Ludhiana, September 23
The local branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) while taking strong exception to increasing assaults on doctors and a recent case in which a local doctor was booked for alleged negligence, has decided to hold a protest march in the city on September 26.

According to IMA president Dr Arun Mitra, the protest march will start from Batra Hotel on the Ferozepur Road and proceed towards the mini secretariat where doctors will hold demonstration and seek withdrawal of case against Dr Rakesh Aggarwal.

The protesting doctors will also seek action against those who assaulted the doctor and damaged the nursing home of the doctor.

Dr Mitra said the professional body of doctors would take all possible steps to safeguard the interests of medical fraternity. 

Ludhiana, September 23
Lakhwinder Singh Punnu, a trainee of the Ludhiana
 Badminton Academy (LBA), has finished runners-up in the Punjab State Men's Badminton Championship held at Gandhi Sports Complex, Amritsar, today.

Mangat Rai Sharma, an NIS-trained badminton coach, under whose guidance Lakhwinder Singh gets training at the academy informed that the shuttler improved upon his previous performance to reach the final this year. In the last edition of this championship at Jalandhar, Lakhwinder lost in the semifinal.

At Amritsar, in the final, playing against his experienced opponent Mayank Bahl of Amritsar who is the world champion in the Inter-Railways Badminton Meet, Lakhwinder gave some anxiuous moments before losing it 15-21 and 21-11.

Two other trainees of the LBA, Raj Kumar and Pranav Chopra too made their presence felt by securing second position in the doubles’ category. Both of them (u-16) waged a spirited battle against Mayank Bahl (Amritsar) and Sandeep (PSEB) and stretched them to three sets.

Pranav and Raj Kumar went on to wrap up the first game 21-17, however, lost the next one 17-21. The deciding game witnessed a see-saw battle as Mayank and Sandeep had to toil hard to down Raj Kumar and Pranav and won the cliff hanger 22-20.

The LBA has appreciated the boy’s performance in the championship. Its president M.K.Chopra along with its vice-president Ravi Jain, general secretary Anupam Kumaria and joint secretary Jai Parkash have congratulated the boys and their coach Mangat Rai for bringing glory to the academy.

Ludhiana, September 23
Twenty aspirants attended the trials conducted by the Ludhiana District Cricket Association at the Khalsa College for Women ground here today.

The trials were organised to select the Ludhiana women’s team (u-19) for the forthcoming Punjab State Inter-District Cricket Tournament scheduled to begin on October 1.

A three-member selection panel of Chaman Lal Malhotra, Anuradha and Aman supervised the girls at the trials.

A match was also organised amongst the aspirants to ascertain their talent and approach.

The names of the selected players will be announced tomorrow, said Vinod Chitkara, honorary general secretary of the LDCA.

Ludhiana, September 23
The Chak De India slogan seems to be working well with the team India as it goes on the winning spree in the ongoing Twenty20 Cricket World Cup.

It is going to be a rare spectacle when the two traditional rivals confront each other in the final at Johannesburg tomorrow. Such an occasion is always awaited in this subcontinent.

The last time India and Pakistan met for a title clash was for the Benson and Hedges Cup in Melbourne in 1984 and India won that match. It was the same cup which gave Ravi Shastri a title of the “Champion of Champions”.

In cricket-crazy city this is a rare occasion. Celebrations have already been planned for the day.

Given India’s record of winning all matches in the world cup against Pakistan, there is great optimism among the fans here. Moreover, all Indian players, including the bowlers, are in good form.

They have already beaten Pakistan in the group match besides the mighty South Africans on their home ground and the world champions Australians in the semifinals. Everyone wants them to repeat the same magic once again when they take on Pakistan tomorrow.

All leading hotels and clubs have already planned for tomorrow’s event. They have installed giant screens and are offering special packages to the customers. The most watched out place tomorrow is going to be Sarabha Nagar market. It has planned special celebrations if India wins. Gurmeet Singh and Kipsy Arora, oldest traders in the market said, “We are counting every minute as we are sure that India will win the match”.

The traffic police is heaving a sigh of relief. A senior police official said, “When cricket matches take place, the roads are invariably deserted. And when India and Pakistan clash, it certainly going to be a curfew-like situation”, he remarked.

Ludhiana, September 23
The second edition of the Ludhiana District Twenty20 Cricket Tournament, scheduled to begin here today at the Government Institution of Textiles and Knitting, Rishi Nagar, has been postponed.

Des Raj, cricket coach of Ludhiana and honorary secretary of the Ludhiana District Twenty20 Cricket Association, said rain that lashed the city yesterday, left the outfield as well as the pitch unplayable. The tournament will now start on September 30.

Fourteen teams have confirmed their participation in this shortest version of the game. — OC