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India bounce back to beat
Germany
Holland rout Pakistan
4-1
Cricket tour to Bangladesh cleared
RANJI ROUND-UP
Panel to probe doping incident
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Pakistan Punjab win in
handball
Indian Punjab win three wrestling gold
Indo-Pak Punjab Games Diary
‘Lack of infrastructure a big handicap in Pak’
Profile of the Day
Priority in funding lopsided
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India bounce back to beat
Germany
Lahore, December 7 After a listless display in the first half, when they conceded a goal in the 20th minute, India pulled up their socks in time to secure their first points in this elite six-nation tournament at the National Stadium. They bounced back with goals from Sandeep Michael (40th minute), Arjun Halappa (59th) and Vivek Gupta (68th) while Jan-Marco Montag (20th minute) scored the only goal for Germany in the match, which saw India dominate in the second half and play some superb hockey. India struggled to get the rhythm for the better part of the first half as their opponents dominated the proceedings. Germany, fielding a second-string side, made a spirited attempt on the Indian post right from the start and, in fact, came quite close to scoring when Michael Purps got the ball from Christian Wein in the midfield before proceeding near the Indian circle. With hardly any player to challenge him, Purps looked all set to give Germany the lead in the fifth minute, but much to the dismay of his teamsmates, he stepped on the ball. Soon after, goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza came to India’s rescue when he showed superb reflexes to stop Eike Duckwitz’s attempt at the post as India hung on grimly to survive the German onslaught. The Europeans were a lot more decisive and attacking in their approach as against a sloppy display by the Indians, who had lost to Spain and Holland before this match. It came as no surprise when Germany took the lead after yet another attack on the Indian post earned them a penalty corner. Montag’s superb flick from the set piece went to the right side of the goal at shoulder height, beating D’Souza. India also had their chances in the first half, but they were far and few in between as they found it extremely hard to penetrate their opponents’ defence. On one such occasion, just a minute before Germany took the lead, India made a very good move, which saw Vikram Pillay testing German goalkeeper Ulrich Bubolz, but the custodian was smart enough to thwart the danger. India raised hopes for the equaliser when they earned a penalty corner just a minute before half-time, but Sandeep Singh’s drag flick was deflected out by the German defenders. India gave a little more thrust to their game on resumption and it earned them immediate results as they levelled the score with a Sandeep Michael strike. Dilip Tirkey’s long ball from the half line was stopped well by V.S. Vinay inside the German 25-yard circle and the forward dodged Bubolz, who charged out, before passing to Michael, who had no problem in putting the ball in. The Indians grew in confidence after erasing the deficit and intensified the attack, that saw them taking the lead in the last quarter of the game. After getting the ball near the 25-yard circle, Halappa moved ahead swiftly past a couple of defenders before rolling the ball inside the circle and unleashing a powerful hit. Even though Bubolz charged out in a bid to stop the attempt, the ball went through his legs as India secured a 2-1 lead. Vivek Gupta swelled the lead further after Sandeep Singh sent a perfect pass to him from a set piece just a minute before close to ensure that India remained in the hunt for a top-four finish. With nine points each from three matches, Spain and Holland jointly lead the table. Pakistan have six points from as many outings.
— PTI |
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Holland rout Pakistan
4-1
Lahore, December 7 It turned out to be a memorable outing for Dutch captain Jeroen Delmee, playing his 300th international, as his team overcame a resilient Pakistan side before thousands of their home supporters in the thrilling contest. The win took Holland’s points tally to nine from three games, the same as Spain, whereas Pakistan stayed on six points from as many outings in this round-robin tournament. Holland scored two goals in the last five minutes to seal the victory after the teams went to half time with scores level at 1-1. Ronald Brouwer (15th) gave Holland the lead before the hosts drew parity through Sohail Abbas, who equalled Australian Mark Hager’s Champions Trophy record of 32 goals. Taeke Taekema (39th) and Karel Klaver (65th) added to the tally before Delmee rounded off the tally with a 69th minute strike. Although the result suggested a one-sided game, the Pakistanis had themselves to blame for the defeat as they squandered a number of opportunities to score the equaliser when the socreline was 2-1 in favour of Holland. Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt missed sitters to leave the home side rueing their misfortunes even though they did manage to outplay their rivals at times. “We played the best hockey in the tournament in the last part of the second half. Pakistan played well and they had a few opportunities for them. I am very pleased with the way we played,” Holland coach Terry Walsh said. With the tournment going past the half-way mark, the Dutch are now clear favourites to move into the final. Spain beat Kiwis
Spain got themselves a step closer to the final of the Champions Trophy hockey tournament beating New Zealand 3-1 in a league match here today. Quite like their first two matches, Spain played cautiously in the first half before upping the ante after the break to slam in all their goals and take their points tally to nine from three games. Pau Quemada (40th and 54th) scored a brace in the win while promising Santiago Freixa added to the tally in the 63rd minute. New Zealand, who suffered third defeat in a row, scored their solitary goal through Darren Smith via a penalty corner conversion in the 46th minute. The team from Down Under showed a lot of promise in the early part of the match but failed to deliver as their opponents were uncontrollable in the second half. —
PTI |
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Cricket tour to Bangladesh cleared
New Delhi, December 7 The MEA has also told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that it was free to send the cricket team to Bangladesh tomorrow. The MEA nod to the Bangladesh tour has come after the Indian security team, headed by Mr Yashovardhan Azad, gave its report to the Government of India after making an on-the-spot assessment of the security environment for the visit of the Indian cricket team following threat from terrorist outfit Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islam (HUJI). The Indian security delegation will now proceed to Chittagong to make a similar assessment of the security arrangements for the visit of the team to that city. The cricket team’s visit to Chittagong will be decided on the basis of assessment to be given to the Government by the delegation. The Indian security officials and their Bangladesh counter parts carried out a thorough joint onsite inspection of the venue of the match, the hotel where the players will be accommodated as also the route which will be used for travel by the team. Indian officials also made a number of recommendations for strengthening the security arrangements for the visiting team. These were accepted in entirety by the Bangladesh authorities. The Bangladesh Home Secretary, Mr Omar Farooq, personally reviewed all the arrangements and has assured the implementation of all the additional measures requested by the Indian side. “We deeply appreciate the cooperation and understanding extended to the Indian security team and personal interest which is being taken by the Bangladesh Home Secretary to ensure that there is no risk to the safety of the Indian cricket team. On this basis, the Government is advising BCCI to proceed ahead with the tour of the Indian cricket team for matches in Dhaka,” MEA spokesperson Navtej Sarna said. |
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RANJI ROUND-UP
Dharamsala, December 7 Ashok Thakur and Vishal Bhatia claimed four wickets each for 67 and 102 runs, respectively while Vikram Malik got two wickets conceding 53 runs. Himachal got four points and one bonus point for innings defeat and were at the top of plate A group with 11 points. The next match between Himchal and Jammu and Kashmir would be played here from December 13. Scores: Himachal (Ist innings):
425 (all out). Orissa (Ist innings): 80 (all out) (IInd innings): 302 (all out) Dass c Sandeep b Bhatia 25; Behra b Mallick 0; Parida c Sandeep b Bhatia 60; Jaichandra c and b Thakur 130; Mullick b Bhatia 0; Behra b Thakur 16; Pradhan b Mallick 0; Satpathy lbw Thakur 23; Mohanty b Thakur 2; Mangraj (N.O.) 4; Jena b Bhatia 4. Extras: 41. Total (all out): 302. Fall of wickets: 1/2, 2/51, 3/57, 4/57, 5/244, 6/245, 7/289, 8/296, 9/301, 10/302. Bowling: Vikram Mallick 23-3-53-2; Ashok Thakur 29-7-67-4; Vishal Bhatia 38.1-9-102-4; Rahul Panta 13-1-42-0; Kuldeep Diwan 2-0-5-0; Sandeep Sharma 4-1-10-0. Baroda win
HYDERABAD: Baroda defeated hosts Hyderabad by five wickets to garner full points from their Elite Group ‘B’ Ranji Trophy match held at Gymkhana grounds here on Tuesday. Overnight batsmen Hrishikesh Parab and Rajesh Pawar guided Baroda to a smooth victory partenering for the required 279 for five in 33 overs on the final day. Parab compiled a defiant 93 with 10 broundaries while Rajesh Pawar, who had pulled down the hosts by a hat-trick in second innings, cracked an enterprising 95 off 169 balls with 10 fours hits to the fence to give Baroda the thumping win. Brief
scores: Hyderabad: 170 and 198. Baroda: 93 and 279 for 5 (Hrishikesh Parab 93 not out, Rajesh Pawar 95 not out, V Raju 2 for 42). 2 points for Gujarat
AHMEDABAD: Hosts Gujarat, assured of two points by virtue of their 184-run first innings lead, allowed their four-day Ranji Trophy tie against Railways to end in a tame draw. Gujarat could have declared their second innings to infuse life into the match at Motera here, but chose not to do so. When stumps were drawn at the end of the final day on Tuesday, Gujarat were 227 for five in 98 overs. Mumbai win
KOLKATA: Romesh Powar picked up a 10-wicket haul as Bengal surrendered meekly for 181 runs to lose to visitors Mumbai by an innings and 132 runs in their Ranji Trophy encounter here on Tuesday. After being bowled out for 239 in the first innings, Bengal did not show any will power to resist in the second innings as Ajit Agarkar and Powar destroyed the Bengal batting to take home five points from the match — four points for an outright victory and one bonus point. Only Bengal captain Rohan Gavaskar, who remained unbeaten on 70, stood tall among the ruins. His innings was studded with nine boundaries off 164 balls. Apart from him, none of the home batsmen showed any inclination to stick on and score runs. Double century
GUWAHATI: R. Satish, playing only his second Ranji season, cracked a superb unbeaten double century and almost took his adopted team Assam close to the first innings total of Tamil Nadu in their Ranji trophy match, which eventually ended in a draw. Assam innings folded at 430 in reply to Tamil Nadu’s first innings total of 485. In the second innings, Tamil Nadu used the remaining part of the day for batting practice and notched up 224, losing four wickets. 2 points for Kerala
JAMSHEDPUR: Kerala earned two points by virtue of their first innings lead against Jharkhand on the final day of the four-day Plate A Ranji Trophy match, which ended in a draw here on Tuesday. Kerala, who scored 321 before restricting the hosts to 315, folded up meekly in their second innings, when they were all out for 161 a few minutes into the last session. at close, Jharkhand were 16 for two. Karnataka beat AP
BANGALORE: Karnataka defeated Andhra Pradesh by five wickets in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match to record their first win of the season here on Tuesday. Resuming at 188 for six, the visitors were all out for 245, setting a victory target of 155 for Karnataka. Karnataka got to the target losing five wickets and secured four points from the encounter. Brief scores: Andhra Pradesh 237 and 245 (Y. Venugopal Rao 64,
A.S.K. Verma 58, N.C. Aiyappa 4-33, Sunil Joshi 4-63); Karnataka 328 and 158 for five
(V.S. Thilak Naidu 36 not out. Y. Venugopal Rao 4-47). — PTI, UNI |
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Panel to probe doping incident
Patiala, December 7 The committee, which comprises Gurbir Singh, Chairman of the Games Technical Committee, Raja K.S. Sidhu, Secretary-General of the Punjab Olympic Association
(POA) and Dr Manmohan Singh, member Anti Doping Commission. Mr Gurbir Singh disclosed that the Chief Minister had taken exception to reports on the Cycling Federation of India’s decision to field two women cyclists in the ongoing games. The committee is expected to finalise its report tomorrow. |
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Pakistan Punjab win in
handball
Patiala, December 7 The match had all the trappings of an intense contest and there was never a moment when it looked as the fare would slip into the realms of mediocrity. Fearing a low crowd turnout, like it happened during badminton matches played yesterday, the organisers changed the time of the handball match from morning to evening. This decision bore fruit as the hall was jampacked with locals, who savoured each and every moment of the contest. This happened through the wrestling bouts, which were being held just 100 yards away, were drawing crowds in a big way. Indo-Pak sporting contests normally make for thrillingly watchable spectacles even as hopes and aspirations of both performers and those watching them sometimes reach intoxicating levels. This was evident today as a roar went up every time a goal was scored by either side. The hosts started off aggressively and they stitched up five successive points, with Narpinderpal playing a pivotal role in the proceedings. Stung, Pakistan Punjab came back strongly and managed an 8-6, lead with the spotlight being on Mohammad Nadeem and Tariq Iqbal, both of whom combined in tandem to make forays in the hosts’ defence. Level at 11-11, the visitors, through the efforts of Zahir Tanvir and Shaheed Parvez, started showing enough symmetry in their attack to trouble their rivals and minutes before half-time, they were leading 23-14. They could have pumped in more goals had it not been for the agility of hosts’ goalkeeper Raghu Kumar
Gurung, who repeatedly showed slick reflexes to ward off both Parvez and
Tanvir. A tactical blunder by the hosts helped Pakistan Punjab lead 27-19 at the breather. In the second half, the visitors virtually blew away the hosts as they packed more power and punch in their play to increase the lead by eight points. Midway through the second half, the hosts ran out of steam and played on low energy levels, but what went in their favour was that the match was being held in home environs and they had the crowd solidly behind them. However, despite the roars and the shouts from the stands, once the score reached 37-29 in favour of Pakistan Punjab, the hosts were virtually out of the contest. A last-ditch effort by the resilient Narpinder Singh and Lachmann Singh helped the hosts edge closed to their rivals, but this effort came too late. Sensing that things could go out of control, Pakistan Punjab players shrugged off the complacency which was slowly but dangerously creeping into their play and launched an attack. So intense was the attack in the last minutes of the match that the hosts were virtually swept off their feet as the visitors reeled off five successive points to close out the match 47-34. |
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Indian Punjab win three wrestling gold
Patiala, December 7 The wrestling events were slated to end today but now they have been stretched till tomorrow on the instructions of the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh who is evincing a keen interest in the proceedings. Earlier yesterday Rohit Kumar had opened the tally for Indian Punjab when he won a gold in the 57 kg weight category. Today Sukhchainjit Singh, in the 62 category and Gurvinder Singh, in the 68 kg section, added two other golds to Indian Punjab’s kitty. For the visitors the only gold that came their way was in the 98 kg category where Mohammad Umar floored a fighting Harvinder Singh 4-3. |
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Indian cyclists reign supreme
Patiala, December 7 Zulfikar, who was rider No. 278, clocked 1m 13.632 secs to emerge the deserving winner. However, he could not better his own timing of 1m 11.84 secs clocked in Pakistan's National Championship organised at Lahore from November 26 to 30 this year. Having finished second in the men's 6km mass start yesterday, Zulfikar came up with an improved performance today. Though a slow starter yesterday, he reserved his stamina for his favourite event today and surged ahead towards the end, relegating India's Hitraj Singh and Abhishek Rana to the second and third positions. Hitraj and Abhishek clocked 1m 13.261 secs and 1m 14.370
secs, respectively. The Indian Punjab girls reigned supreme in the 500m time trial event bagging all three positions. Gurpreet Kaur clocked 41.676 secs to emerge the winner, while Manpreet Kaur finished runner-up clocking 42.515
secs. The third position was secured by Kulwinder Kaur with 42.837 secs. The Indian Punjab also won the 4km team pursuit event for men clocking 4m 50.290
secs. The team comprised Sarabjit Singh, Prabhjit Singh, Raninder Singh and Harpreet Singh. Pakistan's Zahid Gulfam had to drop out due to light gear and the visitors' team comprising Dilsher Ali, Amjad Ali, M. Zahid Gulfam and Zulfikar Ali clocked 5m 01.220
secs. In the 3km team pursuit women's final, Indian Punjab again stole the show by winning the first position in 4m 25.760
secs. The team comprised Gurpreet Kaur, Kulwinder Kaur, Manpreet Kaur, and Manjot Kaur. The Pakistani team comprising
Bushra, Ruhila, Misbah and Salma clocked 4m 54.575secs to finish second. In 4km individual pursuit, Prabhjit Singh of India clinched the gold while Sarabjit Singh won the silver. Dilsher Ali of Pakistan won the bronze. |
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Indo-Pak Punjab Games Diary
Among the host of invitees at the first Indo-Pak Punjab Games at Patiala are former heroes of the track and field. Meet Zora Singh, former Olympian who participated in the 20 km walk at the Rome Olympics.
The 81-year-old ex-serviceman, who retired as Subedar-Major from the Bengal Engineering Group, Roorkee, hails from Talwandi village in Ludhiana district. A nephew of Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, Zora Singh carries fond memories of the Olympics and his training under a German coach. However, his sons have not followed in his footsteps and are currently engaged in trucking business. *** Pakistan's woman cyclist Ruhila Bano is not the only member in her family who has excelled in sports. Her sister, Shahida Siraj, is a hockey player in Pakistan. A third-year student at Lahore College for Women, 20-year-old, Ruhila is daughter of Mr Sirajuddin, a former employee of National Bank. Besides cycling, Ruhila also plays table tennis and has also participated in the national championship. *** Most of the guests from Pakistan currently witnessing the Indo-Pak Punjab Games are overwhelmed by the Punjabi hospitality. "The reception at Amritsar, Patiala and elsewhere has exceeded our expectations," said Mohammed Yousuf Anjum from the Daily Express, Lahore. "The opening ceremony and fireworks were superb and so were the cultural programmes," he said. "Insha-Allah we will reciprocate in the same measure at Lahore next year," he said. *** The doping issue surfaced at the first Indo-Pak Punjab Games at Patiala yesterday as the winner and runner-up in the men's 6 km mass start event --India's Pavittar Singh and Pakistan's Zulfikar Ali -- were summoned for samples yesterday. Today India's Kulwinder Kaur and Manjot and Pakistan's Salma were directed to appear before dope officials. The results of the dope tests, however, will take some time.
‘Lack of infrastructure a big handicap in Pak’
Patiala, December 7 Revealing this in an exclusive talk with The Tribune here today, Mr Aashiq Hussain Bhatti, senior vice-president of the Pakistan Cycling Federation who is a Chief Engineer in Wapda, said cycling was quite popular in cities like Lahore and Karachi but due to lack of infrastructure, Pakistani cyclists had not made much headway at the international level. Pakistan have only one velodrome in the Gulberg area of Lahore which was built in the fifties. This is nearly half the size of the velodrome at Punjabi University here. Nevertheless, Pakistan do boast of well known cyclists like Haroon Rashid, Dilsher Ali and Zulfikar Ali. While Haroon Rashid won the time trial gold at the SAARC meet in Colombo in 1999 and also participated in the last Asian Games, Dilsher Ali was a silver medallist at the same meet and also participated in the Manchester Commonwealth Games. Zulfikar Ali, who finished second in 6 km mass start here yesterday, remained national champion for 10 years. Most of Pakistan's cyclists hail from Lahore. Among the well-known cyclists that Lahore has produced are Mohammed Rustam, Munawar Baseer, and Agha Shah Rakuh. The port city of Karachi also has a lot of potential.Prominent road race competitors like Shaukat and Asif have already made a mark at the national level, revealed Mr Bhatti. However, absence of a velodrome has proved to be a hindrance in tapping budding talent. Ruhila Bano, Pakistan's woman cyclist who finished third in the 4 km mass start event yesterday, also feels that more velodromes will definitely provide a big boost to the sport in her country. "I was expecting to win the gold yesterday but now I know where I stand," she said adding that proper infrastructure and exposure were necessary for any sport to develop. Pakistan has organised a few international meets in cycling. The last major event was the Tour De Pak international race in 1998 in which nine countries, including Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, participated. |
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Profile of the Day
Lahore-born Zulfikar Ali, who won the gold in 1km
time trial in the Indo-Pak Punjab Games here today, represents the best in
Pakistan cycling.
Aged 36, he reigned supreme in the discipline for a decade as national champion. A national record holder in 1000m time trial, 1000m sprint, 4000m individual pursuit, and 100 km road team trial, Zulfikar was the cynosure of all eyes during Pakistan's National Championship at Lahore last month. Born on December 12, 1968, Zulfikar, who has two brothers and two sisters, is engaged in private business at Lahore. He has participated in numerous international meets, including a championship in Iran in 1986. In the SAARC Cycling Championship held in Sri Lanka, he won a silver in 1989. Zulfikar has not only captained the Wapda cycling team but also Pakistan's national team. He has lost count of the medals won during his career. Twice a runner-up in the Tour De Pakistan in 1992 and 1996, Zulfikar wants the younger generation to work hard and attain glory in the international arena. Always
a team man, Zulfikar was observed giving tips to Ruhila Bano on the second day
of the cycling competition in the first Indo-Pak Punjab Games at Raja Bhalendra
Singh Stadium today —
ASB |
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Priority in funding lopsided
New Delhi, December 7 The Indian Polo Association (IPA) has collected a staggering amount of Rs 20,241,738 during the 2003-2004 financial year as funds or aids from the Government of India for training, participation in international tournaments, organisation of international tournaments in India and holding of national championships in various age groups. In the preceding two years, the IPA spent much less, as in 2001-2002, it drew only Rs 1,13,186 while in 2002-2003, the amount spent was Rs 1,76,913. The Badminton Association of India, however, has consistently maintained its image as a ‘crorepati’ association, lavishing Government money to the tune of Rs 11,675,554 in 2001-2002, Rs 13,155,431 in 2002-03 and Rs 15,980,746 in 2003-04. The Indian Hockey Federation has spent Rs 12,878,010 in 2003-04, while its takings from the government in 2001-02 was Rs 17,462,533 and in 2002-03 Rs 7,017,214. The National Rifle Association of India has also utilised government funds in crores as its expenses in 2003-04 were Rs 17,455,572, Rs 17,436,465 in 2002-03 and Rs 22,648,120 in 2001-02, though it has the satisfaction of winning the only Olympic medal for India at the Athens Games —Rajyavardhan Rathore’s silver in trap shooting. Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Dutt gave out these figures in the Lok Sabha in reply to an unstarred question. Like shooting, the All-India Chess Federation can also justify the Rs 16,681,512 it has availed of from the government in 2003-04 as the federation has helped bring some success in the game at the international level, besides enlarging the base of the game. It drew Rs 11,681,426 in 2002-03 and Rs 52,77,322 in 2001-02. The Wrestling Federation of India has spent government money of Rs 23,488,942 in 2003-04 but has drawn a blank at the big stage like the Olympics. The Yachting Association of India has spent a staggering amount of Rs 15,988,068 in the current year. A rural game like shootingball has spent Rs 21,00,000 though no one seems to have kept a track of its progress. To sum up, the government has doled out over Rs 37 crore in 2001-02, over Rs 26 crore in 2002-03 and over Rs 36 crore in 2003-04. Though the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) earns substantial sums in sponsorships, it has availed itself of Rs 1,77,050 in 2001-02, Rs 44,491,859 in 2002-03 and Rs 58,77,202 in 2003-04. |
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PSEB, BSF in football semis
Nawanshahr, December 7 The second quarterfinal between BSF, Jalandhar, and JCT, Phagwara (B), was decided on penalties as no team could score any goal in regulation time as well as extra time. |
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