Monday, September 6, 1999
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S P O R T | Monday, September 6, 1999 |
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Depleted India lose by 42 runs SINGAPORE, Sept 5 — West Indies skipper Brian Lara displayed his magnificent batting as a Sachin Tendulkar-less India lost a psychological battle to West Indies by losing the final irrelevant league tie by 42 runs in the Singapore Challenge Triangular one-day cricket tournament here today. Lara’s knock made difference: Ganguly SINGAPORE, Sept 5 — Stand-in Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly today said his counterpart Brian Lara’s aggressive innings made all the difference in the 42-run loss to the West Indies in the truncated final league tie of the Singapore challenge cricket tournament here today. |
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 FOXBORO, USA : Julie Foudy (11) of the United States, vies for the ball with Ciera Grant (7) of Ireland, during the first half of an exhibition game at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. on Saturday. — AP/PTI
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Ganguly to lead side in Toronto SINGAPORE, Sept 5 — Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar will not travel for the upcoming three-match one day cricket series against the West Indies in Toronto and Saurav Ganguly will lead the team in the absence of Ajay Jadeja, who tore his calf muscle yesterday to be put out of action for the next 10 days.
Germany on brink of qualification Mukesh
guides team to Pro-Am win New
format for Fed Cup PCA
may forego Oct 10 Test East
Bengal retain league title Klim
sets third world mark |
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Depleted India lose by 42 runs SINGAPORE, Sept 5 (PTI) — West Indies skipper Brian Lara displayed his magnificent batting as a Sachin Tendulkar-less India lost a psychological battle to West Indies by losing the final irrelevant league tie by 42 runs in the Singapore Challenge Triangular one-day cricket tournament here today. Indian bowlers led by seamer Debasish Mohanty’s early burst held a grip before Lara inspired his team to a huge 196 for seven wickets in 30 overs and Indian batsmen lost their way completely midway through the chase to be restricted to 154 for eight wickets in the truncated tie due to a wet ground following early morning rain. The clash, holding only academic interest after both teams had already made it to Tuesday’s final, saw India take early control by reducing West Indies to 85 for five, but Lara, who walked in at number seven, smashed 60 off only 43 balls (2x4, 5x6) in a late charge to set India the daunting total to chase. The West Indian skipper was named Man of the Match for his big hitting to all parts of the small Kallang ground in a racy 61-run stand with the 23-year-old Ricardo Powell (46-44b, 4x4, 1x6), who gave a display of his talent despite missing a deserving fifty for the second match running. Stand-in skipper Saurav Ganguly (32-46b, 4x4) and the stylish Rahul Dravid (39-49b, 3x4) gave the Indian chase some impetus in a 70-run second wicket stand, but once the two fell, the Indian innings lost momentum with only old war horse Robin Singh contributing an unbeaten 23 off 22 balls with none others cashing in on the chance. Set a stiff asking rate of 6.56 to win the tie without the blazing bat of Tendulkar, India were immediately in trouble when left handed opener S. Ramesh perished without scoring, Nehemiah Perry at short mid-off taking an acrobatic catch as he tried for force paceman Reon King through the off-side. Ganguly, who hit King for two pleasing fours through the off-side and pulled speedster Nixon McLean to the midwicket fence, with Dravid repaired the damage, but sharp West Indian fielding saw even good shots failed to fetch full rewards. Dravid, who struggled for runs in the just-ended triseries in Sri Lanka, looked in good touch with shots to both sides of the wicket, but the run rate steadily crept up to make the job tougher. The stand-in skipper who will also lead India at the Toronto three-match one-day series against the Caribbeans, fell in an odd way when he failed to regain his crease after overbalancing himself trying to flick McLean. Wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs threw down the stumps and Ganguly was adjudged stumped. Dravid perished the very next over to leave India at 96 for three in the 19th over, caught at the long-off fence by Hendy Bryan off McLean and the remaining batsmen, barring the gritty Robin Singh, failed to make any impression. Left-hander Vinod Kambli, who has looked totally out of sorts since being surprisingly included for the Sri Lankan campaign and then drafted into the Toronto side following the withdrawal of skipper Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja’s injury, failed to make a mark. He began by hoisting off-spinner Nehemiah Perry over long on for a six, but was run out as he failed to beat a throw by Lara to Jacobs. Amay Khurasia once again went cheaply, caught and bowled by Perry before young all-rounder Laxmi Rattan Shukla was bowled for 13 by paceman Mervyn Dillon as the result was a foregone conclusion much before the match ended. The Caribbean pace attack, despite the absence of veteran Courtney Walsh for today’s tie, did a decent job with King (2/25) and McLean (2/32) doing the major damage while debutant Wavell Hinds had some consolation for failing to score by claiming M.S.K. Prasad (5) for his first international scalp. SCOREBOARD India: |
Ganguly to lead side in Toronto SINGAPORE, Sept 5 (PTI) — Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar will not travel for the upcoming three-match one day cricket series against the West Indies in Toronto and Saurav Ganguly will lead the team in the absence of Ajay Jadeja, who tore his calf muscle yesterday to be put out of action for the next 10 days. Cricket board secretary Jaywant Lele said the master batsman had told him and selection committee chairman Ajit Wadekar that he would like to skip the Toronto event-to be held on September 11, 12 and 14 to take expert advice for his persisting back problem. “Sachin said he would like to skip Toronto and get expert advise. He is yet to tell us where he would be going for this purpose”, Lele told reporters today. Following this, three changes have been made to the Canada-bound squad, which will comprise 15 members as per the World Cup rules being followed by organisers there. Mumbai left hander Vinod Kambli, axed for Toronto tour with leg spinner Anil Kumble for poor performances, has been called back into the side in place of Tendulkar while uncapped Baroda batsman Jacobs Martin replaces Jadeja. Delhi seamer Amit Bhandari is the other inclusion in the side earlier announced by the selection committee in Mumbai on August 31. Lele said Tendulkar “as things stand” will be available to lead the team in the four-nation one day series to be held in Nairobi from September 25 to October 3. Lele said Jadeja, who injured his right calf muscle at the fag end of his match-winning 88 against Zimbabwe in the ongoing Singapore challenge tournament here yesterday, was expected to take about 15 days to recover from the injury. The BCCI secretary said left-hander Saurav Ganguly was appointed stand-in captain for Toronto after he held a discussion with selection committee chairman Ajit Wadekar, who is also present here. Ganguly, who led India for the first time in the league tie against West Indies here today in the Singapore Challenge Cup, will have stylish bat Rahul Dravid as his deputy. Asked whether other selectors were considered before deciding on the replacements as well as captain for Toronto, Lele said since Wadekar was available and the decision had to be made today itself to complete visa formalities for Bhandari and Martin, it was immediately decided on the issue. The announcement finally ends speculation about Tendulkar not going to Toronto in order to meet a specialist in Sydney who had treated Aussie leg spinner Shane Warne, who underwent a shoulder surgery last year before making a successful comeback. Lele said consequent on Martin and paceman Amit Bhandari coming into the national squad, their place in the recently announced India ‘A’ team for a five-match one-day series against Australia ‘A’ in the USA to be played later this month, will be taken by Madhya Pradesh opener Jayprakash Yadav and young Delhi all-rounder Mithun Manhas. He said Jadeja requested to be allowed to play a couple of matches later in this series if he recovers, so that he will be match-fit for the Nairobi four-nation series. About the fitness of
deposed skipper Mohd Azharuddin, paceman Ajit Agarkar and
stumper Nayan Mongia, all recovering from injuries, Lele
said the first two were expected to be cleared only by
September 15 while Mongia was already fit, but was doing
light training.The revised team: S Ganguly (capt), S
Ramesh, R Dravid, V Kambli, A Khurasiya, J Martin, R
Singh, M.S.K. Prasad, S Joshi, V Prasad, L.R. Shukla, D
Mohanty, A Bhandari, N. Chopra, H Kanitkar. |
Lara’s knock made difference: Ganguly SINGAPORE, Sept 5 (PTI) — Stand-in Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly today said his counterpart Brian Lara’s aggressive innings made all the difference in the 42-run loss to the West Indies in the truncated final league tie of the Singapore challenge cricket tournament here today. “We didn’t do badly considering that Sachin Tendulkar and two other senior were not in the team and we went in with a young side. We also started well by reducing them to 49 for four before Lara came and changed the scene,” Ganguly said after the match at the Kallang Stadium here. The left-hander, who stood in for Tendulkar today and was also named captain for the coming three-match series against the West Indies in Toronto, said he came to know only today that he would be leading the side in Canada. “I was really surprised. I am really happy to lead India,” he said. Meanwhile, coach Anshuman Gaekwad defended Vinod Kambli’s inclusion for Tronto after he was axed from the squad on grounds of poor performance. “His inclusion is for the selectors to decide, but he is an experienced player and is not low on confidence”, he added. West Indian skipper Brian Lara, who smashed 60 off only 43 balls to set up his team’s morale boosting win ahead of the final said nothing could be judged from today’s performance and it was the final on Tuesday that really mattered. “But we have to take something out of this and hopefully the confidence will help us in the final”, Lara said. Asked about his decision to come as low as number seven, the star batsman said it was to give an opportunity to the young batsmen like debutant Wavell Hinds and Nixon McLean, who was sent in as pinch-hitter and contributed 23. He said West Indies, after the debacle at the World Cup where the former two time champions failed to reach the super six stage, were now looking to give openings for talented youngsters. About 24-year-old Ricardo Powell, who has been the find here with two brilliant knocks in both matches here, Lara praised the Jamaican batsman. “He’s got a big future. It’s not going to be readymade and he is capable of making it”, he added. Asked about younger
batsmen trying to make it to the once formidable side,
Lara said: “International cricket is not just
ability. You got to be mentally strong”. |
Kafelnikov fears Krajicek, Agassi NEW YORK, Sept 5 (AFP) — Australian Open champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov has guaranteed that either he, second seed Andre Agassi or hard-serving Dutchman Richard Krajicek will win the UP Open Tennis Championship. The third-seeded Russian dismissed the rest of the field here yesterday after defeating Sweden’s 42nd-ranked Jonas Bjorkman 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round of the Grand Slam event. “To be honest, three guys can win the US Open Krajicek, myself and Agassi. Nobody else has a chance”, Kafelnikov said. “Those are the real guys who can win the US Open, nobody else. “I can bet any money you want. I can guarantee you now that one of the three guys will win the US Open”. Agassi reached the fourth round yesterday by beating fellow American Justin Gimelstob 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and Krajicek advanced with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-4 triumph over compatriot John Van Lottum. Kafelnikov would not go so far as to project himself as a champion, saying: “I am afraid of Richard Krajicek and I am afraid of Andre Agassi. Those are my picks. If I would have been confident, I would have told you I am going to win the US Open. But I did not say that”. What he said was that such seeds as Britain’s Greg Rusedski, American Todd Martin and Brazil’s Gustavo Kuerten from the opposite half of the draw may as well go home instead of playing for a spot in the final. Kafelnikov based his prediction on how well he, French Open champion Agassi and Key Biscayne winner Krajicek are playing and their Grand Slam history. Agassi became only the fifth man to claim a career Grand Slam with his win in Paris, where Kafelnikov won in 1996. Krajicek won the 1996 Wimbledon crown. Agassi had tabled Krajicek as a title threat earlier saying, “Krajicek is always a guy to worry about. He is big, tall and has a huge serve. He wakes up on the wrong side of the bed sometimes. But he is dangerous”. Kafelnikov agreed, saying, “I like Andre Agassi said, it depends on which side of the bed he is going to wake up. Seems to me he is on the right side of the bed at the moment. He is playing well. Didn’t lose a set in three matches. That’s a guy I and Andre Agassi have had trouble with in the past”. For his part, Krajicek has gained confidence with every match at the slam event that has dogged him the most”. “It’s my worst lam”, he said. “I have never made the semifinals and the other ones I have made the semifinals or better. I would really like to do well here. I really felt I have under-achieved here so far. “I haven’t played so well lately, but if I can continue like this and get more confidence every match, then I feel very good. I’m a couple of matches away from feeling very good and being in the top four”. Krajicek is 4-3 against Kafelnikov and 3-3 with Agassi. Kafelnikov is 4-3 against Agassi, having beaten him 6-1, 6-4 in last months’ Montreal semifinal and lost to him 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 in a Washington final two weeks ago. “Andre did
underestimate me a little bit”, Kafelnikov said.
“He thought I’m the floater, the guy who would
not give him big trouble. But I can out strong. He had to
answer for it”. |
Agassi, Capriati in 4th round NEW YORK, Sept 5 (AFP)—Career comeback master Andre Agassi reached the fourth round of the US Open Tennis Championships, as did a pair of layers trying to emulate his remarkable resurgence: Andrei Medvedev and Jennifer Capriati. Agassi, who had plunged out of the top 100 in 1997, completed his climb back to the top of the game with his French Open triumph in June, which made him only the fifth man to earn a career Grand Slam. The highest seed left in the men’s draw, Agassi is undisputedly the Open favourite. But even after his 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over 87th ranked compatriot Justin Gimelstob he continued to tout the dangers lurking in the draw. In the next round, Agassi will face France’s Arnuad Clement, who took Agassi to five sets in the second round at Roland Garros. Clement ousted 15th seeded German Nicolas Kiefer 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. Agassi categorically disagreed with third-seeded Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov’s assertion that he, Agassi and 12th seed Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands are the only men with a chance of winning the title. “I think anyone who is still in the tournament is a problem,” Agassi said. “Clement is a tremendous competitor who moves incredibly well. I have no intention of taking that one lightly. We all know if we could phone in the results, I’m the highest seed left. But you can’t you’ve got to go out there and play.” Kafelnikov’s prediction came after he took six match points to finish off Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Krajicek, who won the Wimbledon in 1996, defeated compatriot Johan Van Lottum 6-4, 6-1, 6-4. He will next face unseeded American Vince Spadea, who defeated Italian lucky loser Laurence Tieleman 6-2, 4-6, 6-7 (4/7) 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). Kafelnikov, the reigning Australian Open champion who also won the French Open crown in 1996, was unconcerned by his wobbly finish, when he double faulted twice and hit two forehand errors on match points. In the fourth round, he will face his friend Medvedev, who conquered a queasay feeling in the second set to defeat young Australian Llayton Hewitt 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Medvedev, who reached a career high ranking of fourth in the world in 1994, was languishing at 100 entering the French Open, where he reached the final. Marcelo Rios, the 10th-seeded Chilean who won seven titles and reached the world number one ranking last year but has struggled with injuries in 1999, reached the fourth round with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jan Kroslak of Slovakia. He will face French qualifier Nicolas Escude, who beat Belgian teen Xavier Malisse 6-3, 6-2, 6-1. Jennifer Capriati, who has plumbed the depths personally and professionally since her stunning early success on the WTA Tour, set the stage for a reprise on one of the most memorable moment in her career. The unseeded American advanced with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over French veteran Nathalie Tauziat. She next faces fourth seed Monica Seles, who defeated Ai Sugiyama 6-2, 6-3. In 1991, the then 15-year-old Capriati came within two points of defeating Seles in the US Open semifinals. Both women recalled the match as one of the best of their careers. But neither cared to be drawn into comparing the vastly differing personal hurdles that have since disrupted their tennis careers. Seles went on to win the title that year and the next two for her nine Grand Slam singles titles. But she had to battle through the aftermath of a shocking stabbing and is still learning to cope with the absence of her late father. With so much history behind them, it’s surprising to realise that Capriati is the same age — 23 — as reigning champion Lindsay Davenport, and Seles is just two years older.Davenport, who was playing juniors at the 1991 US Open, claimed her second Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this July, and has slipped almost invisibly into fourth round. She demolished compatriot Amy Frazier 6-1, 6-1, to set up a grudge match with Julie Halard Decugis, who beat her at Los Angeles three weeks ago. If she gets past that, Davenport could meet fifth-seeded Frenchwoman Mary Pierce in the quarters’ Pierce downed Angles Montolio of Spain 6-0, 7-6 (7/4) to advance to a meeting with Sabine Applemans of Belgium. Seventh seed Sarana Williams, a 17-year-old who seems determined to make some history as soon as possible, survived a scare from someone even younger: 16 year-old Belgian Kim Clijsters. Clijsters, the youngest
player in the women’s draw, won the first set 6-4
and took a 2-0 lead in the second before Williams won six
games in a row to level the match en route to a 4-6, 6-2,
7-5 victory. |
All-Williams final nearly bites dust NEW YORK, Sept 5 (AFP) — The controversial parental prediction of an all-Williams women’s final nearly bit the dust in the fourth round of the US Open Tennis Championships, until the youngest girl in the field fell victim to her fear. Seventh seed Serena Williams scored 16 of the final 17 points, including 14 in a row when faced with elimination, to rally past Belgian 16-year-old Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, in a third-round match yesterday. “That was pretty magnificent, the way I was able to be determined and come back and just really stay focused like that,” Williams said of her closing run. “That was really great. I don’t recall having done that before so that’s good for me. Williams’ father Richard, whose boast that his daughters would reach the final annoyed top seed Martina Hingis, was watching alongside Venus Williams, the third seed who would be Serena’s foe in his dream match. “I guess he was very excited”, Serena said. “I know I was. I was pretty stoked. He was just like, good job”. Their fears were set aside when the youngest of five Williams sisters at age 17 pulled off her greatest comeback to book a fourth-round date with 16th seed Conchita Martinez of Spain. “This is actually not my biggest comeback. This is my best comeback because it’s actually in a Slam”. Clijsters, ranked 98th, was set to serve for the match at 5-3 when her collapse began. The next point Clijsters got was also her last and it came on the third point of the final game after Williams had broken her twice in four points and held in the minimum as well. “I think I was too close to win,” Clijsters said. “I was a little bit scared. I was pushing myself. I thought, OK, now you have to do it”. Maybe it was a little bit of pressure on me putting on myself. “It’s also the experience. She has more experience than I have. I learned a new lesson out of this match”. The lowest low point for
Clijsters was the break point of 11th game of the final
set when she took a ball that hit on the baseline and
tapped it to the ground, thinking it was out. Instead,
she handed Williams her 12th point in a row. |
Germany on brink of qualification LONDON, Sept 5 (Reuters) — Twenty qualifiers produced 56 goals, one of the fastest hat-tricks in international history and three sendings off yesterday — but not one new qualifier for next year’s Euro 2000 finals in Belgium and the Netherlands. What did emerge from a marathon day of soccer across the continent was that, barring a string of improbable results, Norway and Slovenia in group two, Germany and Turkey (group 3), Sweden (group 5), and Romania and Portugal (group 7), have all guaranteed themselves places in the play-offs at the very least. Only when the penultimate round of qualifying matches is played on Wednesday can any of these teams make certain of their place in the finals alongside the co-hosts and the sole qualifiers to date, the Czech Republic. Wales, Russia, Iceland and Estonia are back in contention after victories yesterday, and the closest fight of all is in group four where Ukraine (16 points), Russia (15), Iceland (15) and world champions France (15) are separated by one point. Ukraine and France drew 0-0 in Kiev yesterday, Russia beat Armenia 2-0 in Moscow and Iceland beat Andorra 3-0 in Reykjavik. Although France have slipped to fourth on goal difference, they still have as good a chance as any of the three teams above them of qualifying with their two matches remaining against Armenia away and Iceland at home. Russia, who started the qualifying campaign with three straight defeats, chalked up their fifth successive win with their victory over Armenia. If they beat Andorra as expected on Wednesday and then beat Ukraine at home in their final match, they could yet qualify as winners. The nine group winners qualify automatically along with the runner-up with the best record. The eight remaining second-placed teams play off against each other for the remaining four places. Denmark, champions in 1992, scored their third successive victory with a 2-1 win over Switzerland in Copenhagen, a vital win after Wales came from behind to win 2-1 in Belarus. Italy (14 points) will clinch the group if they beat Denmark (11) in Naples on Wednesday, but Wales (9) and Switzerland (8) are still in with a chance of a finals place. Norway (19 points), who beat Greece 1-0 in Oslo thanks to a goal from Oyvind Leonhardsen, and Slovenia (17), who beat Georgia 2-1 with Milenko Acimovic and Zlatko Zahovic scoring, have pulled clear of Latvia (12) points. Norway will qualify for the finals if they beat Slovenia at home on Wednesday. Reigning champions Germany (15) and Turkey (15) will fill the top positions in group three after two goals from Oliver Bierhoff gave Germany a 2-1 win over Finland in Helsinki. Turkey crushed Northern Ireland 3-0 in Belfast with Arif Erdem scoring three goals in four minutes either side of half time — one of the fastest international hat-tricks recorded. In group five Sweden (16 points) scored an important 1-0 win over Bulgaria in Stockholm. They scored midway through the second half via substitute Niklas Alexandersson, who had only come on two minutes earlier. Bulgaria, already eliminated, were reduced to 10 men when Milen Petkov was sent off and the result left Sweden poised to qualify next Wednesday when they should beat Luxembourg. England (12 points) crushed Luxembourg 6-0 at Wembley with skipper Alan Shearer scoring his first hat-trick for his country. England moved ahead of Poland (12) on goal difference and whoever wins Wednesday’s match in Warsaw between the two will finish second behind a victorious Sweden. In group six Spain (15) advanced towards the finals with a 3-1 win over Austria in Vienna. While Spain are almost certain of qualifying as winners, Cyprus and Israel will keep up their challenge for the runners-up spot when they meet in Limassol today. Austria are not out of it mathematically but appeared demoralised — although they redeemed some pride after losing 9-0 to Spain in March. In group seven Romania (20), who beat Slovakia 5-1 in Bratislava, and Portugal (19) — despite being held to a shock 1-1 draw by a 10-man Azerbaijan — cannot realistically be caught. Their meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday is likely to determine who win the group. The only match played in group eight saw Croatia (14) beat Ireland (12) 1-0 with a last minute goal from new Arsenal signing Davor Suker, top scorer in the 1998 World Cup, to move Croatia to the top of the standings. Yugoslavia could move above the Irish if they beat Macedonia today. While the Czech Republic (24) have already won group nine with eight successive victories, Scotland (11) and Estonia (10) moved to the front of a four-team queue for second place with wins over Bosnia and the Faroe Islands respectively. Scotland won 2-1 in
Bosnia while Estonia beat the Faroes 2-0. The Czechs won
4-0 against Lithuania who, like Bosnia, have eight
points. |
Mukesh guides team to Pro-Am
win NEW DELHI, Sept 5 — Mukesh Kumar and his team emerged triumphant at the Pro-Am event of the Rs 7-lakh Cosmo-Hindi Open, being played at the par-72, 6,544-yard Cosmopolitan Club Golf course in Chennai today. Rafiq Ali and his team finished runners-up, while S.S.P Chowrasia and team finished third. Mhow pro, Mukesh Kumar, contributed a score of 15 to the winning total of +10 with fine support from team members, Mandip S. Malik, Rajagopal V. and Lakshmi Narain. Rafiq Ali and his team comprising Ishimoto, Jaishanker and Raghu S. lost by a whisker, carding a score of +9 with Rafiq Ali contributing a fine score of +5. S.S. Chowrasia’s team of Shankar Krishnan, Sunny Malhan and M. Mashita occupied the third spot with a score of +8 Chowrasia played to a score of zero. Mukesh Kumar, as the professional in the winning team earned Rs 7,000, while the runner-up team professional, Rafiq Ali, earned Rs 5000 for his effort, S.S.P. Chowrasia as the pro in the 2nd runner-up team pocketed Rs 3,000. The best score of the day carried a prize of Rs 5,000 and was shared by Mukesh and Rafiq for turning in a fine score of +5. The amateurs in the leading two teams received glittering trophies. Then Cosmopolitan Club made a very fine gesture when it requested Vijay Kumar, winner of the “cosmo Hindu Open” to give away the Pro-Am prizes, at the prize distribution ceremony held over lunch at the Golf Club Annexe. The Pro-Am was played on the ‘against bogey format’ wherein, a net score of zero highlights the fact that a golfer played to his handicap, while a plus score, indicates that a better score than his handicap and a minus score, more over. The professional score was added to the best two scores of the amateurs on each hole, to get to the team total. The conclusion of the
Pro-Am event, brings the curtain down on the inaugural
tournament of the 1999-2000 Wills Sports Golf Tour, with
the golf caravan moving on to the Color Plus Open to be
played at the Guindy Race course from September 7 to 10. |
New format for Fed Cup NEW YORK, Sept 5 (AFP) — The Fed Cup, the women’s version of the men’s Davis Cup Nations Tennis Tournament, will change to a round-robin format in the year 2000 in hopes of boosting TV coverage and cutting down on calendar conflicts. Instead of three rounds of knockout competition, the tournament will start with round-robin play in three groups to be played the week of April 24. The 1999 champion, to be determined in the final between the USA and Russia in Palo Alto, California, later this month, will be exempt from this round. The 1999 champion will then host the semifinal and final round-robin in the week of November 20. “The International Tennis Fed Cup format will help to boost the competition’s image,” said ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti. “Although the Fed Cup has been successful in many markets, this has not been consistent worldwide.” “The new format
takes the strengths of the existing format and, by adding
certainty of venue in successful nations we believe it
presents a stronger proposition for television and
sponsorships partners,” said Chris Renner, Managing
Director of marketing partner IOL. |
Paes-Raymond duo upset NEW YORK, Sept 5 (PTI) — Top seeds Leander Paes and Lisa Raymond were upset by the all-American pair of Kimberly Po and Donald Johnson to cut short their quest for a second straight Grand Slam mixed doubles title, at the US Open Tennis Championships here last night. The Wimbledon champions Paes Raymond started their second round campaign by winning the first set 6-4 but then their game fell apart and Po Johnson rallied well from there to complete a 4-6 6-3 6-4 win over the favourites. The Indo-American pair, who came together as a team only this year, were expected to win the title here following their triumph at the All-England Championships in July. Paes/Raymond were also
stretched in their first round match by the African team
of Liezel Horn and Kevin Ullyett before prevailing 7-5
7-5 on Thursday. |
PCA may forego Oct 10 Test CHANDIGARH, Sept 5 — India-New Zealand Test scheduled to be held at the PCA stadium, SAS Nagar, from October 10 to 14 may not be held, according to Mr M.P. Pandove, honorary secretary of the PCA today. The executive committee of the PCA which met here yesterday, discussed the economics of staging the Test and decided that in view of the exemption from the entertainment duty not being granted by the state government, it will not be economically viable to stage the Test. The committee was of the view that the Test match is prestigious sports event for any state and generates a lot of public interest and enthusiasm. But staging of this match entails a lot of expenses and the board also charges a huge guarantee money. The executive committee
discussed all the aspects of the matter and decided that
in case the exemption from entertainment duty is not
granted by the state government, it may not have other
option but to either forego the match or shift the match
to Chandigarh. |
East Bengal retain league title CALCUTTA, Sept 5 (PTI) — Formidable East Bengal retained the Calcutta Super Division Football League title humbling Mohammedan Sporting 1-0 in their concluding outing here yesterday. Ghanaian right wing back Suley Musah converted a penalty in the 42nd minute of the opening half of the one-side super five exchange fashioning his team’s 26th title triumph in the prestigious league. Referee Udayan Haldar pointed to the dreaded spot after an onrushing Raman Vijayan was obstructed inside the Sporting box by their skipper Aslam Parvez and Insan Ali. The heavily-built Ghanaian kept his cool to score from the setpiece, thereby guiding his side out of the reach of closest rivals Mohun Bagan. Playing true to form at the Salt Lake Stadium, East Bengal maintained constant pressure on their opponents with Musah and his compatriot Jackson overlapping regularly to feed their forwards. The first half itself saw the winners create a number of goal-bound moves, with Carlton Chapman playing the midfield general’s role to perfection and striking up a fine rhythm with Musah. East Bengal accelerated
the tempo in the initial stages of the second half, but
looked complacent later on, even as the inexperienced
Sporting squad looked disjointed and rudderless. |
Klim sets third world mark CANBERRA, Sept 5 (AP) — Australian Michael Klim got his third shortcourse swimming world record of the national titles today, breaking the 50m butterfly in a special time trial. Klim clocked 23.21 seconds to shave 0.09 seconds off the previous mark held by Milos Milosevic of Croatia. Klim arranged the time trial after missing in two previous attempts today when he won his semifinal in 23.38 and final in 23.45. Earlier in the meet Klim broke the 100m butterfly world record and was part of the world record breaking 800m freestyle relay team. He was also on the Australian 800m freestyle relay team which broke one of 12 longcourse world records at the Pan Pacific championships in Sydney over the past two weeks. “It’s been a
great meet,” said Klim. “I knew I was capable
of swimming within that time and maybe even faster. |
H
Cricket trials LUDHIANA, Sept 5 (FOSR)
— The Ludhiana District Cricket Association will
conduct trials to select the district teams for the
Punjab state inter-district cricket championship for
Katoch Shield and Drauv Pandove Trophy (U-19) here at the
S.D. Government College ground on September 7 and 9,
respectively, at 3 p.m., according to a LDCA, spokesman.
Players born on or after September 1, 1980, are eligible
for the trials (U-19). |
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