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Monday,
June 2, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Aussies subdue fighting India, Pak finish last Venus crashes out; Agassi, Serena advance
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Paes, Bhupathi to meet in quarters ‘India have scores to settle with Kiwis’
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Chandigarh invited to BCCI conclave Dravid joins Scottish side Ballack inspires Bayern Munich win
Moti Ram emerges champion Ronaldo’s marriage hits the rocks MES
(II) win ‘abandoned’ match
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Aussies subdue fighting India, Pak finish last Perth, June 1 Dominating the proceedings from the beginning, India took the lead in the 12th minute when veteran striker Baljit Singh Dhillon converted a short corner. Despite outshining the hosts for most part of the game, the visitors failed to hold their nerve when it mattered most — conceding two goals in a span of five minutes in the dying minutes. First it was Jamie Dwyer who equalised from a short corner in the 65th minute before Michael McCann scored an opportunistic goal a minute before the final whistle to notch up a thrilling win for the home side. The rain-marred match witnessed much drama in the dying moments when a charging Kanwalpreet Singh failed to clear a Nathan Eglington shot near the goalmouth as he slipped in a bid to stop the ball. McCann, waiting near the post, wasted no time in banging in the winner much to the delight of the home crowd. A disappointed Indian coach Rajinder Singh said after the match that despite the loss his team deserves praise for playing brilliantly throughout the tournament. “We played really well though we were unfortunate to concede the goal in the last moment. I am quite happy with the way the boys played today,” he told PTI. This was India’s second loss against Australia in the four-team competition, which also featured Pakistan and Australia ‘A’. India, looking confident after their 2-0 win against arch-rivals Pakistan yesterday, called the shots in the first half as they denied their rival strikers, particularly Tory Elder and Eglington, any space to play. “Though we are putting stress on playing aggressively, the defenders did their job pretty well. They gave the confidence to the strikers to make their move without worrying much about the counter-attacks,” said Rajinder Singh. The visitors, playing an attacking game from the beginning, created few opportunities and dominated the game throughout the first half and most part of the second half. Just before Dhillon’s goal, India muffed up an opportunity to take the lead when Gagan Ajit Singh shot straight at goalkeeper Mark Hickman. Australia also came close to scoring when Dwyer hit wide after Eglington had done all the spadework. The hosts had to wait for 53 minutes to get the equaliser. Their increasingly frantic search ended when a short corner routine gave Dwyer the chance to hit high over keeper Devesh Chauhan. The two teams will proceed to Sydney along with Pakistan and Australia ‘A’ for the second leg of the meet, which will begin on Wednesday. The Indian coach said he was confident of his team performing better at Sydney. “I am satisfied with the performance today though we lost the match. The players are playing really well at the moment but we need to improve in certain areas. We are working on that aspect. “The boys are performing better with every outing. And we will definitely play better in Sydney,” said Rajinder Singh. India, who have come to the tournament to experiment with a few things including reverting to the attacking style of hockey, are using the matches here to fine-tune their skill for the upcoming Champions Trophy in Amsterdam and next year’s Athens Olympics. Earlier, Grant Schubert scored twice for Australia ‘A’ as Pakistan crashed to their fourth successive defeat to finish last in the tournament. In the third place play-off at the Perth Hockey stadium, Pakistan squandered a 1-0 lead to lose the tie 2-1 after Schubert scored his goals within two minutes late into the second half. The Pakistani team, which came here without veteran short corner specialist Sohail Abbas and former captain Mohammad Nadeem, finished the tournament winless. Pakistan took the lead in the 50th minute through Mohammed Saqlain before Schubert, who had played a major role in Australia ‘A’ drubbing their senior team 7-2 yesterday, settled the issue with two goals in the 65th and 67th minutes. Grant Schubert scored twice for Australia ‘A’ as Pakistan crashed to their fourth successive defeat to finish last in the three-nation invitational hockey tournament here today. In the third place play-off of the four-team competition at the Perth Hockey Stadium, Pakistan squandered a 1-0 lead to lose the tie 2-1 after Schubert scored his goals within two minutes late into the second half. The Pakistani team, which came here without veteran short corner specialist Sohail Abbas and former captain Mohammad Nadeem, finished the tournament winless. Australia ‘A’, which was ineligible for the final, suffered their only defeat in the tournament against India on Wednesday before winning the next two matches against Pakistan and Australia respectively. Today’s match saw Pakistan taking the lead in the 50th minute through Mohammed Saqlain before Schubert, who had played a major role in Australia ‘A’ drubbing their senior team 7-2 yesterday, settled the issue with two goals in the 65th and 67th minutes. All the four teams will be heading for Sydney tomorrow to play the second leg of the series starting on Wednesday.
PTI |
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Venus crashes out; Agassi, Serena advance
Paris, June 1 Zvonareva next plays the winner of the tie opposing Jennifer Capriati of the USA and Nadia Petrova of Russia for a place in the semi-finals. Defending champion Serena Williams emerged unscathed from a first-set scare and a nasty spill to beat Japan’s Ai Sugiyama 7-5 6-3 today in the fourth round at the French Open. The match was much more arduous than Williams’ 6-0 6-0 victory over Barbara Schett in the previous round. This time Williams was down a service break twice in the first set but rallied from a 4-2 deficit. Andre Agassi advanced to the quarter-finals by beating Flavio Saretta 6-2 6-1 7-5. Williams was down a service break twice in the first set but rallied from a 4-2 deficit. She escaped injury in the sixth game when she slipped on the clay chasing a shot and tumbled into the net, landing hard on her left side. The victory was the 32nd in a row in Grand Slam events for Williams, who has beaten sister Venus in the past four major finals. Her opponent in the quarter-finals on Tuesday will be Frenchwoman Amelie Mauresmo, who upset Williams in the Rome semi-final May 17. Mauresmo, seeded fifth, advanced by beating Magui Serna 6-1 6-2. The native of suburban Paris may be the crowd favourite, but she knows she’ll have her hands full against Williams. “Four Grand Slams in a row. What can you say except total respect?” Mauresmo said. American Chanda Rubin, seeded eighth, reached the quarter finals at Roland Garros for the third time by beating Petra Mandula 4-6 6-2 7-5. Rubin next plays No. 4 Justine Henin-Hardenne, who defeated No. 19 Patty Schnyder 6-3 2-6 6-2. In the final third-round match, three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten beat No. 21 Gaston Gaudio 7-6 (7/1) 7-5 5-7 6-3. The match was suspended midway through the third set yesterday because of darkness. No. 4 Carlos Moya, the 1998 champion, beat No. 13 Jiri Novak 7-5 6-3 6-2. He’ll next face Dutchman Martin Verkerk, who upset No. 11 Rainer Schuettler 6-3 6-3 7-5. Verkerk had never won a Grand Slam match coming into the tournament. Saretta entered his match against Agassi bothered by a sore muscle in his rear, and he twice required treatment during changeovers. The injury left Saretta with little chance against Agassi, who was so sharp that in one game he landed winners not just in both corners, but on them. Saretta, forced far out of position during one rally, offered his racket to a spectator even before Agassi finished off the point. During the ensuing changeover, the colourful Brazilian kept the ball in the air by repeatedly bouncing it off the top of the feet, desperate to give the centre-court crowd its money’s worth. On another sunny, steamy day, with temperatures passing 30 degrees Celsius, Williams worked harder than she wanted. After winning every game in her previous match, the top-seeded American lost seven of the first eight points against Sugiyama, a 10-year tour veteran seeded 16th. Williams fell behind 2-0, reached 2-all and then lost her serve again with a double-fault on break point. She had 13 unforced errors in the first five games and was often on the defensive chasing Sugiyama’s deep groundstrokes into the corners. The worst moment for Williams came when she fell racing forward for a shot. Her right ankle bent awkwardly as she went down in a tangle with the net, but she quickly got up and resumed play. She rallied with the help of some shaky serving by her opponent. Sugiyama double-faulted on break point to make it 4-all, then hit another double-fault - her eighth - in the final game of the set to lose it at love. Williams slammed a service winner to take a 4-3 lead in the second set, punctuating the shot with a shout of “Yes!” She closed the victory in 92 minutes, more than twice the length of her previous match. “She’s very fast,” Sugiyama said. “She’s all over. I would hit a ball down the line, and still for sure I knew the ball was coming back.”
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Paes, Bhupathi to meet in quarters New Delhi, June 1 India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi of Belarus outplayed Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl of Czech Republic in straight sets in Paris today to book a place in the quarterfinals. The second-seeded Indo-Belarus pair easily overcame the challenge of Cermak and Friedl, winning the match 6-3 6-2, according to information received here. Later in the day, the fifth seeded pair of Paes and Rikl defeated the ninth seeded Eagle and Palmer 6-2 6-0. India’s challenge in the girls section (junior) at the Roland Garros, however, got off to a poor start with Sanaa Bhambri crashing out of the competition with a first round loss against Marine Giraud of France. The local girl warded off Bhambri’s challenge to emerge a 7-5 6-2 winner. Sania Mirza and Somdev Dev Verman made first round exits from the girl’s and boy’s events respectively. Verman went down to 16th seed Leonardo Kirche of Brazil 6-1 3-6 6-4 while Mirza was defeated by Heidi El Tabakh of Egypt by a 6-1 6-4 margin.
PTI |
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‘India have scores to settle with Kiwis’ Bangalore, June 1 “We have got a few scores to settle (with New Zealand). We are looking forward to it,” Wright told PTI here on India’s two Test series against New Zealand at home. “Obviously, lead-up will be given. Sure, we will be well prepared. I have to talk to the (BCCI) president (Jagmohan Dalmiya) about the lead-up programme along with the selectors. I am looking forward to the lead-up progamme and playing programme,” he said. Asked how he felt when India take on New Zealand, the former Kiwi captain said, “My job is to coach India. My job is on behalf of the (Indian) team and people here to get results for India. That’s the only way I have to think about it”. Regarding reports that Javagal Srinath was mulling retirement from Test cricket, Wright said it was the fast bowler’s personal decision. “At the end of the day, Sri is big enough and old enough to make the decisions himself”, said Wright.
PTI |
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Chandigarh invited to BCCI conclave Chandigarh, June 1 These areas include all states and union territories which are not affiliated to the BCCI and include Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Pondicherry, Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Havelli and Daman and Diu. The meeting has been kept at the official level and Sports Ministers and sports secretaries of the states and union territories concerned have been invited to attend the one-day conclave. Some of the states invited to tomorrow’s meeting have already applied for affiliation to the board. However, their cases have yet to be taken up by the national body. As far as the union territories are concerned the constitution of the board does not permit affiliation and in case the BCCI at some point of time decides to grant affiliation to the union territories then the constitution will have to be amended. Besides representatives from the states and union territories the Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr Vikram Verma, has also been invited to attend the meeting. The invitation to attend the meeting was sent to the Adviser of the Chandigarh administration, Mr Virendra Singh. who in turn asked Mr Vivek Atray, Director, IT, of the Chandigarh administration, to attend the meeting.Mr Atray was a keen cricketer in his younger days and even now he conducts a tournament which has seen some of the top players of the country play in Chandigarh. It is learnt that the BCCI is informally of the view that teams from these states and union territories may be permitted to play in the under-13, under-15 and under-17 tournaments conducted by it. Also, these states and union territories can conduct tournaments if the infrastructure available there is up to the required standards. It is also learnt that the BCCI in its effort to promote the game in these areas will bear all expenses such as cost of cricket equipment. fees and travel of coaches and consultants as well as ground and fitness equipment. At Kolkata tomorrow the government representatives will be requested to identify the local cricket body so that the government and the association can together promote the game. The government will also be requested to make available grounds exclusive for the game so that the BCCI can invest money to build up proper infrastructure. In Chandigarh three cricket associations (one affiliated to the Punjab Cricket Association, one affiliated to the Haryana Cricket Association and one which is seeking direct affiliation to the BCCI) are functioning. The Administration will have to merge these three bodies if it has to follow the guidelines of the BCCI. How it is dones is difficult to say at this juncture. |
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Dravid joins Scottish side London, June 1 Dravid arrived in Scotland on Wednesday accompanied by wife Vijeta and will play 12 one-day games for Scotland. “I suppose you could call (the summer with Saltires) an extended honeymoon, with a bit of work as well. Everyone tells me Scotland is beautiful and hopefully we will get a chance to see it,” the Indian vice-captain said. “I am also looking forward to meeting everyone and getting to know the culture,” Dravid, with a Test average of more than 50, was quoted as saying in The Independent today. Dravid’s 45,000-pound contract is being funded mostly by NRIs who have been raising money through dinners, raffles and donations. Gwynne Jones, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Cricket Union was keen to hire an Indian international “because cricket is a great game for bringing different ethnic populations together.”
PTI |
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Ballack inspires Bayern Munich win Berlin, June 1 The Germany playmaker scored two early goals before setting up a third to help the German champions seal their 11th Cup triumph. They also won the double in 1969, 1986 and 2000. Bayern comfortably won their 18th league title with four games remaining in the season. Ballack headed Bayern into the lead from a free kick by England midfielder Owen Hargreaves on three minutes and doubled the advantage from a penalty seven minutes later after Hargreaves was brought down in the box. He then set up Peru striker Claudio Pizarro, who flicked the ball over Kaiserslautern goalkeeper Tim Wiese to put Bayern 3-0 up five minutes into the second half. “Last year I lost the final but this time I’ve got the trophy,’’ said Ballack. “It was important for all the team to win today. The early goals were the foundation stones for our victory.” Kaiserslautern, who battled against relegation and financial collapse this season, had midfielder Marian Hristov sent off for a dangerous tackle on Bayern’s Elber in the 78th minute. Germany striker Miroslav Klose pulled one back for Kaiserslautern with a header two minutes later, but the game was already beyond doubt. The four-times German champions were playing their seventh Cup final and were hoping to lift the trophy for the third time after 1990 and 1996 but a determined Bayern side ruined their plans. With Bayern going into the Champions League, the southwesterners knew they would enter the UEFA Cup even if they lost the final. They came close to reducing the arrears just after Ballack’s penalty, when Portugal midfielder Jose Manuel Dominguez headed narrowly wide from a cross by Harry Koch. But Bayern were in control for most of the game and failed to open a 4-0 lead when a low volley from just inside the box by Pizarro flirted with the post in the 54th minute. Tight defending and a commanding midfield display helped Bayern add to their rich collection of silverware as they signed off in style after a season marred by their embarrassing first-stage exit from the Champions League.
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Moti Ram emerges champion Amritsar, June 1 In the final seventh round Moti Ram emerged triumphant after a draw with Sanjeev Duggal. Both acquired six points. However, as per the Swiss chess rules, Moti Ram who had defeated the major opponents during his games, was declared the winner. Sanjeev Duggal, also of the State Bank of Patiala, secured second position. Arvinder Preet Singh (6) of Ludhiana beat Imtiaz Ali of Malerkotla in and was placed third. Neeraj Khera (5.5) of Jalandhar stood fourth after holding Amit Sharma of the same city, who was placed fifth with 5.5 points. They played Nimzo Indian opening. Manoj Mehra of Amritsar accumulated 5.5 points after thrashing Harmit Singh (4.5) of Phagwara, while Pardeep Arora (5) and Balwinder Singh (5) (both from Amritsar) agreed to a draw after 27 moves. Mr Sunil Datti, mayor of Amritsar, was the chief guest in the concluding game and distributed prizes among the winners. The following players have been selected to participate in Punjab A chess championship scheduled to be held at Jalandhar from June 13 to 15: Moti Ram, Sanjeev Duggal, (both from Patiala), Arvinder Preet Singh (Ludhiana), Neeraj Khera, Amit Sharma (both from Jalandhar), Manoj Mehra, Pardeep Arora (both from Amritsar), Imtiaz Ali (Malerkotla), Balwinder Singh (Amritsar) and Shival Jethi Jalandhar. |
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Ronaldo’s marriage hits the rocks London, June 1 “It is difficult for us to stay together as we see life in different ways,” Milene, herself a professional footballer and ex-model, said in an interview published in Sunday Mirror. “We are discussing divorce and it is only a matter of time after we get things sorted out. It is the end and I mean it,” she said. Party-loving Ronaldo, who earns four million pounds per annum with Real Madrid and considered worth £ 50 million is renowned for his wandering eye. According to the tabloid he recently pursued Lady Victoria Hervey and Manchester United star Ryan Giggs’ ex, Caroline Stanbury, at a Monaco nightclub. Milene, 23 and Ronaldo, 26, married three years ago, but the couple have been leading almost separate lives. She spends half the week in Italy, leaving their son Ronald, three, in Spain with his dad, her mum Lucia and a nanny. “Ronald is the most beautiful thing Ronaldo and me have done together, but it is not sufficient,” Milene said. “He is not the solution to all the problems Ronaldo and I have. My son does not come into it. He has nothing to do with the fact that our love and feelings have changed. “I know what is best for me - peace and tranquillity. All I ask for is a plain and straightforward life. A tranquil family life. And my son Ronald needs stability too.” Milene married buck-toothed Ronaldo at his mother’s house in Rio de Janeiro on Christmas eve in 1999 when she was already pregnant. Last summer they still seemed the perfect couple with Ronaldo, top scorer in the last World Cup, saying the secret of his success was making love two hours before a match. But Ronaldo’s move from Inter Milan to Madrid upset Milene, who did not want to leave. And when her £ 200,000 pounds transfer to Rayo Vallecano of Madrid collapsed she was left with a 1,600-km trip to play for Fiamma Monza. “I am exhausted at having to go to and fro between Milan and Madrid,” said Milene. “I have reached the point where I do not know where I belong. I hardly see Ronny. We both have training and matches and are never together at weekends. We virtually live separate lives.”
PTI |
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MES
(II) win ‘abandoned’ match Patiala, June 1 Keeping this in view Patiala Cricket Association and NICS Cricket Academy have decided not to participate in the tournament in future. The tournament, which was started to provide competition to players below the age of 13, has virtually been reduced to farcical proportions with teams unabashedly fielding players much above the required age. In an attempt to downplay yesterday’s incident the organisers released the results of one semi-final to the Press, while the details of the match played between NICS and MES coaching centre (II), were not provided to the media. The start of the match between NICS Academy and MES (II) had to be delayed by nearly two hours since the coaches of the teams alleged that their opponents were fielding overaged cricketers. Sensing that things could go out of hand the organisers decided to conduct medical tests to verify the age of the players. However, for some unknown reasons it was decided not to go in for the tests as the organisers concluded that “the tests were a consuming and tedious exercise.” A comical method was resorted to judge the correct age of the players. The boys were made to stand in a queue and any youngster who stood a bit taller than his colleagues was deemed to be overaged. Amid the prevailing confusion the match started and NICS scored 142 for 5 in the allotted 30 overs. In reply, MES (II) scored 114 for 8 when suddenly a NICS sympathiser ran on to the pitch protesting against a decision of the umpires, who decided to abandon the match. However, in the evening, the organisers claimed that the MES (II) team won the match and would play the final.
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