Page 807 - Sports
Promising youngsters surface in junior national boxing
The fancied boxers in both men and women sections moved up a rung on the opening day of the Junior National Boxing Championships here on Wednesday.
SJFI's inaugural Young Reporters Programme gets off in style
Odisha has of late emerged as one of the major sporting hubs in the country and the ongoing FIH hockey World Cup has surely added another feather to the state's cap.
Gujarat crush Haryana in PKL clash
Gujarat Fortunegiants defeated Haryana Steelers 47-37 in a mouth-watering contest of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.
Cahill, Choudhary fire Jamshedpur back into top four
Jamshedpur FC brought their campaign back on track with an excellent 2-1 comeback win against Delhi Dynamos to keep their play-off hopes alive at the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) here Wednesday. Lallianzuala Chhangte opened the scoring in the 24th minute but Tim Cahill restored parity in the 29th minute with a trademark header. Jamshedpur completed the comeback after the break with a 61st minute match-winner from Farukh Choudhary. After this win, Jamshedpur were back in the top four with 19 points, while Delhi languished at the bottom following their fourth successive loss. Delhi started with a bang and almost scored within seconds from kick-off at the Tata Sports Complex. Adria Carmona played a neat one-two with Rene Mihelic outside the box and thumped a powerful shot that rattled the crossbar and went out. The visitors' desire to take an early lead denied Jamshedpur time and space on the pitch. In the 7th minute, Marcos Tebar played a delightful ball over the top for Lallianzuala .
Laxman's 281 saved my career: Ganguly
Batting legend V.V.S. Laxman's epic knock of 281 in the famous 2001 Eden Gardens Test against Australia saved Sourav Ganguly's career, the former India captain said here on Wednesday.
Gujarat Fortunegiants beat Haryana Steelers 47-37 in PKL
K Prapanjan and Parvesh Bhainswal shone bright to help Gujarat Fortunegiants continue their fine form, registering a comfortable 47-37 win against Haryana Steelers in a Pro Kabaddi Season 6 fixture here on Wednesday. The raiding duo of Prapanjan and Sachin led the charge for Gujarat and both achieved a super 10 each to score 22 points. Parvesh Bhainswal and Sunil Kumar led the defence for Gujarat and contained Haryana raiders throughout the match at the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Monu Goyat top scored for Haryana Steelers with 11 points but couldn't save the team from being knockout of the play-off race. Prapanjan kickstarted the proceedings for Gujarat with a two-point raid in the second minute as they led 4-1. Haryana crumbled under Gujarat's quick start and suffered an all out as early as the 4th minute. Monu tried to restore some parity in the first half with a couple of good raids. However, Gujarat led 18-9 after 10 minutes of play. Naveen made a super raid in the 12th minute ..
Laxman's 281 in Eden Test saved my career: Ganguly
Stylish batsman VVS Laxman's epic 281 may be part of the cricketing folklore but former India skipper Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday said the knock actually 'saved his career'. Shaken by the match-fixing scandal, Indian cricket was going through a turbulent time at the start of the 21st century when Sourav Ganguly took charge of the team. Trailing 0-1 after their loss in Mumbai, India were looking down the barrel and were asked to follow-on in the Kolkata Test but Laxman's 281 and Rahul Dravid's 180 in a 376-run fifth wicket partnership set the tone for an epic 171-run win. The win also halted the Steve Waugh-led side's record 16 consecutive victories, giving a new direction to the Ganguly-led Team India. So when the Hyderabadi batsman chose to write his autobiography, '281 and Beyond', the title of the book was a no-brainer. But Ganguly was a tad disappointed with the title, he said in a lighter vein. "I also texted him a month back but he didn't reply," Ganguly said at the Kolkata leg .
Bhubaneswar to host one of Hockey Series Finals in 2019
The Capital of Odisha, Bhubaneswar is set to host one of the three Hockey Series Finals to be held from June 6 to 16 next year. The Hockey Series is open to national teams that are not playing in the Hockey Pro League. It was announced by Odisha Sports Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera in the presence of International Hockey Federation (FIH) President Narinder Batra here on Wednesday. "After the successful hosting of World Cup, Bhubaneswar will once again welcome international hockey when it will host the Hockey Series Finals from June 6 to 16 next year. It is a privilege for us to be recognised as one of the sought-after destinations for hockey," Behera said. The Hockey Series takes place in two rounds, the Open and the Finals. The nine highest ranked teams in the FIH World Rankings (as of 9 June 2017) skip the Open and advance directly to the Finals. All other national teams play in the Hockey Series Open, which features eight regional events with up to six teams each. Fifteen teams ..
Digvijay, Kumar enjoy early lead at CG Open 2018
Former Asian Tour winner Digvijay Singh of Gurugram and Lucknow's Sanjeev Kumar took the early lead at the CG Open 2018 as the duo posted scores of six-under -64 at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC) here Wednesday. Sri Lankan Mithun Perera was placed third at five-under-65. Singh, a 10thtee starter, came up with a flawless 64, reaping the rewards of working on his putting with fellow professional Gurki Shergill. The seasoned golfer made three birdies each on his back-nine and front-nine to hold the advantage on day one. Kumar, too, joined Singh at the top thanks to his seven birdies that came at the cost of a lone bogey. Kumar began the week with a birdie on the first. His confidence then soared with a 20-feet birdie conversion on the fifth. Kumar went on to make four more birdies from a range of 10 to 20 feet to sign for a 64. Perera mixed seven birdies with two bogeys for his 65, while N Thangaraja, another Sri Lankan, sank back-to-back eagles on the 18thand first ..
Coaching excites me, says Gautam Gambhir
New Delhi [India], Dec 12 (ANI): After joining the family of retired Indian cricketers, Gautam Gambhir who is excited about coaching, is still torn between becoming a coach or a mentor.The highest run-getter in the final of 2007 and 2011 World Cup, Gambhir in an exclusive interview told ANI: "Haven't decided about it (coaching), but then I like being part of an action. It is something that has always excited me for all my life. Let's see, I am going to evaluate whether to get into coaching or mentorship."When asked whether he will follow the footsteps of Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson who plans to train himself to become a coach, Gambhir said: "I have been a senior player for Delhi for a very long time and mentored those young kids as well. Coaching is not rocket science. I think it is about sharing your experience and being as honest as you can. It is just your passion whether you like it or you don't. And If you like it you will enjoy and help someone become better and try to ...
Hockey WC: England stun Argentina 3-2 to enter semis
In a major upset, world number seven England cruised past Rio Olympics champion Argentina 3-2 to make their way into the semi-final round of the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup here at the Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.The match which was heading forward on a steady pace till the first half, suddenly took a stormy turn when Will Calnan of England scored a smashing goal in the 40th minute of the match to give his side a 2-1 lead in the match. The goal was followed by some tense action on the field as Argentina strived super hard for the lead.In the third minute of the final quarter, Argentina won a penalty corner. The scoring chance was missed but in those moments of intense pressure, the trailing side got three penalty corners in quick succession. Argentina's star drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillat, who has smashed over 131 international goals in the past four years, did not disappoint his side and scored an equaliser in the 48th minute of the match.Adding to the spectators' tension, ...
Title holders Australia beat France 3-0 to progress to semi-finals of WC
Two-time defending champions Australia are well on course to create a rare history as they defeated France 3-0 to progress to the semi-finals of the men's hockey World Cup here on Wednesday. World no.1 Australia scored all their goals from penalty corners through Jeremy Hayward (4th minute), Blake Govers (19th) and skipper Aran Zalewski (37th) at the Kalinga Stadium. However, the final scoreline was far from convincing from Australia's point of view, especially against a side which ranked lowest in the tournament at 20th. The Frenchmen played good hockey in bits and pieces but were undone by the Kookaburras' vast experience and skills. Despite the loss, the Frenchmen would return home with pride, especially with the superb show here that includes a shocking win over Olympic champions Argentina in the pool stages. Australia will play the winner of Thursday's last quarter-final between India and Netherlands in the semi-finals on Saturday. Four minutes into the match, Australia earned ...
Superior attack helped us reach semis: England coach
England hockey coach Danny Kerry credited his team for their incisive attack for the 3-2 win over Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals here on Wednesday.
ICC persuading governments to make fixing a criminal offence: Dave Richardson
The International Cricket Council is constantly persuading governments, including India's, to make fixing a criminal offence, said its CEO Dave Richardson on Wednesday in the wake of "serious" corruption allegations that has hit the sport in Sri Lanka. Three Sri Lankan cricketers including Sanath Jayasuriya and Nuwan Zoysa have been charged recently under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. Jayasuriya, however, has been charged only for failing to co-operate with an ICC investigation, a claim that the former opener has denied. With ever increasing threat of corruption in the game, Richarson said the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has gone on an overdrive to curb the menace. "Most of our efforts now are on disrupting the criminals and this means persuading governments to introduce legislation that can make attempts to fix cricket matches a criminal offence, so that those types of people are put behind bars," said Richardson at a promotional event. "The ACU is trying to be much more ...
Working on weakness, will try to do better: Sushil Kumar
Double Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar, who made a shocking early exit from the Asian Games wrestling competition earlier this year, is keen to make amends and is working on his shortcomings. "I won't tell you now (what I have learnt from the Asian Games). Our weaknesses were seen by our coaches and gurus. And the weakness which I have - how can I expose them in front of you, you won't understand. My Guru Satpalji has started working on it and I will try to do better (in the future)," said Sushil here on Wednesday. The 35-year-old star grappler, winner of bronze and silver medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics respectively, spoke to reporters after the launch of Tata Motors Elite Wrestlers Development Programme and was flanked by Sakshi Malik. According to Sushil, if Indian wrestlers get more exposure, then they can perform better. "Every wrestler has a different view. Some wrestlers want more international exposure. There are wrestlers who are strong at home, but can't ...
Momota wins opening match at badminton's World Tour Finals
Japan's Kento Momota, the World No.1 in men's singles, kicked off his quest for a second title at this elite year-end badminton World Tour Finals with a routine 21-18, 21-6 victory here Wednesday over India's Sameer Verma.
Digvijay, Sanjeev enjoy early lead at CG Open
Former Asian Tour winner Digvijay Singh of Gurugram and Lucknow's Sanjeev Kumar took the early lead at the CG Open after posting a matching six-under-64 on a cool and windy opening day here on Wednesday. Sri Lankan Mithun Perera was placed third at five-under-65 at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC). Digvijay, a 10th tee starter, came up with a flawless 64 reaping the rewards of working on his putting with fellow professional Gurki Shergill. The seasoned Digvijay, who won an Asian Tour event in India in 2012, made three birdies each on his back-nine and front-nine to hold the advantage on day one. Sanjeev, last year's runner-up, too joined Digvijay at the top thanks to his seven birdies that came at the cost of a lone bogey. Sanjeev, who lost out to M Dharma in a playoff at the CG Open 2017, began the week with a birdie on the first. His confidence then soared with a 20-feet birdie conversion on the fifth. Sanjeev went on to make four more birdies from a range of 10 to 20 feet to .
Neha takes lead in first round of 18th leg of Hero WPG Tour
Neha Tripathi carded two-under 70 to take a three-shot lead at the end of the first day of the 18th Leg of the Hero Womens Pro Golf Tour at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club here on Wednesday.
Australia banks on Perth's fast, bouncy pitch to outplay India
The Australian cricket team trained intensely on Wednesday at the WACA stadium here, ahead of their second cricket Test against India starting later this week.
Sindhu beats defending champion Yamaguchi in BWF World Tour Finals in China
India's P.V. Sindhu on Wednesday beat world number two and defending champion Akane Yamaguchi of Japan 24-22, 21-15 in her opening match of the BWF World Tour Finals in Guangzhou.