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

J&K skaters win medals in North Zone Championship ...........

PCC clinches District Softball Cricket tourney .........

Ashes: Ponting’s hundred guides Australia to 346-3

BRISBANE, Nov 23: The opening day of England’s Ashes defense started badly and got worse for the tourists, with Ricky Ponting’s 32^{nd Test
hundred lifting Australia to 346 for
three by stumps.}

^{Pace
spearhead Steve Harmison’s attempted
bouncer, the first delivery of the
series-opening match today, skewed off
the pitch to England skipper Andrew
Flintoff at second slip.}

^{Australian
opener Justin Langer took two boundaries
off Harmison in that over and the lanky
English quick was taken out of the attack
after conceding 17 runs in his first two
overs.}

^{Langer
scored 82 and Mike Hussey contributed 63
to an unbroken 148-run fourth wicket
stand with Ponting.}

^{Australia
captain Ponting played a commanding
innings, hitting 17 boundaries from 206
balls.}

^{He
now shares the Australian record with
Steve Waugh for test centuries and is
equal fourth on the all-time
international list behind India’s
Sachin Tendulkar, who has 35.}

^{It
was Ponting’s fourth hundred in five
innings in Australia and ninth in 13
tests since losing the Ashes series 2-1
last September in England.}

^{The
pace attack that propelled England to
that upset series win took a battering in
front of a ground-record 39,288 people
under cloudless spring skies at the
Gabba, which gave some extra bounce but
no hint of serious swing.}

^{Flintoff,
who has restricted his bowling since
returning from ankle surgery following
the last England summer, had to shoulder
the load of the fast bowling and netted
2-48 in 16 overs.}

^{He
had Matthew Hayden (21) caught at slip
with the total at 79 and Langer edging to
point, making Australia 141 for two soon
after the lunch interval.}

^{Ashley
Giles, recalled from 12 months out with a
hip problem at the expense of Monty
Panesar, had Damien Martyn (29) caught at
first slip with the total at 198 for
three.}

^{After
that, Australia held control, with Hussey
scoring five boundaries off 133 balls in
an anchor role for Ponting.}

^{Harmison
came into the match bothered by a side
strain and was restricted to 12 overs in
three spells, costing 52 runs.}

^{He
showed glimpses of the form that netted
him 5-43 in the first innings of first
Test at Lord’s in 2005 and got him
17 wickets in the series.}

^{Harmison
did not bowl in the last session, leaving
part-time spinner Kevin Pietersen (0-8)
to bowl nine overs and Giles (1-51) to
bowl 18 to make up for the slow over rate
of the pacemen.}

^{Langer
started aggressively, strokng 13
boundaries from 8 balls. The 101-test
veteran had been expecting a pace barrage
in his comeback Test, his first since
being knocked out by a Makhaya Ntini
bouncer at South Africa in April, but it
did not materiaise.}

^{There
was little o the fireworks expected on
the first morning of a series that has
been built up for 14 months as one of the
biggest in test history.}

^{The
short-pitch blitz that characterised the
opening session of the 2005 series at
Lord’s, where Langer and Ponting
were struck by short balls, was suspended
after Harmison’s first ball.}

^{Yet
it took England 50 minutes to bowl a
bouncer to Langer.}

^{Besides
the wickets, the only other genuine
chance came off Hayden, slashing at
Matthew Hoggard and getting a ball just
past a diving Ian Bell at gully in the
fifth over. (AGENCIES)}

We need to find answers to tackle the pace: Dravid

DURBAN, Nov 23: Jolted by the crushing defeat in the second one-dayer against South Africa, Indian captain Rahul Dravid sought to convey a strong message to his struggling batsmen, saying that they will have to find a solution to survive on bouncy tracks.

Dravid asked his teammate not to get disheartend by this defeat and take it up as a challenge for the rest of the series.

"It does not help to get disheartened. One has to come up with solutions both as a team and individually. This is the bowling we would face right through the summer. We need to try to find answers otherwise it’s going to be tough," Dravid said yesterday after India’s 157-run loss against South Africa.

Dravid played down the fact that how much the team relies on Sachin Tendulkar and himself under such conditions but said that the younger batsman need to apply themselves when the team wants them.

"It is not surprising that the team depends on us two key players. All the sides rely on their key men. South Africa for instance relies a great deal on Jacques Kallis and we saw it today how much he means to them," he said.

"But when the experienced cricketers fail, it is for others to stand up and be counted and give hope for their future careers. It would then mark them out as international class batsmen.

When being asked about team’s experimentation, Dravid said, "I do not think we are experimenting; we are trying to win. If somebody is unfit and injured and cannot play then we can’t do anything about it," he said.

Dravid said that for long it has been felt that pitches in domestic tournaments should be made lively if India aspires to play consistently well abroad but that has not happened.

"We have said it before that if we want to be competitive consistently abroad in such conditions, we have to prepare such wickets from junior to Ranji Trophy levels. It’s not something that I am saying new, a lot has been said and written on it. But how it can happen and whether it can happen is to be seen," he said.

South African skipper Graeme Smith said they intend to better their performance in the coming matches.

"Our bowling was alright but I thought our batting is still rusty. We could have done with a total of 270 on this wicket. But we intend to get better in the coming games.

Smith also made a point that Indians were perhaps a bowler short in the game, a fact which also met the nod from man of the match Jacques Kallis.

"Indians looked to be a bowler short but overall they bowled very well. It was not a free-scoring wicket so I am pleased with my knock,"

On Andre Nel’s explosive spell of four for 13, Smith said the right arm pacer deserved all the praise.

"He had an opportunity today. Normally Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini walk away with the glory but today it was his turn," he said.

Man of the match Kallis, who scored 119 and captured three wickets, said he wished he could have done even better with the bat.

"I think I could have scored 15 or 20 runs more. Probably it was not my best knock," he said. (PTI)

India blown away by South African pace battery

DURBAN, Nov 23: India’s sliding fortunes sunk further as they crashed to a humiliating 157 run defeat against South Africa, who exploited a bouncy track to torment the struggling visiting batsmen in the second cricket one-day international at the Kingsmead ground here.

Chasing a target of 249, India were blown away for 91 from a mere 29.1 overs, their lowest ever score against South Africa. The 157-run loss in the day and night encounter yesterday was also India’s biggest defeat against South Africa who have now taken a 1-0 lead in the five match series.

The first match at the Wanderers was washed away without a ball being bowled.

Jacques Kallis turned out to be the hero for the home team with an unbeaten 119 which helped the team to force a competitive total of 248 for eight and then captured three for three to complete a truly all-round performance.

But the man who did the most damage to the Indian batting was Andre Nel who returned an explosive, career best figures of four for 13.

The Indian team’s promise of an improved performance did not materialise as the batsman had no clue on how to counter the five pronged pace attack who once again exposed India’s vulnerability on bouncy tracks.

As it were, only three Indian batsmen touched double digits and Sachin Tendulkar top scored with 35.

India’s score was way below the 147 they had scored at Port Elizabeth in 1992-93 and the margin of defeat was also far worse than the 80-run margin they had suffered in Sharjah in 1996-97.

The statistics were a damning indictment of the gutless batting by the tourists who at one stage lost five wickets for only two runs from 28 balls as the bottom half really came apart under the lights.

However, what really took the light out of the Indian challenge was the dismissal of Tendulkar and captain Rahul Dravid (18) within a space of three balls that completely changed the complexion of the game.

The two looked in reasonable control during their 23-run third wicket stand before Dravid was bowled by a jaffa from Charles Langeveldt and then Tendulkar, from the other end, played Nel on to his stumps.

Shaun Pollock gave the hosts two early breakthroughs by accounting for Wasim Jaffer (0) and Mohammad Kaif (8).

Still the dismantling of the lower half of the order was a nightmare for the visitors as a procession of batsmen trooped back into the hut within no time.

Young Suresh Raina (4) looked completely ill-equipped to handle the pace and bounce and was caught in the slip cordon after surviving a streaky shot in the same area.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (14) hit two square driven fours before he failed to take his bat out of the harm’s way and was caught behind off Nel.

Kallis then got into the act by accounting for Dinesh Mongia (1) and Harbhajan Singh (1) and then the end didn’t take long coming.

Earlier, Kallis gave a masterclass in batting.

The South African batting all-rounder almost carried his bat through the innings, walking to the crease in the second over and staying till the close to score his 14^{th one-day century from 160 balls with
15 fours.}

^{This is his
first century in 38 games and two years and only
the first against India in 25th game against the
particular opponents.}

^{Kallis
received valuable support from AB de Villiers
(41) with whom he put on 78 runs for the fourth
wicket and there was a brief assistance from Mark
Boucher (23) but otherwise it was Kallis all the
way.}

^{The Indians
though gave a good account of themselves with the
limited bowling options they had, the bowlers
bowling outside to a packed offside field and the
part-time trundlers rising to the occasion.}

^{India had
chosen the treacherous option of going into the
game with four frontline bowlers on a wicket
which everyone believed would have a fair lift
for the faster men.}

^{In the event,
the bowlers stuck to their task gamely, none
better than old warhorse Zaheer Khan who marked
his return to international cricket with two
early wickets.}

^{Sachin
Tendulkar tested his shoulder productively,
bowling his nine overs for only 33 runs.}

^{Kallis was
completely unaffected by the early loss of
wickets. His square and cover drives off the
medium-pacers were breathtaking and when Ajit
Agarkar pitched it short, he hooked with no less
command to convey his wide range of strokes.
(PTI)}

Indians behaved like sheepish lapdogs, say fans

DURBAN, Nov 23: India’s meek surrender in the second cricket one-dayer against South Africa today came in for sharp criticism from Indian-origin fans, who said, the players behaved like "sheepish lapdogs" and allowed themselves to be bullied.

The local media provided a detailed coverage of South Africa’s crushing 157-run victory and also carried angry reactions from Indian supporters who made a scathing attack against Rahul Dravid and his men.

"I was very angry that the Indian batsmen just allowed themselves to be bullied by the fast bowlers," cricket official Koogen Subrayen was quoted as saying after the defeat in the day night encounter at the Kingsmead.

"They behaved like real coolies bowing to their masters," he added.

The Indians were skittled out for a paltry 91, their lowest total against South Africa who managed to score 248 for eight.

Another spectator, Vasantha Arumagum said their entire family had gone to Kingsmead hoping to watch a good game but they felt let down when the Indians just whittled under South African pace attack.

"We felt embarrassed that the Indians allowed themselves to behave like sheepish lapdogs," she said.

‘The Business Day’ of Johannesburg summed up the day with the headline "Kallis stars with bat, ball as SA give India worst hiding yet".

Durban’s morning newspaper ‘The Mercury’ published a front-page picture of an overjoyed paceman Andre Nel punching his hands into the air as a forlorn Sachin Tendulkar walks away with his head bowed. Nel had bowled Tendulkar when he was on 35.

The paper also published on its backpage a picture of a heroic Jacques Kallis lifting his bat in the air after scoring a century under the headline: "Kallis sets up record win".

Other newspapers around the country also treated the South African victory in a similar fashion.

The Afrikaans newspaper ‘Beeld’ of Johannesburg carried the South African record win under the headline: "Proteas no longer fear failure" while "The Cape Times’ published the report under the headline: "Smith praises team effort". (PTI)

2nd seed Sumesh crushes out in Junior Snooker

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 23: After Ishuk and Ishan Choudhary, Sumesh Turki too suffered a shocking defeat against Dilawar Mir, who had no difficulty whatsover to overcome 2nd seed by 3-0 frames 54-18, 48-30 and 54-42 in the ongoing 16th J&K State Inter District Billiards and Snooker Championship being played at Billiards Hall, M.A. Stadium here today.

It was not a day to remember for Sumesh, who looked totally out of rhythm.

However, Amandeep, Nikhil, Owais and Abhishek advanced into the quarterfinals by virtue of their convincing wins over their opponents.

The quarterfinal league shall start tomorrow.

In other matches played today, Umar Farooq beat Aditya Mahajan by 58-21, 69-28 and 63-31, Nikhil Kapahi beat Nadeem Malik by 55-39, 33-63, 22-64, 72-32 and 64-27, Pallav Gupta beat Mayank Rasotra by 62-16, 84-73 and 99-25, Younis beat Vikram Dhawan by 52-21, 77-14 and 61-21, Dheeraj Goswami beat Akhil Tandon by 66-58, 29-52, 56-42 and 71-54, Amardip Singh beat Mehul Raina by 55-29, 45-23 and 51-32, Dilawar Mir beat Rajesh Salathia by 56-14, 72-87, 55-22 and 79-31, Owais Baba beat Sahil Aggarwal by 50-24, 75-21 and 86-13 and Abhishek Pathania beat Umar Mushtaq by 64-50, 66-11, 68-80, 68-63 and 60-29.

The officials in the match were Rakesh, Surjit Singh and Shanker Dass.

Tomorrow will be the last date to submit entries for Senior Snooker which shall commence from November 27. The draws will be held tomorrow.

The tournament was organised by the J&K Billiards and Snooker Association and sponsored by the J&K State Sports Council.

PG Deptt claims Inter Collegiate Handball title

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 23: PG Department clinched Inter Collegiate Handball Trophy (Women) defeating Government College for Women, Parade by 9-8 in the final in a breathtaking contest played at Jammu University today.

Mehak, Nelza Angmo, Shvaita and Tamanna were the outstanding performers for the winner team.

For GCW Parade, Divya and Prema also played well by scoring three goals each.

In Men section, Degree College Udhampur will clash with MAM College in the final.

In the semifinals played today, DC Udhampur beat GGM Science College by 24-23 goals in a pulsating contest. Arjun and Rocky were the top scorers with 11 and 7 goals respectively.

For Science College, Karanvir and Sunny scored 8 and 5 goals respectively.

In the 2nd semifinal, MAM College outclassed Commerce College by 22-18 goals.

The officials in today’s matches were Vinay Sharma, Dev Raj, Sudesh Kumar and Jyoti.

The final will be played tomorrow at 11 am at the same venue.

The tournament is being organised by the Department of Physical Education, Jammu University.

Mubassar steers KAWA (A) to an emphatic
win over KAWA (C)

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 23: Mubassar’s brilliant 75 run knock helped KAWA (A), Gandhi Nagar to beat KAWA (C), Narwal by seven wickets in the ongoing GKR Memorial Twenty-20 Cricket Tournament being played at GGM Science College Ground here today.

KAWA (C) won the toss and decided to bat first. They made 131 runs in the stipulated 20 overs. KAWA (A) off to a decent start of 26 runs provided by openers Asim and Anomodan. Asim was the first to go with an individual score of 8 runs.

Anomodan on the other hand, played a fine knock of 38 runs which comprised of 8 superbly driven hits to the fence.

Kushal also contributed useful 26 runs followed by Sheraj who chipped in with 18 runs in quick time as well.

For KAWA (A), Salim, Gurmeet Singh and Gagandeep Singh snared two wickets each.

In reply, KAWA (A) chased the winning runs in just 14.3 overs for the loss of three wickets.

Mubassar played a match winning knock of 75 runs in just 52 balls. He plundered the KAWA (C) bowlers in his fine display of aggressive batting which included one four and three towering sixes.

Shehzad and Asif also played well for their knocks of 15 and 14 runs respectively.

For KAWA (C), Irfan, Kushal and Anomodan grabbed one wicket each.

Mubassar for his stunning knock was declared the Man of the Match.

The umpires in the match were Santa Singh and Ashok Kumar. The scorers were Mohit Puri and B.B. Verma.

The Cricket Tournament is being Sponsored by Shree Toyota (Diamond Sponsor), Indian Oil Corporation, Pepsi, Jammu Motors and Sangari Automobiles.

Tomorrow, KAWA-Kachi Chawni will take on KAWA-Udhampur in the next match to be played at the same venue.

JKPS students win 9 medals in Matsogi-Do Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 23: Students of JK Public School, Panjtirthi clinched 5 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medals in the recently concluded 6th J&K State Matsogi-Do Championship held at Indoor Sports Complex, M.A. Stadium.

Ambika Gupta, Muskan Yaseen, Bhawna Gupta, Krishika Gupta and Khushboo won gold medals followed by Tanish Gupta, who grabbed silver medal.

Ankush Talla, Akhilesh Dubey and Pallavi Sareen claimed bronze medals in the championship.

Ravinder Sharma of the same school was adjudged as the Best Official of the championship.

Suman Banbah, Principal of the school congratulated the students and Ravinder Sharma.

J&K skaters win medals in North Zone Championship

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 23: J&K skaters won 53 medals including 12 gold, 16 silver and 25 bronze in the recently concluded 1st North Zone Championship held at Samalakha (Haryana) thereby finished 2nd while Haryana clinched the championship.

About 400 skaters from Haryana, J&K, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal, Delhi and U.P. participated in the abovesaid Championship which was declared open by D.P.S. Nagal, Deputy Commissioner.

The Medal Winners:

Anish Singh, Aryan Gupta, Aryan Gupta, Shashwant Mahajan, Abriab Singh, Nikita Thakur, Drishti Gupta, Sargamjat Datta, Gokal Sharma, Nachiket Mahajan, Sawant Singh, Ayush Salathia, Vidant Sharma, Kavish Salgotra, Mahir Gupta, Ayshi Rakhwal, Jaanvi Nathial, Shruti Gupta, Mahim Sharma, Jaswant Singh, Kashish Gupta, Vrinda Sharma, Rupam Kour, Vidushi Gupta, Chandan Sharma, Kunwar Sambyal, Chakshu Gupta, Mayank Khajuria, Anurag Alok, Shriya Sharma, Ragni Kour, Aishwarya Gupta, Shriya Mahajan, Sumer Saini, Rahil Gupta, Siddhant Sharma, Bhubnesh Sharma, Shriya Bhasin, Kameet Kour, Abhishek Gupta, Varun Maini, Veenal Sharma, Suresh Kumar and Sahil Gupta.

PCC clinches District Softball Cricket tourney

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Nov 23: Paloura Club registered a convincing win over Association CC in the final to claim Jammu District Tennis Ball Cricket Championship played at Dogra Ground, Shastri Nagar here today.

Association CC managed just 27/4 in the allotted 6 overs. PCC chased the target with consummate ease without losing any wicket.

Tarun and Rahul were the top scorers with 13 and 12 runs respectively.

Earlier, in the semifinals played today, Paloura Cricket Club defeated United Public School, Chhanni Himmat while Association Cricket Club outclassed Digyana Cricket Club in the second semifinal.

Virender Sharma (SAI Cricket Coach) was the chief guest in the final, who gave away winner and runner up trophies to the teams.

Dev Raj, Ramesh Pandit, Sadiq Hussain Jagdish Dogra, Ram Paul and B.K. Tikoo were also present on the occasion.

The championship was organised by the Jammu District Tennis Ball Cricket Association.