Ajay Jadeja

Jadeja may go to court if
Board turns down appeal

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: Ajay Jadeja, who has been banned from playing cricket for five years, has.......more

Stolen money was daily
allowance, says Kambli

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: Cricketer Vinod Kambli has clarified that the money which was stolen......more

Teenager Samuels
strikes twice in
fairytale debut

ADELAIDE, Dec 16: West Indies teenager Marlon Samuels capped a fairytale debut here today by....more

Poonch boys to take
on Jammu Distt for
title clash today

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Poonch district and Jammu boys have qualified for the final of the 13th State Volleyball Championship being organised by the Volleyball Association of J&K and sponsored by the State Sports Council......more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Led by promising Dilip Tirkey, the Indian Airlines today retained the title beating Indian Railways by three goals to nil in the final of the 60th Senior National Hockey Championship.......more

Astro Turf stadium
in Kashmir soon: CM

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah today announced that to boost the hockey in the State another Astro Turf stadium will be constructed in Kashmir by the next year......more

Cricket Tourney
from Dec 23

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: The XIth Cricket Tournament organised by the Jai Baba Santokh Nath Jee Cricket Association......more

Jammu Distt Weightlifting Championship concludes

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Two-day Jammu district Weightlifting Championship organised by the J&K Weightlifting Association.......more

Governor, Mr Girish Chander Saxena and Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah giving away winners trophy to Indian Airlines on the concluding function of the 60th Senior National Hockey Championship at Hakhu Astro Turf Stadium, at Jammu on Saturday. -Excelsior/Ashok

Jadeja may go to court if Board turns down appeal

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: Ajay Jadeja, who has been banned from playing cricket for five years, has said he will approach court in case his appeal to the Cricket Board was rejected.

"Jis Din Appeal Khatm Hogi, Main Zaroor Court Jaoonga Aur Apne Liye Ladaoonga (the day my appeal is turned down, I will definitely go to court and fight my case)," Jadeja told Rajat Sharma’s Janta Ki Adalat programme to be telecast on Star TV tomorrow.

The Cricket Board, while handing out life ban to Mohd Azharuddin and Ajay Sharma, and five-year bans on Jadeja and Manoj Prabhakar after being indicted by its Anti-Corruption Commissioner K Madhavan in the match-fixing scandal, had allowed them to appeal before it against their punishment.

According a press release issued by the channel, Jadeja said CBI had not registered any case in court.

"If they had done so, we would have got an opportunity to defend. It went to the Board, who have made a code of conduct of their own and now they have announced a punishment and have given us a final chance to appeal," he said.

On charges that he used political connections, he said he was punished only because "media highlighted my political connections."

Jadeja claimed that Azharuddin told him during the disciplinary committee (of the Cricket Board) hearings that he had never said before CBI that he (Jadeja) and Nayan Mongia had helped him fix matches.

As for Kapil Dev having referred to his "dubious" connections, Jadeja said, "Kapil Dev Ji Ki Vocabulary Main `dubious’ word Nahi Ho Sakta Hai (there cannot be `dubious’ word in Kapil’s vocabulary.

".... He (Kapil Dev) often advised me not to stay late at night or go to discos, but he never told me so-and-so is a bookie or a match-fixer," according to the release.

Jadeja said he did not know Krishen Kumar (of T-Series) and had never spoken to him during matches but admitted to being acquainted with Rajesh Kalra and Rattan Mehta, (both named in CBI report as bookies), who he said visited the same health club and restaurants as him. Jadeja said he had clarified this in writing to Madhavan.

About calls on his cell-phone from another alleged bookie Uttam Chand Topi, Jadeja said he had decided Uttam Chand was a man to be avoided after he started calling him too often.

The dashing batsman said he owned no illegal property and all his assets were acquired through honest means.

"Do you think we should not earn money?" he questioned.

He also brushed aside allegations of owning a house in cyprus saying the said house belonged to his cousin Jay Jadeja, of the Royal Family of Rajkot, who lives and works in cyprus and is a director on his company. (PTI)

Stolen money was daily allowance, says Kambli

NEW DELHI, Dec 16: Cricketer Vinod Kambli has clarified that the money which was stolen from his locker at the Garware Club house recently, was his daily allowance earned during the ICC Knock-out Tournament in Nairobi and the Tri-series Tournament in Sharjah.

Speaking to Sports Time from Mumbai he said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was aware of the possession of the foreign currency. "Due to the busy schedule, I could not convert the currency and I was about to do so when my locker was opened," said Kambli in a telephonic interview from Mumbai.

Kambli was replying to reports in a section of press which had alleged that the foreign currency kept in his locker was earned through illegal means.

Foreign currency worth Rs 80,000 was looted from the locker belonging to Indian cricketer recently. The locker was opened on the last day of Ranji Trophy tie between Mumbai and Gujarat on December 5. (UNI)

Teenager Samuels strikes twice in fairytale debut

ADELAIDE, Dec 16: West Indies teenager Marlon Samuels capped a fairytale debut here today by snatching two crucial late wickets on the second day of the third cricket test against Australia.

The 19-year-old from Jamaica helped the tourists stay strongly in contention, grabbing two of three Australian wickets to fall for 13 runs shortly before stumps.

It left the home side 180 for three, still 211 runs behind the tourists’ first innings 391. Together at the crease were Mark Waugh (10) and nightwatchman Jason Gillespie (2).

The triple breakthrough came after Australia’s batsmen chased runs with a vengeance when they set out after the west Indies’ total, their biggest of the series.

Openers Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden hit out boldly, smashing 156 runs in 165 minutes before Hayden was run out for 58 — the second time he had been dismissed that way in three innings in the series.

Then Samuels, a batsman/off-spinner from Jamaica who joined the touring squad only a week ago, maintained the West Indies’ momentum by ousting Slater (83) and Justin Langer (6) in the space of eight balls.

Earlier, Samuels had showed his prowess with the bat, making an impressive 35 in almost two hours.

The Slater-Hayden run-surge followed a superb 182 by Windies’ batting superstar Brian Lara, who hit the fourth-highest score of his illustrious 73-test career.

Australia’s attacking verve left no doubt that cricket’s unofficial world test champions — under stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist — were hell-bent on adding to their world record 12 consecutive test wins, secured in Perth.

Slater and Gayden slammed their first 50 together in only 58 minutes, completed a century stand in 111 minutes and passed 150 in 159 minutes from only 36.1 overs.

Hayden fell in the 38th over, failing to beat Sherwin Campbell’s return to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs after Slater had guided a ball from Samuels to backward square leg.

Slater, perhaps unsettled by the manner of his partner’s demise, also fell as he cut a short ball from Samuels to backward point, where substitute Ramnaresh Sarwan pouched the chance.

In his next over, Samuels then removed little left-hander Justin Langer, as lara held a sharp catch at slip.

The West Indies’ lower-order had crumbled again after Lara had been dismissed.

The tourists crashed from a formidable 354 for five immediately before Lara’s dismissal to 391 all out, losing their last five wickets to off-spinner Colin Miller.

Lara fell after tormenting the home team with an onslaught spiced with 29 sizzling fours and one six.

Resuming with an unbeaten 136 when the West Indies went back to the crease with 274 for four, Lara battered another eight fours, most of them off luckless leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.

Lara has bettered 182 only three times in test ranks. He cracked his world test record 375 against England in St John’s, Antigua, in 1994; 277 against Australia in Sydney in 1993; and 213 off the Australian attack in Kingston last year.

The little left-hander is also the holder of the record for the highest score in first-class cricket: his 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in a county championship game in 1994. (PTI)

Poonch boys to take on Jammu Distt for title clash today

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Poonch district and Jammu boys have qualified for the final of the 13th State Volleyball Championship being organised by the Volleyball Association of J&K and sponsored by the State Sports Council at Government Higher Secondary School, here today.

The final of the boys will be played tomorrow at 11.30 am at the same venue. While’s in the girls section, Jammu and Poonch districts are leading with two wins each in the league. And both these sides will take on each other for the title clash in the last league tie tomorrow at 10 am.

Earlier, in the boys semi-finals, Jammu district beat Kathua 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-23). Naresh Kumar, Jyoti Sharma displayed good spikes. For Kathua, Sunil Sharma fought well.

In the second semi-finals, Poonch outplayed fighting Srinagar district again in straight sets of 25-13, 25-14, 25-17. Neeraj Sharma played well for the winners.

In the earlier matches, Jammu bat Rajouri 25-16, 25-16; Udhampur beat Budgam 25-13, 25-23; Srinagar beat Anantnag 2-1; Kathua beat Budgam 2-0; Jammu beat Srinagar 25-18, 25-20.

Girls section: Jammu beat Budgam 25-17, 25-11, 15-19; Poonch beat Budgam 3-0; Jammu beat Udhampur 25-8, 25-7, 25-10.

Skipper Dilip Tirkey emerge best player
Indian Airlines retain Senior National Hockey
Champ trophy
* Subaih of J&K declared best goal-keeper of the Champ

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Led by promising Dilip Tirkey, the Indian Airlines today retained the title beating Indian Railways by three goals to nil in the final of the 60th Senior National Hockey Championship which concluded at Hakhu Astro Turf Stadium, here.

Dilip Tirkey, who later emerged as the best player of the championship gave break to the Indian Airlines, who were held goalless by the young side of Indian Railways in the first half of the match.

After the breather, Railwaymen continued their fight, but only to commit a mistake in the 56th minute. Satish Kumar commited a foul inside the circle for which umpire, Shakeel Qureshi awarded a penalty corner in favour of Indian Airlines. The opportunity was well utilised by the Indian Airlines by converting the penalty corner into a goal through skipper Dilip Tirkey in the 57th minute.

The one goal lead was a morale booster for the champions, who in the remaining time attacked from all quarters and added two more goals to make it a 3-0 victory. Other two field goals were scored by Brojan Singh in the 66th minute and by Mukesh Kumar just seconds before the final hooter.

However, the Indian Railways had got more penalty chances than the winners, but they failed to convert them into goals. Railways got five penalty corners, while Indian Airlines got two.

The final was officiated by Shakeel Qureshi and Satinder Sharma.

Earlier, in the hardliner, Punjab outplayed Punjab and Sindh Bank by five goals to three to finish third.

Best player award went in favour of the India’s most effective penalty corner conversion forward and Indian Airlines skipper, Dilip Tirkey. Not only this, 24 years old Tirkey also bagged best full back and highest goal scorer awards. Tirkey scored six goals, followed by Baljit Singh Dhillon, who hit five goals.

Jammu and Kashmir goal-keeper, K M Subaih, who played a key role in State’s first ever entry into the super league round of the Senior National, was declared as the best goal-keeper of the Championship.

Best half back trophy went in favour of S S Gill of Chandigarh, while’s Baljeet Chandi of Punjab and Sindh Bank emerged as best forward of the tournament.

The host Jammu and Kashmir team also got best upcoming team title, while’s fair play trophy went to Tamil Nadu.

Governor Mr Girish Chandra Saxena, Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister for Tourism, Mr S S Slathia and President Indian Hockey Federation, Mr K P S Gill were among those who witnessed the final.

Governor gave away winners trophy while the Chief Minister presented the runner up trophy. They also addressed at the prize giving ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, the Governor complimented participating teams and organisor for the event and said that such championships not only promote sports but give fillip to national integration as well.

He said holding of national level championships will certainly encourage the youth of the state to participate in sports activities in a big way and benefit from the game. ‘This tournament is an addition in the series of such events hosted by Jammu and Kashmir’, the Governor said.

Mr. Saxena congratulated the Jammu and Kashmir Hockey Association for hosting the tournament.

The Chief Minister Dr Abdullah complimented all the participating teams and organizers for the event and hoped that similar tourneys would be organised in the state in near future as well. This, he said, will go a long way in acquainting the budding players with latest trends in the game.

The Minister for Tourism, Mr. S S Slathia also spoke on the occasion and dwelt elaborately on the facilities created for promotion of sports particularly hockey in the Hakhu Astro turf stadium. He also listed various activities undertaken for encouraging budding sports persons to show their talent.

Earlier, the Governor presented winner trophy to Indian Airlines while the Chief Minister gave away runners up trophy to the Railways. They also presented certificates and individual trophies to the players of the two teams.

Dr Abdullah also gave mementos to distinguished personalities of hockey who have earned a name in the international hockey.

The Governor and the Chief Minister besides the Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank Mr Mohammed Yousaf Khan were given mementos on the occasion.

Ministers, legislators, senior army, civil, police officers and a large number of spectators were present on the occasion.