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Tuesday,
April 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India   |
Rain forces early
draw
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Pak rout Kiwis, enter final Sharjah, April 15 Shahid Afridi hit a spectacular 108 not out off 92 balls to lift Pakistan into the Sharjah Cup final with an eight-wicket romp over New Zealand here today. Afridi and his opening partner Imran Nazir smashed 101 in just 14 overs as Pakistan surpassed New Zealand’s 213 for nine in the 32nd over to set up a title clash with Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
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Mohun Bagan hold nerve to win
NFL Victorious JCT escape relegation Punjab cops shock ITI
Venus clinches 25th career title Johansson beats Norman Unflappable Tiger Woods wins Masters Two boxers
to train in Germany If Beckham has will
he’ll play: Eriksson
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Rain forces early draw Georgetown (Guyana), April 15 It rained heavily throughout the night yesterday and there were pools of water all over the ground. With drainage of all water in time for play to resume looking highly unlikely and more showers predicted during the day, the two umpires, Daryl Harper of Australia and Asoka de Silva of Sri Lanka, decided to call off the match. Not even a single innings was completed in the rain- interrupted match with only the opening day seeing its full quota of 90 overs being bowled. When rains had forced the premature end of the fourth day’s play yesterday, with 52 overs still to be bowled, India were 395 for seven in reply to the West Indies first innings score of 501. Vice-captain Rahul Dravid was batting on 144 while Sarandeep Singh was on 39, their eighth wicket association fetching India a record 120 runs. Their efforts had pulled the team out of trouble after three quick wickets in the morning had raised fears that India might stop short of their follow-on mark of 301. Rahul Dravid hammered 144 not out for his 10th Test century. Dravid smashed 22 boundaries and shared in a record eighth-wicket stand of 120 with Sarandeep Singh, 39 not out, before heavy rain that had started half an hour before tea forced play to be called off with India 395 for seven in reply to the West Indies first innings total of 501. The duo had added 120 runs, a record for an Indian eighth wicket pair against the West Indies, after the visitors had slumped to 275 for seven this morning. The previous record stood in the name of Yashpal Sharma and Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who had put on 107 in the Kingston Test in the 1982-83 series. India were still 106 runs behind the West Indian first innings score of 501. Dravid has so far batted for 436 minutes and hit 23 fours from 345 balls. Sarandeep Singh has been at the crease for 165 minutes and hit one four from 119 balls. But Dravid and Sarandeep Singh showed tremendous patience and concentration as they carried forward the Indian
innings. India survived some anxious moments before achieving their primary objective of avoiding a follow-on. Three wickets in quick succession saw India being reduced to 275 for seven after they resumed at their overnight score of 237 for four. With only tailenders to follow and 27 runs still needed to cross the follow-on mark of 301, India were in a difficult situation. However, vice-captain Rahul Dravid showed a lot of character in adversity and held to his end stubbornly along with Sarandeep Singh, who too showed remarkable application West Indies (1st innings): 501 India (1st innings): (overnight 237-4) Das b Sanford 33 Dasgupta lbw b Cuffy 0 Ganguly c Nagamootoo b Dillon 5 Tendulkar lbw b Nagamootoo 79 Dravid not out 144 Laxman c Gayle b Cuffy 69 Bangar lbw b Cuffy 0 Kumble c Nagamootoo b Sanford 3 Sarandeep not out 39 Extras (b-4 lb-12 nb-5 w-2) 23 Total (7 wkts, 140.3 overs): 395 Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-21, 3-99, 4-144, 5-263, 6-270, 7-275 Bowling: Dillon 32.3-5-115-1, Cuffy 27-6-57-3, Sanford 25-5-81-2, Nagamootoo 40-13-103-1, Hooper 12-4-16-0, Gayle 4-2-7-0.
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Bowling to Sachin a challenge: Cuffy Georgetown (Guyana), April 15 “I like this sort of challenge. But as everyone knows, (Sachin) Tendulkar is the greatest of modern batsmen. The way he played was so different from the others. You might bowl a good ball but it could go to the boundary. He is a difficult customer,” said 31-year-old Cuffy about his experience of bowling to the Indian master. It was Tendulkar who first counter-attacked on the third day with a strokeful 79 after India were 21 for 2 with the dismissals of make-shift opener Deep Dasgupta and skipper Sourav Ganguly.
Cuffy, the senior-most West Indian bowler, rated the knocks of both Tendulkar and Dravid as outstanding but said he fancied his chances against the latter. “Dravid batted very well, he was patient but there are times when you feel you have a chance against him,” Cuffy said.
Cuffy, however, was disappointed that his partner Mervyn Dillon couldn’t keep up the pressure from the other end. “It is tough because it makes it easier for the batsmen. You tighten up from one end but the pressure eases from the other end. “As bowlers we are required to bowl in the right channel. We were guilty of not doing that,” said Cuffy who pushed India to the verge of follow-on on the fourth day yesterday taking two quick wickets in a superb opening spell. The gangling bowler, who had to work doubly hard to keep up with the
youngsters, said when he came for his spell in the afternoon, he wanted to take a couple of quick wickets to achieve his first five-wicket haul.
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I love the conditions here: Dravid Georgetown (Guyana), April 15 “I enjoy touring the Caribbean. I love the conditions, I love the atmosphere. It is just a great place to play cricket. After India it is one of the places where you really feel the passion for the game,” said Dravid who made 360 in five Tests in the 1996-97 West Indies tour. Dravid said it was not his best hundred but probably “among the best two or three” of his career. “I still rate the 190 against New Zealand during the Hamilton Test in 1999 as my best effort to date in Test cricket”. “I think today’s was an important innings because after Laxman got out, it was important firstly to avoid the follow-on and bat long enough. Hopefully, we should now ensure a draw,” said Dravid. With the left side of his jaw swollen by a snorter from Mervyn Dillon, Dravid said it would have harmed the team had he left the field. “I had to bat on because at that point of time, we couldn’t have afforded (my going off the field). With Laxman and I the only recognised pair left, it wouldn’t have been good to leave the field. “So I thought I would see it through, at least till the follow on. But then things cleared up and I was feeling quite good,” said Dravid. The right-hander had added just a couple of runs to his third day’s score of 57 when he ducked into a short-pitched delivery and was hit on the face. “I ducked into it and sort of didn’t pick it up. I was a bit jaded initially but then the physio came in and said you should be okay.” Dravid said he probably would have an X-ray of the jaw in Trinidad. “At the moment, I am pretty okay.” Dravid was also happy that he was able to shoulder the double responsibility of vice-captain and a senior player in the side. “I have a responsibility as the senior player of the side. Being a vice-captain is just part of it. When the time comes, it is important for a senior guy to put his hand up and be counted. And that was something which was crossing my mind right through.” Dravid said at the start of his innings on Saturday and yesterday, he batted cautiously according to the team’s need. “I started slowly yesterday, getting used to the pace and getting used to the conditions. I think they bowled quite a good line as I came in, (Cameron) Cuffy especially bowled very good length so it just took me a little bit of time to get set and then things started flowing.” The vice-captain said he would have been doubly pleased had his partner in the century stand for the fifth wicket, V.V.S. Laxman, had also helped himself to a big innings. “Laxman played well and would be disappointed that he couldn’t carry on. When he is batting he makes it look so easy. Makes everyone at the other end look almost inadequate. He got into the groove early which I think is good for us. “I am really hopeful. I think big things are expected from him right through this tour,” Dravid said. Looking back at the Test, he said: “It is important that we showed character early on the tour. Hopefully, we can build on it and have a good series. As one can see the two sides are evenly matched.”
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Kale, Kaif’s efforts in vain as India ‘A’ lose
Pietersburg (SA), April 15 Mohammed Kaif, who starred with a half-century in India’s maiden win on tour in the last one-day match against President’s XI, once again produced an impressive performance, this time with the ball, claiming three for 14 runs. But that was not enough to defend a lowly total of 180 against some solid batting display by the hosts for whom A Gallaway (68) and J. P. Michau (73) shared a decisive 96-run partnership for the third wicket. India captain Jacob Martin won the toss again and elected to bat but only Kale showed some application while others failed to make any substantial contribution. Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and even Kaif perished to the sustained pressure of the Districts side. The hosts then went on a rampage in their essay, sending the India bowlers on a leather hunt. The match was over with more than 10 overs to spare. Brief Scores: India ‘A’ 180 in 49 overs (A. Kale 71; Krynauw 3-23) lost to SA Country Districts XI 182 for 6 in 39.5 overs (A. Gallaway 68, J. P. Michau 73; Kaif 3-14).
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Sharjah, April 15 Afridi and his opening partner Imran Nazir smashed 101 in just 14 overs as Pakistan surpassed New Zealand’s 213 for nine in the 32nd over to set up a title clash with Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Afridi plundered seven boundaries and eight sixes in his third one-day century, while Nazir made 57 off 53 balls with nine fours. It was Pakistan’s 10th straight win over the Kiwis at this desert venue and overturned the trend in this $ 250,000 event that saw the team batting second lose the five previous matches. Pakistan, who gained a bonus point from the emphatic victory, ended the league with nine points, three behind leaders Sri Lanka. Nazir raced to his 50 off 35 balls by which time Afridi had contributed just four runs. Afridi, however, was not to be overshadowed as he welcomed Scott Styris with a six and added three more in the bowler’s second over. He raced to his century with a six off Chris Harris and ended the game with a lofted boundary off Ian Butler. Leg-spinner Brooke Walker, playing his first match in the tournament, broke the opening stand with his third ball when he had Nazir caught behind by stand-in wicketkeeper Matthew Sinclair. Walker also dismissed Yousuf Youhana for 24 to a catch in the slips, but Inzamam-ul Haq kept Afridi company till the match ended with 17.3 overs to spare. New Zealand had themselves wasted an explosive start as Nathan Astle and Matt Horne hammered 75 for the first wicket off just 11.5 overs before Pakistan grabbed four wickets in the space of four runs. Harris (35) and Styris (43) boosted the total, but the advantage lay with Pakistan as off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and seamer Wasim Akram grabbed three wickets each. Horne (27) and Astle (36) came good for the first time in the tournament, tearing apart the dreaded pace attack of Akram and captain Waqar Younis. Saqlain put an end to the mayhem by removing both openers in successive overs. Saqlain took a low return catch to get rid of Horne, while Waqar judged a skier superbly at mid-on to remove Astle.
AFP Scoreboard New Zealand Horne c and b Saqlain 27 Astle c Waqar b Saqlain 36 Oram run out 0 Sinclair b Akhtar 0 Fleming lbw b Razzaq 12 Harris lbw b Akram 35 Styris b Akram 43 Adams st Latif b Saqlain 20 Walker not out 16 Tuffy b Akram 0 Butler not out 1 Extras:
(b-2, lb-13, w-6, nb-2) 23 Total: (9 wkts, 50 overs) 213 FoW:
1-75, 2-76, 3-76, 4-79, 5-101, 6-141, 7-176, 8-205, 9-205. Bowling: Akram 10-0-43-3, Waqar 9-0-46-0, Akhtar 10-0-41-1, Saqlain 10-2-26-3, Razzaq 7-2-24-1, Afridi 4-0-18-0. Pakistan: Nazir c Sinclair b Walker 57 Afridi not out 108 Y Youhana c Fleming
b Walker 24 Inzamam not out 18 Extras (lb-6, w-3, nb-1) 10 Total (2 wkts, 31.3 overs) 217 FoW:
1-101, 2-138. Bowling: Tuffy 7-2-25-0, Butler 4.3-0-37-0, Adams 2-0-21-0, Styris 2-0-29-0, Walker 8-0-54-2, Harris 8-0-45-0.
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Mohun Bagan hold nerve to win NFL
Margao, April 15 Bagan, who needed an outright win to lift the title for third time in today’s 22nd and final round scored the all- important goal in the 72nd minute through Abdul Saliu. Bagan finished with 44 points from 22 matches and Churchill ended up with 42 points. After a barren first half, the Kolkata giants scored the decider, courtsey a costly lapse by Churchill defence. Following a flag kick from the right, Bagan medio Basudeb Mondal floated the ball into the box and as the Goan defenders hesitated to clear the ball, an unmarked Saliu found the target with a superb header to give Bagan the title and a cash prize of Rs 40 lakh. Zee Churchill, who were reduced to 10-men in the 65th minute when defender Mahesh Gawli, who did a good job in policing Brazilian striker Jose Barreto, received his second yellow card from Malaysian referee Mohammed Supian for handling the ball. But Churchill were unlucky in the dying minutes when Osamanu Husseni’s header was saved on the goal-line by Bagan defender Debjit Ghosh. Vasco, who lost to JCT 1-2 at Ludhiana today, finished third with 40 points and earned Rs 16 lakh while Salgaocar, who drew with East Bengal 1-1 at Kolkata finished fourth with 39 points and bagged Rs 9 lakh. East Bengal finished behind Salgaocar with 36 points. F.C. Kochin, who lost to Tollygunge 0-5 were relegated along with Punjab Police as they finished 11th and 12th, respectively. HAL Club beat Mahindra 2-0 at Mumbai while Punjab Police shocked ITI, Bangalore by a 2-1 margin at Jalandhar. Both Bagan and Churchill played an attacking game from the start and but failed to break the deadlock in the first half as both marked each other’s strikers tightly. Churchill played five men in the defence with Mahesh Gawli keeping a close vigil on dangerman Barreto. Gawli did his job well in keeping Barreto under check until the 65th minute when he received his second yellow card and this gave Bagan a relief as they managed to break the rival defence on a few occasions and scored the all- important goal through Saliu. Zee Churchill’s Yusif Yakubu, who remained the highest scorer with 17 goals, had a good chance to put his team up in the 40th minute but he ballooned it over from close off a pass from Roque Barreto. Earlier, his long ranger had missed the target narrowly. Bagan who tried to pierce into the rival defence through the flanks had two scoring chances but Abdul Latif Seriki’s try on the run was blocked by keeper Ansah off a cross from Renedy Singh. After change of ends, Zee Churchill suffered a setback when Gawli was sent off by referee Supian for handling the ball. With Churchill reduced to 10-men, Bagan took advantage and maintained territorial supremacy. However, down by 72nd minute goal scored by Saliu, Zee Churchill did not lose hearts and kept on attacking the Bagan defence. In a frantic effort to find the equaliser, Churchill coach T.K. Chatunni brought in replacements bringing in Francis Silveira and Somatai Shaiza in place of Syed Amin and Aqueel Ansari, but to no avail. Yakubu, who was tightly marked by the rival defence, came near scoring midway into the second half when he beat a host of defenders and essayed a firm shot, but keeper Ghosh dived to his right to collect the ball. KOCHI: FC Kochin suffered a humiliating 0-5 deafeat at the hands of Tollygunge Agragami, Kolkata, in their last league match here. With this defeat, Kerala’s FC Kochin, the country’s first professional club, has been relegated to the second division. Hard-working medio Ashim Biswas (10th and 75th), Mehtab Hossain (58th), Akeem Abolanli (70th) and Moses Oira (77th) were the scorers for the winners. FC Kochin, who took the fourth slot in the last edition, could accumulate only 17 points. The local outfit settled for the 11th place just above Punjab Police, in the 12-team league. On the other hand, Tollygunge moved to 23 points from 22 matches with this win. Tollygunge, who dominated the proceedings right through, could have won by a much higher margin, but for the brilliant goalkeeping by Kochin’s Ali Abubacker. KOLKATA: Defending champion East Bengal’s hopes of improving their position on the points table received a setback as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Salgaocar in their league match here. The home team raised hopes of a victory by forging ahead late in the opening session when Jose Carlos converted a penalty but the spirited Goans neutralised the lead midway through the second session with striker Alex Ambrose finding the target in a fast paced encounter. The result came as a big disappointment for the glamour club who seemed determined to log three points from this home match and climb a little higher on the final placings. East Bengal were reduced to 10 players midway through the second session as Jose Carlos was given marching order by referee S.M. Balu for arguing with him but the home team did not concede any more goals. The home team shot into the lead just three minutes before the interval as Carlos converted a spotkick without much fuss, placing it to the right of the Salgaocar custodian Kalyan Choubey. The equaliser was the result of a fast counter attack which saw Dharamjit Singh collect a loose ball and pass it to Alex Ambrose who broke through the defence and unleashed a crisp right footer. MUMBAI: Two second half goals by HAL put paid to the aspirations of Mahindra United finishing the league on a high note going down 0-2 in the final league match played at the Cooperage here. The HAL with this 2-0 win took their points tally to 28 to remain on the same eighth place, while Mahindra United stayed on the same 33 points and finished the league on sixth place. The rest of the half was restricted to midfield as both the teams failing to break through the opposition defence. The second half saw a free for all as in the 10th minute Okolo of Mahindra and Peter Siddiqui of the HAL traded blows near the box of the HAL resulting in the referee showing the red card to both of them.
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Victorious JCT escape relegation Ludhiana, April 15 JCT turned on the heat in the third minute of the encounter with Stephen capitalising on a defensive lapse, headed the ball towards medio Hadip Saini who sent a sizzling grounder to surprise the Vasco goalkeeper Rogerio Ramos (1-0). Spurred on by the early success, JCT kept tormenting the Vasco defenders with flurry of raids from both the flanks with forward line working in tendem but were unlucky not to consolidate the lead. Stephen was distinctly unlucky not to add two more goals to their credit when on one occasion his blistering volley landed into Ramos’ hands and on another one his shot from close to the goalmouth went off the target by inches. After changing ends, JCT extended their lead in the 47th minute. Stephen broke through the defence with a sudden burst of speed and deft footwork before placing the ball into the goal, giving no chance to Vasco custodian, who charged out of his fort but was himself beaten (2-0). Down by two goals, Vasco players went all out and forced JCT onto defence. After repeated attacks, they managed to penetrate JCT defence in the 71st minute. Marcos Pereira, spurting down the right flank, released the high cross into the ungaurded space behind the rival defence and Peter Rodrigues placed the ball into the net to reduce the margin 2-1. Vasco’s best chance of levelling the score came in 82nd minute but Santa Singh’s fine attempt from goalmouth fended off by JCT goalkeeper, Arvind Kumar. Vasco goal too had a close shave in the 85th minute when Prabhjot Singh’s long volley from half line was well collected in the striking circle by substitute Sukhjit Singh whose shot missed target by a whisker. |
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Punjab cops shock ITI Jalandhar, April 15 Though match was started on a slow note, the ITI team lost the opportunity to gain the lead in 24th minute when George Ekha got an excellent pass on the left flank from Mohammad Salisu, but his powerful shot into the box missed the target and hit the top of the bar. Subsequently in 26th minute, Punjab Police’s Vijay Paul hit a strong shot from the left flank but it went wide and missed the box. The scoreboard remained blank till the half time. In the second half, Punjab Police gained lead in the 47th minute Sher Singh’s attempt was deflected by the rivals goal keeper. However Kuldip of Punjab Police, who got the loose pass placed the ball at the left corner before the goalkeeper could react. In another attempt in 52nd minute Sher Singh hit the ball right in front of the box and ITI’s goalkeeper was smart enough to thwart the attempt. In 65th minute Punjab Police increased the tally when Harnek Singh took the flag kick, which was headed by Rajesh Kumar into the goalbox. (2-0). Though ITI players showed some impressive shots in the fag end of the game, they failed to convert them into goal. In 70th minute ITI’s George Ekka scored for his team, but the referee decalared it offside. Finally in the 78th minute ITI got the success in reducing the margin when Zaheer Abbas took a free kick from the top of the box and Ekka made no mistake in heading the same into the net (2-1). |
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Venus clinches 25th career title Amelia Island (USA), April 15 “I thought I was going down,” said Williams, who earned $93,000 for the victory yesterday. “I don’t know how I stayed out there because she was playing well. “Even when I was getting tired, I just tried to keep my legs going.” The top-seeded Williams has put together an incredible record, winning 16 of 17 final appearances since the start of 2000. It was her first win here and 25th of her career and it comes with a silver lining. Asked how she was going to celebrate, Williams said she would “buy something (jewelry) in silver”. Williams holds a perfect 3-0 record in matches against Henin this year. She also has a 5-1 career edge over Henin with the Belgian taking their first encounter at Berlin last year. Williams defeated Henin in the final of Wimbledon last year. Williams said she was surprised to win against Henin. She had 60 unforced errors and had her serve broken on eight of 20 occasions. Henin made just 46 unforced errors and had her serve broken seven of 13 times. Williams, who will remain at No. 2 in the world in next week’s rankings, appeared flat-footed for the first set-and-a-half. The second-seeded Henin played exquisite tennis to race to a 6-2 4-0 advantage, winning eight-straight games from 2-2 in the first set. “I was playing so well,” Henin said. “I never have played this well.” But Henin has a reputation for having trouble closing out matches. “Of course, I’m a little disappointed,” she said. “But I did find my confidence this week and that’s good.” The Belgian served for the match at 5-4 and reached 30-30 in the second set but lost the next two points. In the third set Henin once again served for the match at 5-4, but surrendered her serve. Henin earned $ 48,000 as runner-up.
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Johansson beats Norman Monte Carlo, April 15 The eighth seed had never won a match at the principality’s claycourt tournament in five previous attempts and looked to be heading for another first-round exit as Norman took control in the first set. Johansson bounced back in the second set, though, as former world number two Norman — who has won just one match since hip surgery last year — began to falter. Norman pushed a forehand wide to hand Johansson the second-set tiebreak and practically folded in the final set as Johansson wrapped the match up in two hours 34 minutes. Johansson, who beat Marat Safin in Melbourne in January to win his maiden Grand Slam crown, will next play Stefan Koubek after the Austrian fought back to beat Spain’s Albert Montanes.
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Unflappable Tiger Woods wins Masters Augusta (USA), April 15 It was Sunday (rpt Sunday) at the Masters, and Tiger Woods was in the lead. “After the front nine, I knew it was all over for me,” US Open champion Retief Goosen said. He wasn’t alone. Woods won his third green jacket by proving he was far more daunting than a toughened up, redesigned Augusta National. He seized control with an early burst of birdies and watched his rivals crash in a desperate and reckless attempt to catch him. The result was another march into history, with Woods becoming only the third player to win back-to-back titles. Phil Mickelson muttered through clenched teeth when his par putt slipped below the hole on No. 7. Ernie Els took a lonely walk through the trees left of the 13th fairway, shoulders slumped and head down. Vijay Singh covered his head with his hands when his ball bounded into a creek on the same hole. Woods had the look of a champion all day. He closed with a 1-under 71 to claim a three-stroke victory over Goosen, who started the final round tied with Woods and spent most of the day playing for second. “You just know Tiger is not going to make any big mistakes,” Goosen said. Woods walked up the 18th fairway in a victory parade, tugging on the brim of his cap to acknowledge the applause. When he tapped in for a par score of 12-under 276, he hugged his parents, both decked out in red shirts — the colour he wears for every final round. Woods became the first player to repeat as Masters champion since Nick Faldo in 1990. Jack Nicklaus was the only other, in 1965-66, and Woods’ victory put him halfway to Nicklaus’ mark of six Masters. “Give him a couple of more years, and I think Tiger will be greater than even Jack
Nicklaus,” Goosen said. Last year, Woods battled Mickelson and David Duval down the stretch to win the Masters and become the first player to sweep the four professional majors. Another tight finish loomed, with six of the top seven players in the world all poised to win the Masters. By the end of the day, they were scratching their heads, trying to figure out what they could do — if anything — to tame Tiger. “We were all trying to make something happen to catch Tiger, because we knew he wasn’t going to falter,” said Mickelson, who closed with a 71 to finish third, his 39th major and still regarded as the best to never win one. Els tried to make a charge, and wound up with an 8 by hitting into the trees and into the creek on the par-5 13th. Singh, former Masters and PGA champion, got as close as two strokes before he hit into a creek, into the crowd, into the trees. That was before he reached No. 15, where it really got ugly. Singh hit two wedges into the water and made 9. “That was the end of that,” he said. It was over long before. “I was kind of surprised, no doubt about it,” Woods said about no one making a run. “But that doesn’t deter me from my concentration.” Woods won his seventh professional major, joining a list that includes Bobby Jones, Gene
Sarazen, Sam Snead and Arnold Palmer, who made this Masters his 48th and last. Woods became only the third player since the Masters began in 1934 to win a major four years in a row. Nicklaus (1970-73) and Tom Watson (1980-83) also did it. More than anything, Woods reminded people how tough he is in the final round. He is 23-2 when he has at least a share of the 54-hole lead. Woods earned $ 1,008,000 for his 31st career victory, and he became the first two-time winner on the PGA Tour this year. Goosen didn’t make a birdie until the 15th hole, but moved into second when everyone else fell apart. The South African closed with a 74 and finished at 279. Mickelson, playing in the group in front of Woods, made an early statement by hitting a 9-iron out of the fairway bunker into 1 inches on the first hole for birdie, then making another birdie on No. 2. Just like that, he was only two strokes behind. Els also birdied the first two holes, poised to make a charge. Then, poof! Woods made them all disappear. He pitched up the slope to 6 feet on No. 2 and made birdie, then spun back his approach to 10 feet on No. 3 and made that for another birdie. After a bogey on No. 5, only his second in 44 holes, Woods was staring at another when he went over the green on the par-3 sixth. Would he buckle? No chance. Woods’ chip from 20 feet went straight into the cup, and he raised his wedge in mild celebration. There was no fist pump, no smiles, just another methodical day of work at the Masters. All the emotion came from everyone else. Even the best of the rest realised that Woods wins most of his tournaments by letting everyone else fall apart. “I tried,” Els said. “We all tried.” Against Woods, especially at Augusta, that isn’t enough.
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Two boxers
to train in Germany Patiala, April 15 Efforts are also being made by the IABF to enable these two boxers to train with the senior national German boxing squad keeping in view the forthcoming Commonwealth games and the Pusan Asian games slated to be held later this year. Indian pugilists gave a disastrous performance in the Kings cup that concluded at Bangkok last week. The seven-member Indian contingent returned home with just a solitary medal to their name when Jitendra Kumar won a bronze in the middle weight category. Barring Mohd Ali Qamar in the light fly weight class, all the six other boxers who took part in their respective weight categories, failed to win even their first round bouts. All the boxers, including chief coach Mr
G.S. Sandhu and assistant coach Peter Sotyanov of Bulgaria, arrived at the NIS here today morning. |
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If Beckham has will he’ll play: Eriksson Manchester, April 15 The Swede, who was speaking to Sky Sports before the FA Cup semi-final between Arsenal and
Middlesbrough, said he had spoken to Beckham and found him in good spirits even though medical experts have said he could be out for up to eight weeks which would be after the World Cup starts. “I talked to him on Saturday and he’s in good spirits,” Eriksson said. “No one knows if he’s going to make it, not me, not David and not the medical staff at Manchester United. “The only thing is to hope and wait and see but I believe if David has the self-belief and will inside his head that he will be ready in time,” added the former Lazio boss. Eriksson, who revived England’s flagging World Cup qualifying campaign when he took over from Kevin Keegan in 2000, effectively closed the door on the chances of Chelsea left back Graeme Le
Saux, who has never played for England since the Swede arrived, making it to his second finals. “I have watched him lots of times playing for Chelsea, Eriksson said. “I think contrary to what many others are saying that we are strongly covered on the left side of the team. “Some people may think we aren’t but I do,” he added. Eriksson also explained the reasoning behind his surprise call-up of Blackburn’s uncapped striker Matt Jansen. “I think he’s been playing better and better all season,” he said. “So why not give him a chance and see how he does,” he
added. AFP |
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