Page 2148 - Sports
Golf: Dave gets final spot for national finals of Mumbai leg
Jaysinh Dave clinched the final qualification spot of the Mumbai leg of the Mercedes-Trophy 2018, a golf tournament being held at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here today. Jaysinh carded a nett score of 72 to emerge victorious on day three of the Mumbai qualifications. He will now be competing at the National Finals of the tournament to be played at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune from 4-6 April, 2018 along with two other qualifiers from here- actor R Madhavan and Rajesh Natrajan, a media release said today. A total of 300 golfers participated in the three days of the Mumbai qualifications. A host of six qualifiers have been identified so far from the three legs of the tournament including Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai. A total of another 34 qualifiers will be selected from the remaining nine legs of the trophy. Mercedes Trophy will now proceed to its next qualification destination of Bengaluru scheduled to tee off on January 17. The best Gross winner of the day was ...
MCG handed an official warning by ICC for 'poor' pitch
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) has been given an official warning for producing a 'poor' pitch for the fourth Ashes Test, ICC said today. The fourth Boxing Day Test between Australia and England played at the venue from December 26-30 last year was the only match of the five-Test series that failed to produce a result over the five days. ICC Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle had rated the pitch as "poor" in his official report but ICC let it off with a warning after Cricket Australia showed commitment to improve the pitch provided for future matches. "In arriving at the sanction, the ICC noted the comprehensive response provided by Cricket Australia, which did not contest the rating given to the pitch by the ICC Match Referee, Ranjan Madugalle, but highlighted that the ground is a frequently used venue that has no history of preparing poor pitches for international cricket," ICC said in a release. Cricket Australia also "indicated that there was a commitment by both ...
Anil Khanna to head IOA Finance Commission
Senior sports administrator Anil Khanna was today named Chairman of the Finance Commission of the Indian Olympic Association, which also formed a four- member advisory committee. The IOA also formed a Medical Commission and Games Technical Conduct Committee and nominated office bearers of IOA and National Sports Federations (NSFs) to the Committees. The advisory committee comprises Tarlochan Singh, GS Mander, S Regunathan and BS Landge. The Khanna-led Finance Commission has Sahdev Yadav, Secretary General, Indian Weightlifting Federation and DK Singh, Secretary, Uttarakhand Olympic Association, as members. Mukesh Kumar, President, Judo Federation of India, has been nominated Chairman of the Games Technical Conduct Committee (GTCC) for National Games. Pawan Deep Singh Kohli, son of Tarlochan, was named Chairman of the Medical Commission. Kohli's name was embroiled in a controversy when he was appointed as the Chief Medical Officer of the Indian contingent for the 2016 Rio .
Mohun Bagan sign of Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi
Struggling Mohun Bagan today announced the signing of Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi for the remainder of the 2017-18 I-League season. Mohun Bagan, languishing at fifth place in the points table, parted ways with Liberian forward Anusmana Kromah yesterday following a string of poor outings. "With immense pleasure we wish to state that Mohun Bagan have roped in Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi for 2017-18 season. The striker is in Lebanon and will apply for his visa today," the club said in a statement. Moghrabi, who has previously plied his trade on Indian soil in the 2012-13 season with Churchill Brothers when he helped the Goan side clinch the I-League title, is expected to fill the void up front along with Dipanda Dicka. The Green and Maroons lost to Minerva Punjab FC 1-2 in their last game in which Kromah missed a spot kick. Mohun Bagan have 13 points from nine matches.
ITF junior tennis meet to start from January 15 (Lead, Correcting para 5)
Budding talent from India and 16 other countries will be seen in action at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Tennis championship, starting from January 15, the organisers said here on Friday.
Del Potro floors Ferrer to reach Auckland final
Juan Martin del Potro reached his third final in his last four tournaments when he beat David Ferrer in straight sets to set up an Auckland Classic decider against Robert Bautista Agut today. Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion and Auckland winner, beat Ferrer 6-4, 6-4 to continue his strong form from the end of last season, which included victory in Stockholm and losing the Basel final to Roger Federer. The Argentine world number 12 now goes into a final against 2016 Auckland champion Bautista Agut, who came from behind in an epic a battle against Dutchman Robin Haase featuring three tie-breaks. After nearly three hours on court, the classic encounter was settled by a Bautista Agut lob that landed on the line, ending 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/5). "Unfortunately the match cannot have two winners and I'm so happy I won," said the relieved Spaniard, who sank to his knees at the end. "The end was unbelievable when I saw the ball in I went crazy, I was so happy." The ...
ITF junior tennis meet to start from January 15
Budding talent from India and 16 other countries will be seen in action at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Junior Tennis championship, starting from January 15, the organisers said here on Friday.
Young guns help Asia take slender lead; Lahiri, SSP lose
Experienced golfers Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia failed to fire but young Asian stars sizzled as the Arjun Atwal-led team grabbed a historic opening day 3 to 2 lead over the star-studded European squad at the third EurAsia Cup here today. In three editions of the event, this was the first time the Asians led after the opening day's fourball action. Asia trailed 0-5 in 2014 and 1 to 4 in 2016. The 22-year-old emerging Chinese star, Li Haotong holed a final birdie to snatch a crucial half point alongside local Nicholas Fung against Europe's Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Bernd Wiesberger. Earlier, the bunch of new faces in Asian team, including 18-year-old Phachara Khwongwatmai, the smiling and strapping Haotong, the 24-year-old Poom Saksansin and the highly articulate Asia No. 1 24-year-old Gavin Green, with their partners brought in a full point each. Arjun Atwal said, "These youngster were just too good. My stars included all youngsters from Poom to Phachara to (Gavin)
I-League: Mohun Bagan sign Lebanese striker Moghrabi
Under-pressure city football giants Mohun Bagan on Friday announced the signing of Lebanese striker Akram Moghrabi for the remainder of the 2017-18 I-League season.
Djokovic dealt tough Australian Open draw as he plans tennis comeback
Former world number one Novak Djokovic faces a brutal challenge if he is to win the Australian Open in his comeback to tennis.
Focus on Indian batsmen in 2nd Test against South Africa (Preview)
India will aim to bounce back after their defeat in the opening Test against South Africa when the second match of the starts at the SuperSport Park here on Saturday with the focus on its batsmen.
Menezes demands more from his troop to tackle Chennai City FC
Aizawl FC will try to get back to winning ways after losing their last match against Mohun Bagan as the reigning champions host Chennai City FC for the year's first home match in the I-League here tomorrow. Aizawl FC are trailing league leaders Minerva Punjab by nine points having played two matches fewer. Chennai City will play their penultimate away match of the season after showing their potential against Shillong Lajong to garner a hard- earned point from the capital city of Meghalaya. Chennai City garnered 4 points from their last two away matches against Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong and head coach V Soundararajan is brimming with confidence as they are to face the champions. "We have recruited more players from the rural areas this season and the boys are doing well. Aizawl will be our second last away match and we hope to have a better result in our home matches. Top 4 is still a possibility and we will fight in our remaining matches," said V ...
Yuki inches closer to Australian Open main draw
Putting up a dominating show, Yuki Bhambri outclassed Spaniard Carlos Taberner to reach the third and final qualifying round of the Australian Open, here today. Bhambri, who is in good nick, routed the world number 183 6-0 6-2 in the second round of the men's singles qualifiers. The 25-year-old Indian, ranked 122, won 54 points in the 57-minute contest, breaking his rival six times in the match. Bhambri will now fight it out with Canadian Peter Polanksy for a place in the main draw. If Bhambri clears the final hurdle, it will be his third appearance in the Australian men singles main draw. In 2015, as a qualifier, he had lost to Andy Murray in the first round and in 2016 he bumped into Tomas Berdych to make a first round exit. Ramkumar Ramanathan, India's next best singles player in the rankings at number 139, will play his second round later in the day. The 23-year-old from Chennai is up against French man Gleb Sakharov, ranked 156.
Unfazed by loss, Bikey hopeful of JFC's top four finish
Jamshedpur FC defender Andre Bikey remains confident that the debutants can finish among the top four and qualify for the semi-finals despite winning only two of their nine first leg matches in the Hero Indian Super League. At the end of the first leg, Jamshedpur FC are placed seventh with 10 points from nine matches. But the debutants will be encouraged that they matched FC Goa for most parts of the 90 minutes even though they ended up on the losing side (1-2) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Thursday. "Everything is open and we are still on it. We are a strong team mentally and it is not easy to come here and perform like we did tonight. But unfortunately we lost the game. That's football and we have to manage it, keep going and I am sure we will be in the top four," said the former Premier League footballer. Commenting on the game, Bikey said, "It was a brilliant game to be honest. We were in the game all throughout and we were prepared for this kind of ..
Saudi women to enter stadiums for first time to watch soccer
Saudi women will be allowed for the first time to enter a sports stadium to watch a soccer match between two local teams, though they will be segregated from the male-only crowd with designated seating in the so-called "family section." The first stadium is to open its doors to women in the Red Sea city of Jiddah today. The move is Saudi Arabia's first social reform planned for this year giving women greater rights. To prepare for the change, the kingdom has designated "family sections" in the stands for women. The stadiums have also been fitted with female restrooms and separate entrances and parking lots for female spectators. On Saturday, the national stadium in the capital, Riyadh, will open its gates for women to attend a soccer game.
Pro golfer Shubhankar Sharma trains young Gurugram players
It was a dream come true for budding golfers of the city as some of them recently got the chance to train under professional golfer Shubhankar Sharma at the DLF Golf & Country Club.The training session with the Youngest Asian golf champion honed their craft besides helping them to muster the intricacies of the sport.Shubhankar Sharma was also felicitated for his stellar win at the recently-concluded Joburg Open at South Africa, a European Tour event, which has earned him a two-year exemption on the European Tour and an invite to the British Open 2018.He also won the season-ending McLeod Russell Tour Championship in Kolkata (PGTI).During the training session, Shubhankar said that playing golf is his passion before stressing that he feels good to see that more youngsters are now warming up to the sport and considering taking it up as their profession.Aakash Ohri, Senior Executive Director of DLF, which is Shubhankar's sponsors since he turned Pro, said, "Shubhankar is a world ...
Ishant Sharma is too erratic, says Raju Kulkarni
Experienced seamer Ishant Sharma is too erratic and has failed to lead the country's pace bowling attack, feels former India pacer Raju Kulkarni. "He (Ishant Sharma) has played 78 (79) Test matches, to play 78 (79) Test matches for India is amazing. But I don't think he has ever led from the front and that has been a problem with him," Kulkarni told reporters here last night. "He is too erratic, every-time he comes with new techniques, strategies, and that itself is very confusing for him," added the 55-year-old, who has played three Tests and 10 ODIs for India. Kulkarni spoke on the sidelines of a function organised by Legends Club at the Cricket Club of India here. Sharma, who made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2007, has grabbed 226 wickets in 79 Test matches. The Delhi pacer has also picked up 115 wickets in 80 ODIs. "In the last two series, he (Sharma) was acting very stupidly, reacting to the situations badly, and I think every time he comes out with something
Plenty of cricket still to be played in the series (Column: Just Sport)
Free-flowing advice has poured in from across the cricketing world for Virat Kohli and his teammates after the setback at Newlands. Much of it for the batsmen, a little to bowlers and the team management.
Winning gold in CWG, Asian Games a realistic goal: Manpreet Singh
While the Indian men's hockey team departs for the Four Nations Invitational Tour in New Zealand, skipper Manpreet Singh expressed confidence that his side can win gold at the Commonwealth Games 2018 and defend their Asian Games title later this year.The team are slated to play two separate five-day series against Belgium, New Zealand and Japan, starting on January 17 at the Blake Park in Tauranga followed by five-day Series at the Gallagher Hockey Centre in Hamilton that ends on January 28.With a young team that features four debutants, skipper Manpreet Singh stresses on the importance of this tournament before emphasizing on team's increasing confidence to beat higher ranked teams."It is always good to start the season with some good matches against top teams. We have Belgium in our pool in the World Cup this year and as many matches we play against them, the better for us. With teams like New Zealand and Japan in the fray, this tour will certainly help us in our preparations for ...
Winning gold medal in CWG a realistic goal: Manpreet
Hockey skipper Manpreet Singh feels the season-opening Four Nations Invitational Tour in New Zealand will set the pace for a hectic season and give impetus to India's goal of clinching the coveted gold at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. The Indian Men's Hockey team left for New Zealand this morning to play two separate five-day series against Belgium, New Zealand and Japan starting on January 17 at Tauranga and Hamilton. With a young team that features four debutants, Manpreet stressed on the importance of this tournament. "It is always good to start the season with some good matches against top teams. We have Belgium in our pool in the World Cup this year and as many matches we play against them, the better for us," he said on the eve of their departure. "With teams like New Zealand and Japan in the fray, this tour will certainly help us in our preparations for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games," expressed the 25-year-old midfielder. Looking back at the Odisha Hockey