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India to ask Pak to review stand on Ahmedabad
Aussies beat Pak, clinch series
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South Africa thrash England
Explain nightouts, PCB tells Shoaib
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Chance for Indian cricketers to strike rhythm
Khalsa College pip Ranchi in Nehru hockey
Hard work keeps Martina going
Harikrishna draws, stays in joint lead
Sandhya, Jeevan top seeds for ITF tourney
East Bengal down JCT 2-0
Popat eclipses Bisht’s record
Warriors edge out Sher-e-Jalandhar
NPS lifts judo trophy Wrestling
championship on Feb 21
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India to ask Pak to review stand on Ahmedabad New Delhi, February 6 “The Ministry of External Affairs will take up the matter with Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry asking them to reconsider the decision,” a BCCI source said here. “The government said it was committed to providing full security and did not envisage any problem with the match being played in Ahmedabad,” the source said. The BCCI was engaged in discussions with the Union Home Ministry after the Pakistan Cricket Board expressed its “inability” to play in Ahmedabad, according to Indian Cricket Board President Ranbir Singh Mahendra. “All issues would be worked out by the BCCI in consultation with the Union Home Ministry,” Mahendra told PTI. The Indian Government and the cricket Board are said to be against making it a prestige issue and one of the options include requesting Pakistan to review their stand. On the basis of the report given by the security assessment team that recently visited India, the PCB has written to the BCCI expressing its inability to play in Ahmedabad because of apprehensions over the law and order situation in Gujarat, which witnessed communal riots in 2002. The PCB has apparently expressed its preference to play in Chennai, the venue where the team got a standing ovation after defeating India during their last tour in 1999. BCCI Joint Secretary Goutam Dasgupta said in Kolkata that the Board would go by the government’s advice on this “sensitive” issue although it was the prerogative of the home Board to finalise venues for matches. He said a decision on the issue would be taken by the BCCI Working Committee meeting on February 16 in New Delhi where the itinerary of Pakistan’s tour would be finalised. The Pakistan team is slated to arrive on February 25 to play three Tests and five-one dayers. Even as efforts were on to find a solution to the problem, the Gujarat Cricket Association was still “hopeful” of staging the match. GCA president Narhari Amin said they would continue with their preparations till they got an official word from the BCCI. “We have not got any official intimation about the PCB not wanting to play in Ahmedabad and we have only heard this through media reports. We are still hopeful that we will be given the chance to host a match. Our preparations are still on,” Amin said. However, Amin said it would be “bad” if communal reason was cited by the PCB to omit Ahmedabad as a venue. “The city and the state have been peaceful after the post-Godhra riots and there have been no major incidents of crime that could give anybody a negative impression. “The environment for both nations to play good cricket was created during our tour of Pakistan and ties would have enhanced if they had played here also,” he said. Amin said the GCA would continue its preparations till an official word was given about cancellation. The outfield was being prepared and the players pavilion being readied and renovated as per plan, he said. BCCI Chairman of selectors and Honorary Secretary of Baroda Cricket Association Kiran More told PTI that “there was no such reason for the PCB to cancel Ahmedabad as a match venue. “Matches should be played regularly. India also went to Pakistan to play a series. Pakistan has also played earlier in Ahmedabad so there should not have been any hitches.” — PTI
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‘Political reasons’
behind decision, says PCB
Karachi, February 6 “Yes, we have expressed our inability and our reservations are based on political reasons,” PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan told PTI over phone from Lahore while confirming writing a letter to the Indian cricket board regarding selection of Ahmedabad as a proposed venue for a Test match during this month’s series. “Since our objections are politically based, we thought it better to completely ignore the centre instead of agreeing to play a shorter version of the game there,” the 70-year-old former diplomat said. “India had security concerns and not political concerns about Peshawar and Karachi. Therefore, it was mutually agreed that limited overs internationals could be played at these centres.” The PCB has written the letter on the basis of a report given by the security assessment team that recently visited India and on the advice of Foreign Ministry, which is believed to have expressed apprehensions over the law and order situation in Gujarat. Shaharyar said so far the BCCI had not proposed any alternate venue but added that if Chennai was offered, the PCB would have no objections. The PCB chief also said the PCB team had assessed only the security and logistics of the proposed venues and it had nothing to do with the political angle. The PCB’s Director (Operations) Abbas Zaidi said from Islamabad that the two Boards were in constant touch with each other and hoped that the venues would be finalised by Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile, sources in the PCB said that while Chennai looked all set to host the second Test of the three-match series, the prospects of Mumbai hosting a limited overs international could not be ruled out. Although the PCB has not issued any official statement against New Delhi, where the stadium is still under construction, it has made up its mind to press for its exclusion, they said adding surprisingly the PCB was keen to have a one-day at Shiv Sena dominated Mumbai.
— PTI |
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Aussies beat Pak, clinch series
Sydney, February 6 Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn all scored in the 40s as Australia reached 239 for nine after winning the toss and opting to bat. McGrath took a catch off Brett Lee’s bowling to remove Taufeeq Umar (3) and then removed Kamran Akmal (12), Mohammad Hafeez (6) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (0) to have Pakistan reeling at 38 for four. Pakistan recovered and, with Abdul Razzaq scoring 43 off 58 balls, was still in with a chance until McGrath struck again. Razzaq had just swiped McGrath to the boundary and improved Pakistan’s equation to 39 runs required off 40 balls when he edged the fast bowler to Gilchrist and made the total 201 for nine. McGrath bowled Rana Naved-ul-Hasan to end Pakistan’s innings in the 46th over and returned 5 for 27 in 7.4 overs. Yousuf Youhana top scored for Pakistan, accumulating 51 off 56 balls including five boundaries, to keep the pressure up until he tried to slog Brad Hogg out of the ground and was bowled by a wrong ‘un to make the total 97 for six. Scoreboard Australia Gilchrist c Malik b Abdul Razzaq 40 Clarke b Hafeez 38 Ponting c Haq b Afridi 41 Martyn b Razzaq 43 Lehmann b Afridi 6 Katich run out 5 Watson c Afridi b Iftikhar Anjum 21 Hogg b Rana 13 Lee not out 14 Gillespie b Rana 0 McGrath not out 5 Extras (b-1 lb-4 w-3 nb-5) 13 Total (9 wkts, 50 overs) 239 Fall of wickets: 1-55 2-118 3-146 4-156 5-166 6-203 7-207 8-230 9-230. Bowling: Rana 9-0-69-2 (nb-3 w-1), Anjum 10-0-33-1, Razzaq 9.5-2-51-2, Afridi 10-0-38-2, Hafeez 10-0-34-1, Umar 1-0-8-0, Mahmood 0.1-0-1-0 Pakistan Akmal c Gilchrist b McGrath 12Umar c McGrath b Lee 3 Hafeez c Clarke b McGrath 6 Youhana b Hogg 51 Haq lbw b McGrath 0 Malik c Katich b Hogg 14 Razzaq c Gilchrist b McGrath 43Afridi run out (Lee) 31 Mahmood lbw b Gillespie 13 Rana b McGrath 19 Anjum not out 5 Extras (lb-3, w-6, nb-2) 11 Total (all out in 45.4 overs) 208 Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-17, 3-38, 4-38, 5-74, 6-97, 7-133, 8-153, 9-201. Bowling: Lee 8-1-31-1, McGrath 7.4-0-27-5, Gillespie 10-0-35-1, Watson 3.5-0-15-0, Hogg 10-0-63-2, Lehmann 6.1-0-34-0. — AP, AFP
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South Africa thrash England Cape Town, February 6 Gibbs scored 100 and put on 143 with Jacques Kallis (71) for the third wicket as South Africa made 291 for five, the highest score of the series, after being put in to bat by England captain Michael Vaughan. England, in reply, collapsed to 183 all out in 41.2 overs, Makhaya Ntini taking three wickets for 29 as the home side went 2-1 up in the seven-match series. It was Gibbs’ 14th one-day hundred and included eight fours and three sixes. Big-hitting Justin Kemp then hammered 57 off 36 balls, including four sixes, as 98 came off the last 10 overs. England started very badly in reply when they lost three wickets for three runs in the space of just 12 balls to slump to 35 for three. Ntini got rid of Geraint Jones (19) and Michael Trescothick (13) while Shaun Pollock removed Michael Vaughan for a duck, before Kevin Pietersen produced the sole defiance with 75 off 85 balls. England’s fast bowlers had struggled at the start of the day. Kabir Ali, having taken one for 22 off eight overs, conceded 36 off his last two as Kemp cut loose, while Steve Harmison, on his recall after injury, shed 44 off his first five overs before finishing with one for 65. Scoreboard South Africa Smith lbw b Ali 16 De Villiers lbw b Gough 9 Kallis run out 71 Gibbs c Bell b Harmison 100Kemp run out 57 Prince not out 14 Extras: (lb-6, w-18) 24 Total (5 wkts, 50 overs) 291 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-50, 3-193, 4-227, 5-291. Bowling: Gough 10-1-53-1, Harmison 10-0-65-1, Ali 10-1-58-1, Collingwood 5-0-24-0, Trescothick 1-0-12-0, Giles 10-0-52-0, Vaughan 4-0-21-0. England Trescothick b Ntini 13 Jones c Boucher b Ntini 19 Vaughan c Kallis b Pollock 0Strauss c Prince b Nel 17 Pietersen c de Villiers b Boje 75Bell c Boucher b Kallis 2 Collingwood c Boucher b Pollock 11Giles c Pollock b Ntini 20 Ali run out 1 Gough not out 9 Harmison c Nel b Boje 4 Extras (b-3, lb-3, w-6) 12 Total (all out, 41.2 overs) 183 Fall of wickets: 1-32, 2-33, 3-35, 4-73, 5-92, 6-127, 7-148, 8-163, 9-175. Bowling: Pollock 10-0-35-2, Ntini 9-1-29-3, Nel 6-0-27-1, Kallis 6-0-36-1, Kemp 2-0-9-0, Boje 8.2-0-41-2. — AP, Reuters
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Explain nightouts, PCB tells Shoaib
Karachi, February 6 PCB Chairman told PTI here today that during his “hard talk” with Shoaib in Lahore on Friday, he had broached the subject of his alleged visits to nightclubs in Australia. “Shoaib Akhtar started explaining his position but he was candidly told to submit his explanation in writing,” he said without elaborating further. Shoaib was slapped with the “chargesheet” three days ago when he met Shaharyar in Lahore where he was at the receiving end of a “hard talk” pertaining to his off-field conduct. He was asked to submit a written reply by February 7 after which it would be considered by a three-member inquiry committee that includes former Test captain Imtiaz Ahmed, Director (Operations) of PCB Abbas Zaidi and Legal Adviser Asghar Haider. “The recommendations of the committee will be assessed by the Disciplinary Committee (headed by Justice Karamat Bhandari) which will give its final verdict. I will come into the picture if and when Shoaib appeals against the penalties, if any,” Shaharyar said. Shaharyar said the other three charges pertained to issuing statements in the media, late arrival from Australia as he was told to report at the National Cricket Academy on January 23 and consulting a private trainer (Dr Tauseef Razzak) upon return instead of reporting to the PCB-hired South African trainer. Informed sources said during the Friday meeting, Shaharyar had shown Shoaib a pack of complaints that the board had received from various quarters, including Pakistan High Commission in Canberra, Australia. Journalists, who saw Shoaib after he emerged from the meeting with Shaharyar, said the fast bowler looked “red-faced, confused and under pressure”. However, the beleaguered bowler received unexpected support from former Test fast bowler Sikander Bakht who toured India in 1979 with Asif Iqbal’s team. “I think the Board first needs to explain why it allowed Shoaib Akhtar to leave for Australia without signing the Central Contract,” said Bakht whose devastating bowling in the Bombay Test earned him many fans. Bakht said he was surprised that Shoaib Akhtar was being pulled up now for giving statements in media. “Why was he not penalised or stopped when he was comparing himself to a jumbo-jet and Ferrari car? “I also don’t agree that Shoaib should only consult a PCB recommended or appointed trainer. He should have the right for a second opinion. I think if Shoaib has once again shown immaturity, the PCB is not doing anything different.” —PTI
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Chance for Indian cricketers to strike rhythm
Mumbai, February 6 Tendulkar is resting his troublesome elbow, while Harbhajan is Australia-bound to start the process of correcting his delivery style that has come under the scrutiny of the game's world governing council, ICC, and would miss the event at the Wankhede Stadium. The three squads in the fray in the day-night tournament - India Seniors, India 'A' and India 'B' - have been entrusted to national captain Sourav Ganguly, his deputy Rahul Dravid and Delhi swashbuckler Virender Sehwag. It's going to be a very interesting and important tournament considering most of the big guns will be in action and with the upcoming tension-packed Pakistan series looming large. The Challenger series offers the perfect setting for the established ones who skipped the just-concluded Deodhar Trophy to find their rhythm as also the others to make a mark. The three teams sport a host of new faces who have been rewarded with berths for performance in Ranji Trophy and other domestic events in the earlier part of the season. Under the scanner would be Suresh Raina, Yalaka Venugopal Rao, Neeraj Patel, Gagandeep Singh, Rajesh Pawar, Shikhar Dhawan (India Seniors), Satyajit Parab, Dheeraj Jadhav, R P Singh, Yousuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa (India 'A'), Joginder Sharma, Shiv Shanker Paul and Ambati Rayudu (India 'B'). The tournament is also the first big chance for discarded stumper Parthiv Patel to show improvement in his work behind the stumps to the national selectors, who will be watching the performance of all players. Gujarat's Patel has been included in India 'B' while the men who have replaced him in the one-day and Test squads recently - Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dinesh Karthik - would be seen in action for India Seniors and India 'A' respectively. This side show of one-upmanship is expected to be as riveting as the main contest. Tamil Nadu and India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji has been out of action since September last year because of an abdomen injury and this is his first chance to show his recovery. Another India speedster, Irfan Pathan, too, has not played any cricket since being sidelined with an injury during the second Test against Bangladesh. The series provides the left-arm paceman the ideal chance to link up with his comrade-in-arms on the last Pakistan tour, Balaji, for India 'A'. The likes of Ganguly, Dravid, Sehwag, V V S Laxman, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh would all be as eager as others to slip back into the groove. For the fans around the country there's going to be disappointment with the tournament not scheduled to be telecast 'live'. No tie-up has taken place between the Cricket Board and any TV channel to beam action at the middle. Mumbai Cricket Association, too has lost a great chance to fill up its coffers substantially. It has to depend on gate money and whatever little instadia advertisement it has managed to book for earning revenue from the event. The matches are scheduled to commence at 2:30 pm daily. The opening day will see India Seniors take on India 'A' and on the following day Ganguly's men would take on India 'B'. India 'A' and India 'B' would meet on February 9 to decide who goes through to the final scheduled on February 10. India Seniors would be guided by national coach John Wright while Ashok Malhotra and Lalchand Rajput, both former India Test players, would be coaching India 'A' and 'B' respectively, according to BCCI sources. Teams: India 'A': Rahul Dravid (Capt), Dinesh Karthik (WK), Satyajit Parab, Dhiraj Yadav, Mohammad Kaif, Dinesh Mongia, Murali Kartik, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, R P Singh, Yousuf Pathan and Robin Uthappa. India 'B': Virender Sehwag (capt), Parthiv Patel (WK), Gautam Gambhir, V V S Laxman, S Sriram, Rohan Gavaskar, Ramesh Powar, Joginder Sharma, Ashish Nehra, S S Paul, Amit Bhandari and Ambati Tirupathi Rayudu.
— PTI |
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Khalsa College pip Ranchi in Nehru hockey
New Delhi, February 6 Khalsa College took the lead in the very first minute when he hit home a field goal. But in the rest of the first session, both the teams battled hard, but no more goal materialised. However, six minutes into the second half, Domnic Lakra pulled off the equaliser for Ranchi College. Khalsa once again forged ahead when Ajay Kumar converted a penalty stroke four minutes later, and once again. Ranchi neutralised the score with Cyprian Kullu finding the mark. Rajinder Singh then put Khalsa in the lead but Roshan Bhengra equalised for Ranchi (3-3). However, from this point, Khalsa attacked with ferocity to strike three goals in a row through Ajay Kumar, Bikramjit Singh and Pawan Bassi before Manoj Lakhra made the fight close with a 69th minute goal, off a penalty corner, to reduce the margin for Ranchi (4-6). In another match, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia defeated St. Joseph’s College, Bangalore 5-2. Parveen (2), Akhlesh Singh, Bharat and Kuldeep Singh scored the goals for the winners while Varun Ponnappa struck both the goals for St. Joseph, off a penalty stroke and a penalty corner, respectively. |
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Sania Mirza to pair up with Shikha Uberoi
Hyderabad, February 6 Women’s tennis in the country certainly has not had this big before, and with none less than the legendary Martina Navratilova set to play her first ever match in India, the excitement is unprecedented. The organisers of course will also be hoping to ride on the Sania-Mania that has gripped the public and the media following the teenager’s stupendous run in the Australian Open grand slam last month. It seems to matter little that the 18-year-old local favourite, who became the first Indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam singles event, is nursing a sore ankle and would be taking a huge risk by playing the event in her first year on the seniors’ circuit. And equally irrelevant would be the fact that Navratilova would not be playing the singles and only the doubles. The real joy for India fans is in the main draw line up which features US-based Shikha Uberoi and 17-year old Delhi girl Ankita Bhambri besides Sania. It is for the first time in recent memory that three Indian women have entered the main draw of a Tier 4 event. The future of women’s tennis in the country which had looked gloomy not so long ago, suddenly seems to be bright. The other major attraction at the event is Jelena Dokic, the former world number four who is now attempting a comeback from a long lay-off last year. The atmosphere here has been electric since the arrival of 48-year old Martina. The American legend is pairing up with Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld with the duo being firm favourites to lift the title. Sania, the defending doubles champion, is combining with Shikha to spearhead the Indian campaign. China’s Na Li, to whom Sania owes her Australian Open wild card, has been given the top billing in the singles. Li was the original wild card entrant at the year’s first grand slam but she made rapid strides by the year end so much so that her ranking was good enough for direct acceptance. Li’s ranking of 56 in the WTA Tour list puts in perspective Sania’s achievement and hoopla surrounding it. Defending champion Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand is seeded sixth. Sania takes on Romania’s Delia Sescioreanu in the first round. Ranked 148, Shikha, who had so far been representing the USA, her resident country, is pitted against Hungary’s Melinda Czink, 128, while Ankita runs into fifth seed Marta Domachowska of Poland. There are as many as eight players in the top 100 who are vying for honours — Li of China (56), Groenefeld of Germany (58), Tatiana Panova of Russia (60), Jie Zheng of China (61), Marta Domachowska of Poland (66), Tanasugarn (67), Lubomira Kurhajcova of Slovakia (90) and Maria Kirilenko (last year’s runner-up) of Russia (94). Much is expected from Dokic, who caused a sensation at Wimbledon in 1999 beating the then world number one Martina Hingis 6-2, 6-0, and move 92 slots that year. But off-court problems, lay-offs and injury saw her ranking slip to the current 124. Known for her fighting spirits, the 21-year-old from Serbia Montenegro, a winner of five WTA titles who also holds a taekwondo blackbelt, is bound to be a star attraction here.
— PTI |
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Sandhya, Jeevan top seeds Chandigarh, February 6 Jeevan, who belongs to Tamil Nadu, is ranked 64th while Vivek Shokeen (India), who yesterday bagged the ITF (Grade 2) tournament in Delhi, has been seeded second. Xiao-Peng of Hong Kong, ranked 147th, is the third seed. Faisal Aidil of Indonesia (ITF ranking 154) has been seeded fourth. Meanwhile, Alapati Siddharth, Honey Rana, Akash Wagh, all from India, qualified for the main draw in the boys section today. Mr Rajan Kashyap, Chairman, CLTA, said the tournament would be elevated to Grade 2 next year. He said the semifinals and finals would be telecast live by DD Sports. Results (qualifying rounds): Boys: Alapati Siddharth (Ind) b Wesley Baptish (RSA) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; Honey Rana (Ind) b Angel Gladwin Peter 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Yoshimara Hoshiba (Japan) b Fairz Mohammed (Ind) 7-6 (5), 6-0; Akash Wagh (Ind) b Kaushik Das (Ind) 6-2, 6-3. Girls: Denise Dy (Phi) b Nao Fujii (Jpn) 6-3, 6-4; Iryana Khatsko (Ukr) b Sweta Solanki (Ind) 7-6 (2), 6-1; Varsha Shiv Shankar (Ind) b Ofelya Poghosyan (Arm) 6-2, 6-0; Parija Maloo (Ind) b Supriya Mallaya (Ind) 6-2, 6-2. Seedings: Boys singles: Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (Ind) 1, Vivek Shokeen (Ind) 2, Xiao-Peng Lai (Hong Kong) 3, Faisal Aidil (Indonesia) 4, Sumit P Gupta (Ind) 5, Vaja Uzakov (Uzb) 6, Ayrton Wibowo (Indon) 7, Agung Bagus (Indon) 8. Girls singles: Sandhya Nagaraj
(Ind) 1, Xeniya Palkina (Kgz) 2, Madura Ranganathan (Ind) 3, Amina Rakhim
(Kaz) 4, Else Potgieter (RSA) 5, Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva (Uzb) 6, Yulia Parasyuk (Russia)7, Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 8. |
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Hard work keeps Martina going
Hyderabad, February 6 At a time when players of her grandchildren’s age are struggling to cope with the punishing schedule of professional tennis, the 48-year-old legend has stayed fit and proved to be more than a challenge to her younger opponents. The legend, on her first official visit to India to play in the WTA Tour Hyderabad Open, put the reason behind her success succintly: “The tennis ball does not know the age of the players. When I started playing, I was playing against seniors, and now the roles are reversed,” Navratilova said on the eve of the $140,000 Tier 4 tournament here. “One has to love what one does and work hard. At the same time play other sports as well and engage in other activities,” said the Czech-born American who has 167 singles titles, including 16 Grand Slam titles, to her name. She is also the only player, man or woman, to have won at least once all Grand Slam crowns. Is she ever bored of winning so many titles? “Do you get bored with life?” pat comes the reply. Navratilova, whose Indian connection has so far been restricted to winning mixed doubles titles with Leander Paes, is fascinated by the country’s vegetarianism and sheer strength of democracy. “The amount of vegetarianism ... it’s funny. If you are in Europe, other than the UK, if you say you are a vegetarian, they will try to give you fish,” she said. “I was a vegetarian for seven years,” she added as an after thought. “The amount of people living here... and how it works... it’s amazing,” she added. Navratilova retired from singles in 1994 before attempting a comeback in 2003, only to find the 11-month Tour calendar too demanding. She has since then restricted her ambitions to winning in doubles. She will be competing in the doubles event here with Anna-lena Groenefeld of Germany. That might have dampened the spirit of home fans, who would have loved to see her play with local favourite Sania Mirza. Her decision has been more in keeping with her competitive nature. Asked for her opinion on Sania, Navratilova said the Hyderabad girl was talented and had the potential to break into the top 50. “It’s important for girls to make a difference and be role models. It's an opportunity for others in India to draw inspiration from her.” Navratilova, who had earlier expressed keenness to visit Taj Mahal, said she would not able to visit the world famous symbol of love in Agra this time because of time constraint. “I had postponed my business to come here. I am also writing a book on health and fitness. When I leave tennis for good, I will definitely visit Taj Mahal,” she said. About the thick security cover for her here, she said in lighter vein, “there is no freedom of the Press in some countries. In some other countries, there is no freedom from the Press.” She said there was never too much money in tennis. “Players take care of themselves for travelling and other expenses, including that of coach, while competing. A player of 100 ranking may make $ 100,000 a year, of which $ 50,000 go towards expenses. Players earn the prize money,” said Navratilova, reiterating her views that there should be no discrimination in prize money for men and women. On Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, who have kept the Indian Tricolour flying high, she said, “It is about partnership. That’s what tennis is all about. They know doubles.”
— PTI |
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Harikrishna draws, stays in joint lead
Bermuda, February 6 Cuban Lenier Dominiguez joined the leading group with his victory over Andrei Volokitin of Ukraine. With just four rounds remaining in this double round-robin category-17 tournament, Harikrishna, Vescovi and Israeli Boris Gelfand are the other leaders on 3.5 points while the other two contestants — Volokitin and Bartlomiej Macieja of Poland — are way behind in the standing list with just two points apiece. Harikrishna could not make a real impression with his white pieces against Vescovi, who got on with his usual game putting behind his disastrous loss against Macieja in the previous round.
— PTI |
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Sandhya, Jeevan top seeds for ITF tourney
Chandigarh, February 6 Jeevan, who belongs to Tamil Nadu, is ranked 64th while Vivek Shokeen (India), who yesterday bagged the ITF (Grade 2) tournament in Delhi, has been seeded second. Xiao-Peng of Hong Kong, ranked 147th, is the third seed. Faisal Aidil of Indonesia (ITF ranking 154) has been seeded fourth. Sandhya Nagaraj’s ITF ranking is 99. Zeniya Palkina of Kyrgystan, with an ITF ranking of 18, has been seeded second. City lad Kinshuk Sharma, who gave a splendid performance in the just concluded ITF meet at Delhi, will face compatriot K Raju tomorrow in the first round. The winner of the Kinshuk-Raju match will meet the sixth seed Vaza Uzakov of Uzbekistan. In the girls section, the local challenge will be spearheaded by Inayat Khosla, who will play Lemmens of Brazil in the first round. Meanwhile, Alapati Siddharth, Honey Rana, Akash Wagh, all from India, qualified for the main draw in the boys section today. Mr Rajan Kashyap, Chairman, CLTA, said the tournament would be elevated to Grade 2 next year. He said the semifinals and finals would be telecast live by DD Sports. Results (qualifying rounds): Boys: Alapati Siddharth (Ind) b Wesley Baptish (RSA) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; Honey Rana (Ind) b Angel Gladwin Peter 4-6, 6-3, 6-4; Yoshimara Hoshiba (Japan) b Fairz Mohammed (Ind) 7-6 (5), 6-0; Akash Wagh (Ind) b Kaushik Das (Ind) 6-2, 6-3. Girls: Denise Dy (Phi) b Nao Fujii (Jpn) 6-3, 6-4; Iryana Khatsko (Ukr) b Sweta Solanki (Ind) 7-6 (2), 6-1; Varsha Shiv Shankar (Ind) b Ofelya Poghosyan (Arm) 6-2, 6-0; Parija Maloo (Ind) b Supriya Mallaya (Ind) 6-2, 6-2. Seedings: Boys singles: Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (Ind) 1, Vivek Shokeen (Ind) 2, Xiao-Peng Lai (Hong Kong) 3, Faisal Aidil (Indonesia) 4, Sumit P Gupta (Ind) 5, Vaja Uzakov (Uzb) 6, Ayrton Wibowo (Indon) 7, Agung Bagus (Indon) 8. Girls singles: Sandhya Nagaraj (Ind) 1, Xeniya Palkina (Kgz) 2, Madura Ranganathan (Ind) 3, Amina Rakhim (Kaz) 4, Else Potgieter (RSA) 5, Dilyara Saidkhodjaeva (Uzb) 6, Yulia Parasyuk (Russia)7, Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium) 8. |
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Kolkata, February 6 The newcomer, who was the cynosure of all eyes, scored his first goal on Indian soil in the 31st minute before seasoned medio Climax Lawrence scored the second one in the 74th minute of the home tie at the Salt Lake stadium. With command and control over the proceedings, East Bengal brought home their targeted three points to increase their tally to 14 points from six matches. The Ludhiana side, now being considered a paper tiger in away games, remained on seven points from six outings. Juliano, though not being much impressive with the ball, showed his knack for goals as he found the net from a stray opportunity. It was a Chandan Das long ranger that JCT goalkeeper Mansuru Mohammed failed to grip and the ball slipped out of his hand before the Brazilian rushed in to slot home, thus compensating for wasting a neat pass from Malswamtluanga a couple of minutes earlier. Down by a goal at the break, the visitors upped the ante in the second session till the hosts scored their second goal from a well-knit move. Bhaichung Bhutia, who remained off-colour for most part, fed Malswamtluanga down the right. The youngster ran a solo before floating a centre for Lawrence, who headed home from within the box with great aplomb. While Juliano made a good start, the other Brazilian in the East Bengal ranks, Douglas da Silva, emerged the man of the match for his stellar role in the middle. After a lacklustre display in the first half, JCT added fizz to their attack with the introduction of Hardeep Gill, who came in place of Harvinder Singh in the 54th minute. The visitors, however, failed to penetrate the rival defence and opted for unleashing powerful long rangers in the second session. On one occasion, Sukhwinder Singh’s shot was saved narrowly by East Bengal goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee who fisted the ball for a corner in the 62nd minute. But, the second goal by the hosts put cold water on their initiatives and turned the game into a drab affair for the last 15 minutes. East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmick made three changes, including a substitution of Juliano for Nigerian Ernest Jeremiah in early second half. — PTI
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Jamshedpur, February 6 Popat of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board eclipsed the record of Madhumita Singh Bisht when she outplayed 15-year old former junior national champion and 28th seed Saina Nehwal of Andhra Pradesh 11-3, 11-4 in just 19 minutes at Mohan Ahuja Indoor Stadium. Popat has been defending her title since 1997 while Madhumita Singh Bisht had been champion from 1984 to 1990, a period of seven years. In the men’s singles, Sridhar (PSPB) trounced team-mate and two-time former champion Abhinn Shyam gupta, seeded 8th, 15-4, 15-5. PSPB pair of Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien lifted the women’s doubles title overcoming Krishna Dekaraja (PSPB) and Oli Deka (Assam) easily 15-3, 15-3. In the mixed double, PSPB’s B R Meenakshi and Marcos Britow outclassed Aparna Balan and Jaison Xavier (Kerala) 15-3, 15-2 to clinch the title. Nehwal, who staged a major upset in the semi-final by defeating top seed Trupti Murgunde (PSPB) last evening 9-11, 11-8, 13-10 started off on a good note picking up the first point against her experienced rival but lost control over the game once Popat settled down to surge ahead. In the men’s singles final, former national champion Gupta put up a stiff fight but bowed out before Sridhar in a 40-minute encounter. In the doubles finals, while the PSPB’s pair Jwala Gutta and Shruti Kurien registered a comfortable win over their rival Krishna Dekaraja (PSPb) and Oli Deka (Assam) on 15-3, 15-3 in 25 minutes, the men’s section witnessed a tough contest. Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar (Kerala), who got a wild-card entry, fought bravely and won over Jaseel P Ismail (PSPB) and V Diju (Railways). — PTI
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Warriors edge out Sher-e-Jalandhar Hyderabad, February 6 The Viren Rasquinha-led side, who were trailing by a goal till half time scored a goal each in the next two quarters through Kasif Jawad (42nd) and Vijay Alphanso (55th) against the run of play to collect three points from the encounter. The Warriors now have 10 points from seven outings while the Jalandhar side, who had won four of their earlier five matches, remained on 11 points from six matches and remain on second spot. Hyderabad Sultans lead the table with 16 points from seven matches. Jalandhar skipper Gagan Ajit Singh drew first blood in the 15th minute, thanks to a defensive lapse by Saqlain Mohammad. Taking advantage of the mistake, Prabhjot Singh picked the ball outside the 25-yard line and passed it to Gagan who slammed it home to give his team the lead. After a barren second quarter, Jawad drew parity by tapping a pass from the flanks to beat the Jalandhar custodian hands down and level the score at 1-1. Alphanso then scored the second goal for his team with an opportunistic strike. Though the honours went to the Warriors, it was the Jalandhar side which called the shots for most period in the match. But some good defending on the goal line by Pakistan international Ali Raza ensured that the Marathas kept their opponents at bay till Gagan found the net. It was the turn of the Maratha forwards to get into the act as Jawad found the equaliser, thereby giving the match an interesting twist. With the PHL going into the last week, only Sher-e-Jalandhar and Hyderabad Sultans have a chance to lift the title.
— PTI |
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NPS lifts judo trophy
Patiala, February 6 NPS excelled in other disciplines too when they bagged the first position in the basketball event in the under-14 category for both boys and girls. The school’s girl cagers came first in the under-19 age category while the school stood second in the under-17 age category in basketball. The trophy was given away by Mr G.S Punia, Assistant Commissioner, Excise and Taxation, at a function held here today. Bank sports meet ends The 8th annual sports meet of the State Bank of Patiala concluded at the Government Physical College of Education grounds here today. The meet, which attracted nearly 300 employees and their wards. Mr Yogesh Aggarwal, Managing Director of the bank, also distributed prizes. Results: 200m for boys (10-12 years): Naresh Thakur-1, Pardeep Singh-2, Sumit-3. 200m for girls (10-12 years): Simar Sharma-1, Varkha-2, Riya Bhatnagar-3. 200m for boys (12-14 years): Tapanjot Singh-1, Harit Sharma-2, Jeevan Sharma-3. 200m for girls (12-14 years): Aditi Sharma-1, Parul Bhatnagar-2, Bhavna-3. 200m for boys (14-16 years): Inderpreet Singh-1, Jaswinder Singh-2, Vishal Kumar-3. 200m for girls (14-16 years): Karamjit Kaur-1, Sonia Thakur-2, Upinder Kaur-3. 100m for men (up to 35 years): Pramod-1, Gopal Kataria-2, Balwinder Singh-3. 100m for men (35 to 45 years): Lachman Singh-1, Dharma Singh-2, Bhola Nath-3. 100m for men (above 45 years): Sher Singh-1, Manjit Singh-2, Harbir Singh-3. Long jump for men: Hukum Chand-1, Balwinder Singh-2, Sher Singh-3. 200m for women (Up to 35 years): Jasbir Kaur-1, Sunita Sharma-2, Kamalpreet Kaur-3. 200m for women (35-45 years): Sudha-1, Malini-2, Roopa-3. 200m for women (above 45 years): Usha Bansal-1, Neera-2, Anita Gupta-3. 50m for children (up to 5 years): Harsh-1, Kabeer-2, Anju-3. 200m (up to 35 years): Gopal Kataria-1, Hulum Chand-2, Darshan Singh-3. 200m for men (35-45 years): Lachman Singh-1, Dharam Singh-2, Bhola Nath-3. 200m for men (above 45 years): Sher Singh-1, Vinod Sehgal-2, Krishan Dev Singh-3. Musical chairs for boys and girls (up to 12 years): Sahil-1, Chitleen-2, Anshul-3. Musical chairs for women: Manjeet Kaur-1, Parveen-2, Happy-3. Shot put for men: Harbir Singh-1, Hardeep Singh-2, Manjit Singh-3. 400m for men (up to 35 years): Hukum Chand-1, Balwinder Singh-2, Bittu-3. 400m for men (35 to 45 years): Lachman Singh-1, Dharam Singh-2, Ajaib Singh-3. 400m for men (up to 45 years):Gurmukh Singh-1, Krishan Dev Singh-2, P.D Kaura-3.
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Wrestling
championship on Feb 21 Fatehgarh Sahib,
February 6 Competition would be in four categories Rustam-e-Hind in which wrestlers above 85 KG weight would participate, winner will get Rs 51000, second Rs 31000 and third Rs 21000. In Second Bharat Kumar category below 85KG wrestlers will compete and winner would get Rs 41000 runner-up Rs 31000 and third Rs.11000/.
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