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Wednesday,
March 19, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Lee, Symonds see Australia through Vaas sets new mark ‘Intimidate’, the Aussie mantra
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Mismatch of gigantic proportions Time right for India: Wright Pacers make Ganguly happy Kenyan success no fairytale: Tikolo ‘Kenya don’t have to prove anything’ Global perspective key to India’s success Big guns fail to boom
Anand wins in rapid chess Thomas retained coach CRPF, Punjab share title 3 Tollygunge players
hurt in scuffle
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Lee, Symonds see Australia through
Port Elizabeth, March 18 Australia beat Sri Lanka by 48 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis system in their rain-affected semifinal at St George’s Park. Set only 213 to win after Andrew Symonds struck a defiant unbeaten 91 for the Australians, Sri Lanka were 123 for seven from 38.1 overs when heavy and persistent rain forced the players from the field. Lee’s early three-wicket burst helped ensure Australia continued their unbeaten record in World Cup semifinals after the world champions were well contained by the disciplined Sri Lankan bowlers. His three wickets also took him level with Shane Warne as Australia’s most successful bowler at a World Cup with 20 in total. After seeing the in-form Marvan Atapattu (14) dropped at cover by Brad Hogg, Lee responded immediately with a delivery timed at over 160 km/h which clattered into the opener’s off stump. Glenn McGrath then claimed the wicket, his tidy opening burst deserved, with the vital scalp of Sanath Jayasuriya, the Sri Lankan captain paddling McGrath straight to leg gully to depart for 17. Hashan Tillakaratne (3) and Avishka Gunawardene (1) both edged Lee behind and, when Aravinda de Silva was run out by a superb piece of work by Andy Bichel for 11, Sri Lanka were 51 for five with De Silva departing the international stage for the last time. Hogg atoned for his fielding slip with the next two wickets and although Kumar Sangakkara and Chaminda Vaas added an unbroken 47 for the eighth wicket before the rain fell, Australia always appeared to have done enough to claim a place in the final. Earlier, Andrew Symonds defied the Sri Lanka bowlers as Australia were restricted to 212 for seven. Left-arm seamer Vaas again led the attack with three for 34 but it was the Sri Lanka slow bowlers, in particular De Silva and Jayasuriya, who did most to stifle the Australians. Adam Gilchrist’s six off Pulasthi Gunaratne in the second over seemed certain to set the tone for the innings, but the Sri Lankans soon struck back, albeit in unusual circumstances. Gunaratne’s first two overs cost 19 runs, prompting Jayasuriya to bring on De Silva’s off spin in the fifth over. De Silva struck second ball when Gilchrist bottom-edged a sweep on to his pads for wicketkeeper Sangakkara to complete the catch. As the crowd waited for umpire Rudi Koertzen to raise his finger, Koertzen only shook his head as if to indicate not out. Gilchrist, however, was in no doubt and turned for the pavilion. Australia were two down in the next over, Ricky Ponting (2) undone by a slower ball from Vaas and well caught by Jayasuriya, diving to his left at mid off. The wicket took Vaas’s total for the tournament to 21, a World Cup record. It was 51 for three shortly afterwards when Matthew Hayden (20) clipped Vaas straight to short midwicket. Symonds and Darren Lehmann consolidated with a partnership of 93 for the fourth wicket, the stand broken when Jayasuriya bowled Lehmann off the inside edge for 36. The Sri Lankan captain was celebrating wildly in his next over when Michael Bevan edged behind to depart for a golden duck. Symonds nursed the Australians to the conclusion of their 50 overs, his 91 runs coming off 118 balls with seven fours and a six. Reuters SCOREBOARD Australia: Gilchrist c Sangakkara b De Silva 22 Hayden c Tillekeratne b Vaas 20 Ponting c Jayasuriya b Vaas 2 Lehmann b Jayasuriya 36 Symonds not out 91 Bevan c Sangakkara b Jayasuriya 0 Hogg st Sangakkara b De Silva 8 Harvey c Sangakkara b Vaas 7 Bichel not out 19 Extras: (lb-3, w-3, nb-1) 7 Total: (7 wkts, 50 overs) 212 Fall of wickets: 1-34, 2-37, 3-51, 4-144, 5-144, 6-158, 7-175. Bowling: Vaas 10-1-34-3, Gunaratne 8-0-60-0, De Silva 10-0-36-2, Muralitharan 10-0-29-0, Jayasuriya 10-0-42-2, Arnold 2-0-8-0. Sri Lanka: Atapattu b Lee 14 Jayasuriya c Symonds b McGrath 17 Tillekeratne c Gilchrist b Lee 3 Gunawardene c Ponting b Lee 1 De Silva run out 11 Sangakkara not out 39 Jayawardene c Gilchrist b Hogg 5 Arnold c Lee b Hogg 3 Vaas not out 21 Extras: (b-4, lb-1, w-2, nb-2) 9 Total: (7 wkts, 38.1 overs) 123 Fall of wickets: 1-21, 2-37, 3-37, 4-43, 5-51, 6-60, 7-76. Bowling: McGrath 7-1-20-1, Lee 8-0-35-3, Bichel 10-4-18-0, Hogg 10-1-30-2, Harvey 2.1-0-11-0, Lehmann 1-0-4-0. |
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Vaas sets new mark Port Elizabeth, March 18 Warne and Allott had taken 20 wickets in the previous World Cup in England. The Sri Lankan took over the pole position with his 21st wicket dismissing Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, with a slow off-cutter with Sanath Jayasuriya taking the catch.
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‘Intimidate’, the Aussie mantra Durban, March 18 And knowing their professionalism, it is hardly surprising that the Australian mantra at this World Cup is a chilling “intent and intimidate”. According to captain Ricky Ponting the team has been repeating these words at most team meetings. “Most meetings we’ve had those words have come up,” Ponting said. “They are words we have used and have worked pretty well. “I think we can intimidate with our talent. I don’t think there are too many sides that match us right down the list as far as talent goes. It’s both psychological and skills-wise.” Nine vanquished opponents, two centuries, three 5-wicket hauls, one hat-trick, two come-from-behind victories, and world records for winning streak, victory margin and bowling performance - Australia have hardly put a foot wrong in this tournament. However, all this has not come easy. There were quite a few threats on the way, and Ponting said the team had benefited from its slogan and raised its game every time it was faced with a difficult situation. “We would like to think we could lift our game up a little bit as we have been able to do in bigger-type contests for a long time now. The side has been able to lift itself and play at almost a different level. “It’s probably looked pretty easy but it hasn’t been all that easy. Through this tournament there have been quite a few games where we’ve been in serious trouble. If we had lost a couple of those it could have been entirely different. “The first couple of games were very pleasing for us, we beat two very good sides (India and Pakistan) very easy. Since then we have had a few close encounters. We have been good enough to get ourselves out of very big holes.” India, who were thrashed by Australia by nine wickets in a group match, have also lifted their game up several notches, reaching the semi-finals on the “now or never” mantra. Is it surprising that the psychologist engaged by India - Sandy Gordon - is the same who had guided Australia’s campaign in the 1999 World Cup?
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Mismatch of gigantic proportions THE biggest impediment to India winning this World Cup will be India themselves. If they believe they can win they are the one team with the all round strength to win the final. Provided they get past Kenya first. This will be one of those scary games. The one you know you should win but you are scared you might lose. A bit like the short putts in golf! India has little to gain but much to lose. For Kenya it is all upside. Even if they lose they cannot lose. The pressure will be on India so a good start will be essential to settle the nerves. No one expected Kenya to get this far. Not least of all the Kenyan players. To their credit they have played with a joy that is refreshing and this has been the reason behind their marvellous Cup performance. Some of the more fancied teams will wish they had shown the same commitment to a simple game plan. What has surprised even the most ardent Kenyan supporter has been the energy and commitment shown in the field by these cricketing Davids. They knew they would be outgunned with bat and ball by the Goliaths in the tournament so they set out to even the contest by, literally, throwing themselves at everything in the field. On top of that they have shown considerable discipline with bat and ball to bring them within one game of playing in a World Cup final. Even in their wildest dreams they would not have expected this. Along the way they have savoured every moment. Apart from their matches against some of the top players in the world one of the highlights was training with the Australian squad. Who knows how much they learnt from the experience of batting and bowling alongside the likes of Ponting, Hayden, Gilchrist Lee and McGrath but they enjoyed every minute of rubbing shoulders with the world champions. Every member of the Kenyan squad plays cricket for a past time, much like the majority of players who were present at the first World Cup in 1975. The game has moved a long way in the past 28 years with many of the participants playing cricket full time and earning large sums from the game and commercial endorsements. What the Kenyan players have reminded us of is that it is still, after all, just a game that is meant to be played for enjoyment. They have played with an attitude and a spirit that has endeared them to all cricket supporters. What they have achieved, and the way they have gone about doing it, has embarrassed some of the high profile competitors and teams who appeared to take themselves too seriously and are now watching from the sidelines. Can they beat India? I do not think so, and realistically they should not even get close, for the gulf between the two sides on talent alone is extensive. Add to this the big game experience of the Indian squad and you have a mismatch of gigantic proportions. The challenge for India is not to get too far ahead of themselves and start planning for the final before they have jumped the last hurdle. Many a sportsman has come undone by thinking of the next shot, game or round before completing the one at hand. It is important that all of the Indian players make a pact with each other that each will take responsibility for making sure the team wins. Too often in this situation players wait for someone else to win the game and before long the team is in trouble. Sri Lanka appeared to make just this mistake against Kenya earlier in the tournament. Good sides do not make this sort of mistake. They make the commitment to the process required to win then go out and execute the plan. India can set the foundation for a winning recipe for the final if they do this against Kenya for this is exactly the type of commitment that will be required no matter who they meet in the final. Bowlers will need to bowl line and length, batsmen will need to build partnerships and the fielders will have to run the ball down as if each run saved could be the difference in the game. Because it might! South Africa can tell you how important one run can be from painful experience. Twice! The mistake that can easily be made is that bowlers expect to run up and take wickets with every ball bowled; batsmen expect bad balls to be bowled every ball and fielders think they can relax and rest up for the big game ahead. Wrong! Nobody can afford to relax or the game could be gone before you know it. The Australian team nearly made this very mistake against Sri Lanka in the 1975 World Cup at the Oval. Having made a score in excess of 300 we expected to walk away with the game. After all we had Lillee and Thomson to lead the attack. On a beautiful batting wicket Sri Lanka made an excellent start and with Siddharth Wettimuny, Anura Tennekoon and Duleep Mendis driving beautifully an upset was on the cards. Ian Chappell had stern words to the fast bowlers and suggested he would like to see if the Sri Lankans could play as well off the back foot as they had to the half volleys they had been served up so far. Thomson soon snapped into gear and an embarrassing situation was averted. India will have some uneasy moments before the semifinal gets underway at Kingsmead on Thursday, but once the game starts they need to be switched on to execute the basics of the game in a ruthless, professional way. If they do, they will be too strong for the proud and magnificent part timers from Kenya.
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Time right for India: Wright
Durban, March 18 Wright told a news conference: “I feel their time is right.” India must beat Kenya in Thursday’s day-night match to reach the final at The Wanderers in Johannesburg but Wright, normally so diplomatic, appeared to reject any possibility of defeat. Asked if India’s leading batsman Sachin Tendulkar was on course to become the player of the tournament, he said: “He still has got two more games to play, two very important innings. “Sachin Tendulkar has been a great leader for us in this tournament, along with some of our other senior players as well.” Tendulkar has scored a record 586 runs at almost a run a ball in the World Cup, at an average of 65.11. Victory against Kenya, who they beat earlier in the tournament, will give India an eighth win in succession, matching their national record. Wright said consistency in selection had been a key to the team’s recent success. “We have been a rather settled side and the selectors deserve credit for that. We have been coming together since March last year.” Kenya have beaten Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe at the World Cup. They lost to India by seven wickets in the Super Six in Cape Town and have only won two of the teams’ 11 meetings.
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Pacers make Ganguly happy
Durban, March 18 “It’s wonderful to see how Zaheer, Javagal and Ashish are bowling as a team,” Ganguly told the Afrikaans weekly Rapport here. “They built good speed and are very accurate. They have proven themselves as bowlers who can take wickets — and I still believe that is the best way to win one-day cricket. So, yes, naturally I’m very happy at the moment!” Srinath started it off with an attack on the English side in Durban, and he hit the Sri Lankans at the Wanderers in Johannesburg while Nehra knocked out the New Zealanders at Centurion. Both Khan and Nehra ascribe their recent successes to the guidance of the more experienced Srinath. The two youngsters said the experience and knowledge that he shared with them made them deliver their best. “He has drilled it into us that line and length are the best weapons in the fast bowler’s arsenal,” they said. Srinath himself described the trio that includes him in his last World Cup tournament: “This is the best pace combination we have had in a very long time.” For Khan, currently boasting 101 victims in one-day cricket, finding his best form in the last few weeks could not have come at a better time. He said that he had not been happy with his bowling in the World Cup until last Friday, when he took 4 for 42, his best ever. “I have eventually done my bit and my self-confidence is at its highest. We are now ready to take on any opposition in the final.” About the magical 160-km per hour limit for a pace bowler, Khan said he could probably bowl faster than he has but that the limit was not the “alpha and omega”. “The most important thing is to bowl straight and that’s what I try to do. If a person actually keeps bowling the right line and length, you build up pressure - and the result of that is of course wickets.”
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Kenyan success no fairytale: Tikolo
Durban, March 18 “Everybody has their own theories as to why we’ve done well,” Tikolo told reporters at Kingsmead ahead of Thursday’s day-night semifinal against India. “But to us it’s no fairytale. We’ve worked hard for this and now that’s paying dividends.” Tikolo, who has been suffering with
tonsillitis, declared himself fully fit ahead of the big match. “I’m feeling much better,” he said, adding the team’s other injury worries were also gone. These included wicket-keeper Kennedy Otieno who was struck a painful blow on the elbow in the process of being bowled by Australia speedster Brett Lee on Saturday. “Kennedy has no fracture. Yesterday his arm was a bit numb but he’s fine now,” said Tikolo, adding that Maurice Odumbe and Thomas Odoyo were also fit to play. Kenya leg-spinner Collins Obuya, who spun Sri Lanka to defeat, was smashed for 62 runs in eight wicketless overs by Australia on Saturday. But Tikolo was confident Obuya would recover by Thursday. “We’ve seen Collins turn into a good leg-spinner. This is a new game. He’ll bounce back.”
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‘Kenya don’t have to prove anything’
Durban, March 18 “We don’t have to prove any thing,’’ Suji told newspersons here. Suji, playing in his third World Cup, was also of the view that the success of Kenya’s emergence as a strong cricket side should be viewed in the context that the game has a small base in the country. Kenya, who meet India in the second semifinal here on March 20, are realistic that they are up against a very formidable side. “Yes with Sachin Tendulkar in such a tremendous form. We will have to go few extra miles to upset the Indians,’’ said Martin Suji the main stay of the Kenyan pace attack. “It is great to watch Sachin and play against him, it is also great to reach the semi finals but I still consider that our biggest achievement was when we beat West Indies in the 1996 World Cup in India,’’ he said. However for Suji who was declared the Man-of-the-match against Zimbabwe as Kenya clinched a semi-final berth, the famous victory against the West Indies still remain the ultimate win. “So far the progress in this World Cup has been sort of a roller coaster. It still looks unbelievable and maybe one day it will all sink in,’’ Suji said. “But that win against the West Indies was more special. “It was our first real victory in a one-day international and it came against our childhood heroes. Suji who has so far played in 57 one dayers and taken 41 wickets, just wants to talk about that win, though being repeatedly asked about the next match against India.
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Global perspective key to India’s success A coach from New Zealand, a physio from Australia and a physical trainer from South Africa — the Indian cricket team has quite an international flavour to it. To think international and hire the best in their chosen field to make Team India a success story may not always have been easy for the Indian mindset. John Geoffrey Wright was the first to prove that a global perspective can help a cricket team. Every time the team failed (which it did a lot as in nine finals or series deciders before picking up the winning habit) some of the criticism would be aimed at the coach. Wright is the wrong man for the job, they would say. Wright, always thought of as the right choice when appointed in 2000, has occasionally been the subject of ridicule over the last two years that he has been the coach after being recommended strongly by Rahul Dravid during his days with Kent
CCC. The Kiwi has been a steadfast part of Team India’s success. He has brought in the outsiders perspective that has helped the cause of Indian cricket immensely. Attacks of xenophobia would see spanners being thrown in the works now and then. If Wright has survived, it is only right. “He is very even handed, no favourites,” a very junior member of the Indian team once said of Wright. Given the history of the job in which playing favourites was more of a game than handling the team, it is easy to see how Wright has succeeded where greater Indian players had failed. The Indian cricket team had Sandeep Patil and Kapil Dev as heads of strategy and
Anshuman Gaekwad as a stand-in coach in the second half of the 90s. This was after Ajit
Wadekar, avowedly the man who rebuilt Indian cricket in collaboration with
Azharuddin in the early 90s with his designer pitches strategy, left in the wake of the unsuccessful World Cup campaign of 1996. The coaches brought in the excess baggage of their careers. They saw the job eternally as a part of the selection process to pick the right personnel rather than mould those players who had been given to them. It was bad enough having five selectors and the chosen skipper playing God in team picking. Board politics also played a big role in shaping the approach to the coach. And there was far too much of it. Amidst all that Sachin Tendulkar did not have a free run as captain. His own inhibited approach was further hampered by having a former star like Kapil Dev as the coach. The only area of failure in Tendulkar’s enormous cricket talent and acumen was in man management. He could not pass on his intensity to those who played under him and he had no one with the broader perspective to help him. Too many stars were willing to help in an informal way but none would take the responsibility of a professional appointment. The new millennium was upon us and it did seem the time had come to go truly international. Dr Muthiah, the former BCCI President, may have brought in the confidence of the industrialists perspective in not fearing to look for management practices from beyond the shores when national resources were being wasted by technological inadequacy. Former players sneered at the Wright appointment. Was it right to bring in an outsider when so many former players who had done exceedingly well in their careers were available and more than willing to try their hand at the job? The senior members of the Indian team like Dravid and Ganguly had their way. Wright was the choice. Much like his Indian team, Wright had more than his fair share of doubts. But with the steady influence of a veteran of 82 Tests and 149 one-day internationals, the team was always promising to turn the corner. Wright spoke freely of the home bias in
India's Test record and got the players to think about it and accept it and try to change it. Wright may not have succeeded too hugely on the Test front. But he has certainly brought out India’s strengths that have lain more in the one-day game ever since the team won the World Cup in 1983 and a huge change came about in Indian cricket accepting the world of cricket had changed. On an unhappy tour of his homeland ahead of the World Cup, the man from farmers stick in Canterbury, may have suffered from mixed feelings. But there has never been a doubt about where his cricket loyalties lie now. Before the meeting with New Zealand in the Super Six, Wright let it be known quite forcefully that he wanted India to win. The physio Leipus competence in handling injuries and the trainers efficiency in raising the levels of fitness are quite evident in the Indian teams improved performance in the World Cup. Selection choices are no more an issue since the playing XI has been the same for a number of games. The decision to go international in team management practices and principles has paid rich dividend. There is at least one Kiwi and one South African left in the World Cup, not to speak of 15 Indians who seem equipped to go all the way. Yes, those responsible for bringing in Wright were right. Indian cricket has done well with an international and broader perspective. The exotic flavour of the Kiwi fruit has done wonders for a spicy Indian treat.
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Big guns fail to boom THE scenario is imaginary but how exciting it would have been if a Barry Richards happened to be in the South African team and the West Indies had a “clone” of Sir Viv Richards? The 2003 World Cup would have witnessed the art of savage batting. Instead, in this World Cup reaching the climax, the “big guns” have failed to boom. Much was expected from the awesome Aussie south paw Mathew Hayden. But he has only made small scores so far with the highest being 88 in the first six matches upto the Super Six stage. Sri Lanka had Mahela. He was recovering from injury and could do little. But the most disappointing failure perhaps, was Pakistan’s Inzamam Ul-Haq, who came to this edition all trim but his bat too failed to
see through the bowling. Perhaps, Pakistan’s poor showing may have been due to the fact that +Aaloo+ was mashed badly by the bowlers this time! The hosts South Africa’s biggest setback was “white lightning” Alan Donald, who announced his retirement after his team went out of the competition dramatically once again. But no true cricket fan expected their hero Lance
Klusener and southpaw Garry Kirsten to fail to knock up a really “booming” innings. Another “big gun” from Pakistan, paceman Shoaib Akhtar too failed to turn up a really devastating spell. All that he could achieve in this World Cup was break the 100 mile barrier. And what did their captain do with the red cherry, very little except for one decent haul with their hero Wasim Akram. The Kiwis, unlucky to have lost the way they did to India in the Super Sixes, fell at the last hurdle may be because their big performer with captain Stephen Fleming, failed to come off until it was too late. The Windies are not far behind in this list. One key batsman, captain Carl Hooper came a cropper in this World Cup. And come to think of it what did even their backbone Brian Lara do after that brilliant exhibition of batting in the opening match!
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Anand wins in rapid chess
Monte Carlo, March 18 Linares champion Peter Leko of Hungary maintained his top position in the overall standings despite settling for two draws with compatriot Zoltan Almasi. Leko now has 4.5 points in his kitty from six games and is followed by Braingames Champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia on 4 points. Anand shares the third spot in overall standings with Boris Gelfand of Israel, Evgeny Bareev of Russia and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine. In the rapid standings, Anand shares the second spot with Leko and Morozevich. But his form is much less than desired in the blindfold where he is placed seventh. The Indian stalwart faced an early surprise from the defending champion in the blindfold game. Morozevich had started off with two losses in this section but he bounced back in startling fashion. Anand played the Caro Kann defence with black pieces and faced a rather harmless opening. The fireworks started in the middle game when Morozevich sacrificed a pawn to open the lines on the queen side. Thereafter, even the trade of queens could not help Anand to maintain the positional balance.
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Thomas retained coach New Delhi, March 18 Though there were many claimants for the national coach’s post, including some top guns, who had offered their services “free”, the government chose to repose confidence in Prof Sunny Thomas, who has given a new dimension to the shooting in India with his innovative coaching methods. Though the National Rifle Association of India had learnt to have recommended a substantial hike in Prof Sunny Thomas’ pay packet, the government struck down that proposal to stick with his existing salary of Rs 15,000 per month. Prof Thomas was happy that the government had recognised the hard work put on by him with the shooting squad. When he took over as the national coach in 1993 — then an unwanted job — Indian shooting was down in the dumps. But he worked hard on the shooters to turn the corner to help India win a clutch of medals from international competitions, and for which he was bestowed the Dronacharya Award in 2002. After Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore missed the quota place for the Olympic Games in the double trap, the national coach is striving to ensure that either the trap or the skeet shooters clinch a quota place for the Olympic Games. Manavjit Singh Sandhu will lead the Indian challenge in the trap event, with Mansher Singh and Anwer Sultan as the other members of the team. Like in double trap, trap too will have a world class field, though four of the foreign competitors in the fray have already secured quota places, making things easy for the Indian aspirants. In skeet, India’s hopes for a quota place rest on Rao Inderjit Singh, Navin Jindal and Amardeep Singh Rai. India have never won a quota place in skeet, but this time around, the chances are bright as two of the foreign participants have come here with quota places. The trap and skeet competitions will be held on Thursday and Friday, as Wednesday will once again be utilised for training purposes due to Holi. |
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CRPF, Punjab share title Patiala, March 18 CRPF and Punjab finished at the top and runners-up position, respectively in the women’s section with 22 and 14 points. In the men’s section both the teams had 15 points each. International judoka Yashpal Solanki of Police Sports Control Board (PSCB) clinched the gold in the 81kg weight class. Yashpal entered the fray as the favourite but slowly found things not going his way. However, Ranbir Solanki of Jharkhand committed a grave error of judgement in the last moments of the bout to give Yashpal the title. Vinod Solanki of BSF sweated it out to win the first bronze while the second bronze went to unheralded Yashwant Dongat of
Maharashtra-B. In the 73kg weight category for men, Pardeep Kumar of CRPF started his defence of the title on a brisk note and managed to pin down Shamsher Singh of Punjab without having to exert much. Sandeep Kumar of PSCB annexed the first bronze while Jagbir Tokas of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) managed to lay his hands on the second bronze. In the open weight class for women, Bittu of Madhya Pradesh won the gold while the silver was won by Ina Khumbi Devi of Assam. Jyoti of Delhi and Maya Yadav of Uttar Pradesh won the first and second bronze medals, respectively. |
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3 Tollygunge players
hurt in scuffle
Kolkata, March 18 The players — Akeem Abolanle and Isiaka Awoyemi of Nigeria and Kenyan Moses Oweera — were mobbed by the revellers as they alighted from a taxi near their residence in Kasba, police sources said. Eyewitnesses said that the footballers, returning home after a friendly against East Bengal in Siliguri yesterday, protested and shoved the revellers away, leading to a scuffle. This led angry locals to rush to the spot and beat them up. Tollygunge Agragami secretary Mantu Ghosh said Moses lost his bag in the melee. The three players later filed an FIR with the Kasba police station. None of them, however, sustained any injury. The matter was amicably settled when seniors of the locality went to the police station along with the revellers and made peace.
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Football results Chandigarh, March 18 The tournament was inaugurated by Mr Harpal Singh Lail from Canada who also donated Rs 25,000 for the tournament. Today’s results:
Kharar b Ajnoha 1-0; Kaalewal Fattu b Langeri 1-0; Kaalewal Bhagtan b Chakk Mallan 1-0. |
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Sports day function Ambala, March 18 The sports competition was inaugurated by the school Principal, Mr Sujan Singh. He said sports helped in the overall development of a student’s personality. Ms Anu Malhotra and Ms Manju Gupta were in charge of the tournament while Ms Kanchan was the coordinator, according to a press note. In nursery and KG race, Ganga Singh was first, Akash second and Mahinder third. In frog race, Mahinder was first, Madhu second and Amandeep third. In frog race, classes I and II, Ajay was first, Arti second and Bharat third. In musical race, Mahak, Ishant and Ekta were the winners. |
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Port Elizabeth, March 18
Chaminda Vaas set yet another new mark here today when he became the highest wicket-taker in a single World Cup overtaking Australia's Shane Warne and New Zealand's Geoff Allott.