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Friday,
September 26, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Saurav Ganguly pulls out of Vizag, Rajkot ties
President’s XI face Kiwis today Sale of tickets for Mohali Test from Oct 1 ASIA CUP
HOCKEY Jugraj
sad over India’s defeat |
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Western Railway, Chandigarh XI in last 8 No
sportsman should be reverted: panel Reetinder Sodhi stars in Punjab CC win
Jeev overshadowed
by Kuramoto Top
players for snooker tourney
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Saurav Ganguly pulls out of Vizag, Rajkot ties New Delhi, September 25 Saurav flew into Delhi today morning from Kolkata for the "ESPN Cricket Show" film shoot featuring Sunil Gavaskar, Geoff Boycott and Harsha Bhogle at a Noida film studio. Saurav said he had not taken the permission of the BCCI to participate in the show, but since he was allowed to write newspaper columns, he expected no objection from the board. He said there was also the precedent of Sachin Tendulkar participating in similar shows on ESPN. Gavaskar opined that the show would be very rewarding for Saurav as he would be able to express his views on Indian cricket and world cricket with experts in the field. Saurav would be the first playing captain of a national side in the world to don the mantle of an anchor on a cricket show. Dwelling on the nagging question of finding a stable opening pair in Test matches for the country, Sunil Gavaskar and Geoff Boycott, the celebrated openers of yore, remarked almost in unison that "this shows how difficult it is to open the innings". Boycott, who is recovering from treatment on suspected cancer, said he was only 75 per cent fit, and was on road to full recovery. Boycott felt that too much one-day and Test cricket matches were making the game "common place". Boycott observed that "we are going to kill the golden goose if the present trend of an overkill of cricket continues." Gavaskar, too, expressed a similar opinion, but at the end of the day, he felt that "it was the accountant who would decide what was what", meaning one-day cricket was the main source of income for the cricket associations and an attitude of "more the merrier" has become a part of their mindset. Saurav said too much international cricket was keeping the top players away from domestic cricket like the Ranji Trophy, but the trend can be reversed only if the BCCI and the ICC (International Cricket Council) sit together and plan out the cricket calendar. He did not see anything wrong in playing 25 to 30 one-day international matches in a calendar year. But Gavaskar felt that so many ODIs in a year was putting a lot of strain on everybody. Gavaskar said playing matches, per se, was not really a problem, but the travel schedule did not afford enough rest to the players. Both Gavaskar and Saurav also did not see anything wrong in some talented cricketers walking into the national squad without playing age group and Ranji Trophy matches, say Munaf Patel, for example. |
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President’s XI face Kiwis today Visakhapatnam, September 25 It was under this backdrop that the three-day contest, which would give the New Zealanders a chance to warm up for the future contests ahead, beginning at the newly-built state-of-the-art stadium at the suburban Pothinamallayyapalem assumes greater significance. The fact that the selectors were looking for an ideal opening pair for the forthcoming series against New Zealand and for the all important Australian tour, was underlined by the inclusion of array of openers for the two tour matches, including four for this match (Shiv Sundar Das of Orissa, the young Akash Chopra of Delhi, Wasim Jaffar of Mumbai, besides Sehwag). Lending more credence to this fact was the naming of Akash Chopra in the India-A team as well for the second tour match at Rajkot, ahead of the two-Test series at Ahmedabad and Mohali. If the team management acceded to Sehwag’s proposal of dropping him down the under, the prospect of that slot going to left hander Yuvraj Singh could not be ruled out as the one-day specialist had evinced interest to take the responsibility. A good performance against the Kiwis here would enhance his chances of getting into the Test-side. But skipper Sehwag has a tough job on hand in picking the final eleven from the 14-member squad. One thing that appeared a certainty was that two of the four medium pacers Amit Bhandari, Amit Uniyal, Tinu Yohanan and Siddarth Triwedi should have to sit out if the team think-tank decided to play both the spinners— Ramesh Powar, who had a stupendous run in the Irani Trophy at Chennai last week, and Amit Mishra. The teams: New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Ian Butler, Robbie Hart (wicket-keeper), Richard Jones, Craig McMillan, Michael Mason, Jacob Oram, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent and Paul Wiseman. Board Presidents XI: Virender Sehwag (capt), Akash Chopra, Shiv Sundar Das, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, S Sriram, Ajay Ratra (wicket-keeper), Amit Mishra, Romesh Powar, Amit Bhandari, Tinu Yohanan, Wasim Jaffer, Siddarth Trivedi and Amit Uniyal. Umpires: S.K. Sharma and Jasbir Singh. — UNI
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Sale of tickets for Mohali Test from Oct 1 Chandigarh, September 25 “The tickets will be sold through the branches of the ICICI bank, the official bankers, at various outlets in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. Besides, the tickets will also be sold at two or three counters at the PCA Stadium,” he said. The priority regarding the sale of tickets would be given to schools. The sale would start for the general public after the demand from the schools is met, he said. The “canopy-like cover” for the wicket designed to help wicket retain its moisture as suggested by Mr Daljit Singh, a member of the Grounds and Pitches Committee of the BCCI, would be used, if its fabrication was possible before the start of the Test. If not ready it could be used later on. “The idea behind was to see that the wicket regained its bounce,” he said. Earlier it was used during the West Indies tour match in 1994 when it was manufactured by the
PTL. Regarding the suggestion concerning national anthem before the match, he said that Mr M P Pandove, secretary of the
PCA, would discuss and try to seek the approval during the annual general meeting of the BCCI starting in Kolkata from September 27. |
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ASIA CUP
HOCKEY
Kuala Lumpur, September 25 Arch-rivals Pakistan are expected to have the easier passage in the other semifinal against Japan also to be played at the same venue. South Korea do not look near the ravishing form that won them the championship here four years ago. Additionally, with nine new players who were not in the Korean team that beat India 4-3 in the Asian Games in Busan last October, the 1999 Asian Cup holders and 2002 Asian Games gold medallists look like a team in a state of nascent assembly rather than of inexorable arrival. In contrast, India are nearing an apotheosis of sorts, this despite the absence of Jugraj Singh, whose drag flicks at penalty corners can be as lethal as Sohail Abbas’, Pakistan’s clinical executioner of the corner set piece. Jugraj was unavailable because of injuries sustained in a road accident. It is a measure of this Indian team’s capability that Jugraj’s absence is not such a big blow even in the face of the Indians’ failure to profit from four penalty corners in their defeat to Pakistan. The latter, in contrast, converted the two they forced. India’s coach Rajinder Singh attributed his team’s poor penalty corner conversion not to faulty technique but to what golfers who are not putting well would call a lack of “feel”. “We were poor at the penalty corner but we will be better against Korea,” promised Rajinder. “The combination between pusher, stopper and hitter did not quite work but we will get it right,” added Rajinder. Rajinder’s studied indifference to India’s apparent flaws, such as not translating ample possession into high scoring, either suggests he knows something about his players that others don’t or he resides in a different realm. Certainly, it appeared that the former was the more likely case because he said he spoke to forward Gagan Ajit Singh who in this tournament has not been in compelling form. “We had a discussion this morning and he promised to play better against Korea,” said Rajinder.
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Jugraj sad over
India’s defeat Ludhiana, September 25 He pointed that India, after trailing by two goals, did exceedingly well to restore parity (2-2) but could not keep up the momentum. Meanwhile, doctors attending on him have given permission to shift him abroad for further treatment. Dr J.L. Bassi, Head of
Orthopaedic Department, confirmed that all the stiches had been removed and only dressing on two wounds was being done. The doctors supervising Jugraj are of the view that he is fit enough to travel anywhere. |
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Western
Railway, Chandigarh XI in last 8 Chandigarh, September 25 In a clash between two railway
outfit, Western Railway clearly held the edge although Northern
Railway also made some forays without tasting success. After a series
of attacks and counter-attacks, Western Railway took the lead in the
18th minute when Shanta Kumar sounded the board with a field goal. The
Mumbai team maintained the lead till the breather. Late into the
second session, Western Railway mounted pressure and consolidated the
lead through another field goal by Shivendra in the 62nd minute. In
fact Shivendra found himself well positioned on the ‘D’ top and
his hard hit taken with full confidence brooked no resistance. Chandigarh
XI, who upset RCF 3-2, made a promising start as junior World Cup star
Rajpal Singh’s brace in the ninth and 16th minutes threw RCF into
disarray. However, the Kapurthala outfit managed to pull one back
through M.Ekka who scored a field goal in the 27th minute. When play
resumed after the lemon break, Chandigarh XI were once again on the
attack and their efforts bore fruit in the 40th minute when the
promising Navdeep Singh hoodwinked the rival defence to slam home the
third goal for his team (3-1). However, five minutes later Jageshwar
Ekka’s field goal once again cut the deficit to 2-3 but that was all
that RCF could achieve as the host team held on to the lead till the
end to ensure a safe passage into the last eight. ONGC Dehra Dun
also maintained their dream run in the championship with a
solitary-goal win over fancied Indian Air Force. In fact IAF made a
promising start by forcing a penalty corner in the opening minutes but
full-back Satvir Singh’s hit was saved on the goal-line by an ONGC
defender. ONGC also had a good chance when off a short corner in the
18th minute, Anurag Raghuvanshi sent a quick pass to Mohammed Fahad
who failed to tap the ball in despite being well-positioned. In the
second session, ONGC dominated the proceedings, forcing three penalty
corners in quick succession. Off the last short corner in the 61st
minute, Mohammed Fahad’s push was quickly despatched goalwards by
Anurag Raghuvanshi and Fahad again leapt forward to guide the ball
home (1-0). Earlier, CISF ended the challenge of Centre of
Excellence, Patiala, 5-3 via the tie breaker. For CISF, Harish Sharma,
GV Xaxa, Cyril Ekka, Bharat Kumar, and Irfan Ahmed were on target
while Gurvinder Singh, Harvinder Singh and Sandeep Khatri reduced the
margin for the Patiala team. |
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No
sportsman should be reverted: panel Chandigarh, September 25 Since the meeting was convened at a short notice, some of the members, including the former Director-General of Police, Mr M.S Bhullar, and Olympian Colonel Haripal Kaushik (retd), could not make it. Even the Director of Sports, Olympian Kartar Singh, could not attend the meeting as he is reported to be out of country on a holiday. Mrs Nirmal Milkha Singh, a former director of sports of Chandigarh Administration, attended the meeting as a special invitee. Mr D.S. Bains, Secretary , Sports, is the convener of the committee. Members of the committee were given copies of the April 1998 impugned orders of the Punjab and Haryana Court for reverting all those police officers who have been given out of turn promotions in violation of the Punjab Police rules.Discussions continued for more than an hour. It was decided to hold the next meeting on September 29 at 4 p.m. Though the consensus at the inaugural meeting was that ways and means be found to save outstanding sportsmen and women the humiliation of reversion, the members were informed that because of ad hocism in Punjab Armed Police, the problem had become complex and multipronged and would need political intervention for a solution.
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Reetinder
Sodhi stars in Punjab CC win Chandigarh, September 25 In the first quarterfinal today played at PCA Stadium, Mohali, Punjab Cricket club were put into bat by Associate Bank, who had won the toss. The move did not pay dividends as Amardeep Sonkar (51 off 48 balls) and Harminder Jugnu (51) put on 88 runs for the first wicket. After this Harminder Jugnu was associated in another fruiful stand of 71 runs for the second wicket with skipper Reetinder Singh Sodhi, who remained unbeaten with 90 runs off 96 balls, inclusive of 5 fours. Pankaj Dharmani (32) and Ravneet Ricky (23 off 15 balls with 2 sixes) were the other notables contributors to the PCC total of 275 for six in the allotted 50 overs. Replying to the PCC total, Associate Banks were all out for 199 runs in 48 overs leaving Punjab Cricket Club victors by 76 runs. Associate Bank XI got an early jolt when their opener CP Sahu was caught by SP Singh in gully off the bowling of Reetinder Sodhi for four. The other opener, M.P. Sorab, was brilliantly run out by Harminder Jugnu for five. Skipper Devender Bundela (70 off 106 balls) and B.Akhil (33 off 52 balls) were associated in a third-wicket stand of 75 runs before leg spinner Sandeep Sawal accounted for both batsmen. Reetinder Sodhi (four for 40), S.P. Singh (2 for 27) and Sandeep Sawal (2 for 42) were the main wicket-takers for the Punjab team. Reetinder Sodhi for his allround performance was declared man of the match. Brief scores: Punjab 275 for six in 50 overs: (Reetinder Sodhi 90 not out, Amardeep Sonkar 51, Harminder Jugnu 51, Pankaj Dharmani 32, Ravneet Ricky 23).
Associate Bank XI 199 all out in 48 overs: (Devinder Bundela 70, B.Akhil 33, Jatin Saxena 24, Reetinder Sodhi 4 for 40, Sandeep Sawat 2 for 42, SP Singh 2 for 27). In the semifinals PCC will meet Bengal tomorrow at 9 a.m. at the PCA Stadium Mohali. Bengal beat IOC by four wicket at the Sector 3 cricket stadium at Panchkula to make the last four stage. IOC, winning the toss, elected to bat and were all out for 224 in 50 overs. Mandar Phadke (61), Mithun Beerala (38), Abass Ali (33), and Amit Dani (23), were the main scorers. Bengal overhauled the IOC total in 49.1 overs. Brief scores: IOC
224 all out in 50 overs: (Mandar Phadke 61, Mithun Beerala 38, Abass Ali 33, Amit Dani 23, Shiv Shankar Paul 3 for 54, Sabir Ali 3 for 49).
Bengal 226 for 6 in 49.1 overs (Deep Das Gupta 42, Sanjib Sahib Singh 26 not out, Debang Gandhi 29, Subhmoy Das 33, Rajesh Pawar 2 for 45). In the match played at the Sector 16 cricket stadium here, ONGC beat Rajasthan by two wickets. Brief scores: Rajasthan 175
all out in 49.3 overs (Anshu Jain 35, Afroz Khan 45, Joginder Sharma 3 for 12, Amit Sharma 3 for 24).
ONGC 179 for eight in 49.5 overs (Amit Sharma 52, Sandeep Sharma 32).
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Jeev overshadowed by Kuramoto
New Delhi, September 25 Kuramoto became the first player in the history of the Japanese Tour to break the 60 barrier. The Hero-Honda sponsored Jeev was tied for the second place along side another Japanese, Mitsunori Harakawa, at the par-71, Ishioka Golf Club in Ibaraki, north of Tokyo, At the 7,046 yard course, Jeev was in good form as he slotted in eight birdies as against a solitary bogey. Kuramoto, who won the Acom International way back in 1991 and won six titles between 1991 and 1995, has been struggling on the Tour for the past six years and his best finish in 2003 was a tie for 12th place at the Sun Chlorella Classic. However, he was unstoppable today as he made 12 birdies after starting from the 10th tee. At one point, he made seven birdies at a stretch starting from the 18th hole, and then till the sixth after making the turn. The Indian ace started with birdies on the first and second holes and was three-under at the turn with another birdie on the par-5 fifth. On the back nine, the Chandigarh pro chipped in for his fourth birdie on the tenth, before recording his only bogey on the longest par-4 of the course, the 470-yard 12th, which also happened to be the toughest hole of the day. —UNI
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Top players
for snooker tourney Chandigarh, September 25 Geet Sethi (seven times world champion), Yasin Merchant (two times Asian champion), Ashok Shandilya (Asian Games gold medallist), Alok Kumar, Pankaj Advani, Manan Chandra, Rafat Habib, Devendra Joshi, Dharminder Lilly, Sarang Shroff and Rishabh Thukral are experted to take part in the tournament. |
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