China’s Tian Tian Sun gestures after beating Belgium’s Debbrich Feys during the Fed Cup tennis playoff in Knokke-Heist. Tian won 6-4, 6-2. — AFP

Test series will be a challenge
Chelmsford, July 14
The challenge confronting India in the three-Test series against England starting on Thursday has been emphasised in no uncertain terms. English prospects, under the branding of England Lions, first trampled over the Indian bowling and today wrung the neck of the Indian top order.

Murali bowls Lanka to innings win
Kandy, July 14
Muttiah Muralitharan became just the second bowler in history to take 700 Test wickets as he claimed six victims today to lead Sri Lanka to a third successive victory over Bangladesh by more than an innings.

Murali joins 700-wicket club
Kandy (Sri Lanka), July 14
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan today became the second bowler after Australian Shane Warne to capture 700 Test wickets. The off-spinner reached the landmark when he had Bangladesh's last man Syed Rasel caught in the deep by Farveez Maharoof on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test at the Asgiriya stadium here.

Lawson poised to be Pak coach
Karachi, July 14
The Pakistan Cricket Board will name former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson as their new coach on Monday, sources said today. The PCB has entered into final negotiations with Lawson after deciding to appoint him from a shortlist of three candidates, including fellow Australians Dav Whatmore and Richard Done.

Copa America Football Final Brazil's brute force vs Argentine finesse Maracaibo, Venezuela, July 14 Argentina's finesse and artistry will be pitted against Brazil's raw physical strength and power as the old rivals meet in tomorrow’s Copa America final. Argentina’s Leonel Messi (left) and Brazil’s Robinho are likely to be the key players for their teams in the Copa America football final to be held in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on Sunday. — AFP photo

NEVER SAY DIE

South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius (left) competes with Italy’s Marco Moraglio in the men’s 400m B race during the IAAF Golden Gala in Rome’s Olympic Stadium on Friday. Pistorius, who runs with carbon fiber artificial limbs, faced able-bodied athletes for the first time and finished second. — AFP

Jeev climbs to 28th spot
Loch Lomond, July 14
Jeev Milkha Singh primed himself up nicely for his next week's British Open debut with a tidy four-under 67 in the second round to climb up to 28th spot from a lowly 82nd at the Barclays Scottish Open golf tournament. The Indian ace, after tentative first five holes in the second round which included one bogey, found his rhythm and rolled in five birdies yesterday. In video (56k)

IHF plans to hire penalty corner coach
New Delhi, July 14
The Indian Hockey Federation is planning to hire a penalty corner coach for the national team after the Asia Cup to be held in Chennai in September. The team had recently trained under Dutch penalty corner expert Toon Siepman for a couple of sessions during the practice stint in Germany and had gained some tips on indirect conversions.

SAI finalises calendar of events
Patiala, July 14
The Sports Authority of India has finalised the schedule of various national-level competitions to be held under the sports promotion programme initiated by the union sports ministry.

Prakash bows out
New Delhi, July 14
Prakash Amritraj's dream run came to an end as he crashed out against fifth seed Nicholas Mahut in the quarterfinal of the $ 416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis championship at New Port, Rhode Island, in the USA. Amritraj, who became first Indian in eights years to enter an ATP singles quarterfinal, lost to the Frenchman 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) yesterday.

Too much political interference in India: Wright

London, July 14
Describing the BCCI as a bunch of people ''who often make bewildering decisions'', former Team India coach John Wright has said there was too much of ''political interference'' in the gentleman's game in the country.

''Cricket is so political in India. I wouldn't say anyone gets into the Test side purely because of political pressure, but some states are better than others,'' he said.

Though he was heartened by suggestions that the apex cricket body would adopt a more professional approach to selection, abandoning ''favouritism'', he called the BCCI ''an extraordinary organisation run by a handful of people who often make bewildering decisions and don't give a hoot what the outside world thinks of them,'' he was quoted as saying in 'The Guardian'.

Anguished over ''political interference'' into the game Wright, one of the most successful coaches, said ''Nothing caused my blood pressure to rise more than the times when the players were besieged in the dressing room by a chief minister and his entourage, or by a powerful businessman asserting his rights.''

Wright, who was appointed India's first foreign coach in 2000, said the board does not seem to be serious about nurturing new talent.

''They are still the best batsmen in India. There are no other Dravids or Tendulkars on the horizon.''

''I once turned up to Kanpur and saw a 14-year-old leg-spinner and an off-spinner troubling VVS Laxman in the nets. They were as good as anyone I had ever seen at that age. You just don't see talent like that. A year later no one could tell me where they had gone, only that it was 'difficult'.

''It's a minefield.''

Recalling his Indian experience, he said that the practice kit consisted of three baseball mitts, 30 cones and three old and crooked blue plastic stumps on his first day in Delhi. ''Practice was an unforgettable experience, the first of many.

At the training ground the players left their gear on the bus and ambled over to the nets on the other side of the field where they lounged in cane chairs while the waiters served them tea and biscuits,'' he recalled.

He refused to say anything how new Team India manager Chandu Borde would cope up with the current side. ''There was Colonel Sharma who waved a handkerchief every time we got a wicket and considered himself a yoga expert, so much so that we once had to let him take the warm-up. There was a gentleman who handed out the meal allowance in the dark so that it was hard to count, and another who nicked the players' official shirts.''

He asserts the senior players will help ease out the pressure on the team playing without a coach.

''A deep breath, and the recognition that they have no coach, might be good for them in the short term,'' he said adding, ''They have an experienced batting line-up and the onus will be on them to plan and perform.''

Expressing optimism about India's chances in the series, he said ''Always the key for India is their belief that they can win away from India. When they are overseas they don't get enough runs. I think if they get their batting right and their big players perform they will be very competitive.''

Indian cricketers may be poor travellers but Wright feels the team could be "very competitive" if they get their batting right and big players perform in the upcoming series against England.

Referring to seniors such as Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, the former New Zealand opener said it was hardly a surprise that even half a decade later the team's nucleus remained the same.

On Ganguly, he said "...and I loved Ganguly to bits - he added spice to the side." Wright, who also guided India to historic series win in Pakistan and drawing of a series in Australia besides reaching the finals of 2003 World Cup, said absence of a coach might rather be good for the team. — UNI, PTI

Sachin hits masterly 171
Rescues India after top-order collapse

Graham Onions (right) of England Lions celebrates with team-mate Joe Denly after dismissing VVS Laxman on the second day of the three-day warm-up match at Chelmsford on Saturday. — AP/PTI photo

Chelmsford, July 14
Skipper Sachin Tendulkar scored a classy 171 as he pulled his team out of the woods with a fifth-wicket stand of 140 runs with Yuvraj Singh (59) on the second day of India’s tour game against England Lions here today.

India ended the day at 336-7, still 77 runs short of England Lions’ total of 413 for 8 declared.

Riding on the brilliance of Tendulkar, India recovered after being pinned down to 65 for four soon after lunch.

Tendulkar smashed 26 delightful boundaries and a six. Yuvraj gave him good company, facing 106 balls and hitting eight fours.

Coming in to bat when India had lost Wasim Jaffer (1), VVS Laxman (0) and Dinesh Karthik (5), Tendulkar took the attack to the England Lions bowlers and played some spectacular shots all round the park.

He began in earnest, on-driving Graham Onions to the fence. Then he put the pacer in his place as he repeatedly unleashed some excellent carpet drives with lovely timing. He hit no less than seven fours off Onions after he struck a double blow in his very first over.

India went to lunch at 63 for three but suffered another blow after resumption when Sourav Ganguly (14) top-edged a pull off Chris Tremlett to offer an easy return catch. — Agencies

Scoreboard

England Lions (1st innings)

Strauss b Zaheer 1

Denly st Dhoni b Powar 83

Shah c Zaheer b Sreesanth 11

Trott c Ganguly b Zaheer 46

Bopara c Karthik b Tendulkar 29

Ambrose c Dhoni b Zaheer 4

Rashid c&b Powar 0

Bresnan not out 126

Broad c Yuvraj b Sreesanth 50

Tremlett not out 32

Extras (b-8, lb-2, nb-21) 31

Total (8 wkts dec, 97 overs) 413

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-62, 3-142, 4-174, 5-184, 6-185, 7-225, 8-354.

Bowling: Zaheer 22-5-119-3, Sreesanth 21-0-76-2, Ganguly 6-2-16-0, Ishant 12-1-61-0, Powar 25-1-96-2, Tendulkar 9-0-24-1, Yuvraj 2-0-11-0.

India (1st innings)

Karthik c Ambrose b Broad 5

Jaffer lbw Onions 1

Laxman c Ambrose b Onions 0

Tendulkar c Shah b Onions 171

Ganguly c&b Tremlett 14

Yuvraj c Strauss b Broad 59

Dhoni not out 44

Powar b Bopara 4

Zaheer not out 18

Extras (b-4, lb-4, w-2, nb-10) 20

Total (7 wkts, 80 overs) 336

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-2, 3-14, 4-65, 5-205, 6-304 , 7-317.

Bowling: Broad 16-2-54-2, Onions 17-3-69-3, Tremlett 13-4-40-1, Rashid 12-0-90-0, Bresnan 16-2-45-0, Bopara 6-1-29-1.

Test series will be a challenge
Ashis Ray

Chelmsford, July 14
The challenge confronting India in the three-Test series against England starting on Thursday has been emphasised in no uncertain terms. English prospects, under the branding of England Lions, first trampled over the Indian bowling and today wrung the neck of the Indian top order.

Admittedly, India were without their primary bowler, Anil Kumble, and potentially incisive fast medium bowler, Rudra Pratap Singh. But the two more experienced quicker bowlers, Zaheer Khan and S. Sreesanth, were very much in the fold; and though they might not have fully extended themselves, their wavering line and length was a matter of concern. Off-spinner Ramesh Powar started well, unafraid to flight the ball, but came in for a bit of stick from an unlikely eight-wicket partnership.

A middle-aged spectator asked who the left-hander who was on 50 was. Stuart Broad, I informed him. “Didn’t know he could bat,” he meaningfully muttered. Yorkshire all-rounder Tim Bresnan, who averages 22 in first-class games, went a step further with an unbeaten century. The pitch was, admittedly, rather docile.

En route from London to this tree-lined headquarters of Essex cricket falls Ilford, where Joe Hussain runs a flourishing cricket academy. Having played one match for Madras (now Tamil Nadu) in the Ranji Trophy, he migrated to England in the early 1970s. His toddler son, Nasser, who accompanied him, learned his cricket from him and went on to captain England.

India have happy memories of Chelmsford. India thrashed Australia here in a must-win encounter in the 1983 World Cup to qualify for the semifinals. This time, with Rahul Dravid resting, much depended on Sachin Tendulkar after India slumped to 14 for three. If there is a silver lining to India’s visit to the British Isles so far, it’s of Tendulkar providing glimpses of his old touch.

The Mumbai maestro consistently middled the ball in two one-day internationals against South Africa at Belfast. Now, he effortlessly held the innings together. It was a baptism of fire for 19-year-old Yorkshire leg-spinner, Adil Rashid, who was smacked for two fours through the covers and a six over the sightscreen off consecutive deliveries.

It was an important outing for Yuvraj Singh, for he has been in danger of being elbowed out of the Test XI by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Ranchi rattler enters the frame to reduce the burden on Dinesh Karthik, who is expected to open the innings. But Dhoni is bereft of necessary foot work and also misjudges length outside the subcontinent. While the Punjab left-hander, too, hasn’t been a great success in Tests away from South Asia, he at least appears more determined to apply himself.

Wasim Jaffer should be a certainty for Lord’s on Thursday.

Murali bowls Lanka to innings win

Kandy, July 14
Muttiah Muralitharan became just the second bowler in history to take 700 Test wickets as he claimed six victims today to lead Sri Lanka to a third successive victory over Bangladesh by more than an innings.

Muralitharan joined retired Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne in the exclusive 700 club with the last ball of the match when Syed Rasel tried to hit him down the ground but instead spooned it to Farveez Maharoof. Man-of-the-match 'Murali' was mobbed by teammates after the final wicket, fittingly coming on his home ground.

It is likely Muralitharan will break Warne's record of 708 wickets when he tours Australia with Sri Lanka in November.

The result made Sri Lanka just the third side in history to win every Test in a three-Test series by more than an innings, joining England against the West Indies in 1928 and India against Sri Lanka in 1994.

Muralitharan finished with 12 wickets for the Test and 26 for the series, winning player of the series status.

It was his 60th five wicket haul in an innings, and his 20th instance of 10 wickets in a match.

Sri Lanka declared its first innings at the overnight score of 500 for 4 — a lead of 369 — with Kumar Sangakkara unbeaten on 222.

Bangladesh performed well in the opening session today, to be 106 for 2 at lunch, but collapsed to lose its last eight wickets for just 53 runs to be all out for 176, with the match over before tea.

Sri Lanka's winning margin was an innings and 193 runs.

Scoreboard

Omar c Sangakkara b Malinga 22

Nafees c M Jayawardene b Muralitharan 64

Bashar b Muralitharan 15

Ashraful lbw b Muralitharan 19

Rahim c Tharanga b De Silva 1

Imran c M Jayawardene b Malinga 17

Saleh c M Jayawardene b De Silva 0

Mortaza c sub b Muralitharan 8

Mohammad Rafique not out 0

Hossain b Muralitharan 5

Syed Rasel c Maharoof b Muralitharan 4

Extras: (b-4, lb-1, nb-13, w-3) 21

Total (all out in 59 overs) 176

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-98, 3-123, 4-138, 5-138, 6-142, 7-166, 8-167, 9-172.

Bowling: Malinga 10-0-46-2, De Silva 12-4-34-2, Maharoof 16-7-37-0, Muralitharan 21-5-54-6. — AFP

Murali joins 700-wicket club

Kandy (Sri Lanka), July 14
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan today became the second bowler after Australian Shane Warne to capture 700 Test wickets. The off-spinner reached the landmark when he had Bangladesh's last man Syed Rasel caught in the deep by Farveez Maharoof on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test at the Asgiriya stadium here. The dismissal signalled Sri Lanka's victory by an innings and 193 runs to give the hosts a 3-0 sweep of the series.

Muralitharan finished with six wickets in each innings to claim 10 wickets or more in a Test for the 20th time. Muralitharan, 35, is now just nine wickets away from surpassing the retired Warne's world record tally of 708. Sri Lanka are due to tour Australia for two Test matches in November, but Muralitharan was unsure of becoming the leading bowler in Warne's backyard.

"The record will come sometime in the near future, but I am not sure it will happen in Australia because the wickets there usually help fast bowlers," he said.

"I don't know how much I will get to bowl in Australia because our fast bowlers could grab most of the wickets. "But I am just delighted to get to 700 in Kandy which is my home town. I can't ask for more."

Muralitharan, a veteran of 113 Tests who made his debut against Australia in 1992, said he had worked hard over the last 15 years to become one of the most feared bowlers in the game. "So many years at the top takes a lot out of you but I am still hungry for wickets and that is what matters."

The off-spinner was controversially called for throwing by Australian umpire Darrell Hair during Sri Lanka's tour Down Under in 1995. Two years later, another Australian umpire, Ross Emerson, called Muralitharan during a one-day series there, prompting a bio-mechanical analysis of his bowling action at the University of Western Australia in Perth. The International Cricket Council cleared Muralitharan and his bowling action has not been questioned any more by umpires around the world. — AFP

Lawson poised to be Pak coach

Karachi, July 14
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will name former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson as their new coach on Monday, sources said today. The PCB has entered into final negotiations with Lawson after deciding to appoint him from a shortlist of three candidates, including fellow Australians Dav Whatmore and Richard Done.

The 49-year-old Lawson, currently working with the New South Wales state team in Australia, played 46 tests and 79 one-day internationals.

The PCB committee meets on Monday to formally announce the new coach to succeed Bob Woolmer, who died during the World Cup in the West Indies in March from natural causes after earlier fears he was murdered.

The board was initially in favour of Whatmore, who has coached Sri Lankan and Bangladesh, but leaned towards Lawson after getting positive feedback about him from team management and the players, the sources said.

''The board has decided to go along with Lawson as his appointment was backed by the players and also manager Talat Ali in recent meetings with the board Chairman,'' one source told Reuters.

''The players felt that Lawson had a very positive attitude towards the game and was an easy person to get along with.'' Pakistan has had eight different coaches since 1996. Former test captain Javed Miandad has had three stints as coach.

Woolmer, the former England batsman, coached the team from June 2004. — Reuters

Copa America Football Final
Brazil's brute force vs Argentine finesse

Maracaibo, Venezuela, July 14
Argentina's finesse and artistry will be pitted against Brazil's raw physical strength and power as the old rivals meet in tomorrow’s Copa America final. The tournament has produced what is generally considered the ideal final for the second time in a row and Argentina are attempting to avenge their traumatic penalty shootout defeat in Peru three years ago.

The form book is in Argentina's favour for a match which will offer an intriguing clash of styles.

Alfio Basile's team have won all their five games, scoring 16 goals, on their way to the final and played a brand of slick, attacking football which many feared was in danger of extinction.

Juan Roman Riquelme has conducted the team majestically from midfield and Lionel Messi's chipped goal against Mexico prompted a war of superlatives and comparisons with Diego Maradona.

Brazil, on the other hand, have battled their way through despite losing to Mexico in the group stage and being taken to penalties by Uruguay in the semi-final.

Argentina's last title was in 1993 when they won the Copa America, coincidentally with Basile at the helm.

Since then, Brazil have walked off with two World Cups (1994 and 2002), three Copa America titles (1997, 1999 and 2004) and two Confederations Cups (1997 and 2005).

They have also had the upper hand in meetings between the two countries. Brazil have won the last two games by three goal margins (4-1 in the Confederations Cup final in 2005 and 3-0 in a friendly last year) and the last three Copa America meetings, though two were on penalties. — Reuters

Jeev climbs to 28th spot

Loch Lomond, July 14
Jeev Milkha Singh primed himself up nicely for his next week's British Open debut with a tidy four-under 67 in the second round to climb up to 28th spot from a lowly 82nd at the Barclays Scottish Open golf tournament.

The Indian ace, after tentative first five holes in the second round which included one bogey, found his rhythm and rolled in five birdies yesterday.

His compatriot Jyoti Randhawa dropped a late bogey on 17th and finished with two-under 69 and was tied 41st at the midway stage. But Shiv Kapur, the third Indian in the fray, managed only a four-over 75 and missed the cut yet again.

Jeev, seven shots behind co-leaders Jose Manuel Lara (65) and Gregory Havret (64), opened with four pars and dropped a shot at fifth. But he quickly got into his stride and birdied the sixth, eighth, tenth, 13th and 15th holes.

"I am finding my rhythm and am happy at the progress. I love playing tough golf courses and that's what I expect at Carnoustie next week," said Jeev, who made the cuts at Augusta Masters and US Open earlier this year.

Jeev has made the cut in each of the four starts he has had in Majors in his career.

Randhawa birdied fourth, 13th and 16th, but a bogey on 17th blotted his card. Singaporean Mardan Mamat and Yang Yong-eun of Korea also made the halfway cut with rounds of 72 and 68 respectively.

Atwal, Chopra miss the cut

Chicago: Arjun Atwal and Daniel Chopra's challenge at PGA Tour's John Deere Classic event in Silvis, Illinois came to a premature halt as both missed the halfway cut.

Atwal failed to cash in on his third place finish last weekend at Legend Financial Group Classic, carding a dismal one-over 72 for a two-day aggregate score of an even par 142, to finally squander the chance of progressing to weekend action.

Overnight tied 56th, the Orlando-based Indian pro reeled off five birdies but spoilt the show by dropping three bogeys and a double-bogey negated the advantage he gained with the birdies. — PTI, UNI

IHF plans to hire penalty corner coach

New Delhi, July 14
The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is planning to hire a penalty corner coach for the national team after the Asia Cup to be held in Chennai in September.

The team had recently trained under Dutch penalty corner expert Toon Siepman for a couple of sessions during the practice stint in Germany and had gained some tips on indirect conversions.

Siepman has polished drag-flickers like Bram Lomans of the Netherlands, Santi Freixa of Spain and Sohail Abbas of Pakistan in the past.

The team was found wanting in penalty corner conversions at the Champions Challenge tournament in Belgium. In the game against Argentina, they could not capitalise on any of the 12 short corners they earned and ended up losing the match 1-2 to miss out on a berth in the final.

Argentina went on to win the title by defeating New Zealand in the final, while India had to be content with the bronze medal.

Going by this recent experience, the IHF is thinking about hiring a penalty corner expert who can shore up this aspect of the game.

However, IHF president KPS Gill said things were at a formative stage and it would take a while before the penalty corner coach is appointed.

“It’s at a tentative stage. So it will be too early to say anything on this. We are in touch with two coaches. But it will be in September, after the Asia Cup,” he told PTI today.

IHF secretary K. Jothikumaran is scheduled to visit the Capital next week during which he will discuss the issue with Gill. — PTI

SAI finalises calendar of events
Our Sports Reporter

Patiala, July 14
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) has finalised the schedule of various national-level competitions to be held under the sports promotion programme initiated by the union sports ministry. According to Mr L. Ranawat, executive director (academics), National Institute of Sports (NIS), these competitions will be organised by the sports departments of various states under the overall supervision of SAI officials.

Competitions of the All-India Rural Sports Programme in the disciplines of archery, kabaddi and kho-kho will be held at Jaipur from November 24 to 27, while competitions in athletics, hockey and wrestling will be held at Faridabad from January 5 to 8 next year.

Competitions in basketball, gymnastics, hockey and kho-kho will be held at Jammu from December 16 to 19.

Meanwhile, the union sports ministry has transferred the Promotion of Sports and Games Programme in schools to the SAI for implementation. This programme, which aims to improve the standard of school sports in the country, will see individual school teams vying for honours at block, district, state and national levels.

Under this programme, competitions in archery, athletics, badminton, basketball and hockey will be held at Sundergarh (Orissa) from January 5 to 8 next year. Mr Ranawat said the SAI planned to hold the North-East Sports Festival in Guwahati from January 28 to 31 next year.

Prakash bows out

New Delhi, July 14
Prakash Amritraj's dream run came to an end as he crashed out against fifth seed Nicholas Mahut in the quarterfinal of the $ 416,000 Hall of Fame Tennis championship at New Port, Rhode Island, in the USA. Amritraj, who became first Indian in eights years to enter an ATP singles quarterfinal, lost to the Frenchman 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) yesterday. The 83rd ranked Mahut had ousted world number two Rafael Nadal in the semi-final of Queen's club. Pakistan's star player Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi also lost in another last eight stage match at the championships. Qureshi, who upset top seeded American Mardy Fish in the opening round, fell prey to unseeded Belgian Dick Norman 6-4, 3-6, 6-4. The Indo-Pak duo have already exited from the doubles category following their first round mauling at the hands of top seeds Wesley Moodie and Fabrice Santoro. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Humpy held, joint leader
Luxembourg: Koneru Humpy was held to a third successive draw by French International Master Tigran Gharamian but continues to be in joint lead after the seventh round of the Kaupthing Open International Chess Tournament here. The Indian grandmaster will now take on German International Master Sebast Siebrecht in the penultimate round of the nine-round tournament. — PTI

Inzy should retire: Zaheer Abbas
Lahore: Time was ripe for Inzamam-ul Haq to gracefully quit cricket and make way for the youngsters in the ''larger interest of the game'', asserted former Pakistan great Zaheer Abbas. ''It's the best time for Inzamam to leave the arena and allow youngsters to replace him in the larger interest of the game,'' Zaheer, the only Asian till date to have made a century of centuries in first class cricket, said. — UNI

Iraqis celebrate soccer victory
Baghdad: Thousands of Iraqis poured into the street, dancing, chanting and firing shots into the air in celebration on Friday of the Asian Cup win over Australia, a country many here see as an occupation force. Iraq stunned Australia with a 3-1 victory in the Group A match in Thailand, putting the pre-tournament favourite on the verge of a humiliating early exit from the competition. — AP

Women’s soccer
NEW DELHI: Growing Stars Seniors came from behind to defeat Garhwal Heroes eves 2-1 to enter the final of the second Suman Lata Badola Cup Football Tournament at the Air Force ground here on Saturday. Growing Stars will take on Hans Club in the final. Hans entered the title round as Growing Stars Juniors failed to turn up. Meanwhile, Delhi Soccer Association secretary NK Bhatia announced that 12 clubs had confirmed their participation in the Uttaranchal Cup Football Tournament for men, starting at the Air Force ground on July 17. The 12 teams will play in a league-cum-knockout format. — OSR

Somdev upsets top-100 player
New Delhi: Somdev Dev Varman scaled another significant peak in his promising career, recording his first win over a top-100 player in an international tournament in New York. Somdev, who recently became the US collegiate singles champion, defeated world number 99 Robert Kendrick of the USA 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 to reach the semifinals in the Kennedy Funding Invitational. Kendrick had stretched Rafael Nadal to five sets at Wimbledon last year. — PTI