Cricket ‘certainly better’ than sex: Harold Pinter
By IANS,
London : British playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter, who died this week, said in his last interview he thought cricket was better than sex.
“I tend to think that cricket is the greatest thing that god created on earth - certainly greater than sex, although sex isn't too bad either,” he said in the interview, published by the Guardian newspaper Saturday.
Cricket was the subject of the interview, given to the Guardian in October amid failing health. Pinter, one of the greatest post-War playwrights, died Thursday at the age of 78.
Hockey coach questions Basavaraj’s role
By IANS,
Chennai: Ramesh Parameswaran, former assistant coach of the Indian men's hockey team, has hinted that politics played a major role in Basavaraj, who was involved in a sex scandal, being "promoted" from a still photographer to a videographer to a video analyst of the national women's squad.
Parameswaran, who was assistant to national coaches Vasudevan Baskaran and then Joaquim Carvalho for over a decade, said: "Basavaraj was basically a photographer assigned by the Sports Authority of India to take pictures of players for visa purposes. He had no other role to play."
National Games: Maharashtra dominate gymnastics
By IANS,
Ranchi: Maharashtra's gymnasts dominated the 34th National Games by winning seven of the 14 gold medals at stake in the event here Sunday.
Brazil’s Mineirao stadium ready for 2014 FIFA World Cup
By IANS,
Belo Horzionte (Brazil): After almost three years of re-construction, Belo Horizonte's majestic Mineirao stadium, a venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, has finally reopened to the public.
After IPL, ‘phataphat cricket’ catches on in Agra
By Brij Khandelwal, IANS,
Agra : The Indian Premier League craze has transformed the city of the Taj Mahal and other smaller towns in this region into nurseries of 'phataphat cricket' (Twenty20), with scores of summer cricket camps attracting hundreds of youngsters who dream to make it big.
"There could be around a thousand youngsters being groomed right now in at least half a dozen camps in the city. I launched one Thursday evening for 50 poor children of slums," formula car racer and shoe exporter Har Vijay Singh Bahia told IANS.
Indian rowing team for world championship announced
By IANS,
Chennai : A 14-member Indian team will participate in the World junior rowing championship at Brieve la Gaillarde, France Aug 5-8, the Rowing Federation of India announced Saturday.
The squad:
JW2 - Pramila Prava Minz (Bow) and Pratima Puhana (Stroke), both Orissa.
JM2 - Munesh Kumar (Stroke) and Yasin Khan (Bow), both Maharashtra.
JW4x - Meena Madhuri Toppo (Bow, Orissa), Priya Devi Changamayum (Manipur), Thara Kurian (Kerala) and Dittymol Varghese (Stroke, Kerala).
Junagadh braces for mountain climbing contest
By V.N. Balakrishna, IANS
Junagadh (Gujarat) : The Girnar hill, home to several shrines held sacred by Hindus and Jains, will host an annual competition next month that will see school and college students scurry up and down 2,200 steps on its slopes.
The event Feb 3 is being organised by the Gujarat government's Sports, Youth Services and Cultural Activities Department and the Junagadh district administration.
Jayachandran gets bail in CWG scam case
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday granted bail to Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (OC) official M. Jayachandran in the Queen's Baton Relay scam.
Archery coach Soumen Das dead
By IANS,
Kolkata : Soumen Das, a well known Sports Authority of India (SAI) archery coach, died last Saturday after prolonged illness.
Das, 45, leaves behind his wife Falguni Das, a former India archer, and a nine-year-old daughter Barsha Das.
Popularly known as Bhola, Das served as SAI coach both in Delhi and Kolkata and trained and accompanied the Indian team on tours from mid-1980s till the end of 1990s.
He had coached archers like Dola Banerjee and Limba Ram during his stint with the Indian team.
World T20: Pakistan set a target of 178 for Kiwis
By IANS,
Pallekele (Sri Lanka) : Pakistan set a target of 178 runs for New Zealand in a Group D tie of the World Twenty20 at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium here Sunday.
Mohun Bagan to honour legend Karuna Bhattacharya
Kolkata : Legendary footballers Karuna Bhattacharya and 1962 Asian Games gold medallist Arumainayagam will be awarded the 'Mohun Bagan Ratna' this year, a prize...
Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance to sponsor more sports events
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
New Delhi : The Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance company will venture into more sports-related activities, possibly sponsoring the 2011 cricket World Cup to be co-hosted by India, after investing well over $117 million in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL).
R. Balachandran, president and chief marketing officer Reliance Retail, told IANS that the IPL Twenty20 tournament, starting April 18, is the company's "first stop" on the way to getting into sports in a big way.
Maradona meets Jyoti Basu
By IANS,
Kolkata : Soccer legend Diego Maradona Sunday afternoon met Jyoti Basu, former West Bengal chief minister and veteran Marxist leader, at his Salt Lake residence and bonded over their mutual friend, former Cuban ruler Fidel Castro.
"Maradona told Basu, 'I (Maradona) am a friend of Fidel Castro, and you (Basu) are a friend of Castro too'," West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty told mediapersons waiting outside.
"He further said 'Whoever is Castro's friend across the world is also my friend'," Chakraborty added.
Saina gets a bye in World Badminton Championships first round
By IANS,
New Delhi: India's world No.6 Saina Nehwal got a bye in the women's singles first round of the World Badminton Championships in Hyderabad August 10-16.
For the sixth seed Saina it could be a smooth ride till the quarterfinals. In the third-round, she may face 10th seed Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva and if she overcomes her, she may run into second seeded Lin Wang of China in the quarterfinals.
Kashmiri boy ready with racquet skills in international squash
By Aamir Nowshahri, IANS,
New Delhi : Many of his contemporaries back home in Jammu and Kashmir would be using their after-school hours preparing for stone-pelting, a regular feature in the troubled state. But Junaid Muzaffar Thoker, 12, has a different agenda on his mind - representing India at two international junior squash tournaments.
Kerala takes over golf course
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram: After a nearly three-year-long legal battle, the Kerala government Saturday took over the Trivandrum Golf Club (TGC) and its 9-hole course situated in the heart of this capital city.
Armed with an interim Supreme Court judgment, Thiruvananthapuram Tahsildar Madhu Janardhanan led a team of revenue department officials to take possession of the club. The officials had given a notice to the club's office bearers Friday to vacate the premises.
PM to inaugurate Commonwealth speakers’ conference Jan 5
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the 20th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) that will be held from Jan 4 to 8 at Vigyan Bhawan here.
"Speakers and presiding officers from around 50 countries of the Commonwealth and speakers/presiding officers of 25 Indian states are expected to attend the conference," said a statement issued by the Lok Sabha secretariat Friday.
Leading Sri Lankan player on ICC radar
By IANS,
London : Close on the heels of the spot-fixing row involving Pakistanis, a leading Sri Lankan player is under the International Cricket Council (ICC) scanner after his colleagues reported his proximity with a man they believe is an illegal bookie.
India set England 281-run target in fourth ODI
By IANS,
London : India made 280 for five against England in the fourth One-day International at the Lord's here Sunday.
16 young Indian footballers to train at Arsenal camp
By IANS,
New Delhi : After two weeks of training, 16 schoolboys were selected Wednesday for once in a lifetime opportunity to train at the Arsenal training camp in England.
As a part of the Tata Tea Arsenal Soccer Stars programme, the schoolboys selected from all parts of the country were trained for two weeks under Arsenal coaches Paul Shipwright and Martin Davis at the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CC&FC) in Kolkata.
Parth,Suraj in second round of under-16 tennis
By IANS,
Pune : Lucky loser Parth Chivate overcame a stiff resistance from Partha Shah to score a thrilling 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 win and storm into the second round of the Walchand Cup under-16 national series tennis tournament here.
In the other single, Shaikh Wahab was given a fright before he downed Swapnil Saraiya 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to make it to the second round. Sixth seeded Suraj Kanwar of Gujarat doused a spirited effort from qualifier Ashman Ghogari 7-6(6), 6-3.
All the other seeds had easy outings on their way to the second round.
Agenda for India: Sports
TwoCircles.net presents “Agenda for India”. Series editor is Charu Bahri.
Challenges & Solutions
According to Noor Mohammad, Director, Physical Education, Jamia Millia Islamia, “The government must look into improving and expanding the sporting infrastructure at the college and university level. At present, as institutions have to rely on their own resources, the infrastructure offered is very basic. The government should offer grants for this purpose.”
Take a leaf from China to win Olympic medals: Anubhav Bindra
By IANS,
Chandigarh : India's sole individual Olympic gold medal winner Abhinav Bindra Saturday suggested the country draw inspiration from the Chinese "obsession to win Olympic medals" as there was no dearth of talent here that could be trained to win.
"I guess China is obsessed with winning Olympics gold medals and we should take inspiration from it. In India, there is no dearth of talent but a lot needs to be done to utilise it in a proper manner," Bindra told reporters at his family farm near Zirakpur town near here.
Peru considers high-altitude stadiums for World Cup qualifier
By Xinhua
Lima : The president of Peru football federation Juvenal Silva announced that they could well use the capital city's Monumental Stadium, 3,400 metres above sea level, for a World Cup qualifying game.
Silva said the decision on the location of the Oct 13 clash with Paraguay would be taken soon and that three stadium's are under consideration: Cusco's Garcilaso de la Vega Stadium, which is also 3,400 metres above sea level, and the Monumental Stadium.
Indian team for Asian Junior Athletics meet
By IANS,
Mumbai : A 35-member Indian team will leave for Jakarta late Monday night to take part in the Asian Junior Athletics Championships.
The tournament starts Thursday and will conclude Sunday.
The following is the list of the men's and the women's team:
Men:
Foreign fans caught up in Cape Town strip club raid
By DPA,
Cape Town : Foreign fans who travelled to South Africa for the World Cup were among those arrested in a raid on a Cape Town strip club, media reports said Sunday.
Police raided a strip club called Arabesque in the coastal city in the early hours of Saturday, arresting 17 patrons and around three dozen exotic dancers - many of them also foreigners - the Weekend Argus reported.
Two Dutch and one Briton were among the customers taken into custody, although they were later released.
PakPassion.net distances itself from Majeed brothers
By IANS,
New Delhi : London-based cricket website PakPassion.net, which had a special column on arrested bookie Mazhar Majeed, Tuesday distanced itself from the players' agent saying that he only facilitated interviews with the Pakistani players.
Raj Singh Dungarpur dies, cricket world mourns
By IANS,
Mumbai : Former president of the Indian cricket board Raj Singh Dungarpur died here Saturday after a protracted illness, leaving the entire cricket world in mourning. He was 73.
My son is role model for the nation, says Milkha Singh
By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
Chandigarh : Legendary athlete Milkha Singh feels that his golfer son Jeev is the new face of Indian sports and has made the country proud with his extraordinary performance last year.
"This is the biggest happiness ever for me and my wife that our son is continuously performing better at international level. The entire country is proud of his achievements. He has emerged as a role model for the nation," Milkha Singh told IANS on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony for his son at the Chandigarh Golf Club (CGC) here.
Orange cap for Hayden, Purple for Kumble
By IANS,
Port Elizabeth : Matthew Hayden and Anil Kumble became the first holder of Orange and Purple caps in the Indian Premier League's (IPL) second season.
Chennai Super Kings' Hayden is currently the leading scorer in the tournament with 109 runs in two matches. The Australian scored a blistering 65 off 35 balls against Bangalore Royal Challengers here Monday to follow up his 44 runs in the first match against Mumbai Indians.
Rahul Dravid of Royal Challengers is the second in the batsmen list with 86 runs in two matches.
Olympic-qualified Virdhawal Khade sets pool ablaze, rewrites two records
 By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net Bhopal, July 5: Sixteen-year-old Virdhawal Khade of Maharashtra, who is the only swimmer from India to have qualified for next year's Olympics...
England 298/4 at lunch on Day 3
By IANS,
Mumbai : England were 298/4 at lunch on the third day of the second cricket Test against India at the Wankhede Stadium here Sunday.
Chhattisgarh to host 37th National Games in 2013
By IANS,
New Delhi : Chhattisgarh will host the 37th National Games, scheduled for 2013, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) said Tuesday.
Three editions of the National Games are yet to be held. The 34th National Games were scheduled in Jharkand in 2007, but have been postponed four times due to infrastructural delays. The 35th National Games are scheduled to be held in Kerala in May this year while Goa will host the 36th edition in 2011.
Lucky injury came at the end of the season: Sania
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's top women tennis star Sania Mirza said she is able to walk pain free after her left-knee surgery and is thankful that her injury came during the sport's off season.
Indian Army winds up its ‘Mission Olympics’
By Ritu Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : The Indian Army's ambitious sports initiative launched three years ago to groom youngsters into potential Olympic medal winners has bitten the dust.
The army's 'Mission Olympics - Catch them young' initiative to hunt for gold, launched in 2005 after Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's silver medal for shooting in the 2004 Olympics, is to close down following orders from the top.
The orders given by the Indian Army have shattered the Olympic dreams of 23 sportspersons who have been training under the army's programme.
Trideep Rai to lead Indian basketball team
By IANS
Bangalore : Trideep Rai of Uttarakhand has been named captain of the Indian team for the Asian Basketball Championships to be played in Tokushima, Japan, from July 28 to Aug 5.
According to a Basketball Federation of India statement, the squad has been in training with Serbian coach Aleksandar Bucan at Sports Authority of India's south centre in Bangalore since early June.
Kepler Wessels to coach Chennai Super Kings
By IANS
Chennai : Former South Africa captain Kepler Wessels has been named coach of the Indian Premier League's (IPL) Chennai franchise, the Chennai Super Kings.
"We wanted someone dedicated and result oriented. Wessels is a professional and has coached the South Africa A team. It was L. Sivaramakrishnan who initiated the process of getting Wessels as the coach for us," selector and part of the Chennai team management V.B. Chandrasekar told reporters here.
The 50-year-old cricketer-turned commentator has played for both Australia and South Africa in the 1990s.
World Cup elimination cost Italy 140 mn euros
By IANS/AKI,
Monza (Italy) : Italy's early elimination from the soccer World Cup in South Africa will cost the country 140 million euros due to loss of earning from restaurants, sports merchandise vendors and other businesses.
According to a report prepared by the Chamber of Commerce for the northern city of Monza, Italy's advance to the final would have meant 67 million euros in extra sales for restaurants, coffee bars and pubs, while towns and cities might have taken in 70 million euros to rent out parks and other public places to set up television screens.
Soccer girls
By Kashif-ul-Huda, TwoCircles.net
When FIFA World Cup Soccer Final match is played on Sunday, there will be at least a billion people will be watching it around the world. Going by the two pictures that I will present to you, some of these fans will be young Muslim girls of India.
Dodsal FC enters Durand Cup final
By IANS,
New Delhi: Dodsal FC, Mumbai's newest professional football club, entered the final of the Durand Cup Friday.
Cricket champions bat for HIV prevention at ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
By Aslam Chandio, TwoCircles.net,
Islamabad: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched a new edition of its HIV awareness campaign, THINK WISE in partnership with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). During the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, cricket stars will unite to support the initiative, which has been active since 2003.
IPL scholarships a boon for South African students
By Fakir Hassen, IANS,
Pietermaritzburg : The Indian Premier League scholarship programme could not have come at a better time for eight-year-old S'bonga Zuma, who only started school at the Bisley Park Primary School here this year.
Having lost his mother just a week ago, the little boy is now in the care of his elderly grandmother and there was great concern about his schooling.
Tripti Murgunde in quarter-finals of Bitburger badminton
By IANS
New Delhi : India's Tripti Murgunde has stormed into the quarter-finals of the Bitburger Open Grand Prix badminton Championship in Germany.
Tripti defeated Nanna Brosolat Jensen of Denmark 21-12, 21-19 in a pre-quarter-final match Thursday, and will play No.2 seed Yanjiao Jiang of China in the quarter-final, according to information received here.
Indian golf loses a great patron in Bharat Ram
By V. Krishnaswamy, IANS
New Delhi : Indian golf lost one of its finest patrons in Bharat Ram, chairman of the DCM Shri Ram Industries, who passed away here Tuesday night at the age of 93.
Preity refutes rumours of discrimination in IPL team
By Subhash K. Jha, IANS,
Mumbai : Preity Zinta, who is currently stationed in Mohali with her Indian Premier League (IPL) team - Kings XI Punjab, is aghast to hear stories that some of the players of the team were shabbily treated and asked to move out of the Taj hotel to a less opulent place.
Says a source close to Bollywood actor: "Preity and Ness (Wadia) are aghast at these stories. The last thing they have on mind is to discriminate against any player. But you see, there's only one super-luxury hotel in Mohali and the main players in the squad of 16 were all housed there.
Airtel Golf Tournament starts in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : The fourth Airtel India Golf Festival teed off here at the Qutub Golf Course Thursday.
Around 400 golfers will participate in the four-day tournament, sponsored by telecom giant Bharti Airtel, organisers said.
Speaking on the occasion D. Sarkar, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) sports director, said: "We are pleased to host the Airtel India Golf Festival for the third consecutive year and welcome all 400 golfers to our course. We intend to promote golf tourism through this tournament and are building two more courses in Delhi."
Kapur makes cut with second round 66 in Austria
By IANS,
Atzenbrugg (Austria) : Shiv Kapur turned in a bogey-free six-under 66 to make the half-way cut and be placed tied 28th after the second round of the Austrian Open golf.
Ashwin proves class in JK Tyre racing championship
By IANS
Chennai : Teenager Ashwin Sundar yet again underlined his versatility with three podium finishes in two classes as the first round of the JK Tyre National Racing championship kick-started the 2008 motor sports season here Sunday.
Making his debut in the Formula Rolon-Chevrolet class, Ashwin, the 18-year-old from Chennai, won the first race with a command performance and finished third in the next round for which the grid was reversed for the top six finishers of the previous outing.
Farhan & Shahvez and Anwar & Amer hog limelight in Bhopal Monsoon Safari Rally
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: The duos of Farhan Khan & Shahvez Khan and Anwar Ali Khan & Amer Ali Khan were cynosure of all eyes as they finished first in the petrol and diesel categories with minimum penalty points of 17.03 and 18.57 respectively to their credit in the 60th Independence Monsoon Safari Rally 2007 organized here on Sunday.
Thrill, excitement and entertainment, the hallmarks of any adventure sports were on parade in full splendour as the participants and spectators both enjoyed it to the hilt.
Famous Lucknow school wants golf club to vacate land
By IANS
Lucknow : La Martiniere College, among India's oldest schools, wants the Lucknow Golf Club to vacate its land.
The 164-year-old school, founded by French general Claude Martin in 1844, had leased out 54 acres out of its sprawling estate to the golf club. Now the club mints money through the fee its charges from its members, but the educational institution receives only a small rent.
According to official records, the club pays a monthly rent of just about Rs.10,000, while membership fees total millions of rupees.
Boundless football craze of Malappuram is dangerous: Sunni Students’ Federation
By TwoCircles.net Staff Correspondent,
Malappuram: The boundless football craze of the people of Malappuram is dangerous, said Abdul Jaleel Saqafi, vice-president of the Sunni Students’ Federation. He was speaking at the programme titled ‘When the football craze of Malappuram people go unlimited’ in Malappuram.
Women”s participation in the Olympics … an ambitious dream comes true
By Mutaz Alshabrawi, KUNA,
Kuwait : A law passed in 404 BC stipulated that sportsmen and their coaches had to participate naked in the Olympic Games, to force women to stay away after Kalipatera disguised herself as a man to enter the stadium and watch her son compete.
Women found violating this order were thrown off the mountain, and as this sixth part of the KUNA report will show, women were not only banned from participating in the games, but also from entering the city of Olympics -- all except the priestess of the temple and her virgins.
Basketball body green-lights players to wear hijabs at games
Moscow, (IANS): FIBA, the worlds governing body of basketball, ruled to allow players to wear hijabs, a head covering traditionally worn by many Muslim...
Sania, Shoaib are now husband and wife
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Indian tennis star Sania Mirza married Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik at a hotel here Monday after getting a copy of Shoaib's passport from the city police.
"The nikah has been completed. Please pray for the couple," Sania's spokesperson Rucha Naik told media persons outside hotel Taj Krishna.
The simple and brief nikah ceremony, held between 12.30 p.m. and 1 p.m., was attended by about 70 close relatives and friends of the bride and bridegroom.
Top-seed Vidit stretched by Pandya in Under-13 chess
By IANS
New Delhi : Top seeded Vidit Santosh Gujarati of Maharashtra was made to sweat by Gujarat's Karma Pandya at the top board in the second round of the Parsvanth 21st National Under-13 Chess Championship here Sunday.
Most matches went according to the seeds with the only surprise of the day being fifth seed and under-9 champion Fenil Shah of Gujarat being held to a draw by lower rated Ramalingam Karthik of Tamil Nadu.
Twenty-member Indian Archery team in Tehran
By IANS,
Kolkata : A 20-member Indian contingent comprising talented rookies is participating in the second Asian Grand Prix being held in Tehran.
Archery Association of India (AAI) secretary P.N. Mukherjee said the junior archers had been sent for the tournament, which started Thursday, to give them international exposure ahead of the Youth World Championship in Turkey in October and also to prepare them for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Mukherjee said the Asian GP would be the only international exposure for the juniors before the Youth World meet.
IPL will be played with 10 teams in two groups
By IANS,
Mumbai : The Indian cricket board Sunday unveiled a new format for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), with the 10 teams split into two groups and the cap on team spending increased to $9 million.
The fourth season of the IPL will have 10 teams after the addition of two new teams. There will be 74 matches in total, compared to 60 earlier this year.
The format needed to be changed after the inclusion of two new franchises -- Pune Warriors and Kochi.
Haryana government felicitates Asian Games athletes
By IANS,
Chandigarh: The Haryana government Wednesday felicitated the Asian Games medal winners and participants from the state with cash prizes at a function here Wednesday.
Special security for Abhinav Bindra
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Officers of a Delhi Police wing responsible for the security of the Indian president's official guests and foreign dignitaries have been deputed to provide protection to the country's lone individual Olympic medal winner Abhinav Bindra, one of the officers accompanying the Olympian said.
The officer, who did not wish to be identified, Saturday said he and his colleague have been tasked with Bindra's security on the orders of Deputy Commissioner of Police S. Das.
Haryana rural cricket league says BCCI disrupting schedule
By IANS,
Chandigarh: Haryana-based Premier Cricket League (PCL), a group newly constituted to promote rural cricketing talent, Tuesday accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of threatening its players and disturbing the schedule of their matches.
"BCCI does not want anyone infringing on their monopoly and it is threatening our players of dire consequences. Due to this we have lost our 12 promising players and we forced to postpone our matches at the last moment," I.D. Kamboj, chairman of PCL, told reporters here Tuesday.
Scoreboard: India vs Sri Lanka, tri-nation ODIs series
By IANS,
Dambulla : Scoreboard of the match between India and Sri Lanka in the One-Day International (ODI) tri-nation series here Sunday:
India:
Dinesh Karthik c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 9
Virender Sehwag lbw b Kulasekara 12
Rohit Sharma lbw b Mathews 11
Yuvraj Singh lbw b Malinga 38
Suresh Raina c Sangakkara b Perera 8
Mahendra Dhoni c Sangakkara b Perera 10
Ravindra Jadeja c Silva b Perera 0
Praveen Kumar c Tharanga b Perera 0
Ashish Nehra c Sangakkara b Malinga 2
Ishant Sharma b Perera 3
Pragyan Ojha not out 2
Extras:(lb-3, w-5) 8
Dhoni’s swimming pool attracts neighbours’ ire, court notice
Ranchi(IANS) : Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has got embroiled in a legal battle over the construction of a swimming pool in his house in the Jharkhand's capital here.
The Jharkhand High Court Tuesday issued notices to Dhoni and the state government asking them to file replies to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed against the construction of a swimming pool in the premises of a house that the cricketer is building at the Harmu housing colony.
Chappell faces motley crowd of protestors in Kolkata
By IANS
Kolkata : Former India coach Greg Chappell was in Kolkata barely for a day but that was enough for a little crowd of cricket fans to register their protest.
Chappell tried to stay away from the media glare after arriving here Friday night to spot young talents from the Ashok Malhotra Cricket Academy on behalf of the Jaipur team for the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, as he made his exit from the academy Saturday, he was greeted with slogans and placards of "Go Back Chappell".
Tendulkar completes 18,000 runs in ODIs
By IANS,
Ahmedbad: India's batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar Thursday completed 18,000 runs in One-day Internationals (ODI) during the World Cup quarterfinal against Australia.
Dhoni signs Rs.200 crore deal with sports management firm
By IANS,
New Delhi: Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has signed a deal worth nearly Rs.200 crore with Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes One, a sports and talent management firm.
The two-year contract makes Dhoni the world's highest-paid cricketer surpassing even Sachin Tendulkar, who had signed a deal worth Rs 180 crore with Iconix, a sports management company in 2006.
The deal has mandated the two companies to manage Dhoni's various endorsements and brand assosiations besides his corporate profile, patents and digital rights.
Struggles, triumphs of Indian women cricketers in docu-drama
By Radhika Bhirani, IANS,
New Delhi : They get Rs.2,500 per match and often travel in unreserved train compartments. When the Indian women's cricket team played the 2005 World Cup finals in South Africa, cricket historian Sunil Yash Kalra decided to make a docu-drama on their lives highlighting their struggles and triumphs.
"Poor Cousins of Million Dollar Babies" is Kalra's way of conveying how just the passion for the sport drives the women's cricket team without receiving the perks that are showered on the men's cricket team.
Malaysian hockey’s father Sultan Azlan Shah dead
Kuala Lumpur : The 'Father' of Malaysian hockey Sultan Azlan Shah passed away in the Malaysian city of Ipoh Wednesday. He was 86.
Azlan Shah...
Manavjit gets Rajiv Khel Ratna, Arjuna for 14
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
New Delhi : Ace shooter Manavjit Singh was Wednesday chosen for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna for 2006 while 14 athletes were picked for the Arjuna Award.
Singh will receive a medal, a scroll and Rs.500,000.
The Kapil Dev-headed selection panel at its meeting here Wednesday chose three coaches for the Dronacharya Award, the top prize for coaches, and three personalities for the Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement, according to a panel member.
Asian Judo: Tombi wins bronze
By IANS
New Delhi : India won a medal in the Asian Judo Championship after a gap of four years as Tombi Devi won the bronze medal in the women's below 48kg category in Kuwait.
Sabah & Riyazuddin among top 23 to receive MP Govt’s highest sports awards
By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net
Bhopal: Sabah Khan and Riyazuddin are among the top 23 sportspersons who have been named to receive the Madhya Pradesh Government's highest sports awards for 2006.
The Madhya Pradesh Government has announced the names of the recipients of highest sports awards of the State viz. Vikram, Eklavya, Vishwamitra and Lifetime achievement awards. Vikram awards are being awarded to the sports personalities who have done the State and India proud in various events. Sabah Khan and Riyazuddin will be honoured with Vikram Awards.
Hayden guides Super Kings to 208/5
By IANS,
Chennai : Matthew Hayden scored 81 off just 46 runs to help Chennai Super Kings put up a mammoth 208 for the loss of five wickets against Mumbai Indians in the eighth match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket tournament at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here Wednesday.
Suresh Raina also made a brisk 53 and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored 30.
Tendulkar braves injury to play in IPL final
By IANS,
Mumbai: Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar braved a finger injury to play in the Indian Premier League final against Chennai Super Kings here Sunday.
Tendulkar was doubtful after he injured his right hand in the semifinals against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the wound had to given five stitches.
The master batsman's presence was important in the final as he has been inspirational on the field and also has emerged as the top run scorer with 570 runs at an average of 47.50.
India trump Argentina in Buenos Aires polo match
By IANS,
Buenos Aires : India emerged victorious against Argentina in a match organised by the Indian embassy here, bringing the curtains down on the Festival of India.
IPL: Super Kings amass 223/3
By IANS,
Hyderabad: Chennai Super Kings amassed 223 for three against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League here Wednesday.
Five coaches to get Dronacharya award
New Delhi: The central government on Tuesday confirmed the names of five eminent coaches who will be given the prestigious Dronacharya Award on National...
Karunanidhi announces cash prize for world carrom champ
By IANS
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Tuesday evening announced a cash prize of Rs.1 million for World Carrom Champion Ilavazhagi, the daughter of a poor three-wheeler driver.
"Ilavazhagi's victory has brought fame to the state. This cash gift is being given to encourage her to achieve other, bigger victories," said a government communiqué issued late in the evening.
Ilavazhagi lives in a tenement in the north Chennai suburb of Vyasarpadi in abject poverty.
Liverpool held by Everton as EPL derbies end all square
By DPA,
London : Liverpool and Merseyside rivals Everton shared four goals as three English Premier League (EPL) derby matches ended in draws.
Delighted at Sindhu’s victory: Modi
ANew Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday expressed happiness on woman shuttler .P.V Sindhu's victory at the Macau Open.
"I am delighted to hear...
IOA couldn’t care less for wrestling: Gian Singh
By IANS,
New Delhi : Dhyan Chand Award winning wrestling coach Gian Singh says the country may gloat over the odd medal a wrestler like Sushil Kumar will win at the Olympics, but that does not mean the sport is on the upswing.
Gian Singh holds the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) responsible for the terrible state of India's most popular traditional sport. To say the sport that has given two Olympic medals is getting a raw deal will be an understatement.
Delhi girl Lavery takes lead in Madras Ladies golf
By IANS,
Chennai : Lavery Kumar, schoolgirl from Delhi, continued her good run to take a four-stroke lead in both Gross and Nett categories of Gold Division in the Indian Golf Union (IGU) sanctioned Madras Ladies Golf Championship here Wednesday.
Lavery, a four-handicapper, had an up-and-down going as she birdied the 422-yard second hole, but had four bogeys on the way back before finishing off with a birdie on the 16th to end the day on 76 for a two-round score of 151.
In the Open category of the Gold division, Neha Tripathi was on 155, followed by Shruti Khanna (156).
Sania opts out of Sunfeast Open
By IANS
Kolkata : Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza Monday pulled out of Sunfeast Open 2007 because of a wrist injury.
She will be out of action at least for two weeks.
Putting to rest all speculation, Sania said in a written statement Monday night: "I was really looking forward to participating at Sunfeast Open 2007. I am very upset that this injury is keeping me away from the courts.
I’ll stick up for Symonds at every opportunity: Ponting
By IANS
Melbourne : The Harbhajan Singh racism issue has taken a toll on Andrew Symonds but Australian skipper Ricky Ponting feels that the burly Queenslander will use the controversy to play better cricket.
"I think any sort of character assassination on Andrew Symonds as a result of this would be completely unfair. He is someone that doesn't want this stuff happening obviously, it's the second time, with what he had to go through with India as well... It's the last thing in the world he wants," Ponting was quoted as saying by The Age Friday.
Results and standings of Italian Serie A
By DPA
Rome : Following are the results and standings of Italian Serie A football after the matches played Saturday.
The standings are tabulated under matches played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, against and points.
Results:
Genoa 1 Parma 0
Roma 2 Sampdoria 0
Standings P W D L F A Pts
Inter Milan 16 12 4 0 35 8 40
Roma 17 10 6 1 33 18 36
Juventus 16 9 5 2 33 15 32
Udinese 16 8 4 4 20 19 28
Fiorentina 16 6 7 3 21 15 25
Palermo 16 6 6 4 23 25 24
Napoli 16 6 4 6 24 21 22
Atalanta 15 5 6 4 22 20 21
Catania 16 5 6 5 16 16 21
Sampdoria 17 6 3 8 22 24 21
From Muscat, Olympic torch heads for Pakistan
By Xinhua,
Muscat : The Olympic torch was headed for the Pakistani capital Islamabad Tuesday after completing the ninth leg of its global journey in Muscat, ahead of the games to be held in Beijing Aug 8-24.
The relay concluded here at the Qurm Natural Park Monday evening. At about 8.30 p.m., the last torchbearer Habib Abdulnabi Macki, vice chairman of the Oman Olympic Committee (OOC), arrived at the floating theatre of the Qurm Natural Park where about 10,000 people had gathered to receive the flame.
India beat Pakistan by eight wickets
By IANS,
Colombo : India kept alive semi-final hopes in the World Twenty20 with an eight-wicket win over arch-rivals Pakistan in a Super Eights match at the Premedasa Stadium here Sunday.
Maradona to dribble in Kerala town
By IANS,
Kannur (Kerala): Excitement is mounting in this football crazy Kerala town with Argentine legend Diego Maradona arriving here Wednesday to exhibit his skills and inaugurate a showroom.
France’s Sagna to not fast during World Cup
Sao Paulo:France defender Bacary Sagna will not fast during the holy month of Ramadan which begins during the FIFA World Cup, pointing out that...
Abu Dhabi Media Company to broadcast EPL matches
By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi : The Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has inked a deal with IMG Sports Media for the broadcast of English Premier League (EPL) related sports programming on its AD Sports subscription channel when the new EPL season kicks off in mid-August this year.
The agreement includes live high definition coverage of all 380 games from the Premier League's UK-based studio, as well as other programming such as pre and post game interviews and reports.
Jammu rafting team participates in 1st International Kashmir Cup
By TwoCircles.net news desk,
Jammu: For the first time a young team of rafters from Jammu represented Jammu region in the first Kashmir International Cup held in Sonamarg, Kashmir on River Sindh. The team led by amateur river guide Sanjay Sambyal stood at thirteenth position.
Schedule of Indian competitors in Olympics Tuesday
By IANS,
Beijing : The schedule of Indian competitors on the fourth day of competition at the 29th Olympics Games here Tuesday:
Shooting: Rajyavardhan Rathore (double trap, qualification and final) and Samresh Jung (men's 50 m free pistol, qualification and final)
Swimming: Men's 100m freestyle heats - Virdhawal Khade
Men's 200m breaststroke heats - Sandeep Sejwal
Boxing: Men's 54 kg round of 32 - Akhil Kumar vs Ali Hallab (France)
Jitender Kumar vs Ullas Furkan Memis
Rowing: Men's double sculls repechage - Devender Khandwal and Manjeet Singh
Enrique Iglesias to sing Euro 2008 official anthem
By DPA,
Nyon (Switzerland) : Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias is set to become the official voice of Euro 2008 with the song "Can You Hear Me".
It is likely the song will become the anthem of the whole tournament and the singer was described as the ideal person for the job in a statement issued by UEFA from its Nyon headquarters Tuesday.
"He is an international star who is passionate about football and who has European roots," said commercial director Philippe Margraff.
60 (and more) sporting reasons to celebrate
By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
New Delhi : Here are 60 greatest moments in Indian sports since Aug 15, 1947, selected for IANS by a panel that included eminent sportspersons Milkha Singh and P.T. Usha (athletics), Prakash Padukone and Damyanti Tambay (badminton), Ajit Pal Singh and M.K. Kaushik (hockey), Pankaj Advani (billiards and snooker), Sanjeeva Singh (archery) and Jitenderjit Singh Ahluwalia (equestrian).
ADVENTURE SPORTS
Sania adidas’ global brand ambassador
By IANS
Mumbai : Tennis star Sania Mirza was Monday signed by world's leading sports brand addidas as its first global brand ambassador.
Mumbai, Dec 24 (IANS) Tennis star Sania Mirza was Monday signed by world's leading sports brand addidas as its first global brand ambassador.
An indoor basketball stadium for Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : The long-standing demand of Delhi's basketball fans for an indoor stadium at the Ajmal Khan Park been finally been met, thanks to the Commonwealth Games. An air-conditioned stadium is coming up at the Ajmal Khan Park in West Delhi
For years there has been a clamour for a basketball stadium at Ajmal Khan Park, the venue of the popular Pandit Prithvi Nath Sharma memorial all-India basketball tournament, but successive local-self-government agencies stonewalled it for different reasons.
India A men assured of chess gold
By IANS,
Kolkata: The India A men's team cruised past Singapore to be assured of the gold medal after the sixth and penultimate round of the Tata Steel Asian Team Chess Championship here Sunday.
India A beat Singapore 3.5-0.5 and boosted their tally to 12 points at the Town Hall.
On the top board, GM P. Harikrishna beat the lone Singapore GM Wu Shaobin convincingly while GM Parimarjan Negi had little difficulty against low-rated Lo Kin Mun Dominic.
Dhoni kissed publicly by a female fan
By IANS
Kolkata : Indian cricketer M.S. Dhoni was Sunday hugged and kissed publicly by a frenzied female fan in the Eden Gardens here on the last day of the five-day conditioning camp ahead of the Bangladesh tour.
England set India 380 to win first Test
By IANS
London : England set India a target of 380 runs to win the first Test after they were all out for 282 in their second innings at Lord's Sunday.
Kevin Pieterson scored a fine 134 while pacers Rudra Pratap Singh took five and four wickets respectively.
No bright sparks in Bengal athletics: SAI coach
By IANS
Kolkata : West Bengal is looking at a gloomy future in athletics if the recently concluded state athletics meet is any indication, a senior coach said here Tuesday.
Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach Kuntal Roy, who boasts of preparing athletes of international fame like Soma Biswas, Sushmita Singh Roy and Saraswati Saha, appeared a worried man after the 57th State Athletic Championship in August.
Ganguly’s 239 is highest by an Indian left-hander
By IANS
Bangalore : Sourav Ganguly's flamboyant 239 in the first innings against Pakistan in the third Test here Sunday is the highest score by an Indian left-handed batsman.
He is the second Indian left-hander after Vinod Kambli to register a double hundred in Test cricket. The top three innings by Indian left-handers in Tests are:
Runs Batsman Opponents Venue Series
239 Sourav Ganguly Pakistan Bangalore 2007-08
227 Vinod Kambli Zimbabwe Delhi 1992-93
224 Vinod Kambli England Mumbai 1992-93
Other statistical highlights of the day are as follows:
Sourav crashes out of Kolkata International Squash
By IANS
Kolkata : Third-seed Egyptian Omar Mossad snuffed out Indian hopes, beating Sourav Ghosal in four games in the quarterfinals of the Kolkata International 2008 Squash meet here Wednesday.
Mossad ranked no.27 in the world got the better of Sourav 11-8, 4-11, 11-9,11-1 to move up to the semi-finals.
He also stretched their head-to-head record to 2-0. The last time they met was in the world championships where also he beat Sourav in five games.
Indian juniors for Dutch, German badminton
By IANS
New Delhi : A 10-member junior Indian badminton team has been selected to take part in the Dutch Junior International and German Junior tournament this month and March.
The team comprises five boys and as many girls besides coaches Balachandran Nair and Vinod Narayan, according to an official of the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
The Dutch tournament will be played Feb 27-Mar 2 at Haarlem, the Netherlands, and German Junior from Mar 6-9in Bottrop, Germany.
The Squad:
Saina’s win is amazing, says Gopichand
By IANS,
Hyderabad/New Delhi : Saina Nehwal's three titles in three weeks is a phenomenal achievement for the Indian sport, said her coach and former All England champion Pullela Gopichand.
World No.3 Saina won the Indonesian Open badminton Sunday, overcoming stubborn resistance from Sayaka Sato of Japan 21-19, 13-21, 21-11 in the final Sunday.
It was the 20-year-old Hyderabadi's third Super Series crown.
Fielding still a concern for Dhoni
By IANS,
Bangalore: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Sunday though their bowling is slowly improving in the 2011 World Cup, the fielding continues to be a cause of worry.
Abhinav’s feat is biggest reward for me: coach Dhillon
By Alkesh Sharma, IANS,
Chandigarh : He was very short-tempered and easily lost his cool on losing even a single point. This is not a trait one would associate with the calm and collected shooter Abhinav Bindra who won India's first individual gold medal at the Olympics.
Bindra was just 13 when he went to train under ace shooter Lt. Col (Retd) Jagir Singh Dhillon, who remembers Bindra as a short-tempered but shy and dedicated teenager. And the coach says he has no words to express his joy at Bindra's Olympic success.
Kruttika Nadig is women’s national chess champion
By IANS,
New Delhi : Kruttika Nadig of Maharashtra won the 35th Parsvnath National Women chess title by playing a safe draw in the 11th and final round of the tournament here Sunday.
She totalled eight points as she settled for a quick draw against third seed and state mate Eesha Karavade in Sicilian defence in just 20 moves.
Kruttika achieved 11-round Women Grandmaster norm from this championship and also pocketed Rs.100,000 as prize money.
National Games: Karate player beaten up
By IANS,
Bokaro : A karate player named Sikandar, due to take part in the ongoing National Games, was allegedly beaten up by a group of people in Jharkhand's Bokaro district, police said Sunday.
Team India imparts best leadership lessons: Anita & Harsha Bhogle
By Madhusree Chatterjee, IANS,
Federer knocked out of French Open
Paris: Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer failed to reach the men's singles quarterfinals of the French Open for the first time since 2004 losing...
Bangladesh’s Mortaza snapped by Knight Riders for $600,000
By IANS,
Panaji : Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders snapped up Bangladesh fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza for a whopping $600,000 after an intense round of bidding, and the longest in the auction of players for the Indian Premier League (IPL), against Preity Zinta's Kings XI Punjab here Friday.
Mortaza's base price was $50,000 and Knight Riders were the first to take the call before Preity pitched in aggressively in what turned out to be a virtual war between two Bollywood stars that continued for 20 minutes.
Royal Challengers set 144-run target for Deccan Chargers
By IANS,
Johannesburg: Bangalore Royal Challengers skipper Anil Kumble took four wickets to resrict Deccan Chargers to 143/6 in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final at the New Wanderers here Sunday.
Brief scores: Royal Challengers 143/6 in 20 overs (Herschelle Gibbs 53 not out, Andrew Symonds 33; Anil Kumble 4-16, Vinay Kumar 2-30).
IOC fines Austria 1 million dollars over Turin doping
By DPA
Lausanne (Switzerland) : The Austrian Olympic Committee (OeOC) was Thursday fined 1 million dollars (740,000 euros) by the International Olympic Committee over a doping scheme at the Turin Games last year.
Former cricketer’s wife arrested in Delhi
By IANS
New Delhi : The estranged wife of former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar was arrested along with a woman friend for allegedly assaulting a retried army colonel and his wife in Delhi, police said Saturday.
India beat South Africa, win Future Cup
By IANS
Belfast : Yuvraj Singh scored a strokeful, unbeaten 61 to help India win the rain-affected third match by six wickets and clinch the Future Cup here Sunday.
Captain Rahul Dravid made 33 as India successfully chased South Africa's 148 for seven wickets in the allotted 31 overs, finishing at 152 for four in 30.2 overs.
Ghei best Indian at Volvo China Open golf
By IANS,
Beijing : Gaurav Ghei was the best among the Indians, finishing tied 28th, at the Volvo China Open golf here at the CBD International golf course Sunday.
Ghei shot 75 in the final round Sunday finished with a total score of seven-over 295. He was 17-strokes adrift of the eventual winner, Ireland's Damien McGrane.
Ghei (76, 69, 75, 75) climbed from overnight tied 44th to tied 28th after returning his second consecutive 75 Sunday.
The Delhi golfer sank birdies on the third and 10th and dropped bogeys on the second, fifth, 14th, 17th and 18th hole.
IPL bidding: Super Kings get Justin Kemp
By IANS,
Mumbai : After some of the Indian Premier League teams exhausted their purse of $750,000, the rest of the teams got the players of their choice in the auction here Tuesday.
South Africa's Justin Kemp has been retained by Chennai Super Kings for the base price of $100,000. Australian batsman Adam Voges went to Rajasthan Royals for $50,000 while Kings XI Punjab got back Yusuf Abdulla of South Africa for $20,000.
Will study court judgement on IHF: M.S. Gill
By IANS,
New Delhi : Sports Minister M.S. Gill Saturday said the government will decide on its future course of action on the Delhi High Court order reinstating the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) after going through the judgement.
Gill pointed out that he has "deep respect" for the country's judiciary.
"I am yet to receive a copy of the order and have read it in the newspapers. We will study the judgement and then decide on the matter. I have deep respect for the High Court," Gill told reporters after the meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Commonwealth Games.