|
|
|
|
|
Bowlers suffer in Taunton
IOA hails Randhir Singh’s re-election
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Nandi hopeful of justice being done
AIU yet to zero-in on officials
AFI report on doping scandal in one month
Clarke takes control
Moudgil wins Himalayan expedition
India win to qualify for FIBA Asia C’ship
World’s best to ride in Olympic road race test
|
|
Taunton, July 15 After England skipper Andrew Strauss helped himself to 78 in the first session, opener Arul Suppiah (92 not out) and Nick Compton (58 not out) struck half centuries to power the county to 238 for one before rain arrived just before the tea break. Neither the bowlers returning from injury - Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth - nor the ones fresh from the Caribbean tour - Munaf Patel and Amit Mishra - could show heart as the locals piled up the runs with ease. To add to their woes, Mishra's bowling hand was struck by a fiercely back-driven shot from Suppiah, and the leg-spinner had to leave the field half an hour before tea. It was Mishra's 15th over, the 53rd of the innings, and Somerset were 210 for one. India had an opportunity when Compton, then on 24, was dropped by Sachin Tendulkar at midwicket off a mistimed pull against Sreesanth. Compton's dropped chance apart, the Somerset batsmen imposed themselves in impressive style, on a pitch that aided strokeplay. The stroke of the day came from Compton when he stretched fully forward to drive Zaheer between extra cover and mid-off for a four. Despite the poor performance, Indians would not be too worked up ahead of the first Test for they tend to take warm-up games lightly. Having said that, there would be worry on count of Sreesanth who struggled to get his line and length right, an essential on a pitch as bland and a ground as small as this, not to mention the lightning quick outfield. Strauss hails phenomenal Sachin
London: England captain Andrew Strauss has hailed the career of Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who could register his 100th international hundred in the forthcoming series between the sides. Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket, has scored 51 Test and 48 ODI hundreds. "It goes without saying that it is a phenomenal achievement, not just the fact he scored those runs, but his desire and motivation to play that long and keep chasing down those records," The Telegraph quoted Strauss, as saying. "He has been one of the great players over the last 20 years and I'm sure he will want to have a big series," he added. The 34-year-old further believes that there are few signs of Tendulkar's powers diminishing at the age of 38. "He seems to be playing as well as ever at the moment. It is a great example for us all that if you are still hungry, there is no reason why your powers should decline as you get older," Strauss said. "Technically he is fantastic, his mental strength to bat under that amount of pressure for all that time, is fantastic," he added. — Agencies
|
|
IOA hails Randhir Singh’s re-election
New Delhi, July 15 “Randhir Singh’s re-election for a record sixth term shows that OCA wants to make full use of his experience as a sports administrator,” Malhotra said. He said it was a matter of pride for India that Randhir, secretary-general of the IOA, was also an IOC member and vice-president of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). “No foreigner has raised any objection about his continuing in these posts for more than two terms,” Malhotra observed. “It is important to note that Randhir Singh was re-elected without being present at the OCA General Council in Tokyo due to personal reasons,” Malhotra said and added, “Yet all the 45 countries reposed trust in him, which shows the high regard in which Indian sports administrators are held in the international fora.” Malhotra said the international sports bodies were run by people who have a lot of experience but here in India “the Sports Ministry wants the National Sports Federations to be deprived of experienced administrators”. “If our Sports Minister had his way, Randhir would not have got re-elected to the OCA. Mercifully, that was not the case,” he added. Malhotra urged the Sports Minister to give up his ‘misguided’ efforts to control Indian sports by forcing the tenure terms and age limits. “Nowhere in the sports world is this applicable, so why the minister here is so keen to apply the guidelines is not clear.” He said there was no tenure or age bar for MPs, MLAs or ministers. “There are also no guidelines of age or tenure in the hundreds of thousands registered societies or NGOs. Then why sports bodies or its officials are being targeted?” he wondered. “The need of the hour is to improve the standard of sports; to fight the menace of doping and to prepare for the London Olympics,” Malhotra said. “I urge the Sports Minister to focus on these areas rather than indulging in a witch-hunt of sports administrators.” Malhotra asserted that the IOA was willing to co-operate with the Sports Ministry, “but the Government also must ensure that the Olympic Charter is respected.”
|
|
Nandi hopeful of justice being done
Patiala, July 15 Talking to The Tribune on his return, Nandi said he was satisfied with his meeting and had submitted all necessary documents with Justice Mudgal in connection to his allegations regarding organised doping at NIS, Patiala. Nandi added that that he had submitted documents to substantiate his claims and was hopeful that Justice Mugdal would take these facts into account before submitting the final report. “I am sure that after the submission of the report, the Sports Minister would take definite corrective measures to clean up sports. He is inclined towards punishing the guilty to make sports drug free and I am sure he would succeed in his mission.” Doping was not new to NIS, Patiala, Nandi said. “The first time I reported this matter was in 2002. It is not that it was not a part of the system before this, but I didn’t have the courage to speak about it earlier since very senior SAI officers were involved in this practice,” he alleged. “But then, I decided to highlight this issue as it was ruining the sports fraternity. I submitted a report with the then Director-General of SAI in 2002. I also tried to seek permission from my department to meet the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director, but was not allowed to do so. “Ideally, the department didn’t take any action on my complaint,” Nandi added. “If only one or two players were caught for doping, we might say they consumed banned substances themselves. But so many athletes being found positive certainly confirms the involvement of senior officials as well.” Nandi, who had alleged that he had been manhandled by NIS security men on Wednesday, said this was not the first time he had been roughed up. He alleged he was attacked with sharp edged weapons just outside the NIS campus in 2009 after he filed an RTI seeking information on different administrative aspects of SAI. “During that time, the authorities were supposed to send dope samples to Delhi, but they never reached,” Nandi claims. “Therefore, I had sought the log book records of ambulance and TA/DA reports of the officers who took the samples to Delhi because of which I was not only transferred but manhandled as well. “In the wake of this, the Central Vigilance Commission had also ordered an inquiry into accusations of victimisation and had submitted a report with the DG SAI, but I was not even provided a copy of the report,” Nandi adds. “Though I could not do much then, but I hope things would be better now.” NIS authorities on the other hand refuted all allegations, stating that Nandi was misleading authorities while he had a bad track record. “A female psychologist working with NIS had levelled sexual harassment charges against him and subsequently, when Nandi was transferred to Bangalore, he refused to join there,” added one official on the condition of anonymity. NIS Executive-Director L.S. Ranawat refuted all allegations, stating that NIS was a very prestigious organisation and Nandi was trying to defame it. “If he had substantial evidence, why he didn’t produce them all these years? He is just trying to mislead the authorities for his advantage.”
|
|
AIU yet to zero-in on officials
Patiala, July 15 Earlier too, there has been a lot of hue and cry about the venues, delay in beginning of camps, selection procedure for players and now, it has come to light that the AIU authorities have yet to finalise the list of coaches and managers who would be accompanying the athletes to the Games that are beginning on August 12. As per normal process, the detailed report of the contingent has to be submitted with the organising committee a month prior to the beginning of these Games, but AIU has taken an extension as nothing has been finalised yet. Moreover, AIU still has to conduct final trials for selection of players. About the appointment of coaches, one of the shooters attending the camp at Hans Raj College of New Delhi alleged that they did not have any coach to train them till yesterday evening, when SAI coach Dr. Rajpal Singh was attached with them. AIU officials, when contacted, did not seem to have reached any consensus on the issue. Despite being the chairperson of the selection committee, secretary-general Beena Shah earlier refused to comment, saying that Dr. Gurdeep Singh was in-charge of these camps and he should be contacted in this regard. Gurdeep Singh, who is the Under-Secretary, Sports, said he had prepared a list of coaches to be attached with these camps and had submitted it to senior authorities. They would finalise the names at the earliest, he added.
|
|
AFI report on doping scandal in one month
New Delhi, July 15 "We started our inquiry today with a meeting. We will meet all the athletes either here in Delhi or at NIS Patiala by July 25. We are hoping that the report will be submitted by August 15," Madhu Kant Pathak, panel member, said. — PTI |
Sandwich, July 15 Clarke had five birdies and an eagle but also three bogeys and a double-bogey in a second successive two-under par 68, putting him alongside American Lucas Glover on 136, four-under-par. The former Ryder Cup player has been the torchbearer for Northern Irish golf for more than 20 years but, having never won a major, the 42-year-old found himself eclipsed recently as Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy both triumphed in the U.S. Open. "I've been delighted for both of them, though it personally hasn't made much difference to me," Clarke told reporters. "To have back-to-back U.S. Open champions from a little country like Northern Ireland, that's a massive achievement. You can't explain how big that actually is. We've got two wonderful ambassadors for Northern Ireland in G-Mac and Rory and it's been great. "There were a lot of people telling me it's been great that those two boys can do it, it's your turn now, but it was such a big deal to have Rory winning on the back of G-Mac," Clarke added. "It hasn't really affected me apart from being proud that I'm from the same place as they are and I may have given them a little bit of a helping hand here and there on the way up." McDowell could have done with some help on Friday as he followed a promising opening 68 with a seven-over 77 that could mean he will miss the cut. McIlroy, who shot a 71 on Thursday in the first round he played since his U.S. Open success last month, was among the later starters. Clarke was blessed with warm, wind-less conditions when he went out early on Friday, but kept the scorers and the galleries on their toes with a birdie at three, double-bogey at four, eagle at seven and a birdie at eight. He dropped three strokes and gained three on the way home, happily finishing off with a fine 15-foot putt for a birdie on the last. — Reuters
|
|
Moudgil wins Himalayan expedition
Chandigarh, July 15 The last leg of the expedition will see 11 participants along with Moudgil, pass through Chandigarh, moving on to New Delhi, the finish point of the expedition. The participants had earlier on July 5 embarked on an 11-day journey from Leh, covering over 1,600 km. The Kingfisher Blue MILE - Himalayan Expedition 2011 was high on adrenaline as the riders crossed some of the most breath taking motoring roads in the Himalayas on their bikes. The expedition was an opportunity for outdoor sport enthusiasts to unleash the adventurer in them and explore the thrills of mountain biking, as they rode experiencing hair-raising adventure sports like mountain biking, deep sea diving, rock climbing and river rafting.
|
|
India win to qualify for FIBA Asia C’ship
New Delhi, July 15 India played their defensive game and shared the ball extremely well to dominate their opponents. The team only allowed Sri Lanka to score one field goal in the first quarter as they raced off to a 25-2 lead. India shot a very high percentage from the field - 60 percent overall - to completely overwhelm Sri Lanka. By halftime, the score was an already unattainable 51-11, and India cruised for the rest of the game to make it a 89-35 win. One standout characteristic of the Indian side was the constant hustle and pressure on the opposition, even when holding a huge lead. The ball-movement for India on the offensive end was a major factor and the points were shared amongst several players as all 12 got on the score-sheet. India have qualified for Group A of the 26th FIBA Asia Championship that will be held in Wuhan (China) from September 15-25. India will face Lebanon, Korea, and Malaysia in their group. Sri Lanka had defeated Nepal 65-44 on Thursday night to qualify for the Final. Scores India (Hareesh Koroth 12, Vishesh Bhriguvanshi 11, Amjyot Singh 10, Amrit Pal Singh 10, Trideep Rai 10) bt. Sri Lanka (Praneeth 17).
|
|
World’s best to ride in Olympic road race test
London, July 15 The test event will feature a number of the world's leading riders, many of whom will be travelling to London after competing at the Tour de France. This will include a strong home contingent, with the major names in British cycling expected to be taking part. Britain's best will take part in the race alongside 148 of the world's top national and trade teams, as they look to get a taste for the course ahead of next year's Olympic race. The 1.2 graded race is being hailed as one of the most exciting and high profile of the London 2012 test events, providing the only chance for athletes to complete the course in Olympic conditions. London 2012 Chairman Seb Coe said, "This is going to be a fantastic race and our course, with its interesting route and impressive technical elements, has attracted the best nations and pro cycling teams in the world. So this really is a trial run for the games in 2012. — ANI
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Taunton, July 15
Canberra:
Dravid to address MCC panel