Saurav Ganguly

Now Ganguly says Aussies’
behaviour is schoolboyish

SYDNEY, Apr 8: The Indian tour of Australia has given the media here a lot of food for thought as is......more

106th Edition of Beighton Cup
BSF to clash with
CISF in final today

KOLKATA, Apr 8: The stakes will be high for former champion the Border Security Force (BSF) .......more

Javed Miandad

Miandad accuses seniors
of plotting his ouster

ISLAMABAD, Apr 8: Sacked Pakistan coach Javed Miandad today accused several senior .....more

Gopi Chand felicitated

TIRUPATI, Apr 8: All England Badminton champion Pullela Gopichand was today felicitated amidst much fanfare.......more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 8: Kiran Wattal and Balbir Singh pair emerged winners in the 45 years and above age groups after they defeated the top seeded Som Raj Gupta and Raghubir Gupta in a close final of the Masters’ District Badminton Tounament which lasted in three sets at Indoor Complex, M A Stadium, here this evening.......more

Citizens Club win by 56
runs in Rakesh Baba
Memorial Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 8: Citizens Cricket Club defeated Azad Cricket Club by 56 runs in league round of the ongoing Rakesh Baba Memorial Cricket Tournament being played at Mandal grounds, Tawi Island, here today..........more

Tiger Club lifts 2nd Godhi
Memorial Cricket trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

AKHNOOR, Apr 8: Tiger Cricket Club lifted the 2nd Godhi Memorial under-14 Cricket Trophy beating the host Godhi Cricket Club by eight ......more

Mahant Bachiter Singh Memorial Cricket
TCC beats Diamond Club
by 80 runs in inaugural tie

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 8: Trikuta Cricket Club won the inaugural match of the 5th Mahant Bachiter Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament......more

Now Ganguly says Aussies’ behaviour is schoolboyish

SYDNEY, Apr 8: The Indian tour of Australia has given the media here a lot of food for thought as is evident from the prolific write ups dealing not just about the sport but also the minutest of often spicy details - the latest being Indian skippers’ Saurav Ganguly’s comments reprimanding Aussies’ schoolboyish behaviour.

A headline in the Sun Herald today read, "Gloating Indian skipper’s final send-off to Waugh’s whingers". The report further quoted Ganguly as saying, "it just puts me off, they are complaining just about anything and everything. They are supposed to but to see them complain every time is just schoolboy stuff.

"There seemed to be just too much of it, which started right from the beginning of the series. He (Steve Waugh) is a very seasoned pro and knows the business of cricket inside out. He may have realised here that there are others who can play the same mental game. I don’t know and do not care whether he respects me. But I have a lot of respect for captains and players round the world.

"There were some words exchanged on the field, but that happens in the heat of battle. We gave it as good as we got. In the camp ahead of the series I had said that just how good the Australians are will be proved in India. We proved that they are not unbeatable", Ganguly told the daily.

Waugh, writes the newspaper, also had a dig at Sachin Tendulkar during the final match of the one-day series on friday. Waugh gestured at Tendulkar that he appeared to be getting a big head after the Indian took three wickets early in the Australian innings.

When Waugh was asked about the conflicts between Ganguly and him after Australia claimed the one-day series, he said, "you got plenty of headlines out of it. Hopefully, next time there won’t be so many. It’s no good washing your dirty laundry in public. It doesn’t do any good."

Meanwhile, Michael Slater, who attacked the media at Sydney airport on arrival, was on the very next day in the ‘Today Show’ apologising for his behaviour in India.

Danny Weidler writing in his column ‘The last word’ in the Sun Herald says Shane Warne and his wife Simone have come through the phone-sex scandal and are expecting their third child. Warne told teammates in India the relationship between them "is flying".

Weidler writes, "Shane is sure to have a hard time from the British tabloids if he is chosen in the ashes squad ahead of Stuart Macgill, who has real claims on a spot. He will not be able to step out for a night on the town without the threat of intense media scrutiny. Our mail is that he is looking for one more series of domination before he retires, and the ashes may be it."

Meanwhile, Matthew Hayden’s biggest regret about his sensational run in India is that he missed the wedding of his best friend Jimmy Maher. He was to have been in the bridal party on Friday, but his sudden call to the limited-overs side meant he couldn’t make it for the big day. (PTI)

106th Edition of Beighton Cup
BSF to clash with CISF in final today

KOLKATA, Apr 8: The stakes will be high for former champion the Border Security Force (BSF) who will clash with new challenger the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Chandigarh, in the finals of the 106th Edition of Beighton Cup at Mohun Bagan ground here tomorrow.

The BSF who had won this cup, the world’s oldest, in 1996 and 1998 and was runners-up in 1997, is likely to face a stiff challenge from CISF who are on a high after ousting local rival cese by two goals in the semi-finals yesterday.

For CISF, clinching the title would be a lifetime experience as they would play the final for the first time.

But the spirit of the BSF team was expounded in the words of Jallandhar coach Kuljit Singh who said "but the taste of the cup one tasted is insatiable for ever."

BSF, after defeating last year champions Punjab and Sind Bank by a goal in the second semi-finals, are obviously a favourite, but a final match is a different thing, admitted Kuljit Singh.

Significantly, BSF and CISF were in the same group had tied 1-1 in the quarter-final league match and the final will surely to be a neck and neck battle.

Goalie Jasjit Singh’s spectacular performance in semifinal match against P and B makes him an asset for BSF as his two saves from penalty corners virtually took BSF in the final, admitted Kuljit Singh.

Mangru Tirkey, Christopher Ekka, Brinder Singh, Kuljinder Singh and Captain Harbhajan Singh are enough to withstand the best of attacks with Marinus Lakra, Peter Tirkey, Sushil Kumar and Shinu Herez giving a sting to the scoreline as they did earlier.

CISF after defeating erstwhile champions Army Eleven 3-0 in the quarter-finals had also a good game against in the last four stage against cese drubbing them by two goals.

Their Centre forward Gregory Vincent Xaxa, who etched his name in the Beighton history by scoring three goals in a row against armymen, is now at the top of score list with five goals.

CISF coach Sukhbir Singh said that anything can happen in the final. The prize money for the winners is Rs one lakh and for the runners-up Rs 50,000. (UNI)

Miandad accuses seniors of plotting his ouster

ISLAMABAD, Apr 8: Sacked Pakistan coach Javed Miandad today accused several senior players of plotting his ouster by prevailing upon the juniors in the team to underperform and called for an inquiry into the team’s poor showing in the recently concluded New Zealand tour.

"I hate to say this but some of the senior players held secret meetings till in the evenings. There were also those who discouraged the junior boys," Miandad was quoted as saying by a local newspaper here.

Laying the responsibility for the New Zealand debacle on the players, he said, "nobody was willing to listen to me. How can you explain a player who hits out in the deep when the team is seven down with 18 overs remaining? how can you explain a player, who, despite being told to stay calm and play a long innings, gets out to a big hit as soon as he reaches his fifty.

"I know what was happening. I now want PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) to hold an internal inquiry and go through all the taped evidence and analyses of the one-dayers they have with them."

Yesterday, Miandad claimed match-fixing took its toll on the team’s performance against New Zealand and demanded the PCB to launch a probe.

Attributing the team’s good performance in 1999 to the Justice Malik Muhammad Qayyum report on match-fixing "hanging like a sword over them", Miandad said, "as soon as the report came out, they knew there was going to be no accountability and they re-started their games." (PTI)

Gopi Chand felicitated

TIRUPATI, Apr 8: All England Badminton champion Pullela Gopichand was today felicitated amidst much fanfare at the Mahathi Auditorium of the Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) here.

Organised jointly by the TTD, Income TaD department and several sports and games associations in Tirupati, encomiums were showered on Gopichand for raising the image of Andhra Pradesh in the international sports arena.

Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) managing director L V Subramanyam said it was a pride for the State as Gopichand had won the international title at a very young age.

TTD executive officer P Krishnaiah reiterated the commitment of the Devasthanams in constructing an Indoor Sports Stadium at a cost of Rs four crore in Tirupati at the earliest. On behalf of TTD, he, presented a shawl and a gold medal with Lord Venkateswara’s image to Gopichand. (UNI)

Som Raj, Romesh share singles trophies
Kiran Wattal-Balbir pair wins 45 yrs doubles trophy

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 8: Kiran Wattal and Balbir Singh pair emerged winners in the 45 years and above age groups after they defeated the top seeded Som Raj Gupta and Raghubir Gupta in a close final of the Masters’ District Badminton Tounament which lasted in three sets at Indoor Complex, M A Stadium, here this evening.

Although, first set won by Som Raj and Raghubir 15-10, but the remaining two sets Wattal and Balbir dominated the show and won the sets 15-9, 17-15 amidst thunderous applause from the audience.

However, Som Raj compensated his defeat by winning the singles final beating Balbir Singh in straight sets of 15-10, 15-8.

In the 35 and above age group, Romesh Sharma claimed the winners trophy after he defeated Ashok Bamba 15-3, 15-8. Romesh made it doubled title win when he alongwith Vivek defeated the pair of Ashok Bamba and Bhaktawar in easy straight sets of 15-2, 15-3 in the same age group.

Minister for Sports, Harbans Singh was the chief guest in the finals and prize distribution function, while Dilabar Mir, MLA, was guest of honour.

On this occasion, three veteran players, who son medals in the Veteran Nationals held at Pondichery, were also honoured.

Running trophies for this tournament was sponsored by Sehgal Family of Shakti Nagar in memory o0f their father, Late R L Sehgal.