Thursday, February 4, 1999
today's calendar
|
S P O R T | Thursday, February 4, 1999 |
|
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
|||
|
Doubt about Sachin's
fitness
|
|
|
Sri Lanka salvage pride
with win |
|||||
|
Doubt about Sachin's fitness NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — The biggest worry in the Indian cricket camp today on the eve of their second Test match against the touring Pakistan team at the Ferozeshah Kotla here was the fitness of their star batsman Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin Tendulkar had suffered a side strain and a severe back pain during his marathon knock of 136 in the first Test of the current series at Chennai on Sunday last. Yesterday he did not join the Indian team at nets at the Palam ground but did attend the reception organised for both teams at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Today he was present both at the Palam ground, where the Indian team had extensive nets, and later at the Ferozeshah Kotla where, in the absence of nets, the team had fielding practice. Of late the Indian super star is being plagued by small nagging injuries. In New Zealand he first sustained a small hairline fracture in his little finger of his left hand and later missed the last of the five one-dayers at Hamilton due to a strain in his arm. According to reports emanating from the Indian camp, the Indian team management has decided that it will be left to Sachin himself to decide whether he is fit enough to play. Therefore, the star Indian batsman will decide tomorrow morning whether he will play or not. If Sachin Tendulkar really opts out of the playing eleven it will indeed be a big blow for the hosts who are under tremendous pressure to stave off their first home series defeat in 12 years after losing the first Test of the current series. It were Pakistan who had last beaten India in a home series way back in 1987 when it won the last match of the five-match series in a low scoring tie at Bangalore. Just in case Sachin Tendulkar really opts out (and one must remember that a 50 per cent fit Sachin is a better batsman than the most other cricketers in the team) India will have no option but to play Hrishikesh Kanitkar in the absence of any other regular batsman among the reserve players. The fitness of Tendulkar is not the only problem of the Indian team. According to reports Saurav Ganguly is also running a slight temperature. The form of the Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, who failed in both innings at Chennai, is also a worrying factor. One only hopes that the Indian batting touches a purple patch because only with a good score on the board will the bowler have the confidence to bowl to the Pakistanis whose batting will revolve around Shahid Afridi, Inzamam, Yousaf Youhana as also Salim Malik. With opener Saeed Anwar failing to deliver in both innings at Chennai, Pakistan are hoping that he will regain his touch when it matters most. With Indian cricket manager Anshuman Gaekwad asserting yesterday itself that the home team will continue with the opening pair of V.V.S. Laxman and S. Ramesh, there are very few options which the Indian team can try to square the series. There is every likelihood that the hosts would field the same team which did duty at Chennai. One option that India can try tomorrow on a Ferozeshah Kotla strip, predicted to take turn fairly early, is to play teenaged off spinner Harbhajan Singh in place of left arm spinner Sunil Joshi. Harbhajan had played against the tourists in their first match at Gwalior but had got a fair amount of stick and this will weigh on the national selectors when they sit down to finalise the playing eleven. The Kotla pitch, grassless now after Shiv Sena activists dug up the strip on January 6, will help the spinners as the match progresses. The pitch might be a bit "soft" and offer low bounce. The rain in the capital last week might have prevented the pitch from drying up fully. Thus batting first will be a definite advantage. An indication to this effect was indeed given by Anshuman Gaekwad when he spoke briefly to mediapersons after nets. As far as Pakistan are concerned, their confidence is sky high. And with skipper Wasim Akram showing no signs of the stiffness which prevented him from taking part in nets yesterday, the visitors have no fitness problems on hand. The Pakistanis have also not decided on their playing eleven and with leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, now fully fit after missing the first test due to a stiff neck, the visitors might induct him in the playing eleven in place of the left arm spinner Nadeem Khan who went wicketless in the Chennai Test. Pakistani cricket manager Javed Miandad discounted all talks of the Pakistan team playing a defensive match and asserted that the Pakistanis would play for a win as they did in the first Test of the series. Security will continue to be the watchword despite the Shiv Sena having called off the threats to disrupt the match. The Ferozeshah Kotla has been turned into a fortress with policemen everywhere. Teams (from): India: Mohammad Azharuddin (Captain), V.V.S. Laxman, S. Ramesh, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Nayan Mongia, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Sunil Joshi, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Laxmi Rattan Shukla and Harbhajan Singh. Pakistan: Wasim Akram (Captain), Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Naved, Wajahatullah Wasti, Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yosaf Youhana, Azhar Mahmood, Moin Khan, Waqar Younis, Shoib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed and Nadeem Khan. Play will commence at 10
a.m. |
Gaekwad optimistic NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — Indian cricket manager Anshuman Gaekwad and his Pakistani counterpart Javed Miandad were of the opinion that the pitch at the Ferozeshah Kotla here, venue of the second Test between the two teams commencing tomorrow, would be batsmen friendly in keeping with tradition. However, Gaekwad was confident that India would be able to pull off a win to square the series. "The pitch looks good, nice and bland. And, it looks like a batting track. But we will go all out to win the match", Gaekwad told reporters after the Indian team had fielding practice at Kotla. But Gaekwad, when asked whether the second Test would go the Chennai way, said it was unlikely that a result would be achieved inside four days. Javed Miandad concurred with his Indian counterpart. "The wicket looks perfect - a batting strip". But his team was prepared to produce a result here, he said. "We will play for a win, but everything will depend on how the wicket behaves, particularly as the pitch has been relaid after damage done to it by miscreants", he said. Gaekwad said the playing eleven would be decided tomorrow. Ajit Wadekar, chairman of the national selection committee, said the selectors would pick the final eleven after consulting the team management. What was left unsaid was that the team selection would be made only knowing about the fitness of Sachin Tendulkar, who on the eve of the match was yet to fully recover from the back strain he suffered at Chennai. Asked whether the selection committee was contemplating any changes in the side that lost narrowly in Chennai, Wadekar said: "The openers should be given more chances to prove themselves. After all they did manage a 70-odd run partnership for the first wicket. The bowlers, including the spinners, also did reasonably well". In fact, the close finish at Chennai should propel the team to go all out now. "The defeat was actually on paper. The Indians have left it behind", he said. Javed Miandad also refused to give any inkling about the final eleven. "We will field our best side", he said adding that the side would be picked at the team meeting. He said the track seemed to have not much to offer to seamers. "It will assist the spinners", he said. Pakistani manager Shaharyar Khan was very appreciative of the crowd at Chennai, who gave a standing ovation to the Pakistani team after the match. "It is difficult to get such crowds anywhere in the world", he said.
|
Bashir helps Pak coast home NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — A golden goal by skipper Atif Bashir, the fourth for Pakistan and seventh of the game, gave visitors a winning start in the nine-Test hockey series against hosts India, at National Stadium here this afternoon. Though India’s young centre-forward Gagan Ajit Singh, who scored the second goal for his team, was adjudged the man of the match, the limelight was stolen by Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas, who scored two of four goals for his team with neat penalty corner conversions. The game, which never rose to expected levels of exciting hockey, was witnessed by a 5,000-strong crowd, including Union Home Minister Lal Krishan Advani, and a number of former internationals and Olympians. None was perhaps satisfied with the "pedestrian" and "insipid" hockey displayed by both the teams, which once dominated the international horizon. Pakistan, with a new look young team, definitely held the edge for the first 50 minutes of the game during which it forced six penalty corners and took a commanding 3-1 lead over its traditional rival and neighbour India. Afterwards, it was Indian team which took the control of the game with some good bursts by forwards after their lacklustre performance in the first three quarters of the match. But, the visitors had the last laugh as they scored the match winner, through a golden goal, to take 1-0 lead. The second Test will be played at Bhopal on February 5. "We missed a couple of good field scoring chances," remarked Khwaja Zakauddin, manager of the visiting team saying he was "happy with the outcome of the game. Like cricket, we have also started on a winning note," he quipped. The Indian coach, Vasudevan Bhaskaran, however, felt that it was a close game and India were "unlucky to lose". A penalty corner in the fifth minute saw Sohail Abbas scooping over the crosspiece. And before they came back with yet another similar award, their forward, Mohammad Sarwar, had a mighty swipe at Indian goal in the ninth minute. Luckily for India, the shot was off the target. But when Sohail came back for the second penalty corner in the 10th minute, he was perfect, accurate and fast to lodge the ball in the roof of the net giving Jagdish Ponnappa no chance even to glimpse the ball. Though the Indian defence looked better and stronger on paper, the visiting forwardline tormented it throughout the first half and for most of the time in the second half with some good moves. Mohammad Irfan, Mohammed Nadeem, Asim Naveed, skipper Atif Bashir and young Ejaz Rasool were outstanding. Barring Gagan Ajit and for some stray raids Rajesh Chauhan and Daljit Dhillon, none of the Indian forwards appeared to have any spark in them. Gagan’s first tryst with Pakistan’s defence came in the 12th minute when he dragged the ball too long to be foiled by experienced Ahmed Alam in the goal. Gagan Ajit, however, did not give up. In the 21st minute when Baljit Saini took a free hit after Gagan had been foiled by Danish Kalim, the young centre-forward deflected the ball for Rajesh Chauhan to do the rest to bring the teams at level. The equaliser apart, it was Pakistan which continued to dominate the proceedings. Four minutes before the team broke for lemon break, skipper Atif Bashir picked a good pass from diminutive Waseem Ahmed to force fourth penalty corner for his team. This time again, Sohail Abbas made a spectacular flick, finding the roof to put visitors ahead again. India’s defence of penalty corners left much to be desired. In fact, on both the occasions when Sohail scored, none from the defence could tackle him before he flicked in. It was only from the fourth penalty corner that Rajesh Chauhan charged in time to block him. Pakistan’s command was so complete that India had to wait till 53rd minute to get its first penalty corner. And that too when Pakistan had already increased its lead to 3-1 with a brilliant field goal by Mohammed Nadeem from the left flank after Mohammad Irfan had crossed from the right flank. In between, Asim Naveed had made an intelligent deflection for Nadeem. Luckily for India, when the first penalty corner came, Samir Dad, who had positioned himself near the goalpost after taking the push, had little difficulty in guiding the ball home after Mohammed Riaz passed the ball to him. Gagan Ajit, who was playing well, warmed the cockles of the hearts of the home crowd with a brilliant goal in the 65th minute. Fed by Rajesh Chauhan via Mohammed Riaz, who pushed the ball into the roof of the net on run of play to the great dismay of Ahmed Alam. Once on level terms, Indian players did attempt to force the pace of the game but did not succeed. As the game ended after regulatory period, it was announced that the match would be continued till golden goal. In case, the tie was not resolved after 15 minutes of extra time, there would be penalty shoot out. And after a barren first
half of extra time, skipper Atif Bashir scored a
brilliant goal, half a minute before the final whistle to
give Pakistan a well deserved win on a day when vintage
hockey was missing. |
Sri Lanka salvage pride with win SYDNEY, Feb 3 (AFP) — Sri Lanka salvaged some pride when they beat England by 11 runs in a thrilling tri-nations tournament one-day clash at Sydney Cricket Ground today. While the success came too late for them to have a chance of qualifying for the finals, it was a morale-boosting result as they attempt to recapture top form in the run in to the World Cup in England in May and June when they defend the crown they won three years ago. In a shootout limited to 44 overs a side because of a rain-caused delay, Sri Lanka made 181-7 after being sent in by acting England captain Adam Hollioake and then restricted the opposition to 170-9. Sri Lanka’s heroes were bowlers Thilan Samaraweera (3-34) and Upul Chandana (3-35), who applied the brakes superbly as England, led by opener Nick Knight (58), threatened to achieve their target. It was Sri Lanka’s third win in nine games in the contest England have won five of their nine outings and have already qualified to meet Australia in the showdown. In Sri Lanka’s innings, Avishka Gunawardene (24) and Romesh Kaluwitharana gave their side a fine start of 71 before Gunawardene departed in the 17th over. But the momentum was quickly lost as six more wickets toppled for 63 runs, leaving Sri Lanka a vulnerable 134-7. Aravinda de Silva (52 not out) and Hashan Tillakeratne (13 not out) then added 47 runs in an unbroken eighth-wicket stand. Mark Alleyne took the
bowling honours for England, capturing 3-27 from nine
well-directed overs. |
Hingis confident of regaining top slot MELBOURNE, Feb 3 (DPA) — Despite winning a third straight title at the weekend at the $ 7.5-million Australian Open, Martina Hingis will remain number two in the world in Monday's computer ranking list. But don't expect the five-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland to stay for much longer in the shadow of table-topping Lindsay Davenport. Hingis fought successfully through a finale which reached seven match points, but she eventually topped French challenger Amelie Mauresmo 6-2, 6-3 in the Melbourne finale. The victory puts the 18-year-old into the record books with three straight titles in both singles and doubles at the Grand Slam down under. She is the sixth woman to have won the event three times. After losing the top number-1 stop to American Devenport in October, Hingis will be focussing this spring on taking back the ranking lead which she held for 80 consecutive weeks last year. "My schedule is pretty much what it was last year," "Hingis said before leaving for Tokyo and this week's Pan Pacific event. "I'm playing most of the big events against Paris Indoor, Indian Wells, Key Biscayne". The Swiss is confident of her form and surely believes it is only a matter of time before it is Davenport doing the chasing in the rankings once again. Hingis stands around 400 points behind her Californian rival, not an insurmountable total if boosted by a big tournament title or two in the coming months. "It would be great if I could do it again," she said. "There's next week, another big tournament. If I make the finals, we'll see what happens there. "If I continue playing well, I'll be there". Hingis is concerned by the continual threat posed by Davenport, beaten by Mauresmo in the Melbourne semi-finals. "I think Lindsay is the most consistent player on the tour right now. Even if she lost to Amelie, she beat me in Sydney (the week before the open). She's always going to be a tough player to beat". Hingis was uneasy about labelling the muscular, big-hitting Mauresmo — all body-building tactics and frequent gym work — the wave of the future. "I don't know what
the future beings. The juniors are the future, not
Amelie. Over the next two or three years she's going to
become a lot better. But the juniors, they are the
future". |
South Africa take unbeatable 4-1 lead CAPE TOWN, Feb 3 (AP) — South Africa won the fifth one-day international against the West Indies by 89 runs at Newlands yesterday, taking an unassailable 4-1 lead in the seven-match series. The West Indies were set 222 to win, and although they got off to a good enough start, their brittle batting was exposed once again by a dogged South African attack which skittled them for a paltry 132. Best of the South African bowlers was captain Hansie Cronje, whose nine overs gave him three wickets for 10 runs. He was ably supported by all his bowlers, but most notably by man of match Lance Klusener, who took two for 17 off his eight overs to go with his rapid-fire 54 during the South African innings. The West Indies batting once again revolved around Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored 40, once he was dismissed by Klusener, West Indies chances fell. South Africa's bowling and brilliant fielding slowly strangled the life out of the tourists as the required run-rate spiralled beyond their reach. South Africa recovered from a poor start to score 221 for eight wickets in their innings. South African captain Hansie Cronje won the toss and elected to bat on a pitch that ended up playing very slowly, making stroke play difficult. The home team was in a lot of early trouble as Nixon McLean and Reon King pegged back the scoring rate. McLean picked up the wickets of Gary Kirsten, who was caught behind by Jacobs for four, Herschelle Gibbs, bowled for 17 and Shaun Pollock, caught at point by Shivnarine Chanderpaul for eight. Curtly Ambrose dismissed Jacques Kallis leg before for 16. Keith Semple got rid of Cronje, caught behind for two, and Jonty Rhodes, caught at deep square leg for nine. South Africa were reeling at 68 for six. But a trio of strong innings from Mark Boucher (34), Dale Benkenstein (69) and a brutal 54 off 36 balls from Lance Klusener saw South Africa set a target they felt they could defend on that pitch. In the end, it took a South African record one-day eighth wicket partnership of 91 between Benkenstein, who scored his maiden one-day international half-century, and Klusener, to make the match a competitive one. The next match will be played on Friday in Bloemfontein. Scoreboard: Kirsten c Jacobs b McLean 4 Gibbs b McLean 17 Kallis lbw b Ambrose 16 Pollock c Chanderpaul b McLean 8 Cronje c Jacobs b Semple 2 Rhodes c Arthurton b Semple 9 Benkenstein run out 69 Boucher c Jacobs b Ambrose 34 Klusener not out 54 Extras (lb-4, nb-1, w-3) 8 Total: for eight wickets, 50 overs 221 Fall: 1-10, 2-35, 3-50, 4-52, 5-52, 6-68, 7-130, 8-221. Bowling: McLean 10-0-41-3 (3w), King 9-1-39-0, Ambrose 10-0-38-2, Semple 10-0-35-2 (1nb), Arthurton 6-0-31-0, Hooper 5-0-33-0. West Indies Murray c Elworthy b Pollock 15 Arturton c Boucher b Kallis 15 Hooper c Boucher b Klusener 1 Jacobs c Kallis b Boje 8 Semple c Elworthy b Cronje 13 Ganga c Boucher b Cronje 1 Lewis run out 7 McLean c Pollock b Boje 11 Ambrose b Cronje 12 King not out 0 Extras
(b-1, lb-4, nb-1, w-3) 9 |
Taylor favours Waugh as new skipper SYDNEY, Feb 3 (AP) — Retiring Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor would put his money on Steve Waugh to succeed him and so would many of Taylor's former teammates. Waugh and Shane Warne are the obvious candidates after Taylor closed his 104-Test career on Tuesday, saying his heart was no longer in it. After initially declining to single a candidate out at a news conference, Taylor last night told his likely new employer, Channel Nine Television, that he fancied Waugh as favourite. "I suppose if I could put money on it, I'd probably say Steve Waugh," he said. "He's been around a long time, he knows the game very well. "But that in no way takes it away from Shane Warne because I think they'd both make very good captains." Test wicketkeeper and one-time candidate Ian Healy also backed Waugh, who replaced him as Taylor's deputy. The sentimental and the logical favourite would be Stephen with Shane (Warne) coming through underneath him," Healy said. "People are saying his body is falling to bits but that's over the top, he's the man for a number of years and will be a tremendous mentor for the new bloke to come through." Bowler Glenn McGrath picked Waugh as did former No 3 batsman David Boon. "I'd have to put my money on Steve at the moment, I think Shane's done well during the one-day series so he's another option, but I'll have to go with Steve," McGrath said. Boon said Waugh was the natural choice. "If I was a betting man I'd have a couple of bob on Steve because of his service, his being vice-captain and the natural progression," Boon said. The new captain will be
named when the Australian squad to tour the West Indies
is named next Monday, Australia will play four Tests and
seven limited-overs matches in the Caribbean. |
Mukesh Jr scripts convincing 4-1 win CAIRO, Feb 3 (PTI) — India today beat Kenya 4-1 in the opening tie of the Al Akbhar International Hockey Tournament here, outclassing the African outfit with their show of superb coordination and fine stick work. However, conversion of penalty corners seemed to be the weak point of the Indian team, led by Sandeep Singh, and coach Rajinder Singh said the squad had to work on it. India could convert only one penalty corner and wasted six others. Mukesh Kumar (Junior) scored two goals for India, one a penalty corner and the other a field goal, while the other two were accounted for by Harbhajan Singh and Brojen Singh. Coach Rajinder Singh, himself a veteran hockey player, described the Kenyans as a "rough and tough side". Playing the traditional formation of 5-3-2-1, the Indian’s came up with the first goal on the stroke of half time while the second came in the 39th minute. The third goal by Mukesh, who hit the ball deftly evading the Kenyan custodian was struck ten minutes into the second half while the fourth came five minutes to the end. Oketch Williams of Kenya scored the solitary goal for his side converting a corner. "We are testing all our boys and want them to have exposure to international tournaments," Rajinder Singh later said. Cheops D’Costa sustained an injury during play. It was "not serious," according to team officials. The first half saw plenty of action from both sides. It also saw seven penalty corners going waste. It was only in the second half that Indians came to grips with the game and put on a well coordinated display. The Kenyans too had their share of problems. Five countries — Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia and Egypt — are taking part in the tournament which will end next Tuesday. Today India meet Canada,
while Kenya play Malaysia. |
Jayasuriya, Murali to miss Asian meet COLOMBO, Feb 3 (PTI) — Sri Lanka will miss the services of their top cricketers — opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan — nursing injuries, for the Asian Cricket Championships beginning on February 16. Both Jayasuriya and Muralitharan are to undergo surgery to rectify their wrist and shoulder injuries respectively, state-run newspaper, "Daily News’’ reported today from Perth where the islanders are currently playing in a triangular series. It quoted the team physio Alex Kountouri as saying that Jayasuriya was sent to Melbourne for surgery following the advise given by doctors at a Perth hospital. Jayasuriya was rushed to the hospital after he was hit on the wrist by a rising delivery by Australian Brendon Julian in a one-day international on Sunday, which Sri Lanka lost. Off-spinner Muralitharan was also set to undergo surgery on his bowling arm, the newspaper said quoting Sri Lankan cricket board president Thilanga Sumathipala. Sumathipala, who was currently in Australia, said the board was unlikely to grant permission to Muralitharan to play county cricket for Lancashire, in place of Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram. The board might not grant permission as Muralitharan "was too weak" and needed rest, he said and added that "he is our number one bowler and we want him to rest". The injuries come as a big
blow to the world champions who of late have suffered a
spate of reverses and their star batsman Aravinda De
silva is laid low with a hamstring injury. |
Crucial contest for AI, Dempo MUMBAI, Feb 3 (PTI) — Mumbai’s Air-India and Dempo Sports Club of Goa lock horns here tomorrow in a group "A" National Football League encounter which is crucial to their fortunes further in the tournament. Both the teams are at the bottom of the six-team pool with the Goa outfit marginally ahead of Air-India with five points to its credit. A loss for either team would be a body blow to their hopes of qualifying for the super league phase. Both the squads are also battling to overcome the handicap of injuries to key players. Dempo coach Chatunni said he had a major problem on his hands in the forwardline because of injuries to strikers Marcus Carvalho and Francis Silveira. An ankle injury to Carvalho forced him to limp off after only ten minutes against Churchill Brothers on January 6 and has sidelined him since then. Compounding Chatunni’s woes are the fitness problems faced by the experienced Silveira who had to be pulled out in the latter half of their second leg encounter against Churchill Brothers on January 30 due to leg muscle cramps. Dempo, who have given Air-India their lone success so far in the league by going down 1-2 at home last month, had allowed star Air-India striker and international Godfrey Pereira too much room in their earlier tie, Chatunni said. Tomorrow’s match was very important, a view echoed by Air-India coach Bimal Ghosh who said his team have to win tomorrow to keep their super league hopes alive, he said. Chatunni has succeeded in recruiting Iraqi player Majid Nima from Calcutta to bolster his midfield where Tejinder Kumar has been a pale shadow of his former self. Chatunni, who said his defence had committed silly errors against Churchill in their last outing, is hoping that it is watertight tomorrow against the likes of Air-India's Pereira, Khalid Jamil and Nitin Shetty. Air-India, too, have been hit hard by the injuries to their experienced Anthony Fernandes, Radheshyam Dubey and Debdas Sen. Also absent from the fray tomorrow will be stopper back Khambiton Singh who too, like his frontline colleague Abbas Ali Rizvi, has to sit out after earning two yellow cards. Coach Ghosh said Sandeep Kharat would replace Khambiton in defence and added that they can kiss their super league hopes a goodbye unless they win tomorrow’s match. Air-India are to face Mohun Bagan of Calcutta here on February 6, JCT Mills (Phagwara) at Ludhiana on February 11 before completing their league engagements at home against Churchill Brothers on February 14. Dempo, on the other hand,
have matches against JCT at Ludhiana on February 7,
Tollygunge at home on February 11 and Bagan — also
at home — on February 14 in hand after
tomorrow’s important clash against Air-India. |
Spotlight to be on Chiranjeev NEW DELHI, Feb 3 — Despite the presence of such top European stars as world number eight Lee Westwood of England and Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, who finished number two in the Volvo OPGA Tour Order of Merit last year, the spotlight will be on India’s Chiranjeev Milkha Singh when the $ 750,000 Benson and Hedges Malaysian Open begins at the beautiful Palm course of the Saujana Golf and Country Club from tomorrow. Ramlan Dato Harun, Executive Director of the Asian PGA Tour, felt that it was important for an Asian golfer to do well here during the next four days. "If Asia is to be taken seriously in golfing world, the Asian players will have to do well here for us to make a case. And who can be a better bet than Jeev. Jeev, who finished joint third in the South African PGA Championship, and then followed it up with a joint second place in the South African Open, is currently placed second in the Volvo Order of Merit despite failing to make the cut at the Heineken Classic in Australia. "I am playing well
this season and a lot of things are going right for me at
the moment. Some of the bothers are off now that I have
kept my card for the next year so early in the season. I
am now looking forward to a good finish here and in the
coming weeks so that I earn enough money which will get
me a direct entry into the British Open," he said on
the eve of the tournament. |
JCT brighten chances with win LUDHIANA, Feb 3 — A fighting-fit JCT Phagwara brightened their chances of making it to the super league with a solitary-goal victory over Churchill Brothers, Goa, in group 'A' of the National Football League at Guru Nanak Stadium here today. The all-important goal was scored by right striker Hardeep Gill in the 17th minute off a combined move by right winger Surjit Singh following a counter-attack. With today's victory, JCT have now accumulated 12 points from three victories and three draws while Churchill Brothers, who were leading the group till yesterday, have to remain content with 10 points. JCT will now meet Dempo Sports Club, Goa, in their next home match here on February 7 while Churchill Brothers will take on Tollygunge Agragami in a home tie at Goa on the same day. It was indeed a marvellous team-effort by the Phagwara mill men who, despite being under pressure during the first quarter, kept their composure to eventually romp home victorious much to the delight of the thin home crowd. The day definitely belonged to the JCT who excelled in almost every department. While Tarsem Lal, Deepak Mondal, Kuldeep Singh and Sukhdev Singh faced the attacks with fortitude, midfielders Hardeep Saini and Rampal effectively controlled the midfield along with Harjinder, who played the role of a schemer. Hardip Sangha, playing as a withdrawn forward, lent support to the attack led by Hardeep Gill and Surjit Singh. Churchill Brothers too had their chances but, despite displaying superior ball control, they failed to score. On the few occasions that they did attempt to find the target, JCT custodian Virender Singh displaying excellent anticipation, thwarted their designs. JCT initially remained under pressure but as the minutes ticked by, they got into their rhythm. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, JCT tasted success in the 17th minute. Following a free kick to Churchill Brothers, the ball came to an unmarked Surjit who wasted no time in racing down the left flank. Hardeep Gill moved in tandem and with only one defender to beat, Hardeep coolly placed the ball in the far corner with goalkeeper Edward Ansah who had advanced out of charge, stranded at one end. The goal changed the complexion of the game and JCT attacked with more vigour. Churchill Brothers, after dominating early on, gradually seemed to be running out of ideas. In the second half, Churchill Brothers regrouped and a chip by striker Jose Martin for Antony Pereira from the right could not do any damage. Thereafter Churchill Brothers attacked the JCT citadel thrice in rapid succession and had it not been for some intelligent keeping by custodian Virender, JCT would have surrendered the lead. First striker Jose Martin's rasping shot was saved by the diving Virender and soon after Ghanian Philip Mensah's powerful kick was punched away by Virender again at the cost of a flag kick. The flag kick taken by midfielder Aqueel Ansari saw link man Mario Soares jumping high to take a well-directed header but again Virender rose to the occasion to thwart the bid. JCT could have consolidated the lead in the 74th minute when substitute Sukhjit, despite being in an enviable position, failed to tap the ball in following a faulty handling by Edward under the Churchill bar. Again, left half Rampal, who showed a lot of promise, despatched a booming volley which caught the left foot of Sukhjit but the latter shot wide. With time running out, Churchill Brothers brought in Gautam Ghosh in place of Carneio but the move did not yield any positive result. Instead Gautam earned a yellow card for an intentional foul against Deepak Mondal. Commenting on today's victory, JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh said it was indeed creditable as his side had beaten a strong outfit. While refusing to single out any player for praise, he said the win was essentially a team effort. Churchill coach Danny
McLennan said despite the breaks, his players could not
score. "We did not take our chances and the goal was
not only a defensive lapse but also misjudgement by
goalkeeper Edward", he said. |
India go down to Canada CAIRO, Feb 3 (PTI) — India missed chances galore as they went down fighting 1-2 to Canada in the second match of the Akhbar El Yom International Hockey Tournament here today. Canada, who lost their opening encounter to hosts Egypt 0-3, got their acts together well today striking almost on the opening whistle through Milkovich and then sealing their win with another fine goal in the 16th minute of the second half by Tom Green. India, who began their campaign with a 4-1 win over Kenya yesterday, played an aggressive game and found the equaliser in the 26th minute when Brojen Singh banged home a skipper Sandeep Singh pass to take the break on level terms 1-1. But its second string team failed to breach the Canadian defence in the second half despite creating a plethora of chances. Canada, who got into the lead in the opening minute off a penalty corner conversion by Peter Milkovich, struck the winner through Green in the 51st minute. India were guilty of squandering six penalty corners, three in each half, while Canada could manage just three in the first half. Team manager Dr Raj Kumar Jaipal told PTI that the team played very well during the second half. "They tried valiantly six times but unfortunately could not score. "Tomorrow is the rest
day. On Friday we will try hard," Dr Jaipal said and
added that the team had an injury problem today when
Ajinderpal fell and hurt himself. |
FC Kochin crush Indian Bank CHENNAI, Feb 3 (PTI) — FC Kochin dished out brilliant fare to overwhelm Indian Bank, 3-0 in a group ‘B’ match of the National Football League here today. The Kochin team, barring a few minutes in the second half, dominated the match. The first goal was scored in the 24th minute through Nitin Pradan after he combined well with Mohd Najeed, foxing the bank defence. FC Kochin defence, ably manned by captain Firoz, also proved too strong for bankmen to pierce. Kochi team, which beat the bank 5-1 in their away match a month ago, made repeated forays into the bank area. They could have scored more goals but for hasty shots. In the 40th minute Kochi team increased their lead through attacking medio Kanakaraju, who collected a through pass from Najeeb, and scored. In the dying minutes, FC Kochi scored the third goal. Najeeb and Naushad played a one-two and the latter’s powerful left-footer brushed the fingers of bank goal keeper Sebastian Netto Enroute to bulge the net. For Indian Bank, Sabir Pasha and Sri Lankan recruit Bagoos, who did not play in the last match against ITI Bangalore, did duty today but both were benched in the second half due to injury. Bagoos did not play against ITI as he had received two yellow cards while Pasha was nursing a hamstring injury. FC Kochin have 13 points
from seven matches, while bank have seven from the same
number of matches. |
Paes, Bhupathi romp into quarters CALCUTTA, Feb 3 (PTI) — India’s Mahesh Bhupathi pulled off an upset victory over seventh seed Peter Tramacchi while top seed compatriot Leander Paes overcame some anxious moments before romping into the men’s singles quarterfinals of the ATP Tour challenger tennis championship at the South Club here today. Bhupathi, ranked 346 in the ATP, displayed superb touch to script a stunning 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 victory over the seventh seed Australian Peter Tramacchi to move into the last eight stage in style. Ace Davis Cupper Paes had to sweat a little more against Sweden’s Patrik Fredriksson but toned up his game from the second set onwards to carve out a hard-fought 6-7, (6-8), 7-5, 6-1 victory in a tussle which lasted nearly two hours. Paes, ranked 93 in the world, will now clash with Pakistan’s Aisam Qureshi in the quarterfinals while Bhupathi will lock horns with Gregory Carraz of France who is ranked much higher than him. After conceding the first set 6-7, Paes played a more steady game and displayed some lovely baseline returns to turn the table on his Swedish opponent who looked totally demoralised in the third set. Fredriksson broke Leander in the third game of the second set to take a 2-1 lead but the Indian levelled the score 3-3 by breaking his opponent in the sixth game. Paes grew in stature as the match wore on and eventually wrapped up the second set 7-5 by breaking Fredriksson in the 12th game much to the relief of his home crowd. Paes was at his best in the third and deciding set as he unleashed a series of aces and crisp volleys to clinch the set 6-1 without much difficulty. He broke Fredriksson in the second and fourth games. The going was a little easier for Bhupathi who seemed quite relaxed and displayed a controlled game against Tramacchi who had not played too many singles matches of late. In the other second round matches, fourth seed Mose Navarra of Italy prevailed over Behr Noam of Israel 6-3, 6-3 while sixth seed Andres Zingman of Argentina had to struggle a bit before suppressing Barry Cowan of England 7-6, (8-6), 6-4 to enter the quarter-finals. Sweden’s Kalle
Flyght, ranked 302 in the world, had to dig deep into his
reserves before disposing of the higher ranked Sela Ofer
of Israel 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5 in a keenly contested
encounter. |
Stage set for national b’minton NEW DELHI, Feb 3 (PTI) — National champion P. Gopichand and top woman player Aparna Popat, coming after their commendable exploits on the international circuit, will start the defence of their title at the 63rd Senior National Badminton Championship which starts with team events here tomorrow. Gopichand, who helped Indian team to silver in the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games before winning individual bronze in Malaysia, is the hot favourite to win the national crown for second time in the row. The 24-year-old Andhra shuttler, who had a decent Asian circuit after an unimpressive show at the Bangkok Asian Games, will find tough challenge in Maharashtra’s Nikhil Kanetkar and Abhinshyam Gupta (Air-India), the runner-up in last nationals in Hyderabad. Railway’s Srikant Bakshi, Ajit Wijetilak of Karnataka and junior national champion Sachin Ratti (Railways) will be the other players to watch in the men’s section. Wijetilak and Ratti are billed as future of Indian badminton, and they will have a lot more to prove when they take the courts tomorrow. In the women’s section, Aparna Popat, who has been in excellent shape last season, has no real opposition considering her present form, but last year’s runners-up Manjusha Kanwar and Andhra Pradesh’s P.V.V. Lakshmi, the second and third seeds, respectively, behind Aparna, would provide some fireworks. Aparna, who won silver
medal at Commonwealth Games and helped her team to win
bronze after a three-way tie with England and Malaysia
denied the deserving Indian women gold, will not feature
in the team event as Karnataka failed to qualify. |
Bagan pulverise Agragami CALCUTTA, Feb 3 (PTI) — Defending champions Mohun Bagan struck form at the right time to stay afloat for a berth in the super-six round outclassing local rivals Tollygunj Agragami 3-1 in a one-sided group-A tie of the third National Football League here today. Facing the spectre of an early exit, the city giants left behind their recent indifference showing to pulverise their opponents with well-planned, fast raids. Joe Paul Ancheri, Chima Okerie and R.P. Singh scored for the winners while Chibuzor Nwakama pulled one back for Agragami. Despite maintaining intense pressure from the start, Bagan managed to draw first blood only at the stroke of half time, as Okerie backheaded a long Biswanath Mondal centre for an unmarked Ancheri, who struck home with a low left-footer. Continuing the good work, Bagan consolidated their position four minutes into the second session. The speedy R.P. Singh essayed a pass to Ancheri, who moved up fast through the right and crossed to Okerie. The hardworking Nigerian, who troubled the Tollygunj defenders every now and then, put his foot to the ball to make the scoreline 2-0. Hardly had the deafening applause from the spectators died down, when R.P. Singh scored with a delicate diagonal placing. Tollygunj scored a consolation goal in the 79th minute after Samuel Omollo handled a Bastab Roy shot and Nwakama found the target with a grounder. Bagan and Agragami both now have ten points from seven matches. The winners, with their midfield and forward-line coordinating well, at long last found their rhythm and could have won by a much bigger margin had their forwards not muffed up a number of gilt-edged opportunities. In the eighth minute, Khemtang Paite set up a ball for Okerie, but the veteran, with only goalkeeper Sumit Mukherjee to beat, shot over the bar. As the match progressed, a desperate Bagan went all out and even stopper Omollo joined the attack. Tollygunj, all at sea in the face of the relentless Bagan assault, managed their only try at the goal a little before lemon time from a counter attack, but Prodyut Roy’s volley was off-target. Going into half time with a 1-0 lead, the Bagan attack got boost in the latter half with R.P. Singh replacing an injured Amit Das. Singh looked in fine fettle and with his sudden bursts of speed was a constant source of harassment to the Agragami defence. Okerie missed an open net in the 56th minute, when he failed to control the ball inside the box, with Mukherjee lying helpless on the ground. As Okerie dilly-dallied, the goalkeeper salvaged the situation by collecting the ball from the Nigerian’s feet. For Tollygunj, their Sri
Lankan striker Roshan Pereira was completely off-colour.
Chibuzor tried hard, but was handicapped by lack of
support from his teammates. |
Himachal Ski Cup Championship MANALI, Feb 3 — The five-day first Himachal Ski Cup Championship-99 being organised by Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Department of Tourism, and assisted by Winter Sports Club, Manali, started at Solang Nallah ski slopes, 13 km from here today. Mr Karan Singh, Minister of State Primary Education, inaugurated the championship. As many as 120 boys and girls drawn from all over country, including ski teams from the ITBP and Army, are participating in the championship. The skiing competitions would have alpine race (slalom), nordic race (10km) and alpine race (joint slalom) events for both women and men including alpine race (slalom) for junior boys and girls under 15 years. While addressing the
gathering Mr Karan Singh said that the union and state
governments have approved a Rs 7-crore development
project for winter sports activities for Solang valley.
The plans including the construction of about a 1 km-long
cable car from the Solang slopes to Phatru. However, the
4-km link road between Palchan village to Solang ski
slopes has been reopened for jeeps only and still remains
closed for public and tourist buses due to snow on the
road. |
Tennis meet from February 8 CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — Chandigarh will play host to another international level Tennis tournament from February 8 to 12 at the CLTA Academy courts. In International Tennis Federation Junior Tennis, boys and girls under the age of 18 year will compete, said Mr Rajan Kashyap, chairman of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association. Mr Kashyap informed that the matches for the boys would be conducted on the synthetic courts while for the girls clay courts would be used. The draw for the boys will be of 32 out of which 24 players will be direct entries on the basis of ITF/AITA rankings. Four players in each group will come through the qualifying rounds which will be played on February 6 and 7. Four wild card entries will be given for the main draw which will begin from February 8. Mr M. Ramsekhar, the director of the tournament, and a keen tennis player told that the local budding players will have an opportunity to exhibit their talent to the fullest potential and keeping in view the junior development programme of the CLTA. The players will be lodged in the Yatri Niwas and the free board and lodging arrangements have been made for the players figuring in the main draw. The entry fee for the qualifying draw is Rs 600 and if the player gets to the main draw he/she will have to pay an equal amount again. The entry fee for the foreign players is $ 30 (US). The city junior players, who will be seen in action are Akshay Vishal Rao ranked No. 2 in under 18 category in India, having 105 ITF points and Sunil Kumar who is No. 1 (under-16) in India. The girls section will have Shruti Dhawan who had created many upsets in the AITA tournaments and the upcoming Harsimran Kaur of the CLTA. Shruti is a product of Chandigarh and for batter match exposure practises at AITA Delhi. The other Indians who are likely to figure in the main draw include Kedar Tambe (Maharashtra), Karan Doctor, Saif Ali (WB), P. Vishal (AP), P. Chaturvedi (Delhi, Kedar Shan (Maharashtra) CS Mohanty (Delhi), Vinod Sewa (WB), P. Ravi Krishna (TN), among boys, and Sonal Phadke (Maharashtra), Sheatnal Gautam (Delhi), Radhika Mandke (Maharashtra), R. Tulpuole and Jhanvi both of Maharashtra in girls, among others. The countries whose
players would figure in meet include Pakistan, Poland,
Great Britain, Sweden, Malaysia, Kazakistan, Thailand,
Canada, besides the hosts India. |
H
Neetu, Jai Prakash steal the show CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 (BOSR) — Neetu and Jai Prakash both of the Department of Physical Education stole the limelight in girls and boys section, respectively, in the annual athletic meet of the Panjab University campus here today. The results are: Girls: 50 Mtr. Neetu-1, Jasbir Kaur 2, Sanjana 3. 100 Mtr. Neetu-1, Jasbir Kaur 2, Bhavleen 3. 3 200 Mtr: Neetu 1, Jasbir Kaur-2, Manjot Kaur-3. 400 Mtr: Neetu-1, Bindiya-2, Nisha-3. High Jump: Neetu-1, Jasbir Kaur-2, Kanu Priya-3. Shot put: Gurminder Kaur-1, Kanu Priya-2, Deep Mala-3. Boys: 100 Mtr: Jai Prakash-1, Baljit Singh-2. 200 Mtr: Jai Prakash-1, Samjog Deep Singh 2, Prem Singh-3. 400 Mtr: Jai Prakash-1, Baljit Singh-2, S.D. Singh-3. 800 Mtr: Jai Prakash-1, Sher Singh-2. 1500 Mtr: Suresh Pal-1, Dalvir Singh-2, Gurpreet Singh-3. high Jump: Mantej Pannu-1, Davinder-2, Om Prakash-3. Triple Jump: S.D. Singh-1, Jodhvir Singh-2, Ravinder Puri-3. Shot Put: Mantej Singh-1, Jodhvir Singh-2, Jai Prakash-3. Discus Throw: Mantej Singh-1, Jodhvir Singh-2, Dalbir Singh-3. Hammer Throw: Mantej Singh-1, Jai Prakash-2, Dalbir Singh-3. Javelin Throw: Lakhwant Singh-1, S.D. Singh-2, Yashwant Yadav-3. 4x100 m Relay race: Jai Prakash, SD Singh, Baljit Singh and Naveen-1. Athletic meet results CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 (BOSR) — The annual athletic meet of the local DAV College, Sector 10, concluded today with Chief Guest former Hockey Olympian Padamshri Charanjit Singh urging the youth to strive for excellence in sports. Results: 100 mtr: Ashwani Sihag 1, Jagtar Singh 2, Jatinder Singh 3. 200 mtr: Ravinder Singh 1, Ashwani Sihag 2, Kanwaljit Singh 3. 800 mtr: Ravinder Singh 1, Kanwaljit Singh 2, Inderjit Singh 3. 5000 mtr: Bhajan Singh 1. Sunil Kumar 2, Kamaljeet Singh 3. Long Jump: Mayank Bhushan 1, Ashwani Sihag 2, Rakesh Kumar 3. Shot Put: Gurpreet Singh 1, Gagandeep Singh 2, Jagtar Singh 3. Volleyball meet PATIALA, Feb 3 (FOSR)
— The Punjab State Volleyball Championships for
junior boys and girls will be held at the local Polo
Grounds from February 5 to 7. According to Mr Karanbir
Singh Sandhu, president, Patiala District Volleyball
Association, the championships was being organised after
a gap of 12 years. |
 |
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | | Chandigarh | Editorial | Business | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
