SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

Clijsters outshines Venus
Kim eyes title hat-trick
Will face Zvonareva
New York, September 11
Belgian Kim Clijsters dashed the hopes of Venus Williams in a victory that turned on a stirring tiebreak performance, defeating her fellow two-time champion 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 Friday to reach the final of the US Open.


Kim Clijsters of Belgium returns a shot against Venus Williams of the US during women's semifinal match of the US Open in New York on Saturday.
— AFP
Kim Clijsters of Belgium returns a shot against Venus Williams of the US during women's semifinal match of the US Open in New York

Fixing Row
Butt, Amir and Asif return home
Karachi, September 11
Three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of match-fixing allegations returned home from London early on Saturday. Salman Butt, Muhammad Amir and Muhammad Asif, who have been provisionally suspended by the ICC, flew into Lahore where a large crowd, made up of both protesters and supporters, and a heavy police presence awaited them.



EARLIER STORIES



Chennai Super Kings spank Central Districts by 57 runs
Durban, September 11
Subramaniam Badrinath struck an unbeaten 52 to save the batting blushes before a disciplined effort by the bowlers as Chennai Super Kings spank Central Districts by 57 runs in a Champions League Twenty20 match here tonight.

Everton hold Man U
London, September 11
Everton scored twice in stoppage time to snatch an unlikely 3-3 home Premier League draw with Manchester United on Saturday in a game that Wayne Rooney missed to spare him from potential crowd abuse.
Nemenja Vidic scores Manchester United’s second goal on Saturday. — AFP
Nemenja Vidic scores Manchester United’s second goal

The man with an eye for talent
Gurdaspur, September 11
He is less of a coach and more of a craftsman creating rubber dolls out of nowhere. Jagtar Singh, Punjab Sports Department gymnastics coach posted at Gurdaspur, is an artisan who has managed to produce 12 international gymnasts and has more than 100 national gold medals to his credit.





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Clijsters outshines Venus
Kim eyes title hat-trick
Will face Zvonareva

New York, September 11
Belgian Kim Clijsters dashed the hopes of Venus Williams in a victory that turned on a stirring tiebreak performance, defeating her fellow two-time champion 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 Friday to reach the final of the US Open. Second seed Clijsters will bid for her third trophy at Flushing Meadows Saturday when she faces Vera Zvonareva. The Russian marched into her second Grand Slam final of the season as the summer's Wimbledon finalist upset top seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-3.

Defending champion Clijsters stand 5-2 over Zvonareva, but has lost both of their meetings this season, at Wimbledon and last month in Canada. “I just tried to make the points and whenever I felt I had the opportunity to step up and accelerate a little bit, I tried to keep the pressure on her,” said the winner.

“I’m glad she made a few double faults in the tiebreaker. It was a great match to play. Conditions weren't easy but I think we played some high level tennis. It was a fun night.”

FANCY TOUCH: Serena Williams puts on lipstick during the match between Venus Williams of the US and Kim Clijsters of Belgium at the US Open tennis tournament in New York
FANCY TOUCH:
Serena Williams puts on lipstick during the match between Venus Williams of the US and Kim Clijsters of Belgium at the US Open tennis tournament in New York on Friday. — Reuters

Clijsters, who quit the game for more than two years and won the 2009 New York honours in only her third event back, also won the event in 2005, two years after losing a final to Justine Henin. Clijsters is on a 20-match win streak at the venue, where she lost her last match in that 2003 final against her compatriot. Williams has gone without an Open title since 2001.

Williams took the opening set with a break but was broken early in the second. The American got the break back but was hammered in a tiebreaker, committing two consecutive double-faults on her way to a set apiece. “In the tiebreak I wasn't able to play as well as I wanted. I had too many errors, and she played some good tennis,” said Williams.

“I would have liked to win this match and be playing tomorrow. I may have lost the match, but that's just this match, there will be others.”

Clijsters again grabbed the lead in the final set, taking a 2-1 lead, but threw it away with back-to-back double-faults and an over-hit forehand for 4-4. The Belgian calmly broke back thanks to a Williams double-fault and a winning lob from Clijsters, who served out the victory a game later with a backhand down-the-line winner.

Zvonareva, who turned 26 this week and is the highest-ranked Russian women, will rise to at least sixth after beating Wozniacki. “I was not expecting to play my best tennis,” said Zvonareva. "I was trying to be patient when I needed, and step up when I got the chance.

“The Wimbledon final was a great experience, but I'm trying to look forward,” said the eighth-ranked winner of 10 career titles. “I’m enjoying my win today, I'll think of the final later. I’m gonna take it just as another match. I'll play point by point and not think about anything else.”

The loss snapped a 13-match win streak for Wozniacki, who leads the WTA with four trophies this season. “She played a really good game, definitely,” said the Dane. “She she was not missing a lot, she was going for her shots, most things were going in. I had chances, and I don't know, I made some mistakes today that I usually don't do. It was a tough day for me in the office, unfortunately that's the way tennis is sometimes.” — DPA

Nadal in final

Spain’s Rafa Nadal beat Mikhail Youzhny of Russia 6-2 6-3 6-4 in the semi-finals of the US Open on Saturday to reach his first final at Flushing Meadows.

Nadal will play either Switzerland's Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic of Serbia in Sunday's final. — Reuters

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Fixing Row
Butt, Amir and Asif return home

Karachi, September 11
Three Pakistan cricketers at the centre of match-fixing allegations returned home from London early on Saturday. Salman Butt, Muhammad Amir and Muhammad Asif, who have been provisionally suspended by the ICC, flew into Lahore where a large crowd, made up of both protesters and supporters, and a heavy police presence awaited them.

The three players, who were interviewed by London's Metropolitan Police as part of an inquiry into allegations of spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour of England, left the airport by a back door and were driven away in waiting vehicles. Television pictures showed crowds waiting outside the terminal, some carrying banners in support of the players and others waving placards accusing them of disgracing the nation. Some people carried shoes in their hands.

A large contingent of police was at the airport to avoid a repeat of the scenes last week when PCB chairman Ijaz Butt was jeered and heckled on his return home. Pakistan's Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the media that the three players were able to fly home after giving assurances that they would return to Britain, if needed.

“We have given Scotland Yard surety that if required the cricketers will be available for further investigations," Malik said.

A fourth player, left-arm pace bowler Wahab Riaz, who is still in England and with the one-day squad, is due to be questioned by Scotland Yard on Tuesday over the allegations.

Pak gave undertaking to ensure their return

Lahore: The Pakistan Government had to give an undertaking that the suspended trio of Test captain Salman Butt and pace bowlers Mohammad Aamir and Mohammad Asif would be available for further investigations by the Scotland Yard to ensure their return home from London.

Well-placed sources told PTI that Interior Minister Rehman Malik has given an undertaking to Scotland Yard through the barrister appointed by the PCB in London that the government takes surety for the three players. "The surety is that the government will ensure the players are made available at any location for further investigations and questioning by Scotland Yard and that they will be sent immediately to London when required," one source disclosed.

First ODI: Eng beat Pak

Chester-Le-Street: England cruised to a 24-run win over embattled Pakistan thanks to a tempo-setting display from Steve Davies in the first match of the one-day international series at the Riverside. Davies was drafted into the England side in place of wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter and he seized the opportunity to cement his place at the top of the order with 13 fours in a devastating innings of 87 from 67 balls yesterday. — Agencies

SCOREBOARD

England

Strauss b Ajmal 41

Davies c K Akmal b Ajmal 87

Trott b Ajmal 69

Collingwood c Alam b Ajmal 14

Morgan c K Akmal b Afridi 13

Bopara not out 35

Bresnan run out 1

Yardy not out 1

Extras (B-2, LB-2, W-9) 13

Total (6 wkts, 41 overs) 274

Bowling: Akhtar 8-1-28-0, Irfan 5.3-0-37-0, Gul 6-0-67-0, Hafeez 5-0-28-0, Ajmal 9-0-58-4, Afridi 7.3-0-52-1

Pakistan

K Akmal c Broad b Swann 53

Hafeez c Bresnan b Swann 30

Yousuf lbw b Yardy 8

Alam c Wright b Bresnan 39

U Akmal c Davies b Broad 43

Afridi c Swann b Anderson 19

Shafiq b Yardy 19

Gul c Morgan b Anderson 18

Akhtar b Bresnan 0

Ajmal not out 9

Irfan not out 3

Extras (B-1, W-5, NB-3) 9

Total (9 wkts, 41 overs) 250

Bowling: Anderson 9-0-35-2, Bresnan 8-0-61-2, Broad 8-0-54-1, Swann 8-0-50-2, Yardy 8-0-49-2.

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Chennai Super Kings spank Central Districts by 57 runs

Durban, September 11
Subramaniam Badrinath struck an unbeaten 52 to save the batting blushes before a disciplined effort by the bowlers as Chennai Super Kings spank Central Districts by 57 runs in a Champions League Twenty20 match here tonight.

Badrinath's counterattacking 52 from 42 balls was mainly responsible for CSK reaching 151 for four after they were down five for two in the second over and 48 for three at halfway mark after electing to bat.

He got ample support from Srikkanth Anirudha (42) and the duo shared 73 runs from 49 balls for the fourth wicket to take CSK score past 150 on a spongy Kingsmead pitch which saw odd balls kicking up to trouble the batsmen.

Later CSK bowlers complemented the good work done by their batsmen by skittling out Central Districts for 94 in 18.1 overs to start their campaign on a winning note. Chasing 152 for a win, the New Zealand champion side initially looked like they would stand up for a challenge but after they lost their first wicket in the fourth over they were never in the chase.

Pacer Laxmipathy Balaji was the most successful CSK bowler with three for 20 from his four overs while Muttiah Muralitharan, Ravichandran Ashwin and Doug Bollinger claiming a wicket apiece.

Opener Peter Ingram was the first Central Districts batsman to go in the fourth over for six as he top-edged an Albie Morkel delivery to Suresh Raina at cover at team score of 12 for one. He was earlier dropped while on one in the second ball of their innings by Ravichandran Ashwin.

Next over, George Worker fell to Balaji for four and at team score of 22 for two with Muralitharan taking an easy catch at mid-on.

Boucher leads Warriors to victory

Port Elizabeth: Mark Boucher led a solid batting display with a sparkling 26-ball unbeaten 40 as Warriors spank Wayamba by seven wickets in a Champions League Twenty20 match here on Saturday. Chasing a modest 154 for a win, the Warriors were never in trouble as they were nicely placed at 93 for three in the 11th over before wicketkeeper-batsman Boucher and Justin Kreusch (37 not out) took them to a comfortable win with 10 balls remaining. The duo shared a 63-run stand for the unconquered fourth wicket from 44 balls. — PTI

SCOREBOARD

Chennai Super Kings

Vijay c Sinclair b Bracewell 19

Hayden c Ingram b Mason 0

Raina c Diamanti b Milne 4

Badrinath not out 52

Anirudha c Griggs b Bracewell 42

Morkel not out 26

Extras (B-2, LB-4, W-2) 8

Total (for 4 wickets in 20 overs) 151

Bowling: Mason 4-0-29-1, Milne 4-0-28-1, McClenaghan 4-0-34-0, Bracewell 4-0-28-2, Worker 2-0-11-0, Noema-Barnett 2-0-15-0

Central Districts

Ingram c Raina b Morkel 6

How b Ashwin 13

Worker c Muralitharan b Balaji 4

Sinclair c Hayden b Muralitharan 10

Noema-Barnett c Dhoni b Muralitharan 0

Griggs c Dhoni b Bollinger 9

Diamanti st Dhoni b Ashwin 4

Bracewell b Balaji 30

Milne not out 2

Mason c Bollinger b Balaji 10

McClenaghan c Hayden b Bollinger 0

Extras: (LB-1, W-4, NB-1) 6

Total: (All out in 18.1 overs) 94

Bowling: Bollinger 3.1-0-10-2; Morkel 3-0-20-1; Balaji 4-1-20-3; Ashwin 4-0-28-2; Muralitharan 4-0-15-2.

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Everton hold Man U

London, September 11
Everton scored twice in stoppage time to snatch an unlikely 3-3 home Premier League draw with Manchester United on Saturday in a game that Wayne Rooney missed to spare him from potential crowd abuse.

United manager Alex Ferguson said he had left out his top striker so he would not be subjected to abuse from supporters of his former club following newspaper allegations about his private life.

It looked to be a fair decision as United cruised towards a 3-1 win after goals by Darren Fletcher, Nemanja Vidic and Dimitar Berbatov had more than cancelled out Steven Pienaar's opener.

However, in a breathless finale, Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta both scored in injury time and Everton looked set for a possible shock winner when the referee controversially blew for full time while they were in full flight. "It's quite unreal but (with) the chances we missed it was probably a fair result," Cahill told Sky Sports. — Reuters

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The man with an eye for talent
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, September 11
He is less of a coach and more of a craftsman creating rubber dolls out of nowhere. Jagtar Singh, Punjab Sports Department gymnastics coach posted at Gurdaspur, is an artisan who has managed to produce 12 international gymnasts and has more than 100 national gold medals to his credit.

The Parbodh Chander memorial gymnastic hall has over the years earned the sobriquet of a ‘rubber doll-manufacturing factory’. The proverbial icing on the cake came last month when five of his trainees - Naginder Kaur, Gulwinder Kaur, Monica, Simarjit Kaur and Preeti - were selected for the Commonwealth Games camp.

For Jagtar it has become easy to identify that magical elixir -the elasticity of youth. Once he identifies a potentially talented gymnast, there is no looking back. The gymnast is then put into a grindstone normally associated with the training methods in Romania and other Eastern European nations known to have produced Olympic medal winners a dime a dozen.

Here you can find tiny tots like 4-year-old Mahima and 5-year-old Swati being tested on the mats by former international star Samita Sharma, a protégé of Jagtar.

There is something special to the aura of the Centre that is abuzz with activity till late in the evenings. Jagtar works with the same equipment that one can find at other centres but it is his sheer will and resilience that makes him a coach par excellence. “What differentiates me from other coaches is the fact that I know how to identify a youngster who can make it to the top. This identification process in itself takes several days,” says the coach whose routine starts at 4am.

When asked why is it that only women champs are produced and not men, he says, “Boys are not sincere. I have seen many fizzling out after a great start to their careers because of their insincerity. Girls are more dedicated and hardworking.”

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 BRIEFLY

Money for tennis players cleared
NEW DELHI:
The payment row that threatened to derail India's tennis campaign in the upcoming Commonwealth Games was resolved on Saturday with the government approving Rs one crore for five elite players. The elite men's players - Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Somdev Devvarman - had threatened to pull out of the Games if there dues, in the last two years, were not cleared. Rahul Bhatnagar, Joint Secretary (International Sports Division) of Sports Ministry announced that the government had approved the money to be released to the players. — PTI

‘103 players tested +ve this year’
NEW DELHI: Admitting that the menace of doping was rampant in the country, the Sports Ministry on Saturday disclosed that 103 Indian sports-persons, including juniors have flunked dope test in the last eight months. Recently, 18 players, including CWG squad members, had failed the dope test with 12 of them testing positive for the same substance - Methylhexanamine. — PTI

Afridi confusing: Sohail
KARACHI:
Pakistan's former Test captain Aamir Sohail has advised the current ODI and Twenty20 skipper Shahid Afridi not to give confusing and contradictory statements in the media. "These statements are creating confusion and more problems for Pakistan cricket," Sohail said. The former chief selector also said if Afridi wanted his team to succeed he would have to be impartial while selecting the playing eleven. — PTI

Gaganjeet BhullarBhullar tied fourth
SINGAPORE:
Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar remained in the hunt for a strong finish although he slipped a couple of rungs to tied fourth after returning a modest two-under 70 in the third and penultimate round of the $4,00,000 Handa Singapore Classic here on Saturday. Bhullar, a two-time Asian Tour champion, has a total of 14-under 202 and is six strokes behind leader Peter Karmis (70) of South Africa. The Punjab-golfer rued poor iron play as he closed with three birdies against one bogey. — PTI

Women Hockey World Cup
ROSARIO (ARGENTINA):
The Indian women's hockey team notched up its best World Cup finish in 32 years by signing off ninth after a thrilling 4-3 win over South Africa in the classification match here. Teen sensation Rani Rampal scored twice while Saba Anjum and Jasjeet Kaur Handa struck once each to give India their best finish at a World Cup event since the seventh spot in 1978. Despite the loss, the 10th place is South Africa's best World Cup rank in 12 years since finishing seventh in 1998. — PTI

Women's World Boxing C'ship
BRIDGETOWN:
Former champion L Sarita Devi's triumph in the opening round of the flyweight (51kg) category was the lone bright spot on a largely disappointing day for Indian boxers at the sixth Women's World Championships here. Sarita defeated Russia's Alexandra Kuleshova 11-8 in a pulsating contest on Friday. An aggressive Alexandra was proving to be quite a handful for Sarita but the 25-year-old Indian dug from experience to be 2-1 ahead after the first two minutes. — PTI

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