TOKYO : Jens Knippschild of Germany concentrates on his return against United States Michael Chang during the second round of play in the Japan Open Tennis '99 at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum on Wednesday. Knippschild defeated Chang in a straight 6-3, 6-4 victory — AP/PTI

Success lifts India's morale
SHARJAH, April 14 — The victory over Pakistan last night has lifted morale of the Indian team ahead of the summit clash between the two on Friday with stand-in skipper Ajay Jadeja’s unflappable approach and the team’s transformation under him coming in for much praise in the triseries cricket tournament.

Anand draws with Topalov
DOS HERMANAS (Spain), April 14 — Vishwanathan Anand was held to a draw by Veselin Topalov in the sixth round of the Dos Hermanas chess tournament last night.

Owen’s injury rings alarm bells
LIVERPOOL, April 14 — Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier’s fading hopes of a place in next season’s UEFA Cup will almost certainly have vanished if his worst fears surrounding Michael Owen are confirmed this week.

Ronaldo to play for Brazil
MILAN, April 14 — Ronaldo, called up to play for Brazil for the first time since the World Cup final, says he hopes to turn around his disappointing season by playing the Copa America in July.

Sampras asks for wildcard
LONDON, April 14 — Pete Sampras has asked for a wildcard to play in the Wimbledon warmup tournament at Queen's Club in June, organisers said yesterday.

B'desh make change in World Cup team
DHAKA, April 14 — Bangladesh announced a change in their World Cup squad yesterday, bringing in experienced middle-order batsman Minhajul Abedin in place of reserve wicketkeeper Jahangir Alam.

ASC, PSB in final of Beighton Cup
CALCUTTA, April 14 — Formidable Punjab and Sind Bank scraped past title holders Border Security Force 4-2 via tie-breaker to set up an all-Jalandhar summit clash with Army Service Corps, who pipped youthful Central Industrial Security Force by a solitary second half goal, in the 104th Beighton Cup Hockey Tournament here today.

Parnita, Irina lead
CHANDIGARH, April 14 — It was a grand day for the Chandigarh girls as they surged ahead on the opening day of the Chandigarh Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship here today.

Rs 10 lakh for soccer academy
PANAJI, April 14 — Rajya Sabha MP John F Fernandes has sanctioned an amount of Rs 10 lakh for the creation of infrastructural assets for the proposed Goa Football Academy at Peddem Sports Complex, Napusa.

Leander, Bhupathi in last eight

NEW DELHI, April 14 (UNI) — Top-seeded Leander Paes and unseeded Mahesh Bhupathi today moved into the quarterfinals of the $ 25,000 Servo-Indian Oil ATP Challenger Tennis Tournament being played here.

Also advancing to the last eight stage was third-seeded Gaston Etlis of Argentina, who overcame a one set deficit to beat American Jonathan Stark 0-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Paes ousted Czech Republic’s Ota Fukarek 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 while Bhupathi got a walkover from German Ande Fahlke who, did not play due to Diarrhoea.

Paes completely dominated the Czech in the first set, hitting service winners for which Fukarek did not seem to have any answers. Paes broke Fukarek, who is ranked 271 in the world, in the second and the sixth game to lead 5-2.

Though the Czech managed to break Paes in the seventh game, he failed to stop a charging Paes, conceding the set 3-6.

But the second set, which the Czech took in the tie-break, saw Paes struggle with his serve and the Czech picking up his game.

Paes admitted: "I struggled with my serve in the second set."

He admitted the pressure was on him, particularly in the tie-break. "But basically I am trying to get used to the surface and the balls here after Chennai,’’ he said.

The tie-break oscillated between the Indian and the Czech, but Fukarek geared it his way when, leading 5-4, he scored two consecutive points on Paes’ serve.

The final set saw Paes find his rhythm as he took control of his serve, which was erratic in the second set. He hit some great shots, breaking Fukarek in the second and the sixth games without dropping serve, to take the set and the match.

Paes said after the match: "Physically, I feel good. But as far as tennis went, I struggled today. However, I feel this tournament is an excellent opportunity for me to pick up valuable ATP points and help my ranking which has slumped to 108. I want to avail the maximum of this."

Sweden's Andreas Vinciguerra won 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 against Eyal Ran of Israel to enter the quarterfinals.

Gregory Carraz of France also proceeded to the quarterfinals, getting a walkover from Australian Matthew Breen, who could not play due to health problems.

Chang, Corretja upset; Agassi pulls out

TOKYO, April 14 (AP) — With big serves and deadly returns, Jens Knippschild upset ninth seed Michael Chang 6-3, 6-4 today, advancing to the third round of the Japan Open.

Chang, who has slipped to No. 40 from No. 2 in 1996 following knee injuries, suffered from early errors and had trouble getting back into rhythm in the first set.

In the second set, Knippschild, the world’s 101st-ranked player from Germany, scored two breaks while yielding one, hitting hard and putting shots into the corners.

Even with only one ace, Knippschild won 69 per cent of his service points, compared to Chang’s two aces for 63 per cent. The gap was even bigger in the second serve points, with Knippschild’s averaging 67 per cent against Chang’s 43 per cent.

In other developments, second seed Andre Agassi, winner of the rain-delayed Salem Open final in Hong Kong on Monday, withdrew today due to shoulder injuries he incurred in a semifinal match in that tournament, organisers said. He had arrived in Tokyo yesterday.

Also, top seed Richard Krajicek walked over fellow Dutchman and second-round opponent, John Van Lottum, who withdrew due to a strain in the neck when Krajicek was leading at 3-1 in the opening set.

In the women’s action, defending champion and top seed Ai Sugiyama of Japan beat her first-round opponent, qualifier Wynne Prakusya of Indonesia, 6-1, 6-3.

BARCELONA (Spain): Spain’s Albert Costa, coming off a tournament victory on Sunday in the Estoril Open in Portugal, beat Italy’s Andrea Gaudenzi 6-3, 6-2 yesterday in the Seat Godo Open.

"I was a little worried. I have had problems with Gaudenzi, but today it was a little easier,’’ Costa said after the first-round match in the clay-court tournament.

Spain’s Alex Corretja, No. 5 in the ATP tour rankings, failed to rebound from a poor performance in the Davis Cup, dropping a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 decision to Morocco’s Youness el Aynaoui.

"Mentally I don’t have the same motivation before’’ Corretja said. "Off the court I feel fine, but on the court I just don’t have any motivation".

Australia’s Mark Philippoussis, ranked No. 9, also was eliminated, falling 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) to Italy’s 151st-ranked Renzo Furlan.

Spain’s Felix Mantilla and Albert Portas advanced along with American Vince Spadea and Brazil's Fernando Meligeni.

Mantilla routed countryman Galo Blanco 6-2, 6-0, Portas beat Ukraine’s Andrei Medvedev 6-4, 6-1, Spadea edged Sweden’s Magnus Norman 6-4, 6-3 and Meligeni beat Switzerland’s Marc Rosset 6-3, 6-2.

Top-ranked Pete Sampras and defending champion Todd Martin, both of the USA, begin singles play today. Sampras, playing his first clay-court event of the year as he prepares for the French Open, will face Spadea.

Sampras and Britain’s Tim Henmen were eliminated in the second round of doubles, falling 6-2, 7-6 (7-2) to Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia and Paul Haarhuis of the Netherland.

Success lifts India's morale

SHARJAH, April 14 (PTI) — The victory over Pakistan last night has lifted morale of the Indian team ahead of the summit clash between the two on Friday with stand-in skipper Ajay Jadeja’s unflappable approach and the team’s transformation under him coming in for much praise in the triseries cricket tournament.

Coach Anshuman Gaekwad today said skipper Azharuddin had recovered from the toe injury which put him out of the last two matches and will be back to lead against Pakistan and that opener Saurav Ganguly and paceman Javagal Srinath will also return for the match.

"Azhar has recovered and his bruised toe has more or less healed," Gaekwad said.

"It was a temporary arrangement," he said when asked about continuation of Jadeja’s leadership which has come as a whiff of fresh air as he was able to bring the best out of the side to pull off two wins against England before India completed a fine chase against Pakistan in the last league tie.

Gaekwad attributed the turnaround after Pakistan comprehensively beat them thrice in the home series and in their first league tie here to adopting new strategies. "We’ve been innovating and it has shown in the results," he said.

Jadeja’s leadership apart, Nayan Mongia in particular has shown much courage. The stumper needed many stitches on his lower lip after being struck on his mouth by an Anil Kumble delivery on April 9. He again suffered a painful blow to his face in a collision with Shahid Afridi while running out the Pakistan opener yesterday, but had gamely continued.

Though the win against Pakistan came in a match which held only academic value as both teams had qualified, it was fought keenly by both and India has been boosted by the psychological effect of the success.

The team, in this final build up ahead of the May-June World Cup in England, has suffered due to the absence of star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, but all players have contributed their mite to guide the team into a winning mode.

S. Ramesh, picked as the third opener for the World Cup, has shown his confidence with two half-centuries and excellent temperament while Rahul Dravid has once again showed his class with his two fifties.

Dravid's 81 against Pakistan in his superb 166-run second wicket stand with Ramesh, who made 82, was a display of his grit, innovativeness and willingness to adopt aggression.

Pakistan players were fined 10 per cent of their match fees for failing to bowl the required number of overs in second-leg league match against England.

Match referee Sidath Wettimuny said today he was imposing the fine because of the team's performance in their league match against England on Monday.

Wettimuny, a former Sri Lankan Test player, fined Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar a further 10 per cent of his match fee for abusive language.

"He used abusive language against English opener Nick Knight in Monday's match", Wettimuny said.

Jadeja can lift the team
Geoff Boycott writes

What a tonic for India and a boost for the final with India beating Pakistan so comprehensively by a huge margin of six wickets . At the start of the tournament India looked a poor side and disappointed all their fans. Now they will come on Friday with a realistic chance of winning it. So what has transformed a lack lustre set of players into a fighting unit? A slice of luck and the knowledge that they couldn't get any worse.

The bit of good fortune was Azza getting injured and Jadeja taking over the reins. He has been able to motivate individuals and lift the team collectively. They have responded to his coaxing and talkative live wire approach. He is never silent and encourages other players to throw in ideas and get behind each other. Losing the toss has meant losing the match in this year's Coca Cola Trophy. If Jadeja deep down felt this he didn't let any of his team member drop his head in the field. They were tight and disciplined in the bowling. The fielding was good with the captain outstanding.

Pakistan dug a hole for themselves with the two stupid run-outs of Afridi and Inzamam. Anwar learnt nothing from watching the previous match Pakistan lost against England when batsmen committed suicide by going the aerial route. He tried to hit a slower ball over the top and lobbed it off the bottom of the bat for an easy catch.

Once the pressure came on them, only Salim Malik and Moin Khan looked to have any idea how to cope with this slow low pitch. Whatever the truth of the match fixing allegations and the mental anguish it has caused him, Salim batted with experienced skill. He was a class act against England and against India as he kept the ball on the floor. His secret was letting the ball come to him and playing it as late as possible under his eyes. His touch and wrist work was reminiscent of Javed Miandad.

Moin Khan is my sort of cricketer, all heart guts and determination. He is alive to every situation and plays accordingly. His innings was a gem full of quick singles and inventive shots. He swept and lopped spinners and seamers alike. I can pay him no higher compliments than to say he is a modern day Alan Knott.

When India lost makeshift opener Khurasiya we wondered if they would have the stomach for a fight. Ramesh flirted a bit at wide balls in between some well timed shots and Dravid came out very positive. He gave the impression that he wanted he to put right his previous show innings against England. He was determined not to get 'bogged down' and it worked. His hooking of Shoaid Akhtar in front of square leg were the best shots of the match for me. There was no lack of effort or commitment from the Pakistan bowlers. Try as they did, nothing would go right. When the batsmen flashed they either missed it or the nicks fell short of fielders. A bit of dew affected the gripping of the ball but in the end India played a terrific game and deserved to come out on top.

While Pakistan lick their wounds and ponder how they could lose two matches on the trot India will go into the final confident and buoyant. Pakistan have had a shocking two days and need to re-group and get back to basics. India will enjoy the rest in the knowledge that their sworn enemy can be beaten.

England Pak match was fixed: Latif

KARACHI, April 14 (AFP) — Former Pakistani cricket captain Rashid Latif yesterday accused unnamed players in the Pakistani team of involvement in match-fixing, citing the defeat at Sharjah against England.

"I suspect match-fixing as they threw away the match at Sharjah on Monday," the 30-year-old Latif said. "It is unbelievable the way Saqlain got out," he said.

"The guys are once again trying to make fools of the public. The way they lost the match, it is obvious something fishy has again started in the team," Latif said, without naming any player.

He said Saeed Anwar did not play in two recent matches, in which Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in India and to England in Sharjah, because he "may not have wanted to be part of the match-fixing."

"I am not saying this because I am out of the team. I am only repeating my earlier apprehensions," he said.

The wicketkeeper-batsman said he believed he was punished because of his "courageous stance" over match-fixing and bribery. "I will never let the game I have loved so much be polluted. It is sacred for me and I want it to be pure, like an angel," he said, hoping he can make a comeback.

Latif was made captain in 1997, but discarded after the team's poor performance.

He said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the judicial inquiry commission, which was currently probing match-fixing allegations, should keep a close watch on the activities of the team.

"Links between bookmakers and players" should be broken as bookies "do not let the players live in peace". Latif, who along with several present and former team members testified recently before judge Malik Mohammad Qayyum, said.

Wasim Akram, Mustaq Ahmed, Waqar Yonis, Saqlain Mustaq and Salim Malik were implicated in PCB's interim report last year for their alleged involvement in match-fixing and bribery.

The cricketers denied the allegations.

During the 1994 South Africa tour, Latif along with teammate Basit Ali announced retirement after accusing some players of match-fixing and not giving their best, but later reversed their decision.

The match-fixing allegations have been haunting the Pakistani cricket over since Australian players Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh accused Salim Malik of offering them bribes to perform poorly during the 1994-95 tour.

Khalsa celebrations sway b'ball crowd

TORONTO, April 14 (IANS) — Over 35,000 Canadians danced and clapped when "Bhangra" was performed at a professional basketball event for the first time here.

The event was part of the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations and was organised by Toronto businessman Navdeep Bhatia at the recently constructed $ 250-million state-of-the-art Air Canada Centre.

Mr Bhatia, who is a car dealer, is a recent entrant to the entertainment industry. As part of his understanding with the management of the professional basketball team, Raptors, he purchased over 4,000 tickets of $ 25 each and sold them to members of the community at 50 per cent less.

"It has never happened before. I want to showcase our culture and what we stand for to the mainstream community and there can't be a better place to do that than in front of the sold-out crowd at this stadium," he said.

"And you know, unlike other events, here the chief guest is the entire community," Mr Bhatia enthused. "It has not been done by me. It has been done by the community.

Federal Minister of Revenue Herb Dhaliwal flew in Ottawa to be present at the event. Two Indo-Canadian Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers, Baltej Dhillon and Ajit Tiwana, were flown in specially from Vancouver to stand behind Ashna Patel, YTV host, to sign the Canadian and the American national anthems.

Also present were Miss India-Worldwide 1998 Melissa Bhagat, internationally acclaimed Indo-Canadian figure skater Emmanuel Sandhu and Indian Consul-General C.M. Bhandari.

Another event which must have created considerable impact at the function was that of two young Sikhs carrying a banner proclaiming 300 years of the Khalsa. It was followed by a baby elephant carrying a ball on its trunk which it finally gave to Mr Bhatia, who then handed the ball to the players.

The game was between Toronto Raptors-Air Canada Centre being their home base stadium and the American team, Indiana Pacers. It was watched by an estimated five million people in Canada and the USA.

Anand draws with Topalov

DOS HERMANAS (Spain), April 14 (UNI) — Vishwanathan Anand was held to a draw by Veselin Topalov in the sixth round of the Dos Hermanas chess tournament last night.

The Indian Grandmaster, who is struggling to find his form in the tournament, did not encounter any problems despite playing with black this time.

Michael Adams, who shared the lead with Vladimir Kramnik, moved ahead once again with a fluent win over Judit Polgar. Polgar has lost four games and the last three in succession. Adams now has 4.5 points from six rounds with three wins, the highest so far in the tournament.

The consistent Kramnik drew quickly with Boris Gelfand in 30 moves and has four points and lies second, while three players share the third place.

Anand and Topalov played a Ruy Lopez game, in which the Indian had the black pieces. The position gave neither of the two any advantage and they agreed to a draw after 25 moves. It was Anand’s fourth draw and he has lost against Polgar and Kramnik.

Adams beat Polgar in 45 moves. The Hungarian slipped badly after starting with a shock win over Anand in the first round. She has now lost three games in a row.

Miguel Illescas was in great form as he surprised Anatoly Karpov in a caro-kann game. Karpov has had an inconsistent tournament, scoring a good win over Svidler, but losing to Illescas, the lowest ranked player in the tournament. The win for Illescas came in a marathon 64 games and caps a great tournament for the local hero.

Gelfand and Kramnik drew quickly and in another match Viktor Korchnoi drew with Peter Svidler.

Points: Adams (4.5), Kramnik (4), Illescas, Gelfand and Topalov (3.5), Karpov (3), Korchnoi (2.5), Svidler and Anand (2), Polgar (1.5).

Owen’s injury rings alarm bells

LIVERPOOL, April 14 (AFP) — Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier’s fading hopes of a place in next season’s UEFA Cup will almost certainly have vanished if his worst fears surrounding Michael Owen are confirmed this week.

Club and country will be waiting with bated breath for news of the damage to Owen’s hamstring sustained in Monday night’s goal-less draw against Leeds.

If a scan confirms tendon trouble then Liverpool could be without their star striker for the rest of the season, as well as missing England’s friendly against Hungary on April 28.

The initial indication is Owen has suffered a recurrence of the hamstring problem he sustained in the defeat at Derby, ultimately ruling him out of England’s Euro 2000 qualifying win over Poland.

While New England manager Kevin Keegan faces a double dose of disappointment should Owen be sidelined, this latest headache for Houllier could not have come at a worse time.

The Frenchman faces the prospect of being without both Owen and Robbie Fowler for the last few weeks of the season following the imposition of the latter’s six-match suspension and a record 32,000 pounds fine.

Owen was clearly in pain as he chased down a 21st minute through ball from Steve McManaman, clutching the back of his right leg before lying flat on his back while help arrived.

After hobbling gingerly to the touchline, he was briefly given massage, but with a shake of the head his game — and maybe even his season — was over.

Ronaldo to play for Brazil

MILAN, April 14 (Reuters) — Ronaldo, called up to play for Brazil for the first time since the World Cup final, says he hopes to turn around his disappointing season by playing the Copa America in July.

Ronaldo yesterday was included in the Brazil side to meet his former Club Barcelona at their Camp Nou Stadium in a friendly on April 28.

The Inter Milan player, who has only recently recovered from a knee injury that has plagued his season, said he was thrilled to return for Brazil after mysteriously falling ill before the Paris final last July, won by France 3-0.

"I can now put back on the jersey I have missed so much. It’ll be wonderful to be able to cancel out that memory of the World Cup final against Barcelona," Ronaldo was quoted as saying in Gazzetta Dello sport daily today.

Inter have sorely missed Ronaldo this season, falling to the middle of the series A and crashing out of the quarterfinal of the European Cup after a defeat by Manchester United.

Ronaldo, who has played two full games in a row for the first time in months, said he was slowly regaining his form.

"I hope to play in the Copa America, it would be the best ending to a horrible season," he said. "But for now I’ve still got to try to make it a little less horrible for Inter."

Inter chairman angered over his team’s lack of form, warned in an interview today he was ready to make changes to the squad of players.

Inter, one of the biggest-spending clubs in Italy, were humiliated again on Sunday, dropping to ninth place after losing 2-0 to relegation-threatened Salernitana.

Sampras asks for wildcard

LONDON, April 14 (AP) — Pete Sampras has asked for a wildcard to play in the Wimbledon warmup tournament at Queen's Club in June, organisers said yesterday.

Tournament Director Ian Wight said a wildcard could be left open for Sampras until the day of the draw and would depend on his performance at the French Open.

"If he reaches the semifinals at the French Open, I doubt he'll take up the wildcard," Mr Wight said.

Sampras, a five-time Wimbledon champion, was the winner at Queen's in 1995. He was beaten by Australian Mark Woodforde in the third round last year.

Mr Wight said the 21st edition of the Queen's tournament from June 7 to 13 had already attracted five of the world's top 10 players.

Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov, winner of this year's Australian Open, will play at the Queen's for the first time.

This year's £ 470,000 pounds ($ 750,000) event will comprise a 56-player draw, including former champions Todd Martin of the USA and US Open finalist Mark Philipoussis.

B'desh make change in World Cup team

DHAKA, April 14 (Reuters) — Bangladesh announced a change in their World Cup squad yesterday, bringing in experienced middle-order batsman Minhajul Abedin in place of reserve wicketkeeper Jahangir Alam.

Team manager Tanvir Mazharul Islam said the change had been made with the approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

He said Alam would still travel to England to be on stand-by during the tournament which starts next month.

Squad: Aminul Islam (captain), Shahriar Hossain, Mehrab Hossian, Khaled Mashud, Akram Khan, Khaled Mohmud, Faruque Ahmed, Naimur Rahman, Mohammad Rafique, Enamul Hoque, Hasibul Hussain, Shafiuddin Ahmed, Monjural Islam, Minhajul Abedin, Neeyamur Rashid.

ASC, PSB in final of Beighton Cup

CALCUTTA, April 14 (PTI) — Formidable Punjab and Sind Bank (PSB) scraped past title holders Border Security Force (BSF) 4-2 via tie-breaker to set up an all-Jalandhar summit clash with Army Service Corps, who pipped youthful Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) by a solitary second half goal, in the 104th Beighton Cup Hockey Tournament here today.

PSB, with a number of current and former internationals in their ranks, played a thrustful game in the semifinal exchange at the Mohun Bagan ground, but squandered a number of rosy chances in regulation time, which ended 1-1.

While Shinu Herenj put BSF ahead in the seventh minute with a field strike, the bankmen drew level through a fine Ajit Pal Singh goal in the 43rd minute.

The tie breaker, which was resorted to as the scoreline remained the same after 15 minutes of extra time, saw PSB’s Ajit Pal Singh, Bhupinder Singh and Rajbir Singh striking the board to propel their team to their maiden Beighton Cup final. Baljit Singh Chandi was the only PSB player who failed to find the target.

For BSF, Shinu Herenj converted the stroke, but Peter Tirkey blew past the post. Amrit Lakra and Christopher Ekka’s strokes were saved by PSB’s custodian former international Edward Alloysius.

In the day’s first semifinal, ASC overcame some anxious moments before reaching the final with Gobai Herenj converting a penalty corner in the 41st minute.

Parnita, Irina lead
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 14 — It was a grand day for the Chandigarh girls as they surged ahead on the opening day of the Chandigarh Ladies Open Amateur Golf Championship here today.

Just back from the Queen Sirikit Cup Golf at New Zealand, Parnita returned a plus-two card of 74 to lead in the Spice Challenge Bowl contest. Just two strokes behind her was Irina Brar. She was four strokes ahead of the fancied girls from Delhi Shruti Khanna and Ayesha Kapur.

Her score of 76 also earned her the top gross score in the junior section.

Thirteen-year-old Mayali Talwar also got her name among the toppers when she returned the best nett score of 68.

The results (opening day):

Spice Challenge Bowl (0-18) best gross: Parnita Garewal 74, Irina Brar 76, Shruti Khanna 80, Ayesha Kapur 80.

Chandigarh ladies challenge (0-18) best nett: Mayali Talwar 68, Irina Brar 72, Pragya Mishra 72.

Garewal Silver (0-29) best nett: Mayali Talwar 68, Irina Brar 72, Pragya Mishra 72.

Bawa Gill Trophy (19-29) best gross: Binny Bath 96, Veenu Sandhu 98, Deepu Dhanoa 99.

Rani Jagdish Kaur Cup (19-29) best nett: Veenu Sandhu 73, Binny Bath 76, Deepu Dhanoa 76.

Meters & Instrument Trophy (30-36) best gross: Kiran BM Singh 106, Darshi Narang 106, Preet Dhillon 111.

Best nett: Kiran BM Singh 70, Darshi Narang 70, Preet Dhillon 75.

Ladies Governor Cup (Senior):

Best gross: Gurbrinder Johl 92, Taran S Singh 93, Binny Bath 96.

Best nett: Kiran BM Singh 70, Darshi Narang 70, Veenu Sandhu 73.

Junior Golfer below 18:

Best gross: Irina Brar 76, Ayesha Kapur 80, Guneet Raikhy 81.

Best nett: Mayali Talwar 68, Pragya Mishra 72, Irina Brar 72.

Subjunior below 14:

Best gross: Mayali Talwar 83, Shruti Reddy 121.

Best nett: Mayali Talwar 68, Shriti Reddy 85.

Rs 10 lakh for soccer academy

PANAJI, April 14 (UNI) — Rajya Sabha MP John F Fernandes has sanctioned an amount of Rs 10 lakh for the creation of infrastructural assets for the proposed Goa Football Academy at Peddem Sports Complex, Napusa.

This amount has been sanctioned under the funds available to the MP. The relevant plans and estimate of costs involved in creation of infrastucture shall be submitted to the collector north Goa for administrative approval and expenditure sanction.

This is the first time that money under an MPs scheme has been utilised for football which is the most popular game in Goa.

U- 12 football

CHANDIGARH, April 9 (BOSR) — The Chandigarh Football Association will conduct the Shivalik Trophy Atoms Football Championship (under-12) from May 3 at football stadium, Sector 17. Entries close with secretary, CFA, 3039, Sector 21, Chandigarh on or before April 30. Fifty players thus selected will be given coaching by the coaches of the Sports Department.

Bomb defused

PANIPAT, April 14 (FOC) — A powerful explosive device containing 2 kg RDX and PETN with detonator and time device was recovered by the Panipat police at the crowded Lal Batti Chowk this afternoon.

The bomb was timed to explode after two hours but a bag containing the bomb was noticed by a man who immediately informed a Home Guard. Later, the police defused the bomb.

Patrolling has been intensified in the area.

Experts from Madhuban have been asked to analyse the explosive.