The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Oz media rues end of golden run

Perth, January 20
"Indians break streak again", "Golden run ends at hands of swinger kings" -- ran the headlines in today's Australian newspapers after India's shock win over the home side in the Perth Test yesterday.

'The Daily Telegraph' doffed its hat at the Indians, while ruing the end of Australia's golden run. It said the Perth defeat was a hint that Australia couldn't take its pole position for granted.

"Welcome to the future, Australian cricket fans. Welcome to a world where your team will remain among the best sides in the world but will have to work like drover's dogs to subdue their closest rivals, particularly away from home," it said.

"We have seen the end of a golden era and will have to get used to the occasional silver and bronze medal against teams ready to answer our best sledges.

"The fortress was attacked in Sydney and the barricades finally fell in Perth," the report read.

"The most challenging era of Ricky Ponting's captaincy starts this morning," it said, adding the team was yet to fill the void created by the retirement of a bunch of star players.

"The post Warne-McGrath adjustment that had to happen has finally kicked in. We have learned that Phil Jaques is not Justin Langer, that Shaun Tait is not yet Jason Gillespie, that Shane Warne is irreplaceable and that if you take Matthew Hayden out of the team it hurts everywhere."

The daily heaped praise on Kumble and his team. "Even as Australia despairs, world cricket is rejoicing at the discovery of a team who not only do not fear Australia but actually fancy their chances against them.

"No praise is high enough for an India side whose entire pace attack is younger than Tait," the newspaper said.

"Australia is being threatened by a new breed of Indian, whose confidence was embodied by a gesture from young quick Irfan Pathan yesterday, when he held his hand up to his ear to the crowd after taking the ninth wicket," the report added.

'The Age' shared the sentiment and sensed a hint of decline for the hosts in the defeat.

"Australia's winning streak has been stopped, and its invincibility - and that of its skipper - a bit shaken," it said.

"Suddenly, Ricky Ponting's Midas touch has become a thick outside edge. Suddenly, he has become a little susceptible in all his cricketing endeavours. Suddenly, the game has become to him as Ishant Sharma was yesterday, unexpectedly vexatious and in the end, too much," it said.

"Somehow, three Indian quicks who are all younger than Australia's youngest and had never set foot in Perth previously, exploited the local conditions better than the Australians. This as much as the result will exercise Australian minds; it hints at decline," the report said.

A nostalgic 'Sydney Morning Herald' recalled how at the same WACA ground, he hosts had reclaimed the Ashes last summer.

"A golden run has ended. For the second time, India halted an Australian Test winning sequence at 16 games. While superior batting proved the key in Kolkata in 2001, it was the Indians' mastery of swing bowling that proved the major difference in Perth..." it rued.

India's financial clout

However, there was a section of media which struggled to digest the defeat and reacted with dented pride and hurt ego as it sought to pick holes in the visitors' emphatic win.

Stung after Anil Kumble and his comrades-in-arms halted the Australian juggernaut, denying them a record 17th straight Tests win, a newspaper blamed the defeat to India's financial clout and the game's "weak-kneed" governing body.

"India's stunning performance in the third Test at the WACA should be dedicated to a lot more than the 11 players out on the field," a whining report in the 'Courier Mail' said.

"They should share their pay cheques with their bullying officials back home, the weak-kneed administrators at the International Cricket Council and certain members of the media who have taken every opportunity to put the knife into the Aussies since this series began," Mike Colman wrote in the daily.

The barrage of criticism after the acrimonious Sydney Test had forced Ricky Ponting and his teammates to discard their ruthlessness and the rather civilised approach to the game never really worked for them, he said.

"Remember that scene in one of the Rocky movies where Rocky's trainer tells him he's no longer feared by his opponents? 'Kid,' he says, 'the worst thing that could happen to a fighter happened to you. You got civilised.'"

"In the space of a week the Australians got civilised...So instead of a confident, arrogant, winning team, we get a nice, civilised one. Maybe a losing one," it rued.

"The way the ICC backed down to financial clout of the Indian heavies, the way the Australian authorities panicked over the effect of bad publicity on sponsorship dollars and success of the anti-Ponting campaign stirred up by a former England B captain who now calls Australia home, all combined to back the team into a corner," the 'Courier Mail' said. — PTI

India won against all odds
Ashis Ray

The series score may indicate Australia are leading 2-1, but morally it’s just the other way around. India lost the first Test fair and square - thanks to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) criminally agreeing to just one warm-up game before this engagement - but the result in the second could have been quite the opposite, if umpiring errors had not played such a pivotal part in the proceedings.

How could the BCCI have been exposed to the world champions on the basis of just one fixture? And isn’t there such a thing as nature, which can disrupt the best-laid plans? Asked if he regretted that the BCCI did not arrange additional matches prior to the Melbourne Test, captain Anil Kumble politely replied: “It would have been nice.”

Trampled upon by the umpiring, one of their team-mates humiliated by a kangaroo court - indeed, consequently, reluctant to carry on with the tour unless this was withdrawn - the Indians not only fought back, but avenged the injury and insult heaped on them at Sydney by silencing Australia on the field.

South African Gary Kirsten, the would-be Indian coach, joined the tourists here as a consultant. It is doubtful if he could have contributed anything substantial in the limited period he interacted with the players. Therefore, the stirring success is a feather in the cap of the unit that has been associated with the side for so long.

What has Lalchand Rajput done wrong, one wonders, to deserve the boot? During his tenure, India have won the Twenty20 World Cup, beaten Pakistan in both one-dayers and Tests and now conquered Australia at a venue where they were considered to be unbeatable.

Perhaps, as a result of the excessive cricket the Indians are called upon to play - another example of the uncaring attitude of the BCCI - Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan have fallen prey to injuries. And Munaf Patel has had fitness issues, as well. In effect, India were compelled to collide with the might of Australia with an inexperienced Ishant Sharma and Irfan Pathan, who had been out of Test cricket for a considerable while.

It is to bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad’s credit that he has produced a viable pace attack for three important Test series - versus England, Pakistan and Australia. To dismiss Australia on a second-day wicket for 212 was exemplary - this is primarily where the hosts lost the match. But at least, Prasad had the ingredients to work with, such as inherent talents of Ishant and Pathan.

Fielding coach Robin Singh, in contrast, has been bereft of raw material. He, however, chipped away patiently and the results are beginning to show. In recent years, India have been decent close catchers, but poor in the outfield. At times, the ground fielding at Perth looked razor sharp.

It is still unfathomable how India could have lifted themselves after the disaster at Sydney and on a pitch like the one at the WACA. Kumble insisted he was “confident India would come back”. He must have had a magic potion to inspire his colleagues!

Australia have been vulnerable in bowling since the retirements of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Stuart Clark has been restrictive rather than worrying; Mitchell Johnson has struggled to swing the red ball; Shaun Tait has been a shadow of the hype surrounding him; while Brad Hogg is not even a Stuart MacGill, let alone a Warne. The WACA Test established how vital Mathew Hayden’s presence is to the batting.

For over a decade, the Australians reaped a rich harvest because of their ability, their confident body language and the consequent mental disintegration of their opponents. Only the Indians have stood up to them in this decade, winning five of the 14 meetings between them to Australia’s six.

So, it’s all to play for at the Adelaide Oval. The good news is, India’s over-worked bowlers were given the bonus of an extra day’s rest after the Australians surrendered in four days. But it would be a serious mistake to underestimate the determination of the home side, who are likely to have Hayden back in their XI. Also, if Tait plays, he could well be more penetrative on his home ground.

It’s been one hell of a ride: Clarke

Melbourne, January 20
Australia's captain-in-waiting Michael Clarke today said the world champions went through an excruciating emotional roller-coaster in the past couple of weeks as they battled an image crisis and saw their 16-Test winning streak halted by a resolute Indian side.

"It's been a hell of a ride. I don't think many players have experienced what we've experienced," Clarke was quoted as saying in 'The Courier Mail, as he reflected on a tumultuous couple of weeks for the Aussies.

The Australians lost by 72 runs in the third Test of the ongoing series against India after winning the first two matches in Melbourne and Sydney.

The Sydney win was, however, marred by poor umpiring and was followed by a bitter racism row which saw Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh banned for three Tests and an appeal is pending on the matter.

The Australians were castigated for their alleged lack of sportsmanship. Clarke said his skipper Ricky Ponting's stout leadership helped the team get over the barrage of criticism.

"Every captain gets their chance on the field to show what great leaders they are, but the amount of work Ricky has done off the field in the last few days when the rest of us go away and turn the phone off and have some time to ourselves, it's full credit to him," he said.

Clarke said not many can understand what his team went through as it struggled to cop with the disturbing situation.

"I know, I have copped it ... you don't know how you will handle that sort of stuff until you are in the chair," Clarke, whose own image took a beating after he claimed a contentious catch of Sourav Ganguly in Sydney, said.

The right-hander found support in former Australian players with ex-skipper Steve waugh saying no matter what was said about the right-hander, he remained a worthy successor to Ponting. — PTI

Ganguly’s omission stumps team

Perth, January 20
As news filtered in about Sourav Ganguly’s omission from the one-day squad for the forthcoming triangular series, the mood in the Indian camp today turned somber with the team wondering what destiny had in store for one of the greatest one-day cricketers in the world.

Ganguly staged one of the most dramatic comebacks last year by returning to the team after 16 months in the wilderness.

The pugnacious left-hander did not stop at that and has been the team’s second most consistent one-day batsman with 1,240 runs from 32 matches with no less than 12 fifties.

His overall career average of 41.02 is better than when he was left out in September 2005.

Only Sachin Tendulkar, with 1425 runs from 33 games, has done better than him.

The issue among cricketers is not only the omission of Ganguly but also the manner in which selectors have chosen to go about it.

Ganguly deserved to be forewarned about his fate for a graceful exit if that is how the selectors were planning the future.

His stature and form deserved this decency. As cricketers filtered in and out of each other’s rooms, the two selectors present in Australia, Ranjib Biswal and Venkatapathy Raju, locked themselves in their rooms.

As evening descended, Ganguly chose to tear himself away from the crowd and take a quiet walk towards the Swan river which flows behind the hotel.

His steps weary and his eyes dazed, one of India’s most valiant cricketers had just been dealt a blow he did not deserve.

However, a few hours before the team announcement, he was cheerful as he celebrated the triumph at WACA and proclaimed that Indians were playing the Australians better than any other side in the world.

“Australia are still the number one team in the world but I think we have a very good side that could be No. 1,” Ganguly had said. “We have a side which has played better against Australia than any other side in the world which is a good sign for us. To be honest we have played better than them (this summer).

“I don’t want to talk about the past but I feel we were very unlucky not to win in Sydney. We were happy to win in Perth and we think we can level the series,” he added.

Ganguly felt Australia were missing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne badly. He also wondered whether the newer set of Australian players were capable of handling pressure. “They are finding out that players can’t go on and play forever. Obviously they have less experience now. Their young players need to step up,” he said. — PTI

‘Indian bowlers best in business’

Perth, January 20
Basking in the glory of the historic win in the third cricket Test against Australia here, a jubilant Indian bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad today declared that the visiting side had the best attack in the world.

"I've always been saying that our bowlers are the best in the business," said Prasad.

"When you've got a good wrist and seam position, obviously the ball swings with the breeze here in Perth."

"Second, they have got the pace as well bowling around 135kmh, sometimes 140kmh, so they can trouble any batsman, any batsman in world cricket today," he told reporters.

On yesterday's 72-run win which has brought the series alive, Prasad said the Indians succeeded as they stuck to the principle of KISS (Keep It Super Simple).

Prasad said India won because they banked on their strengths instead of trying to match Australian bowlers' speed.

"Anil (Kumble) has been stressing all along that we should follow the Indian strength which is to rely on seam and swing. There is no point in trying to be a Brett Lee or Shaun Tait," Prasad told reports today.

"The best thing about Indian bowlers is that their seam and wrist position is always outstanding. It makes my task easier," he added.

Prasad revealed that Australian bowling great Dennis Lillee had advised him before the match "to use the breeze" properly. — PTI

Sharapova, Henin impress

Melbourne, January 20
Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova set up an explosive Australian Open quarterfinal with thumping wins but men’s fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko’s title hopes fizzled out at a drizzly Melbourne Park today.

The Russian was given a 7-6, 6-3, 6-1 thrashing by 14th-seeded compatriot Mikhail Youzhny.

Second seed Rafael Nadal eased into the quarterfinals when Paul-Henri Mathieu retired injured in the second set of their fourth-round match. The Spaniard was leading 6-4, 3-0 when Frenchman Mathieu, who had earlier had treatment on a leg injury, was forced to quit.

David Nalbandian, seeded 10th, was also on the wrong end of a pasting, losing 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 to Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in a third-round match held over from yesterday.

Women’s third seed Jelena Jankovic advanced safely, however, ending the dream run of home hope Casey Dellacqua with a 7-6, 6-1 tennis lesson in the first match of the night session.

World number one Henin breezed past Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei 6-2, 6-2 to book her place in the last eight.

Fifth seed Sharapova sparkled at the Vodafone Arena, pummelling 11th-seeded fellow Russian Elena Dementieva for the loss of just two games (6-2, 6-0).

Champion Serena Williams posted a solid 6-3, 6-4 win over Czech Nicole Vaidisova and next plays Jankovic.

Dellacqua had fuelled the hopes of a nation with her third-round victory over former world number one Amelie Mauresmo but came up short against Jankovic.

Ferrero and Nalbandian took up residence on centre court at 11 am, just 6 ½ hours after the end of Lleyton Hewitt’s epic five-set victory over Marcos Baghdatis. That ended at 4:33 am after four hours, 45 minutes of see-saw action.

Ferrero’s victory could hardly have been more different as he raced past the Argentine in just 104 minutes.

Ferrero next plays compatriot and near-namesake David Ferrer for a place in the quarterfinal. The fifth seed swatted aside American Vince Spadea 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

Davydenko was simply unable to match his compatriot Youzhny at the Vodafone Arena, succumbing in tame fashion.

Youzhny next faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat fellow Frenchman and doubles partner Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3.

“I played well. I was very good in my body. I felt everything good, so that’s the difference, maybe,” Tsonga smiled.

Sania-Bhupathi move up, Paes out

Sania Mirza kept her doubles campaign afloat, but fifth seeds Leander Paes and Paul Hanley were sent packing by Rohan Bopanna and Rajeev Ram in men’s doubles as the Indians completed a reasonably good day at the Australian Open here today.

Sania moved ahead in both the women’s doubles’ and mixed doubles.

In women’s doubles, Sania and her Australian partner Alicia Molik completed their rain-affected second-round match beating Russians Nadia Petrova and Elena Vesnina 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.

The Indo-Australian pair was seen fighting each other in mixed doubles.

Sania partnered Mahesh Bhupathi for the opening round and the Indian pair hardly broke a sweat as they ousted local favourites Molik and Nathan Healy 6-1, 6-4.

Meanwhile, Bopanna and American-Indian Ram shocked fifth seeds Paes and Hanley 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 in the second round of men’s doubles.

Bopanna and Ram will take on South Africans Jeff Coetzee and Wesley Moodie in the third round.

Bhupathi advanced in men’s doubles also when he and his partner from Bahamas Mark Knowles swept past Swiss Yves Allegro and Belgian Kristof Vliegen 6-1, 6-4 in the second round. — Agencies

Mumbai Marathon
Africans’ domination continues
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 20
As is fast becoming the norm every year, runners from Africa are becoming permanent fixtures at the victory stand at the Mumbai Marathon.

The fifth edition of the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon saw defending champion John Kelai of Kenya take the top spot in the men's category while Ethiopian Mulu Seboka won in the women's category.

Kelai,30, breasted the finish tape in two hours, 12 minutes and 22 seconds seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Tariku Jiffar (2:12.27) and fellow Kenyan Phileman Boit (2:12.34).

Seboka, the winner of the women's crown took a little longer - two hours, 30 minutes and three seconds. The second and third place went to Mogaka Irene (2:32:50) and Margaret Karie (2:33:55).

A beaming Kelai, who obviously developed a fan following in Mumbai following his second consecutive victory in the city, said he won slow and steady and accelerating with a burst of energy in the final mile.

"I waited for the last mile and then I gave it all," Kelai told reporters after the end of the gruelling 42-km run.

Indian contenders at the marathon were far down the line. Ram Singh Yadav, the winner among the Indians, finished 10th overall with a timing of 2:18:23. It was the second consecutive victory for him too.

The runners-up among the Indians were Binning Lynkhoi (2:24.49) and Narendra Singh (2:25.30).

In the Indian women category winner Devi Pashotlemia clocked 3:02:28.

By then most of the serious female contenders from other parts of the world had breasted the finish tape a long while ago.

The half marathon in the men's and women's category was won by Kumar Arun and Kavita Raut.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai's mayor Dr Shubha Raul flagged off the marathon in which more than 33,000 participants from 34 countries participated. Among the nationalities that figured in today's marathon included Lebanon, Peru, Russia and Brazil.

A large number of participants used the occasion to promote their pet causes like AIDS awareness and environmental issues. A number of charitable organizations used the occasion to raise funds with sponsors backing a number of runners.

Actor Rahul Bose who set up a foundation to collect funds for the victims of the 2006 tsunami got Shabana Azmi to run in the marathon.

According to Standard Chartered Bank, the total prize money for the marathon amounted to one million dollars.

As usual, a large number of celebrities took part in the marathon. Film stars present on the occasion include movie starts Soha Ali Khan, John Abraham and Bipasha Basu.

The corporate class was represented by industrialist and regular runner Anil Ambani. Other faces seen in the crowd included MP Priya Dutt, Diya Mirza, Arshad Warsi, Tina Ambani, Urmila Matondkar, Shekhar Kapur, Malaika Arora who just delivered a baby, Irfaan Khan, Rahul Khanna, Sophie Chaudhury, and Shabana Azmi.

Yadav misses Olympic cut

Mumbai: It was a heartbreak for Ram Singh Yadav of the Services, who missed a golden chance by just three seconds at the Mumbai Marathon here to confirm his qualification for the Beijing Olympics.

The 27-year-old from Varanasi finished first from the Indian contingent in the 42.195 km race. Yadav clocked 2:18.23, three seconds short of the timing that could have given him an automatic qualification for this year’s Olympics in the B-Standard.

Yadav may have another shot at the Olympic berth during the Hong Kong Marathon on February 17, or in the London Marathon in April. — UNI

Chandigarh academy soccer champs

Mapusa (Goa), January 20
A solitary goal from sharpshooter Harpreet Bedi against Mahindra United helped St Stephen’s Football Academy, Chandigarh, win the title in the Nike Manchester United Premier Cup here today.

The youngster, who has caught the eye of the national coaching staff and has been called for the camp ahead of the AFC U-16 Championship in Uzbekistan in October, unleashed a shot from distance that crept inside the left post in the second half of the 40-minute contest at Duler Stadium.

The Chandigarh team booked a ticket for Kuala Lumpur to play the South-East Asia regional finals, the winners of which will go to play the Manchester United Premier Cup in England.

They would be the first academy side to represent India in the competition after Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the previous two editions.

Dehra Dun boy Harpreet lifted the winner’s trophy after the match.

It was a equal contest between the two teams not originally scheduled to play the final. Both teams cancelled each other out before Harpreet settled it with a piece of brilliance.

Earlier, Salgaocar Sports Club defeated local rivals Sporting Clube de Goad 3-0 to finish third in the competition.

All goals came in the first half, through Jesvil D’Souza, Godfrey Silva and Pandhari Chopdekar.

The tournament, however, was blighted with the malaise of overage players with the original finalists being among four teams disqualified on the day of the final.

“We were fully confident that all our boys were of not overage and the defaulting teams will be punished,” St Stephen’s Academy’s assistant coach Sandeep Singh told PTI.

“We wanted to represent India at an international competition and our dream has come true.”

Sandeep prepared his team for the final after coach Surinder Singh had to go back home yesterday.

The cloud of overage players was a constant threat to the tournament and original finalists SBHS Academy from Gurdaspur and SSA Academy from Mizoram along with East Bengal and Cosmos Academy from Tamil Nadu were booted out on the final day. — PTI

Duminy guides SA to victory

Darren Sammy of the West Indies plays a shot during the first one-dayer against South Africa at Centurion on Sunday.
Darren Sammy of the West Indies plays a shot during the first one-dayer against South Africa at Centurion on Sunday. — Reuters photo

Centurion, January 20
Jean-Paul Duminy hit an unbeaten 79 as South Africa beat West Indies by six wickets in the first one-dayer here today. The hosts reached the target of 176 runs with two overs to spare in a match reduced to 36 overs a side by rain.

Earlier, fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Andre Nel took two wickets each as West Indies, who were put into bat, were dismissed for 175 with a ball remaining in their innings. Seamer Shaun Pollock took 1-19 from seven overs.

Darren Sammy scored 51, his maiden one-day half-century, off 51 balls.

South Africa wasted a chance to dismiss Sammy for 23 when substitute fielder Johan Botha dropped a catch at long-on after Sammy had lofted a full toss from paceman Albie Morkel.

Runako Morton, who scored 41, shared 69 runs with Sammy for the seventh wicket after West Indies had slumped to 81-6 in the 22nd over.

The stand was broken in the 34th over when Morton was run out by Pollock’s hard, flat throw from long-on to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

West Indies endured an abysmal final over of their innings when Ravi Rampaul (2) and Sammy were run out, and Daren Powell (0) was bowled off his pads by Steyn.

Brief scores: West Indies: 175 all out in 35.5 overs (Darren Sammy 51, Runako Morton 41; Dale Steyn 2-24, Andre Nel 2-36, Shaun Pollock 1-19)

South Africa: 176 for 4 in 34 overs (Jean-Paul Duminy 79 n.o., Mark Boucher 26 n.o.; Fidel Edwards 1-27). — Agencies

Pbi varsity lifters boost gold tally
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, January 20
Lifters from Punjabi University, Patiala, continued their domination at the All-India Inter-University Weightlifting and Powerlifting Championship today.

Jupinder Singh won the gold in powerlifting (60 kg category). He lifted 650 kg in squat, bench press and dead lift. Nitian Narayan Koli of Mumbai University came second and Rakesh Kumar of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, stood third.

Other results: Men’s powerlifting (67.5 kg): 1. Saurabh Kapoor, Punjabi University (710 kg), 2. Deepak Kumar, Ch CS Meerut (645 kg), 3. S Pradeesh, Bharathiar University (612.5 kg).

Women’s powerlifting (52 kg): 1. Sunita Rani, Punjabi University (360 kg), 2. J Rama Laxmi, Andhra University (357.5 kg), 3. Sandeer Kumar, Mumbai University (335 kg).

Men’s powerlifting (75 kg): 1. Mahip Kumar, Delhi University (720 kg), 2. Aditya B Hegde, Kuvempu University, Shimoga (620 kg), 3. R Aravind Manoher, Andhra University (617.5 kg).

Women’s weightlifting (63 kg): Swati Singh, Lucknow University (183 kg), 2. Sita K Jena, Behrampur University (183 kg), 3. S Chandrakala, A Nagarjuna University (156 kg).

Women’s weightlifting (69 kg): Navpreet Kaur, Punjabi University (204), 2. B Rajya Laxmi, A Nagarjunana University (176 kg), Akansha Kemple, Barkatullah University (140 kg).

Anand, Humpy record wins

Wijk Aan Zee, January 20
World champion Viswanathan Anand won his first game handing Judit Polgar a defeat while two other Indians Koneru Humpy and Parimarjan Negi also chalked out victories in the seventh round of Corus Granmasters chess tournament. The fourth Indian in the fray Pentala Harikrishna drew his game.

It was game similar to the one they played 10 years ago. With this win Anand avenged that defeat winning in 53 moves of a game in Sicilian Najdorf. It was Indian's first win and first loss for Polgar in this year's event.

The win helped Anand find back his way in the tournament he has won five times. In seven rounds Anand now has 3.5 points and moves in a tie for fifth place with five others. — UNI

Big victory for Amritsar school

Jalandhar, January 20
Spring Dale Public School, Amritsar, defeated Indra Priyadarshani Senior School, Bhopal, 5-1 in the fourth edition of the All-India S Balwant Singh Kapur Memorial Schools Hockey Tournament (under-17 boys) at the Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium here today. — UNI