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PCA to promote women’s cricket
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Spikers achieve golden double
Lawrence School whip PPS 6-2
Sethi’s team wins world title
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Pak umpire backs Hair
London, August 27 Dar said Inzamam was wrong to have kept his team off the field after tea on the fourth day, leading to the forfeiture of the match against England, the first instance in the history of Test cricket. “There are other ways of protesting and the avenue they chose was the wrong one. Strictly according to the law, the decision by Hair is correct,” Dar said. “The problem is that if one country attempts it, then others will follow and that cannot be good for the game in the long run,” he was quoted as saying by Cricinfo. Dar said Hair alone cannot be blamed for the entire controversy. “It is not about one umpire. It can’t be about just one. Both umpires and even those off the field are involved. Those decisions on ball tampering and the forfeiture were not taken by Hair alone.” On Pakistan’s demand of evidence to the charge of ball tampering as video footage is not available, Dar, considered the second-best umpire in the world, tersely said the umpire did not need to give any evidence. “There doesn’t seem to be video evidence but we must remember that none is required. It could be that Pakistan are right and they didn’t do anything but as an umpire that is your decision.” Dar, however, was reluctant to talk about Hair’s offer to quit in return for a compensation of $ 500,000, which he withdrew subsequently. Hair received words of appreciation of his professional competence from none other than former England captain Ian Botham. “He has always applied the laws of cricket as he saw fit, and the standard of decision-making at the Test level will NOT improve without him,” Botham wrote in Daily Telegraph. Meanwhile, former Pakistani captain Imran Khan said Hair’s offer of retire-for-pay did not show the umpire in good light. “If there is a controversy and you say ‘you pay me money and I will go away’, that is going to hit his credibility,” Imran told an Indian television channel. “It casts doubts about his future commitments.” Another former Pakistani captain, Javed Miandad, said the ICC must come out with full details of the incident. “Truth must come out. Both the ICC and Hair have set a bad precedent,” Miandad said. “Hair has made his position more controversial. Umpires cannot be allowed to do this, otherwise every second one of them will start doing this.” Hair might not continue: Speed
International Cricket Council Chief Executive Malcolm Speed has said Darrell Hair’s international career might be over as a fallout of the Oval Test controversy. Speed said Hair, unlike in the past when he “survived” many controversies and continued to stand in international matches, might have crossed the point of no return this time. “There have been other issues in his umpiring career where people have said ‘this is the end for Darrell Hair’ — Darrell survived that and has become a better umpire ... so I hope we can find a way for him to continue but I’m not sure that will happen,” Cricinfo quoted Speed as saying on BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme. Speed had said during the media conference while making public Hair’s offer on Friday that no action would be taken on the Australian. Speed, however, said he would like to see Hair continue. “That (terminating Hair) is not my wish, I hope we can find a way for him to continue. I would like Hair to continue umpiring in cricket matches at the top level.” It was not a panic reaction: Hair
Melbourne: Darrell Hair said his decision to ask for $500,000 to quit as an umpire was not a panic reaction to events at the Oval Test. “It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment thing. I didn’t do it off the cuff,” Hair told Australia’s Sunday Mail. Hair, who has been vilified in Pakistan’s media over his decision and a perceived bias against Asian teams, said he meant no harm with the shock offer to stand down. “This correspondence was composed at a very difficult time and was revoked by myself after a period of serious consideration,” he said in a statement. “There was no malicious intent behind this communication with the ICC. I am anxious the code of conduct hearing takes place as soon as possible so these matters can be resolved and allow me to move on with my umpiring.” Hair insisted his request had fallen on some sympathetic ears before he retracted it following an intervention from ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed. “I had dialogue with them. ICC umpires and referees manager Doug Cowie even said in his email reply to my offer that the proposal had merit.”
— PTI, Reuters
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PCA to promote women’s cricket
Chandigarh, August 27 For the purpose, one state-level and various district-level committees will be formed. Besides this, the newly formed Executive Committee at the meeting approved allocation of Rs 10 crore for upgrading the infrastructure of PCA stadium at Mohali and starting of eight-nation tournament in the commemoration of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala State in association with the Rajasthan Cricket Association. “Maharaja Bhupinder Singh had done a lot for the promotion of the game in the country. So we have decided to start an annual cricket trophy in his name for which the national champions of eight cricketing nations would vie from the next year”, said Mr Pandove. The work at the stadium is expected to be finished before the upcoming matches of the Champions Trophy scheduled to be held in October-November this year. “It has also been decided that Rs 10 to 15 crore will be spent every year on the stadium to add new facilities as part of PCA’s Vision-2020 to transform it into the best stadium of the world”, added Mr Pandove. Apart from approving the two-fold enhancement in the budget of all heads of the game, the committee also increased the prize money of Best Senior Player and Best Junior Player of the state. For the uplift of its district associations, the PCA announced financial help in constructing accommodation at every district stadium and setting up of floodlights at Amritsar, Patiala, Jalandhar and Sector 16 Cricket Stadium of Sector 16 here.
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JCT pocket soccer league title
Jalandhar, August 27 The solitary goal victory for BSF not only boosted their tally to 27 points, just two short of JCT’s tally, but also earned them appreciation for having scored the highest number of goals while conceding the least.
Right from the kick-off, BSF displayed aggression in ample measure and kept JCT under pressure. In fact JCT Mills took the field without several key players, including internationals Sunil Chhetri, Rennedy Singh and defender Narinder Singh, all of whom have been called for national duty. Foreign recruit Edeh Chidi is yet to join the squad. Initially, action remained confined to the JCT territory with BSF’s attacking line comprising Gurjit Atwal, J. Ouseph, and Santosh Kujur carrying out several raids. On one occasion, a header by Atwal saw JCT goalie Kalyan Chaubey making a timely save. A powerful volley by Ouseph from the top of the box also sailed over. The all-important goal came just two minutes into the second session. As JCT stopper back Harpreet Singh handled the ball inside the box, the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the dreaded spot. Medio Surjit Singh, who incidentally assisted JCT until last season, dutifully converted the spot kick, sending Chaubey to the wrong side. JCT effected a couple of substitutions in the second half bringing in Jaswinder Singh to marshall the right flank and Harish Sharma to bolster the midfield but to no avail. A powerful long ranger by Rakinderjit Singh sailed over the bar. JCT striker Parveen Kumar, despite rich international experience, was effectively bottled up by the BSF defenders. Mr M.L. Wasan, DIG, BSF, who was the chief guest, gave away the prizes. Among those present on the occasion were Arjuna awardee Inder Singh, former national coach Sukhwinder Singh, and a host of former internationals.
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Although Indian eves won the final 27-25, 25-20, 25-20, the hosts, egged on by a partisan crowd at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, proved to be tough customers. The two teams matched each other smash for smash to make it 20-20 in the first set. The two coaches resorted to frequent time-outs as the rival teams fought a ding-dong battle. India eventually managed to take a 23-21 lead before the Lankan eves bagged next three points to go 24-23 up. But Indian spiker Priyanka came up with a quick one to level the score. The lanky hitter was also instrumental in two blocks that saw India take the set 27-25. The Indians raced to a 19-12 lead in the second, but let down their guard to allow their opponents take six of the next seven points. When Sri Lanka reduced the gap to 21-19, the Indians woke up with Jhililata Sena’s spike clinching the issue for them. Trailing 0-2, the hosts fought harder in the third set. Down 11-16, they upped the ante and made it 18-18. But the Indian eves bagged seven of the next nine points with Aswani wrapping up the match in India’s favour. In the men’s final, India rode on the heroics of Sanjay Kumar to edge out the hosts. It was the induction of Sanjay in the third set which made all the difference to India’s fortunes, which had taken a beating in the face of some good spiking by Sameer Sissanayaka. Judokas claim five gold India made a clean sweep in judo today, lapping up all the five gold medals at stake in the combat sports here. The Indians proved too strong for their rivals, as Laishram Bembem Devi won top honours in women’s 48 kg with 50 victory points at the St Thomas hall. Chana Navjot picked up the gold in men’s 60 kg, while Parvinder Singh won the title in 66kg contest. Virender Singh towered over his opponents in men’s 73 kg and Anita Chanu grabbed the gold in women’s 52 kg. Mediocre show in taekwondo India failed to make much of an impression in taekwondo here today with none of their players finishing atop the podium. In men’s welterweight category, Deepak Bista of Nepal won the gold, while India’s Ibrahim Khan took the silver. The bronze went to Bhutan’s Biju Pradhan. The middleweight category saw Bangladesh’s Md Mizanur Rahaman take the gold ahead of Bhutan’s Sonam Penjor. The bronze was claimed by Sandeep Kundu of India. Marathoner wins bronze In marathon, the final athletics event of the games, India finished with a bronze after L Binning finishing third with a timing of 2:29.16 behind Sri Lankan AM Ajith Bandara (2:25.40) and Nepal’s Arjun Kumar Basnet (2:28.10). Pakistan claim football gold Pakistan retained the football gold with a 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the final. The only goal came in the 44th minute when Adeel Ahmed found the target with a sharp header that caught the host nation’s defence off guard. Pakistan had won the title on home soil two years ago, defeating India in the final. — PTI, UNI
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Maiden F1 win for Massa
Istanbul, August 27 While the young Brazilian raced to the flag from pole position, Renault’s world champion Alonso and Schumacher were locked in a thrilling no-holds-barred battle for second place. The two title contenders were nose to tail over the closing laps, with seven times champion Schumacher doing his best to force a way past and the 25-year-old Spaniard repelling every effort. Second place stretched Alonso’s overall lead to 12 points with four races remaining. However Ferrari slashed Renault’s lead in the constructors’ championship to a mere two points. Renault now have 160 and Ferrari 158. “Thank you boys, thank you,” shouted Massa, punching the air in delight at a result that he could barely have expected when he and undisputed team number one Schumacher had lined up together on the front row. Briton Jenson Button, a first-time winner like Massa at the previous race in Hungary, finished fourth for Honda with McLaren’s Pedro de la Rosa fifth. Italian Giancarlo Fisichella was sixth for Renault with Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s younger brother, seventh and Brazilian Rubens Barrichello eighth for Honda. Schumacher’s hopes of a 90th career win were effectively scuppered by the intervention of the safety car on lap 14 with Massa leading and the German in second place and Alonso further back in third.
— Reuters
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US lead way into last 8
Saitama, August 27 European champions Greece overcame a slow start to score a runaway 95-64 win over China but Germany and France were forced to fend off late African challenges to secure their spots in the final eight. Dallas Mavericks All Star Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds as Germany held on to beat Nigeria 78-77 while France tamed African champions Angola 68-62. Looking to end a barren spell of six years without an Olympic or world title, all 12 members of the power-packed US lineup found the scoreboard with Atlanta Hawks’s Joe Johnson contributing 18 points and Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade chipping in with 15. Riding a six game unbeaten streak, the US team has looked in ominous from, rekindling memories of the original Dream Team as they roll towards a quarterfinal showdown with Germany. Australia, led by Milwaukee Bucks’s Andrew Bogut, was expected to provide the Americans with their biggest test of championship thus far. The Boomers did offer some resistance in a wide open run-and-gun first quarter matching the US three-pointer for three-pointer but in the second, the Americans stamped their authority on the contest, opening the quarter with a 25-3 run to take a 59-29 advantage into the intermission. “We have a tough game coming up but it’s exciting to see the progress and hunger of our team, still wanting to play better,” Memphis Grizzlies’ Shane Battier told reporters. Bogut, the number one pick in the 2005 NBA draft, had 20 points for Australia. Leading 78-71 with just over two minutes to play, Germany had to withstand a furious comeback by the Nigerians, whose hopes for an upset ended in heartbreak when Ime Udoka’s driving lay-up bounced off the rim as time ticked down. Ekene Ibekwe, a senior at the University of Maryland, had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Nigeria. Trailing by 14 points entering the final quarter, scrappy Angola also staged a riveting rally, trimming the deficit to 60-57 with 39 seconds to play. France, however, refused to buckle, Aymeric Jeanneau hitting four consecutive free throws to restore a their seven-point cushion, then nailing two more to clinch the win. Greece missed their first nine shots and spotted China an 8-0 lead before finding their range, Theodoros Papaloukas hitting for 19 points and Vassilis Spanoulis contributing 15 to the win. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, who had been averaging over 28 points a game, had an off night for China hitting for just 10 points and eight rebounds.
— Reuters
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Gangjee finishes tied third
Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), August 27 Gangjee’s final round of three-under 68 helped him to a 12-under 272, four shots behind winner Wang Ter-Chang of Chinese Taipei. Both Wang and Australian David Gleeson finished 16-under and went into a playoff, where the 44-year-old Wang won on the second playoff hole for his fourth title on the Asian tour. Adding to the Indian joy was Jyoti Randhawa’s surge with a five-under 66 in the final round that saw him rise to tied eighth after having been in danger of missing the cut with a two-over in first round. This was Randhawa’s first event on the Asian Tour since the TCL Classic in March. Arjun Singh (69) tied for 26th, while Harmeet Kahlon (70) was tied 39th and SSP Chowrasia (69) tied 54th.
— PTI
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Lawrence School whip PPS 6-2
Chandigarh, August 27 Eight teams are participating in the four-day meet. The teams, divided into two pools, will play six league-cum-knockout matches. The final will be played on August 30. Pool A has Pinegrove School (Subathu), Sherwood College (Nainital), St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School (Chandigarh) and Yadavindera Public School (Patiala). Pool B has Lawrence School (Sanawar), Bishop Cotton School (Shimla), Punjab Public School (Nabha) and Yadavindra Public School (Mohali). Other results: Bishop Cotton School (Shimla) drew with Yadavindera Public School (Mohali) 2-2; Sherwood College (Nainital) b St Xavier’s Senior Secondary School (Chandigarh) 5-1; Yadavindera Public School (Patiala) b Pinegrove School (Subathu) 1-0; Bishop Cotton School (Shimla) b Lawrence School (Sanawar) 2-1. — TNS
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Sethi’s team wins world title
New Delhi, August 27 Sethi was 1-64 down in the last frame against Dene O’Kane after the two teams were level at 5-5 but his experience and composure helped
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Colombo, August 27
