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India at home Down Under
Carlsen draws first game with Anand
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HP, J&K register wins in Hazare Trophy
Series on edge: Time for Lanka to show some guts
Salgaocar lift Durand Cup for third time
Indian Oil take on PSB in final
Punjab coaches get a raw deal again
Punjab Thunder beat Yo Yo Tigers 67-48
Chelsea march on after 2-1 win at Liverpool
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India at home Down Under
Perth, November 8 Rupinder Pal Singh, who played his 100th international match today, led the Indian side in the absence of regular skipper Sardar Singh. The Indian boys kept troubling the Aussie defenders but were unable to net the goal in the first quarter. The second quarter was also barren. Coming into the third quarter, it was India who broke the shackles and scored the opening goal which left the Kookaburras stunned. In the 34th minute SV Sunil netted the ball from a beautiful pass from Akashdeep Singh. The Indians played more aggressive after that. They not only ensured good possession but even kept the pressure on the opponent's defence. The Australians found it extremely difficult to penetrate into Indian defense. The last quarter saw the Indian defenders skilfully tackling the opponents whenever the Kookaburras attacked their D. The fourth and final match of the series will be played on Sunday. Girls lose 0-5 to N. Zealand Stratford: Putting up a disappointing performance, India's junior women's hockey team was blanked 0-5 by New Zealand in the third match of the six-Test series at the TET Multisports Centre. The first half of the match saw a defensive game from the Indian team. But two penalty corners in New Zealand's favour were successfully converted by Siobhan Nuzum and Su Arn Kwek, giving the hosts a 2-0 lead by the end of the first half. The Junior Black Sticks Women were on an attacking spree and held the Indians back from opening their account in the match. Repeated efforts from the Indians went in vain, as the Black Sticks went on to penetrate the Indian D and sliced in three more goals in the second half to take the goal tally 5-0. With the first three matches of the series being played with two halves of 35 minute each, the teams will be playing with 15 minute quarters format in the remaining three matches of the series. India will be taking on New Zealand again tomorrow in their fourth match. — Agencies
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Carlsen draws first game with Anand
Sochi, November 8 Having drawn the white pieces in the drawing of lots, Anand went for the blood on expected lines but Carlsen, after some initial problems in the Grunfeld defense came out with flying colours and gave the Tiger of Madras a tough time. With one of the preparations backfiring against an agile Magnus, it will be up to team Anand to look for remedial measures especially with white pieces as even though the Indian went up by almost 30 minutes on the clock in the opening phase. The advantage was gradually neutralised by Carlsen. Anand was, in fact, having less time than Carlsen when the game reached the first time control. It was a good opening for Anand as white in the topical exchange variation. The five times world champion apparently took a cue from a couple of recent games played by Ragger Markus and Alexander Moiseenko and even though their final result were uninspiring, the position did offer the kind of volatility Anand was hoping to get. Carlsen, to his credit, was in his elements and showed no fatigue whatsoever when he was posed with a difficult positon to solve. While things seem to be favouring Anand thanks to his speed in executing his moves till move 13, the next one from Carlsen apparently took the Indian by a huge surprise as he spent no less than 23 minutes on it. The draw of colours was held in Sochi on Friday evening. The last time the two had met in Chennai, Carlsen had opened with white. This time Anand will hope to have a better share of the deal. Among the seconds working with Anand are India’s K Sasikiran and Polish Grandmasters Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Grzegorz Gajewski. Among Carlsen’s seconds are Norwegian Jon Ludvig Hammer and Peter Heine Nielsen of Denmark. Nielsen had been with Anand from 2002 to 2012 before teaming up with Carlsen. Hammer is a Norwegian GM and was Carlsen’s second when he won the world title. The bookmakers are slotting Carlsen as 1-4 favourite to win the title. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the traditional opening move with the white pieces on Saturday. — PTI Seats left empty
The organisers rued the lack of spectators at the Sochi media centre. The auditorium where the match is being played can seat only 140 people, but almost half the seats were empty when the first game started. In Russia, where chess contests of this order have routinely been played witness packed stands but the scene is quite different this time. Ticket prices are steep by Russian standards-around 3,500 roubles for a day, or about $80. Organizers said they had distributed most tickets for free, but there seems to be very few interested in watching the match live. Chennai, last year, had witnessed huge crowds. |
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HP, J&K register wins in Hazare Trophy
Chandigarh, November 8 Virender Sehwag’s wretched time in domestic cricket continued as the veteran opener failed to open his account but Delhi did manage to comfortably beat Punjab by four wickets to notch up their maiden win. In a match reduced to 45 overs-a-side, Punjab managed to score a none-too-impressive 182/6 with Yuvraj Singh managing only 15. It was Taruwar Kohli and Gurkeerat Singh Maan, who put on a steady stand to see Punjab past 180-run mark. In reply, Delhi knocked off the runs with an over to spare as veteran Rajat Bhatia (58 no) anchored the chase to perfection with a 72-ball knock that had five fours and two sixes. In fact, Bhatia also got the prize wicket of Yuvraj with a slower delivery as the left-hander was caught and bowled having struggled during his 34-ball stay. Among the Delhi bowlers, medium pacer Sumit Narwal (3/23) had the best figures while Ashish Nehra (2/41) also scalped two wickets. When Delhi started the chase, Sehwag was dismissed for a first-ball duck as he nicked a swinging delivery from seamer Sandeep Sharma to wicketkeeper Geetansh Khera. Gautam Gambhir (22) and Unmukt Chand (19) did put up a partnership but it was nothing significant. It was left to Bhatia and Puneet Bisht (30) to steer Delhi towards a win. Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh went wicketless for 49 runs in nine overs. Brief Scores: Haryana: 163 all out in 163 in 48.3 overs (Sunny 34, Prateek 27; Prateek Jaiswal 3/23, Raghav 2/16) lost to HP: (Paras Dogra 71* Nikhil 56; Joginder 3/16) by six wickets; (Match II) Punjab: 182/6 (Yuvraj 15, Taruwar 50, Gurkeerat 47, Sumit 3/23, Nehra 2/41) Delhi: 188/6 in 44 overs (Virender 0, Gambhir 21, Rajat 58 no). Delhi won by 4 wkts Points: Delhi 4; Punjab 0; (Match III): Services: 236/9 in 50 overs (Rajat 61, Nakul 56; Mehjoor 3/47, Dayal 2/47) lost to J&K: 237 for 7 in 49.1 overs. (Rasool 69, Ian Chauhan 67; Avishek 3/33, Suraj 2/67) by 3 wickets.
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Series on edge: Time for Lanka to show some guts
Hyderabad, November 8
All the three centurions —Rahane, Dhawan and Rayudu — have literally toyed with the Lankan bowling, who are struggling on batting friendly pitches. The track at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Uppal also looks no different and a score of 300 plus is once again in the offing, with the stadium having a history of big run chases. The Indian bowling also stood the test against an experienced Sri Lankan batting with Ishant Sharma bagging four wickets in the first ODI and spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel making it count in the second. Kohli is unlikely to tinker with the winning combination and will certainly look to shut the Lankans out in the third game itself. The hosts would always be wary of a counter-attack from a dangerous Lankan outfit, which has the knack of surprising time and again. With their backs to the wall in a must-win game to stay alive in the series, Sri Lanka will certainly try and come back with a vengeance to prove a point. Led by the gutsy Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka showed glimpses of what they can do in Ahmedabad when the visitors gave India a hard time before finally caving in. The visitors fought back from early blows to put up a respectable score courtesy Mathews' unbeaten 92 and a fighting 61 by Kumar Sangakkara. Sangakkara and Thisara Perera would take this as their home game in regards to their association with Sunrisers Hyderabad in Indian Premier League. The skipper though was critical of his batsmen after the team's abject surrender while chasing 364 in the first match. Even in the second game, the batsmen faltered on a good wicket. The bowling is also a cause for concern for the Lankan's with the likes of Dhammika Prasad, Perera and Suraj Randiv failing to live up to expectations. Off-spinner Randiv and leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna conceded too many runs in the first ODI. — PTI LIVE ON STAR SPORTS 1.30 PM World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei flunks dope test
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Salgaocar lift Durand Cup for third time
Margao, November 8 Salgaocar, who enjoyed better ball possession, scored the all important goal in the 21st minute through Thangjam Saran Singh at the Raia Panchayat ground. Rocus Lamare played a through pass from the middle to Saran Singh who took a couple of rival defenders in his stride and on entering the box uncorked a right footer that found the roof of the net which ultimately proved to be the winner. Salgaocar had the first try at the opposition goal but Rocus Lamare miscued his shot that went wide of the target off a pass from Darryl Duffy. The Goan side again had the chance to increase the lead but Gilbert Oliveira directed his shot off the target. Pune FC came close to scoring in the dying minutes of the first half but the home team keeper Karanjit Singh did well to tip the ball over the bar off a Prakash Thorat long shot. The second half was mostly a midfield battle with the visitors trying hard to find the equaliser in the last quarter of the match but keeper Karanjit once again was alert to make a diving save off substitute Eric Brown. Later, Zhomingliana Ralte header also went out. Salgaocar coach Derrick Pereira, who has won the trophy twice as a coach and once as a player, was happy for today's triumph. “It is a special moment for me to win the trophy as a player and as a coach for Salgaocar. But today it is more important as we won it at home. I congratulate the players for the hard word they have put in during training and we have got the reward finally. Now we look to carry on the winning momentum in Federation Cup and the I-League," Pereira said. Salgaocar have earlier won the title in 1999 and 2003. The winners were richer by Rs 25 lakhs while Pune FC got Rs 15 lakhs. — Agencies
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Gangjee holds a one-shot lead
New Delhi, November 8 The Indian, who began the day with a two-shot lead at the top, carded a one-under 71 today at the event sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India. His three-day total of 11-under 205 gave him a slim advantage over holder Wade Ormsby (70) of Australia who shared the second place with Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman (69), Indian teenager Shubhankar Sharma (68) and Mithun Perera (69) of Sri Lanka. Thailand’s Panuphol Pittayarat battled into contention with a 69, courtesy of two closing birdies, to trail Gangjee by two shots at the challenging Delhi Golf Club. After opening with a birdie, Gangjee struggled on the greens and had to battle-tooth-and-nail to stay in contention to end a 10-year title drought on the Asian Tour. “I was not tense because that’s what most people are thinking. I did not hit the shots and that is what I did not like about the entire day. Overall, I hung in there today so tomorrow will be a lot better,” said Gangjee. — PTI Lahiri struggles to 74, slips to tied 34th Shanghai: It was once again a struggle for Anirban Lahiri as he laboured to a two-over 74 and slipped to tied 34th, down from overnight 27th, at the WGC-HSBC Champions golf at the Sheshan International Golf Club. Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell is leading the field by one after adding a 71 to 67-67 to get to 11-under 205. Japan’s Hiroshi Iwata (73-65-68) was second at 10-under 206 and Martin Kaymer (69-72-66) was third at nine-under 207 alongside Bubba Watson (71-67-69). Lahiri, who carded 74 and 70 in his first two rounds, is now two-over 218 for three rounds and will need a good final round for a good finish. — PTI Leaderboard Pos Player Score 1 Rahil Gangjee -11 T2 Shubhankar -10 Siddikur Rahman -10 Mithun Perera -10 Wade Ormsby -10 6 P Pittayarat -9 T7 Unho Park -8 Lionel Weber -8 Pratap Atwal (A) -8 10 Rashid Khan -7
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Indian Oil take on PSB in final
Jalandhar, November 8 The bank team beat Army XI 3-2 in a tough fight to enter the final for the 16th time. PSB went ahead in the 6th minute when Vikramjit Singh converted a penalty corner. Just at the stroke of halftime, Bachittar Singh cracked in a fierce strike from the top of the circle to equalise. In the 47th minute, Army goalkeeper PT Rao gave away a penalty stroke, which Vikramjit converted to complete his brace. In the 58th minute, Jaskaran Singh gave his team a two-goal cushion. In the 62nd minute, Arumugam converted a penalty corner to reduce the margin.
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Punjab coaches get a raw deal again
Jalandhar, November 8 As per the new sports policy constituted in 2010, the state government had announced cash prizes of Rs 2 lakh, Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 to coaches whose trainees win gold, silver and bronze respectively in the Asian Games or CWG. While the government honoured the medallists of the 2010 Asian and Commonwealth Games with cash prizes of Rs 7.54 crore, it had failed to release any money for the coaches. The government had also promised to introduce a yearly award for coaches — equivalent to the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for players — on the basis of their performance during the last five years. The Sports Department had claimed in 2010 that it was identifying the coaches of the medallists as per the policy and therefore the awards were delayed. However, the government failed to introduce the award. One of the senior coaches, on condition of anonymity, informed that while the Centre government had awarded the coaches, the Punjab government has failed to implement its policy even after four years. Director Sports of Punjab, Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal, said, “Only the players will be awarded.” Asked as to why the state policy on coaches was not being implemented, he said, “There is nothing for the coaches as of now.”
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Punjab Thunder beat Yo Yo Tigers 67-48
Ludhiana, November 8 The win takes Punjab Thunder’s tally to 19 points, one less than California Eagles and United Singhs who are joint second. The Singhs beat Lahore Lions 63-53 in the other match today. Meanwhile Yo Yo Tigers are at the bottom with just nine points in their kitty. The Tigers had the initial lead, finishing the first quarter at 16-14. But they failed to keep it intact as the Thunder got into their stride quickly and surged ahead 30-28 by halftime. In the third session, Thunder opened up a big gap at 46-39 and completely outplayed the Tigers in the last quarter to wrap it up comfortably. Yadwinder and Sukmanjeet were outstanding in defence for Punjab Thunder and their star raiders of the day were Sultan Singh and Talwinder Singh. Talwinder and Yadwinder were declared the best raider and the best stopper respectively while Talwinder was also named the man of the match.
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Chelsea march on after 2-1 win at Liverpool
LONDON, November 8 He netted his first goal for the club with a long-range shot that took a deflection off Cahill's left arm, which also featured in the game's most controversial incident two minutes from time. Liverpool were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty at the death when Cahill appeared to fall to his left with a shot from Steven Gerrard clearly hitting his arm, but referee Anthony Taylor denied their strong appeals and Liverpool fell to their third defeat in a week. Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, whose men lost 1-0 at Newcastle United last Saturday and were also beaten 1-0 by Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, said he could not believe the penalty was not given. "I thought it was a clear penalty. We had worked so hard in the game and obviously ended up falling behind, but you need those decisions. Obviously if the player leans into the ball and it hits his hand it's a clear penalty and the referee had a good view of it" he said. Rodgers was widely criticised for making seven changes to his starting lineup for the game against Real, and made another seven changes from that team to the one that started against Chelsea. — Reuters
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SV Sunil struck the only goal of the match in the third quarter as India stunned Australia 1-0 in the third hockey test to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match series.
Anand draws first game against Carlsen in World Championship Indian ace Viswanathan Anand played out a fighting draw with defending champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the first game of the World Chess championship at the Black Sea resort town of Sochi in Russia.
While the Punjab Sports Department will be conferring cash rewards to medal winners at the Commonwealth and the Asian Games on November 11, the coaches of many of these athletes have been ignored once again.
Virat Kohli and company have not made the fans feel the absence of regular skipper MS Dhoni, as the Men in Blue have outplayed the Islanders in the first two matches with clinical performances. If openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan made the Sri Lankan bowlers look ordinary in Cuttack then the Indian batting line-up, led by Ambati Rayudu, once again showed their might at Ahemdabad.
Kuala Lumpur: Badminton’s World No. 1 Lee Chong Wei has failed a doping test, a top Malaysian sports official confirmed on Saturday. Lee, who has been temporarily suspended pending a hearing by the Badminton World Federation’s doping panel, faces a potential two-year ban from competition. Badminton Association of Malaysia deputy chairman Mohamad Norza Zakaria confirmed that a test, carried out on 5 November in Oslo on the B sample, had backed up the positive finding of the A sample from a doping control at this year’s World Championships. Mohamad declined to identify the player, however a senior Malaysian sports official confirmed that it was 33-year-old Lee. The official did not give his name because he was not authorised to reveal Lee’s identity to the media. The BWF would hear an expected challenge to the finding by the BMA and Lee. Dexamethasone is not a performance-enhancing drug. — Agencies
