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Robin flies high for India
VICTORY HUG: Robin Uthappa (right) celebrates with Yuvraj Singh after scoring the winning runs to square the series 3-3 with England during the sixth NatWest one-dayer at the Oval on Wednesday. — AFP
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Ferrer sends Nadal packing
David Ferrer of Spain celebrates after defeating compatriot Rafael Nadal at the US Open tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows on Tuesday. Ferrer won 6-7,
6-4, 7-6, 6-2. — Reuters photo |
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Paes in final, Sania out
Chak De India
IHF offers bonus for every goal
India qualifies for Golf World Cup
Santhi Soundararajan attempts suicide
Asia Cup
Indians rule the pool
Korfball meet from Sept 10
Dharmani’s ton in vain as rain plays spoilsport
Sharath reigns in N. Korea
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Robin flies high for India
London, September 5 At the start of a dramatic final over, India still required 10 runs to breast the tape ahead of the opposition. After Robin Uthappa collected a couple off the first ball, Zaheer Khan was run out in the next. Then, by skillfully inventing a scoop over his shoulder for four to fine leg and driving to long off, the Bangalore lad heroically conjured two match-winning fours. His teammates sprinted on to the ground to congratulate him. Earlier, the insurance cover of Sachin Tendulkar (94 off 81 ball and man of the match) and Sourav Ganguly (53) gave India a flying start by plundering 150 for the first wicket – their 25th three figure association in ODIs, 20th as openers and the third in the present series in 22.2 overs. Ganguly took the aerial route over the in-field in the 20 power play overs, peppering the off-side boundary and once even lofting Stuart Broad to long on for six. But the latter was granted a relief when an exhausted hammer ended in the hands of short extra cover. Tendulkar was at his innovative best, picking bowlers off the legs, demonstrating delicate paddles and giving himself room to punch through the covers. But as he drew back to improvise another backfoot drive at the expense of Monty Panesar, he failed to clear the extra cover fieldsman. For the 5th time on this tour, he perished in the 90s. But as Yuvraj Singh and Rahul Dravid exited cheaply and Gautam Gambhir holed out at long on after a sparkling 47, India slid to 234 for five before being rescued by Mahendra Dhoni and Uthappa. After a strike was called off on Tuesday night, relieved fans poured out of the underground station bearing the same name at this ground to saturate the stands at this ground. The cross of St George, England’s insignia, fluttering in the autumn breeze, competed with the Indian tricolour. With the new ball darting around under cloud cover, India pegged England back at 20 for two. Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen arrested the tide, but they again nosedived to 83 for four. Bell was beaten in the air and bowled by a top spinner from the teenaged Piyush Chawla. After a well constructed first half century of the series, Pietersen committed hara-kiri by racing back for a non-existent second run, completely ignoring Owais Shah’s disinterest at the other end. Luke Wright of Sussex making his maiden appearance in an international, entered at 137 for five and with Shah blasted 104 runs for the 6th wicket in a mere 14 overs. His 50 came up volcanically in just 38 balls, before he, too, was run out – a victim of a direct hit by Uthappa from wide midon on a day of much improved fielding by the Indians. But the run feast continued, with Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas realising 73 runs off only 5.4 overs for the 7th wicket – 30 of these emerging off the last five deliveries of the innings as the latter bombarded the stands behind midwicket and long on in a savage attack against Yuvraj. But the centrepiece of England’s 316 for six was the showing of Karachi-born Shah, who may not have retained his place in the side had Andrew Flintoff and Ravi Bopara been fit. Scoreboard England Cook c Dhoni b Zaheer 0 Prior lbw Agarkar 6 Bell b Chawla 49 Pietersen run out 53 Collingwood run out 1 Shah not out 107 Wright run out 50 Mascarenhas not out 36 Extras
(b-1, lb-7, w-6) 14 Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 316 Fall of wickets:
1-0, 2-20, 3-79,
4-83, 5-137, 6-243. Bowling: Zaheer 10-0-43-1, Agarkar 8-0-63-1, Ganguly 7-0-43-0, Chawla 10-1-44-1, Powar 9-0-44-0, Yuvraj 5-0-59-0, Tendulkar 1-0-12-0. India Ganguly c Pietersen b Broad 53 Tendulkar c Collingwood b Panesar 94 Gambhir c Panesar b Mascarenhas 47 Yuvraj c&b Mascarenhas 18 Dravid c Collingwood b Shah 4 Dhoni b Broad 35 Uthappa not out 47 Agarkar run out 1 Zaheer run out 0 Powar not out 0 Extras
(lb-9, w-9) 18 Total (8 wkts, 49.4 overs) 317 Fall of wickets:
1-150, 2-156, 3-209, 4-216, 5-234, 6-294, 7-307, 8-309. Bowling:
Broad 9.4-1-46-2, Anderson 8-0-79-0, Mascarenhas 10-0-55-2, Collingwood 8-0-54-0, Panesar 10-0-55-1, Shah 4-0-19-1.
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Ferrer sends Nadal packing
New York, September 5 Ferrer’s 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 victory marked the first time in five meetings stretching over three years that he had managed to get the better of Nadal and it put him into a quarterfinal match against Juan Ignacio
Chela. Nadal had beaten Federer in the French Open final but lost to the Swiss world No. 1 in the Wimbledon final. For Nadal, who has struggled with a knee injury from the start of the tournament, it was another US Open flop and he has failed to get past the last eight in five campaigns to date.
”I am very tired. I had to run a lot,” said the 25-year-old Ferrer. I am happy for myself - it is a very special night for me but I am sorry for my friend
Rafa. In the tough moments he plays very well.” The match between two tried and trusted claycourters started at around 10 pm and any hopes of a quick conclusion were stymied as they shared the first two sets in just under two
hours. Nadal’s departure clears the way for third seed Novak Djokovic to charge into what would be his first Grand Slam final at the age of 20. But the Serb had to dig deep once again to see off the challenge of Juan Monaco winning 7-5, 7-6, 6-7, 6-1 in a gruelling match that took just under four hours. Having needed four hours 44 minutes to subdue Radek Stepanek in the second round, Djokovic risked being just as drained physically in the later stages of the tournament than he was in Paris and at Wimbledon. On both of those occasions, he lost to
Nadal. Djokovic’s opponent in the last eight will be veteran Spaniard Carlos
Moya. At 31, the oldest man left in the tournament outclassed Latvian newcomer Ernests Gulbis 7-5, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 to reach the quarters in New York for the first time since 1998. Among women, Justine Henin ousted Serena Williams in a quarterfinal for the third Grand Slam event in a row, shattering any notions of an all-Williams semifinal with a 7-6, 6-1 US Open triumph. The Belgian star will next play in a Friday semifinal against the winner of quarterfinal between US 12th seed Venus Williams, the reigning Wimbledon champion, and Serbian third seed Jelena
Jankovic. Henin, the reigning French Open champion, had defeated the younger Williams sister in the same round at the French Open and Wimbledon and levelled their career rivalry at 6-6 with her first hardcourt victory.
— AFP
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Paes in final, Sania out
Leander Paes and Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Liezel Huber of the US and Jamie Murray of Britain and reached the final of the mixed doubles of the US Open here. The Indo-US pair came through a gruelling encounter to score a 6-7, 7-6, 10-5 win.
Meanwhile, Sania Mirza and her partner Bethanie Mattek of the US crashed out in the quarterfinals, losing 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to Chan Yung-Jan and Chuang Chia-Jung of Chinese Taipei.
— PTI |
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Chak De India
Chandigarh, September 5 “The way our team has been evolving in the ongoing Asia Cup and before, makes me certain that we will win the cup. And it would not also be difficult for us to qualify for the Olympic berth”, said Indian coach Joaquim Carvalho over the phone from Chennai, where the seventh Asia Cup is underway. Playing as a cohesive unit as well as according to plans and strategy, the players stands as testimony that we are going in a right direction, added the coach, expressing his happiness over the success at the cup. “Now I can say that the team is ready for every challenge”, said Carvalho holding that their immediate goal was to win the ongoing Asia Cup. Cautioned against any complacency, the coach patted his men for working hard on and off the field. Reverberating the coach, striker Prabhjot and Chandigarh-based Rajpal Singh said the recent success of the team not only imbibed the team with much required confidence but also motivated to do better in the coming days. “Success also brings more responsibility as the hopes of the fans increase with every victory”, said Prabhjot. Prabhjot has netted eight goals in the tournament so far. “Definitely we are eyeing Olympic berth besides winning the top honours in the tournament. Aggressiveness and synchronisation among the players are the key factors, on which the team is relying of late. The recent wins by big margins have catapulted the confidence level very high. If we go like this, I think clearing Olympics qualifier would not be difficult, no matter which pool we are allotted to”, said ace striker Rajpal. The team has mauled Sri Lanka (20-0), China (1-0), South Africa (3-2) and Bangladesh (6-0) to top the table in pool B
at Chennai.
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IHF offers bonus for every goal
Chennai, September 5 “When we beat Sri Lanka 20-0, I decided to pay Rs 1,000 per goal to the whole team and not only to the goal scorers. The decision was conveyed to the team manager. The team will be getting Rs 30,000 for their 30 goals scored in four matches so far,” said IHF president K.P.S Gill. “Our team has been consistently yielding goals in the first five minutes in the tournaments for a long time. In the four matches that has been played in the Asia Cup, the team had broken the jinx. We wanted to extend something as token of appreciation for the players,” he said. Asked if the players would be penalised for goals yielded in the ongoing tournament, Gill said “giving soft goals to rival teams has doomed our chances. “In Doha Asian Games, the soft goals yielded by us cost us a Olympic berth. Therefore, it was felt that the players should also understand the importance of scoring goals and defending our goal from falling. “But it is an internal matter between the players and the
IHF. Deduction of money from players may or may not be applied but this small amount as token bonus will be paid to the team at the end of the Asia Cup,” he said. India on stand-by as Champions Trophy venue
In the wake of the Rawalpindi bomb blasts, the International Hockey Federation
(FIH) has advised both India and Malaysia to be on the stand-by to host men’s Champions Trophy tournament slated from December 1-9 in case the event needed to be shifted from
Lahore. FIH’s consultant Bob Davidzon said “FIH Committee has to first determine the security for players and if there is any concern over this issue then apply cancellation of Lahore as the venue before looking into the offers of both India and Malaysia as stand-by venues”. Although other participant nations — Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Korea — had not expressed security concerns yet, he said. When pointed out that the Australian A team was in Pakistan for a cricket tour, Davidzon said “exactly”. “The FIH will be closely monitoring the Australian Cricketers’ tour of Pakistan before finally taking a decision on cancellation of Champions Trophy in Lahore from Dec 1 to 9 this year,” he said. Meanwhile, Indian Hockey Federation President K P S Gill told PTI from New Delhi that India would sent in an offer letter to host the Champions Trophy if Lahore was cancelled as a venue.
— PTI
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Sporting Clube scrape past Army XI
Ludhiana, September 5 Sporting Clube men turned on the heat in the fourth minute of the contest with their foreign recruit Bonface Ambani finding the target from inside the box, capitalising on a defensive lapse. Buoyed at the early success, Sporting Clube kept tormenting Army XI’s defence with a flurry of raids from both the flanks with the forward line working in tandem. However, they failed to increase the lead. In the second session, Army XI reorganised themselves and managed to make forays into the Goan’s territory but attacks lacked the sting and often fell through before taking on any dangerous proportions. Mahindra United win
Two times champion Mahindra United, Mumbai, quelled a strong challenge from their spirited opponents Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Sports Club, Bangalore, before emerging winners 1-0. The match got off to a brisk start with both the sides exhibiting attacking game. Mahindra United surged ahead in the eighth minute through Djiaja Peerre. In the second half, Mahindra United dominated the proceedings again, but they failed to increase the lead as HAL custodian Gumpe Rime stood his ground and negated six attempts. Thursday’s fixtures: Air India vs Viva, Kerala at 4 pm; and Mohun Bagan vs ONGC at 7 pm.
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India qualifies for Golf World Cup
New Delhi, September 5 Randhawa will team up with Gaurav Ghei to represent India at this prestigious team competition, a statement from PGTI said today. Randhawa is currently ranked 102 while Ghei is the next highest ranked Indian professional according to the World Rankings. This is only the second occasion that India has earned a direct qualification for the World Cup finals. The first time India qualified directly was in 2005. This was the same year the Indians put up their best performance at the event with the team of Randhawa and Arjun Atwal finishing a creditable ninth. “I was very satisfied with my performance in 2005 as the team finished ninth. This time around I have an opportunity to improve on my previous performance. The fact that Gaurav Ghei is playing fabulous golf at the moment, augurs well for our team”, said an excited Randhawa. Randhawa, who makes his second appearance at the world cup on this occasion, has come up with some impressive performances on the European Tour this year. He is currently placed 28th on the European Tour Order of Merit list with earnings of Euro 723,279.
— PTI
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Santhi Soundararajan attempts suicide
She was now out of danger, the police said. “Santhi is able to speak and she has denied that she attempted suicide. She maintains that she took some medicines for stomach pain,” Pudukkotai SP Kapil Kumar C Saratkarsaid. Saratkar said the doctors had declared her condition to be stable. “However, we do not want to take any risk and we are referring her to Thanjavur Government Medical College Hospital for further examination,” he added. The doctors, who attended on her, said she had consumed some “veterinary medicines,” he said. Santhi, who hails from Kathakurichi village in Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu, failed a gender test after wining the silver medal in the women’s 800m event in the Doha Asian Games. In August last year, she had also won the 1500m gold and the 800m silver in the South Asian Games in Colombo. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister had awarded Santhi a cash prize for her Doha Games effort in January this year. Family sources told PTI that Santhi had consumed pesticide this morning when she was undergoing physical training at Pudukottai. She developed giddiness and vomitted after which her friends took her to hospital, the sources said. Recently, she had her head tonsured to fulfil a vow in a temple. She was in a state of frustration in the last few days, her friends and relatives said, adding she was not attending training sessions regularly. She had returned to her native place in Kathakurichi only yesterday from Chennai where she is studying, they said. She has been shifted to the Thanjavur Government Medical College hospital. She is out of danger and no police case has been registered, hospital sources said.
— PTI
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Asia Cup
Hong Kong, September 5 China also booked a last four berth after registering a 15-0 walloping over lowly Thailand. India and China now have nine points each from three wins but India occupy the top standing in Pool A with better goal difference of two. India had beaten Malaysia 6-0 and Thailand 16-0 before today’s match while China had earlier accounted for Malaysia 7-1 and Singapore 15-0. The two teams locked horns tomorrow to decide who tops the pool. Mamta’s five goals included a hat-trick while in-form striker Surinder Kaur, Jasjeet Kaur and Saba Anjum contributed three each to India’s tally. Ritu Rani and Deepika Thakur sounded the board once each. For tournament favourites China, Tang Chun Ling scored three. Gao Li Hua, Ma Yi Bo and Li Hong Xia contributed two each while Xiang Qian, Hung Jun Xia,Sun Zhen, Zhou Wan Feng, Bao Jing and Chen Qui Qi got one each.
— UNI
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Lahore, September 5 Pooja Ragaave was the star of the second day winning two gold in 400m individual medley and 200m individual medley, clocking 5:27.14 and 2:31.97, respectively. In the 100m breaststroke, Fariha Zaman secured first position. Then the Indian women quartet of Prooja Alva, Kshipra Mahajan, Fariha Zaman and Jessica Bole won gold in 400m-medley relay, clocking 4:49.35. Indian men’s water polo team won the fifth gold outclassing hosts Pakistan 18-4 in the final. Indian swimmers in under-14 section added two more gold with Poorva Shetye and Tazasha Satish winning 100m breaststroke and 50m freestyle.
— UNI
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Korfball meet from Sept 10
Patiala, September 5 Following is the schedule of other championships to be held this year: Netball (men and women) from September 13 to 15 at SD College, Barnala. Trials will be held on September 7. Cross country (men and women) on September 18 on the university campus. Trials for which will be held on September 7. Boxing (men) from September 22 to 24 at Public College, Samana. Trials will be held on September 12. Squash racket (men) on September 23 at Public College, Samana. Trials will be held on September 12. Badminton (men and women) from September 24 to 25 at Government College, Malerkotla. Trials will be on September 12. Gymnastics (men and women) on the university campus. Trials will be held on September 12.
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Dharmani’s ton in vain as rain plays spoilsport
Patiala, September 5 Dharmani's single off the last ball before
lunch turned out to be his last scoring stroke as the rains, which lashed the region, put an end to the hosts’ hopes of forcing an outright
victory. Brief scores
Minor District: 209 all out. Patiala: 1st innings: 242 for 4 (P. Dharmani 100 n o, Ravi Inder Singh 40, Harikrishan Mandora 37, Sarabjit Ladda 25, Rahul Kumar 3 for 57).
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Sharath reigns in N. Korea
New Delhi, September 5 Though the win in an invitational meet would not push him above his current World ranking of 74, nevertheless it will be a huge boost for Sharath as the tournament featured players from seven countries, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore and host North Korea.
— PTI
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Umesh enters last eight India win gold Chris Harris Bosman out
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What a thriller! And again a victory delivered by India’s batsmen. Set an awesome task of scoring 317 to win, India triumphed by two wickets in a nail-biting finish, with two balls to spare.
David Ferrer of Spain sent second seed Rafael Nadal tumbling out of the US Open in a fourth-round tie today, ending his compatriot’s hopes of a third straight Grand Slam final against Roger
Federer.
Chennai, September 5
