DHAKA, Oct 21: English paceman Stephen Harmison took two quick wickets as Bangladesh struggled on a rain-hit opening day of their first-ever Test against England here today...........more

World Billiards
championship to be
played under 150 up format

NEW DELHI, Oct 21: The World Billiards Championship, to be held in Hyderabad from November 17 to 23, will be played under the 150 up format instead of the traditional time format, a top official of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India said here today...............more

IAAF decides to go ahead
with retesting of samples

LONDON, Oct 21: Track and field’s governing body said today it will retest all drug samples from the recent World Championships to check whether any athletes were using a previously undetectable designer steroid..........more

Rajan Sharma invited as official for Afro-Asian Games

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Rajan Sharma, senior state boxing coach and a qualified technical official in Jammu and Kashmir has been nominated as technical official for the forthcoming Ist Afro-Asian Games to be held at Hyderabad from October 23 to November 1...............more

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Kamal Rohmetra remained undisputed Snooker champion winning the senior’s final once again in Jammu District Billiards and Snooker Champions ........more

Inter-college Cricket
PG Arts in commanding
position in Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Post Graduate (PG) Departments of Arts were in commanding position at the end of the first day play against GGM Science College...........more

Jammu wing’s captain fails to find berth in team
Punjab dominates
J&K bowlers on opening
day of U-19 Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Guests Punjab today hit the hard the J&K bowlers making 348 runs for eight and later declared the innings..........more

CAMAT India expands
network to J&K

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Centre For Advanced Martial Arts Training (CAMAT), India has expanded its network to Jammu and Kashmir State by appointing.......more

Harmison shines on gloomy first day of Dhaka Test

DHAKA, Oct 21: English paceman Stephen Harmison took two quick wickets as Bangladesh struggled on a rain-hit opening day of their first-ever Test against England here today.

Harmison surprised the batsmen with both pace and bounce as the home side was reduced to 24-2 in the 64 minutes of play at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Electing to bat, Bangladesh saw off the first four overs early in the morning without any loss, but were pushed back on resumption after more than two sessions were lost due to wet ground conditions.

Opener Javed Omar (three) was beaten by bounce and prolific batsman Habibul Bashar (two) by pace as Bangladesh stuttered in their effort to cope with rising expectations after a recent spirited display in Pakistan.

Omar was surprised by the bounce of a Harmison delivery around the off stump, failing to keep the ball down as debutant Rikki Clarke pouched the catch safely at gully.

Bashar followed soon after, trying to drive and edging to Marcus Trescothick at first slip.

If Harmison was quick off the wicket, his new-ball partner Matthew Hoggard moved the ball appreciably to trouble the batsmen time and again.

Opener Hannan Sarkar (18) and Rajin Saleh (nought) were the not out batsmen when the umpires offered to stop the game for the day because of bad light.

The umpires had decided to have 19 overs after resumption but were forced to call off play for the day after just 11 despite the support of floodlights in that session.

Earlier, sharp showers in the morning hampered play for a major part of the day. It rained for just over 15 minutes but the loss of play amounted to well over two sessions.

Only four overs had been bowled when rain played spoilsport with Bangladesh at one without loss in four overs.

Umpires Ashoka De Silva and Aleem Dar, in consultation with match referee Wasim Raja, resumed play at 3:45 IST after repeated inspections of the ground.

England capped all-rounder Rikki Clark and off-spinner Gareth Batty, who have both figured in one-day internationals, for the Test. For Bangladesh, left-arm spinner Enamul Haque (junior) made his debut.

The visiting side’s two practice games were also hit by rain.

Bangladesh are looking to improve their Test record, which stands at 23 losses and a draw.

On their tour of Pakistan, they took the first innings lead in two of the three Tests and lost the last match at Multan by just one wicket as Inzamamul Haq saw his team through with a fine century.

This is the first match of a two-Test series. The second Rest will be held at Chittagong from October 29 to November 2. A three-match one-day series will follow the Tests.

England are due to tour Sri Lanka for three Tests and as many one-dayers after their tour of Bangladesh. (AFP)

World Billiards championship to be played
under 150 up format

NEW DELHI, Oct 21: The World Billiards Championship, to be held in Hyderabad from November 17 to 23, will be played under the 150 up format instead of the traditional time format, a top official of the Billiards and Snooker Federation of India said here today.

The championship, which has attracted participation of 48 cueists from 18 countries, will be played under this "instant" format for the first time keeping in view the need for popularising the sport among spectators, BSFI president P N Roy told reporters.

The 150 up format, pioneered by the Delhi Billiards and Snooker Federation in 1988, was introduced in a major tournament for the first time during the Busan Asian Games in 2002.

"We are also in the final stage of negotiations with a private sports channel for the live coverage of the game," Andhra Pradesh Billiards and Snooker Federation president Capt PVK Mohan said.

India’s leading professional cueist Geet Sethi, who was runner-up in the last edition of the championship in Sydney, Australia, has been given the top billing followed by Praput Chaithanaskun of Thailand and Devendra Joshi of India.

Apart from the professionals - Sethi and Nalin Patel - India will field a team of eight players led by national champion Alok Kumar in the event which offers a winner’s purse of 2,000 pounds (approx Rs 1.51 lakh). The runner-up will be richer by 1,200 pounds (approx Rs 91,000). (PTI)

IAAF decides to go ahead with retesting of samples

LONDON, Oct 21: Track and field’s governing body said today it will retest all drug samples from the recent World Championships to check whether any athletes were using a previously undetectable designer steroid.

The International Association of Athletics Federations said it would reopen the some 400 samples taken during the August 23-31 Championships in Saint-Denis, France, to search for tetrahydrogestrinone, or thg.

The drug is at the heart of a major doping scandal in the United States, where several track and field athletes tested positive for the substance at the US National Championships last summer.

The IAAF, which said yesterday it was considering the legal implications, decided to go ahead with the retesting following a meeting in Paris between IAAF president Lamine Diack and IAAF anti-doping chief Arne Ljungqvist.

"We’re going to do it," IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said. "The legal issues aren’t really that big. Our rules are quite clear: We have the right to do the tests. Now we just have to work out the details."

Any positive findings would lead to retroactive disqualifications, including stripping of any medals, and two-year bans.

"We want a clean sport," IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai told ap yesterday. "This is a great opportunity. We don’t want to leave potential cheaters untouched."

Under the IAAF’s drug-testing agreement with French authorities for the world championships, all samples taken in france must be tested in France. (AP)

Rajan Sharma invited as official for Afro-Asian Games

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Rajan Sharma, senior state boxing coach and a qualified technical official in Jammu and Kashmir has been nominated as technical official for the forthcoming Ist Afro-Asian Games to be held at Hyderabad from October 23 to November 1.

Rajan, presently posted as Manager, indoor complex, M A Stadium, here, has a vast experience at the international level.

Another person, from Boxing, who has been invited by the Indian Amateur Boxing Federation, is Dr Nirmolak Singh.

Kamal is champion again, eyeing double title

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Oct 21: Kamal Rohmetra remained undisputed Snooker champion winning the senior’s final once again in Jammu District Billiards and Snooker Champions without putting much efforts at Billiards Hall, M A Stadium, here this afternoon.

In two and half hour long battle, Kamal defeated Jaideep Manocha 4-1. Earlier, leading by two frames 78-18, 58-42, Kamal lost the third one to Jaideep in a black ball game 50-53. Encouraged by the moral boosting third frame victory against the a seasonal cueist, Jaideep suddenly started playing a good game but could not match of Kamal’s potting and placements.

Leading by three frames (3-1), Kamal launched his campaign for the fifth with a foul shot (black), thereby helping Jaideep to open his account. Even after getting advantage, Jaideep could not grab much of the points and was punished with a miss and foul by the marker.

However, Kamal, with score on board 18-19 made a break of 30 points with thrice black thus reversing the score on board to his favour 48-23.

Today’s final was officiated by markers Rakesh and Surjit Singh Biloria. It was witnessed among others by Siddharth Sharma, president JKBSA, Ajay Sharma, general secretary, JKTTA, Ramit Chaudhary, Sunil Sharma and Satish Gupta, disclosed Sheetal Gandotra organising secretary.

Meanwhile, according to Sheetal Gandotra, organising secretary of the championships, the two-hour long senior Billiards final to be played on October 23, after a break tomorrow, at 3.15 pm. Final will be followed by the prize distribution function wherein Secretary, State Sports Council, Manoj Pant, has consented to be the chief guest.