Page 1752 - Sports
Mohun Bagan beat Shillong Lajong 3-1 to reach Super Cup semifinals
Mohun Bagan dished out an impressive performance to beat fellow I-League side Shillong Lajong 3-1 and enter the semifinals of Super Cup football tournament here today. Goals from S K Faiaz (12th minute), Nikhil Kadam (22nd) and an own goal by Shillong Lajong's Liberian defender Laurence Doe (60th) ensured Mohun Bagan a place in the semifinals at the Kalinga Stadium. Abdoulaye Koffi scored the lone goal for Shillong Lajong in the 28th minute. In the semifinals on April 17, the Kolkata side will take on the winners of the quarterfinal game between Bengaluru FC and Neroca FC. Mohun Bagan began with more aggression even as the first shot at the goal came off the feet of Samuel for Shillong Lajong as early as the fourth minute. Faiaz then gave Mohun Bagan the lead in the 12th minute. Dipanda Dicka was the supplier as Faiaz chest-trapped the ball down and then fired it past Shillong golie Lachenpa to the right corner of the net. Ten minutes later, Doe headed a Faiaz cross clear, but only as
India score two late goals to pip England, top Pool B
Varun Kumar and Mandeep Singh struck in dying minutes of the game as the Indian men's hockey team pulled off a thrilling 4-3 win over England to top Pool B in the Commonwealth Games here today. It was Varun Kumar (59th minute) who scored the 3-3 equaliser through a well-struck penalty corner before Mandeep Singh (60') scored the winner. Rupinder Pal Singh (51') and Manpreet Singh (33') were the other goal scorers for India while David Condon (17'), Liam Ansell (52') and Sam Ward (56') struck for England. India's final league game also decided their semifinal opponents. They will take on New Zealand while England will face defending champions Australia. It was Manpreet's fierce strike from the midfield that found a deflection off Mandeep's stick and ensured a sensational win for India. This kind of hard work on field is what we trained for in the last few weeks in Bengaluru where we paid a lot of attention to discipline and winning mentality. I'm happy this has come in the right moment
11-year-old table tennis player loses at Commonwealth Games
See you in Birmingham. Eleven-year-old Welsh table tennis prodigy Anna Hursey bowed out of the Commonwealth Games women's singles event on Tuesday but not before confirming her precocious talent. Hursey took just 17 minutes to win her first singles match, but then lost in the second round in straight sets to Malaysia's Li Sian Alice Chang. She had already competed in the team's event earlier this week, winning twice and showing some powerful forehands and composure. Hursey, chaperoned by her mother Phoebe at these games, started playing table tennis at the age of 5 and is believed to be the youngest athlete to represent Wales at a senior level. Chang praised Hursey. "I felt a bit of pressure ahead of playing her but I made my preparations to help me in my match," Chang said. "She is a good player and she's still young, so she will improve." Wales No. 1 player Charlotte Carey said Hursey was impressive. "I just felt really proud (of her). This won't be her first Commonwealth Games ...
'Starc Contrast': Cricket is not high-jumper Brandon's sport
Mitchell Starc's younger brother, Alyssa Healy's brother-in-law -- Commonwealth Games champion Australian high jumper Brandon Starc has quite a cricket connection but ask him about it and he says "Naah, not my sport." Starc achieved a personal best of 2.32m to clinch the biggest medal of his career after the silver at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. He was the only one to touch the mark in the field. The lanky, baby-faced 24-year-old had the crowd on its feet at the Carrara stadium during the high jump finals, actively seeking its vocal support before almost every attempt he made. All smiles and quite literally bouncing with energy, he mostly laughed at questions on his cricket connection. With a number of Indian scribes covering the event, the Mitchell Starc question was an inevitable one. As a question on cricket popped up, Starc was quick to brush it aside. It was his moment and he wasn't going to let anything else take it away from him . "No, I don't follow cricket. That's my ...
Francis, Rafi renew Chennaiyin FC contracts
Two of the vital cogs in Chennaiyin FCs title-winning wheel, Francisco Fernandes and Mohammed Rafi have renewed their contracts with the Indian Super League (ISL) southern franchise by one year each, it was announced on Wednesday.
After bronze at CWG, shooter Apurvi gearing up for World Cup in South Korea
Jaipur's shooter Apurvi Chandela returned to the Pink city on Wednesday after winning the bronze medal in the women's 10m air rifle event at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) at Gold Coast.
CWG: India stun England to top Pool B
The Indian men's hockey team scored two goals in the final three minutes to overcome England 4-3 in a thrilling match to top Pool B and enter the semi-finals of the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.
Rathore asks CGF and England not to remove shooting from 2022 CWG roster
With shooting set to be dropped from the Birmingham Commonwealth Games' roster, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore today shot off a missive to his British counterpart and to the CGF President, asking them to intervene and ensure that the sport remains a part of the 2022 edition. The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) has left it to the host nation, in this case England, to keep or remove shooting, which has always been an optional sport, from the schedule. Rathore wrote not only to the CGF President Louise Martin but also sought intervention from Britain's MP Matt Hancock, who is Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. Rathore, himself an Olympic medal winning shooter, said removal of the sport from the CWG 2022 will create negative impact on the Indian and as well international shooters. "Dropping the sport from the CWG, 2022 would come as a major setback to the large number of athletes in these countries who would be preparing for this competition and ...
High jumper Tejaswin, quartermiler Hima Das both finish 6th
India continued their search for a medal from athletics in the 21st Commonwealth Games with high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and quartermiler Hima Das both finishing sixth in their respective events here today. The 19-year-old national record holder Tejaswin could not clear 2.27m in three attempts to be out of contention for a podium finish. The Delhi athlete had leaped 2.28m while winning the gold in the Federation Cup National Championships last month but today he was not in his element. Tejaswin started with 2.18m which he cleared in his second attempt and sailed the 2.21m-high bar comfortably. He then cleared 2.24m in his first attempt but stuck at 2.27m to the disappointment of the Indian athletics contingent. "This is the first time I started with 2.18. Generally I start with 2.10 but then now I know that I have to practice at higher heights. That's how it works in finals. 2.18 looked really good and I thought I was doing really well," Tejaswin, who is now based out of USA, said ...
CWG: Paddlers Harmeet, Sharath, Sathiyan advance
India's Harmeet Desai, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran came out victorious in their respective men's single table tennis matches to enter the Round of 16 at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.
Peter England is the official 'Style Partner' for Chennai Super Kings
Peter England, the leading menswear brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited once again announces its partnership with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the two-time champions of the prestigious Indian Premier League Trophy (IPL).As the team's official style partner, Peter England will style the CSK players and will also be the official cheerleading partner of 'Whistle Podu Machans', giving the cheerleaders an exciting new avatar this year.The partnership will also bring to stores, interesting co-branded CSK merchandise for fans who wish to take home a piece of memorabilia of their favourite team.The merchandise will include t-shirts and accessories and will be available at select Peter England exclusive stores."We are happy to associate once again this year with Chennai Super Kings to celebrate the spirit of cricket and take the brand closer to a larger audience. Our new range reflects the ethos of this partnership and is a celebration of the sport. Besides this, Peter England's ..
CWG: Saina, Sindhu, Srikanth, Prannoy, Satwik-Ashwini in pre-quarters
India's star singles shuttlers and the mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa advanced to the pre-quarterfinls of the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.
CWG: High jumper Tejaswin finishes 6th, Hima sixth in 400m final
India's high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and quarter-miler Hima Das finished sixth in the final of their respective events at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.
CWG: Joshna-Sandhu advance to mixed doubles squash pre-quarters
India's Joshna Chinappa and Harinder Pal Sandhu overcame a tough Scottish challenge 2-0 in the squash mixed doubles event to enter the Round-of-16 at the at the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.
Fernandes, Rafi renew Chennaiyin FC contracts
Francisco Fernandes and Mohammed Rafi have renewed their contracts with ISL-4 champions Chennaiyin FC by one year each. The 32-year old Fernandes was picked by Chennaiyin FC coach John Gregory in last seasons player draft despite undergoing an ankle surgery, a press release said. The nippy winger from South Goa repaid the faith shown in him by proving to be a versatile and ever-present force in what was a campaign to remember. He notched 17 appearances and scored one goal last season, but more importantly was efficient in whatever position he was deployed in. "I can't thank the coaching staff and club management enough for trusting in me. It is an incredible feeling as a player to have that kind of backing," said Fernandes on continuing with Chennaiyin for one more year. Having reached three of the four ISL finals so far (previously with ATK & Kerala Blasters), Rafi is another experienced figure in the Chennaiyin ranks. He contributed vastly to Chennaiyin's second ISL
Gaurav, Vikas, Manish in semis, Mary in final; Sarita, Pinki crash out (Boxing Roundup)
Indian boxers Gaurav Solanki, Vikas Krishan Yadav and Manish Kaushik entered the semi-finals while M.C. Mary Kom stormed into the final, even as Sarita Devi and Pinki Rani crashed out of the 21st Commonwealth Games here on Wednesday.
Pallikal, Chinappa advance to women's doubles quarters
Defending champions Dipikal Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa advanced to the women's doubles quarterfinals at the Commonwealth Games here today. Chinappa and Pallikal outclassed Malta's Dianne Kellas and Colette Sultana winning the tie in straight games 11-5 11-6. Earlier, the third seeds started proceedings against Tesni Evans and Deon Saffery of Wales. They won the first game 11-8 but faltered in the second to lose it 7-11. However, the duo used its experience to wrap up the match in style, winning the third game 11-8 in 10 minutes. They had defeated Pakistan's Fazia Zafar and Madina Zafar in their first group stage match yesterday. Pallikal and Chinappa topped the group by wining all three games. "When you're playing doubles, the middle play is something you want to attack most often. But again you have to get your basics right first to do that," said Chinappa referring to their style of play. In the mixed doubles draw, Chinappa and Harinder Pal Sandhu sailed past the Scottish pair of .
Mary Kom in final; 3 men in semis as boxers continue onward march at CWG
The indomitable M C Mary Kom (48kg) stormed into the finals and was on course to deliver India's maiden Commonwealth Games gold in women's boxing, while Vikas Krishan (75kg) along with two others entered the men's semifinals, here today. Five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist Mary Kom defeated a defensive Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku of Sri Lanka 5-0 to make the summit clash in her debut appearance at the Games. Among the men, the debutant duo of Gaurav Solanki (52kg) and Manish Kaushik (60kg), world bronze-medallist Vikas made the semifinals to be assured of medals. This takes the total number of male boxers in medal rounds to eight, a 100 per cent success rate in the event and one more in numbers compared to their best ever show at 2010 CWG. "It was difficult in the sense that this girl would just not come to me. I had to be careful because she was perhaps waiting for me to let my guard down," Mary Kom said after the bout. It was a battle of veterans between the ...
BCCI picks 4 stand-by cities for CSK's home matches due to Cauvery turmoil
BCCI has short-listed four cities to host Chennai Super King's home matches after the IPL franchise was told to consider shifting base due to the Cauvery water dispute, which has created a volatile political situation in the state, CoA chief Vinod Rai said. According to IPL sources, Visakhapatnam is front-runner from among the four cities, the other three being Trivandrum, Pune and Rajkot. There were already calls by various groups not to host cricket matches in the city when the state was facing such a grave situation. Massive protests were witnessed yesterday ahead of the match between CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders and an identified protestor flung a shoe at CSK's Ravindra Jadeja during the match. Committee of Administrator (CoA) Vinod Rai confirmed that the prevailing situation has forced them to explore options. "We are thinking on the lines of shifting the IPL matches from Chennai. There are four alternative venues that BCCI has kept ready. They are Visakhapatnam, Trivandrum, ...
Confident Indian team faces Aussie test in CWG semifinals
Confident it may be after bouncing back in style but the Indian women's hockey team faces a humongous task when it takes on world number five and favourites Australia in the semifinals of the Commonwealth Games here tomorrow. Three consecutive victories propelled India into the semifinals after a surprise 2-3 defeat against Wales in the tournament-opener. India's attack has been delivering so far in the competition as they have scored nine goals, with captain Rani having scored on three occasions but low shot conversion rate is a worrying matter. Only nine goals have come from a total of 48 attempted shots so far. Captain Rani Rampal, who scored the only goal in her team's 1-0 victory South Africa in their last Pool A match on Tuesday, conceded that they need to improve. "We have been playing attacking hockey against the strong teams as well, so it is important for us to make sure that we are grabbing our chances with both hands. We need to make sure that we are efficient against the .