Argentinian soccer in dire straits
BUENOS AIRES, July 21 — Argentinian football is suffering a crisis in confidence following a disappointing showing in the Copa America and other more serious problems off the pitch.

Moya struggles to reach 3rd round
STUTTGART, July 21 — Second seed Carlos Moya made a successful, if struggling, return to clay-court tennis seven weeks after he last played on the surface, reaching the third round of the $ 1.05 million Mercedes Cup.

Mongia took ‘catch of the tournament’
VADODARA, July 20 — Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia has been selected as the best catch-taker of the World Cup cricket tournament which concluded in June in England.

Hooper wants to play club cricket
MELBOURNE, July 21 — Former West Indies Test allrounder Carl Hooper wants to play club cricket here next summer but has shunned the possibility of representing Victoria in the national Sheffield Shield competition.

India clash with Zimbabwe on Sept 4
MUMBAI, July 21 — India will play against Zimbabwe on September 4 to open their campaign in the tri-nation tournament to be played at Singapore’s Kallong ground.

Rafter set to grab No 1 ranking
BRISBANE, July 21 — John McEnroe once called Pat Rafter a one Slam wonder — and ended up with egg on his face. Coaches were also left eating humble pie after warning the now accomplished serve-and-volley exponent to stay away from the net.

B’minton catching sponsors’ eye
CHANDIGARH, July 16 — After cricket and tennis it is now the turn of badminton which might be taking the headlines of the popularity graph.

Prasad loses; Kunte held by Wipperman
BIEL (Switzerland), July 21 — National champion Krishnan Shashikiran (2) continued his campaign in style with a smooth victory over his team-mate V. Sarvanan (1) in the second round of the International Chess Festival being played here.

Australians exude confidence
SYDNEY, July 21 — Australian captain Lesley Bowrey said today she had yet to decide who would partner Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jelena Dokic in the doubles of this week’s Federation Cup qualifier in Amsterdam.

Cup victory no reason for 2 teams: Taylor
SYDNEY, July 21 — Former captain Mark Taylor said yesterday Australia’s World Cup cricket triumph did not justify the decision to select separate Test and limited overs teams.

National roller hockey camp

Punjab, Haryana eves advance

TIRUPATI, July 21 (PTI) — Dawinder Kaur slammed three goals to help Punjab thrash lowly Andhra Pradesh 5-0 in their second group ‘A’ league match in the sixth women’s Federation Cup hockey here this morning.

As expected, the match proved to be a one-sided affair with the strong Punjab girls dominating the entire proceedings and never allowing the hosts to come anywhere near the goal area. The winners led 3-0 at the break.

Striker Harminderpal Kaur struck the other two goals as Punjab, who lost by a solitary goal to Bihar in their opening encounter yesterday, gained three vital points to open their account.

The victory margin could have been much bigger but for a few solid saves effected by Andhra Pradesh goalkeeper C Haseena, who was under constant pressure throughout with Punjab forcing as many as eight penalty corners.

With an overcast sky providing a perfect setting, Punjab stamped their supremacy from the start. Captain Rajwinder Kaur and Monika Rana combined well to initiate several scoring opportunities, which were utilised by Dawinder and Harminder.

Andhra Pradesh girls struggled even to take the ball beyond the half-line. Whenever they were in possession of the ball, Punjab players came up with neat interceptions to wrest control.

It was Arminderpal Kaur who put Punjab in the lead in the eighth minute through their third penalty corner. Kulwinder Kaur took the shot, but the ball rebounded off the pads of Hassena and Harminder tapped it in.

The second goal came in the 23rd minute when Rajwinder gave a good pass to Dawinder in the centre for the latter to take a first time shot at the goal.

Six minutes later, Monika Rana fed Rajwinder Kaur on the right, who in turn passed it to Harminder. Dawinder sounded the board much to the chagrin of the thin crowd which had came to watch their home team in action.

Punjab continued their relentless attack in second half with Harminder scoring the fourth goal in the 45th minute off a pass from Monika Rana. Dawinder completed the tally deflecting a shot from Rajwinder from outside.

Punjab play their last league match against favourites Indian Railways tomorrow.

Railways, Haryana win

UNI adds: Scoring twice in each session, star studded Indian Railways began their title defence in style vanquishing Bihar 4-0 while Haryana defeated Uttar Pradesh 3-1 later in the evening.

Railways who won the Federation Cup at Ranchi in 1996 for fourth time played like champions and there was never doubt as they were far superior in every department.

Railways started off slow as they wanted to have the feel of the gravel ground and once they settled down they not only picked up speed but also steamrolled Bihar who had four members from the team which played in the four-nation hockey tournament at New Jersey last month.

The only grey area which was felt in the Railways side was their conversion of penalty corners. They gained seven corners but did not convert while Bihar forced three in vain.

Railways scored their first two goals in the 8th and 18th minutes which came from the stick of international Fardina Ekka. The second one scored by Ekka was a gem of goal when she centred a rasping drive for Kamala Dalal on the left flank.

At half time Railways were leading 2-0. In the second half Railways played a slow game but nevertheless they pumped in two goals through international Pritam Siwach.

Thais confident; India cautious
Pre-Olympic soccer tie

CALCUTTA, July 21 (PTI) — Fresh from their confidence-boosting 2-0 triumph in the home leg, Thailand’s footballers are confident of prevailing over the Indians again when they clash in the pre-Olympic Asia group-9 second leg match at the Salt Lake Stadium on July 24.

“We are here to win. Our confidence is high after winning the first match and we will put up a better show here’’, the team’s chief coach Prapol Phongphanick told reporters shortly after landing in the city.

He said his boys should have won the home match by a bigger margin but would try to improve their performance, having got an idea about the Indian style of play.

“The Indians are a good team and we cannot take them lightly in their own country. But they played too defensively in the first leg match’’, the chief coach observed.

India lost 0-2 to Thailand at Suphan Buri near Thailand after conceding two second half goals.

The 18-member Thai team, accompanied by 10 officials, reached here in the afternoon.

The team, which will get just one full day to get acclimatised to the monsoon conditions here, will have a workout tomorrow.

But Phongphanick is not unduly worried about the slippery and slushy ground conditions they could encounter due to the persistent rains. “We are quite used to such slushy ground conditions. We are prepared for it,” he said.

The Thai chief coach is assisted by three assistant coaches, including Piyaponq Pue-On, a reputed national player till recently.

Phongpanick revealed that the team had undergone a six-month training programme for the pre-Olympic qualifiers. The training programme included a few exposure trips.

“The boys are capable of playing much better. They will improve with more international exposure”, he observed.

The team will undertake an exposure trip to the United Kingdom if they managed to qualify to the next round, he said.

The Indians, who have no option but to beat the Thais by a 3-0 margin to progress into the next round, had another strenuous practice session under chief coach P K Banerjee at the SAI Sports Complex here.

Injuries to a few key players like Dipak Mondal, Alvito D’Cunha, Hardeep Sangha and Surjeet Singh has kept the Indians a little worried though the team management was confident they would all recover and take the field on Saturday.

Doul unlikely for second Test

LONDON, July 21 (AFP) — To some extent, history will be on New Zealand’s side tomorrow when they start the second Test against England at the Lord’s, a match they have to win to keep alive their hopes of taking the series.

One-nil down with three Tests to play following the Edgbaston defeat at the start of the month, Stephen Fleming’s side will take some comfort from England’s poor record at cricket’s headquarters.

Their hosts have won only 34 of 94 matches at Lord’s and four of the last 22 Test matches there.

The only problem is that their own Lord’s record is even more dismal. New Zealand have never won a Test at the home of cricket, losing five and drawing seven of their 12 visits.

Skipper Fleming blamed reckless strokeplay for the first Test defeat at Edgbaston, where the Kiwis led by 100 on the first innings but were skittled out for 107 in the second and lost by seven wickets with two days to spare.

“Some of the shots we played were reckless and there is no excuse for them,” said Fleming. “In Test cricket it’s not good enough and it cost us the match.

“We bowled pretty well and that got us into the game, but to win tests you have to give the bowlers runs to bowl at.

“The next Test is very important for us, we can’t afford to go two down and we’ve got to play better cricket, especially in the batting area.

The Kiwis will have to make do without strike bowler Simon Doull after he underwent micro-surgery on his right knee a week ago.

But fellow bowlers Geoff Allott and Dion Nash are fit after being used sparingly in the Kent game which finished on Sunday, allowing in-form left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori and Chris Cairns good work-outs.

“We are pleased with our preparation,” said Fleming. “We are in good heart but that doesn’t win Test matches. We have got to be really focused on the job but we are all looking forward to Lord’s Test because it will be a great occasion.”

England will be without Darren Gough, who has just failed to gain full match fitness following his calf injury.

Chairman of selectors David Graveney admits the home side need to “overcome the gremlins” they suffered at Edgbaston and Nasser Hussain is determined the Lord’s jinx won’t spoil his winning start as captain.

“It’s something we would like to put right,” said Hussain. “But as far as I am concerned, we are 1-0 up with three Tests to go.

England may stick with the winning 11 from Edgbaston, though bowler Dean Headley is also in contention.

Former captain Alec stewart, the last player to score a century for England in Melbourne six innings ago, will be under pressure again as he opens batting with Mark Butcher. Stewart, who lost the captaincy after a poor World Cup, made 1 and 0 in the seven-wicket first Test win.

“It was difficult for him playing in his first game not as captain,” said Graveney. “It wasn’t easy for anyone to bat. We’ve decided to stand by him — he’s a class player. He’s had a struggle this year, but we back his ability.

Argentinian soccer in dire straits

BUENOS AIRES, July 21 (AFP) — Argentinian football is suffering a crisis in confidence following a disappointing showing in the Copa America and other more serious problems off the pitch.

Domestic football has been blighted by crowd violence, stadiums have been closed, the finances of the game are in a parlous state with several clubs on the verge of bankruptcy and the activities of the national team have recently resembled something of a vaudeville act.

The Copa America exit at the hands of eventual winners Brazil was followed by a public slanging match between coach Marcelo Bielsa and striker Jose Luis Calderon.

Insults were traded between the two men and only intervention from senior players Diego Simeone and Roberto Ayala prevented a public brawl in the departure lounge at Asuncion airport.

Events on the field were not much better. Martin Palermo wrote himself into the record books by missing three penalties in the group match with Colombia — an unprecedented “achievement” that subjected him to widespread ridicule.

But what was noticeable as the Boca juniors striker stepped forward to take his ill-fated third kick was that not a single colleague offered to relieve him of his duties.

At least in the quarter-final with Brazil Ayala did the decent thing when Argentina were given the chance to square the match from the penalty spot and spared further humiliation for Palermo.

Unfortunately Ayala also missed — fatally for his side.

In fairness to Bielsa he rested many of his European-based players — notably striker Gabriel Batistuta and midfielder Juan Veron — with an eye on the World Cup qualifying campaign.

But those Copa-related misfortunes are nothing in comparison to the malaise afflicting the domestic scene.

The stadiums of top clubs Boca Juniors, San Lorenzo, Huracan and Velez Sarsfield have been provisionally closed by the Argentinian Interior Ministry until ground improvements are made.

That decision is being contested in the courts. Many clubs do not have the financial clout to make such big investments. Racing Club have even been wound up by the courts although it looks like some kind of survival package could still be put together.

And indication of the precarious economic climate came during the Copa. Palermo’s triple blunder causes shares in his club Boca to plunge by 4.68 per cent.

That was because the hapless striker — with 32 goals in 35 games for Boca last term — is seen as the club’s biggest asset in the transfer market with several Spanish clubs — notably Atletico Madrid — rumoured to be monitoring developments.

Palermo’s penalty panic attacks may have persuaded them to put away their cheque books.

And the crowds are hardly likely to come flooding back while safety remains such a concern for supporters.

Last year’s season was marred by persistent crowd violence with players — in fear for their safety — going on strike at one point.

It is all very dispiriting for a country that boasted a giant reputation in the recent past.

Argentina reached three out of four World Cup finals between 1978 and 1990, winning twice in 1978 and 1986.

Their inspirational star in those glory days Diego Maradona has now retired.

And many people now believe that is why the country’s football scene is in such dire straits.

Enzo Francescoli, the Uruguayan striker who has just retired after ending his career with River Plate, issued an ominous warning for his adopted country.

Pointing out that it took Brazil 24 years to win the World Cup again following the departure of their inspiration Pele, Francescoli said: “Argentinian football is on trial, having the pressure of being one of the great teams in South America is not easy.”

Maradona himself said: “I do not know if the team is missing Diego (a reference to himself) but those lessons (in football) we produced should never be lost. Argentina has gained a prestige that it must never lose.”

Predictably Bielsa has been many people’s scapegoat for the current crisis in confidence although Maradona has said that the former Espanyol boss is not being allowed to lead the team as he would like, saying the Argentinian Football Association was exerting undue influence.

He said: “We must give Bielsa his head, he must continue but it must be with the clarity we did not have now.”

It looks as though Bielsa will carry on. But it remains to be seen if he is the man who can deliver the pick-me-up the Argentinian game so badly needs.

Will Azhar bounce back?
By Abhijit Chatterjee
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 21 — When the national selectors of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) meet at Nagpur on July 28 to select the captain for the triangular series in Sri Lanka between world champions Australia, Sri Lanka and India their choice could be anybody’s guess.

With most pundits agreeing that Mohammad Azharuddin has outlived his utility as captain for the national squad, a change seems inevitable. But if BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur has his way then Azharuddin will certainly be given the reins of the squad again.

The talking point is that in the World Cup the Indian skipper looked a pale shadow of his former self. Not only was his own form indifferent, but he could not provide the right kind of leadership to the squad. The only occasion when the Indian captain came into his own was the “Super Six” match against Pakistan. He marshalled his resources extremely well, consulted senior players, including Sachin Tendulkar and vice-captain Ajay Jadeja, as India beat the one team they most wanted to.

This one success went to show the diehard Indian fans what could have happened if the Indian team had played in top gear right through the tournament. That did not happen. And with it started the demand for Azharuddin’s sack.

Azharuddin, who underwent a shoulder operation in London after the conclusion of the World Cup, might “diplomatically” decide to pull out of the tournament in Sri Lanka on grounds of fitness. But in any case no Indian player has played serious cricket after the conclusion of the World Cup and the Indian selectors will, per force, have to go by old performances and forms.

The one candidate ready for the job, just in case the selectors decide to “drop” Azharuddin for the tour of Sri Lanka, is vice-captain Jadeja. So far Jadeja has led India on eight occasions winning five and losing three But it were at Sharjah where he lead the Indian team to victories against England as well as Pakistan that really put him in a position of strength.

So much so that when in the World Cup things became difficult for India certain experts were of the view that Azharuddin should step down and the reins of the squad should be handed over to Jadeja. However, it goes to the credit of the BCCI and all those connected with the game that such a farfetched scheme did not find any takers.

Pundits are of the view that Azharuddin has been given plenty of chances to redeem himself. For somebody who has lead the team in 174 one-dayers he has only himself to blame for the state of affairs. But one thing in his favour is the fact that he has bounced back on more than one occasion and one should not be surprised if he is again appointed captain.

The advantage of appointing Jadeja is that he is a young man with a lot of cricket left in him. He is also a team man unlike Azharuddin who always seems to be a loner. Jadeja is in good nick and could grow to become a very competent captain if given a chance. Certain segments may say that Jadeja is basically a one-day player and even now he finds it difficult to make the Test squad. This argument doesn’t hold water at all.

Remember Rahul Dravid dubbed as a test player becoming the shining star of the World Cup. Similarly, Jadeja, too, can fit in the test squad and this should not go against him. The dark horse in the race for captaincy can well be “super star” Sachin Tendulkar. Having lead the Indian team on 54 occasions — winning just 17 — he can again take on the job. But for him to take over the selectors will have to ensure that no “senior” player (read Mohammad Azharuddin) is included in the squad. The young mastero has indicated that he is not disclined to take over the job but for him to be a success it must be ensured that Azharuddin is not there to form a pressure group within the team.

One must also remember Azharuddin’s performance with the bat when Sachin was at the helm of affairs.True, he could be going through a bad patch. It is for this reason why one is advocating that just in case the national selectors do decide to have a new captain he should not be weighed down with having to carry a “senior” player along when a new man is given charge of the squad.

Moya struggles to reach 3rd round

STUTTGART, July 21 (AFP) — Second seed Carlos Moya made a successful, if struggling, return to clay-court tennis seven weeks after he last played on the surface, reaching the third round of the $ 1.05 million Mercedes Cup.

Moya overcame Czech Bohdan Ulihrach 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), taking nearly two hours to get the job done.

The seed lost a third-set lead and had to fight through a tie-breaker against Ulihrach, a journeyman ranked 38th and a quarterfinalist here a year ago.

The clay-bred Spaniard last appeared on his natural surface in the fourth round of the French Open as his title defence was ended by a loss to eventual champion Andre Agassi.

Moya then switched over to grass for two events, losing in the semifinals at Halle and going out in the second round at Wimbledon to Jim Courier.

The 22-year-old former world No 1 will try and prolong his return to clay, playing next week at Umaq, Croatia, as top seed. He will then play at North American hardcourt, Cincinnati starting on August 9.

The fairy-tale run of German Bjorn Phau was brought to a quick end by 12th seed Francisco Clavet, who won their second-round contest 6-4, 6-0.

Phau, the 19-year-old son of an Indonesian father and a German mother, who won his first top-level career match on Monday had already been grilled about his willingness to play Davis Cup for Germany in September’s make-or-break relegation round tie with Romania.

Tennis-mad Germany is reeling from the retirement of longtime sporting icon Boris Becker and the apparent goodbye later this year of 22-time Grand Slam winner Steffi Graf.

Until changing his mind at Wimbledon, Becker, head of the Mercedes junior team which sponsors Phau and others, was to have completed his career here this week.

Australian Richard Fromberg dumped out 15th seed Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 7-6 (7-0).

1993 Stuttgart winner Maqnus Gustafsson, at 32 the oldest man in the field, ousted Morocco’s Hicham Arazi 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Mongia took ‘catch of the tournament’

VADODARA, July 20 (UNI) — Indian wicketkeeper Nayan Mongia has been selected as the best catch-taker of the World Cup cricket tournament which concluded in June in England.

Nayan Mongia said he had received a congratulatory letter from Mr Mike Eary saying that the Daily Telegraph had published his (Mongia) catch against Pakistan as the catch of the tournament.

His catch of Azhar Mehmood of Pakistan off the bowling of Anil Kumble, in the Super Six league match between India and Pakistan was voted the best catch of the tournament.

He said he felt elated and would treasure this honour for the rest of his life. “I never thought of this (best catcher) honour even in my dreams.”

Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Honorary Secretary, Mr J. Y. Lele said “It is creditable for Mongia and Indian cricket team”. He said despite the fact that Mongia was injured, his catch of Azhar Mehmood was voted as the best catch of the tournament, which is “most creditable”.

Hooper wants to play club cricket

MELBOURNE, July 21 (AFP) — Former West Indies Test allrounder Carl Hooper wants to play club cricket here next summer but has shunned the possibility of representing Victoria in the national Sheffield Shield competition.

Hooper, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, was here today for talks with the Carlton Cricket Club.

Club president Colin Lovitt said Hooper was interested in playing club cricket in Melbourne following South Australia’s inability to agree terms with the Guyana-born batsman.

Hooper now lives in Adelaide after marrying an Australian, but the SA Cricket Association was unable to afford his services.

Lovitt said the missing link in Carlton securing the servces of Hooper was a sponsorship deal to help pay for the experienced strokemaker.

Carlton last summer boasted the services of former Pakistan Test wrist spinner Abdul Qadir, who took 73 wickets to romp away with the Ryder Medal, the award for Melbourne’s best district cricketer.

Lovitt said Qadir wanted an increased fee to return to play for Carlton, forcing the club to look elsewhere.

He said Hooper was likely to give a definite answer of his intentions to the club within a fortnight.

“He’s very interested and looks like he would fit in really well, he’s a great role model and a hell of a nice guy,” Lovitt said.

India clash with Zimbabwe on Sept 4

MUMBAI, July 21 (PTI) — India will play against Zimbabwe on September 4 to open their campaign in the tri-nation tournament to be played at Singapore’s Kallong ground.

West Indies are the third team in the line-up.

India will also take part in the four-nation tournament to be held at the Kenyan capital of Nairobi from September 24 along with the hosts Zimbabwe and South Africa.

According to Indian cricket board sources here today, the board has refused to play in a best-of-three final format in both the tournaments.

The itinerary:

Three-nation tournament: Sept 2: West Indies vs Zimbabwe. Sept 4: India vs Zimbabwe. Sept 5: India vs West Indies. Sept 7: Final.

Four-nation tournament: Sept 24: Kenya vs Zimbabwe. Sept 25: Kenya vs India. Sept 26: South Africa vs India. Sept 27: South Africa vs Zimbabwe. Sept 28: India vs Zimbabwe. Sept 29: Kenya vs South Africa. October 1: Final.

Rafter set to grab No 1 ranking

BRISBANE, July 21 (AFP) — John McEnroe once called Pat Rafter a one Slam wonder — and ended up with egg on his face.

Coaches were also left eating humble pie after warning the now accomplished serve-and-volley exponent to stay away from the net.

But those sporting the deepest blushes were those who doubted the 26-year-old Australian and two-time US Open winner would ever make it to number one in the world.

Nine years after joining the ATP Tour at No 444, Rafter will become the world’s No 1 ranked men’s tennis player on Monday when the Tour’s new rankings are released.

The popular Queenslander, who led from the front in the 4-1 Davis Cup defeat of the US last weekend, officially takes over tennis’ top spot from flamboyant American Andre Agassi thanks to the quirks of the tour’s points system, after hovering at No 2 and No 3 the past few years.

“He deserves it,” says his proud mum and number one fan, Jocelyn Rafter. “It’s not something Pat really talks much about. Winning Davis Cup has always been number one with Pat, Wimbledon is number two and I guess being number one in the world comes after that.”

Rafter will become only the 17th player since volatile Ilie Nastase in August 1973 and first Australian since current Davis Cup coach John Newcombe to hold the No 1 ranking.

Newcombe was 30 when he was world No 1 almost 25 years ago to the day.

Because neither Agassi nor Pete Sampras entered this week’s Stuttgart tournament, Rafter officially moves to the top of the ATP rankings on Monday by 79 points.

But to stay there, he’ll have to defend some big ranking points in Montreal and also in Cincinnati, two tournaments he won last year leading up to his US Open defence.

Rafter grew up in Mount Isa, the north Queensland mining township which produced another Australian world sporting No 1, golf’s “Great White Shark” Greg Norman.

He’s come a long way since his ATP Tour debut in 1991 in his hometown of Brisbane against Russian Andrei Chesnokov — a 4-6 1-6 loss which earned him just one ranking point and his first prizemoney cheque of $ 2,340.

It was a small yet significant step for the energetic, pony-tailed, unorthodox serve-and-volleyer entering a world dominated by baseline sluggers.

He completed his apprenticeship year on the Tour with a positive 5-3 win/loss record, a modest career bank balance of $ 4,890 in prize money and a world ranking of 358.

But Rafter’s career didn’t take off until 1997, the year he toppled Greg Rusedski to win the first of his two US Opens.

He moved into the world’s top 50 in March of that year and eventually finished ranked No 3 behind American Pete Sampras with another $ 2.7 million in the bank.

Two years on and Rafter’s record now stands at nine singles and nine doubles titles, with more than $ 9 million (about Rs 38.7 crore) in prize money earned.

His results this year, however, have been solid rather than spectacular after a slow start.

B’minton catching sponsors’ eye
By Arvind Katyal

CHANDIGARH, July 16 — After cricket and tennis it is now the turn of badminton which might be taking the headlines of the popularity graph.

The Barcelona Olympics of 1992 saw nearly 120 countries playing this game all over the globe which in case of cricket are almost one fourth. Tennis has also entered every household. The recent wins of the Leander-Bhupathi combine in the two Grand Slams, including the the Wimbledon, have further boosted the morale of the players and the people.

Badminton became popular when the former world champion Prakash Padukone donned the Indian colours in 1080’s. Gopi Chand and Aparna Popat in men’s and women’s section have recently put all speculations to an end with superb performance in the Commonwealth games.

Last year with the change in the structure of the Badminton Association of India and with the appointment of Prakash Padukone as Executive President of the BAI, the new sponsors have started spending on the game.

The year 1999 alone will account for nearly 30 lakh as prize money to be distributed in various Grand Prix and the national tournaments in the different age groups in the domestic circuit. The prize money offered in the international circuit in juniors and seniors section will run into crores.

This year in June, All India Grand Prix was organised at Guwahati with Rs 4 lakh as prize money. Then Rs 1.5 lakh prize money meet was organised for juniors (Khaitan Memorial) in July. Next month Grand Prix for seniors will be organised by BPL group at Bangalore Rs 4 lakh being the prize money.

The zonal inter-state tournaments will be hosted by various zones in September. Mini and sub junior nationals will be held at Vijayawada in October, while Asian satellite tournament will be at Hyderabad in December. Lucknow will play host to the Rs 8 lakh Grand Prix of seniors in December followed by junior nationals at Kohima. The senior nationals will also attract the prize money of nearly Rs 4 lakh.

The Indian players can also look forward to various international meets which offer handsome prize money. These include, Singapore open in August ($ 1,70,000), Indonesian Open at Bali in September ($ 1,50,000), US Open at California ($ 30,000) again in September, Senior ABC Championship in the same month (Rs 1,36,000).

In October this year, Dutch Open, German Open and Danish Open have also been planned total amount at stake being 2,20,000. Another big prize money will be in Hong Kong by the name Hong Kong Open which carries the prize money of $ 1,70,000. Apart from these, Norwegian International and Toulouse Open prize money meets are on the anvil.

Prasad loses; Kunte held by Wipperman

BIEL (Switzerland), July 21 (UNI) — National champion Krishnan Shashikiran (2) continued his campaign in style with a smooth victory over his team-mate V. Sarvanan (1) in the second round of the International Chess Festival being played here.

Shashi employed classical variation with white against Sarvanan’s king’s Indian defence. After a complicated opening battle, Sarvanan was left with a bad bishop against Shashi’s dominating knight. The young national champion steered the game into an winning endgame and Sarvanan was forced to resign as he was losing all the queen-side pawns.

International master D.V Prasad (1) employed ritcher-rauzer attack with white pieces against grandmaster Greenfeld’s (2) sicilian defence. Both the players castled on the opposite wings and attacked each others kings with pawn storms. The seventh seed grandmaster from Israel was first to strike and won the game with a nice combination on 35 the move.

Young Abhijit Kunte’s bid for the final grandmaster norm suffered a big blow as he was held to a draw by lowly-rated Wipperman (1) of Germany. Abhijit (1) employed alapin variation playing white side of sicilian defence. The young Indian international master went for a king-side attack but was unlucky to miss the winning move. Wipperman defended well to split the point.

In a yet another all-Indian affair grandmaster Praveen Thipsay (1.5) was held to a draw by national junior champion S. Kidambi (1.5) in a king’s Indian defence. In a game of fluctuating fortunes Kidambi reached an endgame with a powerful white squared bishop against Thipsay’s less active pieces. Thipsay however, used all his experience to draw the game after a long struggle.

IWM Anupama Gokhale (0.5) opened here account with a draw against N. Saleh (0.5) of the UAE. Anupama employed king’s Indian defence against Saleh’s irregular setup. As both the players approached the time control Saleh exchanged a pair of rooks in an equal position to offer a draw which was immediately accepted.

Important results from second round:

GM I Nemet (1) Sui lost to GM Shariyazdanov (2) Rus; IM A Grischuk (1) Rus lost to IM Cherniaev (2) Rus; IM DV Prasad (1) Ind lost to GM Greenfeld (2) Isr; IM K Shashikiran (2) Ind beat IM V Saravanan (1) Ind; S Kidambi (1.5) Ind drew GM P Thipsay (1.5) Ind; IM A Kunte (1) Ind drew Wipperman (1) Ger; N Saleh (0.5) UAE drew A Gokhale (0.5) Ind.

Australians exude confidence

SYDNEY, July 21 (AFP) — Australian captain Lesley Bowrey said today she had yet to decide who would partner Wimbledon quarterfinalist Jelena Dokic in the doubles of this week’s Federation Cup qualifier in Amsterdam.

Bowrey, who is making her Federation Cup debut, said she had not yet decided whether Nicole Pratt or Alicia Molik would partner the Yugoslav-born Dokic, who burst onto the scene at Wimbledon after ousting top seed Martina Hingis in the first round.

But Bowrey said she was confident of securing a berth for Australia — ranked No 2 behind Belarus in the Amsterdam qualifier — in next year’s Federation Cup.

“It’s going to be a tough week for all the teams, possibly playing four days in a row,” Bowrey said in a statement released by Tennis Australia.

“But the girls have been hitting well in practice so I think we’ve got a great shot at getting into the world group next year.” Just 16, Dokic is Australia’s top-ranked player at 39 and carrying Australia’s Federation Cup hopes.

Bowrey said she and the rest of the Australian team were up to the task set to begin later today against Argentina. “It’s almost one year ago to the day that we beat Argentina 5-0 in Canberra without dropping a set,” Bowrey said.

Cup victory no reason for 2 teams: Taylor

SYDNEY, July 21 (AFP) — Former captain Mark Taylor said yesterday Australia’s World Cup cricket triumph did not justify the decision to select separate Test and limited overs teams.

Taylor, who retired from international cricket earlier this year, said he hoped the two national teams would come closer together.

He said Australia had gone “reasonably well” under his successor Steve Waugh.

Left-handed opening batsman Taylor retired from all first-class cricket at the end of last summer but lost the Australian limited overs captaincy to Waugh at the start of the 1997-98 season when the Australian Cricket Board (ACB) opted for separate Test and one-day sides.

Taylor pointed out it was established Test stars and match winners rather than limited overs specialists who had been the major contributors to Australia’s World Cup triumph in England last month.

Asked whether the victory justified ACB’s controversial policy of opting for separate teams Taylor replied: “No.”

“If you look at the World Cup final sides in 1996 and 1999 there were only three different players, so really we had pretty well the same side as three years ago, so I still don’t believe that’s the right way to go,” he said.

National roller hockey camp
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 21 — The national roller hockey coaching camp began here yesterday at Sector 10 for the preparation of the Indian men’s and women’s roller hockey team for the forthcoming Asian Skating Championship in China.

Fifteen women skaters from Bangalore, Nagpur, Panipat, Panchkula and Chandigarh are participating while eight boys from Patiala and Chandigarh have joined the camp. Harpreet Singh Kirti is the chief coach.

Punjab waterpolo meet

LUDHIANA, July 21 (FOSR) — The 25th Punjab State Waterpolo Championship for boys and girls will be held at Brajindra College, Faridkot, from July 28 to 30, according to Col Raminder Singh, President, Punjab Swimming Association (PSA).

Entries close on July 27 with Mr Balraj Sharma, General Secretary, PSA.