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Wednesday,
October 31, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Caddick,
Croft pull out of tour India face
Japan in hockey World Cup opener Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe Play
washed out for second day Imported
equipment gathering dust Violence
hits athletic meet |
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Punjab
amass 390
Rajasthan
force draw
Champions
Challenge meet at Kuala Lumpur Suicide
threat by Iran’s soccer coach Stage set
for Santosh Trophy
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Caddick, Croft pull out of tour London, October 30 But the other three players who were apprehensive about the tour - Marcus Trescothick, Craig White and Ashley Giles — have confirmed their intention to tour the country. according to an ECB announcement. Replacements for both Caddick and Croft will be named later this week, the announcement said. While 11 players — skipper Nasser Hussain, Mark Butcher, Richard Dawson, James Foster, Warren Hegg, Matthew Hoggard, James Ormond, Mark Ramprakash and Michael Vaughan — had already confirmed their participation on October 26, five had sought more time to come to a decision after the ECB said the tour would go on despite the uncertain security scenario following US strikes in Afghanistan. Mr John Carr, ECB Director of Cricket Operations, said, “ECB is delighted that the players have now made their decisions. We thank them for respecting the board’s urgency on the matter.” Mr Carr along with players’ representative Tim O’Gorman will be travelling to India tomorrow to confirm the security arrangements for the tour. Hussain said, “I am delighted that Craig, Marcus and Ashley have made their decision to tour. On behalf of all the players I would like to thank all concerned for their understanding in what has been an incredibly difficult period for the team. I fully respect and appreciate both Andrew and Robert’s decisions.” Mr David Graveney, chief executive of the Professional Cricketers’ Association and chairman of selectors, said “I realise that it has been a very difficult decision for all concerned. I would like to reiterate, in my selectorial capacity, that the statements made regarding players who understandably have opted out of the tour remain true relating to their future selection.” Ashley Giles said “I am very grateful to the ECB for allowing extra time to come to my decision, and subject to my passing a fitness test on November 7, I now look forward to flying to India with the rest of the touring party.” Marcus Trescothick said the additional time had enabled him to “make my decision in the right frame of mind. I would like to thank the ECB and all concerned for their patience.” Craig White said he was ready to tour subject to the fitness test on November 7. Andy Caddick admitted his decision to opt out of the touring party was extremely difficult. “My choice does not reflect any lack of commitment to English cricket and, had circumstances been different, I would love to have toured”. “Turning down the opportunity to represent my country is something I would never have believed possible. I needed to be 100 per cent confident that my family was happy for me to tour, unfortunately that is not the case. I have two children, Ashton who is three and Fraser, born only on October 12 — for them and my wife I have made the very personal decision not to go to India.” For Robert Croft too it was an immensely difficult decision to make but after further discussions with friends and family he could not guarantee full commitment to England team, “knowing that my family would worry about my safety.” “I have many Indian friends and for all concerned I am very disappointed. Extraordinary circumstances have led to my decision and I would like to take this opportunity to wish Nasser and the guys a successful tour,” Croft said. Meanwhile, the Indian cricket team manager M.K. Bhargava said in South Africa there was no reason for the England team to be apprehensive about the tour. Players who agreed to the tour are: N Hussain (capt), M Trescothick, M Butcher, G Thorpe, M Ramprakash, U Afzaal, M Vaughan, W Hegg (wk), J Foster (wk), C White, A Giles, R Dawson, J Ormond, M Hoggard.
PTI |
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India face Japan in hockey World Cup opener Kuala Lumpur, October 30 World Cup debutants Cuba take on Olympic silver medallists Korea in first match of the championship. Later the same
day, defending champions Holland will open their campaign with a tie against New Zealand while hosts Malaysia face Australia. In the other four opening day matches, England line up against Poland, Pakistan square off against South Africa, runners-up Spain meet Belgium and European champions Germany face off against the Argentines. The 10th World Cup is featuring for the first time an enlarged field of 16 teams divided into two pools of eight teams. They are scheduled to play a total of 72 matches over 13 days. The final is on March 9. India are in pool ‘B’ which also includes among others Australia, South Korea and England. Pool A: Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Spain and South Africa. Pool B: Australia, India, Cuba, England, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Poland. All matches will be held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Seating at the main National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil will be increased by 3,000 temporary seats to 15,000 while an additional 2,800 temporary seats will increase the capacity at the second stadium to 4,800. The fixtures for next year’s tournament were unveiled here today by Sultan Azlan Shah, World Cup organising committee chairman and Malaysian Hockey Dederation (MHF) president. MHF deputy president and organising committee deputy chairman Tan Sri P. Alagendra said the unveiling of the fixtures represented a step closer to the World Cup. “I’m sure all the managers, coaches and players have been shaping their preparations according to their preliminary round opponents,” he said. After all the sweat and toil in training, friendly matches and lead-up tournaments, team managers and coaches will finally see that light ahead in the tunnel.” Under the format, each team plays seven pool
matches, followed by crossover classification play-offs before the final classification matches. The top two teams in each pool qualify for the semifinals while the 3rd and 4th fight for the 5th - 8th places, the 5th and 6th for the 9th - 12th places, and the last two teams battle for the 13th -16th places. Match schedule: February 24: Cuba v Korea, England v Poland, Pakistan v South Africa, Belgium v Spain, Germany v Argentina, Holland v New Zealand, Japan v India, Malaysia v Australia. February 25: Pakistan v Belgium, South Africa v Germany, New Zealand v Spain, Holland v Argentina. February 26: Korea v India, Japan v Malaysia, Australia v England, Poland v Cuba. February 27: Belgium v Holland, Argentina v South Africa, Germany v Spain, Malaysia v India, Poland v Australia, Pakistan v New Zealand, England v Cuba, Korea v Japan. February 28: Spain v Holland, South Africa v New Zealand, Argentina v Pakistan, Belgium v Germany. March 1: Australia v Cuba, Poland v Japan, India v England, Malaysia v Korea. March 2: Germany v New Zealand, Spain v South Africa, Japan v Australia, Belgium v Argentina, India v Cuba. Korea v Poland, Pakistan v Holland. England v Malaysia. March 3: Argentina v New Zealand, Spain v Pakistan, South Africa v Belgium, Holland v Germany. March 4: England v Japan, Malaysia v Cuba, India v Poland, Australia v Korea. March 5: Belgium v New Zealand, Pakistan v Germany, South Africa v Holland, Cuba v Japan, England v Korea, India v Australia, Argentina v Spain, Poland v Malaysia. March 6: Rest Day. March 7: Classification matches March 8: Classification matches. March 9: 3 v 4th loser, and final.
UNI |
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Sri Lanka
beat Zimbabwe
Sharjah, October 30 Earlier, Sri Lanka, after winning the toss and electing to bat, scored 250 all out in 49.4 overs. Sri Lanka survived the fall of early wickets to race to 133 for three half-way through their innings. Heath Streak struck a double blow, removing Sanath Jayasuriya, who had lashed 25 off 21 balls after winning the toss, and Avishka Gunawardene by the 10th over to seize the initiative. SRI
LANKA Jaysurya c Friend b Streak 25 Gunawardene lbw b Streak 14 Atapattu c G. Flower b Brent 9 Jayawardene c Gripper b Marllier 63 Arnold c Brent b Streak 55 Sangakkara b Brent 35 Dharmsena st A. Flower b Marllier 8 Vaas run out 13 Liyanage c A. Flower b Streak 2 Muralitharan c G. Flower b Brent 2 Fernando not out 0 Extras
24 Total (all out in 49.4 overs) 250 Bowling: Murphy 10-0-46-0, Friend 6-0-31-0, Nkla 3-0-21-0, Gripper 1-0-5-0, Streak 10-0-57-4, Brent 7.4-0-31-3, G. Flower 2-0-9-0, D. Marillier 10-0-42-2. ZIMBABWE G. Flower b Vaas 2 Gripper c Arnold b Liyanage 26 Carlisle run out 37 A. Flower c Murali b Dsena 14 Ebrahim c Sangakara b Dsena 14 Marllier not out 52 Streak c Sangakara b Dsena 5 Nkla c Sangakara b Murali 5 Brent c Fernando b Arnold 8 Friend not out 2 Extras
6 Total: (for 8 in 50 overs) 171 Bowling: Liyanage 6-0-23-1, Fernando 6-0-30-0, Dharmasena 10-0-27-3, Muralitharan 10-1-22-1, Vaas 6-2-19-1, Arnold 2-0-11-1, Jayasuriya 10-0-37-0.
Reuters |
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Play washed
out for second day Chatworth, October 30 The umpires announced their decision after inspecting the outfield almost a couple of hours before the scheduled start. “I haven’t seen such a wet outfield for a very long time,” said Indian coach John Wright as he returned disappointed from the venue along with manager M.K. Bhargava. It was evident that more than the drizzle last night, it was the poor drainage facility at the Chatsworth Oval that was to be blamed for what has cost the Indians invaluable practice. This was the only warm-up fixture before the start of the Test series and whether the game would be restricted to a one-day affair remains to be decided. There is a general opinion here that even if there is uninterrupted sunshine today, there is little chance of play being held at all on the last day of the match tomorrow. Umpire Wilf Diedricks said, We can’t play in these conditions. We have a responsibility to the Indian players who are playing a Test soon. India last played first-class cricket in the third Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo in September. Several key players, notably batsman Vangipurappu Laxman, left-arm fast bowler Zaheer Khan and wicketkeeper Sameer Dighe, who all joined the tour towards the end of a one-day triangular series also involving Kenya, need time to adjust to South African conditions. “Our preparation has been peculiar, to say the least,” John Wright told Reuters. “It’s not good, but there’s not a lot we can do about it and we’re just going to have to make the most of the time we have left.”
PTI |
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Imported equipment
gathering dust Chandigarh, October 30 Most of these items have not been put to any use during the past 12 years. While a fairly large percentage of the imported equipment has been found fit for use even now, the organising committee of the National Games maintains that all the critical sports equipment required for the conduct of the coming National Games has either already arrived or will reach the venues by the end of next week. In one of the stores, a large number of items required for conduct of track and field events are stored. Though some of the items, including fibre glass poles for pole vault and high jump may have been rendered useless because of change of centre of gravity due to bends caused by prolonged unscientific storage, other items, including starting blocks for track events, have been found in perfectly usable condition. Similarly, in yet another store, shooting equipment worth several lakhs of rupees was stored. The entire equipment is entirely in usable condition even now. Same may be the story of other stores of the Sports Department which have unfortunately remained locked for most of the time since the games were called off at the last moment in 1989. Since then perhaps little attention was paid towards the upkeep of this expensive equipment. It was not even put to use for training youngsters in various sports. According to the rules, equipment can be written off as “useless” only after a technical committee makes an assessment and gives its report. But in this case no such committee was constituted and the equipment on record was never written off. As such, the Sports Department has on its inventory a huge quantity of imported equipment which till date has been gathering dust. With less than three weeks to go for the start of the much-postponed National Games, all is perhaps not that well as the organising committee may have wished for. The Secretary-General of the organising committee, Mr Inderjit Singh Bindra, visited Ludhiana and held meetings with chairmen of various regional committees and reviewed progress of all the five venues. He wished for the regional committees to hold daily meetings and take immediate decisions to get the things in shape as soon as possible. In Patiala, the regional committee held a meeting under the chairmanship of Mr J.S. Bir, Deputy Commissioner. Some of the crucial issues, including minor changes in the academic calendar of Punjabi University, Patiala, to adjust the dates of the Games and a final decision about the venue for kabaddi and kho-kho events were discussed. It was decided that the issues shall be taken up with the authorities concerned at the organising committee level. |
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Violence hits
athletic meet Ludhiana, October 30 At least two scooters were burnt in the melee but it could not be confirmed who set them on fire. Apart from heated exchanges between the two parties, stones were also pelted at each other. Political rivalry is said to be the main cause behind today’s unruly incident. Due to the cancellation of the meet at least 1200 sportspersons were left disappointed. The meet was about to be inaugurated formally when a group of 30 sportspersons led by international athletes DSP Amandeep Kaur and K. P. S. Brar raised slogans against the organisers. They marched on to the stage and tried to occupy it. Due to the tension, the hammer throw event and the women’s 5,000 meters race which had already started had to be called off mid way. The organisers led by Mr Raja Singh and Prof J.S. Duggal tried to pacify the protesters but they refused to relent. According to eye witnesses, the protesters said they would not allow the conduct of the game as long as Mr Umrao Singh, President of the association was not removed from the post. Mr Raja Singh, sponsor of the meet, who said he had spent more than Rs 10 lakh on the meet, tried to persuade the protesters to allow the conduct of the meet. He even proposed that the games can be held under the name of Raja Singh Invitation Games but the protesters did not agree to this proposal. A meeting of the organisers finally decided to call off the games. A representative of the protesting sportspersons said they were against the organisation of the games as the organisers and the sponsors were allegedly not providing good facilities to the players. They alleged that the diet allowance was not sufficient. Mr Jagdish Singh Garcha, Technical Education Minister, Punjab, who was scheduled to inaugurate the games was conspicuous by his abscence at the inaugural ceremony. The organisers also charged the police of inaction as the police personnel posted on security duty at the show remained mute spectators to the violence. |
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HP players dominate
karate meet Sundernagar, October 30 Himachal dominated the meet winning eight gold medals in the kata events. In the shiai competition the host team won nine gold medals out of 13, followed by Uttaranchal team, who won three gold medals. The results: (Kata kid category): Rishik (HP)1; Rohit (HP) 2; Rajeev (Uttaranchal) 3; sub-junior: Mukesh (HP) 1; Aman Sood (Punjab) 2; Rama Kant (HP) 3; junior boys: Dharminder (HP) 1; Cherring (HP) 2; Ajay (UP) 3; Girls: Mamta (HP) 2; Rinchen (HP) 2; Ishita (HP) 3; Women: Renu Thakur (HP) 1; Reena (HP) 2; Men: coloured belt: Parshant (HP) 1; Dava Lama (Haryana) 2; Sunil (Punjab) 3; Black Belt: Santosh (Uttaranchal) 1; Sanjeev (HP) 2; Ravinder (UP) 3; Team Coloured belt: HP 1, HP 2, Haryana 3; team black belt: HP 1, HP 2, UP 3. Shiai: 1 Sub-Junior: Om Prakash (HP) 1; Rama Kant (HP) 2; Rohit (HP) 3; junior boys: Dharminder 1; Om Prakash 2; Cherring (all from HP)3; girls: Swati (both from HP) 2; Renchen (Uttaranchal) 3; coloured belt (men U-50 kg) Anil Kumar (HP) 1; Sanju 2; Vineet (both from UP) 3; Men 50-55 kg: Cherring (HP) 1; Desh Raj (UP) 2; Amit (Punjab) 3; 55 to 60 kg: Om Prakash (Uttaranchal) 1; Sunil (Punjab) 2; Yogesh (Haryana) 3; 60 to 65 kgs: Mukesh (Uttaranchal) 1; Chanden (Haryana) 2; Gian Bhushan (Uttaranchal) 3; 65 to 70 kgs: Vikas 1; Parshant (both HP) 2; Hasan (Haryana) 3; open weight: Yogesh (Haryana) 1; Amit (Punjab) 2; Om Parkash (Uttaranchal) 3; women open weight: Reena (HP) 1; Renu (HP) 2; Reena Chauhan (Punjab) 3; black belt individual: Santosh (Uttaranchal) 1; Rakesh (HP) 2; Vinod (HP) 3; team coloured belt: HP 1; Haryana 2; Uttaranchal 3; black belt team: HP 1; UP 2; HP 3. |
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Punjab amass 390 Patiala, October 30 Brief scores: Punjab (Ist Innings): 390 all out (Binwant Singh 164, Chandan Madaan 87, Gaurav Sharma 22, Pardeep Shaw 4 for 103, Saurav 2 for 82) Haryana (Ist Innings): 164 for 3 (Manvinder Bisla 68, Sunny 36, Sandeep Kharab 28, Rajesh Sharma 2 for 38). |
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Parneeta leads
in Quark Golf Chandigarh, October 30 Parneeta would have done even better had she not bogeyed on the last hole after scoring birdies on the fourth and seventh holes and returning pars on the remaining till the 18th blemish. Third-seeded Shruti Khanna returned a par score followed one stroke behind by the local favourite and the defending champion, Irina Brar. The highlights of the day were two eagles — by Pragya Mishra on the sixth hole and by Mr Nirmal Milkha Singh on the 16th hole. In the silver division the young girls returned good scores. Chandigarh’s Kanika Minocha had a card of 82 — nett nine under her handicap — followed by Divya Kapour who had a card of 85, which was nett seven under, followed by Rana Alam and Komal Jawanda at nett under their handicaps The bronze division is being led by Harsharan Kaur followed by Neelu Chopra The tournament was inaugurated by the CEO of Quark, Mr Bal Sehgal. The scores after the first round. Overall champion’s trophy: Parneeta Garewal 71, Shruti Khanna 72, Irina Brar 73. Quark Silver Salver overall nett: Shruti Khanna 69, Parneeta Garewal 69. Quark Challenge Bowl(13-24): Gross — Kanika Minocha 82, Divya Kapur 85; Nett — Kanika Minocha 63, Divya Kapur 65. Quark Bronze Plate (25-36): Gross — Harsharan Kaur 101, Neelu Chopra 103; Nett — Darshi Narang 74, Harsharan Kaur 75. Quark Junior Shield (Below 18): Gross — Mayali Talwar 79, Pragya Mishra 80; Nett — Kanika Minocha 63, Divya Kapur 65. Quark Subjunior Cup (below 14): Gross — Kanika Minocha 82, Divya Kapur 85; Nett — Kanika Minocha 63, Divya Kapur 65. Quark Senior Challenge (above 50): Gross — S. Ratia 89, Dalbir Sahi 92; Nett — Vijay Wadhawan 68, Veenu Sandhu 70. Quark Super Senior Special (65 and above): Gross — Nirmal M. Singh 108, Darshi Narang 110; Nett — Darshi Narang 74, Saroj Joti 79. |
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Rajasthan
force draw New Delhi, October 30 Chasing a huge 323 runs for an outright win, Rajasthan’s heroes on the fourth and final day were captain P Krishnakumar (50 not out) and wicketkeeper Rohit Jhalani who remained unbeaten on 28 as Rajasthan took their score to 291 for 6 at close. The two came together after Railways pushed Rajasthan to the brink of defeat taking six wickets in the first two sessions to leave the visitors at 151 for 6 in the 58th over. While Railways were expecting a win soon after tea, Kumar and Jhalani had other ideas. Playing sensibly, the two went into the defensive frustrating the attempts of last year’s runners-up Railways for an outright win. At close, Jhalani and Kumar had faced 38.5 overs stiching an unbroken partnership of 68 runs.
MP-UP tie drawn Indore However, Uttar Pradesh could score 244 for four at close. |
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Champions
Challenge meet at Kuala Lumpur New Delhi, October 30 The
inaugural Champions Challenge Cup was to be held here from December 7 to 15. Though the venue has been changed the dates remain the same. Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) secretary K. Jothikumaran told UNI here this afternoon that the venue has been shifted as per the directives of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). He said Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) secretary S. Satgunam had conveyed to him on telephone about the change of venue. Mr Jothikumaran said during the Junior World Cup at Hobart, IHF President KPS Gill had discussion with the FIH officials and he was informed about the possibility of shifting the venues.
UNI |
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Suicide
threat by Iran’s soccer coach Dubai, October 30 “I will take a rope and hang myself,” the beleagured 66-year-old Croatian said yesterday ahead of the crucial World Cup play-off second leg match against United Arab Emirates tomorrow. Iran won the first leg of the play off with UAE by a solitary goal in Tehran. “We would definitely not like to fritter away our advantage,” Blazevic told Gulf News after his team’s arrival from Tehran at the Dubai International Airport. Tomorrow’s match will decide whether the Iranians, in quest of their second consecutive World Cup finals berth, can advance to a final play-off against Republic of Ireland next month.
PTI |
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Stage set for Santosh Trophy Mumbai, October 30 The cluster matches will be played at the two venues from November 1 to 6, organising committee chairman MP Ziauddin told reporters today. The quarter-final league, semi-finals and final will be played at the Cooperage from November 7 to 17, he said. Groupings: Cluster-I: Services and Rajasthan. Cluster-II: Manipur, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Cluster-III: Railways, Mizoram and Andhra Pradesh. Cluster-IV: Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Tripura. Cluster-V: Assam, Pondicherry and Madhya Pradesh. Cluster-VI: Karnataka, Daman and Diu and Jammu Kashmir. Cluster-VII: Delhi, Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh and Orissa. Cluster-VIII: Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Gujarat.
PTI |
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