Page 330 - Sports
Advani wins inaugural Asian Snooker Tour title
India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani defeated Ehsan Heydari Nezhad of Iran 6-4 to claim the inaugural Asian Snooker Tour title here Thursday. Advani, a 21-time world snooker and billiards champion, beat Nezhad 52-40, 66(58)-0, 1-63(62), 78-4, 35-47, 0-51, 47-35, 38-39, 53(49)-35, 51(50)-20 in the final. The Indian had earlier defeated Aung Phyo of Myanmar (5-2) 50-27, 92(92)-0, 86(86)-15, 12-62, 54-30, 24-70, 79-5 in the semifinal. Advani had earlier won the second leg of the Tour in China. Advani was leading the ranking before the final leg of the Tour in Bengaluru. The final leg was to determine the overall Asian Tour champion and the local hero did not disappoint. "I'm ecstatic to have won the inaugural Asian Snooker Tour and for it to culminate in my hometown is an absolute dream. The success of this event is owed to the organising committee headed by Arvind Savur and was ably supported by those involved in ensuring every aspect of the tournament was managed extremely well," Advani ..
Lahiri, Sharma yet to start as lightning leads to suspension
Ace Indian golfers Anirban Lahiri and Shubhankar Sharma were yet to tee off in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans golf tournament here Thursday after play was suspended because of inclement weather. Heavy rain and potential thunderstorms swept the TPC of Louisiana about midway through the morning round of play, forcing tournament officials to issue an inclement weather warning and clear the golf course a little over two and a half hours after the first tee off. The teams that teed off early in the morning were able to complete nine holes before the weather hit. Half of the 80-team field was able to at least start play. The team of Joel Dahmen and Brandon Harkins held the early lead at six-under-par after nine holes. Three teams were one shot back at five-under. They were Martin Laird and Nick Taylor; Danny Lee and Sung Kang and Brice Garnett and Chesson Hadley. Pre-tournament favorites Jason Day and Adam Scott were in a group of six teams at four-under after birdying
Pakistan U16 to tour Bangladesh
Pakistan under-16 are set to tour Bangladesh for two 3-day and three 50-over matches, beginning April 29.The 16-man squad, including players who won the 50-over match series 3-2 as well as a one-off T20I fixture against Australia, underwent rigorous training and practice sessions at the National Cricket Academy, besides playing one three-day and two-day and two 50-over practice matches at the Gaddafi Stadium."I want to thank the coaches and management for providing us the opportunity to train hard in the pre-series camp," said Ahmad Khan, one of the star performers against Australia who took 13 wickets and scored 84 runs."We got an opportunity to play three-day cricket, which was fantastic; I want to perform the way I did against Australia. We are also keen on winning the series in Bangladesh," he said.Middle-order batsman Rizwan Mehmood had a good run with the bat against Australia, scoring 114 runs in three innings."The series against Australia was great, my personal aim is to ...
Sam Billings dislocates his shoulder
England batsman Sam Billings suffered a shoulder injury when he made a return for Kent which, however, lasted only a couple of minutes. He was forced to leave the field after the injury.Kent's captain, Billings, was playing for his first county fixture of the season against Glamorgan at Cardiff, but appeared to dislocate his shoulder in an attempt to stop a shot in Harry Podmore's first over of the match, ESPN Cricinfo reported.The 27-year-old was not included in England's 15-member squad for the World Cup but is likely to play against Ireland in Dublin on May 3.Moreover, he was named for the one-off T20I against Pakistan in Cardiff which will be played two days after the Ireland match.England will be hosting the World Cup and will face South Africa in the opening match on May 30.
Diksha begins with solid four-under card, lies 4th in Morocco
Young Indian golfer Diksha Dagar continued her fine form and opened with a solid four-under 69 to lie fourth at the Lalla Meryem Cup on the Ladies European Tour here Thursday. Diksha, who had won at South Africa last month, had seven against three bogeys, including two in the last four. The left-handed 19-year-old, only the second Indian to win a LET event, finished with a bogey after being five-under on the Par-73 course. She trailed Line Boqvist by two shots. The Swede, Line, was six-under through 10 holes with Camilla Lennarth (Sweden) and Nuria Iturrios of Spain sharing the second place at five-under. Diksha also found her form on the greens. The youngster from New Delhi, who suffered a wrist injury on the eve of the event, said: "I was able to read the line correctly and make all the putts. In Morocco, it's easy for me to read the greens and I love these kind of greens." Diksha birdied fourth, fifth and eighth on the front nine and dropped shots on sixth and ninth. On the back ...
ICF Chennai wins Arjan Singh Memorial International hockey tournament
Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai beat South Central Railway, Hyderabad via penalty shootout in the final to win the 2nd Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial International hockey tournament title here on Thursday. ICF Chennai won 7-5 in the penalty shootout after the two sides were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation time at the Astro Turf Hockey Ground at Air Force, Chandigarh. A total of 16 teams participated in this tournament. Apart from the elite Indian teams, Air Force teams from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also participated in this edition, making it truly an international event. A total of 31 matches were played in the tournament wherein 202 goals were scored. The opening ceremony of the event was held on April 16 and Air Marshal RKS Shera, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command was the Chief Guest. Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff was the Chief Guest for the Closing Ceremony on Thursday. The CAS awarded the coveted trophy to the
Trying to get Dhoni have rest is difficult, says CSK batting coach Hussey
Chennai Super Kings batting coach Mike Hussey Thursday said skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was keen to play all the games for the team and it was "very difficult" to get him to have rest. The question over Dhoni taking a break from his IPL duties crept up after he himself said that if his niggling back problem worsens he won't hesitate to take some time off, especially with his last World Cup around the corner. "Well you would have to ask Dhoni that question. I think what I know about him is that he doesn't want to miss any matches. He loves playing for CSK, this place is very close to his heart and he wants to play and do well and wants to see the team have success. "So trying to get him to have rest is very difficult," Hussey told reporters here ahead of Friday's IPL match against Mumbai Indians. "I don't know what he (Dhoni) wants to do in that respect, but we will have to wait and see. I think he is keen to play all the games," he said about the CSK captain. Dhoni missed last week's
Jr Girls C'ship: Gujarat, Mizoram in quarters
The final round of fixtures in the group stages of the Junior Girls' National Football Championships 2019 came to a close on Thursday with Gujarat and Mizoram becoming the last two teams to book their place in the quarterfinals, which are set to begin on Friday.
Royals win toss, elect to field first against KKR
Rajasthan Royals skipper Steve Smith won the toss and elected to field first against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash at the Eden Gardens here on Thursday.
India's young brigade dominates mixed team competitions in shooting World Cup
Young Indian shooters dominated the mixed team competitions by winning two gold medals on day three of the ongoing ISSF World Cup to take the country on the top of medal tally here on Thursday. The teenage pairing of Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary won their second gold in 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event in as many World Cup stages this year while another teenager Divyansh Panwar struck gold in Air Rifle Mixed Team event partnering the more accomplished Anjum Moudgil to help cap a memorable day for India. The start of the day was all about a new pair, a new format and a new result. Anjum partnered Divyansh, who was in only his second senior competition, for the first time to beat the formidable Chinese pair of Liu Ruxuan and Yang Haoran 17-15 in a pulsating gold medal match. The win was even more creditable given that a new format was being tried by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) for the mixed events in Beijing. At one stage, it looked like the Chinese pair would
Kakran, Manju hand India twin bronze medals in Asian Wrestling C'ships
India's Divya Kakran and Manju Kumari bagged bronze medals for the country in the women's competition of the Asian Wrestling Championships here Thursday. Asian Games bronze-medallist Kakran defeated Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia via fall in the play-offs of the 68kg category to finish on the podium. It was double delight for India as Manju also secured a bronze medal earlier in the day by beating Vietnam's Thi Huong Dao 11-2. Seema, who also made it to the play-offs, however failed to register a hat-trick of bonze medals for India after losing to Valentina Ivanovna Islamova Brik of Kazakhstan 5-11 in the 50kg category. Earlier in the day, while Kakran and Manju reached the bronze medal round after losing their respective semi-final bouts, Seema made it to the third-fourth place tie after winning her repechage bout. Silver-medallist in the 69kg category at the 2017 edition of the Asian Championships in New Delhi, Kakran lost out on a place in the final of 68kg after going down to
Jacques Kallis honoured by South Africa Presidency
Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been honoured with an Order of Ikhamanga from the Presidency for his contribution to cricket and placing the team on the world sporting map."His (Kallis) stellar career and commitment to the sport inspired many young people to aim for excellence," the Presidency tweeted on Thursday.The 43-year-old, who is busy coaching IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, received the Order in absentia from President Cyril Ramaphosa. Kallis' wife Charlene and his agent, former South Africa spinner Dave Rundle, collected the award on his behalf in Pretoria, Sport24 reported.Kallis played in 166 Tests, scoring 13289 runs at an average of 55.37 and took 292 wickets at 32.65. He featured in 328 ODIs, accumulating 11579 runs at 44.36 and returned with 273 wickets at 31.79. He also played in 25 T20Is, scoring 666 runs and returned with 12 wickets.
Lords of the Ring: Six Indians in Asian Boxing Championship Finals
Amit Panghal (52kg) and Kavinder Singh Bisht (56kg) remained on course for their second successive international gold medals this year and India looked good to notch up its best ever performance in the Asian Boxing Championships here on Thursday. Panghal and Bisht were the most impressive on a day when Shiva Thapa's (60kg) unprecedented fourth successive semifinal appearance ended with a bronze after a gruelling battle which could have gone either way. Deepak Singh (49kg) and Ashish Kumar (75kg) joined Panghal and Bisht in the men's finals, while Pooja Rani (81kg) and Simranjit Kaur (64kg) advanced to Friday's summit clashes in the women's draw. Panghal defeated China's Hu Jianguan in a split verdict, which was a surprise given that the Indian was clearly the more dominant of the two boxers and dictated the bout with his tremendous pace and aggression. Bisht, on the other hand, turned in a lion-hearted show in a bloody battle which left him and his opponent -- Mongolian Enkh-Amar ...
Ganguly's WC Semi-Final picks: India, Pakistan, Australia and England
The current Indian team's strength makes them "favourites" going into any competition leave alone World Cup where they are sureshot semifinalists alongside Australia, England and Pakistan. The former India captain, who led the team to the 2003 World Cup finals expects that current round robin format will be one of the most "keenly contested" tournament. "My pick for the four semifinalists spot would be India, Australia, England and Pakistan. India are one of the title-contenders of course," Ganguly told PTI in an interview. Ten teams will be competing in the ODI cricket's quadrennial extravaganza in a round robin format where every team plays each other before the semifinals. "It's going to be one of the most keenly contested World Cups. Indian team is so strong that in any tournament they will be favourites. This World Cup will probably be the best format. The best four teams will reach the semi-finals playing all the teams. There are no easy teams," said Ganguly. Kuldeep Yadav's ...
Badminton Asia C'ship: Sindhu, Saina, Sameer in QF
Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Sameer Verma on Thursday advanced to the quarterfinals of the ongoing Badminton Asia Championship after winning their respective pre-quarterfinal matches.
Taking back captaincy from Rahane disrespectful: Brad Hogg
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg on Thursday said that he did not approve of the manner in which Rajasthan Royals treated Ajinkya Rahane when they replaced him with Steve Smith as captain.Responding to questions by Twitter users, Hogg posted a video on the social networking site. To a query if it was a right move by RR to change the skipper in the middle of the tournament, he said: "I do not think Rajasthan Royals have made a right move down there. Even though Steve Smith had a win in his first game as captain, I don't like the way they treated Rahane.""While Rahane was the captain, there was so much arm-waving from other players within that line-up. When he was trying to talk to his bowlers, other players were coming in. A captain is your captain; he is the who makes decisions, no one else... I think it was a tough decision on Rahane, and it showed a little bit of disrespect for young Rahane," he added.However, the 48-year old heaped praise on Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer ..
India wins two gold in ISSF shooting WC
India opened its medal account with a gold each in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Tam and 10 Air Pistol Mixed team events on the third day of competitions at the ISSF Shooting World Cup here Thursday. Young shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary took the top spot in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event after Anjum Moudgil and Divyansh Singh Panwar opened the country's gold account in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event. Bhaker and Chaudhary outshot Jiang Ranxin and Pang Wei of China 16-6 in the final, which was held in the new format wherein top two teams battled for the gold medal. The Indian pair, who had qualified for the final at the fifth spot with 482 points, won the first six series and dominated the final before the Chinese combination managed to open their account. It was Bhaker and and Chaudhary's second World Cup gold in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event. The pair had won their first yellow metal together at the ISSF World Cup held in February in New Delhi. Bhaker had failed ..
Top players for elite legends tennis tournament in Mumbai
More than 100 senior tennis players from across India will participate in the inaugural Investec Elite Legends Championship to be held at the MCA Courts in Bandra Kurla Complex here from April 27. The two-day tournament, organised by SportX Elites, is an invitational championship honouring the past, present and future legends of Indian Tennis over the age of 50 and will be played in a round robin format with each match played in three 7 point tie-breaks, a media release stated here Thursday. The participants will be divided into 8 groups and top 2 players with maximum points will qualify from each group. As many as 125 veterans from 10 states, including Kerala and Mizoram, and 25 cities will be participating in the inaugural edition, the release said. Veteran players like ex-national champion Mayur Vasant and some of the top-ranked players of India in the 50-plus category such as R Nagraj and Shrikant Parekh, among others, will be participating in the tournament, the ...
ISSF World Cup: Manu Bhaker-Saurabh Chaudhary clinch gold
Young pistol shooters Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary teamed up to clinch India's second gold at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Beijing on Thursday.Manu and Saurabh comprehensively defeated 16-6 Chinese pair Jiang Ranxin and Pang Wei in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, which was held in the new format wherein top two teams clashed for the gold.The Indian duo had finished fifth, scoring 482 points in qualification.Earlier, Anjum Moudgil and Divyaansh Singh Panwar opened India's gold medal tally, beating Ruxuan Liu and Haoran Yang of China in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed team event.The score was tied at the end of the final at 15-15, but the Indian team came out on top 17-15 in the sudden death shoot-off. Yulia Karimova and Grigorii Shamakov from Russia settled for bronze.
Wake up and smell the coffee: Das to ISL critics
Ever since the launch of cash-rich Indian Super League (ISL) in 2014, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has often been accused of playing the role of "chowkidar", who protects the interest of newly-found franchises and remains completely indifferent in its attitude towards traditional I-League clubs.