Page 770 - Sports

Mangaonkar, Malhotra enter final

National champion Mahesh Mangaonkar and second seed Vikram Malhotra entered the men's open final of the 75th CCI Western India Squash Championship here on Saturday. Top-seeded Mangaonkar of Maharashtra prevailed over UP's Ranjit Singh (UP) 11-6, 11-6, 12-10 in the semi-final. Malhotra, also from the host state, brushed aside his statemate Abhishek Pradhan 11-7, 12-10, 11-8 in the other semi-final held at the Cricket Club of India here. The under-19 boys final witnessed an upset as an indisposed Yash Fadte of Goa showed tremendous resilience and ousted top seed Tushar Sahani of Maharashtra in four games in the semi-final of the 10th Junior Ope category. Fadte won 11-7, 11-9,10-12, 11-5. In Sunday's final Fadye will take on second seed Veer Chotrani of Maharashtra, who got the better of joint 3rd-4th seed Rahul Baitha 12-10, 11-4, 11-9 in the other semi-final. Other results: Boys' U-15 (semi-finals): 1-Paarth Ambani (MH) beat Krishna Mishra (MP) 11-3, 11-8, 11-5; ...

I-League: Real Kashmir inflict season's first defeat 1-0 on Chennai City

Debutant Real Kashmir FC pepped up the ongoing 12th I-League title race, inflicting the season's first defeat 1-0 on table-toppers Chennai City FC following an Abednego Kofi Tetteh penalty conversion late in the second half here at the Nehru stadium on Saturday.The game was mostly a battle of attrition and the result took Kashmir to the second on the points table, just one point behind Chennai who still lead with 18 points. Both teams have completed nine games.The visitors made as many as three changes to their starting eleven from the previous game. Mason Robertson, the Scottish defender sat out and was replaced by Muhammad Hammad. So did Nagen Tamang and Khalid Qayoom in midfield and Kashmir lads Farhan Ganie and Danish Farooq played in their stead.The hosts, on the other hand, made just one change, in that Charles Lourdusamy went out and Pravitto Raju got a start in his place.Kashmir got the first chance of the game as early as in the third minute when a Surchandra Singh free-kick .

Neroca FC start as favourites against Minerva Punjab in I-league

Having registered wins in each of their last three games, Manipur based club-side Neroca FC will clash against title holders Minerva Punjab in the ongoing 12th I-League here at Khuman Lampak stadium on December 23.Neroca are at the third spot in the league standings with 14 points from eight games and have won four times so far. On the other hand, Minerva are placed at the seventh position with 12 points.The home team began their campaign in an uninspiring fashion by picking up just two points from their first three games. But since then, have won four of the next five matches.Ahead of the match, Spanish coach Manuel Fraile has made some key decisions along the way for Neroca, two of them being ensuring that the experienced Singham Subhash Singh and Lalit Thapa are back in the active mix and with the inspirational Yusa coming back, Nigerian striker Felix Chidi also seems to have got back his goal-scoring touch."We must keep the momentum. We need to be steady too. Support of the fans, .

PKL; Bengal Warriors thrash Patna Pirates 39-23

Bengal Warriors dished out an absolute hammering to Patna Pirates as they beat them 39-23 in a Pro Kabaddi Season 6 match at the Netaji Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

I-League: Real Kashmir pip Chennai City 1-0

Debutants Real Kashmir FC pepped up the 12th I-League title race, inflicting the first defeat of the season on table toppers Chennai City FC riding on a Abednego Kofi Tetteh penalty conversion late in the second half to run out victors by a solitary goal to nil.

Defending champions Hyderabad Hunters start with win as PBL kicks off

Hyderabad Hunters proved that they are primed to defend the title they won last year when they took an unassailable lead of 3-0 lead over newcomers Pune 7 Aces in the Premier Badminton League that started here Saturday. They took the lead even before P V Sindhu and Carolina Marin took the court for the marque encounter of the fourth season, scoring 4-(-1) points. The Pune team sprung a surprise by fielding junior world championship bronze medallist Lakshya Sen for the opening men's singles tie and the 18-year-old almost pulled off an upset against world number 35 Mark Caljouw. The youngster was solid in defence and showcased some of his trick shots but it was Caljouw who had the last laugh as he bagged the first point for Hunters 10-15, 15-12, 15-14 on the decider point. Sen kicked off the proceedings of the fourth season with a mixture of sliced drops and down the line smashes and followed them up with quick tap on the net to win points in the opening game. The Asian junior champion .

Spaniard Raul Albiol leads Napoli to 1-0 win over SPAL

Spanish defender Raul Albiol scored Napoli's 1-0 winner over visiting SPAL in a Serie A event at Stadio San Paolo here on Saturday.

I-League: Mohun Bagan look to sustain winning momentum

Kolkata giants and former champions Mohun Bagan are eyeing to sustain their winning momentum when they take on a young Shillong Lajong here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) on December 23.Mohun Bagan shrugged off a Derby defeat to arch-rivals Quess East Bengal, registering an impressive victory against champions Minerva in their previous encounter. They are sixth on the table with 12 points from eight games and need more wins to pose a serious challenge to the title.Reflecting on the same, Bagan's Coach Sankarlal Chakraborty said: "Winning the next match after the Derby has morally boosted us. Now, we are trying to maintain the winning momentum. We want three points to be in a good position on the league table.""We have not won a single match at our home ground. This is one of our disadvantages. Luck was not in our favour when we played the other games. We hope to turn that around tomorrow," Chakraborty added.On the other hand, Shillong look hardly capable of denying ..

Real Kashmir inflict season's first defeat on leaders Chennai City

Debutants Real Kashmir FC pepped up the I-League title race, inflicting the season's first defeat on table toppers Chennai City FC following a late penalty conversion by Abednego Kofi Tetteh here Saturday. Abednego scored the solitary goal in the 78th minute. The game at the Nehru stadium was mostly a battle of attrition and the result takes Kashmir to second on the points table, just one point behind Chennai who still lead with 18 points. Both teams have completed nine games. The visitors made as many as three changes to their starting XI from the previous game. Mason Robertson, the burly Scottish defender sat out and was replaced by Muhammad Hammad. So did Nagen Tamang and Khalid Qayoom in midfield and Kashmir lads Farhan Ganie and Danish Farooq played in their stead. The hosts made just one change in that Charles Lourdusamy went out and Pravitto Raju got a start in his place. Kashmir got the first chance of the game as early as in the third minute when a Surchandra Singh free-kick .

Paul, Lewis hand West Indies T20 series win against Bangladesh

Keemo Paul grabbed a record 5-15 and Evin Lewis smashed 89 off 36 balls as the West Indies beat Bangladesh by 50 runs in the third and final Twenty20 in Dhaka on Saturday to win the series 2-1. Lewis guided West Indies to 190 in 19.2 overs despite a late fightback by Bangladesh led by Mahmudullah Riyad, Mustafizur Rahman and Shakib Al Hasan, who claimed three wickets each. Paul then posted the best-ever T20 figures for a West Indies bowler to help the visitors bowl out Bangladesh for 140 runs. Opener Liton Das, Bangladesh's highest scorer with 43 off 25, gave the hosts a strong start but they lost their way after an umpiring gaffe appeared to have broken their concentration. In the fourth over of the innings, Bangladeshi umpire Tanvir Ahmed called a no-ball when Liton spooned a catch to Shimron Hetmyer at mid-off. But TV replays showed Oshane Thomas had bowled a legitimate delivery, leaving Carlos Brathwaite furious. The West Indies skipper immediately asked for a review, which halted

UP Yoddha edge out U Mumba 34-32

Prashanth Kumar Rai executed a two-point raid in the last minute to help UP Yoddha pip U Mumba 34-32 in a thrilling Pro Kabaddi League fixture at the Netaji Indoor Stadium Saturday. The loss means that U Mumba will miss out on a top of the table finish in Zone A, while UP Yoddha kept their hopes of making the playoffs alive. Rai finished with eight raid points, while Sachin Kumar with six tackle points was Yoddha's top defender. There was more setback for the Mumbai franchise as Siddharth Desai and Rohit Rana both suffered injuries. UP Yoddha forced an all-out in the 13th minute as they led 14-8 after 14 minutes. U Mumba came back strongly with Abolfazl Maghsodlou producing a super raid to level the match 14-14 after 17 minutes. Yoddha did not buckle under pressure as Prashanth Kumar Rai made consecutive two-point raids. At the end of the first half, UP Yoddha led 18-15. UP began the second half strongly with a super tackle in the 21st minute to lead 20-15. But U Mumba inflicted an ...

PKL: UP Yoddha edge out U Mumba 34-32

UP Yoddha edged out U Mumba 34-32 in a Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) tie at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium here on Saturday.

Odisha govt aims to start High Performance Sports Academy from next FY

The Odisha government on Saturday said the High Performance Sports Academy will start functioning from the coming financial year.

Iran to adopt VAR in domestic football league

President of Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran has said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used in the country's league, Tehran Times daily reported on Saturday.

Eibar holds Betis to 1-1 draw in La Liga action

Eibar on Saturday held Real Betis to a 1-1 draw in La Liga action to end the home side's league winning streak of three matches while failing to earn a win in the last five games in all competitions.

Aubameyang leads Arsenal to beat Burnley 3-1 in Premier League

Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice on Saturday to help his side earn a 3-1 home victory over Burnley in the match-day 18 of the Premier League.

I-League: Neroca start favourites vs Minerva Punjab (Preview)

Title holders Minerva Punjab will find the going tough as Manipur based club-side Neroca FC go into their 12th I-League clash on Sunday as favourites, having registered wins in each of their last three games.

BCCI curator Chauhan overwaters pitch, leaves before start of Delhi-MP Ranji match

BCCI's North Zone curator Sunil Chauhan overwatered the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch and then, breaching protocol, left the venue before the start of Delhi-Madhya Pradesh Ranji Trophy match Saturday, his indiscretion leading to a delay of two and half hours. Despite perfect weather conditions, the match began in the second session. While the hosts reduced MP to 132 for nine courtesy left-arm spinner Vikas Mishra's 6/41 in 18 overs, the delay in proceedings could land the Himachal Pradesh curator in trouble. Off-spinner Shivam Sharma got 3/48 on a pitch where the ball kept low, but there was some turn on offer, with the odd ball taking off from the spot. As per BCCI rules, the neutral curators are sent to prepare pitches so that home teams cannot take any advantage, and they are only supposed to leave after lunch on the first day, when local curator takes charge. On Saturday, much to the dismay of the Delhi team, match referee Daniel Manohar (former Hyderabad batsman) and the two umpires ...

Akshdeep Nath and Priyam Garg lead UP to 257/4 on Day 1

Centuries by captain Akshdeep Nath and Priyam Garg helped Uttar Pradesh dominate the opening day of their Ranji trophy Group C encounter against Tripura here Saturday. At stumps, Uttar Pradesh were 257 for 4 with Garg and Rinku Singh batting on 113 and 13 respectively. Uttar Pradesh won the toss and decided to bat first, but the things didn't go as planned with the hosts struggling at 21 for three by the seventh over. Openers Samarth Singh (0) and Shivam Chaudhary (10) were dismissed cheaply followed by Umang Sharma (7). Nath and right-hand batsman Garg anchored the Uttar Pradesh innings with a 201 runs partnership. Nath's 106 off 216 balls was studded with 12 boundaries and two sixes while Garg, who was unbeaten at 113, hit 12 fours and one maximum before the captain was trapped leg before by a Rana Dutta delivery in the 75th over. For Tripura, Dutta and Saurabh Das both picked two wickets each with the former emerging as the more economical. Brief Scores: In Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh ..

Aubameyang double sees off Burnley as Ozil returns for Arsenal

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice as Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 3-1 victory against Burnley on Saturday as Mesut Ozil was restored to the starting line-up as captain. Former Germany international Ozil has been on the fringes of Unai Emery's team in recent weeks but was quickly into the thick of the action at the Emirates, playing a key role in Aubameyang's opener. That goal helped end a statistical quirk as it meant Arsenal led at half-time of a Premier League game for the first time this season. Aubameyang smashed a rasping shot past Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart shortly after the restart to earn his side some breathing space. An Ashley Barnes strike for the visitors reduced the deficit and Arsenal fans had some nervy moments before substitute Alex Iwobi made sure of all three points. Ozil was not in the squad for Wednesday's League Cup quarter-final defeat to Tottenham and had not started in the league since November 11. He was one of six changes from last week's ...