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CHRISTCHURCH (NEW ZEALAND), Feb 25: Craig McMillan took just 75 balls to hit 104 not..........more India’s
Fazaluddin DUBAI, Feb 25: India’s Syed Fazaluddin scored a shock win over sixth seeded Spaniard.........more Indoor Women’s Tennis
Championship OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb 25: Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles moved into the finals of the 170,000 .......more
Monaco reaches PARIS, Feb 25: A first-half goal by playmaker Marcelo Gallardo has helped Monaco beat.....more |
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Avnish, Madhvi win Open Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 25: Second seeded Avinash Sharma and Madhvi Jolly lifted the Men’s and Women’s singles titles respectively in the two-day long Distt Open Badminton Championship organised by the Bishnah Co-op Marketing Society at Bishnah today......more Gulbadhan
Singh Memorial Cricket Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 25: Karan Nagar (Senior) Cricket Club found berth in the final of the 2nd Amar Shaheed Gulbadhan Singh Memorial (Cosco ball) Cricket Tournament after they defeated BJD Cricket .....more ‘Lack
of Govt aid responsible for BIKANER, Feb 25: International athelete Paramjeet Kaur today blamed poor training, depleted resources and lack of Government aid for the country’s pathetic showing at the Sydney .....more MUMBAI, Feb 25: Hockey enthusiasts will have a feast at the Bha Mahindra Stadium here tomorrow when two powerhouses in world hockey, India and Germany, clash in first of the three tests. ....more |
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CHRISTCHURCH (NEW ZEALAND), Feb 25: Craig McMillan took just 75 balls to hit 104 not out as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 138 runs in Christchurch today to square the international one-day series 2-2 with one game remaining. New Zealand reached 284 for five off 50 overs and then reduced Pakistan to 15 for four, 31 for five and 71 for six with some superb fast bowling from Daryl Tuffey and James Franklin and brilliant fielding by Lou Vincent. Inzamam-ul-Haq, batting with Imran Nazir as his runner after suffering a groin injury in the field, combined with Abdur Razzag for a 35-run partnership and with captain Moin Khan for a 73-run stand. But Pakistan could not recover from their appalling start and ended 146 all out in 47 overs. After Inzamam was out for 37 off 101 deliveries, caught vincent bowled Astle, Wasim Akram lasted two balls before he was caught at deep point by Roger Twose. To complete an eventful over, Moin lofted astle to long-on, where Harris grabbed the ball just inside the boundary, threw it up again before he gingerly jumped over the rope, then stepped inside and caught it. This time last year that would have been a six, but rule changes in the international game in September allowed Harris to manoeuvre himself around the rope without touching it. Pakistan’s run rate was never allowed to rise above 3.2 per over, while the asking rate escalated throughout, with 28 runs an over required over the final seven overs. New Zealand were helped in their innings by two century partnerships. McMillan and Harris (39no) put on an unbeaten 112 for the sixth wicket off 97 balls and Nathan Astle (71) and Roger Twose (42) put on 101 off 112 balls for the second wicket. They were also helped by nine wides from Wasim Akram, one of which went for four out of keeper Moin’s reach, and he ended up going for 62 runs off his ten overs without a wicket. Razzaq was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers with three for 41. (REUTERS) |
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India’s Fazaluddin upsets sixth seed Oscar Burrieza DUBAI, Feb 25: India’s Syed Fazaluddin scored a shock win over sixth seeded Spaniard Oscar Burrieza 6-3 6-4 in the qualifier of Dubai Tennis Championship here. Fazaluddin, ranked third in India after Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, bundled out the Spaniard yesterday in straight sets after getting a wild card entry in qualifiers. Former Indian davis cupper Zeeshan Ali, who had also got a wild card entry, did not prove so lucky as he went down in straight sets to Germany’s Tomas Behrend 2-6 3-6. Behrend will now play Fazaluddin later today for a place in the main draw of the men’s singles. The uncertainty over the participation of former world number one pair of Paes and Bhupathi ended after it was confirmed they would play the doubles event of the championship. Their participation is expected to pull a big crowd as they enjoy a huge fan-following here. (PTI) |
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Indoor
Women’s Tennis Championship OKLAHOMA CITY, Feb 25: Jennifer Capriati and Monica Seles moved into the finals of the 170,000 dollars Indoor Women’s Tennis Championship with three-set semifinal victories on Saturday. Capriati, the Australian Open champion from the United States beat 17-year-old Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-4 3-6 6-2. Seles, the top seed and defending champion, defeated Shinobu Asagoe of Japan 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 6-2. That set up a today rematch of their Australian Open quarterfinal match, won by Capriati 5-7 6-4 6-3. Capriati, ranked No. 6 by the WTA, had two service breaks in each set. She took a 3-0 lead in the first set and Hauntuchova got off to a 4-0 start in the second set. Both players held serve in the third set until Capriati broke to go up 4-2. She then had a perfect game to lead 5-2 and broke serve to wrap up the match. Capriati had six aces while Hauntuchova had three. Both players had six unforced errors. Hauntuchova, ranked No. 108, upset third-seeded Amanda Coetzer in the second round. "It’s been tough all week to stay with my rhythm," Capriati said. "I had to really keep focused. She is a good player with a solid game. She’s young, still, and inexperienced." Seles has won seven of 11 meetings with Capriati, dating back to 1990. Seles has won three of the past five matches vs. Capriati. "I am looking forward to playing her again," Capriati said. "It is a different match every day. This is a whole different place. I just need to be feeling good and serving well." "It will be great to play Jennifer again after that tough loss in the Australian Open," Seles said. "I will have to raise my level of play. I am not playing as well as I did here last year." Seles, ranked No. 4, had not lost a set in the Oklahoma City tournament in two years while winning six straight matches. That changed as Asagoe, ranked No. 56, took advantage of six unforced errors by Seles to take the first set 7-6 (7-5). Things changed dramatically the rest of the way as Seles had two service breaks in each of the final two sets. Asagoe had a combined seven unforced errors the final two sets and managed just four points against Seles’ serve in the third set. Seles had eight aces in the match, six in the final two sets. "The first set was not my best tennis," Seles said. "My rhythm was not there and I missed more shots. I was pushing the ball early and wasn’t hitting a good serve." Seles won the previous meeting with Asagoe, 6-3 6-4 last year in Tokyo. (REUTERS) |
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Monaco reaches League Cup semis PARIS, Feb 25: A first-half goal by playmaker Marcelo Gallardo has helped Monaco beat second division Chateauroux 1-0 to reach the French League Cup semifinals. Gallardo’s fine cross-shot from 15 metres just before the half-hour mark was enough to stop Chateauroux yesterday. The second division side were seeking a third top flight scalp after they knocked out olympique Marseille and Girondins Bordeaux in the previous rounds. Chateauroux squandered their best chance to equalise when Benjamin Nivet shot wide inside the box with 20 minutes to go. Monaco lost defender Philippe Christanval after 10 minutes through injury and he was replaced by Rafael Marquez. Ambitious olympique Lyon made it through to the last four by beating third division amiens 2-0 away thanks to a double strike by playmaker Steed Malbranque. Malbranque opened the scoring in the 19th minute and put the match beyond doubt on the hour when he ran through the amiens defence unchallenged to grab his second of the night. The result means lyon are still chasing four trophies. They have a chance to progress in the champions league, after holding english premier league arsenal to a 1-1 draw at highbury earlier this week, and are also chasing a French league and cup double as well as the league cup. The league cup quarter-final between troubled St Etienne and second division Niort takes place on Sunday, while the date of the match between Nantes and Troyes has yet to be fixed. (REUTERS) |
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Avnish, Madhvi win Open Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 25: Second seeded Avinash Sharma and Madhvi Jolly lifted the Men’s and Women’s singles titles respectively in the two-day long Distt Open Badminton Championship organised by the Bishnah Co-op Marketing Society at Bishnah today. In the Men’s final, Avinash Sharma outplayed Pawanjit Singh in straight sets of 15-9, 15-12 to claim the championship trophy. While’s in the Women’s final, State No. 2, Madhvi Jolly down Shveta Gupta 2-1 (3-11, 11-8, 11-8). Earlier, in the semi-finals, Pawanjit beat Arunav Gupta 15-10, 15-11 and Avinash Sharma defeated Vikram Saini 15-10, 15-13. In the Men’s doubles final, the winners trophy went to the pair of Pawanjit and Vishal, who beat Vipan Sharma and Arunav Gupta 15-3, 15-9. In the semi-finals, Vipan and Arunav got walkover against Avinash and Gurvinder Singh and Pawanjit and Vishal beat Vikram Saini and Abhishek 15-4, 15-8 in another semi-final. In the Veterans’ doubles final, Rajesh Kotwal and Rajesh beat Titu and Vinu 15-10, 4-15, 15-9. In the semi-finals, pair of Rajesh Kotwal and Rajesh outclass Ramesh and Bushan 10-15, 15-8, 15-11, while’s Titu and Vinu beat Dimple and Yogesh 15-5, 15-5. Junior boys singles title bagged by Vikram Saini, who defeated Vipan Sharma in equal straight sets of 15-12, 15-12. In the semi-finals, Vipan beat Abhishek Magotra 15-9, 15-11 and Vikram beat Arunav Gupta 15-13, 15-12. In the Mini-boys final, Vipul Saini emerged victorious beating Lokesh Sharma 15-7, 15-9. In the concluding function, Pawan Kohli, Tehsildar Bishnah was the chief guest, who also gave away prizes to the winners and runners-up. Speaking on the occasion, he appreciated the role of Chairman and MD of the Co-op Marketing Society, Bishnah for organising such a tournament in the rural area. Prof Devinder Sharma, president, Jammu District Badminton Association also hailed the organising committee. The organisers, Co-op Society chairman, Basant Singh Saini announced that he will hold more State and District level competitions in the rural areas, provided local people come forward and take part in them. The Society got technical support by the Jammu and Kashmir Badminton Players Welfare Association, Jammu. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Dr Pardeep, Sat Paul Sharma, Rakesh Gupta, Suraj, Satish, Yogesh, Bharat Bhushan and Rinku Arora. |
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Gulbadhan Singh Memorial
Cricket Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Feb 25: Karan Nagar (Senior) Cricket Club found berth in the final of the 2nd Amar Shaheed Gulbadhan Singh Memorial (Cosco ball) Cricket Tournament after they defeated BJD Cricket Club by 75 runs in the second semi-final played at Paloura, here today. Vijay played a fire brand inning of 74 runs which helped Karan Nagar to set a challenging target of 180 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs. Later, chasing a run rate of over nine runs per over, BJD Cricket Club lost all the wickets for 105 runs in the 18th over. Vijay hit ten sixes and one boundary facing only 22 balls to score 74. Katoch and Rinku were other recognised batsmen with 24 runs each. Extras contributed 27 runs to the total. From BJD Club, Sunil, Rommy and Goppy claimed two wickets each, while Rafiq took one. Batting second, BJD Cricket Club lost all the wickets for 105 in the 18th over and lost the match by 75 wickets. Ninda was the top scorer with 27 runs, while Sunil and Gopi contributed 21 and 11 runs respectively. From Karan Nagar Club, Rinku claimed four wickets, while Manjeet took three and Vijay one. Vijay was declared as man of the the match for his all-round performance. Now, in the final, which will be played on March 4, Karan Nagar (Sr) Cricket Club will meet Samooh Cricket Club at the same venue. |
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‘Lack of Govt aid responsible for poor show in Olympics’ BIKANER, Feb 25: International athelete Paramjeet Kaur today blamed poor training, depleted resources and lack of Government aid for the country’s pathetic showing at the Sydney Olympics. Giving an example while talking to newspersons here, Kaur pointed out that the synthetic tracks at the Nehru Stadium at New Delhi were not upto international standards. Referring to Rajasthan, she said here also the State Government and the Sports Council did not think about having such tracks at the State Capital, Jaipur. Kaur said because African sportspersons got the best training, resources and sponsors, they were ahead of India in Olympics. She lamented that only cricket received the required contribution and promotion. (UNI) |
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MUMBAI, Feb 25: Hockey enthusiasts will have a feast at the Bha Mahindra Stadium here tomorrow when two powerhouses in world hockey, India and Germany, clash in first of the three tests. The test matches are being held as part of the ongoing German festival in India. The remaining two matcll be played at Hyderabad (March 1) and Chennai (March 4). Expressing satisfaction in the way his team was grooming up for this match, Indian coach Cedric D’souza said ‘all the boys are fit and have shown a lot of commitment so far’. About his opponents, cedric said, ‘they are a good side and we all know that perseverance is the biggest strength of Germans. I think it will be an exciting encounter’. Asked what he is looking at after having such a long camp and this match, Baskaran as the head coach recently said, ‘I am looking for the perfect combination before putting the team for World Cup qualifiers and the Champions Trophy. They are budding youngsters and I hope they will not prove me wrong’. About his strategies for tomorrow’s match, the coach refused to disclose it and pointing towards his assistant C R Kumar, said, ‘we always tell them that you are not one position players. We keep on changing the position so as to take out the best out of them’. Cedric’s German counterpart Bernhard Peters said ‘our team could not have not having services of six of our key players. Some of them are on injury list while some are having their exams. But I hope that they will come back in the side for the major tournaments like World Cup, Champions Trophy and Azlan Shah Trophy’. Peters, who also assisted the Great Paul Lissek, said Indians played superbly at the Olympics but ‘were a bit unfortunate. I think they are a good side and have impressed me a lot’. Despite all ups and downs, the match promises to be an exciting one. The teams: India: Devesh Chauhan, Jude Menezes, Dilip Tirkey, Lazrus Barla, Dinesh Nayak, Anurag Raghuvanshi, S S Gill, Thirumal Valavan, Baljeet Singh Saini, Samee Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh, Daljeet Singh Dhillon, Bipin Fernandez, Baljeet Singh Dhillon and Tajbir Singh. Coach: Cedric D’souza. |
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