Tawi Trekkers hold adventures camps at Pathi

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 1: Tawi Trekkers (J&K) organised two adventures camps in which around 200 boys and girls participated. The camps were held at Pathi, 25 kms from Udhampur.

During the five-day camps the participants were imparted training by specialised persons in adventure sports including camping, trekking, rock climbing, artificial river crossing, martial arts and first-aid

The cultural programmes in the evenings were the main attraction of the camp.

Dr Shyam Magotra, general secretary of the Mountaineering Association of J&K was the chief guest on the concluding day of the camps.

While speaking to the young adventurers, he advised them to shun the video culture and embrace the culture of adventure. He also suggested the the organisers, Tawi Trekkers to conduct more and more such camps so that sufficient number of children are able to participate.

He promised all possible help from the Mountaineering Association of J&K for the promotion of such camps and all other adventure activities. He also presented badges to the participants of the camp.

Messrs Tsering Tashi, Dr Sanjay Verma, Narinder Singh, Nitin Jamwal, Sumit Khajuria, Charu Nagar and Jyoti Magotra were incharge of the various activities conducted at the camp.

It has become a regular feature of the Tawi Trekkers to hold such camps in the rural areas.

Wrestling competition at Mansar on April 4

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 1: The Jammu and Kashmir Wrestling Association in collaboration with Department of Youth Services and Sports organising a wrestling competition as part of Mansar Mela at Mansar on April 4.

According to a handout issued here, Mr Shiv Kumar Sharma, president, J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association said that in all, ten bouts will be conduced after the selection of the participants on the basis of their performance in the last National Championship.

Mr Prem Choudhary, secretary of the association said that the prizes to be given to the winners are sponsored by the Tourism Department. He disclosed that the technical officials for smooth conduct of the competitions include Messrs Inderjeet Khajuria, Prithvi Raj Sharma, Chhaju Ram, Bansi Lal Tidya, Shatrughan, Vijay, Kulbir Singh and R K Maini.

BSF Jammu Frontier lifts Maj Pannu
Memorial Hockey trophy

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 1: Border Security Force(BSF), Jammu Frontier lifted the Major D S Pannu Memorial Hockey trophy beating Jammu and Kashmir Police 4-2 in the final which held at Army grounds, Akhnoor, 28 kms from here, today.

The BSF attackers started the game with a promising note and made thrilling attempts against their rivals, who also retaliated with vigour and strength.

BSF made their first goal, when L. Naik, B Mag sounded the board in the 11th minute of the match to take one goal lead. The lead was soon equalised by the J&K Police making goal in the 20th minute through Left-in, ASI, Manjit Singh. The first half score remained 1-1.

The half was full of attacks and counter attacks. Both sides made so many attempts but success came their way only in the 55 minute game was over.

The BSF, who made their second goal and first in the second half to take lead over Police. However, J&K Police again equalised the lead to end the match 2-2 in the normal time.

It was followed by the extra time which favoured BSF, who make two goals and won the match 4-2. Havildar H Topono and L. Naik, J Kandir scored the goals for BSF.

Major General, T S Pathak, GOC of Infantry division and Mr UC Chhabra, IG BSF, Jammu Frontier witnessed the match, while Lt Col(retd) Gurdial Singh Pannu father of Late Major D S Pannu, Vir Chakra, gave away winners and runners-up trophies.

In all, 25 teams from all over the state participated in the 10-day tournament.

Arun Gupta gets Vijayshree award

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Apr 1: Mr Arun Gupta, a young printer of Jammu, who has won various national awards for excellence, has won Vijayshree award from Indian International Friendship Society.

He will be receiving the award personally in a function to be held at New Delhi on April 24. Mr Gupta got this information after he received a message from the organisation general secretary, Mr Gurmeet Gupta today.

Sachin to intimate board over availability after practice

MUMBAI Apr 1: Sachin Tendulkar intends to inform the cricket board about his availability for the April 7-16 Sharjah triangular series after seeing how he felt following net sessions for a couple of days.

Tendulkar told here today "I have to see how I feel after practising (for a couple of days). Then I will get a clear idea (about my fitness)".

The ace batsman, who underwent treatment from a London specialist for his back spasms recently and on medical advice decided to skip the ongoing tri-series at home, said "I intend to speak to the board president (Raj Singh Dungarpur) about my availability prior to the team selection for Sharjah".

Dungarpur had told on Tuesday that Tendulkar was in constant touch with him and a clear picture about his availability for the Sharjah tournament would emerge in a few days.

However, board secretary Jaywant Lele had informed reporters at Pune after India’s victory over Sri Lanka that Tendulkar was available for the Sharjah tri-nation event, featuring Pakistan and England as the other two teams.

Queried yesterday, Lele reiterated from Baroda that since Tendulkar wanted rest only from the home series and had not informed the board about the Sharjah series so far, it was assumed the master batsman was available for the Gulf event.

The teams for the Sharjah tourney and the May-June World Cup are to be selected in Bangalore on April 4, according to board sources. (PTI)

Hingis brings top game back to family circle

HILTON HEAD ISLAND (US), Apr 1: When Martina Hingis won the Family Circle Cup two years ago, no one on tour could touch her. Now, the Swiss star knows her dominance is not so clear cut.

"Everybody has improved so much," said Hingis, the tournament’s top seed who dispatched Austria’s Sylvia Plischke 6-3, 7-5 in her first match yesterday. "The Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport took over No. 1 for a while. There are so many more dangerous players to watch out for."

They will be shooting for Hingis at the Sea Pines Racquet Club. Others advancing were No. 2 Monica Seles of the United States, No. 6 Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, No. 10 Conchita Martinez of Spain, No. 13 Silvia Farina of Italy, No. 14 Elena Likhovtseva of Russia and No. 16 Henrieta Nagyova of Slovakia.

Hingis rose to No. 1 at this tournament in 1997 and, when it was over, had extended her streak to 31 straight match victories and six straight championships.

She was 16 years old and in love with the world and the world was in love with her confidence. She had won three of the four grand slams that year and finished with a tour-best 75 match wins.

Last year, Hingis learned it wasn’t easy to stay on top. She won five times, down from her twelve titles a year earlier, and took only one major, the Australian Open.

By year’s end, Davenport supplanted Hingis as No. 1 and sisters Venus and Serena Williams began to crowd the spotlight Hingis had owned.

"I know how I felt when I kind of played at the top level and nobody was beating me. You just feel invincible," said Hingis, sounding more wistful than an 18-year-old megastar should.

Especially one who’s back on top after regaining No. 1 with consecutive wins at the Australian and PAN Pacific Tournaments in February.

She said moving from the hard surfaces of the Lipton Championships to the slow clay of sea pines caused some serious lapses against Plischke.

After taking the first set without much trouble, Hingis fell behind in the second 3-0. Just as suddenly, she was up 5-3. Yet, she needed four more games to close out Plischke.

"I had kind of relaxed after the first set," she said. "I just should have gone for it more."

Seles looked sharp in her opening match, winning the final eight games to dump Belarus’ Olga Barabanschiova 6-3, 6-0. Seles had expected to practice more on clay, but that didn’t happen when, with American Mary Joe Fernandez, she reached the Lipton doubles’ final before losing to Hingis and Czech Jana Novotna.

"I was hoping after my singles, I’ll come here, get ready for clay," Seles said. "But it didn’t go as I planned."

Schnyder defeated American Lisa Raymond 6-4, 6-2 while Martinez, who won this tournament in 1994-95, ousted France’s Alexia Dechaume-Balleret 3-6,

Martinez now will face Hingis, who would seem to have this tournament to herself with Sarena Williams and Davenport out with injuries, and Venus Williams’ decision to pass. (AP)

100 years on, it’s US vs Britain again

BIRMINGHAM (ENGLAND), Apr 1: The impressive, modern national indoor arena has little in common with the longwood cricket club in Boston where the Davis Cup started 99 years ago.

Yet the word "cricket" may be the significent link.

The brits are back in the world group of tennis to face the United States as the two nations who met for the title back in 1900 meet again as the championship celebrates its centenary.

And, although British tennis has been in the doldrums for nearly a decade, it now has two highly-ranked players, Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, who have the ability to win the match and earn a world group second round match against either Australia or Zimbabwe.

Standing in their way are experienced Davis Cup players Jim Courier and Todd Martin, doubles expert Alex O’Brien and Jan-Martin Gambill, who has played only one previous match. Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, the two biggest names in US tennis, have declined to play.

While some 1,200 fans attended one of the oldest tennis clubs in Boston each day to cheer an American victory in 1900, sellout crowds of 9,400 will be screaming the brits onto what they hope will be a long-overdue triumph at the 8-year-old Nia in the industrial heartland of England.

"I think it’s kind of poetic for the United States and Britain to be playing in the 100th year of the Davis Cup," said Courier.

We’d like to have played the tie on our home soil where the first tie was played, but it’s going to be interesting to get on with the brits.

"Davis Cup tennis is as pure as it comes. It’s like going back in time and it’s like being part of the history of the game."

Win or lose, the Americans will be going back to the longwood club anyway for the next stage, either in round two or the relegation round.

For Henman and Rusedski, who are trying to earn top five places as individuals on the ATP tour, there is the opportunity to team up under the British flag and give the nation back some pride in world tennis.

Britain last played in the world group in 1992 and slipped down to the European zone two relegation round before climbing back up to the world’s top 16.

Team captain David Lloyd even complained that Britain, with two players in the world’s top eleven, should have been seeded in the world group which would have meant avoiding the United States in the first round.

The other seven matches are Sweden vs. Slovak Republic, Germany vs. Russia, Zimbabwe vs. Australia, France vs. Netherlands, Spain vs. Brazil, Belgium vs. Czech Republic and Switzerland vs. Italy.

Because Britain doesn’t have the same strength in depth at the other 15 teams, Henman and Rusedski expectedly will play all the singles matches and also team up in the doubles.

They rarely play as a doubles team but are ideally suited as a right-hander and left-hander and won an indoor tournament at Battersea, London, in February.

Because Martin is hampered by a stomach muscle injury, all four of the American team could see action at the Nia.

"My priority is to play two singles matches," Martin said.

"To play three matches (including the doubles) would affect my chances of playing on Sunday."

Gambill boosted his chances of making the doubles pairing by reaching the final of the Lipton Championship last weekend in partnership with Boris Becker. (AP)

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