Gasquet upset by qualifier Luis Horna

ROME, May 6: The Rome Masters began with an upset when ninth-seeded Richard Gasquet was beaten by Peruvian qualifier Luis Horna 6-4, 6-1 in the first match on center court.

The match was even until the 111th-ranked Horna broke Gasquet late in the first set yesterday. The top French player then unraveled, missing 15 forehands and committing 27 unforced errors overall.

"After losing the first set, I lost all my confidence," Gasquet said. "I played my worst match of the year."

The match lasted exactly one hour, and ended under light rain at the foro italico.

After a 90-minute rain delay, Guillermo Canas rallied past Italian wild card Gianluca Naso 6-7 (8), 6-3, 6-2 and will next face top-ranked Roger Federer.

Canas has won three of his five meetings with Federer, all on hard courts. They have never met on clay.

Federer leads a field featuring the top nine players in the rankings, including three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal.

Nadal is off to another perfect start to the clay-court season, winning back-to-back titles at the Monte Carlo Masters and the Barcelona Open.

The top eight seeded players have first-round byes in this tuneup for the French Open, which begins May 25.

In other matches, Steve Darcis beat former No. 3 Ivan Ljubicic 7-5, 7-6 (5) to set up a meeting with current No. 3 Novak Djokovic.

Igor Andreev defeated Lee Hyung-taik 6-4, 7-5, and Radek Stepanek beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

Also advancing were Potito Starace of Italy, Russian qualifier Evgeny Korolev and Nicolas Mahut of France.

Last year, Gasquet finished in the top 10 for the first time, won a career-high 49 matches and posted his best Grand Slam performance by reaching the Wimbledon semifinals. This year, he is the only player in the top 10 yet to reach a quarterfinal match. (AGENCIES)

Statistics Deptt seals thrilling win

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: Statistics Department held their nerves to notched up a thrilling 1 run win over Physics and Electronics Department in a breathtaking encounter today of the Inter-Department Cricket tournament at Jammu University Ground.

Batting first, Statistics Department accumulated 138 runs in the stipulated 20 overs with Vikram top scored with 31.

Imran (29), Ankit (21) and Sunny (18) were the other notable contributors.

For Physics and Electronics Department, Vishal took two wickets whereas Dhanvir and Rahul snared a wicket each.

In reply, Physics and Electronics Department perished for 137 runs to suffer a narrow defeat.

Anil played a fighting knock of 43 runs while Rakesh (20), Joginder (21) and Amit (19) also played well.

For Statistics Department, Ankit and Vikas Sharma grabbed two wickets each while Rahul chipped in with a wicket.

The match was officiated by Vijay Kumar and Ashwani.

Eco-Adventure Safari reaches Rajouri

Excelsior Correspondent

RAJOURI, May 6: The 15-member ‘Roarima’ Eco-Adventure Exploration Safari reached Rajouri today.

The team comprise 15 members including a women and a foreigner headed by Chief Executive Officer of Extreme Himalayan Adventures, Thakur Naveen Kotwal was received by Javed Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Development Authority at village Muradpur.

Rajinder Gupta, President Municipal Committee, Rajouri, DySP Police Headquarters, Rajouri, District Information Officer, prominent villagers and local journalists accompanied the Additional Deputy Commissioner.

Thakur Naveen Kotwal, Chief Executive Officer of Extreme Himalayan Adventures said the objective of conducting the motorbike expedition was to explore the unvisited tourist spots of the Himalayan range.

The bikers would cover a total distance of 1500 kms during the expedition being organised by Extreme Himalayan Adventures in collaboration with Airtel. The expedition was flagged off from Jammu yesterday.

SSCC beats NCC

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: Super Star Cricket Club (SSCC) got the better of National Cricket Club (NCC) by 34 runs today in the ongoing Summer Cup Cricket tournament being played at MAM College Ground.

SSCC won the toss and opted to bat first. They accumulated 153 in the allotted 20 overs with Rakesh Raina top scored with 60.

Raju also contributed useful 22. For NCC, Sonu, Ricky and Nipun snared three wickets each.

In reply, NCC was bowled out for 120 runs in 16.4 overs. For SSCC, Deepu was the most successful bowler with four wickets.

Rakesh was declared man of the match. The umpires in the match were Sandesh Bali and Raju.

The scorer was Sunny.

Rehmat, Soni share Kun Drorian Kesari title

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: Pahalwans Rehmat Ali and Soni shared "Annual Kun Drorian Kesari" title after their bout remained undecided.

Total 81 wrestlers from HP, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, J&K Police and BSF had participated in the dangal organised by Kun Drorian Dangal Committee in association with J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association.

In all 52 bouts were played. In other bouts, Dilshad beat Jakker Hussain, Benia beat Karanbir, Benia beat Yashwant, Sucha beat Kala, Satish beat Babli, Kashmira beat Moti, Raju beat Raja, Akram beat Gurdal, Bobari beat Bir Singh, Ravinder Singh beat Billu, Balakar Singh beat Kulbir Singh, Bali beat Swarn Singh and Mukha beat Raja.

The bouts between Amarjit vs Yesh Preet, Baldev Singh vs Sunny, Onkar Singh vs Disha, Karnail Singh vs Kalu, Parveen vs Hossiar Singh, Bitta vs Rajinder, Kulwant vs Maneer, Sonu vs Sukhwant and Dana vs Happy were ended in a draw.

Rakesh Wazir, BSP State general secretary was the chief guest on the occasion while Shiv Kumar Sharma, President, J&K Indian Style Wrestling Association presided over the function.

Both the pahalwans received a cash prize of Rs 5,500 each from the chief guest and Shiv Kumar Sharma.

Inter-Department Athletic Meet begins

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: The Inter-Department Athletic Meet (men) organised by the Department of Physical Education, Jammu University commenced at New University Campus today.

The events held in the disciplines of shotput, discus throw, javelin throw and 400mts race.

In shot put, Gulzar Ahmed secured first position while Harish Sharma and Harvinder Singh had to be content with second and third positions respectively.

Harish Sharma bagged top honours in javelin throw followed by Harvinder Singh and Gulzar Ahmed who finished second and third respectively.

In discus throw, Harish Sharma secured first position whereas Gulzar Ahmed and Kazam Bhatt stood second and third respectively.

Opinder Pal Singh clinched first position in 400mts race while Mukesh Sharma and Saquib finished second and third respectively.

The events were officiated by Dr Brij Beloria, P D Singh, Romesh Sharma, Parveen Kour, Shaffer, Mulkh Raj, Gurbachan Singh and Ramesh Magotra.

Kashyap Tetragonal T20 Series
Kashyap Whites win by 7 runs

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, May 6: Kashyap Whites registered a seven run win over Kashyap Greens in the ongoing Kashyap Tetragonal Twenty20 Series being played at MHAC Nagbani School Ground today.

Kashyap Whites won the crucial toss and opted to bat first. They mustered 113 in 19.4 overs.

Provin Bhat and Rajesh Verma had notable contributions of 25 and 24 runs respectively.

For Kashyap Greens, Dheeraj and Anku Chib grabbed three wickets apiece while Lucky and Sanjay took two and one wicket each.

Chasing 114 to win, Kashyap Greens innings was folded for 106 in 19.5 overs.

Rocky Raina (25) and Nainu Singh (19) were the only batsmen who played with some resistance.

For Kashyap Whites, Vijay Dhar was the wrecker-in-chief with four scalps followed by Rajesh Verma (2), Vinod Dhar (2) and Provin Bhat (1).

Vijay Dhar was adjudged man of the match.

Resurgent Mumbai looks to halt Rajasthan juggernaut

MUMBAI, May 6: The dramatic turnaround in their fortunes notwithstanding, Mumbai Indians have a tough task in hand to stop the relentless march of Rajasthan Royals when the two teams cross swords in their Indian Premier League tie at the D Y Patil stadium tomorrow.

The home team, which is likely to miss the services of injured icon player and captain Sachin Tendulkar for their seventh match running, have turned the corner with superb victories over Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils.

But the Mumbai outfit, sixth in the table going into their needle clash under lights, have a tough task at hand now as it aims to halt the relentless progress of the Shane Warne-led and coached Jaipur franchise, which has surprised one and all with their brilliant performance after their only loss in the lung opener to Delhi.

First and foremost, the Mumbai Indians’ batsmen need to convert their starts into big innings, as conceded by their veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya yesterday who said that in a Twenty20 game at least one batsman in the top order needs to bat up to the 15th over.

A fascinating contest could evolve between Jayasuriya and the great Warne in the middle overs.

For this to happen the Mumbai top order needs to take head-on, Pakistani Sohail Tanvir, who had a sensational 6-14 haul that floored Chennai Super Kings at the Sawai Man Singh stadium two nights ago, and the likes of Munaf Patel and Siddharth Trivedi.

The confrontation between the marauder from Matara and the spin wizard from OZ should whet the appetite of the large crowd of over 50,000 that regularly assembles at this venue on what is widely expected to be the last match here of the season.

It would also be very interesting to see how young Indian turk Robin Uthappa, who has flattered mostly to deceive so far, shapes up against the wily old fox who relishes such battles.

It is a pity that Warne is unlikely to get another chance to match his spin might against the man who has given him nightmares in tests Tendulkar.

Then the Mumbai Indians’ bowlers, from among whom stand-in skipper Shaun Pollock has been the pick, would need to deliver the goods against a good batting line-up in which South African captain Graeme Smith and Australian all rounder Shane Watson are a major stumbling blocks.

Mumbai Indians’ fielding has been near-spotless during their victories at the Eden Gardens and at their backyard, and if they can continue to maintain these levels then they can put the Royals under severe pressure.

Under the leadership of Warne, domestic cricketers like Goa’s Swapnil Asnodkar, Saurashtra’s Ravinder Jadeja and Mumbai’s Dinesh Salunke have found their feet for the visiting team and it’s a huge plus in their favour, the confidence these cricketers sport now when confronted by international players.

The visitors are on a roll and their relentless march towards the last four would get only a jolt if they lose tomorrow and a victory would enhance their hopes to a large extent.

On the other hand, a victory in this match would give Mumbai Indians’ belated hopes of a semifinal entry another firm push, especially with Tendulkar expected to play in their next match after a six-day gap on May 14 against Kolkata Knight Riders. (PTI)

I have not mellowed down, asserts Sreesanth

BANGALORE , May 5: He may have been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but spunky speedster S Sreesanth insists he has not mellowed down despite the slap-gate involving India teammate and IPL rival Harbhajan Singh.

Relieved after putting behind the unpleasant memories of recent past, sreesanth denied the slapping row, which saw Harbhajan being banned from the remainder of the IPL, had curbed his aggression.

"No, I’ve not mellowed down," insisted the pacer in the post-match press conference.

"I don’t focus on the history but only focus on the present. I’m only concentrating on hitting the right areas."

The Kings XI Punjab pacer rocked the Bangalore Royal Challengers in last night’s Indian Premier League match by claiming two wickets off successive balls in the first over of the innings, a blow the hosts could not recover from.

The Rahul Dravid-led Bangalore side was eventually skittled out for 126 in 19.2 overs, a target the Punjab side overwhelmed in 18.2 overs losing four wickets.

Sreesanth’s bowling figure of 4-0-16-2 earned him the man of the match award.

The sprightly pacer said he just enjoyed the feeling of playing at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

"It’s always nice to play at the Chinnaswamy stadium. I always cherish it. There was no strategy as such when I bowled the first over, only that I was all charged up," he said.

Coach Tom Moody felt his wards did not play perfect cricket but still looked title contender.

"We did some fundamental mistakes but were lucky enough not to be punished for that. The results have been good for us and at the end of the league we may be serious contenders," Moody said. (PTI)

Nanavati shocked by footage of Bhajji-Sreesanth slapgate

MUMBAI, May 6: BCCI-appointed Commissioner Sudhir Nanavati, investigating the slapping row between Harbhajan Singh and S Sreesanth, today said he was left stunned after seeing the video footage of the incident.

"What I saw was shocking but it has made my job easier. It will also help me in my further investigation," he told reporters after viewing the footage of the incident, that took place after an Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on April 25.

Nanavati saw the footage at the BCCI headquarters here with IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi, Board Secretary Niranjan Shah and Joint Secretary M P Pandove.

The Ahmedabad lawyer will submit his inquiry report on the matter to board president Sharad Pawar on Monday.

Nanavati took the statement of match referee Farokh Engineer and will also speak to Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput, who was allegedly standing behind Harbhajan when he slapped Sreesanth after the match.

He has already spoken to umpire Amish Saheba, who was suspended for a match after criticising Sreesanth’s behaviour in an interview. Saheba had, however, denied making any statement against Sreesanth.

With this, Nanavati is expecting to wrap up the investigation by Sunday and send his findings to the BCCI chief on Monday.

Yesterday Nanavati had summoned Harbhajan and Sreesanth to Ahmedabad this weekend.

"I have summoned them. They have been told to come either on friday or saturday. Harbhajan will be coming on friday. Sreesanth is yet to confirm a date," he had told pti yesterday.

Nanavati was asked by the board to probe the incident after harbhajan was banned from the rest of the ipl by its disciplinary committee. Pti ssr pm mrm 05061432 del

BCCI to redraw its elite umpires’ panel

NEW DELHI, May 6: The BCCI has empowered director of its umpires’ committee S Venkataraghavan to redraw the cricket board’s elite panel of umpires after an assessment of their performance and recommend "good" officials for the ICC panel.

The committee, which met in Mumbai yesterday, decided to list 30 best umpires in the elite panel after analysing video clippings of each and every decision of all the current umpires during domestic tournaments.

The committee also decided to conduct an examination in July for selection of new umpires.

Each state association can sponsor four candidates out of which two should be former first class players, who have played a minimum of 15 matches.

"The director of umpires Mr. S. Venkataraghavan on the basis of the performance of the umpires redraw the list of 30 best umpires to be on the elite panel of BCCI," the BCCI said in a statement today.

"The umpires who have done poorly or have been found below average may not be posted in important matches," it added.

The committee also decided that the performance of elite panel umpires would be closely monitored in the next season so that good umpires may be recommended to the ICC or other international panels. (PTI)

Elite panel of BCCI to be revamped

MUMBAI, May 6: The cricket board is set to revamp the list of its 30-strong elite panel of umpires and monitor their work closely during the next season and promote the cause of deserving candidates in the International Cricket Council.

This decision was taken, following a review of all the umpiring decisions taken during the last domestic season by director of umpires and former India captain S Venkataraghavan at the umpires’ committee meeting held here yesterday, BCCI Joint Secretary M P Pandove said in a media release today.

Venkat, who briefed BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah and joint secretary and umpires committee M P Pandove at the umpires committee meeting, has also been empowered to complete the process of redrawing the elite panel list of umpires.

"The committee was briefed by Venkat and Saldanha about the assessment process, followed by the experts, resulting to video clipping and domestic tournaments and making all practice analysis of each and every decision of all the umpires," Pandove said.

"It was also decided at the meeting that the performance of elite panel umpires should be closely monitored during the next season so that the committee may take conscious decision to promote good umpires to the international cricket committee or other international panels", he said.

Currently no Indian umpire is in the ICC’s elite panel while there are three umpires - two onfield and one for third umpire’s duty in ODIs - in the ICC’s second rung - the international panel.

There would be an examination for the new umpires of the BCCI panel, to be conducted in July at Mumbai, for which each state association may sponsor four candidates, out of which two should be former first class players who have played a minimum of 15 first class matches and interested in umpiring for this examination, according to Pandove.

"It was also decided at the meeting that umpires who have done poorly or have been found below average may not be posted in important matches", he said.

"The committee also decided that umpire coaches’ performance in helping umpires, who show their umpiring standard and reporting to the board about their capabilities, should also be monitored," he said.

The umpires’ committee consists of representatives of five zones, Venkat, Stanley Saldhana - manager, game development, Shah and Pandove. (PTI)