S P O R T S

Lanka have slight edge
Galle, March 27 England bounced back after being spun out cheaply by Sri Lanka to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Galle International Stadium today. At the end of an eventful second day's play in which 17 wickets tumbled on a slow pitch, Sri Lanka led the tourists by 209 runs with five second innings wickets in hand.
Mahela Jayawardene (L) and Prasanna Jayawardene (R) celebrate the wicket of England's Ian Bell (C) during the second day of the first Test in Galle on Tuesday. Sri Lanka lead England by 209 runs with five wickets in hand. — Reuters

New Zealand cling on for draw with Williamson ton
Wellington, March 27
A heroic century by 21-year-old Kane Williamson trumped a hostile South African bowling attack and allowed New Zealand to hang on for a tenacious draw in the third Test today.

Kruger van Wyk of New Zealand plays a shot on the fifth day of the third Test against South Africa in Wellington on Tuesday. — AFP

Teammates salute Dravid’s contribution Mumbai, March 27 The cricketing fraternity came together tonight to raise a toast for the retired Rahul Dravid as they fondly remembered the immense contribution of the batting stalwart who emotionally remarked that he would miss being part of the Indian dressing room. Rahul Dravid (R) is honoured by BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale in Mumbai on Tuesday. — PTI

Competitive mid-field makes Formula 1 tough: Paul, Nico Greater Noida, March 27 Sahara Force India did extremely well in the last season by finishing sixth in the constructors' championship but repeating the performance in the 2012 season would be extremely tough due to a very competitive mid-field, the team's drivers conceded today. Sahara Force India drivers Nico Hülkenberg (L) and Paul di Resta with the Mercedes AMG car during an event at the Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida on Tuesday. — PTI

Catheram-Renault face fine, expulsion

London, March 27 Caterham-Renault team could face a heavy fine or even expulsion in the latest Spygate scandal to hit Formula One, in which Force India accused them of copying their intellectual property relating to the aerodynamic design of their 2010 car. Caterham-Renault Formula One team Principal Tony Fernandes (C) monitors the drivers during the Malaysian Grand Prix. The team could face a heavy fine or even expulsion as Force India accused them of copying intellectual property. — AFP

Tushar, Shivendra return advance amount to WSH
New Delhi, March 27
Indian hockey stars Tushar Khandker and Shivendra Singh have returned the advance money they took for playing in the World Series Hockey (WSH) to Nimbus Communications Ltd following their failure to honour the commitment of playing in the WSH, which started on February 29.

India meet Kiwis in Azlan Shah opener
New Delhi, March 27
India will meet New Zealand in their first match in the 21st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament, to be held at Ipoh (Malaysia), from May 24 to June 3. The outing will be a fine opportunity for India to test their ware before the London Olympics.

Man United back on top Manchester, March 27 Wayne Rooney kept Manchester United on course for a record 20th title after hitting the winner in a 1-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford on Monday. Rooney's 21st top-flight goal of the season, which arrived towards the end of the first half, proved enough to see off spirited mid-table opposition. Manchester United's Wayne Rooney (L) celebrates with Jonny Evans after scoring the winner against Fulham in Manchester on Monday. Manchester United won 1-0. — AFP

Patiala fencer excels
Patiala, March 27
Patiala lad Nitish Nav decided to take up fencing as he was always fascinated by the sport, but slowly he has made a name for him and his career seems to be on a roll.

Punjab sports dept to hold selection trials
Chandigarh, March 27
The Punjab Sports Department will organise selection trials for sports academies and schools in the second week of April. An advertisement for the same will also be taken out in various newspapers in the first week of April, so that all interested people can get to know about the dates for the same.

Lanka have slight edge

Galle, March 27
England bounced back after being spun out cheaply by Sri Lanka to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Galle International Stadium today. At the end of an eventful second day's play in which 17 wickets tumbled on a slow pitch, Sri Lanka led the tourists by 209 runs with five second innings wickets in hand.

Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed six wickets as England were bowled out for 193 in their first innings after skipper Mahela Jayawardene's 180 had lifted Sri Lanka to 318 earlier in the day.

But the hosts slumped to 84-5 in their second knock, four of those wickets falling to off-spinner Graeme Swann, to set up a thrilling finale. Swann, who had failed to take a wicket in the first innings, ripped through the top order in the final session of play.

At stumps, Dinesh Chandimal was unbeaten on 17 and Suraj Randiv was on two.

England lasted just 46.4 overs as the world's number one Test side, still to recover from a 3-0 thrashing by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, once again fumbled against spin.

Ian Bell top-scored with 52, but England lost their way before defiant batting by the tailenders pushed the total from a shaky 92-6. Stuart Broad smashed 28 in a 30-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Bell, taking 18 runs in four balls from seamer Suranga Lakmal that included three boundaries and a six.

Swann's 24 runs came from six fours and England's tail prospered further when James Anderson (23 not out) and Monty Panesar (13) put on 36 runs for the last wicket. England will slip to number two behind South Africa in the official rankings if they lose the two-Test series.

The tourists lost opener Alastair Cook in the second over of the innings before a run had been scored when he was trapped leg-before by Lakmal. — AFP

Scoreboard

New Zealand cling on for draw with Williamson ton

Wellington, March 27
A heroic century by 21-year-old Kane Williamson trumped a hostile South African bowling attack and allowed New Zealand to hang on for a tenacious draw in the third Test today.

South Africa secured the series 1-0 but were on the verge a second victory before tea after a sensational bowling performance by Morne Morkel reduced New Zealand to 83-5.

In a dramatic final session, New Zealand lost only one further wicket as Williamson held firm in a defiant 80-run stand for the sixth wicket with Kruger van Wyk, following that with an unbeaten 37-run partnership with Doug Bracewell.

The South African fieldsmen grounded multiple chances helping New Zealand reach 200-6 at the close after South African captain Graeme Smith set an imposing 389-run target.

Morkel ripped out the New Zealand top order to finish with career best figures of six for 23 which won him the man-of-the-match award over Williamson.

But Morkel and fellow quicks Morne Steyn, Vernon Philander and Marchant de Lange had reason to believe they could have cleaned out New Zealand had the fielding been sharper.

Williamson, batting at four in place of the injured skipper Ross Taylor, survived a painful strike in the groin and at least four edges behind the stumps including a low catch claimed by Alviro Petersen at point.

Television replays showed the ball may have hit the ground first and the decision went in favour of the batsman who at that stage was on seven but went on to post his second century from 228 balls, spending 327 minutes at the crease.

When Morkel cleaned out Dean Brownlie (15) and Daniel Vettori with successive yorkers, van Wyk entered the fray and took several balls to the body as he made 39 in 100 minutes.

With his dismissal and 19 overs remaining, the writing looked on the wall for New Zealand with only tailenders Doug Bracewell, Mark Gillespie and Chris Martin to bat. Bracewell had scored a duck in his previous three innings in the series but played confidently as he supported Williamson to be 20 not out after he was dropped by de Villiers on eight. — AFP

Scoreboard

Teammates salute Dravid’s contribution

Mumbai, March 27
The cricketing fraternity came together tonight to raise a toast for the retired Rahul Dravid as they fondly remembered the immense contribution of the batting stalwart who emotionally remarked that he would miss being part of the Indian dressing room.

Former captains Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble, VVS Laxman and current skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni were among those who spoke at the function.

While describing him as a "huge pillar", Ganguly said Dravid was a great ambassador of the game. "He was one of the huge pillar through which Indian cricket went forward. He is one of the greatest batsmen not just in India but in world cricket," Ganguly said.

"You (Dravid) played in an era when Indian cricket went from strength to strength. As far his best knocks are concerned, there are bound to be debates. But as I had said always, the one at Eden Gardens is the best. Though I rate the knocks overseas highly, I think the knock at Eden with VVS (Laxman) not only established him in world cricket but was also important for Indian cricket. I am happy that he could take the decision on his own.”

Recalling his long career, Dravid said Dhoni's team winning the ODI World Cup last year was a “special moment” for him. “Mahi, you have to be proud of what you have done with this Indian team... it was a special moment for me to see the group of boys holding the World Cup last year after 2007 (when India were knocked out in the first round). It was a memorable moment. It was inspiring, as a 10-year-old, to see Kapil Dev lift the World Cup, and to do it again in 2011, was special. I know you have inspired a lot of 10-year-olds, there are challenges but you have the right temperament to take the legacy of Indian team forward.”

“I will miss being part of the dressing room, the banter, the camaraderie but not so much the rap music," Dravid said in a lighter vein.

Kumble, with whom Dravid combined to effect a number of dismissals, felt it would be difficult for anyone to emulate the cricketer. "It's been a great partnership with you Rahul. When we look back we can gladly say we will only remember the wonderful memories. I just spoke about the 55 catches you have taken (off my bowling). When his first son Samit was born, somebody sms-ed saying caught Dravid b Kumble. But his son cannot be Rahul Dravid. It would be easier for his son to take take 2 wickets than score the number of runs he has scored, just like it would be easier for my son to have a batting average of 18," Kumble said.

Laxman termed Dravid as an “all-time great”. “It is a great occasion in the presence of the legends and the Indian greats of cricket to celebrate the end of the illustrious career of one of the all-time greats of the game. A great friend and a colleague. I will definitely be missing you in the dressing room.” — PTI

Competitive mid-field makes Formula 1 tough: Paul, Nico

Greater Noida, March 27
Sahara Force India did extremely well in the last season by finishing sixth in the constructors' championship but repeating the performance in the 2012 season would be extremely tough due to a very competitive mid-field, the team's drivers conceded today.

Force India have made a reasonably good start with Paul di Resta among points in the first two races and Nico Hulkenberg earning two points at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Force India, in fact, were the only team whose both the cars finished among points in Malaysia. Teams such as Sauber and Toro Rosso, that finished behind Force India in 2011, have also done well in the first two races of the new season, sending out a warning that it will take some effort to beat them.

Sauber's Sergio Perez delivered a shock second-place finish, the best-ever for the side, in the Malaysian Grand Prix last Sunday.

"It's not easy. It's tough but we are hopeful that we will be able to develop the car that would be good enough. The focus is to get points in every race," Paul di Resta said during an interaction with media at the Buddh International circuit here.

Nico Hulkenberg said it is difficult to predict what the outcome would be at the end of the season but he too felt that mid-field is quite close this time.

"It's early days. We have had just two races. we will have plenty of opportunity to maximise our performance. The mid-field is close," Hulkenberg said.

Both di Resta and Hulkenberg also drove the gathered journalists and photo-journalists in a Mercedes car for a lap of the BIC.

Play safe on Narain-Vettel spat

Sahara Force India drivers — Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg — were cautious to react on Sebastian Vettel calling Indian racer Narain Karthikeyan an 'idiot' after a collision during the Malaysian Grand Prix that cost the Red Bull driver points. Karthikeyan and Vettel collided during the 46th lap in the Malaysian GP and the defending champion suffered a puncture, eventually resulting in him dropping to 11th from fourth.

Asked about the incident, Hulkenberg said," He (Vettel) said it right after the race. It was a bad day for him. He had no points. He is emotional." Resta also echoed the same sentiment.

"Though I have not really seen the incident, I am sure a lot was said in the heat of the moment. May be he (Vettel) used the wrong words. Emotions run high in Formula One and sometimes you tend to say what you don't really mean.

"Having said that, Narain is entitled to do as much on the track in comparison as someone like a Vettel. Both are F1 drivers and are there to represent their teams," Resta said. Karthikeyan has reportedly said that some leading drivers tend to "bully" the backmarkers.

The Indian driver was also involved in an accident with McLaren's Jenson Button but the Briton had taken the blame for that. — PTI

Catheram-Renault face fine, expulsion

London, March 27
Caterham-Renault team could face a heavy fine or even expulsion in the latest Spygate scandal to hit Formula One, in which Force India accused them of copying their intellectual property relating to the aerodynamic design of their 2010 car.

Even rival team Marussia have expressed concerns that QPR owner Tony Fernandes' Caterham gained an undue advantage when they both entered Formula One that year.

The High Court ruled last week that Aero lab, which is a design company used first by Force India, and afterward by Caterham must pay Force India 21,000 dollars for misuse of secret information as employees passed on some of their aerodynamic designs to Caterham.

Force India and Marussia deem the ruling signals a basic breach of the Formula One Association's International Sporting Code, which is the same article under which McLaren were charged, and found guilty in the Spygate saga of 2007.

"If nothing is now done, that means a free-for-all in the paddock. If nothing is done, could McLaren claim their $100million back?" the Daily Mail quoted Force India's deputy team principal Bob Fernley, as saying. "If the FIA do sanction against Caterham, it could cost them tens of millions," Fernley added. — ANI

Tushar, Shivendra return advance amount to WSH
M.S.Unnikrishnan
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 27
Indian hockey stars Tushar Khandker and Shivendra Singh have returned the advance money they took for playing in the World Series Hockey (WSH) to Nimbus Communications Ltd following their failure to honour the commitment of playing in the WSH, which started on February 29.

Tushar Khandker returned Rs 63,000 while Shivendra Singh paid back Rs 90,000, which they had received as advance payment from the WSH.

The WSH had issued notices to some of the players who failed to honour their contractual agreement, as Hockey India had selected all the top players among the 48 probables for the Olympic camp, after India qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.

Hockey India had barred the selected players from playing in the WSH, as it was not an event sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), though it had the full support of the Union Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India. Sports Minister Ajay Maken had even expressed his surprise at the early commencement of the preparatory camp for the Olympics, as he felt that the players would have got valuable exposure by playing in the WSH. But Hockey India stood its ground, and insisted that no player from the national camp would be allowed to play in the WSH, which kept players like Tushar and Shivendra out of the WSH.

Both the players, in identical replies to Nimbus, defended their decision not to play in the WSH, as “the dates on which Numbus has chosen to schedule the said league have rendered the contract impossible of performance, as the said league is scheduled to be held on dates that conflict with my national duty as a member of the Indian hockey team”.

“The said agreement is, therefore, void as it constitutes an agreement to do an impossible act”, they noted.

The players also pointed out that “the agreement itself recognizes that primacy be given by players to attend to national duty. It is the dream of any sportsman to represent their country in the Olympics”. Their reason for not playing in the WSH was that they were expected to be selected for the Olympics and “required to attend all training and selection camps that are scheduled for the Olympic team, and follow a diligent conditioning schedule, which also includes prescribed periods of rest”.

The players also contended that they were “assured on a number of occasions that in the event India were to qualify for the Olympics, Nimbus would not interfere with players prioritizing national duty over participation in the commercial league as this was already provided for in the terms of agreement”.

Both Shivendra Singh and Tushar Khandker also stated that at the time of signing of the agreement, they were assured by representatives of Nimbus that “the league would be a sanctioned league, and the dates would be scheduled with the permission of all concerned authorities so as to avoid any conflict with the calendar of the Indian national team.”

India meet Kiwis in Azlan Shah opener
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 27
India will meet New Zealand in their first match in the 21st Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament, to be held at Ipoh (Malaysia), from May 24 to June 3. The outing will be a fine opportunity for India to test their ware before the London Olympics.

Besides India, the other teams in the fray are Britain, Korea, New Zealand, Pakistan, Argentina and hosts Malaysia. The tournament will be played on a round-robin league format, culminating in positional playoffs on the last day.India will open their campaign against New Zealand on May 24, followed by matches against Korea, Britain, Malaysia, Argentina and Pakistan.

India have won the title five times - in 1985, 1991, 1995, 2009 and 2010.

Man United back on top

Manchester, March 27
Wayne Rooney kept Manchester United on course for a record 20th title after hitting the winner in a 1-0 win over Fulham at Old Trafford on Monday. Rooney's 21st top-flight goal of the season, which arrived towards the end of the first half, proved enough to see off spirited mid-table opposition.

The result sent Sir Alex Ferguson's side, who have won their last six league games, three points clear of neighbours Manchester City at the top of the table with eight games remaining.

It was far from vintage United, but with their next four games against teams in the bottom six, it is difficult to see where United are going to slip up.

"For an hour we played very well and we made some decent opportunities but you have to give credit to Fulham," Ferguson told Sky Sports.

"They had more left than we did in the last 15 minutes. I think they had a claim (for a penalty), there's no doubt. We had a claim in the first half. Maybe the referee was thinking about that, but certainly Michael Carrick caught Danny Murphy's heel."

Having destroyed struggling Wolves 5-0 in their last outing, United were hoping Fulham would prove equally obliging opponents with the league delicately poised.

Fulham spent the opening exchanges penned inside their own half.

But this was a night for patience as United struggled to impose themselves until Rooney struck three minutes before the interval.

Veteran midfielder Ryan Giggs headed an early chance straight at keeper Mark Schwarzer while Patrice Evra proved an unlikely goal threat in the 32nd minute with an overhead kick which flashed narrowly wide.

But the ruthless finishing which was so evident eight days earlier at Molineux was missing as Fulham created just as many chances as United before the interval.

Not for the first time this season, Clint Dempsey was his team's main goal threat.

The United States international twice tested David De Gea in the space of a few minutes, his second effort a lovely attempted curler from the edge of the area which had United's Spanish keeper diving at full stretch to claw away.

Yet just when Fulham thought they had survived the opening half without damage, Rooney pounced from close range after Jonny Evans had teed-up the striker from Ashley Young's 42nd minute cross following a mistake by John Arne-Riise.

The sighs of relief could be heard all around the ground.

United, who meet City in what could be a winner-take-all game on April 30, dominated possession after the interval but were unable to add to their tally.

Schwarzer was forced into action when Giggs played the ball over the top for Antonio Valencia, who seemed likely to score, but his shot was straight at the Australian international. — AFP

Patiala fencer excels
Gagan K. Teja
Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 27
Patiala lad Nitish Nav decided to take up fencing as he was always fascinated by the sport, but slowly he has made a name for him and his career seems to be on a roll.

He has been selected to take part in the World University Games that will be held at Russia later this year after he won four medals — one gold, one silver and two bronze medals, in the All India Inter-University Fencing Championship held at Anna University, Coimbatore, recently. Nav is currently studying at MM Modi College, Punjabi University, Patiala.

Throwing light on how he landed in fencing, Nav informed that he started eight years back just for fun after he happened to see few fencers practicing. “I was always inclined towards sports in general as my father TL Gupta is a boxing coach at NIS. I saw few fencers training at NIS and the game really excited me. Though I was a little apprehensive as I had not heard much about it but when I had a word with my father, he left the choice on me,” informed Nav.

Expressing delight over his selection for the World University Games, Nav, who also won bronze medals during the Federation Cup at Hyderabad, National Games at Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Senior National Championship in 2011, said he was extremely excited.

“I have been waiting for this day as I have always nourished a dream of playing for my country and winning medals. This is a great opportunity and I will make the best use of it. I am currently training at NIS under Mohit Ashwini, Krishan Ramji and Lalit Kumar Gandhi and am hopeful of a good performance in the World University Games also.”

Punjab sports dept to hold selection trials
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 27
The Punjab Sports Department will organise selection trials for sports academies and schools in the second week of April. An advertisement for the same will also be taken out in various newspapers in the first week of April, so that all interested people can get to know about the dates for the same.

Earlier the trials used to be held in the month of January, but since the State went to polls early this year and also the examinations for classes 10th and 12th were also around the corner, the dates were pushed to April.

The Sports Department has already put in place all necessary arrangements and it will ensure that all the participants are well taken care of. The Punjab government has, additionally, increased the allowance for all residential players from Rs 120 per day, to rs 200 per day, so that the diet of these players is not compromised on in any way.