Friday, January 8, 1999
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S P O R T | Friday, January 8, 1999 |
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Centre promises smooth conduct NEW DELHI, Jan 7 — The Union Home Minister today asserted that the Centre would ensure the smooth conduct of the first cricket Test between India and Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground where Shiv Sena activists dug up the pitch last night. |
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Samaranch admits accepting gift LAUSANNE, Jan 7 — International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch has admitted accepting a gift of two firearms from Salt Lake City before the capital of Utah was awarded the 2002 Winter Games.
Probe
may include other countries: PCB |
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Centre promises smooth conduct NEW DELHI, Jan 7 — The Union Home Minister today asserted that the Centre would ensure the smooth conduct of the first cricket Test between India and Pakistan at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground where Shiv Sena activists dug up the pitch last night. "The Centre will not only provide security, but also ensure smooth conduct of the match," the Union Home Secretary, Mr B.P. Singh, told reporters after Home Minister L.K. Advani reviewed the law and order situation in the Capital with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Mr B.P. Singh said he would hold discussions with Indian Cricket Board officials, the Delhi Police Commissioner V.N. Singh and others concerned tomorrow to provide adequate security for the Test scheduled to begin on January 28. The Police Commissioner said four people had already been arrested for vandalising the Kotla pitch and four policemen had been suspended for negligence of duty. Mr V.N. Singh said the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) had earlier sought security from January 15 which was agreed to. A group of Shiv Sena activists last night dug up the Kotla pitch protesting against clearance given for the Pakistan tour of India, despite warnings by its chief Bal Thackeray. Despite excessive damage done to the pitch at several points with sharp-edged spears by Shiv Sena activists last night, the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) officials are optimistic of staging the first India-Pakistan Test scheduled from January 28. Emphasising that there was no room for mixing cricket with politics, the DDCA officialdom was of the view that it had enough experts and manpower to repair the wicket for the match. "We have more than 20 days to undo the damage done to the pitch by anti-cricket and anti-social elements", said a senior DDCA official, adding: "These kinds of sordid and subversive incidents project our country poorly world over". The Sports Secretary Sunil Dev, was aghast at the Shiv Sena activities which, according to him, brought nothing but disrepute to the country. "We now have round-the-clock police projection and we will start repairing the pitch as soon as the rains subside", said Sunil Dev, adding: "We are ready for the match and there is no room for any panic". Former India Test star and ex-BJP MLA Kirti Azad, who was as much shocked as the DDCA said "I appeal to Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray to rise above all these petty considerations". He also urged upon the Prime Minister and Home Minister to see to it that the Pakistan itinerary went through without any problem. Shiv Sena activists, it is learnt, had alerted some newspapers, particularly photo-journalists, that they should be on hand at the Kotla ground where they would indulge in "digging-up operations" to destroy the virginity of the 'Kotla beauty’. No wonder some photographers were on the spot when the activists were digging the pitch with spears. There were at Kotla some who were heard whispering that a few ‘disgruntled’ persons could also have incited the Sena activists to indulge in hooliganism. "It is not beyond the opposition unit to the DDCA", said another official. The DDCA officials are hoping against hope that good sense will dawn upon the ‘activists’. "We want the Test to go through peacefully", said an official, adding: "the profits through the match will help us expedite our expansion plans". The consensus at the Kotla ground was that the match could be saved by only Thackeray who might direct his party workers to ‘behave’. "The party workers are fanatics and can do anything to earn publicity", said an official. The DDCA president Ram Babu Gupta, former Test umpire, was of the view that the match would be staged on schedule as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had no plans to change the itinerary despite last night’s incidents. CHENNAI (PTI): The second cricket Test match between India and Pakistan would be played at the M A Chidambaram Stadium here as scheduled from February 4, unless the entire tour was cancelled, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) Secretary Ashok Kumbhat said. "The match is on, unless the tour is cancelled, Kumbhat told PTI when asked if the match would be held here in the light of yesterday’s incidents at Ferozeshah Kotla ground, venue of the first Test match scheduled from January 28. The Chepauk turf would be guarded round the clock by private securitymen till the Test match got over, Kumbhat said. The stadium was already provided with day and night security. Flouroscent lights at the ground were kept on from 6 pm to 6 am. "Despite having our own security, we are meeting the State Home Secretary and Police Commissioner to seek police help to prevent any untoward incident that could cause cancellation of the match", Kumbhat said.
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No change in itinerary: BCCI MUMBAI, Jan 7 (PTI) — The Indian cricket board (BCCI) is not contemplating any change in the schedule of the forthcoming full tour by Pakistan in the light of last night's incidents at Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla ground when Shiv Sena activists dug up the pitch and caused extensive damage to it. "We have not discussed the issue and not yet thought about it (changing the schedule)", was BCCI Secretary Jaywant Lele's reaction to the incident at the Kotla. "We are in touch with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) officials", he said and added the Pak board officials have not contacted BCCI about the incident. "Our president (Raj Singh Dungarpur) is leaving for Christchurch tomorrow (for the two-day international cricket council's meeting on January 10 and 11). He may discuss the matter with the PCB chief (Khalid Mahmood) there", Lele added. Pakistan are scheduled to play the opening Test in the two-match series, the first time the two arch-rivals are to meet in a Test in a decade, at the Kotla from January 28. The second Test is scheduled at Chennai (February 4-8). The Pakistanis are also to play two other three-day ties at Gawalior (v India A from January 23) and Kochi (v Board President's XI from February 11). Meanwhile, Sri Lanka will play Pakistan in the opening tie of the triangular series at Jamshedpur on March 19. Pakistan will play their remaining round-robin matches at Jaipur, Visakhapatnam and Mohali. The complete schedule of the triangular series: March 19: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Jamshedpur. March 21: India v Lanka at Nagpur. Match 24: India v Pakistan at Jaipur. March 26: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Visakhapatnam. March 29: India v Sri Lanka at Pune. March 31: India v Pakistan at Mohali. April 3: Final at Bangalore. Lele said the Pakistan board had expressed their apprehensions about playing in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh centres and accordingly, the schedule of their matches (including two Tests against India and two other side matches) was drawn up. Thackeray has threatened not to allow Pakistan cricketers to play on Indian soil unless Islamabad stops helping anti-India activities. Delhi police reached the spot at about 11.30 last night and arrested the four activists, including Raja. They have been charged with criminal trespass and criminal intimidation, police said. DDCA President Rambabu Gupta told PTI last night "No one can stop the Test match from being played at the Kotla ground and it will be held as per schedule". Meanwhile, Lele denied reports that the Lankans had protested about playing at Pune and Nagpur. "All they wanted to know was whether there would be rain in these places," Lele said, pointing out their previous experience during the Test series last season when the second Test at Nagpur was affected by rain. Lele also said they were
assured of being flown in and out of Jamshedpur from and
to Calcutta. |
PCB for on-the-spot assessment ISLAMABAD, Jan 7 (PTI) — Pakistan’s cricket authorities today dismissed the possibility of any "unilateral action" on the India tour in the wake of Shiv Sena’s activities to scuttle the visit but said they would dispatch an emissary for an "on-the-spot assessment" of the situation. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Majid Khan said the tour scheduled to begin on January 21 would go ahead despite Shiv Sena activists damaging the pitch in New Delhi at the venue of the first Test starting on January 28. He told PTI on phone from Lahore, "this is basically an Indian problem and Indian authorities have to deal with it." Majid Khan said the PCB was keeping a close watch on the developments and will be sending a special representative to India within a few days to make an on-the-spot assessment of the situation. He said the PCB representative apart from meeting the Indian cricket officials will also discuss the matter with the Pakistan High Commission authorities in New Delhi. The PCB chief executive hoped the Indian government and Indian cricket board will take all necessary steps for the smooth conduct of the matches during the series. Dungarpur said he was talking to his PCB counterpart urging them not to get "overworried" while Lele said the board was not contemplating any change in the schedule, including the shifting of the Test out of Delhi. "We’ve not discussed the issue and not yet thought about it," he said adding Dungarpur will apprise PCB chairman Khalid Mehmood of the situation when they meet at the International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Christchurch on January 11. In Pakistan, PCB chief executive Majid Khan denied any immediate reconsideration of the tour and said a special emissary would be sent to India in a few days to sort out the security issue with Indian authorities. Secretary Waqqar Ahmed also sounded unfazed by the Kotla incident and said PCB would not "overreact" but will keep an eye on the developments. "We are not over-reacting to the incident," Waqqar Ahmed said. "We hope the Government of India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India will take all necessary steps in this regard". The PCB Secretary did not express any doubts about going ahead with the tour of the Pakistan cricket team to India starting on January 21. The Pakistan team undertakes a full-fledged tour of India after of more than 11 years after cancelling two earlier tours amidst threats of disruption from the Shiv Sena. "Bechari pitch ne kya galti ki thi ke logon ne us par attack kiya (what wrong has the poor pitch done that people attacked it), "Waqqar Ahmed responded about the incident at Kotla where the first Test between the two countries begins on January 28. Asked whether he saw a political motive behind the attack on pitch, Waqqar Ahmed said: "We can't really say that some motivated persons have indulged in such an act to achieve certain motives." But "we hope the Government of India and the Indian cricket board will take all precautionary measures so that such incidents do not recur during the tour, he said. Only on Tuesday, BCCI Secretary Jayawant Lele had announced that the Indian government had cleared the tour by the Pakistan team and had promised full security to it. The Indian board had not fixed any of the Pakistan tour matches in the Shiv Sena-ruled Maharashtra. Pakistan had twice cancelled its scheduled visits to India in 1993 and 1994 but had played one-day matches during the World Cup at Bangalore in 1996 and then again visited India in 1997 to participate in the limited-overs Independence Cup tournament. The programme and venues of the forthcoming tour were finalised after a two-member high-level PCB delegation comprising chairman Khalid Mahmood and chief executive Majid Khan had visited India last month. KARACHI (AFP): Pakistan captain designate Wasim Akram today stressed an Indian tour must go ahead despite threats from Shiv Sena to scuttle it. The reaction followed the digging up of a Ferozeshah Kotla stadium pitch in New Delhi by Sena activists last night. "It’s very sad to hear that some people are bent upon mixing sports and politics. It’s very sad that they have showed their anger on a pitch whereas it should have been left to play only" Wasim Akram told AFP. "We are going there to better the relations between the two countries and hope the Indian government will not allow a handful of people to deprive cricket lovers of some action and tension packed cricket." "Both governments have given the go ahead for the tour and Indian premier has been very keen to see the tour go through so it should go on," the Pakistan captain said. Pakistan are scheduled to play two Tests, three limited over games and two side games during their proposed tour. Pakistan hockey team is due to play four Tests in India in February but hockey officials said the tour was in no doubt. Akram said security concerns would increase after the incident but said he has never felt insecure playing in India. "People in India are very loving and caring and they want to see Pakistani players in action", Akram said.
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Samaranch admits accepting gift LAUSANNE, Jan 7( AFP) — International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Juan Antonio Samaranch has admitted accepting a gift of two firearms from Salt Lake City before the capital of Utah was awarded the 2002 Winter Games. But Samaranch has denied any wrongdoing, claiming exemption from the rules governing other members of the committee. IOC rules forbid members of the panel that selects host cities to accept gifts worth more than $ 150 but the IOC chief maintained that, since he did not take part in the vote, there was no reason to prevent him from taking the firearms, valued in total at just less than $ 1,000. Samaranch told Swiss Daily '24 Heures': "I did receive two firearms as a gift, the arms in question being a 22 long rifle and a Browning. I did not want to refuse these presents. Because in these towns, arms are part of a certain tradition. To refuse them would have been an outrage. "These gifts, as IOC internal rules demand, were registered and can be found in the office of the bureau of the institution in Lausanne. "It’s true that members of the jury choosing the host cities don’t have the right to accept gifts worth more than $ 150, but this rule does not apply to me as I don’t take part in the elections." Samaranch and his wife, Marie Teresa Salisachs-Rowe, also received a native Indian headdress and a quilt, valued at between $ 1,000 and $ 5,000. The Salt Lake City organisers have admitted giving scholarships and other benefits to IOC officials and are the subject of probes from the IOC, the United States Olympic Committee, the FBI and their own ethical committee. Samaranch had previously vowed to purge the IOC of corrupt officials and launched a probe into the allegations arising from the successful Salt Lake City bid. The Salt Lake City committee purchased $ 10,000 worth of rifles wholesale to support their bid. Browning Vice-President Rich Bauter had described the guns given to Samaracnch as a "gold" — a semi-automatic hunting rifle — and a "euro bolt". Bauter described the arms as "nothing too expensive or too dear". Ironically, if Samaranch emerges unscathed from the guns row, his position could be strengthened as he has proposed that future decisions on host cities be made by an 11-man board rather than the 115 members, who currently vote. This board, seen as friendly to Samaranch, would then have the power to nominate new IOC members. Samaranch made the
proposals following the allegations that have plagued the
IOC since the Salt Lake City bid. |
ICC keen to root out corruption SYDNEY, Jan 7 (Reuters) — A perceived cloud of corruption hanging over world cricket is the mounting problem the sports top officials will confront as they seek to repair the damage to the game’s image at a meeting this weekend in New Zealand. Alleged bribery and match-fixing among international players are the main issue on the agenda in Christchurch for the International Cricket Council (ICC) which has pledged to look at the game’s shortcomings and take decisive action. Delegates from the nine Test-playing nations start a two-day conference on Sunday with ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya of India vowing to come down hard on anyone proven to have been involved in match-fixing. "It is time for the ICC to step in as these allegations are spreading like a wild infection," he said. "The very fabric of the game is being damaged". The corruption controversy broke when Australian Test trio Shane Warne, Mark Waugh and the now-retired Tim May accused former Pakistan captain Salim Malik of offering them bribes to play poorly during their 1994 tour of Pakistan. The charges were dismissed by an inquiry which investigated four years ago but an interim report released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in September recommended a fresh investigation into alleged match-fixing and bribery. The issue was given a fresh twist last month when Warne and Waugh admitted taking money from an Indian bookmaker for information on pitch and weather conditions during a limited overs completion in Sri Lanka that preceded Australia’s 1994 tour of Pakistan. The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) fined the pair and asked the ICC to keep the affair the secret, it remained until journalists broke the story last month. The various disclosures prompted further allegations. Adam Hollioake, who captained England to victory in the Champions Cup in Sharjah at the end of 1997, said bookmakers had promised to make him a millionaire in return for information. New Zealander Danny Morrison, England’s Dougie Brown and Australian Duo Greg Matthews and Ricky Ponting have all said they, too, turned down offers of money for information from bookmakers. The ICC’s biggest problem in attempting to root out corruption is that it possesses little genuine power. The constitution of the game’s world ruling body only allows it to make recommendations, not take substantial action. Yet the hope this time is that the member nations will agree to empower the ICC to make the tough decisions needed. Each of the member countries agree that cricket needs to propel itself into the 21st century, but there is a lack of agreement on how to go about it. New Zealand, for example, are leading a push for the introduction of a world Test championship every four years but Australia and England are resisting the move. Under the New Zealand plan, traditional five-Test series such as the Ashes would be cut to a maximum of three matches to allow each of the Test-playing teams to face each other in a four-year cycle. Australia’s captain Mark Taylor, expressing the popular view among the Australian and English boards, said he was opposed to the idea because it would detract from the traditional clashes. "I’ve never been a great believer in a world Test championship," Taylor said. "I’ve always believed in playing Test cricket the way it should be played". There are less radical changes that are sure to be endorsed by the delegates, including plans to push cricket deeper into Asia, particularly China, and moves to showcase the sport to the USA with exhibition matches at Disneyland. The meeting will look at a
range of other issues, including the "throwing"
law, prompted by the unusual action of Sri Lanka
off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, and proposals to change
the game’s rules through the extended use of
floodlights and extensions to playing time. |
Probe may include other countries: PCB MELBOURNE, Jan 7 (AFP) — Shane Warne and Mark Waugh will face gruelling hours of questioning when they appear before a Pakistani judicial inquiry into match-fixing here tomorrow, officials said and indicated that the inquiry could extend to other countries also. The lawyers and court officials, who form part of the judicial inquiry into betting and match-fixing on the sub-continent, also said the questioning of Warne and Waugh could stretch into the weekend. Former Australian team manager Alan Crompton was also expected to give evidence at the inquiry, to be conducted by Lahore High Court Registrar Abdus Salam Khawar, PCB legal advisor Ali Sibtain Fazli and Azmat Saeed, lawyer for former Pakistan captain Salim Malik. Fazli today said the inquiry was not limiting its investigations to alleged incidents inside Pakistan. "It is definitely more than Pakistan" he said. Khawar said he was satisfied with arrangements for the session when commissioners will interview Warne and Waugh over their allegations that former Pakistan captain Salim Malik offered them bribes to play poorly. The Pakistan Commission investigating corruption allegations decided to come to Australia after it was revealed Waugh and Warne accepted money from an Indian bookmaker. After the bookmaker scandal became public last month, after a four-year coverup by the Australian Cricket Board, the commission wanted to further interview Mark Waugh and hear evidence from Warne and Crompton, who was team manager at the time. Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy today said he was not concerned about being called to give evidence at a separate ACB investigation into the betting scandal. The inquiry was set up by
the ACB after it was made public that Warne and Waugh had
been fined four years previously for accepting payments
from an illegal Indian bookmaker in Sri Lanka. |
Dravid, Tendulkar head averages NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (PTI) — Stylish batsman Rahul Dravid, who yesterday became only the third Indian to score a century in each innings of a Test match to join the illustrious company of Vijay Hazare and Sunil Gavaskar, heads the batting averages for his country in the just concluded Test series against New Zealand. With knocks of 190 and 103 not out in the third and final test which ended in Hamilton, Dravid notched up an aggregate of 325 runs (the only one from either side to cross the 300 mark) in four innings for an excellent average of 108.33. The real batting genius, Sachin Tendulkar, finished second with an average of 89.00 from a total of 267 runs. But the man with the ‘golden arm’ who always has a trick up his sleeve, claimed four wickets in the series conceding 60 runs to head the Indian bowling averages with 15.00. The best Indian bowler however, was speedster Javagal Srinath with 10 for 356 for an average of 35.60, he was followed to the third spot by leg spinner Anil Kumble with 37.89 from nine for 341. New Zealand’s Dion Nash who notched up 174 runs in four innings but got out only once, in the second innings of the final Test, returned the stupendous average of 174.00. The bowling honours for the Kiwis were claimed by Nathan Astle with one for 12 for an average of 12.
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Dalmiya to miss ICC meeting CHRISTCHURCH, Jan 7 (AFP) — International Cricket Council (ICC) President Jagmohan Dalmiya will miss the important executive committee meeting here on Sunday and Monday when the sport’s governing body will decide how to tackle match-fixing. Dalmiya is in mourning due to his mother’s death, meaning a stand-in chairman will be required for a meeting which could be the most important in the ICC’s history. New Zealand’s representative, Sir John Anderson, said the replacement chairman was likely to be Dalmiya’s predecessor in the role, Sir Clyde Walcott of the West Indies. "It’s a bit of a tragedy he cannot be here. But we will try for a video link-up," Anderson said. Dalmiya was a strong supporter of action being taken against match-fixing and bribery and issued a strongly-worded statement about getting the ICC executive to deal with the matter when it met in Christchurch. Anderson said New Zealand’s stance on the issue was clear. "Our board wants the highest moral standards and ethics in the game and will support whatever policy comes out of that," he said. He said it was likely the
ICC would present a united front on the issue and would
establish the structure and processes for dealing with
any cricketer found guilty of being involved in betting
or bribery. |
Coaches to go with team HYDERABAD, Jan 7 (PTI) — The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has selected a panel of five coaches who would go along with the Indian team on its tour abroad. IHF president KPS Gill said here. Cedric De Souza, V Baskaran, M K Kaushik, Rajendran and Inamu-ur-Rehman had been shortlisted and they will move along with team as and when required by the IHF, Gill told reporters. He said IHF would select 60 players after the nationals, to be held here from March 11 to 25, for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Giving out details of fixtures of the Indian team in the coming season, Gill said the Indian leg of the Indo-Pakistan Test series would commence from February 3 while the Pakistan-leg would commence from February 16. The first Test will be
held at Delhi on February 3, the second at Bhopal
February 5), third at Hyderabad February 8) and the
fourth at Chennai on February 10, Gill said. |
Punjab eves fail to advance CHENNAI, Jan 7 (PTI) — Uttar Pradesh made it to the quarterfinals from group ‘C’, despite losing to Punjab 0-3 in the men’s team events of the 60th Indian Oil Servo National and Inter-State Table Tennis Championship here today. In the women’s section, Punjab failed to advance after a minor upset caused by Maharashtra ‘A’, who along with Indian Railways from group ‘D’ joined the other quarterfinalists decided today. The fighting UP men, who scored a 3-0 win yesterday over Maharashtra ‘B’, clinched three more matches, before being drubbed by Punjab. Overall, it is a creditable show by UP who finished outside the top 16 in Jammu nationals last year to have upset Maharashtra ‘B’, who ended fifth at Jammu. UP are joined by Punjab from the group who moved into last eight. With almost all quarterfinalists spotted in the men’s and women’s sections, defending men’s champion Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB), though sure to make it to the last eight, has to play a match tomorrow against Assam in group ‘A’. Delhi men are likely to progress to the next stage as Assam need to beat star-studded PSCB to enter the knockout stage. In other action today, Railways and Gujarat (group B) and Bengal and Tamil Nadu (group D) have moved into the quarterfinals.
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E. Bengal ride on Bhutia magic CALCUTTA, Jan 7 (PTI) — Title aspirant East Bengal relied on star striker Bhaichung Bhutia’s brilliance to carve out a 2-0 victory over FC Kochin in a group-B match of the third National Football League at the Salt Lake Stadium here today. The mercurial striker produced a brilliant header late in the opening session and then converted a penalty in the dying minutes of the contest to give his team a rousing start to their league campaign. The local giants, who had finished runners up in the last edition of the high-profile league, played a cohesive game right through and could have won by a bigger margin had they not muffed all the scoring opportunities. East Bengal forged ahead ten minutes before the interval when the irrepressible Bhutia produced a brilliant header from inside the box following a measured cornerkick from the left by Renedy Singh. Spurred on by a vociferous home crowd, the home team kept up the pressure in the second session with a series of raids from both the flanks but could manage to score again just three minutes before the long whistle when Bhutia converted a penalty without much fuss. The penalty was awarded by referee R.D. Sow after FC Kochin defender Mahesh Goawli "handled" the ball inside the box as he tried to foil substitute S. Das. The team from Kochin, mainly comprising a number of former Tata Football Academy cadets, did reasonably well in the initial stages as their defenders managed to keep the strong East Bengal forward line at bay. The two East Bengal strikers Bhutia and Dipendu Biswas getting ample support from the midfield, did manage to pierce the rival defence on a number of occasions but invariably failed to get their acts together. Despite injuries to a couple of key players in the team, East Bengal coach Manoranjan Bhattacharya had reasons to feel satisfied with the result in their lung-opener with the players sticking to their tasks. The visitors, relying on their Ghanian recruit Abu Jomo to deliver the goods upfront, did manage to make a few forays into the East Bengal defence but none of the moves really posed a threat. East Bengal custodian Bibhas Ghosh had a relatively trouble-free day. The local team could have opened their account as early as the 18th minute of the contest when Bhutia’s crisp back volley missed the target by a narrow margin much to the dismay of the nearly 25,000 East Bengal supporters who thronged the galleries. East Bengal saw another
chance go abegging in the 23rd minute when the speedy
Carlton Chapman broke through the defence with deft
footwork but his volley flew over the crosspiece with
none of the defenders in position. |
RCF, N Railway move into semis JALANDHAR, Jan 7 — After days of lop-sided matches the decks were cleared for the semifinals of the third Surjit Singh Memorial Women's hockey tournament being played at Olympian Surjit Hockey Stadium Burlton Park here. The former runner's up Rail Coach Factory (RCF), Kapurthana, will squre off with PSEB Patiala in the first semifinals and defending champion Northern Railways, Delhi, will cross swords with Air-India, Mumbai, in the second semifinal, for a place in the final. In pool-A Northern Railway, Delhi, Western Railways, Mumbai, and PSEB have earned five points each from their all three outings but on the better goal average Northern Railways, Delhi and PSEB got the first and second place, respectively, in the pool and qualified for the semifinals. In pool B, RCF topped the table with 9 points while Air-India, Mumbai, and GND University, Amritsar, earned four points each from their three league matches, but on better goal average Air-India, managed to get the semis berth. The GND varsity and Indo-Cal Club of California (USA) got third and fourth place, respectively. The first match of the day between defending champion Northern Railways and SAIL Bhilai, was played a fast pace. The spectators enjoyed good hockey. The railways girls today exhibited better hockey than their earlier matches played so far and played like a well knit unit. Their defenders international Sandeep Kaur, Marysella, Sunita Dalal, Sita Gossain were brilliant in tackling, trapping and in distribution and at the same time thwarted many SAIL attacks. Their star forwards, particularly Maninder Kaur, Kamla Dalal, Pritam Thakran, were speed personified. On the other hand, SAIL played a defensive game throughout. The railways girls surged ahead in the 3rd minute when their international Pritam Thakran scored a fine field goal with a solo effort (1-0). The railways team sparkled in every nook and corner of the field. SAIL failed to cope with the speed of their rival's forwards and conceded the second goal in the 8th minute when out side left Bindu scored a field goal to ahead her team by 2-0. At half time Northern Railways were leading by 2-0. After lemon break, SAIL made some good moves. But SAIL players were themselves to blame for their poor finishing. In the 39th minute Railways earned their sixth penalty corner and this time Northern Railways penalty corner expert and Asian star Sandeep Kaur make no mistake to complete the tally. The winners earned as many as 11 penalty corners while the SAIL got two. The second match of the day was played between RCF and Air-India, Mumbai. In this fast pace match, Air India took time to settle down against the tight marking by the hard working RCF girls. Though they displayed more cohesion to their movements, it was the RCF outfit who first shot into the lead in the 11th minute when their out side left Lotam scored a field gold (1-0). RCF wasted five penalty corners while Air India, Mumbai wasted two penalty corners. At half time, RCF was leading by 1-0. After changing over, RCF, did not reduce the pressure and continued their attacks from the right flanks. They earned four penalty corners but none could be converted. However, RCF added another goal and won the match. Tomorrow's fixtures (semifinals): RCF V/s PSEB 1.00 p.m. Northern Railway V/s Air-India 2.30 p.m.
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Mukesh, Simarajeet return best
card NEW DELHI, Jan 7 — Mukesh Kumar (Mhow) and a local amateur Simarajeet Singh withstood manfully cold and wind to turn in the best card on the opening day of the four-round ONGC-NOIDA Golf Championship here today. Mukesh and Simarajeet Singh had an identical score of par 72. veteran Rohtas Singh had a score of one over 73. K.P.S. Sekhon (Chandigarh) and Bhoop Singh (Lucknow) were tied at third position with the score of two over 74, while Jyoti Randhawa was tied on fifth place with Shiv Prakash (Kanpur) and Mohd Yamin (Faridabad). They were three over par 75. Starting from the 10th, Mukesh was one over at the turn with bogies on the 11th and the 16th. His solitary birdie came on the 15th. Here he unleashed a 3-wood off the tee and then followed it up with a sandwedge approach shot to set up a 4 feet birdie putt. Mukesh ran out of luck on the 18th (his 9th). He was penalised one stroke for taking a wrong drop. However this did not deter him as he finished par on this role. On back nine, he got a birdie on the first and the fifth. He managed to finish the round with a par score of 72. "The conditions were extremely difficult today", said Mukesh, adding : "I’m lucky that I finished with a par score". Simarajeet Singh, one of the most promising amateurs in the country, was in his belligerent mood. He became the first player to score a hole-in-one today. This was his career’s first. He achieved it on the 200-yard third hole with a perfect 4-iron shot. He made a birdie on the 10th and then scored another birdie on the 15th. But then he wavered in his concentration and had a series of bogies. But he still finished the round with a par score of 72. "I’m more than satisfied with my play today", said Simarajeet Singh. Rohtas Singh, with more than 100 professional titles, began with a bogey but they got into his stride to finish the first nine level-par. He dropped a stroke on the 10th. Then he played consistently to get a score of one over 73. Sekhon had a birdie in the
first nine. He then three-putted the 11th for a bogey and
added two more to finish two over 74. |
Punjab, Haryana enter semis PATIALA, Jan 7 — There were some anxious moments for both the Karnataka and Punjab youngsters as umpire K.S. Giridharan spun the coin high up in the air to decide the winner of the rain marred match, Punjab skipper Harikrishan Kali started waving his arms frantically towards his team mates, signalling that Punjab had won the toss to move into the semifinals of the All India Vijay Merchant Cricket Tournament at the Dhruv Pandove Stadium here today afternoon. With the weather gods not relenting, it was a foregone conclusion that the winners of the Punjab-Karnataka quarter-final tie would be decided by the spin of the coin. For the hosts, winning the toss was poetic justice as they needed just 61 runs with nine wickets still in hand to gain the vital first innings lead. That was till the weather started playing havoc with their intentions. In the other quarterfinal match between Haryana and Bihar played at the DCW cricket ground, bad light and a drizzle did not let the play start on the last day. Haryana skipper Deepak called correct to enable Haryana sail into the semifinals. Bihar were a bit unlucky as they had piled up an impressive 232 for 5 on the first day, before inclement weather stopped any further proceedings on the last two days which were completely washed off.
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Jaideep, Yogita upset PATIALA, Jan 7 — Barring two upsets, that of second seed Yogita Sharma in the women's singles and Jaideep Kohli seeded at No 2 in the men's singles, one-sided results were seen on the day two of the major Punjab Open Badminton Championships at the local Polo Grounds here today. Former national doubles champion Nancy Tandon never had to strain a muscle to beat Navdeep Kaur 11-3, 11-3 in the women's singles semi-finals. Nancy will meet unseeded Najma Parveen in the final. Najma in a major upset demolished local girl Yogita Sharma 4-11, 11-8, 11-8. The other results:- Mens singles (quarterfinals): Mohd Saleem (Sangrur) beat Ranjit Singh (Jalandhar) 7-15, 15-5, 15-12 Gagandeep Ratti (Jalandhar) b Neeraj Bansal (Jal) 4-15, 15-13, 15-2 Rohan Kapoor (Jal) beat Ram Lakhan (Jal) 11-7, conceded. Amandeep Sekhri (Ldh) beat Jaideep Kohli (Jal) 15-9, 15-12. Men's doubles: Chanderdeep and Gurmukh (Pta) got walk over from Ram Lakhan & Neeraj (Jal), Dilpreet and Tajinder (Ldh) beat Harinder and Vikas (Pta) 17-14, 15-10, Munish and Navdeep (Pta) b Ranjit and Gagandeep (Jal) 15-5, 15-10, Amandeep and Sunil (Ldh) beat Gurminder and Narinder (Pta) 15-11, 15-16. Women's singles (Semifinals): Nancy Tandon (Pta) b Navdeep Kaur (Pta) 11-3, 11-3 Nazma Parveen (Ldh) b Yogita Sharma (Pta) 4-11, 11-8, 11-8. Women's doubles (Q-final): Nancy and Vidhu (Pta) b Kamaljit and Kashmir (Jal) 15-11, 15-6. Sapna and Sheel (Jal) got walk over from Puneet and Amritpal (Pta) Nimrata and Saloni (Jal) b Indermeet and Nawneet (Jal) 15-5, 15-7.
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Rain washes out play NEW DELHI, Jan 7 (PTI) — All matches in the AITA All-India Delhi Open Women’s Tennis Championship at the DLTA courts were washed out today following rain that lashed the capital for the second successive day. Delhi Lawn Tennis Association cancelled today’s matches and rescheduled them for tomorrow. Only one match was
completed yesterday when second seed Karishma Patel of
Gujarat beat Nandini Perumal of Andhra Pradesh 6-2, 6-1
to move into the semifinals. |
H
Big
sports complex on the anvil CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 — Panchkula sports lovers must cheer up as a massive sports complex plan is on the anvil by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). Located on the bank of Ghaggar river in Sector 3, the phase I of the complex comprises an indoor multipurpose gymnasium, an international standard badminton hall, swimming pool, an athletic track, said Mr Devender Singh, administrator of HUDA, Panckhula. Mr Devender, who took up this post hardly two months back is taking keen interest to promote sports in this city which lack infrastructure for sportspersons. The foundation stone of this 50-acre complex had been laid by the Chief Minister Mr Bansi Lal and a sum of Rs 8 crore has been earmarked in the first phase. The 1.3-crore badminton hall will have a height of twelve and a half metre, modern lighting system, facilities for TV etc. In the multipurpose gymnasium hall for which provision has been made for Rs 3 crore the facilities for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, judo and a host of other indoor games would be provided. "The first phase is likely to be started in March and we hope to have badminton hall ready before December this year," said Mr Devender Singh, who is also the president of Haryana Badminton Association. When asked about the funding of entire project, Mr Singh said in the next course, sponsors and other institutions will be tapped. The second phase includes a 25000 seating capacity cricket stadium with flood lights, tennis and squash court, etc. During the last year Haryana hosted All India Grand Prix at Bhiwani and North Zone Inter State Badminton at Faridabad. One of the Haryana's player Sumit became the national (under 13) mini champion at Chennai in December. According to Mr Singh, Panchkula unlike Chandigarh has less of sports facilities and the proposed sports complex by HUDA might be the way for a Haryana becoming stronger in sports. Kho-kho results CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 (BOSR) — Chandigarh Senior and Sub Junior Kho-Kho Championship began today at SGGS School, Sector 35 here. Results: Sub junior (Girls): GMSS School, Sector 37-B, b Chandigarh Club (one turn and eight points). Unified Club gets w/o from GHMS-Sector 38. Sub junior (Boys): SGGS Sr Sec School, Sec 35 b GHS Sec 35 (one turn and twelve points). GHS School, Sector 32, b GMSS School, Sec 37 (one innings and five point). Senior (women): Coaching Centre (A) b, GHS, Sec 32 (Twelve points). Coaching Centre (B) b, Chandigarh Club) (nine points). Senior (men): SD (A) b, GHS Sec 35 (One innings and eleven points). SD (B) b, Unified Club (twentyone points). Chandigarh gymnastics CHANDIGARH, Jan 7 (BOSR)
— The Chandigarh Gymnastics Championship for
sub-junior, junior and seniors in boys and girls section
will begin tomorrow at Shivalik Public School, Sector 41,
Chandigarh, according to Mr D.V. Bhatia, president of the
Chandigarh Gymnastics Association and the organiser of
this three-day meet. The city gymnasts drawn from various
schools, colleges and the institutions will take part in
the tournament. |
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