Page 612 - Sports
CA officials inspect JSCA stadium ahead of March 8 Ind-Aus ODI
A five-member team, including three from Cricket Australia Friday visited the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium Complex in Dhurwa here and inspected the arrangements for the ODI match between India and Australia on March 8. According to a JSCA statement the team inspected dressing rooms, dining areas, pitch, ground, galleries, media centre, net practice area and the indoor cricket facility. The inspection was followed by a briefing by the JSCA covering all the aspects related to stadium operations, security, hospitality and logistics etc, the release said, adding that the team appeared pleased with the arrangements. The CA team was represented by Practice Berthold (Team Operations Manager), Sean Carroll (Head of security) and Brendan Drew ( Australia Cricketers' Association representative). The Indian team comprised Mayank Parikh (BCCI Logistics Manager) and Girish Dongre (BCCI Liaison for Australia team).
India one of the favourites for ICC World Cup, says Dravid
Former India skipper and India-A coach Rahul Dravid on Friday said that India are one of the favourites for the ICC Cricket World Cup, slated to be held from May 30 in England and Wales.
Title holders Punjab score second win in Sr National Men's Hockey
Dragflicker Rupinder Pal Singh scored a hat-trick as defending champions Hockey Punjab beat Association of Indian Universities 6-0 to register their second win at the ninth men's Senior National Hockey Championship (Division A), here on Friday. Besides out-of-favour India defender Rupinder (4th, 15th, 50th minutes), Dharamvir Singh (10th), Akashdeep Singh (39th) and Hartaj Aujla (51st) also sounded the board for Punjab in the Pool A match. In another Pool A match, The Mumbai Hockey Association Ltd drew 2-2 with Services Sports Control Board. In Pool C, Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) beat Uttar Pradesh Hockey 5-3 while Punjab National Bank registered a convincing 10-3 victory over Hockey Gangpur-Odisha. Last year's runners-up, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) beat Hockey Haryana 5-0 while Hockey Bhopal drew 2-2 with Central Reserve Police Force in Pool B matches. In Pool D, Air India Sports Promotion Board beat Namdhari XI 2-1, while Hockey Karnataka scored a hard-fought .
Chennai Spartans geared up to mount strong challenge
: The Chennai Spartans team is geared up to mount a strong challenge in the inaugural Pro Volleyball League, which gets underway at Kochi on Saturday. The captain Shelton Moses is upbeat about the team's prospects and said the target is to reach the playoffs first. "We have a strong team put together with the right balance of experience and youth. Our target is to make it to the playoffs so that we can take advantage of home support during the second leg in Chennai," he added. The team boasts of players like Kapil Dev, G S Akhin, Naveen Raja Jacob and others, apart from Moses and foreigners like Ruslan Sorokins (Latvia) and Rudy Verhoeff (Canada). The team is coached by M H Kumara, a FIVB Level-3 coach with M Ramesh as his assistant. Meanwhile, Indian international player G S Akhin is looking forward to the League and said the team had a mix of experience and youth which could prove beneficial. "I feel we have a good blend of both experience and upcoming talent and we have
Qatar players cleared in eligibility row before Asian Cup final
Asia's football body dismissed a protest claiming two Qatari players, including Asian Cup top-scorer Almoez Ali, were ineligible to play just hours before the final on Friday. The decision, which follows a protest lodged by Asian Cup hosts the United Arab Emirates, was announced as Qatar prepared to take the field against Japan in Abu Dhabi. "The Asian Football Confederation disciplinary and ethics committee today dismissed the protest lodged by the United Arab Emirates Football Association over the eligibility of two Qatar players," an AFC statement said. No details were given about the reasons for the protest or the dismissal. Ali, 22, who has a record-equalling eight goals in the tournament, was born in Sudan, while defender Bassam Al-Rawi, 21, was born in Iraq. The UAE made its protest after the home side were thrashed by Qatar, their arch-rivals, in a stormy semi-final that saw the winning team pelted with shoes and plastic bottles. According to the AFC's Disciplinary and Ethics .
I-League: Aizawl get out of relegation zone with win over Minerva
Former champions Aizawl FC got the better of defending champions Minerva Punjab FC 1-0 in an I-League clash at the Tau Devi Lal stadium here on Friday.
Davis Cup: Italy hint at including Barrettini for doubles rubber
Riding on Matteo Barrettini's superlative show in the second singles rubber, Italy captain Corrado Barazzutti hinted that they might change their doubles combination on Saturday to put themselves in a better position for sealing the Davis Cup World Group qualifier tie here.
Vani becomes 1st Indian to grab Australian LPGA card
Vani Kapoor became the first Indian to earn a card for the Australian Ladies PGA Tour (LPGA) after coming through its first-ever Qualifying Tournament at the Ballarat Golf Club here. Vani shot rounds of 71, 78 and 69 to finish at two-over 218 and was tied-12th with three others. The top-20 from a field of 81 earned playing rights on the Australian LPGA but there were many other benefits and spots available too. Other Indian girls in the Australian LPGA Qualifying were Diksha Dagar (tied-30th with round of 79-73-72); Astha Madan (tied-37th with cards of 75-78-73) and Ridhima Dilawari (tied-57th with cards of 76-79-76). Despite not making the card, Diksha, Astha and Ridhima could get into some of the Australian LPGA events, like the upcoming Ballarat Icons Australian LPGA Pro-Am, where Diksha and Astha will get a start in the two-day AUD 30,000 event over the weekend alongside Vani. Earlier, in the tense inaugural Australian LPGA Qualifying Tournament, Tsai Peiying of Taiwan emerged as .
Aizawl FC beat Minerva Punjab 1-0
Former champions Aizawl FC beat defending champions Minerva Punjab FC 1-0 in a 15th round match of the I-League on Friday. The all-important goal was scored by Lalrinchhana in the 69th minute. With this win, the Stanley Rosario-coached Aizawl leapfrogged their Friday hosts and moved to seventh on the points table, with 14 points from 15 games. They were in 10th spot before this game, deep into the relegation zone, but this result takes them out of it for now. For Minerva, the season got from bad to worse, as they suffered their seventh defeat in 15 games. With an AFC Champions League play-off campaign coming up, it will not inspire their side, despite a heroic effort from their young keeper Arshdeep Singh. It was a scrappy affair for most part of the game, except for a period in the second half when Aizawl looked enterprising. Minerva's coach Paul Munster even played new recruits Juan Quero of Spain and Mahmoud Al Amna of Syria, but his team's goal and win drought continued. The ...
ISL: Chennaiyin sign Australian Chris Herd
Chennaiyin FC on Friday announced the signing of 29-year-old versatile Australian Christopher Herd till the end of the current season.
Chennaiyin FC signs Australian midfielder Christopher Herd
Chennaiyin FC Friday announced signing of 29-year-old Australian midfielder Christopher Herd till the end of the current ISL season. Herd can play across the line in defence and in midfield and joins CFC after a recent spell with Thai top division side Buriram United, a release here said. He has featured for Aston Villa in the English Premier League and was part of the Australia squad that lifted the AFC Asian Cup trophy in 2015. Herd will be eligible for selection for Chennaiyin FC's match against FC Pune City here Saturday. "Chennaiyin FC is a new challenge for me and one I am genuinely excited about. I am looking forward to help the club pick up as many points as possible in the remainder of the ISL campaign and of course there are two cup competitions to look forward to after that," an upbeat Herd said on arriving in Chennai. CFC coach John Gregory said Herd would bring in a lot of quality and experience to the squad.
Volleyball league to kick off from Saturday
The stage is set for the inaugural edition of the RuPay Pro Volleyball League aimed at giving a boost to the sport in the country, beginning with the first leg here Saturday. Six teams will battle it out for top honours in the tournament, to be played here and in Chennai. The first 12 matches will be held in Kochi while six matches including the semi-finals and final will be held in Chennai. The final will be on February 22. According to Kochi Blue Spikers captain, Mohan Ukkrapandian the league would provide a platform for Indian players to compete with the best from across the world. "The league is a much-needed boost as it gives us a platform to compete with the best in the world. I really hope the fans take to the league in a fitting manner," he said. The tournament will kick off with a match between Kochi Blue Spikers and U Mumba Volley at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here. U Mumba Volley skipper Dipesh Sinha was upbeat about the league and said it provides an ...
India women's team to face Iran in Hero Gold Cup opener
Indias womens hockey team will be facing Iran in their first match on the opening day of the Hero Gold Cup at the Kalinga Stadium here on February 9, it was announced on Friday.
Young Berrettini is in mix for doubles, hints Italy non-playing captain
Italy on Friday did not rule out the possibility of fielding Matteo Berrettini in Saturday's doubles tie against India after the youngster made a dream Davis Cup debut here. Berrettini, the youngest member in the team, had pipped Italy's top-ranked singles player Marco Cecchinato (world number 19) to make the singles draw. And he lived up to his non-playing captain Corrado Barazzutti's confidence by beating India's numero uno singles player Prajnesh Gunneswaran in less than an hour to hand Italy a 2-0 lead on the opening day of the Davis Cup Qualifier. "He (Berrettini) played very well. He played like a veteran even though it was his first Davis Cup match. He really had a great match," Barazzutti said. The 1976 Davis Cup winner said Italy's doubles line-up is not yet finalised and they have one-hour time before the match to change the combination. "We still have time to discuss about that (Berrettini's inclusion). We can change the doubles combination one hour before the match. We ...
Katusmi brace earns comeback win for Neroca FC against Indian Arrows
Katsumi Yusa struck a brace as Neroca FC rallied to beat Indian Arrows 3-2 in an exciting I-League match here Friday. Yusa struck in the 68th and 87th (penalty) minutes while Felix Chidi (38th) was the other goal scorer for Neroca. Boris Thangjam (34th) and Rohit Danu (62th) found the target for the home side in the match played at the Kalinga Stadium. The match began on a slow pace with Neroca playing a much-organised game and enjoying better possession. The Manipur-based side had some fine attempts, but a goal eluded them due to lack of good finishing. The Arrows, who were trying hard to come back into the game, kept on penetrating with attacks on the counter but could not really succeed in doing that. Their efforts, however, were soon rewarded when Boris made the most of an opportunity and converted a cross from the right side to fire in a goal for Indian Arrows in the 34th minute. This was also the 200th goal of the I-League this season. Neroca soon found the equaliser four ...
Failed to seize opportunities: Bhupathi
Indian captain Mahesh Bhupathi on Friday rued that his men failed to seize the opportunities against a much higher-ranked Italy, which raced to a 2-0 lead on the opening day of the Davis Cup Qualifier. The big-serving Ramkumar Ramanathan got a break point in his very second game after he was leading 1-0 but the world number 37 Andreas Seppi used all his experience to hold his serve. Then again in the eighth game with Ramkumar leading 4-3, Seppi fended off another break before switching gears to wrap the set 6-4 and the second set turned out to be a formality with the Indian proving no match. "When you are playing players, who have so much experience and are used to playing at a level, you have to take your chances," he said of Ramkumar, who went on the defensive despite being in an advantageous position. "I am a firm believer that if you take your chances, you will get rewarded. That's where the momentum swung." Bhupathi admitted that the his players were under pressure, something ...
200 is just a number, says Mithali on world record
Back in 1999, 16-year-old schoolgirl Mithali Raj was simply happy wearing the India colours for the first time and not much changed even after two decades as the coveted milestone of 200 ODIs "is just a number" for the 36-year-old legend. Mithali made her ODI debut against England in Milton Keynes in January 1999 and on Friday became the first woman to complete in 200 matches in the 50-over format. Not to forget, she is the top run-getter in the world with 6622 runs. "200 is just a number for me but it feels nice to come so far," the unassuming India's ODI captain said after completing a maiden 2-1 series win on New Zealand soil. "I have seen different stages of (transformation) in women's cricket across the globe since I made by debut way back in 1999 under IWCC (International Women's Cricket Council). Coming under ICC, we could see the difference. I am just happy to represent the country for so long," Mithali said. For Mithali, it is a surreal feeling that she could continue for so .
Indian women's football team faces Iran in opening match of inaugural Hero Gold Cup tournament
The Indian women's football team faces Iran in their opening match of the inaugural Hero Gold Cup international tournament at the Kalinga Stadium here on February 9. The four-nation tournament, the first such competition in India for the senior women's team, is being organised by the All India Football Federation association with the Odisha government. Along with India and Iran, the tournament will also feature Myanmar and Nepal. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format with the two top teams playing in the final on February 15. AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das said the the primary objective of the tournament was to provide the best of exposure to the women's team as they prepare for the second round of the Olympic Qualifiers in April. "The Hero Gold Cup is meant to provide additional opportunity for the Indian women's national team to face other powerful teams in a competitive format," Das said. "While our team has been playing in friendlies overseas, we feel hosting ...
Want to refocus, rebuild South Africa Women's team: Dane van Niekerk
As South Africa Women gear up for the T20I series against Sri Lanka, their skipper Dane van Niekerk avowed it is crucial for her side to refocus and rebuild their team in the shortest format following a disheartening campaign at the ICC World T20 2018."We have got some new faces in the squad and we just want to rebuild as a T20 group and make sure what happened at the World Cup does not happen again," ICC quoted van Niekerk, as saying."We have made some changes to the batting line-up and we needed to do that to give players the opportunity to show what they can do. We want to play an attacking brand of cricket and that is one of our big targets," she added. South Africa finished at the third place, behind West Indies and England in Pool A. However, van Niekerk believes the team has worked on the mistakes and are has become better. "After the World Cup we had a massive chat. We have had to rethink our strategies and we have done that. We have given enough opportunities in the past to .
Michelle Catherina posts win over Uuriintuya
India's P Michelle Catherina and Olga Babiy of Ukraine caught up with overnight leader Divya Deshmukh with hard fought wins in the seventh round against Guliskhan Nakhbayeva of Kazakshtan in the Velammal-AICF WGM round-robin chess tournament here Friday. India's Woman international master Deshmukh (5 points) was held to a draw by Guliskhan Nakhbayeva of Kazakshtan, The result enabled Chennai's Catherina and Babiy draw level on the points table with Deshmukh, with wins over Uuriintuya Uurtsaikh (Mongolia) and Chandreyee Hajra respectively. The Divya-Nakhbayeva game saw the Kazakh player capitalise on an error on the 50th move to force a draw. Catherina put it across Uuriintuya to join her compatriot Deshmukh and Babiy at the top. Babiy defeated tail-ender Chandreyee Hajra in a Sicilian game after 52 moves. With four rounds to go, Deshmukh and Catherina stand a good chance to achieve Woman Grand Master norms. Results: Round 7 (Indians unless specified): Aakanksha Hagawane ..