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Saturday,
September 27, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Rain plays spoilsport
India overwhelming favourites Dalmiya set for third term Another fine display by Reetinder
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Randhir, Ganesh on Olympic panel
Jeev slips to tied-21st Jugraj may be air-lifted to Delhi Punjab Police, PSB in semis Dola, Tarun Deep
emerge toppers Ajeetesh wins
golf double
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Rain plays spoilsport
Visakhapatnam, September 26 After umpires — Jasbir Singh and S.K. Sharma — finally decided to start the match at 3 pm after four inspections, only 10 overs were possible before heavy rains, which robbed the pre-lunch session and post-lunch session, drove the players back to the hotels. Board Presidents XI were 23 for no loss in 10.1 overs with skipper Virender Sehwag, eager to have a good look at the Kiwi bowling attack and Delhi opener Akash Chopra, aiming to make a mark to get into the national side, remaining not out on nine each. Sehwag, who elected to bat after winning the toss, was middling the ball right from the word go when he drove Michael Mason to the long on boundary off the first ball he faced and spanked him past gully to the point fence in the next over. Akash Chopra, who had a good run in the India-A tour of West Indies and missed out of the team from the England tour, was sound in his defence and timing the ball well, before rain intervened. It turned out be a frustrating day for the Kiwis, who were looking forward to make the most of the two warm up matches ahead of the first Test beginning at Ahmedabad on October 8. Considering that they have just six days of actual match play before the first Test, the Black Caps were robbed off one day of match practice due to the fickle weather. But the medium pacers — Ian Butler and rookie Michael Mason, who ironed out some of his shortcomings by getting useful tips from Aussie legend Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai recently, generated good pace in this hard and bouncy virgin openers. Scoreboard Board President’s XI (Ist innings): Chopra not out 9 Sehwag not out 9 Extras:
(nb-5) 5 Total: (for no wicket,
Bowling: Ian Butler 5-0-13-0 (nb-4), Michael Mason 3.1-1-9-0 (nb-1), Scott Styris 2-1-1-0.
— UNI |
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India overwhelming favourites Now that the Kiwis are here, armed with videos, microchips and god knows what else, we are standing at the banks of a fresh cricketing season. Are we strong enough to withstand the perils of international cricket; do we have enough ammunition to outgun opponents; an anchor to stand firm during stormy sessions and last but not the least, a captain who steers the ship out of crisis through skilful management. Thankfully, answer to most of these, at least on paper, comes in an affirmative tone. Zeroing in on the forthcoming home series against New Zealand, I believe India qualify as overwhelming favourites to clinch the series hands down. And my ‘arrogance’ stems from Kiwis’ dismal record on Indian soil. Right from 1955-56, when New Zealand first toured India, it has managed just nine victories in a total of 42 matches. Yes, statistics don’t always present the true picture. It can be fractured to our convenience. Precisely why I didn’t mention that India was marginally above with just 14 wins to their credit. But what I didn’t mention too was the towering influences of Kumble and Harbhajan on rank turners. Turning tracks have been the backbone of India’s enviable record at home. There has been a lot of debate and pressure from all quarters on India to prepare “sporting” wickets. Yes it’s a fact that India do need to prepare greener tracks to help them become more competitive in terms of international Test cricket, but these experiments are best left at domestic level itself. India has every right to serve the Kiwis with turning tracks and I see no reason why this shouldn’t be happening. The Kiwis too are aware of the fact and like seasoned professional have set about their work in right earnest rather than crying foul. International cricket is all about playing on different tracks and playing on sub-continental wickets is itself a unique challenge. Now that I am totally clear on the nature of the wickets, is there any need to say that Kumble and Harbhajan are most potent weapons in Ganguly’s armoury. Kumble, in particular, had a bad finish to the previous season, warming the benches and would be more than eager to prove he is still sharp enough for couple of seasons more. However the selectors would do well to blood a replacement for the ageing leg-spinner and a home series is the right opportunity to give break to a youngster. A left-arm spinner would form a nice backup to the lethal duo and Murali Karthik should get a look in. The seam department should give a settled look in Zaheer and Agarkar though L.Balaji and Avishkar Salvi have shown enough promise to earn a Test cap. Out of the remaining 6 slots, Dravid, Sachin, Ganguly and Parthiv Patel walk-in straight away. Which leaves us with just the opening pair to ponder on. And my vote goes to Sehwag and Sanjay Bangar, irrespective of the former’s statement, preferring the comfort of middle order. I do feel a bit sorry for having left out V.V.S. Laxman from the eleven but then Bangar would have to handle the new ball while Agarkar makes way for the wristy Hyderabadi. This might sound bit cruel to the fringe players featuring in the side games but it’s a reality that the playing eleven is more or less decided. The selectors need to complete the formalities by naming the last two members of the squad in Rajkot, who will have the honour of being a member of the Test team and I am sure even the players realise this. Anyway, there’s always a next time and with a tour Down Under coming right next, the openers and fast bowlers shouldn’t lose heart. — Dronacharya Sports Promoters Association |
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Dalmiya
set for third term
Kolkata, September 26 Like the president, the secretary S K Nair is also likely to remain undisturbed but there would be changes in the post of joint secretary and treasurer as both the incumbents, Jyoti Bajpai and Kishore Rungta respectively, have already completed their terms. Indications are that Bajpai would move to the treasurer’s post that leaves only the joint secretary’s post open for grab for which a number of names, both from the Dalmiya’s camp as well as the opposition camp, are floating around. Initially, selection committee chairman Brijesh Patel was a likely candidate for joint secretary’s post but he is currently hospitalised with heart problem and is unlikely to attend tomorrow’s meeting. That leaves Mumbai’s Prof Ratnakar Shetty as one of the strong contenders for the post as board sources here said that the Dalmiya camp was likely to support his candidature despite the fact that he belongs to the opposition camp. In this scenario, Bengal’s Gautam Dasgupta, who was also one of the aspirants for the joint secretary’s post, may not get the opportunity this time despite being in the ruling camp. There is also a
possibility of one or two changes among the five vice presidents — Ranbir Singh Mahendra (North), M Ranga Reddy (South), Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (East), Narhari Amin (West) and Kamal Morarka (Central). The opening day of the AGM tomorrow would witness election of the office bearers, the BCCI Working Committee and the formation of national selection committees, both senior and junior, as well as various tournament committees.
— PTI |
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Another
fine display by Reetinder Chandigarh, September 26 Bengal’s skipper Deepdas Gupta won the toss and elected to bat. But the move of the Bengal skipper did not bear much fruit as Reetinder Sodhi, the Punjab skipper, drew first blood by having Deepdas Gupta caught for eight from a mistimed drive to mid on where he was caught by Amardeep. Bengal lost their first wicket with their score reading 20. Hardevinder Singh, the young medium pacer from Patiala, accounted for the other opener, Arindam Das, having him caught by Harminder Jugnu at square leg off a miscued hook. One drop batsman Devang Gandhi was caught by Sawal off Hardevinder for six , reducing Bengal to 31 for three. Submoy Das (77 off 106 balls inclusive of six fours) and Safi Ahmed (23 off 66 balls) were involved in a fourth wicket stand of 65 but once Safi Ahmed was out Bengal kept on losing wickets at a regular intervals and finally ended up a 189 for nine in 50 overs. Hardevinder Singh (2 for 19), left-arm spinner Navdeep Singh (2 for 31) and off-spinner S.P. Singh (2 for 27) were the main successful bowlers for the Punjab team. Replying, PCC lost their first wicket at 20 when Amardeep Soankar was caught at mid wicket by Submoy off Sabir Ali for nine. Harminder Jugnu (26 off 51 balls inclusive of three fours) was the next to go. But Reetinder Singh Sodhi 67 not out from 109 balls with six fours and Pankaj Dharmani (35 from 45 balls inclusive of six fours) were involved in a third wicket stand 53 runs before Pankaj Dharmani was caught by Sabir Ali. Ravneet Ricky (21) and Sanjay Mahajan (21) were the other notable contributors with the bat as PCC posted an easy win. Reetinder Sodhi won yet another man of the match award with his allround display. Punjab Cricket Club will now meet the winners of the second semifinal between Madhya Pradesh and ONGC in a day and night final at the PCA Stadium on Sunday, September 28 starting at 3 p.m. Brief scores:
Bengal 189 for 9 in 50 overs (Submoy Das 77, Safi Ahmed 24 Hardevinder Singh 2 for 19, SP Singh 2 for 27, Navdeep Singh 2 for 31) PCC 193 for 6 in 46.3 overs (Reetinder Sodhi 67 not out P. Dharmani 35, Harminder Jugnu 26, Ravneet Ricky 21, Sanjay Mahajan 21. Shiv Sagar Singh 2 for 46, Sabir Ali 2 for 49). Saturday’s fixture: Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association vs ONGC, PCA Stadium, 9 a.m. |
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Randhir, Ganesh on Olympic panel New Delhi, September 26 Prof Malhotra assured the committee members that there would not be any paucity of funds in providing facilities to all the individual sportspersons and teams for their
preparation for the Olympic Games. The meeting also decided to co-opt the secretary-general of the Indian Olympic Association (Mr Randhir Singh), Joint-Secretary (Sports), Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Executive Director (Team’s Wing) of SAI (former Indian Olympic team captain M.P. Ganesh) as special invitees of the Olympic Preparation Committee. Prof Malhotra said it had been decided to convene a joint meeting with the national sports federations of those sports disciplines which are expected to qualify for the Olympic Games and also to visit the venues of national coaching camps to evaluate the progress and requirement of the
sportspersons, including infrastructure. |
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Jeev slips to tied-21st New Delhi, September 26 Jeev, who fired an impressive seven-under 64 yesterday, now tallies five-under 137 for the tournament. According to information received here, overnight leader Masahiro Kuramoto continued to dominate with a second round 69, propelling his tournament aggregate to 14-under 128. Jeev, a tenth tee starter, began with a bogey. He was further set back by dropped shots on the 13th and one on the closing hole of his front-nine, the 18th. Three-over after making the turn, the 31-year old Chandigarh golfer had slipped 20 spots from his overnight second place. Then began the repair work. Percentage golf yielded a series of pared holes before the only Indian in the field, returned his first birdie of the day on the par-3 eighth and closed his round with a par. "I played extremely well today but as is the case on some days, the putts just didn’t drop," said Jeev after returning 34 putts as compared to 26 on his opening round.
—UNI |
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Jugraj
may be air-lifted to Delhi Chandigarh, September 26 Former Olympian Ramandeep Singh, manager of the Punjab Police hockey team, talking to The Tribune here today, said Jugraj would be flown to Delhi's Batra Hospital where he would be kept for about ten days. After that he is likely to be flown to the USA for physiotherapy at the United States Olympic
Committee's Sports Medicine Division at San Diego. Mr Randhir Singh, secretary-general of the Indian Olympic
Committee, is reportedly in touch with the USOC in this connection. Jugraj's treatment may last at least three months.
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Punjab Police, PSB in semis Chandigarh, September 26 Playing under the watchful eyes of former Olympian and captain of the Indian team in the Sydney Olympics, Ramandeep Singh, now team manager, Punjab Police made full use of the chances that came their way to down the hosts who, however, enjoyed an edge in the first session. Chandigarh XI were well served by internationals Inderjit Chadha and Rajpal Singh, both members of the victorious junior World Cup team. In fact it was Chadha, who also represented India in the Prime Minister's Gold Cup at Dhaka a few years back, who fetched the equaliser after the hosts had gone into arrears early in the second session. Punjab Police made a promising start, forcing a penalty corner in the opening minutes but faulty ball stoppage deprived them of a chance to forge ahead. Chandigarh XI also had an opportunity but Rajpal Singh's reverse hit was saved by Manpreet under the Punjab Police bar in the nick of time. In the second session, Punjab Police forced a penalty corner in the 43rd minute and off the resultant hit, a goalmouth melee ensued. Forward Gurjant Singh capitalised on the confusion to slot home (1-0). Chandigarh XI kept up the pressure and five minutes later, earned a penalty corner. Following the push by Rajpal, Inderjit Chadha unleashed a powerful hit but the ball bounced back after striking the goalkeeper's pads. Chadha once again pounced on the ball and this time his hard hit brooked no resistance (1-1). Thereafter Punjab Police tightened their grip on the proceedings and consolidated the lead in the 54th minute when a goal-bound hit by Gurjant was guided into the goalmouth by Gabbar Singh (2-1). The hosts hit back with a couner-attack with Chadha and Navdeep initiating a fine move which, however, was thwarted by the Punjab Police defence. With three minutes remaining, Sarabjit Singh of Punjab Police made the issue rather safe for his team when standing unmarked in the 'D' he unleashed a powerful hit to make it 3-1. In the second quarter-final, defending champions Punjab and Sind Bank snuffed out the challenge from CISF in brute fashion, scoring five goals while conceding only one. A fifth minute field goal by Parminder Singh put the bank men ahead in the contest and Sharanjit Singh added another off a penalty corner in the 17th minute. CISF, who recently won the Farid Gold Cup at Faridkot beating CRPF in the final, fought back valiantly and succeeded in cutting the deficit four minutes later through GV Xaxa's field goal. But at the stroke of half time, Punjab and Sind Bank struck again through Parminder to make it 3-1. After the breather, the bank men were once again on the rampage and added the fourth goal in the 38th minute when Baljit Singh Chandi found the target with a deft placement. Ten minutes later, Ajit Pal rounded off the tally for the bank men through another field goal to send the
Delhi outfit packing (5-1). Saturday’s fixtures (quarter-finals): ONGC v CRPF — 2.15 pm; Western Railway v Corps of Signals — 3.45 pm. |
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Dola, Tarun Deep
emerge toppers Amritsar, September 26 It is the second consecutive win for both the players. They had won first national ranking-archery circuit tournament. With the help of this win both the players have consolidated their position for getting berths in the national archery squad for Olympics. Bhagya Bati Chanu of Jharkhand gave a superb display and rose from sixth position to finish second. She secured 30.30 points. Chekrovolu Swuro of Nagaland slipped to third rank from the first, which she shared with Dola Banerjee in the first ranking tournament. Reena Kumari of Jharkand shared the third and fourth ranks with Chekrovolu as both got 26.26 points. Sumangala of UP earned fifth rank. Bansara Lin Dhar of Jharkhand stood sixth. In the men’s section Majhi Swayn of ASI got second rank with 66.16 points under his belt. In the first ranking tournament, he had secured second position. Gurcharan Besra of ASI stood third with 62.62 points. Satya Dev of UP slipped to fourth position from second. Shivnath and Mangal Singh, both from Sports Authority of India, Kolkata, managed to get fifth and sixth ranks, respectively. Vishwas of ASI earned seventh rank and N. Ravinder of AP gained eighth positions. Among men, Olympic round team event, men team-C, comprising Shivnath of ASI, Priyank of UP and N. Ravinder of AP grabbed first position. While men team-A, consisting of Gurcharan Besra, Tarun Deep Rai and Majhi Swayn of ASI stood second. Men team-B consisting of Satyadev of UP, Harish of ASI and Mangal Singh of SAI secured third position. In the women’s team event, Women-A comprising Dola Banerjee, Bhagya Bati Chanu and Sumangala took first position. Women-B team consisting of Reena Kumari, Chekrovolu Swuro and Bansara Lin secured second position. Women-C team constituting Manjhuda Soy and Sakro Besra, both from Jharkhand and Renu of UP bagged third position. President of Punjab Archery Association, Mr K.S. Kang, and commissioner of Municipal Corporation, Amritsar, distributed prizes among top eight men and six women archers and three teams from both category on the concluding ceremony. |
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Ajeetesh
wins golf double Chandigarh, September 26 Ajeetesh was at his best on the third day of the tournament yesterday when he returned a three-under card of 69. He finished the tournament with a four-day tally of 293 His nearest rival in Category A was Gaganjeet Bhullar who finished six strokes behind. In Category B his nearest rival, Fatehbir S. Dhaliwal, finished a good 16 strokes behind. This the fourth time, thrice this year, that Ajeetesh has clinched the double. The final scores:
Category B:
Ajeetesh Sandhu 75+75+69+74=293, Fatehbir S. Dhaliwal 80+74+79+76=309, Raghav Wahi 80+81+80+81=322. |
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RS
1 CRORE FOR OLYMPIC GOLD SIRMAUR
XI WIN LIBERHAN
IN FINAL
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