 |
Wednesday,
April 23, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Aussies set to take big lead
Wright happy with performance Youngsters fail to make impact Its a big challenge, says Salvi |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Anju George to train in USA IOA
medical commission to meet today 3-0 win for Indian eves Bopanna prevails over Parmar Neelotpal Das stuns Harikrishna Women boxers lift 5 bronze Lewis held for ‘drunk driving’
Dempo post 4-1 win over HAL Pillay’s brace in IA’s win SBT to clash with
Hayward today
|
|
Aussies set to take big lead Port of Spain, April 22 The Australians lost the wicket of first innings double century maker Ricky Ponting for 45 in the morning session and went to lunch at 130 for two in their second innings. Hayden had raised his 11th Test half-century and was unbeaten on 63 with Darren Lehmann, who scored his maiden Test century in the first innings, not out on two. Australia, looking to build a lead of around 400 runs to set the Windies in the fourth innings, added 99 runs off 29 overs in the opening session at a run rate of 3.4. There was some drama with the Ponting dismissal five overs before lunch. Ponting edged paceman Merv Dillon and was caught low down by debutant wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, but he stood his ground seeking confirmation of the catch before he left the wicket. Dillon, on his extended follow through, appeared to brush Ponting’s helmet, and the Australian vice-captain turned and with his bat pointed exchanged angry words with Dillon before talking with South African umpire Rudi Koertzen. Ponting, who scored 206 in the first innings, put on 106 runs for the second wicket with Hayden, who finally hit form after a couple of low scores in the Caribbean series. The left-handed opener had faced 124 balls by lunch and had hit eight fours. The Australians will look for a lead of around 450 runs sometime late on the fourth day to press for victory and claim an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the Frank Worrell Trophy series after winning the opening Test by nine wickets. The West Indies made Australia bat again when they resisted for 119 overs to ground out 408 and trail the world’s leading team by 168 runs on the first innings. Brian Lara’s team had 14 overs to bowl at the Australians in the final hour’s play and grabbed the wicket of first Test man-of-the-match Justin Langer. Langer was left shaking his head when he was given out for three in the sixth over in another dubious decision by Sri Lankan umpire Ashoka de Silva. The Australian left-hander was hit low on the back foot by Vasbert Drakes and after a delay de Silva raised his finger, but television replays showed that Langer was struck outside the line of off-stump. It was the second time in the match that Langer had been the victim of a questionable lbw decision by de Silva. Daren Ganga earlier thrilled his Trinidad fans with his second consecutive Test century and first on his home ground. That followed Sunday’s bitter disappointment of skipper and local hero Lara missing out on his elusive first century. Ganga was out when he edged a Brett Lee out-swinger to Hayden at first slip for 117, his highest Test score and second straight century after his 113 in the first Georgetown Test. Much of the remaining work to get the West Indians past the follow-on fell to Marlon Samuels. The languid Samuels, often criticised for indisciplined cricket which had his position in the team under threat, concentrated hard for 164 minutes before a lapse led to his downfall for 68. AFP SCOREBOARD Australia (1st Innings): 576 for 4 declared. West Indies (1st innings): 186 for 3 overnight) Hinds c Hayden b Lee 20 Smith c Gilchrist
b Gillespie 0 Ganga c Hayden b Lee 117 Lara b Hogg 91 Sarwan b Lee 26 Samuels c Bichel
b MacGill 68 Bernard b Gillespie 7 Baugh hit wkt b MacGill 19 Drakes lbw b Lee 24 Dillon lbw b Gillespie 0 Collins not out 7 Extras (b4, lb16, w1, nb8) 29 Total (all out) 408 Fall of wickets:
1-4, 2-25, 3-183, 4-258, 5-279, 6-300, 7-367, 8-376, 9-384, 10-408. Bowling:
Lee 23-4-69-4 (2nb), Gillespie 28-9-50-3, Bichel 12-1-58-0 (3nb), MacGill 27-4-98-2, Hogg 22-3-98-1 (3nb), Waugh 7-2-16-0 (1w).
Overs: 119. Australia (2nd innings): Langer lbw b Drakes 3 Hayden not out 63 Ponting c Baugh b Dillon 45 Lehmann not out 2 Extras (b-8 lb-5 w-1 nb-3) 17 Total (for two wickets, 43 overs) 130 Fall of wickets:
1-12 2-118 Bowling: Dillon 16-0-47-1 (w-1, nb-1), Drakes 12-4-36-1, Samuels 9-1-14-0, Collins 6-1-20-0 (nb-2). |
|
Wright happy with performance Kolkata, April 22 “On the whole the tournament went on well excepting the last two games where things could have improved,” Wright told newspersons after returning here from Dhaka earlier in the day. India finished joint winners, along with South Africa, in the tournament after the final was abandoned yesterday and the day before due to rains. In the two league games Wright referred to, India barely scraped past hosts Bangladesh by four wickets on Wednesday, before going down to South Africa by five wickets two days later. The New Zealander said the young side looked good for the future and singled out upcoming pacer Avishkar Salvi for special praise. “He is a very good prospect. He has got a bit of pace and it is encouraging to see a young bowler with such a good height and action,” Wright said. Asked whether Salvi was the right man to replace veteran speedster Javagal Srinath, Wright said “it is a bit early to pass such a judgement but he indeed looks very promising.” Wright also lauded skipper Sourav Ganguly for his leadership quality and batting in the tri-series. Wright said the Indian side in Bangladesh was a good amalgam of youth and experience. “It had some newcomers, who had done well for the ‘A’ side. But it also included eight or nine players who played in the recent World Cup. In all, the tournament will help the board to prepare a team for the future,” he said. Wright also had some good words for the Indian cricket board’s stress on frequent international exposure for the ‘A’ side. “It is a great exercise to bridge the gap between playing domestic tournaments and getting into the international arena,” he said. Queried about his scheduled meeting with BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, Wright said: “I am not empowered to speak on it”. Pressed further, he said: “My contract was over on March 24. But I enjoy good relations with India and the board. Let’s see, where it leads to”.
PTI |
|
Youngsters fail to make impact Chandigarh, April 22 In fact, certain pundits are of the view that it is the tremendous “bench strength” of the Australian team which is their trump card in international cricket. And these are the youngsters who have the potential of becoming the “bench strength” of the Indian team if we are to follow the Australian pattern. The forced absence of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Asish Nehra — due to injury — and Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath — who wanted to “rest” after the World Cup — from the Indian team which had gone to Dhaka was a wonderful opportunity to the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Avishkar Salvi, Sarandeep Singh, Amit Mishra and Abhijit Kale to showcase their talent, specially since it a known fact that the Indian “bench strength” is lacking woefully and time and again the team has been forced to field players who were not 100 per cent fit. This aspect of Indian cricket needs a look-in and the Dhaka tournament was the right place to see how good were some of these youngsters who have been knocking for national selection for quite some time. The task of these youngsters had also been made easy by the “new look” team that South Africa were fielding in the tournament while hosts Bangladesh were still licking the wounds after the mauling they received at the hands of every team in the World Cup. If ever there was an “easy” international outing this was it but the boys let go of a golden opportunity. True, there have been some good performances by these youngsters, like Salvi’s two for 15 against Bangladesh in their first match and Gautam Gambhir’s 71 against Bangladesh in the second match between the two teams, but by and large it were the seniors who were firing all guns in the three matches that India won in the tournament. To cement a place in the team what is needed is good, consistent performances from these youngsters but that was not coming. But everything is not lost. These youngsters should be given some more time to settle down in the hard and highly competitive international cricket scene. But the biggest disappointment of the tournament was that of World Cup team member Sanjay Bangar who could not come good either with the bat or the ball and his poor form leaves a very big question mark over his temperament and international career. He could have the talent but then this talent has to translate into performances if he has to retain his place in the national squad. |
|
Its a big challenge, says Salvi Kolkata, April 22 Talking to reporters here today on his way back from Dhaka, the rookie pacer said, “If somebody goes, someone will have to fill up. If I perform well and consistently, I will fill in the shoes. Its a big challenge for me to fill in the vacuum left by Srinath when he decides to quit the game and I accept it in the right spirit.” Salvi came into limelight, when representing Mumbai he scalped five wickets for 40 runs against Hyderabad in his debut Ranji match in November last year. Asked if he felt nervous during his debut game for Team India, Salvi said, “It was all positive thoughts. I knew I had to perform well. It is a great pride to play for India and a very special moment.” Asked if the presence of Ashok Malhotra, who was the manager of the India A team that toured the Caribbean, was an advantage for him, he said, “Yes, he was our coach in the Caribbeans and he gave me a lot of support and courage before my first match.” Salvi, whose forte is his nagging line and length and late outswingers, looked a man with his foot firmly grounded. Asked how he was preparing for India’s tour to Australia, he said there were other commitments before that. “Right now I am thinking about the next engagement which is the Ranji fixture. I always like to take one game at a time.” Salvi, who boasts of a McGrathasque action, said he stressed on line and length in the nets and thought a good rhythm was the most important factor of bowling. Salvi made it clear that he would not like to idle away the next two months when there was no international commitments. “I would like to join the camp under Fannie de Villers and hone my skills,” he said.
UNI |
|
Sehwag’s technique under microscope New Delhi, April 22 Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar feels the prolonged break could be a blessing in disguise for Sehwag who didn’t look particularly at ease against body-directed stuff from South Africa’s Makhaya Ntini and company in the recently concluded TVS Cup in Dhaka. “This break can work to his advantage and he could use his stint with Leicestershire in English county to improve his technique,” observed Gavaskar after watching Sehwag involuntarily raising his bat in front of his eyes against rising deliveries. Sehwag has made huge strides in the last two years, rising to be a vice-captain in the Dhaka tourney where he even captained the Indian team in a league game against Bangladesh in Sourav Ganguly’s absence. Sehwag, who has swept 872 runs in 14 Tests at an average of 41.52 through three centuries and plundered 2255 one-day runs from 73 games at 34.69, has been so spectacular with his methods that “Time” magazine put him on cover of its Asian edition, citing him as an outstanding young talent of the continent. But the stocky opener is yet to work out a way to handle rising deliveries as well as a way to convert his good starts into a substantial score. Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Surinder Khanna rises to his defence by suggesting the scrutiny of a young cricketer gets intense after a couple of years in international cricket. “Sehwag has become a force to reckon with in international cricket and a searching examination of his technique is bound to happen,” commented Khanna who felt Sehwag is persevering enough to ride over his shortcomings. Well-known coach Tarak Sinha is similarly supportive and feels a few adjustments in technique will come handy for the right-handed batsman. “At the moment he hits through the ball in a straight line, his foot movement is not back and across. “That’s why he is so good on the off-side but suffers in comparison when the ball is directed high on his body,” said Sinha whose proteges include Ashish Nehra, Manoj Prabhakar, Ajay Sharma and the new-rising Delhi star Akash Chopra. “Similarly when he ondrives, his backfoot doesn’t follow the shot and it sometimes spoons up in the air,” said Sinha of Sonnet Club where Sehwag at times had attended nets. Sehwag has privately expressed his determination to add pull and hook shots in his armoury before the start of the next season in which India will undertake a demanding tour of four Tests and a triangular one-day series in Australia in December-February, 2004. Sehwag also has a propensity to waste good starts which led to a public criticism by his captain Ganguly in Dhaka recently. “He must not let go good starts as it doesn’t help either the team or him,” commented Ganguly.
PTI |
|
Sehwag to play in Ranji semis New Delhi, April 22 Vijay Dahiya has been retained captain of the team which will also see the return of opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who made his one-day international debut in the just-concluded triangular series in Dhaka, and off-spinner Sarandeep Singh, according to a Delhi and District Cricket Association press release here today. England’s Leicestershire County Cricket Club were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sehwag who is one of their overseas players this season. Leicestershire were also in constant touch with the Indian batsman who they believed was also expecting to play in the Challenger domestic limited-overs tournament. “I think we have to appreciate he’s had a heavy winter with the World Cup and Test commitments, but we have been sending e-mails out in regard to his availability,” Leicestershire CCC’s coach Phil Whitticase was reported as saying on BBC Radio. Chetan Chauhan, DDCA Chairman, however, said over phone that Sehwag would indeed play the five-day Ranji semifinal. “Sehwag has promised us that he will play. That’s what I know,” Chauhan said. The team: Vijay Dahiya (captain), Akash Chopra, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Mithun Manhas, Sarandeep Singh, Varun Kumar, Rahul Sanghvi, Amit Bhandari, Sanjay Gill, Arun Singh, Pradeep Chawla, Siddharth Verma, N.S. Negi and Harender Chaudhary.
PTI |
|
Anju George to train in USA Thiruvananthapuram, April 22 In his letter of invitation to Anju, Mike Powell stated that he was limiting the number of his trainees at the California State University, Fullerton, in order to pay more individual attention to them. “I know that Mr Robert, your husband, is your personal coach in India. So he should also come with you so that he can continue the training after you finish it here,” he added. Talking to UNI over telephone from Bangalore, Anju said the exposure to better facilities, keener competitions and latest developments in training and research will brighten the prospects of a Olympic medal for her. The initial target is to add about 10 cm to her personal best of 6.74 m. The winning distance (in women’s long jump) of the recently concluded World Indoor Athletic Meet was 6.84 m and that of the last European Athletic Meet was 6.85 m — both by Russian Tatyana Kotova. As much on 6.8 M plus will be within the striking distance of a medal in the forthcoming World Athletic Championship in Paris and Afro-Asian Games in Hyderabad. “By sustained effort, I hope to attain around 7 m by the time of Athens Olympics 2004,” Anju said. “I could finish only seventh in the World Indoor Athletic meet. After two jumps of 6.40 m, I fouled three jumps. What I require is fine tuning in take off and landing and some more speed and strength work,” she added. Olympian Suresh Babu, one of India’s best athletes, said Anju with her one-and-a-half hitch-kick style was technically the most perfect women jumper in India. “Powell’s training is bound to do her a world of good.”
UNI |
|
|
IOA
medical commission to meet today New Delhi, April 22 About 465 sportspersons were tested for doping offence, out of which 22 turned out to be positive cases, for anabolic steroids, stimulants and masking agents. The tests were conducted at the SAI dope-testing laboratory in New Delhi. The SAI lab, incidentally, is not accredited by the
International Olympic Committee, and therefore lacks credibility and legal sanctity. But the IOA is using the SAI lab’s test results as a handy tool to punish the guilty athletes mainly as a deterrent to prevent the recurrence of such doping offences. It is, however, an “open secret” that most of the
athletes take to the “drug course” with the full backing of the coaches, the concerned federations and the SAI. SAI, in fact, has been accused of “actively participating, encouraging and abetting” doping offences by athletes in its quest to win medals at international competitions to “bring laurels to the country”. But in the process, the poor
sportspersons, who mostly belong to poor families, are made sacrificial lambs. It may be recalled that Sunita Rani of Punjab, who won medals in the Asian Games at Busan, had been stripped of her medals when she tested positive for anabolic steroid
Nandrolone. But she was restored her medals when the one-man Sushil Salwan Commission, appointed by the Amateur Athletics Federation of India (AAFI), found serious discrepancies in the dope test results of her A and B samples at the IOC-accredited lab in Seoul. The IOC also down-graded the lab following the Sunita Rani incident. In the light of this incident, experts here point out that how can anybody give credence to the test results of the SAI lab, which has not been given full accreditation by the IOC? No action was taken against the 19 athletes who tested positive for banned substances during the National Games held in Punjab in 2000, on the plea that no proper record was kept. There are also over 250-odd athletes who had tested positive for banned substances at various occasions at the SAI lab, against whom no action has been taken either. In the National Games held at Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam, the sportspersons tested included medal winners as well as those picked up on a random basis. Thirteen of those tested positive for banned substances were medal winners, including five gold, four silver and four bronze medallists. Nine of them had tested positive for
nandrolone, including two athletes, who have been slapped a two-year ban by the AAFI. The Rowing Federation of India was the first to take cognizance of the doping offence when it imposed a life ban on Laxman Singh, whose A and B samples had tested positive for
nandrolone. Laxman Singh had won a bronze medal in the single skull event. The AAFI followed suit, when it banned two athletes, and
suspended six others. The IOA seems to be taking more than a passing interest in the positive cases of doping offences as its secretary-general Randhir Singh is now a member of the World Anti-Doping Association
(ANDA). But some of the affected sports federations, whose sportspersons have been caught for the doping offence, are sore that a “mountain has been made out of a mole hill as the test results of the SAI lab has to be taken with a pinch of salt”. Meanwhile, the IOA, which had planned to hold a press briefing tomorrow after the meeting of the Medical
Commission, has “tentatively postponed the same till further notice”. |
|
|
3-0 win for Indian eves New Delhi, April 22 Sania Mirza blanked Yulia Klimchenko 6-0, 6-0 before the seasoned Manisha Malhotra subdued a fighting Kanykey Koichumanova 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 in the two singles matches, according to information received here. In the doubles tie that followed, Isha Lakhani and Megha Vakharia defeated Klimchenko and Koichumanova 6-0, 6-3 to make it a clean sweep for India. India, ranked 41, are the favourites in the group which also contains Philippines and Pacific Oceania. India defeated Philippines 3-0 in their opening tie yesterday.
PTI |
|
|
Bopanna prevails over Parmar Bangalore, April 22 The big serving 23-year-old Indian, runner-up in the Asian Tennis Championship, was not at all troubled, as he waltzed past his opponent. Bopanna, who is just outside the world’s top 300, was a wild-card entrant here and took only 55 minutes to put it across Parmar. Seventh seed Tuomas Ketola of Finland also scored a first round victory, crushing unseeded Japanese Gouichi Motomura 6-3, 6-1. Other first round winners today included Dmitry Vlasov, who defeated countryman Yuri Schukin 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, and Peter Wessels of the Netherlands who beat Italy’s Federico Luzzi 6-4, 6-2. In a match that lasted two hours and 25 minutes, Germany’s Maximilian Abel prevailed over Israel’s Jonathan Erlich 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (9-7) to reach the last 16.
PTI |
|
|
Neelotpal Das stuns Harikrishna Mumbai, April 22 Another Indian GM, 15-year-old Koneru Humpy (1.5 pts) crashed to her second successive defeat to Prathamesh Mokal (2.5) of India in a systematic play. Humpy, who had lost to International Master Ravi Hegde in the third round yesterday, had to blame herself for the defeat as her lack of preparation in Sicilian defence was astutely exploited by teenager Mokal, who scored the second win of his career over the former world junior girls champion. Top seeded Uzbekh GM Rustom Kasimzanov (3.5) was held to a draw by Vietnamese GM Guyan Anh Dung (3.5) in a keenly contested battle in queen pawn opening. Second seeded Indian GM Sashikiran (3.5) also signed peace with Iranian GM Ghaem Maghami (3.5). Teenager G Rohit (3) of India shocked Bangladesh GM Zia Ur Rehman (2) in a marathon game arising out of modern defence
R.B. Ramesh of India outwitted Uzbekh GM T Vakhidov in French defence while Women’s GM S Vijayalaxmi of India defeated her compatriot International Women Master Nisha
Mohota. PTI |
|
|
Women boxers lift 5 bronze New Delhi, April 22 L. Sarita Devi of Manipur bagged a bronze in the 46kg weight category while the other medal winners were L. Sushila Devi of Manipur (54kg), Aruna Misra of Jharkhand (60kg), R L Jenny of Manipur (63kg) and Laxmi Padiya of Jharkhand (66). Indian Amateur Boxing Federation president Abhey Singh Chautala, working president R.S. Dalal and secretary Rajesh Bhandari accorded a warm welcome to the team and congratulated them for their “excellent performance”. |
|
|
Lewis held for ‘drunk driving’ Los Angeles, April 22 The accident occurred early yesterday morning on a south Los Angeles freeway. Police said they “observed symptoms of alcohol intoxication” in the driver identified as Frederick Carl Lewis. Lewis, who was driving a 2004 Maserati, was not injured. The 41-year-old had a glittering track and field career that spanned two decades and included Olympic gold medals in the 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympics. He is one of three athletes ever to win a gold in a single event (long jump) four times. Lewis allegedly failed a series of field sobriety tests, said police officer Joseph Pace. He was arrested for driving under the influence. Lewis also later posted a blood-alcohol level above 0.08 per cent — the state’s legal limit, the police said. The arrest came after a week of bad publicity for Lewis.
AFP |
|
|
Paradorn achieves historic feat Bangkok, April 22 The charismatic 23-year-old Asian champion confirmed his status as the continent’s best-ever player when he was ranked 10th in the latest ATP rankings, besting the exploits of India’s Vijay Amritraj who earned a 16th ranking back in 1980. He moved up one spot from 11th and now has 1,885 points - 66 points behind the Czech Republic’s Jiri Novak. “It is great news for our sport, and it is an honour because he is the first Asian to be in the top 10,” Suwat Liptapanlop, chairman of the Lawn Tennis Association of Thailand, told AFP. “He has given a reputation for this country,” Suwat said. Paradorn, who just over a year ago was ranked 126th, achieved the historic feat despite being ousted in the second round of the last week’s Monte Carlo Masters Series, and slipping to 13th in the ATP Champions race, which considers events played only this year. He was named Thailand’s 2002 Person of the Year on the back of the his meteoric rise to stardom, which took off with his straight-set defeat of one of his childhood heroes, Andre Agassi, at Wimbledon. He went on to claim his first ATP title, in August on Long Island, another in Stockholm and a third in Chennai at the turn of the year, defeating another one-time idol Michael Chang and world number one Lleyton Hewitt in the process. Breaking into the sport’s elite came sooner than expected for Paradorn, who said just last week that he was aiming to crack the top 10 by Wimbledon this June.
AFP |
|
|
Dempo post 4-1 win over HAL Bangalore, April 22 The winners scored twice in each half, with HAL managing to reduce the margin in the second session through a spot kick. The Goan team increased its points tally to 32 and climbed to fifth position in the league, while HAL faces relegation with only eight points.
Dempo got their goals through Bijen Singh, Jose Luciano, Lazarus Fernandes and substitute Levy Coeillo. Dempo’s domination was total, never allowing HAL to test their citadel. The local team did manage the odd foray after getting their only goal, five minutes into second session through a penalty kick converted by Xavier Vijaykumar.
UNI |
|
Pillay’s brace in IA’s win Mumbai, April 22 The star-studded Indian Airlines gained the lead in the 14th minute of the match when Dhanraj Pillay scored off Rajnish Mishra’s pass. In the 47th minute, skipper and defender Lazrus Barla made it 2-0 when he converted the first penalty corner. EME fought back well when their forward S Herenj scored off Gurmail Singh cross from the left flank in the 49th minute. Seven minutes later EME equalised through their defender J Kindo who converted the fourth penalty corner. However, the Airlines once again wrested the lead in the 64th minute when centre half and international Mukesh Kumar sounded the board with the team’s fifth penalty corner. Dhanraj Pillay rounded off the tally with his second goal of the match when he converted the sixth penalty corner just four minutes before the final hooter. Last year’s runners-up Indian Airlines forced six penalty corners while EME could manage five. Delhi outfit’s defender Bimal Lakhra was cautioned with a green card for rough play. In the second league match of the day, Western Railway crushed Sikh Regiment Centre (SRC) 4-1 after leading 2-1 at the breather. Gurusev Singh put the Western Rlys ahead in the 26th minute when he converted a penalty stroke. The stroke was awarded after the SRC defender and skipper Satnam Singh senior stopped a goal bound ball with his foot. Railways’ Shanta Kumar increased the margin two minutes later with a field goal while SRC’s A Kujur narrowed the lead when he converted the second penalty corner with just four minutes to go for half time. Railways’ Ingo Singh then made it 3-1 with a field goal in the 61st minute and three minutes later skipper Chandrapal rounded off the tally with yet another field goal. Tomorrow, Bhopal Eleven will take on CISF, Chandigarh while Indian Oil will clash with Karnataka Eleven in two Pool-A matches.
PTI |
|
|
SBT to clash with
Hayward today New Delhi, April 22 State Bank of Travancore
(Thiruvananthapuram) will take on Hayward, Goa in the opening match tomorrow in the afternoon. Other teams in the fray are Mohammedan Sporting, Kolkata and Air India (Mumbai). The top two teams of the Second Division will qualify for the First Division National Football League, to fill in the slots vacated by Indian Telephone Industries and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, both of Bangalore, who have been relegated to the Second Division. Mohammedan Sporting will be making an earnest effort to qualify for the NFL premier division. They have four foreign recruits in their ranks, and are one of the favourites to make the grade. Air India, who played in the inaugural NFL and finished fifth, have an exciting mix of youth and experience in their ranks. State Bank of Travancore, too, are an exciting outfit while Hayward boast of many talented players, including two imported players from Nigeria. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has entrusted the job of organising the matches to the Delhi Soccer Association. The matches will be played under gates, and the tickets will be priced at Rs 5 each. |
|
|
Basketball trials SANGRUR: Trials to select the Sangrur district junior basketball team will be held at War Hero’s Stadium on April 24 at 4 p.m., according to G.S. Sekhon, hony secretary, district basketball association. The team will participate in the junior state championships being held in the last week of the month.
OSR |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
