SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
S P O R T S

Challenger Trophy
Mukund leads India Red to victory
Nagpur, October 10
A superb century by Abhinav Mukund (127) took India Red to victory over India Blue in the opening match of the NKP Salve Challenger Series at the Jamtha cricket stadium here today. Set to score 274 for victory, India Red were powered by Mukund, who got his runs off just 133 balls with the help of ten boundaries, as they overhauled the target with more than two overs to spare.
Abhinav Mukund on way to his century against India Blue in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in Nagpur on Monday Abhinav Mukund on way to his century against India Blue in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in Nagpur on Monday. — PTI



EARLIER STORIES



Swann criticises Pietersen’s captaincy in new book
London, October 10
England off-spinner Graeme Swann has criticised the manner in which Kevin Pietersen led the side during his stint as England captain.



Kevin Pietersen at a net session in Hyderabad on Monday. — AFP

Kevin Pietersen at a net session in Hyderabad on Monday

Sehwag inaugurates academy
Jhajjar, October 10
"It was my father's dream that I set up a academy of international standard and I am glad that I have realised the dream of my father.

 



Virender Sehwag interacts with youngsters in Jhajjar. Tribune photo: Ravinder Saini


Virender Sehwag interacts with youngsters in Jhajjar

Churchill, Pune enter Durand semis
New Delhi, October 10
Twice champions Churchill Brothers, Goa, and Pune FC entered the semi-finals of the 124th Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.

Somdev loses in first round
Shanghai, October 10
Somdev Devvarman's lean patch continued as he made another first round exit from the ATP Shanghai Masters after losing in straight sets to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, here today.

Indian Oil thrash EME 5-0
Jalandhar, October 10
Holders Indian Oil, Mumbai edged out EME Jalandhar in a one-sided match (5-0) in the ongoing 28th Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey tournament here today.

Woods shrugs off hot dog-flinging fan
San Martin, October 10
Tiger Woods' tough 2011 season took one more odd turn on Sunday when a fan flung a hot dog in his direction in the final round of the Frys.com Open.

Doping: Three more caught for steroids
New Delhi, October 10
Doping menace continued unabated in Indian athletics with three more track and field competitors returning positive for steroids in the tests conducted during the National Open Championships held in Kolkata last month.

Boxers have their task cut out
Patiala, October 10
The Indian boxers have a tough task ahead with only one qualifying tournament left for the London Olympics, after the 2011 AIBA World Championships at Baku.

South Asian Beach Games
India bag five medals to top tally
Hambantota, October 10
India today bagged two gold and three silver medals to top the tally at the end of the third day of the South Asian Beach Games here.

Isha Lakhani moves up
New Delhi, October 10
Former champions Isha Lakhani and Vijay Kannan had mixed luck on the opening day of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) courts here today.





Top










Challenger Trophy
Mukund leads India Red to victory

Dinesh Karthik of India Blue in action against India Red in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in Nagpur on Monday
Dinesh Karthik of India Blue in action against India Red in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in Nagpur on Monday. — PTI

Nagpur, October 10
A superb century by Abhinav Mukund (127) took India Red to victory over India Blue in the opening match of the NKP Salve Challenger Series at the Jamtha cricket stadium here today.

Set to score 274 for victory, India Red were powered by Mukund, who got his runs off just 133 balls with the help of ten boundaries, as they overhauled the target with more than two overs to spare. Mukund fell in the 47th over of the chase when just 12 were needed for victory but by that time he had ensured that his team was firmly on course.

Wridhiman Saha remained unbeaten with 65 as India Red won by five wickets. Earlier, a gritty 56 by skipper Subramanium Badrinath and a quickfire half century from young Mandeep Singh helped India Blue post a competitive 274 for eight.

India Red skipper Gautam Gambhir who will be playing the couple of round robin matches in order to gear up for ODI series won the toss and elected to field. This was the first domestic limited overs match that is being played under the new ICC rules where two new balls are being used from two ends.

The find of IPL Paul Valthaty playing his first major List A match (second in his career) was in attacking mood scoring 36 off only 39 deliveries with the help of seven boundaries. He played and missed a few but was severe on Rudra Pratap Singh who looked woefully out of form. RP wasn't brought back for a second spell after he leaked 31 runs in his first four overs. — Agencies

Top

 

Swann criticises Pietersen’s captaincy in new book

London, October 10
England off-spinner Graeme Swann has criticised the manner in which Kevin Pietersen led the side during his stint as England captain.

In his new autobiography, 'The Breaks Are Off', Swann has been quoted as saying :"There is no doubt that Kev is a good player, a really fine batsman, but he was never the right man to captain England in my opinion. Some people are better leaders of men and Kev, for all his abundant talent is not one of those natural leaders."

According to a report in the Daily Mail, Swann prefers the calmer leadership style of Strauss, saying that at one point of the Chennai Test in 2008, Pietersen was reduced to screaming "F****** bowl f****** straight at everyone."

"I wouldn't say he was a useless captain, but he wasn't my sort of captain and we've ended up with the right man. I can't really work out why Strauss demands respect, but he does.

I've known him a long time but there is a line I won't cross with him that I will cross with anyone else. It's the sign of a good leader. I'm in awe of the way he speaks." — PTI

Top

 

Sehwag inaugurates academy
Ravinder Saini
Tribune News Service

Jhajjar, October 10
"It was my father's dream that I set up a academy of international standard and I am glad that I have realised the dream of my father.

Our motto is to see that the academy produces sportspersons who are able to make a name for themselves and also make their nation proud," Virender Sehwag said while interacting with mediapersons after inaugurating the Sehwag International Cricket Academy in Silani Keso village here last evening.

Sehwag said the academy would be multi-disciplinary and will also impart training in tennis, horse riding, swimming and wrestling besides cricket.

He said noted players from various disciplines like Pulela Gopichand, Mahesh Bhupathi, Khazan Singh and Sushil Kumar will also be coming to the academy to motivate the youngsters.

Top

 

Churchill, Pune enter Durand semis
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 10
Twice champions Churchill Brothers, Goa, and Pune FC entered the semi-finals of the 124th Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here today.

Churchill overcame Mohammedan Sporting (Kolkata) 2-0 while Pune got past Air-India 2-1.

Churchill topped the group with six points and meet Shillong Lajong in the second semi-final on Thursday. The Goan club thus entered the Durand semifinal for the sixth consecutive time. They had won the title in 2007 and 2009.

Churchill had to overcome a fighting Mohammedan Sporting, who were the first Indian club to win the Durand, to move up as despite being reduced to ten men, Mohammedan put up stout resistance.

Churchill scored once in each half through Beto, who converted a penalty, and Lalrindika Ralte.

Referee Rowan awarded a spot kick to Churchill when their striker Henri Arnaud was blocked by Mohammedans defender Mohd Adeola Hassan in the box. The player abused the referee for awarding the penalty and was promptly shown the red card.

In the second match, Pune rallied to down Air-India. Samdesh Gadkari put the airline ahead in the ninth minute, and they held on to the lead till the 77th minute, when Paresh Shivalkar, a former Air-India hand, pulled one back for Pune.

Eight minutes later, Manipuri defender Rollingson Hungyo slotted home the match-winner with an angular left-footer.

Pune will take on Prayag United in the first semi-final at 5-45 p.m. on Wednesday after a rest day tomorrow.

Top

 

Somdev loses in first round

Somdev Devvarman Shanghai, October 10
Somdev Devvarman's lean patch continued as he made another first round exit from the ATP Shanghai Masters after losing in straight sets to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, here today.

The 84th ranked Indian lost 4-6 3-6 in an hour and 27 minutes in his opening match of the USD 3,240,00 hard court tournament. Now the head-to-head record of the two players stand 2-2 in four meetings this season.

Since Atlanta event in July, Somdev has competed in seven tournaments, including Davis Cup tie against Japan, and has won only two matches.

In the doubles event, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes are seeded fourth and have got a first round bye. Rohan Bopanna and his Pakistani partner Aisam-ul-haq Quershi are seeded seventh and they also have got a first round bye. — PTI

Top

 

Indian Oil thrash EME 5-0
Kusum Arora
Tribune News Service

A match in progress between Indian Oil Mumbai and EME Jalandhar in the Surjit Hockey tournament on Monday
A match in progress between Indian Oil Mumbai and EME Jalandhar in the Surjit Hockey tournament on Monday. Tribune photo: Sarabjit Singh

Jalandhar, October 10
Holders Indian Oil, Mumbai edged out EME Jalandhar in a one-sided match (5-0) in the ongoing 28th Indian Oil Servo Surjit Hockey tournament here today.

For both teams, the first half remained frustrating as they failed to capitalise on some golden chances.

However, towards the end of the first half, Indian Oil managed to open their account when Deepak Thakur sounded the board to make it 1-0.

In the second half, Indian Oil dominated the proceedings and cornered EME.

For Indian Oil the second goal came through the stick of Didar Singh off a penalty corner in the 42nd minute.

The third goal was scored by Affan Yousuf in the 50th minute followed by another goal in the 66th minute of the game, when Deepak Thakur scored a field goal.

Top

 

Woods shrugs off hot dog-flinging fan

San Martin, October 10
Tiger Woods' tough 2011 season took one more odd turn on Sunday when a fan flung a hot dog in his direction in the final round of the Frys.com Open.

Woods was preparing to putt at the seventh green at CordeValle — his 16th hole of the day — when the man burst out of the crowd and tossed the hot dog in Woods' direction.

Woods backed away from his putt and the man promptly surrendered to tournament security personnel and police.

Authorities did not give the man's name, but said he appeared to be intoxicated and had been arrested.

While 14-time major champion Woods has had to endure the occasional heckler since his return to competition in 2010 in the wake of a sex scandal, he had never had a spectator get through the ropes to approach him.

"When I looked up, the hot dog was already in the air," said Woods, who regretted missing his subsequent birdie putt but otherwise didn't seem especially concerned. "He was pretty far away from me."

Woods said the man "laid on the ground and looked like he wanted to be arrested because he ... put his hands behind his back and turned his head."

"I guess he wanted to be in the news," Woods said. "And I'm sure he will be." — AFP

Top

 

Doping: Three more caught for steroids

New Delhi, October 10
Doping menace continued unabated in Indian athletics with three more track and field competitors returning positive for steroids in the tests conducted during the National Open Championships held in Kolkata last month.

National Anti-Doping Agency conducted tests on 93 urine samples during the September 10-13 Championships, out of which three returned positive for multiple substances, including banned steroids and stimulant methylhexaneamine.

"A total of 93 urine samples of athletes of track and field events were collected during 51st National Open Athletics Championships at Kolkata during September 10-13. Out of the reports of 91 samples received so far from National Dope Testing Laboratory, three samples were found positive and the first notices had been issued," NADA Director General Rahul Bhatnagar said in a release.

"In each of the case, multiple substances were found and they include methandienone, stanozolol, methyltesterone, phentermine, methylhexaneamine," the release added. — PTI

Top

 

Boxers have their task cut out
Gagan K. Teja
Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 10
The Indian boxers have a tough task ahead with only one qualifying tournament left for the London Olympics, after the 2011 AIBA World Championships at Baku.

The second Olympic qualifier, which would be held at Kazakhstan in the end of March, would see some top Indian pugilists, including Vijender Singh, Suronjoy Singh, Akhil and Paramjit Samota, in action to reserve a berth at the Olympics.

With Ukrainian boxers overshadowing world-class pugilists during the World Championship, the Indians will now have to put in everything they have to make a room for them. Notably, the International Boxing Association (AIBA) had organised a World Series of Boxing this year and only four boxers had made it to the Olympics.

The weight categories for this championship were different and only gold medal winners in individual weight category were selected. These players are eligible to fight in any weight category they want. None of the Indians took part in the championship.

This was followed by World Championship (first Olympic qualifier) in which four Indian pugilists -- Asian Games gold medallist Vikas Krishan (69kg), Jai Bhagwan (60kg), Manoj Kumar (64kg) and Devendro Singh (49kg), made it to the mega event. Vikas capped off a good performance with a bronze in welterweight division of this championship.

Now, all eyes are set on the second Olympic qualifier and the experts feel that the boxers will have to toil day and night if they want to make it to the Games.

Talking to The Tribune, one of the senior boxing coaches said that the pugilists will now have to display some extraordinary skills to make it to the Asian quota and reserve their berth. “It’s a tough task ahead,” he said. “After the way Ukraine and Brazil performed raised the bar in Baku, the Indian boxers will have to put everything on stake.

“The boxers are returning tomorrow morning and there is not a single minute to waste,” the coach added. “With many top pugilists still to qualify, the coaches and players will have to rediscover their potential. Though the youngsters have given a spectacular performance, they certainly need senior players’ guidance during such big games.”

Top

 

South Asian Beach Games
India bag five medals to top tally

Hambantota, October 10
India today bagged two gold and three silver medals to top the tally at the end of the third day of the South Asian Beach Games here.

Jaswinder Singh Baath and Jaswinder Singh won a gold and silver respectively in Individual Lance competition of the equestrian event.

Jaswinder Singh also won a silver in Rings and Peg of the equestrian event.

The Indians also finished one-two in the 5km Open Water event in marathon swimming with Mervin Roak Chen (1:05:59) and Manda Divas (1:06:36) winning gold and silver, respectively.

India are atop the medals tally with two gold and three silver, followed by Nepal with one gold, one silver and Sri Lanka with one bronze.

In kabbadi, India are in contention for medals in both men's and women's sections.

India beat Bangladesh 57-27 in a pool match of the women's beach kabbadi, while the men's team defeated Nepal 66-23, but lost to Pakistan 32-47 in the league stages.

In beach basketball also, India are in contention for a gold medal each in men's and women's sections.

In the men's section, India beat Maldives 19-13 in a league match, while their women counterparts won two league games — against Nepal (21-6) and Maldives (21-3) — to be on top of the table.

In women's beach volleyball, India beat Maldives 2-1 (21-15, 16-21, 15-5) in a preliminary round match. — PTI

Top

 

Isha Lakhani moves up
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 10
Former champions Isha Lakhani and Vijay Kannan had mixed luck on the opening day of the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA) courts here today.

Former women’s singles champion Isha Lakhani, who has now turned her attention to coaching, showed that she had lots of tennis left in her when she prevailed over qualifier Arushi Sharma from Delhi with a businesslike 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Isha, who had toyed with the idea of quitting competitive tennis to concentrate on coaching full time, changed her mind to give the Nationals a final shot and her intuition was not misplaced.

She showed she had not lost none of her bounce as she used the angles and covered the courts effectively to dismantle the Delhi qualifier, whose second-set resistance proved to just a flash in the pan, as Isha raced to victory.

Kannan was not as lucky as he lost to Saketh Mayneni of Andhra Pradesh 4-6, 3-6. The US-based Saketh, who recently won an AITA ranking tournament in Bangalore, was sharp on the court as he rushed past Kannan, who seemed rusty and ponderous, unable to catch up with the rallies.

Lakshit Sood from Uttar Pradesh outslugged Karnataka’s Vinod Gowda 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 while Delhi’s Kunal Anand outplayed Tamil Nadu’s Fariz Mohammad 6-1, 6-4 in other interesting engagements on the first day.

Top

 
 BRIEFLY

Harbhajan SinghHarbhajan named 'Sikh Sportsperson of the Year'
LONDON:
Feisty Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was chosen 'Sikh Sportsperson of the Year' at the World Sikh Awards 2011 for his "contribution to the Indian cricket team's World Cup triumph". The citation for him read, "Harbhajan Singh Plaha, born July 3, 1980 is a Professional Indian cricketer. A specialist bowler, he has the second highest number of Test wickets by an off-spinner. He is the 11th bowler in the history of Test cricket to claim 400 wickets. Harbhajan Singh was a major contributor to the Indian cricket team's victory during the World Cup." Ironically, the honour comes at a time when Harbhajan has been dropped from the ODI team due to his poor form. — PTI

Indian colts win 4 medals
New Delhi:
Indian junior shuttlers won one silver and three bronze medals at the Badminton Asia Youth Championship held in Japan from October 5 to 9. Ruthvika Shivani bagged the silver as she lost to Yamaguchi of Japan 17-21, 21-11, 19-21 in the final of the u-15 girl's singles category. Aditya Joshi and Daniel S Farid won the bronze medals after losing their respective semifinals in the u-17 and u-15 boy's singles. — PTI

Waterpolo: Indian eves third
New Delhi:
Indian eves won the bronze medal in the junior category at the ongoing Asian Age Group waterpolo championships at Indonesia. Indian boys also defeated Sri Lanka 20-5 in the October 5-13 tournament, according to information received here. The Indian boys will next play Qatar. — PTI

Rooney's place in jeopardy
LONDON:
Fabio Capello has warned Wayne Rooney that he will not be automatically recalled to the England team after serving his suspension at the European championship next year. Capello told British media he did not plan to start Rooney in any of the warm-up games before June's tournament following the striker's red card in Montenegro on Friday. UEFA will decide on Thursday whether Rooney serves the minimum one-match ban or any additional games at the finals in Ukraine and Poland. — Reuters

Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) and goalkeeper Sergio Romero during a training session in Buenos Aires prior to their 2nd 2014 World Cup South American qualifier match against Venezuela
Argentina's Lionel Messi (L) and goalkeeper Sergio Romero during a training session in Buenos Aires prior to their 2nd 2014 World Cup South American qualifier match against Venezuela. — AFP

Raid-de-Himalayas takes off
Simla:
The annual Maruti Suzuki Raid-de-Himalayas was flagged off from here today with a new format, in which participants from the X-treme and the Adventure category will compete in different routes before joining each other in the later part of the rally. It is for the first time that two separate routes have been worked out by the organisers for the rally, which begins tomrrow. This year, the rally will cover a distance of 2000 kms in six legs spread over six days. — PTI

India to play two friendlies
New Delhi:
Indian senior football team will play two international friendly matches against Malaysia next month in the run up to the South Asian Football Federation Cup to be held here in December. The international friendlies will be held on November 13 at Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium at Sarusajai, Guwahati and on November 16 at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. — PTI

Modern School champions
PATIALA:
Modern School, Barakhambha Road, New Delhi, emerged overall champions in the IPSC Tennis Tournament for Boys and Girls-2011 played at YPS, Patiala. Modern School were overall champions in all age-groups (u-14, u-17, u-19). Delhi Public School, Mathura Road, New Delhi were runners-up in all. In the girls’ categories, DPS, R.K. Puram, New Delhi, won the championship in the u-14 and u-19 groups, whereas Mayo College won the u-17 event. Daly College, Indore were second in the u-14 category while Mayo finished runners up in u-17 and u-19. — TNS

Top

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 |