S P O R T	Monday, July 20, 1998
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Usha, Paramjit qualify FUKUOKA, July 19 — Former Olympic champion Andrei Abduvaliev of Uzbekistan and Igor Potapovich of Kazakstan took the men’s hammer and pole vault golds while China swept all four titles in the women's section on the opening day of the 12th Asian Athletic Championship at the Hakata-no-Mori Stadium here today... Italy to meet USA in semis PARIS, July 19 — Italy will meet the USA in September’s Davis Cup world group semifinals after both sailed through their quarterfinals yesterday... Adam Hollioake sacked; Stewart to lead LONDON, July 19 — England’s selectors performed an extraordinary about-turn today with the sacking of Surrey all-rounder Adam Hollioake as one-day captain and the appointment of Test skipper Alec Stewart in his place...

MCC player Shivnarine Chanderpaul batting against the Rest of the World team, in the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial match at Lord's in London on Saturday. AP/PTI Thrilling win for Godrej CC CHANDIGARH, July 19 — Anil Chaudhary's all-round display of a fine knock of 60 runs and two wickets for 22 enabled Nikkamal Babu Ram JJ XI to outclass an experienced Gymkhana Cricket Club, Mohali by seven wickets in the Monsoon Cup League Cricket Tournament here today...

Watts extends lead in British Open SOUTHPORT (England), July 19 — American Brian Watts stayed strong in a brutal wind yesterday to stretch his lead to two shots going into the final round of the British Open... Mumbai hold PSB CHENNAI, July 19 — The Punjab and Sind Bank split points with Mumbai in a one-all draw, to take their tally to five points and kept alive their chances of qualifying for the semifinals from group 'C' in the MCC All-India Murugappa Hockey Tournament for the Independence Cup here today... Doctors should have had final say: Dunga RIO DE JANEIRO, July 19 — Ronaldo was harmed by the ‘lack of transparency’ within the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) on the controversy surrounding his fitness for last Sunday’s World Cup final, according to Brazil captain Dunga... 150 years after birth legend Grace lives on LONDON, July 19 — A big, burly man with a black, bushy beard dominates early images of cricket in its modern form - almost as entirely as the name W.G Grace dominates all the early entries to record books... Ronaldo took sedatives before final SAO PAULO, July 19 — Brazilian striker Ronaldo has said he took prescribed sedatives to recover from a convulsion before playing against France in the World Cup final last Sunday... Brisbane to host Goodwill Games New York, July 19 — The city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, will stage the fourth edition of the Goodwill Games in 2001... Vogts to stay as German coach BONN, July 19 — Germany’s soccer coach Berti Vogts is to continue to lead and take sole responsibility for the national side, the German Soccer Federation (DFB) has said...

Cricketers, film stars for soccer tie MUMBAI, July 19 — The Siyaram's celebrity soccer match to help Gujarat flood victims would be held between Indian Test cricketers, including vice-captain Ajay Jadeja and wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia, and film stars led by Sanjay Dutt at the Cooperage on July 21... 7 more sentenced for Cup violence MARSEILLE, (France) July 19 — A French court has handed out prison sentences to seven more persons, four of them Britons, in connection with violence in this Mediterranean port at the start of the World Cup soccer tournament last month... New ranking system for badminton BANGALORE, July 19 — The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has set aside its old ranking system and devised a point system based on the International Badminton Federation's ranking system.. Bakre wins gold at youth games MOSCOW, July 19 — Asian junior chess champion Tejas Bakre of India has won the gold medal at the first World Youth Games here... Abhinshyam upset; Gopichand wins BANGALORE, July 19 — Unseeded Mangrish Palekar of Railways upset second seed Abhinshyam Gupta (AI) while national champion and top seed P. Gopichand took some time to settle down before demolishing his opponent on the opening day of the BPL All-India Open Badminton Tournament here today...

Usha, Paramjit qualify FUKUOKA, July 19 (PTI) — Former Olympic champion Andrei Abduvaliev of Uzbekistan and Igor Potapovich of Kazakstan took the men’s hammer and pole vault golds while China swept all four titles in the women's section on the opening day of the 12th Asian Athletic Championship at the Hakata-no-Mori Stadium here today. There was little cheer for Indian athletes with the exception of veteran P.T. Usha, who expectedly won her 400 m heat comfortably at 53.33 seconds to make it to tomorrow’s final. Both men quartermilers Paramjit Singh (46.51 sec) and Lijo David Thottan (46.63 sec) qualified to the 400 m final, in an event dominated by Sri Lankan Sugath Tilakeratne who timed an effortless 45.66 to win his heat. Rajeev Balakrishnan and Amit Khanna qualified for the second round of the men’s 100 m clocking 10.50 sec and 10.61 sec respectively. The Indian challenge in the women’s section began on a poor note with Surinderjit Kaur in the newly-introduced hammer throw and Amandeep Kaur (shot put) producing below par efforts to end up fourth in their respective events. Rachita Mistry’s challenge in the 100 m also ended early as she trailed in fifth at a pedestrian 12.31 sec in the first preliminary heat. Gu Yuan led the Chinese medal assault by capturing the hammer event with an Asian mark of 61.86 m. Both men’s finals were clinched by athletes from the erstwhile Soviet bloc. Abduvaliev, the 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medallist and double world champion set a meet mark by hurling the hammer to 76.67 m in his final try to sink the old mark (70.54 m - Bi Zhong of China) and push favourite Koji Murofushi of Japan (74.17 m) to silver. Nikolay Davidov of Kyrgyzstan (70.31) underlined the strength of erstwhile Soviet Republics in throws in clinching the bronze medal. Potapovich cleared 5.55 m in his final attempt to claim the pole vault gold, edging countryman Alexander Korchagin (5.40) to silver and Japan’s Hideji Suzuki (5.20) to bronze. In women, Li Meisu took the shot put gold in 18.63 m while her Chinese compatriot Wang Chunmei (15 min 49.48 secs) outpaced team-mate and Ma Jungren Protege Liu Shixiang (15: 53.76) to win the 5000 m. Guan Yingnan also set a new championship record with 6.83 metres to win the long jump and Yu Yiqun (6.74) made it one-two to complete the day’s Chinese domination among women. The 33-year-old P.T. Usha continued to draw admiration from all her contemporaries. In tomorrow’s final, her main rivals will be Damayanti Darsha of Sri Lanka, who won the second heats in 52.60 secs, and Svetlana Bonditskaya of Kazakhstan who came behind Darsha in 52.85 seconds. Paramjit Singh, aiming to dip under 46-second mark came through at a comfortable 46.51 but he and Lijo David Thottan would have to come up with superlative efforts to make it to the medal bracket. Rachita Mistry fared poorly in the women’s 100 m to go out of reckoning. Running against a stiff headwind, she trailed in fifth at 12.31 sec in heat one which China’s Cui Danfeng won in 11.56 seconds. P.T. Usha had skipped the event to concentrate of 200 m and 400 m. Chinese teenager Gu Yuan set the Asian record of 61.86 m to claim the women’s hammer. Surinderjit Singh finished fourth after managing only 47.96 m, behind Japan’s bronze winner Eriko Kubota (48.48 m). Gu Yuan, 16, who hails from China’s Liaoning province which is more famous for Ma Junren’s pack of women distance runners, erased the continental mark of 61.20 m, set by Aya Suzuki of Japan way back in 1989 in landing the first gold of the championship. Aya Suzuki took the silver at 56.12 m. Amandeep Kaur was much below her best to come fourth in the women’s shot put. Favourite Li Meisu of China annexed the gold with a splendid effort of 18.63 m while Amandeep Kaur’s best was 15.53 m, much below her personal best of 16.28 m. Uzbekistan’s Andrei Abduvaliev captured the men’s hammer by obliterating the old meet mark of 70.54 m set by China’s Bi Zhong in 1993. Over 500 athletes from 38 countries are taking part in the championship which was formally opened with an impressive ceremony at the Hakata Nomori stadium yesterday. Usha, back for the first time after 1989, carried the Indian tricolour at the marchpast. Results on the first day of the 12th Asian Athletics Championships: Men: Pole Vault: Igor Potpovich (Kazakhstan) 5.55 m (1), Alexander Korchagin (Kzk) 5.40 (2), Hideji Suzuki (Japan) 5.20 (3). Hammer Throw: Andrei Abduvaliev (Uzb) 76.67 (1), Koji Murofushi (Japan) 74.17 (2), Nikolay Davidov (Kzk) 70.31 (3). Women: 5,000 m: Wang Chunmei (China) 15:49.48 seconds (1), Lui Shixiang (China) 15:55.10 (2), Megumi Tanaka (Japan) 16:02.50 (3). Shot Put: Li Meisu (China) 18.63 m (1), Yu Juan (China) 18.12 (2), Lee Myong Sun (S.Korea) 17.66 (3), Amandeep Kaur (India) 15.53 (4). Hammer Throw: Gu Yuan (China) 61.86 m (1), Aya Suzuki (Japan) 56.12 (2), Eriko Kubota (Japan) 48.48( 3), Surinderjit Kaur (India) 46.62 (4). Long Jump: Guan Yingnan (China)6.83 m (1), Yu Yiqun (China) 6.74 (2), Hitomi Takamatsu (Japan) 6.37 (3).

Italy to meet USA in semis PARIS, July 19 (AFP) — Italy will meet the USA in September’s Davis Cup world group semifinals after both sailed through their quarterfinals yesterday. Italy, who reached the semifinals for the third successive year, took an unassailable 3-0 lead over surprise packages Zimbabwe while the Americans also hold a 3-0 lead, with just two reverse singles rubbers to come, over Belgium. In the other quarterfinals even Boris Becker’s presence in the German doubles team was not enough as the holders Sweden took a 2-1 lead with Jonas Bjorkman and Nicklas Kulti combining to defeat him and David Prinosil in four sets 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4. The Italian heroes were Andrea Gaudenzi and Diego Nargiso who came through against the black brothers Wayne and Byron, who had sealed their place in the pantheon of Zimbabwean sporting heroes when they beat Australia in the first round in April, in two hours and 47 minutes 1-6 7-5 7-5 6-2. The Americans, who were whitewashed 5-0 by Sweden in last year’s final, sealed their place when Jim Courier and Todd Martin rallied to defeat Xavier Malisse and Johan Van Herck 5-7 6-2 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-1. Courier, a last-minute replacement in doubles for the injured Richey Reneberg, made his first Davis Cup doubles appearance a successful one. After both teams held serve in the fourth set, the Americans forced the decisive final set as Van Herck double-hit a forehand return into the net on set point. In the fifth, the USA broke serve in the second and fourth games before Courier closed out the three-hour, 30-minute match with a drop-shot winner. In the other quarterfinal all started sweetly for the Germans as Becker and Prinosil broke the Swedes at 5-4 to take the first set but after Bjorkman and Kulti levelled it with their first set point in the second set tie-break the match ebbed away from them despite the passionate support of 11,000 supporters. Becker, who reached the Swiss Open final last Sunday, handed the Swede’s the advantage in the third set, as having come back from 5-3 down to force a tie-break, the three-time Wimbledon champion doublefaulted at 5-6 to lose the set. The ace Swedish pair then wrapped up the match in the fourth set as they broke Prinosil and then Becker, after the Germans had broken back to level at 3-3, and won the rubber on their first match when Becker put his return out. LA CORUNA, (Spain): Spain took a winning 3-1 lead over Switzerland after the opening reverse singles rubber on the final day of their Davis Cup World Group quarter-final tie on Sunday. Spain's Carlos Moya beat Marc Rosset 7-5 6-1 7-5 to see Spain though to the semifinals. SEOUL: South Korea beat China 4-1 after the reverse singles of their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Zone second round tie on Sunday. Result (South Korean names first): Yoon Yong-Il lost to Wang Yu-Wei 6-2 3-6 6-7 Lee Hyung-Taik beat Lu Ling 6-4 6-3.

Adam Hollioake sacked; Stewart to lead LONDON, July 19 (Reuters) — England’s selectors performed an extraordinary about-turn today with the sacking of Surrey all-rounder Adam Hollioake as one-day captain and the appointment of Test skipper Alec Stewart in his place. Selection chief David Graveney spent some time justifying the decision to appoint Hollioake as the limited overs captain while Michael Atherton was still the Test captain in the West Indies last winter and before that when Hollioake took the one-day team to Sharjah. But he said: "We feel the situation has changed with Alec being Test captain and also such a key one-day player for us." "This is not a criticism of Adam. He led the side well and the selectors were happy with him in the West Indies," Graveney added. Stewart, though, has only been appointed as captain for the one-day triangular series against South Africa and Sri Lanka at the end of this summer and not for the one-day internationals on the subsequent Ashes tour. "It’s not that we have any doubts, it’s just a prudent measure," Graveney said. Meanwhile, England, desperate to level the series, have made five changes to their squad of 13 for the fourth Test against South Africa beginning at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Thursday. Graham Thorpe was unavailable because of his injured back but Surrey team mate Ben Hollioake, opener Nick Knight, spinner Ashley Giles and seamer Dean Headley have all been discarded. Surrey left-hander Mark Butcher, who played in the first Test and made 77 before injuring his finger, has been recalled to open the innings with Mike Atherton. Graeme hick, as expected, is recalled to replace Thorpe in the middle order. Another player strongly tipped for a recall was leg spinner Ian Salisbury who comes into the squad in place of Warwickshire left armer Giles. Less strongly tipped was the call up once more of Leicestershire left-arm paceman Alan Mullally who has replaced Headley. The fifth newcomer is Lancashire’s exciting, hard-hitting all-rounder Andrew Flintoff who, at just 20, appears to have a exciting future ahead of him, although he is unlikely to play at Trent Bridge. England currently trail 1-0 in the five-match series with two Tests to follow — at Nottingham and Headingley in Leeds. The squad: Mike Atherton, Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain, Alec Stewart (captain), Mark Ramprakash, Graeme Hick, Andrew Flintoff, Dominic Cork, Robert Croft, Ian Salisbury, Alan Mullallay, Darren Gough, Angus Fraser.

Watts extends lead in British Open SOUTHPORT (England), July 19 (Reuters) — American Brian Watts stayed strong in a brutal wind yesterday to stretch his lead to two shots going into the final round of the British Open. The 32-year-old Japanese tour regular kept control as those around him collapsed to shoot a three-over-par 73 for a level-par total of 210. He holds a two-shot lead over twice runner-up Jesper Parnevik of Sweden and Americans Jim Furyk and Mark O’Meara, the masters champion, who all shot 72. English teenaged amateur Justin Rose continued his dream tournament with a 75 to finish another stroke back in fifth place. Tiger Woods took 77 but said that in joint sixth place, five behind, he still had a chance, although yesterday’s conditions "tended to beat you up a little bit." "Putting was the hardest part. The wind was howling and would blow you over just as you were putting or blow the putts off line," said Woods, who missed three putts of between three and six feet. At the end of the day, he was level with compatriots Brad Faxon and John Huston and with Thomas Bjorn of Denmark. Former champion Nick Price skyrocketed to 82, dropping nine shots on the back nine and said he could not remember ever having such a bad score as a professional. There was not a round under par on the day, the best score of level-par 70 for the 7,018-yard Royal Birkdale course coming from Italian Costantino Rocca and Katsuyoshi Tomori of Japan. There were 23 rounds in the 80s, including an 82 for holder Justin Leonard and 85 by US lefthander Phil Mickelson. Leonard, Price and Mickelson are world-ranked eighth, ninth and 11th. But Watts, forced to play in Japan after failing to get his card in the states, kept his concentration superbly to battle through. "I’m exhausted. It was a very tough day with the wind even if it was not quite as strong on the back nine," said Watts. "I’ve never been in the last group in any major championship or in a situation like this before," he added. Watts felt his golf was distinctly ordinary for 12 holes and better for the last six. "I did nothing special for 12 holes when I was five over but the last six holes turned a not-so-good round into a respectable one." Watts, who led by a shot after two rounds, bogeyed the first, sixth and seventh holes, two of them on missed par putt of seven feet, then he missed from six feet at the 11th and three-putted the 12th. But a stroke of luck at 13 was the turning point, a six-iron second bouncing perfectly and rolling up to two feet for a tap-in birdie. That coincided with others around him messing up and when he also birdied the long and easy 17th — the only hole on the course where players averaged less than par — he was suddenly in the clear. Parnevik, second to Price at Turnberry in 1994 and to Justin Leonard at Royal Troon last year, is pleased to have a third chance. Furyk, a 28-year-old with a swing said to be like an octopus in a phone booth, said he kept telling himself to be patient in the difficult conditions. "I have a chance to win my first major. I’m excited," he said. O’Meara’s round hinged on a good break at the hard sixth hole where he hit his second shot into the right rough and could not find it after three minutes. He began to walk back to hit another when a spectator said he had found it and put it in his pocket. O’Meara was then given a free drop under the "outside agency" rule and made a bogey five. "It could have been a seven or an eight," he said. Woods, the world number one and 1997 masters champion, still likes his chances, especially if the conditions stay tough. "The easiest conditions to make up shots would be the difficult ones," he said. "If you can make a lot of pars and let the guys come back to you, a lot of strange things can happen." For 17-year-old Rose the dream continues and only a dropped shot at the last took him out of the pack two behind the leader. The 500-1 amateur had fantastic support all the way round and showed remarkable composure after bogeying the first two holes of the day.

Doctors should have had final say: Dunga RIO DE JANEIRO, July 19 (AFP) — Ronaldo was harmed by the ‘lack of transparency’ within the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) on the controversy surrounding his fitness for last Sunday’s World Cup final, according to Brazil captain Dunga. Dunga yesterday hit out at what he believed were contradictory tales on the Ronaldo affair from the CBF. He conceded the CBF had good intentions to protect their top striker, but believed it all ended in yet more heartbreak as the Brazilians crashed to defeat against France. "In principle they were protecting the man before the player. But really only the doctors should have had a say," Dunga told the "Folha de Sao Paulo". Confusion reigned before the game as Brazilian officials mulled over whether Ronaldo should play. First his name was left out of the team sheet and then reinserted, leading to a major row within the team delegation. Dunga admitted that just minutes before the final was due to start, arguments had raged among the players as to whether Ronaldo should start. Just hours earlier he had reportedly suffered convulsions. "Some players were more favourable to Ronaldo playing, while others were more cautious," said Dunga. "Initially I was against his inclusion but Leonardo was in favour. But there are differences of opinion even in a family of four, so it’s normal this should be the case in a group of 60 persons," Dunga added. But Dunga reiterated that whatever the players thought, the doctors should have made the final decision. Leonardo, one of Ronaldo’s closest friends in the squad, said he had been one of the players pushing for the striker’s inclusion for the final. "Before his medical tests I thought maybe he shouldn’t play. But afterwards he felt alright and he said he wanted to be in the team. I defended him. "Today, I believe he shouldn’t have played but I understand it’s difficult to analyse everything," he said. "Anyway, how could we have left out the best player in the world?" Leonardo asked.

Thrilling win for Godrej CC By Our Sports Reporter CHANDIGARH, July 19 — Anil Chaudhary's all-round display of a fine knock of 60 runs and two wickets for 22 enabled Nikkamal Babu Ram JJ XI to outclass an experienced Gymkhana Cricket Club, Mohali by seven wickets in the Monsoon Cup League Cricket Tournament here today. Batting first Gymkhana CC thrived mainly on the batting of Punjab Ranji player Munish Arora. But he too could not rescue his team. He lived up though his reputation and smashed an unbeaten 78 off 52 balls, including eight hits to the fence. He carried his bat through but none of the other batsman could reach double figures. His superlative knock enable his team put up a score of 138 for 6 in 25 overs. In reply Nikkamal XI were 35 for two but Anil Chaudhary turned the tables as he scored a hurricane 60 off just 32 balls, including three boundaries and four sixes. While Dharmvir made an unbeaten 34 and Ravi 21, Nikkamal XI reached the target in the 21st over. Brief score: Gymkhana CC, Mohali 138 for 6 in 25 overs (Munish 78 n.o., Anil Chaudhary 2 for 20, Amritpal 2 for 35, Gurpreet 2 for 14). Nikkamal Babu Ram JJ XI 141 for 3 in 20.2 overs ( Anil Chaudhary 60, Dharamvir 34 n.o., Ravi 21, Munish Arora 2 for 27). In another league match Godrej Cricket Club beat Chetna Cricket Club by seven runs. Electing to bat, the Godrej CC shamshed 142 runs in the allotted 25 overs, thanks mainly to a partnership of 65 runs between Vikram Khajuria (38) and Sanjay Sabharwal (22). Left-arm-spinner Munish claimed three wickets. Chetna CC started the run chase confidently but lost wickets at regular intervals. In the last over, they required 10 runs but could manage only three and lost the match by a narrow margin of seven runs. Brief scores: Godrej CC 142 for 8 in 25 overs ( Vikram Khajuria 38, Sanjay Sabharwal 22, Rajesh Arora 18, R.P. Singh 17, Vineet Chawla 16, Munish 3 for 21, Harpreet Chetna 2 for 24, Naresh 2 for 28). Chetna CC 135 all out (Amit 24, Jagmohan 21, Kamal 19, Naresh Dhingra 2 for 12, Rakesh Jolly 2 for 15, Major Singh 2 for 18, Vinodh Binta 2 for 21, R.P. Singh 2 for 23).

Mumbai hold PSB CHENNAI, July 19 (PTI) — The Punjab and Sind Bank split points with Mumbai in a one-all draw, to take their tally to five points and kept alive their chances of qualifying for the semifinals from group 'C' in the MCC All-India Murugappa Hockey Tournament for the Independence Cup here today. Earlier, Tamil Nadu swamped Bihar 7-2 with forward Prabhakaran accounting for four goals in group 'D' and Indian Railways scored a 2-0 win over CRPF in group-A. The bankmen required just eight minutes to go into the lead through their first penalty corner. Harpreet Singh Channi’s shot came off the stick of Saurab Bishnoi from the goal mouth and centre forward Parminder Singh shot in. Mumbai, spearheaded by India captain Dhanraj Pillai, dominated the play almost through to the break. During this period, they squandered eight penalty corners and at least on five occasions it was PSB’s Sandeep Singh Ghuman, who cut in superbly to deflect the shots, thereby helping his team hang on to the lead. Crossing over, Mumbai scored following their tenth penalty corner (39th minute) — Sandeep Somesh sounding the board by a direct hit. The game became exciting after the equaliser with both teams going all out for the winner, which, however, eluded them as neither could gain on their forays. Mumbai claimed two more corners during the last three minutes but could not dent the bank’s defence. In an earlier match, Tamil Nadu dominated proceedings against Bihar. Paul Kirubhakaran, D. Felix and L. Prabhakaran, fed regularly by Dinesh Nayak and Thirumalvalavan from the midfield, excelled for Tamil Nadu. At half-time Tamil Nadu led 2-1 through Dinesh Nayak and Felix while Bihar’s Guria managed to pull one back for his team. Prabhakaran was the pick of Tamil Nadu forwards, scoring all his four field goals through superb conversions. Captain Paul Kirubhakaran, who was outstanding be it offense or defence, netted the fifth goal. After a barren first half in a morning match, Indian Railways, in their first appearance in the tournament, scored twice through A. Pratap and Manmeet Singh to beat CRPF 2-0.

150 years after birth legend Grace lives on LONDON, July 19 (AP) — A big, burly man with a black, bushy beard dominates early images of cricket in its modern form - almost as entirely as the name W.G Grace dominates all the early entries to record books. There’s a simple explanation for the correlation. It’s because the bearded Victorian-era gentleman, Dr William Gilbert Grace, was so superior to his cricketing contemporaries that he became a figure synonymous with the game. W.G. Grace is considered the father of modern cricket and regarded as being responsible for turning a nobleman’s past-time into England’s national sport. Yesterday was the 150th anniversary of his birth, July 18, 1848. A match between the World XI and the Marylebone Cricket Club was played at Lord’s yesterday the home of cricket and, not purely by coincidence, the winners claimed the W.G. Grace Trophy. The MCC selected the date for the match as a tribute to Princess Diana and a celebration of Grace’s birth. Grace amassed 54,980 runs, including 126 centuries, and took 2,876 wickets in a first class cricket career which spanned 43 years — a record in itself. He set all the early cricket records. He was the first player ever to score a century in the first session of a match and he was the first man to score 1,000 runs and take 100 wickets in a season. He was also first to score 2,000 runs and take 100 wickets in a season. Grace was also the oldest man to captain England, aged almost 51 when he played his final Test in 1899. Grace scored the first triple century in first class cricket in 1896 and was the first player to score more than 3,000 runs in a first class season. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, the Bishop of Hereford declared around the turn of the century that Grace would have rewritten history had he lived in another era. Had he lived in ancient Greece, the Iliad would have been a different book. Had he lived in the middle-ages, he would have been a crusader," the Bishop said. W.G. Grace had undoubted ability on cricket pitches much inferior to pitches of today but as a robust man with a quick temper and a big reputation, he also had gamesmanship on his side. Grace was once reported to have been bowled out in a minor match but calmly picked up the bail, replaced it on top of the stumps and remarked to the umpire, "strong wind today." With fans attending cricket in their droves just to see Grace play, what could an umpire do but go along with him. As captain of Gloustershire, he once declared an innings closed when he was on 93. When asked why, he explained this was the only score between 0 and 100 he had never finished an innings with. Outside of cricket he practiced as a family doctor in Bristol. But he made his mark, and a small fortune paid in expenses", out of cricket before he retired in 1908 aged 60. He died in 1915 of a heart attack brought on by fear of a Zeppelin air raid.

Ronaldo took sedatives before final SAO PAULO, July 19 (Reuters) — Brazilian striker Ronaldo has said he took prescribed sedatives to recover from a convulsion before playing against France in the World Cup final last Sunday. "The doctor told me I could have been under emotional stress and agitated, so he gave me some sedatives," the 21-year-old star told Globo Television in an interview late on Friday. Ronaldo told Globo he suffered a convulsion in his hotel room hours before the final, which Brazil lost to France 3-0. "I don’t remember anything. But when I woke up, I remember feeling pain all over my body...my back, my legs, everywhere." But he said he asked to be included in the team for the final after resting for 30 minutes in bed and going through medical tests, which showed nothing was wrong. The shaven-headed Ronaldo was controversially allowed to play after initially being omitted from the line-up, but failed to produce anything like his normal form. The Brazilian media has gone into a frenzy of speculation over the young player’s mental and physical health ever since. Some newspapers have suggested that his illness might have been caused by painkilling injections after the striker was seen limping on the pitch. Ronaldo said he had not taken any painkillers.

Brisbane to host Goodwill Games NEW YORK, July 19 (Reuters) — The city of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, will stage the fourth edition of the Goodwill Games in 2001. Games founder and Time Warner vice-chairman Ted Turner told a news conference yesterday the Brisbane had been chosen to stage the first Goodwill Games outside the USA and Russia. Previous games have been held in Moscow in 1986, Seattle in 1990 and St Petersburg, Russia, four years ago. The 1998 games start in New York today. Mr Turner invented the games to provide competition for American and Soviet athletes after successive Olympic boycotts. "The Goodwill Games will live on and the city of Brisbane, Australia, will be our home as we enter a new century," Mr Turner said. Vogts to stay as German coach BONN, July 19 (Reuters) — Germany’s soccer coach Berti Vogts is to continue to lead and take sole responsibility for the national side, the German Soccer Federation (DFB) has said. "The DFB committee have stated their full trust in trainer Berti Vogts for the rebuilding of the national team," the DFB said yesterday. The DFB statement followed a so-called "crisis meeting" held to discuss the future of the national side after a disappointing performance at the World Cup. DFB president Egidius Braun and five of his officials met Vogts in Stuttgart on Friday to analyse the team’s performance in France and map out a Future strategy. The 51-year-old coach has come under media and public pressure to quit after Germany’s 3-0 defeat by Croatia in the World Cup quarter-finals. "We are facing a difficult situation. But I see good prospects for steering the flagship national team on to a good course once again," Vogts said in the statement. The statement laid out further guidelines for the future direction of German soccer and also reaffirmed Braun’s commitment to standing for another term as DFB chief.

Cricketers, film stars for soccer tie MUMBAI, July 19 (PTI) — The Siyaram's celebrity soccer match to help Gujarat flood victims would be held between Indian Test cricketers, including vice-captain Ajay Jadeja and wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia, and film stars led by Sanjay Dutt at the Cooperage on July 21. The cricketers team also has allrounder Robin Singh and middle order batsman Rahul Dravid in its ranks while the film stars' team has Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Sunil Shetty among others, a press note from the organisers said her yesterday. 7 more sentenced for Cup violence MARSEILLE, (France) July 19 (Reuters) — A French court has handed out prison sentences to seven more persons, four of them Britons, in connection with violence in this Mediterranean port at the start of the World Cup soccer tournament last month. Philip Bryan, (37) a career serviceman in Britain’s Royal Air Force based in Germany, was sentenced to four months imprisonment and banned from coming back to France for two years. The court, sitting late on Friday, said Bryan was clearly identified on film among a group of trouble makers wrecking a bar at the Marseille port. The court also heard he was known to British police. Three other Britons, Peter Bray, (29) an engineer from Nuneaton, Central England, Benjamin Sharp, (28) an electrician from Peterborough, also central England and Thomas Rodney, (29) a railway employee from Liverpool, were sentenced to a month in prison each. The three were to be released from jail later yesterday and escorted out of the country after having already been held in custody for a month. All were arrested on June 14 or 15 during incidents marking the match between England and Tunisia. French national Fouad Belhani (22) and Algerian Mohamed Lakehal (21) were sentenced to two months each for looting a shop. Frenchman Serey Ros (20) returned for assaulting police officers. Four other British fans were sentenced on Thursday to terms of between 40 days and two months.

New ranking system for badminton BANGALORE, July 19 (PTI) — The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has set aside its old ranking system and devised a point system based on the International Badminton Federation's ranking system, Mr S.S. Mani. BAI's executive vice-president, said yesterday. He told newspersons here that the system, which has been computerised, would be updated every three months and would be ratified at the BAI's executive committee meeting to be held here on July 22. Last year's tournaments held at Kochi, Delhi, Pune and Hyderabad (including the domestic circuit and the senior nationals) were taken into account while launching the new ranking system, Mr Mani said. Top five national rankings (with points): Men's singles: Abhin Shyam Gupta (AI) 1995, Nikhil Kantekar (IOC) 1725. Srikanth Bakshi (Rly) 1545 and Sachin Ratti (Rly) 1290. Women's singles: Manjusha Kanwar (IOC) 1830, Aparna Popat (KTK) 1800. Pooja Parekh 1545. Neelima Choudary (AP) 1425 and Deepthi (Rly) 1410. Men's doubles: Vinod Kumar/Rajeev Bagga 2040, George Thomas/Markose Bristow 1905. Vijaydeep Singh/Jaseel Ismail 1530. Anirudh Rao/Roy Mathew 1455 and Mangirish Palekar/Haris Chander 990. Women's doubles: Manjusha Kanwar/Archana Deodhar 1695. Madhumathi Bisht/Sindhu Gulati 1455. Aparana Popat/Manju T. Abraham 1215. B. Meenakshi/Madhavi Kashikar 1170 and Feroz Batliwala/Nazneen Karini 1080.

Bakre wins gold at youth games MOSCOW, July 19 (PTI) — Asian junior chess champion Tejas Bakre of India has won the gold medal at the first World Youth Games here. Bakre topped the field comprising 590 players from 22 countries in the chess tournament, held in three different categories, leader of the 10-member Indian junior chess team, Bharat Singh Chauhan said here today. Bakre, who became India’s 22nd international master in winning the Asian Junior Chess Championship (under-20) at Rasht, Iran in May, has been asked to stay back in Moscow till July 26, the day world number 2 Vishwanathan Anand will be presented the coveted "Chess Oscar." Bakre will be awarded a special trophy during the same ceremony, Kostiyev, coordinator of the Russian Junior Chess Association said. India had also sent four tennis players and eight gymnasts, who unfortunately failed to win any medals. Over 7,000 athletes from 131 counties participated in the games organised on the Olympic format. Abhinshyam upset; Gopichand wins BANGALORE, July 19 (PTI) — Unseeded Mangrish Palekar of Railways upset second seed Abhinshyam Gupta (AI) while national champion and top seed P. Gopichand took some time to settle down before demolishing his opponent on the opening day of the BPL All-India Open Badminton Tournament here today. Palekar defeated Gupta 18-14, 15-8 in a 46-minute encounter. Gopichand (IOC), who has recovered from an injury, defeated Vidyadhar (AP) in straight sets 15-5 15-7. Vidyadhar went into the lead, rattling off five points, but after Gopichand got into his rhythm, Vidyadhar found it difficult to maintain the tempo and lost 5-15. The second set also went the same way, but Vidyadhar managed to gain an extra two points, 7-15. "He is too experienced and though I tried to capitalise on his errors it didn’t work out", Vidyadhar said. In the women’s section, top seed Aparna Popat (KTK) defeated state-mate E.B. Nandini 11-1, 11-0. Nirmala Kotnis (AI) faced some stiff challenge from her opponent Shalaka Damle (also AI) before prevailing 12-11, 10-12, 11-6.

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