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Paes, Amritraj give India 2-0 lead
JCT, Mohun Bagan clash today
Mahindra draw with Tollygunge
Sporting send Vasco packing
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Narain happy with progress
Jones keen to be Team India coach
Rajasthan Colts enter final
Harinder dashes Mukesh’s hopes
Kanwar’s ton goes in vain
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Paes, Amritraj give India 2-0 lead
Jaipur, April 29 Captain Leander Paes, playing only his second singles match of the season, put the hosts 1-0 up with a 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 6-0 win over Farrukh Dustov before Amritraj gave a superlative display of serve and volley game to maul Denis Istomin 6-3, 6-2, 6-2. The crucial doubles match is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by the reverse singles on Sunday, but the two defeats have put the Uzbeks so low on morale and confidence that they will need a miracle to reverse their fortunes. Paes, who nominated himself ahead of number one player in terms of ranking Harsh Mankad, said even though the Indians were comfortably placed, it was still a tough decision for him. "It was very very tough to ask your number one player to sit down. I guarantee if we are 0-2 down, you all would be sitting over my head now," he said. "It is a tough job to be the captain of Indian team, no matter what team it is. You have to believe in your decision, it must be a well thought-out decision, and make that decision, whether people agree with you or not," he added. Dustov's performance summed up the story. His was a two-part act, the first comprising the first set when he took it up to Paes with some strong serving, and the second forming the remaining two sets when he mentally disintegrated and cracked under pressure. As it were, the veil of being competitive on grass by the Uzbeks was torn open. And, as Paes showed once again, rankings Dustov is 338th on the ATP computer, hardly matter in Davis Cup. "I was surprised by the way Dustov's serve came apart after the first set," the Indian captain said. "It goes to show that as long as you stay mentally ahead of your opponent, a time will come when they will fall." There was no question of exposing Istomin's weakness, for his inadequacy was all there in the open. The player who had clinched a five-set decider to put his team past Indonesia in the first round and around whom a hype had been built up following his two wins over Mankad on the professional circuit, simply could not match Amritraj's superiority and was completely outplayed. Paes was all praise for Amritraj whom he said "has made a big jump in performance in this tie." "No matter I had won the first rubber, it was important for Prakash to play a good first set, and he came out in flying in colours," he said. Amritraj, who began and finished the match with an ace, was irrepressible in both serve and volley as well in playing from the back when the Uzbek tried to prevent him from coming upto the net. The 293rd ranked California resident said it did not matter that Paes had given the side a 1-0 lead. "It is more thinking about things from outside the court. I just stuck to the basics, once I served the first ball everything went out of my mind," Amritraj said. Dustov said he was not happy with the courts. "This is the first time I am playing (Davis Cup) on grass, and it was not a proper grass court," he said. "There were lot of places where there were big patches. There was bad bounce, and return was impossible," he said. Non-playing Uzbek captain Vadim Kutsenko, however, gave credit to the Indians even while being understanding of his players. "Nothing has changed (after the 2-0 result). Both the players (Dustov and Istomin) played well," he said. Earlier, the start was delayed by more than an hour due to wet patches caused by heavy rains last evening. And the tricky bounce, mainly the ball keeping low after hitting the patches, troubled the Uzbeks throughout. Dustov struggled to find an answer to Paes' kick serves that frequently left him high and dry. Still, it was a tense first set. If Paes was dominated with net play, Dustov held his own with strong serving. The Uzbek turned out to be the first to crack under pressure when he hit a backhand wide and followed it with a double fault, before putting a forehand volley long. But the lack of match practice then showed on Paes who was broken back in the very next game with successive double faults.
— PTI |
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JCT, Mohun Bagan clash today
Ludhiana, April 29 On the eve of their crucial 20th round match against JCT Mills to be played at Guru Nanak Stadium here tomorrow, Amal Datta minced no words in blaming his predecessor for the sorry state of affairs. “ When you drive away good players, how can one hope to meet tough challenges like the NFL,” he wondered while talking to The Tribune in his hotel room here this evening. “The century-old club, which has produced stalwarts like Shyam Thapa, Mohammed Habib and Mohammed Akbar is in a dilapidated condition. Just one striker cannot produce wonders. But we hope to put up a fight with the resources at our command.” Known as a shrewd strategist who once propounded the famous ‘diamond’ system, Amal Datta took over as coach after the exit of Subrata Bhattacharya last month. He hopes to get the best out of his team. Goalkeeper Subrata Pal, who earlier underwent a nine-match suspension following the death of Dempo striker Cristiano Junior, is back in action. The defence comprising wing backs Manitombi Singh and Rishi Kapoor besides Dulal Biswas, no doubt will be under pressure but a lot will depend on the midfielders, including internationals Basudev Mondal and Noel Wilson, who will have to lend strength to the attack and defence. The attack will spearheaded by Brazilian striker Roberto Mendis Silva Beto, Eduardo Chacon, Tomba Singh and Dharamjit Singh. Incidentally, Beto has so far scored five goals, including the match winner against Sporting Clube de Goa. Midfielder Mehtab Hussain, who also has been among the scorers, is expected to reach the city tonight. Among those missing from the team list will be internationals Joe Paul Ancheri and Asim Biswas, who are still nursing injuries. With only three matches in hand, the Kolkata outfit, a representative of Bengali pride, are hoping against hope to turn the tide at the fag end of the ninth NFL. In the current league, Mohun Bagan have won only four matches. They have beaten Sporting Clube de Goa 1-0; Churchill Brothers 2-1; JCT 1-0; and Tollygunge Agragami 2-1. Six of the ties were drawn while in the remaining nine, Mohun Bagan tased defeat. After going down to Mahindra United 0-1 in the second round, Mohun Bagan lost to Dempo 0-2; Fransa 1-2; Vasco 0-1; Fransa 1-2; Salgaocar 0-1; Mahindras 0-2; Sporting Clube de Goa 0-1; and to arch rivals East Bengal 0-1. Their last defeat at the hands of East Bengal at Kolkata on April 24 has indeed put Bagan in a precarious position. JCT Mills, who went down fighting to Dempo in their last match here, appear keen not only to avenge the February 9 defeat at the hands of Mohun Bagan at Kolkata but also to improve their position this year. With 33 points, JCT had finished fifth last year while this year their tally is 26 points from seven victories and five draws. With three more matches in hand, the Phagwara outfit can secure a total of 35 points provided they win all the three matches. In the current league, of the 19 matches played so far, JCT have won seven, drawn five and lost seven. The mill men recorded victories against Fransa (1-0); Salgaocar (3-1); Churchill Brothers (3-0); State Bank of Travancore (1-0); Vasco (2-1) and Tollygunge Agragami (3-1) in the away match at Kolkata. The defeats have come against Dempo (both home and away); Sporting Clube de Goa(both home and away); East Bengal (both home and away); and Mohun Bagan (away match). Except for the away matches against East Bengal at Kolkata and Sporting Clube de Goa which JCT lost 0-2 , all other defeats have been by a margin of one goal. As far as victories are concerned, JCT’s most impressive win this league has been the 3-0 win against Goa’s Churchill Brothers here on February 20. According to coach Sukhwinder Singh, JCT will go all out to satisfy the hordes of supporters in their concluding home match here tomorrow. “ My boys have been playing good football but somehow we have been unlucky. Tomorrow, we hope to reverse the trend,” he said while talking to The Tribune. Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan, who arrived here last night, had a practice session at the stadium this morning while the players rested in their rooms in the evening. On the whole, given the recent performance of JCT, the dice appears to be loaded against the Kolkata outfit and the Phagwara team will seek to capitalise on the weaknesses of the rivals, for whom it will be a do-or-die battle. The kick -off is at 4.15 pm. The following are the latest standings of the teams in the ninth National Football League after taking into account the results of today’s matches at Margao and Kolkata (read under teams, matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, and points):
Teams
P
W
D
L
GF
GA
Pts
Sporting Clube
20
13
3
4
43
20
42
East Bengal
18
12
3
3
31
11
39
Dempo SC
18
11
5
2
21
14
38
Mahindras
20
6
11
3
25
20
29
Fransa Pax FC
19
8
5
6
21
20
29
JCTMills
19
7
5
7
18
16
26
SalgaocarS C
19
6
5
8
22
22
23
Churchill Bros
20
5
6
9
21
31
21
Mohun Bagan
19
4
6
9
11
18
18
Vasco SC
20
4
5
11
22
34
17
Tollygunge
20
3
8
9
20
39
17
SBT
20
3
6
11
22
32
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Kolkata, April 29 After 20 matches, Mahindra now had 29 points while Tollygunge continued to languish in the last but one spot with 17 points in their kitty. Other sides at the lower end of the table were Churchill Brothers (21 from 20), Mohun Bagan (18 from 19) and State Bank of Travancore (15 from 20). Tollygunge drew first blood in the ninth minute following a sudden counter-attack, which saw an unmarked Bose get the ball in the clear, with Mahindra goalkeeper Sandip Nandy sensing danger and coming out. Bose kept his cool and lobbed the ball into the net over Nandy’s head. The Tollygunge rearguards finally caved in 13 minutes from close as right back Steven Dias went on the overlap and essayed a measured centre to Manju, who had gone up from his stopper position to assist the frontliners, and made no mistake in pushing the ball into the net.
— PTI |
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Margao, April 29 With this win, Sporting led the table with 42 points from 20 matches, followed by East Bengal (39 points) and Dempo (38 points), both having played two matches less. For Vasco, it was their 11th defeat and now they were relegated to the second division with 10th place in the table, with 17 points from 20 matches. Sporting, who led 2-1 at half time, scored through Dudu Omagbemi (8th, 50th, 86th), Edeh Chidi (37th) and Wilton Gomes (68th) while Sidney Rodrigues (34th) and substitute Levy Coelho (75th) reduced the margin for Vasco. Dudu, who was the leading scorer with 20 goals, was declared the man of the match for his brilliant efforts.
— PTI |
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Narain happy with progress
London, April 29 Karthikeyan took 1 minute 22.75 seconds to emerge the fastest among the Jordan drivers on the final day of the two-day testing yesterday to prepare himself for the May 8 race. In fact, the Indian ace was second fastest among the drivers who took part in the testing yesterday. He finished 0.583 second behind William’s Nico Rosberg who topped the time sheet at Silverstone. “I am quite happy with the progress we are making and can not wait to drive at the Circuit de Cantalunya, the first track I know so far this season,” Karthikeyan said. The Indian’s Portuguese teammate Tiago Monteiro came up with a timing of 1:23.39 while test driver for Jordan Nicky Pastorelli clocked 1:27.27.
— PTI
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Els at top; Jeev stays eighth
Shanghai, April 29 But the highlight of the day at the Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Course was a brilliant and flawless 10-under from Ernie Els, whose 62 for the day saw him build up a huge four-shot lead over the Korean-born New Zealander, Eddie Lee at the end of the round.
Lee had a 66 to add to his first day's lead-sharing 67. Els had a six-under 30 on the front nine including an eagle on the par-5 ninth and then four birdies on the six closing holes on the back nine for a 32 and a day's work of 10-under 62. Two other Indians -- Rahil Gangjee and Jyoti Randhawa -- squeezed into the weekend's money rounds as they finished their 36 holes in par and a tied 59th place. Gaurav Ghei despite 18 pars in the second round missed the cut following his first round 75, as did Amandeep Johl (74, 76) and Harmeet Kahlon (79 and 69). The cut came at par. Jeev, starting the day at three-under in the tied eighth spot, began well with two birdies on the second and third, before dropping one each on the fourth and sixth. A birdie on the ninth saw him make the turn at one-under. It was on the back nine that Jeev fired up with a birdie on the tenth and then parred five in a row, before he landed an eagle two on the par-4 16th. His second shot from the fairway and over the water hazard bounced once on the green before jumping into the cup, much to Jeev's elation. It was one of the six eagles made during the day which also saw an ace from Italian Constantino Rocca. Speaking of his eagle, the 33-year-old Chandigarh professional, Jeev said, "That looked real good. One needs such breaks for a some good scores." A pumped up Jeev dropped a shot immediately on the par-3 17th, but made up with a birdie on closing 18th to end the day at a satisfying four-under and a total of seven-under 137. Gangjee atoned for his first day's three-over 75 with a three-under 69 on the second day, while Randhawa with the proverbial 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over his head played superbly for an error-free back nine total of 33 including a birdie on the final hole. He ended the day at two-over 74 after a horrendous front nine of 41 with five bogeys and no birdies. Both Gangjee and Randhawa were par for the tournament and tied for 59th place as 75 golfers made the cut. South African Els, who has had a lot of success in European Tour events in Asia, having won both in Dubai and Qatar, looks like adding a third. Playing some inspiring golf, Els was perfect all through the day. His 129 gave him a four-shot advantage over second place Lee. Making it to the weekend were Nick Faldo with a 70 and a total of two-under. Colin Montgomerie survived the scare of a double bogey on the 16th with a birdie on the 18th to end with a 70 and a total of one-under. He also had an eagle on the par-5 second.
— PTI |
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Atwal shares lead in Zurich Classic
Avondale (Louisiana), April 29 Atwal, who lost in a play-off to Phil Mickelson at BellSouth Classic three weeks ago, shared the lead with Chris DiMarco. DiMarco was playing his first event since losing the Masters in a shoot-out to Tiger Woods two weeks ago. Defending champion Vijay Singh was two off the pace as he was tied for the third place with J J Henry, Tom Pernice and Tim Clark. Daniel Chopra, who had a topsy turvy start from the tenth tee, was placed joint 36th at one-under 71. He birdied 13th, double bogeyed 17th and birdied 18th as he turned in three-over. On the second nine, he had four birdies between second and eighth hole to finish at one-under. On the Peter Dye designed course, when Atwal started on the tenth tee it was windy and difficult to play. But the Indian played well to land two birdies in his first nine and then went on a rampage with six birdies on the return journey. Atwal said he concentrated on his putting. He had just 23 for the round, the lowest number of putts for the day. He topped in birdie count with eight, as he also bogeyed once on the third. “I just tried to make pars because it was so windy. Then I got things going on the front nine,” Atwal said. Between the 18th and eighth, over the nine holes, he birdied seven, bogeyed one on the third and parred the par-4 fifth. Atwal, the first Indian to play the US Tour, earlier this month became the first Indian to get into a play-off of a US Tour event and finished tied second.
— PTI |
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Jones keen to be Team India coach
Dubai, April 29 ''I am familiar with the current Indian cricketers as well as the former (ones). In the course of doing commentary, I have visited almost all the Indian venues and met several Indians. I'm aware of the expectations too. I believe, given a chance, I can be a good coach to this Indian side,'' he said. Told that most of the star Indian cricketers were well above 30, Jones said, ''The hunger is still there for them. Although they are over 32 now, mentally they are as hungry as a 27-year-old cricketer.” Asked if India lacked quality fringe players who could keep the senior on their toes, Jones said,''That's the scenario everywhere, except in Australia. Even Adam Gilchrist has a competitor there, named Brad Haddin.” Stressing on the need of proper planning before a series, the Australian advocated '' Reading the opposition in a better way and preparing as per their weak points. That's an area I think this Indian team has to stress on. Planning has to be ready for execution in the field by the cricketers and that's why the (preparation) time is required.''
— UNI |
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Bula becomes first woman to conquer five continents
Kolkata, April 29 The timing was a record in itself, as Bula emerged as the first Asian woman to have swam the stretch in such a short time, according to information received
here. Bula hit the water at 10 am (South African time) and finished her mission at 1:26 pm to do her country proud. Her days of strenuous practice in the shark-infested Atlantic waters since reaching South Africa a few days ago paid off as she had a relatively easy swim across the stretch, known to be arduous.
— PTI |
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Rajasthan Colts enter final
New Delhi, April 29 Though Mithun Manhas (82) and Manoj Mudgil (55) put on 92 runs for the third wicket, the batsmen down the order failed to consolidate on this breezy start as they caved in rather meekly. Rajathan Colts thrived on the 81-run opening-wicket partnership, off just 12.4 overs, between Rohit Sharma and Abhijit Sharma which was taken advantage of by other batsmen. Scores: ONGC: 224 for 9 in 40 overs ( Mithun Manhas 82, Manoj Mudgal 55, Rizwan Shamshad 23, Pankaj Gupta 3 for 42). Rajasthan Colts: 225 for 6 in 39.2 overs (Abhijit Sharma 61, Pankaj Gupta 41 n o, Rohit Jhalan 23, Rohit Sharma 31, Amit Mishra 2 for 25,Rahul 2 for 41). |
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Harinder dashes Mukesh’s hopes
New Delhi, April 29 Completing the semifinal line-up were Uttam Mundy, Rafick Ali and Sanjay Kumar. Uttam Mundy showed the exit to Shiv Shankar Prasad Chowrasia, winning one-up. Rafick Ali had an easy win over Nabin Mondal at five-three. The local challenge in the tournament ended with the exit of Gast Ram, who lost to Sanjay Kumar. The first six holes saw Mukesh and Harinder staying neck-and-neck. The shift came when Harinder birdied the seventh to go one up. Mukesh came back on the next hole with a birdie, levelling scores one-all at the turn. At the first hole of the return journey, Harinder sank a 25-foot downhill putt to make a birdie. Missed birdies on the 11th by both saw the Chandigarh golfer retain the pressure. Harinder sank two consecutive 15-foot putts on the 12th and the 13th, with the birdies propelling his score to three-up. It became an uphill climb for Mukesh. The match ended in Harinder’s favour at two-one.
— UNI |
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Kanwar’s ton goes in vain
New Delhi, April 29 The Chandigarh School lost their last wicket when they were at the threshold of an exciting victory to give Salwan their fourth title victory in a row. Sarul Kanwar was adjudged the man of the match. Scores: Salwan Boys: 226 for 4 in 35 overs (Anshul Gupta 70 off 71 balls). DAV School: 222 in 34.3 overs (Sarul Kanwar 103, Tarun Chauhan 3 for 41). |
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