The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

HEALTH

‘You don’t have to live with an artificial joint’
Nalini Ranjan

Orthopaedic specialists performing a surgery.

New Delhi, November 25
Dr R.S. Vashishta, Director of Vashishta Clinics and Hospital, an orthosurgical centre for corrective & rehabilitative surgery, has more than a decade of experience in treating difficult orthopaedics deformities.

In an interview with the NCR Tribune, he said that age-related problems are very much common these days. The bowing of the knee joints (osteoarthritis) of the knee is probably the most common of these deformities. Of late, there is a strong misconception in society about the treatment options available for these problems. People think that there is only one mode of treatment, that is replacement of the joint (total knee replacement). But, only 5 to 10 per cent of people reaching an orthopaedic specialist require this surgery. This is done when the joint is irreparably damaged. Most of the joints are manageable by other methods.

A physiotherapy and medicine in initial stages can cure this kind of deformities. If there is a small damage inside the joint like a tear of the cartilage (or washer) inside the joints, but the actual joint structure is not damaged, then an operation with a telescope attached to video TV monitor is carried out. A patient can walk after a few hours of the operation. This is done through a keyhole or pinhole incision, no plaster or bed rest is required. This is the surgery required in maximum number of the operating class of the knee joints.

“In very complicated cases, we apply High Tibial Osteotomy with Ilizarov Fixator. This is the special type of surgery, which we provide for salvaging a lot of joints, which are otherwise advised total knee replacement. We have a large number of these patients. The advantages are great. The first and foremost being that the natural knee is saved. You do not have to live with an artificial joint,” Dr Vashista said.

SPORTS

Top players for Shastri Hockey
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
Top players like Dhanraj Pillai, Indian captain Dilip Tirkey, Mukesh Kumar and others will be seen in action in the 13th Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey Tournament to be held at the Shivaji Stadium from November 27 to December 3.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will take on Sports Authority of India in the opening match on Thursday at 2.30 pm.

The other teams participating in the tournament are Air India, Indian Airlines, Punjab and Sind Bank, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd., Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Bangladesh Eleven. The semi-finals and final will be telecast live.

Chairman of the tournament committee Kamal Chaudhary announced that cash prizes of Rs 5,000 and Rs 3,000 will be awarded to the best and second best photographs of the tournament.

TT Industries will sponsor the best player award in every match.

P&SB Hockey Academy win laurels
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
The Punjab and Sind Bank (P and S B) Sub-Junior Hockey Academy have produced outstanding performances during the past few months, and chairman and managing director of P and SB, N S Gujral, termed their feats as “extraordinary”.

The academy team finished runners-up in the 20th ONGC-Nehru Sub-Junior Hockey Tournament which concluded at the Shivaji Stadium in Delhi recently. The bank team notched up big wins against Khurar, Haryana (10-1), Gujarat (17-0), Jaspur Nagar, Chattisgarh (15-0), SKCSV Inter-College, Varanasi (4-2) and Birsa Munda, Rourkela (3-2). Mr Gujral said the achievements of the boys were outstanding as they beat tough teams on way to the challenge round.

Mr Gujral said the Punjab and Sind Bank hockey team have a creditable track record as after creating the hockey team in 1985, they won many prestigious tournaments such as the Nehru Gold Cup, Bombay Gold Cup, Indira Gold Cup, Scindia Gold Cup, Beighton Cup, Surjit Memorial Tournament and the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hockey Tournament.

Mr Gujral said in 1994, the bank set up the hockey academy in Jalandhar to give further boost to the game by unearthing and grooming talented players from the country side. He said the bank set up the sub-junior academy in 2002 to give a big boost to hockey at the grass-root level by enrolling players in the 12-15 age groups. And the success of the sub-junior academy boys has vindicated the bank’s decision to venture into an uncharted territory.

Mr Gujral said the bank took full care of the hockey trainees, including their board and lodge requirements, food, kits, equipment and education. “The bank is committed to create a strong hockey base in the country through its two academies”, Mr Gujral noted.

15 teams for DSA Open Club League
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
Defending champions Hindustan and runners-up Indian Nationals will be among the 15 club teams competing for the top honours in the Delhi Soccer Association (DSA)-SAIL Open Club Senior Division Football League Championship, to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru North ground, from December 2.

The teams have been divided into two groups. Group A comprises Hindustan, Mughals, Frontier, Delhi Police, Tarun Sangha, New Delhi Heroes, Simla Youngs and B B Stars. Group B consists of Indian National, City Club, Indian Air Force (New Delhi), Moonlight, Shahdara, Garhwal Heroes and Goans.

The top five teams in each group will qualify for the Super League, which will commence after the completion of the Durand Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium.

LG Corporate Putting

The LG Corporate Putting Championship was held from November 16 to 24 at the Delhi Golf Club course. The event featured leading industrialists like Pankaj Munjal, Rupendra Singh, Raghu Malhotra, U K Bose, Vikram Bakshi, Sanjay Rishi, Kapil Kapoor, cricketers Gordon Greenidge, Ajay Jadeja, Atul Wassan, said Ganesh Mahalingam of LG Electronics.

The US Embassy team, comprising Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjiv Choudhary, Jag Sagar Chand and Sandeep Khanna won the event while Intex India finished as runners-up.

The team was represented by Ole Poulsen, Amarjit Singh, Yatin Wadwana and Pratap Malik.

PBL beat NIIT in Corporate Cup
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
Fine batting performances by Nitin Puniya (40) and Abdul Sattar (37) helped PBL beat NIIT by 38 runs in the Corporate Cup Cricket Tournament played at the Venkateshwara College ground.

Scores: PBL: 149 for 8 in 25 overs (Nitin Puniya 40, Abdul Sattar 37, Ashish Sachdeva 2 for 37, Gagan 2 for 32).

NIIT: 111 all out in 23.2 overs (G Ashish 26, Rajesh Vashnik 20, Rakesh Rawat 2 for 20, Mandeep Obrai 2 for 17).

Ravi Brothers, Essex Farms win

Deadly bowling of 3 for 23 by Neeraj Sharma helped Ravi Brothers beat Yorks Club by seven wickets in an A-II Division match of the DDCA League at the Yamuna Sports Complex ground.

At the Kotla No II ground, Essex Farms beat Jemini Club by eight wickets in another A-II Division match.

Scores: Yorks Club: 86 all out in 28.4 overs (Rajeev Kumar 14, Neeraj Sharma
3 for 23, Mohit Kaushal 2 for 8, Salabh Gupta 2 for 16).

Ravi Brothers: 90 for 3 in 15 overs (Mohit Kaushal 26, Pradeep Deswal 23).

Gemini Club: 159 all out in 37.4 overs (Ishish Pandey 46, Karan Roy 41, Mukesh Marwah 2 for 19, Mukul Jain 2 for 22, Ajay Yadav 2 for 42).

Essex Farms: 164 for 2 in 17 overs (Sareen Bansal 74 n o, Paras Bhatia 50, Mukesh Marwah 30).

DAV School beat Bal Bharti in Ganga tourney
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
A half century by Hunny Garg (51, 5x4), a strokeful unbeaten 43 by Bhanu and deadly bowling of 3 for 21 by Abhishek Royla enabled DAV Shalimar Bagh beat Bal Bharti School, Pitampura by seven wickets in the Ganga School Under-17 Schools Cricket Tournament at the Ganga School ground, Hiran Kudna. Garg was adjudged the Man of the Match.

Scores: Bal Bharti: 162 for 8 (Vikas Rathi 48, Nikhil 21, Abhishek Royla 3 for 21, Danesh 2 for 11).

DAV: 163 for 3 in 26.4 overs (Hunny Garg 51, Bhanu 43 n o, Arun Taneja 2 for 21).

In another match, Ganga School beat Jeevan Jyoti Mode School, Sadatpur by seven wickets.

Scores: Jeevan Jyoti Model School: 66 all out in 15.9 overs (Sanjeev 24, Parth Rana 3 for 12, Neeraj Mann 2 for 18, Kunal 3 for 13).

Ganga School: 67 for 3 in 11.3 overs (Vikram Singh 33, Puneet Lakra 25).

Corporate cup

Air Sahara shocked the undefeated G E Capital and Teri in turn upset Air Sahara, Reckitt Benckiser and Gillette continued their winning spree, notching up their third consecutive wins and HCL recorded their second victory in the Six-a-Side Corporate Cricket Tournament at the Teri Oval ground.

Scores: Air Sahara (84 for no loss in four overs) beat G E Capital (80 for two wickets); Teri (87 for 1) beat Air Sahara (85 for 1).

Reckitt Benckiser (76 for 2) beat Apollo Tyres (72); HCL (43 for no loss) beat ESPN Star Sports (42); Turner International (70 for 3) lost to LG (71 for 1) and Gillette (77 for no loss) beat Pepsi (71 for 1).

NITT (43 for 1) beat Frito Lays (42 for 4), Coke (82 for 2) beat Nokia (46 for three) and HCL (69 for no loss) beat NIIT (67 for 5).

Ram Lal Anand enter quarter-final
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
A fierce bowling performance by Yogesh Sachdeva (4 for 16) and a strokeful knock of 49, studded with two sixes and six fours, by Delhi Under-19 player Rajender Bisht, helped Ram Lal Anand (Evening) College beat Kirori Mal College by four wickets to enter the quarter-final of the Delhi University Inter-College Cricket Tournament at the Guru Govind Singh College ground, Pitampura.

Scores: Kirori Mal College: 140 all out in 34 overs (Vikrant Yadav 39, Piyush Tiwari 29, Yogesh Sachdeva 4 for 16). Ram Lal Anand: 142 for 6 in 32 overs (Rajender Bisht 49, 2x6, 6x4; Mahesh Prasad 21, Piyush Tiwari 3 for 28, Vikrant Yadav 2 for 19).

HUDCO beat NDTV

HUDCO beat NDTV by 28 runs in the sixth D G Phadkar Memorial Cricket Tournament at the Teri Oval.

Scores: Hudco: 132 for 8 wickets in 25 overs (V K Shukla 36 n o, 3x4, 1x6; Sashi Bhushan 25, 2x4; Rishi Kumar 2 for 25).

NDTV: 104 all out in 22.4 overs (Ravi Kumar 20, 2x4; Suresh Negi 2 for 24, Mukesh Kumar 2 for 15, V K Shukla 1 for 15). V K Shukla was adjudged the man of the match.

Surprise winners in MRF Formule Mondiale
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
Unfancied drivers emerged winners in the MRF Formule Mondiale Championship Indian Karting Cup (IKC) senior and junior events in the finals of the seventh round held at the Hot Drive Karting track, Kolhapur.

Prakash KV of Chennai won the IKC Seniors title as he carried on with his good form exhibited at Pune to win with a degree of comfort. In the lead from the beginning, Prakash never let go his lead. Local boy Rounak Patil put up a good fight to finish second while Kaushik Khona of Coimbatore finished third.

In the IKC Intermediates, fancied names such as Ashwin Sundar and Saravenen Mars lost out as local boy P Ghorpade of Kolhapur dominated the race. Going by the results of the previous six legs, the winners were almost predicted, but no one could guess what was to unfold. Displaying driving skills far beyond his age, Ghorpade drove without fear to win comfortably.

Saravanen’s bad luck continued with a bump forcing him to drop out after the first lap. Ravi Kokende of Pune and Vishnu Prasad of Chennai finished second and third.

In the final race, fancied Rajeev Patel on pole position 3 was expected to be the winner, but it was Bangalore’s Jagdish Patel who came out trumps.

Preetam Muniappa of Bangalore and Rajeev Patel of Baroda finished second and third. The last round will be held in Bangalore on December 15.

SA-Lanka one-dayers on ESPN-Star
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 25
Sri Lanka, after losing the Test series 0-2 to South Africa, are now all set to engage the South Africans in a five-match one-day series starting on November 27 to salvage some of their dented pride. ESPN and Star Sports will beam the series live to Indian homes.

The first match will be played on November 27 at Johannesburg.

The other one-dayers will be held at Centurion Park (Nov. 29), Benoni (December 1), Kimberley (December 4) and Bloemfontein (December 6).

Sri Lanka hope to start from where they had left off in their last match. They lost that Test but not before giving quite a few anxious moments to South Africa.

After setting a target of 121 to win on the last day, Dilhara Fernando, Muthiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas claimed seven wickets together to raise hopes of an upset.

But Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher with their heroics ultimately clinched the honours for South Africa.

The South Africans would have the home advantage and the feeling of having clinched the Test series very convincingly.

But Lankans will certainly vie to clinch the one-day trophy.