Wednesday, February 10, 1999
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S P O R T | Wednesday, February 10, 1999 |
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Difficult task ahead for Air-India LUDHIANA, Feb 9 — A demoralised Air-India will seek to redeem some of their lost prestige when they take on JCT Phagwara in a group ‘A’ tie of the National Football League at Guru Nanak Stadium here tomorrow. India desperate for a face-saving win CHENNAI, Feb 9 — There is a lingering query in the minds of the officials getting the SAF Games indoor stadium spruced up for the fourth and the final Test of the home leg of the Indo-Pak hockey series here tomorrow: whether the 1500 security personnel to be deployed in and around the venue will outnumber the hockey lovers who will be watching an already dead contest, as it were. |
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Television cameras make job of
umpires difficult |
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Waugh expects WI to hit
back hard
Ban doesn’t affect
me: Korda
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Difficult task ahead for Air-India LUDHIANA, Feb 9 — A demoralised Air-India will seek to redeem some of their lost prestige when they take on JCT Phagwara in a group ‘A’ tie of the National Football League at Guru Nanak Stadium here tomorrow. With all hopes of making it to the last six having evaporated, Air-India can only look forward to a consolation victory or draw, either of which seem to be a remote possibility given the impressive run of the young Phagwara outfit. After six defeats in eight matches, Air-India are trailing at the last position in this group with a mere four points. Their only success in the current edition of the league has been against Dempo, whom they beat 1-0 in their away match at Margo on January 22. Against Tollygunge a week later they played a goal-less draw while in the remaining six ties they tasted defeat. The 1-5 drubbing at the hands of Churchill Brothers has been the worst so far in group ‘A’. Air-India’s goal average is also dismal as they have already conceded 15 goals thus far while scoring only four. JCT, on the other hand, are placed third in the group although they have the same number of points (13) as that of Churchill Brothers and Mohun Bagan. A victory tomorrow will ensure them a safe passage into the super league. JCT and Air-India are the only two teams who do not have a foreigner in their ranks. While rules forbid foreigners’ entry into Air-India, JCT have decided to go in for local talent on their own which so far has shown promise. Young strikers Hardeep Gill and Surjit Singh are shaping up well. Incidentally, Hardeep has scored in the two matches which JCT have played previously against Dempo and Churchill Brothers. He can pierce through any defence and has a remarkable quality of breaking himself free in rather tight situations. Hardeep Sangha, who bolsters the attack from the left flank, is also a player to watch, although he is currently going through a lean patch. In the midfield, Hardeep Saini and Ram Pal have been outstanding, and both are not the ones to easily give up. They move up and down in tandem lending valuable support to the attack and defence. With Harjinder as play maker, JCT’s midfield is as formidable as the attack. In defence, stopper back Deepak Mondal formerly of Tata Football Academy, is almost unbeatable, especially in aerial duels. Left stopper Kuldeep is also defending well, his recent injury notwithstanding. Wing back Daljit is also an asset to the JCT defence along with the dependable Tarsem Lal. Dipankar Roy, Harinder and Sukhjit, who usually chip in at a later stage, are also graduating into seasoned players. In fact Harinder’s powerful long-rangers are a treat to watch and he can give the best of goalkeepers a harrowing time with his volleys. In Virender Singh, JCT have an outstanding goalkeeper who has time and again proved to be his team’s saviour. The penalty kick of Mohun Bagan’s Chima Okerie which he saved in the opener is now part of the league’s history. Air-India, on the other hand, will be looking at the veteran Godfrey Pereira for goals. However, Godfrey, who has just recovered from an injury, has not been able to impress much. Forwards Abbas Ali Rizvi and Khalid Jamil also will have to get their act together inside the box. Air-India will be facing a major problem in the defence as stopper back Radhakrishan Dubey is out with an injury while left wing back Subir Sinha will cool his heels following a red card in the previous match against Mohun Bagan. Skipper Henry Picardo, who earned a yellow card against Mohun Bagan, will have to be careful as a second yellow on the morrow may prove to be rather costly for Air-India. In the absence of Dubey and Sinha, Ajay Acharya and Picardo will be shouldering added responsibility. The services of striker Anthony Fernandes, who is injured, will also be sorely missed by the Mumbai outfit but experienced players like T. Khambiton Singh, Taposh Ghosh, Dennis George and Ratan Singh may yet come up with some breathtaking performances, to prevent relegation. Meanwhile, Air-India who arrived in the city yesterday, has a practice session at the stadium today while JCT preferred to stay back at Phagwara. The kick off tomorrow is at 2.30 p.m. The following are the
latest standings of the teams in group ‘A’
(read under teams, matches, played, won, drawn, lost,
goals for, goals against, and points): |
India desperate for a face-saving win CHENNAI, Feb 9 (UNI) — There is a lingering query in the minds of the officials getting the SAF Games indoor stadium spruced up for the fourth and the final Test of the home leg of the Indo-Pak hockey series here tomorrow: whether the 1500 security personnel to be deployed in and around the venue will outnumber the hockey lovers who will be watching an already dead contest, as it were. Yes, there is little interest left, what with the lacklustre performance of a young Indian team having been outplayed in the three Tests they have played so far. The only interest left for the diehard hockey buffs who may still prefer to watch our neighbours in action, is will Pakistan complete a clean (4-0) sweep before they embark on five more Test matches on the home turf from February 16. Even as the Indian coach is working out his strategy, including changes in the team, to pull off at least a face-saving win before the Pakistan leg, gun totting police, sniffer dogs and metal detectors have taken over the limelight from the players reminiscent of the Indo-Pak cricket Test here recently. Metal detectors, sniffer dogs, security men, including commandos and swift action force personnel of the city police, are swarming the 12,000 capacity stadium to ensure that the contest passes off peacefully. There is a hope that the gates of Rs 30 and Rs 100 (grand stand) will be sold out as the local star Md Riaz is in the Indian team. That remains to be seen. City Police Commissioner P. Kalimuthu was at the stadium last evening giving final touches to the tight security arrangements for the match which is to start at 2.55 p.m., as Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) Secretary K. Jyothikumaran announced two days ago. The Pepsi Cup, instituted by the sponsor for the entire nine Test series would be presented to the Pakistan team which had already won the Indian leg of the series after the match. Both the teams landed here
from Hyderabad this morning and were slated to have a
practice session in the afternoon. |
Television cameras make job Cricket umpires are after all human. They are bound to commit mistakes on the field. But as long as the mistakes are not intentional no harm has been done to the game. But what really matters is that one single umpiring mistake often turns the balance in the match and that hurts the team which is at the receiving end at that point of time. With television cameras picking up minute details of action in the middle, the performance of cricket umpires is under intense scrutiny. The presence of the television cameras have more often than not forced the umpires to give positive decisions which violate the basic cricket rule which says that the benefit of doubt must be given to the batsman every time. The task of the umpires, of late, is becoming difficult with every passing day. Earlier, cameras were placed at square leg or mid wicket but now the stump-vision camera has added to the pressure of the umpires, because when a run out ends in a blur through the square leg or mid-wicket camera the stump vision camera picks up the action. It is the umpires, who are doubly unblessed ; if they make any wrong decision their actions are flayed; and if they don't give the right decision they are again flayed for their mistake. In any case television repeats the slow motion replays time and again so that it is driven home that the umpire has indeed made a mistake. It would not be bad idea if the umpires could seek the opinion of the third umpire, who has access to television replays, in cases of caught behind or near the stump or anything else. At the moment the decision of the third umpire is sought only in cases of run outs, hit wickets, stumping by wicketkeepers fours and sixes to name a few. The third umpire cannot be consulted in cases of close-in catches or caught behind . It would be a good idea if the International Cricket Council amends its rules so that the umpires in the middle can consult the third umpire as and when they feel that they are not in a position to make a clean decision. The recently concluded two-Test "friendship series" between India and Pakistan which ended with the honour of both teams intact with Pakistan winning the Chennai Test and India returning the compliment by winning the Test in Delhi on Sunday last, has generated its own debate on the role of umpires in these matches. While Steve Dunne of New Zealand and V.K. Ramaswamy of India were the umpires for the Chennai Test, Steve Bucknor of the West Indies and A.V. Jayaprakash of India did duty in the Delhi Test. In fact, the mistakes committed by Steve Dunne might have had a bearing on the result of the Test, specially the one on Saurav Ganguly in the second innings. The Indian left hander drove Saqlain Mushtaq and the ball hit Azhar Mahmood (substituting for the injured Inzamam) at silly mid off as the fielder turned away in a reflex action.The ball ricocheted off his ankle and was caught by wicketkeeper Moin Khan. Slow motion replays of the action (which happened in a flash ) showed that the ball had gone to the gloves of Moin Khan after hitting the ground. But without seeing the action replay, which per rules Dunne could not have referred to, the New Zealander declared Ganguly out after confirming from Ramaswamy that Moin Khan had caught the ball clean. In the first place if there were doubts in Dunne's mind then he should have given the benefit of doubt to the batsman. And who knows if Ganguly had hung around, the Chennai Test might have gone India's way. In yet another incident at Chennai a controversy surrounding the dismissal of Pakistan's Ijaz Ahmed, caught and bowled by Anil Kumble, Dunne consulted Ramaswamy as also the third umpire before declaring Ijaz out. In the Delhi match also a number of decisions were not acceptable to the players and even slow motion replays did not clear the doubts. It would have been good if the benefit of doubt was given to the batsmen as per rules. The most noteworthy case was the dismissal of Shahid Afridi in the Pakistan second innings. Afridi was declared caught behind. Even repeated slow motion replays could not clear the doubt. Afridi stood at the wicket for a brief moment before returning to the dressing room. One must remember that foreign umpires, from England, Australia or New Zealand , rarely have to hand out bat and pad decision in their country. In their country the fast bowler hold sway and decision are easy to make with the deflection of the ball off the bat easy to detect. In India , or for that matter in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the high sound levels in the packed stadium makes it near impossible to hear the deflection of bat and pad.Therefore, the task of the "neutral" umpire becomes all the more difficult. The International cricket
Council will have "neutral" umpires in the
Asian Test Championships starting next week. Maybe, this
experiment will find greater acceptance. |
Waugh expects WI to hit back hard SYDNEY, Feb 9 (AP) — Australia’s likely new captain Steve Waugh expects the West Indies to hit back hard after their South African humiliation when they host the Aussies later this month. Waugh says three reasons make him wary of the Windies, despite their 5-0 Test loss to South Africa. He said the series is possibly a swansong for fast bowlers Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, the West Indies perform better at home and they love nothing more than beating Australia. Waugh, who is expected to be named as Australia’s 40th Test captain on Friday, said recent performances would mean little when the first of four Tests starts at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad on March 5. "It’s definitely more of a dangerous time than a good time to be playing them," Waugh said today. They’ll be very keen to play well against us because we were the ones who took the crown off them a couple of years back. "They always play better at home, it could be the last series at home for Ambrose and Walsh ... And with blokes like Brian Lara and Carl Hooper, they’ve still got a very good side." The Windies’ South African tour was a disaster from start to finish. They were embroiled in a pay dispute with the West Indies cricket board that threatened the tour going ahead, performed woefully to lose the Test series and the limited overs matches 6-1, as well as losing Walsh and Ambrose with injuries. Questions are now being asked about Lara’s captaincy as well. "They just seemed a little bit disjointed," Waugh said. Their batting wasn’t good enough but they still bowled South Africa out a few times. "To me, they’ve still got five very good quick bowlers and that makes any side dangerous." Waugh said touring the West Indies was an unforgettable experience because of the singing, dancing, drum-beating enthusiasm of the crowds. "I really enjoy playing there, the people love their cricket because it’s a way of life for them," Waugh said. "It’s like a day out for them and there’s a carnival atmosphere, particularly in Barbados and Antigua and places like that." Waugh said he was
confident his injured hamstring would recover in time for
the first tour match at St Johns, Antigua, from February
22-24. |
Delhi to have new cricket stadium NEW DELHI, Feb 9 (PTI) — The capital’s cricket fans, who witnessed Anil Kumble’s superlative ten-wicket haul in India’s emphatic win against Pakistan on Sunday, have been promised by the government a new cricket stadium in place of the dilapidated one at Ferozeshah Kotla. The Urban Development Ministry is prepared to extend all possible support in this venture, Union Home Minister L.K. Advani announced at a reception he hosted in honour of the Indian and Pakistan cricket teams here last evening. The announcement came in response to a request from former India captain Kapil Dev made earlier in the day at a function in the Home Ministry in which Advani honoured Kumble for his remarkable achievement. Advani suggested that the cricketers in the capital, including seniors like Kapil Dev and Chetan Chauhan, should take the necessary initiative in the matter. The Home Minister regretted that he was unable to watch Kumble’s great performance at the Kotla as he was flying back to Delhi from Bhopal. "I asked the pilot to find out what happened to the Test match. He got back to me saying ‘I don’t know about the Test but Kumble has set a world record taking all 10 wickets in an innings," Advani said. He congratulated the two teams for the excellent show they put up at Chennai and in Delhi and said millions of viewers the world over had enjoyed them. Pakistan captain Wasim Akram thanked the government and people of India for the warm reception they got in this country. "We are happy here. The security is fine and the grounds good. We have enjoyed this trip," Akram said. Indian captain Mohd Azharuddin thanked the government for making the present series possible and expressed the hope that there would by more such tours. With Advani presiding, Azharuddin cut a cake as did the two bowling heroes of the series, Kumble of India and Saqlain Mushtaq of Pakistan. The reception was attended by a veritable who’s who in the capital. The Indian team disperses for a short rest before the Asian Test Championship series starts in Calcutta on February 16. In appreciation of his world record equalling feat, the government announced 10 free tickets each of Air-India and Indian Airlines for ace leg-spinner Anil Kumble and two of his family members to visit any place in the country and abroad. Kumble, who became only the second man after England off-spinner Jim Laker to scalp the entire rival squad in a Test innings, claimed 10 wickets for 74 runs to single-handedly clinch a 212-run victory for India against Pakistan here. Announcing the government’s decision, Mr Advani said "the conduct of this series of cricket matches between India and Pakistan will go a long way in improving relations between the two countries." Advani, who felicitated Kumble for his outstanding achievement, said what adds more gloss to the feat was the fact that it spurred India to victory after they had lost the Chennai Test by a narrow margin. "After the defeat in Chennai, Kumble got the achievement and the win equalised the series. That makes it more important," Advani said, congratulating the Indian team for its fine performance in the entire series. Replying to the felicitations, Kumble thanked his team mates for their support and help in achieving the milestone. Also present on the occasion were legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev and Indian team coach Anshuman Gaekwad.
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"We do not want Gavaskar at all" PORT OF SPAIN, Feb 9 (UNI) — Though India’s master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is a household name in the Caribbeans, the island still holds little master Sunil Gavaskar in awe. A local singer presented a song titled "Gavaskar" in the honour of visiting Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee at a dinner party hosted by his Trinidad and Tobago counterpart Basdeo Pandey last evening. Describing Gavaskar as a "wall", the singer enthralled the august gathering while recalling how West Indians were scared of his thrashing. "We don’t want Gavaskar at all as he is a wall" was the punchline of the song. The audience were amused
when the calypso singer took name of Indian cricketers
and their encounters with the Caribbeans. |
Tight security for President's XI tie KOCHI, Feb 9 (PTI) — Elaborate security and traffic arrangements have been made by the police to ensure the smooth conduct of the three-day cricket match between Pakistan and Board President’s XI commencing at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here on February 11. Over 1400 policemen and 250 officers were being deployed for duty to ensure security. Police had mounted surveillance at busy localities to watch the movement of suspected trouble makers, Eranakulam’s Police Commissioner Mohammed Yasin said at a press conference here yesterday. He said strong bandobust had been made at the airport when the teams arrive here tomorrow and their place of stay in the city. In addition, mobile patrol, foot patrol and boat patrol and sniffer dogs had been deployed to ensure security. To spot trouble makers plain clothesmen from Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had been requisitioned, the Commissioner said. Yasin said a jaguar squad comprising 40 ace athletes from Kerala Police would be deployed near the boundary line to prevent intruders into the field. He said there would be
strict screening at the 15 entry points to the stadium.
Spectators would not be allowed to carry water bottles,
sticks, black flags and music instruments into the
stadium, he added. |
Ban doesn’t affect me: Korda DUBAI, Feb 9 (Reuters) — Petr Korda has hit out at the Czech tennis federation’s decision to ban him from playing in or for his home country. After beating Alberto Martin of Spain 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the Dubai Open, Korda said: "I can’t understand why they have done such a thing. The officials have always been very good to me." The federation banned Korda on Friday pending further investigation of his positive dope test at last year’s Wimbledon championships. "It would have made more sense if the federation had told me in person about their action or at least asked me for an explanation," said Korda. "The whole thing (the drug issue) is affecting my game. Though I am slowly coming back into the groove, especially after those two good rounds at the Australian Open, I would like the thing to be sorted out fast. "Frankly speaking, the ban doesn’t affect me since I hardly live in the Czech Republic," said Korda, a resident of Monte Carlo. "I go there only to see my parents. Also, I have not played for my country since 1997." Under the federation ban, Korda will not be able to play in professional tournaments in the republic or in the Czech Davis Cup team. The federation’s
disciplinary commission has sent Korda the ruling and
invited him to its next meeting which is still to be
scheduled. |
Agassi eases past Woodbridge SAN JOSE, California, Feb 9 (AFP) — Defending champion Andre Agassi blasted Australia’s Todd Woodbridge 6-2, 6-1 in 69 minutes here yesterday in the first round of $ 325,000 ATP tournament. Agassi, seeded second here to fellow American Pete Sampras, never faced a break point in improving to 6-0 lifetime against Woodbridge. He won 95 per cent of his first-serve points and broke the Aussie eight times in 13 tries. Agassi, 28, was ousted in the fourth round at the Australian Open. This is a natural spot to turn around his season. He won here in 1995 and reached the 1996 final. A 6-2, 6-4 victory over Sampras here in last year’s final began a climb that saw Agassi rise from 122nd to sixth in last year’s ATP rankings. Agassi won five titles and lost in five finals in 1998. Fourth seed and 1995 runner-up Michael Chang, who suffered a tough five-set loss to Australia’s Mark Philippoussis in the second round at Melbourne, posted a comfortable 6-3, 6-2 victory over Fernando Meligeni of Brazil. Two seeded Argentines were eliminated. Fifth seed Mariano Puerta was upset by Christian Ruud of Norway 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 and seventh seed Mariano Zabaleta was trounced by Sebastien Lareau of Canada 6-2, 6-1.
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Gough confident of taking field SYDNEY, Feb 9 (AP) — England paceman Darren Gough says he’s made an "unbelievable’’ recovery from a hamstring strain and expects to take his place in the opening limited overs tri-series final against Australia tomorrow. Gough bowled just five of his 10 overs in the final qualifying match before leaving the field as a precaution. "To be honest, I thought my tour was over when I came off,’’ Gough said today. "But it’s been an unbelievable recovery. I’m confident of playing, but obviously I haven’t bowled flat out in practice". Gough and batsman Neil Fairbrother, who also suffered a hamstring injury, are both expected to play against a red hot Australian team. I can’t have torn my hamstring, otherwise I wouldn’t not have been able to bowl in the nets,’’ Gough said. "I’ve bowled a lot of overs on the tour. That had a lot to do with it. The hamstring started to tighten up and something was about to go wrong.’’ Gough may have to wait an
extra day to get a bowl at the Aussies. Bad weather is
threatening to the first of three finals into
Thursday’s reserve day. The 35-year-old captain is still looking for a half-century after nine innings a sequence of 0, 24, 8, 17, 20, 39, 6, 0 and 25. I’m playing all right. It would be nice to get a fifty, nice to get a hundred,’’ said Stewart. "But I’m not waking up in the night too concerned about it.’’ England’s four defeats out of five after winning its opening two games is hardly the right form level going into the climax of the competition. Australia has won four in a row. Stewart said. "We
definitely think we are going along the right lines. I
know what my World Cup squad is.’’ |
Bakshi knocks out Abhin Shyam NEW DELHI, Feb 9 (PTI) — Last year’s runners-up Abhin Shyam Gupta and Manjusha Kanwar tumbled out but defending champions Pullela Gopichand and Aparna Popat came unscathed out of the semi-final stage of men’s and women’s sections of the 63rd Senior National Badminton Championships today. Abhin Shyam was upset by Railway’s Srikant Bakshi while former champion Manjusha lost to another former winner P.V.V. Lakshmi (Andhra Pradesh) as the tournament reached the final stage at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here. Bakshi rallied from a game down to beat Gupta 10-15, 15-13, 15-9 to make his maiden entry into the final. Bakshi, who lost to Gopichand in the semi-finals last year at Hyderabad, will meet the defending champion, who overcame a spirited former national junior champion Sachin Ratti 9-15, 15-10, 15-5. In the women’s
section, third seed Lakshmi of AP upset Kanwar
(Maharashtra) 11-8, 0-11, 11-4. Lakshmi will meet
defending champion Aparna Popat of Karnataka, a 11-8,
13-11 winner against Lakshmi’s statemate Nilima
Choudhary. |
Harper fashions Windies win JALANDHAR, Feb 9 — Riding on the crest of a strokefilled 44 not out by skipper Roger Harper West Indies today entered the final of the three nation World Masters Cricket Tournament. In its second league match India gave another wayward bowling and batting which led India to a four-wicket defeat against West Indies at Burlton Park Cricket Stadium here today. After winning the toss India decided to field. Indian bowlers performed badly and gifted away 34 runs by way of extra including 19 wides. Roger Harper, who slammed scintillating (44) and also claimed two wickets for 29 runs, was the key performer from the visitor side. Medium pace bowler Sanjeev Sharma emerged the highest scorer for the home side, notching up valuable unbeaten 39 runs. Chanderkant Pandit (33), Rozer Binny (29), skipper Sandeep Patil (32) were the successful batsmen for India. From West Indies side Roger Harper (44 not out), Gus Logie (33), Carlisle Best (29) and Collin King (27) were the successful batsmen. Sylvester Clarke (2/32) and Roger Harper (2/29) were the main wicket takers from Windies. From Indian side Raju Kulkarni and Sanjeev Sharma both claimed two wickets. Skipper Roger Harper of West Indies was adjudged the Man of the Match. Chief Minister Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal gave away the prizes.
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Behr eliminates Fazaluddin LUCKNOW, Feb 9 (PTI) — Syed Fazaluddin crashed out to Noam Behr of Israel in straight sets while Mustafa Ghouse and Vishal Uppal also fell at the first hurdles in the doubles as Indian players continued to have a disappointing run in the ATP tour tennis challenger here today. Davis Cupper Fazaluddin, the last Indian hope in the singles event after the ouster of Prahalad Srinath and Vijay Kannan on the opening day yesterday, lost 4-6 2-6 to Behr. Ghouse-Uppal lost to Spanish pair Juan Carrasco and Jamie Velasco 4-6 4-6 without putting much of a fight. Also out of the fray was second-seed Tomas Berhrend of Germany, the favourite after the loss of top seed Marcos Ondruska. Berhrend lost a first round thriller, 6-7 (5/7) 6-4 7-5 to Spaniard Juan Carrasco. But fifth seed Eyal Ran of Israel scraped through to join compatriot Behr and Amir Hadad in the pre-quarter finals. Eyal Ran came back strongly after losing the first set to win the next two sets and the match 4-6 6-3 6-4 against Nuno Marques of Portugal while Hadad defeated Michael Russell of the USA in three sets, 3-6 6-1 6-4. South Africa’s Weslev Whitehouse, last year’s junior Wimbledon champion, subdued American Andrew Rueb 6-4 6-4 while fourth seed Mose Navarra overcame a set deficit to beat Barry Cowan (Britain) and seventh seed. Peter Tramacchi of Australia prevailed over Emanuel Couto of Portugal, 7-5 7-6 (7/5). Also reaching the next round were Portugal’s Jaco Cunha-Silva, a 6-3 7-6 (7/4) winner over Julien Boutter of France, and Jamie Defaudo (GBR) who thrashed Kalle Flygt of Sweden 6-3 6-4. Meanwhile, Ondruska put back the disappointment of his shock first round loss by reaching the next round in the doubles event. Ondruska and partner Andrew Richardson, the top seeds, prevailed over the Finnish-American pair of Tomas Kotela and Andrew Reub 6-2 6-3. Third-seeded Noam Behr and Eyal Ran were on the brink of a defeat against the France/South African tandem of Gregory Carraz and Jim Thomas when the match was stopped due to poor light. Carraz-Thomas were 4-2 up in the third set after winning the second 3-6. The Israeli pair had earlier won the first set 6-3, but lost their way in the second and third set. The match will resume tomorrow. Joao Cunha-Silva
(Portugal) b Julien Boutter (France) 6-3 7-6 (7-4); Jamie
Delgoda (Britain) b Kalle Flygt (Sweden) 6-3 6-1; Mose
Navarra (Italy) b Bary Cown (Britain) 5-7 6-3 6-1; Jhan
Carrasco (Spain) b Tomas Berhrend (Germany) 6-7 (5/7) 6-4
7-5. |
Parnita, Nonita Lal star
attractions NEW DELHI, Feb 9 — Defending champion Parnita Garewal, Northern India champion Shruti Khanna, five-time national champion Nonita Lal Qureshi are among 85 participants who will tee-off in the 82nd Ladies All-India Amateur Golf Championship at the Delhi Golf Club course from February 15 to 18. Ms Tessa Covell, handicap seven from Zimbabwe, is among leading foreign entries in the competition. Tessa, winner of the Kenya, Zimbabwe and Zambia titles, is expected to provide competition to India’s leading golfers. More than half-a-dozen players have already attained peak form and the competition this year is expected to be much tougher than in the previous years. Shruti Khanna, who snatched a Northern India title, should be able to bring about a surprise in the competition. Parnita, however, wears an optimism that she should be able to retain the title judging from her display in the recently concluded Western India competition in Mumbai. The All-India will be preceded by the 36 hole Billoo Sethi Memorial Competition on February 11 and 12. "For the first time this will be a qualifying event for the All-India match play", said Ms Pomi Malik, chairperson of the All-India Championship Committee here today. The Vikramaditya Trophy contest for golfers with handicap of 19-36 will also be concurrently held. Parnita, only 18, will figure in the junior contest. She will be opposed by her citymate Irina Brar (Chandigarh) and Ayesha Kapur. Mayali Talwar, another promising junior, will also take part in the meet. The DGC president Som Dutt, who is sponsoring the competition for the third time, will inaugurate the competition with a tee-off at 7.55 a.m. on February 11. Parnita, who started playing competitive golf at the age of 12, has played 49 competitions, including nine international meets. Shruti, who trained in US, was awarded ‘All American first team’ honour for being one of the top five athletes in the sport of golf in USA. The performance of Nonita,
unquestionably the most experienced player in the
circuit, will be watched with more than casual interest. |
5th successive victory for East Bengal CALCUTTA, Feb 9 (PTI) — Title contenders East Bengal posted their fifth successive win prevailing over ITI, Bangalore, 2-0 in a one-sided group ‘B’ encounter of the third National Football League at the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium here today. The city giants, firmly placed at the top of the group, tightened up their game in the second session striking through their Ghanaian medio Emmanuel Opoku and lanky striker Raman Vijayan to take their points tally to 20 from eight matches. ITI, now at the bottom of the pool with five points from eight outings, face almost certain relegation. East Bengal dominated the proceedings right through but missed chances galore, with Vijayan wasting the most. The visitors, on the other hand, looked jittery and incohesive, and played a totally defensive game against their vastly superior opponents. The Bangalore outfit suffered a severe setback five minutes to the breather, when key central defender and skipper Sunil Kumar had to be stretched out with an injured left hand following a clash with Baichung Bhutia. In the absence of Kumar, the ITI defence crumbled and the local team drew first blood eight minutes into the second half, when Opoku, playing after a long injury-prompted lay-off, capped a midfield solo with a left footer from top of the box, which entered a corner of the net. Four minutes later,
following a Renedy Singh flag kick from the left, Bhutia
set up the ball for Vijayan, who slammed home from close. |
Orissa take first innings lead PATIALA, Feb 9 — Orissa snatched 5 vital points from Railways in the Ranji Trophy super league match which concluded at the DCW Sports Stadium here today. All the competitive interest in the match vanished 35 minutes into the pre-lunch session when Railways, resuming from its overnight 252 for 8, were all out for 295, thereby giving Orissa the all-important 53 run first innings lead. A strain of monotony laced the proceedings once the battle for the first innings lead was over. At draw of stumps, Orissa were 175 for 4 in its second essay. Score board: Orissa (Ist innings): 348 all out. Railways (Ist innings): 295 all out. S Banger c Robin Morris b S. Khan 42, Asif Murtaza c R. Morris b S. Satpathy 11, Abhey Sharma lbw D. Mohanty 68, Saket Bhatia b D. Mohanty 0, P.S. Rawat c P. Mullick b Sanjay Raul 63, Yera Gaud 72 n.o. Vishal Sharma c and b.S. Satpathy 9, Murli Kartik c Gautam Gopal b D. Mohanty 0. Zakir Hussain run out 5, Balaji Rao b D. Mohanty 5, Kulmani Parida c P. Dass b S. Satpathy 6. Extras 14. Orissa (IInd innings): 175 for 4, S.S. Dass c Asif Murtaza b Z. Hussain 11, P. Jayachandra c Abhey Sharma b Saket Bhatia 34, Pardeep Dass 60 n.o. Sanjay Raul b W.D. Balaji Rao 25, R.R. Parida b W.D. Balaji Rao 0, R. Morris 15 n.o. Extras 30. |
H
Chandigarh Golf Club triumph CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 (TNS) — Chandigarh Golf Club today clinched the Ahluwalia Cup defeating Shivalik Golf Club, Chandi Mandir, in the annual inter-club golf tournament. The clash between the two clubs is an annual feature and is played on a four-ball basis. This year 30 teams, each consisting of two players, participated. The running trophy for this tournament was presented by Mr Ahluwalia, a member of the Chandigarh Golf Club. PU soccer CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 (TNS) — Departments of (Laws and Public Administration) won the Inter-Department Football tournament organised by Panjab University Campus Students' Council defeating the Departments of (History and Political Science) 2-1 at the university grounds today. The newly-introduced running trophy was received by the captain of the winning team Mohd. Zahid. Mr D.S. Mangat D.P.I. (Colleges and Schools), U.T. Administration, was the Chief Guest and gave away the prizes and trophy to winning team. Consolation prizes to the runner-up teams and the fair-play award of the tournament was given to the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology. Cricket tourney CHANDIGARH, Feb 9 (TNS) — The U.T. Cricket Association will organise a double wicket cricket tournament on February 20 and 21 in the cricket stadium, Sector-16. According to Mr S.S. Bawa, general secretary of the association. Athletic meet HISAR, Feb 9 (FOSR) — All Indian Civil Services Athletic Championship for men and women will be held here at Haryana Agricultural University (HAU) form February 11 to 14, a spokesman of the Sports and Youth Welfare Department said here today. About 700 athletes from all over India are likely to take part in this four-day meet. V'ball squad CHANDIGARH, Feb 8 (BOSR)
— The Chandigarh Volley Ball Association has
selected an 11-member women team to represent UT in the
National Games to be held at Manipur from February 14.
The team Ravinder, Neelam, Ritu Sharma, Ritu Chaudhary,
Anita, Sheela Devi, Rachna, Neena Goyal, Parshotma,
Anuradha, Puneet. Coach Mr B.L. Malhotra, Manager Mr K.L.
Ahuja. |
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