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Monty sinks Windies
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Coach
Chaos
Back to square one: Gavaskar
Asia complete whitewash
ESPN acquires Cricinfo
LG chooses golf over cricket
Protest over ex-player’s death
Sania jumps 8 places
Ravi, Anaka win squash titles
Shuttlers beat Finns
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Montreal, June 11 Starting in pole position, in just his sixth race, the 22-year-old Briton became the first black driver to win a Grand Prix and the first rookie since Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya for Williams in 2001. German Nick Heidfeld was second for BMW Sauber with Alex Wurz of Williams taking third place at the circuit where he made his debut a decade ago. Hamilton dedicated his victory to his father Anthony. The 22-year-old British rookie, the most successful newcomer in the sport’s history, said he felt “fantastic” and “on a different planet” after emerging clear of his rivals following a crash-hit and incident-filled 70-lap contest at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit yesterday. He even said that driving around and keeping his concentration during the four periods in which he was leading while following a Safety Car was “boring.” “It has been a fantastic day for me and my family-this is history. To come here for my first visit to Canada and to win -it has been just a fantastic feeling and this season already we have had six podiums,” Hamilton said. Hamilton’s father Anthony has looked after his career for the past 15 years and at one time held down three jobs in order to help fund his son’s burgeoning career. The first man of Afro-Caribbean descent to race a Formula One car claimed his maiden victory with a superb, assured drive through the carnage of a dramatic, wild and incident-filled Canadian Grand Prix. Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes-Benz, took full advantage of the first pole position of his career to grab his first win in only his sixth race at the highest level in typically composed and perfectly-focussed fashion. No wonder sports writers all over the world are predicting a phenomenal career for the youngster from Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England, and also dubbing him as F1’s answer to golf’s black superstar Tiger Woods. Hamilton’s superb win lifted him eight points clear of Alonso and 15 ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa of Ferrari. In the constructors’ championship, McLaren lead now with 88 points to Ferrari’s 60. The race was overshadowed by a series of massive accidents and unexpected incidents, as the Safety Car was deployed four times. Poland’s Robert Kubica survived a massive high-speed accident with just a broken leg in his BMW Sauber car and two top drivers were disqualified and two others penalised for infringements. The two men black-flagged and disqualified were Ferrari’s Brazilian world title challenger Felipe Massa and Renault’s Italian Giancarlo Fisichella, both for exiting the pit-lane under red flags. The two penalised for pitting were defending double drivers world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso, Hamilton’s team-mate at McLaren, and German-born Nico Rosberg of Williams, both for pitting when the pit-lane was closed during the first Safety Car period. — Agencies 
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Perfect? Not yet: Nadal
Paris, June 11 The Spaniard yesterday became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to claim a hat-trick of Roland Garros titles, wrecking Roger Federer’s bid to complete his collection of Grand Slam crowns. “For me to have three Grand Slam titles (from the French Open) is a dream,” said the world number two, who now has an 8-4 advantage over Federer, including a commanding 6-1 record on clay. “When I go on court, I’m not 100 per cent I’m going to win. I know I can lose.” Comparing his three titles in Paris, he added: “The first year was very emotional because it was the first. The second was very emotional because I came back after injury. This year, I am very happy because I played my best tennis here.” The 21-year-old took his record to 21-0 at the claycourt Grand Slam after handing world number one Federer a heartbreaking 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat. The Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion badly wanted to win here to become only the third man after Don Budge and Rod Laver to hold all four majors at the same time. Instead, he had to bow to the superiority of a player who now wants to extend his run of form to other surfaces. By picking up his fifth title in 2007, Nadal felt all his hard work had paid off, especially as he had an eight-month period from last July when he did not reach any final. “The most important thing for me is to improve my tennis, feeling I am playing well,” he said. “If I’m improving then I’m going to have my chances to win more Grand Slam titles, especially off clay. Last year, I won a lot of matches without playing very well,” added the Spaniard. “I feel a better player this year... I am more complete. I know I can go to the net and have better chances than before. I can play a little bit more aggressive with my forehand and I’ve improved my backhand. But I have more to do.” Nadal proved last year he had the game to adjust to the slicker surfaces when he surprised many, including Federer, by reaching the Wimbledon final. Despite that achievement, he has been playing down his chances of replicating the feat. “I’m now going to play on grass and this is going to be a difficult tournament,” he said. “Playing a final again will be very difficult. You’re talking about a surface that is, obviously, not my favourite. But I want to do my best and get into Wimbledon with the best possible preparation.” — Reuters
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Manchester, June 11 Panesar took six for 137 as West Indies were bowled out for 394 shortly after lunch on the final day, ending the tourists’ hopes of a record run chase. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (116 not out) scored his first Test hundred for two years but his team fell short of their 455 target. The record chase stays at 418 by West Indies in 2003. Panesar exploited a wearing pitch that offered him considerable bounce and turn while fast bowler Steve Harmison took four for 95 in the innings. England have an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match series and the win meant Michael Vaughan became the country’s most successful Test captain, surpassing Peter May’s 20 victories. The West Indies resumed on 301 for five but Panesar settled England’s nerves early by having Denesh Ramdin (34) caught by Paul Collingwood at slip to the 15th delivery of the morning. Darren Sammy’s stand of 37 with Chanderpaul that spanned 14 overs was halted when Panesar took a sharp return catch. The bowler, often ridiculed for his clumsy fielding, seemed stunned that he had held the ball. Jerome Taylor (11) was dropped on one by Collingwood off Panesar but his obdurate 56-minute innings ended just after lunch when he fended a short Harmison ball to short-leg. That was Harmison’s 200th Test victim in his 53rd match. Fidel Edwards departed three balls later when he edged Harmison to Ian Bell in the gully. Corey Collymore was the last man, caught at short-leg by Bell off Panesar. Scoreboard Gayle c Collingwood b Harmison 16Ganga lbw Harmison 0 Smith c Cook b Panesar 42 Morton lbw Panesar 54 Chanderpaul not out 116 Bravo c Cook b Panesar 49 Ramdin c Collingwood b Panesar 34 Sammy c&b Panesar 25 Taylor c Cook b Harmison 11 Edwards c Bell b Harmison 0 Collymore c Bell b Panesar 0 Extras (b-14 lb-21 w-8 nb-4) 47 Total (all out, 132.5 overs) 394 Fall of wickets: 1-4 2-35 3-88 4-161 5-249 6-311 7-348 8-385, 9-385. Bowling: Sidebottom 27-8-53-0, Harmison 33-8-95-4, Panesar 51.5-13-137-6, Plunkett 16-2-57-0, Pietersen 5-2-17-0. — Reuters
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Chaos BCCI panel to meet today
Bangalore, June 11 “We have received a communication from Ford that he cannot accept our offer at a short notice because of his commitments to (English county team) Kent. He has said he’s withdrawing as candidate for the position,” BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan told a packed media gathering today. “I have informed BCCI president Sharad Pawar about the matter. The matter will be decided at the Working Committee meeting tomorrow,” Srinivasan said. Srinivasan said the communication from Ford, who was chosen ahead of former England off-spinner John Emburey on June 9 at Chennai, was received when the BCCI officials were at a meeting with four senior Indian players to resolve the long-pending contracts issue. Asked why the board announced that Ford had been chosen before the latter’s commitment to take up the job, Srinivasan explained that the South African-born director of coaching at Kent had told them at the meeting that he needed time to inform when he could take up the job. “He had said he will let us know when he can join,” Srinivasan said. Contracts to be signed shortly
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the players today appeared to have sorted out differences on the contracts issue with both saying that the contracts would be signed in the next few days. “We had a fruitful discussion with the board today. We are hopeful of signing it in the next few days,” skipper Rahul Dravid said after talks with a BCCI committee. At a press conference, treasurer N. Srinivasan, a member of the committee, played down players’ opposition to some provisions in the contracts, saying that “there is no question of players’ demand.” “The board and the players are not two entities. It is a private matter. It is purely an internal matter. We are very clear that the contracts would be finalised,” he said. Besides Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble were also part of the discussions with the BCCI committee which comprised Srinivasan, vice-president Shashank Manohar and former board president I.S. Bindra. The parley’s outcome will be placed before the Working Committee in Delhi tomorrow. The contracts, due from October 1 last year, could not be signed before the team went for the World Cup in early March and then the BCCI cracked the whip on players’ endorsements by putting a cap on them. The limit of three endorsements per player has been a bone of contention between the two parties while the proposed flat retainership fee of Rs 5 lakh for all players irrespective of their seniority has also led to resentment.
— PTI
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Mumbai, June 11
“We are back to square one, that is a fact of life,” Gavaskar, who was one of the seven members appointed to select India coach, he told reporters. The former captain said it was not yet clear what arrangement the BCCI would make for the tour of England, beginning at the end of this month. “I don’t know what the BCCI’s thinking is, whether it will start the process (of appointing a coach) all over again or make a short-term appointment as it did for the Bangladesh tour,” he said. Ford, the former South Africa coach who’s now director of coaching at Kent County Cricket Club, was the favourite among the senior players, including skipper Rahul Dravid while Gavaskar had suggested the name of former England spinner John Emburey as the second contender for the job. Meanwhile, former Indian cricketers today lambasted the BCCI for jumping the gun for prematurely announcing the appointment of Ford. Ex-opener Chetan Chauhan said the BCCI had “made a mistake” as they should have confirmed Ford’s availability before inviting him for the interview. “To be very frank, I was expecting this because he did not commit. He should have committed straightaway. Once he came for the interview he should have sorted out all his problems,” he said. “I think the BCCI has made a mistake. They should have seen to it that he finished all that.” Chauhan suggested that former England spinner John Emburey, who was the other contender for the job, be made coach for the upcoming tours of Ireland and England. “Emburey can be appointed for the tour of England and in the meantime, the BCCI should ask for fresh applications and have a coach for a two-year period,” he added. Former India captain and coach Ajit Wadekar blamed the board for the embarrassing situation. “We have made ourselves a laughing stock. Without getting to know his availability, what he has in mind, or whether he wanted to accept it or not,” he said. — PTI
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Bangalore, June 11 Meanwhile, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who were part of the Asia XI team in the Afro-Asia Cup ODI series and were supposed to join the camp today, have flown back home from Chennai. Ganguly’s participation in the camp was not known. Dravid would miss the last day of the camp tomorrow as he would attend BCCI’s selection committee meeting in Delhi to pick the team for the upcoming series against South Africa in Ireland and a one-off ODI against Pakistan. India will play three ODIs against South Africa between June 26 and July 1 and will take on Pakistan in a one-off ODI in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 3. — PTI
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Chennai, June 11 In reply to the Asian XI total of 331 for eight wickets, the African side fell 13-run short, finishing at 318 for seven in their allotted 50 overs. Like in the earlier two matches, the Africans neared the target, but could not reach it. They failed to capitalise on a 117-run opening stand, though the sixth-wicket pair of captain Justin Kemp (86) and Shaun Pollock (58 not out) came up with a superlative display, adding 122 runs in just 88 balls. Coming in at 159 for five after four quick wickets fell for the addition of 42 runs, these two South Africans turned the tide and kept the bowlers at bay with their quick-fire display. But once was clean bowled by Mohammad Rafique of Bangladesh in the 46th over, Pollock, the mainstay of the Africans, and Johan Botha were forced to take the back seat. The Africans required 22 runs in the last over but could muster just nine and surrendered the initiative. Besides Dhoni, who was adjudged man of the match, spinners Mohammad Rafique (4/65) and Harbhajan Singh (3/48) stole the limelight for the Asian XI. Facing an imposing asking run rate of 6.62, the Africans began on a solid note with openers AB de Villiers (70 off 63 balls, 7x4, 3x6) and Vusi Sibanda (45) getting into business straightaway. Villiers was more on strike and raced to his 50 off 48 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes. After the first-wicket partnership between De Villiers and Sibanda yielded 117 runs off 80 balls, Rafique provided the much-needed breakthrough and in fact was on the verge of a hat-trick. Rafique scalped De Villiers and Boeta Dippenaar off successive deliveries in his third over but was denied the honours by Steve Tikolo, promoted in the order. Scoreboard De Villiers c Mortaza b Rafique 70Sibanda st Dhoni b Rafique 45 Dippenaar c Yuvraj b Rafique 0 Tikolo st Dhoni b Harbhajan 11 Kemp b Rafique 86 Boucher st Dhoni b Harbhajan 7 Pollock not out 58 Chugumbura b Harbhajan 4 Botha not out 18 Extras (lb-9, w-9, nb-1) 19 Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 318 Fall of wickets: 1-117, 2-117, 3-138, 4-149, 5-159, 6-281, 7-290. Bowling: Asif 10-1-62-0, Mortaza 9-1-51-0, Rafique 10-0-65-4, Jayasuriya 10-0-73-0, Harbhajan 10-0-48-3, Yuvraj 1-0-10-0. — PTI
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ESPN acquires Cricinfo
New Delhi, June 11 “Growing our business in the on-line world is vital for us to serve sports fans. Cricinfo is a tremendous property with a great fan base and it will be a strong addition to ESPN,” Russell Wolff, managing director of ESPN International, said in a statement on Cricinfo today. “Cricinfo has developed into a significant cricket brand in its own right, combining huge global popularity with strong commercial success. ESPN is a major sports broadcaster and international rights holder and will provide the perfect environment for Cricinfo to further realise its enormous potential,” Mark Getty, director of the Wisden Group which owns the website, said. Cricinfo began in 1993 as an on-line community of cricket fans supplying cricket-related information on a voluntary basis. Beginning with scorecards and live scores, the portal offered users audio and video streaming of matches. After few years of independent existence, Cricinfo received its first major investment in 1999 from Sify, an Indian IT company, which acquired a majority stake in the company. It changed hands four years later when the Wisden Group, which then ran its own cricket website, wisden.com, bought it.
— PTI
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New Delhi, June 11 “Cricket today has become a very expensive property and it’s not the right tool to deliver to niche segments, which we are looking at as a part of our business strategy, that’s why we have chosen golf,” LG India head marketing Sandeep Tiwari told reporters here. To start with, LG will provide umbrella sponsorship to the Indian Golf Union’s National Amateur Tour for next three years. “By providing sponsorship to golf, we are targeting high-end customers for products like LCDs, laptops and mobile phones,” Tiwari said. He, however, said cricket would remain a part of LG’s media plan in case of special launches and occasions like Divali, when it offers mass products. LG will explore other sports as well, including selecting three more disciplines, apart from golf for brand promotion, he said. Asked about the investments in sponsorships, he declined to disclose the exact figures saying “for the moment investment is very small” and giving value will not be appropriate as it was related more to “the spirit of the game and class of people associated with it.” By sponsoring Golf, LG is going to target the population of major cities and as the sports is also expected to gain popularity in Tier II cities. — PTI
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Protest over ex-player’s death
Kanpur, June 11 They were also demanding a job to the sister of Dixit, who apparently took the extreme step due to unemployment. The protesters, who gathered in large number in front of the building where Dixit’s post-mortem was conducted, started raising slogans against the district administration and the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) after the body was handed over to his relatives. They put the body on the road and blocked traffic. After senior police and civil officials reached the spot, they handed over a memorandum to the Additional City Magistrate. The protesters, who were carrying placards criticising the UPCA, also alleged that none of the officials of the association visited the house of the former India under-15 skipper to express sympathy with the family. Today’s protest came after an attack on former UP selector Shashikant Khandekar by a group of people, suspected to be supporters of Dixit, at his residence here last night. The men manhandled Khandekar and damaged his car, police said. Following the incident, security for the ex-selector and other UPCA office-bearers has been tightened. The UPCA today announced a cash relief of Rs 1 lakh for Dixit’s family and said it would name the state under-17 cricket tournament in his memory. Dixit had jumped off a multi-storied building here on Saturday. — PTI
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New Delhi, June 11 Sania, who was 50th last week, has 546 points. The 20-year-old has, however, slid in the doubles chart, dropping four places to 41st. The Indian ace will next be seen in action at this week’s $200,000 DFS Classic in Birmingham, where she will take on Maria Elena Camerin of Italy in the first round. The Hyderabadi player beat Italin Andria Brianti to record her maiden win at the claycourt Grand Slam before crashing out with a straight set loss to seventh seed Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, the losing finalist. — PTI
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Ravi, Anaka win squash titles
Chennai, June 11 Anaka defeated compatriot Saumya Karki in the final 9-1, 1-9, 9-5, 10-9. She had earlier won the Malaysian Junior Open held from May 31-June 4, a press release from the Squash Rackets Federation of India said here today. Both Anaka and Saumya had won their semifinals in straight games defeating Malaysians Yong Sue Ann and Celin Yeap, respectively. Ravi Dixit defeated Ng Jo Wen, winner of the Malaysian Junior Open, 9-7, 9-2, 8-10, 10-8. In the semifinal, Ravi defeated South African Stephano Gras 9-4, 9-6, 9-0.
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New Delhi, June 11 The mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Aparna Balan got India off to the perfect start defeating Tuomas Nuorteva and Maria Vaisanen 21-15, 21-9 in only 18 minutes. Saina Nehwal got the better of Anu Nieminen 21-13, 21-13 in 27 minutes. However, Sridhar went down to Ville Lang 11-21, 21-15, 16-21 in a tough match lasting 46 minutes. The men’s doubles pair of Thomas Sanave and Rupesh Kumar scored an easy 21-7 21-15 win over Mikko Vikman and Nuorteva. Saina and Aparna defeated the Vaisanen sisters — Elina and Maria — 21-11, 21-17. India take on New Zealand in their next group tie tomorrow before facing hosts Scotland in their final encounter on Thursday. — PTI
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