The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

WC qualifier
India go down to Lebanon

New Delhi, October 9
India squandered a 1-0 lead to suffer a 1-4 defeat at the hands of Lebanon in their away leg World Cup qualifier at Saida.

The Nehru Cup champions took the lead at the half-hour mark through Sunil Chhetri, but could not hold on to the advantage.

Bob Houghton's charges now have a mountain to climb in the home leg in Chennai on October 28, if they want to have any chance of progressing to the second round of the competition. They need at least a 3-0 victory to go through.

Al Nejmeh sharpshooter Mohamad Ghaddar, who was instrumental in the defeat of Mahindra United in the AFC Cup quarterfinals last month, again spelt trouble for the Indians by scoring a brace. Roda Antar (35th) and Mahmoud El Ali (62nd) got the other two goals for the hosts last night.

The result would be all the more disappointing for India as the teams were very close on the FIFA rankings with Lebanon just a notch above India at 144th. Moreover, the euphoria generated by the Nehru Cup win at home had raised expectations.

The home team started on the offensive but it was the Indians who went ahead in the 30th minute thanks to a defensive lapse which allowed Chhetri to tap the ball home.

But that was the only joy for the Bhaichung Bhutia-led side as the Lebanese hit back hard.

The lead lasted only five minutes as Antar equalised when he received a pass from the right of the penalty area and beat custodian Subrata Paul to find the top corner.

Nevertheless, the team were level at half-time and a similar result after 90 minutes would not have disappointed India as Houghton had said before the match that a draw away from home would be a good outcome.

But the home team came out all guns blazing in the second period and put the Indians under pressure.

They launched successive raids on the visitors' penalty area and India were forced to rely on the rare counter-attacks.

Lebanon missed some chances in front of the goal but two goals in as many minutes just after the hour mark effectively decided the game in their favour.

Ghaddar headed a Abbas Ali Atwi corner to the roof of the net. The third goal came when El Ali latched on to a through ball from Antar and broke the off-side trap to find the target.

The hosts were not satisfied with a 3-1 lead and Ghaddar compounded India's agony when he headed home an Antar centre to get his second of the night. — PTI

Rest of India champs

Rajkot, October 9
Paceman Munaf Patel's devastating five-wicket haul propelled Rest of India to a nine-wicket win over Ranji champions Mumbai on the penultimate day of their Irani Trophy encounter here today.

Chasing a small target of 88 runs to win, Rest of India took just 18.5 overs to achieve the target even before the lunch break with a day and more than two sessions to spare.

Earlier, resuming at 98 for six, Mumbai's remaining batsmen caved in against the fiery spells of Munaf and Ishant Sharma and the team was bundled out for just 106.

Munaf, who was struggling to get his rhythm in first innings, came back with a vengeance in the second essay to finish with five for 25.

Opener Wasim Jaffer misread Munaf's swing to be bowled while Iqbal Abdullah, Omkar Guruv and Rajesh Verma could not open accounts. Ishant took three wickets giving away 31 runs.

Mumbai had conceded a first inning lead of 19 runs.

Rest of India achieved the target by losing only Aakash Chopra (7).

Parthiv Patel was unbeaten on 60 off just 49 balls with 10 fours. — PTI

Scoreboard

Mumbai (1st innings): 453

Rest of India (1st innings): 472

Mumbai (2nd innings):

Sahil Kukreja run out 14

Ajinkya Rahane c Chopra b Sharma 27

Wasim Jaffer b M Patel 25

Amol Mazumdar c Chopra b Bose 4

Prashant Naik lbw b M Patel 13

Abhishek Nair c Chopra b M Patel 8

Ramesh Powar b M Patel 0

Ajit Agarkar not out 11

Iqbal Abdullah c Mishra b Sharma 0

Omkar Guruv c P Patel b Sharma 0

Rajesh Verma c P Patel b M Patel 0

Extras (lb-1, nb-3) 4

Total (all out in 33.3 overs) 106

Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-43, 3-50, 4-74, 5-82, 6-82, 7-103, 8-104, 9-105, 10-106

Bowling: Ranadeb Bose 11-1-42-1, Ishant Sharma 11-3-31-3, Amit Mishra 4-2-7-0, Munaf Patel 7.3-2-25-5.

Rest of India (2nd innings):

Aakash Chopra st Guruv b Abdullah 7

Parthiv Patel not out 60

Mohd Kaif not out 22

Extras (lb-1, nb-1) 2

Total (for 1 wicket in 18.5 overs) 91

Fall of wicket: 1-39

Bowling: Ajit Agarkar 3.5-0-31-0, Rajesh Verma 3-0-29-0, Abhishek Nair 6-1-11-0, Iqbal Abdullah 6-0-19-1. — PTI

	Has Dhoni found the clue? Vadodara, October 9 India's eight-run victory over Australia in the fourth one-day international at Chandigarh might just have given them a whiff of an idea on how to stop the juggernaut from rolling on and on. There were quite a few nuggets of crucial importance delivered by the Indian team, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, during the victory that came after an agonising wait of three years and eight months. Among the most important points to ponder was the trouble the double-edged spin combination of Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik posed to the visiting team's strong batting line-up. Left-arm spinner Kartik's bolt-from-the-blue recall after a gap of 20 months at the insistence of Dhoni seems to be a true brainwave as the two spinners complement each other extremely well as was shown in clear terms at Chandigarh. It was this duo, once kicked out of the National Cricket Academy by then head Hanumant Singh for not obeying the rules, which plotted Australia's downfall in a low-scoring Mumbai Test in 2005 which ended in only three days with a 13-run victory for the hosts. The visitors needed only 107 in the fourth innings to win the match for a 3-0 scoreline. Dhoni seems to have remembered that performance by Kartik when he asked for the 31-year-old India discard to be roped into the team in place of Ramesh Powar after the defeat at Hyderabad which put India 0-2 down. Once again Kartik made things difficult for the right-handed batsmen though he also got the crucial wicket of Matthew Hayden at the Sector 16 Stadium. Australian skipper Ricky Ponting also acknowledged the difference made by Kartik in the Indian bowling attack. "With Kartik bowling and the ball spinning away from the right-handers, it was pretty hard to score boundaries. I spoke to (Brad) Hodge later and he said he thought Kartik bowled very well. You have to give credit where credit's due," Ponting said after his team's first loss to India in an ODI since January 2004. However, the Indian team management knows that only one battle has been won against an all-conquering force and the war is yet to be clinched with three matches left in the series - the next being at the Reliance Stadium on Thursday. Kartik, more than anyone else, also knows that it is his lack of consistency that cost him his place in the squad and would also have the knowledge that the Australians would come back strongly at him. Australia's back-to-back ODI record against India is also imposing. The last time the Aussies lost to India two ODIs in succession was back to the 2000-01 season with India clinching the first by 20 runs on October 7 in the ICC Champions Trophy at Nairobi followed by the second one five months later at Bangalore by 60 runs. The Indians have brought renewed interest into what looked at one time a one-way street. A capacity crowd of 20,000 expected at the stadium would egg them on to continue the counter-attack and level the series at a venue where India won their last outing against the West Indies in January. — PTI
	Late strikes leave Pak struggling Lahore, October 9 Pakistan struggled to 140 for four in reply to South Africa's 357 all out at the close on day two of the second Test at the Gaddafi stadium today. Inzamam-ul-Haq, 37, appearing in his 120th and final Test, was unbeaten on 10 alongside Misbah-ul-Haq (10) after Pakistan lost four wickets in the final session despite a confident opening stand of 90 by Salman Butt (40) and Kamran Akmal (52). Left-arm spinner Paul Harris took two wickets and pacemen Andre Nel and Dale Steyn took one each to rock Pakistan, who lost four wickets in the space of 33 runs. Inzamam got a warm ovation from a crowd of around 5,000 and a guard of honour from the South African team as he walked into bat at the same venue where he made his debut 17-years ago. Butt and Akmal brought up the fifty in 7.5 overs but the visiting bowlers gained control after Harris had Butt caught round the corner by Graeme Smith as the batsman top edged a sweep shot. — Reuters Scoreboard South Africa (first innings) Gibbs c Misbah b Gul 13 G Smith b Kaneria 46 Amla b Asif 10 Kallis lbw Kaneria 59 Prince b Rehman 63 AB de Villiers run out 45 Boucher c Rehman b Kaneria 54 Nel c Misbah b Gul 0 P Harris c Malik b Gul 46 Steyn b Kaneria 0 Ntini not out 0 Extras (lb-2, w-7, nb-7, 5 penalty runs) 21 Total (all out, 125.1 overs) 357 Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-47, 3-100, 4-160, 5-243, 6-259, 7-259, 8-347, 9-350 Bowling: Asif 34-9-83-1, Umar Gul 29-4-103-3, Danish Kaneria 43.1-5-114-4, Abdul Rehman 14-5-30-1, Shoaib Malik 5-0-20-0 Pakistan (first innings) Butt c Smith b Harris 40 Kamran Akmal c Smith b Harris 52 Younis Khan b Nel 3 Yousuf lbw Steyn 25 Inzamam-ul-Haq not out 10 Misbah-ul-Haq not out 10 Total (4 wkts, 37 overs) 140 Fall of wickets: 1-90, 2-93, 3-99, 4-123 Bowling: Ntini 5-0-36-0, Dale Steyn 8-1-48-1, Andre Nel 10-3-23-1, Paul Harris 14-4-33-2
	Smith, Yousuf, Vettori join IPL Yousuf surprise inclusion New Delhi, October 9 The Indian Premier League (IPL), the BCCI's ambitious cash-rich venture, today announced the signing of 11 more international cricketers to play in the inaugural Twenty20 championship in April next year. Building on its repertoire of hiring some of the best international cricketing talent to play in the IPL, the League has signed up the likes of current South African captain Graeme Smith and New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. South African opening batsman Herschelle Gibbs, Pakistani middle order batsman Mohammed Yousuf, West Indian batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Sri Lankan paceman Chaminda Vaas were among those who joined the high-profile league, seen as a counter to Subhash Chandra-owned Essel Group's Indian Cricket League (ICL). Former Australian opener Justin Langer, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince and Albie Morkel of South Africa and Scott Styris from New Zealand have also inked the IPL contracts for the inaugural season. The signing of these eleven key players takes the total signing of international cricketers to play in the inaugural season to 22. Earlier the IPL had already announced the participation of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath of Australia, former Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming and eight Sri Lankan players from the current team, including their skipper Mahela Jayawardene and opener Sanath Jayasuriya. Interestingly, Yousuf had earlier signed the contract for the rebel ICL which has not been recognised by the International Cricket Council and its member Boards. The prolific Pakistani batsman changed his mind after a meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf which made him eligible to play for Pakistan again. Chairman and Commissioner of IPL, Lalit Modi said: "We had made a promise to the cricket loving masses of India for some truly international class high-octane action through the Twenty20 format in the IPL". "It is in line with this promise and philosophy that we have signed some of the best cricketing talent on display internationally, including over five players who have captained their respective countries. We are in talks with some very promising talent and should shortly be making some further announcements" said Modi, who is also a BCCI vice-president. — PTI
	Cricket promoting vice: PMK chief Arup Chanda/TNS Chennai, October 9 Despite yesterday’s victory of the Indian cricket team over ODI world champions Australia, Pattali Makkal Kacthi (PMK) chief Dr. S. Ramadoss feels cricket is inculcating vices among the youth of the country and the national game of hockey should be promoted instead of the game of willows. “Rudderless youth worship actors and cricket stars and fall prey to drug addiction, smoking and alcoholism,” the moral police of Tamil Nadu and a severe critic of present day Tamil cinema, said while releasing his party’s policy document for youth development: “Rejuvenating Tamil Nadu’s Youth- An Approach”. “Out national game is hockey. But who cares?” the firebrand leader lamented to say that he was ready to launch a campaign against the euphoria over cricket but yet to receive any support for it. PMK leader, whose party has two Union Ministers, including his son Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, said , “If the youth have no love for language, rich culture and tradition, both cinema and cricket must be blamed.”
	Vengsarkar, Rajput’s comments irk Shah Rajkot, October 9 The BCCI has taken exception to selection committee Chairman Dilip Vengsarkar and Indian team manager Lalchand Rajput's statements to media over senior players' performance. "If selectors are not happy with the performance of seniors, then selection committee can drop then. But they should not go to media to discuss the matter," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said here today. The Board has asked Vengsarkar and Rajput not to speak to media about such matters in future, Shah said. "I have personally discussed the matter with Vengsarkar and Rajput and cautioned them not to speak openly against any players of the team," Shah said. "Vengsarkar is chairman of selection committee and he should talk to concerned players and discuss the matter with them. It is not proper to criticise players openly," he said. Vengsarkar had recently said that senior players will have to perform if they want to stay in team, while Rajput responded by saying that he should not have made such comments in the middle of a series. — PTI
	Cricket tourney at Chamba Our Correspondent Chamba, October 9 The 2nd Raj Kumar Brijendra Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament was inaugurated by Mrs. Asha Kumari, former education minister and a sitting MLA of Banikhet who was the chief guest. She declared the cricket tourney open, which was followed by bursting crackers and flying balloons. In the morning, Mrs. Asha Kumari was received at police ground by the members of Raj Kumari Brijendra Singh Cricket Club along with senior citizens of the town. Since the space in the main historic Chowgan is less, all the matches would be played in police ground. Rajeev Sehgal, secretary of the club, read out the detailed report of the tournament. Addressing the gathering, Asha Kumari disclosed that former captain Nawab Pataudi would be the chief guest and Anurag Thakur, president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), would be the guest of honour on the occasion of closing ceremony on November 7. She also disclosed that this year the prize money would be Rs 31,000 for the winner and Rs 20,000 for the runners-up team. She also said that next year, two good teams would be invited from outside Chamba for playing friendly cricket match during this annual sports event. The girl students of local DAV and Bharatiya Public School performed Chamba dances.
	Chamba seniors defeat Mandi Our Correspondent Chamba, October 9 The Chamba Senior Citizens Cricket team was given rousing reception by the people of Chamba at the local Lakshman Club on their triumph over the senior citizens cricket team of Mandi. The Chamba senior team was led by Major S.C. Nayyar. The match was played in Paddal ground at Mandi. T. L. Vaidya, captain of Mandi team, won the toss and elected to bat. Mandi team scored 101 runs for 6 wickets in 25 overs. S. Puri scored 18 and N. K. Kapoor scored 28 runs. From Chamba side, Puran Singh got 3 wickets. Jai Raj Nayyar got 2 wickets. In reply, Chamba team reached the target of 102 by losing only 3 wickets. Narinder Puri scored 58 runs without giving any chance. Hari Ram Puri 13 and Jai Raj Nayyar 15 runs. Narinder Puri was declared as the best batsman and also the ‘man of the match’. Puran Singh from Chamba got best bowler prize and S. Puri from Mandi got prize as best fielder.
	Jeev determined to make his mark M.S. Unnikrishnan New Delhi, October 9 Jeev Milkha Singh is happy to be back at the greens of the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) course where he had chiselled his game as a 13-year-old and played many games as an amateur and professional. But this time around, he has come to play at the DGC course after a gap of over four years and he is determined to make his mark in the Hero Honda Indian Open Championship to be played from October 11 to 14. Jeev said the DGC had undergone much change, with new equipment and infrastructure in place, and he hoped to revel on the course which was in "excellent condition". "I am playing well, but not up to the expected level," he said at a media interaction here today. Jeev had a roaring Pro Tour in Europe and the US last year, but has not been able to replicate that feat this year. He was glad that he was back in Delhi for the Indian Open, which, he said, would be a "very good warm up" for the Masters event to be played here in February next year. Jeev said it was fantastic for the game of golf that two mega events would played at the DGC in the span of five months and more events have been lined up for India in the coming year. He said due to his "other commitments", he had to give a miss to the Indian Open for the past few years. "But in future, I would play more often in India," he stated. Jeev said though he would strive for his best to win the Indian Open title to add that one major Indian trophy missing from his collection. He conceded that the going would be tough. He said defending champion Jyoti Randhawa and Gaurav Ghei were in fine nick and would offer stiff challenge. He said the young brigade from India would offer an exciting test, and he was looking forward to competing with this bunch. He said that the young players from Thailand and some masters from around the world would offer a bigger challenge in the championship. Referring to his hectic and non-stop golfing schedule, Jeev said he enjoyed playing the game and would maintain the same pace so long as he continued to enjoy the game. "Friends have advised me to slow down, but I have no plans to slow down," he said. The ace golfer from Chandigarh said playing in the US Tour was a new experience as "it pushed me into the right direction". "A player is never satisfied. You have to push yourself", he explained the reasons for pushing himself hard, particularly in the tough courses of Europe where the weather was really testing to play on. He felt that he did well in the major championships and the first year on the Tour was a "great learning experience for me". He said his motto was "never stop trying, never give up", and he would continue to shift the goal-post and set new targets "so long as I am in the game", though he prefers to take a balanced approach on the Tour.
	Boxing champs wait for rewards Rudrapur (Uttarakhand), October 9 India's world champion women boxers are wondering what they might have to do to make an indifferent nation wake up to their accomplishments. It has been close to a year since M.C. Mary Kom (46 kg), L. Sarita Devi (52.kg) and Lekha K.C. (75 kg) won gold medals at the fourth World Championship last year, beating competitors from 32 countries. N. Usha (60 kg) claimed a silver while Chotto Laura (50 kg) was one of the bronze medallists at the event but these women are still waiting for the prize money earmarked for international medallists. "Championships come and go but nothing changes. None of the girls and the coaching staff was given what they were promised. It is a sorry situation," chief coach of the national women's boxing team Anoop Singh said. The gold medallists are due to be paid Rs 3 lakh, while the silver and bronze medallists are waiting for their reward of Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1 lakh prize money respectively. "It is unfortunate and disheartening. The girls should have been paid their due. But it is a painfully slow process and it takes a lot of time," Anoop Singh, a Dronacharya awardee, rued. The boxers themselves have learnt to live with the indifference. Chotto, who is also the reigning national champion, said she does not expect the money to reach her anytime soon but "they will have to pay someday, maybe a little late." The Haryana-girl, who survived a life-threatening accident which caused severe damage to her right leg to carve a successful career in the ring, however, remains optimistic about the grim situation outside. "We have earned it (the money) through a lot of hard work and I am sure we will get our due," she says with a wry smile. Mary Kom, who has a record hat-trick of world titles to her credit, is busy raising a family in Manipur and only recently got her dues for winning the world title in 2005. — PTI
	Karthikeyan in touch with Spyker Chennai, October 9 Narain Karthikeyan might be out of the Formula One action for the past two seasons, but with hectic activity taking place in the country's F1 scene, his hopes for a comeback to the hallowed racing track have been rekindled. Karthikeyan, who is the test driver for Williams, is already speaking to teams to grab a race driver's slot and Vijay Mallya's Spyker is at the top of his chart. "I am in talks with a few teams for the new season and Spyker definitely is one among those. So far, I have received positive feedback from the teams I have spoken to and am hoping for the best," Karthikeyan said. The Coimbatore lad is racing for Team India in the A1 Grand Prix while his contract with the Williams is till the end of this season. But Karthikeyan's eyes are firmly fixed on the new F1 season. "I have gained enough experience and have learnt a lot with my stint in Williams and Jordan. This is surely going to help my case," he says. With India strongly pitching in for the F1 race in 2010, Karthikeyan is nurturing hopes of driving in front of the home crowd. "Things are going at a good pace and F1 coming to India will be a great opportunity for everybody," he says. While things are looking bright for Kathikeyan, he has another reason to be happy. His team NK Racing is blazing in the domestic circuit and has thrown up some exciting prospects for the future. — PTI
	Serena eyeing top spot Washington, October 9 Serena Williams, eight-times grand slam champion, said yesterday that her attitude had changed and she was ready to reclaim the world's number one ranking. “I definitely think I'm ready for it,” said the seventh-ranked American. “I'm ready to dedicate myself. I'm excited by the fact that I have so much motivation.” “That's why I was so upset at the US Open. I'm really motivated now, my whole attitude has changed.” Williams was the world's top player in 2002 when she won three grand slams but a mixture of injury and a lack of focus caused a slide in the rankings. “Definitely injury has a lot to do with it,” Williams told Reuters in a telephone interview from Moscow. “Well, maybe it's a little bit of both, injury and my other interests. But I'm not going to stop doing what I do. I'm stubborn. That's a flaw that I have.” The 26-year-old Williams is involved in a variety of off-court projects, including fashion design and acting. “I definitely do a lot of different things,” she said. “I'm not just a tennis player. I don't want to be one of those girls who doesn't have anything to change into when I'm done with my career. I think it's important to have things to fall back on.” Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the US Open to top-ranked eventual champion Justine Henin last month and said the Belgian hit some “lucky shots” to win 7-6, 6-1. While admitting she was frustrated during the post-match news conference, Williams would not apologise for the remarks. Williams sat out much of the American summer with several nagging injuries and believes the layoff might have affected her play. “I couldn't hit a lot of shots for eight weeks this summer so I think it did ultimately effect my play at the Open. I was happy to even play there. My health is good right now. I've had a lot of injuries in the past so I'm really excited.” Williams won this year's Australian Open, just her second grand slam title since 2003. She is playing in Moscow's Kremlin Cup hoping to gain enough points to qualify for the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour's season-ending championship. With her various fitness problems behind her, Williams said she was ready to return to the top. The long trudge up the ladder is something she has done before, her ranking having tumbled to number 97 at the end of 2006. “If I didn't believe I could be number one again I wouldn't be out here trying,” she said. “Will I? If I dedicate myself and do the work, I will. And I'm ready.” — Reuters
	Kremlin Open: Sania crashes out Moscow, October 9 Sania Mirza flattered to deceive and went down to Gisela Dulko of Argentina 3-6, 4-6 in the first round to crash out of the $ 1,340,000 Kremlin Cup here today. The 29th ranked Indian, who reached the quarter-finals of the Japan Open last week after a brief injury lay-off, had earlier lost to the Argentine in French Open in 2005 and in a Tier III event in Pattaya City in February this year. Sania committed service double faults at crucial points and had to pay the price for it against 40th ranked Dulko, who took 75 minutes to send the Indian packing from the Tier I event. Wins in doubles Sania Mirza and Patty Schnyder of Switzerland beat Vera Dushevina of Russia and Tatiana Perebiyinis of Ukraine 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the second round in the doubles competition. — Agencies
	Marion Jones returns Olympic medals Salvo, North Carolina, October 9 Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones has returned the five medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, a source close to Jones told Reuters. “She apologises to her competitors and hopes the record books will be amended to accurately reflect their achievements,” said the source yesterday, who did not wish to be identified. New York attorney Henry DePippo, who represents Jones along with F. Hill Allen of Raleigh, North Carolina, confirmed in a telephone call that the medals had been returned. Jones won three gold medals and two bronzes at the Games and after years of denial, she admitted in a New York court on Friday that she had taken the steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in preparation for the Games. US Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth then called on Jones to return the medals and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) indicated it would begin a process that could lead her being stripped of the medals. The IOC were unable to verify if the medals had been handed back. “I cannot confirm this,” an IOC official said. “The procedure would be for the medals to be returned to the United States Olympic Committee and then they would come to us.” — Reuters
	Fatehbir 2nd in jr golf meet Donald Banerjee Chandigarh, October 9 Seventeen-year-old Fatehbir Dhaliwal overcame thunder, rain, and lightning to clinch the second spot in the under 19 division of the International Junior Golf Tour on the par-72 greens of the Mystic Dunes at Orlando in Florida yesterday. This Chandigarh boy who is undergoing training at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy, Floriada, finished five strokes behind Patrick Winther from Denmark, who is ranked 18th in the USA. Fatehbir played a one-over card on the opening day. But could manage only a three-over on the second day on the tough Mystic Dunes course. The Danish teenager played a par game on the opening day and improved it to a one-under on the second day. The conditions were really bad throughout the tournament due to the rain and also a few lightning warnings so there were a lot of delays. Mytic dunes is ranked one of the toughest golf courses in Florida.
	Punjab Rural Games begin today Hoshiarpur, October 9 As many as 1,900 players from different districts of Punjab will compete in the Punjab State Rural Games for boys under-16, which will commence tomorrow at the Open Stadium here. Punjab sports director Pargat Singh said here today that the Games would provide an opportunity for rural youth to compete at the block, district, state and national levels. The sports director said since rural areas lack sports infrastructure as compared to the urban areas, these games would enthuse interest in the rural sports talent. Disciplines in the Games include athletics, archery, football, hockey, kabaddi, kho-kho, tug of war, volleyball, wrestling and weightlifting. During the Games, a Punjab contingent will be finalised which will compete in the forthcoming All-India Rural Games. — UNI
	Mandi win hockey title Our Correspondent Kullu, October 9 Mandi won the State Hockey (seniors) Championship by defeating Bilaspur 1-0 today. As many as 14 teams from the state participated in the meet. K.P.S. Gill, president, Indian Hockey Association and Himachal Pradesh Hockey Association, was the chief guest at the valedictory function today. The standard of Indian hockey during the past ten years had gone up, observed Gill while talking to a TV channel here today. He added that Rs 10 lakh for Himachal Pradesh has been allocated to install astroturf in the state.