The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Libero Sports India will lead a 40-member delegation to the two-day Soccerex European Forum in Manchester, UK starting tomorrow.
     The delegation has representatives from Sports Ministry and All India Football Federation as well as from the leading brands, clubs, academies and agencies involved in the effort of developing football in India.
     Soccerex is the world's biggest football business event attended by global stakeholders.
     Manchester City will host the delegation tomorrow at the Etihad Stadium. On April 11, the delegation will participate in a 90-minute session entitled 'India: Awakening Football's Sleeping Giant' which will focus on business opportunities in Indian football, including possible opportunities associated with hosting the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
     During the two day forum, the Indian delegation will have an exclusive exhibition stall to conduct meetings and showcase some of the .

FICCI delegation to participate in Soccerex European Forum

PTI Automatic

Heaving a sigh of relief with their star striker Sunil Chhetri reaching here after initial denial of visa, Churchill Brothers would look to seal their first away win when they take on Warriors FC in a crucial AFC Cup group match tomorrow.
     Chhetri was granted visa after the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs on the request of the Sports Authority of India. His team-mate and Afghan striker Balal Arezou was also initially denied visa before being cleared to travel to Singapore after submitting more relevant documents.
     A win for Churchill against their opponents, whom they had beaten 3-0 in the home leg in Pune on April 2, would keep them in the hunt for a pre-quarterfinal berth. Churchill are third in the group with four points from three matches.
     Though the Singapore side would enjoy the home advantage, the domination the Goan side enjoyed in Pune should give them the confidence to come out winners at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
     Chhetri and Arezou are ...

With Chhetri available, Churchill look for win in Singapore

Kolkata-based Team Mcleod Russel, consisting of Aditya Khaitan (33 points, h'cap 3) and Asiad gold medallist Lakshman Singh (27 points, h'cap 4), finished third with 60 Nett points in the India final round of annual Take Solutions World Corporate Golf Challenge in Bangkok.
     Khaitan (31 points, h'cap 3) also won the best Gross winner trophy. The competition took place early this week.
     However, Delhi duo Dhruv Kumar and Vidhit Tulshan, representing Terrai Natural, emerged champions in the competition held at the par 72, 7020 yard championship golf course of Lam Luk Ka Country Club in the Thailand capital. They will represent India at the World Finals of the World Corporate Golf Challenge to be held in Glasgow from May 7-12.
     Delhi based team Terrai Natural, led by Dhruv Kumar (35 points, h'cap 10) and Vidhit Tulshan (30 points, h'cap 9), emerged on top of the leaderboard with 65 Nett points edging out Mumbai team Ador Welding, consisting of Riaz Batlivala (31 points, h'cap .

Kumar, Tulshan to play in World Corporate Golf Challenge

Returning to the ground after a well-deserved two months break, captain of the Indian hockey team Sardar Singh feels fitness will be key to their success in the World League semifinals to be held at Rotterdam, Netherlands from June 13 to 23.
     After a much-needed rest, the Indian hockey players have assembled at Bangalore to kick-start their preparations for the forthcoming FIH Hockey World League semifinals.
     "The break was a must as we have played continuously for past few months. Hockey India League was a long tournament where a lot of travelling was involved. This was a well-deserved break and now we are ready to face challenges ahead," Sardar told PTI Bhasha.
     "We will face top teams like Netherlands, Australia and Spain and to match them in speed, we have to work really hard on fitness. We have to improve several aspects of our game."
     India will play Australia, host Netherlands, Spain, New Zealand and Ireland in the first semifinal of the World League. The other .

Need to work on fitness ahead of World League semis: Sardar

Cameron White and Thisara Perera's slambang approach during the final five overs saw Sunrisers Hyderabad reach a competitive 161 for six against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a Pepsi Indian Premier League match here today.
     White and Perera added 80 runs in only 7.2 overs to take the new IPl franchise to a comfortable position. While White clobbered three fours and three sixes in his 34-ball-52, Perera hit four huge sixes and a four in his knock of 40 which came off only 24 balls.
     The last six overs of the innings produced a whopping 77 runs as Sunrisers had scored only 84 in their first 14 overs.
     The duo came together in the 11th over with the scoreboard reading 62 for three. They didn't take risk initially but created a launchpad for a furious assault on the RCB bowlers.
     The turning point was the 16th over of the innings bowled by Moises Henriques that yielded 18 runs. The two bowlers who came out unscathed from the Perera-White onslaught were veteran spinner ...

White, Perera onslaught take Sunrisers to 161 for six

Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 161 for six against Royal Challengers Bangalore in an Indian Premier League match, here today.
     Cameron White scored 52 while Thisara Perera contributed 40 as Rudra Pratap Singh took three for 27.
     Brief Scores: Sunrisers 161/6 (Cameron White 52, Thisara Perera 40, RP Singh 3/27) vs RCB.

Sunrisers reach 161 for six against RCB

Sunrisers Hyderabad opted to bat against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a return leg match Indian Premier League match, here today.
     Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Tillekaratne Dilshan was dropped from the playing XI with AB de Villiers being his replacement. India discard Rudra Pratap Singh came in place for Karun Nair.
     For Sunrisers, Biplab Samantray was drafted in place of Ankit Sharma.
     Squad
     RCB: Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Moises Henriques, KB Arun Karthik, Ranganath Vinay Kumar, Murali Kartik, Jaydev Unadkat, Rudra Pratap Singh, Muttiah Muralitharan
     Sunrisers Hyderabad: Akshath Reddy, Parthiv Patel, Kumar Sangakkara, Cameron White, Thisara Perera, Hanuma Vihari, Biplab Samantray, A Ashish Reddy, Amit Mishra, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma.

Sunrisers elect to bat as RCB drop Dilshan

With an aim to make the side physically and mentally fit, Hockey India today appointed Matthew Tredrea as the scientific advisor of the senior women's team.
     Before being appointed with the Indian women's hockey team, the 26-year-old Matthew worked with the Australian professional Rugby League club, Newcastle Knights for almost two years as the assistant strength and conditioning Coach.
     Matthew has also worked on different assignments as the strength and conditioning coach of the Australian Rugby League Development and CSHS Rugby League Programs.
     HI secretary general Narinder Batra said Matthew's appointment is an important step towards ensuring proper fitness level of the national women team.
     "Our senior and junior teams are preparing for important tournaments like the FIH World League Round 3 (Qualifier for World Cup 2014) and 2013 Junior Women World Cup respectively. (Matthew) Tredrea will play key role in the physical and mental fitness of our players, as they ..

HI ropes in scientific advisor for senior women's team

Shooter Sanjeev Rajput narrowly missed out on qualification for the finals of the men's 50-metre rifle 3 position event after finishing 10th at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea today.
     Rajput finished 10th after scoring a total of 1144 in the three sections -- kneeling, prone and standing. Only the top-8 are entitled to compete in the medal round.
     Surendra Singh Rathod was placed 17th after he fired 1137, while Chain Singh had to be content with a 20th place finish as he shot 1135.
     Rajput shot 382 in kneeling position, 394 in prone and 368 while standing. He had shot an impressive 46 x.
     Rathod scored 374 in kneeling position, 393 in prone and 370 while standing with the help of 39 x.
     Singh shot 378 in kneeling, 390 in prone and 367 while standing.
     Rahi Sarnobat had last Friday scripted history by becoming the first Indian pistol shooter to clinch a gold medal in the ISSF World Cup when she pipped local hope Kyeongae Kim 8-6 in the final of the 25m ...

Rajput misses out on qualification in Changwon

The allocated tickets for the ICC Champions Trophy match between arch-rivals India and Pakistan scheduled on June 15 at the Edgbaston in Birmingham, has been sold out within half an hour of its release for online sales.
     "We've been staggered by the interest shown by today's ticket sales," said Tournament Director Steve Elworthy, adding: "The allocation of tickets for India v Pakistan sold out in under 30 minutes, with tickets released for other matches, including the final, also selling-out. The tickets that were released today sold very quickly."
     Adult tickets for the ICC Champions Trophy are priced in three categories - Gold, Silver and Family Stand - and range from 20 (for a group game in the Family Stands) up to 60 (Gold ticket for the Final).
     Tickets for under 16s are priced at 5 for the entire tournament (including the Final), but the youngsters are suppose to attend with an adult.
     A new pricing structure also sees the introduction of tickets for under 21s, ..

Allocated tickets for Indo-Pak match sold out within 30 mins

Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid has been fined USD 20,000 after his team failed to keep up with the stipulated over-rate during its Pepsi IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders here.
     "Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid has been fined after the team maintained a slow over rate during last night's Pepsi IPL match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Jaipur," the IPL authorities said in a release.
     At the end of the match, Rajasthan Royals were assessed to be two overs behind the required rate after allowances were taken into consideration.
     "Since it was his first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Mr. Rahul Dravid was fined USD 20,000," the release stated.
     Rajasthan Royals won the match by 19 runs and are currently on top in the points table with two victories in two matches played so far.

Rahul Dravid fined for slow over rate

Rajasthan Royals' medium pacer Siddharth Trivedi said that their strategy of playing only the pace bowlers had worked to perfection against Kolkata Knight Riders.
     Insisting that it was a well planned out strategy, Trivedi said: "It was our strategy which helped us to notch crucial victory. See we did not have any spinners in the eleven and the pace bowlers did it for us. We were able to grab wickets whenever we needed them."
     Rajasthan Royals outplayed the defending champions by 19 runs to register their second successive victory in the Pepsi Indian Premier League, here last night.
     Trivedi, who picked up three for 23 to bag the man of the match award, said the wicket offered some movement.
     "It was a good wicket to bowl on. It offered some movement and the ball was seaming on it. Everything went in according to our plan. We knew if we grab few early wickets we could be able to exert pressure on them," the lanky medium pacer said.
     Trivedi said although England ...

Our strategy worked to perfection: Trivedi

Expressing disappointment at his team's loss against Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir said it was the batsmen who should be blamed as they failed to achieve a modest target.
    "Yes I am very disappointed. 145 was always chaseable because it was very good wicket to bat on. I feel our bowlers did a fantastic job by restricting the hosts to 144 but we batted poorly," said Gambhir at the post match press conference.
     Defending a total of 144, the Royals' pace attack performed well to bundle out the defending champions for 125 in 19 overs in their Pepsi IPL match here last night.
     Gambhir said his batsmen got out playing bad shots.
     "I feel they were bad shots. It was a good wicket and the outfield was also very fast. The bowlers had done their job but the batsmen failed in their role. We could not build up good partnerships. We can't keep on repeating such mistakes. We have to learn from them."
     Gambhir himself got out to a reckless shot off 

We batted poorly: Gambhir

Gurbani Singh and Aditi Ashok, the top two on the IGU Ladies Order of Merit for 2012, will be among the starters in the season-opening Usha Army Ladies Amateur 2013 from tomorrow at the Army Golf Club here.
     Aditi is also the defending champion of the tournament and she will be looking to start the season on a winning note, while Gurbani, who missed the event last year, will try and stop Aditi from retaining the title.
     Usha will once again be title sponsor of the Indian Golf Union's Ladies events. They will sponsor and support almost a dozen event.
     The opening event of the season is a very strong field with over 65 players vying for the title in Ladies section and the categories A, B and C. With such a large field, the IGU has decided on a double tee shot for the event.
     The competition will be more intense with the return of Gauri Monga, who missed a large part of the 2012 season.
     Aditi, who turned 15 in the last week of March, and Ridihima Dilawari, who will ..

Gurbani and Aditi renew rivalry at Usha Army Ladies Golf

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad today said his side depended on Chris Gayle to an extent but still have the firepower to win matches even without the explosive West Indian batsman.
     "The team depended on Gayle to a certain extent, but we still have fantastic fire power which was very well reflected in captain Virat Kohli's last innings against Hyderabad, which came when the chips were down for us," Prasad told reporters here.
     Asked about Zaheer Khan and Ravi Rampaul's injury status, Prasad said, "Everybody is fit and ready for selection."
     He said South African batsman A B de Villiers will join the team tomorrow.
     The former India pacer said he was optimistic of local players Mayank Agarwal, K L Rahul and Karun Nair doing well in the IPL.
     "They all have had a good domestic season this year. Mayank also has done well for RCB last year," he said.
     Prasad said it was not necessary to have a standout fast bowler as "only you need to ...

We depend on Gayle to an extent: Prasad

Brad Hodge used all his experience in the shortest format to good effect as he propelled Rajasthan Royals to a decent 144 for six against Kolkata Knight Riders in a Pepsi Indian Premier League match, here today.
     Hodge smashed 46 off 31 balls with seven boundaries as Royals got 38 runs in the last three overs after KKR bowlers had maintained discipline for the better part of the 17 overs.
     Ajinkya Rahane's 36 (3x4, 1x6) was the only other significant contribution as Sunil Narine had the best figures of two for 28 in four overs.
     Narine's figures were somewhat damaged by Hodge and left-handed keeper-batsman Dishant Yagnik (16) who clobbed him for 18 runs in the penultimate over.
     Shane Watson (5)'s arrival was much anticipated in the Royals' ranks but it lasted a mere 10 balls as he uppishly drove Brett Lee only to be caught by Eoin Morgan in the extra cover region. This was after having lofted the previous delivery over the mid-off fielder for a boundary.
     Rahane ..

Rajasthan Royals finish at 144 for six courtesy Brad Hodge

The men's Senior National Hockey Championship will be held here from May 28 to June 10 in Pune, the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHAL) said today.
     The Sub-Junior National Hockey Championship for boys and girls (West Zone) will be held between April 11 and 16 here.
     MHAL President Mangha Singh Bakshi announced this here today.
     A committee comprising former India captains Viren Rasquinha, Anil Aldrin, Darryl D'Souza, Davinder Kumar, Girish Pimple, Cornelius D'Costa and Edgar Mascarenhas has also been instituted to work towards helping youngsters from Mumbai get selected for India camps besides conducting free and fair trials.
     MHAL has given lifetime membership to 13 international players and will extend this gesture for every Mumbai player who represents India in the years to follow. They also announced a set of new initiatives including revival of tournaments like Bombay Gold Cup, Super League and leagues from senior to fourth division, a release from the association ..

3rd Hockey India National Championships in Pune from May 28

Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri today left for Singapore after getting his visa to travel to the country for an AFC Cup match on April 10.
     Chhetri, who had earlier been denied visa by the Singapore Consulate in Mumbai, received his visa this afternoon and left for Singapore by an evening flight.
     Churchill Brothers Chairman Churchill Alemao has also been granted visa by the Consulate and he will leave tomorrow to be with his Goan side for their AFC Cup Group 'D' match against Singapore Warriors.
     It has been learnt that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Churchill Brothers approached the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to intervene and take up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
     SAI promptly took up the matter with the MEA and wrote a letter to Sukhgeet Kaur, Deputy Secretary, South Project, MEA.
     After receiving the request from the SAI, Kaur got in touch with the Singapore High Commission in New Delhi and within few hours, ...

Chhetri gets visa, leaves for Singapore for AFC Cup

SPG Football Club, Delhi has won the national finals of the Budweiser 6v6 Cup after defeating Arancia Football Club, also of Delhi, 3-1 in the penalty shootout here.
     SPG Football Club, Delhi will now represent the country in the Budweiser 6v6 Cup London 2013 in London.
     The final match ended in a nail-biting 1-1 after regulation time and the penalty shoot-out resulted to SPG Football Club winning it 3-1.
     There was an overwhelming participation at the regional tournaments which were held across New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore last month.
     While Tiger sports, WNS Global Services represented Mumbai, Joga Bonito and Cunning Stunts represented Bangalore and Arancia FC and SPG FC represented Delhi.

Delhi club wins national finals of Budweiser 6v6 Cup

Five-time national champion Ritwik Bhattacharya has been appointed by the Professional Squash Association to the new position of PSA South East Asia Representative.
     The 33-year-old former world No.38 from Mumbai will take on a wide role, including liaising with existing PSA World Tour events in the region, attracting new events to India and the region and ensuring that PSA requirements are delivered across events, press, media, player welfare.
     A PSA member from 1999 to 2011, Bhattacharya won eight Tour titles from 12 final appearances and celebrated a career-high world No.38 ranking in November 2006.
     Originally from Delhi, he claimed the national title five times in his career between 1998 and 2005.
     Bhattacharya was the driving force behind a three-year staging of the PSA World Series PSA Masters - sponsored by Indian-based engineering and construction group Punj Lloyd - which was launched in Mumbai in 2009 before moving to New Delhi in 2010 and 2011.
     "We are .

Ritwik Bhattacharya to boost PSA in Asia

Jharkhand got the better of Odisha 3-1 to clinch the 3rd Hockey India Sub-Junior Men National Championship (East Zone) title at Nagaon, Assam today.
     Sudhir Munda have Jharkhand the lead in the 15th minute but Odisha scored the equaliser in the very next minute with the field goal by Amit Chirmako.
     But in the second half, Munda scored two more goals in the 51st and 62nd minute to help Jharkhand run away with the match.

Page 5148 -