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

India on top after a day
of astonishing cricket

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16: A lively spell of seam bowling backed by some plucky batting performance helped India make a dramatic turnaround and gain .....more

Gilchrist blasts Australia
to massive lead

PERTH, Dec 16: Australia were on the verge of regaining the Ashes after their batsmen, led by a devastating Adam Gilchrist, smashed England all over the park on day three of the third Test at an oppressively hot WACA ........more

RCA enters Twenty-
20 Cricket final

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Hosts Roshni Cricket Academy (RCA) today sealed a thrilling 5 run win over JP World Cricket Club (JPCC) in the semifinal to enter into the ...more

Jammu clinches
Gurbaksh Singh Memorial
Korfball Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: District Jammu defeated Pulwama by 20-10 in the final to clinch 5th Gurbaksh Singh Memorial Korfball Championship played at Green Fields......more

Jammu registers easy
wins in Volleyball tourney

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

KATHUA, Dec 16: Jammu today registered comfortable wins over their rivals in both boys and .......more

Mobike Dirt Track Racing
Challenge from Dec 28

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: The J&K Motor Sports Association has rescheduled the date for conducting the 8th Annual Mobike Dirt Track Racing Challenge-2006 which .....more

1st Sher-i-Kashmir Squash
Championship begins

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: The first Sher-i-Kashmir Open J&K State Squash Championship was commenced at Jammu Club today. In the inaugural match......more

Physiotherapy College
wins inaugural match of
Bhagat Singh Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Jammu College of Physiotherapy defeated MAM College by 27 runs in the opening match of the Shaheed-e Azam Bhagat Singh Memorial ....more

India on top after a day of astonishing cricket

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 16: A lively spell of seam bowling backed by some plucky batting performance helped India make a dramatic turnaround and gain control of the first cricket Test against South Africa here today.

After stretching their first innings to a respectable 249, the Indians gave the hosts a spoon of their medicine to bundle them out for 84, their lowest ever score in Test cricket since readmission.

Kerala seamer Sreesanth picked up his maiden five-wicket haul of 5-40 and was well supported by Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble who claimed two wickets each.

It was the first time since 1957 that South Africa were all out for less than a three-figure score.

The third lowest total by any team against India also saw South Africa, who went into the match as favourites, concede a lead of 165 runs.

The Indians then consolidated their position with some resilient batting, which they were displaying for the first time on the tour, to reach 146 for five.

Virender Sehwag managed 33 which, on a day that saw 20 wickets fall, was equivalent of a strong start.

Sourav Ganguly (25) and VVS Laxman (42 batting) built on it with a 58-run stand to extend India’s overall lead to 311 runs.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni on 17 was giving company to Laxman at close.

In between, host all-rounder Shaun Pollock achieved a personal milestone of 400 Test wickets with the scalp of visiting skipper Rahul Dravid (1). Young Sreesanth bowled a dream spell to take his first five-wicket haul as South Africa were bowled out in 25-odd overs at the stroke of tea.

Sreesanth started the rot with two wickets before lunch break and continued the mayhem in the afternoon session with three more scalps, at one stage reducing the hosts to 45-7.

Sreesanth took out Graeme Smith (5) and Hashim Amla (0) in the first session and then struck the body blow to South Africa by claiming Jacques Kallis (12) on resumption.

AB de Villiers (6) was shocked by a delivery from Zaheer Khan which rose abruptly and a defensive jab ended in the hands of Virender Sehwag in the gully region.

Mark Boucher (5) became Sreesanth’s fourth victim when he inside edged a delivery on to his leg-stump and South Africa had five of their top order back in the hut.

Pollock (5) made it a first fiver for Sreesanth as he missed a delivery heading on to his stumps.

Andre Nel (21) hit some lusty blows to score his highest ever in Tests but the introduction of Anil Kumble into attack ended all pretenstions of a fightback.

Kumble claimed an obdurate Ashwell Prince (24) who edged a catch behind the stumps and off the very next delivery, Makhaya Ntini found his stumps rattled.

Nel then hit one in the deep on the off-side to close the lid on South Africa’s first innings, a performance which left the weekend spectators completely shocked.

Earlier, an exhilarating last-wicket stand stretched the Indian total to 249. Last man VRV Singh was comical but effective in smashing 29 off 26 balls and put on 44 runs from 35 balls with the irrepressible Sourav Ganguly (51) as the visitors, starting the day at 156 for 5, added 93 further runs.

Ganguly was outstanding in his comeback innings and despite his dour vigil also played several pleasing strokes, including a pulled six off Makhaya Ntini.

In all, his unbeaten knock spanned nearly three hours and consumed 101 balls, studded with four fours and a six.

Dhoni appeared to get behind the line of the deliveries before an absolutely stunning catch in the outfield sent him back into the dressing room.

Dhoni made a cracking off-drive off Ntini and Pollock (4-39) at mid-off threw himself full-stretched to catch the chance inches off the ground.

India’s tailenders were then exposed and even though the ball was fairly old, it was too much to expect them to offer much resistance.

Anil Kumble was rapped on his body a few times and then tamely edged a catch into the slips.

Zaheer Khan chanced his arms and it was good enough for a 17-run ninth wicket stand before Pollock terminated the plucky going.

Pollock bowled a slower delivery and found Zaheer (5) in front of the stumps and a couple of deliveries later, had Sreesanth caught at gully for nought.

VRV Singh backed away but struck some lusty blows to upset the composure of South African bowlers. He carved out some unexpected fours in the outfield. (PTI)

India - 2nd Innings Wasim Jaffer c Smith b Nel 4 Virender Sehwag c Gibbs b Nel 33

Rahul Dravid c Boucher b Pollock 1 Sachin Tendulkar b Pollock 14

VVS Laxman not out 42

Ganguly c Boucher b Ntini 25

MS Dhoni not out 17

Extras 10

Total (35 overs) 146/5

South Africa:

Makhaya Ntini 9 0-56-1, Andre Nel 11-2-38-2, Shaun Pollock 9-2-24-2, Jacques Kallis 6-2-19-0

FOW: 20/1 (Jaffer), 37/2 (Dravid), 41/3 (Sehwag), 61/4 (Tendulkar), 119/5 (Ganguly)

Gilchrist blasts Australia to massive lead

On a day which brought temperatures in the low 40s in the shade and 10 degrees hotter on the field, the Australians declared late in the day at 527 for five, with Gilchrist not out on 102 after belting the second fastest hundred in Test history from just 57 balls.

Trailing by 556 runs, England were already in trouble in their second innings at 19 for one at stumps, with Ian Bell not out on nine, and Alastair Cook on seven.

England opener Andrew Strauss again failed, adjudged lbw for a duck padding up to Brett Lee from the fourth ball of the innings.

The Australians, already 2-0 up in the series, would regain the Ashes with victory here.

Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke and Gilchrist all made centuries in the Australian second innings, the latter launching an extraordinary assault on the tiring England bowlers late in the day to burst out of his Ashes form slump.

Gilchrist reached his half-century in 40 balls and then took just another 17 to reach triple figures, with 12 fours and four sixes, and in doing so replicated Doug Walters’ famous century in a session in 1974 at the same ground.

After reaching 50, Gilchrist thrashed four sixes from the next six balls he faced as Viv Richards’ record of a century in 56 balls came under threat.

Panesar went for 24 runs in one over, an unwanted Ashes record for a player who claimed three wickets in the second innings to have eight for the match.

Gilchrist seemed certain to break the record, but was ultimately denied by England seamer Matthew Hoggard.

When Ricky Ponting declared Australia’s innings closed, Clarke (135 not out) and Gilchrist had added 162 in 98 minutes.

Clarke reached his century in 130 balls, with 13 fours and one six.

Hussey, controversially overlooked during the entire 2005 Ashes series in England, continued his incredible run at the top level when he notched his maiden Test century against England and his fifth overall.

The left-hander pulled the unlucky Harmison straight down the ground for his 12th four to bring up the milestone in 213 minutes from 148 balls, but was caught behind from the bowling of Panesar from the last ball before tea.

Hussey had enjoyed a fair slice of luck, as he was lucky to be given not out on 15 and was dropped twice.

It was a horror day in the field for the English, who showed great spirit but could only watch the Ashes slipping away as they not only bowled without luck, but had to contend with energy-sapping heat.

A number of catches went begging, Geraint Jones missed a stumping and confident appeals were turned down as they claimed just four wickets on the day.

Earlier, opener Matthew Hayden missed out on a century when he fell for 92, while Australian captain Ricky Ponting made 75.

Ponting was in an aggressive mood and looked set for another big score as he passed the 500-run mark for the series, but he pushed hard at a Harmison delivery and got an outside edge to Jones.

Hayden lived dangerously and his extravagant shot selection came back to haunt him when he tried to cut against the spin of Panesar and was brilliantly caught at the second grab by Paul Collingwood at first slip. Highlighting the enormity of the task facing England, the highest successful fourth innings run chase at the WACA is 342, when Australia beat India back in 1977. (AGENCIES)

RCA enters Twenty-20 Cricket final

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Hosts Roshni Cricket Academy (RCA) today sealed a thrilling 5 run win over JP World Cricket Club (JPCC) in the semifinal to enter into the final of the ongoing GKR Memorial Twenty-20 Cricket Tournament being played at GGM Science College Ground.

RCA after winning the toss decided to bat. They made 151 runs in the allotted 20 overs. Ram Dayal and Vijay were the top scorers with 56 and 25 runs respectively.

For JPCC, Safaqut Bawa was the most successful bowler, who took three wickets while Sonu and Raman snared one wicket each.

In reply, JPCC fell short of just 5 runs as the whole team was all out for 146 runs. Raman Dutta played a fighting knock of 46 runs followed by Anoop and Sonu, who also played well for their knocks of 22 and 15 runs respectively.

For RCA, Vimarsh kaw took three wickets while Amit took two wickets.

Ram Dayal was declared the Man of the Match.

RCA will now take on KAWA-Vijaypur in the final to be played at the same venue.

Jammu clinches Gurbaksh Singh
Memorial Korfball Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: District Jammu defeated Pulwama by 20-10 in the final to clinch 5th Gurbaksh Singh Memorial Korfball Championship played at Green Fields, Gandhi Nagar today.

Vijay Pal Singh and Irfan were the top scorers with 7 and 5 goals respectively for the winner team while Gulzar and Shabbir scored 5 and 2 goals respectively for Pulwama.

Ravinder Gupta, Secretary, J&K State Sports Council was the chief guest on the occasion, who gave away winner and runner up trophies to the teams.

Jammu registers easy wins in Volleyball tourney

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

KATHUA, Dec 16: Jammu today registered comfortable wins over their rivals in both boys and girls sections in the ongoing 19th State Level Volleyball Championship being played at Gurha Mundiyan.

In boys section, Jammu thrashed Srinagar by 2-0 sets 25-17 and 25-19. Kathua also had no difficulty in defeating Udhampur by the same margin 25-20 and 25-15. Earlier, Kathua also trounced Baramulla by 2-0 25-10 and 25-19.

In other matches, Poonch beat Srinagar by 25-22 and 25-19, Udhampur beat Rajouri by 25-21 and 25-22, Budgam beat Baramulla by 25-16 and 25-21, Rajouri beat Budgam by 25-13 and 25-17 and Poonch beat Anantnag by 25-23 and 25-13.

In girls section, Jammu defeated Srinagar by 2-0 25-17 and 25-11 with consummate ease. In other matches, Srinagar beat Anantnag by 25-10 and 25-18, Poonch beat Baramulla by 25-19 and 25-15, Rajouri beat Udhampur by 2-1 sets 21-25, 25-12 and 15-3, Budgam beat Baramulla by the same margin 18-25, 25-21 and 15-12, Poonch beat Udhampur by 25-20 and 25-17 and Rajouri beat Budgam by 25-17 and 25-16.

The tournament is being organised by the District Volleyball Association under the aegis of J&K Volleyball Association and sponsored by the J&K State Sports Council.

Mobike Dirt Track Racing Challenge from Dec 28

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: The J&K Motor Sports Association has rescheduled the date for conducting the 8th Annual Mobike Dirt Track Racing Challenge-2006 which was scheduled to be held on December 15-20 at Mini Stadium, Parade.

The Championship will now be held from December 28-30 at the same venue. This was decided in a meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Motor Sports Association (JKMSA) held under the chairmanship of Dy SP Ranjit Chib.

More than 30 competitors are likely to participate in 2/Stroke, 4/Stroke and Scootey Section (only for women).

The scrutiny of the competitors will be held on December 27 at Mini Stadium, Parade while the competitions shall commence on December 29-30. According to Vikram Singh Rathore, General Secretary, JKMSA, Bikers having valid driving licenses are eligible to participate in the competition.

The last date for submitting entries is December 22. The competitions will be held under the Aegis of NCR’s of FMSCI, FIM and JKMCA.

The event will be organised by the JKMSA in association with Bharat Petroleum and sponsored by Kathua Cement Industries Association.

The members who attended the meeting were Praval Sharma, Vice President, JKMSA, Vijay Saraf, Deepak Honda, Anil Sharma, Davinder Singh and Raj Kumar.

1st Sher-i-Kashmir Squash Championship begins

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: The first Sher-i-Kashmir Open J&K State Squash Championship was commenced at Jammu Club today. In the inaugural match, Arshad khan defeated Krishan Sharma by 9-7 and 9-4 in Senior category while Dr N S Jamwal outclassed Yasir in the same category.

In Junior section, Ashray beat Arjun Singh by 9-1 and 9-1 quite convincingly while Jahangir lost to Nachiketa by 9-0 and 9-0. In another match in Junior category, Shakeel Ahmad trounced Udhay Bhaskar by the same margin.

Earlier, the tournament was declared open by K K Khosa, Secretary, Jammu Club. Waseem Raja, General Secretary, J&K State Squash Racket Association, Sudhir, member State Sports Council were also present on the occasion.

Total 24 players from the state are participating the championship including 10 in senior category and 14 in junior category.

The championship is being organised by the J&K State Squash Rackets Association.

Physiotherapy College wins inaugural
match of Bhagat Singh Cricket

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Dec 16: Jammu College of Physiotherapy defeated MAM College by 27 runs in the opening match of the Shaheed-e Azam Bhagat Singh Memorial Cricket Tournament which commenced at GGM Science College Ground today.

JCP won the toss and opted to bat first. They accumulated 145/9 in the allotted 20 overs. Mehraj played a fine knock of 57 runs with the help of 8 boundaries.

Sanjeev also contributed useful 37 runs comprising of 4 hits to the fence. For MAM College, Vikas scalped four wickets followed by Ankush and Sanjeet, who shared two wickets each.

In reply, MAM College managed 118/9 in 20 overs. Sandeep was the top scorer with 18 runs followed by Ankush and Vikas, who played a handy knocks of 14 and 15 runs respectively.

For JCP, Navsheen bowled a splendid spell to complete five wicket haul. He was equally well supported by Mudassar, who took two wickets.

The umpires in the match were Pappu Dogra and Santa Singh. The scorers were B B Verma and R K Gupta.

Earlier, the tournament was declared open by Janak Raj Gupta, Ex MLC. Others who were present on the occasion were Vimal Singh, Akash Manhas, Ravinder Thakur, Kuldeep Kumar, Salman khan, Mohsin Lone and Sheetal Bharti.

The tournament is being organised by All India Students Federation in collaboration with Roshni Cricket Academy (RCA).