 |
|
|
No more disappointments, pray Azzurri fans
Hockey probables shaping up well |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Sportspersons should be given importance, says
P.T.
Usha Fleming’s ton puts Kiwis on top
Pak, India to play opener Lara happy to stay captain Advani, Alok enter Asian snooker semis Mandi lads bite the dust Northern boxing from today Punjab cagers in last eight
|
|
No more disappointments, pray Azzurri fans
Rome, June 10 In the days that followed the Korean defeat a small Sicilian town paid tribute to Byron Moreno — the Ecuadorean referee of the game - by naming a block of public conveniences after him. Moreno became the scapegoat for Italy’s premature departure from the competition, which — several newspapers and millions of Italians believed — was rigged in favour of the home team. As time passed, many Italians privately admitted the Azzurri hadn’t played that well. They had needed a late Alessandro Del Piero equaliser in their final group match against Mexico to avert an even earlier exit, and their preparations had been troubled by injuries to strikers Francesco Totti and Christian Vieri. This time round coach Giovanni Trapattoni has been careful to select players whose fitness he can rely on. AC Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi was the highest-profile casualty of this policy. Totti, however, arrives in Portugal in the form of his life. The striker is regularly touted in Italy as the best player in the world and he scored 20 goals for AS Roma this season — a huge tally for a player who is not an out-and-out striker. With Totti, Vieri and Del Piero up front, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro leading the defence and Gianluigi Buffon between the posts it’s no wonder Italians are quietly confident. Italy’s bookmakers quote Trapattoni’s men — who all play for Italian clubs - as joint favourites with France to win the title. The under-21 team’s 3-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro in the final of their European Championship this week is being savoured like an antipasto before the arrival of the main dish. Every eulogy — from Michel Platini’s recent prediction that Italy would beat France in the final, to Michael Owen tipping Italy as the team to beat — are eagerly relayed to the public at home to bolster self-belief. Italy’s poor showing in this season’s Champions League and UEFA Cup has left no scars but as the opening game against Denmark on June 14 edges closer, a healthy note of caution is being voiced. The Azzurri have been here before, warned an article in La Gazzetta dello Sport this week. “To find ourselves again among the favourites and again to challenge for the title is child’s play. To actually win it is a totally different matter.”
Russian worry MOSCOW: Russia are worried they won’t receive equal treatment from referees in their games against Portugal and the hosts’ neighbours Spain. The Russians play Spain in their opening Group A game on Saturday when Portugal take on Greece. Asked about his main concern ahead of Euro 2004, Russia captain Alexei Smertin said: “(Fair) officiating is certainly on our minds. “Playing in the same group as hosts Portugal and Spain, who are seen almost as co-hosts, the officiating has to worry you in a certain way.”
— Reuters |
|
France, England ready for midfield battle
Lisbon, June 10 An already combustible mix featuring Steven Gerrard’s clash with Patrick Vieira is given an extra twist by the fact that several club mates will face each other in Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz. The confrontation between England captain David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane is set to grab the spotlight after a season together at under-performing Real Madrid. Beckham is a huge admirer of the three-times World Player of the Year and his place on the England right is a perfect match for Zidane’s nominal slot on the French left side. “Zidane is one of the best players, if not the best player in the world,” Beckham said. Though Beckham has a deserved reputation for his work rate and willingness to tackle back, the challenge ahead will demand one of his best performances in an England shirt. “To play with him is a pleasure but to play against him is going to be tough,” Beckham conceded. As the two most dynamic enforcers in English football, Arsenal’s Vieira and Liverpool’s Gerrard have been exchanging crunching tackles for years. Gerrard, who has a more attacking brief than Vieira, can expect to run straight into his old foe as he drives England forward in support of Owen and Wayne Rooney. Vieira’s partner in the two defensive positions in the French midfield will be Claude Makelele, whose main job will be to silence Chelsea team mate Frank Lampard. Lampard is now delivering the same sparkling performances for England that fired Chelsea to runners-up spot in the premier league and the Champions League semi-finals. The 25-year-old opened the scoring in last Saturday’s 6-1 drubbing of Iceland and looks to have done enough to oust Nicky Butt from England’s midfield. England’s left flank has long been a problem area, with Paul Scholes likely find himself in an unfamiliar position to accommodate Gerrard and Lampard in the middle. Scholes is a committed but unrefined tackler and may struggle to contain the silky skills of Robert Pires, though Pires will also have his hands full to counter the England player’s clever passing and elusive runs into the penalty area.
— Reuters |
|
Hockey probables shaping up well
New Delhi, June 10 “We don’t know how helpful the training will be as the stint here is quite short, but one thing is certain that the training is going to make 100 per cent difference to the team’s overall attitude,” the sources told PTI. “I hope athletes and players of other games as well in India get to know what extra it takes to win medals at top level competitions.” The probables, who left for the USA on June 1 for a 21-day training stint, are slated to visit Holland next for a training-cum-competition programme. The sources said the high level of training at the institute, being run by Mark Verstegen and his wife Amy Wilson along with a team of professional trainers, physiotherepists and psychologists, is not only helping the players, but also the coaches. “It is an awe inspiring experience even for the coaches and we are recording each and every exercise which is being done here. The latest hydraulic gymnasium and equipment make the atmosphere more conducive for hard training,” the sources said. Once at Arizona, the probables underwent bio-mechanical tests. Soon after, they were divided into three groups with each group being given “individual attention”. “Everything is planned well in advance and all the trainers follow the same set of exercises. Lot of importance is being given to maximise the potential of the athlete by integrating world class facilities and trained staff.” The sources said that renowned sports psychologist Jim Afremow from Michigan University is interacting with the probables and “with mental tools and latest skills teaching them how to excel in the heat of competition.”
— PTI |
|
Irfan backs hockey team to win gold New Delhi:
The Indian hockey team has found a new fan in swing bowler Irfan Pathan who believes the side is good enough for a podium finish in the Athens Olympics.
Irfan said, ‘’It’s a great honour to be part of the relay. I have my best wishes for the whole Indian contingent in general and the hockey squad in particular. I sincerely believe they will come back with a medal from Athens.’’ Revealing that apart from cricket, hockey is his second love and he follows it quite closely, Irfan said, ‘’ I’m a fan of Jugraj Singh and he’s a lovely player.’’ The pacer also said he was preparing for his next assignment in the Asia Cup. Talking about the Bangalore camp, he said, ‘’In this camp, the thrust is on fitness and I’m enjoying it. I’m working to fine-tune my rhythm and the line and length and hope to do well in the Asia Cup.’’
—
UNI
|
|
Sportspersons should be given Kozhikode, June 10 ‘’I got a telephone call, that too after being pressurised by the media, from the IOA at 6.30 pm the previous day and it was too late for me to reach New Delhi on the D-day,’’ she said expressing her resentment. Criticising the Indian Olympic Association
(IOA) for the delay in inviting her, Usha, who lost the bronze medal by a whisker at the Los Angeles Olympics, said it was sad that deserving sportspersons who brought glory to the country were being ignored and Bollywood stars were being given precedence over sportspersons. She said ‘’it is the legitimate right’’ of the sportspersons, precisely the Olympians, to carry the torch light but an attempt is being made to belittle them, adding that such incidents clearly indicated that commercialisation was creeping into sporting events as well, as has been happening elsewhere, which would prove disastrous for the country as a whole.
— UNI |
|
|
Fleming’s ton puts Kiwis on top London, June 10 The New Zealand captain showed no jitters in the 90s, where he has been dismissed four times in his Test career, flicking an effortless six off Martin Saggers to reach three figures. Scott Styris was 12 not out. England, looking for their first series whitewash over the Kiwis in 26 years, had several appeals for lbw and caught behind before spinner Ashley Giles finally made the breakthrough midway through the afternoon session. Mark Richardson made 73, his 19th Test half-century, before coming down the track to Giles and not quite reaching the pitch, lobbing an easy catch to Michael Vaughan at mid-on. England's Andrew Strauss spilled a simple chance at short leg when Richardson misjudged a testing ball from Steve Harmison on only five. Strauss got a hand to the ball but knocked it onto the grill of his helmet before it fell to the ground. Matthew Hoggard thought Richardson had edged a good length ball to Geraint Jones behind the stumps on 16 but umpire Daryl Harper decided the batsman had struck his pad with the bat rather than the ball. He also survived three decent lbw appeals, including one from Harmison when the ball clipped his back pad in front of off stump. Fleming escaped two good lbw shouts as well although much of England's early bowling gave too much room outside off stump on a slow pitch with little bounce. Scoreboard New Zealand (1st innings): Richardson c Vaughan b Giles 73 Fleming not out 107 Styris not out 12 Extras:
(lb-2 nb-2) 4 Total: (1wkt, 60 overs) 196 Fall of wickets:
1-163 Bowling: Hoggard 11-3-44-0, Harmison 15-6-30-0, Flintoff 7-0-33-0, Saggers 10-3-41-0, Giles 16-3-41-1, Vaughan 1-0-5-0.
— Reuters
|
|
|
Bangalore, June 10 "It's good for me and the team (because) if one bowler is injured, you have a good back-up," Nehra told reporters here, when asked about the growing competition for medium pacer's slots. "It (competition) is not worrying for me because whenever I am fit, I have always played. It's not like that I am fit and I am not playing," said Nehra, who is attending the fitness camp for fast bowlers here. Asked whether he would have to work that much harder to retain his place in the squad because of the competition, he said: "In international cricket, one always has to work hard irrespective of whether there is competition or not." "Such competition is good for Indian cricket. Balaji and Irfan did well in the last two series. Good for all of us and Indian cricket," he added. Asked if he was happy with the way his career had shaped so far, he said: "It's not only me. If you ask Sachin Tendulkar, he won't be happy with his career, he wants to score more and more runs. I am happy that I have played for India, specifically in the last three or four years. But I would be happier if I am injury-free, that's the main worry for me...it's not the performance that worries me always". Nehra said injury to fast bowlers was quite common. "It seems (injury) happens to me more and more but injury hits any fast bowler. It's not in my hands. My job is to work hard and that's what I am doing". On the coming series against Australia and South Africa at home, he said the fast bowlers would have a tough task on their hands. "It would be difficult for any fast bowler on Indian wickets. But we will try our best." The seamer said yoga was good for fast bowlers but they were only having yoga sessions during camps in Bangalore. "If it's available to all of us throughout the year, it will be good for us". Asked if he would be looking to improve his bowling speed, Nehra said: "I think, I have enough of speed. It would be better for me, if I concentrate on my line and length". — PTI
|
|
Karachi, June 10 “The final memorandum of understanding (MoU) is to be signed shortly and involved boards of Pakistan, India and Australia besides the involvement of the Netherlands board,” PCB general manager cricket operations Zakir Khan told AFP. “It will be a great boost for cricket in the Netherlands which has taken significant strides at international level,” said Khan, a former pace bowler for Pakistan. Australia will take on India on August 23. — AFP
|
|
|
Port-Of-Spain, June 10 Lara spoke upon his return to Trinidad yesterday from Jamaica, where the West Indies beat Bangladesh by an innings and 99 runs in the second Test to win the series 1-0. “It doesn’t matter what I achieve on the field personally. If we can’t win Test matches and win series it’s going to be a disappointing end to my career,” Lara said. “So I’ve really dedicated the last few years of my career to ensuring that we get to some sort of respectability in terms of the international rankings in Test cricket.” — AP
|
|
Advani, Alok enter Asian snooker semis
New Delhi, June 10 Advani rallied twice to beat Keith Boon of Singapore 5-3 while Alok Kumar displayed a beautiful blend of aggression and safe play to beat Alex Puan Yi-Wei of Singapore 5-2. Former champion Merchant could not find his rhythm and went down to Habib Mahmood of Bahrain 2-5 in the quarterfinals, according to information received here. The 19-year-old Advani made a nervous start losing the closely fought first frame and the players were on par till the fourth before the Indian raced away to a 4-2 lead. Boon took the seventh frame to put pressure on Advani but the world champion showed that he was in a class of his own to take the tie 54-66, 62-52, 64-83, 79-34, 79-0, 71-18, 29-65, 72-10 to enter the semifinals. He will now meet Kowk Wai Fung of Singapore for a place in the final. Alok Kumar started the match on a promising note registering breaks of 55 and 49 in the first two frames to take the tie 64-42, 82-29, 87-47, 56-31, 36-46, 25-75, 58-4. He will now face Habib in the last four. On the other hand, Merchant was found wanting against the tactics of his opponent and was soon trailing 1-3. A revival looked on the cards when he took the fifth frame without conceding a point to his opponent but then Habib wrapped up the next two to take the tie 61-58, 93-1, 46-52, 75-40, 0-128, 51-13, 60-27. — PTI
|
|
|
Mandi lads bite the dust Mandi, June 10 ONGC had in their ranks Delhi’s crafty player Hitender Rawat, a fine marksman, although he did not score in this match. Mandi youngsters had not yet settled down when they received a jolt in the fourth minute Gullidom scored from close range. Unruffled local players made an equally strong attack, but Sushil and Punit failed to seize the opportunities. Three minutes before the interval they succeeded in getting an equaliser as Punit Saini broke through in the midfield and shot past goalkeeper Bilifung. Fourteen minutes after the break, ONGC again took the lead as Mondal slipped the ball past goalkeeper Narinder Thakur. There was no dearth of efforts from the Mandi team, but their hopes were dashed rival goalkeeper Bilifung made two timely saves. ONGC consolidated their position through a lucky goal by Sunil Chaudhary following a flag kick. As Himachal Pradesh Police were eliminated on the opening day, Himachal challenge in the competition ended with this defeat. |
|
Northern boxing from today Chandigarh, June 10 Over 150 top boxers, including national and international-level boxers, will take part in the competitions which will be conducted in 11 weight categories of the men’s division and 13 weight categories of the women’s division. Each team is allowed to field a maximum of eight boxers in the women’s section and 11 boxers in the men’s section, Dr Jerath said. All the boxers and officials would be provided free board and lodging facilities at the Sector 35 Kisan Bhavan while the officials of the IABF will be housed at Panjab University guest house. All the eight teams of northern India affiliated to the IABF are participating in this championship . The teams are Punjab (men and women), Haryana (men and women), Chandigarh (men and women), Delhi (men and women), Uttaranchal (men and women), Uttar Pradesh (men and women), Himachal Pradesh (men and women) and Jammu and Kashmir (only men). Mr Satish Chandra, President of the Chandigarh Amateur Boxing Association, will inaugurate the championship on June 11 at 3 p.m. |
|
Punjab cagers
in last eight Chandigarh, June 10 In the girls section, Punjab beat Gujarat 48-12, Himachal Pradesh 53-21 and Bengal 52-26. While Taranjit (19) was top scorer against Gujarat, Saloni (16) and Ashna (30) were top scorers for Punjab in the league games against Himachal Pradesh and Bengal, respectively.
|
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
