The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Indian Cricket League plans big for 2008 Gopal Sharma Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 16 Buoyed by the success of the 17-day Twenty20 tournament that concluded today at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here, Subhash Chandra, chairman, Essel Group, and Kapil Dev, chairman, Executive Board of the ICL, unveiled a slew of ambitious plans for 2008. A triangular tournament, setting up of cricket academies around the country, the increase in the number of teams participating in the tournaments and introduction of a 50-over tournament are among the steps the ICL intends for the next year. The triangular tournament is slated for February-March. “The first team will feature the best domestic talent available with us, the second team will have the best Asians players, while the third will be the Rest of India squad,” Kapil revealed. The next Twenty20 tournament slated for March-April next will feature eight teams. “We are trying to rope in more teams, maybe even 10. We will be happy with that. But as of now, at least eight teams are sure to take part,” he stated. When quizzed why not more teams for the tournament, Kapil Dev replied, “We will be happy with 10 to 12 teams. We are working in that direction. Let us see how it works out.” Asked whether all the matches in the next calendar year will be played at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium here, he remarked “We are in the process of identifying other venues as well.” He, however, declined to reveal any venues, saying that the names will be revealed once they are finalised. Chandra announced the setting up of cricket academies having the features normally not seen in the academies already being run in the country. Talent scouts will be appointed, who will travel throughout the country to spot and bring them to the ICL fold. About the contentious issue of the talented and performing players having a chance to play for the country, Chandra said, “We will spot the talent, groom them by providing every possible facility and coaching and bring the player concerned ahead by way of performance. With the performance being highlighted by the media, his claim will be tough to ignore.” “We don’t have any conflict with the BCCI. It will be up to them (BCCI) to make the deserving boys play for the country. The kind of support we enjoy is overwhelming,” the former legendary all-rounder said. About the entertainment being the theme of the ICL tournament and the various singers and Bollywood personalities being roped in, Kapil replied, “Sports in itself is the biggest entertainer. Bollywood stars and the singers are only the add-ons. We will provide only what people desire and accept,” the 1983 World Cup-winning captain said.
	Atapattu powers Delhi Jets win Akash Ghai Tribune News Service Panchkula, December 16 All credit to Sri Lankan Marvan Atapattu, who with his captain’s knock of 75 not out in 56 balls steered his team to finish third by registering an easy five-wicket win over Kolkata Tigers in the Indian Cricket League’s Twenty20 tournament here today. With the win, the Jets pocketed Rs 1.5 crore while Tigers got Rs 1.25 crore as prize money. With his patient knock, Man of the Match Atapattu has become the highest scorer so far in the first edition of the tourney beating Chandigarh Lions’ Imran Farhat’s 74 runs. Earlier, put into bat first, Kolkata Tigers, playing without of their star players including Darren Maddy and Lance Klusener, managed to put on a meagre 141 for the loss of seven wickets in the allotted overs. Delhi pacer T.P. Sudhindra drew first blood claiming the opener Parviz Aziz on 10. The other opener Deep Dasgupta provided some strength to the innings hitting 28 runs off 25 before being caught by Dhruv Mahajan off Jai Parkash. He hit five boundaries during his innings. Right-handed batsman Rajiv Kumar got out on 23 when his mighty hit found the safe hands of Yadav off Abhinav Bali. Shiv Sagar Singh (33 of 20 balls) and skipper Craig Macmillan (27 off 20) guided the team to reach a respectable total. Chasing the target, Atappatu joined opener Niall O’ Brien after the fall of Monish Mishra (13) in the fifth over, when the scoreboard read 26 for 1. Playing patiently, the captain stayed at the crease to overhaul the target which they reached in 19.1 overs. He was well supported by Syed Abbas Ali who made 25 runs. Eklak Ahmed took two wickets for Tigers. Scoreboard Kolkata Tigers D Dasgupta c Mahajan b Yadav 28 P Aziz c Abbas Ali b Sudhindra 10 AA Jhunjhunwala run out 1 AS Jain b Abid Nabi 0 Rajiv Kumar c Yadav b Bali 23 AH Zaidi b Murtaza 12 S Singh not out 33 CD McMillan run out 27 AN Ahmed not out 3 Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-1, nb-1) 4 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 141 Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-34, 3-38, 4-45, 5-72, 6-80, 7-137 Bowling: TP Sudhindra 4-0-31-1, Abid Nabi 4-0-30-1, A Murtaza 4-0-18-1, Jai P Yadav 4-0-38-1, A Bali 2-0-12-1, D Mahajan 2-0-10-0 Delhi Jets MD Mishra c Aziz b Ahmed 13 MS Atapattu not out 75 NJ O'Brien lbw Eklak Ahmid 14 S Abbas Ali run out 25 Jai P Yadav c Jain b Das 9 DH Yagnik b Eklak Ahmid 5 D Mahajan not out 1 Extras (b-1, w-1, nb-1) 3 Total (5 wkts, 19.1 overs) 145 Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-49, 3-106, 4-122, 5-129 Bowling: AN Ahmed 4-0-23-1, Eklak Ahmid 4-0-31-2, P Das 4-0-30-1, S Singh 2.1-0-22-0, CD McMillan 3-0-24-0, P Aziz 2-0-14-0 Player of the match: MS Atapattu (Delhi Jets).
	2nd Oz-NZ ODI washed out Sydney, December 16 Rain washed out today’s second limited-overs cricket international between Australia and New Zealand at the Sydney Cricket Ground. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat, but the Kiwis got off to a poor start, losing three wickets for just 30 runs before rain stopped play after six overs. Australia’s bowlers took their three wickets in the first three overs. Brett Lee (2-12) had Lou Vincent caught at second slip by Ricky Ponting for a second-ball duck and Jamie How (4) tried to guide a short ball from Nathan Bracken (1-18) through slips and was caught by Matthew Hayden. Lee struck again in his second over when opener Brendon McCullum, who made 96 in Adelaide on Friday, was caught at mid-off for five after failing to pick a slower ball. — AP
	BCCI Meeting No discussion on compensation * Nod for Kirsten, Whatmore * Subsidy for state associations doubled Mumbai, December 16 BCCI continued to drag its heels over compensating chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar for not writing columns as no decision was made on the vexed topic in the board's Working Committee meeting here today. Addressing a press conference after the board's special general meeting and the Working Committee meeting, BCCI treasurer N. Srinivasan said the issue was not discussed and hence the guidelines for the selectors stood in its present form. “The BCCI officials had laid down the guidelines. The board felt if there are any issues, the office-bearers should deal with it,” he said. On the issue of compensating Vengsarkar, Srinivasan said, “No decision was taken about any compensation. At present, the guidelines stand.” The guidelines prevent the selectors from writing columns, prompting Vengsarkar to demand Rs 40 lakh from the board as compensation. Vengsarkar had threatened to quit from the post and it needed intervention from BCCI president Sharad Pawar, who admitted it was a logical demand from the chief selector and assured a solution would soon be worked out. The Working Committee also ratified the appointments of new Team India coach Gary Kirsten and director of the National Cricket Academy Dav Whatmore. The board also decided to double its subsidy for state associations. “We have decided to increase the infrastructure subsidy from Rs 25 crore to Rs 50 crore,” Srinivasan said. Another important decision taken in the board meeting was to allow top two teams in the Ranji Trophy Plate group to compete between themselves before joining Super League teams in the knockout stage. “This was done according to a suggestion from the Technical Committee. Some of the Plate group teams alleged that they did not feel like playing in a tournament like Ranji Trophy and hence the change in format,” the BCCI treasurer said. — PTI
	At least, BCCI recognised my talent: Bali Panchkula, December 16 Delhi all-rounder Abhinav Bali, who was today replaced for BCCI’s annual award for the best under-22 cricketer due to his joining the Indian Cricket League, finds solace in the fact the board at least recognised his talent. The BCCI, at its Working Committee meeting in Mumbai, decided to replace Bali with Bengal batsman Manoj Tewari as the recipient of the M.A. Chidambaram Trophy, which carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000. "I am happy that at least they thought I was worthy of this," Bali, who played for Delhi Jets in ICL's inaugural Twenty20 tournament, told PTI here. "I want to ask the board that will my contribution be undone just because I have joined the ICL, or do they want to punish me because DDCA did not inform the board about my decision to join the league," he said. Bali, who had a very good batting record in the last two seasons, said he was a "victim" of internal politics within the Delhi and District Cricket Association. "I deserve the award and I should not be denied this. I became a victim of internal politics at the DDCA, which blocked my chances to play in the Ranji Trophy. "I have no complaints against BCCI, but they should ask themselves why a budding player like me had to join the ICL," Bali said. The Board has taken a strict stand with players defecting to the ICL, saying they will not be considered for selection in the national team as well as BCCI-affiliated tournaments. — PTI
	Contractor gets Nayudu Award Mumbai, December 16 Former India skipper Nari Contractor, whose Test career was cut short after he suffered a near-fatal skull injury in the West Indies in 1962, was today conferred the Cricket Board's prestigious C.K. Nayudu Award for Lifetime Achievement. Contractor, who lives in Mumbai but played all his domestic cricket for his native Gujarat, received the trophy named after the country's first Test captain from board president Sharad Pawar, along with a citation and a cheque for Rs 15 lakh at the BCCI's annual awards function here. Also felicitated on the occasion were Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and newly appointed Test captain and leg spinner Anil Kumble for their performances. Tendulkar received the Polly Umrigar Award, carrying Rs 5 lakh prize and a trophy for outstanding performance in international matches in the 2006-07 season, as well as a special trophy for reaching personal milestones of 11,000 and 15,000 runs in Tests and ODIs. Dravid received a special trophy for completing 10,000 runs in ODIs while Kumble was feted with another special trophy for being appointed as the captain of the Test team and completing 550 wickets in Tests. Young Karnataka batsman Robin Uthappa and lanky Bengal pacer Ranadeb Bose were the recipients of the Madhavrao Scindia Award, with Rs 1 lakh as cash prize, for scoring the highest number of runs and taking the highest number of wickets respectively in the 2006-07 domestic season. — PTI
	Kumble banking on batsmen in Australia Mumbai, December 16 Gung-ho after the triumph over Pakistan, India captain Anil Kumble today put the onus on the star-studded batting line-up to deliver the goods and notch up a rare series win against formidable Australia. Addressing a press conference on the eve of the team's departure for a four-match Test series, followed by a tri-series Down Under, Kumble expressed hopes that the in-form batsmen, specially the middle order, would put enough runs on the board to give a cushion to the bowlers. "We have people in the middle order with over 30,000 runs and I think we will be able to handle whatever comes our way.” “I have been saying that if we have the runs on the board, our bowlers have the ability to get the wickets," Kumble said. The seasoned leggie also hoped that the senior players, touring Australia for the last time, would stand up and be counted against Ricky Ponting and his men. "For some of the senior players, it's probably their last tour to Australia. It's important we go out there and do well," said Kumble. "It's a tough challenge to play Australia in Australia but we are ready for the challenge. We have the potential and players to win the series in Australia," said ace leg spinner. "We had a very good series against Pakistan. We won the one-day as well as the Test series which is a confidence booster for doing well in Australia," India's highest Test wicket taker proclaimed. "We have quality in the side. We have enough experience of Australian conditions to adjust to them which is a pre-requisite of international cricket. The potential in the side and the players' experience will help," he added. Administrative manager of the team and former opener Chetan Chauhan predicted that just like the team had stopped Australia's magnificent run of 16 successive Test wins in 2001, India would halt the world champions' run of 14 Test victories on the trot this time. "I was the manager when we stopped Australia's run of 16 Test wins. I am manager again and we are going to Australia.” "They have won 14 Tests in a row. We will stop them and create history (by becoming the first Indian squad to win a Test rubber in Australia). That will be our endeavour," he said. Kumble, meanwhile, brushed aside concerns that the team would find it difficult to adjust with only one warm-up tie before the first Test starts on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Kookaburra balls used in Australia. "We have played lot of cricket and have 10 days before the first Test to get adjusted.” "We are all comfortable with using the Kookaburra ball too. We have played with it before and talk about the ball is only in the media and not among us," the ace spinner said. Kumble welcomed the return of Virender Sehwag and said the Delhi opener did not have to be told anything else to boost his confidence after the selectors reposed their faith and included him in the squad. "Viru is a quality player. The very fact he's in the team is a big confidence booster. It gives us an attacking option," he said. Kumble admitted that the squad would miss the bowling of S. Sreesanth and Munaf Patel, who are not in the team because of fitness reasons, but said their absence has given an opportunity for newcomers Ishant Sharma and Pankaj Singh. Kumble also welcomed the dilemma on how to include in-form batsman Yuvraj Singh in the Test eleven. "It's a healthy problem to have. We have to sit down and assess it after looking at the conditions on how to fit in Yuvraj," the Bangalore stalwart explained. On the possibility of facing sledging, he said, "We prefer our cricket to do all the talking and that's our goal.” “We would like to play good and aggressive cricket. If we can do that they we will do well." Australia will be without bowling greats Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne but Kumble said their attack could not be underestimated. "They were not there last time too (did not play the series in 2004) and they are a strong side. But having said that we have the quality, the ability and skills to play them." — PTI
	Narain drives to GP win Zhuhai (China), December 16 Narain Karthikeyan scorched the Zhuhai International Circuit as Team India zipped to its first A1 GP victory by winning the Feature Race here today. Having lost his status as Williams’ test driver after the Formula One team jettisoned him earlier this week, Karthikeyan took the circuit by storm and raced to the chequered flag, surviving a late charge from New Zealand and South Africa. The Indian clocked 1:08:30.759 to finish 0.502 seconds ahead of Kiwi Jonny Reid. India thus became the 14th nation to record a win in A1GP. Karthikeyan said the victory was a morale booster for both him and the team and felt winning the race was always a possibility since he had qualified third. “Being among the top three on the starting grid, we always had a reasonable chance to win the race. In the last three races, we struggled because we could not qualify better.” “Pace was never the problem with me,” the former Formula One driver told PTI. Starting third on the grid, Karthikeyan stepped on the gas on lap 16 when Portugal slipped back, allowing India to trail Switzerland. And by lap 22, the gap between the Swiss and Indian cars had been whittled down to 4.6 seconds. In lap 26, Neel Jani of Team Switzerland developed a problem with the right rear tyre and had to bring the car into the pits, which allowed Karthikeyan to grab the lead. However, there was hardly any moment to relax with Kiwi Jonny Reid breathing down his neck and less than half a second separating them. Hard pressed to maintain his lead, Karthikeyan used all his experience of racing in the top flight and survived the late assault to drive his team to glory. Though Williams replaced him with German Nico Hulkenberg as their new test driver, Karthikeyan insisted his F1 dream was far from over. “F1, well that is still an unfinished business for me and I’ll be back,” he said, refusing to spell out how he planned to be back to the Formula One track. Asked how did it feel to be the first Indian with an A1 GP win under his belt, Karthikeyan said, “I think I have been a trendsetter in motorsports in India and this is yet another first to my credit.” — PTI
	Ngirnyaga wins B’lore marathon Bangalore, December 16 Making his international debut, Ngirnyaga of Kenya won the BSNL Bangalore International Marathon here today. Ngirnyaga completed the full marathon distance of 42.195 kms clocking 2:22.32 secs to win prize money of Rs 1.96 lakh. His compatriot Makaunzioka (2:25.26 secs) finished second in the men's section. Interestingly, Suamutisya, also of Kenya, in his maiden appearance in an international event, finished third clocking 2:31.25 secs. India's Munna Mahli was fifth. In half marathon for women, Kenya's Agnes was the winner after with a timing of 1:11.3 secs, ahead of her compatriot Pauline (1:12.1 secs). India's Kavitha Raut came third with 1:14.1 secs. Home challenge Surender Singh won the half marathon for men. He completed the race in 1:04.5 secs. Habtesellasie of Ethiopia (1:04.6 sec) and Santhosh Kumar of India (1:05.2 secs) bagged the second and third positions respectively. — PTI
	I-League JCT hold Dempo M.S. Unnikrishnan Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 16 JCT and Dempo played it safe to settle for a goalless draw and split points in a crucial sixth-round match of the I-League at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. The drawn soccer match largely suited JCT’s purpose as they could deny Dempo full three points. JCT have now logged 12 points from six matches while Dempo have raised their points tally to 14 to head the table. JCT next meet Sporting Clube de Goa in Margao on December 23. From the outset, it was evident that both teams were not very keen to force a result. They played at a leisurely pace, bordering on boredom in front of a sprinkling of spectators on a sunny day. Though in the latter half of the second session, the contest gathered momentum, neither JCT nor Dempo looked in any tearing hurry to hit the target. JCT felt the absence of their sprightly forward Sunil Chetri, serving a one-match suspension, up front, and so did Dempo without Chidi Edeh in the attack. Yet, both teams forced enough chances to get a goal, but lacked finish. In a match where inspiration was at a premium, JCT’s foreign player Marcos kept the ball on the move to keep the Dempo defence on its toes, for which he was expectedly given the Man of the Match award by Delhi Soccer Association president Subhash Chopra. Otherwise, it was a dull and drab encounter, not befitting the status of the two super teams of the I- League. “Our game plan was that if we could not win, we will not allow Dempo to walk away with three points either, and to that extent, we succeeded in our strategy,” said JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh. He attributed the below par display of Edu Ardo Dasilva as one of the reasons for JCT not getting a goal. Perhaps, JCT would have had a different tale to narrate had they converted an open chance when the game was just three minutes old. Medio Baljit Singh Sahni took a hard shot at the goal, which rebounded off Dempo custodian Satish Kumar. And with the goalkeeper not exactly well-positioned, Baldeep Singh ill-directed the rebound wide of the target. Though Edu was not at his best, he did show his flair to control the ball in the middle and put Marcos down the flank to keep the Dempo defence busy. One such move by him almost beat the custodian, but for the timely clearance by Sameer Naik at the cost of a corner kick. Dempo took quite some time to get warmed up in the cold weather and their first attempt at the JCT goal materialised in the 18th minute when captain Ranty Martins Soleye’s shot, off a Lawrence Climax pass, went slightly wide of the goal. A few minutes later, Martins headed out a Sameer Naik high cross to waste yet another opportunity. Dempo stepped up the pace of the attack on resumption to create pressure on the JCT goal, and after a couple of abortive flag kicks, they almost got one shot in, 11 minutes before full time when Joaquim Abranches despated a powerful left-footer from the right corner of the box, which was blocked by JCT goalie Karanjit Singh in the nick of time. In the rest of the session, both Dempo and JCT seemed to be content at the prospect of a drawn finish. “We did not play for a draw, but we did not play for a loss either,” summed up JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh.
	Pak flavour for Liberals hockey Ravi Dhaliwal Patiala, December 16 One of the oldest hockey tournaments held annually in the region — the All-India Liberals hockey tournament — will have a foreign flavour with two Pakistani outfits confirming their participation in this year’s edition slated to commence at Nabha, near here, from December 23 to 30. The Pakistani teams which have confirmed their participation are Ideal hockey club, Lahore, and Multan hockets, Multan. The organisers got the requisite permission from the Ministry of External Affairs before sending invitations to both clubs to play at Nabha. Last year too, the organisers had invited both clubs and had also included their names in the draw. However, permission was not forthcoming from the Ministry of External Affairs leaving the organisers in the lurch at the eleventh hour. The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has given permission to hold the tournament which incidentally will be coinciding with the Premier Hockey League slated to be held at Chandigarh from December 20. The PHL will surely rob some sheen off the Liberals tourney as a lot of promising players will have to skip the Nabha tournament to fulfill their obligations in the prestigious Chandigarh tourney. The other teams which have confirmed their participation are holders Punjab Police and last year’s runners-up Roomi XI, a scratch Jagraon outfit which created ripples by outsmarting some fancied outfits to reach the final. The other teams which will be seen in action are Western Central Railway, Thapar Academy, Sansarpur, EME, Jalandhar, SRC Ramgarh Cantt, Corps of Signals, Jalandhar, Rock Rovers, Chandigarh, Ropar Hawks, Eastern Railway, Kolkata, RCF, Kapurthala, Air Force, New Delhi, AOC, Secunderabad, Namdhari XI, Punjab and Sind Bank, Jalandhar, PSEB, Patiala, Northern Railway, New Delhi, BSF, Jalandhar, CISF, New Delhi, Centre of Excellence, Patiala, Artillery Centre, Hyderabad, Punjab National Bank, New Delhi, Central Railway, Mumbai, J&K Police and Sports hostel, Lucknow. Meanwhile, the IHF has appointed Gurcharan Dass of Delhi as the tournament director. The IHF has also posted 11 qualified umpires to ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament.
	Punjab Police win title Jalandhar, December 16 Punjab Police defeated Border Security Force 2-0 to win the 56th All-India Police Hockey Championship at the Surjit Hockey Stadium here today. Forward Satwinder Singh converted a penalty corner in the third minute to give Punjab Police an early lead. In the second half, Punjab Police earned another penalty corner and their star player Gagan Ajit Singh shot home to make it 2-0. In another match, Jammu and Kashmir Police pipped Maharashtra Police 4-3 via sudden death. The CRPF team bagged the Fair Play Trophy of the tournament. — PTI
	Rashid Khan wins Faldo Series Asia New Delhi, December 16 Delhi teenager Rashid Khan was crowned Faldo Series Asia champion for 2007 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, following his outstanding show in the tournament. The 16-year-old Delhiite turned in an outstanding six-under 66 on the Faldo Course yesterday for a 54-hole total of 205 to finish five-shot ahead of fellow Indian Rahul Bakshi (63) and Chan Shih Chang of Chinese Taipei. Although Rahul finished second best, his round of 63 was a new course record. Elated with the show, Rashid said, “I am absolutely delighted to win and to do it with Nick Faldo watching is extremely exciting.” “Last night, Nick told us to be positive today and play with a smile on our faces and that is exactly what I did. I have never played so well.” As well as collecting the Faldo Series Asia trophy from Nick Faldo, the youngster also received an invitation to the European grand final of the Faldo Series 2008, valuable R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking points, a place in the Volvo Masters Asia 2008 and a scholarship to stage one of Asian Tour Qualifying School. Faldo himself was impressed with Rashid’s show and said, “I would like to congratulate Rashid on becoming a worthy champion of the Faldo Series Asia 2007. He beat a field here at Mission Hills that contained a lot of impressive players, all of whom I enjoyed watching in action as well as spending time with off the course.” “I hope the competitors have learnt a few things this week about the game and about themselves that will help them in their development as golfers,” the six-time Major winner added. — PTI
	Manchester City beat Bolton, move into top 4 London, December 16 Manchester City maintained their perfect home record this season as they moved into the top four of the Premier League with a 4-2 win against Bolton. City’s ninth league win at Eastlands yesterday saw them leapfrog Liverpool into fourth spot ahead of today’s clashes between the ‘Big Four’ when leaders Arsenal face third-placed Chelsea while Liverpool take on Manchester United. Portsmouth missed the chance to go fourth themselves as Tottenham’s 1-0 win at Fratton Park gave Spurs their first away league victory of the season. At the bottom of the table, Wigan ended a run of 14 matches without a win with a 5-3 victory over Blackburn, Marcus Bent scoring a hat-trick as did Rovers' Roque Santa Cruz. Manchester City went ahead in the seventh minute through Rolando Bianchi before El-Hadji Diouf levelled in the 31st minute. Bolton took the lead when Kevin Nolan turned in Ricardo Gardner’s pull-back. City drew level in the 48th minute when Lubomir Michalik headed into his own net and they were back in front when England forward Darius Vassell scored in the 77th minute. Kelvin Etuhu's last-minute goal sealed City's victory. Wigan were 2-0 up inside 13 minutes at the JJB stadium through Denny Landzaat and Bent. Blackburn missed a chance to pull a goal back when South Africa forward Benni McCarthy’s penalty was turned round the post by Chris Kirkland. Shortly before half-time Austria striker Paul Scharner headed in to make it 3-0 before Rovers, who had Brett Emerton sent off, hit back through Santa Cruz on the stroke of half-time. The Paraguayan scored a second to make it 3-2 five minutes after the break and made it 3-3 just after the hour mark. Bent put Wigan back in front in the 66th minute and made it 5-3 nine minutes from time as his team went six points clear of Derby but still stayed in the bottom three. Aiyegbeni Yakubu, who scored Everton’s winner in the League Cup quarter-final at Upton Park, returned to haunt West Ham again with a goal on the stroke of half-time. Andy Johnson scored on the counter-attack in the 90th minute to make it 2-0 to Everton. Portsmouth’s three previous home league matches had ended in goalless draws but Spurs's Dimitar Berbatov ended that sequence when he turned in an 81st minute cross from Aaron Lennon. —AFP
	Mohun Bagan draw with Churchill Bros Margao, December 16 Mohun Bagan survived some anxious moments in the second half to hold Churchill Brothers to a 2-2 draw in the sixth round of the ongoing ONCG I-League football championship at Nehru Stadium here today. After a barren first half, Bagan took the lead in the 47th minute through Dharamjit Singh, but Odafe Okolie of Churchill Brothers netted the equaliser in the 66th minute. Bhaichung Bhutia then put the Bengal outfit in lead in the 70th minute, but the Goa team hit back one minute later restoring parity through Man of the Match Mboye Iyomi. The draw takes Churchill to 10 points from six matches, while Bagan collected five points from as many outings. Both teams played attacking games but could not penetrate deep into the rival's danger zone as their moves fizzled out with their defences giving nothing away in the first half. Bagan, who made four changes, raised their game today after their defeat against Dempo Sports Club. Douglas, who has failed to shine in the ongoing championship, was replaced with defender Peter Odafe, who did a fine job in policing danger man Okolie. Bagan, who looked more dominant, had a clear chance to forge ahead in the 25th minute but Bhutia, who was inside the box, ended up hitting a weak header which was collected by keeper Vinay Singh. Churchill Brothers had more scoring chances towards the end of the first half but Mboyo Iyomi and Okolie headed the ball out. Bagan were reduced to 10 men in the early part of the second half after Maldives referee Ahmed Ameez sent N Mohanraj out after he received his second yellow card for rough tackling of Okolie. Bagan were forced to play a defensive game, but their defenders did a good job in keeping the Churchill Brothers strikers at bay until Okolie found the equaliser in the 67th minute off a cross pass from Reisangmi Vashu. The match came alive when Bagan took the lead again in the 71st minute via Bhutia. But their joy was short lived as Iyomi scored the equaliser in the 71th minute off a pass from Odafe. — PTI