PCB let Razzaq skip national camp, play for Hampshire

Published Fri, May 28 10 12:27 PM

Karachi, May 28 (PTI) The Pakistan Cricket Board has allowed Abdul Razzaq to skip the preparatory camp for the Asia Cup and play for Hampshire in the English domestic Twenty20 championship, according to sources. Razzaq had sought permission from the PCB to play for the county side from June 1 to 13. The PCB is expected to announce the squads for the Asia Cup and the full tour of England on June 2 after which a national conditioning camp of the selected players would be held in Karachi from June 3 to 12. "Razzaq is due to play five matches for Hampshire and his agent is also trying to arrange a short term contract for him to play some one-day and four-day games before the tests start in England in July," one source said. Other players who are expected to miss the Karachi camp due to English championship are Younis Khan, Yasir Arafat and Danish Kaneria. Meanwhile, pace bowler Umar Gul is set to miss Asia Cup as he has not recovered from his shoulder injury which had also ruled him out of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies. Gul, however, is likely to attend the training camp to start his rehabilitation process and resume bowling under the supervision of the team coaches and trainer. The doctors have advised him not to rush his comeback even though his shoulder injury has healed significantly. "The selectors and the team management have also advised me not to take a risk with the shoulder for the Asia Cup and to just focus on regaining full fitness and form for the tour of England," Gul said.

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Butt''s days are numbered as PCB chief

Published Fri, May 28 10 12:23 PM

Karachi, May 28 (PTI) Ejaz Butt may soon be removed from the post of PCB Chairman as Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has given his consent for a major overhaul in the Cricket Board, according to sources. Sources say Zardari, who is also PCB patron, has taken note of recent controversies and complaints against Butt and may soon remove him from his job. "Indications are that the President has finally taken notice of the complaints by the members of the National Assembly and Senate Standing committees on Sports," one well-informed source said. Heads of both the committees had publicly demanded removal of Butt after team''s disastrous tour combined with a series of controversies rocked Pakistan cricket. The source said that another point that has gone against Butt is his giving relatives and close friends key positions and ignoring other deserving candidates. "His insistence on continuing with Yawar Saeed and giving him important positions like the national team managership despite criticism from many quarters has also gone against Butt," the source added. The source said that the chief patron is likely to announce some changes next week with a senior figure in the Pakistan Peoples Party expected to get the PCB Chairman''s post. "It is also in the pipeline that Jamshed Dasti who headed the NA committee on Sports and was a strong critic of Butt will also be made sports minister next week as the current minister Ijaz Jakhrani has agreed to a change his portfolio in the cabinet," the source disclosed. He said if Dasti came into power as sports minister it would be a big blow to Butt as the bitter relations between them are well known in the government circles. The source also said that Nauman Niaz, a well known cricket analyst and writer, who has worked previously in the Board was also in line to get an important position in the cricket set up when the changes were made. Butt has repeatedly said that he would continue to work as long as he was satisfied with his job but had made it clear that the day the chief patron asked him to resign he would not hesitate to step down.

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Roddick, Murray grind through as rain hits Paris

Published>Fri, May 28 10 12:17 PM

Andy Roddick and Andy Murray ground down feisty opponents to reach the French Open third round on Thursday while the rain did a more convincing job, giving organizers a headache by tearing the schedule asunder.

Only 17 singles matches, several of which were held over after Wednesday's downpours, were completed and with more adverse weather predicted for the weekend officials face a daunting backlog to get back on schedule.

While Roddick and Murray were relieved to have seen off their opponents before gloom enclosed Roland Garros once again, former champion Ana Ivanovic went out with barely a whimper while Kimiko Date Krumm's fairytale week fizzled out.

Not often does big-serving American Roddick have his greatest weapon broken seven times in a match, but the dashingly named Blaz Kavcic from Slovenia showed he had little respect for reputations in his first Roland Garros campaign.

Unfortunately for Kavcic, one of two Slovenian men to have broken through to the second round here, he had his own service foiled 10 times and he finally succumbed in a topsy-turvy match 6-3 5-7 6-4 6-2 in three minutes short of three hours.

"That was one that might have gotten away from me a while ago, but I was just kind of staying the course," Roddick, who faces Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili in round three, told reporters.

"I don't know the last time I lost serve seven times. I'm going in knowing it's gonna be crappy tennis. You know, I just want to be the less crappy one out there."

Murray, likewise interrupted by two rainbreaks, faced the frustration of his contest with Juan Ignacio Chela stretching to a third day after rain halted play in the second set on Wednesday, but the British fourth seed saw off the seasoned Argentine in four sets with a mix of guile and superior fitness.

"It's tough to get into a rhythm," said Murray, who has little time to recover as his third-round match with Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis is scheduled for Friday.

"When we stayed on court for sort of 30 minutes, 40 minutes, I started to feel a lot better and relaxed."

Persistent rain had started to batter Roland Garros a matter of minutes before the scheduled 0900GMT start and only relented after a near five-hour delay.

In between the following showers, there was enough time for Ivanovic, a pale shadow of the starry-eyed champion of 2008, and 39-year-old Japanese veteran Date Krumm to bid their farewells.

Ivanovic, desperately clutching for a renaissance after plunging from the summit two years ago to 42nd in the world rankings now, offered little resistance to a bulldozing display from Russian 28th seed Alisa Kleybanova, bowing out 6-3 6-0.

"You know I love this tournament," she told reporters. "It's still my favorite tournament. I think I'm on the right path and I'm doing lots of things right."

At 39, Date Krumm became the second oldest women's player to win a singles match here with her first-round triumph over last year's runner-up Dinara Safina but her challenge ran out of steam in a 6-0 6-3 rout by Australia's Jarmila Groth.

Date Krumm, whose last appearance here was in 1996 before a 12-year absence from the game, had defied doctor's orders to play after knocking out last year's runner-up Dinara Safina in the previous round.

"Yesterday I took an MRI. I went to the clinic, and the doctor said 'of course don't play. It's too risky'.

"I just wanted three games or one set or two sets. But I want to try do my best."

Jelena Jankovic, the Serbian fourth seed, won through a tricky second-round test against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi in three sets, and Fabio Fognini further dampened the home crowd's spirits by seeing off 13th seed Gael Monfils.

Their match was halted amid acrimonious scenes at 5-5 in the fifth set on Wednesday, and Monfils blinked first in a 31-minute shootout on its resumption to hand victory 9-7 to the Italian.

"I lost, that's all. I am disappointed, I lost, and voil?," said Monfils. "But I like Fabio. He beat me fair and square."

Justine Henin, replaced as women's champion by Ivanovic two years ago, was halted at 6-3 3-2 in her second-round match against Czech Klara Zakopalova when darkness finally enveloped Roland Garros for good.

She as well as Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Venus and Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all feature in a star-studded Friday schedule.

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Ashley Cole 'thought Cheryl would never leave him'

Published>Fri, May 28 10 12:09 PM

London, May 28 (ANI): Chelsea footballer Ashley Cole recently told his team mates that he thought his wife Cheryl would never leave him, it has emerged.

The 29-year-old love rat defender went for training to Austria in a "foul mood" since he believed that his marriage with Cheryl could still be saved.

"The split has left Ashley in the pits. He thought he was invincible - Cheryl proved him wrong. He's furious with the world at the moment and is not in a good frame of mind," a close friend of Ashley said.

"But the lads will turn it around for him so he's ready for South Africa," the pal added.

Ashley was shocked when the 26-year-old Girls Aloud singer left him, The Sun reports.

"Ashley believed because of the house and nearly four years of marriage, she wouldn't up and leave totally and so quickly. He thought there would be another chance to sort things out. But the timing of Cheryl filing for divorce is no coincidence," the source said.

"While he is away and concentrating on the World Cup, there will be little opportunity for him to contact his ex wife," the source added. (ANI)

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NBA - Artest saves best till last as Lakers beat Suns

Published Fri, May 28 10 11:47 AM

Ron Artest sank the game-winning basket as time expired to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-101 win over the Phoenix Suns in Game Five of the Western Conference finals on Thursday.

With the game tied 101-101 in the closing seconds, Kobe Bryant came up short on a long jump shot but Artest slipped in for the rebound and scored to seal the victory and give the Lakers a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"I'm just happy he made the play," Bryant told reporters. "I knew (Phoenix) would have two guys running at me and Ron was able to sneak in there."

Bryant delivered 30 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists in the game as the Lakers squandered an 18-point lead in the second half before sealing victory.

Jason Richardson banked in a game-tying three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left for the Suns, who got 29 points and 11 assists from Steve Nash.

After winning two in a row at home to tie the series, Phoenix looked like they might get blown away by the Lakers but fought back from 17 points down in the second quarter and then rallied from 74-56 with 3:44 remaining in the third.

Nash led the Suns revival with nine points in a three-minute stretch, and Richardson tied the game on a possession where Phoenix had three attempts at a three-pointer.

However, last season's NBA champions showed their mettle in the final seconds.

Derek Fisher finished with 22 points and Pau Gasol added 21 while Artest had made just 1-of-8 shots prior to his game-winner.

Artest has struggled to fit in with the Los Angeles offense after signing in the offseason as a free agent. His game-winning basket made up for a poor shooting night and an ill-advised three-point attempt in the last minute when the home team should have been running down the clock.

"There was a point in time where I shot 40 percent from three so I just have to play -- I've hit shots before," Artest said. "You never know when that big game is going to come."

Game Six is on Saturday in Phoenix and the Lakers will attempt to clinch the series and reach their third successive NBA Finals.

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Mary Kom, Sarita assured of medals at Asian meet

Published>Fri, May 28 10 11:17 AM

Four-time world champion MC Mary Kom (46kg) and L Sarita Devi (51kg) were assured of at least a bronze medal each after they eased into the semi-finals of the Asian Women's Boxing Championship in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Mary Kom defeated Sri Lanka's Anushka 6-3, while Sarita thrashed Ri Hyang Mi of North Korea 10-1 amid protests from the rival camp, which alleged unfair scoring.

However, it was heartbreak for Mizoram boxer Venlal Duati (48kg) who lost to China's Luo Yujie. Duati was locked 1-1 with Yujie after the regulation four rounds and the boxers' scores were found to be the same in the count-back as well. The five-member judges' panel then stepped in and all of them declared Yujie as the better of the two.

Mary Kom, who is aiming to better the silver she won in the previous edition of the event, was the first to step into the ring from the Indian team on Thursday.

The 27-year-old took a 2-0 lead in the first round and stretched it to 5-1 after the third round. Anushka tried to claw back in the final two minutes but the effort proved too little too late.

"It was tougher then the first-round bout but I have the experience to adjust according to the situation. I attacked more today and caught her on counter-punches as well," Mary Kom said from Astana.

Sarita, who was a gold medallist in the last edition, was even more dominant as she out-punched Mi. With a 3-1 lead to start with, Sarita dominated the proceedings but there was some drama after the bout as the Korean team lodged a protest against what they called unfair judging.

"The Korean team felt that their boxer was not given points for genuine punches. They lodged a protest," Raja said.

India has an 11-strong presence at the event where 16 countries are competing. India had finished third with three gold and a couple of silver medals in the last edition held in Guwahati.

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PCB Chief disappointed at CLT20 snub, still wants friendly relations with BCCI

Published Fri, May 28 10 10:27 AM

India, May 27 -- Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt, on Thursday, said he was disappointed after the country's domestic Twenty20 champions Sialkot Stallions were ignored for the third successive time for the Champions League. Butt said that as the tournament is scheduled to be held in South Africa, it was a good chance to include the Pakistani side in the lucrative event to be held in September. "It is disappointing for us and fans in Pakistan, Stallions deserved to play in the tournament of champions," he said. Butt, however, played down the impression that he barred the side from competing in the Champions League. He instead felt that the Indian Premier League (IPL) crisis may have triggered the organisers to go with the same pool of teams that participated in the last year's Champions League. "PCB has a policy not to bar any player or team from competing in offshore events until and unless it clashes with any national team's assignment," he said. Butt, however, said he wants friendly relations with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is ready to send the national team to India to improve the cricketing ties between the two countries. "We want friendly relations with Indian cricket board and for the purpose we are ready to send Pakistan team to India," he said.

"We are ready to play against India on a neutral venue, what's important is that the two countries must resume the cricketing ties", Butt said.

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BCCI no-balls 130 young 'chuckers'

Published>Fri, May 28 10 09:53 AM

New Delhi, May 28 -- It was always considered a problem, but no one really realised how deep the rot ran. But now we know that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) should be seriously worried: An unprecedented 130 bowlers across inter-state under-19 and under-22 games, and the Ranji Trophy, have officially been hauled up for illegal bowling actions last season alone, according to the BCCI. Much of the spurt in the number of suspects has to do with the BCCI's zero tolerance policy. The Board directed umpires and match referees to go hard on chucking last season. The staggering number means that every state has about five bowlers who 'chuck' (and have been caught chucking) across different age groups. It also lays bare the challenge the menace poses to India's bowling resources, especially to spin bowling, an increasingly precious commodity in India. "There's no question that spinners, off-spinners, left-arm spinners, constitute the majority of bowlers with suspect action," said former India paceman Javagal Srinath. "While increased scrutiny on the BCCI's part has resulted in lots more bowlers with illegal actions being found out and called for remedial measures, the frustrating part is that players come to the National Cricket Academy, get their arms straightened and then often slip back to the old ways once they go back into the system," said Srinath. Srinath, also an International Cricket Council match referee, is one of the three-member committee - the other two members being S Venkataraghavan and AV Jayaprakash - the BCCI set up three years ago to handle the problem of chucking. Much of the spurt in the number of suspects has to do with the BCCI's zero tolerance policy. The Board directed umpires and match referees to go hard on chucking last season. "All of us were told to be very strict with it and we had no option but to report anything suspicious," said an umpire who reported close to 10 bowlers over the season.

"It makes sense as the player spends much of his time with his coach," said Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya. "A camp lasts just three to four days, and bowlers normally get their action right there as there's not much pressure while bowling in the nets. So if the coach is there, he could keep a tab on the bowler's progress."

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'Football has to be more professional'

Published>Fri, May 28 10 09:23 AM

New Delhi, May 28 -- The India Habitat Centre in the Capital played host to what may well be the first knowledge sharing forum, and interface between those that deliver sports, and those looking to invest in it as a business proposition.

Sunando Dhar, CEO of the I-League, however, seemed bullish on the former front. "If the clubs don't conform to AFC criteria by December 31 this year, they will not be allowed to play in I-League from next season. The message is, shape up or ship out. AIFF President Praful Patel and AFC chief Mohammad bin Hammam are serious about this." Strong words, but in the wake of the Mahindra pullout, how hard the league will be able to come down on defaulting clubs, will only be known next season.

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Trott ton puts hosts in the driver's seat

Published>Fri, May 28 10 09:17 AM

Mumbai, May 27 -- Jonathan Trott's second Test century left England in a strong position on the first day of their series opener against Bangladesh at Lord's here on Thursday. England were 362 for 4 for 4 at the draw of stumps with Trott 175 not out as he made his second successive Test century in England to go with the 119 he scored in the second innings of his debut against Australia at the Oval last year. There was a consolation for Bangladesh shortly before the interval when they saw off star batsman Kevin Pietersen for just 18 to give themselves a foothold in ther game. Pietersen, like Trott born in South Africa, looked in excellent touch following his player of the series role in England's World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean this month. But, having struck three boundaries, he was bowled between bat and pad by the left-arm spin of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan to leave England 227 for three. Trott, together with England captain Andrew Strauss (83), put on 181 for the second wicket as he cashed in against an ineffectual Bangladesh attack. Shakib won the toss and fielded, thereby sparing his side the challenge of batting in overcast conditions on the opening morning of this two-Test series.

Brief scores: England 362 fo4 4 (Trott 175no, Strauss 83, Shakib al Hasan 1/71).

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Athlete hurls racism charge at foreign coach

Published>Fri, May 28 10 09:09 AM

Coonoor, May 27 -- The coach of India's middle-distance athletics team, Nikolai Snesarev of Belarus, has been accused of making a racist slur at an athlete during the Commonwealth Games camp, underway in Coonoor. In a letter dated May 19, Waheeda Rehman, who hails from Manipur, has written to Lalit Bhanot, secretary general of the Athletics Federation of India, alleging that Snesarev screamed "bloody black" at her. The Belarusian has denied the charge. Describing the course of events, Waheeda wrote that after returning to her hotel in Coonoor, near Ooty, from the National Open Athletics Championship in Kochi, where she won bronze, Snesarev made the remark while she was speaking to her "ailing mother". Waheeda claimed Snesarev snatched the phone and pushed her to the wall, which resulted in a shoulder injury. When the athlete informed the coach of her intention to leave the camp, Snesarev repeated the racist remark and asked her to complain "even to the Prime Minister of India". While other athletes confirmed that Waheeda was pushed, they claimed they didn't hear anything as they were training. When contacted Bhanot dismissed the matter. "We have made our investigations and it is a non-issue." However, SAI has decided to send two senior officials to the camp to investigate the issue. Snesarev denied the allegations and said Waheeda, who has since left the camp, was undisciplined. "I never touch a woman. The colour of the skin, white, yellow or black, doesn't make any difference. It's not the nationality but the personality of a person which is important.

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Trott ton puts hosts in the driver's seat

Published>Fri, May 28 10 08:37 AM

Mumbai, May 27 -- Jonathan Trott's second Test century left England in a strong position on the first day of their series opener against Bangladesh at Lord's here on Thursday. England were 362 for 4 for 4 at the draw of stumps with Trott 175 not out as he made his second successive Test century in England to go with the 119 he scored in the second innings of his debut against Australia at the Oval last year. There was a consolation for Bangladesh shortly before the interval when they saw off star batsman Kevin Pietersen for just 18 to give themselves a foothold in ther game. Pietersen, like Trott born in South Africa, looked in excellent touch following his player of the series role in England's World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean this month. But, having struck three boundaries, he was bowled between bat and pad by the left-arm spin of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan to leave England 227 for three. Trott, together with England captain Andrew Strauss (83), put on 181 for the second wicket as he cashed in against an ineffectual Bangladesh attack. Shakib won the toss and fielded, thereby sparing his side the challenge of batting in overcast conditions on the opening morning of this two-Test series.

Brief scores: England 362 fo4 4 (Trott 175no, Strauss 83, Shakib al Hasan 1/71).

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Micklelson seeks coach's advice after poor Colonial start

Published Fri, May 28 10 08:07 AM

Phil Mickelson swiftly turned to his swing coach Butch Harmon for direction after squandering a promising start at the Colonial Invitational on Thursday.

Champion here in 2000 and 2008, Mickelson birdied the first two holes before losing his way en route to a one-over-par 71 in the opening round.

"I played well the first four holes and the last 14 I hit the ball terrible so I will have some work to do," the American world number two told reporters after ending a hot day at Colonial Country Club eight strokes behind leading Americans Jeff Overton, Jason Bohn and Blake Adams.

"Already I was in there texting Butch so I've got some direction in the morning, I will probably get out here for an early session.

"I hit it sideways off the tee, I hit terrible iron shots," he said after finding only five of 14 fairways off the tee. "Fortunately, I actually putted decent today or else it could have been a lot worse."

Asked if the steamy conditions at Colonial had had an impact, left-hander Mickelson replied: "There is no excuse. There was no wind.

"The golf course has been in perfect shape and there are a lot of scores out there. I just wasn't one of them," the U.S. Masters champion said after a round of three birdies, two bogeys and a double-bogey at the seventh.

Mickelson, who would replace Tiger Woods as world number one with victory this week, felt he should be able to take advantage of an earlier tee time for Friday's second round.

"The greens should be perfect and if I can get a few iron shots close to the hole I should be able to make a run," the four-times major winner said.

"I have an idea of what I've been doing. I will try to get out here a little early and get a practice session if it's not too hot and see if I can get it turned around."

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EXCLUSIVE - Torn calf muscle threatens Bekele's season

Published>Fri, May 28 10 05:27 AM

Olympic champion and world 5,000 and 10,000 metres record holder Kenenisa Bekele has a ruptured calf muscle that threatens his outdoor season, the Ethiopian's manager told Reuters on Thursday.

"It is clear he needs four, but probably more ... six weeks rest, then start training, so basically you can consider the season is over," Jos Hermens said in a telephone interview from the Netherlands.

"There is a little chance for August (return)," Hermens said. "Personally I don't think so, but I know he still hopes to."

Bekele ruptured the muscle while training on a hard track in Ethiopia in February, Hermens said.

The 27-year-old was preparing for the indoor season at the time and has not competed since then. He had been scheduled to be one of the top athletes on the new Diamond League circuit.

Doctors in the Netherlands diagnosed the problem on Thursday after a series of scans and examinations.

"It is very clear that it was a rupture," Hermens said.

Surgery will not be required but Bekele will need lots of exercise to strengthen his right leg, which has been weakened by the injury and lack of training, his manager said.

"He thought it was something small," Hermens said. "So he would take two weeks off, then go back in training. It would be OK for a while, then the rupture would open and close so some tissue was damaged."

He underwent treatment in Germany earlier this year but returned home and experienced more problems, leading to the decision to see doctors in the Netherlands.

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Essien ruled out, Torres makes progress

Published Fri, May 28 10 05:07 AM

Ghana's World Cup preparations suffered a huge setback on Thursday when midfielder Michael Essien was ruled out with a knee injury as Spain's Fernando Torres made progress in his recovery from a knee problem.

Described by Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac as the leader and engine room of his team, Essien picked up the injury in January and the Chelsea player will be sorely missed at soccer's biggest event which starts on June 11 in South Africa.

"An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make a full recovery until the end of July," Ghana's FA said on its website (www.ghanafa.org).

There was better news for Essien's fellow Premier League player Torres, who trained with the Spain squad for the first time after surgery on his right knee last month.

"He's said he'll be fit in time for our first match, which is good news," winger Juan Mata said.

Spain's Group H opponents Honduras will have to raise their game when they face the European champions after being held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus in a friendly in Austria.

The central Americans went ahead through Julio Cesar de Leon midway through the first half before conceding two goals in four minutes and having to rely through Edgar Alvarez to spare their blushes in the second half.

Denmark celebrated a comfortable 2-0 victory over Senegal on the eve of their departure to South Africa but must wait to learn the extent of centre back Simon Kjaer's knee injury after he was taken off on a stretcher in Aalborg.

NOISE TESTING

While teams try to sort out their tactics during friendlies, World Cup organisers were testing for something rather different during Thursday's 2-1 victory by South Africa over Colombia in Johannesburg -- noise levels.

They were checking if the ear-splitting din from the much talked about vuvuzela fan trumpets could pose a security risk.

"If there is an order to evacuate that stadium and an announcement is made, you have to ask yourself, will everyone in that stadium hear that evacuation order?" chief local organiser Danny Jordaan said before the game where all the goals came from the penalty spot.

Hoping to add their cheers to the crowd noise were the South Africans who began queuing outside ticket offices after FIFA released additional seats on to the market.

Soccer's ruling body said there were still 164,000 tickets available out of almost 2.9 million for the 64 matches.

"All we want is to see a match, we just want to be part of a South Africa match," said Vanesh Reddy, who had been queuing outside a ticket office in the Sandton district of Johannesburg since Wednesday night.

"I'm not a diehard soccer fan, but I just want to be part of this celebration."

Tournament preparations were disrupted by news that South African opera singer Siphiwo Ntshebe, who had been personally chosen by Nelson Mandela to sing at the opening ceremony, died at the age of 34 after contracting bacterial meningitis.

There was also an announcement at the end of a transport workers strike which has disrupted trade in South Africa with logistics group Transnet reaching a deal with the workers.

Any relief over that was, however, tempered by the South African labour federation COSATU saying it might strike during the World Cup over sharp power price increases by utility Eskom if a mediation meeting planned for June 14 fails.

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Wins for City Club, Shivajians in football league

Published>Fri, May 28 10 04:53 AM

Parshuramians 'B', Shivajians, Rahul SC and City Club registered wins against their respective opponents in the Peninsula Land Pune District Football League organised by the Pune District Football Association at the Range Hills ground on Thursday.Parshuramians 'B' defeated Tiger Combine 1-0 with Sanket Bhondre scoring the only goal.

Shivajians gave Indrayani a 5-1 thrashing thanks to a hat trick by captain Cedric Fernandes.

Vidit Tewari and Rutwik Rao scored the remaining goals for the winners while Shiv Prakashan scored for the losing team. Rahul SC thrashed opponents Poona Socials 6-1. Harish Mehra and Ruturaj Gawli scored a couple of goals each while Balwant Bora and Kunal Sharma added to the tally. Wilson Anthony scored the solitary goal for Poona Socials.

In the most awaited match of the day, City Club edged past their rivals Deccan 'A' 1-0 with skipper Michael Pinto scoring the solitary goal in the 39 th minute, said a press note issued here.

Results:

Division: Second Division

Group A: Strikers w/o Azam Campus

Group A: Parshuramians'B' 1 (Sanket Bhondre 37') bt Tiger Combine 0

Division: First Division

Group C: Shivajians S.C. 'A' 5 (Vidit Tiwari 15', Cedric Fernandes 22', 24' & 40' Rutwik Rao 38') bt Indrayani 1 ( Shiv Prakashan 43')

Group C: Rahul S.C. 'A' 6 (Harish Mehra 23' & 49', Balwant Bora 26', Kunal Sharma 34' & Ruturaj Gawli 37' & 52') bt Poona Socials 'A' 1 (Wilson Anthony 42')

Division: Super

Group B: City Club 1 (Micheal Pinto 39') bt Deccan XI F.C. 'A' 0

Match No 2: Group A

CMS Falcons 'A' w/o P.D. Central Railways

Todays fixtures:

2 nd Division:

FC Ghorpadi vs. Ram Sporting at 1 pm.

CAFVD vs. Bharati FC at 2 pm.

2 nd Division:

Rangehills Y.B. 'A' vs. Rupali at 3 pm

Kirkeeans 'A' vs. NDA Y.C. at 4 pm.

Sangam S.C. 'A' vs. Pune Police at 3 pm

FA Ghorpadi Y.O. vs.Thunderkatz at 5 pm.

Pune girls win

Nagpur city girls lost to last years' runners-up Pune by two-points in the Mayor's Cup Junior Maharashtra State Inter-District Basketball Championship at the Shivaji Nagar Gymkhana courts on Wednesday. However, Nagpur's good start and victory in the morning over Mumbai North allowed them to enter the quarterfinals.

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England better than you think - Howard

Published>Fri, May 28 10 04:37 AM

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard believes World Cup group rival England are being underrated by many and are a "fantastic" team that will be tough to beat at next month's World Cup finals.

Howard, who plays for Everton in England's Premier League, will face Wayne Rooney and company when the United States face Fabio Capello's side in their first Group C match on June 12.

"I think they are probably better than people think they are. They are a phenomenal team," Howard told Reuters in a telephone interview on Thursday.

The former Manchester United keeper believes that the top players on the England team like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are headed to South Africa at the right age.

"Their big, key players are hitting the stride of their careers at the moment. They are right in their prime," he said. "With all the experience that is on that team, Champions League finals, domestic Cup finals, league medals and the list goes on and on, you have a pretty good team and that is an understatement."

"They look fantastic and they are going to give us all that we can handle and we are going to have to be very, very good on that day to pull off a result," he added.

But the U.S squad, who will also face Slovenia and Algeria in Group C, believe they can pull off a surprise after beating European champions Spain in the Confederations Cup in South Africa last year before losing 3-2 to Brazil in the final.

"We know that in the big games, the big moments, we can compete and given the right performances we can put ourselves in the position to get a result," said Howard.

"We just try and go in their and give the right performance to put ourselves up to be in the thick of it and that is what you have to do when you are going in as the underdog."

HORRIFIC ACCIDENT

U.S coach Bob Bradley's plans were hit hard in October when striker Charlie Davies was hurt in a horrific car accident that cost him a place in the World Cup while central defender Oguchi Onyewu was sidelined seven months with a knee injury.

But while Howard said that was a tough time for the team, he said they are finding their form and could benefit from a pair of 'secret weapons' in little-used strikers Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle.

"We qualified for the World Cup and then we had two major, major injuries and they are not just team mates but good friends so it was difficult," said Howard.

"We do feel like we are strong, even though we are missing Charlie. We have brought in two really good forwards who at the moment are scoring goals in bunches which is always really good for strikers. Strikers are a crazy breed, they run hot and cold and when they are hot they are like gold."

An experimental U.S team lost 4-2 at home to the Czech Republic on Tuesday but Howard expects to see improvement when they face Turkey in Philadelphia on Saturday and Australia in South Africa on June 5.

"In the next two games, two weeks we have got to make sure we can tighten things up defensively. We feel good, feel confident and optimistic about our chances and our form and hopefully we can replicate what we did last summer," he said.

Howard is an ambassador for the 1GOAL project which will be active at the World Cup in encouraging world leaders to back their target of giving all children globally complete primary schooling by 2015 and increase spending on education.

"The amount of children and adults that go uneducated in the world is astounding," said Howard.

"With this being the first World Cup in Africa and so many footballers, who are now global names, lending their name to it then hopefully we can raise awareness, support and really push that hopefully one day education will be available for every child -- that should a minimum everywhere."

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Isner's ace barrage make mockery of slow clay

Published>Fri, May 28 10 04:07 AM

Giant American John Isner slammed down 38 aces on his way a second-round defeat of Swiss Marco Chiudinelli at the French Open on Thursday.

The wet weather in Paris did not dampen the 17th seed's power and his big weapon was working a treat as he moved through to the third round where he now takes aim at Czech Tomas Berdych on Friday.

He just hopes his serving shoulder stays loose.

"Feels good," Isner, who had never previously won a round at the French Open, told reporters after his 6-7 7-6 7-6 6-4 victory. "I'll do the necessary things to take care of it and be ready to go if I get on court tomorrow."

Fellow American Andy Roddick, another fearsome server, said the slow courts had hampered his deliver during his victory against Blaz Kavcic, but Isner had no problems getting his bombs to cut through the red dirt.

"Believe it or not, everyone was talking about how slow the courts were playing," added Isner who bounces the ball between his legs, basketball style, before launching into his serves, added. "I felt like my court stayed fairly fast.

"What also helped me was he stood up a bit in the court instead of standing way back. As long as I kind of hit my spot, it was a good chance it would be an ace."

Isner still has some way to go if he is to break the Roland Garros record for aces in a single match. That mark is held by Croatia's Ivo Karlovic who thundered down 55 here last year against despite losing to Lleyton Hewitt.

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Essien ruled out of World Cup, Torres makes progress

Published Fri, May 28 10 03:47 AM

Ghana's World Cup preparations suffered a huge setback on Thursday when midfielder Michael Essien was ruled out with a knee injury as Spain's Fernando Torres made progress in his recovery from a knee problem.

Described by Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac as the leader and engine room of his team, Essien picked up the injury in January and the Chelsea player will be sorely missed at soccer's biggest event which starts on June 11 in South Africa.

"An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make a full recovery until the end of July," Ghana's FA said on its website (www.ghanafa.org).

There was better news for Essien's fellow Premier League player Torres, who trained with the Spain squad for the first time after surgery on his right knee last month.

"He's said he'll be fit in time for our first match, which is good news," winger Juan Mata said.

Spain's Group H opponents Honduras will have to raise their game when they face the European champions after being held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus in a friendly in Austria.

The central Americans went ahead through Julio Cesar de Leon midway through the first half before conceding two goals in four minutes and having to rely through Edgar Alvarez to spare their blushes in the second half.

NOISE TESTING

While teams try to sort out their tactics during friendlies, World Cup organisers will test for something rather different during Thursday's warm-up game between South Africa and Colombia in Johannesburg -- noise levels.

They will check whether the ear-splitting din from the much talked about vuvuzela fan trumpets could pose a security risk.

"If there is an order to evacuate that stadium and an announcement is made, you have to ask yourself, will everyone in that stadium hear that evacuation order?" said chief local organiser Danny Jordaan.

Hoping to add their cheers to the crowd noise were the South Africans who began queuing outside ticket offices after FIFA released additional seats on to the market.

Soccer's ruling body said there were still 164,000 tickets available out of almost 2.9 million for the 64 matches.

"All we want is to see a match, we just want to be part of a South Africa match," said Vanesh Reddy, who had been queuing outside a ticket office in the Sandton district of Johannesburg since Wednesday night.

"I'm not a diehard soccer fan, but I just want to be part of this celebration."

Tournament preparations were disrupted by news that South African opera singer Siphiwo Ntshebe, who had been personally chosen by Nelson Mandela to sing at the opening ceremony, died at the age of 34 after contracting bacterial meningitis.

There was also an announcement at the end of a transport workers strike which has disrupted trade in South Africa with logistics group Transnet reaching a deal with the workers.

Any relief over that was, however, tempered by the South African labour federation COSATU saying it might strike during the World Cup over sharp power price increases by utility Eskom if a mediation meeting planned for June 14 fails.

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Tough day at the office but Roddick wins through

Published>Fri, May 28 10 03:07 AM

Sixth seed Andy Roddick took one look out of his hotel window on Thursday and knew straight away he was in for a tough old day at the French Open.

The American's power-based game does not respond well to damp clay on a cool and rainy Parisian day but that is exactly what he had to contend with during what he described as a "crappy" 6-2 5-7 6-4 6-2 defeat of Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic.

"Yeah, it was brutal for me out there," Roddick told reporters after booking a place in the third round of his least productive grand slam for the second year in a row.

"I couldn't get my serve to go anywhere and the ball was just sitting up. I woke up this morning, looked out my window, and knew that it was gonna be a long one.

"I'm going in knowing it's gonna be crappy tennis. You know, I just want to be the less crappy one out there."

Roddick, one of the game's most fearsome servers, was broken seven times by Kavcic but stuck to his task stubbornly to set up a clash against Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvili where victory would mean he equals his career-best last-16 finish here last year.

"There's not a whole lot you can do," Roddick said. "The slice is out of play, the serve was pretty much out of play.

"I mean, it's kind of just a matter of just running and sticking it out, and that's pretty much what happened?"

In a match disrupted by two rain breaks featuring an astonishing 17 breaks of serve on Court Suzanne Lenglen, former world number one Roddick's experience eventually told as he went through in two hours and 57 minutes.

At one point, however, immediately after the first rain delay, he lost eight consecutive points.

"We came in, (coach) Larry (Stefanki) gave me the whole, 'Start strong and you can take this over'. I started and lost eight points in a row, so that didn't really go according to plan."

Roddick often looks about as mobile as a beached supertanker on claycourts and admitted after his first-round victory over Jarkko Nieminen that it was just a case of "winning ugly".

However, something about the Texas-based 27-year-old's never-say-die personality has begun to win him fans at Roland Garros and Roddick is clearly proud of his gradual mastery of the unique challenges posed by clay.

"You know, wet day on Lenglen has been my Achilles heel," he said. "I've lost a lot of matches out there on conditions exactly like today.

"I was able to get through that one today. That was one that might have gotten away from me a while ago, but I was just kind of staying the course. I don't know the last time I lost serve seven times in one. I mean, it's bad, but there's got to be something good in there somewhere too."

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Obama gives U.S. soccer team presidential approval

Published Fri, May 28 10 02:47 AM

The United States soccer team was given the presidential seal of approval on Thursday before heading to South Africa for the World Cup.

The squad met U.S. President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the White House on Thursday, posing for photographs and swapping jokes about the team's apparel.

"I just want to say how incredibly proud we are of the team. Everybody is going to be rooting for you," Obama said.

"Although sometimes we don't remember here in the United States, this is going to be the biggest world (stage) and you're going to be representing all of us. We are incredibly proud of what you've done already."

Clinton, recently appointed to the U.S. bid team hoping to secure hosting rights to the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, joined the irreverent mood with a wisecrack about the player's fashion sense.

"I want to be on this team just for the shoes," he said. "This is the only team that I've ever seen that had these cool shoes."

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard told Reuters all the players got a real kick out of meeting Obama.

"It was pretty awesome," Howard said in a telephone interview. "He was excited for us of course, he knows what a big stage this and the enormity was certainly not lost on him, he understands it quite well."

The U.S. play Turkey in a warm-up in Philadelphia on Saturday before jetting off to South Africa to finalise their preparations.

Their opening game is against England in Rustenburg on June 12.

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Roddick battles past Kavcic into third round

Published Fri, May 28 10 02:27 AM

Sixth seed Andy Roddick came through a spirited challenge from Slovenian Blaz Kavcic to win 6-2 5-7 6-4 6-2 and book his place in the third round of the French Open on Thursday.

In a match disrupted by two rain breaks, the pair sparred in a contest which saw an astonishing 17 breaks of serve on Court Suzanne Lenglen before Roddick's experience came through after two hours and 57 minutes.

The American will now play Russian qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili for a chance to equal his career best run to the fourth round last year.

Kavcic and compatriot Grega Zemlja this week became the first representing their their country to win grand slam matches but Zemlja also lost to Gabashvili in straight sets earlier on Thursday to dash hopes of an all-Slovenian third-round match.

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Powell runs year's fastest 100, Bolt misses 300 best

Published Fri, May 28 10 01:47 AM

Former world record holder Asafa Powell clocked the fastest time of the year when winning the 100 metres in 9.83 seconds at the Ostrava Golden Spike meeting on Thursday.

World 100 and 200 metres record holder Usain Bolt failed in his attempt to add the 300 world best to his accomplishments on a damp evening in the Czech Republic.

Jamaican Bolt, competing over the rarely-run distance for the first time, came off the bend in front but could not keep up the pace into a headwind and finished in 30.97, outside American Michael Johnson's mark of 30.85, set in 2000.

Powell, overshadowed in recent years by compatriot Bolt, was quick out of the blocks in the 100 metres final and looked relaxed throughout the race for a comfortable win some three metres ahead of the field.

Olympic champion Bolt's fastest time this year was 9.86 run in Daegu, South Korea this month. His world record of 9.58 was set at last year's world championships in Berlin where he also established a new mark for the 200 of 19.19 seconds.

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FACTBOX - UEFA's financial fair play plan

Published Fri, May 28 10 01:27 AM

Factbox on the financial fair play system approved by UEFA's Executive Committee on Thursday.

BACKGROUND

* The financial fair play (FFP) plan is designed to stop reckless spending by clubs and to stop rich benefactors from injecting large amounts of cash, a practice which distorts the transfer market and pushes players' wages to astronomical levels and has a knock-on effect as other clubs try to keep up.

* Clubs will instead have to live within their means by ensuring that their expenditure is not more than the revenue they generate through their activities.

* A UEFA report said this year that around 50 percent of top European clubs were losing money and 20 percent were producing serious deficits.

* Inspired by UEFA president Michel Platini, the plan has been two years in the making.

THE NEW RULES

*When the new rules are fully enforced, clubs will only be allowed to enter European competition if their generated revenues -- money from sources such as television rights, gate receipts, competition prize money and sponsorship -- is equal to or greater than their expenditure

* Clubs are also barred from owing money to other clubs, players, tax authorities and social service departments.

PRACTICALITIES

* UEFA has set up a Club Financial Control Panel, headed by former Belgium Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene, which is responsible for scrutinising clubs' accounts and enforcing the club licensing system.

* The FFP takes will be phased in but will officially be introduced on June 1 when UEFA beefs up its current licensing criteria for admission to European competition.

* On June 1, 2011, the rule which bans clubs from owing money to other clubs, players, tax and social security departments will come into force.

* The break-even requirement, banning clubs from spending more than their generated revenues, will take effect for the financial statements of the reporting period ending 2012.

* The first season where a club could be barred from European competition will be 2014-15.

EXCEPTIONS

*Clubs will be assessed over three seasons. They are allowed a 5 million euro leeway over for the aggregate period.

* Money invested in stadiums and youth development does not count in the expenditure for FFP purposes. The main targets are high wages and high transfer fees.

* Benefactors are allowed to contribute up to a maximum of 45 million euros for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons together. This will be reduced to 30 million euros for the period covering 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.

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Donald buries Wentworth demons with fast start in Madrid

Published>Fri, May 28 10 01:07 AM

Britain's Luke Donald gained quick consolation for missing out on Europe's PGA title last week by firing a seven-under 65 to earn a share of the Madrid Masters first-round lead on Thursday.

Donald hit two spectacular eagles to share top spot late in the day with fellow Britons Rhys Davies and Jamie Donaldson.

"I can't remember when I last made two eagles in one round," the delighted world number 13 told reporters. "I don't think I've even had one this year on the U.S. Tour."

A double-bogey on the 71st hole last week at Wentworth scuppered Donald's chances of glory in the PGA event and relegated him to joint second behind Simon Khan.

This time on the 17th he made one of four birdies to go with his eagles after starting his round with a bogey.

"I was disappointed but it only took 24 hours to get over last week," added Donald. "I don't see the value of stewing over it, just move on."

A Ryder Cup place is Donald's goal and now Irishman Paul McGinley suddenly found it on his radar too after a 66 earned him a share of fourth place with Dutchman Maarten Lafeber.

STRONGLY TIPPED

McGinley, 43, is strongly tipped to be one of Colin Montgomerie's vice-captains for this October's Ryder Cup match. But Montgomerie has given McGinley until after the British Open in July before he will approach him to act as an assistant in case he plays his way into the team.

McGinley sank the winning putt to earn Europe the 2002 honours against the U.S. and has been on the victorious side in each of his three Ryder Cups.

A spectacular chip-in for an eagle on a flawless card also containing four birdies, showed McGinley was on his way back after another knee operation last November.

"I've certainly not discounted playing my way into the team," said McGinley who lies a distant 74th on the Ryder Cup standings, around 800,000 points behind the last automatic qualifier which is currently Briton Paul Casey.

Davies and Donaldson, both Welshmen, took advantage of benign morning conditions to set the target.

Davies claimed his maiden title this year with victory in the Hassan Trophy in Morocco but Donaldson has yet to better two second places in a 10-year career.

World number 11 Martin Kaymer's indifferent spell continued, a 71 leaving him six adrift of the lead. Former world number two Sergio Garcia could only manage a 72.

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Ferrari say Massa likely to stay

Published Fri, May 28 10 12:47 AM

Brazilian Felipe Massa is likely to stay with Ferrari next year alongside Fernando Alonso, team principal Stefano Domenicali said on Thursday.

Asked whether Ferrari would retain the current pairing, the Italian told BBC television in an interview at the Turkish Grand Prix: "Yes, I think so."

Pressed on the point, and asked whether he was sure, Domenicali added: "Yes".

Massa has returned this season from life-threatening head injuries sustained at last year's Hungarian Grand Prix but has been left behind by double world champion Alonso in the standings.

The Brazilian is 14 points behind the Spaniard after six races, with Alonso winning the season-opener in Bahrain.

Several other drivers, notably Renault's Robert Kubica and Red Bull's championship-leading Australian Mark Webber, have been suggested possible replacements for Massa in media speculation.

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INTERVIEW - A woman's work is also in the garage

Published>Fri, May 28 10 12:27 AM

Antonia Scott will celebrate her 27th birthday on Sunday like most other weekends, with a bunch of sweaty Formula One mechanics in the grand prix pitlane.

The only novelty is the birthday. Everything else is all part of the job for the only female mechanic in a sport seen by many outsiders as testosterone-fuelled, hairy-chested and irredeemably macho.

It is not something that fazes the Briton in the slightest.

"To be honest I don't really think of myself as the only girl," she said, breaking off from assembling a front wing in the Lotus garages on a busy Thursday afternoon at the Turkish Grand Prix.

"I'm just a mechanic doing my job and gender doesn't really come into it. It's never been an issue to date and hopefully not in the future."

Scott, 'Tony' to her team mates, arrived at F1 newcomers Lotus after making her debut as a race mechanic at the Germany-based Toyota team last season before the Japanese manufacturer pulled out.

"When I applied for a racing and testing position, it said (on the form) male or female. So it can't be that macho can it?," she said.

Cold-shouldered by some colleagues at Toyota, she was able to clear up any misunderstandings swiftly enough when they were reunited at British-based Lotus.

"Some of the English guys have apologised to me this year," she explained with a smile.

"They said 'Sorry, we didn't talk to you (at Toyota). We thought you were German'. It wasn't the fact that I was female, it was the fact that they thought I was German instead of English."

GRID GIRLS

From a motor racing family, with a father who still holds the lap record at Donington Park for special saloon car racing and a younger brother competing in Formula Ford, Scott always knew what she wanted to do.

After graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from Nottingham University, she had no doubt about where to seek employment.

"It was always F1," she said. "It's changed through various roles. At first it started off as an Adrian Newey-style aerodynamicist and then designer. Then when I came to actually applying for jobs, they said go and get some practical experience.

"I kind of fell into the more hands-on side and I really enjoy it. I've actually been offered several opportunities to go on a more design side but this is way more fun.

"It is male-dominated, but nothing that would put me off," added Scott.

"It's quite amusing when the grid girls come around the garage and we have celebrities with not a lot of clothing on and the guys are all like 'ah,..." and talking about them really kind of sexually.

"I guess because I've worked around men for such a long time now, I just kind of go 'Oh, I'll have a look'. "Oh yeah, she's nice." But I never really directly compare them with myself because I'm just here doing my job."

Mechanics are renowned for working hard and playing hard and Scott, while clearly not one of the boys with her make-up and mascara, is no exception.

Some of the haunts involved may not be of the kind usually frequented by young ladies, but she gets along.

RINGLEADER

"I have been described as the ringleader," she smiled. "It can be quite raucous and you do have to know your limits. I generally base the decision on how much I drink on what time we have to get to the track in the morning."

"In Bahrain...we took a taxi and walked into a bar and there were some scantily clad ladies and then it kind of dawned on me what kind of a place it was," she added.

"But the beer was pretty good and I could dance."

From the occasional all-nighter in the garage to last-minute checks on the starting grid and then forming part of the tyre-changing crew, Scott's role is as crucial as anyone else's.

Her responsibility during the race is to remove the front right wheel in a pitstop that takes only a few seconds.

"The first time you do it, your heart beats out of your chest. It's just absolutely nerve-racking. and then you realise that it's just another function, a kind of a cool one," she said.

Those who get to drive the cars hold little attraction.

"The drivers are all short and sweaty, so you want to stay away from them," said Scott. "The car's way more interesting."

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Five refs in Champions League, Euro qualifiers

Published>Thu, May 27 10 11:47 PM

The Champions League and Euro 2012 qualifiers next season will feature two extra linesmen at all matches after UEFA decided to extend the five-referees experiment on Thursday.

The Europa League, where the experiment was conducted for the first time in senior competition this season, will also feature the new system, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino told reporters.

The system, backed by UEFA president Michel Platini, features two extra linesmen, one behind each goal, to help referees spot penalty area infringements and determine whether the ball has crossed the line.

Soccer's rule-making body, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), last week voted to allow confederations and national associations to adopt the system on a voluntary basis over the next two years.

The IFAB had earlier this year rejected the use of any form of goal-line technology to help referees despite pressure from coaches, players and supporters.

Infantino refuted suggestions that the five-referee system had been given a lukewarm response.

"If the enthusiasm was not there, the IFAB would not have decided to authorise an additional two-year period," he said.

"We have made this experiment in the Europa League and it went well.

"Something else must be done to help the referees, you add eyes and you help the referee to cover their ground in a much better way.

He added: "It's difficult to find anything negative in this experiment, although it will have to evolve, for example how shall they move, where do they have to be placed?."

"But first results were positive and we want to do something for the good of football."

UEFA said the system would be used from the final qualifying round in the Champions League, the start of the group stage of the Europa League and through the Euro 2012 qualifying competition.

It's use in any competition has to be approved by FIFA which is seen as a formality.

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Ghana's injured Essien out of finals

Published Thu, May 27 10 11:27 PM

Ghana midfielder Michael Essien has been ruled out of the World Cup finals after failing to recover from a knee injury, the country's FA said on Thursday.

"An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make (a) full recovery until the end of July," Ghana's FA said on its website (www.ghanafa.org).

The Chelsea midfielder has been recovering from a knee injury picked up at the African Nations Cup in January. He played just 45 minutes at the tournament in Angola after suffering a hamstring injury in the Champions League in November.

His loss is a blow to Ghana whose coach Milovan Rajevac last week described Essien as the leader and engine room of his team. Rajevac is due to decide on his final 23-man squad on Tuesday.

Ghana open their World Cup campaign against Serbia on June 13 and also play Germany and Australia in Group D.

Essien is hugely popular in Ghana and his image is pasted up all over the country.

He has scored seven times in 50 appearances for his country and played at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Essien hinted several weeks ago he might not be fit for the tournament in South Africa, which kicks off on June 11.

"The last thing I want is to rush back and cause more problems down the line. If I make it for the World Cup then great -- if not, I have my whole career ahead of me," he told the Chelsea website.

Ghana are still unsure of the fitness of two other key players, Stephen Appiah and John Mensah.

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NBA - Wade says will discuss free agency with LeBron

Published Thu, May 27 10 11:07 PM

Two of the NBA's best players, Cleveland's LeBron James and Miami's Dwyane Wade, will discuss their pending free agency before making a decision on where to play next season, the high-scoring Wade said.

James and Wade head a list of several high-profile players, including the Atlanta Hawks' Joe Johnson, who could opt for free agency on July 1.

"We've discussed it prematurely, at different times," Wade said in an article posted on the Chicago Tribune's website (www.chicagotribune.com).

"(But) you don't know what guys are thinking and where they're going. I think we'll all sit down, and before one of us makes a decision, all of us will have spoken to each other and (listened to the) thinking."

Among the other free agents are the Toronto Raptors' Chris Bosh and Phoenix Suns' Amare Stoudemire.

Wade, who was named MVP of the NBA finals when he won a championship with the Heat in 2006, also said his decision will be influenced by what some of the other plays decide to do.

"So it's not just a 'me' situation here. We all have to look and see what each other is thinking."

James, whose top-seeded Cavaliers took an early exit out of the playoffs this year, is expected to be the most sought after of all the free agents.

There is speculation that Wade, a Chicago-area native, might leave Miami for the Bulls or try to lure Cleveland's James to the Heat.

James has long been on the wish list of New York Knicks fans and also has been linked to the Bulls.

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Ivanovic, Date Krumm out amid the Paris showers

Published>Thu, May 27 10 10:47 PM

Rain wreaked havoc with Thursday's schedule at the French Open but the gloomy weather broke for long enough to see former champion Ana Ivanovic and veteran Japanese Kimiko Date Krumm exit the tournament.

Persistent rain started to batter the Roland Garros venue a matter of minutes before the scheduled 0900GMT start and only relented after a near five-hour delay.

Six singles matches, including those of four-times champion Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams, were cancelled while 16 doubles contests were also forced to be rescheduled.

Around 90 minutes of play were possible mid-afternoon during which time Ivanovic, the champion of 2008 now ranked 42, looked a shadow of her former sparkling self in a 6-3 6-0 defeat by Russian 28th seed Alisa Kleybanova.

At 39, Date Krumm became the second oldest women's player to win a singles match here with her first-round triumph over last year's runner-up Dinara Safina but her challenge ran out of steam in a 6-0 6-3 rout by Australia's Jarmila Groth.

Five women's singles matches were completed during the brief respite from the weather.

Forecasters say the rain is likely to continue intermittently for the rest of the day and plummeting temperatures have also been predicted over the weekend.

Spectators will get a 50 per cent refund if there is less than two hours of play, thanks to special insurance taken out by the French tennis federation.

The scenes in the walkways underneath Court Philippe Chatrier resembled a refugee camp with miserable spectators sporting coloured waterproofs sat beside rain-soaked umbrellas and bags hoping for any break in the Parisian murk.

Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic lifted the gloom when she walked on the main court wearing a buttercup yellow dress to open play against Estonia's Kaia Kanepi.

They were tied at a set all and 1-1 in the decider when the covers were rushed on once again.

That match was due to be followed by a match interrupted amid remarkable scenes in the near darkness of 2200 local time on Wednesday night with French 13th seed Gael Monfils and Italian Fabio Fognini locked at 5-5 in the fifth set of a heated clash.

Fognini was docked a time penalty point and missed three match points as players and officials had angry exchanges over whether the match should continue in such dismal light.

British fourth seed Andy Murray had time for only more game before the rain returned, Juan Ignacio Chela holding serve for a 4-3 lead in the second set after the Scot had clinched the opener in Wednesday night's gloom.

American sixth seed Andy Roddick was a set up and tied at 5-5 in the second against Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

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Greipel grabs Giro sprint win, leader Arroyo poised

Published Thu, May 27 10 10:07 PM

German sprinter Andre Greipel finally sealed a stage win on Thursday after a frustrating Giro d'Italia while David Arroyo stayed in command overall with just three days remaining.

Columbia's Greipel managed his first success of the three-week race in the 18th stage after prevailing in a bunched finish through the tight streets of the northern Italian city of Brescia.

Greipel had been hoping for several stage wins this year but bad weather hit most of the other sprint sections, where he was squeezed out anyway, and a raft of mountain stages also offered little hope for the specialists.

He completed the 156-km downhill route from Levico in three hours 14 minutes 59 seconds ahead of New Zealand's Julian Dean and Italian Tiziano Dall'Antonia.

Spain's Caisse d'Epargne rider Arroyo, who has never threatened overall victory in a Grand Tour, was only just behind in the main pack to keep his two minute and 27 seconds advantage over second-placed Ivan Basso.

Basso, the 2006 winner, has been so pleased with his Giro that Liquigas announced on Thursday he would be staying with the team for another two years.

Two mountain stages follow on Friday and Saturday with the race finishing with a time trial in Verona on Sunday.

Friday's 195-km ride to Aprica goes via the Mortirolo peak and Saturday's 178-km stage from Bormio to Ponte di Legno-Tonale takes the riders up the Gavia mountain, where organisers hope lingering snow will not disrupt the route.

Arroyo, 30, is favourite for a surprise triumph although Astana leader Alexander Vinokourov, who lost bags of time after missing a breakaway in the second week, believes there could still be some twists in the tale.

"Mortirolo and Gavia will change the standings, you can attack at any moment. I've got the legs, you will see me ahead," the Kazakh, over five minutes off the pace, told reporters.

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Fiorentina eye Mihajlovic as Prandelli ponders Italy move

Published Thu, May 27 10 08:27 PM

Fiorentina have spoken to Sinisa Mihajlovic about becoming coach if current boss Cesare Prandelli decides to leave and manage Italy after the World Cup, a club official said on Thursday.

Serbian Mihajlovic surprisingly quit Serie A Catania earlier this week amid media speculation linking him with Fiorentina and Inter Milan.

The Italian soccer federation has spoken to Fiorentina about possibly making Prandelli Italy boss if Marcello Lippi steps down after the World Cup as expected.

"On Monday I met Mihajlovic," Fiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino told Italian television. "He said he was now free but then the news arrived that his father had died and he had to leave. So let's wait and see."

Prandelli returned to Florence with Fiorentina from a post-season tournament in Canada on Thursday and made no comment to waiting reporters about the Italy job.

The Italy situation has become messy with Lippi declining to confirm he is leaving the world champions but the federation said a decision will be announced before the squad head to the finals in South Africa on June 8.

Champions League and treble winners Inter are looking for a new coach with Jose Mourinho poised to leave for Real Madrid.

Former Inter player and assistant coach Mihajlovic was quickly installed as one of the bookmakers' favourites to replace Mourinho when he suddenly quit Catania, only for the Fiorentina link to become stronger.

Media reports in Italy and Britain have also speculated Inter could target England coach Fabio Capello among others.

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Goa sets up National Games Secretariat

Published>Thu, May 27 10 08:17 PM

Panaji, May 27 (IANS) Goa Thursday constituted a National Games Secretariat to finalise various activities for the mega sporting event to be held in 2011, the state government said Thursday.

'The government may co-opt or include additional members as and when the need is felt. The tenure of the Games Secretariat is for a period of three months or as the government decides,' the statement said.

Ridden by allegations of corruption vis-a-vis creation of infrastructure and delayed by bureaucratic wrangles, the government managed to initiate the land acquisition process related to infrastructure in 2009 for the mega sports event.

While the National Games stadium and other peripheral activities were initially conceived over a spread of 14 lakh square metres in Pernem, a rural taluk 30 km from here, the land area was subsequently whittled down to nine lakh sq metres after local farmers protested that fertile land was being diverted for setting up infrastructure for the National Games.

The project was further delayed after the opposition alleged that Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Manohar alias Babu Azgaonkar was handing over land meant for the National Games to hospitality-oriented firms at throw-away prices.

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S.Africa's Transnet says signs pay deal with union

Published Thu, May 27 10 08:07 PM

South Africa's state-owned logistics group Transnet said on Thursday it had signed a wage deal with a transport union, ending a three-week rail and ports strike.

"Yes, they have signed," Transnet spokesman Mboniso Sigonyela told Reuters.

The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), which represents 39 percent of Transnet's 54,000 workers, said its members would resume work on Friday.

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Time to inject young blood in Pak cricket: Ijaz Ahmed

Published>Thu, May 27 10 07:37 PM

Islamabad, May 27 (ANI): Assistant Pakistan cricket coach Ijaz Ahmed has called for injecting young blood in the team rather than recalling older players, who have failed to impress despite given several chances at the international level.

Ahmed said that giving young players international exposure did involve certain risks, but it is time that the Pakistan cricket administration takes those risks.

"It's time for youngsters to be given an opportunity and a fair chance. I've seen quite a bit of Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin and Azhar Ali and they have impressed me. I think they deserve a chance. If we don't give these youngsters a chance, then we will never know whether they will sink or swim in the top tier of cricket," Ahmed told PakPassion.net.

Referring to players like fast bowler Mohammed Aamer and middle order batsman Umer Akmal, who were given a chance early in their career which they grabbed with both hands, he said Pakistan has no dearth of talent, but the need is to polish the young cricketers and give them a opportunity to prove themselves and showcase their talent.

"If we hadn't given youngsters a chance, then who knows what Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal would be doing right now and where they would be. Pakistan has limitless talent and keeps producing some great young cricketers, but they have to be given an opportunity to prove themselves," Ahmed said. (ANI)

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Two county players approached by Indian bookmakers

Published>Thu, May 27 10 07:27 PM

London, May 27 (IANS) The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that two county players have formally reported being approached by bookmakers this season.

The information has been passed to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) anti-corruption unit and to the police, The Guardian reported Thursday.

Already this year two Essex players - Mervyn Westfield and Danish Kaneria - have been arrested 'on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud', and this week the Daily Telegraph has quoted an unnamed county veteran claiming that he has been offered money by an Indian businessman to fix a one-day match, and that other players may already be involved.

The ECB's revelation that a second player has now come forward will be seen as further worrying evidence.

Pakistan spinner Kaneria, who is under the scanner, is currently playing on bail for Essex in their County Championship game against Lancashire at Old Trafford.

Essex's first-team coach, Paul Grayson, confirmed that as far as he knows, the latest allegations do not involve an Essex player.

'They have investigated a few cases over the last couple of years, but this is all new, so it's really disappointing if that's happening in county cricket,' Grayson was quoted as saying in the report.

'A couple of guys I've spoken to were asked questions. That was when I was playing. It's probably more rife than we can imagine - it certainly is overseas. We've expected it to happen overseas, but certainly not in our game.'

Now the televising of English one-day matches in India is thought to have led to approaches being made to players to take money either for spot-fixing or, according to this week's revelations, match-fixing.

The ECB has developed an education programme in conjunction with the Professional Cricketers Association under which players can, in confidence, report any approaches.

--Indo-Asian New Service

av/dg

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UB Group rethinking their investment in East Bengal and Mohun Bagan

Published>Thu, May 27 10 07:07 PM

New Delhi, May 27 (IANS) After Mahindra Group, a lot of corporates are having a re-think about their investment in Indian soccer clubs.

As Indian football saw the last of famed Mumbai outfit Mahindra United Thursday, another corporate United Breweries (UB), sponsors of East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, indicated that they may also go the Mahindra way as they are not getting enough returns from their investment. Both the Kolkata clubs get around Rs.50-70 million anually from the UB Group.

Fraser Castellino, chief operating officer of sports marketing business of UB Group, made it clear that the All India football Federation (AIFF) has a lot of work to do in revamping the I-league if they don't want corporates shutting down clubs in future.

'It is unfortunate that Mahindra is closing down. But at the end of the day, AIFF should understand that we (corporates) are investing in Indian football, because we expect more in return,' said Castellino Thursday on the sidelines of Indian Football Forum here organised by SportzPower.

'We are not getting the kind of return that we expect. But we remain optimistic about that. A lot has to be done by the AIFF to ensure that corporates stay in Indian football. We hope that we would get it and we are giving it an year's time to see how things shape up in the I-League,' he added.

UB Group is not the only corporate to sound its concerns and recently Samir Thapar, managing director of JCT, which owns the JCT football club, also expressed his displeasure with the way the I-League is being run by the AIFF.

'Mahindra's decision to pull out is very sad. But why blame them. The I-League has no charm and value and is not being run in a professional way. I am not sure how long we would be able to sustain,' Thapar had said.

AIFF officials admitted that there are problems with the I-League.

I-League's chief executive officer Sunando Dhar said: 'There is no doubt that Mahindra's decision to disband the club is extremely unfortunate. And as AIFF president (Praful Patel) has also admitted that we need to revamp the I-League from the next session. We are working with sponsors and broadcasters to package and market the I-League in a better way.'

Club officials are also a worried lot.

A top official in East Bengal told IANS that it is an alarming situation and blamed the AIFF for the lacklustre I-League.

'The I-League is the property of the AIFF, so who should be blamed for it. The AIFF is always passing the blame on to the clubs, but they have to accept that I-League's marketing and broadcasting deals are in a complete mess,' the official said.

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Germany to remain at Cup base despite permit saga

Published Thu, May 27 10 06:47 PM

Germany are not planning to switch their World Cup hotel in South Africa despite alleged problems between the owners and the local authorities over licences, team spokesman Harald Stenger said on Thursday.

South African media have reported that the Velmore Grande hotel near Pretoria, where the German team will be based from June 7 onwards, does not have the permits demanded by South African authorities.

"I can only say that this is an issue between FIFA, the agency Match, through which we booked the hotel, South African authorities and the hotel itself," said Stenger.

"We do not see any other alternative than this hotel that we have booked through the FIFA agency Match," he said.

The federation said it was aware of problems between the owners and local authorities but said it was confident it would all work out in time for their arrival.

Germany booked their accommodation last year, beating several other teams interested in the five-star hotel in the Gauteng Region.

Germany manager Oliver Bierhoff also tried to play down concerns.

"Sometimes things in South Africa are ready in the last minute. But we fully trust FIFA that we will move into our Velmore Grande base," said Bierhoff.

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Force India introduces F-Ducts for Turkish Grand Prix

Published Thu, May 27 10 06:27 PM

Istanbul, May 27 (PTI) Continuing its experiment with updates, Force India will run its own F-duct system, which gives the driver speed advantage on long straights, in this weekend''s Turkish Grand Prix here. "We will be using our own version of the F-duct in practice, it''s called the SRW or switchable rear wing," a Force India official said. With this move, Force India joins several of its competitors who are toying with the system pioneered by McLaren. The SRW is a device which allows the driver manually alter the airflow over the rear wing and thus gain a speed advantage on long straights. Ferrari is already working on it, while Red Bull Racing is also expected to unveil F-Duct tomorrow. Some teams in the past tried flexible wings before those were banned by FIA.

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Team India a 'zero' sum game: Thackeray

Published>Thu, May 27 10 06:09 PM

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today slammed the Indian cricket team players, indicating they save their best for the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

The Sena chief, an avid cricket lover, also ridiculed Indian cricket players, saying they became 'zero' in World Cup.

"Our players play well during IPL T20 matches but came a-cropper during the World Cup," he said.

"Why can't these players play well for their country?," Thackeray asked.

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