Wednesday, April 7, 1999
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S P O R T | Wednesday, April 7, 1999 |
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India under pressure to perform SHARJAH, April 6 — India have their best and last chance to get their act together before the World Cup when they lock horns with Pakistan and England in the Coca Cola Triangular Cricket Series beginning here tomorrow. Ganguly's departure delayed MUMBAI, April 6 — Southpaw Saurav Ganguly took an evening flight to Sharjah today to join his teammates for India's opening game against England on Thursday in the triangular one-day cricket tournament.
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Half centuries by Langer, Mark Waugh ST. JOHN’s (Antigua), April 6 — Justin Langer and Mark Waugh hit unbeaten half centuries as Australia took control of the fourth and final cricket Test against the West Indies on the third day yesterday. Tillstrom
itching for revenge Paes
through; Bhupathi loses Davis
Cup a tough sell in USA ’83
winners to clash with ’99 squad
Konguvel upsets Sasikiran Good
show by Digvijay BAI
to organise 11 meets this year |
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India under pressure to perform SHARJAH, April 6 (UNI) — India have their best and last chance to get their act together before the World Cup when they lock horns with Pakistan and England in the Coca Cola Triangular Cricket Series beginning here tomorrow. Pakistan, who meet England in the opening match, will start as favourites after their stupendous performance against traditional rivals India in the past few weeks. They look every bit determined to maintain the winning habit as they return to their favourite hunting ground after a gap of almost 18 months. They are due to meet India in the second match of the tournament on Thursday. The Pakistanis had an easy run against an Indian side that was without its start batsman Sachin Tendulkar in the recent series in India. But England, the hosts for the World Cup later this year, will definitely try to make their presence felt and get into the right frame of mind before the big event. All these factors will ensure a heady cocktail of cricket at this desert venue over the next 10 days. Without Tendulkar, India appear to be the weak link in the triangular contest. The recent losses against Pakistan are bound to leave their mark on the team's morale. On the positive side, now that the squad for the World Cup has been announced, the team has its task cut out. Skipper Mohammed Azharuddin will definitely have a few things to prove. Besides, the young guns in the side have reason to explode on the international stage. Players like S. Ramesh and Amay Khurasia will now be in a better frame of mind to perform. Overall, the team needs to bounce back to its best playing form if India is to give a good account here. Even as Pakistan look to flex their muscles, underlining their bid to emerge as a major contender for the World Cup, England, too, get an opportunity to test and fine tune their outfit. The hot and humid conditions here may not be to their liking, but England still have pleasant memories of a warm December here in 1997 when they triumphed in the four-nation Akai Singer Cup Series. Thoughts of that outing will definitely keep their spirits high. England have brought their World Cup squad here. Skipper Alec Stewart, Nick Knight, Graeme Hick, Nasser Hussain and Neil Fairbrother form a core that is as competitive as their rivals. The team has not changed much in the last couple of years, indicating that the players are fighting fit and have had the time to let spirit build up. However, despite the presence of Darren Gough, their bowling attack cannot be spoken of in the same breath as Pakistan's given the conditions in which they are expected to toil. Then again, the Sharjah wicket has changed its character a lot in recent times. The day-night games mean that the dew factor comes into play. Besides, of late, spinners have been extracting some purchase on these tracks. It means that big, tall-scoring games will again be at a premium. While spin is England's most obvious weakness, Pakistan have very little to worry, being well-equipped in every department of the game. And, given their confidence, they are definitely the team to beat. Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar test the top order to a nicety while Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi and Arshad Khan probe with the slow variety. Any side with such good bowling strength is bound to make life difficult for rival batsmen. If the Pakistani bowling is all class, the batting, too, dozes a high degree of confidence with the experienced Saeed Anwar, Afridi, Ijaz-Ahmed, Inzamum-ul-Haq and Moin Khan being in good touch. Winning has given their fielding the much needed sharpness and, if they stay focussed, both England and India will have a Herculean task ahead of them here. "We are here to win", said Pakistani coach Javed Miandad, who is now reaping the rewards of quite a few brain storming sessions with his players. Team captain Wasim Akram, too, talks about not losing sight of their ultimate goal, the World Cup. "We have a good side and I am keen to maintain the winning habit", he said. The stress on consistency is all too obvious. Even as the Pakistanis are on a song, England are going about their drill without any fuss. Their batting looks good but it has to be seen how their bits and pieces players roll their arm. Gough, Allan Mullaly and Robert Croft are the seasoned pros while Adam Hollioake. Mark Ealham and Andy Flintoff are still learning by experience. England have the combination, but how well they withstand the tough task ahead remains to be seen. The limited overs event will have total prize money of $ 100,000, with the winners taking $ 50,000, the runners-up $ 30,000 and the third placed side getting $ 20,000. There are also prizes for individual performances. The teams will play each other twice in the preliminary league before the top two sides clash in the final on April 16. The matches will be telecast live on Doordarshan and Fox Sports channels. Three former Indian cricketers — Nari Contractor, Sandeep Patil and Karsan Ghavri — and two from Pakistan — Aaqib Javed and Khan Muhammed — have been named as beneficiaries of the tournament. K.T. Francis of Sri Lanka, Darrel Hair of Australia and Ian Robinson of Zimbabwe have been named as umpires, Sidath Wettimuny will be the referee. The teams: India: Mohammed Azharuddin (captain) S. Ramesh, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja, Amay Khurasia, Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia, Vinod Kambli, Sunil Joshi, Ajit Agarkar, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble. Pakistan: Wasim Akram (captain) Shahid Afridi, Saeed Anwar, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamum-ul-Haq, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Wajatulah Wasti, Yosuf Youhana, Abdul Razzak, Arshad Khan, Shoaib Akhtar and Salim Malik. England: Alec Stewart
(captain) Nick Knight, Graeme Hick, Robert Croft, Neil
Fairbrother, Adam Hollioake, Mark Ealham, Darren Gough,
Allan Mullaly, Vincent Wells, Graham Thorpe, Ian Austin,
Angus Fraser and Alan Flintoff. |
Ganguly's departure delayed MUMBAI, April 6 (PTI) — Southpaw Saurav Ganguly took an evening flight to Sharjah today to join his teammates for India's opening game against England on Thursday in the triangular one-day cricket tournament. Ganguly, who was to leave along with his teammates in the morning, was stranded as the cricket board's travel agents reportedly failed to bring his passport from Delhi. Board executive secretary Sharadh Diwadkar told PTI here that Ganguly was on his way to join his teammates in Sharjah. "It was a communication gap which led to this episode and things have been sorted out now," he added. Board President Raj Singh Dungarpur, who came to know of the incident only in the afternoon from the selection committee chairman Ajit Wadekar, said: "Saurav is the second Indian cricketer to go through this experience, the first being Dilip Vengsarkar in the 80s". He, however, did not elaborate on the "Vengsarkar incident". Pakistan and England play the first match of the tournament tomorrow. When contacted at his hotel room this afternoon, Ganguly simply said: "I don't want to comment on the episode". UNI: About his recent injury Azhar said his shoulder was fine. "I do not think I will have a problem after the rest", he added. Azhar was the first to arrive at the airport along with his wife Sangita Bijlani. As soon as they came photographers, scribes and fans surrounded them. Azhar was a little peeved at his wife not being able to get inside the terminal. He, however, was back to his normal self as he spoke freely to the waiting mediapersons a little while later. Th rest of the team was
whisked away by security men, disappointing their
countless fans and admirers. Even the Indian coach
Anshuman Gaikwad did not speak to the press. |
Match-fixing No proof of players’ involvement: Judge ISLAMABAD, April 6 (ANI) — Lahore High Court Judge Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, probing the allegations of match-fixing and betting on Monday said that no concrete evidence regarding the involvement of any player had come to the fore as yet. "The case in point is if any Pakistani cricketer is involved or not in betting or match-fixing, but no concrete proof has come up so far," remarked the Judge while talking to a group of newsmen in his chamber. The Judge said that he was trying his best and some bookies had been arrested from whom documents and tapes containing relevant facts and conversation had been recovered. "But these recoveries have failed to establish the involvement of any player in match-fixing or betting." Five Lahore bookies who ran their businesses in the Liberty Market, Beadon Road, Hall Road, Gulberg areas, etc, had been asked to appear before the judicial commission on Thursday, he added. Observing that he had conducted the inquiry thoroughly, Justice Qayyum said he could write his findings within seven days but he was very busy with the corruption cases being heard against PPP chief Benazir Bhutto and her spouse, Asif Zardari. After completion, the commission's report would be submitted to President Rafiq Tarar. "Whether the President releases the report before or after the World Cup, I've nothing to do with it," he added. The Judge said that the earlier probe committees, too, had failed to come up with any solid proof against any player and whatever had been said or proceeded earlier had been done only on the basis of suspicion. He also expressed
confidence that Pakistan would win the World Cup
commencing from May 14. "One could safely predict
that there is a chance of Pakistan winning the tournament
after their heroic performance against India in the Pepsi
Cup Final on Sunday. Skipper Wasim Akram is also putting
his best." The probe had at least created a
realisation among the cricketers that someone was
monitoring or watching them, said the Judge. |
Half centuries by Langer, Mark Waugh ST. JOHN’s (Antigua), April 6 (AP) — Justin Langer and Mark Waugh hit unbeaten half centuries as Australia took control of the fourth and final cricket Test against the West Indies on the third day yesterday. Left-hander Langer hit 84 and Waugh 60 as their unbroken third partnership of 133 lifted Australia to 209 for two by close. Earlier, West Indies were bowled out for 222 after resuming on 197 for six, conceding a first innings lead of 81. Australia made 303 in their first innings. The Australians must win to level the series 2-2 and retain the Frank Worrell Trophy they have held since 1995. Langer transformed his second 50 of the match and third in his last four innings to his third highest Test score. The Western Australian batted 287 minutes and faced 222. It was his most commanding innings of the series, counting six fours and a huge six on to the roof of the Richie Richardson Stand at long on off Nehemiah Perry’s off-spin. Waugh, too, emerged from an uncertain start to bat with the confidence absent during the first three Tests. The 33-year-old from New South Wales, stroked five boundaries with typically sweet timing as he faced 118 balls during his three hours at the crease. In his 90th Test, Waugh became only the eighth Australian to reach 6,000 Test runs when he reached 23. Langer and Waugh came together when opener Michael Slater was dismissed for 44 to leave Australia uncertainly poised at 76 for two. Slater chopped a Courtney Walsh delivery on to his off stump after batting 156 minutes and facing 103 balls. The New South Welshman struck one four and two big sixes. Slater’s opening partner Greg Blewett fell early for seven, a leg before victim of Curtly Ambrose’s off-cutter. Ambrose took one for 46 from 17 overs and new ball partner Walsh captured one for 49 from 21 overs. During the Australian innings, Jimmy Adams had to replace wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs behind the stumps after Jacobs was struck on the face and had his nose broken when he missed a leg-side delivery, ironically bowled by Adams. Carl Hooper completed Adams’ unfinished over as the Jamaican took up the gloves for the rest of the day. Earlier, Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath took two wickets and effected a crucial run out as the West Indies slumped during the first 45 minutes of the day. McGrath finished with three for 64 off 27.2 overs to take his series high tally of wickets to 27. The New South Welshman, in his 49th Test, moved up to sixth among Australian bowlers with 229 wickets, passing fellow pace bowler Ray Lindwall (228 from 61 Tests). McGrath started the slide in the day’s third over, removing off-spinner Nehemiah Perry’s off stump with an inswinger of fullish length. Perry made just six. Leg-spinner Stuart Macgill got into the act next over, having Curtly Ambrose caught at deepish mid-on without scoring by Ricky Ponting. The dangerous Carl Hooper stretched his overnight 40 to 47 before McGrath’s fast, flat and accurate return from fine leg found the batsman a yard short as he sought a second run to keep the strike. It was the 10 time in 80 matches that Guyanese has fallen by the run out route. Only former Australian captain Allan Border, 12 times in 156 matches, and fellow West Indian Garfield Sobers, 10 times in 93 Tests, have matched Hooper’s count. McGrath wrapped up the innings by trapping Courtney Walsh leg before for three. Corey Collymore resisted briefly in a forthright, unbeaten 11, his highest score in his brief first-class career. Colin Miller took two for 39 from 17 overs, Adam Dale captured two for 67 from 18 overs, and Macgill grabbed two for 52 from 14 overs. Scoreboard |
Tillstrom itching for revenge CHENNAI, April 6 (PTI) — Sweden’s Mikael Tillstrom is itching for revenge against world number 10 Karol Kucera, who fashioned a famous victory against Sweden in the Davis Cup tie over the weekend in Trollhattan. "I am looking forward to the likely clash. It would be a revenge match against Kucera and hopefully crowd would be backing me," Tillstrom said after he advanced to the second round beating Bulgaria’s Orlin Stanoytchev 6-4, 6-4 last night in the ongoing Gold Flake ATP Tournament here. Slovak Kucera, known as "little cat" despite his six-foot frame, beat Thomas Enqvist in the deciding fifth rubber in the first round Davis Cup tie hosted by Sweden which knocked out the reigning champions from the 1999 campaign. Tillstrom, who was not selected to represent his country, however, chances his luck against the second-seeded Kucera. The 1997 Gold Flake Open winner Tillstrom is a familiar figure at India’s showpiece ATP tour. Tillstrom, who finished runner-up last year to Patrick Rafter of Australia, enjoys tremendous support from the local crowd. Tillstrom was given some anxious moments yesterday by Bulgaria’s Stanoytchev, 121 on the ATP ranking, but attributed his rustiness to "too much of doubles play lately". "I want to concentrate on my singles play but right now I am doing both as more success has followed me in doubles," Tillstrom said. The Swede, winner of 1994 French Open double crown with specialist Jonathan Stark of the US, however, said Chennai had brought good luck for him and he would fancy his chances this year again. "I am looking at making the final here which I am doing for past two years. It’s really tough to play here in the stiffling heat and humidity but I enjoy the atmosphere," Tillstrom, who finished 1998 at 85 on the ATP computer, has now been pushed out of top 100 - coming into the tournament at 103, assured fans a better quality tennis this year. "It is a spectacular field with Carlos Moya around who was world number one two weeks ago and now in second position behind American Pete Sampras," he said. "You had Richard (Krajicek) in 1997 and Pat (Rafter) last year, but the field is much stronger and tougher this year." After winning first set
6-4, Tillstrom raced to a 5-1 lead in the second before
allowing Stanoytchev to close the gap to 5-4. "I was
a bit relaxed but crowd put me back into the game,"
Tillstrom said. |
Paes through; Bhupathi loses CHENNAI, April 6 (PTI) — Top Indian tennis star Leander Paes kept his campaign intact, ousting qualifier Andres Zigman of Argentina 4-6 6-3 6-4 while Mahesh Bhupathi caved in to Australia’s Richard Fromberg on the second day of the Gold Flake ATP Tour Open Tennis Championship here. The Paes-Zigman match was a thriller. Though the Indian was not his usual self against a qualifier, his superb rallies and control at crucial junctures to win five games in a row after trailing 0-3 enabled him progress to the second round, where he might face Byron Black of Zimbabwe. Though Bhupathi exited from the singles — losing 2-6 5-7 to the Australian, he is expected to retain the doubles title with Paes. In the doubles, the Kirtane cousins — Sandeep and Nitin — moved into the second round beating Spaniards Juan Ignacio Carrasco and Jairo Velasco. Defending 74 ATP points that he earned here last time, Paes was broken in the third game of the first set. The Argentine had a variety of shots and was confident with his return of serves, while Paes showed an urgency to rush to the net for placements. Zigman led 4-3 and needed to win just his service games for the first set, which he did. Paes was flashy in scoring winners many a time, but was inconsistent. He badly wanted a win as he had not crossed the first round this year, having lost to D. Sanguinetti in the Australian Open and then to John Van Herck of Belgium in the Dubai Open in February. Paes’ whipping chip shots also deceived him. While Zigman was happy playing from baseline and concentrating on his returns. Paes tried to hustle his way to find his rhythm. Paes almost lost his first game in the second set, as Zigman took the game to deuce gaining three break points. But Paes suddenly found his rhythm and changed his approach, with superb return of serves, often dragging the Argentine upfront and then passing him. The Indian took control of the game. And Zigman wilted under pressure. Paes got the vital break in the eighth game to lead 5-3 and then held his serve to take the match to the decider. Some of his chipping returns and low forehand shots were excellent in the second set. One could not believe the manner in which Paes failed badly in the decider, trailing 0-3. Known for his fightbacks, Paes again came back strongly. It was Paes’ best showing in recent times as he not only broke back the Argentine, but went on to lead 4-3 from where he never lost his grip over the match. He had two match points but failed on both, landing his forehand returns over the baseline as Zigman made it 4-5. Needing to hold his serve
to win the match, Paes saw the Argentine rally well.
Zigman had two break points before he gained three points
in a row for deuce and wrapped up the match with a winner
after the Argentine had conceded advantage by putting the
ball into the net. |
Davis Cup a tough sell in USA LONDON, April 6 (AP) — Even with his big victory, Jim Courier knew it was not enough. The Davis Cup does not stir the passions of American sports fans. "I think there's too much competition in America, sportswise, for that realistically to change in the near future," he said. Courier's two singles victories carried the USA to a 3-2 decision over Britain in the first round. His match on Sunday was the clincher, A 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 1-6, 8-6 decision over Greg Rusedski in Birmingham. The American victory came on the same day the baseball season opened. The NHL was moving toward the playoffs and the NBA was in the thick of its schedule. The masters was waiting in the wings. But even in ideal conditions, the Davis Cup is a tough sell in the USA. And not only with fans. Two of its best players, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, took a pass on the US-Britain series. Tim Henman, who with Rusedski formed a two-man British team can't understand why Sampras and longer plays Davis Cup. "I think it's great to be a part of it, but at the end of the day it's his decision," Henman said. "If he doesn't want to be part of it, if anything. It's his loss". Henman, who practises with Sampras and has teamed with him in doubles, says the Davis Cup matched playing Wimbledon, an event Sampras has won five times. Courier's singles partner, Todd Martin, in the wake of what the Daily Telegraph called the most memorable Davis Cup tie in Britian since the war", said he sympathised with calls to modify the Davis Cup. One suggestion is to play every two years instead of annually. "There are still flaws", Martin said. "After this there's three months... before the next tie, and that's a flaw". "But I don't see how this can't excite people about tennis, especially about the Davis Cup". US captain Tom Gullikson, who must constantly lobby the top players for the Davis Cup, said Courier and Martin would play in the quarterfinals in July in Boston against Australia even if Sampras and Andre Agassi come abroad. "These guys have the first option, absolutely," Gullikson said. And, like Martin, Gullikson admits the Davis Cup needs help. "On the ATP tour they could advertise that they play Davis Cup for their country," he added. "They sometimes spout off tour records. This should be a part of the introduction at tournaments. You want to promote the fact that they play for their country." In the USA with a record 31 Davis Cup victories and 28 times a runner-up, the event has lost its glow. Not so in Britain, which hasn’t won the cup since 1936 and is back in the world group (the Davis Cup elite 16) for the first time since 1992. This may have been a defeat, but the British media played it with banner headlines, full-page photos, some page one news treatment and blanket television coverage. "Britain’s aces beaten but not defeated," The Times said on its front page, sharing space with two stories on the NATO air strikes. "Britain’s cup of tears," said a headline topping yesterday’s The Daily Telegraph sports section. "Britain broken on the rock," The Guardian said in reference to Courier. The London tabloids were rougher. "What a choker,"
said The Mirror alongside a photo of a dejected Rusedski.
"Choked to brits," said the rival The Sun. |
’83 winners to clash with ’99 squad MUMBAI April 6 (PTI) — The triumphant 1983 World Cup team led by Kapil Dev and the 1999 team under the leadership of Mohammed Azharuddin will clash in a limited overs cricket match at the Wankhede Stadium here on April 18. Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Joint Secretary Prof Ratnakar Shetty told reporters here today that the MCA would donate Rs 20 lakh each to former Indian Test stars Ramnath Parkar and the late Raman Lamba’s family on the occasion. "The amount will be given for treatment of Parkar, who is in a comatose state after being injured in a road accident three years ago, and to Lamba’s widow Kim. Lamba died in Bangladesh after being struck on the head while fielding in a league match a couple of years ago," he added. Cricket board President Raj Singh Dungarpur, national selection committee chairman Ajit Wadekar, former Indian Captain Kapil Dev and his teammate Sandeep Patil were also present at the press conference. The teams: 1983 World Cup team: Kapil Dev (capt), K. Srikkanth, Mohinder Amarnath, S.M.H. Kirmani (wk), Sunil Gavaskar, Dilip Vengsarkar, Ravi Shastri, Madan Lal, Balwinder Sandhu, Yashpal Sharma, Kirti Azad, Roger Binny, Sandeep Patil and Sunil Walson. 1999 World Cup team:
Mohammed Azharuddin (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav
Ganguly, S. Ramesh, Rahul Dravid, Amay Khurasia, Ajay
Jadeja, Robin Singh, Nayan Mongia (wk), Ajit Agarkar,
Nikhil Chopra, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh
Prasad and Debashish Mohanty. |
Mohanty granted clearance MUMBAI, April 6 (UNI) — The England and Wales Cricket Board has permitted Debashish Mohanty’s inclusion in the Indian World Cup squad, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Raj Singh Dungarpur said here today. The clearance was necessary since Mohanty was not in the list of 19 players shortlisted by the BCCI for selection. He was in the original list of 30 probables but was left out when it was pruned to 19. The selection committee later felt that Mohanty would be a better choice for the English conditions and included him in the final squad. India is not the only team
to select a player from outside the 19 names that were
submitted to the host country’s cricket board.
Australia, too, included all rounder Tom Moody who was
not in the list of 19 players. |
Konguvel upsets Sasikiran NAGPUR, April 6 (PTI) — International master P. Konguvel today emerged as a strong contender for one of the top six spots by upsetting tournament leader and top seed K. Sasikiran in the 13th round of the 36th National "A" Chess Championship here. Sasikiran with 10 points was leading the table and Abhijit Kunte with 9.5 points was closely following him. R.B. Ramesh (9) was at the third spot. Facing the king’s Indian defence, Sasikiran handled the white pieces with great mastery and obtained a huge positional advantage in the middle game. Konguvel was clearly struggling for survival when Sasikiran made a fatal tactical error by advancing his king knight pawn. Always alert for tactical opportunities, Konguvel reacted with a devastating bishop sacrifice which ripped open Sasikiran’s castled position. The sacrifice was declined by Sasikiran but his king remained exposed and Konguvel advanced his own king’s knight to further breach the white king’s defences. Sasikiran capitulated when he was unable to prevent loss of a piece on 45th move. Konguvel’s win enabled IM Abhijit Kunte to close in on Sasikiran by drawing his game against T.S. Ravi. Abhijit equalised in the opening against Alapin variation of sicilian defence and enjoyed a slight superiority in the middle game. However, he allowed Ravi to gain an upper hand by liquidating the isolated queen pawn. Ravi was unable to capitalise as Abhijit defended with accuracy and the players agreed to split point on 47th move. IM R.B. Ramesh decided to play it safe and agreed to a quick draw against IM Neelotpal Das. Ramesh avoided sharpest lines of sozin attack by countering it with benko variation and a level position was reached after the opening. Ramesh proposed a draw on the 12th move which Neelotpal accepted after pondering over the position for 40 minutes. Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay consolidated his position by beating IM elect G.B. Prakash in fine attacking style. Thipsay had come prepared for caro kann defence and varied from the Anand-Ivanchuk game played at Linares, Spain earlier this year. Prakash failed to find the best plan against this and Thipsay got a superior position from it. In the middle game Thipsay increased his advantage by posting his knight on ‘D5’ and got a winning position when Prakash allowed a combination costing the queen. Prakash resigned after 43 moves when he was unable to prevent Thipsay’s queen rook pawn from queening. This was Prakash’s first loss in the championship. IM D.V. Prasad did not succeed in his attempt to confuse IM Tejas Bakre with a sideline against the ruy lopez and had to be content with a draw. Results of round 13: K.
Sasikiran (10) lost to P. Konguvel (7.5), T.S. Ravi (6.5)
drew with Abhijit Kunte (9.5), Neelotpal Das (6) drew
with R.B. Ramesh (9), P.M. Thipsay (8.5) beat G.B.
Prakash (8), Tejas Bakre (5) drew with D.V. Prasad (7),
S. Saha (5.5) lost to V. Sarvanan (6.5), V. Koshy (5)
beat Anup Deshmukh (5), S.K. Rathod (4) lost to R.G.
Hegde (5), Shankar Roy (4) drew with N.K. Mishra (5). |
Good show by Digvijay CHANDIGARH, April 6 — Digvijay Singh of Meerut struck a bright patch returning a three under card of 69 on the opening day of the Bharat Petroleum Samavir Sahi Trophy Chandigarh Amateur Open Golf Championship here today. An impressive turnout of 94 golfers teed off for the tournament which has been categorised by the IGU and put on the national calendar. Digvijay's score was five strokes better than second-placed Shiraz Kalra who had a card of 74. And one stroke behind Kalra was the local favourite Harmeet Kahlon. At joint fourth place after the first day's play were Amitya Chand, Saurabh Bahujuna, N Mageshwara and Vinod Kumar at four over. On a day of generally high shooting scores, due to the unseasonal heat the near flawless round of Digvijay Singh was a treat to watch. Making only one bogey and firing birdies on the 6th, 8th, 10th and 17th holes his round was reminiscent of the excellent form he had displayed in the opening rounds of the All India Tournament where he was unlucky to lose in the semifinals. Shiraz Kalra made a poor start with a double on the first but he bounced back quickly to birdie the next two holes and then the 5th again. He played consistently thereafter making only one bogey to return a steady round of 2 over 74. Harmeet Kahlon was also slow into his stride making bogies on the 1st, 3rd and 5th. But he steadied himself thereafter and birdied the 6th, 12th and 13th holes. But a double bogey again on the 15th and a bogey on the 17th saw him take third place. The second round of the
tournament will commence at 7.30 am tomorrow. |
BAI to
organise
11 meets this year CHANDIGARH, April 6 — Badminton now has fairly good amount of prize money to offer. Going by the recent calendar announced by the Badminton Association of India (BAI). This year a total of 11 grand prix prize money tournaments — six in seniors and five in juniors — will, be organised at different places in the country. The senior tournaments will have a total prize money of Rs 4 lakh each for the junior meets it is Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh each. Tournaments for seniors will be held at Mumbai (June), Guwahati (June), Mumbai (to be organised by the Badminton Lovers trust, November), Patna (December), Bareilly (December), Bangalore (January) and for juniors at Chennai (July) and Panjim (July). For three venues, Udaipur, Patiala and Jalandhar, the dates are yet to be finalised. Andhra Pradesh Badminton Association will host the Asian Satellite Badminton Tournament to be held at Hyderabad if no other country bids for this event. The BAI has thought of starting the under-10 age-group event in the state championships if it proves to be successful it may be taken up at the national level. At present mini-nationals for the under-12 age-group are held and the under-10 age-group event would give more exposure to budding players, said Mr D.K. Mukerjee, Secretary of the Chandigarh Badminton Association. The BAI has decided that the mini and sub-junior nationals (Under-16) will be held at Vijaywada (AP) in October, junior nationals (Under-19) for both boys and girls at Kohima (Nagaland) in December, senior nationals at Kochi (Kerala) in January next year and the veterans nationals are to be held at Mumbai in January next year. The doubles nationals
(Under-22), which had been started a few years ago, have
been cancelled from this year. |
H
PSEB down Ropar PATIALA, April 6 (BOSR) — PSEB, Patiala, easily downed ITI, Ropar, 31-20 while Punjab also did not have to exert themselves much in demolishing Haryana 31-23 in the men's section of the league phase of 12th National (circle style) Kabaddi Championships being played at Dirbha (Sangrur), near here, today. The other results: Men's: Himachal Pradesh beat DCW 40-35, Chandigarh beat Uttar Pradesh 40-35, ITI Ropar beat Pepsu 30-25, PSEB beat ITI Ropar 31-20. Women: (semifinals): Pepsu
beat Haryana 39-21, Punjab beat Delhi 32-12. |
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