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Ganguly gets a feel NEW DELHI, Nov 29: No. It’s not ours as yet. But Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly did get a chance to hold the cricket World Cup trophy aloft today - thanks to a promotional. ....more 101 ‘undesirables’ face World Cup ban: Bacher JOHANNESBURG, Nov 29: Cricket’s anti-corruption unit has identified 101 ‘undesirables’ who will be barred from South Africa for next year’s World Cup. ..........more Race
row grips S Africa JOHANNESBURG, Nov 29: "Who is Jacques Kallis?" The question has reverberated through South African cricket, even though ..........more Sourav
cautiously NEW DELHI, Nov 29: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today expressed cautious optimism .......more |
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Inter-college
Competition Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Government College for Women (GCW), Parade and GCW, Gandhi......more Jammu
District Volleyball Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Trikuta Club, Jammu and Shastri Club, Jammu won their......more Senior Division league Football begins today Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Senior Division Football league Tournament started today at the Mini-Stadium,......more Alpha TT Club celebrates Varun’s victory Excelsior Sports Correspondent POONCH, Nov 29: Alpha Table Tennis Club, Poonch today celebrated.....more |
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Nursery School celebrates Annual Sports Day.... Open Badminton Tourney today .... |
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NEW DELHI, Nov 29: No. It’s not ours as yet. But Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly did get a chance to hold the cricket World Cup trophy aloft today - thanks to a promotional campaign by one of the official sponsors for the premier ICC Championship. The company, LG Electronics India Pvt Ltd, has not only jumped into the bandwagon of the World Cup in South Africa in February next year but also announced at a press conference here its partnership with the International Cricket Council (ICC) till 2007. The partnership means it can use the original cup, a glittering trophy made in silver and gilt, for its promotional campaigns and it did just that - roped in Ravi Shastri and Ganguly to unveil it amidst a lot of gizmo and hight-tech stuff. The company also pulled off a coup of sorts - it has signed captains of all the 14 cricketing nations participating in the World Cup for its one-million dollar advertisement campaign. All the skippers including Pakistan captain Waqar Younis will feature in ads, 22 in all, promoting LG and its brand campaign "cricket first". Ganguly said though it was a little "far-fetched" to rate India’s chances of winning the cup. "There are no "guarantees for success, if we have to be near a situation where we can win the Cup we will have to play the way we have been playing for the last 12 months". (PTI) |
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101 ‘undesirables’ face World Cup ban: Bacher JOHANNESBURG, Nov 29: Cricket’s anti-corruption unit has identified 101 ‘undesirables’ who will be barred from South Africa for next year’s World Cup. The sweeping ban is aimed at preventing match-fixing scandals, illegal betting and other criminal activity which have tarnished cricket’s reputation. In an interview with newspersons, World Cup head Ali Bacher said the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption watchdog had drawn up the blacklist with the help of intelligence agencies and police forces in cricketing countries. "There is a list of 101 people who are deemed undesirable," Bacher said late on Wednesday. "They will not be allowed into the country." Cricket was rocked two years ago by revelations of widespread match-fixing after former South African captain Hansie Cronje admitted accepting money to influence matches. Bacher said at the time he believed international cricket was under threat from mafia-style syndicates of bookmakers. He declined to identify those foreigners black-listed by former London Police chief Paul Condon’s anti-corruption unit. But he said they were part of the "underground". Bacher says crowd and player safety at the World Cup —running in 15 venues in three countries — will be as watertight as possible. South Africa is battling a scourge of violent crime and sexual assaults. Visitors can expect metal detectors at every ground, close circuit television cameras monitoring players and spectators and large contingents of police officers. He said the use of cellphones by players would be restricted before and after matches. Entrance to changing rooms would be controlled. Some 25,000 visitors are expected for the two-month, 800,000-ticket event — seen by many as crucial for the success of South Africa’s hopes to host the world’s two biggest sporting events, the soccer World Cup and the Olympics, in the next decade. Bowled over by his good experiences at the Sydney Olympics, Bacher has taken a leaf out of the Australian organisers’ book and has an army of volunteers to help run the event. But with 10 weeks to go, there is still much to be done. "People are not walking down stairs slowly now," Bacher said inside the plush ICC offices in Sandton, Johannesburg. The 60-year-old is a former South African test captain and batsman. He organised Pirate tours of South Africa during his country’s sporting isolation during the apartheid era. But today he counts top figures in the black majority Government among his friends and backs the World Cup’s "legacy" projects, like 50 new cricket Ovals in poor and mostly non-white areas. One sticking point could still be Zimbabwe, where ICC head Malcom Speed is currently leading a team to check that venues will be safe for players. Although the ICC pugists it is not interested in politics, Zimbabwe’s decision to refuse entry to two British reporters wanting to join Speed’s trip points to tough times ahead. Asked if he would accept Zimbabwe’s right to refuse entry to cricket journalists during the World Cup, an emphatic Bacher said: "no". But he added: "I am confident as I can be that these obstacles will be removed." Zimbabwe will not be the only fly in the ointment. In september, the ICC’s champions trophy looked to be in jeopardy after India said it could be forced to field a second-string team because of tough rules on sponsorship. Some of the world’s top players — many of whom like Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly command highly lucrative personal endorsements — threatened to pull out. (AGENCIES) |
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Race row grips S Africa as World Cup looms JOHANNESBURG, Nov 29: "Who is Jacques Kallis?" The question has reverberated through South African cricket, even though the all-rounder was a household name long before he was chosen as man of the latest test series against Sri Lanka. After Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour was quoted making disparaging remarks about him — such as "Jacques Kallis means nothing to me" — the white player found himself thrust into a damaging race row, little more than two months before South Africa hosts the World Cup. The feud, principally between Balfour and national cricket chief Percy Sonn, has thrown the spotlight on racism in South African sport and on the quotas designed to create a level playing field after decades of white rule. It is hindering the campaign by the "rainbow nation" to host Africa’s first soccer World Cup in 2010 and delivers another blow to cricket, a sport still reeling from a match-fixing disgrace involving fallen hero Hansie Cronje, who died in an air crash this year. The quota dispute has put added strain on ultra-sensitive race relations when police are hunting down white right-wingers suspected of bombing the black township of Soweto in October. Balfour’s comments, circulated by Sonn in minutes from a private meeting, prompted calls for the minister’s resignation. One opposition political party pounced on the comments, accusing Balfour of "hate speech". The Human Rights Commission set up to investigate such offences ruled the comments were undesirable but not racist, and dropped its investigations. "Obviously it’s doing an immense amount of damage," said Geoff Holmes, who has been involved in youth sports development in South Africa for more than a decade. "I would imagine there’s now doubt in (white cricketers’) minds: ‘am I in or am I out?’," Holmes said. Sonn’s minutes, from a meeting in July, quote Balfour as saying black people wanted to see black players on the pitch. "Who is Jacques Kallis? Jacques Kallis means nothing to me," Balfour is quoted as saying. But the minutes also had a nasty surprise for black players. "you say black players don’t want to feel like quota players. Tough shit...They must take the pressure like we had to in the struggle," Balfour is quoted as saying. Balfour has tried to distance himself from the comments and said no official minutes were taken at the meeting. "I’ve said it many, many times, since time immemorial. I will not dignify that kind of thing with a response," he told reporters on the eve of the first victorious Sri Lanka clash. "I love South African players — end of story," he added. Although it has taken on a distinctly personal flavour, the public row between Balfour and Sonn — a former official at the FBI-style scorpions police unit — hinges on whether or not to impose a strict minimum quota of non-white players. Balfour says quotas are a necessary step towards achieving equality in the sports-mad country, which was welcomed back into international competition after free elections in 1994 ended years in the sporting wilderness of anti-apartheid sanctions. For years youth cricket has operated a quota system and an elite training programme to help gifted black players enter a game traditionally reserved for whites. Now at least half of youth teams at provincial level are non-white. "More and more people are playing cricket — it has certainly worked for us," said Holmes, head of high school cricket in Gauteng province. He said black players often missed out at senior level because of their economic disadvantages. Sonn’s United Cricket Board scrapped a planned quota of four non-white players in provincial teams, favouring a voluntary system. But it has set a minimum target of five non-whites in the 14-man squad for the World Cup, which opens on February 8. Some say quotas should be tighter as "non-white" includes "coloured" mixed-race groups and traditionally more cricket-friendly Asians who under apartheid occupied a kind of middle ground between black and white. Critics say quotas should promote the black three in four South Africans who fared worst. In any case, most of the cricketing establishment considers strict quotas inappropriate at national level, including black players who do not want the stigma of being "quota players". "If guys are good enough they will come through. Clearly colour shouldn’t come into the equation. You’ve got to choose the strongest team despite their colour," Kallis told South Africa’s Sunday Times in an interview. Tony Irish of the South African Cricketers’ Association told players did not wish to get involved in any political row which might distract attention from their World Cup build-up. Seeking to stifle the row, the Government has rapped Sonn’s Knuckles for acting unethically in publishing the minutes, and ordered Balfour to report on progress on "transformation" in sport — shorthand for redressing the racial imbalance. It is a crucial issue in a country which after decades of sporting and cultural isolation puts a high premium on its national sports teams. Yet progress is hard to assess. Chester Williams, black winger in the team which hosted and won the 1995 Gugby World Cup after the return to international sport, dismissed the spectacle of racial equality as a sham. "That popular image of me being a black Rugby icon was a badjoke," Williams said in a book, adding that a team mate had used the derogatory term "Kaffir" to him. From the other side of the racial divide, Kallis said he was disappointed by Balfour’s comments but would not retaliate. "Our job is to get on the field of play and do what is required of us," Kallis said. (AGENCIES) |
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Sourav cautiously optimistic about World Cup victory NEW DELHI, Nov 29: Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly today expressed cautious optimism regarding his team’s success at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. "Even though the team has been in good form and has maintained a winning streak over the last one year, I cannot guarantee any success in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa," he said. The best part is that we won the crucial matches with the youngsters delivering all the time and that is a healthy sign for any team, the Indian captain said at a press conference here to announce FMCG giant LG’s global partnership with the ICC till the 2007 cricket World Cup. Asked about the recent home series loss to the West Indies, the "Prince of Calcutta" said all credit should go to the Windies for a fine performance. The West Indies team, especially Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Wavell Hinds were just incredible, he said. He, however, added that the loss of some of his key players, especially pace spearhead Zaheer Khan to injury, had affected the team’s bowling department though quickly adding that "there was no need for any panic". Injuries have been an integral problem of playing more and more matches and even we have not been spared. In fact, Srinath’s non-inclusion in the test team for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand is because of a "niggle in his knee", Ganguly said. Srinath would definitely play in the seven one-dayers against the Kiwis and in the World Cup if he emerged fit in time, he added. Facing a volley of questions about India’s problems with a "makeshift wicket-keeper", the skipper vehemently defended Rahul Dravid, saying that "he (Dravid) had in fact solved the problem". "No one call Rahul a makeshift wicket-keeper. His batting performance has reached a different level after he started keeping wickets," he said. Asked if wicket-keeping had put extra pressure on Dravid, Ganguly said "international cricket is about taking pressure. You don’t win games without taking pressures. Dravid has no problems with his job and the other youngsters in the team like Kaif, Yuvraj and Harbhajan have also demonstrated determination under difficult circumstances," the Indian captain said. Ganguly also said that India would include Parthiv Patel in the 15-member World Cup squad as a specialist wicket-keeper just in case Dravid was injured. Asked if Sachin Tendulkar would continue to bat at no. 4, the skipper said that even though Sachin had a great record at the top of the innings, his bating lower down the order lent solidity to the line-up. He, however, denied that the move had put extra pressure on the master batsman. "Well if you look at it that way, Mohd Kaif and Yuvraj Singh bat at positions that puts maximum pressure on any batsman in international one-day cricket." Also Virender Sehwag was doing a tremendous job at the top order, he said. ‘The already has a strike rate of more than 100 in one-dayers and that is enviable by any standards," Ganguly added, while hinting that options were still open regarding placements in the batting line-up. The skipper also defended his bowlers saying "it is difficult for bowlers to contain any batsman on the subcontinent pitches". "When I play as a captain and as a batsman, I can see the difference. The grounds here have a very fast outfield," he said. Asked which were the other teams that could win the World Cup, the skipper pointed towards reigning champions Australia, hosts South Africa and Pakistan. Former Indian captain Ravi Shastri, who was also present at the press conference, said this was the first time since the early 1980s that he believed that an Indian team could go all the way in the World Cup. "This team has the right mix of players. It’s been playing like a unit for a long time and that helps," he said. Regarding the question of feeling the pressure, the champions of champions said "why should India feel any pressure. In fact, all the pressures are on Australia." (UNI) |
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Inter-college
Competition Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Government College for Women (GCW), Parade and GCW, Gandhi Nagar today sailed into the final of the Inter-College Table Tennis Tournament and now will be face to face tomorrow for the title clash at 11 am. In the semi-finals played, Parade College defeated Degree College, Udhampur 3-0. Divya Davan beat Pooja Sharma 11-5, 14-12, while Meenu Kesar overpowered fighting Renu Abrol 12-10, 11-8. In the third singles, Mridula Sharma down Sania Sahwney 11-5, 9-11, 11-2. The second semi-final could not take place in the absence of Government Medical College team, who could not turn-up the venue, resulting into awarding of walkover in favour GCW, Nagar College. PG, Commerce College in Men’s final JAMMU: Post Graduate Departments and Government SPMR College of Commerce will be playing in the final of the Inter-College Men’s Table Tennis tomorrow at 12.30 pm. Commerce College has already reached the final, while PG Departments defeated MAM College 3-1 in the second semi-final today. Sanal Gupta bt Balwinder Singh 11-3, 11-8, 11-8; Varinder Bajgotra lost to Ravish Vaid 5-11, 5-11, 9-11; Danish Gupta bt Paramdeep Singh 5-11, 12-10, 14-12, 11-7 and Sunil bt Ramesh Vaid 11-2, 11-8, 11-3 in reverse singles. |
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Jammu District
Volleyball Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Trikuta Club, Jammu and Shastri Club, Jammu won their respective matches on the opening day of the Jammu District Volleyball Championship started today at M A Stadium, here. In the first match, Trikuta Club defeated Volleyball Club, Samba in straight sets 25-6, 25-11. Sonu Kumar and Suresh Kumar displayed good smashes and defence for the winners, while Amit Singh resisted well in the second set. Shastri Club won their match against Volleyball Club, Marh 25-11, 25-17 to consolidate their position. Devinder, Mudassir and Anil Dev Singh made hard smashes breaking completely the opponent defence. From Volleyball Club, Marh, Raman Kumar Sharma made several unsuccessful attempts to block the smashes coming from other side of the net. In another scheduled match of the day, Tiger Club, Jammu got walkover Dhainsar. Earlier, the four-day long championship was declared open by Sports Officer (Jammu) of the State Sports Council, Ajit Singh Wazir. Prominent among others present were Mr Krishan Lal Sharma, manager, M A Stadium and Ramesh Sharma, joint secretary the J&K Volleyball Association. |
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Senior Division league Football begins today Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Senior Division Football league Tournament started today at the Mini-Stadium, Parade under the banner of J&K Football Association, Jammu wing. Both the opening matches ended in a goalless draw. NGR drew with Churchil Brothers, whereas, Vijay Club locked horns with International Club thereby making it a goalless draw. |
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Alpha TT Club celebrates Varun’s victory Excelsior Sports Correspondent POONCH, Nov 29: Alpha Table Tennis Club, Poonch today celebrated the victory of Varun Bhalla in the recently held 24th Stag State Table Tennis Championship held in Jammu. Varun had defeated Shivam Soni to win the Sub-junior boys singles title for the second time in the history Table Tennis in the district. Last year, Nikhil Banotra, of the same club, had finished runners-up in Sub-junior group. Alpha Club has done a lot for the game in Poonch and has trained around 50 players in various age groups, said Narinder Singh, organising secretary of the club. |
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Army Nursery School celebrates Annual Sports Day Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: Army Nursery School No. 1, Nagrota celebrated its Annual Sports Day with enthusiasm and fervor at the school premises. The children of Nursery School enthralled the audience with their performance and cultural programme. The highlights of the function was a variety of sports events including, Lemon Race, Bag Race, High Jump, Musical Chair, 3-Legged Race. The day ended with prize distribution by Mrs Krishna Afaira and vote of thanks was presented by Principal, Mrs Ameet Lamba. Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: J&K Rural Sports Club, in association with Nehru Yuva Kendra, is holding Rural Open Badminton Championship at Indira Nagar, Miran Sahib from tomorrow. In the opening function, Speaker, Tara Chand has consented to inaugurate and Minister for Social Welfare, Mula Ram will preside over the function, said Mr Narinder Singh, president of the club in a handout issued here today. Karnataka hand out innings defeat to J&K BANGALORE, Nov 29: Karnataka scored a run away victory trashing lowly placed Jammu and Kashmir by an innings and 321 runs in the Group "B" Ranji Trophy match with more than a day to spare today. Karnataka, who had won against Bihar, scored their second successive victory and earned a bonus point also. Karnataka now lead the group with six points, followed by Haryana and Madhya Pradesh with four and three respectively. Resuming at 77 for three, J and K batting collapsed like a pack of cards and were dismissed for 163 in reply to Karnataka’s mammoth score of 598. After being followed on, J and K batted pathetically again and were skittled out for 114. For J and K, Dhruv Mahajan (37) was the highest scorer in the first innings, while Shammi Salaria made a valiant 53 in the second innings. SCOREBOARD: Karnataka first innings: 598 J&K first innings: Arshad Bhatt lbw d Ganesh 25 Fayaz Ahmed Hazare c D Ganesh b Sunil Joshi 23 Kawaljit Singh lbw Sunil Joshi 13 Dhruv Mahajan c Akhil b Vadeyraj 37 Shammi Salaria c Naidu b Vadeyraj 01 Gurupratap Singh lbw b Venkatesh Prasad 00 Ashwani Gupta c Naidu Vadeyraj 24 Vijay Sharma b Joshi 00 Abdul Qayoom c D Ganesh b Venkatesh Prasad 05 Surinder Singh not out 04 Jugtar Singh st Naidu b Vadeyaraj 00 Extras (b 16, lb 12, nb 3) 31 Total: 163 Fall of wickets: 1/53, 2/74, 3/75, 4/97, 5/97, 6/129, 7/130, 8/150, 9/163, 10/163. Bowling: B K Venkatesh Prasad 20-4-36-3; D Ganesh 17-1-49-1; Sunil B Joshi 17-7-26-3; B Akhil 4-2-10-0; Santosh K Vadeyaraj 8-4-14-3. J&K second innings: Arshad Bhatt c Naidu b Akhil 20 Fayaz Ahmed Hazare c Bharadwaj b D Ganesh 14 Kawaljit Singh c M Raghu b Akhil 01 Shammi Salaria b Venkatesh Prasad 53 Dhruv Mahajan c Aiyappa (sub) b Vadeyaraj 00 Guru Pratap Singh c D Ganesh b Vadeyaraj 01 Ashwani Gupta run out 07 Vijay Sharma b Joshi 14 Abdul Qayoom lbw b Venkatesh Prasad 00 Surinder Singh c Chougule b Venkatesh Prasad 04 Jagtar Singh not out 00 Extras: 00 Total 114 Fall of wickets: 1/30, 2/32, 3/46, 4/52, 5/54, 6/76, 7/102, 8/102, 9/114, 10/114. Bowling: Venkatesh Prasad 10-2-35-3; D Ganesh 8-1-22-1; Sunil B Joshi 12.2-5-24-1; B Akhil 3-1-12-2 Santosh K Vadeyaraj 8-3-21-2. (UNI) Delhi declares at 506 for six in first innings NEW DELHI: Himachal Pradesh was faced with a tough task of batting the whole day tomorrow to save the match after Delhi took a 262-run first innings lead on the penultimate day of the four-day Ranji Trophy elite Group A match here today. Fine centuries by top order batsmen - Gautam Gambhir (157), Mithun Manhas (111) and Akash Chopra (105) - helped Delhi put up a big total. Hp had reached 50 for no loss at stumps after scoring 244 in the first essay. Resuming at the overnight score of 240 for one at the Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi’s L Bhatia sent back Gambhir caught by Rajiv Nayyar. The Delhi opener hit as many as 25 fours in his 374 minute long innings in 270 balls. That brought manhas to the crease and he, along with Pradeep Chawla (66), added 132 runs for the fourth wicket. Manhas played stylish shots on either side of the wicket cracking 12 fours and a six in a blazing knock that lasted 139 balls. For Himachal, spinner Vishal Bhatia was the most succuessful bowler claiming four wickets while the biggest disappointment was off spinner Ashish Kapoor who went wicketless in his 38 overs. (PTI) Punjab sets 285 run victory target for Assam GUWAHATI: Punjab today set a challenging 285 run victory target for Assam as they ended their second innings at 338 in the Ranji Trophy match being played at the Nehru Stadium here. Thanks to a brilliant 214 run partnersip between Pankaj Dharmani (121) and Ankur Kakkar (122), Punjab ended the day much better placed after two consecutive days of shock and humilation. From a precarious 36 for three, the fourth wicket partnership between Dharmani and Kakkar brought out Punjab from the woods and set a difficult target for Assam. With Assam’s second innings reliability has a question mark, Punjab captain Dinesh Mongia had made it clear that he would go for an outright win. Assam has taken a vital first innings lead of 53 runs and Punjab will go all out tomorrow to get a couple of initial wickets in the first hour of play and bring pressure on the inexperienced Assam team. This morning resuming at overnight score of 62 for three, both Punjab batsmen Dharmani and Kakkar gave scant respect to Assam’s bowler. Although opening bowlers like Mark Ingti ended the innings with four wickets, he was cut, pulled and hooked all over the ground by the duo and scored at will. (AGENCIES) JU registers second win over GJU Hissar Excelsior Sports Correspondent JAMMU, Nov 29: University of Jammu registered their second consecutive win in the ongoing North-Zone Inter-University Basketball Tournament beating GJU, Hissar 63-24 today. According to the reports reaching here, Rakesh Kumar held GJU single-handedly scoring most of the goals. He added as many as 41 points to the team’s total score of 63. Nishant Dev and Amit Gupta also played well and were among the maximum scorers from winners. Now, if, JU will manage a victory over MDU, Rohtak in the pre-quarterfinals tomorrow, it (JU) would create a history of reaching the last eight stage. |
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