Friday, March 12, 1999
today's calendar
|
S P O R T | Friday, March 12, 1999 |
|
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
|||
|
Punjab trounce Andhra 7-0 HYDERABAD, March 11 — 1994 national champions Mumbai, minus Dhanraj Pillay and Sabu Verkey, rallied to split points against debutants Food Corporation of India as they shared four goals while former champions Punjab and unassuming Orissa maintained their winning streak in the 59th Senior National Hockey Championship here this morning. S. African bowlers dominate CHRISTCHURCH, March 11 — The South African pace duo of Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock shared seven wickets as New Zealand was bowled out for 168 on the first day of the second cricket Test today.
|
 |
|
|
Pakistan, Sri Lanka under pressure Rao
hits ton as Indian colts win series Change
time of Mohali tie: PCA Punjab,
Delhi move into last four JCT,
FC Kochin clash today Mahadevan
shocks Kirtane Kabaddi
player cremated |
||||||
|
Punjab trounce Andhra 7-0 HYDERABAD, March 11 (UNI, PTI) — 1994 national champions Mumbai, minus Dhanraj Pillay and Sabu Verkey, rallied to split points against debutants Food Corporation of India (FCI) as they shared four goals while former champions Punjab and unassuming Orissa maintained their winning streak in the 59th Senior National Hockey Championship here this morning. Punjab beat Andhra 7-0 while Orissa defeated Maharashtra 2-1 in group ‘A’ and ‘D’ respectively. The match between Mumbai and FCI was an interesting affair as both the teams played their hearts out. But Mumbai were the first to score when they were lucky to get a penalty stroke. Following a corner, one of the defenders of FCI stopped the ball with his leg and this resulted in a stroke which was converted by M K Prakash of Mumbai in the 22nd minute. FCI mounted pressure on the rival citadel and three minutes later Navbir Singh, following a cross from Koro, pushed the ball into Mumbai’s goal for the equaliser (1-1). Thereafter the teams attacked and counter attacked and five minutes before half-time, Navbir Singh scored the second goal for FCI (2-1) when he deflected the ball from a square pass from right winger B Lakra. At half time FCI were leading by an odd goal in three. After the break, Mumbai came back with renewed vigour but had to wait till 44 minutes to score the equaliser which came from the stick of Vijay Alphonso. Both the teams tried to score a winning goal but their forwards failed to hit the target and settle down for a draw, in group ‘C’. In another match, Punjab made mincemeat of Andhra 7-0. Left-half Gurusevak Singh managed to move into the Andhra circle to take a powerful shot into the net to open the flood gates in the 8th minute. Deep defender Jagdev Singh’s penalty corner strike went like a bullet into the Andhra cage to give their side the second goal in the 10th minute. The third goal was scored by Harpreet Singh 15 minutes later. The last two goals before the interval came through penalty strokes which were converted by Baljeet Singh in the 29th and in the 33rd minute. In the second half, Surjeet Singh scored the sixth goal through a penalty corner and later Baljeet Singh scored the seventh in the 68th minute. In the group-D encounter, Orissa rallied back superbly to shock Maharashtra 2-1. The entire first half was dominated by Maharashtra who found the net in the 23rd minute through Sanjay Pollaya. Orissa equalised in the 46th minute through centre-forward Severan Kumar Barla. In the 65th minute, Orissa earned a penalty corner which was transformed into a goal by Severan Kumar Barla whose indirect hit sounded the board. Results: Group A: Punjab 7 (Gurusevak Singh 1, Jagdev Singh 1, Harpreet Singh 1, Baljeet Singh 3, Surjeet Singh 1) beat Andhra 0. Group C: Mumbai 2 (M K Parkash 1, V Alphonso 1) drew with FCI 2 (Navbir Singh 2). Group D: Orissa 2 (Severan
Kumar Barla 2) beat Maharashtra 1 (S Pollaya 1). |
S. African bowlers dominate CHRISTCHURCH, March 11 (AP) — The South African pace duo of Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock shared seven wickets as New Zealand was bowled out for 168 on the first day of the second cricket Test today. South Africa was 54 without loss at stumps at Lancaster Park with the two openers, Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs, unbeaten on 35 and 15 respectively. Donald (3-54) and Pollock (4-34) relished the traditional pace and bounce after having struggled in two New Zealand innings at sticky Eden Park in Auckland. The controversial Eden Park pitch had produced a high-scoring draw. Donald, who over-strained in the first Test and damaged his stomach muscles, suffered a recurrence of it and was forced to leave the field during his 18th over today. "It was a precautionary measure,’’ manager Goolam Rajah said. "It was coming to the end of the innings and we thought it was best for Allan to leave the field.’’ Hopefully with two days of rest we think he will be able to bowl in the second innings,’’ added South African physiotherapist Craig Smith. Donald, (32), the country’s leading wicket-taker in Tests, has not competed in all of his last three Tests due to injuries. Also carrying an injury is Jacques Kallis, who aggravated a toe injury which restricted him to just five overs. To add to New Zealand’s misery on the first day, new-ball bowler Simon Doull was forced to leave the field during his first spell. Doull sprained his left ankle and team physiotherapist mark Harrison said it was too early to determine whether the seamer will be able to bowl again in the South African innings. New Zealand did well to recover from an ordinary start to post 104 for three at lunch. But soon after it lost wickets in 13 balls as the innings sunk to further trouble against Donald and Pollock. The pair struggled all morning, either over-pitching or straying down leg side as it conceded 20 boundaries and a five in the pre-lunch session. But after lunch, Donald removed the fourth-wicket pair of Nathan Astle and Test debutant Gary Stead in successive overs to swing the initiative in favour of the visitors. Astle (44) and Stead (27) hammered 52 runs for the fourth wicket in an hour as New Zealand recovered from 60 for three. Left-arm spinner Paul Adams (2/9) was lucky to win two leg-before appeals against skipper Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori. It was the second time Nash’s decision after winning the toss had backfired on New Zealand. In the first Test he sent South Africa in and watched them score 621 for five. More than good bowling, it was the self-destructive batting that undid the home side on what appears to be a good batting pitch. Earlier in the innings, opener Matthew Horne hit 36 runs in 77 minutes and helped Astle add 42 runs for the third wicket. Astle, who had the benefit of a doubt in whether an edge carried to Daryll Cullinan at first slip, hit eight boundaries in his tow-hour stay at the crease off 83 balls. Scoreboard New Zealand,
(first innings) South Africa, Ist
innings |
Sampras, Hingis shocked; Moya advances INDIAN WELLS (California), March 11 (Reuters) Pete Sampras committed an unthinkable 54 unforced errors last night and is in danger of losing his number one ranking this week after being bounced from the Champions Cup in the second round by Spaniard Felix Mantilla. On a cool, windswept night, the top seed struggled with both the mental and physical aspects of his game before falling 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-3. "It’s back to the drawing board," said Sampras, who must have felt as if he had been transported to slow clay court of Roland Garros as he seemed content retrieving the Spaniard’s heavy topspin blasts from the baseline in the first set instead of seizing control of the points. Sampras was unable to unleash any kind of effective chip-and-charge attack in the two-hour match. "I’m going to take this loss very hard. It’s a wake-up call," he said. Sampras’s ouster left another Spaniard, Carlos Moya, in position to seize the top ranking after the fourth seed repelled a strong challenge from former number one Jim Courier to score a 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 victory. At the start of the tournament, second-ranked Yevgeny Kafelnikov, number three Alex Corretja, Moya and fifth-ranked Patrick Rafter all had a chance to unseat the suddenly vulnerable Sampras this week. Kafelnikov and Rafter lost their opening matches on Tuesday. Corretja, up a set and a break, blew a 4-1 lead in the second set against Australian Mark Philippoussis and eventually fell 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. Three-time Wimbledon runner-up Goran Ivanisevic, the 14th seed, also was bitten by the upset bug. He was ousted by 18-year-old Belgian Xavier Malisse 7-6 (11-9), 6-3. Moya has to reach the final to have a chance to surpass Sampras, something he believes he can do. "But I need to try and forget that when I get out on the court so I can stay focused on winning," said the French Open champion. Playing in only his second event this year, sixth seed and defending champion Marcelo Rios, who has been nursing a back injury, was impressive in taking apart France’s Cedric Pioline 7-6, 6-1. The Chilean, who won this event and Lipton Championship back-to back last year to briefly become number one, was more than satisfied with his performance. The 23-year-old was not ready to entertain thoughts of a return to the top of the world rankings, however. "I’m not thinking about getting my record back or trying to win tournaments," Rios said. Rubin, Serena in semis Unseeded Americans Chanda Rubin and Serena Williams played giant-killer at the Evert Cup yesterday, advancing to the semifinals with straight-set upset wins. The 26th-ranked rubin claimed the biggest scalp on offer, packing off top seed and defending champion Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6 (7/2). "I definitely would say that this is the best win of my career," said Rubin. The 17-year-old Williams, whose star is definitely on the rise, took her current match winning streak to nine with a tough 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) win over sixth seed Mary Pierce of France. Venus’s younger sister claimed her first career title in Paris just prior to this event and stunned second-ranked Lindsay Davenport in the second round here. The 20th-ranked Williams next faces 12th seed Sandrine Testud, a 6-1, 6-3 conqueror of Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia. Rubin earn a semifinal date with former world number one Steffi Graf, who crushed Jana Novotna 6-2, 6-0 for her 29th win in 33 career meetings with the Czech serve and volleyer. Hingis had been impressed with Rubin during practice sessions with the American, whose career was sidetracked by wrist surgery in the summer of 1996. The Williams-Pierce match was a see-saw battle with the American teenager’s newfound confidence pushing her over the top. Williams won the first set by breaking Pierce’s serve in the 12th and final game. In the second set both players dropped serve twice, but Williams dominated the tie-breaker, allowing Pierce to win only the second point played before running off the next six. Graf is enjoying an
impressive run here, losing a total of just six games in
three matches. Leading 4-2 in the first set, Graf raced
through eight consecutive games to end the match in a
swift 52 minutes. |
Pakistan, Sri Lanka under pressure DHAKA, March 11 (PTI) — Pakistan and Sri Lanka clash here in a potentially low-profile Asian Test Championship final with the two teams under-pressure to produce a fitting contest with some high-profile action to tide over the controversy that has dogged Test cricket’s first multi-nation tournament. Accusations in media that the depleted Sri Lankans benefited from Pakistani generosity in last week’s drawn Lahore Test may have been overshadowed by build-up to the title clash, but crowds will be a major factor in Bangladesh who had hoped for an India-Pakistan final soon after the event was conceived. One-day World Cup champions Sri Lanka, boosted by return of veteran Aravinda De Silva and bowling spearhead Chaminda Vaas who both missed the Lahore tie after sustaining injuries, will, however, have a tough task tomorrow with the Wasim Akram-led mix of young-and-experienced Pakistan raring to clinch the inaugural championship. A partisan crowd that hoped for high-voltage action, otherwise limited only to Indo-Pakistan clashes, will now at least hope for a result from the five-day tie to be played in stifling heat and on a slow wicket. "We are geared up and motivated enough to play good cricket in this important game despite the weather conditions which are not suitable," Akram said after his team sweated it out under the blazing sun at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today. Despite the sweltering heat and a slow wicket, Pakistan will be under greater pressure to produce a result. If the match is drawn, the team securing more bonus points for batting and bowling in the first 100 overs of the first innings will be declared the winner. If the points are equal, the run-rate of the teams will be taken into account to decide the best Test team in Asia -hardly a pleasing prospect for the tourists. Akram, who stands accused in betting and match-fixing charges back home, would surely try to see his team going all out to win the tournament to silence his critics. The Pakistani skipper rebutted queries from newsmen regarding allegations in the Press about the Lahore Test against Sri Lanka being fixed. "We played positive cricket," he said. "If the inclement weather conditions had not interrupted the match, we would have won it". Sri Lankan manager Ranjit Fernando expressed his anguish over the ‘media’s attempt to undermine his team’s ability to qualify for the Asian Test final". He said the team was hurt with the allegations that Pakistan deliberately allowed them to notch up the required seven bonus points to avoid the title clash with India. "It’s not easy to get points against Pakistan. We got them because we played well. The boys will now have to prove themselves all over again and win the match," Fernando said during nets here. Aravinda De Silva, standing in for injured skipper Arjuna Ranatunga said: "We are here to win. Pakistan is a good side and this is a game of pressure and if we can put it on opponents, we will definitely do well." Both captains said they would finalise their line-ups later. While Sri Lanka have decided to wait till the toss tomorrow to name their eleven, Pakistan selection committee is meeting later tonight to pick their playing eleven. "We are quite motivated," Akram said dismissing suggestions that India’s absence would reduce competitive interest in the final being played at a neutral venue. On paper, Pakistan look a balanced team and with the return of paceman Shoaib Akhtar, one of the fastest in the world, the favourites’ attack has been bolstered. In the batting department, young Wajahtullah Wasti, who struck centuries in both the innings of Lahore Test, will open with veteran Saeed Anwar. Inzamam-ul-Haq, passing through a lean phase, Yousaf Youhana, Ijaz Ahmed and Moin Khan will be the batting mainstays. De Silva on the other hand is not worried with the present Sri Lankan lineup despite the absence of Ranatunga and dashing opener Sanath Jayasuriya. The islanders’ batting will largely depend on the skipper, openers Russel Arnold, Aviska Gunawardena, and Mahela Jayawardene and Romesh Kaluwitharana. "Our bowlers will have to bowl their hearts out to tame the formidable Pakistani line-up," De Silva said. Vaas will spearhead the bowling attack with Upul Chandana and Pramodaya Wickremasinghe in support. Ticket sales, however, have been poor because fans were disappointed that arch-rivals India and Pakistan were not contesting the final. Pakistan beat India in the inaugural tie of the three-test series, the only result so far. Sri Lanka drew with India and Pakistan but made the final following their better points than India. Cricket fever gripped the Bangladeshi fans during the silver jubilee Independence Cup Tournament here in January last when India beat Pakistan in a dramatic final. But with ticket-sales below expectations, Bangladesh Cricket Board is unhappy. Teams: Pakistan (from): Wasim Akram (captain), Saeed Anwar, Wajahtullah Wasti, Imran Nazir, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousaf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Moin Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Azhar Mahmood, Saqlain Mushtaq, Arshad Khan, Shahid Nazir. Sri Lanka (from): Aravinda De Silva (captain), Russel Arnold, Aviska Gunawardene, Mahela Jayawardena, Hashan Tillekeratne, Marvan Atapattu, Chandika Hathurasinghe, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Chaminda Vaas, Pramodaya Wickremasinghe, Ruchira Parera, Suresh Parera, Ruwan Kalpage, Upul Chandana. Umpires:
David Shepherd (England), David Cowie (New Zealand). TV
umpire: Venkat Ramaswamy (India). |
Rao hits ton as Indian colts win series NEW DELHI, March 11 (PTI) — Diminutive Venugopal Rao struck an entertaining 114 as India scored a thrilling three-wicket win over Sri Lanka with just four balls to spare and swept the four-match under-19 one-day cricket series today. India rested key players from Punjab, skipper Reetinder Sodhi, aggressive lefthander Yuvraj Singh and leg-spinner Sandeep Sawal having wrested a 3-0 lead, but held their nerves as few quick wickets fell in the slog overs to bring pressure at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground here. Sri Lanka, electing to bat were all out for a respectable 251 in exactly 50 overs with Chamara Silva (63) and Malinka Gajanayeka (87) making weighty contributions. But the Visakhapatnam-based Rao (114 - 125 b, 11x4) added a crucial 96 runs for the fourth wicket with left-hander Neeraj Patel (48 - 68b, 1x4, 1x6) after raising 99 for the second wicket with stand-in skipper and UP bat Mohammed Kaif (37) as the hosts reached 254 for seven wickets in 49.2 overs. Rajat Bhatia, who hit a century and took two wickets in the previous tie, again revealed his all-round potential by taking four for 38 in a tidy spell and making a brisk unbeaten 23 to guide home the hosts. The Indian colts, who had convincingly won the first two ties in Gwalior, had posted an easy 73-run win in the third tie here on March 9 before showing their superiority today despite the absence of some top players. Sri Lanka, electing to bat, were struggling at 42 for four at one stage as medium-pacer Bhatia prised out three quick wickets. But Chamara Silva (63 - 84b, 2x4, 1x6) and top-scrorer Gajanayeka (87 - 97 b, 6x4) produced a splendid 142-run fifth wicket stand to revive the innings. Both were, however, run out to smart fielding by Mrityunjay Tripathi and Roland Barrington. Silva backed up too far as Gajanayeka played straight and Tripathi on his follow through picked and threw down the stumps at non-striker's end. Gajanayeka looked set for a deserving century, but failed to beat a throw from Barrington from mid-off to the wicketkeeper in the 45th over. India stumbled at the outset as Roland Barrington, who fell for nought in the previous tie, again went second ball without scoring. But Rao kept up a vigorous approach with many innovative shots against the left-arm paceman Sujeewa De Silva and later swept his way to bring up his hundred. Kaif, who took a long while to get off the mark, hit a few delectable shots, but fell inner-edging an intended glide off paceman Sathpath Kalum to 'keeper Prasanna Jayawardena. Rao and lefthander Neeraj Patel produced the crucial 96-run stand, but the former was run out to a sharp throw by squareleg Sujeewa De Silva, responding shakily to a call for single. Scoreboard Sri Lanka: Senaviratne c Sarandeep b R Bhatia 5, Mubarak c M Tripathi b Shivsagar Singh 19, Kandambi c H Bangari b R Bhatia 6, Chamara Silva run out 63, P Jayawardena c R Barrington b R Bhatia 0, M Gajanayeka run out 87, D Perera c Shivsagar Singh b M Tripathi 29, N Wijesinghe c V Rao b R Bhatia 5, R Dhammika C Shivsagar Singh b M Kaif , Sujeewa De Silva run out 7, S Kalum not out 0. Extras: (b2, lb13, w5, nb1) 21. Total: (all out in 50 overs) 251. Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-31, 3-41, 4-42, 5-184, 6-218, 7-223, 8-234, 9-249. Bowling: Mrityunjay Tripathi 10-0-43-1, Rajat Bhatia 10-2-38-4, Shivsagar Singh 10-2-50-1, Sarandeep Singh 10-0-45-0, Venugopal Rao 6-0-37-0, Neeraj Patel 1-0-8-0, Mohd Kaif 3-0-15-1. India: 254 for 7. |
Change time of Mohali tie: PCA CHANDIGARH, March 11 — The Punjab Cricket Association in a communication to the Board of Control for Cricket in India has requested that the India versus Pakistan one-day match, scheduled to be played at the PCA Stadium in SAS Nagar on April 1, should commence at 3.30 p.m. instead of 2.30 p.m. in view of the climatic conditions prevailing in the region, according to Mr M.P. Pandove, Secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association. The match will be a day-night affair. The PCA officials are of the view that the weather in April would be quite warm and therefore it would be prudent to start the match at 3.30 p.m. instead of 2.30 p.m. as scheduled thereby giving some respite to the players as well as the spectators. Mr Pandove said the ground of the PCA stadium was lush green. The pitch too had a green top and would provide help to seamers. But batsmen would be able to play their strokes as the bounce would be good and even. The tie would be the last league match of the triangular series involving India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The series kicks off on March 22 when India are scheduled to play Sri Lanka at Nagpur. Being the last league match before the final, scheduled to be played at Bangalore, the tie is bound to generate a lot of interest because it could have a decisive role in which team proceeds to the final. The Secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association told TNS that the sale of tickets for the match was picking up, specially the lower denomination ones. The tickets have been priced at Rs 10,000 for the air-conditioned lounge in the pavilion, Rs 3,000 for the pavilion terrace block, Rs 2,000 for the north pavilion, Rs 1,000 for the VIP block, Rs 500 for the special block and Rs 150 for the general block. For spectators of the air-conditioned lounge, pavilion terrace block and the north pavilion the association will also provide dinner. Mr Pandove said that the
Association had also decided to grant concessional
tickets to students at Rs 100 each. Educational
institutions interested in buying tickets may send their
request to the association along with demand draft. |
Punjab, Delhi move into last four ROPAR, March 11 — Punjab, Delhi, Kerala and Maharashtra moved into the semi-final today in the 27th Senior Women's National Handball Championship, being played at the Nehru Stadium here. In a quarter final match between Punjab and West Bengal this evening, the players of the former converted the match into a one-sided affair by scoring at short intervals. Punjab thrashed Bengal 30-5 while at the breather it was 20-1 in favour of Punjab. In the first half, Punjab women displayed an excellent game and did not allow the rivals to score more than once. In the second half, the Bengal players improved a lot and Punjab could not score more than 10 goals. Bengal also succeeded in putting the ball in the Punjab goal four times. Ultimately, the better team won and found a place in the semifinals. Gurpreet Kaur of Punjab scored seven goals while Ranjit Kaur put the ball in the next six times. Harjinder and Mandeep scored four goals each. For West Bengal, Lali Biswas scored two goals. In another quarterfinal, Delhi defeated Madhya Pradesh (MP) 12-5. At the interval, the score was 8-4 in favour of Delhi. The Delhi women enjoyed an upper hand during the match. In the second half Delhi scored four times against one goal by MP. Suman of Delhi put the ball in the goal five times while Sunita, Harpreet and Kavita scored twice each. Neeta of MP remained the star scorer for her team as all five goals against Delhi were scored by her. In a one-sided quarterfinal match, Maharashtra trounced Uttar Pradesh 20-4 while the score was 9-3 in favour of Maharashtra at the interval. The UP players from the beginning could not perform well though they scored three goals in the first half against nine by Maharashtra. In the second half, UP players almost lost their hearts and allowed Maharashtra to score as and when they got a chance. They scored 11 goals against one by UP. For Maharashtra Mukta Deshmukh was the top scorer who scored seven goals while Jawala scored four and Jai Shree Naik three. Chitra, and Vandana scored two goals each. Manisha and Kalyani did the same one each. UP's star scorer was Sushila Rana who put the ball in the net thrice and Anuradha did the same once. In another quarterfinal, Kerala trounced Chandigarh 26-3. In the first half, Chandigarh were nowhere as the Kerala women scored 19 times against Chandigarh who scored only twice. The Kerala team scored at will. But in the second half, Chandigarh women started performing well, though they could not score more than one goal. They stopped Kerala from taking a big lead. Kerala scored only seven goals in this session. Shyla and Sajitha of Kerala scored six goals each while Shree Devi scored five times. Tomorrow's fixtures:
(Semifinals) — Delhi vs Punjab and Kerala vs
Maharashtra. |
JCT, FC Kochin clash today CALCUTTA, March 11 (PTI) — Fresh from their emphatic 5-0 win over Churchill Brothers, a youthful JCT appear well placed to earn full points as they meet F C Kochin in the second leg of the super division National Football League here tomorrow. After a below-par performance in the first leg at Margao, where they finished fifth above their tomorrow’s rivals, the millmen have now climbed up to the fourth spot, following their sensational triumph over the formidable Goan outfit on Tuesday. With seven points from six matches in their kitty, the Punjab outfit are still in with a chance of annexing the title they won in the inaugural edition two years back. But any result other than a win at the Rabindra Sarobar here tomorrow against the weakest side in the competition is bound to dash whatever hopes JCT coach Sukhwinder Singh and his charges have of regaining the coveted crown. The millmen, however, should guard against complacency, as Kochin, their current position at the lowest rung of the ladder notwithstanding, are capable of putting up a good fight, as they did against Salgaocar in their previous match. Though the Goa side ultimately prevailed by a solitary goal, the match saw Kochin dominate in the key midfield zone. The fact that JCT and Kochin finished 1-1 in the first leg at Margao is also an indicator that the latter are no pushovers. Sukhwinder would be hoping for another sterling display from his experienced medio Rampal, who played the gamemaker's role to perfection against Churchill. The two Hardips — Saini and Sanga — along with Jasbir Singh would also have to give a good account of themselves if JCT are to put it across their opponents and stay afloat in the championship. Kochin, on the other hand, with only a solitary point in their kitty, are out of the title race and would be vying to salvage some of their lost prestige. The Kerala outfit, the
country's first professional club, will also have to buck
up their midfield comprising Noel Wilson, Roc Barreto, C.
Karunakar Raj and K. Noushad. The foursome not only have
to fall back repeatedly to held the defenders, but also
feed their nippy striker M. Najeeb. |
Mahadevan shocks Kirtane COIMBATORE, March 11 (PTI) — Promising youngster Manoj Mahadevan of Tamil Nadu sent third seed Nitin Kirtane (Maharashtra) crashing out of the Gold Flake Aces Tour Tennis Championship here today. In a quarterfinal match, Mahadevan beat Nitin 6-2, 3-6, 5-7 in a pulsating encounter. Rishi Sridhar (TN), who toppled top-seed Vijay Kannan in a pre-quarter final yesterday, found fifth-seed Saurav Panja (WB) a tough nut to crack. Rishi conceded, complaining of blisters after losing the first set 1-6 and trailing 1-3 in the second. Fourth seed Sandeep Kirtane (Mah) stopped statemate Rohan Bopanna 6-1, 7-5 while second-seed Vinod Sridhar (TN) put paid to the hopes of Jagdish Tanwar (Raj) the seventh seed, 6-1, 6-4. Tanwar was the last player
to make the quarter-finals early this morning. He beat
Vijendra Ladd (Mah) 6-2, 6-7 (8-10), 6-4. |
Kabaddi player cremated HOSHIARPUR, March 11 (UNI) — The body of former international kabaddi player Santokh Singh, alias Tokhi, who was murdered by five persons at Maangarh village on March 7, was cremated today. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's condolence message was read by Minister of State for Industry Sucha Singh Langah before the brother of the deceased lit the pyre. Mr Santokh Singh was Sarpanch of the village. SSP R.P. Mittal said all five accused had been identified and they would be arrested soon. The cremation was delayed because the son of the deceased could not come from the USA to attend the funeral. Mr Santokh Singh's second son Balwinder Singh was shot dead by terrorists in the USA three years ago, family sources said. The Gardhiwal police has
registered a case of murder under Sections 302 and
148/149, IPC, on a complaint by the victim's wife, who
had identified some of the assailants. |
State award for Gavaskar NAGPUR, March 11 (PTI) — The Maharashtra Government will confer the prestigious Maharashtra Bhushan award on celebrity Test cricketer Sunil Gavaskar later this year in the city, according to the State Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Gopinath Munde. Mr Munde, while giving
away the coveted state-level Savitribai Phule awards last
night, agreed to hold the function here. Gavaskar would
be the second person after melody queen Lata Mangeshkar
to receive the award for the year 1998-99. |
H
PU function rescheduled CHANDIGARH, March 11 (BOSR) — The annual Sports Prize distribution function of the Panjab University, Chandigarh earlier scheduled for March 14, will now be held on March 23 at the PU Gymnasium Hall here, according to Mr Kewal Singh, Assistant Director, Sports, PU. The colleges who have won the respective championships will be presented with the trophies and the players who have secured any of the first four positions in the All India Inter-University competitions alongwith their coaches and managers will also be honoured. Carrom championship CHANDIGARH, March 11
(BOSR) — The 28th Senior National and Inter-State
Carrom Championship will be held at Nagpur (Maharashtra)
from March 31 to April 5, according to Mr Mahesh Sekhri,
Zonal Secretary (North), All India Carrom Federation.
During the six day championship, the events to be
organised are men's and women's team championship, men's
and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and
veteran’s singles (Men). |
 |
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | | Chandigarh | Editorial | Business | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
