New Delhi, August 29
President Pratibha Devisingh Patil gave away the national sports awards at an impressive investiture ceremony at the Ashoka Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan here this evening. For the first time three sports persons shared the highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award — women’s world boxing champion Mangte Chungneijang Marykom, Beijing Olympic bronze medallist in boxing Vijender Singh and Olympic bronze medallist in wrestling Sushil Kumar. Only twice before the Khel Ratna Award was shared.

In 2002, athlete K.M. Beenamol and shooter Anjali R. Bhagwat shared the award while Cdr Homi D. Motivala and Lt Cdr P.K.Garg had won it in 1993-1994. Fifteen sportspersons were bestowed the Arjuna Award, four got the Dronacharya Award, three received the Dhyan Chand Award, Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award went to four and the newly-introduced Rashtriya Khel Prohtasan Pruskar to two institutions — Tata Steel and Railway Sports Control Board. Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee herself was present to receive the award for Railways.

Punjabi University (Patiala) Vice-Chancellor Dr Jaspal Singh, along with two sportspersons, received the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy, for excellence in sports at the University level. Punjabi emerged as the champion university for the second time. This year, there were no absentee awardees.

All the selected sportspersons were personally present to receive the awards, in front of a distinguished gathering, which included Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr M.S.Gill, Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, State Sports Minister Kiran Choudhary and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. There was a uniqueness in the selection of the Dronacharya Awardees as the trainees of all the four Dronacharyas also received the Arjuna Awards. Badminton ace Pullela Gopichand's prodige Saina Nehwal (Arjuna), Satpal's trainee Sushil Kumar (Khel Ratna), Baldev Singh's ward Surender Kaur (Arjuna) and Jaydev Bisht’s trainee Vijender Singh (Khel Ratna) were among the awardees.

Sadly, the brochure produced on the occasion contained many a bloomer. The Arjuna Award was given as “Arjun Award” while a couple of photographs had the wrong athletes in the action shot.

Hockey coach Baldev Singh of the famous Shahabad Hockey Academy in Haryana was very scathing in is criticism of the women's hockey setup. He said it was time women's hockey coaches like M.K.Kaushik and G.S.Banghu packed their bags and left the scene, giving way to talented, younger coaches. Baldev said he was not sure who recommended his name for the Dronacharya Award. "Perhaps the Haryana Government", he said tentatively. He had high praise for former Indian Hockey Federation president KPS Gill as during his tenure he got an opportunity to train the men's national team.

He challenged the national women's hockey team to have a match against his Shahbad girls team, and "we would beat them by at least four goals". "I challenge anyone who can beat the Shahbad girls and I will pay them Rs 20-25 lakh".

Baldev also said he could beat even the national teams of Holland, Spain, Germany etc given a months time to train his girls. Baldev Singh said there was so much talent in Shahbad that he would pick a national team from there. "But the women's hockey federation has been deliberately keeping out our girls in one pretex or the other”, he added.

Spa-Franchorchamps, August 29
Italian Giancarlo Fisichella handed his Force India Formula One team an astonishing first pole position at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday. The 36-year-old took his first pole since Malaysia 2006, when he was at then-frontrunners Renault, to put a team that has yet to score a point in 29 races at the front of the starting grid. It was only the fourth pole of his career.

Toyota's Jarno Trulli made it an all-Italian front row, for the first time since Australia 2005, with Germany's Nick Heidfeld third for BMW-Sauber. Championship leader Jenson Button failed to make it into the top 10 for the first time this season and will start in 14th place with a fight on his hands to come away with any points on Sunday. Brawn GP team mate and closest title rival Rubens Barrichello qualified fourth. — Reuters 

Colombo, August 29
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed four wickets as Sri Lanka pushed New Zealand towards a massive defeat in the second and final cricket Test here today. The Kiwis, battling for survival after being set an improbable victory target of 494 runs, slumped to 182-6 in their second knock by close of the fourth day's play.

Daniel Flynn was the only top order batsman to defy the Sri Lankan bowlers with 50, the left-hander's best performance in the series after scores of 14, 0 and 13 in the previous three innings. At stumps, Jacob Oram was unbeaten on seven and skipper Daniel Vettori was on five.

Sri Lanka won the first Test in Galle by 202 runs last week and a 2-0 sweep of the series will make them number two in the official Test rankings behind South Africa. The hosts currently share the second spot with India.

Earlier, Sri Lanka declared their second innings soon after lunch at 311-5, in which skipper Kumar Sangakkara scored 109 and former captain Mahela Jayawardene made 96. Jayawardene, who hit 92 in the first innings, missed a century for the second time in the Test when he edged Iain O'Brien to Taylor at first slip soon after lunch.

Sangakkara declared at the fall of Jayawardene's wicket, leaving his bowlers four-and-a-half sessions to bowl out the tourists. Tim McIntosh and Martin Guptill put on 36 for the first wicket before both batsmen were dismissed in the space of five runs. — AFP 

Scoreboard

Sri Lanka (1st innings): 416

New Zealand (1st innings): 234

Sri Lanka (2nd innings)

(overnight 157-2):

Dilshan c Guptill b Patel 33

Paranavitana c McCullum b Vettori 34

Sangakkara c Taylor b Patel 109

Jayawardene c Taylor b O'Brien 96

Samaraweera lbw b Vettori 25

Kapugedera not out 7

Extras: (lb-1, w-2, nb-4) 7

Total: (5 wickets dec; 85.2 overs) 311

FoWs: 1-56 2-89 3-262 4-301 5-311.

Bowling: Vettori 24-4-62-2, O'Brien 15.2-1-77-1, Martin 9-0-34-0, Patel 34-2-122-2, Ryder 3-0-15-0.

New Zealand (2nd innings)

McIntosh b Prasad 7

Guptill c P. Jayawardene b Herath 28

Flynn lbw b Herath 50

Taylor c M. Jayawardene b Herath 27

Ryder lbw b Herath 38

McCullum b Muralitharan 13

Oram not out 7

Vettori not out 5

Extras: (lb-6, nb-1) 7

Total: (six wickets, 56 overs) 182

Fall of wickets: 1-36 2-41 3-97 4-131 5-158 6-176.

Bowling: Paranavitana 1-0-2-0, Thushara 14-1-39-0, Prasad 7-1-21-1, Herath 21-5-73-4, Muralitharan 12-0-39-1, Dilshan 1-0-2-0.

Sanawar, August 29
Sherwood College, Nainital failed to convert their chances as Lawrence School, Sanawar rode on a brilliant display of aggression and defence to register a third consecutive title win in the 12th Bhupinder Singh Memorial Soccer Tournament, at the sports ground here today. The hosts won visitors 3-0.

Sanawar dominated the first half right from the outset in terms of possession and attempts on goal. The hosts gained ascendancy in the 6th minute when Talib found Revant inside the circle, who made no mistake in finding the net. Sherwood regrouped and started attacking the opposition’s goalpost more often. In the 27th minute, S Lale drifting inside from the right hand side unleashed a powerful shot that was saved by custodian Japdev Gill. Sanawar managed to cling onto their lead at the half time.

Though, Sherwood came out more organised in the second half they still failed to score with Sanawar goal-keeper Japdev upto the task. Sanawar almost doubled their lead in the 53rd minute when Ashutosh’s shot missed the post by a whisker. But soon Talib scored the second, just two minutes later, with a beautiful pass from inside the circle. Sherwood got a penalty kick in the last ten minutes of play, but again failed to score.

Penjo Wangchuk sealed the match’s fate in the 67 th minute with his eleventh strike in the tournament. He and Vahin Khosla ( Doon School, Dehradun) were the joint highest scorers for the tournament. Japdev Gill (Sanawar) was adjudged best goal-keeper.

Patiala, August 29
In a cricket crazy country like India, which has one sport filled inside and all over it, other sports often struggle to find breathing space. Few games have gained the nation’s attention recently but, the biggest sport in the world, the ‘Big Daddy’ of them all - Soccer - is still struggling to find its feet. It is a top sport in states like Goa, Kerala, Manipur, West Bengal…. but still, the national team is not one to dedicate oozing praises at.

In comes Punjabi University ’s football coach Dalbir Singh Randhawa. The man has left no stones unturned to aid the popularity of the sport in the region. Single-handedly he started the Dalbir Football Academy (DFA) about 14 years back with only seven trainees, but he never ever turned to look back. Today, with the number of players having reached almost 100, and players coming from all over India, the selection is on a trial-basis.

Started at the Punjabi University’s football ground after the success of his very first batch that won second place in the 1993 North-zone inter-university championship, the academy currently is one of the best in North India and has produced a number of national and international players.

From providing hostel facilities and suitable diet to sports kit and equipments, the academy bears all expenses of the players.

Throwing light on the academy, Randhawa says, “When I begun this journey, it almost seemed impossible because the sources were limited and not many were interested in playing football professionally despite the fact that football is played in almost all schools in India.

“Majority of the players who came were from poor families but I never gave up. I convinced them to focus on playing and assured that the rest would be taken care of. The academy then started finding sponsors for the needy and talented boys, which at that time was not very easy but once the players started giving good results everything fell in place.”

Randhawa says he had always encouraged rural talent. “I visit remote villages in order to find talented boys. I teach them and encourage the good ones to join us. I am glad that year-after-year we get a dedicated bunch, which not only brings laurels to the university, but also to their state and nation.

“Their dedication and will is beyond comparison. Come what may, they are very particular about their practice sessions and I guess that’s what that makes them what they are today.” Now after earning a good reputation, the academy has many sponsors, mostly sports good manufacturers.

Randhawa believes in the merit of playing but education holds a key place in his eyes too. He says, “The academy takes care of the expenses of poor students not only for training purposes but for education as well. This year also the academy has sponsored a player and is taking care of all his needs, including the fees for NIS diploma. Not only the players are provided with free education at school and college-level, but the academy also helps them in getting good jobs.

“Many of our players have joined reputed clubs and Indian services. I am not saying our academy provides the best of facilities but they are undoubtedly good.”

Players too are all praises for the coach and the academy. They feel that Randhawa has been much more than just a coach. “What he has done for us is beyond words and he is no less than our parents. He stood by our side during ups and downs and it is his effort that we are where we are today. He personally supervises our diet, rest, training schedules, injuries, accommodation and other needs. What else do you want from a coach? We are simply lucky to have him,” they add in unison. 

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