Thursday, June 10, 1999
today's calendar
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S P O R T | Thursday, June 10, 1999 |
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British
media hails victory Confident
Kiwis take on South Africa today Wives,
cell phones real culprits? Srinath,
Fazaluddin enter last 4 Champions
Trophy from today India
lose in tour opener |
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Johnson’s gallant ton of no avail LONDON, June 10 (PTI) — Australia quelled a spirited Zimbabwe fightback to pull off a 44-run win in the World Cup Super Six match at the Lord’s yesterday to take their points tally to four and move closer towards clinching a semi-final berth. Put in to bat, Australia rode on a magnificent 104 by Mark Waugh and his rollicking 129-run stand with twin Steve to pile up a huge 303 for four in 50 overs and then restricted Zimbabwe to 259 for six despite a swashbuckling 132 not out from opener Neil Johnson. Undaunted by a stiff target, the African side began their run chase with aplomb seeking to repeat their upset win against the same opponents in 1983. Zimbabwe, virtually assured of a semi-final spot with five points in their kitty, put on 39 runs for first wicket before Grant Flower (21) fell leg before to Glenn McGrath. But uninhibited strokeplay by all-rounder Johnson (132 —144b, 14x4, 2x6) and Murray Goodwin (47 — 56b, 7x4) enabled Zimbabwe to post 114 runs for the second wicket as the duo treated the formidable Australian attack with disdain. Australian skipper Steve Waugh introduced Shane Warne in the 10th over but the gamble backfired as Johnson struck the leg-spinner for four boundaries to realise 16 runs form the over. While Johnson was particularly harsh with Warne, whose first spell of three overs cost him 29 runs, Goodwin hammered five boundaries off Paul Reiffel as the lanky paceman conceded 30 runs from four overs. Immediately after reaching his 50, Johnson picked up Tom Moody as his next victim, hitting the all-rounder for a four and a six to realise 13 runs from an over. When Warne was brought back in the 21st over, he went for 11 runs and at the end of five overs his figures read a shocking 5-0-44-0 as the Johnson-Goodwin pair realised 100 runs from only 86 balls. The Zimbabwe score crossed the 150-run mark in 27 overs but Bevan struck immediately afterwards, removing Goodwin. The next four wickets fell for only 47 runs as the Aussies took the wind out of Zimbabwe’s sail to clinch their fourth successive win in the tournament. Reiffel claimed the wickets of Andy Flower (0), captain Alistair Campbell (17) and Guy Whittal (0) to peg Zimbabwe on the backfoot. When Dirk Viljoen was stumped off Warne, the chase was virtually over for Zimbabwe, though Johnson waged a lone battle as he completed his century off 118 balls embellished with 11 fours and a towering six. Earlier, Australia put the modest Zimbabwe attack to the sword registering the third 300-plus total in the tournament after India crossed the milestone twice - against Kenya and Sri Lanka in the league stage. Mark Waugh led the
Aussie onslaught as he raced to 104 off 120 balls with 13
hits to the fence and overtook former captain Allan
Border as the highest run-getter for Australia in one-day
matches. |
Semifinal berth OLD TRAFFORD, June 9 — The Indian victory over arch rivals Pakistan here yesterday betrayed time and again the extreme tension under which modern day cricketers operate. Here were two teams, one looking to get over their minor aberration of a couple of defeats and the other preparing to cope with the extreme hope and disappointment of millions of their supporters. The two captains were faced with similar pressure, Mohammad Azharuddin’s career was hanging by a thread and Wasim Akram knows nothing less than a World Cup win will protect him from forces baying for his blood back home. Sachin Tendulkar, his World Cup campaign swinging wildly between success and failure and personal tragedy, was being pushed up and down the order on which the opinions were sharply divided. As an opener, he needed to succeed and nearly came good. His dismissal, off an atrocious shot, displayed the pressure on the man and how sometimes it evokes stupid responses. When he caught Moin Khan, bringing himself below the swirling ball and using his body as much as his hands to hold it, Tendulkar appeared more happy than he has been in a long time. The way the entire team piled on Venkatesh Prasad on Moin’s dismissal again was a give-away. Everyone was rushing and dropping himself in a heap over the lanky Karnataka medium pacer. They took time to disperse, so overwhelming was the feeling of relief. The fielders, especially the Indians, were not using their hands but body to stop the ball speeding past them. Sometimes the pace and placement of shots warranted it. On other occasions it was pure nerves. S. Ramesh was in a trance when he juggled with Ijaz Ahmed’s chance at mid-on and then dropped it. Azharuddin ran himself into some kind of form. The Indian captain, to begin with, was all at sea but he did play some good shots in the end. His form, besides the one of admirable Rahul Dravid and fast-stabilising Tendulkar, not to forget injured Saurav Ganguly, is a matter of comfort. It was a victory which had more of team effort than individual performances. In a way, the bowling burden was shared by the Karnataka men and Azharuddin himself. Prasad took five, Javagal Srinath three and Anil Kumble two, not to forget Azharuddin's fine half-century and his two catches in the slips. India is now alive and this face-saving victory will keep them in hunt. But it does not depend on their win alone. They need to beat New Zealand and then hope both Australia and New Zealand do not win any of their remaining two matches. India’s passage is not possible without a collusion of more than one force. In a way, this was the game which Pakistan should not have lost. They had India restricted to 227 and had all the time to chase it in the afternoon. Imran Khan was sure during the interval Pakistan would not be able to make it. Former captain Rameez Raja also felt the Pakistan team had lost the winning momentum after coming second best to Bangladesh. Pakistan’s form must be a worry to their supporters. Suddenly, the team is coming apart. They are tigers but cornered and Akram’s most testing time is ahead yet. He needs to tell them to concentrate on the job at hand and do not get disturbed by ball-tampering allegations or the Akram-Akhtar fallout. Despite Akram’s assertions to the contrary, one feels the defeat against Bangladesh in the final league game has affected the team’s morale. Both Azharuddin and Akram went to great lengths to praise the wicket. If it was so then the batsmen mistiming their shots and showing hesitant footwork were all because of nerves. Pakistan, on hindsight, should have played Wajahatullah Wasti ahead of Shahid Afridi. They also brought in Salim Malik in place of the injured Yousuf Youhana. Two rusty cricketers were pushed into the middle in a nerve match like this and they failed. Why Abdul Razzaq was pushed down the order and Malik promoted will remain a mystery. Shoaib Akhtar was off-colour. He did not have the zip in his run-up or delivery and generally struggled for rhythm. Saqlain Mushtaq, usually such a tormentor of Indian batsmen, was struggling to finish his quota of overs, so offline was he to the Indians. Suddenly, the pressure is on Pakistan. India have nothing more to lose from this World Cup. They can afford to play freely, without any nerves. Their passage depends on many calculations falling together at the same time and it does not happen often. — PTI |
Akram made to eat humble pie OLD TRAFFORD, June 9 (PTI) — It is a statement the cocky Pakistan captain will live to regret for a long long time. For, after the toss in yesterday’s high-voltage World Cup match against India here, Wasim Akram boasted that it would be a practice match for his formidable team. Seven hours later, when he skied Venkatesh Prasad to Anil Kumble at deep mid-wicket giving India a fabulous 47-run victory, the Pakistani all- rounder, one of the greats of the game, knew that he had been made to eat humble pie, if not his words. As fire crackers went off in several towns and cities of India at midnight to celebrate a famous win, a contrite Akram admitted that his team’s place in the semifinals of the tournament was now threatened. "I think we made things difficult for ourselves," he confessed and said his team had lost three matches in a row. "I am happy for Azhar and the Indian team. They really played well. In the end the better team won," Akram conceded. When he said a "practice match", Akram had obviously not reckoned that within minutes he would be up against an uncharacteristically determined Indian team. It was not Akram’s day. Regarded as one of the most aggressive and competent captains in the world today, Akram was outshone and outmarshalled by the much-pilloried Mohammad Azharuddin. Not everyone’s idea of an inspiring captain. But Azharuddin, having finally struck with the bat, was a different skipper when the Pakistanis came out to bat. His field placings and bowling changes were truly inspirational. At the end of the encounter, Azharuddin had salvaged a lot of prestige and pride irrespective of whether India makes it to the semifinals or not. Wasim Akram was left to regret his words. "Yes, it was a
practice match for Pakistan, Wasim Akram was practising
defeat," said a disgusted Pakistan fan. |
Defeat plunges Pak into mourning ISLAMABAD, June 9 (PTI) — For them it was a war 11,000 kilometres from the desolate heights of Kargil. But the Pakistan "soldiers" in Manchester lost the "war" at the hands of Indian cricketers. India’s World Cup victory over their arch-rivals at Old Trafford has plunged the cricket-crazy Pakistan into deep mourning with people gunning for the heads of a number of star players and accusing them of indulging in betting and match-fixing. A pall of gloom descended across the country last evening as Pakistan wickets fell at regular intervals after the initial excitement of restricting India to a modest 227. Information Minister Mushahid Hussain, also in charge of sport, excitedly interrupted a national assembly meeting to announce star batsman Sachin Tendulkar’s dismissal, but the ministers in the Nawaz Sharif government were left angry and dejected as Indian bowlers subdued the Pakistan batsmen later. Hussain announced Tendulkar’s dismissal at a meeting of the standing committee on foreign affairs of the national assembly, but once the Indian pace duo of Venkatesh Prasad and Javagal Srinath began their demolition act, the excitement turned into disbelief and anger. "Immediately sack Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi", blared the headline in the largest circulated Urdu daily "Jung", which said a large number of cricket fans across the country had made this demand calling up the newspaper office. "The cricket team has not cared about the sentiments of the nation," the paper said. There was strong demand for reinstating Javed Miandad, who quit as coach on the eve of the tournament, in place of Mushtaq Mohammad immediately to instil discipline in the team. "Jung" reported that angry cricket fans demanded the immediate removal of the selection committee saying "defeat at the hands of India is unacceptable and specially in the current atmosphere of tension it is more shocking." Irate Pakistan fans had attacked their team members after India beat them in the quarterfinal of the 1996 tournament and skipper Wasim Akram’s house was even stoned and his father threatened. Another leading Urdu daily "Nawa-e-Waqt" attributed the main reason behind the defeat to indiscipline in the team. The paper said team members were shopping around with their wives and spending their time in late night parties, hardly concentrating on the game. The report said fans wanted the team manager and coach to be immediately replaced and the players’ family members called back home so that the team could be controlled better. "This humiliating defeat only proves that players who had been involved in betting are once again active," an angry fan was quoted as saying. Skipper Wasim Akram, Ijaz Ahmed and Salim Malik are facing a judicial commission probe into charges of betting and match-fixing. Former skipper Imran
Khan was quoted as saying by local news agency NNI that
openers Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi were suffering from
lack of confidence and the board should remove them
immediately and bring in new boys. |
Defeat stuns Pak fans LONDON, June 9 (PTI) — India’s ambush of fancied Pakistan in the World Cup Super Six match left an overwhelming Pakistani supporters stunned at Old Trafford yesterday in an explosive tussle amid tightest security measures ever witnessed in England. "World war three it was not but a Super Six ambush it most certainly was," screamed the tabloids describing the India-Pakistan cricket clash as the most electrifying ever witnessed in the UK. Pakistani supporters, expecting victory, outnumbered the Indians three to one at Old Trafford. They expected victory as a matter of course against an Indian side, pointless in the Super Six and on the brink of an ignominious early flight home, and they let everyone know it, as they trooped into the ground. As the passions were aroused, there were a few skirmishes in the crowd and three arrests could not detract from what was billed by tabloids as the best day of the World Cup so far, atmosphere wise. Tight control, the police and stewards were in hundreds on the ropes, but then cricket commentators and experts said no cricket match ever in this country had attracted so much tension. Two hours before the start of the match, the ticket touts and whistle sellers — they were asking for £ 200 and £ 2, respectively — were doing brisk business and the bedlam from the ground could be heard half a mile away on approach. All around the jam-packed Old Trafford ground it was a sea of flags, mostly Pakistani and a fair number of Indian. The supporters were even sitting next to each other, but after all the pre-match fears, there was a sense of relief. There was also a glimpse of how cricket can be a carnival sport, it engaged the emotions of the sporting public. Every fan at the ground was bodysearched for weapons. Though flags were allowed in, big banners and poles were confiscated. Young Pakistan and Indian supporters chanted slogans. They kept to their own groups and did not mingle. Thunderous cheers, boos and jeers accompanied a four hit or a six and also when a player got out, but were not directed at each other. The Pakistani supporters, who were in a buoyant mood after India was dismissed for 227, gradually became quieter as Pakistan started losing early wickets. The prayer mats were out after the match as the Pakistani team crashed to a defeat. Afterwards, police and players converged on the escape route of the steps of the Old Trafford pavilion as spectators sprinted across the ground. Smoke bombs and firecrackers went off as India had the last laugh. The most crucial moment of the day was when players rushed off the field to escape the invading fans. Ajay Jadeja was tripped up by the security rope intended to keep away the spectators from players and was sent sprawling on the ground in front of the pavilion. Indian skipper Mohd Azharuddin, who had the widest smile yesterday at Old Trafford, commented on the incident: "I didn’t see the incident, but Jadeja does like to fall over. Everyone got back to dressing room intact." After the smoke from firecrackers burst by Indian supporters had cleared, Indian and Pakistani flags fluttered alongside each other as the crowds made an orderly way home. After the match, the Manchester police chief said: "The fans must be congratulated on their good behaviour." Azha, as he is labelled
by the tabloids here said: "Back home in India, the
people will be very happy today for us beating Pakistan,
it will be very good." |
British media hails victory LONDON, June 9 (PTI) — "Winning is not everything, it’s the only thing," an American coach once said. None will agree with it more than Indian skipper Mohd Azharuddin, who has transformed overnight from the man seen responsible for India’s plight at the World Cup to an all-conquering hero after the brilliant victory over arch-rivals Pakistan at Old Trafford yesterday. The British media praised Azhar sky high as they hailed India’s win that keeps the 1983 champions in the race for a semifinal berth. "What a difference a day makes for the captain of India. Mohd Azharuddin has been all over the Indian papers since the team lost at Hove (to South Africa) on the second day of the tournament. Daily they want his head. "After yesterday he will be on the front pages again because for the second time under his leadership, and for the third time in three, India beat Pakistan in a World Cup match," Mark Nicholas wrote in The Times. "It is not quite so good as winning the tournament, but it will do. Azhar held two immensely important catches at slip, moved his bowling attack around to prodigious effect and made some runs that mattered." Nicholas commented on the Indian captaincy, which has been in the eye of a storm, saying, "Truthfully, the people of India want the prodigy Sachin Tendulkar to be their captain, but equally they want him to turn from boy to man without undue haste. Azharuddin is doing a holding job, and probably knows it. He should go of his own volition, before he is pushed". "To Pakistan defeat, to Mohammad Azharuddin and India a memorable victory and the door still open, at least for the time being," wrote Mike Selvey of The Guardian. The Telegraph was equally effusive in its praise. "India confounded everybody yesterday. They mastered Pakistan, who imagined they could not possibly lose a third successive match. "Just as they had done at Bangalore at the last World Cup, when they won by 39 runs, they beat their fiercest rivals with something to spare." The British papers deliberated at length on the Indian batting depth and Azhar’s return to the scoring ways while praising the way he rotated the bowling to great effect. They used the Indian victory not only to put Pakistan’s decline in perspective, but also hailed the overall decent behaviour of fans supporting both teams. The British papers had created a hysteria saying there would be largescale violence around the match at Manchester, a city of predominantly Asian population, due to the situation in Kargil. "If the crowd at Old Trafford yesterday were not quite as good as gold — at the end, there were a few minor scuffles, Some bottle throwing and police had to prevent an Indian flag being burned — the pre-match concern about violence proved largely unfounded," wrote noted columnist Mihir Bose. What is more the
spectators demonstrated how British Asians can produce
the tumultuous noise, colour and glamour involved in a
cricket match in the sub-continent," he said. |
Confident Kiwis take on South Africa today EDGBASTON, June 9 (PTI) —New Zealand will have one eye on inclement weather and another on Lance Klusener when they take on South Africa in a World Cup Super Six clash here tomorrow, which the Kiwis need to win to keep alive their hopes of a semifinal berth. Both have got the better of the Kiwis recently. The rain twice interrupted New Zealand’s clash with Zimbabwe on Sunday, postponed it for the next day and then ultimately forced abandonment, putting on hold their hopes of a last four berth without a clear win. The Kiwis, chasing Zimbabwe’s modest 175, were stranded at 70 for three after 15 overs when the match was called off. New Zealand, who now have three points from as many ties with a crucial clash against India in hand, need a victory badly as it would virtually put them into the last four. But with rain preventing any practice here yesterday, the Kiwis will be cautious of the weather as another shared point may jeopardise their semifinal hopes. New Zealand would also brace themselves against Klusener, who settled the February one-day series in New Zealand with a 20-ball 35, including a huge last-ball six off Nathan Astle. South Africa, needing four runs from the final ball, won the the fourth one-dayer in Napier thanks to Klusener, and also claimed the series 3-2. And the fact that the ace all-rounder is in tremendous form both with bat and ball will also be on the Kiwis’ minds when the two sides meet tomorrow. Klusener struck Shoaib Akhtar, considered world’s fastest bowler, for 17 runs in an over and his unbeaten 46 off 41 balls helped South Africa to a morale boosting victory over co-favourites Pakistan. Klusener has thus far scored 396 runs in the World Cup without being dismissed - a world record in one-day internationals and has also claimed 14 wickets. New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming was, however, confident of doing well tomorrow. “South Africa are tough and we had a great series with them in New Zealand, which basically came down to that last ball,” Fleming said. “We are still pretty confident of doing well against these guys. We have got some good experience against them and we’ve have competed well against them.” Fleming’s confidence definitely comes from the fine show of his openers Nathan Astle and Matt Horne. Both Astle and Horne, who had struggled in the tournament so far, batted confidently against Zimbabwe and a good performance from them will be a right kind of boost for the Kiwis. New Zealand bowling has done comparatively done well and Fleming will hope that his all-rounders — Chris Cairns, Chris Harris and Gavin Larsen could maintain the good work. South African skipper Hansie Cronje will also look to an improved performance from his batsmen to lessen the burden on Klusener. Till now the South African top three batsmen — Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs and Darryl Cullinan — have failed in the tournament while Jacques Kallis has failed to match his capabilities and has scored only fine 96 against India. Reuter adds: Although their middle and late-order batsmen showed excellent form in the dramatic three-wicket defeat of Pakistan, captain Hansie Cronje admits there is room for improvement. The problem lies with repeated failure by the top order batsmen and the reliance on the lower order, Klusener in particular, to dig them out of trouble in the closing overs. “We are confident of doing it (making the semifinals) but I’m not happy with the way in which we are winning,” he said. “Over the next few days we have to work on our batting, not in a technical sense, but mentally we have to come to terms with expressing ourselves.” Woolmer is a great believer that cricket matches can be won or lost from most positions. It will be a tough match
for New Zealand to win, especially since South African
fast bowler Allan Donald will be returning to the
Warwickshire county ground, where he has played on for
the past 12 years. |
New Zealand vs SA form guide EDGBASTON, June 9 (AFP) — New Zealand v South Africa form guide: New Zealand: coach — Steve Rixon. Captain — Stephen Fleming. South Africa: Coach — Bob Woolmer. Captain — Hansie Cronje 1999 world cup results: South Africa — beat India by four wickets, beat Sri Lanka by 89 runs, beat Kenya by seven wickets, beat England by 122 runs, lost to Zimbabwe by 48 runs. Super six — beat Pakistan by three wickets. New Zealand — lost to Pakistan by 62 runs, beat Australia by five wickets, lost to the West Indies by seven wickets, beat Bangladesh by six wickets, beat Scotland by six wickets. Super six — no result against Zimbabwe. Recent head-to-heads: South Africa won a Test series 1-0 and the one-dayers 3-2 on their tour of New Zealand in February-March. In the drawn first Test, Daryll Cullinan made South Africa’s highest test score of 275 not out. The second test was also drawn after two days were lost to rain. Herschelle Gibbs made an unbeaten 211 and Jacques Kallis a career-best 148 not out in a second-wicket stand of 315. South Africa won the third by eight wickets, Cullinan was again in the runs with 152. The fourth one-dayer remained in the memory because of Lance Klusener’s last-ball six that gave South Africa a two-wicket win. Previous World
Cups: Venue:
Edgbaston. Home of county side Warwickshire and a regular
Test centre. The ground where Brian Lara made 501 not out
against Durham in 1994, the highest individual score in
first-class cricket. Will also host a semifinal on June
17. Capacity: 17,000. |
Wives, cell phones real culprits? COLOMBO, June 9 (AFP) — Cellular phones and wives may have brought about the humiliating early exit of Sri Lanka from the World Cup, cricket board chief Thilanga Sumathipala said today. A key factor for the poor defence of the world crown won in 1996 was the players’ unprofessional behaviour, he said. "I heard that even during practices, the players were using their mobile phones. They behaved as if they could not function without cellular phones," Mr Sumathipala told the Sinhalese-language Lankadeepa daily. The phones, donated by a private telephone company, became a trade mark of the Sri Lankan players who were seen constantly chattering into them while making public appearances. "We had complained to the management from time to time but they are not small children. If they negotiate their contracts like professionals then they must also behave like professionals." Mr Sumathipala said the practice of players having their wives and children with them on tour may also have affected on-field performances. "It is a fundamental right of a player to have anyone he wants to be with him, but they must also know to how to divide their time," he said. Mr Sumathipala said he was waiting for a report from team manager Duleep Mendis before beginning an inquiry into the disastrous performance in England. The cricket board itself is embroiled in a controversy. Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s uncle, Clifford Ratwatte unsuccessfully contested against Mr Sumathipala to head the cricket board in March and later filed a court case challenging the vote. The board has remained in uncertainty with the court suspending Mr Sumathipala and his fellow elected office-bearers and later reinstating them pending a final verdict. Cricket board officials said they had sought police protection for the seven team members who returned to the country last Friday together with four officials. However, there were no fans to meet the players in sharp contrast to 1996 when they were given a heroes’ welcome after winning the final against Australia to grab the World Cup for the first time. The Sunday Times carried a picture of Sanath Jayasuriya greeted by a group of constables deployed to prevent possible violence against the team. The headline for the picture read: "Zero welcome for hero." Meanwhile, skipper Arjuna Ranatunga has vowed to continue playing despite calls for his ouster. Ranatunga who stayed back in England and was spared the frosty reception at the Colombo international airport said in a statement sent here that he wished to play on. In his statement addressed to the "cricket-loving public of Sri Lanka ", Ranatunga expressed his "profound regret to you all for the debacle of the Sri Lankan team" . Sri Lanka’s
miserable world cup ended with an unconvincing 45-run win
over group a minnows Kenya. Sri Lanka had earlier lost to
England, South Africa and India but won against Zimbabwe.
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Srinath, Fazaluddin enter last 4 NEW DELHI, June 9 (PTI) — Top seed Prahlad Srinath was given an early scare by Nitin Kirtane before the two-circuit winner pulled off a 6-4, 6-2 win to storm into the semifinals of the MTNL-ITF Satellite Masters Tennis Tournament here today. Young Harsh Mankad dumped former national champion Vasudeva Reddy while third seed Syed Fazaluddin put out Uzbekistan’s Anton Kokurin in a tough three-set battle. Fourth-seeded Mankad overpowered Reddy with his tactical game and accurate shot-placing to win the quarterfinal encounter 6-2, 6-1. Reddy double-faulted in the seventh game of the second set to hand over a matchpoint to Mankad and then again repeated the same mistake to lose the match. Mankad faces a tough semifinal match tomorrow against Srinath. The top seed and winner in Bangalore and Delhi legs, looked jaded early on as Nitin Kirtane led the assault to lead 3-2 on serve and stretched Srinath to several deuces. Srinath almost gave up the sixth game but a slight mistake by Nitin, the national hardcourt champion, allowed him to take the initiative. India number three Syed Fazaluddin, who has had to face a foreign player in second straight round, emerged winner despite the Uzbek stretching him to three sets in sweltering conditions. Fazaluddin beat Kokurin 6-3, 2-6 6-1 to book a semifinal berth against the only foreign player left in the draw -second seed Artem Derepasko - a 6-2, 6-2 winner against Vijayendra Laad. As luck would have it, Syed Fazaluddin seemed to have drawn all foreign players in his half. Fazaluddin started his match with a bang as Kokurin found no answers to the Indian’s return winners. Fazaluddin relaxed a bit in the second set as the Uzbek ran away with it 6-2. Fazaluddin, who reached the final in Mumbai before losing to Derepasko, broke Kokurin thrice to emerge winner in just over two hours. Fazaluddin met Derepasko also in the Delhi leg semifinal and beat him to reach the final when the Moscovite withdrew complaining of fatigue after losing the first set. Derepasko’s 6-2, 6-2 win today though does not reflect his opponent Vijayendra Laad’s resistance, but the upcoming Indian did give the Russian a momentary scare. Laad, after losing his service in the opening game of the first set, broke back Derepasko in the fourth to level 2-2 and then was involved in a cliffhanger of a game which eventually the Russian won. Laad committed several
unforced errors later on as 19-year -old Derepasko
regained his form to win the match 6-2, 6-2 in just over
an hour. |
Champions Trophy from today BRISBANE, June 9 (AFP) — Olympic and world champions Holland are again the team to beat in the 21st men’s Champions Trophy Field Hockey Tournament that gets underway here tomorrow. The Dutch have dominated the sport since their gold medal win over Spain at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and with the next Olympic tournament 15 months away in Sydney they will get a further insight into their chances of successfully defending their Olympic crown. The Netherlands head into the Brisbane top-six ranked trophy winners of a unique grand slam of titles – besides the 1996 Olympic gold, they have won the 1998 World Cup on their own Utrecht pitch and last year’s Champions Trophy in Lahore. The consistent Spaniards loom as the Dutch team’s main rivals having finished runner-up to them at the Atlanta Olympics and at last year’s Utrecht World Cup. Hosts Australia will attempt to discard their bridesmaid tag in their home tournament having chalked up a frustrating sequence of placings — except for last year’s Commonwealth Games gold medal win over Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. Australia finished bronze medallists at Atlanta, fourth at last year’s World Cup, third at the 1998 Champions Trophy and were beaten by a golden goal in extra time by Germany in the final of the 1997 Champions Trophy in Adelaide. The Champions Trophy is field hockey’s biggest event this non-Olympic and World Cup year. The Dutch automatically qualify on three fronts — the winners of the 1996 Olympics, 1998 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, while Australia get a berth as hosts. Spain, Pakistan, England and Korea, through their rankings at the Utrecht World Cup, make up the top six nations. England and Korea will launch the tournament in the opening match tomorrow, with Pakistan, winners of 20 of their 31 matches, keen to put their form to the test against the powerful Spaniards later in the day. While the Dutch dominate the men’s tournament, Australia holds the whip hand in the adjoining seventh Women’s Champions Trophy. The superbly drilled hockeyroos, under the control of Australian hockey icon Ric Charlesworth, are the reigning Olympic, World, Champion Trophy and Commonwealth champions and have been voted Australian sports team of the year six times in the last decade. Putting the hockeyroos to the test will be World Cup runners-up Netherlands, the 1997 Champions Trophy beaten finalists Germany and Olympic silver medallists Korea. Argentina and New Zealand make up the six. Argentina open the
women’s tournament tomorrow against the Netherlands,
with Australia and New Zealand playing in the late game. |
India lose in tour opener NEW DELHI, June 9 (PTI) — India got off to a disastrous start to their European tour, losing 1-4 to Germany in the first match of their four-match "Test" hockey series at Frankfurt. The Indians managed to hold the hosts 1-1 at half time but failed to withstand the pressure as the Germans struck twice in six minutes to go up 3-1 yesterday, according IHF sources here. Bjoran Michel gave Germany the sixth-minute lead but skipper Mohammad Riaz restored parity for India in the 25th minute. Weissenborn (43rd
minute) put the hosts ahead once against while Horst Wein
struck six minutes later. Gemmering sealed the win with a
goal in the 68th minute. |
H
RCF defeat DFA
4-3 In a match of even exchanges the Bhopal team gained the lead in the 32nd minute when Pawan Katyal made use a pass inside the area and drove home. Another attack followed and Prashant Nair shot home the second goal from close. J&K Police had earlier made a bid to snatch initiative, when a header by Ajay Kumar and a shot by Bilal Ahmed went in vain. The tournament was inaugurated by the Divisional Commissioner of Mandi, Mr Sudipt Roy. In another match, Rail Coach Factory, Kapurthala, dominated the exchanges but missed a series of chances against the District Football Association, Ambala. Manmohan Singh and Manjinder Singh had enough opportunities in the first half but frittered away these. Whenever they were on the target the Ambala team goalkeeper Vikram effected saves. The Ambala team had to play a defensive role throughout the second half, and were able to survive. There were goalmouth scrambles and a few flag kicks but all the pressure piled up failed to earn them a goal. Extra time also failed to break the deadlock and eventually the issue was settled through penalty kicks. RCF won by 4-3 to Mohd Ikram, Jaswinder, Bikramjit and Sandeep Singh scored for RCF while Bajinder. Rakesh and Sunil scored for Ambala team. Punjab junior
hockey trials Patiala chess
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