NEW DELHI, Nov 27: Though he has fascinated cricket lovers the world over with his superb timing and trademark cover drives, Sachin Tendulkar feels the biggest strength of the Indian captain lies "in his mind" which has helped him overcome difficult phases..........more

Punjab spikers
reach QFs

CHAUTALA (Sirsa), Nov 27: Punjab spikers today sailed to the quarterfinals at the 51st National Volleyball Championship, underway here, as they carved out an easy win against Himachal Pradesh (3-0)..........more

National Football League
East Bengal
beat JCT 1-0

KOLKATA, Nov 27: Formidable East Bengal had to toil hard to pip a fighting JCT Mills, Phagwara, 1-0 in a fast-paced and exciting Seventh National Football League encounter here today. After a fruitless first half, in-form Nigerian striker Mike Okoro scored the winner in the 59th minute to raise East Bengal’s points tally to a maximum six from two matches..........more

SAfrica-Sri Lanka
one-dayers to act
as pilot projects

DURBAN, Nov 27: The five one-day internationals between Sri Lanka and South Africa.......more

By Sanjeev Sharma

JAMMU, Nov 27: It was a rare final witnessed by the crowd in the jam-packed Table Tennis hall of the Indoor Complex......more

Punjab makes hat-trick
of Rugby National
Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 27: Punjab today made hat-trick of Rugby National Championships in Men’s group winning the third edition..........more

Inter-college Competitions
Semis position
cleared in Volleyball

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 27: Semi-finals line-up has been drawn in the ongoing Inter-college competitions in Volleyball being.....more

National Korfball
Championship in
Tamil Nadu

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 27: The 16th Senior National Korfball Championship has been shifted to Chennai in Tamil Nadu from its earlier......more

CAMAT India holding championship from December 20....

Punjab spikers reach QFs.....

Ganguly’s strength lies in his mind: Tendulkar

NEW DELHI, Nov 27: Though he has fascinated cricket lovers the world over with his superb timing and trademark cover drives, Sachin Tendulkar feels the biggest strength of the Indian captain lies "in his mind" which has helped him overcome difficult phases.

"His major strength is in his mind. He sets the bowler up, and before the bowler realises it, has already played a big shot," the batting maestro said in ESPN’s "Sachin speaks of World Cup Stars" programme to be telecast tomorrow.

Tendulkar said the balance and the way Ganguly plays using the pace of the bowler were the reasons behind his high consistency rate.

"It is the balance and the way he waits for the ball to come and uses the pace of the bowler which makes him special. When you start doing that, you are not committing..."

Recounting his partnership with Ganguly during the tour of South Africa, Tendulkar said he enjoyed watching him bat from the other hand.

"In the last tour of South Africa, he played some big shots and I was at the off-strike end. I really, really enjoyed it. We were cracking jokes in between the overs and it was really fun that time," he said, according to the transcript made available here.

He said the "hard-working" Ganguly thinks about his game and tries to improve upon his weaknesses at the nets.

"He is a hard-working fellow not only in the nets but also mentally. He gets back in the game - and that is where his strength lies. He thinks about his game".

Terming the match-winning innings played by the south-paw against Pakistan in Bangladesh as "the best and most important innings", Tendulkar said it was his big hundred which helped India come back into the match while chasing 318.

Tendulkar said he always knew that Ganguly was very talented and was highly impressed with the way he batted in a practice match during the Australian tour in 1991-92.

"In Brisbane he scored 75-80 runs and played some beautiful shots. I knew he is always going to land up here".

Stating that the Indian team’s "dream" was to win the World Cup in South Africa, he said the side had a very high chance of winning it since it "surely has the strongest batting line-up."

"Having Rahul Dravid as the wicket-keeper in the team has certainly opened up options for us."

"If you want an extra bowler, we have an option to do it. And if we want to play with seven batsmen, we are doing that -and thats what made the difference at Lord’s."

India accommodated young-gun Mohammad Kaif in the batting line-up after Dravid kept wickets in the Natwest Trophy final against England and it was Kaif who played a match-winning knock of 87 not out to fashion an incredible victory for the tourists.

On which opener — Ganguly or Virender Sehwag — should take the initiative of attacking the bowlers during the World Cup, Tendulkar said the player in form should do it.

"I would say when we reach close to the World Cup, whoever is in the right form and striking the ball well should take the initiative". (PTI)

Punjab spikers reach QFs

CHAUTALA (Sirsa), Nov 27: Punjab spikers today sailed to the quarterfinals at the 51st National Volleyball Championship, underway here, as they carved out an easy win against Himachal Pradesh (3-0).

Punjab beat himachal pradesh 25-12, 25-10, 25-20 in pool b, while the defending champions Railways played a nail-biting duel to scrape past Haryana in five sets in Pool A.

The hosts scared the Railways spikers by winning the first two sets, 26-24, 25-20, but the defending champions held on to their nerves to overpower the rivals in the next three sets. The score read 24-26, 20-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-10 in favour of the Railways.

Tamil Nadu, who yesterday lost in straight sets to Punjab in Pool B, however, came out as the second team to reach the last eight. In the women’s section, holders Railways made to the last eight as they had the least of problems in disposing an off colour Madhya Pradesh 25-05, 25-10, 25-11 in Pool A.

Another team to reach the quarterfinals from Pool A were the Andhra Pradesh eves who brushed aside Jharkhand 25-09, 25-10, 25-08.

Delhi eves lost to strong contenders Kerala 09-25, 17-25, 14-25 and Chandigarh beat Maharashtra 25-19, 25-18, 25-15 in Pool B in the last evening matches.

In a Pool D encounter, Chhattisgarh found the going tough against Orissa before finally overpowering them 25-23, 25-13, 25-21.

Results: Men’s section

Pool A- Railways bt Haryana 24-26, 20-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-10.

Pool B- Punjab bt HP 25-17, 25-23, 25-20. TN bt UP 25-18, 25-11,

25-22. Services bt Chhattisgarh 25-20, 25-16, 25-19.

Pool C- Rajasthan bt Jharkhand 23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-16, 25-08.

Women’s section

Pool A- Railways bt MP 25-05, 25-10, 25-11.

AP bt Jharkhand 25-09, 25-10, 25-08.

Pool B- Kerala bt Delhi 25-09, 25-17, 25-14.

Pool D- Chhattisgarh bt Orissa 25-23, 25-13, 25-21.

Karnataka bt Haryana 25-12, 25-21, 25-14. (UNI)

National Football League
East Bengal beat JCT 1-0

KOLKATA, Nov 27: Formidable East Bengal had to toil hard to pip a fighting JCT Mills, Phagwara, 1-0 in a fast-paced and exciting Seventh National Football League encounter here today.

After a fruitless first half, in-form Nigerian striker Mike Okoro scored the winner in the 59th minute to raise East Bengal’s points tally to a maximum six from two matches.

The goal came from a sudden move when Alvito D’cunha essayed a forward through from the midfield for an unmarked Okoro who sped into the box with JCT custodian Arvind Kumar out of position.

Okoro kept his cool and gently lobbed the ball into the far corner of the net over the head of defender Musa Aliu.

The well contested game gave the modest crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium their money’s worth as both teams dished out a lively and speedy fare.

East Bengal dominated the early exchanges in the opening session before the millmen found their bearings in the midfield to launch several raids into the rival territory.

They were distinctly unlucky not to have scored in the 18th minute as Harvinder Singh’s rasping left footer from 25 yards rebounded off the bar after beating East Bengal custodian Sandip Nandy hands down.

The second half also began on a brisk pace but East Bengal gradually established sway with their medios, particularly S Venkatesh and Subhas Chakraborty, combining well with upfronters Okoro and D’cunha, both of whom had a good day.

JCT, who lost the lung-opener to Salgaocar, Goa, are yet to get a point after two games. (PTI)

SAfrica-Sri Lanka one-dayers to act as pilot projects

DURBAN, Nov 27: The five one-day internationals between Sri Lanka and South Africa, which started at the Wanderers in Johannesburg today, will be used as pilot projects for spectator safety systems to be put in place during the cricket World Cup in February-march.

Media officer of the World Cup organising committee, Rodney Hartman, said today that the upcoming matches between South Africa and Pakistan will also act as pilot projects for safety measures.

"The intention of these spectator safety measures is to ensure that all cricket fans can enjoy the game at grounds around South Africa in a secure environment," he said.

"It is also important to ensure that the small minority of cricket fans who indulge in anti-social behaviour which interferes with the enjoyment of other spectators, are not tolerated," he said.

"The best safety and security practice demands that South Africa complies with current world trends at major sporting events, particularly in the light of the overall security scenario post September 11, 2001.

"With trained security officers in place around the country, spectators can also expect courteous assistance from the time their car is parked until they return home after an enjoyable day at the cricket stadium with their families and or friends," the media officer said.

Hartman said current international stadium security benchmarks dictate the replacement of manual ticketing systems with automated electronic ones. (PTI)

Aditya, Varun Bhalla and Arjun Kohli shine in Junior groups
Nikhil shows his class before losing to Maninder
*Bhavna becomes Women’s champion for eighth time in a row

By Sanjeev Sharma

JAMMU, Nov 27: It was a rare final witnessed by the crowd in the jam-packed Table Tennis hall of the Indoor Complex, here when Nikhil Kesar, playing maiden Men’s final, entertained and enthralled the sportslovers before losing to the defending champion, Maninder Singh this evening.

To make it a fourth title win, Maninder had to undergo tremendous pressure from the young paddler (Nikhil), who created a lots of interest, first making it a complete five sets game and later stretching the 11 points decider to a record high 21-19.

Last year Maninder had lost to Naresh Gupta in the final after holding the title for three consecutive years.

Earlier, Maninder made a bad start losing the first set to Nikhil 7-11. However, he fought back and clinched the second 11-3, rather easily, only to again lose to the fighting Nikhil 11-13. Maninder again levelled the score taking away the fourth set 11-6. But in the decider he found himself in troubled waters when his far junior and tricky Nikhil was not willing to give it away easily. And, against the will of the crowd, mostly young people, Maninder emerged as the triumphant thus becoming the state champion for fourth time. The score: 7-11, 11-3, 11-13, 11-6, 21-19.

It might be because of the young chief guest, in the form of Minister of State for External Affairs, Omar Abdullah, that today’s final became so interesting. Omar enjoyed every knock of the final set.

In the end, while giving away the prizes, Omar hugged the young Nikhil Kesar and wished him a tall career.

He praised the participants and the organisers, the J&K Table Tennis Association for the successful conduct of the championship amidst terrorists strikes in the city.

In the Men’s semi-finals, Nikhil Kesar defeated reigning champion Naresh Gupta (complaining pain in his neck) in straight sets 11-7, 11-8, 11-4 and Maninder outplayed Nitin Kesar 11-7, 11-4, 11-5. QFs: Maninder bt Ajay Kumar 11-8, 11-9, 11-9; Nitin Kesar bt Rajeev Raja 11-7, 11-6, 11-7; Nikhil Kesar bt Vishal Ghai 11-3, 11-4, 12-10; Naresh Gupta bt Aditya Kanwal 14-12, 9-11, 14-12, 11-5.

Nikhil, who also lost the Junior boys final today, looked satisfied with his performance and hoped that he will improve his game by the next time.

"I am satisfied the way I played in the final, but still I have to improve my game to prepare myself for the next year’s final, most probably with the same opponent", said young Nikhil, an eleventh standard student while talking to EXCELSIOR.

In the Women’s singles final, as usual, Chandpreet Kour and Bhavna Arora were in the fray and in the end Bhavna emerged as the victor after getting much resistance from her opponent. With this title, Bhavna became the State champion for the eighth consecutive term.

There was nothing unusual on the faces of Women’s singles finalists because it was routine being followed from the last couple of years: Bhavna has to win and Chandpreet or Ras‘i Anand has to lose.

In the semi-finals, Bhavna beat Amrita Singh 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 and Chandpreet beat Shagun Mahajan 11-6, 11-7, 11-5. QFs: Bhavna bt Deepinder Kour 11-6, 11-9, 11-5; Amrita Singh bt Svera Jamwal 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-7; Shagun Mahajan bt Renuka Aima 5-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-9; Chandpreet bt Mohita 11-9, 13-11, 11-8.

Junior boys singles title went to Aditya Kanwal, who beat Nikhil Kesar in a close contest 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8. Poonch boy, Varun Bhalla, bagged the Sub-junior trophy beating Shivam Soni in a tough match 11-9, 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7. In the Cadet boys final, Arjun Kohli beat Arjun Anand 11-9, 11-9, 11-7.

The Veteran’s singles final was won by Digpal Singh, who beat Ashwani Sharma 11-7, 7-11, 14-12, 9-11, 11-9. In the semi-finals, Digpal beat Vipan Seth 12-10, 10-12, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 and Ashwani Sharma bt V B Sadothra 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 11-9.

To encourage the other budding players, who put in best of their efforts but could not win, the organising committee gave away them the consolation prizes. Those got these prizes were Kanav Sharma, Lavnya Sharma, Pranav Mahajan, Manmeet (Poonch), Sitannshu Gupta, Nitani Bakshi, Abhimanyu Jamwal and Prashant Khajuria.

The J&K Table Tennis Association also honoured the association members and those striving for the upgradation of sports in the state. They were V K Magoo, Sidharth Sharma (member State Sports Council), Kamal Rohmetra, Kiran Wattal (who has to his credit a number of tournaments), Sanjeev Gupta, Harinder (Vicky) Mahajan, Pankaj Bakshi, Rajesh Sharma, Rajbir Singh, Renuka Aima, Ajay Sharma, Saleem Bandey (Poonch), Satish Gupta, Sheetal Gandotra (organising secretary), Ajit Singh Jeet (Poonch), Sunita Goel, Rajan Sharma, Sumant Singh Jamwal, Najeeb-Ur-Fani, Munna and Sunil Sharma.

Later, the chief guest was presented with a memento by the Association chairman, Sheikh Fazal Ahmed and general secretary, Ajay Sharma.