SPORTS

DD, Wisden treat for cricket buffs
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 30
Doordarshan, in association with the cricket almanac Wisden, will host a programme called DD Wisden 20:20, which will provide half an hour of highlights, analysis, debate and detailed statistics at every lunch time and close of play during the India vs England Test series.

The programme, to be hosted by Charu Sharma, will have former Indian leg-spin bowler L.Sivaramakrishnan and ex-England batsman Tim Robinson as expert guests. Both Siva and Robinson had carved out significant places for themselves during the England team’s tour of India in 1984-85 when Siva took 12 wickets in the Mumbai Test while

Robinson hit a magnificent 160 in New Delhi. They will be assisted by Ananth Narayan, who is a specialist in computer analysing of the willow game.

Every ball bowled is logged and analysed in minute detail to provide a comprehensive breakdown of the day’s big innings, best bowling and tactical battles. These statistics will be converted into colourful, animated 3D computer graphics by Chennai-based Pentamedia Graphics to stimulate and enhance the studio discussion.

The programme will be fast-moving, entertaining and brain-teasing. With interviews, specially shot features and archival films completing the mix, the programme is likely to be a hit with the fans.

Mr Yajurvindra Singh Bilkha, Managing Director of Wisden,said, “With cricket lovers in India demanding state-of-the-art technology and detailed computer generated statistics, Wisden is delivering a format that combines these requirements with informed and entertaining debate.”

He said, “After 138 years of publishing cricket’s Bible–an almanac renowned for its sheer scale, authority and accuracy, Wisden, together with Timex, are now poised to push back the boundaries of cricketing analysis”.

Wisden is all set to release a Wisden Asia Cricket monthly magazine in December.

Australia, India tie up for coaching expertise
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 30
Australia and India are set to reinforce their sporting links when they share expertise on sports coaching in a workshop in New Delhi next week. The multi-disciplinary coaching workshop will be inaugurated at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium on December 3 by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Uma Bharti.

A collaborative effort of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Australian Sports Commission, the six-day workshop will draw on Australia’s experience from the Sydney Olympic Games. Four Australian experts will interact with about 60 of India’s top sports administrators, coaches, athletes, Olympic Association representatives, sports scientists, doctors and sporting industry representatives.

The workshop will deliberate on ways to establish successful sporting systems; planning for performance, injury minimisation, accreditation systems in sports education, community and elite sports, sports administration and management, application of sports science to coaching, and principles of coaching and international sports development.

“This workshop builds upon the solid foundation of the 1999 bilateral Memorandum of Understanding on Sports Cupertino, and demonstrates yet another aspect of the broad-based relationship between Australia and India,” said the Australian Deputy High Commissioner Bryce Hutchesson.

The workshop, supported by the Australia-India Council, is the latest step in a long-term collaboration between the Australian Sports Commission and the SAI. It had included workshops during Australia’s 1996 “New Horizons” programme and the development and the signing of the 1999 bilateral MoU, the scope of which includes training for athletes, teams, coaches, exchange programmes and visits by sports leaders and sports science personnel, and the development of sports science. Swimming, kayaking and hockey workshops were held in 1999, followed by familiarisation and training visits to Australia by two Indian sports scientists in the run-up to the Sydney Olympics. Former Olympics CEO Sandy Hollway visited India in September to share insights on organising the “best Games ever.”

Age fudging row: Chandigarh school thrown out of Subroto Cup
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 30
Sanjay Public School, Chandigarh, who had defeated MPLL Adarsh Inter-School, Faizabad to qualify for the quarter-finals on Thursday, have been debarred from the Subroto Mukherjee Cup Football Tournament for impersonation and cheating in age.

According to a tournament committee spokesman, Manish Pathania impersonated himself as Jasveer Singh while Gurpreet Singh had submitted a false age certificate. Consequent upon protest by the UP team, the Chandigarh School were debarred and UP have been promoted to the quarter-final round. In today’s matches, AP Sports School, Hakimpet (Andhra Pradesh) beat Government HSS MP School, Kokrajhar, Assam, 2-1 while Government HSS, Aizowal, Mizoram, edged past Elite Co-Ed, Kathmandu 1-0. Robert Lasthlaninana scored the all-important goal for Aizowal. S. K. Jaheer scored both the goals for the Andhra School while Manoj Basu got the consolation goal for Assam.

Mother’s school sports day on Sunday
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 30
The Mother’s International School, Sri Aurobindo Marg, will celebrate its Annual Sports Day on December 2 (Sunday) at 3 pm. Mr Justice Shivaraj V. Patil of the Supreme Court of India will be the chief guest.

The gala function will witness a number of interesting items like ‘ MIS Circus Comes to Town’, Harmony, Monsoon Glory, ‘Kulo-Nritya’ by the Belles of Bengal.

Bhalotia scores upset title win in Pro Golf
Our Sports Reporter

New Delhi, November 30
Indrajit Bhalotia upstaged the best field to win the Rs 6 lakh HT Pro Golf at the par-70 Tollygunge Club course in Calcutta on Friday, according to information available here. Bhalotia, aided by a final round four-under 66, which brought him a winning tally of 11-under 269 and the winner’s cheque of Rs 97,200, produced a remarkable round of golf. Mukesh Kumar finished one-stroke behind the winner at ten-under 270 to return his third runner-up finish of the season. Overnight leader Feroz Ali witnessed a complete disintegration of form and confidence as he slid to a third place finish at eight-under 272. The trio of Shiv Prakash, Uttam Singh Mundy and Vijay Kumar finished tied fourth at four-under 276 while Sanjay Kumar took the seventh spot at three-under 277.

For Indrajit Bhalotia, a 14-month long dry spell broken on his home course, in front of his friends and supporters, was all that he could have asked for. “This win has brought back my confidence,” he said. His last win had come at the Wills Open-2000 in Bangalore.

ADMINISTRATION

Senior IPS men promoted
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30
Putting an end to speculation, the Ministry of Home Affairs finally issued the promotion orders to IPS officers in the Capital today.

In its new order, Mr Ajay Agarwal, the Tihar Jail chief, has been promoted to the full rank of the Director General (DG). He will continue to be in charge of the Asia’s largest jail. Mr Agarwal’s name was earlier seen as a frontrunner for the post of DG, Home Guards. Instead, the Special Commissioner of Police (Intelligence), Mr S. Ramakrishnan, has been promoted as the DG, Home Guards.

However, Mr Ramakrishnan is yet to be shifted on promotion, as the promotion of another Special Commissioner, Mr R. K. Sharma, has not been finalised so far. Mr Sharma has been asked to stay on in the Delhi Police as number two to the Commissioner of Police, Mr Ajay Raj Sharma.

However, Mr Ramakrishnan has been asked to take the charge as Additional DG as the present DG of Home Guards, Mr Kulbir Singh, retired today. Another senior police official, Dr K. K. Paul, who was the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), has now been promoted to the post of Special Commissioner of Police.

Sources say that Dr Paul will take over Mr Ramakrishnan’s post as the Intelligence chief. Meanwhile, the Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi range), Mr Suresh Roy, has been promoted as DGP and asked to head for Arunachal Pradesh as its Additional DG.

By issuing this order, the Departmental Promotion Committee has cleared the names of all IPS officers of 1967 batch – Mr R K Sharma, Mr Ramakrishnan and Mr Ajay Agarwal to the post of Director Generals. In fact, Mr Agarwal got the first chance as he was posted at Tihar Jail. On the seniority level, Mr R K Sharma was supposed to have got the second chance. So, Mr Ramakrishnan will be called as the Additional DG till Mr Sharma gets his promotion.

Sources also say that there is yet another reshuffling on the cards, as the post of Joint Commissioner of Police (New Delhi range) falls vacant. Although no names of senior police officers have been discussed for the post till now, an order is expected soon. 

DTTDC pays Rs 57 lakh as dividend

New Delhi, November 30
The Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation today handed over a dividend cheque of Rs 57.82 lakh to the Delhi Government for the fiscal 1998-99. The DTTDC chairman, Mr Roshan Lal, said the corporation had made a profit of Rs 625.16 lakh and had been paying dividend consistently since 1989-90. The total dividend paid to the Delhi Government till now had been Rs 423 lakh on an investment of Rs 628 lakh as equity capital, he added. TNS