India look for face-saver

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 01:13 PM

India played for a semi-final spot against Spain a few days ago, and lost it despite getting enough chances. They played for pride against England on Saturday, but managed only to come close. Now, left with only their last league match against South Africa, there is little at stake for the hosts of the 12th hockey World Cup except a face-saver and one last chance to finish in single digits in the event.

The last time India played South Africa in a World Cup match, they were fighting to avoid the wooden spoon in 2006. India struggled to register a 1-0 win in the play-off for the 11th -12th spot back then. When the two teams line up on Monday, they will clash this time to finish in the top eight. And going by current form, India will have a battle on the cards yet again.

What should be a concern for the hosts is the fact that the last encounter between the two sides was an example of numerous chances going waste before India finally tapped in the winner. That story seems to be continuing in 2010, with the Indian strikers missing several sitters inside the circle. Against a resolute South African defence, it is an area that India need to address quickly. Ranked 13th in the world, they made a strong return after a 12-0 mauling by Australia, upsetting Pakistan 4-3. Their morale will be high and a win against India will put them fourth in the table.

South African captain Austin Smith has already said that their realistic target from this World Cup was to learn from the top teams and improve on their last-place finish from 2006. And his team look determined to do exactly that. The South Africans are physically much stronger, and India need to counter that with their skills and gameplan.

For India, a win is important for more reasons than one. It will help them fight for the seventh spot, their best finish in the event in the last 12 years. It will also be their last chance to prove that the team are better than they have played so far.

On the positive side, India have definitely been a better team than Pakistan in the event irrespective of their results. Also, Pakistan managed to pull back after being down 4-1 at one stage despite their scorers having an off day, which makes South Africa's defence slightly suspect.

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Spacey, Grant, to attend Laureus World Awards

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 01:03 PM

Dubai, Mar 8 (PTI) Hollywood film star Kevin Spacey will play the host at a sports award ceremony to be held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday which will also be attended by actors like Hugh Grant and Clive Owen. The 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards will honour the sporting achievements of last year and the event will have sporting stars like World Heavweight Champion boxer Vitali Klitschko, Germany Women''s football coach Silvia Neid, American 400 metres World Champion Sanya Richards. They will be joined by a host of other big stars including cricket stalwarts, Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan from England, Shaun Pollock from South Africa and Steve Waugh from Australia. American actors Kyle MacLachlan, star of Desperate Housewives, Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Trudy Chacon in Avatar will also attend the event. Among others Kapil Dev, one of India''s greatest cricketers, Brian Lara, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, and Monica Seles, former World No 1 tennis star will also be present at the award show.

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Becks censors his Cupid and Psyche tattoo

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 12:47 PM

London, Mar 8 (ANI): David Beckham has revealed his latest tattoo- a Renaissance-inspired body-art of Cupid and Psyche.

The inkwork has been inspired from a painting by 15th century artist Francesco Francia showing god of love Cupid carrying wife Psyche to heaven.

However, the AC Milan ace, 34, has had a veil drawn on her to protect her modesty.

The footballer unveiled the tattoo after his side's 0-0 draw at rivals Roma over the weekend.

"Perhaps David thought it was a little rude for some of his younger fans," the Mirror quoted an AC Milan source as saying.

The latest body-art apparently totals Becks' tattoo- count to 14.

His last one was also based on a painting - British artist Matthew R Brooks' depiction of a bleeding Christ.

In his memoirs, 'Both Feet on the Ground', Beckham said of his tattoos: "They're about the important people in my life, my wife and sons." (ANI)

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Nakamura ready to carry burden of Yokohama's expectations

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 12:43 PM

Japan's Shunsuke Nakamura has quickly assumed the role of lifting his new club Yokohama F-Marinos out of the doldrums.

"The only thing bright spot about training is Shunsuke," Yokohama manager Kazushi Kimura told Monday's Nikkan Sports after the team's losing start to the J-League season.

"It's been rubbish since last year. He's the only good thing."

Nakamura was quickly reminded of the size of the task he faces after watching Yokohama's 1-0 defeat at FC Tokyo over the weekend.

Yokohama finished 10th in the J-League last season after failing to lure Nakamura from Celtic, where the midfielder won three Scottish Premier League titles.

Nakamura, who returned to his boyhood club last month following a frustrating spell at Spain's Espanyol, was the one barking orders in Sunday's training session.

"There is no need to rush things," said Nakamura, whose return boosted replica shirt sales to the extent the club shop ran out of the numbers "2" and "5" for his number 25 jersey.

"We need to relax and play our style of football. There is no need to panic."

Referring to Nakamura's planned debut in next weekend's home game against promoted Shonan Bellmare, Kimura joked: "We'll probably have to use him."

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Rooney will be fit for Man U's Euro showdown

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 12:33 PM

London. Mar 8 (ANI): Ace striker Wayne Rooney will be fit for Manchester United's Euro showdown with AC Milan.

The England striker is suffering from an inflamed kneecap tendon and was rested for Saturday's 1-0 win at Wolves.

But last night it emerged that the condition is not serious enough to keep him out of Wednesday's Champions League return against the Italians at Old Trafford.

Rooney, 24, has paid for playing two games in four days on Wembley's dodgy pitch, The Sun reports.

But the inflammation will go within three weeks and should not stop him playing again.

However, there are concerns that United and England defender Wes Brown may have suffered a broken metatarsal in his left foot, which would put a question mark over his World Cup hopes. (ANI)

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Arsenal to risk playing Fabregas to keep Euro dream alive

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 11:47 AM

London. Mar 8 (ANI): To keep Arsenal's Euro dream alive, manager Arsene Wenger is ready to risk playing skipper Cesc Fabregas.

The Gunners skipper limped off in the 3-1 win against Burnley with a tight hamstring and is doubtful for tomorrow's Porto clash.

It is the same injury that kept Fabregas out for three weeks last month.

"I'm ready to take the gamble. But if there is more than a 50 per cent chance of his hamstring going I will not take it," The Sun quoted Wenger, as saying.

"You look at the Fabregas numbers and they are amazing 14 goals and 15 assists. He's a fantastic player with fantastic attitude and commitment," he said.

"And what people forget, an unbelievable work-rate, too. This season he has taken a big step forward, massive. At 22 years of age he has matured," Wenger added.

Fabregas will have a scan today to assess the extent of the injury.

Arsenal need to overcome a 2-1 deficit and will be boosted at the Emirates by Sol Campbell's recovery from a muscle injury. (ANI)

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Japan wonderhorse Vodka forced to retire

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 11:23 AM

Japan's back-to-back horse of the year Vodka has been forced to retire after suffering a nosebleed in a warm-up race for this month's Dubai World Cup.

The Japan Racing Association described the six-year-old mare as a "jewel for Japanese and world horse racing" on Monday after hearing of the shock decision to end her racing career.

"When we saw she had a nosebleed again after the race the owner (Yuzo Tanimizu) and I decided to retire her," Vodka's trainer Katsuhiko Sumii told reporters.

Vodka, who captured public imagination in 2007 by becoming the first filly to win the Japan Derby in 64 years, also bled in winning the Japan Cup last November.

She will now be bred to last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sea the Stars in Ireland and not return to Japan.

"It would be wrong to push her," Sumii said. "We wanted one final swansong for Vodka but it wasn't to be unfortunately. Vodka was a true champion. We are deeply grateful to her."

Vodka was scheduled to end her glittering career on March 27 at the world's richest race in Dubai.

The record-tying seven-times Grade One winner won 10 of 26 races and earned more than 1.3 billion yen ($14.40 million) -- the most prize money ever won by a mare in Japan and third all-time.

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Chelsea, Villa enter FA Cup semis

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 11:13 AM

Holders Chelsea advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-0 home win over Stoke City while Aston Villa joined them after coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Reading with a John Carew hat-trick on Sunday.

The two winners will meet in the Wembley semi-finals on April 10/11 when Portsmouth, who beat Birmingham City 2-0 on Saturday, will play either Fulham or Tottenham Hotspur, who drew 0-0 at Craven Cottage.

Stoke, seeking their first semi-final since 1972 having previously knocked out Manchester City and Arsenal, went close after 15 minutes when Hilario punched a Rory Delap long throw straight to Dean Whitehead, whose shot was cleared off the line by Jon Obi Mikel.

However, Chelsea, beaten in their last two games, soon took control and went ahead after 35 minutes with a trademark Frank Lampard shot from the edge of the box.

Defender Andy Wilkinson cleared two goal-bound efforts as Chelsea cranked up the pressure in the second half but he could only deflect John Terry's firm header from a corner that made it 2-0 after 67 minutes.

"It's never easy after a defeat like last week, that's not normal for us," Lampard told ITV. "We've come back ready to put it right and in a very difficult game today I thought we handled it very well."

Reading were the last remaining non-Premier League club in the competition and in the quarter-finals for the first time in 83 years after upsetting Liverpool, Burnley and West Bromwich Albion in previous rounds.

BETTER TEAM

They were by far the better team against a Villa side who lost the League Cup final to Manchester United last Sunday and deserved the lead earned by Shane Long's goals after 27 and 42 minutes.

Villa looked a different team in the second half though and within 10 minutes had turned the game round.

Ashley Young scored after 47 minutes before Carew, a late addition to the starting team after Gabriel Agbonlahor was taken ill in the morning, made it 3-2 with goals after 51 and 57.

Reading came back well and three times went close to an equaliser before Carew's stoppage-time penalty.

Relieved Villa manager Martin O'Neill said he had been happy to reach halftime only 2-0 down.

"After our first-half performance I think most of our players were grateful to get a second chance but just to be back at Wembley is great," he told the club's website (www.avfc.co.uk).

"Sometimes it is nothing to do with pretty football. Sometimes it is just to do with character, determination and the ability to fight. I think we had lost that in the first half and it came back to us in the second half in great abundance."

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I want my money back: Mohd Asif''s actress friend

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 10:32 AM

Lahore, Mar 7 (PTI) She claims to have supported Mohd Asif emotionally and financially during his days of hardship and Pakistani television actress Veena Malik now wants at least the money back. Veena, who was speculated to be seeing the Pakistani pace bowler until recently when he got married to another girl chosen by his family, has demanded Rs 300,000 she claims to have given him. "When he was banned from cricket and when no one was willing to support or help him I stood by his side and I gave him 300,000 which he said he would pay me back when things improved," Veena said. "Now that his situation is better he is trying to avoid meeting his commitment but I want my money back, it is my hard earned money," Veena said. The actress warned that if Asif didn''t pay back the money she would take him to court to get what was her money. "I will not hesitate to take him to court," she said. She maintained that Asif had proposed to her on Valentine''s day but she had refused as she wanted to concentrate on her career for the next two years. Asif got married to a girl from Lahore, Hina, few days back at a proper ceremony and the families have decided that the Rukhsati ceremony will take place after about six months. Asif has denied that he ever proposed to Veena or she had given him money. "She supported me a lot but this money business is not correct," he said.

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First highest synthetic hockey turf ground in HP remains neglected

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 10:04 AM

Himachal Pradesh, March 08(ANI): The first highest synthetic hockey turf ground in Shillaro hill village of Himachal Pradesh remains neglected. Synthetic turf was laid on the ground in November last year, but even after that the ground remains unutilized. National-level hockey players believe that it would have been better for Indian hockey players to have a fitness camp here at Shillaroo before the World Cup for better performance as synthetic turfs have a faster outfield, which is crucial to win matches at international level.

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Top Italian teams draw a blank, Leverkusen lose

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 09:44 AM

Italy's top three teams failed to score at the weekend as leaders Inter Milan drew 0-0 with Genoa and AC Milan and AS Roma, second and third, shared another goalless stalemate.

Bayer Leverkusen lost for the first time in the Bundesliga this season, going down 3-2 at relegation candidates Nuremberg in their 25th match.

ITALY

Inter Milan were held 0-0 at home by Genoa and missed the chance to extend their Serie A lead after their closest rivals drew with each other.

AC Milan, four points behind in second spot, were held 0-0 at third-placed AS Roma despite dominating for long spells.

Palermo, in fourth, continued their drive for a Champions League slot with a 1-0 win over Livorno thanks to Fabrizio Miccoli's shot from the edge of the box.

Juventus are two points behind the Sicilians in fifth after Diego and Fabio Grosso earned a 2-1 victory at Fiorentina.

FRANCE

Alberto Costa and Victor Montano missed penalties for Montpellier but Costa scored an injury-time equaliser to rescue a 1-1 draw at 10-man Girondins Bordeaux in a top-of-the-table clash.

Cedric Carraso saved both first-half penalties while Bordeaux had Michael Ciani dismissed for the foul which led to the first spot kick.

Morocco forward Marouane Chamakh put Bordeaux ahead on 59 minutes but Costa levelled from a 30-metre free kick four minutes into stoppage time.

The teams stayed level on points at the top but Bordeaux lead on goal difference.

GERMANY

Bayer Leverkusen lost for the first time in the Bundesliga this season, going down 3-2 at relegation candidates Nuremberg.

Two goals from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and one by Mickael Tavares put Nuremberg 3-0 ahead before Stefan Kiessling and Patrick Helmes replied.

Bayern Munich stayed top with 53 points after drawing 1-1 at Cologne, Bastian Schweinsteiger earning a point for the Bavarians after Lukas Podolski had scored against his old club.

Schalke 04 won 4-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt to go second with 51 points, one ahead of fading Leverkusen.

ENGLAND

Paul Scholes grabbed his 100th Premier League goal to give Manchester United a 1-0 win at struggling Wolverhampton Wanderers which took the champions to the top of the table.

United went two points clear of Chelsea who beat Stoke City 2-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Arsenal are level on points with Chelsea after a 3-1 win over Burnley, Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott and Andrei Arshavin getting the goals.

Aston Villa set up a semi-final against Chelsea after coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Reading with a John Carew hat-trick.

SPAIN

Real Madrid stormed back from two goals down to beat Sevilla 3-2 with a last-minute winner and replace Barcelona at the top of La Liga on goal difference.

A Xabi Alonso own goal and an Ivica Dragutinovic free kick put Sevilla 2-0 up but the fightback started with strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos.

Rafael van der Vaart scrambled the dramatic late decider.

Barcelona were held 2-2 in Almeria with Lionel Messi twice hauling his side back into the game, his second coming after Zlatan Ibrahimovic had been sent off.

Real and Barca are tied on 62 points from 25 games, 16 ahead of third-placed Valencia who host Racing Santander on Monday.

NETHERLANDS

A diving header from Kenneth Perez earned Twente Enschede a 1-0 win at RKC Waalwijk and sent them top following PSV Eindhoven's first league defeat in almost a year.

PSV, last beaten on March 15, 2009, went ahead with an Orlando Engelaar goal after 18 minutes but Donny Gorter equalised for NAC Breda 10 minutes before halftime and Robert Schilder grabbed the winner in the 72nd minute.

With eight matches remaining Twente have 67 points, two ahead of PSV who travel to third-placed Ajax Amsterdam (61) next Sunday.

PORTUGAL

Benfica stretched their lead to three points with a 3-1 home win over Pacos de Ferreira thanks to goals by midfielder Ruben Amorim, Argentine forward Javier Saviola and Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo.

Second-placed Braga drew 0-0 at Setubal. Porto, in third, were two goals down inside 16 minutes at home to Olhanense, Djalmir scoring both, but rallied to earn a 2-2 draw with late goals by Colombians Radamel Falcao and Freddy Guarin.

BULGARIA

Litex Lovech president Trifon Popov was furious after the league leaders lost 4-1 at Pirin Blagoevgrad.

"It was one of the most shameful defeats in our club's history," he told reporters. "It seems like some of our players just don't have the quality to play in a big club.

"We'll wait and see but probably some of them will have to go after the end of the season."

Litex remained top on 38 points, three ahead of CSKA Sofia who were held to a goalless draw at Beroe Stara Zagora.

SCOTLAND

Rangers stayed 10 points clear of second-placed Celtic, and with a game in hand, after both teams won.

The Ibrox club beat St Mirren 3-1 despite going behind to a Graham Carey goal. Lee McCulloch replied for Rangers either side of the break and Nacho Novo added a third.

Robbie Keane scored twice to give Celtic a 2-0 win at Falkirk.

GREECE

Leaders Panathinaikos beat Levadiakos 3-0 to stay two points ahead of PAOK Salonika, who beat Panthrakikos by the same score.

Source: Web Search

Chinese chided for putting mother before motherland

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 09:24 AM

Olympic champion short track speedskater Zhou Yang has been chided by China's deputy sports minister for thanking her parents but not her country after winning gold at the Vancouver Games last month.

The 18-year-old, who won gold in the 1,500 metres and as part of the 3,000m relay team, said in Canada that she hoped her achievements would make life easier for her unemployed parents.

"It is okay to thank your parents. But firstly you should thank the motherland. You should put the motherland first, not to only thank your parents," vice sports minister Yu Zaiqing told the Southern Metropolis Daily.

Her parents were awarded a 94-square-metre apartment valued at 300,000 yuan ($43,950) by the local government in their home city of Changchun after Zhou's 1,500m triumph.

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M A Rangoonwala T10 cricket tournament from today

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 05:34 AM

The MCE Society's M A Rangoonwala Institute of Hotel Management and Research, Azam Campus, Camp, will organise the second edition of the M A Rangoonwala T10 Cricket Tournament at Md Gany sports Complex Ground, Azam Campus, from March 8-10.

According to a press note, the tournament aims at creating a common platform for students from various catering colleges and institutes to interact and develop team spirit, which is essential in hospitality operations. It was started last year by Prof Anita Frantz, principal of M A Rangoonwala Institute of Hotel Management and Research.

The competition is sponsored by Bindra's Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd.

The first edition of the tournament, which saw Bindra's Hospitality Services Pvt Ltd emerge champions, had received support from famous sports personalities and saw good response from catering establishments and hotel management colleges, the note said.

A four-feet gold plated rolling trophy will be awarded to the winning tean, it added.

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IPL bid postponed till Mar 21; norms relaxed

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 02:12 AM

The governing council of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has called off the bidding process for the two new franchises following requests by many corporate houses to relax the existing clauses. The existing clauses specify that bidders need to have a net worth of over $1 billion (around Rs 4,600 crore), along with IPL's demand of a guaranteed advance payment of $100 million (Rs 460 crore). All existing tenders, which were to be opened at 12 pm on Sunday, have been returned to the bidders.

The bidders can now take back the Rs 5-lakh deposit or they can resubmit it on March 9 to collect the new tender document. IPL will accept the tenders only on March 21 at 10 am. On the same day, the bids will be opened at 11 am in Chennai, followed by the announcement of the winning bids.

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said, "We have received letters from many companies who have expressed interest in bidding for the two new franchises, but the criteria of $1 billion net worth which owners are asked if they want to bid eliminates them from bidding." He further said the clause has been done away with to give opportunities for more people to bid.

A source close to the development said, there could be three possible reasons for the deferment of these tenders. First, only 11 tender forms were sold, of which only 5-6 were submitted. Of this, two companies, Videocon and Adani Group, were the front runners. Moreover, it is also believed that the bidding prices did not meet the expectation of the IPL governing council. Even though the base price of $225 million remains unchanged, Modi's repeated emphasis was on the debate within the council to increase the base price. It is also speculated that Modi wants to resolve issues with the News Broadcast Association (NBA), which has currently boycotted the proceeds of the tournament. It is now estimated that Bollywood actors such as Ajay Devgan and Sanjay Dutt who pulled out because of the steep bank guarantee, are expected to file fresh tenders.

Interestingly, Venugopal Dhoot, who was rumoured to have won the franchisee for team Pune, showed his disappointment with the cancellation of his tender. "We are, of course, disappointed that our document got deferred without the governing council citing a reason for it. We had complied with all the stringent clauses required, be it the $100-million bank guarantee or the Rs 5,000 crore net worth. There are no grievances as such because it's cricket. We don't want to fight on small things," he added. "In case there is a need to increase the bid amount, we will do so. Pune is our land and we will bid for the same."

IPL, which has turned out to be the most valuable cricket property in no time, is increasing the number of franchise teams from eight to ten from its fourth season. The minimum bid price has been fixed at $225 million (Rs 1,035 crore) per franchisee, against $50 million (over Rs 230 crore) in the maiden auction in 2008, when franchisees were required to submit just 10% of their bid amount as bank guarantee.

Despite the IPL's governing council opting for a re-tendering, the base line for any bid for a franchise will remain at $225 million with locations in Pune, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kanpur, Dharamsala, Vizag, Rajkot, Cuttack, Baroda, Kochi, Indore and Gwalior still the only possibilities.

The decision of canceling the bidding process was taken after a prolonged meeting in Mumbai, which was attended by Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, along with Videocon Industries' Venugopal Dhoot.

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Netherlands rally to draw against Germany in World Cup

Published Mon, Mar 08 10 12:44 AM

In-form Netherlands rallied to draw 2-2 with holders Germany in their Pool A match on Sunday as both teams stayed in contention for semi-final places at the men's hockey World Cup.

Skipper Teun de Nooijer scored the equaliser in the 65th minute to help the impressive Dutch take one point after Oliver Korn and Jan Marco-Montag scored second-half goals to give Olympic champions Germany a 2-1 lead.

Wouter Jolie scored off a penalty corner to put Netherlands, who won their three previous matches, ahead in the 23rd minute.

Argentina pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over New Zealand for their first victory in the competition and South Korea thumped Canada 9-2 in the day's other Pool A matches at the Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium.

Jang Jong-hyun scored three goals and Nam Hyun-woo and You Hyo-sik scored two each as South Korea recorded their second win in the competition.

Germany, who are bidding for a third successive title, are two points behind leaders the Netherlands and will play New Zealand on Tuesday. Netherlands face third-placed South Korea in their last pool match.

European champions England on Saturday became the first team to clinch a semi-final place from pool B with four successive victories.

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Germany, Netherlands play exhilarating draw, four teams in semis race

Published>Mon, Mar 08 10 12:18 AM

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Staunch rivals Germany and the Netherlands played out an exciting 2-2 draw while Korea demolished Canada 9-2 to leave the two semi-final berths from pool A open till the last round of league matches.

In another match, Facundo Callioni's fine second-half strike led Argentina to a shock 1-0 win over New Zealand and made the Black Sticks' chances of making to the semifinal difficult.

The Netherlands are on 10 points with a match left against Korea while Germany are on eight points and will square up against New Zealand in their last match.

Korea are hot on heels on seven points from four matches. The two matches between Germany and New Zealand, and the Netherlands and Korea Tuesday will now decide the semi-finalists from the pool.

The much-awaited clash between Germany and the Netherlands reached up to expectations as the two teams dished out a highly absorbing fare that had its moments of drama and suspense.

The Netherlands took the lead through Jolie Wouter's penalty corner conversion and Korn Oliver equalised in the 44th minute. Germany went 2-1 up with a goal from Jan-Marco Montag (63rd minute) but touch-artist Teun de Nooijer levelled the score with a flick of his wrist just five minutes before the final hooter.

The fast-paced game saw the ball rolling from one end to the other, but the Dutch had a slight edge in the first half.

But the Germans seized the initiative post breather, building up intense pressure, and could have scored more goals, but for the solid display of the Netherlands defence, particularly veteran goalkeeper Guus Vogels, who has been in outstanding form throughout the tournament.

Earlier, Korea unleashed a second-half blitz to steamroll Canada and keep their hopes alive.

Nam Hyun-Woo converted a penalty corner in the 23th minute before Jong-Hyun Jang (35th minute) slotted home a penalty stroke as Korea went 2-0 up in the half-time.

But it was at the the start of the second half that Korea slammed four goals in seven minutes with lightning fast moves and shocked Canada. Nam-Yong Lee (38th minute), Sung-Hoon Yoon (40th) Hyo Sik You (41st) and Jong-Hyun (45th) increased the lead to 6-1. Phillip Wright (42nd, 51st) narrowed the margin for Canada.

Korea converted two more penalty corners through Jong-Hyun (61st minute), who completed tournament's third hat-trick, and Hyun-Woo (67th), while Hyo-Sik scored an amazing solo in the 63rd minute.

Korea romped to their biggest victory in the World Cup, surpassing their 7-2 win over Belgium in 1994.

Korea also bettered their goal difference. They have scored 14 goals and conceded seven.

The Asian team had a measure of their opponent in the first half before pounding Canada after the breather with relentless raids. The Korean forwards toyed with the rival defence. They would reach deep into the rival half with swift moves and precision passes, diving and sliding at the goal mouth to guide the ball in with a touch of their stick.

They made it look easy, but the execution was brilliant and the end-product beautiful to watch.

Hyo Sik scored one of the best goal of the tournament as he launched into a solo, dribbled past four defenders and finished with a reverse hit on the run.

Korea got six penalty corners and converted four.

In the second match, Argentina, the lowest-ranked side in the World Cup, struck the winner as Callioni (55th minute) showed fine opportunism to connect an incisive cross from Pedro Ibarra into the far corner of the net, stunning the rival defenders.

The goalless first half of the slow-paced match saw the New Zealanders create more chances but failed to convert any, including a penalty stroke, in the face of a resolute Argentine defence.

After the defeat, New Zealand remained on six points from four matches, to fall behind The Netherlands, Germany and Korea.

After three consecutive defeats, Argentina picked up full three points to be in the fifth position. Canada is the only team in the pool without any points.

Source: Web Search

Belgium v Czech Republic - Davis Cup result

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 11:48 PM

REUTERS - Davis Cup world group first round scores between Belgium and Czech Republic in Bree, Belgium on Sunday (*denotes new result).

Czech Republic beat Belgium 4-1

* Lukas Dlouhy (Czech Republic) beat Christophe Rochus (Belgium) 1-6 7-6(3) 7-5

Steve Darcis (Belgium) beat Jan Hajek (Czech Republic) 7-6(6) 1-6 6-4

Played on Saturday

Tomas Berdych/Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Steve Darcis/Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 7-6(0) 6-0 6-3

Played on Friday

Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) beat Xavier Malisse (Belgium) 6-2 6-4 7-6(3)

Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) beat Olivier Rochus (Belgium) 6-3 6-0 6-4

Source: Web Search

Ludhiana clinch T10 Gully cricket trophy

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 11:42 PM

Sirsa (Haryana), Mar 7 (PTI) Ludhiana trounced Jalandhar by nine wickets in the final of the T10 Gully Cricket ''Ab Har Koi Khelega'' Season-II at the Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal Vidya Peeth Stadium here today. Required to score 106 runs, Ludhiana achieved the target virtually facing no tough resistance from strong rivals. Ludhiana, owned by film actress Jimmy Shergill, achieved the target in nine overs. Openers Arjun Puri (43, 3x4, 2x6) and Chintan Sehgal (39, 4x4, 1x6) put on a solid 79-run stand for the first-wicket partnership. A 44-run partnership between Mohinder Singh Kellia and Gurjeet Shergill helped Jalandhar Gullies post an impressive total of 105 for five in stipulated 10 overs. Hitting his strokes with power, Mohinder played a brilliant knock of 41. His hurricane knock was adorned with three hits to the rope and two lofted drives landed well over the fence. Gurjeet contributed 14 runs. Suraj Kumar and Ankush opened the innings for Jalandhar by scoring 13 and 10 runs, respectively. Table Tennis Federation of India president Ajay Singh Chautala was the chief guest and distributed the prizes. Brief scores: Jalandhar: 105 for 5 in 10 overs (Suraj Kumar 13, Ankuash Handa 10, Mohinder Singh Kellia 41; Jagar Preet 1/25, Shakun Verma 1/10). .

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Leverkusen lose first league game of season

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 11:22 PM

Bayer Leverkusen, unbeaten in their first 24 outings, finally lost their first Bundesliga game of the season when they went down 3-2 at lowly Nuremberg on Sunday.

Eric Choupo-Moting scored twice in five minutes before halftime to put Nuremberg in the driving seat before Mickael Tavares increased their lead 10 minutes after the restart.

Leverkusen, who have become famous for finishing second, rallied as Bundesliga topscorer Stefan Kiessling pulled one back in the 66th minute with his 14th goal of the season and Patrick Helmes further reduced the arrears seven minutes later.

The defeat means Leverkusen will finish the weekend in third place with 50 points, three behind leaders Bayern Munich and one adrift off in-form Schalke 04.

Source: Web Search

IPL bidding to be held afresh

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 11:12 PM

Mumbai, March 7 (IANS) The Indian Premier League (IPL) bids for the new two new franchises will be held afresh after two weeks as the bidders objected to some of the financial clauses which were not there at the time of the bidding for the first edition.

The new tenders, which were to be opened Sunday, will now be floated March 9 and will be opened March 21st without the clause requiring the bidder to have a net worth of $1 billion.

The new tender form will have two amended clauses -- one reducing the advance deposit from $100m to a $10m 'performance guarantee', to be submitted 24 hours in advance of the bid being opened.

The second will now have the winning bids paying 10 percent of their bid to the IPL governing council within 48 hours as against the 100 percent within a minimum time frame. The minimum bid amount, however, remains $22 million. The existing tenders were not opened at the IPL governing council meeting in Mumbai and were returned to the bidders.

'The IPL governing council has cancelled the current tender process and will issue a new one with revised conditions this week,' IPL commissioner Lait Modi said.

'The new document will have some new conditions which the IPL governing council believes will benefit the IPL and Indian cricket in the long term.'

The cities in the fray were Pune, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Kanpur, Dharamsala, Vizag, Rajkot, Cuttack, Baroda, Kochi, Indore and Gwalior.

The base price for the bid is more than four times the value set in January 2008, when the original eight franchises were auctioned.

Source: Web Search

Germany play out 2-2 draw against Netherlands

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 11:04 PM

Philem Dipak Singh New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) Captain Teun de Nooijer struck in dying minutes to lead the Netherlands to a thrilling 2-2 draw against defending Champions Germany in a Pool A hockey World Cup match and virtually booked a semifinal berth for his side here today. In the best match of the tournament so far the two strong sides entertained the sparse crowd at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium with their fast-paced and quick passing game. The Dutch took the lead in the 23rd minute through Wouter Jolie before the Germans made a remarkable comeback to put their nose ahead by scoring in the 44th and 63rd minutes through Oliver Korn and Jean Marco Montag respectively. Just as it looked like the all-win record of the Dutch in this World Cup will be broken, Nooijer, playing in his fifth World Cup, found the German net four minutes from the final hooter. In the much anticipated clash of the titans, three-time champions the Netherlands got four penalty corners from which they scored once while Germany, gunning for a hat-trick of titles, had two. With this draw the Dutch topped Pool A with 10 points -- from three wins and a draw -- to virtually take a spot in the semifinals. They play South Korea in their last pool match on March 9. Germany, who won the title in 2002 and 2006, are on eight points from two wins and two draws, now need to beat New Zealand to qualify for the last four stage. More PTI PDS AT

Source: Web Search

Germany, Netherlands draw 2-2 in World Cup

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 10:44 PM

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Defending champions Germany and the Netherlands finished a 2-2 draw in their Pool A match of the Hockey World Cup here Sunday.

The Netherlands scored through Jolie Wouter before Germany equalised through Korn Oliver. Germany went 2-1 up with a goal from Jan-Marco Montag before Teun de Nooijer levelled the score.

--Indo-Asian News service

av/pt/vt

Source: Web Search

Carew hat-trick sends Villa into FA Cup semis

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 10:24 PM

A John Carew hat-trick helped Aston Villa come back from a 2-0 halftime deficit at Championship (second division) Reading to claim 4-2 victory and a place in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday.

Reading, the last remaining non-Premier club in the competition and in the last eight for the first time in 83 years, deservedly led 2-0 as Shane Long scored twice against a sluggish Villa team seemingly suffering a hangover from last week's League Cup final defeat by Manchester United.

However, Villa roared back with three goals in 10 minutes after the break. Ashley Young started it before Norway striker Carew added two to complete the turnaround and then finish things off with a stoppage time penalty.

Villa will discover their Wembley semi-final opponents later on Sunday after holders and favourites Chelsea play Stoke City in the last quarter-final. Portsmouth are through having beaten Birmingham City 2-0 on Saturday while Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur need a replay after their goalless game at Craven Cottage.

Source: Web Search

J&K Govt to modernise stadia in Srinagar, Jammu

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 09:54 PM

Jammu, Mar 7 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to modernise the indoor as well as outdoor stadia here and Srinagar in a phased manner in order to renovating the sports infrastructure in the state. Sports Minister R S Chib today said this after watching a power-point presentation on the matter prepared by Department of Youth Services and Sports here. Chib said that in the first phase, indoor stadia shall be modernised with sophisticated and latest facilities like swimming pools, gymnasium, skating rings, kabadi courts and so on. He also hoped that these stadia would prove to be a role model for other states of the country. The minister, while interacting with media, said that the construction work on ice-hockey rink in Leh is in full swing and construction of stadium in each district and playing fields in all the blocks of the state will be taken up shortly to provide latest and modern facilities to sports enthusiasts. Referring to a mega-plan of providing similar facilities in Kashmir valley, Chib said that government has decided to construct "Gindun" sports field in Srinagar to attract youth towards sports activities to ensure sound health of the youngsters.

Source: Web Search

Argentina upset New Zealand with a second-half goal

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 09:32 PM

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Facundo Callioni's fine second-half strike led Argentina to a shock 1-0 win over New Zealand and made the Black Sticks' chances of making to the semifinal difficult in the Hockey World Cup here Sunday.

Argentina, the lowest-ranked side in the World Cup, struck the winner as Callioni (55th minute) showed fine opportunism to connect an incisive cross from Pedro Ibarra into the far corner of the net, stunning the rival defenders, at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

The goalless first half of the slow-paced match saw the New Zealanders create more chances but failed to convert any, including a penalty stroke, in the face of a resolute Argentine defence.

With veteran Ryan Archibald spearheading their moves, New Zealand came close to scoring twice in the first half-an-hour, but Callioni and Blair Hilton muffed the opportunities.

Soon after, New Zealand got their first penalty corner, and it led to a stroke as Argentina's Fernando Oscar Zylberbergafter got the the drag flick on his foot.

Archibald's stroke could not beat the Argentine goalkeeper Juan Thomas Espinosa, who padded it away to the relief of his teammates.

After the defeat, New Zealand remained on six points from four matches, to fall behind The Netherlands, Germany and Korea in Pool A.

After three consecutive defeats, Argentina picked up full three points to be in the fifth position. Canada is the only team in the Pool without any points.

Source: Web Search

Ong Beng Hee clinches Chennai Open squash title

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 09:24 PM

Chennai, Mar 7 (PTI) Top seed Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia dished out an impeccable game to clinch the Chennai Open PSA 2010 title, beating second seed Jonathan Kemp of England here today. Hee defeated Kemp 14-12, 11-9, 11-9 in 47 minutes and also became richer by USD 3942.50. Hee''s compatriot Nicol David, a WISPA world champion since January 2006, overcame England''s Jenny Duncalf (second seed) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 in the final of women''s event. Besides the trophy, David received USD 8550. .

Source: Web Search

Argentina upset New Zealand 1-0

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 08:52 PM

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Argentina shocked New Zealand 1-0 to earn their first points in the Hockey World Cup here Sunday.

After a goalless first half, the Latin Americans scored through Facundo Callioni, making it tougher for the Black Sticks now to qualify for the semi-final from Pool A.

New Zealand's Ryan Archibald missed a penalty stroke when his effort came off the frame in the 32nd minute of the opening session at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here.

Source: Web Search

Korea demolish Canada in Hockey World Cup

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 08:44 PM

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) Korea unleashed a second-half blitz to demolish Canada 9-2 in their Pool A match to keep their hopes alive in the Hockey World Cup here Sunday.

Nam Hyun-Woo converted a penalty corner in the 23th minute before Jong-Hyun Jang (35th) slotted home a penalty stroke as Korea went 2-0 up in the half-time.

But it was at the the start of the second half that Korea slammed four goals in seven minutes with lightning fast moves and shocked Canada. Nam-Yong Lee (38th), Sung-Hoon Yoon (40th) Hyo Sik You (41st) and Jong-Hyun (45th) increased the lead to 6-1. Phillip Wright (42nd, 51st ) narrowed the margin for Canada.

Korea converted two more penalty corners through Jong-Hyun (61st), who completed tournament's third hat-trick, and Hyun-Woo (67th), while Hyo-Sik scored an amazing solo in the 63rd minute.

Korea romped to their biggest victory in the World Cup surpassing their 7-2 win over Belgium in 1994. Korea are now on seven points from four matches and with one match still to go against the Netherlands, they remain in contention for a semi-final position.

Korea also bettered their goal difference. They have scored 14 goals and conceded seven.

After making a rousing start to World Cup as they held defending champions Germany and edged past Argentina, Korea, which finished fourth in the last two editions, received a setback in their last encounter losing 1-2 to New Zealand.

But they came back with vengeance to overpower a hapless Canada Sunday.

Korea got six penalty corner chances and converted four.

The Asian team had a measure of their opponent in the first half before pounding on Canada after the breather with relentless raids. The Korean forwards toyed with the rival defence. They would reach deep into the rival half with swift moves and precision passes, diving and sliding at the goalmouth to guide the ball in with a touch of their stick. They made it look easy, but the execution was brilliant and the end-product beautiful to watch.

Nam Yong opened the floodgates scoring from a pass from the left flank. For the next few minutes Korea mesmerised the handful of spectators with their speed and skill. Sung-Hoon dived in front of goalkeeper Matthew Peck to deflect in a cross from Hyo Sik.

Hyo Sik then latched onto a ball from captain Jong Ho Seo at the top of the circle and hit it past captain Peck.

Wright opened the scoring for Canada before Jong Hyun's powerful penalty corner hit struck Paul Wettlaufer on his forehead on way to the goal. An injured Wettlaufer immediately left the field for medical attention.

Wright then pulled one back through a pass from Mark Pearson to make the scoreline 6-2. Jong- Hyun slammed in one of his trademark dragflicks into the Canadian net for his third goal.

Hyo Sik scored one of the best goal of the tournament as he launched into a solo, dribbled past four defenders and finished with a reverse hit on the run.

Source: Web Search

Spain v Switzerland - Davis Cup scores

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 08:24 PM

REUTERS - Davis Cup world group first round scores between Spain and Switzerland in Logrono, Spain on Sunday.

Spain have a winning 3-1 lead over Switzerland

David Ferrer (Spain) beat Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-2 6-4 6-0

Played on Saturday

Marcel Granollers/Tommy Robredo (Spain) beat Yves Allegro/Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) 7-6(8) 6-2 4-6 6-4

Played on Friday

David Ferrer (Spain) beat Marco Chiudinelli (Switzerland) 6-2 7-6(5) 6-1

Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) beat Nicolas Almagro (Spain) 3-6 6-4 3-6 7-5 6-3

Source: Web Search

Dutch championship results and standings

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 07:44 PM

REUTERS - Dutch championship results and standings on Sunday.

Roda JC Kerkrade 2 Feyenoord 4

Sparta Rotterdam 0 Ajax Amsterdam 3

Played on Saturday

ADO Den Haag 1 Vitesse Arnhem 1

AZ Alkmaar 4 Heerenveen 1

Heracles Almelo 3 Willem II Tilburg 2

NAC Breda 2 PSV Eindhoven 1

Standings P W D L F A Pts

1 PSV Eindhoven 26 20 5 1 59 18 65

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2 Twente Enschede 25 20 4 1 47 20 64

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3 Ajax Amsterdam 26 19 4 3 76 17 61

4 Feyenoord 26 14 8 4 42 25 50

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5 AZ Alkmaar 26 13 3 10 47 29 42

6 Heracles Almelo 26 13 3 10 37 37 42

7 NAC Breda 26 10 7 9 37 40 37

8 Utrecht 25 9 9 7 26 26 36

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9 Groningen 25 9 6 10 34 36 33

10 Roda JC Kerkrade 26 8 5 13 33 49 29

11 VVV-Venlo 25 6 10 9 35 37 28

12 NEC Nijmegen 25 7 7 11 30 42 28

13 Heerenveen 26 8 2 16 29 48 26

14 Sparta Rotterdam 26 6 7 13 26 45 25

15 Vitesse Arnhem 26 6 6 14 26 46 24

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16 ADO Den Haag 26 5 8 13 27 45 23

17 Willem II Tilburg 26 6 2 18 30 51 20

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18 RKC Waalwijk 25 4 0 21 20 50 12

1: Champions League / EC I

2: Champions League preliminary round

3-4: Europa League

5-8: Europa League play-off

16-17: Relegation play-off

18: Relegation

Playing later on Sunday (GMT)

Groningen v VVV-Venlo (1330)

Utrecht v NEC Nijmegen (1330)

RKC Waalwijk v Twente Enschede (1330)

Source: Web Search

Somdev no match to Youzhny, Russia take unbeatable 3-1 lead

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 07:22 PM

Moscow, March 7 (IANS) A hapless Somdev Devvarman was swept off his feet by World No. 13 Mikhail Youznhy in the first reverse singles as Russia took an unassailable 3-1 lead over India in the Davis Cup World Group first round at the Luzhniki arena here Sunday.

The 128th-ranked Indian, who came close to winning his opening singles against Igor Kunitsyn, could barely win six games in a one-sided 2-6, 1-6, 3-6 loss in an hour and 55 minutes.

Down 1-2, there was a faint hope that Somdev could turn the form book upside down by beating the Russian and take the tie into a decisive fifth rubber. But that was not to be as the Indian just went through the motions instead of raising his game to a higher level, which he did on the ATP Tour on quite a few occasions.

India's second singles player Rohan Bopanna will play Teimuraz Gabashvili in the inconsequential dead fifth rubber.

Somdev's four-set loss to Kunitsyn Friday appeared to have sapped his energy and this day he looked a spent force against a domineering Youzhny, who simply breezed through the match.

The six-feet Youzhny toyed with Somdev, who somewhat struggled with his serve, winning only 56 percent of his points on first serve, and was also sluggish on court.

The Russian outpaced the Indian with his fluent ground strokes, his trademark backhand at its best. He exploited Somdev's unwillingness to charge the net with clever dropshots.

Youzhny's clinical display made it amply clear that not for nothing he is in the world's top 15. He did not drop his serve and the only time he came close to losing it was in the third set when he had to save two break points.

Youzhny sprinted to a first set lead, with breaks in the third and fifth game, and then played a flawless second set, allowing Somdev to hold his serve only once.

There was little that Somdev could do except admiring his opponent's brilliance. He smashed his racquet in frustration, but that didn't help his cause either. He did put up a semblance of a fight in the third set, but that too little and too late as the Russian jumped to a 4-1 lead and soon the set and match were his.

Source: Web Search

Argentina need to keep confidence going

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 07:04 PM

New Delhi, March 5 -- I am really upset with the way Korea went down to New Zealand. Their loss is a big blow to Asian hockey as it virtually ends the possibility of a team from this continent making it to the last four. They were listless in their moves and there was no urgency in the forward line, and that is not the Korean team that we know. They simply did not have the 'oomph' to make it count. Nothing should be taken away from the Kiwis though, as they had every answer to Korea's raids, and defended the penalty corners in a fantastic way. Veteran Kiwi player Archibald was in his elements, and the energy he displayed while assisting in attack and defence was simply amazing. I hope the Kiwis continue with this confidence as they still have to play Argentina and Germany. Canada too came up with a spirited effort against the Dutchmen and it is no mean feat that they managed to hold their fancied opponents goalless in the first half. But their resistance came to an end when in a short span of 15 minutes in the second half, a 5-goal blitz broke their spirit. As usual the master, Taeke Taekema began the goal blitz, scoring from a penalty corner and releasing the pressure, after which the Dutch attacked in waves to swamp the opposition. Germany seemed to be in a hurry to score the early goal against Argentina, which they did in the 5th minute, but they must have surely not expected Argentina to hit back immediately. In fact, Argentina seemed to have got the measure of their more famed rivals and if anything made the difference, it was the strategy of the Germans who stuck to their plan till the end. In the second half, Argentina were all over the German defence and equalised in the 55th minute. It could have been anybody's match till the final hooter, so strong was Argentina's reply. Like the Germany-Argentina game, the clash between Holland and Germany on Sunday should be a close affair. Both are multiple winners of this crown, and the victor of this match will top Pool A. While the Dutch seem to hold the edge going into the match, it's going to be a very fast-paced encounter.

Source: Web Search

FACTBOX - Sudden deaths of soccer players

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 06:22 PM

REUTERS - A Nigerian footballer died at the weekend after collapsing during a game in Khartoum on Saturday, football association officials said.

Here is a list of soccer players who have died suddenly in the last 20 years:

LONGHURST: York City striker Dave Longhurst died aged 25 after collapsing two minutes before halftime in a league match against Lincoln City in September 1990.

DOS SANTOS: In October 2002, the 28-year-old Brazilian striker Marcio Dos Santos died of a heart attack just hours after scoring a goal for Peruvian side Deportivo Wanka.

FOE: Midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed during Cameroon's 1-0 victory against Colombia in a Confederations Cup match in June 2003 in Lyon, France and died shortly afterwards aged 26.

FERREIRA: Brazilian 20-year-old Max Ferreira died in hospital in July 2003 after feeling unwell during a training session for his club Botafogo-Ribeirao Preto.

FEHER: In January 2004, the 24-year-old Hungarian international Miklos Feher died after collapsing from a heart attack in a Portuguese league game between his club Benfica and Vitoria Guimaraes.

SERGINHO: Sao Caetano defender Serginho, 30, died after suffering an apparent cardio-respiratory arrest during a Brazilian championship match against Sao Paulo in October 2004.

CUNHA: In Portugal, Uniao Leiria midfielder Hugo Cunha collapsed and died during a game with friends in June 2005. He was 28.

PUERTA - Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta, 22, died on Aug. 28, 2007 three days after collapsing during a Primera Liga match against Getafe.

NSOFWA - Zambian 27-year-old striker Chaswe Nsofwa of Israeli second division side Hapoel Beer Sheva collapsed and died during a practice match in the southern desert city on Aug 29, 2007.

O'DONNELL - Motherwell midfielder Phil O'Donnell died after collapsing on the pitch towards the end of a Scottish Premier League match against Dundee United on Dec 29, 2007. He was 35.

TCHINGOMA: Gabon 21-year-old international Guy Tchingoma collapsed and died on the field during a premier division match in Libreville in Feb. 2008 after contact with an opposing player late in a match between his club FC105 Libreville and US Mbiliandzami.

CUSTIC: Zadar winger Hrvoje Custic died on April 3, 2008 after hitting his head on a concrete wall two metres from a touchline during a Croatian championship match on March 29. He was 24.

PINAULT: French second division player Clement Pinault died on Jan. 22, 2009 four days after suffering a heart attack. Pinault, 23, was taken to hospital after collapsing at his home. The defender played for Clermont two days before his heart attack, a 2-0 Ligue 2 win over Brest.

JARQUE: The captain of Spanish club Espanyol Dani Jarque died of heart failure on Aug. 8, 2009 during a tour of Italy. Jarque, 26, had trained in the morning but collapsed in his hotel room in Coverciano.

ESTEVAJO: In Angola, Progresso de Sambizanga player Neridson Estevao died after collapsing during a second division game against Benfica de Cabinda on Sept. 20, 2009. The 26-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital in the capital, Luanda.

IDAHOR: Nigerian Endurance Idahor, 25, who played for Sudan's Al-Merreikh club, died on March 6, 2010 after clashing with another player minutes after the start of the match with Sudan Premier League rivals Al-Amal, held at Al-Merreikh's stadium in the Khartoum suburb of Omdurman.

Source: Web Search

Youzhny mauls Somdev, Russia take 3-1 Davis Cup lead

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 06:14 PM

Moscow, March 7 (IANS) Russia took an unassailable 3-1 lead over India as Mikhail Youzhny mauled Somdev Devvarman 2-6, 1-6, 3-6 in the first reverse singles of the Davis Cup World Group first round here Sunday.

India were down 1-2 in the tie and needed to win the first reverse singles to take the match to the fifth rubber.

Now, the fifth rubber of the tie is only of academic interest.

Source: Web Search

Watson, fiancee move into super-rich sports waterfront conclave

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 05:32 PM

Sydney, Mar.7 (ANI): Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and his fiancee Lee Furlong have reportedly purchased a 3.99 million dollar waterfront property in super-rich Sutherland Shire.

Watson will have Test captain Ricky Ponting, fast bowling great Glenn McGrath, swimmer Ian Thorpe and Parramatta Eels star Eric Grothe as his neighbours in the Burraneer Bay area, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to the paper, Watson and Furlong's new two-storey, four-bedroom home has an infinity-edge pool, jetty, pontoon, deepwater mooring and open-plan living area with views across Port Hacking River.

It was put up for sale in September last year.

The couple's four-bedroom Cronulla townhouse, bought for 1.45 million dollars in mid-2007, is set for late March auction through McGrath agent Bernadette Berlyn.

Watson and Furlong plan to marry in May. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Pakistan now face the Aussie test

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 05:22 PM

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) It cannot be more punishing for a team to fight the best when it is going through its worst phase. Four-time champions Pakistan's World Cup campaign has gone horribly wrong, and call it fate that they have to stand up to the toughest opponents in Pool B -- Australia -- in their last league encounter Monday.

It appears to be a tough ask for the crestfallen Pakistani team against the title favourites after their shocking loss to South Africa, with the 3-4 scoreline belying the domination of the African side.

In another pool match, England will take on Olympic silver medallists Spain. European champions England have already booked a semi-final berth after four victories on the trot.

Collecting nine points from four outings, Australia also look more or less certain to make the semis, with a 21-5 goal difference. Theoretically, however, their nearest rivals Spain - on six points - have an outside chance to make the grade if they can spank England by a huge margin and Pakistan beat the Kookaburras.

But even if the Aussies lose, it could be too much to expect a big Spanish victory over England, by far the most consistent performer in the tournament along with the Netherlands.

The mathematical probabilities notwithstanding, all eyes will be again on Pakistan, who are from the subcontinent.

Pakistan are aware there will be no freebies on offer against Australia.

The two teams had a similar start but followed different courses as the World Cup reached the weekend.

Pakistan could never recover after losing their first match to India. They managed well to beat Spain in their second outing, but were outplayed by England and the worst came against minnows South Africa.

In fact, Pakistan can take a cue from the South Africans who romped to their most memorable performance in the World Cup, only 48 hours after they walked out of the turf fighting back tears with the scoreboard reading 0-12 in the game against Australia.

Pakistan will have to show the same character and not allow Australia steamroll them.

Australia, on the other hand, stung by England in the opening match, bounced back like a champion side, winning against India, South Africa and Spain.

The runners-up of the last two editions Australia, coached by legendary Ric Charlesworth, have been a treat to watch with a free-flowing forward line and an impregnable defence at their disposal.

Pakistan's penalty corner expert Sohail Abbas has been a pale shadow of his past, their talismanic striker Rehan Butt has looked unimpressive and the lapses in defence glaring.

A dejected Pakistani coach Shahid Ali Khan was at a loss of words to explain Pakistan's poor show in the tournament.

'This is the worst I have seen Pakistan play, both as player and as coach. I have never faced such defeat (against South Africa) even during my playing days,' said Shahid Ali Khan.

'We were never the tournament favourites. We came here to improve our rankings, but I never expected such a result,' he said.

Pakistan will do well to stop brooding about the past results and take it as an opportunity to redeem themselves and make sure they do not slide from the sixth position they finished in the previous edition.

Source: Web Search

Gangjee finishes tied 10th in Malaysian Open

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 04:58 PM

Kuala Lumpur, Mar 7 (PTI) Rahil Gangjee signed off on a birdie-birdie note to finish inside top 10, while two-time winner Arjun Atwal came tied 28th after a final round of three-under 69 in the Malaysian Open golf tournament here today. Gangjee''s one-under 71 took his final aggregate to eight-under 280 as the diminutive pro joined three others in the 10th place. Fellow Kolkatan SSP Chowrasia (283) signed off with two-under 70 to finish tied 19th, three shots ahead of Atwal. Among others, Kapurthala pro Gaganjeet Bhullar (287) turned in two-over 74 to be tied 39th. Digvijay Singh (291) stood tied 60th after carding an even-par 72 while C Muniyappa (293) came tied 70th. Korean teen sensation Noh Seung-yul secured a dramatic one-stroke victory over K J Choi after pulling off an audacious final-hole birdie. The 18-year-old Noh produced the unlikeliest of birdies at the par five 634-yard 18th hole to close out the USD two million tournament with a final round four-under 68 and a 14-under 274 winning aggregate. Gangjee had a good start to his final round as he birdied the first hole. He was two-under after six holes but bogeys on the seventh, eighth and 10th left him one-over before he made amends with birdies on the 11th and 14th. The 15th hole, however, cost him his third double bogey of the week and Gangjee needed to birdie the last two holes to salvage his card.

Source: Web Search

New Zealand call up uncapped Stewart for Hamilton ODI against Australia

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 04:48 PM

Hamilton, Mar 7(ANI): Injury-hit New Zealand team have called up uncapped batsman Shanan Stewart for Tuesday's third ODI of the Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

New Zealand went into Saturday's second game in Auckland without leading batsman Ross Taylor, who pulled out of the side with a hamstring injury suffered during Wednesday's opening clash in Napier.

All-rounder James Franklin broke down with a hamstring strain in Saturday's match, as the Black Caps turn to Stewart in a bid to halt Australia's momentum following the touring team's 12-run win in Auckland.

"Shanan has been in our thinking for the Twenty20 World Cup. He's in great nick, he's got a couple of hundreds and a 200 today (227 not out for Canterbury against Central Districts)," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mark Greatbatch, New Zealand coach, as saying.

"He's an experienced middle order player, a very dynamic one-day player and we feel he plays the aggressive game we're looking to play against the Australians," he added.

Greatbatch said Taylor and Franklin will "most likely" miss Tuesday's game.

"But I think there's a chance of them playing again in this series. Probably Ross more so than Franky. We just need to get through the next 24 hours and see," he said. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Anti-Johnson attitude by Kiwi crowd "spurred him on": Ponting

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 04:42 PM

Auckland, Mar 7(ANI): Australian skipper Ricky Ponting insists status of fast bowler Mitchell Johnson as the public enemy in New Zealand, following his spat with Kiwi all-rounder Scott Styris in the opening game, had "spurred him on".

hnson was booed by the 14,000-strong crowd every time he was involved in the play, but took the crucial wicket of Brendon McCullum and Australia were on their way to levelling the series at one apiece.

The 28-year-old ran amok with the ball, taking a match-winning 4-51 off nine overs in the tourists' 12-run victory under the Duckworth-Lewis system.

"If his by-play with the crowd affected the way he played, I'd be worried, but it spurred him on," Australian captain Ricky Ponting said.

"Sometimes you've just got to try to have a bit of fun with the crowd. As much as they're giving it to you, you're the worst person in the world to them, but you've got to try to have fun with it otherwise it's going to be a long four or five weeks over here."

"There were chants going around the ground but Mitch came back with wickets for us. That was a good result for him and the team," he added.

When asked if the crowd's anti-Johnson attitude had benefited Australia, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori said: "I'd just be speculating. You get yourself in trouble when you're speculating." (ANI)

Source: Web Search

New Zealand call up uncapped Stewart for Hamilton ODI against Australia

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 04:34 PM

Hamilton, Mar 7(ANI): Injury-hit New Zealand team have called up uncapped batsman Shanan Stewart for Tuesday's third ODI of the Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia at Seddon Park in Hamilton.

New Zealand went into Saturday's second game in Auckland without leading batsman Ross Taylor, who pulled out of the side with a hamstring injury suffered during Wednesday's opening clash in Napier.

All-rounder James Franklin broke down with a hamstring strain in Saturday's match, as the Black Caps turn to Stewart in a bid to halt Australia's momentum following the touring team's 12-run win in Auckland.

"Shanan has been in our thinking for the Twenty20 World Cup. He's in great nick, he's got a couple of hundreds and a 200 today (227 not out for Canterbury against Central Districts)," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Mark Greatbatch, New Zealand coach, as saying.

"He's an experienced middle order player, a very dynamic one-day player and we feel he plays the aggressive game we're looking to play against the Australians," he added.

Greatbatch said Taylor and Franklin will "most likely" miss Tuesday's game.

"But I think there's a chance of them playing again in this series. Probably Ross more so than Franky. We just need to get through the next 24 hours and see," he said. (ANI)

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Button warns 'nothing special' Schumacher ahead of F1 season-opener

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 04:32 PM

London, Mar 7(ANI): Reigning Formula One world champion Jenson Button has dished out a pre-season warning to returning seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, saying the German is nothing special.

Button and his McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton are looking forward to meeting the Mercedes ace on equal terms for the first time during next weekend's season-opener in Bahrain.

"It's exciting that Michael is back and great for the sport. But he is not the only driver and I won't look at him differently. There are lots of other drivers who have achieved success in the last few years while Michael hasn't been around, but also who have achieved success while he has been around." News of The World quoted Button, as saying.

"Fernando Alonso won the last two championships when Michael was racing in F1. You don't think of him as any different to racing against Lewis Hamilton or Fernando."

"Michael is the most famous racing driver in the world and a big part of F1, but if he wasn't here it would still be a fantastic season," he added.

Button is further confident the British partnership will survive the heat of a title battle.

"I think it is exciting being alongside a world champion. Hopefully it is the same for him. The most important thing is to win. But we need to work together to do it," Button said.

"The great thing is we both understand each other and we go to Bahrain with a good car. I am more excited about this season than any other," he added. (ANI)

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Adebayor could Manchester City next season

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 04:04 PM

London, Mar. 7 (ANI): Emmanuel Adebayor's future is looking bleak at the Manchester City, with whispers suggesting that the Togo striker could leave the club next season.

The African attacker is one of the highest paid players in the country and has only played 18 times in the Premier League for the Eastlands outfit, News of the World reports.

City's plans for next season depend largely on the future of Roberto Mancini, but they also face a battle to hold on to Adebayor.

The latest training ground rumblings at City suggest the club will have a fight on their hands to keep hold of Adebayor.

Adebayor had his heart set on a move to Chelsea last summer and only moved to City because they were the only club to match Arsenal's asking price and his frightening salary demands.

The 26-year-old has a decent return of a goal every other game in the league this term. (ANI)

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Fergie slams Rooney for playing friendly

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 02:48 PM

London, March 7 -- Manchester United's increased reliance on Wayne Rooney after Michael Owen was ruled out for the season has led to Sir Alex Ferguson clashing with the Premier League's leading scorer. Ferguson, reeling from the news that Owen needs an operation, was incensed that Rooney defied him by not pulling out of England's midweek defeat of Egypt and has made his feelings plain to the player, accusing him of being irresponsible and jeopardising United's chances of silverware. Ferguson had been led to believe Rooney would withdraw because of a knee injury that has troubled him for several weeks. Instead, the forward played 86 minutes of the 3-1 win, whereas Chelsea's Frank Lampard was replaced at half-time. Rooney's knee has swollen, making him doubtful for United's game at Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow, and it is a measure of Ferguson's irritation that he abandoned his usual policy of never criticising players in public. "I was disappointed with Wayne," Ferguson said. "He didn't come off, I couldn't believe it, and now he's a doubt. We're going to have to assess him because he played virtually the full game for England, which I am disappointed about. Playing at Wembley on that kind of pitch for almost an hour (in the Carling Cup final) on Sunday, and then almost the full 90 minutes on Wednesday, it's far too much. Wayne is exhausted."

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Butt defends Waqar''s appointment as coach

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 02:42 PM

Karachi, Mar 7 (PTI) Defending Waqar Younis'' appointment as Pakistan coach despite allegations of match fixing against him, PCB chairman Ejaz Butt said all those fined on the basis of Justice Malik Qayyum''s inquiry report 10 years ago have been cleared for national duties now. Butt said the services and players like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram or Ijaz Ahmed are being utilised after clearance and recovery of fines. "Ten years have passed since the Malik Qayyum report came out and they have paid their fines and the ICC also has no objection to them being given responsibilities by the board," Butt told reporters in Islamabad. Some former players have criticised the board for appointing those players on key positions despite being named in the Qayyum match-fixing inquiry report. Waqar, Wasim, Aaqib Javed, Saeed Anwar were among those who the Qayyum committee fined for not cooperating with the inquiry that lasted for some 18 months. The Qayyum commission also recommended life bans on former captain, Salim Malik and pace bowler, Ata-ur-Rehman. Butt disclosed that Waqar would be paid around USD 7650 monthly salary besides other perks. "We think that is a reasonable amount we are paying for his services since the former Pakistan coach, Bob Woolmer was paid around Rs 1.7 million a month by the board," Butt added. PTI COR PM

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India archers to dominate Commonwealth

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 02:32 PM

New Delhi, March 7 -- More than 100 archers from ten nations will take part in the test event for the Commonwealth Games scheduled from Monday, at the newly built Yamuna Sports Complex here. The five-day tournament, which will continue till March 12, is being organised by the CWG Organising Committee (OC) with the Archery Association of India (AAI). Teams from Bangladesh, England, Wales, Singapore, Malaysia, Jersey, Sri Lanka, Scotland, New Zealand and India have registered for events in four categories - recurve (men and women), and compound (men and women). V.K. Malhotra, AAI president, is confident that the hosts would dominate the tournament. "There are eight gold medals, four in recurve and as many in compound. It would be the same during the Commonwealth Games and I hope our archers can win maximum gold medals," he said.

The competition will be held under the new FITA (International Archery Federation) rules in both recurve and compound divisions. The official practice is to be held in the morning and afternoon sessions of March 8, with the qualification round slated for Tuesday.

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Allahabad, Ludhiana and Sirsa join Jalandhar in semis

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 02:22 PM

Sirsa (Haryana), Mar 7 (PTI) Allahabad, Ludhiana and Sirsa have Jalandhar in the semifinal line-up for the T-10 Gully Cricket Tournament at the floodlit Jan Nayak Chaudhary Devi Lal National Stadium here. Jalandhar will cross swords with hosts Sirsa and Ludhiana are pitted against Allahabad. Jalandhar topped with six points while Ludhiana, Sirsa and Allahabad finished with an identical tally of four apiece. Actress Divya Dutta of Ludhiana Gullies and actor Jimmy Shergill, who owns Jalandhar Gullies, would be the star attraction on the final day. In a do-or-die last league match, Sirsa edged out defending champions Surat by 23 runs. Faced to score 82 runs for victory Surat were restricted to 58 for 8 in 10 overs by the Sirsa bowlers. Manoj Kumar (2 for 10) and Vikas Lamba (2 for 9). Kalpesh Patel (16) and Harshad Patel (15) were Surat''s top scorers. with 16 runs. Earlier, a 30 run-partnership for second wicket between Vikas Lamba and Khem Chandra helped Sirsa made 81 for 9 in 10 stipulated overs. Brief scores: Sirsa: 81 for 9 in 10 overs (Vikas Lamba 18, 3x4s, Khem Chandra 24, Sunny Singh 14, Pawan Singh 15, Devang Patel 2 for 14, Sandeep Patel 2 for 20, Ranjit Kumar 2 for 9, Swadesh Patel 1 for 9). Surat: 58 for 8 in 10 overs (Harshad Patel 15, Kaplesh Patel 16, Manoj Kumae 2 for 10, Vikas Lamba 2 for 9, Sunny Singh 1 for 12, Vikramjit 1 for 10, Pawan Singh 1 for 12). PTI COR BSR PM

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UK Premier League to end 'spoilt rich kids' image

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 02:14 PM

London, Mar.7 (ANI): The England Premier League hopes to eradicate the 'spoilt rich kid' image of England's top footballers through its search for stars of the future.

After the recent antics of John Terry and Ashley Cole, England boss Fabio Capello has blamed multi-million pound salaries for leading players astray.

The Premier League is endorsing The Players' Programme, the brainchild of ex-Manchester United trainee Simon Andrews, to offer guidance to up-and-coming footballers, reports The News of The World.

The scheme aims to educate teenage talent on the dangers not only for those who do make the grade, but those who don't.

Andrews, 39, who also played for Wigan, said: "There's been criticism of the top players with people saying they should be role models. First they need to be taught how to become role models. Some players can go from earning 150 pound a week to 150,000 pound a week in just a matter of years. That isn't easy to deal with."

"We want to educate players on their lifestyle choices, dealing with the media and finances. It's about preparing them for what lies ahead if they are successful, but also offering advice for those who don't make it," he added.

Manchester United first endorsed the scheme, with Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive David Gill pioneering it at their Academy.

The PFA and the Sporting Chance Charity are involved too with other high- profile supporters including David Platt and Lee Sharpe. (ANI)

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Reds to fight off City, Barca bids for Torres

Published>Sun, Mar 07 10 02:04 PM

London, Mar. 7 (ANI): Fernando Torres will be offered the chance to become 'the face of Liverpool' to fend off mega bids from Manchester City and Barcelona, reports News of The World.

The Merseysiders are in talks with the striker's advisors to massively enhance Torres' commercial earnings, as they try to kill off speculation about his future.

Torres signed a 100,000 pound a week four-year deal last summer, but the terms will be made much more lucrative following this summer's World Cup.

Liverpool wants to market Torres as a Kop icon around the world and will reward him in the process.

It would be the most profitable player specific commercial deal in Anfield history, recognising Torres' hero status as critical to Liverpool's enduring global popularity.

The Kop's commercial profits have been on the rise in recent seasons, and it's the fame and pulling power of Anfield which will allow the club to maximise Torres' financial rewards.

Although the club is confident Torres won't quit Liverpool as early as this summer, they're braced for massive bids, especially if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. (ANI)

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Jeev drops to tied 36th after front nine woes

Published Sun, Mar 07 10 01:48 PM

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (US), Mar 7 (PTI) Jeev Milkha Singh stumbled on a treacherous front nine and turned in a one-over 71 to drop to tied 36th after the penultimate round of the USD 5.6 million Honda Classic here. Tied 29th overnight, Jeev needed a really good round to push for a top 10 finish but the Indian golfer found the going tough at the Champions Course of the PGA National Resort and Spa. Jeev began with a bogey and dropped a shot each on the seventh and the ninth holes to go three-over at the turn. The Indian tried to redeem himself with back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th but the 15th hole bogey pushed him at two-over again. Jeev signed off with a birdie but that was not enough for a sub-par card. Camilo Villegas'' (199) three-under 67 put him at the top, three shots ahead of Vijay Singh (69) and Nathan Green (67). PTI AY PM

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