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Juniors rally to retain Asia Cup
Delhi to host 2010 hockey WC
Ric’s resignation accepted
Chambers put out of contest |
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Indian bowlers impress Anil Kumble (R) bowls as Chamara Silva looks on during the first day of a three-day practice match between India and Sri Lanka Board XI in Colombo on Friday. — AFP
Morkel, Steyn rout England
Prakash enters quarters
Masters TT on July 27
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Beijing Preview
Son of China’s first Olympian takes up torch
The son of China's first Olympian, Liu Changchun, opened a Beijing Games torch relay leg in Shenyang. Liu was the sole Chinese athlete at the 1932 Los Angeles Games, competing in the heats of the 100 and 200 metres. He was also part of a small team from China who went to the Berlin Olympics four years later. ''I am passing on my father's Olympic dream today,'' his son Liu Hongtu told Xinhua on Thursday.
41 pc chances of rain
There is a 41 per cent chance of rain for the August 8 opening ceremony of the Games, Chen Zhenlin, deputy director of the Forecast & Disaster Prevention Division of the China Meteorological Bureau told a news conference this week. The weather is of particular concern to organisers since plans to put a roof on the National Stadium, where the ceremony will take place, was abandoned in a string of cost-cutting measures in 2004. Beijing's meteorological office, which often creates rain by seeding clouds, said last year it had experimented with ways of stopping rain over small areas. The 26th Olympiad was held in Atlanta. Venuste Niyongabo became the first runner from Burundi to win a gold medal. Burundi is one of the poorest countries in Africa.
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Juniors rally to retain Asia Cup
Hyderabad, July 18 The Indians were trailing 0-2 till the 52nd minute of the fast-paced contest before clawing back in a sensational manner with three quick goals to leave the Koreans in a daze. After being locked 2-2 at the end of regulation time, the in-form Diwakar Ram converted a penalty corner to tilt the balance in India's favour in the summit showdown which saw fortunes fluctuating from one team to the other till the very end. Scenes of wild celebrations broke out in the galleries as soon as Diwakar Ram netted the ‘golden goal’ while the Indian players hugged each other to celebrate their second successive Asia Cup triumph. It was again Diwakar who came to the rescue of the team by scoring two goals in the crucial game which at one time seemed to be running away from the Indians with their nippy rivals scoring the first two goals and exerting tremendous pressure with a flurry of attacks from both flanks. Apart from Diwakar's brace, the hard-working Sunil S.P. scored a goal for the Indians who managed to maintain their unbeaten streak right through the event. Nam Hyan Woo scored both goals for the Koreans who began with a flourish but lost the tempo in the dying stages when it mattered the most. The Koreans drew first blood as early as the sixth minute of the contest with Nam Hyan Woo scoring a field goal, capitalising on a defensive lapse. The Koreans, who relied on speed and deft stickwork to pierce through the Indian defence time and again, dominated the opening session and could have pumped in a few goals had it not been for a few stunning saves by goalkeeper Sreejesh. Leading 1-0 at the interval, the Koreans attacked with renewed vigour in the second session and consolidated their position with Woo again finding the target in the 52nd minute. It was just the jolt the Indians needed as they suddenly showed more urgency and managed to launch a few counter attacks. The Indians reduced the margin in the 59th minute with Sunil scoring the goal off a free hit while Diwakar found the equaliser three minutes later by converting a penalty corner. Both teams failed to break the 2-2 deadlock till the end of regulation time. Spurred on by a vociferous home crowd, the Indians went into the extra time with a great deal of confidence and within four minutes Diwakar had done the star turn much to the delight of his teammates. Pakistan took the third place in the tournament by thrashing Japan 7-2 in the play-off for third-fourth position. — PTI
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Hyderabad, July 18 FIH President Els van Breda Vriesman, who met Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi who is also the chairman of the ad-hoc committee which is running the game in the country, said the dates of the tournament would be declared later. "The FIH 2010 men's world cup has been confirmed and the venue for it is New Delhi, which will also host the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Dates for the men's World Cup will be announced later," she told reporters here. The mega-event will be a joint venture between the FIH and the IOA, Vriesman said. "Holding of the event will be a joint venture between the FIH and the IOA and the profits will be reinvested for promotion of India hockey," she added. The FIH, over a year ago, had proposed to stage the event in India, subject to various factors related to the game and infrastructure and after being satisfied with all that they announced that India would be the hosts. Vriesman also said the FIH has decided in principle to award the Men's Champions Trophy in 2011 or 2012 to India, subject to sponsorship and other arrangements, besides promising a Women's tournament in the country in the next few years. Kalmadi disclosed that National Stadium would be the venue for the World Cup. "The National Hockey Stadium in New Delhi will be the venue of the mega event. The stadium will also be the venue of hockey competition of Commonwealth Games in 2010," he said. When asked who represented India at the 49th Council Meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) yesterday, Kalmadi said he and IOA ad-hoc committee members attended the meeting. He said KPS Gill, head of the dissolved Indian Hockey Federation, did not represent India in the AHF meeting and was only there as a council member. Meanwhile, Vriesman said, "The IOA advised that it has provisionally recognised the Indian Hockey Confederation as the sole governing body for hockey in India." An official confirmation is expected at the IOA General Assembly in November. "This is a new beginning for Indian hockey and as an indication of this change, and it is proposed to rename the Indian Hockey Confederation to Hockey India," she said. "Every country was having only one body for Hockey. Henceforth, the IHF and IWHF will be amalgamated into Hockey India," she added. The state-level hockey federations would also be brought under the new project 'Hockey India', though it would take time. On the continuation of IOA ad-hoc committee, Kalmadi said a meeting of former hockey captains and Olympians has been convened this evening where the matter will be discussed and another meeting would be held in Delhi soon till then the IOA ad-hoc committee would move forward. — PTI
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Hyderabad, July 18 The decision to accept Charlesworth’s resignation was taken after a meeting with top International Hockey Federation officials and key members of the IOA's ad-hoc committee which is currently running the game in the country. "He (Charlesworth) has done his job in a fantastic way for the future of Indian Hockey. But now, his role is over," FIH president Els van Breda Vriesman told a press conference here. — PTI
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London, July 18 The 30-year-old was challenging a BOA bylaw which states that any athlete found guilty of taking drugs is barred from competing for Britain in the Olympics. Chambers, who won the 100 metres at the British Olympic trials last weekend in 10.0 seconds, completed a two-year doping ban in 2006 after testing positive for the steroid THG in 2003. The London-based sprinter's legal team had argued that the BOA ban represented a restraint of trade. However, judge Colin MacKay said if the challenge had gone to a fully-contested hearing he was not satisfied that Chambers had a reasonable prospect of proving his case. He said to have allowed the challenge meant ''the harmony and management of the British team would have been upset''. BOA chairman Colin Moynihan was pleased with the verdict and said it sent out a strong message to other athletes. — Reuters
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Colombo, July 18 Electing to bat, the home team never really recovered from a shaky start and could have been skittled out for a much lower first innings total had it not been for a resolute 100-run fifth wicket partnership between Thilina Kandamby (84) and Chamara Silva (68). Captain Anil Kumble (3/30) was the pick of the Indian bowlers while paceman Zaheer Khan (2/35) and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (2/52) chipped in with two wickets each at the Nondescripts Cricket Club. The Indians, playing their only warm-up game before the three-match Test series gets under way from July 23, were struggling at four for one at close with opener Gautam Gambhir back in the pavilion. The track at the NCC gave some assistance to the bowlers and the visitors exploited the conditions reasonably well to capture wickets at periodic intervals. The lanky paceman Ishant Sharma drew first blood for the Indians by getting rid of opener Mahela Udawatte (7) with wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthick taking a smart catch. The other opener Upul Tharanga returned to the pavilion soon after to reduce the hosts to a precarious 20 for two with Zaheer, returning to international cricket after brief injury lay-off, picking up his first scalp. Scoreboard Sri Lanka Board XI (1st innings) Tharanga lbw Zaheer 6 Udawatte c Karthik b Ishant 7 Mubarak lbw Harbhajan 25 Kapugedera c Karthik b Zaheer 1 Kandamby c Karthik b Patel 84 C Silva c Kumble b Harbhajan 68 JK Silva lbw Kumble 12 Prasad lbw Kumble 0 Herath run out 1 Prasanna b Kumble 5 De Silva not out 0 Extras (b-6, lb-6, nb-3) 15 Total (all out, 71.5 overs) 224 Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-20, 3-22, 4-82, 5-182, 6-212, 7-212, 8-214, 9-223, 10-224 Bowling: Zaheer 12-2-35-2, Ishant 11-2-36-1, Munaf Patel 12-3-49-1, Ganguly 6-1-10-0, Harbhajan 17.5-3-52-2, Kumble 13-4-30-3 Indians (1st innings) Gambhir c Mubarak b Fernando 4 Sehwag not out 0 Total (1 wkt, 0.4 overs) 4 Fall of wicket: 1-4 Bowling: Fernando 0.4-0-4-1.— PTI
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Leeds (England), July 18 Morkel took four for 52 and Steyn four for 76 before the home team hit back in the final session to reduce the Proteas to 101 for three at the close. Andrew Flintoff, in the thick of the action on his Test comeback after 18 months, took a catch and a wicket. Amla (18) and Ashwell Prince (9) were the not out batsman as South Africa trailed England by 102 runs. The first match in the four-match series at Lord’s was drawn. Kevin Pietersen top scored for England with an exhilarating 45 off 46 balls. He was threatening the tourists with some majestic stroke-play, in particular a drive through extra-cover for four off the back foot from Steyn, the ball before he was dismissed. Pietersen, attempting another boundary, edged the ball to Smith at first slip. — Reuters Scoreboard England (1st innings) Strauss c Boucher b Morkel 27 Cook c Boucher b Morkel 18 Vaughan c Smith b Steyn 0 Pietersen c Smith b Steyn 45 Bell b Kallis 31 Ambrose c Boucher b Ntini 12 Flintoff c Boucher b Steyn 17 Broad c de Villiers b Morkel 17 Anderson not out 11 Panesar c de Villiers b Morkel 0 Pattinson c Boucher b Steyn 8 Extras (lb-6, nb-5, w-6) 17 Total (all out, 52.3 overs) 203 Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-27, 3-62, 4-106, 5-123, 6-150, 7-177, 8-181, 9-186 Bowling: Steyn 18.3-2-76-4, Ntini 11-0-45-1, Morkel 15-4-52-4, J. Kallis 8-2-24-1. South Africa (1st innings) Smith c Strauss b Flintoff 44 McKenzie c Flintoff b Anderson 15 Amla not out 18 Kallis b Anderson 4 Prince not out 9 Extras (lb-8, nb-3) 11 Total (3 wkts, 29 overs) 101 Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-69, 3-76 Bowling: Anderson 12-2-39-2, Pattinson 3-0-16-0, Flintoff 10-1-24-1, Broad 4-1-14-0.— Reuters
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New Delhi, July 18 Prakash, who had knocked out top seed Amer Delic in the first round, beat American wild card Phillip Simmonds 6-4, 6-2 in the second round. However, Prakash and his American partner Lestor Cook bowed out of the doubles event after losing their quarterfinal tie. The Indo-Amrican pair lost 7-6(3), 4-6, 4-10 to Israeli pair of Noam Okun and Amir Weintraub in a gruelling contest. The Indian pair of national champion Ashutosh Singh and Davis Cupper Harsh Mankad advanced to the semifinals of the Euro 30,000 ATP Challenger tournament in Manchester after demolishing Czech pair of Pavel Snobal and Jan Vacek 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Bopanna-Qureshi concede match
Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-Qureshi finished their Indianapolis campaign in US on a sordid note after pulling out of their quarterfinal encounter midway due to a back injury to the Indian. The unseeded Indo-Pakistani were trailing 2-6, 0-1 against Australian-American pair of Ashley Fisher and Tripp Phillips when Bopanna decided to pull out. Gajjar in semis
Rohan Gajjar entered the semifinals of the $15000 ITF tournament in Damascus, Syria, after accounting for another seeded player in straight sets. Gajjar defeated Russian sixth seed Dmitri 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
— PTI |
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Masters TT on July 27
Chandigarh, July 18 Entries for men and women above 40 may be sent to Dr Vinay Jain, Modi College, Patiala (mobile 92160-70666) or Dr Suman Gupta (97790-16600). The seventh Patiala Veteran District Table Tennis Championship will be held on August 2 and 3, according to Jitendra Kishore, honorary secretary of the association. |
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Exceeding the five Olympic medals she won in 2004 and lowering her 100 metres backstroke world record are what American Natalie Coughlin hopes to achieve at next month's Beijing Olympics. Coughlin, 25, who won two gold, two silver and a bronze at the Athens Games, clocked a world record of 58.97 seconds at the US Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, the third time she has broken the record this year. ''I feel great. I've never had so many lifetime bests in my adult career,'' Coughlin told Reuters in a telephone interview from California.
