Hyderabad, October 23
New South Wales were crowned the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 winners after they snapped Trinidad & Tobago’s fairytale campaign with a 41-run victory in a high-voltage summit clash here tonight.

In the title showdown featuring top two teams of the tournament, it was a battle between Caribbean flair and Australian professionalism and in the end, NSW had the last laugh with Brett Lee as their star performer.

Put into bat, NSW fumbled and faltered in their innings to slump to 83 for six in the 12th over before finding a messiah in Lee, whose whirlwind 48 off 31 balls, along with Steven Smith’s 33, guided them to 159 for nine.

Trinidad & Tobago’s chase never gathered momentun and Kieron Pollard’s (26 off 15 balls) last ditch attempt was not enough as the Caribbeans side folded for 118 in 15.5 overs. After his batting heroics, Lee (2/10) was in the thick of action again, claiming two quick wickets to reduce T&T to 21 for three in the first eventful 14 balls.

Lee’s second delivery castled the scoreless Wiliam Perkins and the blond pacer returned to catch Lendl Simmons off his own bowling in the next over. In between, Adrian Barath hit Steve Smith’s first three balls for successive fours followed it with a six before returning caught behind off the last delivery.

For T&T, crisis further compounded as Dwayne Bravo (17), and captain Daren Ganga (19) and Denesh Ramadin (16) fell when the team needed them most. Pollard (26) tried to replicate the form he had shown in the league match against NSW but Nathan Hauritz had other ideas and for T&T, the match was over when Pollard fell in the 15th over.

Earlier, New South Wales discovered a batting hero in Brett Lee whose stunning 48, along with Steven Smith’s 33, took the Australians past the 150-mark after they had slumped to 83 for six inside 12 overs. Put into bat, NSW never really got going with Ravi Rampaul (3/20) and Dwayne Bravo (2/27) polishing the top order before some poor shot selections did the middle order in. — PTI

Scoreboard
New South Wales
Warner c Mohammed b Bravo 19 (16)
Hughes b Rampaul 3 (5)
Katich c Barath b Bravo 16 (14)
Henriques c S Ganga b Pollard 4 (7)
Rohrer c S Ganga b Mohammed 16 (12)
S Smith c Simmons b S Ganga 33 (26)
D Smith b Rampaul 3 (3)
Lee c Perkins b Rampaul 48 (31)
Hauritz run out 10 (6)
Clark not out 0 (0)
Extras (lb 5, w 2) 7
Total (9 wickets; 20 overs) 159
Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-32, 3-45, 4-47, 5-75, 6-83, 7-132, 8-159,9-159.
Bowling: S Ganga 4-0-29-1, Rampaul 4-0-20-3, Dwayne 3-0-27-2, Pollard 3-0-27-1, Mohammed 3-0-19-1, Simmons 2-0-23-0, Stewart 1-0-9-0.

Trinidad & Tobago
Perkins b Lee 0 (2)
Barath c Smith b S Smith 14 (6)
Simmons c & b Lee 4 (7)
D Ganga c Warner b S Smith 19 (20)
Dwayne b Bollinger 17 (13)
Ramdinc D Smith b Clark 16 (23)
Pollard c Lee b Hauritz 26 (15)
S Ganga c Henriques b Hauritz 5 (7)
Stewart c Henriques b Clark 4 (3)
Mohammed c Hughes b Clark 1 (2)
Rampaul not out 0 (0)
Extras (lb 5, w 4, nb 3) 12
Total (10 wickets; 15.5 overs) 118
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-21, 3-21, 4-45, 5-68, 6-93, 7-107, 8-113, 9-118.
Bowling: Lee 2-0-10-2, S Smith 4-0-32-2, Bollinger 4-0-27-1, Clark 3.5-0-21-3, Hauritz 2-0-23-2.

Vadodara, October 23
The late arrival of a few members of the Australian one-day squad, who are taking part in the ongoing Champions League Twenty20, is a bit of a worry for the visitors, accepts team coach Tim Nielsen. “Its difficult. We have our New South Wales (Blues) players playing the final on tonight and joining the squad tomorrow afternoon. We are supposed to play at 9 on Sunday morning. That much of traveling, that much of playing,” said Nielsen ahead of the seven-match ODI series against India starting here on October 25.

Pace duo of Brett Lee and Doug Bollinger and spinner Nathan Hauritz are part of the NSW outfit playing in the Champions League final tonight against Trinidad and Tobago at Hyderabad. They have been in India since the first week of this month along with Victoria squad members Peter Siddle, Cameron White and Jon Holland. Victoria, however, were eliminated by NSW in an all-Australian semi final.

Nielsen pointed out that those members of NSW, who were part of the Ashes series in England, had been on the road for close to six months which could be taxing especially with a family to look out for. “Those guys on the New South Wales team who were on the Ashes tour have not been home for six months which is a huge ask. Most of our group members had a week and a half at home in that period. If you have a family it can be difficult,” he explained.

He was, however, quick to add that the cricketers were only doing their job and are proud to be represent their country. “At the same time we are all doing something we really love and we realize we are in a privileged position representing our country. We are very proud of that. Families are also very supportive of the players,” he said.

About fast bowler Lee, who could not get a look-in during the Ashes but since then has been outstanding in the limited over games, Nielsen said his smile was back and he was bowling fast which indicated he had got over his personal problems.

“I thing so (overcome his personal problems). That was a difficult period. He has gone through a marriage break-up. We had done our very best to support him. He has worked very hard,” the visiting team’s coach said.

“The great thing for us is to see him back smiling and bowling fast, which is always a very good sign. He’s feeling very good about himself and feeling very good about his world. He’s a tough character and is a very professional and experienced cricketer,” Nielsen said. — PTI

Chandigarh, October 23
The ongoing tussle between 2010 Commonwealth Games Organising committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and Games Federation CEO Mike Fennell would be resolved as parleys were being held to remove differences between them.

Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr MS Gill, stated this here today while laying the foundation stone of the Indoor Shooting range to be established by the Punjab University at its complex.

Dr Gill said that the sports ministry was trying to remove the objections raised by Mike Fennell over the functioning of the organising committee. He said main concern of Fennell was to strengthen the management of the committee so that the Games, which are to be held from October 3 next year could be held smoothly.

He said that recently they had appointed former IAS cadre official Jarnail Singh as Chief Executive officer and were trying to seek the services of nine other former bureaucrats to strengthen the committee.

While giving the details about the preparations Dr Gill said that the work is going on at a fast pace at all the sites. He said that the CPWD has been entrusted the task of completing the 9 major stadiums while Delhi Development Authority and the Delhi Government would undertake the work of other small stadiums.

Commenting on Fennell’s apprehension about the completion of the cycling track, swimming pools and shooting sites he said that work on these would be completed on schedule.

Ludhiana, October 23
Goalkeepers are an interesting creed. They spend most of their time stretching, cheering their own players and jeering at the opposition strikers. But, when they get into action are the moments, which ultimately matter in football. So JCT’s Karanjit Singh will sleep a happy time as he put in a perfect first half, and almost perfect second half display to earn his team a point against defending champions Churchill Brothers at the Guru Nanak stadium, here today.

The match started with both teams busy finding their feet and nothing of significance happened in the opening quarter. But then in the 27th minute, Odafe, receiving a through ball from Felix, rushed towards the JCT goal. He beat three defenders and unleashed a fierce strike that saw Karanjit leap and push the ball over the crossbar.

The move got the champions going and what followed was an onslaught. Wave after wave of Churchill attacks, created mainly due to the link up between Odafe and Felix, battered JCT. In the 28th minute, Odafe turned provider, as he cleverly played the ball in Felix’s path, who shot from within the six-yard box, but Karanjit made a miraculous reflex save. More outstanding glovework by the captain meant the teams went into the breather on level terms.

The second half saw a rejuvenated JCT and they stepped on the gas. Their midfield finally got control of the game and Jagpreet and Penn started working the ball to create spaces within the Churchill half.

Finally, in the 68th minute, Penn dispossessed Odafe and played the ball through for Baljit Sahni, who had been uncharacteristically quiet till then.

Although the ball was well weighed, Sahni still had a lot to do. He ran and pushed aside two Churchill defenders after kicking the ball ahead. He then beat a charging goalkeeper to the ball, and hit the ball from the outside of his boot to put JCT in the lead.

Just when it started looking like the home side would wrap up the points, a confusion on the left flank saw Odafe take control inside the JCT box. He passed to Vashum, who played it back to Odafe. The burly Nigerian blasted a shot, and cruelly the ball deflected off Vashum and found the back of the net.

Bathinda, October 23
Olympian and Director, Sports, Punjab, Pargat Singh, who is now the honorary secretary of the unified Hockey, Punjab, has expressed concern over the pathetic state of hockey in Punjab and sees a long journey ahead before the game can be revived.

In an exclusive interaction with The Tribune, Pargat Singh said, “As I have been given the responsibility of unified hockey, I personally feel that it requires a lot of change. To revive the game, we will have to start from the grassroots level.”

Terming the recent merger as a boon, Pargat said, “It is our luck that all the four bodies controlling hockey in Punjab have been merged to form a unified Hockey Punjab. Though it was done to comply with the directions of the International Hockey Federation to Hockey India to bring all hockey bodies under one roof with a single controlling authority of the game in the country, it will give its best results in Punjab, which is one of the first few states to follow the directive.”

When asked about the coaching factor, he said it was the most important part of the game. “If the players do not get an efficient coach, it will create hurdles in the skill development of the players. Sensing its importance, we are focusing on introducing new and well qualified coaches in Punjab,” he said.

Sepaking further, Pargat Singh said, “Besides, there should be a good and suitable calendar for the game not just at the state level but also at the national level, which would produce an overall strong national team, by picking the cream among the players from all over the country.”

Replying to a query on marketing policies, Pargat said, “We are aware about the role of finance in boosting a game and in hockey, it is apparent that at present we are lagging far behind. Though the game suits the taste of investors, being a spectators’ game like cricket, they are not investing money in advertisements. Whenever we ask, they give a simple excuse that our game and teams need much improvement before they can invest without fear.”

Jalandhar, October 23
The sports kits bought by the Punjab Sports Department worth crores of rupees for distribution among sportspersons of the state are lying dumped at Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium for the past two months, courtesy deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s approval, which has not been forthcoming.

The distribution of the sports kits was scheduled for National Sports Day celebrated on August 29. Last year the kits were distributed during a function held on this day and Sukhbir was the chief guest.

According to sources, the department bought approximately 6,000 kits for various games including hockey, volleyball and badminton. The kits are meant to be distributed among the players of government schools and universities. However, owing to the indecision of the authorities over the distribution policy, they have been lying dumped.

When The Tribune team visited the Olympian Surjit Hockey stadium it was found that the kits have been piled up in 13 rooms. “The sports kits have been allotted district wise and kept in the rooms as per the requirements. We are awaiting the kits to reach the concerned sportspersons”, said a caretaker requesting anonymity.

Director, Sports Punjab, Pargat Singh said the kits would be distributed soon among all the districts of the state. “The sports department would soon distribute the sports kits tentatively slated for November 16”, he added.

New Delhi, October 23
Beijing Olympic gold medallist in air rifle shooting Abhinav Bindra will lead a galaxy of Indian sportspersons in the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) launch at Buckingham Palace on October 29. The baton’s 190,000km journey across the Commonwealth will celebrate Delhi and India before culminating at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Delhi for the inauguration of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Besides Bindra, the other prominent baton-bearers present at the Buckingham Palace and Queen Victoria Memorial will be boxer Vijender Singh, wrestler Sushil Kumar, Olympian Milkha Singh, Olympian Gurbachan Singh Randhawa, badminton player Prakash Padukone, cricketer Kapil Dev, weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, tennis ace Sania Mirza, former national squash champion Misha Grewal and hockey player Dilip Tirkey. The Queen’s Baton Relay, will be launched by Queen Elizabeth II when she hands over the baton to the President of India, Pratibha Devisingh Patil.

“As the baton begins its journey of 190,000kms across member-nations and territories of the Commonwealth Games Federation over 34 days, it will touch the lives of millions of people”, Kalmadi said.

The Queen’s Baton Relay was first introduced at the 1958 Cardiff Games. He said CGF president Michael Fennell will remove the baton from its plinth and invite Queen Elizabeth II to place her message to the athletes inside the baton, and then hand it over to President Pratibha Patil. She will then pass the baton over to Dr M.S.Gill who will then hand it over to Kalmadi, and from Kalmadi the baton will change hand to Abhinav Bindra.

The international segment of the baton journey will comprise 170,000km and it will arrive in India on June 25, 2010.