Woman O War appeals most

Woman O War appeals most in the first division of the M. L. N. Reddy Memorial Cup (1,400m), the main event of the opening day’s races to be held here on Sunday (November I).

There will be no false rails.

WELCOME PLATE (1,400m), 3-y-o & over, rated upto 50 (Cat. III), 1.40 p.m.: 1. Amethyst (7) Deepak Singh 61.5, 2. Pakat Pakat Pakat (3) Aneel 61.5, 3. Shivalik Bird (4) A. S. Pawar 61, 4. Flamboyant Star (5) B. Dileep 60.5, 5. Symbol Of Honour (6) K. Mukesh Kumar 59.5, 6. Accelerator (2) A. M. Tograllu 57.5, 7. Dolce (1) Ajeeth Kumar 53.5 and 8. Royal Glow (8) Kunal Bunde 50.

1. Accelerator, 2. Amethyst, 3. Shivalik Bird

BEGINNERS PLATE (1,000m), (Cat. II), maiden 2-y-o only (Terms), 2.10: 1. Cashel (7) Kiran Naidu 55, 2. Magical Skill (3) Deep Shanker 55, 3. Amazing Venus (2) C. Henrique 53.5, 4. Avenida (5) Sai Kumar 53.5, 5. Creative (6) Ravinder Singh 53.5, 6. District Attorney (1) Chary 53.5 and 7. Golden Adara (4) A M Tograllu 53.5.

1. District Attorney, 2. Magical Skill, 3. Creative

OWN OPINION PLATE (1,600m), 3-y-o & over, rated upto 50 (Cat. III), 2.45: 1. Hal Chal (ex: Chal Raja Chal) (8) A. M. Tograllu 60, 2. Belatrix (5) Deep Shanker 58, 3. Bharat Princess (4) C. Henrique 57, 4. Bon Ton (3) Ajit Singh 56.5, 5. Silvassa (2) Deepak Singh 54.5, 6. Junior (6) N. S. Rathore 52, 7. Sol Invictus (1) P. S. Chouhan 52 and 8. Aakash Vani (7) K. Mukesh Kumar 51.5.

1. Bellatrix, 2. Bharat Princess, 3. Silvassa

M. L. N. REDDY MEMORIAL CUP (Div. II), (1,400m), 3-y-o & over (Cat. I), 3.15: 1. Carlton (2) G. Naresh 64.5, 2. Vijay Vidhata (6) Kuldeep Singh 62, 3. Decathlon (8) P. S. Chouhan 61.5, 4. Super Falcon (3) Aneel 61.5, 5. Power Planet (5) A M Tograllu 58.5, 6. Azaiba (4) Ajeeth Kumar 56, 7. Hometown Hero (1) N. Rawal 53.5 and 8. Lopamudra (7) C. Henrique 51.

1. Vijay Vidhata, 2. Power Planet, 3. Carlton

DAWN PLATE (1,400m), 3-y-o & over, rated upto 75 (Cat. II), 3.45: 1. Lips Locking (9) Deepak Singh 62, 2. Time To Climb (4) S. S. Tanwar 55.5, 3. Vallee Secrete (5) Akshay Kumar 55, 4. O Ms Akilah (8) A. S. Pawar 54.5, 5. Delta Force (7) N. S. Rathore 52.5, 6. Rocking Racer (1) Chary 52.5, 7. Catherine (6) K. Mukesh Kumar 52, 8. Pegasus (2) C. S. Vikrant 50 and 9. Roma Rouge (3) Ajeeth Kumar 50.

1. Vallee Secrete, 2. O Ms Akilah, 3. Time To Climb

M. L. N. REDDY MEMORIAL CUP (Div. I) (1,400m), 3-y-o & over (Cat. I), 4.15: 1. Always Bullish (3) Deepak Singh 65.5, 2. Shamrock Lady (7) A. S. Pawar 62.5, 3. Brahmani (2) C. Henrique 59.5, 4. Golden Essence (9) Kiran Naidu 59.5, 5. Woman O War (6) P. S. Chouhan 59.5, 6. My Star (8) Akshay Kumar 57.5, 7. Modern Sniper (4) N. S. Rathore 56, 8. Hidden Power (1) Ajit Singh 52.5 and 9. Symbol Of Choice (5) Ajeeth Kumar 50.

1. Woman O War, 2. My Star, 3. Always Bullish

MOMENT OF GLORY PLATE (1,100m), 3-y-o & over, rated 25 (Cat. III), 4.50: 1. Dorian (3) Sai Kumar 62, 2. Exclusive Theodora (7) Deepak Singh 62, 3. Give Me A Chance (4) K. Mukesh Kumar 62, 4. Pensacola (2) Ajit Singh 62, 5. Team Motto (8) B. Dileep 62, 6. Sprint Saloni (5) R. B. Shinde 61.5, 7. Cruiser (6) Kiran Naidu 60, 8. Arrey O Samba (9) M. F. Ali Khan 59.5 and 9. Gun Stream (1) K. Sai Kiran 50.

1. Cruiser, 2. Dorian, 3. Gun Stream

Day’s best: Woman O War

Double: Vijay Vidhata-Vallee Secrete

Jkt: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7; Tr (i): 2, 3 & 4; (ii): 5, 6 & 7; Tla: All races.

Force India eyes Aston Martin rebranding

Force India boss Vijay Mallya on Friday confirmed media reports that his team was discussing a rebranding title sponsorship deal with Aston Martin.

In a news conference at the Mexican Grand Prix, Mallya was asked about the prospect of the Silverstone outfit being renamed as Aston Martin Racing, a move that would see the British car-maker’s return to F1 for the first time since 1960.

He said: “It’s premature to say anything has been done. We have many options and I will be able to confirm or otherwise when I have something to say.

“And as I said to Autosport (autosport.com) nothing is done until it is done and I don’t like to count my chickens before they are hatched.”

Aston Martin has discussed a return to F1 with Red Bull and Williams before switching to Force India, which races using Mercedes engines.

Desperate ATK faces upbeat Mumbai

Iain Hume can hurt any defence on the counter-attack, if given room to manoeuvre. The Canadian striker can score with head or feet and create chances for teammates.

Atletico de Kolkata requires him fit for the away Hero Indian Super League match against a supremely confident Mumbai City FC, riding high on home turf at the D. Y. Patil stadium on Sunday.

Disappointed

ATK coach Antonio Habas is disappointed, in the wake of three defeats in a row. There is nothing wrong with his forwards, but momentary lapses in concentration neutralise hard work done to keep ball possession.

The head coach changed goalkeepers, moving Amrinder Singh after first two games for Juan Sanchez, then brought back the Indian for the sixth match.

Custodian Edel Bete’s absence is being felt by the Spanish head coach (the Cameroon shot-stopper switched sides to Chennaiyin FC). The backline is not settled, due to changes by Habas in an effort to lend solidity.

Bete’s exit is something ATK has to live with. Marquee player and striker Helder Postiga’s non-availability due to injury picked up after two goals in the opener is another problem the team has to deal with now.

Hume’s efforts upfront in creating chances with slick passing have not been successful so far, leading to the defending champion in the lower half of the table after three losses in six matches.

Habas’s assembly of midfielders includes Valmiro Rocha (Valdo) from Real Madrid, who came on as substitute against Chennaiyin FC and scored off a Hume pass.

ISL 2014 sensation Borja Fernandez is another ace in the pack. This Eibar and Real Madrid player, armed with La Liga experience in defensive midfield role, is influential on the pitch and will be marked, besides Hume who was lucky to escape without major injury following repeated fouls by Delhi defenders.

Izumi Arata’s fitness problems limit Habas’s hand in the offence, even as he seeks the right personnel at the back against Nicolas Anelka’s upbeat team tomorrow.

Railways struggles against Tamil Nadu seamers

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  DEFIANT:Railways opener V. Cheluvaraj (63 batting) stood firm amongst the ruins to offer some resistance against Tamil Nadu on the second day.– Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar

CRICKET / Crist and Kousik share the spoils after Indrajith finishes with 151

NEW DELHI: The Tamil Nadu seamers relish outstation assignments. The spinner-friendly tracks at home reduce their role but away games give them the opportunity to make an impact.

Aswin Crist and J. Kousik gave an excellent exhibition of sustained swing and seam bowling by leaving Railways in tatters at 129 for seven in reply to Tamil Nadu’s first innings score of 328 in the Group ‘B’ Ranji Trophy match at the Karnail Singh Stadium here on Saturday.

Resuming at 288 for six, Tamil Nadu added 40 runs this morning with Baba Aparajith, 121 overnight, contributing 30 of them before falling after facing 233 balls. Railways was well served by Anureet Singh who finished with a five-wicket haul while Krishnakant Upadhyay picked up two wickets this morning to restrict the opposition.

Weak front

Railways was rattled early and then towards the closing stages. First by Crist and then Kousik as Railways put up a weak front against the Tamil Nadu seamers.

“The pitch was a gift really,” exclaimed Crist, who took four wickets. “We (seamers) feel happy to see pitches like this.

“There was swing for us even though the bounce was low and the pitch was a bit slow too,” said Crist.

Crist struck three blows in a row — Saurabh Wakaskar, Faiz Ahmed and R. Jonathan — before Arindam Ghosh and V. Cheluvaraj added 104 runs in what was the best phase of the day for the home team.

The short and compact Cheluvaraj gave a decent account of potential by playing the ball on merit in the company of an equally determined Ghosh, who played a waiting game.

Railways slipped from a healthy 124 for three, given the early dents, and lost four wickets for two runs as Tamil Nadu established its dominance through Kousik, who removed Ghosh (48, 133b, 5x4), Ashish Yadav and Anureet Singh after Crist ensured Mahesh Rawat’s dismal run with the bat this season continued. Rawat was taken on the leg-side as he attempted a glance.

“There was pressure because the team has not been doing well. It could have been different with some application. We could have saved 50-60 runs,” said Cheluvaraj, who has batted 158 balls and hit seven fours.

The scores:

Tamil Nadu — 1st innings: B. Aparajith b Anureet 3, Abhinav Mukund lbw b Bhima Rao 49, Dinesh Karthik c Ghosh b Mali 27, Vijay Shankar lbw b Anureet 19, B. Indrajith c Upadhyay b Anureet 151, R. Prasanna c Rawat b Ashish 22, J. Kousik c Rawat b Anureet 32, Malolan Rangarajan c Rawat b Upadhyay 12, Aswin Crist c Rawat b Anureet 0, M. Mohammed c Rawat b Upadhyay 6, Rahil Shah (not out) 0; Extras (lb-1, nb-5, w-1): 7; Total (in 111.2 overs): 328.

Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-67, 3-95, 4-101, 5-180, 6-258, 7-300, 8-303, 9-328.

Railways bowling: Anureet Singh 43.2-8-104-5, Krishnakant Upadhyay 31-6-93-2, Ranjeet Mali 19-4-57-1, Bhima Rao 11-1-47-1, Ashish Yadav 7-2-26-1.

Railways — 1st innings: Saurabh Wakaskar b Crist 11, V. Cheluvaraj (batting) 63, Faiz Ahmed c Kousik b Crist 0, R. Jonathan c Karthik b Crist 4, Arindam Ghosh c Indrajith b Kousik 48, Mahesh Rawat c Karthik b Crist 1, Ashish Yadav b Kousik 0, Anureet Singh b Kousik 0, Bhima Rao (batting) 0, Extras (lb-1, w-1) 2, Total (for seven wkts. in 59 overs) 129.

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-12, 3-20, 4-124, 5-125, 6-126, 7-126.

Tamil Nadu bowling: Crist 14-2-42-4, Mohammed 16-6-22-0, Vijay Shankar 10-2-33-0, Malolan Rangarajan 11-3-19-0, Kousik 6-1-7-3, Abhinav 2-0-5-0.

Milind leads Delhi’s revival

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  GOOD SHOW:Milind Kumar came up with a responsible knock to lend respectability to the Delhi innings.

Milind Kumar is fast emerging as a reliable middle order batsman for Delhi. The 24-year-old scored his second half-century in consecutive matches to help Delhi post 245 for seven in its first innings on the second day of the Ranji Trophy Group A match against Odisha here on Saturday.

Resuming at 99 for one, Delhi effectively dealt with some accurate bowling from Odisha pacers, spurred by the nippy Suryakant Pradhan’s four-wicket haul, to put up a decent total when bad light stopped play 35 minutes prior to the scheduled end.

The young Delhi batting line-up showed a lot of maturity even as the batsmen continued to collect runs at a slower pace, scoring 146 runs off 66.4 overs, amidst several stoppages due to rain and poor light.

Pradhan targeted Gautam Gambhir and him early. Gambhir (41, 168b, 4x4), who began from 35, survived a huge lbw appeal before inside-edging Pradhan in the seventh over of the day. He added 42 runs with the other overnight batsman Nitish Rana (37, 79b, 6x4) for the second wicket.

Rana, who showed a lot of fighting spirit, could not succeed in his attempt to stay longer. He was caught behind off Deepak Behera to leave the touring side at 132 for three.

Sensing a chance, the Odisha bowlers sustained pressure by sticking to a tight line.

Composed knock

However, Milind exhibited his mettle to get Delhi out of a possible crisis. Banking on his natural composure, good technique and awareness about the situation, the right-hander blunted the challenge thrown by the home seamers.

He switched gears to hit eight delectable fours, including three off an over from left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh and two in a Basant Mohanty over, to relieve the pressure.

Milind gave a tentative-looking Vaibhav Rawal (19, 124b, 1x4) the confidence to forge an excellent 65-run stand for the fifth wicket.

Odisha fought back in the post-lunch session by claiming three Delhi wickets in the space of five overs. Pradhan had Rawal brilliantly caught by Dhiraj at deep-midwicket and followed it up with a beauty of a delivery to get rid of Manan Sharma with wicketkeeper Rajesh Dhuper diving forward to complete a spectacular catch.

Mohanty claimed Puneet Bisht early to tighten the screw.

Milind hung on to rescue his side with an invaluable 59 off 138 balls before being Pradhan's fourth victim.

The scores:

Delhi — 1st innings: Dhruv Shorey b Mohanty 42, Gautam Gambhir b Pradhan 41, Nitish Rana c Dhuper b Behera 37, Milind Kumar c Dhuper b Pradhan 59, Vaibhav Rawal c Dhiraj b Pradhan 19, Puneet Bisht lbw b Mohanty 9, Manan Sharma c Dhuper c Pradhan 0, Pradeep Sangwan (batting) 15, Subodh Bhati (batting) 5; Extras (b-10, lb-7, nb-1): 18; Total (for seven wicket in 115 overs) 245.

Fall of wicket: 1-74, 2-116, 3-132, 4-197, 5-212, 6-213, 7-230.

Odisha bowling: Basant Mohanty 35-8-78-2, Suryakant Pradhan 32.5-11-83-4, Deepak Behera 30-16-32-1, Dhiraj Singh 4-1-18-0, Biplab Samantray 13.1-3-17-0.

Brave Blasters hold Chennaiyin FC

The home team snaps a four-game losing streak with the morale-boosting draw

GOOD BEGINNING:Chennaiyin FC's Elano celebrates with his teamates after scoring the first goal of the match in the 34th minute against Kerala Blasters.— Photo: H. Vibhu

What a transformation! Despite the odds heavily stacked against it, a 10-man Kerala Blasters FC stunningly forced Chennaiyin FC to a 1-1 draw in the Indian Super League at the Nehru Stadium here on Saturday night.

Blasters were coming home after a four-game losing streak which saw the exit of its head coach Peter Taylor and Chennaiyin, known for its attacking game and with stars like the league’s joint top-scorer John Stiven Mendoza and Elano Blumer, started as the big favourite.

But it was Blasters, who played the last 18 minutes with just 10 men and walked away with their heads held high. Chennaiyin’s goal came through a penalty too, through Elano in the 33rd minute, while the home side’s English striker Chris Dagnall, the hero of the match, came up with the Blasters’ equaliser with a stunning header soon after the break.

As expected, Blasters dropped Taylor’s favourite 5-3-2 and chose the 4-3-1-2 system with Sanchez Watt playing just behind the two strikers Mohammed Rafi and Dagnall. Meanwhile, Chennaiyin stuck to its regular 4-4-1-1 in the match which was played under a steady drizzle. Both sides made three changes from its last game.

Joao Coimbra, the Portuguese midfielder, made Blasters look lethal tonight, working his way up nicely and sending a steady stream of crosses to the forwards till his exit in the 40th minute after a back injury.

At the half-hour mark, Coimbra sent a lovely through cross to Chris Dagnall. With the crowd roaring, the English striker raced into the box but got into a tangle with the goalkeeper Karanjit Singh.

Chennaiyin took the lead soon after, through a penalty. Sandesh Jhingan, who got away scot-free when he pulled down the dangerous Mendoza a few moments earlier just outside the penalty area, appeared to bring down the Colombian striker inside the box following a collision in the 33rd minute. Elano comfortably slotted it home, sending it to the left corner, giving Bywater no chance.

Splendid save

Bywater was tested once again when Mendoza turned and fired a fiery shot from the top of the box but this time the home goalkeeper made a splendid save. Chennaiyin went into the break with a happy lead but the home side struck the equaliser stunningly soon after the break. The move started on the left with the young Spaniard Josu Currias Prieto, who came in for Coimbra, following which left-back Saumik Dey sent a curling floater to Dagnall.

The Englishman was quick to react and headed it home to the joy of nearly-48,000 fans.

Blasters got a penalty too when its captain Peter Ramage was brought down by the Chennaiyin defender Mailson Alves inside the box as the goalkeeper Karanjit rose to save a long-ranger. Josu took the penalty but Karanjit anticipated the shot well, diving to his left to make a brilliant save.

Outstanding day

Karanjit had an outstanding day. He made two more good saves before the hour-mark, pushing away a curling Josu freekick and a little later, a Dagnall header from close range, following another Josu freekick.

Meanwhile, Bywater made a couple of smart saves denying Elano and Mendoza in quick succession around the 70th minute. Rafi saw his header go wide for Blasters.

The Kerala side suffered a massive setback in the 74th minute when its tall Brazilian midfielder Bruno Perone’s boot hit Mendoza’s jaw as he jumped and turned to thwart the Colombian’s dangerous move forward. Was it intentional? The referee thought so and gave Perone the marching orders. But despite being a man down, the home side put up a brave face and finished with honours even.

The result: Chennaiyin 1 (Elano Blumer 34rd min., penalty) drew with v Kerala Blasters 1 (Chris Dagnall 46th).

de Villiers runs up a century

Cricket / Shardul Thakur and Nathu Singh make their mark

On Song:A.B. de Villiers was once again in the thick of things, making 112 against Board President XI.— Photo: Vivek Bendre

The potential of Shardul Thakur and Nathu Singh against an international side showed itself up in the opening session of the two-day warm-up game against South Africa at the Brabourne Stadium. Thakur may have even climbed a notch or two and could be considered as a replacement should there be an exigency caused by injury to any among the present set of pace men in the national squad.

The two-day match ended in a draw, with South Africa taking a six-run lead and the home team making 92 for no loss.

The pocket-sized Thakur seized an opportunity to show his mettle and largely succeeded capturing four wickets with the new ball — two in the last session on Friday and two in his opening burst on Saturday.

Nathu Singh took time to get his rhythm and accuracy and there were odd instances when he gave glimpses of possessing special deliveries to rattle batsmen at the highest level.

He dismissed a well settled left-handed opener Dean Elgar with a genuine wicket-taking delivery.

After an excellent demonstration of fast, seam bowling by Thakur and Nathu Singh that reduced South Africa to 57 for five by the 16th over, A.B. de Villiers (112, 208m, 131b, 18 x 4s) took the centre-stage and stamped his authority with a fourth century in the ongoing tour; he had scored centuries in the one-day internationals played at Kanpur, Chennai and Mumbai.

The attacking right-hander was involved in two recovery partnerships with Temba Bavuma (54 for the sixth wicket) and with Dane Vilas (115 for the seventh wicket).

From the home team’s point of view the focus was on Thakur and Nathu Singh.

The Mumbai speedster who recently crossed 100 first class wickets, trapped Faf du Plessis leg-before with a yorker. Thereafter he sent back captain Hashim Amla with an outswinger that took the edge of the bat and landed into the hands of Karun Nair in the first of the slip cordon.

The South African team coach Russell Domingo said that there is nothing to worry about leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who appeared to have hurt his non-bowling hand when Rahul hit a firm shot in the second innings.

The scores: Board President’s XI — 1st innings: 296.

South Africa — 1st innings: Stiaan van Zyl c Chand b Thakur 18, Dean Elgar c Chand b Nathu Singh 23, Simon Harmer c Ojha b Thakur 4, Faf du Plessis lbw b Thakur 4, Hasim Amla c Nair b Thakur 1, A.B. de Villiers b Jayant 112, Temba Bavuma c Chand b Pandya 15, Dane Vilas b Jayant 54, Vernon Philander b Kuldeep 12, Dale Steyn b Kuldeep 37, Kagiso Rabada (not out) 1, Extras (b-7, lb-1, nb-7, w-6) 21; Total in 69.2 overs: 302.

Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-46, 3-54, 4-57, 5-57, 6-111, 7-226, 8-259, 9-285.

Board President’s XI bowling: Shardul Thakur 16-3-70-4, Nathu Singh 14.4-2-56-1, Hardik Pandya 14-1-64-1, Karn Sharma 8-0-43-0, Jayant Yadav 8-2-37-2, Kuldeep Yadav  8.4-0-24-2.

Board President’s XI — 2nd innings: K. L. Rahul (not out) 43, Cheteshwar Pujara (not out) 49; Total: (for no loss in 30 overs) 92.

South Africa bowling: Simon Harmer 10-2-24-0, Dane Piedt 10-3-32-0, Imran Tahir 5-0-25-0, Dean Elgar 5-0-11-0.