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Federer, Mauresmo launch title defence today
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BCCI to discuss Twenty20 rules
HP book berth in Super League
Punjab lift Vijay Merchant trophy
Champions Trophy
Corus: Anand beats Motylev
NFL: Mahindra outplay Bagan
Bhaini Sahib boys win
Jarkhar lads reign supreme
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Federer, Mauresmo launch title defence today
Melbourne, January 14 Federer, the Swiss World No. 1, who has dominated men's tennis for three years, kicks off his title defence against German 83rd-ranked Bjorn Phau tomorrow. Only eight players in the Open Era (post-1969) have successfully defended their Australian Open crown, the last time by Andre Agassi in 2001. Federer suffered a rare defeat by Andy Roddick in yesterday's final of the Kooyong Classic tournament here, but the American put it into perspective when he said he would gladly swap the Kooyong trophy for the Australian Open title. The Swiss maestro is chasing his 10th career Grand Slam triumph over the next fortnight and if he reaches the January 28 final it will be his seventh consecutive major final since 2005 Wimbledon. Only Australian Jack Crawford has a longer slam sequence than Federer of seven, set back in 1933-34. World No. 2 Rafael Nadal is the man considered the best chance to topple Federer. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who downed Federer in four finals last year, has recovered from a right thigh injury that forced him out of last week's Sydney International. Lleyton Hewitt, who lost to Safin in the 2005 final, back-to-back Sydney International winner James Blake, rising British teenager Andy Murray, world number three Nikolay Davydenko and Argentine David Nalbandian are all in Nadal's side of the draw, and away from Federer. American power-server Roddick, now with Jimmy Connors, has struggled in Melbourne, often rolling through the early rounds before coming undone in the second week. Clijsters, who retires at the end of the year, has won the Champions Challenge in Hong Kong and the Sydney International in the lead-up to the Australian Open, signalling her intentions to go out with a bang. The no-show of world number one Justine Henin-Hardenne, reportedly due to marital problems, has removed one key obstacle to Clijsters winning her first ever Australian Open, but plenty more remain. Mauresmo shed her tag as the best player not to claim a major by winning here last year when Henin-Hardenne walked off centre court with a stomach complaint midway through the final. The Frenchwoman went on to win Wimbledon and now she has savoured Grand Slam success, she wants more. As well as Henin-Hardenne, the tournament has been deprived of stalwart Lindsay Davenport, who is pregnant. Former World No.1 Venus Williams will also be missing, with a left wrist injury forcing her to withdraw on Wednesday. But sister Serena, who has plummeted to 94 in the rankings after an injury-plagued 2006, is raring to go and believes she can regain the form that led her to seven Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open in 2003 and 2005. Reigning US Open champion Sharapova, beaten by Clijsters in her only warm up tournament in Hong Kong, reached the semi-finals here last year and said she is ready to go all the way this year. Martina Hingis, who shocked the tennis world by making a comeback to the professional game in Australia last year after being out for three years with injury, should not be ruled out of adding to her three Australian titles.
— AFP
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Aussies thrash Kiwis
Hobart, January 14 The Kiwis were right in contention when Taylor and Peter Fulton (37) were together, before losing their last seven wickets for just 23 runs to finish on 184. Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist took a fine diving catch to remove Taylor, who hit three sixes despite batting with a runner because of a sore groin, to end the 81-run partnership. Man-of-the-match Andrew Symonds, who earlier hit 69 to boost Australia's total, took a spectacular two-grab catch high in the air to remove Fulton from Stuart Clark's bowling. The Kiwis were able to rein in a flying start by the Australians, led by Gilchrist's 61, with rookie seamer Mark Gillespie taking 2-50. Gillespie removed Matthew Hayden for 27 to end an 83-run opening stand and also claimed the prized wicket of Australian captain Ricky Ponting for 10. But Symonds batted with more caution than normal against some tight bowling before hitting out late on, reaching his 69 from 70 balls. Scoreboard Australia Gilchrist lbw Patel 61 Hayden c McCullum Ponting c Fleming b Gillespie 10 Clarke c Astle b Bond 33 Symonds c McCullum b Bond 69 Hussey c sub b McMillan 20 White c McMillan b Bond 45 Johnson not out 2 Bracken b Bond 0 Clark not out 1 Extras
(lb-7, w-6, nb-8) 21 Total (8 wkts, 50 overs) 289 Fall of wickets:
1-83, 2-104, 3-117, 4-164, 5-196, 6-286,
7-286, 8-286. Bowling: Franklin 4-0-31-0, Bond 10-0-61-4, Gillespie 10-2-50-2, Patel 10-0-64-1, Vettori 10-1-48-0, Astle 4-0-18-0, McMillan 2-0-10-1. New Zealand McCullum lbw Hilfenhaus 5 Astle c Gilchrist b Bracken 0 Fleming c Hussey b Johnson 29 Taylor c Gilchrist b Johnson 84 Fulton c Symonds b Clark 37 McMillan run out 2 Vettori c Hayden b Clark 1 Franklin c Clarke b White 6 Bond b Symonds 2 Gillespie not out 4 Patel c Hilfenhaus b Symonds 4 Extras
(lb-3, w-7) 10 Total (all out, 38.3 overs) 184 Fall of wickets:
1-5, 2-7, 3-80, 4-161, 5-165, 6-166, 7-171, 8-175, 9-175. Bowling:
Bracken 7-0-25-1, Hilfenhaus 7-1-26-1, Johnson 7-0-27-2, Clark 8-0-40-2, Symonds 6.3-0-41-2, White 3-0-22-1.
— AFP
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South Africa on victory course Centurion, January 14 Pakistan's last three wickets cost 103 runs after the team had slumped to 199 for seven. Shahid Nazir hit a Test-best 40 off 35 balls, Danish Kaneria 23 off 23 and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 33 off 41. Left-arm finger spinner Paul Harris wrapped up the innings with his fourth wicket when Kaneria was caught by Herschelle Gibbs running from short fine-leg. Harris took 4-46. Shaun Pollock had 3-60. Resuming from overnight on 103-2, Pakistan added just 12 runs before Younis Khan was out lbw for 38 off Pollock. Imran Farhat, who was dropped by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher on 47 after edging a ball from Makhaya Ntini, was caught at silly point by De Villiers off
Harris for 68. Harris had Faisal Iqbal caught by Herschelle Gibbs for nine after lunch. Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was caught by a diving De Villiers at short midwicket for 35 off Pollock and Pakistan was 187-6. Scoreboard Pakistan (1st innings) 313 South Africa (1st innings) 417 Pakistan (2nd innings) Hafeez c Smith b Kallis 15 Farhat c De Villiers b Harris 68 Hameed c Boucher b Kallis 9 Younis lbw Pollock 38 Inzamam c De Villiers b Pollock 35 Iqbal c Gibbs b Harris 9 Akmal c Gibbs b Harris 15 Naved c Prince b Pollock 33 Nazir b Ntini 40 Kaneria c Gibbs b Harris 23 Asif not out 8 Extras
(lb-5, nb-4) 9 Total (all out, 96.2 overs) 302 Falls of wickets:
1-41, 2-58, 3-115, 4-154, 5-175, 6-187, 7-199, 8-255, 9-283. Bowling:
Nel 22-6-69-0, Ntini 16-2-78-1, Pollock 22-7-60-3, Kallis 16-0-44-2, Harris 20.2-6-46-4. South Africa (2nd innings) Smith lbw Hafeez 32 De Villiers c Younis b Asif 12 Amla not out 17 Harris not out 1 Extras
(lb-1, nb-6) 7 Total (2 wkts, 18 overs) 69 Fall of wickets:
1-20, 2-67. Bowling: Asif 7-0-32-1, Naved 2-0-9-0, Nazir 2-1-5-0, Kaneria 5-1-14-0, Hafeez 2-0-8-1.
— AP
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BCCI to discuss Twenty20 rules
Mumbai: The BCCI’s Technical Committee, headed by Sunil Gavaskar, would meet in Chennai on January 20 to discuss the ICC rules and regulations on Twenty20 cricket, which is to be introduced in domestic circuit in April.
The committee will also review the Ranji Trophy points system and the recommendation of BCCI’s Joint Secretary M.P. Pandove to play all elite division league ties, semifinal and final at neutral venues from next season, Shetty said.
— PTI |
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HP book berth in Super League
Dharamsala, January 14 They will now clash with Orissa for the Plate title at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack, from January 28 to February 1. It was a memorable day for Himachal as they defeated a team with five international players, including left-arm spinner Murli Kartik. Requiring 137 to win, the hosts lost early wickets but recovered to win in convincing fashion. Himachal lost their first two wickets without a run on the board, but a brilliant knock of 61 by Munish Gupta and a fiery 59 from former captain Sangram Singh earned them a place in the final and the honour to vie with the top teams in the country in the Super League. Earlier, Railways were dismissed for 269 with Sarandeep Singh claiming five wickets for 67 and V S Mallik scalping three. Vishal Bhatia took two, taking his match haul to eight wickets.
— PTI
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Punjab lift Vijay Merchant trophy
Chennai, January 14
For Mumbai left arm spinner Syed Iqbal claimed four wickets for 84 runs, taking the wicket of the last Punjab batsman. Mumbai set Punjab a target of 134 in a minimum of 46 overs after declaring their innings closed scoring 146 for 8 in 34 overs in their second innings. Punjab could score only 69 runs losing four wickets in 50 overs as the match ended in a draw. First innings hero Perry Goel top scored with an unbeaten 22, including six fours. Chawla made an unbeaten 20 with five fours. Brief Scores: Mumbai 229 and 146-8 decl in 34 overs. Punjab 247 and 69-4 (Perry Goel 22
n.o., A Chawla 20 n.o.). — UNI
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Argentina, Holland make winning start
Buenos Aires, January 14 The Netherlands defeated Spain 3-1 and Australia downed Japan 3-0 in other opening-day matches. Argentina's victory spoiled Nadine Ernsting-Krienke's record 332nd match for Germany. The more physical Germans gave away fouls and penalty corners, the second of which resulted in Barrionuevo's go-ahead goal. Daniela Maloberti added the second in the 29th minute after a good play by Luciana Aymar, who started most of the Argentine attacks. Earlier, Renee Trost scored after only three minutes and Australia went to beat Japan. Trost converted on the Hockeyroos' second penalty corner and Amy Korner and Beta Gallagher added goals in the 48th and 65th minutes to complete the victory. Japan created several chances in the first half, including shots by Keiko Miura and Chie Kimura, but were thwarted by Australian goalkeeper Raquel Lynch. The Japanese created more chances - and penalty corners - in the second half, but poor finishing and Lynch's goalkeeping kept them goalless. In the opener, the Dutch led after only 12 minutes when Carolina Wenten diverted a center from Fatima Moreira on the goal line. Having undergone several changes since winning the World Cup for a seventh time in October, the Dutch fought off early resistance, including the first penalty corner by Spain after 10 minutes. Spanish goaltender Maria Rosa thwarted several Dutch shots but Naomi Van As doubled the lead in the 40th minute. Maria Romagosa pulled Spain within a goal off a penalty corner in the 47th minute but Kim Lammers restored the lead, eluding the last defender, breaking into the circle and giving the Dutch a 3-1 advantage. — AP
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Corus: Anand beats Motylev
Wijk Aan Zee (The Netherlands) January 14 Earlier, Anand kick-started his campaign with an easy draw with black against former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine in the first round in the category-19 super tournament and the Indian ace now looks good enough to lift what would be his sixth Corus title. Teimou Radjabov of Azerbaijan was trying to convert his material advantage into a full point against Sergei Karjakin of Ukraine to retain sole lead that he held after the first round after beating Loek Van Wely of Holland in the first round. Interestingly enough, Anand’s archrivals in the event top seed Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria and World champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia also scored emphatic victories against Van Wely and Alexei Shirov of Spain respectively to maintain their placing at par with Anand in this 14-players round robin tournament. Anand really had to pull himself together for the game against Motylev who is making his debut in the ‘A’ group of this elite event. Meanwhile in the ‘C’ group being held simultaneously world’s youngest GM Parimarjan Negi drew his second round game with Stellan Brynell of Sweden in the second round. Parimarjan had won his first game in great style against International master Wouter Spoelman of Holland in the first round.
— PTI
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NFL: Mahindra outplay Bagan
Mumbai, January 14 The local giants took a commanding 3-1 lead against the Federation Cup winners at half-time, which included an own goal by Bagan, and then hammered the final nail on the visiting team’s coffin in the dying minutes of the match to emerge deserving winners. Most of the goalmouth action in the tie, watched by the best crowd of the season, came in a 20-minute period of the opening session with Mahindra storming their way back into the match after being stunned by a superb headed goal by star striker Bhaichung Bhutia in the 16th minute. The local team, spurred on by their supporters, mounted raids at frequent intervals and were 3-1 up after a thrilling 13-minute period via goals from Pomeyieh Mensah (24th) an own goal by Bagan’s Fabio Cortez Vidal (28th) and Yusif Yakubu (34th). Crossing over with a handy lead, Mahindra soaked up the pressure applied by Bagan - who were on an all-out attacking vein - in splendid fashion before substitute striker Abhishek Yadav applied the finishing touch with an inch-perfect header to complete the Kolkata team’s rout.
— PTI
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Bhaini Sahib boys win
Jalandhar, January 14 In other knockout matches, Government Senior Secondary School, Jarkhar, whipped Bhupindra Senior Secondary School, Moga, 5-0 and Divine Public School, Batala, beat Cantonment Board Senior Secondary School, Jalandhar, 4-1.
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Jarkhar lads reign supreme
Ludhiana, January 14 In another match, Amloh Academy thrashed Sahib Dass Academy, Sangrur, 10-0 after leading 5-0 at half time. Khaira Academy, Samrala scored an easy 6-0 win over Khambra Academy, Jalandhar while Ferozepur XI defeated Gurkul Mehta Academy, Doraha 3-1.
— OSR |
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