules matches will be eligible to represent their respective schools through PRSA. |
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CPFI promotion bid
fails New Delhi, September 24 The CPFI is one federation which is rueing the decision to postpone the inaugural Afro-Asian Games to March-April 2002, as it was looking forward with great expectation to make its presence felt in the Afro-Asian Games as a demonstration sport. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) secretary-general Randhir Singh, who is also the Secretary-General of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), along with OCA president Sheikh Fahad were expected to participate in a demonstration game of cycle polo during the competition. The CPFI was expecting to consolidate its case for upgradation from C to B category after the Afro-Asian Games, but the postponement of the games has inflicted a body blow on the hopes of the CPFI. Now the CPFI is looking forward to the National Games in Punjab in October, as cycle polo has been included as a demonstration game in the National Games. “We fulfil all the requirements to gain upgradation from C (other category) to B (general category), but somehow, we have not been given the place we justifiably deserve”, CPFI president Yashwant Singh of Alwar said ruefully. India have been winning the world cycle polo title for the past four championships. They first won the title in 1997 at Richland (USA), retained the crown in 1999 at Vancour in Canada, before winning it twice more in 2000 in Delhi and 2001 in London. The Indian team hope to repeat the feat in the forthcoming world championship,
scheduled to be held in Paris in June-July 2002. “All these years, our players have been bearing the expenses to compete in the world championship from their own pockets. But if the CPFI gets promotion to the B category, it will fecilitate the availability of government grants to participate in international events”, explained Yashwant Singh, who has been waging a one-man crusade to promote the game in the country. |
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Powerlifter moves high court New Delhi, September 24 The petition is likely to be listed for further hearing before the Bench headed by the Chief Justice, Mr Arijit Passayat, on Wednesday. Earlier, Asian discus throw champion Anil Kumar had also challenged announcement of this year’s Arjuna Awards to two athletes — Rachna Govil and Kalpana Devanath. The court had issued notices to the Centre and the Sports Authority of India on his petition. Braj Bhushan in his petition alleged the Dronacharya Award for lifetime contribution had been announced this year to “lesser known” powerlifter Bhupender Dhawan, while his case had been “ignored” despite his winning bronze medal in the 1985 world championships. He had neither been considered for the Arjuna Award nor for the Dronacharya Award, though he had been imparting training in powerlifting for the past eight years, he in his petition, said. Since the government has failed to lay down a proper policy for selection of candidates for the Arjuna and other national awards, a direction of the court is needed to it, the petition said.
PTI |
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Punjab inter-school
cricket from Oct 5 Chandigarh, September 24 Mr
I.S. Bindra, President, Punjab Cricket Association, speaking about the tournament said sincere efforts were being made to revive and promote cricket at grassroots level. He bemoaned the lack of any competition at this level. Complimenting
Parle-G for making a good beginning in this direction, he said teams from six cities would participate as against five teams which took part in the tournament last year. He hoped that participation would increase in the coming years, giving a tremendous boost to the cricket at this level. Mr
M.P. Pandove, honorary secretary of the PCA, revealed that teams from two more districts would join the competitions soon adding that the idea was to revive interest among schoolboys as schools and colleges earlier used to produce good cricketers. Mr
Shankaran, the moving spirit behind the competition, thanked the PCA for having permitted the use of the
stadium. Parle-G, promoter of the tournament, has instituted the Man of the Match awards for the Super League matches and the final. The winners will get Rs 16,000, while the runners-up will pocket Rs 9,600. Besides, four top teams will get special prizes. Any player scoring a century or getting at least four wickets in a match will receive special
prize. Parle Champions Trophy organised last year in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Punjab was a grand success and Atmaram High School, Patiala, were the runners-up. |
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East Bengal win Kolkata, September 24 Emboldened by the induction of Jo Paul Ancheri, Dipak Mondal and Suley Musah, holders East Bengal looked a far better side right from the word go. They kept a tight leash over the proceedings with the four foreign recruits coming good and Dipak Mondal having an excellent outing in the defence. Even before the players settled down, East Bengal went one up when Omolaja Olalekan scored in the opening minute after receiving a long ball from Anit Ghosh. The burly Nigerian, collecting the ball near midfield dodged past two Tollygunge Agragami defenders and beat an advancing Sandip Nandy to his left. East Bengal increased their tally in the 20th minute when Jo Paul Ancheri, returning after his injury, found the mark with a crisp left-footer from outside the box (2-0). Against the red-gold outfit playing like a well-oiled machine, Tollygunge, who recently drubbed league leaders Mohun Bagan by two goals in the Super League, looked rusty and unimaginative. The only time they got into the match was in the late first half when Ghanian Akeem Aboloni’s efforts bore fruit in the 31st minute. Collecting the ball from an angular pass by Sasti Duley he shot home from close to make it 2-1.
UNI |
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BSF win Baba Farid hockey Faridkot, September 24 In a well-contested match right out Shinu Horenz of BSF gave his team the lead through a penalty stroke in the 30th minute. The winners earned seven penalty corners but failed to make use of them. The runners-up earned six penalty corners. Imran Khan of the Corps of Signal goalkeeper was declared the best player. BSF finished winners for the seventh time. |
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Uncertainty worries
Leander Paes Kolkata, September 24 Flying out of New York 24 hours before tragedy struck at the WTC, the Indian No 1 returned to his hometown only to find himself stranded, with prospects of a war looming large. “Its a strange situation. I would like to leave for Florida as soon as possible to start preparations for the Davis Cup, but am forced to wait and watch how things develop in the USA and Afghanistan,” Paes said here today.
UNI |
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Patiala 137 all out Patiala, September 24 Barring southpaw Amit Kakria, none of the other batsmen, including star batsman Pankaj Dharmani, managed to stay at the wicket. Middle-order batsman Lakhbir Singh, who has come up with match-winning innings in all of the three previous matches, was unlucky to be run out. Brief scores: Patiala-137 all out (Amit Kakria 36, Gaganinder Garry 26; Amit Uniyal 3 for 29, Sanjay Dhull 3 for 57, Vipul Sharma 2 for 20). Chandigarh: 98 for 2 (Dinesh Mongia 27, Nagesh Gupta 40 n.o). |
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Ranji trials Rohtak, September 24 Captain K.B. Dogra, who has been associated with the Indian team as physical trainer will provide his services. Haryana play their first Ranji against Jammu and Kashmir at Rohtak from November 1. |
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