Page 669 - Sports

Khelo India: Maharashtra complete golden sweep in kho-kho

Hosts Maharashtra completed a clean sweep of gold medals in the boys and girls under-17 and under -21 kho-kho competition at the Khelo India Youth Games here Thursday. Kerala finished with two silver medals, both in the under-21 category. Delhi (girls under-17) and Andhra Pradesh (boys under-17) were the other silver medallists. Barring the Boys Under-17 final against Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra were made to fight in all the other finals, but in the end they came emerged triumphant. In an enthralling under-17 girls' final, Maharashtra beat Delhi 19-17 as the match was decided through an extra innings which Maharashtra won 7-5, after both teams were level at the end of the second innings, a media release said. The story in the under-17 boys final was very different as Maharashtra thumped Andhra Pradesh 19-8. In the under-21 girls final, Kerala fought back from a 2-7 deficit but Maharashtra held their nerve to prevail 7-6 and emerge victorious. The under-21 boys final was ..

Mizoram eye boys U-21 football gold at Khelo India

Mizoram Thursday dominated proceedings but still needed penalties to get past Goa by 4-2 to enter the final of the Boys Under-21 football competition at the Khelo India Youth Games here. They await the winners of the other semi-finals to be contested between Kerala and Punjab, a media release said. The Boys Under-17 final will be contested between Punjab and Karnataka while the U-17 Girls gold medal match will see Odisha take on Jharkhand. In the morning, Odisha edged past Manipur 2-1 in the Girls Under-17 semi-finals, while Jharkhand swamped Kerala 7-0. In the Boys Under-17 section, Punjab dumped hosts Maharashtra 3-1, while Karnataka edged past Kerala 8-7 on penalties in the other semi-final after full-time had ended 1-1. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu beat Maharashtra 3-2 and Manipur got the better of Mizoram 3-0 in the Girls Under -21 category. So, Maharashtra will meet Mizoram for bronze while Tamil Nadu and Manipur will contest the final. Results: Girls U-17 semi-finals: ...

Khelo tennis: Manish meets Dhruv in boy U-21 singles final

Third seed S Manish of Tamil Nadu reached the final of boys U-21 singles at the Khelo India Youth Games with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Nitin Sinha of West Bengal. He will now face the unseeded Dhruv Sunish of Maharashtra, who upset fourth seed Paramveer Bajwa of Chandigarh in the other semi-final 6-4, 6-2, a media release said. In the U-17 girls singles semi-finals, Prerna Vichare of Maharashtra overcame Lakshmi Reddy of Andhra Pradesh 7-5, 6-4 and will play Priyanshi Bhandari of Gujarat for the gold medal. The Gujarat girl beat top seed Gargi Pawar of Maharashtra 6-2, 6-2. In the girls U-21 doubles semi-finals, Telanganas Rashmika Bhamdipaty and Humera Shaik reached final without conceding a game against Tamil Nadu's K Balasubramanian and Sai Avanti Revevanur. They face Gujarats Zeel Desai and Vaidehi Chaudhari who defeated Sai Dedeepya and Aditi Aree of Telangana 6-0, 6-2 in the other semi-final.

England Lions tour to India is a great development opportunity: Andy Flower

England Lions' head coach Andy Flower on Thursday said winning is the objective on their winter tour to India, but insists that the development opportunities for the young cricketers in unfamiliar conditions are the key to a successful tour."Both sides will want to play good, winning cricket but I think we all understand that it is the development opportunity for these high potential youngsters that we are after," the England and Wales Cricket Board quoted Flower, as saying."The purpose of these Lions' tours is to offer our highest potential young talent in the country, the opportunity to either train or to play in a competitive tour in foreign conditions. Our county system is good; there are some really talented, outstanding cricketers that come out of it," he added.The Lions squad landed in Trivandrum on January 13 ahead of a month-long series against India A. The teams are slated to play five one-day games and two four-day unofficial Test matches.Supported by coaches Kevin Shine, ..

I-League: Relegation-threatened Aizawl up against rampaging Chennai (Preview)

Former champions Aizawl FC will look to stave off an imminent threat of relegation when they take on table-toppers Chennai City FC in an I-League encounter here on Friday.

Khelo India: Jharkhand stun Odisha in girls' hockey semis

Jharkhand overturned a 0-3 deficit to beat strong title favourites Odisha 4-3 and set up a title clash with Haryana in the girls' U-17 hockey competition of the Khelo India Youth Games here on Thursday.

Former Pak players willing to work in toilets if PCB employs them: Ahmed

Former Test pacer Tanveer Ahmed believes some of the former Pakistani cricketers would be willing to work even in toilets if they get a chance to work with the Pakistan Cricket Board. "It is my personal opinion what is wrong with that. I believe some of our former players are so desperate for employment opportunities in the board they would even work in the toilets," he said. His comment on the GTV sports show on the GTV News channel prompted viewers and social media followers to label him as a sick person who had no respect for elders or his colleagues. Tanveer, who played five Tests, a T20 international and two ODIs from 2010 to 2013, gained a lot of prominence due to his controversial comments since becoming a full time expert and cricket analyst on television channels. Last year when the Asia Cup was held in UAE, Tanveer earned the wrath of fans worldwide on social media when he suggested that Virat Kohli had run away from the tournament although the Indian captain was rested for .

Serena in charge as Djokovic races past Tsonga at Open

Serena Williams stepped up her drive for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam Thursday by swatting aside Eugenie Bouchard, as world number one Novak Djokovic won an emotional 2008 Australian Open final rematch with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But women's top seed Simona Halep and young gun Alexander Zverev had to dig deep to make the third round on a day of epic battles and the latest start to a match ever at the tournament. American great Williams followed up her first round 49-minute romp by spending just 70 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to dispose of the Canadian 6-2, 6-2. "It wasn't an easy match tonight," said the 37-year-old, seeded just 16. "So I knew 'Serena, you've got to come out hot, you've got to come out firing, she's a really good player and I haven't had many matches since last year'." Williams is bidding to match Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam crowns, and win an eighth in Australia, on her first return to Melbourne Park since lifting the trophy in 2017 while ...

Djokovic powers past Tsonga in 2008 Aussie Open final repeat

World number one Novak Djokovic blasted past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 at the Australian Open on Thursday in a repeat of their 2008 Melbourne final, also won by the Serb. The top seed vanquished his old French foe for the 17th time in 27 tour meetings stretching back 11 years and advances to face Canada's 25th seed Denis Shapovalov in the third round. Djokovic, 31, won the first of his 14 Grand Slams in that final against Tsonga over a decade ago and he said the memories came flooding back as the pair walked back out on Rod Laver Arena. "You could feel the tension on court at the beginning. We felt a lot of emotion but we tried to play a great game," said Djokovic as both players took a trip down memory lane. That occasion remains world number 177 Tsonga's sole Grand Slam final. The 33-year-old is on the comeback trail after missing seven months of the 2018 season following left knee surgery that saw his ranking plummet outside the top 200. Back in 2008 Djokovic had won in four

London Olympics medal winner Modzmanashvili fails new doping test

Olympic medal-winning freestyle wrestler Davit Modzmanashvili has tested positive for the steroid turinabol after new analysis of samples from the 2012 London games, the International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday. Tiblisi-born Modzmanashvili won silver for Georgia in the 120kg weight class in London before switching to Uzbekistan in 2017. His positive test comes after the IOC announced in November that reanalyses of samples from the 2012 games -- using "the latest scientific analysis methods" -- were under way. This reanalysis programme has revealed more than fifty positive cases and led to the removal of some twenty medals from the London Olympics, while during the Games only a dozen positive cases were discovered. Modzmanashvili was banned for two years in 2008 and stripped of that year's European title after testing positive for a banned substance. In 2016 he was banned for and then cleared of testing positive for meldonium, the same substance for which Maria Sharapova ..

Hewitt accuses Tomic of 'physical threats, blackmail'

Lleyton Hewitt accused Bernard Tomic of blackmail and physical threats against him and his family in explosive allegations Thursday as Australian tennis plunged to new lows. The veteran two-time Grand Slam champion said the firebrand player would never again feature in Davis Cup while he captained the Australian team. He called Tomic a "clown" and said he did not want anything to do with him. "We're trying to set cultural standards for the Davis Cup and representing Australia. He hasn't really been close to those for in the last couple of years," Hewitt told reporters. He was responding to Tomic's claims this week that Hewitt had ruined the national system and "no one likes him any more". The former world No.1 said Tomic had attempted to blackmail him by demanding wildcard and threatening to refuse to play Davis Cup, saying their once-close relationship was over. "I think the threats that I have received for me and my family, that I've had for a year-and-a-half now, I don't think ...

Karnataka lose 3 wickets in chase of 184 in Ranji quarters

Spinners Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal shared seven wickets between them as Karnataka bundled out Rajasthan for 222 to set themselves a 184-run target for a place in the Ranji Trophy semifinals, here Thursday. The visitors resumed at 11 for no loss with openers Amit Kumar Gautam (24) and Chetan Bist (33) spending considerable time at the crease before Abhimnayu Mithun broke the partnership by dismissing the former. The following batsmen got starts with skipper Mahipal Lomror (42) and Robin Bist (44) batting with determination but once the top four batsmen were dismissed the visitors innings fell apart. Rajasthan lost last six wickets for 99 runs as they were clueless against Gowtham and Gopal. Salman Khan, batting at number six, added a crucial 25 off 62 balls. Off-spinner Gowtham (4/54) snared four batsmen while leg-break bowler Gopal scalped (3/52) three. Mithun picked up two wickets after conceding 26 runs. Rajasthan had scored 224 in their first innings with the help of ...

'Hungry' Mary Kom eyes gold at Tokyo Olympics

Legendary boxer Mary Kom, the only woman to clinch six world championship titles, is now eyeing the elusive Olympic gold medal next year as her crowning glory. The 35-year-old pugilist from Manipur said winning gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will be a big challenge. "Muhammad Ali was my inspiration when I learned boxing. After all these years, I feel there's nothing much to achieve. I already (have) all the medals in the game. "I have medals from the Olympics, Asian Games, six World titles, Commonwealth Games. But I am still hungry to achieve only one (medal), that is the gold at the Olympics," said Mary Kom here Thursday. "Being an athlete, I am dreaming (hoping) for that one chance," added "Magnificent Mary", who is the event ambassador of the January 20 Tata Mumbai Marathon. But the star boxer admits that the 2020 Olympics, to be held in Tokyo, will be a big challenge. "It is a very big challenge. Even London 2012 was also a big challenge for me. It was the first time

Cosmopolitan club moves HC to stop unauthorised construction on golf course

The Cosmopolitan club here has moved the Madras High Court urging that the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation (TNGF) be restrained from carrying out unauthorised construction work on the 80-acre golf course here. When the petition by the club came up, the federation gave an undertaking not to build any structure on the property without the approval of the government. Justice R Suresh Kumar then adjourned the suit to January 28 for further hearing. The petitioner submitted that as per the government order issued on January 23, 2009, the federation and the club were joint lessees of the 80.40 acres of golf course located in Guindy here. One of the conditions imposed by the government through the order was that the lessees shall not utilise the land for any other purpose than the one for which it has been leased out. On the leased-out land, there shall not be any construction as well as developmental activities for the purpose of developing the golf course, without the previous sanction of the ..

Rashid Latif criticises selectors for Pakistan's Test woes

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif on Thursday slammed the selectors and team management for their extended Champions Trophy hangover and "inappropriate preparation" as reasons for their downfall in Test cricket."One of the main problems was the extended hangover of the 2017 Champions Trophy triumph. Captain, coaches, management, selection committee or the board, everybody was under the influence of the historic feat longer than required," Dawn quoted Latif, as saying.After the Champions Trophy, Pakistan team had played 13 Test matches, lost eight and won only four.The 50-year-old questioned the selectors and team management for carrying an unprepared team to the recent South Africa three-Test match series which resulted in an embarrassing defeat as the Proteas whitewashed the series by 3-0."Preparations were not up to the mark. In the first Test, Azhar Ali came to bat at number four, who never played at this slot. In the second innings of the second Test, Azhar was pulled back at ..

Appoint ombudsman to end impasse over Rahul, Pandya: CoA to SC

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that an ombudsman be appointed for the Indian cricket board to decide the quantum of punishment for suspended cricketers K L Rahul and Hardik Pandya, involved in a row over "insensitive" remarks against women. The top court said it will hear the matter next week after senior advocate P S Narasimha, the new amicus curiae, is available to assist it in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) case. Both Rahul and Pandya have been suspended pending inquiry for their remarks against women on a TV show, which had triggered a controversy. A bench of justices S A Bobde and A M Sapre said all the interlocutory applications in the BCCI case will be heard next week after Narasimha takes over charge. At the outset, senior advocate Parag Tripathi, appearing for CoA said that the ombudsman needs to be appointed as only two members - Chairman Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji - are left after the resignation of two members ...

Priyanshu claims six-shot win at PGTI's Final Qualifying Stage

Gurugram's Priyanshu Singh walked away with the honours, registering a thumping six-shot win at the PGTI's Final Qualifying Stage for the 2019 season here Thursday. Priyanshu (72-70-70-70) topped the leaderboard at the end of the fourth and last round with a total of six-under-282 at the Kensville Golf and Country Club. The 22-year-old, who led the field from the second round till the end, signed off with a third successive two-under-70 in the final round on Thursday. Delhi's Wasim Khan (74-71-71-72), last year's PGTI Q School champion, finished second at even-par-288 after shooting a final round of even-par-72. At the end of round four, the top 41 players earned their cards for the 2019 PGTI season as the cut in the final round went at 17-over-305. Among the three players tied in 41st, Arjun Singh Chaudhri of Noida was the only one who made the cut based on the round four scores. The top 41 included six amateurs. There were also five foreigners among the 41 players who earned their ..

Ranji Trophy: Kerala makes maiden semifinal entry

Scripting history, Kerala stormed into the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy for the first time with a 113-run win over Gujarat on the third day of the quarterfinal here Thursday. This is the first time that the Kerala team has entered the last four stage of the prestigious tournament in over five decades. In the last season, the state made its maiden entry into the quarterfinal, but lost to Vidharbha. Requiring 195 to win the match, Gujarat was shot out for 81 in 31.3 overs as Basil Thampi (5 for 27) and Sandeep Warrier (4 for 30) wrecked the strong rival batting line-up. Gujarat didn't have the best start, losing opener Kathan D Patel in the sixth over. Patel was bowled by Thampi, who struck a big blow in the last ball of the same over, trapping the prolific Priyank Panchal (3) to leave the visitors at 10 for 2. Left-hander Rahul Shah was the only batsman to offer resistance with a fighting knock of 33 not out (70 balls, 4X4). Gujarat skipper Parthiv Patel, probably the ...

Mercedes Trophy: Singhvi, Unnikrishnan qualify for national final

City golfers FR Singhvi and Rajiv Unnikrishnan on Thursday qualified for the Mercedes Trophy National Final on Day 2 of the Bengaluru Leg.

Malaysia Masters: Saina, Srikanth in quarters, Kashyap bows out

London Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth registered victories in their single's matches to advance to the quarter-finals of the Malaysia Masters here on Thursday.