Shubham's fine show goes in vain

Bengaluru,Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Shubham’s seven-wicket haul went in vain as Elite Blues Cricket Club pulled off a narrow one-wicket win over Chintamani Sports Asscoation, Chintamani, in a low scoring match of the YS Ramawamy memorial cricket tournament here.

Nagasimha claimed 4/20 to help Elite Blues restrict Chintamani to 135 all out in 40.4 overs. Elite Blues, however, made heavy weather of the target before scraping to 136/9 in 36.4 overs despite Shubham finishing with seven for 11. 

Brief scores: Chintamani Sports Association, Chintamani: 135 all out in 40.4 overs (M Raj 2-39, Nagasimha 4-20, Abhishek 2-26) lt to Elite Blues Cricket Club: 136/9 in 36.4 overs (Prabhu 28; Shubham 7-11).

Indiranagar Cricketers: 153 all out in 33.4 overs (Venu Madhav 53; Lochan Appanna 3-39, Aiyappa CR 3-26, Nihal FS 3-18) lt to Young Lions Club: 156/3 in 23.2 overs (Shivam Mishra 58 n.o., Deepak Shankar 35 n.o.)

Friends Cricket Team: 124/9 in 27 overs (Niksheap 33, Nagesh K 27; Naveen 2-23, Varsith 2-21, Zenith 2-24) lt to City Gymkhana Cricket Association: 125/3 in 23.5 overs (Robin Joseph 58 n.o., Ullas BM 26 n.o.; Advaith 2-20). (Start was delayed due to wet outfield).

Jawans Cricket Club: 266/7 in 50 overs (Suraj Sampath 61, Nishanth 66, Dinesh N Borwankar 30, Milind Ramesh 64; Nawaz 3-30) bt Visveswarapuram Cricket Club (2): 144 all out in 43.2 overs (Venkatesh P 47; Abhinav Manohar 2-23, Nishanth 2-22, Vineeth 3-12).

The Bangalore Cricketers: 222 all out in 49.2 overs (Praveen Kumar 46, Bharath 26, Chetan 33; Gnan Akash 2-31, Kuldeep 3-37, Shaban Khan 2-42) bt Modern Cricket Club: 125 all out in 37.3 overs (Bhavesh Gulechha 27, Kuldeep 26; Kempraj V Gowda 3-16, CK Akshay 2-30, Chetan 2-16).

Vikram Cricket Club: 199 all out in 39.4 overs (Pavan Kumar 45, Akash Reddy 82; Yatish BR 3-31, Vrijesh NG 4-41, Akshay 2-18) lt to Dooravani Cricketers (1): 203/6 in 39.2 overs (Vrijesh NG 57, Keerthi 51, Yatish 35, Bedabrata 25 n.o.; Akash 4-23).

Wadiyar Cricket Club: 89 all out in 31.5 overs (Fawad 29; Pandu 3-17, Manjunath B 3-20, Rajesh 2-17) lt to Rajajinagar Cricketers: 92/4 in 20 overs (Nadeem Khan 31 n.o., Manjunath 26; Md. Azghar Pasha 2-19, Amit 2-20).

Young Cricketers: 104 all out in 35.5 overs (Arvind 2-12, Sirish 3-10, Nagendra 2-15, Siddith 2-8) lt to Hammonds Cricket Club: 108/0 in 14.4 overs (Tarun 63 n.o., Arvind 30 n.o.).

Chamrajpet Cricket Club: 117 all out in 42.2 overs (Karthick 32; Devi Prasad Shetty 2-19, Rishab Singh 2-20, Shashank Verma 4-31, Balaji 2-15) lt to Johnson Cricket Club: 118/2 in 23.4 overs (Rishab Singh 52 n.o.).

Chitradurga Cricket Club: 109 all out in 32.4 overs (Pratheek J 33, Gurucharan 28; J Karthik 2-20, Abdul Lateef Patel 2-21, LK Vishwanath 5-24) lt to City Cricketers: 113/5 in 18.4 overs (Venkatesh MV 59 n.o., Mohit Pimplapure 27; Prasanna Kumar 2-10).

Visveswarapuram Cricket Club (1): 122 all out in 38.3 overs (Deepak S 3-22, Gaurav 4-11) bt Sir Syed Cricketers: 119 all out in 36 overs (Syed Nooruddin 4-23, Varun 3-9).

Friends XI Cricket Club: 134 all out in 36.5 overs (Suresh 29; Prajwal 4-18) lt to Sangam Cricket Association: 135/5 in 25 overs (Mithun 79).

Palar Sports Club: 146 all out in 44.4 overs (Ajay 47, Guru 32; Piyush 2-34, Vivek 5-32, Kushal Jain 2-14) bt RV College of Engineering: 139 all out in 45.1 overs (Anjani 52; Ajay S 4-16, Rakesh 2-30).

Negre wants to make hockey more exciting

Raipur, Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Assuring to cater to the need of the younger generation and make hockey a global sport, the president of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Leandro Negre said that the world body was keen on creating a product that would make the game more interesting and entertaining.

“We need a very exciting and nice product and in the last few years we have started to work on that front,” said Negre who is in Raipur for the Hockey World League Finals.

“The Hockey World League is a big example to what we are trying to do. Here the tournament gives opportunities to everybody. We want to take competitive hockey to all the 160 countries in the world and not just restrict it to the top six countries. Moreover, more people come to watch top teams in action and especially in places like Raipur and Antwerp, it’s a big thing,” he added.

Admitting that it was necessary to attract the younger generation to the game, Negre said that the federation was looking at ways to tap the youngsters through social media.

“Social media is playing a huge role in taking the game to the youngsters. We are trying to generate millions of followers in the world through communications and the social media,” he remarked.

Apart from the Hockey World League, Hockey 5s is another product that the FIH has rolled out during Negre’s tenure. And Negre hopes that the fast and action-packed version of the game, which was a part of the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China, will yield their cause. “I am very happy with the way the sport has grown over the last few years. Hockey 5s was introduced at the Youth Olympics in Nanjing and it was a great success. Even the IOC chief Thomas Bach too liked it. It will continue in the next Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires too,” he said.

'Defence key to our success'

Raipur: Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Knowles targets Olympic gold

For years Mark Knowles has been an integral part of the Australian setup. His vision, defensive solidity and big-match temperament have spurred the Kookaburras’ during their run as the best hockey side in the world. Defence, Knowles acknowledged, has stepped up to the plate even as the team tries to cope with a fading frontline.

“Our attack has been our strength for long. But off late, with most of our top players retiring and some out injured, the defence has stepped up,” said Knowles, the most experienced defender in the Australian camp at the Hockey World League Finals.

“Now the Australian way (of play) is about pressure, a solid defence and a free-flowing attack. If you look at the past 2-3 years of the Australian men’s team, it’s the defence that won us the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games,” he continued. 

On an individual front Knowles has had an impressive season. Starting the year by being named the FIH player of the year, Knowles played a vital role in his side’s win at the Hockey World League Semifinal in Antwerp, Belgium.

“It’s been pretty good. I have been performing pretty consistently. My leadership is something that I am working on right now. Being one of the senior members of the team, I have to lead by example and for that I need be to very consistent,” said the Aussie skipper.

Being a part of the Australian side that won the gold medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and finished third at the Beijing (2008) and the London (2012) Games, Knowles said that's a record the Kookaburras would look to set straight at the Rio Games.

“Yes, it was disappointing (to lose out on the gold medal at the Beijing and London Olympics). We will look to turn that around. We want to come better. No one wants to come third. Specially being Australia, third is not expectable,” remarked Knowles.

Knowles said a fine show at tournaments like the Hockey World League would help them in knowing where the side stands as compared to the other big names in the game. “We always prepare to exceptionally high level. The thing we need to do is challenge ourselves in big matches and that’s why we like playing top teams in the world. And here, semifinals and the final is something we need to play here to learn how to play under pressure. It will help us know where we stand,” he said.

Being the best side in the world could also mean pressure of expectation in big-ticket tournaments like that the Olympics. But Knowles thought otherwise.

“We don’t think so. We have been number one for a long time now. It’s just that people expect us to win every time we play. We know that we are a good team, a very hard side to beat when we are at our absolute best and that’s a nice confidence going into the Rio Games,” he pointed out.

Netherlands power past sloppy Indians

Naveen Peter Raipur: Dec 1, 2015, DHNS

Hosts finish at bottom of Pool B after second loss

Turning the game around in a ten-minute spell, the Netherlands handed India a 3-1 drubbing in their final group game of the Hockey World League Final here on Monday.

Dragflicker Mink van der Weerden was the star of the show as he first slotted in his side’s opening goal in the 36th minute and later turned provider for Mirco Pruijser with a brilliant assist to double the advantage in the 43rd minute.

Though the Roelant Oltmans-coached side pulled one back through a Chinglensana Singh strike in the 47th minute, Roel Bovendeert scored for the defending champions in the 54th minute to put the result beyond any doubt. The loss meant the Indians finished at the bottom of Pool B with just a point, and will take on the Pool A toppers in the quarterfinals which begins on Wednesday.

The Indians had started off from where they left off in their game against Germany, as they threatened the opposition goal with incessant waves of attack.

Making a handful of entries into the Dutch circle from the start, India’s first real chance came in the ninth minute. Fed with a delightful cross from Manpreet Singh, Danish Mujtaba beat his man on the turn to set up forward Akashdeep Singh. The 21-year-old striker, however, couldn’t garner much from the move as his hit found the Dutch keeper Jaap Stockmann who pushed the ball away to safety. Minutes later, the Indians once again found themselves close to taking the lead. This time, it was the misfiring Ramandeep Singh who failed to beat the Dutch goalkeeper after Dharamvir Singh had found him inside the striking circle with his cross.

Barring their goal, that was the best India could muster from the tie as the World number three side imposed themselves firmly on the game in the second half. Playing his 100th game for the national side, Karnataka player V R Raghunath had a terrible time in the defence as his error inside the penalty area resulted in the first penalty corner of the game.

The Dutch made sure that they used the opportunity to its fullest as a Van der Weerden dragflick flew past goalkeeper P R Sreejesh into the back of the net to hand the defending champions the lead.

Minutes later, Van der Weerden was once again in the thick of action as the 27-year-old found an unmarked Pruijser inside the Indian circle who beat Sreejesh to slot in his sides’ second.

Not rattled by the quick goals, the Indians continued with their attacking approach. And it yielded the Sardar Singh-led side returns as Chinglensana found the back of the net from a short-corner.

Though the Dutch keeper Stockmann had parried away the Rupinder Pal Singh flick, he had no answers to the Chinglensana’s ferocious slap as India pulled one back to raise hopes of a comeback. But any change in fortunes were not on the cards as Bovendeert beat Sreejesh on his near post to slot in his sides’ third goal as the Dutch climbed to the top of Pool B with the win.

Later, Argentina continued their fine run with a 3-1 win over Germany.

Results: Pool B Netherlands: 3 (Mink van der Weerden 36th, Mirco Pruijser 43rd, Roel Bovendeert 54th) bt India: 1 (Chinglensana Singh 47th). Argentina: 3 (Gonzalo Peillat 17th minute, 51st minute, Matias Paredes 50th) bt Germany: 1 (Niklas Wellen 26th minute) Today’s fixture: Australia vs Canada (6:30 pm); Great Britain vs Belgium (8:30 pm).

National bowling from today

Bengaluru, Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Defending champions in the men’s and women’s categories respectively, Dhruv Sarda of Delhi and Sabeena Saleem of Tamil Nadu, will be the favourites to retain their titles in the Accident Relief Care 26th National Tenpin Bowling Championship which kicks off here at the BluO Orion Mall from Tuesday.

The Rs 7.50 lakh prize money event has attracted 112 men participants and 27 women contestants, the maxiumum for the championship, according to the organisers. 

The bowlers have qualified through State-ranking events/ trials organised by respective State associations/ federations. The Tenpin Bowling Federation (India) also held trials in Kuwait and Dubai for Indian bowlers settled outside.

The winner in the men’s category will pcket Rs 1 lakh while Rs 50,000 will be given away to the winner in the women’s section.

All participants will compete on 2 different oiling patterns Medium (WTBA Athens – 40 Feet) and Short (WTBA Beijing – 35 Feet).

Former National champion Vijay Punjabi, meanwhile, will lead Karnataka’s challenge along with youngsterAkaash Ashok Kumar, bronze medallist in mixed team event at the Commonwealth Championships in 2011, and Varun Ganapathy of the National Elite Squad.

Dhankot feted
Meanwhile, the Tenpin Bowling Federation (India) felicitated Shabbir Dhankot for winning a silver medal at the 23rd Asian Championship earlier this year.

Dhankot, who is the first Indian to win a medal at the Asian level, was presented with a cheque of Rs 3 lakh. 

Yashwant hits ton as DPS East notch big win

Bengaluru, Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Yashwant slammed a century and Gautam missed a ton by just one run as Delhi Public School, East, trounced Max Muller High School by 238 runs in the BTR Shield Division I under-14 tournament.

Yashwant’s 112 and Gautam’s unbeaten 99 powered Delhi Public School to a commanding 358/4 in their allotted 50 overs.

Chasing a daunting target, Max Muller lads never got going, folding up for a dismal 120 in 35 overs. Tushar took 3/26 while Adithya (2/18) and Jay Desai (2/15) grabbed two apiece.

In another match, Nishok and Devanch shared nine wickets between them as Frank Anthony Public School romped to an eight-wicket win School Vivekanada. Nishok grabbed 5/24 and Devanch took 4/18 as FAPS bowled out Schook Vivekananda for a paltry 102 in 28.1 overs. FAPS lads raced to victory in just 14.3 overs.

Brief scores: Delhi Public School, East: 358/4 in 50 overs (Shray Singh 68, Pruthvi 37, Gautam 99 n.o., Yashwant 112) bt Max Muller High School: 120 all out in 35 overs (Kushal Gowda 58; Tushar 3-26, Adithya 2-18, Jay Desai 2-15).

St Joseph’s Indian High School: 166 all out in 40 overs (Bhargav S 60, Rishab S Rao 36; Khush P Bhansali 3-23, Adithya Srinivas 2-13) lt to Delhi Public School, South: 167/3 in 29.4 overs (Siddharth Y 40, Khush P Bhansali 44).

Carmel School, Padmanabhanagar: 153 all out in 48.5 overs (Suhas 45, Abhijeet 41; Anirudh Rao 3-34, Aimaan 4-21) lt to St Joseph’s Boys’ High School: 154/3 in 42.2 overs (Danish Altaf 27, Chinmay NA 43 n.o., Arjun Nair 28 n.o.).

School Vivekananda: 102 all out in 28.1 overs (Dileep V Raju 39; Devanch 4-18, Nishok 5-24) lt to The Frank Anthony Public School: 103/2 in 14.3 overs (Prajwal U 25 n.o., Varoon KG 37).

Mudgal & Co get cracking

Pragya Tiwari New Delhi: Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

BCCI to felicitate Sehwag during Delhi Test

As Feroz Shah Kotla stadium prepares to host the fourth and final Test between India and South Africa beginning Thursday, Justice (retd) Mukul Mudgal and his team are furiously working behind the scenes to ensure its smooth functioning.

Justice Mudgal, who has been appointed by Delhi High Court to oversee the preparations, however, described his experience as only “interesting.”

The ticket sales at counters begin on Tuesday and will be available at nine Cafe Coffee Day outlets in Delhi besides in Embassy Restaurant at Civil Lines and Connaught Place. The season tickets have been priced at Rs 250, 500, 1000, 4000, 4500, 5000 and Mudgal hoped the spectators would find the rates reasonable.

Besides, the daily tickets would also be available at two kiosk ticket counters at JP Park (near the stadium) and Bal Bhawan.

"We would be selling daily tickets because of the fact that Test matches are finishing in three days. We don’t have a control over the pitch and thank god for that!,” Mudgal told reporters on Monday.

“As far as children of the weaker section of the society are concerned, we have arranged them free mineral water, small meal and a cold drink. Seats will also be made available to deaf and dumb children. Delhi administration will be providing them transportation; there will be seats for children from the orphanages as well.”

With limited time at his disposal, Mudgal compared the task to a “daughter’s wedding” but pointedly said: “Even if I have something adverse to say, I will not like to right now.”

Mudgal said that he and former Deputy CAG IP Singh, who is supervising the tendering process, have decided to buy their own tickets. “We wanted to set a benchmark.”

He also informed the in-stadia rights have been sold for Rs 2.05 crores. “All the clearances and finances are being handled by Mr IP Singh. Regarding the tenders and all, we will issue a comparative chart later which will show that we have made considerable savings.”

Mudgal also said he had heard Delhi administration (government) wanting to felicitate the World Cup winning teams of 1983 and 2011. "But I do not know what will be the modalities.”

Sehwag to be honoured
Meanwhile, the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) has decided to felicitate former India opener Virender Sehwag during the Test match.  Sehwag had bid adieu to international cricket on October 27.

“We have been verbally informed by BCCI in the evening that Sehwag would be honoured. The details of the felicitation would be decided tomorrow,” DDCA treasurer Ravinder Manchanda told Deccan Herald.

The Working President of the DDCA, Chetan Chauhan, however, maintained that he had received no intimation from the BCCI in this regard.

Sehwag is scheduled to play for Haryana against Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy fixture at Nagpur, beginning Tuesday. It is yet to be seen if he plays in the fixture.

Arun confident of winning final game

PUNE: Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Ahead of their final group game against Maharashtra, Karnataka batting coach J Arun Kumar stre­ssed the team shouldn’t be judged only on the number of wins it has produced.

“From the last two years, we have set high standards by winning matches in bulk. And that’s the reason a draw is looked upon harshly. But this season we have played on flat tracks and they have not been conducive to pace bowlers. The important thing is that we aren’t playing bad cricket. Thanks to the flat pitches, our batsmen have found form.” explained Arun.

Arun said Maharashtra were a competent side but added that Karnataka can prevail in this encounter. “We have the resources in our bowling department to run through their batters. They (Maharashtra) are a good side but we are confident of pulling off an outright win here.”

The Karnataka pacers, who played a huge role in their title winning show last season, haven’t managed to bag wickets in bulk this season. But skipper Vinay Kumar backed his fast bowlers, saying they have improved with every game. “Every bowler is aware of his role in the side. Our pacers have been in and out of the side due to injuries. But whenever they have played, the performance has been impressive. And I am happy with my bowlers,” said Vinay.

‘Seniors must step up’
Maharashtra coach David Andrews felt the seniors in the side have not performed to their potential and the tie against Karnataka is a great opportunity for the hosts to sign off with a disciplined show. 

“We are up against one of the best sides in the country. We know our campaign hasn’t turned out as we expected. I expect more from the seniors in the side. This match is a good chance for the team to play well and exhibit their potential.”

Andrews wasn’t keen on commenting on the pitch and said that it was more important to concentrate on the game at hand. “I am not really worried about the surface. Good teams play well on any kind of surface and that is what we need to focus on.” 

Crucial tie for Karnataka

Vivek MV PUNE: Dec 1, 2015, DHNS:

Defending champs need at least a first-innings lead to progress

Exactly two months ago, champions Karnataka began their Ranji Trophy campaign as firm favourites to retain the title, when they took on Assam at the Bars­apara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. Seven matches into the season, Karnataka’s fight for a quarterfinal berth has been anything but smooth.

Pegged back by injuries to key players and unfriendly pitches, skipper Vinay Kumar’s boys have found it hard to churn out outright wins as effortlessly as they did in the previous seasons. As they gear up to face hosts Maharashtra in their final Group ‘A’ encounter here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium from Tuesday, Karnataka have the perfect opportunity to produce a winning performance and sign off their group phase on a positive note.

With two wins and five draws, Karnataka have managed to accumulate 24 points and the visitors will need to make sure they get at least three points if not a victory in this crucial encounter, to seal their place in the last eight stage.

In case of a defeat, it will be curtains for Karnataka, bringing an end to a sensational unbeaten streak of 34 matches spanning three seasons.

Despite finding it difficult to earn a full complement of points on a consistent basis, Karnataka have done well to remain unbeaten this season. A strong batting show has been the biggest plus for the side and the players have also displayed great team spirit when it has mattered. A victory in their final group game will give the visitors the much-needed momentum before the start of the quarterfinals.

On a surface that seems to be a batting friendly, Karnataka will hope for another dominant show from their in-form batsmen. Robin Uthappa has been in menacing touch, scoring three back to back centuries and the right-hander, who didn’t take the field after his blazing 148 against Delhi in the previous game due to a muscle pull near the rib, has been declared fit for this match.

Karnataka have retained the 15-member squad that was announced for the match against Delhi last week in Hubballi. The pace quartet of Vinay, Abhimany Mithun, S Arvind and HS Sharath worked in tandem to enforce a follow on against Delhi and the visitors might fancy their chances going in with the same combination for this tie.

Maharashtra, who are lying a lowly eighth in the table with 11 points, will be without their captain Rohit Motwane, who has been ruled with a finger injury. Experienced campaigner Kedar Jadhav will lead the side in the absence of Motwane. Medium pacer Samad Fallah has been dropped, following an average season and the hosts will be looking to give some youngsters a hit in this game.  

The previous game at this venue between Maharashtra and Assam was hit by heavy showers but the weather forecast seems promising for this tie. Interestingly, Karnataka thumped Maharashtra by eight wickets in a must win encounter in the 2012-2013 season and the defending champions will eye an encore of the tie to come out victorious.


Teams (from): Karnataka: Vinay Kumar (captain), CM Gautam, Mayank Agarwal, R Samarth, Robin Uthappa, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Abhimanyu Mithun, Abhishek Reddy, S Arvind, David Mathias, HS Sharath, Udit Patel.

Maharashtra: Swapnil Gugale, Chirag Khurana, S Atitkar, Rahul Tripathi, Ankit Bawane, Kedar Jadhav. Shrikant Mundhe, Anupam Sanklecha, Naushad Shaikh, SM Kazi, Bharatkumar Solanki, NR Dhumal, Vismant More, Akshay Darekar.

Hours of play: 9:30 am to 12:00 pm; 12:40 to 2:40 pm and 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm. 

New-found confidence in the Indian team

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The Hindu

Indian Hockey coach Roelant Oltmans. Photo: K. Murali Kumar

For more than an hour, every member of the Indian team tried to score during practice at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Stadium here on Sunday as coach Roelant Oltmans sought to make sure they were on target.

After two contrasting performances in as many games, it is anybody’s guess which Indian team would take the field against table-topper the Netherlands in its last league match of the Hockey World League Finals here on Monday.

The aggressive, attacking play that forced Germany on the backfoot would be what Oltmans would be hoping for; the defensive, lethargic bunch that let Argentina run riot is what the Dutch would want.

And the visitors made no bones about their preferences.

“The Indian team has changed a lot since I last played them. I think the Indian team is now playing with a lot more control, which I feel will actually be helpful to us because we find it difficult to plan for when they constantly attack a lot,” key forward Seve van Ass said.

That should give Sardar Singh & Co enough indications of what their plan should be.

Given the fact that all eight teams play the quarterfinals and the league games are only about deciding the line-ups, both teams are likely to make use of the last chance to sort out their concerns before the business end of the competition begins.

“Our aim is to score three goals in every match. So far we have scored only one in the tournament.

“I am pleased with our performance against Germany but the challenge is to maintain that level until the end of the tournament. The challenge for the next game is to score more goals,” Oltmans said.

The Dutch came here on the back of an impressive 6-1 victory against Germany in the European Championships final.

It has impressed with the expansive use of space, piercing runs through the opposition and accurate shots at goal.

It has most of its areas covered but like every team, there are certain chinks that India would do well to explore — most important being its defence during penalty corners, something Argentina capitalised on.

For India, a lot of concerns seemed to have evaporated overnight after the draw against Germany.

The attacks were sharper, the defence more robust and the midfield a strong link.

There is a new-found confidence in the team. Look deep, though, and the problems become visible.

Committing fouls in the dying minutes is something the team can do without.

This has become a trend — much like conceding last-minute goals in the past — and needs to be broken.

The left flank remains a concern and closing down the right would hurt the host.

For now, the confidence is what matters to the team.

Belgium hammers a hapless Canada

Belgium and Canada are separated by seven ranking places but the Europeans highlighted how vast the gap was in their Pool A match of the Hockey World League Finals here on Sunday, thrashing Canada 7-2 for its first win in the tournament.

Dominating the game completely in the opening and closing quarters and playing at half intensity in the middle half hour, the Red Lions were all over hapless Canada.

Three goals in as many minutes in the first quarter, taking full advantage of Canada being a man down, Belgium was 4-0 up in the first 15 minutes.

Two of them were initiated by Alexander Hendrickx from the 25-yard line to the left and deflected into the goal by alert strikers inside the striking circle even as the Canadian defence was scattered away.

First, Sebastien Dockier took the ball to the left backline and scooped it, Florent van Aubel directing it in.

Then, Thomas Briels received the ball at the penalty spot and deflected it in past a spread-eagled Canadian goalkeeper.

A fifth goal off a penalty corner at the stroke of the first quarter was cancelled after referral.

With a 4-0 cushion, the Belgians knew all they had to do was sit tight and control possession, which they did perfectly.

Canada tried to fight back and even got a couple of goals, one each in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but Belgium was never under pressure.

It decided to get a few more goals in the last quarter to wrap up victory in style as van Aubel struck his second and the team’s seventh in the last two minutes.

The results:

Pool A: Belgium 7 (Florent van Aubel 2, Sebastien Dockier, Thomas Briels, Jerome Truyens, Arthur van Doren, Tom Boon) bt Canada 2 (Mark Pearson, Devohn Noronha Teixeira).

Pool B: The Netherlands 3 (Thierry Brinkman, Severiano van Ass, Roel Bovendeert) bt Argentina 2 (Gonzalo Peillat 2).

Dwyer: a role model for discipline and fair play

At 36, Jamie Dwyer can still give his much-younger teammates a run for their money.

He is the most capped and decorated Australian hockey player ever, one of the legends of the game and recognised worldwide as much for his skills as his incredible longevity. At 36, Jamie Dwyer can still give his much-younger teammates a run for their money and he admits it is a huge confidence booster when he matches up to his younger rivals.

It wasn’t a surprise when Dwyer scored the lone goal in his team’s win over Belgium in the Hockey World League (HWL) on Saturday, a goal that came from almost zero angle and could well be among the best in the tournament. “To be honest, I think it got a deflection from a Belgian stick but I am happy to score,” he said.

Such honesty is uncommon in modern competitive sports but then, Dwyer isn’t just another sportsperson. In a country obsessed with perfection and winning in sports, he is a role model for discipline and fair play.

His five Player of the Year awards are proof of his popularity in the hockey fraternity and the team is already wondering about a Dwyer-less Australia post Rio.

Former coach Ric Charlesworth may have been following the Australian model of ruthless change by bluntly telling him he was no longer needed, immediately after leading Australia to its second successive World Cup last year, but Dwyer was in no mood to call it quits.

“Had I gone to the Commonwealth Games (in Glasgow), I might have retired then. But I had a point to prove after I was dropped. I am glad Ric retired otherwise I wouldn’t have been playing here, a country I love coming to. I have scored 27 goals in 25 matches this year so I guess that answers him and everyone else on whether I should still be in the team or not. Hopefully I will continue to be in this form and be selected for Rio,” he said.

This would be Dwyer’s last visit to India in Australian colours, and perhaps the last ever as a player; he hasn’t yet decided on participating in the Hockey India League next year (he was bought by UP Wizards). “Only because of my age. I want to be fit for Rio, that’s the biggest dream for anyone,” Dwyer said.

At the same time, Dwyer is determined to enjoy his last days on the turf.

“I am hoping to enjoy the last 250 days playing for my country, get the most out of my body and treasure every minute of it. There is less responsibility being out of the leadership group so I am free to play my game,” he said.

A special tournament

HIL, though, remains special to the man. It brought him closer to India; a country he loves so much, he’s named his younger son Taj; and Dwyer insists the league has helped Indian hockey become what it is today.

“I had said four years ago that having HIL would help Indian hockey a lot and it has. India is now better than any anybody has seen in the last three years.

“Post retirement, I am looking forward to developing my business JDH, which is becoming pretty big around the world, here also. That will keep me coming to India,” he signed off.

Chaudhari inspires UP to title triumph

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Rahul Chaudhari led Uttar Pradesh to a remarkable 15-13 win over Rajasthan in the men’s final of the 63rd Senior National kabaddi championship here on Sunday.

UP trailed for a majority of the fixture, and stayed in contention only due to Chaudhari’s persistence. The raider scored all seven of his side’s points, but Rajasthan still led 10-7. Then, a couple of defiant ‘super-tackles’ by B. Arvind and Rahul Kumar helped UP pull level.

At 13-all, Chaudhari — he plays for Telugu Titans in the Pro Kabaddi League — returned one more time. He gained a touch on Nanveet Gautam, and a few seconds later, the fate of the championship was sealed when Rajasthan’s Deepak Hooda was caught out by the antis. In the women’s section, defending champion Indian Railways proved too good for Haryana, recording a 18-13 victory. Railways was well served by Tejaswini Bai, whose raids consistently troubled the Haryana catchers.

The champion held a 9-7 advantage at half-time, and after the restart, Haryana did fight back.

The score was level at 11-all at one stage, but from here, Railways pulled ahead. Its raiders played safe, ensuring no way back for Haryana.

The results: Final: Men: Rajasthan 15 bt UP 13. Women: Indian Railways 18 bt Haryana 13.

Semifinals: Men: Rajasthan 29 bt Services 27; UP 25 bt Haryana 17. Women: Indian Railways 23 bt HP 14; Haryana 17 bt Maharashtra 15.

Lopez does it for Nagpur Orangers

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- Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Despite the odd flourishes of brilliance at the net, Hingis (left) was found wanting as Jankovic made her run around with some delectable cross-court returns

Feliciano Lopez raised his game under pressure in the decider to get the better of the big-serving Ivo Karlovic and help Nagpur Orangers beat Hyderabad Aces 22-20 in the Champions Tennis League match at the LB Stadium tennis complex here on Sunday night.

In the Legends’ rubber, Thomas Johansson put Hyderabad ahead by defeating Alex Corretja 5-3, even as the latter showed glimpses of his class with five aces in the final stages of the match.

But, the Swede’s superior serve and volley game helped him emerge the winner.

In the women’s singles, Jelena Jankovic of Nagpur put it across Martina Hingis.

Despite the odd flourish of brilliance at the net, Hingis was found wanting as Jankovic ran her around with some delectable cross-court returns.

Then, Hingis and Karlovic put Hyderabad back in contention beating Lopez and Jankovic.

The men’s doubles saw Lopez and Divij Sharan defeating Karlovic and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan. All the good work done by Karlovic’s serve was frittered away by some poor play at the net by Jeevan.

Lopez downed a fighting Karlovic in the men’s singles, after taking the issue into the tie-breaker.

To his credit, Lopez weathered a series of aces in the final minutes to stay cool and come up with some returns which had Karlovic struggling to get to.

The results: Nagpur Orangers bt Hyderabad Aces 22-20 [Legends: Alex Corretja lost to Thomas Johansson 5-3; Womens: Jelena Jankovic bt Martina Hingis 5-3; Mixed doubles: Feliciano Lopez & Jankovic lost to Ivo Karlovic & Hingis 5-4; Men’s doubles: Lopez & Divij Sharan bt Kalrovic & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 5-3; Men’s: Lopez bt Karlovic 5-4].

I get excited when it comes to Real: Lopez

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Feliciano Lopez.

Feliciano Lopez was wreathed with a beard in the last edition of the Champions Tennis League (CTL). Does he miss the facial foliage this time as part of the Nagpur Orangers?

“Not really. I did a commercial for Braun shavers before I came to India,” said the statuesque Spaniard on the sidelines of a CTL media conference.

The six-footer also endorsed big brands such as Hugo Boss, Ellesse and L’Oreal. He resents being asked about life as a model though, instead keen to be known as a tennis pro.

With looks to kill for, it was not surprising that he appeared on Los Serrano, a long-running Spanish TV serial.

He quickly dismisses it as a one minute role he never expected to play. “It was short, but great fun,” he recalled.

Does his quiet and intense public persona match his off-court personality? “I am actually quiet but get excited when it comes to Real Madrid,” he says.

Why Real, we ask the Toledo native.

“Madrid is just 40 kms from my hometown and I have a lot of friends in the capital,” he says.

Everyone in the family roots for Real except his mother who supports Barcelona. “Affections are passed on down the generations,” states the ATP men’s singles No. 17.

His fast and furious game is tailor-made for grass. “I realised grass was better suited to my game 15 years ago.

“As a big guy, I can cover the net better too,” explains the member of the vanishing serve and volley tribe, who followed in the footsteps of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Looking back on his career the southpaw is a shade philosophical.

“As you get older, you begin to think, travelling as you do for 35 weeks a year,” says Lopez, who supports his doctor friend’s cancer charity with fund-raising for research into the dreaded disease.

Four years ago, he met his would-be wife Alba Carrillo, a model, through a common friend.

“We had a wonderful relationship and our marriage in July came at the right time. My life is more complete now,” added, the jet-setter, who has a large following on Twitter.

Battling Chelsea salvages a point at Spurs

Jose Mourinho’s relationship with Diego Costa came under renewed scrutiny after the Chelsea manager dropped the striker for Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

The point left the reigning champion languishing in the bottom half of the table, while Tottenham — now unbeaten in 13 league games — was left frustrated after failing to take a chance to put pressure on the top four.

But it was Mourinho’s decision to leave Costa on the bench, having clashed with the Spain international at half-time of the mid-week Champions League win away to Maccabi Tel Aviv, that drew most attention.

It clearly angered the striker, who did not take part in the pre-match warm-up and tossed his bib towards Mourinho as the game neared its conclusion.

Mourinho explained his decision to drop Costa by claiming the 27-year-old was lacking in confidence, having found the net only four times this season.

“He’s playing every match and things are not going really well for his confidence,” Mourinho told BT Sport prior to kick-off at White Hart Lane.

Chelsea captain John Terry was also absent after failing to recover from the ankle injury he picked up during the 4-0 victory in Israel.

That meant Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill were paired at the heart of the visitors’ defence, while Eden Hazard was pushed forward to fill the hole left by the brooding Costa.

The results: Premier League: On Sunday: Tottenham 0 drew with Chelsea; West Ham 1 (Zarate 17) drew with West Brom 1 (Reid 50-og).

On Saturday: Aston Villa 2 (Richards 41, Ayew 89) lost to Watford 3 (Ighalo 17, Hutton 69-og, Deeney 85); Bournemouth 3 (Smith 80, Stanislas 87, 90+8) drew with Everton 3 (Funes Mori 25, Lukaku 36, Barkley 90+5); Crystal Palace 5 (McArthur 14, 90, Bolasie 17, 47, Zaha 41) bt Newcastle 1 (Cisse 10); Manchester City 3 (de Bruyne 9, Delph 20, Kolarov 69) bt Southampton 1 (Long 49); Sunderland 2 (van Aanholt 82, Watmore 84) bt Stoke 0.

La Liga: On Sunday: Getafe 2 (Lafita 21, Alvaro Vazquez 51) bt Villarreal 0.

On Saturday: Atletico Madrid 1 (Griezmann 3) bt Espanyol 0; Malaga 2 (Charles 45, Fornals 57) drew with Granada 2 (El Arabi 82, Rochina 85); Las Palmas 0 lost to Deportivo la Coruna 2 (Simon 19-og, Lucas Perez 90); Celta Vigo 2 (Orellana 15, Nolito 85) bt Sporting Gijon 1 (Castro 65); Barcelona 4 (Neymar 22, 53, Suarez 41, Messi 90+1) bt Real Sociedad 0.

On Saturday: Bayern Munich 2 (Muller 34, Coman 41) bt Hertha Berlin 0; Werder Bremen 1 (Ujah 62) lost to Hamburg 3 (Ilicevic 3, Gregoritsch 26, Muller 68); Hannover 96 4 (Marcelo 5, Andreasen 11, Karaman 24, Bech 85) bt Ingolstadt 0; Hoffenheim 3 (Zuber 11, Polanski 35, Amiri 47) drew with Borussia Monchengladbach 3 (Johnson 5, 87, Drmic 56); Mainz 05 2 (Muto 5, Mali 42) bt Eintracht Frankfurt 1 (Seferovic 61).

Serie A: On Sunday: Genoa 1 (Figueiras 8) lost to Carpi 2 (Borriello 57, Zaccardo 80); Roma 0 lost to Atalanta 2 (Gomez 40, Denis 82-pen); Frosinone 3 (Ciofani 22-pen, 40, Dionisi 48) bt Verona 2 (Viviani 69, Moras 75); Chievo 2 (Paloschi 26, Inglese 72) lost to Udinese 3 (Frey 42-og, Thereau 46, 80).

On Saturday: Torino 2 (Belotti 75, Vives 90+2) bt Bologna 0; AC Milan 4 (Bonaventura 16, Niang 38-pen, 49, Adriano 79) bt Sampdoria 1 (Eder 87-pen).

FC Goa romps into semifinals

The Hindu

RAINING GOALS: FC Goa's Reinaldo celebrates after scoring a goal against Kerala Blasters on Sunday. Photo: H. Vibhu

Reinaldo stars with a hat-trick as his team scores five past Blasters.

Riding on Brazilian Reinaldo hat-trick, FC Goa thrashed a 10-man Kerala Blasters FC 5-1 and marched into the semifinal of the Indian Super League at the Nehru Stadium here on Sunday night.

The victory helped Goa move to second place with 22 points and become the third team, after defending champion Atletico de Kolkata and Delhi Dynamos, to make the last-four grade. Meanwhile last year’s runner-up Kerala, which stayed in the last spot with 12 points after suffering its seventh defeat, was eliminated from the semifinal race.

The match looked even in the first session but Spanish midfielder Josu Currias Prieto’s exit with a red card just before half-time turned it sharply in Goa’s favour.

With both teams hungry for a win, the game had a fast, attacking start. Spanish midfielders Victor Forcada Pulga and Josu along with Englishman Antonio German combined nicely and kept the Goa defence busy.

It was this combination which gave the Blasters the lead in the second minute. The hard-working Pulga ran through the centre and fed German on the right. The speedy Englishman sneaked into the box from the side and sent a cross to Pulga who guided it home with a right-footer. It was the third time the Blasters were taking the lead within the first two minutes this season.

Goa fought hard, working its way up through the right flank and in the 12th minute, Reinaldo set up Joffre from just outside the box. The Spaniard made no mistake and scored the equaliser.

The home boys should have regained the lead around the 20th minute but they were unlucky to be denied a penalty when its striker Mohammed Rafi was brought down inside the box by defender Gregory Arnolin.

Goa, clearly thrilled with the let-off, took the lead just before the half-hour mark. It came off a nice piece of action with Mandar Rao Desai sending a nice cross from the right to the dangerous Leo Moura who was quick to relay it to Reinaldo. The Brazilian forward sent the goalkeeper Stephen Bywater the wrong way with a smart one to the right.

Josu sent off

The game turned a bit ugly just before the interval and Josu, who suffered a cut on his lip from an encounter with Joffre, punched and pushed the Goa midfielder. Joffre fell clutching his chest and the referee Dilan Perera was quick to give the Spaniard the marching orders.

Goa was quick to seize the advantage and soon there was a flow of goals, three coming in a 14-minute spell from the 50th minute, as the home defenders watched in horror.

Mandar, whose impressive crosses that easily pierced the host’s defence, sent one from the left to Reinaldo who made no mistake even as defender Sandesh Jhingan desperately attempted to thwart him with a slide. Reinaldo completed his hat-trick soon after the hour-mark off a cross from C.S. Sabeeth. Bywater could only raise his hands in despair.

Mandar was rewarded for all the hard work when Moura fed him after receiving a pass from Reinaldo and the happy Indian was right on target.

The result: FC Goa 5 (Joffre Gonzalez 12, Reinoldo Oliveira 29, 50 & 61, Mandar Rao Desai 64) bt Kerala Blasters 1 (Pulga 2).

We used to wait for three days for natural wear and tear: Wadekar

It was a Test series some four and half decades ago when the players of the two teams had welcome ‘off days’ from the hectic happenings, but it was also a series where skipper Ajit Wadekar unleashed the spinners against the Tony Lewis-led  England and won the series 2-1 after going down in the first Test at Kotla.

India’s second seamer was Bombay’s Eknath Solkar; he bowled just 25 overs in the five Tests and Syed Abid Ali sent down 62 overs. The spinners — Bhagwat Chandrasekhar, Erapalli  Prasanna, Bishen Singh Bedi, S. Venkatraghavan and Salim Durani — bowled 825 overs and took 72 wickets.

To a question whether the ball turned square from day one in that series, the former India captain, who led India to a first series win in the West Indies and England in 1971, said, “I have my doubts. But I may have seen it sometimes in a series, when I was not the captain. I have seen Chandra bowl the first ball, but it was just to take the shine off. Nothing else, once the shine is gone, the ball would be good for the spinners. I have hardly seen the spinners getting many wickets on the first two days.’’

Furthermore and especially in the context of ‘designer pitches’ created in the ongoing Paytm Freedom Series, Wadekar said, “In Test match cricket, it’s not done basically, the ball starting to turn from day one. India’s strength then was spin and we used to wait for three days for natural wear and tear to create opportunities for our spinners.

“We used to jump at the first opportunity. We were very good at slip catches, and this team (led by Kohli) is really wonderful in slip catching. We used to finish the match in four or four and a half days. Spinners ought to have plenty of variations.

“That’s where the skill lies, bowling at a particular pace. The real spinners should do well when they go to England, South Africa and Australia.’’

The 74-year-old is appalled by some Ranji Trophy matches being completed in two days and also the Mohali and Nagpur Test matches ending in three days. “A team has to score runs and build an innings. One would like to see centuries in a Test and a lot of runs on the first three days before making it lively on the last two days.

“To an extent he [Kohli] is right to say that conditions in India will be slow and assist turn. Even a bowler like Wesley Hall could not get many wickets. Having said that, people come to watch a five-day game and they pay for that.’’

When asked to give his opinion on the quality of pitches prepared at Mohali and Nagpur, Wadekar played it safe. “It’s a tricky question, but it’s unfortunate that the South African batsmen lack the technique to play on a turning track. We have played inter-office tournaments on turning tracks at the Oval, Azad and Cross maidans.

“We have played a Ranji Trophy final in Madras on a turning track. International teams should be well equipped, so when the opponent is not well equipped why not attack its weakness? The South Africans have been found wanting in skill to counter spin.’’

The spinners, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra have taken 47 wickets in five innings; fast bowler Varun Aaron has two. “It’s quite discouraging for them; Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Aaron. I also feel that the batsmen should play domestic cricket when opportunities come by.

“Sunny Gavaskar used to play the Kanga League arriving on the morning of a match from London,’’ said Wadekar who deployed the spinners to win the Test match at Port of Spain in 1971.

The Hindu