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Sunday,
June 1, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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India beat Pak, enter final Australia
suffer shock defeat French Open: Albert Costa triumphs; Hewitt bites the dust
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Wavell Hinds powers West Indies to three-wicket victory Playing cricket first priority: Jadeja Lanka cricketers suffer pay cuts 17-member team for Asian Grand Prix Ahn hero of Japan’s win WADA grants accreditation to NIS website 12-member canvass
ball team
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India beat Pak, enter final
Perth, May 31 Unperturbed by the loss they suffered in their previous league match against Australia, India persisted with their attacking game and scored through strikers Baljit Singh Dhillon (18th minute) and Prabhjot Singh (55th minute) to win the first match between the two sides this year. India, who finished their league engagements with two wins from three matches, will meet Australia in the final tomorrow. The victory was India’s fourth in the five matches played between them in the last one year. “As usual the match was quite exciting. But we prevailed as we played well in all the departments and dominated them for most part of the match,” an elated Indian coach Rajinder Singh told PTI after the match. India, who have come to the tournament aiming to fine-tune their skills for the Champions Trophy in August and next year’s Athens Olympics, began well by exerting pressure on the opposition defence with some fine moves, led by mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay, Dhillon and Prabhjot Singh. Though the Indian strikers completely outshone their counterparts in the first 15 minutes, success came only in the 18th minute when they earned a penalty corner. Putting into play all his experience, Dhillon scored off the penalty corner to give the side 1-0 lead which the Indians managed to hold till the half time. Pakistan, desperate to snatch a big win for a place in the final, stepped on the gas for an equaliser in the second half. But they failed to penetrate the Indian defence due to some brilliant defending by former captain Dilip Tirkey and Jugraj Singh who kept the rival strikers at bay with some fine work. “Against Australia, we were disappointed with the defenders. But today all of them specially Tirkey and Jugraj played really well to thwart Pakistani moves,” Rajinder Singh said. Pakistan’s desperation to score the equaliser helped the Indians in taking further lead when Prabhjot Singh came up with a brilliant goal 15 minutes before the hooter to put his side in a comfortable position. India carefully negotiated the final minutes of the game playing sensibly and hardly gave any opportunity to rival team to have an aim at their goal. PTI
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Australia
suffer shock defeat Perth, May 31 The Australian team which had not conceded even a single goal before the start of the match, put up a rank bad performance at Perth Hockey Stadium to suffer their first defeat in the four-team competition. The defeat, however, will have no bearing on their fortunes as they have already qualified for the final to be played tomorrow. In the final, they will take on India who beat Pakistan 2-0 in an earlier match today. Taking advantage of a poor clearance, mid-fielder Ben Bishop fired in the first goal before Lucas Judge made it 2-0 with a backhand drive. Though Australia reduced the lead with a Jamie Dwyer goal before the half time, Australia ‘A’ pumped in five more goals in the second half to register a facile win.
PTI |
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French Open: Albert Costa triumphs; Hewitt bites the dust
Paris, May 31 Having survived five-set marathons in his previous two matches, Costa was again tested to the limit before he managed to scramble past a cramping Lapentti. Lleyton Hewitt’s French Open dreams evaporated when he lost a two-set lead to go down 4-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to Spain’s Tommy Robredo in the third round on Saturday. Having let slip a 2-0 advantage in the fifth set, the Australian world number one sealed his fate in the seventh game when he gifted the 28th seeded Spaniard a break with a double fault. Kim Clijsters and Venus Williams made short work of their opponents today, each losing just three games en route to the fourth round of the French Open On another warm, humid day in Paris, No. 2-seeded Clijsters beat Argentina’s Paola Suarez 6-2 6-1 in just over an hour. Suarez, seeded 30th, had six double faults and 45 unforced errors. No. 3 Venus Williams had six aces and beat No. 26 Silvia Farina Elia of Italy 6-1 6-2 in 52 minutes. No. 6 Lindsay Davenport also advanced, defeating No. 25 Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3, 7-5, while No. 7 Jennifer Capriati took advantage of a shaky showing by Ukrainian qualifier Julia Vakulenko to win 6-1, 6-2. Williams lost a set in the second round, but Clijsters and Capriati have each dropped only nine games in three matches. Those advancing today are hoping to end the reign of defending champion Serena Williams, who beat Barbara Schett 6-0 6-0 yesterday. Capriati said she wasn’t fazed by that lopsided score. “I don’t think anyone cares about those results,” she said. “I just think people care about who’s the winner of the tournament.” Capriati lost the first game and then won eight in a row. Vakulenko, playing in her first Grand Slam event, double- faulted nine times, committed 40 unforced errors and lost in 57 minutes. “It didn’t seem like I hit a ball the whole match,” Capriati said. “Sometimes that easy is difficult, because you have to work so hard on your concentration.” Capriati improved to 15-1 at Roland Garros since 2001, when she won the French title. Davenport, bidding for her fourth Grand Slam championship and her first since 2000, said her title chances are slim compared with the Williams sisters and Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo. “I consider myself for sure an outsider,” Davenport said. Davenport will next play No. 24 Conchita Martinez, who swept Tina Pisnik 6-3 6-3. That put the Spaniard in the fourth round at Roland Garros for the 14th time, but the first time since 2000. No. 22 Vera Zvonareva eliminated Maria Sanchez Lorenzo 6-3 6-4.
AP
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Bhupathi- Mirnyi duo advances New Delhi, May 31 The second seeded Bhupathi and Mirnyi won their second round match 6-3 6-4, according to information received here. They will take on the 14th seeds Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl of the Czech Republic in the next round.
PTI |
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Wavell Hinds powers West Indies to
St Georges (Grenada), May 31 Hinds hit 125 off 140 balls to clinch victory with eight balls to spare at 254 for seven after the World Cup champions had been dismissed for 252 on the last ball of their 50 overs. Yesterday’s win was the hosts’ second straight over the powerful Australians, who had already clinched the seven-game series with victories in the opening four games. They lead 4-2 ahead of tomorrow’s final match of the series here. Hinds was the difference, scoring the only hundred of the series by either side and batting right through the innings. The series may be all over for the West Indies, but they are finishing it off the right way following their spirited 39-run victory in Port of Spain last Sunday to end Australia’s golden 21-game unbeaten ODI run. "I rate this as the best innings I’ve played because I stuck to the game plan and batted through the innings and did the job for the team," said Hinds, who was not even in the squad at the start of the series. "Ramnaresh Sarwan and I played an important partnership, Sarwan played very responsibly and young David Bernard came in and did a bit towards the end... but it was a great team effort." The West Indies looked up against it when skipper Brian Lara was caught and bowled by Andrew Symonds for 15 leaving his side at 67 for two in the 16th over, but Hinds and Sarwan put them back on track with a 114-run partnership for the third wicket. Sarwan was out for 50 off 69 balls when he became the first of two wickets to fall in Brett Lee’s 40th over of the innings. "The guys stuck to the plan pretty well, although we lost wickets around the 40 overs mark, but all credit must go to Wavell, he kept the innings together," said skipper Lara. "Sarwan stuck with him for a 100 partnership and got us through." Lara, looking ahead to tomorrow’s final match at Queen’s Park, said it loomed as the biggest match of the series for the West Indies. "We have lost the series, but it’s very important to leave the right impression in the West Indian cricket public’s mind that we are playing good cricket and it will be great to go out there and win again." The Australians, who have now lost two consecutive ODI games for the first time since June last year, will rue squandering a blazing start to finish with 252 off 50 overs after winning the toss. The World Cup champions began with an imperious 90-run stand between Gilchrist and Hayden off 14.2 overs before they threw away wickets with sloppy batting. Scoreboard Australia: Gilchrist c Lara b Samuels 64 Hayden c Hinds b Collymore 29 Ponting run out 2 Symonds c Lara b Sarwan 16 Lehmann c and b Gayle 43 Maher c and b Gayle 19 Hogg c Gayle b Samuels 0 Bichel c Lara b Gayle 41 Lee c Powell b Collymore 14 Hauritz run out 2 Gillespie not out 1 Extras:
(lb-8, w-10, nb-3) 21 Total: (all out, 50 overs) 252 Fall of wickets:
1-90, 2-105, 3-105, 4-149, 5-177, 6-178, 7-193, 8-243, 9-250. Bowling:
Collymore 10-1-46-2, Dillon 8-0-52-0, Samuels 10-1-39-2, Drakes 6-0-21-0, Bernard 2-0-17-0, Sarwan 4-0-32-1, Gayle 10-1-37-3. West Indies: Gayle c Gilchrist b Lee 18 Hinds not out 125 Lara c and b Symonds 15 Sarwan c Symonds b Lee 50 Samuels b Lee 0 Powell c and b Lehmann 1 Jacobs c Maher b Bichel 8 Bernard lbw b Gillespie 7 Drakes not out 0 Extras:
(b-4, lb-15, w-8, nb-3) 30 Total: (7 wkts, 48.4 overs) 254 Fall of wickets :
1-23, 2-67, 3-181, 4-181, 5-193, 6-213, 7-244. Bowling: Lee 9.4-2-50-3, Gillespie 9-2-33-1, Bichel 10-0-52-1, Symonds 4-0-19-1, Hogg 10-1-35-0, Hauritz 5-0-35-0, Lehmann 1-0-11-1.
AFP |
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Playing
cricket first priority: Jadeja
New Delhi, May 31 “This means a lot, in fact everything to me. I have been playing cricket right from my childhood and I am very happy to be back,” Jadeja said as he readied himself to step on to the field. A High Court order, on Wednesday, allowed Jadeja to play in domestic competition even as the cricket board’s appeal against the order of a court-appointed Arbitrator quashing the five-year ban on the all-rounder is
still pending. The ban was imposed on Jadeja by the cricket board for his alleged involvement in match-fixing practices. Today’s match is Jadeja’s first competitive outing since the Asia Cup in Dhaka in 2000. The crowd was still coming in when the match began but the scene at the Karnail Singh Stadium, the venue of the tournament, wore a festive look with temporary lighting arrangements perched on top of a cluster of bamboos. As the cricketer arrived, hundreds of people jostled and flocked alongside him to the pavilion. After satisfying their curiosities with his curt replies, Jadeja had a hit with the bat and took a lap around the ground. And minutes before the match, the organisers, represented by Ashok Agarwal, felicitated him with a bouquet. “We are happy for him (Jadeja). He is our son and has served the nation well, and hope he will do more for the country in the coming years as well,” Agarwal said. Jadeja himself was a very happy man, the fact that the match was only a ‘local’ game notwithstanding. “It is the lowest grade (of official cricket), but it is better than no cricket at all,” Jadeja told reporters. There were also several familiar faces at the stadium. Most noticeable of them was that of Nikhil Chopra, another cricketer who was accused of match-fixing but was later exonerated. “I am very happy for him because finally he has been cleared of all wrongs. He has been a fine cricketer, and should be back playing international cricket soon,” Chopra said. The 32-year-old Jadeja said he hoped to play four or five more years of international cricket if selected to the Indian team. “I see myself as a one-day cricketer and 37 (years) is the limit for a fit cricketer,” he said. The all-rounder said he was aware of the long road he has to travel to get back into the national team that is full of players performing at their best at the moment. “I am not bothered about the slot. I am keeping myself fit and hope things will turn around... Playing international cricket is my first priority... and if I can make it once, I can do it again,” he said. Jadeja said motivation was never a problem in the three years he spent as an outcast. “There could be no better motivation than try and get back to play for
India... I have kept myself fitter than what I was in my playing days,” he said.
PTI |
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Lanka cricketers suffer pay cuts
Colombo, May 31 The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) said today it was slashing the fixed contract fees as part of the shake-up. The board reduced the number of contracted players to 12 from the previous year’s 15 and decided to cut 30 per cent from the match fee of $ 1,750 for each Test match and $ 1,250 for every one-day international. However, the fees will be increased by 50 per cent for win against one of the top four ranked sides and 25 per cent for a win against teams placed fifth to eighth. AFP
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17-member team for Asian Grand Prix
New Delhi, May 31 Keeping its promise to reward athletes for their performance in the first leg of the Asian Grand Prix, which was held in Hyderabad on Wednesday, the Amateur Athletic Federation of India (AAFI) included all the medal-winners in the Hyderabad meet for the Colombo leg except javelin thrower Ramandeep Singh, who opted out on “personal ground”. “As announced earlier, we have named the members who won medals in Hyderabad for the Colombo leg of the Grand Prix. Ramandeep Singh who finished second in Hyderabad had requested us not to name him as he wants to nurse an injured back,” AAFI secretary Lalit Bhanot told PTI here. He said the team comprising 17 athletes and two coaches, would retain their place for the third and final legs of the Grand Prix slated to be held at Bangkok (June 5) and Manila (June 9). On Anju B George’s unavailability for the meet, Mr Bhanot said the long-jumper was concentrating on the world athletic championships in California and calling her back to the country for the Grand Prixs would have affected her preparations. “She is unwilling to participate since it could disturb her schedule very much. She would have taken at least a month to adjust to the conditions here and it would have a negative impact on her training,” said Mr Bhanot. In the Hyderabad meet, India failed to manage even a single top-place finish and it was dominated by athletes from Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan. Men: 100m: Sanjay Ghosh, Sandeep Sarkaria; 400m: Satbir Singh, Anil K Rohil; 800m: P.S. Primesh, Ghamanda Ram; 110m hurdles: Naunidh Singh; Long jump: Maha Singh; Discus: Anil Kumar; Javelin: Harminder Singh, Jagdish Bishnoi. Women:-100m: Poonam Tomar; 400m: Kalpana Reddy, S Geetha;800m: Sunita Kumari; 100m hurdles and long jump: J J Shobha, Soma Biswas. Coaches: Dr Kuntal Roy, Suresh K Saini. PTI
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Ahn hero of Japan’s win
Tokyo, May 31 The J-league club’s Shimizu S-Pulse striker, who scored the winner to knock out Italy in the World Cup last year, did it again with only four minutes left on the clock to avenge the Koreans’ defeat to Japan in Seoul last month. Korea, the surprise World Cup semi-finalists, and their Asian rivals were neck and neck in the first half, but neither had a clear scoring chance on the wind and rain-swept pitch before a sell-out 53,405 crowd at the National Stadium. After both sides missed early chances, Brazilian-born Alessandro Santos and Mitsuo Ogasawara almost broke into the Korean area, only to have the attack broken up by goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae. Japanese keeper Seigo Narazaki was forced to pull off some super-human skills when Korean skipper Yoo Sang-Chul and Choi Yong-Soo chased the ball into the area on a straight pass in the 31st minute. AFP
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WADA grants accreditation to NIS website Patiala, May 31 The NIS website has become the seventh anti-doping site which has been granted accreditation by WADA. Swimming trials:
Trials to select the Patiala district junior and sub-junior swimming teams for both boys and girls will be held at the Mohindera college pool on June 3. This was stated by Mr M.S Sidhu, senior Punjab Sports Department swimming coach and secretary of the Patiala District Swimming Association (PDSA). He added that the selected squad would take part in the Punjab sub- junior and junior swimming championship scheduled to be held at Ferozepore from June 5 to 8. Swimmers desirous of taking part in the trials are required to bring their age proof certificates with them. Cricket meet: The PCA skipper failed to read the pitch properly and opted to bat on a track which assisted the bowlers from the first over of the match itself. Only Ramandeep Singh, and to some extent, Ameet played responsibly as the local team folded up for just 108 runs even before they could exhaust their full quota of 30 overs. In reply, Stadium XI scored the required runs in 29 over by losing just one wicket. Manan Vohra and Sahil scored 54 and 34 runs, respectively, as the Chandigarh youngsters raced to a comprehensive victory. Brief scores: PAC, Patiala: 108 all out (Ramandeep Singh 38, Ameet 14, Gurinder Singh 3 for 14, Akshit 2 for 24, Ajay 1 for 8, Hitesh 1 for 28);
Stadium XI: 109 for 1 in 29 overs (Manan Vohra 51 n.o. Sahil 34, Prince 1 for 16).
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12-member canvass ball team Patiala, May 31 The team is:
Vikramjit, Harjinder Singh, Tejvir Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Fateh Singh, Damandeep Singh, Malkit Singh, Surjit Singh, Harvinder Singh, Rampal, Gurpreet Singh and V.K. Yadav. Mr K.S. Randhawa will be the coach and Mr R.K. Sharma the manager of the team.
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Perth, May 31
St Georges (Grenada), May 31
