Wednesday, January 20, 1999
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S P O R T | Wednesday, January 20, 1999 |
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Indians capitulate as Kiwis level
series CHRISTCHURCH, Jan 19 — Indian bowling as well as batting fell apart in the final match of the New Zealand tour today, with the team crashing to a 70-run defeat after a lucky Chris Cairns had hit up an electrifying 115 runs in 80 balls to end the one-day series two-all. Anand finishes joint second WIJK AAN ZEE (Holland), Jan 19 — Viswanathan Anand’s blazing display on the first two days of the annual Hoogovens international tournament may have stunned his rivals, who were surprised to see him attack with both black and white pieces. |
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England rout Lanka |
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Paes to concentrate on doubles
Khurasia
sparkles in Central's win Sharath,
Ramesh fashion South win Srinath,
Kirtane keep Indian hopes alive PAP
Range in basketball final All
Vijay Hazare ties at Rohtak |
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Indians capitulate as Kiwis level series CHRISTCHURCH, Jan 19 (PTI) — Indian bowling as well as batting fell apart in the final match of the New Zealand tour today, with the team crashing to a 70-run defeat after a lucky Chris Cairns had hit up an electrifying 115 runs in 80 balls to end the one-day series two-all. Indian bowlers allowed the Kiwis to plunder 121 runs in the final 10 overs with all-rounder Cairns, ruled not out by New Zealand umpire Chris King when clearly caught behind off Robin Singh with his score on 51, leading the way with seven fours and an equal number of sixes. With Sachin Tendulkar not playing due to injury, the Indian batting collapsed losing their last five wickets for only 28 runs after left-handed opener Saurav Ganguly had given the early initiative with a breezy 60 off only 50 balls. India, who had gone down 0-1 in the Test series earlier, lost touch chasing a stiff asking rate after early verve to be all out for 230 in 45.3 overs after Cairns improved his own Kiwi record for the fastest hundred in an 80-ball blitzkrieg to power New Zealand to 300 for eight wickets in 50 overs. Ganguly gave a perfect to the Indian run chase. But the rest, including skipper Mohd Azharuddin who top-scored with 63, could never really maintain the momentum. Chris Harris spearheaded the Kiwi attack claiming four for 40 with Gavin Larsen (2/34) and others lending support as Indian hopes to clinch the one-day series after losing the tests 0-1 were dashed in their last tie of the tour. Cairns (115 - 80b, 7x4, 7x6), opener Bryan Young (57) and Roger Twose (63) fed on fine batting conditions. India too looked well set as Ganguly and Jadeja (25) raised a 78-run opening stand in only 14 overs before they capitulated. Cairns smashed paceman Venkatesh Prasad (9-0-61-0) for three of his sixes and carted two off leg spinner Anil Kumble (10-0-78-1) as they bore the brunt of his fury. Only Javagal Srinath (3/44) and off-spinner Nikhil Chopra (1/36 in 8 overs) among the regulars had decent figures. Without Tendulkar, who hurt his left forearm after being struck by the handle of Ganguly’s bat going for a run at Auckland, the onus was on openers Ganguly and Jadeja. Ganguly (60- 50 b, 11 x 4) led the spirited reply with crashing drives to race to his fifty off only 42 balls though Jadeja struggled and played and missed quite a few times. Ganguly was severe on Cairns, whose first three overs cost 30 runs, while Jadeja broke out of his shell by carting skipper Dion Nash over midwicket for a six. But the left-hander fell when in full flow, top edging a short ball from Doull to deep third man Matt Horne. Jadeja also departed soon after bowled through the gate by Larsen for 25 off 39 balls (3 x 4, 1 x 6). Rahul Dravid (29 - 35 b, 2 x 4) kept rotating the strike well and completed 2000 runs in his 70th tie. He swung left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori only to be caught at deep square leg by Chris Harris which started the slide. With pressure steadily mounting as fours were hard to come by, India suffered yet another setback as Robin Singh (3) miscued a pull off Larsen straight to mid on to make it 158 for four in the 32nd over. Srinath was promoted as pinch hitter, but fell to yet another dubious decision by Chris King. He was declared leg before to Cairns to a ball pitched outside the off stump, cutting back sharply and going down the leg side. Hrishkesh Kanitkar also failed to stay, run out in a horrendous mix-up as Azhar took off, but returned to his crease after he had played Chris Cairns. Azhar (63 - 83b, 3x4, 1x6) opened up once he reached his fifty, carting Vettori for a straight six and a four through midwicket in the 39th over, but he was gone in the next over pulling a cleverly disguised slower delivery from Harris straight to McMillan at midwicket. With the Indian challenge well ended, Nayan Mongia (9) and Anil Kumble (7) with Nikhil Chopra (9 no) offered the token late resistance before New Zealand completed the win when Prasad overbalanced for Parore to complete the stumping. Earlier, New Zealand recovered from 39 for 2 in the 11th over with three half-century stands, the best coming from Twose and Cairns. New Zealand: Horne run out 0 Young run out 57 McMillan c Kumble b Srinath 6 Twose c Kumble b Srinath 63 Cairns c Ganguly b Kumble 115 Nash c Kumble b Srinath 18 Harris not out 19 Parore run out 5 Vettori b Chopra 0 Larsen not out 2 Extras (b 1, lb 6, nb 4, w 4) 15 Total (for 8 wkts in 50 overs) 300 Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-39, 3-101, 4-170, 5-255, 6-287, 7-293, 8-293. Bowling: Javagal Srinath 10-2-44-3; Venkatesh Prasad 9-0-61-0; Anil Kumble 10-0-78-1; Nikhil Chopra 8-0-36-1; Saurav Ganguly 4-0-20-0; Hrishikesh Kanitkar 4-0-24-0; Robin Singh 5-0-30-0. India Ganguly c Horne b Doull 60 Jadeja b Larsen 25 Dravid c Harris b Vettori 29 Azharuddin c McMillan b Harris 63 Robin Singh c Nash b Larsen 3 Srinath lbw b Cairns 9 Kanitkar run out 7 Mongia c Larsen b Harris 9 Chopra not out 9 Kumble lbw b Harris 7 Prasad st Parore b Harris 2 Extras (lb 6, w 1) 7 Total (all out in 45.3 overs) 230 Fall of wickets: 1-78, 2-95, 3-146, 4-158, 5-178, 6-202, 7-207, 8-213, 9-223. Bowling: Simon Doull 7-2-25-1; Chris Cairns 6-0-48-1; Dion Nash 8-0-47-0; Gavin Larsen 10-0-34-2; Chris Harris 9.3-0-40-4; Daniel Vettori 5-0-30-1.
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Khurasia sparkles in Central's win GUWAHATI, Jan 19 (PTI) — A breezy 66 off just 64 balls by India hopeful Amay Khurasia and well compiled half-centuries by Sanjay Bangar and Devendra Bundela enabled Central Zone to upset holders North by five wickets in the one-day Deodhar Trophy cricket league match at the Maligaon Railway Stadium here today. North captain Vikram Rathore won the toss on a placid pitch and elected to bat but they only managed only a modest 217 (all out) despite some mediocre bowling. It was however the electrifying knock of left-hander Khurasia that turned the tables on the strong north side boasting of India players Harbhajan Singh, Navjot Sidhu and India discard Harvinder Singh. Khurasia played the pull shot to perfection, besides fluently cutting and driving, during his innings which was studded with nine fours and one huge six to long on. Young off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who went wicketless, was guilty of dropping Khurasia off the very first ball he bowled, failing to latch on to a strong return catch with Khurasia on 27. After Khurasia left at 182 with still 36 runs to go, Mohd Kaif and Bundela played cautiously to frustrate the North bowlers, who with the exception of Rahul Sanghvi (2 for 48), failed to make any impact on the batsmen. SCOREBOARD: Extras: (lb-10, n-4, w-9) 23 Total: (all out in 45.2 overs) 217. Fall of wickets: 1/51, 2/79, 3/95, 4/139, 5/174, 6/197, 7/206, 8/213 and 9/216. Bowling: Ashish Zaidi 7-0-24-1, Sanjay Bangar 7-0-40-0, Devendra Bundela 1-0-15-0, J.P.Yadav 10-0-29-2, M. Kartik 9-0-33-0, Gyanendra Pandey 8.2-0-44-5, Pretam Gandhe 3-0-22-1. Central Zone: J.P.Yadav b Sodhi 7 Gagan Khoda c Sanghi b Harvinder 5 Amay Khurasia c R Singh b Shewag 66 Mohammed Kaif c Shewag b Rahul Sanghvi 51 Sanjay Bangar c Ajay Sharma b Rahul Sanghvi 6 Devendra Bandela not out 51 Gyanendra Pandey not out 17. Extras: (b-1, lb-3, w-12) 16. Total (for five wickets in 44.5 overs) 219. Fall of wickets: 1/13, 2/24, 3/108, 4/122, 5/182. Bowling: Harvinder Singh 7-0-33-1, RS Sodhi 6-1-17-1, Robin Singh (jr) 6-0-28-0, Harbhajan Singh 9-0-51-0, Virendra Shewag 6.5-0-38-0, Rahul Sanghvi 10-0-48-0. Sharath, Ramesh fashion South win SCOREBOARD: Extras (lb-1, nb-6, w-6) 13. Total (for nine wickets in 50 overs) 257. Fall of wickets: 1-58, 2-61, 3-75, 4-156, 5-187, 6-204 7-214, 8-227. Bowling: Dodda Ganesh 10-0-68-1, H. Ramkishen 8-0-45-1, Diwakar Vasu 10-0-41-2, K.N. Anantapadmanabhan 10-0-42-1, S. Sharath 2-0-18-0, Vijay Bharadwaj 10-0-42-0. South Zone: D. Manohar b. Morris 14 S. Ramesh run out 66 D. Vasu c and b Roul 28 R.V. Bharadwaj c. Roul b A. Das 11 S. Sharat not out 79 V. Pratap c. Raja b A. Das 4 S. Oasis run out 1 M.S.K. Prasad b A. Das 10 D. Ganesh run out 16 K.N. Anantapadmanabhan not out 5. Extras (lb-6, nb-6, w-12) 24. Total (for 8 wickets in 49.3 overs) 258 Fall of wickets: 1-40, 2-111, 3-133, 4-135, 5-148, 6-151, 7-184, 8-216. Bowling: L.R. Shukla 10-0-47-0, R. Morris 8.5-0-73-1, R. Gavaskar 8-1-34-0, S. Roul 6-0-25-1, U. Chtterjee 8-0-32-0, A. Das 9-0-41-3.
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BCCI shifts office to Calcutta CALCUTTA, Jan 19 (PTI,UNI) — The Indian cricket board today decided to shift its headquarters to Calcutta following the attack on its office in Mumbai yesterday. "In view of yesterday’s incident, the board’s headquarters are being shifted from Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai, to Eden Gardens, with immediate effect", BCCI Secretary J.Y. Lele said in a statement here. Describing the rampage by a ‘group of miscreants’ at BCCI headquarters yesterday as ‘unfortunate’, Lele said, "not only were the board’s property badly damaged, various trophies won by the Indian cricket team which are a national treasure and a matter of pride for the entire country, are missing or damaged beyond repair, including the Prudential World Cup". Alleging that the raiders wished to derive ‘political mileage through hooliganism’, Lele said: "It is really painful that the glorious game of cricket has been subjected to such a heinous attack by miscreants". International Cricket Council (ICC) President Jagmohan Dalmiya, also the President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), told newspersons that the decision to shift the headquarters was a ‘collective one’. Mr Dalmiya said the vandalism would affect the players and was making the situation non-congenial for the game of cricket. "Such vandalism will undoubtedly affect the players but they have to live with it", he said. Mr Dalmiya, however, pointed out that the tour should continue despite vandalism by a section of political activists. "The tour should not be put off. But I do not know what will happen later". When asked whether the shifting of the BCCI headquarters would demoralise players and cricket enthusiasts, Mr Dalmiya said: "Why be at a place where you are unwanted?"
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DDCA asked to raise fence NEW DELHI, Jan 19 (PTI) — Delhi police today announced several measures, including "fixing the identity" of people buying over 10 tickets for the upcoming Indo-Pak Test match here, to foil any attempt by Shiv Sainiks to disrupt the event. People purchasing more than 10 tickets will have to prove their identity which will be taken note of by the police, Joint Commissioner of Police (Northern Range) Suresh Roy told PTI. Meanwhile, Police Commissioner V.N. Singh told reporters here the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) had been asked to raise the fence around the Kotla grounds, whose pitch was dug up by Shiv Sainiks on January 6 protesting Pakistan’s support to terrorists. "The DDCA has started
the work. We have also told them to close the gaps along
the outer wall to ensure the safety of the players and
spectators," Singh said. |
Team may be diverted from Mumbai MUMBAI, Jan 19 (PTI) — The India cricket board (BCCI) would take a decision on diverting the Indian cricket team away from Mumbai on its return from New Zealand on January 21 in view of the attack on the BCCI headquarters here yesterday, and threats held out to cricketers, board President Rajsingh Dungarpur said today. "The board will decide soon on whether the Indian cricket team should return to Mumbai from New Zealand on January 21 in the light of the incident yesterday", Dungarpur told media-persons at the state secretariat here, after a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and top police officials. "The matter is being dealt with by BCCI Secretary J.Y. Lele", Dungarpur said adding "security should be provided to all cricketers just as it has been arranged for me". "I am quite sure that if there is some more trouble at any of the venues of the Indo-Pak matches, the authorities will meet the situation squarely and appropriately he said replying to queries about threats held out by the Shiv Sena to disrupt the tour. On the threat by Shiv
Sainiks that they would release poisonous snakes during
the matches, Dungarpur quipped: "We are not bothered
with snakes and ladders". The Union Home Ministry
and Munde, who is also the Maharashtra Home Minister, has
assured full security for the BCCI office bearers, staff
and cricketers, he noted. |
Anand finishes joint second WIJK AAN ZEE (Holland), Jan 19 (UNI) — Viswanathan Anand’s blazing display on the first two days of the annual Hoogovens international tournament may have stunned his rivals, who were surprised to see him attack with both black and white pieces. But Garry Kasparov playing his first tournament in almost a year indicated that he is still formidable by winning the Blitz tournament with 1.5 points to spare. Kasparov, who recently drew with Vladimir Kramnik in a 24-game Blitz event, won nine games as he logged 10.5 points from 13 games. All the 14 players playing the main tournament figured in this promotional event watched by thousands. Curiously Kasparov’s only defeat came against Bosboom, a player with a much lower rating. Anand finished joint second with Vassily Ivanchuk, but more than the second placing what may have been disappointing for him would be the loss to Kasparov in the fourth round. While still trying to recover from that, he lost another one to Ivan Sokolov, the Bosnian, who is hugely popular here having won the Dutch national title sometime back. Anand won seven of his games and drew four. In the tie-breaker Anand was adjudged second and Ivanchuk third. Playing aggressively Ivanchuk looked in good form winning nine games, but he did not play safely in any of his other games and lost four. His losses included those to Kasparov and Anand. The main tournament will re-start this evening with the third round. Anand has wins in both the first and second having beaten Dmitri Reinderman and Jeroen Piket in the first two rounds. He also emerged as the winner of the best game awards decided by the public which comes to see these matches. In the third round, Anand will meet Alexi Shirov, who last year beat Vladimir Kramnik in a widely publicised match to set up a world title clash with Kasparov. That match did not materialise because there were no sponsors. Kasparov will meet Alex Yermolinsky with whom he drew in the Blitz tournament. Final positions in the blitz tournament: Kasparov (10.5), Anand and Ivanchuk (9), Kramnik (8.5), Svidler and Topalov (6.5 each), Kasimdhzanov (6), Piket and Bosboom (5.5), Timman (5), Van Wely (4.5), Reinderman (3.5), Yermolinsky (3).
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Paes to concentrate on doubles MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (AFP) — India is not known as a tennis playing nation, but it may yet produce a grand slam winner. Indian number one Leander Paes is a top five doubles player but is also putting increasing energy into plucking youngsters off the streets of Calcutta and nurturing their talent for future success. The 25-year-old right-hander is carrying injuries and lost in the first round of the Australian Open singles yesterday but says he’s on the verge of winning a major with partner Mahesh Bhupathi. "I’m underprepared and wasn’t expecting too much this week," he said after losing in straight sets to Italian Davide Sanguinetti 6-4, 6-4, 6-1. Paes suggested he may cut back on singles commitments to concentrate on doubles. "When you are chasing the number one sport in doubles it’s very enticing. You want to get there and you do what is needed. "In the doubles we’re on the threshold of a grand slam. That is the goal, to be number one in the world and at the same time to win a grand slam this year." The pair have helped put Indian tennis on the map, winning 12 ATP titles. But below-par facilities at home have put a barrier in front of other would-be subcontinent stars, he says. "We don’t have a great sporting system like Sweden or Germany. We produce someone in the top 100 every six or seven years. That’s the gap you see now and it’s a big bridge to cross." The past few years have seen significant improvements by India’s tennis heirachy, but Paes says it will take time and much more effort before the breakthroughs are made. "Tennis is an expensive sport," he says. "There are not many kids that have that opportunity and even the ones that don’t have a real professional training system to pick them when they’re young and talented and nurture them into being in the sport at the highest level." Frustrated by lack of action, Paes, described by an International Tennis Federation official here as the nicest player on the world tennis, has taken matters into his own hands, opening a tennis academy in Calcutta. He says he is trying to solve the problems "rather than play ego with someone." "If you look at Indian tennis players they are very intelligent about their sport, they understand the game, they know what to do but we haven’t really had a true athlete come out of the subcontinent. That’s what we’re trying to enhance." After six years, he has finally got sponsors involved, teaching children "essential things like eye-hand coordination". "My real interest is to go to urban areas and pick talent from there because those are the kids that are really hungry. They have a tremendous desire to get to another level."
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England rout Lanka by 7 wickets MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (Reuters) — Graeme Hick fired 66 not out today as England outclassed Sri Lanka by seven wickets to extend their lead in the triangular series limited-overs competition to four points. England completed their fourth win from five starts when they passed Sri Lanka’s modest total of 186 with 28 balls to spare. World champions Sri Lanka have now lost their last eight one-day internationals, including all three this series. Their hopes of ending the losing streak faded almost as soon as the match began when Darren Gough ripped through their batting. The Yorkshire paceman was at his menacing best as he skittled Sri Lanka’s top order to take four for 10 from his first seven overs. He finished with four for 28 from 10 overs to win the Man of the Match award. Gough made the early breakthrough when he had Sanath Jayasuriya caught by Nasser Hussain at gully for one then forced Marvan Atapattu to edge a catch to Hick at second slip for one. He also bowled Romesh Kaluwitharana (15) and Hashan Tillekeratne (0) to leave Sri Lanka reeling at 21 for four. Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga (76) and Upul Chandana (50) gave the world champions an outside chance of victory when they added 92 for the sixth wicket but their dismissals triggered another collapse as the last five batsmen fell for just 46. England batted cautiously in reaching their target but were never in any real danger although they suffered a slight hiccup along the way. Nick Knight (31) and Stewart (20) put on 52 in 67 balls of the first wicket before they fell to paceman Nuwan Zoysa in successive deliveries. Hussain denied Zoysa his hat-trick as he and Hick careful added 62 for the third wicket to put the match out of Sri Lanka’s reach. Hussain went for 29 when he was stumped by Romesh Kaluwitharana off Muttiah Muralitharan before Hick, who scored a century in Sunday’s win over Australia in Sydney, put on 74 with John Crawley (31 not out) in an unbeaten stand to steer England home. England lead the series with eight points from five matches, ahead of Australia with four points from four starts. Sri Lanka remained without a point after three games. Sri Lanka play Australia in Hobart on Thursday. SCOREBOARD |
Sharath, Ramesh fashion South win ROURKELA, Jan 19 (PTI) — S. Sharath’s swashbuckling 78 off 66 balls and a fine 66 by opener and fellow left-hander S. Ramesh enabled South Zone to register a thrilling two wicket win over East with three balls to spare in the Deodhar Trophy one-day cricket championship at the Ispat Stadium here today. East Zone skipper Utpal Chatterjee, who won the toss and elected to bat to take advantage of the placid wicket, and his team managed to score a decent 257 for nine off the 50 overs. Though the south chase began well with Ramesh and Daniel Manohar (14) sharing a 40-run opening stand, it appeared to lose its way in the middle overs before Sharath took it upon himself to carry the team to victory with scintillating strokeplay. Requiring 23 runs off the last two overs, Sharath and K.N. Ananthapadmanabhan took nine runs of the 49th over bowled by medium pacer Laxmi Ratan Shukla. With 14 runs needed off the last over with two wickets remaining, Sharath hit a huge six off medium fast Robin Morris and scampered for a couple of twos before taking three off a no ball to reach home. Morris also bowled a wide in the over.
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Srinath, Kirtane keep Indian hopes alive AHMEDABAD, Jan 19 (PTI) — Fourth seeded Prahlad Srinath and unseeded Nitin Kirtane kept the Indian challenge alive by winning their men’s singles first round matches in the gold flake aces ITF Futures Tennis at the Ageta Courts here today. Karnataka star, Srinath, defeated his countryman V. Sridhar 6-4, 6-1 while Kirtane accounted for Vishal Uppal with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 win. In the other first round
matches, India’s Syed Fazaluddin, Harsh Mankad and
Vijay Kannan were beaten comprehensively by their seeded
opponents. Fifth seeded Micheal Kratochvil of Switzerland also wrapped up his match against Fazaluddin in just one hour and 25 minutes winning 7-5, 6-1. Vijay Kannan raised hopes against Simon Aspelin of Switzerland before losing 6-4, 7-5. In the major upset of the
day, second seeded Martin Lee of the USA was shown the
exit by unseeded Scott Barron of Ireland in straight sets
2-6, 2-6. Srinath dominated his opponent completely in the second, taking the set 6-1 and winning the match 6-4, 6-1. In the Kirtane-Uppal match, though the former committed a few unforced errors, he was always in command. Playing a serve and volley game, Kirtane won the first set 6-2, but seemed to have lost concentration as Uppal won the second set 6-4. Kirtane committed several unforced errors in the deciding set and allowed Uppal to take two games after leading 5-1. He, however, came back to the game and finished the match with a neat backhand return to take the set 6-3 and emerge winner. In the other matches, Aisam Qureshi of Pakistan continued his winning streak defeating Andrea Serra of Italy with a fluent victory 6-1, 6-0. In two other matches,
which were stretched to the third set, Canadian Jocalin
Robichand rallied to beat Jan Henrych of Czech Republic
5-7, 6-1, 6-4 and seventh seed Janathan Elrich of Israel
too made up a first set deficit to beat Allegro of
Switzerland 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. |
Korda survives; Moya ousted MELBOURNE, Jan 19 (AP) — He was on a losing streak, his ankle hurt, criticism over his drug case swirled around him, and his opponent accused him of faking injury. Thus went Petr Korda’s return to the Australian Open, where last year, at age 30, the Czech player finally won his first Grand Slam title and captured the fans’ affections with his exuberant scissors-kicks and cartwheels. The spectator support was still there today as Korda struggled to a 6-3, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2 first-round victory over 83rd-ranked Galo Blanco of Spain. Meanwhile, 37th-ranked Nicolas Kiefer of Germany ousted fourth seed Carlos Moya, the French Open champion, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, further depleting the top of the ranks. No. one Pete Sampras is staying home, and No. two Marcelo Rios dropped out yesterday with a back injury. Despite being defending champion, Korda was not invited to start out on centre court. A capacity crowd of 6,000 watched him on court one. Korda shrugged off all but the left ankle injury "swollen, and it hurts" and said today’s victory would help him a lot. He rose to No. two in the rankings after last year’s Australian Open but then slid into problems including a positive test for steroids after Wimbledon and a 2-8 record in tournament matches over the year’s last 41/2 months. He now is ranked 20th. "Right now I won a match, which really counts for me a lot. And hopefully my performance is going to go to another high level, but I am only going to try as best I can to defend my title," Korda said. He hurt his ankle while leading 4-3 in the third set. The trainer told him it would be really painful, he said, and he replied: "I’ll be on court until the last ball." Blanco, however, refused to shake his hand at the end, and later called Korda a liar who called for the trainer only to gain time to rest. "If someone asks for the trainer ... And then runs like Korda did, ... It’s almost impossible," Blanco said through an interpreter. Meanwhile, he said, his own week-old abdominal injury flared up when he was leading 4-1 in the fourth set, "so I couldn’t serve very well, and that was the key point of the match." Korda said he never had encountered such a match-end snub before as for being left off centre court, "it’s life," he said. "You can’t ask to play on the show court if your ranking is 21. ... As my father told me, it doesn’t matter, you can play on the potato field with triangular balls, but you have to play tennis." In the absence of Sampras and Rios, fifth seed Andre Agassi justified his place as one of the favourites by trouncing Hernan Gumy of Argentina 6-0, 6-3, 6-0. No. eight Greg Rusedski defeated Australian Scott Draper 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), No. ten Tevgeny Kafelnikov beat Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, and No. 15 Todd Martin rebounded for a 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Argentina’s Fernando Meligeni. Czech player Martin Damm ousted No. twelve Albert Costa of Spain 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, and Dutchman Sjeng Schalken eliminated former No. one Thomas Muster of Austria, now unseeded, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3. Women’s two-time defending champion Martina Hingis, seeded second, needed just 46 minutes to beat American Lilia Osterloh. No. four Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario beat South African Mariaan de Swardt 6-2, 6-2 and No. 7 Mary Pierce ousted Australian Cindy Watson 6-2, 6-1. Tenth seed Steffi Graf beat Argentina’s Paola Suarez 6-0 6-3. Graf will play Austrian Barbara Schwartz in the second round with Seles taking on France’s Alexia Dechaume-Balleret. No. 12 Anna Kournikova edged American qualifier Jill Craybas 7-6 (7-1), 7-5 despite 23 double faults. No. 16 Amanda Coetzer also had to struggle, winning the last three games for a 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Czech player Sandra Kleinova. No. 14 Sandrine Testud beat American Tara Snyder 6-3, 6-2. Serena Williams won 6-2, 6-3 over Romania’s Raluca Sandu. But drugs dominated discussions. Martin, president of the ATP Tour Player Council, argued that while Korda’s case was in the courts, this was not the time for criticism. "I know some guys are upset about (Korda playing), but he is, right now, not on the agent, so he is not competing at an unfair level, and I think we have to trust that," Martin said. Two former champions, Agassi and Jim Courier, questioned the light punishment given Korda, who claimed "exceptional circumstances" when he escaped a ban from competition. "If I were innocent, you couldn’t prevent me from getting up and speaking," Courier said after beating Dutch player Peter Wessels 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-0). "Everyone has got to walk their own walk. Petr and I have known each other since we were 16 years old. I would consider him a friend. I want it be very clear that this should not be considered a witch hunt against Petr." Korda has refused to
discuss the case while formal appeals are proceeding. Muster said that after a
positive test, Korda "basically shouldn’t play
until the whole thing is sorted out. ... I just think the
way this whole thing is handled is pretty weak." |
PAP Range in basketball final JALANDHAR, Jan 19 — Holder PAP Range basketball team entered in the final of 43rd Punjab Police Sports and Athletic Meet 1999 by defeating Jalandhar Range by 61-31. The five-day police meet started here today at PAP headquarters Jalandhar cantt. PAP Range team also entered in the final of volleyball final by defeating Ludhiana Range by 15-3, 15-7, 15-3. Following are the results of the first day: Basketball: Border Range beat Ludhiana Range 57-20, Jalandhar Range beat Ferozepur Range 63-24, PAP Range beat Patiala Range 70-24, Faridkot Range beat Combined Range 59-25. Semifinal: PAP Range beat Jalandhar Range 61-31. Volleyball: Jalandhar Range beat Patiala Range 15-4, 15-8, 15-6, Ferozepur beat Border Range 15-2, 15-2, 15-8, PAP beat Faridkot 15-1, 15-0, 15-2, Ludhiana beat Combined 15-4, 10-15, 15-9, 15-1. Semifinal: PAP beat Ludhiana 15-3, 15-7, 15-3, Jalandhar Range beat Ferozepur Range 15-8, 8-15, 14-16, 15-12, 15-9. Football: Faridkot beat Combined Range 2-1 Patiala beat Ferozpur Range 7-0. Handball: Patiala beat Jalandhar 21-17, PAP w/o combined, Faridkot beat Ludhiana 22-12, Jalandhar beat Ferozepore 24-10, PAP beat Ludhiana 25-10, Patiala beat Border Range 26-21. Kabaddi: Jalandhar beat Ludhiana, Faridkot beat Combined, PAP beat Ferozepur, Jalandhar beat Ferozepur, Patiala beat Border Range, PAP beat Ludhiana. Hockey: Faridkot w/o Combined Range, Ludhiana beat Ferozepur 5-0, Patiala w/o Combined, PAP Range beat Faridkot 6-0. Judo (final): Ct Sandeep Singh 1, in 56 kg (Faridkot), HC Balwinder Singh (PAP) 2, SPO Sanjay (Jal) Raj Kumar (PAP) both 3, C-11 Ashwani Kumar (PAP) 60 kg 1, Ct Jagdeep Singh (PAP) 2, SPO Baini Singh (Patiala) and Sher Singh (Faridkot) 3, C-II Hardev Singh 66 kg (PAP) 1, Rakesh Kumar (Border) 2, Dharamvir Sharma (Jal) 3, Ct Kuldip Singh, 73 kg 1, HC Manoj Kumar (PAP) 2nd, Amrik Singh (Border) and SPO Rukhwinder Kumar (Patiala) 3.
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All Vijay Hazare ties at
Rohtak ROHTAK, Jan 19 — North Zone will clash with Central Zone and East Zone will meet South Zone on the opening day of the limited over Vijay Hazare Trophy Cricket Championship which will be held here from January 26. Disclosing this Mr Aman Kumar, Secretary of the District Cricket Association (DCA) said that all the 10 matches of the championship would be held at Rohtak this year to be followed by the Poly Umrigar Trophy match scheduled to be played on February 1 between the winner of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Rest of India. Since teams from four zones of the country will be seen in action every day, the DCA has decided to hold matches at the Vishwakarma School Stadium and Maharaja Aggarsain Stadium. Both grounds have previously been used to conduct Ranji Trophy matches. Staging of the tournament mark the launching of the second spell of hectic cricket schedule for the organisers. Earlier this season, the District Cricket Association had hosted Ranji Trophy league match at Maharaja Aggarsain Stadium in October, 1998. Haryana played Cooch Behar Trophy matches against Delhi, Punjab and Himachal and Vijay Merchant Trophy matches against Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab at Vishwakarma School Stadium in November, 1998. The following is the fixture of Vijay Hazare Trophy matches to be held at Rohtak: January 26 East Zone vs South Zone, January 26 North Zone vs Central Zone, January 27 East Zone vs Central Zone, January 27 West Zone vs North Zone, January 28 North Zone vs South Zone, January 28 West Zone vs Central Zone, January 30 South Zone vs Central Zone, January 30 East Zone vs West Zone, January 31 East Zone vs North Zone, January 31 West Zone vs South Zone. Poly Umrigar Trophy: February 1 winner of Vijay Hazare trophy versus Rest of India.
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India-Lanka tie at SAS Nagar CHANDIGARH, Jan 19 — The World Masters Cricket Series involving West Indies, Sri Lanka and the hosts India which was postponed due to bad weather has been rescheduled. The match between India and Sri Lanka will be played at PCA Stadium, SAS Nagar on February 2, while India versus West Indies match would be hosted on February 9 at Jalandhar. The two matches of the series will be played in Punjab whereas the remaining would be played in Delhi. This was announced by Mr M.P. Pandove, Secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association.
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H
Jalandhar kho-kho JALANDHAR, Jan 19 (FOSR) — Government Middle School, Gura, beat Police DAV Public School by 5-3 in the men's opening match, while in the women's section KMV beat Government School, Virk, in the Jalandhar District Kho Kho Championships here yesterday. The following are the results: Boys section: Govt High School, Chak Des Raj beat Govt High School Baloki by 9-2; Govt High School Partapura, beat R.N. Memorial School, Geeta Mandir Model Town by 6-2, DAV Sr Sec School Apra beat Govt Sr Sec School, Chakkalha by 8-2; Govt Sr Sec School, Udhowal beat Govt School Bhogpur by 11-9; Govt Sr Sec School, Talhan, beat Govt School Virk by 15-3, and Govt Middle School Gura beat Police Public DAV School by 5-3. Girls section: Govt Middle School Gura beat Police DAV Public School by 6-4, KMV beat Govt School Virk by 15-2 and Govt Girls School Jandyala beat Guru Nanak National College by 18-7. Patiala B'ball PATIALA, Jan 19 (FOSR) — The Patiala District Basketball Championships which was to commence on January 19, have now been postponed, according to Mr Gurbir Singh Biru, Secretary, Patiala District Basketball Association. The dates of the tournament will be announced later, according to a press release issued by the District Basketball Association. D.S. Virk dead PATIALA, Jan 19 (FOSR) — The senior vice-president of the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Dr D.S. Virk died in his sleep late yesterday night due to a massive heart attack. Dr D.S. Virk, a homoeopath by profession, was also the honorary secretary of the Punjab Weightlifting Association. His cremation was largely attended. Dr Virk was also the
honorary secretary of the Punjab Body Building
Association and Punjab Yoga Association apart from being
the senior vice-president of the Indian Yoga Association. |
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