Daily Excelsior.........sports

Indians will be
dangerous: Dravid

MUMBAI, Oct 5: Expressing satisfaction with the team’s performance in recent times, vice-captain Rahul Dravid has said that India was one of the top contenders for winning the next year’s World Cup in........more

Chandra ousted
in Snooker singles

BUSAN, Oct 5:India’s promising youngster Manan Chandra crashed out of the Snooker singles event in the Asian Games when he lost 1-3 to Cambodia’s Neang Tola in the quarter-final here today. ........more

India stay on course
to win Kabaddi gold

BUSAN, Oct 5: Defending champions India kept themselves on course for retaining the Kabaddi gold defeating Bangladesh 37-14 in their third preliminary match at the Asian Games here today. ......more

BCCI requests Sahara
to return as sponsor

KOLKATA, Oct 5: The cricket board today urged the Sahara India group to return as the official sponsor of the Indian team indicating that the logo controversy would be sorted out before the 2003. . .........more

10-member team named
for NZ Body Building Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 5: The All Jammu and Kashmir Amateur Body Building Association has selected a 10-member team for the forthcoming Junior, Senior, Master and Handicapped North-Zone Body Building Championship .........more

J&K participating in
Jr National Tug-of-War

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 5: The Jammu and Kashmir Tug-of-War Association has selected three teams in different weight groups for participating in the 15th Junior National . ........more

Nadeem wins gold in Light Middle group in Boxing

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 5: Nadeem bagged gold medal after he defeated Aamir in the Light Middle weight group in the District Srinagar Boxing Championship which was concluded today at Indoor Sports Complex, Srinagar. In the Middle weight, first place went to Zahoor Ahmed, who defeated Mushtaq Ahmed in the final fight...........more

Wavell Hinds puts West Indians in driving seat.........

Davenport beats Coetzer to reach first Kremlin final ....

Akhtar demolishes Australia ....

Indians will be dangerous: Dravid

"The Aussies and the South Africans are the first two favourites, but we can be a very dangerous outfit to any team as we are playing well as a unit," Dravid said here yesterday after launching Britannia Industries’ World Cup campaign alongwith teammate Virender Sehwag.

"If we continue to play the way we have been playing in the past six months or so, we can give any team a good fight. In one-day games the team which plays well on that particular day can win. It is very difficult to predict the winner," the star batsman added.

"We are satisfied with the way the team is performing at the moment and also with the way the individual members are coming out with match-winning performances," Dravid said.

Asked about his new role as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the one-dayers, Dravid said, "I am happy with the way I am keeping now and it is difficult to say what will happen in the next four to five months.

"However, if the team management wants me to keep wickets I will continue to do so," he said.

Hundred lucky winners of the "World Cup 2003 scratch card" from India will get a chance to view the India-Pakistan match on March one. (AGENCIES)

Chandra ousted in Snooker singles

BUSAN, Oct 5:India’s promising youngster Manan Chandra crashed out of the Snooker singles event in the Asian Games when he lost 1-3 to Cambodia’s Neang Tola in the quarter-final here today.

The 21-year-old Chandra had progressed to the quarterfinals with a commendable 63-9 32-80 70-14 69-30 win over higher rated Marco Ka Chun Fu of China. (PTI)

India stay on course to win Kabaddi gold

BUSAN, Oct 5: Defending champions India kept themselves on course for retaining the Kabaddi gold defeating Bangladesh 37-14 in their third preliminary match at the Asian Games here today.

The Indians led by a comfortable 24-7 margin at half-time.

India, who have won three golds since the introduction of Kabaddi in the 1990 Beijing Asiad, kicked off their campaign yesterday for a fourth consecutive gold with facile victories over Malaysia and Japan.

India defeated Malaysia 47-21 and then went on to thrash Japan 53-21 in the six-team round robin league match competition. (UNI)

BCCI requests Sahara to return as sponsor

Board president Jagmohan Dalmiya today wrote a letter to the Sahara group requesting it to reconsider its earlier decision to withdraw the sponsorship "in the best interest of the sport."

"It is not a question of money or getting an alternative sponsor, but it is a question of patronage and support that sahara has offered to cricket over the years that prompted BCCI to appeal," Dalmiya said.

The BCCI chief said he had taken up the matter at the recently held executive board meeting of the International Cricket Council in Colombo so that Sahara could be given a fair opportunity in the next ICC event, i.e. 2003 World Cup.

"It was extremely unfair on a company that was patronising sports to such a great extent, to be elbowed out from the ICC Champions Trohpy 2002 in such a manner," Dalmiya said.

Sahara withdrew its multi-million dollar sponsorship of the Indian team due to continued objections from ICC over the use of the company’s logo which the world governing body felt was in conflict with commercial interest of South African Airways, one of the official sponsors of the Champions Trophy. The withdrawal of sponsorship came when the Champions Trophy was underway with ICC refusing to accept Sahara’s offer to replace its ‘Sahara’ logo with ‘Subrata’.

The logo issue had cropped up in the wake of the stand-off between the Indian cricketers and ICC over the players’ terms in the sponsorship agreement.

The sponsorship controversy as well as logo issue were the main issues of discussion at the ICC executive board meeting in Colombo on September 30.

Dalmiya’s move to request Sahara to return as the Indian team’s sponsor came barely four days after the ICC named him in a five-member empowered committee to deal with all issues concerning the players’ terms agreement to avoid any sponsorship controversy on the eve of next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

Dalmiya had pointed out before the members at the meeting that two years ago in the Champions Trohpy at Nairobi, preference was given to the team sponsor’s logo even if it was in conflict with ICC’s sponsor, but the position was diametrically opposite during the Colombo Champions Trophy.

The other members of the empowered committee to deal with the issue were ICC president Malcolm Gray, its chief executive Malcolm Speed, Australian Cricket Board chairman Bob Merriman and ICC vice-president Ehsan Mani of Pakistan. An independent member with a legal or commercial background would assist it. (PTI)

10-member team named for NZ Body Building Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

The team, which included eight players and two officials, will leave for venue on October 11. Earlier, the team was named after conducting the selection trials by the Association at Jammu.

All the ten selected body builders are presently undergoing a 10-day coaching camp at Megha Physical Gym, Gandhi Nagar, Jammu from October Ist.

According to general secretary of the Association, Mr Rajeev Charak, the selected team is being sponsored by the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council.

Rajeev, who is accompanying the team as manager, is hopeful of medals from Jatinder Singh and Pasy Dass Sayal. Vishal Chopra has been named coach of the selected team.

The list of selected players included Jatinder Singh, Dalbir Singh, Ravinder Singh, Vinod Kumar, Garjeet Singh, Sumeet Sharma, Pasy Dass and Raman Manhas, informed Mr Charak.

Meanwhile, the general secretary disclosed that the election of the North-Zone Body Building Association, to elect the new body, shall also take place after the championship is over i.e. October 13.

From Jammu and Kashmir Rajeev Charak has filed nomination for the post of joint secretary, while Ajay Sharma and Vishal Chopra filed papers for executive members.

J&K participating in Jr National Tug-of-War

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 5: The Jammu and Kashmir Tug-of-War Association has selected three teams in different weight groups for participating in the 15th Junior National Tug-of-War Championship scheduled to be held from October 8 at Chennai.

The selected teams are in the weight groups of 560 kg, 520 kg and 440 kg in boys under-19 year. Teams are being accompanied by Ravinder Singh Sasan, who is general secretary of the Association.

All the three selected teams have been provided kits by the association, a handout issued here today said.

Nadeem wins gold in Light Middle group in Boxing

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

In the Middle weight, first place went to Zahoor Ahmed, who defeated Mushtaq Ahmed in the final fight.

Results in other weight groups:

Light Fly: Mudassir beat Mohd Ashraf. Fly weight: Sulaman beat Javaid Ahmed. Bantam: Umer Zahoor beat Shafiq Ahmed. Feather: Muneer Dar beat Ubaid Reshi. Light weight: Zubain Shah beat Javaid Yousuf. Welter: Wahidullah beat Wazeem Sidiq Rather.

Wavell Hinds puts West Indians in driving seat

BANGALORE, Oct 5: Opener Wavell Hinds cracked a swashbuckling 147 as the visiting West Indian side ripped apart the Board President’s XI bowling to take a 66-run first innings lead on the second day of the three-day match here today.

The visitors plundered 321 runs from 90 overs today to finish the second day at a commanding 341 for two with Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan also making handsome contributions.

Hinds struck 17 fours and three sixes in his 187-ball knock before falling leg before wicket to left-arm spinner Murali Kartik.

At close, Sarwan was batting on 93 with 13 fours and one six in the company of Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was on 20.

The home team, who had declared their first innings at 275 for eight yesterday, had just two successes in the day with off-spinner Sarandeep Singh accounting for Gayle who made 62 runs and Kartik claiming the prized scalp of hinds.

Resuming at their overnight score of 20 without loss, the West Indians were well served by openers Gayle and Hinds who flayed a spineless bowling attack to score at a very brisk pace.

They put on 128 runs for the opening wicket before Gayle, who hit eight fours and one six during his 122-minute stay at the crease, was caught by Sanjay Bangar at covers.

The hard-hitting Gayle had struck a six off Sarandeep on the previous ball but he was out while attempting to repeat that shot.

The fall of Gayle failed to deter hinds as he continued batting in aggressive fashion and hit Bangar for two consecutive fours. He followed it up with two boundaries and a six off Sarandeep in an over as he raced to his fifty.

The tourists took lunch at 151 for one with Hinds unbeaten on 73 and Sarwan on seven. The two returned after the break to haunt the Indian bowlers with their agressive stroke-play in the second session.

Hinds reached his century in the post-lunch session when a misfielding by Laxmipathy Balaji allowed him to take three runs against Amit Mishra when only one should have been allowed.

Sarwan also batted sensibly and continued the good work of Gayle. He reached his 50 off 110 balls, hitting eight fours. The West Indians did not lose any wicket in the second session while adding 106 runs to their total.

After toiling hard for most of the day, the home team finally got to see the back of hinds in the final session when Kartik trapped him leg before wicket. Hinds added 150 runs for the second wicket with Sarwan.

The dismissal of Hinds saw Sarwan taking charge of proceedings. Sarwan, who has so far batted for 263 minutes and hit 13 fours and a six, was looking well set for a century when the stumps were drawn for the day. (PTI)

Davenport beats Coetzer to reach first Kremlin final

MOSCOW, Oct 5: Second seed Lindsay Davenport reached her third final of the year today, beating South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer 6-3 6-4 in the Kremlin Cup semi-finals.

The American, who is playing in only her sixth tournament after missing much of the year with a knee injury, broke her unseeded opponent three times to win the first set in 35 minutes.

After falling behind 4-2 in the second, Davenport reeled off four games in a row to book a place in Sunday’s final on her first visit to Moscow.

There she will meet the winner of the match between France’s Amelie Mauresmo and Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria, who were playing later on Saturday. (AGENCIES)

Akhtar demolishes Australia

COLOMBO, Oct 5: Pakistani tearaway Shoaib Akhtar grabbed five wickets in 15 balls to cause a dramatic Australian collapse in the first cricket test here today.

Australia, comfortably placed at 74 for 1 in their second knock, slipped to 89 for 7 before being shot out for 127 in 39.5 overs at tea on the third day.

Set a victory target of 316, Pakistan will begin their chase tomorrow morning after rain washed out the entire last session.

Earlier, leg-spinner Shane Warne took 7 for 94 but failed to prevent Pakistan from saving the follow-on in the morning session.

Starting the day at 210 for 5, still needing 58 to make Australia bat again, Pakistan survived an anxious first hour before being all out for 279 in their first innings.

Akhtar, Nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express, sliced through the middle-order in a sensational burst that included removing the under-pressure Waugh twins for zeroes in three deliveries.

Akhtar finished with five for 21 from eight overs, while off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq claimed four for 46. (AFP)