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India rout Scotland in Sudirman Cup
Long-distance walker eyes world record
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Mani defends ban on Ganguly
Liberal financial aid to no avail
Ludhiana win on first innings lead
72-year-old Indian wins marathon in Canada
Steps to check fielding of over-age players
Anju keen to defend title in Qatar
Four athletes for Winter Olympics
India Challenge rallyists reach Nagpur
Patiala in last four
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India rout Scotland in Sudirman Cup
Beijing, May 12 The Indians, who topped the sub group with identical wins over the USA and Wales earlier, will now meet the winner of Group 3A in the play-off to decide which team earns a promotion in Group 2 in the 2007 edition of the championship. Only top eight teams in Group 1 have a chance to clinch the title while all other teams are divided into groups and earn a promotion or are demoted to lower groups according to their performance. India was given a winning start by the mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta, who played despite having fever, when they defeated A Bowman and M McEwan in straight games 15-4 15-10. National men's champion Anup Sridhar made it 2-0 with a 15-4 15-5 thrashing of C Goddard and Trupti Murgunde sealed the issue when she rallied to beat S Hughes 1-11 11-7 11-6 in 42 minutes in the women's singles. The men's doubles pair of Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar, which had lost both their earlier matches, also got to winning ways as they got the better of Robertson and Bowman 15-1 15-13 to make it 4-0 in India's favour. However, a clean sweep could not become a reality as a struggling Jwala and Shruti Kurian preferred to take it easy and went down 3-15 1-15 in the women's doubles in just 15 minutes. After the match, Jwala said her throat was paining and her general condition was not good but the team management and the shuttler were hopeful that she could play her part in the crucial playoff tomorrow. Commenting on the matches, the Indian coach, Hadi Sugiyanto said he was happy with the performance of the team as a whole but concerned about the health of Jwala, who has to play two matches - mixed doubles and women's doubles. "The team is trying their best. Our aim is to qualify for Group 2 in the 2007 Sudirman Cup", the Indonesian coach said. India is most likely to play Poland, which has won both their earlier league matches and is facing lowly Bulgaria later today, in the play-off. About tomorrow's encounter, Sugiyanto admitted that it would be a "difficult" match but expressed confidence in the young team saying they had the fighting spirit and resolve to win. "I hope, we will win," Sugiyanto, who has been training the Indian team for just over a year, said. — PTI
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South Africa take 3-0 lead
Bridgetown (Barbados), May 12 The victory yesterday gave South Africa an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. Langeveldt began the final over with the home team needing four runs to win with three wickets in hand. The 30-year-old conceded two singles off the first two balls and then dismissed Ian Bradshaw, Daren Powell and Corey Collymore off the next three to secure an unlikely win. The West Indies, whose chase was powered by Chris Gayle’s 132, were bowled out for 283 off 48.5 overs. Man-of-the-Match Langeveldt took a career-best five for 62 off 9.5 overs. “Langers stepped up. I know he’s got the skill, but he really showed he’s got the mind and the heart for those situations,” captain Graeme Smith said. “He bowled superbly. The ball was reverse swinging and he got it right.” South Africa, sent in to bat, reached 284 for six off 50 overs on the back of Boeta Dippenaar’s 123, his second one-day century. But Gayle’s innings, which spanned 152 balls and was spiced with seven fours and two sixes, seemed to set a winning platform. He added 48 for the first wicket with Xavier Marshall before two wickets fell for one run as South Africa gained an edge. Scoreboard South Africa Smith c Smith Dippenaar c Marshall Kallis c Gayle b Collymore 87 Kemp run out 12 Boucher not out 13 Pollock b Bravo 0 Gibbs c Smith b Bravo 11 Prince not out 1 Extras: (lb-3, w-5, nb-1) 9 Total: (6 wkts, 50 overs) 284 Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-237, 3-251, 4-258, 5-260, 6-276 Bowling: Powell 10-0-60-0; Bradshaw 10-0-51-2; Collymore 10-0-50-1; Smith 9-0-50-0; Gayle 2-0-19-0; Bravo 9-0-51-2. West Indies Gayle c Pollock b Nel 132 Marshall c Boucher b Ntini 15 Sarwan b Nel 0 Lara c Nel b Langeveldt 32 Chanderpaul c Kemp Smith b Nel 21 Bravo not out 21 Browne c Nel b Ntini 9 Bradshaw b Langeveldt 1 Powell b Langeveldt 0 Collymore lbw b Langeveldt 0 Extras: (b-5, lb-6, w-6, nb-12) 29 Total: (all out, 49.5 overs) 283 Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-49, 3-119, 4-213, 5-242, 6-258, 7-281, 8-283, 9-283. Bowling: Pollock 10-0-67-0, Ntini 10-0-45-2, Nel 10-0-42-3, Langeveldt 9.5-0-62-5, Kallis 1.1-0-2-0, Kemp 6.5-0-47-0, Smith 2-0-7-0.
— AFP |
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Long-distance walker eyes world record
Hisar, May 12 Mr Jai Prakash, Congress MP from Hisar, flagged off the walk at the Giri Centre stadium on the Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) premises here this morning. Extending good wishes to Jangra, the MP assured him of all possible support. Jangra, who is an ayurveda practitioner based at Hansi, said he had qualified for the 50-km walk event in the 2004 Olympics, but he was not able to participate in the mega event as he could not find any sponsors. The walker claims to have set a world record by walking backwards for 20 hours and 40 minutes, covering a distance of 164 km. He performed this feat at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi in 1998. He also walked from Hisar to Delhi in 1997. Jangra tried his best to get the back-walk event included in the Olympics, but in vain. Following this, he decided to change his event and started practising forward walk. As of now, he aspires to participate in the 2008 Olympic Games and is hopeful of winning a medal for India. Jangra laments the falling standard of Indian athletics in the international arena and wants to inspire the nation’s youth through his venture.
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Mani defends ban on Ganguly Dubai, May 12 “Once we set up a process, we must respect the integrity of that process. If we try to change it each time because someone does not like the decision, then it will be meaningless,” Mani was quoted as saying by ‘Gulf News’ today. Mani said the ban on Ganguly was in accordance with the regulations approved by the member countries and as such the punishment was neither mild nor harsh. “As per the rules, one can be banned for minimum of four matches or a maximum of eight matches. Ganguly got a middle-level ban,” he said. Ganguly was banned for six one-day internationals following India’s slow over rate twice during the home series against Pakistan. Asked if the punishment was a bit too harsh he said: “This decision was taken by the match referee and hence I cannot comment on it.” Mani, who was here for the ground breaking ceremony of the new ICC headquarters, said the ICC will become a more efficient body when it starts operating from Dubai. “We wanted all our units to be working under one roof. The ICC will be a more efficient and effective organisation when all our units starts operating from Dubai,” he said. Meanwhile, President of the West Indies Cricket Board Teddy Griffith said the preparations for the 2007 Cricket World Cup was going on in full swing. — PTI |
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Liberal financial aid to no avail
New Delhi, May 12 In reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, the Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Dutt has disclosed that the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was extended financial assistance of Rs 65,30,597 in 2000-01, Rs 1,74,62,533 in 20001-02, Rs 70,17,214 in 2002-03, Rs 1,28,78,010 in 2003-04 and Rs 1,94,21,032 in 2004-05. In short, the IHF has received around Rs 7 crore during the last five years for the preparation of the Indian teams, though the results have been abysmal, with the country finishing seventh in the Olympic Games at Athens last year, and fourth in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan early this year. The Indian Women's Hockey Federation (IWHF) too has accepted liberal financial assistance from the Central Government, but the results have been too poor, except for winning the Asian Championship two years ago. In 2000-01, the IWHF received Rs 61,59,395, Rs 1,09,08,974 in 2001-02, Rs 35,10,110 in 2002-03, Rs 30, 87,071 in 2003-04 and Rs 1,10,34,974 in 2004-05. Apart from direct cash assistance to the hockey federations, hockey is also being taken care of through several Government schemes such as the National Sports Talent Contest Scheme, the Army Boys Sports Company, Special Area Games, SAI Training Centre and the Centre of Excellence. The SAI is also running special centres at Sundergarh (Orissa), Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) for identification and training of hockey talent. Prominent SAI-adopted schools and centres are also imparting training to talented hockey players belonging to the tribal belts of the country. The Government has spent nearly Rs 9 crore in different parts of the country for laying synthetic surfaces and creating other hockey facilities. For relaying a hockey surface at Badal (Mukatsar) in Punjab and for installation of a new turf at the Government School at Shahbad Markanda (Haryana), the Centre had granted Rs 50 lakh each.
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Ludhiana win on first innings lead
Ludhiana, May 12 Resuming at the overnight score of 72 for 1, Ludhiana went on to score 322 runs for the loss of five wickets in 86 overs before skipper Gagandeep Dhand declared the innings. Yesterday’s not out batsman, Sakun Jindal hammered a century (130). Geetansh Khera chipped in with a useful 74. In their second essay, Minor Districts were 146 for 4 when the umpires called off play. Meanwhile, the introduction of match referee from this season by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) proved fruitful. Ludhiana skipper Gagandeep Dhand and team-mate Vishwajeet Kahlon were warned twice by the umpires for disturbing the batsmen. Another Ludhiana player, Amrinder Brar, was reported for allegedly using abusive language against umpire Gurpreet Singh, who gave him out caught behind. Umpires Gurpreet Singh and Ranjeev Sharma, both from Patiala, brought the incident to the notice of match referee Dharam Paul. The referee would submit his report to the PCA. Brief scores: Minor Districts Zone A (1st innings): 192 all out; Ludhiana (1st innings): 322 for 5 in 86 overs (Sakun Jindal 130, Bharat Malhotra 38, Atul Kohli 14, Amrinder Brar 26, Geetansh Khera 74; Karan 1 for 93 and Harpreet 1 for 73); Minor Districts Zone A (2nd innings): 146 for 4 in 29 overs ( Karan 32, Maninder 61, Gurtej, Harjeet 50 n.o.; Gagandeep Dhand 2 for 30, Nakul Sharma 1 for 44, Vishwajeet Kahlon 1 for 17). |
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72-year-old Indian wins marathon in Canada
London (Canada), May 12 It was the 66th marathon for the Delhi-based Ashis Roy, who had completed the Charlottesville marathon in the US three weeks earlier. Roy, the oldest runner in this category, received huge support from the locals and many of them shouted to cheer him up, said a statement here. “The race route ran mostly through the residential areas of the city and people lined up outside their homes to greet Roy by cheering him with words like “wonderful”, “superman”, and “awesome”, the statement said. “During the last 5 km of the race, as Roy crossed over many traffic lights, vehicles that had been stopped by the traffic police in order to let the runner pass honked to cheer and encourage Roy,” it said. A day before the race, the London Free Press Journal featured a full-page article on Roy’s life along with his photograph. The paper hailed Roy’s marathon running record as most unusual in the world and described him as a “role model” for everyone, the statement said. The paper compared Roy’s determination with that of “Forrest Gump”, the famous movie character played by Tom Hanks. — IANS
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Steps to check fielding of over-age players
Batala, May 12 In a circular sent to all district cricket associations of Punjab, Mr M.P. Pandove, Honorary Secretary, Punjab Cricket Association has directed the honorary secretaries of all the district cricket association to strictly implement the guidelines so that the menace of over-age players taking part in the tournaments can be checked. In a copy of a circular containing guidlines was received by Balraj Mahajan, honorary secretary, Gurdaspur District Cricket Association here yesterday. It said that in addition to the age-proof certificate, medical certificate and prescribed X-ray is also an eligibility requirement. In case there is a difference in age-proof certificate and medical report, the latter will be considered authentic and eligibility of the player determined as per medical report. In cases where two different certificates are produced predicting age of a player. The PCA has decided that the age determined by the medical examination will be treated as final. The association has also decided that a player whose date of birth has been registered after medical examination in under -15 age group, he will not be required to undergo another X-ray for the next year when he is playing in his next age-group tournament. It means that a player who plays U-15 age group tournament for the year 2005-2006 and declared fit by medical examination will not be required to undergo any medical examination / X-ray if he is playing under-17 tournament in the year 2006-2007. But if a player plays in the next age group tournament after a lapse of more than one year, he will be required to undergo a X-ray / medical examination. The convenor of the medical committee had advised that a player is considered over-age in a particular age-group only when full fusion has taken place of the prescribed bone. The committee has clarified that the partial or starting of fusion of bone will not be a ground for ineligibility. Any player found over-age by the PCA, the Execution / Administrative committee will have the power to:- a) debar the concerned player(s) to take part in PCA tournament for two years. b) penalise the district association to whom the over-age player belongs @ Rs. 10,000/- per player and amount will be recovered from the DCA. c) expel the district team which contained the over-age players from the tournament and points scored by them and scored by other district teams against them will be cancelled. d) the determination of age by means of X-ray is to be considered as part of the eligibility along with age proof certificate as contained in the Rules and Regulations for Punjab State Inter - District matches contained under General Rules.
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Anju keen to defend title in Qatar
Bangalore, May 12 The 28-year-old Keralite, who won the gold with a wind-aided career-best jump of 6.82m in Doha last year, went on to improve her performance by a centimetre in the Athens Olympics but still had to be contend with the sixth place as World No.1 Lebedeva led a Russian medal sweep leaping to 7.07m. Lebedeva's compatriots Irina Simagina and Tatyana Kotava who both cleared 7.05m took the silver and bronze medals, respectively. Anju will also be challenged tomorrow by former world champion Fiona May. The 36-year-old Italian has dropped down drastically in world rankings and was 15th in the latest ratings. Her best last season was a 6.62m recorded in Istanbul. "My first priority is to defend the title," said Anju before leaving her training base at the Sports Authority of India Southern Centre campus here. "That would set the pace for the events that follow," said Anju, who plans to take part in more than 20 international events this season. Anju, the first Indian to win a medal in World Athletics Championships when she won the bronze in Paris in 2003, wants to break into the top three, improve her position at the World championships in Helsinki and cross the milestone of seven metres. — PTI
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Four athletes for Winter Olympics
New Delhi, May 12 Hiralal, a young athlete from Manali, has qualified for the Olympics after a rigorous two-year training in Japan. He and Neha Ahuja has made the cut in Alpine Ski while Armyman Gupta Bahadur Gurung, who has been the national champion for many years, attained the qualification standard at an international competition held in Turkey in March when he stood 9th out of 24 participants, in cross country ski. Siva Keshawan, who had taken part in the 1998 Nagano and 2002 Salt Lake city games, has qualified for luge. He had finished 17th at Salt Lake. The foursome will be sent to Australia and New Zealand for further training next month, and to Japan and Europe before the Winter Olympics next year. |
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Rome, May 12 Schiavone, ranked 26th in the world and without a single WTA singles title to her name, defeated the seven-time Grand Slam champion 7-6 (7/2), 6-1 at the Foro Italico yesterday. Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo crushed Australian Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-0 to sweep into round three. Mauresmo, the world number three, will face Silvia Farina Elia in round three. The Italian 13th seed beat France’s Stephanie Cohen-Aloro 6-3, 6-3. — AFP
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India Challenge rallyists reach Nagpur
Chandigarh, May 12 The participants will now proceed to Delhi for the second stage of the rally. The rally participants were received in Nagpur by Mr Vinod Sawhny Executive Director, Western Region Hub, Bharti Cellular, and Mr Christopher Tobit, Chief Operating Officer, Maharashtra & Goa circle, Bharti Cellular. The Airtel One India Challenge is a commemoration of Airtel’s presence in all 23 telecom circles. The participants are scheduled to reach Delhi by May 14, a journey of about 1300 km. |
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Patiala in last four Patiala, May 12 Resuming from their overnight score of 41 for 1, the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals and the only bright spots in an otherwise mediocre batting display were good efforts by Vishal Devraj (59) and left-hander Simrat Bawa (56). Patiala have now reached the semifinals of the tournament and play their next match here from May 15 to 17. Brief scores: Patiala:1st innings: 259 all out: Chandigarh: 1st innings: 237 all out (Vishal Devraj 59, Simrat Bawa 56, Anupam Gambhir 31, Rajwinder Singh 4 for 80, Amitoj Singh 2 for 27, Munish Singla 2 for 50); and Patiala: 2nd innings: 51 for no loss (Kunwar Raina 32 n.o, Jeewanjot Singh 16
n.o). |
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