India's SSP Chawrasia survived some anxious moments before making his first cut of the year at the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth golf tournament here Friday.
Chawrasia, who was tied fifth after the first round, shot two-over 74 and was placed tied 37th after two rounds of the tournament, which is a mix of stroke play and match play.
It was Chawrasia's first cut in three starts in 2019.
Also making the 36-hole cut was another Indian, Shiv Kapur (73-70) who was placed tied 49th after the second round.
However, four other Indians, Ajeetesh Sandhu (71-73), S Chikkarangappa (73-71), Khalin Joshi (73-72) and Viraj Madappa (74-75) missed the cut.
Chawrasia had three birdies against five bogeys, while Kapur made five birdies and two bogeys.
Thailand's Panuphol Pittayarat is placed at the top of the leaderboard after firing seven birdies against one bogey to share the second round lead with New Zealand's Ryan Fox, Matthew Griffin of Australia and Belgium's Thomas Pieters.
Starting his round ..

Chawrasia, Kapur make cuts at Perth

PTI Automatic

Jamshedpur FC will have their task cut out when they host FC Pune City in a crunch Indian Super League clash at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Saturday.
With as many as five teams battling it out for three play-off spots, Jamshedpur cannot slip in the remaining three league games.
Cesar Ferrando's men currently find themselves out of the top-four and anything other than a win on Saturday could see hopes of making the play-offs for the first time take a beating.
The 'Men of Steel' had to wait until the 80th minute for Memo to strike the winning goal against Mumbai City in their last match to keep their last four hopes alive.
"Both teams will want to win obviously. If we want to make top-four, we need to win. The team is working very hard and is very well prepared. To deliver under pressure is important. The fans have supported as well throughout and we are ready to win," said Ferrando.
The head coach will welcome back Carlos Calvo who is set to return after his three-game ...

Jamshedpur on the edge in must-win match against Pune

Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock hit half-centuries as South Africa stretched their lead on the third day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Friday.
South Africa were 227 for five in their second innings at lunch, a lead of 271 runs.  Du Plessis was unbeaten on 72 while De Kock made 55 before being leg before wicket to debutant left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya at Kingsmead.
Resuming on 126 for four, South African captain Du Plessis and wicketkeeper De Kock were largely untroubled on an easy-paced pitch until De Kock went back to a ball from Embuldeniya which spun into the left-hander and kept low.
De Kock was the more aggressive partner in a stand of 96 which eased South African nerves after the hosts had been struggling at 95 for four. De Kock made his runs off 62 balls with six fours.
Du Plessis had faced 139 deliveries by lunch, hitting ten fours. Embuldeniya had figures of three for 51.

Du Plessis and De Kock stretch South Africa Test lead

Batsman K L Rahul was Friday recalled for the ODI and T20 home series against Australia but the selectors dropped Dinesh Karthik while picking rookie leg-spinner Mayank Markande as the new face.
India will play two T20 Internationals and five ODIs, starting February 24, in what will be their last international assignment before the World Cup, which begins in England on May 30.
Rahul fought his way back after a couple of good innings for India A against England Lions in the two unofficial Tests, which concluded hours before the national selection committee met here.
Battling indifferent form in Australia, the opener was called back after the unsavoury comments on women in a TV talk show, following which he was asked to regain his form by concentrating on domestic cricket.
The 21-year-old Markande was rewarded soon after his five-wicket haul, which powered India A to an innings and 68-run victory over England Lions in the second unofficial Test.
He has also been a part of the IPL ...

Rahul recalled, Karthik dropped, Markande new face for Australia engagements

Aryaan Bhatia became the first Indian tennis player to fail dope test and has been put under provisional suspension, the National Anti-Doping Agency said on Friday.
16-year-old Bhatia's urine sample was taken during the Fenesta Open National Tennis Championship held here in October last year. The NADA had collected samples for the first time from tennis players during the championship.
The national doping watchdog also provisionally suspended seven other sportspersons last month for flunking dope tests. They are Sandeep Kaur (powerlifting), Ankit Gosai (handball), Jithu Thomas (volleyball), Yaiphaba (canoeing), Vishan Singh  (kayaking and canoeing) and Shivam Kasana (cycling).
Middle distance runner Monika Chaudhary, who had moved Delhi High Court to secure a trial ahead of last year's Asian Games and later tested positive for Erythropoietin (EPO), has been handed a four-year ban by the Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel (ADDP).
The ADDP also handed four year bans to hockey player Bharat .

16-year-old Aryaan become first Indian tennis player to flunk dope test

Young Mayank Markande scalped five wickets to spun India 'A' to a convincing innings and 68-run win over England Lions in the second unofficial Test to clinch the two-match series 1-0 here Friday.
Leg-spinner Markande (5 for 31) spun a web around the visitors to bowl them out for 180 in the second innings after following on.
Resuming at 24 for no loss and faced with the daunting task of handling the Indian spinners on a turning wicket, the Lions batsmen came a cropper with only Ben Duckett (50) and Lewis Gregory (44) showing some fight.
Besides Markande, Jalaj Saxena (2/40) claimed two wickets.
The 21-year old Markande, who performed creditably for Mumbai Indians in the IPL last year, troubled most of the England batsmen with his guile.
The talented Ollie Pope was Markande's first victim, trapped leg-before.
But opener Duckett mixed caution with aggression in an effort to defy the India 'A' bowlers. He hit four boundaries and two sixes in his half-century and was involved in a 40-run .

Markande's fifer hand India 'A' innings victory over England Lions

The Sports Authority of India has requested the Central Board of Secondary Education to reschedule the class 12 exam dates of shooters Manu Bhaker and Vijayveer Sidhu to avoid a clash with the upcoming Asian Airgun Championships.
In a letter, the SAI has asked the CBSE to consider Bhaker and Sidhu's case and give fresh dates for two subjects, as both the shooters are scheduled to participate in the Asian Airgun Championships in Chinese Taipei from March 25 to April 2.
The initiative by SAI is part of ongoing efforts of the government to help young athletes balance their sporting career and academics.
Bhaker, 16, who is an ace pistol shooter and is part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), would have to appear for her history paper on March 25 and Physical Education exam on March 30, and both these dates are coinciding with the championships.
Sidhu, also 16, and who is in the watchlist of TOPS and has won a silver medal in the Under-21 event at the Khelo India Youth Games, too ..

SAI requests CBSE to reschedule exam dates of shooters Bhaker, Sidhu

Malaysia's top cricket stadium, which has hosted some of the game's greats including Sachin Tendulkar, was saved from closure Friday after the government blocked an attempt to turf out the sport's local governing body.
The Kinrara Oval, which was built in 2003 and has hosted one-day internationals featuring India, Australia and the West Indies, as well as Under-19 World Cup games, sits on a plot of prime land west of the capital Kuala Lumpur.
But the Malaysian Cricket Association's lease expired in October and the property company that owns the land ordered them out of the ground to make way for a new development.
After several months in limbo, the ground's future is now assured after the cabinet agreed it should continue operating as a cricket stadium following talks with parties involved in the dispute, said Sports Minister Syed Saddiq.
"The Malaysian government is committed to saving this... cricket ground," he said on Twitter.
"Cabinet decided that saving the cricket ground is ...

Home of Malaysian cricket, scene of Tendulkar ton, saved from closure

India women's team opener Smriti  Mandhana, who is in blazing form, said here on Friday that the  team's coach W V Raman has set her targets to bat for a  specific number of overs to develop her patience at the  crease.
"He (Raman) has been telling me to play 30 overs in  ODIs as he knows that if I bat till 30 overs, I will continue  to bat. And in 20 over games he has been telling me to bat for  13 overs," the 22-year-old Mandhana, a Red Bull athlete, told  PTI.
"He's giving me targets to bat a certain number of  balls, because strike rate and those kinds of things never  concern me, the only problem is the patience aspect. He is  helping with that and giving me targets to bat through these  many balls and that many overs and that is being great," said  the left-handed batswoman.
Mandhana, asked specifically whether the team was too  dependent on her, replied that the perception was not correct.
"No, I don't think so. We have got a lot of  match-winners in our team. It is just that ..

Coach Raman keen on improving Mandhana's 'patience'

Spanish champions Barcelona announced Friday they have extended the contract of coach Ernesto Valverde for another season with the option of one more.
Valverde, who took over at the Camp Nou in 2017 after joining from Athletic Bilbao, won the league and cup double last season.
"FC Barcelona and  Ernesto Valverde, the first team coach, have reached an agreement to extend the contract between the two parties for another season (2019/20) with the option for one more (2020/21)," the club said in a statement.
Valverde's previous contract would have expired at the end of this season.

Coach Valverde extends stay at Barcelona

Over 18,000 runners are set to participate in the fourth edition of IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon, to be held on February 24, and flagged off by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
In order to motivate and encourage the runners, the company's brand ambassador Tendulkar will flag off all the races from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Organised by NEB Sports, the AIMS-certified marathon has witnessed a 20 percent hike in registration numbers as compared to the previous edition. This year, 2,000 runners will be competing in the full marathon, while 6,000 runners will be a part of the half marathon.
The Timed 10K and 5K Swacch Bharat Run will have 5,500 and 4,500 participants respectively.
Over 600 personnel from the defence services and the police force will be participating across the various race categories. Among the many runners participating this year are Suneetha Prasanna, a 73-year-old who is planning to run the half marathon and Himanshu Kumar, a para-athlete who will 

Tendulkar to flag off marathon in Delhi

The Indian senior women's football team will be embarking on an exposure tour to Turkey where it will be playing in the Turkish Women's Cup from February 27.
India have been clubbed with Romania, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Group A, while France (B), Jordan, Northern Ireland, and hosts Turkey make up Group B.
Every team will play each other in the group once with the group-toppers making it to the final. There will also be matches for the 3rd and the 4th slot, the 5th and the 6th slot, and the 7th and the 8th places.
The tournament is part of the Indian team's preparation for the AFC Olympic Qualifiers Round 2 (in April) and also the SAFF Women's Championship scheduled in March.
Since January, the girls have played seven International matches which includes their exposure tours to Hong Kong and Indonesia, and the Hero Gold Cup in Bhubaneswar.
All India Football Federation general secretary Kushal Das said that the aim is to "provide a fool proof preparation" for the women's senior .

India to play in Turkish Women's Cup football

Holders Minerva Punjab FC have requested the All India Football Federation to shift their upcoming I-League match from Srinagar or defer it in the wake of the Pulwama terrorist attack, saying the club is ready to forfeit if the game is not rescheduled.
On Thursday, at least 40 CRPF paramilitary troopers were killed in a terror attack while several others are battling for their lives following what is being termed as the deadliest terrorist strike in three decades in Jammu and Kashmir.
Defending champions Minerva Punjab FC are scheduled to play Real Kashmir FC on February 18 at the TRC Turf Ground in the Jammu and Kashmir capital.
"We have written to the AIFF requesting them to shift the game from Srinagar. My team jersey has the line written 'We Salute Indian Army'. A game of football is nothing compared to what has happened last evening," Minerva Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj told PTI.
He added, "We are willing to forfeit the game if it is not moved out. I am sure the people will ...

Minerva request AIFF to shift Srinagar game or ready to forfeit

Former champions Saina Nehwal, Parupalli Kashyap and Sourabh Verma advanced to the semifinals of the 83rd Yonex-Sunrise Senior Badminton Nationals here Friday.
Defending champion Saina hardly broke a sweat to get the better of former India number one Neha Pandit of Mumbai 21-10 21-10 in a lop-sided quarterfinal contest.
The two-time Commonwealth Games champion will face 22-year-old Nagpur qualifier Vaishnavi Bhale, who was part of India's Uber Cup squad last year, later in the evening.
Kashyap, a 2012 winner, prevailed 21-18 21-16 over Bodhit Joshi, who had reahed the finals of Iceland International last year. The former world no 6 from Hyderabad will face Lakshya Sen in the semifinals later in the day.
Both Saina and Kashyap had played their pre-quarterfinal match on Thursday night at the newly-laid wooden court at the TRP indoor stadium after refusing to play at the Assam Badminton Academy courts due to "uneven" surface.
Earlier, former World No 30 Sourabh, who had clinched Super ...

Saina, Kashyap, Sourabh enter semifinals of Senior Nationals

Former world silver-medallist Sonia Lather (57kg) was among the three Indian women boxers who advanced to the quarterfinals but the men were off to a disappointing start at the 70th Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria.
World championships bronze-medallist Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) and Pwilao Basumatari (64kg) also made the quarters of the prestigious European event on Thursday night.
Lather, who is also a two-time Asian silver-medallist, defeated Serbia's Jelena Zekic 5-0. She will square off against American Yarisel Ramirez in the quarters.
Borgohain, a gold-medallist from the Indian Open last year, got the better of Australian Jessica Messina.
Basumatari endured a stiffer challenge in Bulgarian Melis Yonuzova before prevailing 3-2. She has Croatia's Marija Malencia coming up in the quarterfinals.
However, there was disappointment for the country's men with former Commonwealth Games silver-medallist Mandeep Jangra (69kg) and rookie Harsh Lakra (81kg) bowing out following ..

Sonia, Lovlina advance to quarters of Strandja Memorial

Sri Lanka Sports Minister Harin Fernando on Friday said he would soon present before the Parliament a plan to change the Constitution of the nation's cricket board (SLC) in a bid to streamline its governance.
Fernando said he had consulted former greats Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Muttiah Muralitharan and Sidath Wettimuny in making the plan.
"I will be putting it before the Cabinet next week for approval and later to the Parliament," Fernando told reporters here.
The current voting structure of SLC has come under scanner after interested businessmen are found to manipulate the process in their bid to control the richest sporting body of the island nation.
There have been allegations of vote buying by interested groups.
The SLC is set to hold its next elections for appointment of office bearers next week.
Two candidates who had filed nominations to contest the elections have been rejected by the Election Appeals Committee. They have threatened to take legal action which could 

Sports Minister wants to change SLC Constitution for good governance

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are to submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, Chile's President Sebastian Pinera has announced.
Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay had already submitted a joint bid to host the centenary edition of football's most prestigious tournament, but Pinera said on Twitter on Thursday that those countries' presidents had agreed to Chile's participation in the "joint candidacy".
Argentina and Uruguay originally announced their intention to submit a joint bid in 2017 before Paraguay joined the coalition later that year.
In December last year, Bolivia's football-mad president Evo Morales offered those three countries help in their bid, proposing "two or three departments as sub-seats" for the competition.
Had his offer been accepted, it would have meant the Hernando Siles Reyes stadium in La Paz potentially included as a host venue.
Pinera said he had been touting his idea to the presidents of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay for several months.
Uruguay .

Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay to present joint 2030 World Cup bid

South African 800m Olympic champion Caster Semenya has said she was "unquestionably a woman", after the IAAF denied reports that it would argue that she should be classified as a biological male.
Semenya, 28, issued the statement on Thursday ahead of a landmark hearing at the Court of Arbitration (CAS) next week that will challenge a proposed rule by the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) aiming to restrict testosterone levels in female runners.
"Ms Semenya is unquestionably a woman. She is a heroine and an inspiration to many around the world," her lawyers said in a statement.
"She asks that she be respected and treated as any other athlete." The rules would force so-called "hyperandrogenic" athletes or those with "differences of sexual development" (DSD) to keep testosterone levels below a prescribed amount.
The rules were to have been instituted in November 2018 but have been put on ice pending next week's hearings.
Supported by the South African Athletics Federation, the ...

Semenya says she is 'unquestionably a woman'

Chelsea claimed a 2-1 victory at Malmo in the Europa League last-32 first leg to ease some of the pressure on beleaguered coach Maurizio Sarri, while Arsenal suffered a shock loss to BATE Borisov.
Visitors Chelsea desperately needed a response after back-to-back humiliating away losses, with last Sunday's 6-0 thrashing by Manchester City following a 4-0 reverse at Bournemouth.
Ross Barkley took advantage of a defensive lapse by the home team on Thursday to put Chelsea ahead on the half-hour mark, with Olivier Giroud adding a 58th-minute second before Malmo's late goal gave them a glimmer of hope ahead of next week's return match at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea face Manchester United in the FA Cup on Monday, before facing City again in the League Cup final on February 24.
"I am happy because we played with confidence and it wasn't really very easy after the last match (the defeat by City)," Sarri told BT Sport.
"I think I am always confident but sometimes we had the wrong approach with ...

Chelsea edge out Malmo as Arsenal suffer Europa League setback

Gymnasts Meghana Reddy of Telangana and Aditee of Maharashtra will spearhead the country's challege when the first edition of the two-day Indian Rhythmic Gymnastics Cup begins at the Gachibowli Stadium here Saturday.
Organised as an independent competition by Gundlapally Krida Foundation, the competition will see gymnasts from Italy, Slovenia, Thailand, Malaysia and Sri Lanka participating in different categories.
18-year-old Anna-Marie Ondaatje, a Canadian born female rhythmic gymnast of Sri Lankan descent, who competed at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, has already arrived here.
A total of 65 gymnasts, including Indians from Mumbai, Pune, Karnataka, Chennai, Delhi, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Maharastra will also participate in this event, the first international competition happening in Rhythmic Gymnastics history in India.
Category of events are sub-juniors (U-10, U-12), juniors (age 12-15), seniors (15+ yrs).
"India has a huge potential of girls playing Rhythmic Gymnastics .

Meghana, Aditee to lead India's challenge in Rhythmic Gymnastics Cup

Asian Games bronze medallist gymnast Ashish Kumar will be competing at the Doha World Cup but is set to miss the Baku World Cup after failing to send his entry on time.
Ashish, the first Indian gymnast to win medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, had sent his request to participate at the Baku World Cup to Gymnastic Federation of India (GFI) after the deadline set by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
"GFI received an email on 20th January 2019 from Ashish Kumar showing his willingness to participate in the World Cup at Baku. However the definitive registration deadline (8th Jan 2019)  was already past by that time. As per rules, late registration is possible but now with a fine of CHF 1,250 payable to the International Federation," GFI vice president Riyaz Bhati told PTI.
"Since the request was after the deadline, the applicable fine has to be borne by the person making the belated request. We have accordingly advised Ashish to arrange for payment of fine .

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