S P O R T S

Sammy, Russell twist the tale
Ahmedabad, December 5
Rohit Sharma's sparkling 95 was in vain as West Indies beat India by 16 runs in the third one-day international to stay afloat in the five-match series at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium on Monday.

West Indies captain Darren Sammy (L) celebrates with teammate Andre Russell after hitting a boundary during the third ODI in Ahmedabad on Monday. — AFP

SaFF Championship
India drub Bhutan, earn full points
New Delhi, December 5
India hammered minnows Bhutan to snatch a 5-0 victory and earned full points in their second Group A match of the SAFF Championship at the Nehru Stadium here today. India have now logged four points from two matches, and need only a draw against Sri Lanka to qualify for the semi-finals.

Tiger ends two-year trophy drought
California, December 5
American golfer Tiger Woods has ended his two-year winless run with victory at his own tournament in California. The former World No1 pipped fellow American Zach Johnson with a birdie-birdie finish at the Chevron World Challenge, The Sun reports. Woods was clearly charged at his long-awaited triumph and celebrated with his trademark fist pump after nailing an eight feet birdie putt on the last for a one-shot win.

Messi, Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or shortlist
Paris, December 5
Lionel Messi is on course for a record-equalling third consecutive Ballon d'Or, soccer's highest individual award, after the Argentine forward was named on a three-man shortlist on Monday. Messi's Barcelona team mate Xavi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo were also shortlisted with clubs from Spain's La Liga providing the top three for the third year in a row.

Disappointed but Nobbs chooses to count on positives
Johannesburg, December 5
Disappointed he is at losing out on the Champions Challenge title and with it a spot in the next Champions Trophy, but India hockey coach Michael Nobbs says there are positives to be taken from the defeat to Belgium in the finals here. India led 2-0 and then 3-1 but allowed Belgium to come back in the last 15 minutes to win 4-3 through a last-minute goal by Florent van Aubel last night.

Sangrur lift overall trophy
Chandigarh, December 5
Hosts Sangrur bagged the overall trophy by getting 24 points on the concluding day of the Punjab State Rural Games for Girls (U-16), here at the War Heroes Stadium. Tarn Taran secured second place, just behind the hosts, with 19 points and Muktsar finished third with 11 points.

Sammy, Russell twist the tale
West Indies Keep series alive, Win third ODI by 16 runs

Ahmedabad, December 5
Rohit Sharma's sparkling 95 was in vain as West Indies beat India by 16 runs in the third one-day international to stay afloat in the five-match series at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium on Monday.

Having dropped Sharma on 33, West Indies skipper Darren Sammy redeemed himself with a direct throw in the 44th over as India, chasing 261 for a third successive win that would have sealed the series, folded for 244 in 46.5 overs.

Sharma's 100-ball knock, which included 10 hits to the fence and a six, was his third successive half-century in the series which his team lead 2-1. Ravi Rampaul (4-57) derailed India's chase almost as soon as it began by removing the scoreless duo of captain Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with his first two deliveries.

Sehwag edged to depart caught behind while Gambhir was trapped leg before, leaving India tottering on eight for two wickets. Barring opener Parthiv Patel (39), none of the Indian top order batsmen could do justice to their reputation and it was Sharma's 91-run seventh-wicket stand with Ravichandran Ashwin (31) that took India near the target.

West Indies were put into bat and Marlon Samuels top-scored with a sedate 58 but it was the unbeaten 79-run stand between Sammy (41 not out) and Andrew Russell (40 not out) off 5.4 overs that helped West Indies to overcome a sluggish start and post 260 for five.

The visitors lost opener Lendl Simmons (1) in the third over and were also denied the service of another in-form player, Darren Bravo (26), when the batsman retired hurt with a hamstring problem.

Samuels tried to steady the innings but the run rate nosedived, prompting him to go after Umesh Yadav in the 19th over, hitting the bowler for a couple of fours and a six.

West Indies lost three cheap wickets to slump to 181 for five in the 45th over before Sammy paired up with Russell to provide the late surge to power them past 250.

Sammy hit Abhimanyu Mithun for two sixes and as many fours in the 49th over, while Russell struck two fours and a six off the final over sent down by Yadav. West Indies milked 93 runs off the last seven overs and 43 off the last two. — Reuters

Scoreboard

SaFF Championship
India drub Bhutan, earn full points
M.S. Unnikrishnan
Tribune News Service

Afghanistan's goalkeeper Bashir Ahmad Darman jumps to make a save against Sri Lanka in New Delhi on Monday. Afghanistan won 3-1. — PTI

New Delhi, December 5
India hammered minnows Bhutan to snatch a 5-0 victory and earned full points in their second Group A match of the SAFF Championship at the Nehru Stadium here today. India have now logged four points from two matches, and need only a draw against Sri Lanka to qualify for the semi-finals.

Lanka, who lost to Afghanistan 1-3 earlier in the day have the unenviable task of beating India to qualify. Afghanistan, with four points from two matches, are virtually through to the semis, as their next opponents would be Bhutan, who have become the whipping boys of the championship.

Though India virtually camped at the Bhutan territory in the first half, as the ball travelled to the Indian territory only when rival custodian Mon Bahadur Bhattrai took long goal kicks after every abortive move by the hosts, the first goal came only in the 29th minute after many a slip between the cup and the lip.

Syed Rahim Nabi, the roving winger, atoned for his many lapses when he headed in a corner floated from the right by Clifford Miranda. Two minutes before the half-time break, Miranda himself found the mark when he trapped a Gourmangi Singh cross to foot in.

On resumption, India added three more goals as Miranda found the net for the second time and Sunil Chhetri accounted for the last two goals. Chhetri was named the Man of the Match.

Though Miranda and Chhetri completed a brace each, they were also guilty of muffing many scoring chances. So were Jeje Lalpekhula, Syed Nabi and captain Climax Lawrence.

Before the goals came, India were disallowed three ‘goals’ as key players were caught in the off-side trap. First, Chhetri was caught off-side when Nabi slammed the ball in and on the next two occasions, Nabi himself astray into the trap, with Chhetri striking off a Lawrence pass, and Nabi himself scoring from an off-side position.

Indian seemed to lack in basics as they failed to get past the crowded Bhutanese defence for the first 25 minutes, though the rival players were short in stature, and did not seem to posses the kind of skills the hosts boasted of, at least on paper. India tried long balls to beat the defence, but even then their strikers failed to seize the chances.

Jeje wasted an open opportunity when he shot wide with an empty goal staring at him, early in the match. But once Nabi found the mark and Miranda added to the score before half-time, off a Chhetri pass, the wind changed course.

In the second half, it was comparatively smooth sailing for the hosts as Miranda completed his brace with a right-footer following a defensive lapse, while Chhetri bulged the tally with strikes in the 69th and 83rd minutes, to derive some consolation of getting ahead of Lanka on goal difference.

Earlier, Afghanistan hit back strongly to defeat Sri Lanka 3-1. Sri Lanka went ahead through by Mi Mohammed Zain. But Sanjay Ahmadi struck twice for Afghanistan to give them a 2-1 lead at half-time. On resumption, Ata Mohammad Yamir Ali found the mark to hike the tally to 3-1.

Afghanistan, who drew 1-1 with India, now face the lowly Bhutan in their last Group A match, which they should comfortably win.

Tiger ends two-year trophy drought

California, December 5
American golfer Tiger Woods has ended his two-year winless run with victory at his own tournament in California. The former World No1 pipped fellow American Zach Johnson with a birdie-birdie finish at the Chevron World Challenge, The Sun reports.

Woods was clearly charged at his long-awaited triumph and celebrated with his trademark fist pump after nailing an eight feet birdie putt on the last for a one-shot win.

Asked how it felt to have finally won again, Woods struggled to describe his emotions.

He said: "It feels awesome - whatever it is. It feels great. It was a lot of fun coming down the stretch. Zach really put me under the gun out there." A stroke behind Johnson overnight, Woods fired a three-under-par 69 at Sherwood Country Club to claim the 95th tournament win of his career - but his first since the 2009 Australian Masters.

Woods has slumped to 52 in the rankings since his extra-marital affairs became public in 2009.He was also recently embroiled in an acrimonious split from long-time caddie Steve Williams. — ANI

Messi, Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or shortlist

Paris, December 5
Lionel Messi is on course for a record-equalling third consecutive Ballon d'Or, soccer's highest individual award, after the Argentine forward was named on a three-man shortlist on Monday. Messi's Barcelona team mate Xavi and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo were also shortlisted with clubs from Spain's La Liga providing the top three for the third year in a row.

Messi, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2009 and 2010, will be the favourite to complete a hat-trick of titles after his man-of-the-match performance helped the Spanish side beat Manchester United in the Champions League final in May. Portuguese forward Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2008 while Xavi has finished third in the last two editions.

Former France international and current UEFA President Michel Platini won the Ballon d'Or for three consecutive years from 1983. Last year, the FIFA Player of the Year and the Ballon d'Or awards merged into the FIFA Ballon d'Or and votes now come from the coaches and captains of international teams as well as from journalists.

The winner will be announced on Jan. 9 in Zurich with 1987 Ballon d'Or winner Ruud Gullit of Netherlands presiding over the ceremony. — Reuters

Disappointed but Nobbs chooses to count on positives

Johannesburg, December 5
Disappointed he is at losing out on the Champions Challenge title and with it a spot in the next Champions Trophy, but India hockey coach Michael Nobbs says there are positives to be taken from the defeat to Belgium in the finals here. India led 2-0 and then 3-1 but allowed Belgium to come back in the last 15 minutes to win 4-3 through a last-minute goal by Florent van Aubel last night.

Nobbs said losing from a position of strength hurts more. "We had the match in control but just gave it away. We were just a game away from making it to the Champions Trophy which would have been a big boost," said Nobbs, shaking his head as the Indian defence failed to keep Belgium's strikers at bay.

"It is very disapppointing not to have won after haviug things under control at 3-1 in the second half," he added. Seeking to repeat their 2001 title win in the Champions Challenge, India scored through VR Raghunath (23rd minutes) and Sandeep Singh (39th) that gave them a 2-0 lead. India were again 3-1 ahead when Shivendra Singh (53rd minute) scored a field goal. — PTI

Sangrur lift overall trophy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 5
Hosts Sangrur bagged the overall trophy by getting 24 points on the concluding day of the Punjab State Rural Games for Girls (U-16), here at the War Heroes Stadium. Tarn Taran secured second place, just behind the hosts, with 19 points and Muktsar finished third with 11 points.

Sardar Parminder Singh Dhindsa Minister, PWD (B&R) was the Chief Guest and he gave away prizes to the winners and declared the games closed and praised the Sports Department.

Jyoti Saini of Hoshiarpur bagged gold in the 1500m clocking 5:05.32m, Simranjit Kaur of Gurdaspur won silver in 5:20.53m, whereas Rajwinder of Tarn Taran got bronze in 5:23.38m. In basketball, Amritsar clinched gold by defeating Jalandhar 45-26 and Gurdaspur got bronze by defeating Mansa 68-62.