56th
NSG U/19 Football Championship
J&K crashes out after goalless draw
against Punjab
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: Host
J&K eves put up a spirited fight
against formidable Punjab in a goalless
draw but that wasn’t enough for them
as they crashed out of the ongoing 56th
National School Games U/19 Football
Championship being played here today.
The
quarterfinal lineup has also been drawn
with Manipur, Punjab, Jharkhand, Haryana,
Chattisgarh, Bihar, Maharashtra and
Madhya Pradesh have making it to the last
eight.
Another
notable feature of today’s matches
was a brilliant hat-trick by Dullar
Marindi of Jharkhand against Goa.
She has
also become the highest scorer of the
ongoing championship.
Earlier,
J&K eves fought tooth and nail
against Punjab in a nerve wrecking
contest that went right down to the wire.
The match
was a virtual do or die for both teams
who just could not capitalize on the
opportunities that came their way.
J&K
started off brilliantly with some
decisive moves inside the first half but
their inability to deliver the knock-out
punch proved fatal in the end.
Punjab on
the other hand, also found themselves in
a similar situation as they too lacked
proper finishing.
The
outcome of the match was a heart-breaker
for the capacity crowd who witnessed the
high voltage contest with abated breath.
Arvind
Roy, Observer SGFI, Kuldeep Singh,
Chairman Selection Committee, SGFI, Ashok
Kumar, Assistant Director, DYSS, A R Dar,
DYSSO Srinagar, G M Wani, DYSSO Pulwama,
Kanchan Bala, DYSSO Kathua, Tirth Ram,
Nodal Officer, Samba and other senior
officials of the department were also
present during the match.
Earlier,
J&K suffered a crushing defeat
against Manipur with a 5-0 margin.
The goals
came in 6th, 11th, 13th, 25th and 37th
minutes respectively.
At M A
Stadium, Jharkhand dispatched Goa 3-0
goals in a one sided contest.
Dullar
Marindi was the star performer with a
superb hat-trick. She scored goals in the
14th, 19th and 60th minute respectively.
Bihar
edged past Uttarakhand 5-0 goals at M A
Stadium. The goals were scored in the
10th, 13th, 23rd, 28th and 47th minutes
respectively.
In other
matches, Chattisgarh beat Chandigarh,
Jharkhand beat Tamil Nadu 2-0, Manipur
beat Delhi 4-0 and Haryana beat Goa 4-0.
TCC,
LBBCC script thumping wins
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: Tallay
Cricket Club (TCC) and Lower Badyal
Brahmana Cricket Club (LBBCC) notched up
wins in the ongoing Twenty20 Friendship
Cricket Championship being played at Bana
Singh Stadium, R S Pura here today.
In the
first match, TCC got the better of
Suchetgarh Cricket Club (SCC) by five
wickets.
Batting
first, SCC accumulated 49 runs in 11.5
overs with Parveen Kumar contributing 20.
For TCC,
Tarsem and Ajay Choudhary scalped five
and four wickets respectively.
In reply,
TCC cruised to victory in 13.2 overs
losing five wickets in the process.
Balbir
Singh and Sunny scored 11 and 10 runs
respectively. For SCC, Yog Raj and
Sandeep shared two wickets apiece.
Tarsem was
declared man of the match.
In another
match, LBBCC prevailed upon ACCC by six
wickets. ACCC posted 62 runs in 16 overs
with Sandeep fetching 20 runs.
For LBBCC,
Rajan and Deepak Sharma scalped three
wickets each while Pankaj Sassan and
Kamal Kishore had to be contend with two
wickets apiece.
In reply,
LBBCC did the needful in 12.3 overs for
the loss of four wickets.
Ajay was
the top scorer with 17 runs followed by
Pankaj Sassan and Mukesh with 16 runs
each.
For ACCC,
Sandeep and Micky took two wickets each.
Rajan was declared man of the match.
J&K
Challengers (A) suffers defeat in
inaugural tie
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: J&K
Challengers (A) team lost to IPCA Academy
with a margin of five wickets in the
inaugural match of Summer Cup Twenty20
championship which commenced at Sant
Nichal Singh Public School Ground,
Yamunanagar (Haryana) today.
Batting
first, J&K Challengers (A) won the
crucial toss and opted to bat first.
They
accumulated 101 runs.
Mohsin
Naveed played a fine knock of 38 runs
studded with three hits to the fence and
a six.
Pankaj
chipped in 21. For IPCA, Gagan and
Rajveer grabbed five and two wickets
respectively.
IPCA
chased the target in 18 overs. Akshay and
Anurag were the notable scorers with
scores of 34 and 17 respectively.
For
J&K Challengers (A), Azhar-ud-Din and
Shaqir shared two wickets each. Gagan was
adjudged man of the match.
Earlier,
the tournament was inaugurated by B S
Talwar, Incharge, Sant Nichal Singh
Public School, who was the chief guest on
the occasion.
State
Badminton Championship from Oct 18
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: The 37th
J&K State Badminton Championship will
be held from October 18 to 21 at Indoor
Sports Complex, M A Stadium.
More than
150 shuttlers from across the State are
likely to compete in the championship to
be organized by J&K Badminton
Association.
State
teams for North Zone, Inter-State
championship, Sub-Junior Nationals and
Junior Nationals will be selected on the
basis of the performance of shuttlers in
this championship.
The
competitions in the State championship
will be held in men singles, men doubles,
women singles, women doubles, mixed
doubles, junior boys singles and doubles,
junior girls singles and doubles, sub
junior girls singles and doubles, sub
junior boys singles and doubles, mini
boys and girls (singles and doubles), mid
age (U/10) boys and girls and veteran
singles and doubles.
The
semifinals will be played on October 20
while the final followed by prize
distribution function will be held on
October 21.
Little
Flower School register win
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
AKHNOOR, Sept 29: Little
Flower School spanked Kameshwar Cricket
Club (KCC) by seven wickets today in the
ongoing U/16 cricket tournament being
played at Higher Secondary School here.
Batting
first, KCC accumulated 43 runs in 20
overs. For Little Flower School, Akash
Gupta was the wrecker-in-chief with as
many as five scalps while Abitash Sharma
and Vinod shared a wicket each.
Chasing 44
to win, Little Flower School cruised to
victory in 8 overs. Akash Gupta was
adjudged man of the match.
State
ANOs excel in promotion course
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: Two
Associate NCC Officers (ANOs) of the
State have excelled in promotion course
held at NCC Officer Training Academy,
Kamptee (Nagpur).
Lt Karan
Singh Bhau from Government MAM College
secured second position with A Grade in
senior division while Balwant Singh from
Army School, Satwari Cantt fetched 10th
position with B Grade in junior division.
Col J S
Slathia, Commanding Officer, 2 J&K Bn
NCC Boys, Jammu has congratulated the
ANOs for their performance.
Selection-cum-coaching
camp from Oct 4
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: The
Directorate of Sports and Physical
Education, University of Jammu will
conduct selection-cum-coaching camp from
October 4 at University Kabaddi Court.
The
selection-cum-coaching camp will be held
to select the team for the forthcoming
North East Zone Inter-University Kabaddi
Tournament slated to be held at Ch Charan
Singh University, Meerut, from October 20
to 25.
Interested
players are directed to report at the
above said venue on October 4 at 3 pm
along with eligibility certificate duly
signed by the Principals of the
respective Colleges.
Symposium
on ‘Blood Donation’ held
Excelsior
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29 : Indian Red
Cross organized a symposium on the topic
"Voluntary Blood Donation" in
collaboration with NSS Unit of Government
College for Women Gandhi Nagar today.
As many as
15 students participated in the
symposium.
Sonam,
Kokila, Aneet and Nudrat were adjudged
1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Prof.
Nalini Kohli, Principal, GCW Gandhi Nagar
was the chief guest on the occasion.
Bakshi
appointed as NTO
Excelsior Sports
Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 29: G S Bakshi
has been appointed as National Technical
Official (NTO) for hockey event in the
upcoming Common Wealth Games commencing
from October 3.
Having a
vast experience of organization, coaching
and officiating, G S Bakshi is also
associated with other disciplines like
squash, carom, ball badminton and
kho-kho.
BCCI
shakes up IPL: drops Gavaskar from
GC,
ousts Modi
MUMBAI, Sept 29: In a major revamp
of the IPL and the BCCI, cricket legend
Sunil Gavaskar was today dropped from the
Twenty20 League's trimmed Governing
Council, while the door was effectively
shut on the suspended Lalit Modi without
a formal expulsion.
The
decision to drop Gavaskar from the IPL
Governing Council was taken by the
Cricket Board in its 81st Annual General
Meeting here, which also appointed
interim chairman Chirayu Amin as the
full-time chief of the Twenty20 league.
The BCCI
did not give any reason for dropping
Gavaskar from the council but there is
speculation that it could be a result of
the Board's decision to not pay the
cricketers, who were earlier getting Rs
one crore a year, in the panel.
Asked
about reports that Gavaskar had asked for
Rs five crore to sit on the panel, Board
chief Shashank Manohar said "you
have to ask Mr Gavaskar about it".
Gavaskar
refused to comment on the development
merely stating that, "I have no idea
about the AGM. I just saw something on
TV, that's it."
Among
other notable decisions taken at the AGM,
the BCCI issued show-cause notices to
three IPL franchises -- Rajasthan Royals,
Kings XI Punjab and Kochi -- for
irregularities in their ownership
patterns and dropped all charges of
misappropriation of funds in the PILCOM
accounts of the 1996 World Cup against
former Board chief Jagmohan Dalmiya.
"The
IPL Governing Council constitution was
changed today at the AGM. The period of
the Governing Council, which is a
sub-committee, of the Board has been
reduced to one year from five
years," BCCI president Shashank
Manohar told reporters at a press
conference after the AGM.
"It
will have five members and two cricketers
will be part of the committee. Earlier,
cricketers were used to be paid Rs one
crore but BCCI decided no payment will be
made from now onwards," he said.
"Modi
is not part of the BCCI any more. Now he
cannot say that he is a suspended IPL
Chairman," added Manohar.
Manohar
alleged that the wrongdoings of Modi,
facing the Board's disciplinary panel
hearing, stood exposed further five days
ago vis-a-vis the deal he made with a
company called "Visual Impact"
for providing security vans during IPL-3.
"The
deal was for Rs 5 crore for the first
year and Rs 6 crore from next year. Five
days ago we got a letter (from another
company) saying they had hired the
security trucks for Rs 1.5 crore and got
payment of Rs 70 lakh only and asked for
the remaining Rs 80 lakh," the BCCI
chief said.
"Yesterday
when the Visual Impact guy came to us he
was asked about it and he gave it in
writing he will refund Rs 3.5 crore to
the Board," Manohar said.
Modi has
been replaced in the vice-President's
post by another central zone
representative Rajiv Shukla and Modi's
lawyer Mehmood Abdi reacted angrily to
the decision.
"It
further establishes our case of malice
and personal prejudice against Modi. It
shows that the entire BCCI is suffering
from Modi-phobia. They are shutting all
doors on his return," Abdi told
reporters.
"First
they suspended him, then they removed him
from the vice-President's post and have
now reduced the tenure of the governing
council," Abdi added.
Manohar
said another IPL sponsor -- Swiss makers
Bandelier -- has told the Board they have
suffered huge losses as only 35 branded
watches could be sold during the 2010
edition, out of which 24 were taken by
Modi without any payment made to the
132-year-old company.
The Swiss
watch major was appointed the official
watch licensee for the IPL on January 8
with the price range fixed between Rs
45,000 and Rs 55,000.
"The
house was appraised of several
irregularities that had been discovered
during the audit of IPL-3 accounts and
appropriate action would be taken to
protect the interest of the Board,"
according to Board secretary N
Srinivasan, who was elevated to the
president-elect's post.
The
Board's members also unanimously decided
that a complaint must be lodged with the
police in the matters of sale of tickets
by Ticket Genie and contract with Visual
Impact for security vans, among others.
"Henceforth,
all IPL contracts would be signed on
behalf of the Board by the honorary
Secretary only," Manohar said.
Apart from
Amin, the Board retained Ravi Shastri in
the reconstituted Governing Council,
which also has two new members in
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association
president Anurag Thakur and former
national selector Ranjeeb Biswal.
Mansur Ali
Khan Pataudi was the third cricketer in
the dissolved panel and Manohar said
efforts were on to contact him about
taking up the job in an honorary
capacity. Shastri had already agreed to
the condition.
Arun
Jaitley, Shukla and Ajay Shirke are the
other members, while BCCI said the eighth
member of the Council will be selected by
its chief Manohar.
"The
President has been authorised by the
house to nominate one cricketer of
repute," BCCI said in a statement.
The
Board's decision to withdraw the case
against Dalmiya was based on the advise
from two legal luminaries -- retired
Supreme Court judge M K Mukherjee and
former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee.
"They
opined the Board had little chance to
succeed (in the civil suit against
Dalmiya). It was felt it was unnecessary
to continue to spend money to fight the
case.
"As
per the Board's constitution, expulsion
can be revoked after getting an
application from that person and Mr
Dalmiya gave an application to revoke his
expulsion. We have no grudges against
individuals and we don't fight for
egos," Manohar said.
Dalmiya,
the 70-year-old former ICC President, had
been a pariah in Indian cricket
administration for four years after he
was accused of embezzling the 1996 World
Cup funds in a lawsuit filed in the
Bombay High Court in 2006.
The
veteran administrator currently heads the
Cricket Association of Bengal.
Dalmiya
said he felt vindicated by the decision
of the Cricket Board.
"I
have all along been committed to the fair
administration of the game of cricket. I
would like to thank the BCCI and its
members for acting fairly," he said.
Among
other expected decisions at the AGM,
current office bearers were elected
unopposed to their respective positions.
Besides
Srinivasan and Manohar, treasurer M P
Pandove and joint secretary Sanjay
Jagdale have also completed two years in
their posts and were re-elected for a
third term.
Arun
Jaitley (north), N Shivlal Yadav (south)
and Arindam Ganguly (east) also managed
to retain their seats while Rajiv Shukla
replaced Lalit Modi from central zone and
Amin gave way to Niranjan Shah from west
after completing his term.
The Board
also retained its national selection
committee headed by Kris Srikkanth.
During the
AGM, the BCCI also constituted various
sub-committees for the year 2010-11.
The Board
appointed Anil Kumble as the chairman of
the National Cricket Academy in
Bangalore. The former India leg-spinner
replaced Shastri.
BCCI also
appointed a Cricket Development Committee
to be headed by former chief selector
Dilip Vengsarkar. Other members of the
panel include Arshad Ayub, Chetan
Chauhan, Pranob Roy and Prashant Vaidya.
Among
other decisions, Jyotiraditya Scindia was
made the chairman of the Finance
Committee. Farooq Abdullah will head the
Marketing Committee, while N Venkat
Sundaram was handed charge of the Ground
and Pitches Committee.
It was
also decided that Hyderabad will host the
second Test against New Zealand after
Kanpur, the original venue and Kolkata
refused to take the responsibility.
The BCCI
also alloted India's second and third
ODIs against New Zealand to Jaipur and
Baroda after Mohali expressed its
inability.
"The
Board wanted continuity with the World
Cup coming up and the Indian team
performing well," Manohar said about
the decision to retain Srikkanth, Yashpal
Sharma, Raja Venkat, Narendra Hirwani and
Surendra Bhave as members of the senior
selection panel.
The junior
committee saw a few changes in its
composition, but is still to be headed by
Abey Kuruvilla (West Zone) with Rajib Deb
Barman (East), Venka Pratap (South),
Pritam Gandhe (Central) and Arun Sharma
(North) as its other members.
The
elected Vice-Presidents are: Niranjan
Shah, Rajiv Shukla, Arindam Ganguly, Arun
Jaitley and Shivlal Yadav.
Other
committees constituted for 2010-11:
Selection
committee for women's cricket: Rita Dey
(Central), Reshma Gandhi (North), Savita
Nirala (South), Gargi Banerjee (East) and
Vrinda Bhagat (West) - Chairperson.
NCA
Construction and Infrastructure Committee
with Ajay Shirke as Chairman.
Cricket
Development Committee: Dilip Vengsarkar
(Chairman), Arshad Ayub, Chetan Chauhan,
Pranob Roy, Prashant Vaidya. (PTI)
Indian
eves trounce Ukraine in Chess Olympiad
KHANTY MANSIYSK (Russia),
Sept 29: Indian girls rose to the
joint second spot after upstaging third
seeds Ukraine in the 29th Chess
Olympiad here.
The
victory was special on more than a few
counts as it put the Indian girls in
joint second spot with Russia emerging as
the sole leader with a perfect 14/14
score. It will be India versus Russia one
in next round.
The
Indian girls who are missing the services
of Koneru Humpy, benefited from top rated
D Harika’s assault against Kateryna
Lahno to come out trumps in the key
encounter.
Harika
defeated Lahno in a keen contest while
the other girls held their own to propel
India to the joint second spot with four
matches still to come in the Olympiad.
Meanwhile,
in the open section, the Indian men let
slip a certain victory against Czech
Republic. While mainstay Sasikiran came
good against David Navara to post a
brilliant win, Surya Shekhar Ganguly lost
on the third board to concede a much
needed parity to the Czech team.
The
other two games ended in draws.
While
Russia one reigns supreme in the
women’s section, it is Ukraine on
top in the open and past the half-way
stage it is only going to be tougher as
the days progress. (PTI)
Eden
turnaround still inspires Team India:
Laxman
NEW DELHI, Sept 29: The very mention
of an India-Australia series would
invariably revolve around the
stylish-yet-defiant VVS Laxman and his
epic 281 at the Eden Test nine years ago.
The senior
batsman played the sheet-anchor role as
India turned it around miraculously to
win 2-1 coming from a match down against
Australia.
Laxman
hopes the innings would continue to
inspire the team but it was important for
them to focus on the present and win the
upcoming two-match series beginning in
Mohali on October 1.
Talking to
PTI, the Hyderbadi ace said he was
personally looking forward to yet another
good series against the team from Down
Under.
The 2001
Eden Test is part of the cricketing
folklore now and Laxman said focus should
be on what is in hand right now.
"It
was a long way back. But all of us still
take confidence from that series. It
(Eden Test) was a historic one that
continues to inspire and give confidence
whenever you’re in trouble," he
told.
Known for
his fighting knocks while making them
look sublime, Laxman said, "At the
same time, we have to be in the present.
Any series involving the two countries is
watched very closely from followers of
both the sides."
As a
matter of fact, in the last two years
Laxman averages 70.38 especially after
his match-winning knocks in India’s
previous series in Sri Lanka.
In Galle,
he found himself shepherding the tail,
though India lost out. At the second Test
in SSC, Laxman stood with Sachin
Tendulkar at a crucial moment as India
drew the match.
His best
came at the P Sara Oval, where Laxman
came into his own with the chips down and
the pitch playing fickle as he battled a
back injury and pressure of a fourth
innings chase to score his 16th Test
hundred and a series-levelling win in
August.
But
Laxman said it is the start of a new
season and it’s important for them
to start on a winning note with some
tough series against New Zealand and
South Africa lined up before the World
Cup.
"Personally,
I am really looking forward to the
series. I want to keep up my good work
going. I want to perform, play some
match-winning knocks."
"I
have spent last two weeks at the NCA, did
quite a lot of practice, hitting at the
nets. I am really happy with my form and
waiting for the series to get
going."
"It’s
going to be a very important series.
It’s the start of a new season. We
will be playing Test cricket almost after
two months. This is going to be a crucial
season with series against New Zealand
(at home) and South Africa (away) coming
up. We must start on a winning
note," Laxman said.
India
have not lost in Mohali for the last 16
years and Laxman said, "The
condition is just perfect at Mohali.
Though I am yet to have a look at the
wicket."
Asked
whether it’s advantage India with
the Ricky Ponting-led side touring with a
youngsters having four players who are
yet to play the five-day version, Laxman
said it would not be easy for the hosts.
"Aussies
play tough cricket. They play to their
potential, do their processes right. We
need to keep working hard. They have a
good side with a lot of youngsters. They
have always been very tough as opponents
and are performing well at this level for
last few years."
"We
must concentrate on our strong points and
focus on our game rather than thinking
much about our opponents."
Laxman
hoped that led by speedster Zaheer Khan,
Indian bowling attack would fire up.
"We
have a very good and balanced bowling
attack. With Sreesanth back along with
(Pragyan) Ojha, (Amit) Mishra and Ishant
(Sharma) and the presence of the
experience duo of Zaheer (Khan) and
Harbhajan (Singh), we have a balanced
attack. I am sure they would fire
up."
"As
for batting, we have a power-packed
line-up with Virender Sehwag and Gautam
Gambhir on top. The opening combination
can decimate any attack right from the
word go. Our batting has done well in
various times and I am sure this time
also we will keep up with the good
show," said the senior batsman.
Originally
planned as a seven-match ODI series, the
Indian cricket Board squeezed in two
Tests in an attempt to prolong
India’s reign as the numero uno Test
side. Laxman said it was a good idea.
"A
two-match series is just fine. In fact
it’s good to have two Tests and
followed by three ODIs instead of playing
a long seven-match one-day series. We
must compliment the BCCI for squeezing in
two Tests along with the ODIs that will
follow."
Asked
about India’s chances at the World
Cup which is less than 150 days away,
Laxman said the co-hosts are good enough
to lift the trophy.
"We
have a very strong side, I hope the boys
would do well in the home condition. The
potential is amazing, I hope we win the
World Cup." (PTI)
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