Kiwis will have to aggressively take India on in Test series: McCullum

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 12:22 PM

Wellington, Oct. 28 (ANI): Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum has said that the Black Caps must be ready to take on the M S Dhoni-led Indian cricket team in the forthcoming Test series.

"We've got to take them on. We can't outlast them; their stats prove that they can outlast pretty much any opposition. So we're going to have to bowl well and get clever with our fields and plans with the ball," stuff,co.nz quoted McCullum, 29, as saying.

McCullum plundered 61 off 45 balls in the Bangladesh series opener, then scored 25 from his next three innings.

He arrives for his first test tour of India with his figures on the upswing, having scored 388 runs at 77.6 from his most recent three tests; one against Bangladesh and two against Australia.

He hopes he has five or six years at the top level in all three formats, and with his test average sitting at 34.9, including five centuries and 16 50s, it's time to kick on in his new top-order spot.

He said: "I don't know whether it's going to work but my focus is there and I've got immense drive to score runs at the top of the order in test cricket and to win more test matches. I've been involved in 52 tests and we've won hardly any. There haven't been too many real memorable series victories." (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Buchanan is a nobody: Pietersen

Thu, Oct 28 10 11:36 AM

London, Oct 28 (PTI) England batsman Kevin Pietersen has hit back at John Buchanan for criticising him and described the former Australian coach as "a nobody". Buchanan, who won three out of four Ashes series during his six-year tenure with the Aussie team, had earlier said that Pietersen had the potential to be "a major problem" during the Ashes if he did not halt the alarming slump in form which has seen him go 27 Test innings without a century. Reacting to the 57-year-old''s comments, the English middle-order batsman said, "I didn''t react to it (Buchanan''s comments) because it was strange that he made headlines. I''m not interested in what he has to say. Who is he? He''s a nobody. "He had the best team to coach in the history of cricket. Anyone could have coached that team. He has done nothing else solid so I won''t even take it with a pinch of salt," he told ''Press Association''. After his successful coaching stint with the Australian national team, Buchanan joined the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders as coach but it did not work. He got sacked after the team fared badly in the first two seasons under him. He drew criticism from every quarter for inducing more controversies in the team than confidence. In fact, his complex theories caused harm to the side. Besides, he also got involved in a blow-up with the skipper of the first season, Sourav Ganguly, who was unceremoniously dropped from leading the side in the second season on the behest of Buchanan.

Source: Published>

Man U star Mike Owen could hang up boots if Fergie does not renew contract

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 11:16 AM

London, Oct. 28 (ANI): Former England star striker Michael Owen has signaled that he might quit playing football if Manchester United decides to release him at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Owen, 30, is in the final season of a two-year deal and there have been no talks with boss Alex Ferguson about a possible extension.

"I would honestly love to stay, but you will have to ask the manager about the long term. I could score at this level for many years and would love it to be at a top club like United. Whether I would want to be dropping down to a poorer Premier League team, I don't know," The Sun quoted Owen, as saying.

"I just don't feel my game is suited to a team that is really struggling. I won't drop down leagues," he added.

Owen is clearly still scarred from his time at a crisis-hit Newcastle.

"I have played in big teams before and played every game and I have played in a struggling team. I know which I prefer. When you play here, you play with quality," Owen said.

Owen's switch to United in July 2009 revived him but he has been restricted to 14 starts, scoring 12 goals. Injuries have hampered him too and a fresh hamstring tweak will keep him out for another month.

He said that if he does quit at the end of this season, he would love to do it with a Champions League or Premier League winners' medal round his neck.

He also said that is already looking at life beyond his playing days, insisting: "I'm on my second stage of coaching badges and management is a real possibility. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Inspired by Tendulkar, Oz's 'Mr. Cricket' Hussey has no plans to retire

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 10:56 AM

Perth (Australia), Oct. 28 (ANI): Australia's 'Mr Cricket' Mike Hussey has no plans to retire anytime soon from international cricket, declaring that his passion for playing the game at the highest level is as strong as ever.

Hussey, 35, said that he is quite inspired by 37-year-old Sachin Tendulkar and would like to go on for a few more years.

"It does give you a bit of inspiration ... and I've got a lot of inspiration from a lot of guys. Steve Waugh played quite late into his 30s, Matthew Hayden played very well, Justin Langer played very well into his late 30s, so I don't think age is a barrier whatsoever," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Hussey, as saying.

"It's about whether you're up for the battle, you're enjoying the challenge out in the middle, enjoying playing for Australia - which is a pretty easy thing to do - and as long as you're contributing to the team, that's what it comes down to the end as well," he added.

"It took me 10 years just to get one game for Australia so I don't want to wish it away too quickly. I'm still enjoying it and I love pulling on that baggy dream cap, it's a dream come true," said Hussey

"So while I'm enjoying it and while I feel like I can contribute to the team, I want to try to keep going as long as I can," he said. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Man U star Mike Owen could hang up boots if Fergie does not renew contract

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 10:52 AM

London, Oct. 28 (ANI): Former England star striker Michael Owen has signaled that he might quit playing football if Manchester United decides to release him at the end of the 2010-11 season.

Owen, 30, is in the final season of a two-year deal and there have been no talks with boss Alex Ferguson about a possible extension.

"I would honestly love to stay, but you will have to ask the manager about the long term. I could score at this level for many years and would love it to be at a top club like United. Whether I would want to be dropping down to a poorer Premier League team, I don't know," The Sun quoted Owen, as saying.

"I just don't feel my game is suited to a team that is really struggling. I won't drop down leagues," he added.

Owen is clearly still scarred from his time at a crisis-hit Newcastle.

"I have played in big teams before and played every game and I have played in a struggling team. I know which I prefer. When you play here, you play with quality," Owen said.

Owen's switch to United in July 2009 revived him but he has been restricted to 14 starts, scoring 12 goals. Injuries have hampered him too and a fresh hamstring tweak will keep him out for another month.

He said that if he does quit at the end of this season, he would love to do it with a Champions League or Premier League winners' medal round his neck.

He also said that is already looking at life beyond his playing days, insisting: "I'm on my second stage of coaching badges and management is a real possibility. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Cleveland struggles to exorcise ghost of King James

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 10:38 AM

The spectre of LeBron James continued to hang over the team he jilted as the Cleveland Cavaliers claimed a surprise season-opening win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

While James has "taken his talents to South Beach" to form an NBA super team in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his betrayal remains fresh in the minds of Cleveland sports fans united in their hatred for a player they once lavished with love.

Try as they might to erase all evidence of 'King James', his unwanted presence continues to linger over a franchise that has gone from being one of the NBA's biggest draws and championship contenders to one of the league's biggest question marks.

A giant billboard of James that had looked down on fans as they arrived at Quicken Loans arena has been stripped and replaced, while James' Cavaliers jersey, once the NBA's biggest seller, are as rare as palm trees in Cleveland.

Jerseys that were not burned or sent to Florida as gifts for the homeless were simply left in closets as Cavaliers fans turned their back on James, the hometown prodigy who grew up in nearby Akron but was lured away by Miami's glitz and glamour.

In pubs and bars around the Cavs arena where James was once the toast of town, you can now order a "No-Bron-Bomb" shooter while a sign out front of the Harry Buffalo assured opening night success claiming "No LeBron, No problem".

Many, including Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, still cannot bring themselves to even utter James' name while a Cleveland radio station hired a witch doctor to put a curse on the two-time NBA most valuable player.

OPEN LETTER

In an open letter to fans, Gilbert blasted James as a narcissist and deserter, saying Cleveland would win an NBA championship before "the self-titled former 'king' wins one".

The comments earned Gilbert a sharp reprimand and a $100,000 fine from NBA commissioner David Stern but the Cavaliers owner refused to back away from his comments during a frank opening night discussion with the media.

"I don't regret it," Gilbert told reporters. "That letter was to the fans and supporters of the Cavaliers. It wasn't to the player (James) that left.

"Those were the feelings. If you read the letter, it (winning a championship) wasn't before Miami, it was before the player that left," Gilbert added.

Gilbert could not hide his delight at Miami's opening loss to the Celtics but jumped for joy as he watched his team score a rousing 95-87 win over Boston.

"We're all focused on the future, I'm just like every other fan to kind of just waiting see what this is going to look like," said Gilbert before the opening tipoff.

"We're trying not to focus on the past and channel all our energy and all of our emotion towards this team and the future.

"I really believe if you do that, good things are going to happen."

Source: Web Search

Pace bowler Theron ensures South Africa 20-20 series win against Pak

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 10:06 AM

Abu Dhabi, Oct. 28 (ANI): South African right-arm medium-fast bowler Rusty Theron took a career-best 4-27 to help his team clinch a six-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second Twenty20 international played here on Wednesday.

With this win, South Africa has sealed the two match series 2-0, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Twenty-six-year-old Theron bowled with purpose as South Africa once again restricted the former World Twenty20 champions to a low score of 120 for the loss of nine wickets on a flat Abu Dhabi cricket Stadium for a second day in succession.

Thereafter South African captain Graeme Smith (38) and middle order bats Colin Ingram (31) and Jean-Paul Duminy (19 not out) took their team to victory in a canter with eight balls to spare.

For Pakistan, only Misbah-ul-Haq scored a resolute 38-ball 33, hitting two boundaries and a six.

Abdul Razzaq (25) was the other main scorer for Pakistan. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

NZ coach Greatbatch blasts players, says aren''t good enough

Thu, Oct 28 10 09:56 AM

Wellington, Oct 28 (PTI) New Zealand''s cricketers have come in for some startling criticism from their own coach Mark Greatbatch who feels some players "aren''t as good as they think they are" and even a couple of draws in next month''s three-Test series against India would be a "good result". New Zealand were handed a humiliating 0-4 thrashing by minnows Bangladesh in a recent one-day series, a result which stunned the country known to perform beyond expectations at big events such as the World Cup. The whitewash in Bangladesh has made for a demoralising build-up to the India series which starts November 4. Daniel Vettori''s men will play three Tests and five one-dayers against India. The first Test begins in Ahmedabad on Thursday, followed by matches in Hyderabad and Nagpur. "India have only lost one of their last 13 Tests in India, so if you''re gonna ask me what a good result is I would take two draws," Greatbatch told ''Radio New Zealand''. Talking about the shambolic tour of Bangladesh, Greatbatch said, "When you play badly like that you''ve got to front up, it''s devastating, we played like dicks really." "You can talk about structures as much as you want but the reality is it''s about the bat and ball. Watching it, making good decisions and getting the hell stuck into the opposition and we just haven''t done that consistently," he added. Greatbatch said some players in the team are not fit for international cricket. "I''ll be honest again I think some (players) aren''t good enough, I think some think they''re better than they are and the third thing I think is the mind." "We''ve got to get our mind right and sometimes that requires patience. Sometimes it requires being aggressive. What it requires is actually sorting out the cricket smarts and weighing up the situation that you''re playing in and we''ve got some work to do in all those areas." The coach was, however, lavish in his praise for explosive batsman Ross Taylor. "I think Ross Taylor has only played 25 Tests, that''s not a lot, some of these World class players have played 150," Greatbatch said "I think he''s on the right track. I think when his career''s come to an end he will have played close to 100 Tests for New Zealand and probably be one of our best." PTI PM

Source: Published>

Indian firm Venkys says it is set to acquire Blackburn Rovers

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 09:46 AM

Blackburn (UK)/ Pune, Oct. 28 (ANI): Anuradha J. Desai, the chief of the Indian conglomerate Venkys, which specialises in poultry farming, has confirmed the acquisition of English Premier League (EPL) football club, Blackburn Rovers.

"Blackburn Rovers is an English Premier League (EPL) football club team which we are going to acquire. We have already bid for it and just a formality is left," Desai told reporters at her sprawling house in Pune on Wednesday.

She added that the bid amount was in the range of 40 to 45 million pounds and the deal would be closed in coming seven to eight days.

"It's in between 40-45 million pounds. This is the complete deal and there will be some investments too in the future but that I can't spell it right now because it's too early," Desai said.

The V.H Group, of which Venkateshwara Hatcheries P Ltd is the flagship company, specializes in poultry farming and claims to be the "largest fully integrated poultry group in Asia".

Desai said the acquisition of a Premier soccer club was in sync with the Venkys overall growth and expansion plans as it planned to make a foray into international markets.

"If you look at football for sale is a game which is very popular. People are crazy about football. In all these markets that I am talking about, southeast market, Middle East market and even in the European market, it is a very famous game and I feel that the Venkys brand will get an immediate recognition if we take over this club. This is the main reason, why we are doing this," said Desai.

Blackburn, managed by Sam Allardyce, are the fourth team from bottom in the League, one place above the relegation zone, with nine points from as many games.

Last week Allardyce had backed new investment, who were put up for sale by the Jack Walker Trust three years ago.

Walker invested tens of million of pounds into the club and it paid off in 1995 when Rovers won the Premiership title. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Cavaliers stun Celtics in first game without LeBron

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 08:56 AM

The Cleveland Cavaliers began the post-LeBron James era with a stunning 95-87 victory over the heavily favoured Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

Making the victory all the sweeter for jilted Cavaliers fans was the fact that their season-opening victory came over the Celtics, who beat James and the Miami Heat in the NBA curtain-raiser on Tuesday.

J.J. Hickson led the Cavaliers with a game-high 21 points while Daniel Gibson added 16 points and eight assists coming off the bench.

Rajon Rondo had 18 points and nine assists to pace the Celtics.

Source: Web Search

30-day termination notice for Kochi

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 08:16 AM

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have decided to put the Kochi IPL franchise on incubator, providing the beleaguered consortium with breathing space for the next 30 days. Following an emergency IPL governing council meeting held in Nagpur on Wednesday, the board served a termination notice to the franchise, giving them a 30-day deadline to settle their internal disputes or get scrapped.

The governing council had received replies from the two parties, the Rendezvous group and the other co-owners, on Tuesday evening, and the board took their eventual decision only after finding that the differences between the groups within the franchise still existed, revealed BCCI president Shashank Manohar.

"The governing council has invoked clause 12 (1) and given them a termination notice that in case they don't remedy these disputes in the 30 days, the franchise would stand cancelled on the 31st day," he said.

While it has been learnt that many council members were keen to terminate the Kochi franchise's existing contract, the board's decision to provide them with an extension didn't come about due to any sort of benevolence. But rather as a result of a clause in the contract, which ensured that the franchise had to be allotted a 30-day period before it was scrapped.

Asked about why Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, were shown the exit without even receiving show-cause notices, Manohar explained that there wasn't an intermediary breach of contract in Kochi's case as compared to Rajasthan and Punjab.

"The cases are totally different. In the case of the other two teams, there was a transfer of ownership that took place without our permission and thus they broke a rule. But this is a remedial breach and that is why the Kochi franchise has been given 30 days to sort out the matter," he said.

The investors in the consortium owning the Kochi franchise have been divided as a result of their discrepancies into two groups, the Gaekwad family, who own the Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited, on one side and all the remaining stakeholders, Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave, Anand Shyam Estate Developers and Vivek Venugopal ? who hold 75 per cent of the equity in the opposition.

Not surprisingly, Satyajit Gaekwad, CEO of Rendezvous, welcomed the board's decision with delight but insisted that they won't compromise on their 25 per cent holding in the franchise.

"Rendezvous is, in uncertain terms, clear that we will never come down from 25 per cent equity. But in case of the free equity, we are ready to bring in the money and review it from 25 per cent to 12.5 per cent as agreed by investors and the board and we have minuted the details and sent it to BCCI. We have requested them to give us permission to make structural changes," he explained.

He also revealed that Rendezvous had received permission from the consortium on the same and that they would proceed to put in the investment for 12.5 per cent. Gaekwad also added that Rendezvous had already given a cheque in lieu with those financial terms to the consortium. And with the BCCI having given them a 30-day grace period, he said that there was enough time for all the parties to resolve their differences and present an unified front to the board and the governing council.

The BCCI, however, insisted in not being concerned about former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar's links with the Kochi franchise. "What discussion took place between Mr Gavaskar and Mr (Satyajit) Gaekwad is known only to Mr Gavaskar and Mr Gaekwad, the BCCI does not know. We are not aware of that and we are not an investigative agency."

Source: Web Search

At 80, Ecclestone eyes another decade on the fast lane

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 06:52 AM

Red Bull and the ever-cheeky Sebastian Vettel presented Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone with a walking frame, equipped with steering wheel and front wing, as an 80th birthday gift last weekend. The billionaire Briton, who will be reaching his milestone on Thursday with plenty of energy but not much in the way of a celebration, saw the joke.

On current form, there is about as much chance of Ecclestone needing the present as there is of Ferrari making affordable family runabouts or Lewis Hamilton deciding to pack it in to become a parking attendant.

The former second-hand car salesman, who turned Formula One from a sport for oil-streaked 'garagistes' into a billion-dollar glamour business, has no intention of giving up his globe-trotting, deal-making lifestyle for an armchair and slippers any time in the next decade.

"Retire? Why? I need the money, I can't afford to retire," the master of the throwaway quip said at Sunday's South Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam as he inspected the latest addition to his global circus. "I don't worry. Age is nothing. People make me laugh when they talk about one year to the next year," he added with a smile. One day you're one age and a day later you're another age. It's all nonsense. I'm like Obama, I like to move forward."

Ecclestone, a bespectacled Andy Warhol lookalike in pressed blue jeans and with the theme from the film 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' as his mobile ringtone, needs more money about as much as he needs the Zimmer frame.

As he has explained on countless occasions, it is a way of keeping the score more than anything, a means of measuring achievement rather than keeping the wolf at the door. In his London office, he has a sculpture of a pile of $100 bills.

NO SUCCESSOR

By any standards, he has been a success ? from selling buns at a mark-up to schoolmates to making his first fortune trading motorcycles in fuel-starved post-war Britain and then making a mint in Formula One. A natural dealmaker, with a softly-spoken manner that belies his Machiavellian streak, Ecclestone has a reputation for being uncompromising and almost obsessively neat, with the odd wisecrack thrown in.

One of the advantages of old age, he once suggested, was that the fear of life imprisonment was no longer what it was. The sport, with a record 20-race calendar lined up for next season and new races on the horizon in India, Russia and the United States, can thank his magic touch for keeping the money pipeline flowing.

Job done, Ecclestone usually leaves the circuit as soon as the grid walk is over and the race started. The concern, ever present for manufacturers and other stake-holders, is what happens when he is no longer there at all?

STRONG FUTURE

International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Jean Todt, another diminutive dynamo who replaced Ecclestone's long-term ally Max Mosley last year, brushed off any concern from the governing body's part.

"I must say it is extraordinary to see this guy, days before he is to be 80, how motivated, how switched on he can be," he said. "I really wish to be in the same situation at his age. It's fascinating.Bernie is a very smart guy. He has sold his company to (private equity firm) CVC, and in fact the responsibility of the future of Formula One is more to CVC than to Bernie," Todt said. "I am sure that Formula One has a very strong future."

Source: Web Search

30-day termination notice for Kochi

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 06:38 AM

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have decided to put the Kochi IPL franchise on incubator, providing the beleaguered consortium with breathing space for the next 30 days. Following an emergency IPL governing council meeting held in Nagpur on Wednesday, the board served a termination notice to the franchise, giving them a 30-day deadline to settle their internal disputes or get scrapped.

The governing council had received replies from the two parties, the Rendezvous group and the other co-owners, on Tuesday evening, and the board took their eventual decision only after finding that the differences between the groups within the franchise still existed, revealed BCCI president Shashank Manohar.

"The governing council has invoked clause 12 (1) and given them a termination notice that in case they don't remedy these disputes in the 30 days, the franchise would stand cancelled on the 31st day," he said.

While it has been learnt that many council members were keen to terminate the Kochi franchise's existing contract, the board's decision to provide them with an extension didn't come about due to any sort of benevolence. But rather as a result of a clause in the contract, which ensured that the franchise had to be allotted a 30-day period before it was scrapped.

Asked about why Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab, were shown the exit without even receiving show-cause notices, Manohar explained that there wasn't an intermediary breach of contract in Kochi's case as compared to Rajasthan and Punjab.

"The cases are totally different. In the case of the other two teams, there was a transfer of ownership that took place without our permission and thus they broke a rule. But this is a remedial breach and that is why the Kochi franchise has been given 30 days to sort out the matter," he said.

The investors in the consortium owning the Kochi franchise have been divided as a result of their discrepancies into two groups, the Gaekwad family, who own the Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited, on one side and all the remaining stakeholders, Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave, Anand Shyam Estate Developers and Vivek Venugopal ? who hold 75 per cent of the equity in the opposition.

Not surprisingly, Satyajit Gaekwad, CEO of Rendezvous, welcomed the board's decision with delight but insisted that they won't compromise on their 25 per cent holding in the franchise.

"Rendezvous is, in uncertain terms, clear that we will never come down from 25 per cent equity. But in case of the free equity, we are ready to bring in the money and review it from 25 per cent to 12.5 per cent as agreed by investors and the board and we have minuted the details and sent it to BCCI. We have requested them to give us permission to make structural changes," he explained.

He also revealed that Rendezvous had received permission from the consortium on the same and that they would proceed to put in the investment for 12.5 per cent. Gaekwad also added that Rendezvous had already given a cheque in lieu with those financial terms to the consortium. And with the BCCI having given them a 30-day grace period, he said that there was enough time for all the parties to resolve their differences and present an unified front to the board and the governing council.

The BCCI, however, insisted in not being concerned about former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar's links with the Kochi franchise. "What discussion took place between Mr Gavaskar and Mr (Satyajit) Gaekwad is known only to Mr Gavaskar and Mr Gaekwad, the BCCI does not know. We are not aware of that and we are not an investigative agency."

Source: Web Search

Stosur shocker tops night of surprises in Doha

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 05:16 AM

Samantha Stosur's win over world number one Caroline Wozniacki was not the only surprise for an unsuspecting crowd at the WTA Championships, where music, dance and even a frightened feline vied with the tennis for attention.

An uninspiring opening match between Vera Zvonareva and Victoria Azarenka on Wednesday took a bizarre turn at the second change of ends when a breakdancing trio began 'busting moves' on court at the Khalifa Tennis Complex.

A solo saxophone player serenaded the crowd during the Kim Clijsters v Jelena Jankovic match, and then a curious cat padded onto the purple-coloured court to hold up Wozniacki's game against Stosur.

The scaredy-cat scampered under the hoardings at the side of the court before making its escape.

Stosur, who opened her Maroon Group campaign at the $4.55 million tournament with a straight sets win over Francesca Shiavone, said her indifferent from coming into Doha had been a cause for concern.

"I guess when you haven't been playing so well leading up to a big event, there's maybe that a little bit of doubt," the Australian told a media conference.

"(But) I had always been practising well and doing all the right things. I was hopeful that it would turn around soon."

With Wozniacki needing just one more win to seal the year-end world number one spot, few gave Stosur much hope of causing an upset in the Qatari capital.

However, the 26-year-old gave Wozniacki a taste of her own baseline medicine, attacking her weaker forehand and sending scorching winners past the startled Dane to record a 6-4 6-3 win.

"Against someone like her I have to go after the points and try and hit winners. Sometimes by doing that you do hit more errors," added Stosur.

"I think I was okay with that going into the match, that if I was making some mistakes it didn't matter because I probably would hit more winners.

"I guess it's a fine line between doing enough and going too crazy and doing too much."

With the win Stosur has all but sealed her place in the semi-finals of the prestigious season-ending tournament but will round out the group stage against Elena Dementieva on Thursday.

Wozniacki faces Schiavone, while in the White Group Kim Clijsters plays Victoria Azarenka.

Source: Web Search

Arsenal crush Newcastle in League Cup

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 04:16 AM

Theo Walcott and Nicklas Bendtner made goalscoring returns from injury on Wednesday as Arsenal thrashed Newcastle United 4-0 away to reach the last eight of the League Cup.

Also through to the quarter-finals are West Ham United, who came from behind to beat Stoke City 3-1, and Aston Villa, who beat Championship (second division) Burnley 2-1 at Villa Park, both after extra-time.

Despite the lure of a Europa League place for the winners of England's "third trophy", most clubs continue to treat it as a chance to try out young players and give run-outs to squad members -- as well as those on the comeback trail from injury.

That certainly worked out well for Arsene Wenger, without a trophy for five years.

At the end of a frantic first half, Bendtner, making his first start of the season after recovering from a groin problem, thumped a header goalwards and Ryan Taylor's attempt to clear it ended with the ball bouncing off his goalkeeper Tim Krul and over the line.

Walcott, in his first start since injuring his ankle playing for England in early September, broke clear to put Arsenal two up eight minutes into the second half.

Bendtner completed his busy night when he collected a pass from substitute Cesc Fabregas to cut in and curl home an excellent third goal four minutes from time, with Walcott adding a breakaway fourth in stoppage-time.

West Ham briefly lifted some of the gloom surrounding the Premier League's bottom club with their win.

Kenwyne Jones headed Stoke into an early lead, Scott Parker equalised six minutes from time and Mark Noble proved the key man in extra-time as he set up goals for Manuel da Costa and Victor Obinna.

Emile Heskey came off the bench to fire Villa ahead in the 86th minute of their game against Burnley but Clark Carlisle equalised in the last minute.

Winger Stewart Downing blasted Villa back into the lead after six minutes of extra-time but they had to hang on for the last 20 after Marc Albrighton was sent off.

Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United and Championship Ipswich Town were already through to the last eight and the draw for the quarter-finals will be made on Saturday.

Source: Web Search

FIFA Club World Cup draw

Thu, Oct 28 10 03:36 AM

REUTERS - Draw for the FIFA Club World Cup to be played in the United Arab Emirates from Dec. 8 to 18:

Preliminary round:

Al Wahda (UAE) v Hekari United (Papua New Guinea)

Quarter-finals:

Pachuca (Mexico) v African champions

Al Wahda/Hekari v Asia champions

Semi-finals:

Internacional (Brazil) v Pachuca/African champions

Inter Milan (Italy) v Al Wahda/Hekari/Asian champions

* Africa will be represented by Esperance (Tunisia) or TP Mazembe (DR Congo) and Asia by Zob Ahan (Iran) or Seongnam (South Korea).

Source: Published>

Stosur shocks Wozniacki, Zvonareva wins in Doha

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 03:16 AM

Samantha Stosur stunned world number one Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-3 at the WTA Championships on Wednesday, while Vera Zvonareva and Kim Clijsters also claimed group stage wins.

Australian Stosur had too much pace and power for baseline battler Wozniacki, who needs one more win in Doha to secure the year-end number one ranking.

Stosur opened her Maroon Group campaign on Tuesday with a straight sets win over French Open champion Francesca Schiavone and she produced another dominant display at the Khalifa Tennis Complex.

The first set went on serve until the 10th game when Stosur's relentless pressure paid off. With Wozniacki's serve lacking her customary zip, Stosur pressed home the advantage and forced the Dane into a weak lob that she put away to win 6-4.

In the second set, Stosur continued to take the game to Wozniacki, who began to show signs of frustration.

The Australian broke to go 3-1 up and with Wozniacki finding Stosur's serve too hot to handle the crowd sensed an upset.

The Danish 20-year-old had a glimmer of hope at 3-5 when Stosur double faulted twice, but the Australian held her nerve and closed out the set for the win.

SLOW START

Zvonareva, who could still snatch the world number one ranking from Wozniacki, beat Victoria Azarenka 7-6 6-4 to claim her second White Group win of the $4.55 million tournament.

After an uninspired opening, punctuated by a bizarre breakdancing interlude on the purple-coloured court following the second changeover, Zvonareva's superior groundstrokes began to tell as Azarenka became increasing erratic and emotional.

The 21-year-old from Belarus squandered a glorious chance to break in the eighth game, letting out a deafening shriek of frustration.

The first set went to a tiebreak, Zvonareva breaking immediately to jump out to an early lead and despite struggling on her own serve she wrapped it up 7-4.

"I think I started a little bit slow," said Zvonareva in a media conference. "I think I shouldn't have started that slow, because I gave her an advantage right away.

"But at the same time, I was just trying to find my rhythm. I was trying to play aggressive. I made a few adjustments while we were playing, and I really came up with great tennis in the tiebreaker in the first set when I really needed it."

In the second set, Zvonareva had the pony-tailed Azarenka on the back foot, arrowing deep backhands to the corners and finding her target with unerring consistency.

At 5-4 down, Azarenka saved two match points but she netted a weak forehand on the third to hand victory to the Russian.

Belgian Clijsters also got her campaign in Doha off to a successful start with a 6-2 6-3 win over Jelena Jankovic in another White Group clash.

Taking the first set in 25 minutes, the Belgian stuttered on serve but treated the crowd to a shot-making masterclass.

At 2-2 in the second, Jankovic let a 40-15 lead slip with a catalogue of unforced errors and looked imploringly at her mother Snezana sitting courtside for answers.

Clijsters secured the pivotal break to go 3-2 up and held serve in an error-strewn sixth game to cement the advantage. With Clijsters leading 5-3, Jankovic double-faulted on a third match point to hand the Belgian victory.

Source: Web Search

Frankfurt demolish Hamburg, Mainz out of German Cup

Thu, Oct 28 10 01:36 AM

Eintracht Frankfurt's Fanis Gekas struck twice to earn his side a 5-2 win over Hamburg SV in the German Cup on Wednesday as league leaders Mainz 05 were stunned 2-1 by second division Alemannia Aachen.

Frankfurt took the lead on 13 minutes when Caio, who had come on for injured Alexander Meier only three minutes earlier, thundered in an unstoppable shot from 20 metres.

In-form Gekas doubled the lead with a well-taken header seven minutes later but Hamburg, missing injured Ruud van Nistelrooy, responded when Mladen Petric tapped in from close range.

The Croat should have levelled but hit the post with keeper Oka Nikolov beaten and Gekas punished the visitors with his second goal on the stroke of halftime before Petric headed in an own goal to make it 4-1.

The striker made amends with a fine header to cut the deficit but Halil Altintop converted an 87th-minute penalty, awarded for a foul on Gekas, to seal the hosts' place in the third round.

Bundesliga leaders Mainz 05 have won eight out of nine league matches this season but they were outclassed by Alemannia Aachen.

Hoffenheim, who played more than half the game with 10 men after striker Vedad Ibisevic was sent off, struggled against FC Ingolstadt but escaped with a 1-0 win thanks to Demba Ba's 63rd- minute winner from close range.

Holders Bayern Munich edged past last season's finalists Werder Bremen 2-1 on Tuesday and Schalke 04 struggled to beat FSV Frankfurt 1-0.

Source: Published>

Zvonareva beats Azarenka, Clijsters wins in Doha

Published>Thu, Oct 28 10 12:56 AM

Vera Zvonareva beat Victoria Azarenka 7-6 6-4 on Wednesday to claim her second win of the WTA Championships and stay in the hunt for the year-end world number one ranking.

Kim Clijsters also got her campaign in Doha off to a successful start with a 6-2 6-3 win over Jelena Jankovic in another White Group clash. World number one Caroline Wozniacki plays Sam Stosur in the Maroon Group in the day's last match.

In contrast to her straightforward victory over ailing Serb Jankovic on Tuesday, Russian Zvonareva was pushed hard by Azarenka, who arrived in the Qatari capital fresh from capturing her second title of the year in Moscow.

After an uninspired opening, punctuated by a bizarre breakdancing interlude on the purple-coloured court following the second changeover, Zvonareva's superior groundstrokes began to tell as Azarenka became increasing erratic and emotional.

The 21-year-old from Belarus squandered a glorious chance to break in the eighth game, letting out a deafening shriek of frustration.

The first set went to a tiebreak, Zvonareva breaking immediately to jump out to an early lead and despite struggling on her own serve she wrapped it up 7-4.

PUSHING THE PACE

In the second set, Zvonareva had the pony-tailed Azarenka on the back foot, arrowing deep backhands to the corners and finding her target with unerring consistency.

Despite playing the previous day, the Russian was the one dictating the pace, pushing Azarenka around the court and forcing her into a string of unforced errors.

At 5-4 down, Azarenka saved two match points but she netted a weak forehand on the third to hand victory to the Russian.

Clijsters, who won the prestgious tournament in 2002 and 2003, raced out of the blocks against Jankovic and never let up.

Taking the first set in 25 minutes, the Belgian stuttered on serve but treated the crowd at the Khalifa Tennis Complex to a shot-making masterclass.

At 2-2 in the second, Jankovic let a 40-15 lead slip with a catalogue of unforced errors and looked imploringly at her mother Snezana sitting courtside for answers.

Clijsters secured the pivotal break to go 3-2 up and held serve in an error-strewn sixth game to cement the advantage.

With Clijsters leading 5-3, Jankovic double-faulted on a third match point to hand the Belgian victory.

Source: Web Search

Ayew brothers send Marseille into League Cup last eight

Wed, Oct 27 10 11:36 PM

Holders Olympique Marseille laboured into the quarter-finals of the French League Cup when the Ayew brothers combined to score in a 1-0 win at National (third division) side En Avant Guingamp on Wednesday.

Marseille, with a mostly reserve team, snatched the win against the run of play two minutes before halftime when Jordan powered down the right flank and his cross found elder brother Andre, who headed home from close range.

The brothers, sons of former Marseille player and Ghana international Abedi Pele, almost managed a repeat of the goal in the second half but Andre's header went just over the bar.

Guingamp, who won the French Cup in 2009, had numerous chances in the first half but their strikers failed to convert them.

Marseille defender Stephane Mbia and midfielder Edouard Cisse suffered leg injuries and were replaced in the second half.

Later on Wednesday, Olympique Lyon entertain Paris St Germain with their coach Claude Puel's job under threat if they fail to advance.

The draw for the quarter-finals will be made after that game.

Source: Published>

Indian investors eye stake in Australian T20 sides

Wed, Oct 27 10 11:26 PM

Melbourne, Oct 27 (PTI) Keen to cash in on the Twenty20 craze, Indian investors are now showing interest in buying stakes in Australian sides -- New South Wales and Victoria Bushrangers. According to ''The Australian'', both NSW and Victoria have different four-man consortia from India willing to pay millions of dollars to take a minority share-holding in the Sydney and Melbourne teams. The move will, however, depend on whether Cricket Australia approves private ownership for an expanded eight-team competition at a board meeting tomorrow, which will finalise the structure of the competition. Following the super success of the Indian Premier League, CA has advanced its plans by a year to begin a new city-based competition in 12 months. Six teams will be based in the state capital cities, with two new licenses yet to be granted. "One of them has USD 5 million read to go now with more to come," a senior cricket figure was quoted as saying by ''The Australian''. State associations would remain in charge of all existing teams regardless of the ownership structure, but CA fears that having private ownership may do more harm than good. Quite a few of them are afraid that enormous amount of money pumped into some teams by private owners may result in a lop-sided competition. "It''s one of the big turning points in Australian cricket history," a CA spokesman said, claiming that chief executive James Sutherland believes "it''s as big, possibly bigger than the (Kerry) Packer moment. It''s important to get it right." It was also suggested that Victoria and NSW should not be allowed to take part in the ownership debate as they have quite a few financial backers. "The detail is comprehensive and the detail is complicated," the CA spokesman said. "There is going to be a lot discussed including the operating model, business model and private ownership, what role does it play, what the right timing is and the like." PTI AH SHN

Source: Published>

India face Kuwait in Asian Games opener

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 11:18 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) Two-time gold medallist India will start their campaign against Kuwait in the under-23 football competition of the Asian Games at Guangzhou in China.

India have been drawn in Group D alongside reigning champions, Qatar, Kuwait and Singapore.

India, ranked 144th, will face 103rd ranked Kuwait Nov 7 at the Huadu Stadium. It will then face defending champions Qatar, ranked 109, Nov 9, and 127th ranked Singapore in their last group match Nov 11.

The Squad:

Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh, Laxmikant Kattimani, Gurpreet Singh Sadhu

Defenders: Denzil Franco, Abhishek Das, Robert Lalthalma, Rowilson Rodrigues, Raju Gaikwad, Inderpreet Singh, Dharmaraj Ravanan, Lalrozama Fanai.

Midfielders: Lalrindika Ralte, Joaquim Abranches, Jewel Raja Shaikh, Jibon Singh, Manish Mathani, Shilton D'Silva, Tirthankar Sarkar, Subodh Kumar

Strikers: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh, Jagtar Singh, Malsawmfela

Source: Web Search

Omkar Singh finishes seventh in shooting world cup final

Wed, Oct 27 10 10:36 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) Commonwealth Games gold medallist Omkar Singh finished seventh after he aggregated 681.5 (581+100.5) in men''s 10-metre air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup final in Munich, Germany today. Omkar shot a series of 9.6, 9.8, 10.1, 10.7, 10.8, 9.5, 9.4, 10.0, 10.8, 9.8 in the final after finishing 11th in the qualifying. Italy''s Mauro Badaracchi clinched the gold medal after he shot 687 (587+100), while Rashid Yunusmetov of Kazakhstan bagged the silver with a score of 685.8. Japan''s Tomoyuki Matsuda scored 682.8 to win the bronze medal. Earlier, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Lajja Gauswami finished 11th after she aggregated 573 in women''s 50-metre rifle 3 position event. Joydeep Karmakar finished eight in men''s 50-metre rifle prone event with a total of 698.7 (596 + 102.7). Gauswami scored 196 in prone, 186 in standing and 191 in kneeling position. USA''s Jamie Beyerle won the gold medal after she shot 690.7 (590 in qualifying and 100.7 in the final), while Serbia''s Lidija Mihalovic clinched the silver with 686.5. Germany''s Sonja Pfeilschifter bagged the bronze medal with a score of 685.9. In men''s 50-metre rifle prone, Belarus'' Sergei Martynov clinched the gold after he shot 703.2, while Norway''s Vebjoern Berg bagged silver with 701.7. Germany''s Henri Junghaenel shot 701.5 to have a bronze-medal finish. Omkar won gold in 50m pistol (singles) and 10m air pistol (singles and pairs) events in the Commonwealth Games here. He also bagged a silver medal in 50m pistol (pairs) event. Gauswami, in partnership with world champion Tejaswini Sawant, had clinched silver in 50-metre rifle 3 position event in the Games.

Source: Published>

CWG OC Director General questioned by ED

Wed, Oct 27 10 10:22 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate today questioned CWG Organising Committee Director General V K Verma for marathon ten hours in connection with its probe into alleged financial irregularities in organizing the sporting extravaganza. Official sources said Verma was grilled at length on the alleged irregularities in the Queen''s Baton Relay held in London last year and also on issues concerning overlays work. Speaking to the media after his questioning at the ED Zonal office here, Verma said it was a "general" discussion and no individual contracts were discussed. "I had a very general and very comprehensive discussion on everything about the Organising Committee: its organisation, its structure, when the OC came into being and how has it progressed in the last 4-5 years", he said. Asked further about specific contracts relating to the QBR, he said "no individual contracts were discussed. ED wanted to know what are the responsibilities at financial level, contracts can be awarded by whom and at what level." Sources said Verma, is likely to be questioned again once the answers that he has written down to the Directorate''s questions are analysed. Sources said Verma, who came to ED office at 11.15AM, brought relevant papers relating to the contract given to a UK firm, A M Films, for QBR. ED has registered a case under Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in this regard. ED had in August this year questioned suspended Joint Director General T S Darbari, a close aide of OC chairman Suresh Kalmadi, and Deputy Director General Sanjay Mohindroo in this regard. British authorities had referred to the Indian High Commission a matter regarding A M Films, a little-known London-based company, to which a huge sum of money was transferred through the Royal Bank of Scotland around three months back. The authorities in London have already begun a probe into the dealings of the firm. The Organising Committee had suspended Darbari, Mohindroo and Joint Director General (Accounts and Finance) M Jaychandran on August 5 for their alleged role in irregularities in the Queen''s Baton Relay in London.

Source: Published>

Churchill Brothers kick off Durand Cup campaign in style

Wed, Oct 27 10 10:16 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) Defending champions Churchill Brothers kicked off their campaign in the 123rd Durand Cup in style, thrashing MEG, Bangalore 4-2 in the opening quarterfinal league match at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. Okolie Odafe struck twice for the former I-League champions, while Bineesh Balan and Hardeep Singh scored a goal apiece for the Goans. Lokeshwar Singh scored both the goals for MEG, Bangalore. Churchill Brothers started on a dominant note but were given a run for their money by the Bangalore-based outfit who twice reduced the deficit, after trailing by two goals in the first ten minutes. Odafe opened the scoring for the Goan giants as early as in the second minute heading in Israil Gurung''s corner, before Bineesh Balan doubled the Vincent Subramaniam-coached side''s lead in the 10th minute through a header off Zakeer M P''s cross from the right flank. The reigning champions were, however, taken by surprise as Lokeshwar Singh pulled one back for the Bangalore side two minutes later. MEG, Bangalore goalkeeper Sujith V, who had a tough time under the bar, fumbled a skier from Churchill Brothers rightback Hardeep Singh, to concede the side''s third goal of the match in the 16th minute. But MEG once again reduced the deficit with Lokeshwar finding the net for his second goal. Jiten Metei, who was one of the star performers in the qualifying round, provided the cross from the left flank for Lokeshwar to complete a clean goal. MEG came close to level scores at the start of second half but Lalit Thapa pulled off a great save from N Guarangi Lal''s drop volley from the top of the 18-yard box. MEG were down to ten men in the 80th minute, when goalkeeper Sujith V brought down Churchill''s Cameroonian striker Ernest Emako inside the box. The goalkeeper was shown the red card before Odafe converted from the spot without any difficulty. In tomorrow''s matches, Garhwal Heroes will take on Sporting Clube de Goa in group C, before Air India face Salgaocar in a group D clach.

Source: Published>

Golfer Malik sets course record in Bilt Open

Wed, Oct 27 10 10:06 PM

Bangalore, October 27 (PTI) Amardip Singh Malik of Meerut produced a perfect display in round one of the BILT Open to establish a course record -- of eight under 64 -- at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) here today. Malik, who now enjoys a three-stroke lead, broke the previous course record of seven under 65, which was jointly held by Jyoti Randhawa, Amandeep Johl and Harendra Gupta. Delhi''s Shamim Khan signed a card of five under 67 to end the day in second place. Malik, a 10th tee starter, bagged his first birdie of the day on the 11th, where he landed his bunker shot within 10 feet of the pin. The 25-year-old hit an excellent approach shot on the 17th that led to his second birdie of the day. The wiry Meerut lad''s putter was on fire on the second nine. After starting his inward journey with a birdie on the first, Malik holed a couple of monstrous putts from more than 30 feet for birdies on the third and fifth holes. He then missed the fairway on the sixth but made a great recovery with his nine-iron second shot to grab a birdie. The only blemish on Malik''s card was the bogey on the seventh but he followed that up with a magnificent tee shot on the par-three eighth, which stopped three feet short of the flag and led to a birdie. The eagle on the par-five ninth was the ''icing on the cake'' for Amardip. He holed his third shot (gap-wedge) from 137 yards on the ninth. "I had a poor practice round on Tuesday and therefore spent some time on the practice range thereafter. I just tried to keep it in play today, and fortunately for me, the putter was hot. I holed just about everything," said Amardip, who is currently 27th on the Rolex Rankings with three top 10s in the current Aircel PGTI season. "This score is quite special because the overnight rain had made the conditions tough and the ball did not have too much run on it. I have good memories at this course as I won my first event here -- the All India Juniors in 2002. I look forward to repeating that success at the professional level as well," Amardip added. Shamim Khan''s bogey-free 67 placed him second. Local favourite Anirban Lahiri and rookie Divyanshu Bajaj of Kolkata were joint third after they shot an identical 68. Ashok Kumar, the Rolex Rankings leader, began with a 70 to be tied 10th, while Gaganjeet Bhullar and C Muniyappa returned scores of 75 for a share of the 57th place.

Source: Published>

Injured Katich, Bollinger, Harris on course for Ashes

Wed, Oct 27 10 09:56 PM

Australia's Simon Katich, Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris should be fit for the first Ashes test against England, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Wednesday.

Reliable opening batsman Katich damaged a thumb and left-arm fast bowler Bollinger suffered a stomach injury during the recent tour of India but they are on course to face England in Brisbane starting on Nov. 25.

"Simon Katich injured a thumb ligament prior to the first test in India," team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement.

"Since returning home, he has seen a specialist who advised him to take a short break from batting and then return to training. As such, he has not batted since returning from India but will do so next week."

Bollinger has been cleared of any significant muscle damage and is due to play for his state New South Wales in around three weeks.

Fast bowler Harris is making good progress after undergoing knee surgery in July.

Source: Published>

Pietersen can regain form if he clears his mind: Tendulkar

Wed, Oct 27 10 09:22 PM

London, Oct 27 (PTI) England batsman Kevin Pietersen can regain his form if he "clears his mind" before the Ashes series against an Australian side who is no longer the team to beat in Test cricket, feels India''s batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar. "If Kevin Pietersen is thinking right it will reflect in his game and the runs will come. All I would say to him is just be relaxed, be calm and watch the ball as closely as possible because that is what a batsman is meant to do," Tendulkar told the ''Evening Standard''. Tendulkar spoke after receiving the "People''s Choice Award and the Outstanding Achievement in Sport Award," at the Asian Awards at Grosvenor House last night. "If Kevin clear his mind and perceives that Australia are no longer the team to beat, he will regain his form. The thought process has to be free flowing and that''s when you react and your body movement is not stiff and tight. If he can clear his mind I am sure his game will improve." The iconic batsman gave Australia a torrid time a fortnight ago with his mammoth first-innings score of 214, helping India to a comfortable win over the visitors in Bangalore. In stark contrast to Tendulkar''s dominance, Pietersen has been struggling, with the last of his 16 Test centuries coming way back in March 2009. However, with just four weeks to go before the first Ashes Test kicks off in Brisbane, Tendulkar sees a solution to the England batsman''s slump. Tendulkar became the first cricketer to score 14,000 Test runs as India inflicted a 2-0 series defeat on Australia, a result that was notable for a couple of other reasons too. Ricky Ponting''s side fell to fifth place in the ICC rankings and, crucially, below England, for the first time since the standings were launched in 2003. With the defeat to Pakistan in July, it was also the first time in 22 years Australia had lost three Tests in a row. "The Australians competed very hard, which they always do, but India as a team showed tremendous character and a toughness and we were able to beat them quite convincingly by seven wickets in the second Test," Tendulkar said. "If we are talking about the side to beat in Test cricket right now, I would say South Africa in South Africa. They compete hard and use their conditions to their advantage." Tendulkar has been in blistering form this year and has surged to the top of the ICC Test rankings for batsmen for the first time since 2002. "I am really enjoying my cricket right now. I don''t know how long I am going to continue playing for but as long as I enjoy myself and feel that I can contribute I will be playing. My age doesn''t worry me - age is in the mind," the 37-year-old said.

Source: Published>

Courier to lead U.S. Davis Cup team

Wed, Oct 27 10 09:18 PM

Former world number one Jim Courier is the new captain of the United States Davis Cup team, the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) said on Wednesday.

Courier succeeded Patrick McEnroe who resigned last month after 10 years at the helm.

"It's something that I certainly aspired to," Courier said in an interview on USTA's website (http://www.usta.com).

"I definitely thought that being the captain would be something that I'd enjoy, and now I get to see if I will," said the 40-year-old who retired as a player in 2000.

Courier held the number one world ranking for 58 weeks in 1992 and 1993 and won four grand slam tournaments, the 1991 and 1992 French Opens and the 1992 and 1993 Australian Opens.

Courier helped his country win the Davis Cup in 1992 and 1995 and had a 16-10 singles record in the competition.

His first assignment as captain will be to lead the U.S. against hosts Chile in a first-round match in March.

"We're certainly going to have a test down there, there's no doubt about that, playing in South America, likely to be on clay," Courier said.

The U.S. won the 2007 Davis Cup under McEnroe's guidance.

"There's been a great camaraderie amongst the guys playing for Patrick over the past decade, and if we can keep that same spirit, I think we'll have a great chance to win," Courier said.

"There's a lot of diversity on the squad," he noted. "You've got the veteran players, with Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish, the Bryans, and hopefully James Blake can get back in the conversation."

Source: Published>

Saina seeded second in Asian Games singles

Wed, Oct 27 10 09:08 PM

Mumbai, Oct 27 (PTI) India''s best bet in badminton, Saina Nehwal, is seeded second and given a first round bye in the women''s singles at next month''s Asian Games in Guangzhou, but faces a tough task in the quarter finals. The badminton competitions, in which seven gold medals are at stake, would be held from November 13-21. Saina, currently the world no 3 behind top ranked Chinese Xin Wang and Yihan Wang, is expected to get past either Lydia Cheah of Malaysia or Vietnam''s Thi Trang Vu, who are to clash in round one. The 20-year-old Indian star, who made it to the Beijing Olympic Games quarter finals two years ago, has beaten Lydia when they met in the final of the Chinese Taipei Open in 2008. Saina''s rising stature and her recent form going into the Asian Games on the back of the Commmonwealth Games gold should stand her in good stead if she is to face the 21-year-old Malaysian girl. The Vietnamese is, however, an unknown commodity for the Indian medal hope as the two have never met before in an international competition at the senior level. A victory in round two would pilot the Hyderabad-based Indian world junior champion straight into a potentially dangerous clash with Hong Kong''s World no 12 Pui Yin Yip, seeded sixth. They have a 1-1 head-to-head record till now, with the Haryana-born Saina having conquered Pui in straight games last year in the French Open after having lost to the Hong Kong girl in the 2007 Swiss Open. .

Source: Published>

Saina's brand value nears Rs 1cr; to endorse Airtel, 4 more cos

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 08:52 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27, (PTI): Ace shuttler Saina Nehwal is turning out to be hot property in the celebrity endorsement market after a string of successes this year, most notably the gold medal she secured in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games.

Telecom giant Airtel is the latest in a series of corporates that have signed on the World No. 3 as a brand ambassador and Saina's endorsement value is understood to have reached the Rs 1 crore per deal mark.

"She is really in demand. A lot of companies want to associate with her. She has already signed up with Airtel and at least four firms operating in areas such as food and infrastructure will come on board very soon," Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures Media Coordinator H Manjula told PTI.

Deccan Chargers Sporting Ventures handles Saina's account. Saina already endorses the Deccan Chronicle newspaper, Adani Wilmar's Fortune edible oil and Herbalife's nutritional product range.

According to industry analysts, Saina, who was charging around Rs 50 lakh per endorsement, is now able to command Rs 1 crore per deal after her CWG win. The higher rate is also supported by Saina's hat-trick of wins at the Indian Open, Singapore Open and the Indonesia Open Super Series in June this year.

"Corporates are willing to pay that kind of money," Manjula added. Saina herself agrees that her popularity has enhanced her brand equity. "Yes, after winning the titles, my fee has gone up and I am getting a lot of endorsements now. I am happy that there is demand being created for sportspersons other than cricketers," Saina said.

According to her, the Airtel commercials will be shot after she returns from the Asian Games to be held in China from November 12. The deal with Airtel catapults Saina into the club of leading sports and Bollywood celebrities, including Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and A R Rahman, who are either associated with the brand or have been in the past.

Gujarat-based Adani Wilmar, which signed on Saina as its brand ambassador for a one-year period for about Rs 50 lakh in August, also said it is open to extending the association with her.

"Though it is premature to say whether we will look at carrying on with her as the brand ambassador in the second year, we might look at that," Adani Wilmar COO Anshu Malik said.

He said the company chose to hire Saina as she is a fresh face in the market of brand endorsements and fits the brand's profile. In 2006, Saina arrived on the global scene when she became the first Indian woman to win a 4-star tournament - the Philippines Open.

In 2008, she became the first Indian to win the World Junior Badminton Championships and was also the first Indian woman to reach the quarter-finals in the Olympics.

Source: Web Search

Spinners call the shot in under 19 tourney

Wed, Oct 27 10 08:46 PM

Mumbai, Oct 27 (PTI) Spinners dominated the first day of the four-team Sportstar Trophy, MCA Selection Trial U-19 tournament, in first round matches. Left-arm spinner Aditya Dhumal excelled for Vijay Manjrekar XI at Fort Vijay ground, Azad Maidan, grabbing five wickets for 51 runs. He teased batsmen with disciplined bowling in three spells and, with support from medium pacer Saurabh Netravalkar (2-42) and Pratik Gawli (2-16), restricted Vijay Merchant XI to 191. Neelkanth Parab top-scored with 59 for Merchant XI. In the other match, Dattu Phadkar XI off-spinner Mairaj Khan kept Khandu Rangnekar XI in check at Total Vengsarkar Academy, with a four-wicket haul, giving away 30 runs in 17 overs. Phadkar XI were 79-2 at close. The tournament is in its silver jubilee year. Scores: Vijay Merchant XI 191 in 68 overs (Rohit Pawar 41, Neelkanth Parab 59; Aditya Dhumal 5-51, Saurabh Netravalkar 2-42, Pratik Gawli 2-16) vs Vijay Manjrekar XI 37-2 in 11 overs. Khandu Rangnekar XI 121 (Ravi Shinde 32, Harmeet Singh 27, Mairaj Khan 4-30) vs Dattu Phadkar XI 79-2 in 31 overs (Sanket Yadav 27, Sumit Ghadigaonkar 27 not out).

Source: Published>

Rain plays spoilsport in Kerala-HP match

Wed, Oct 27 10 08:36 PM

Palakkad, Oct 27 (PTI) Rain played spoilsport on the penultimate day of the four-day Kerala-Himachal Pradesh C K Nayudu Under-22 Cricket match at the Fort Maidan here today. Not a single ball was bowled due heavy rains, that lashed the city. Kerala had taken 37 runs first innings lead. Brief scores: Kerala 251 for 9 (Jinesh Mohanan 88, Deepak Murali 35) Himachal Pradesh 214 (all out) (Niaz 4 for 53 and Manukrishnan 3 for 32).

Source: Published>

Tendulkar gets People's choice Award in Asian awards in UK

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 08:26 PM

Awards and accolades continue to follow Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar who added the 'Lebara People's Choice' honour at the inaugural Asian Awards here to his trophy cabinet.

Presenting the award to the iconic batsman, Ratheesan Yoganathan, CEO Lebara, said, "Tendulkar is one of the greatest cricketers of all time. Sachin is a hero and a role model to many young Indians."

"His skill on the pitch is remarkable, but his influence goes beyond just cricket - he has become an inspiration for future generations," he added.

Tendulkar said getting popular choice awards is the ultimate honour.

"To receive an accolade from your peers is one thing, but to receive acknowledgment from the public is the ultimate honour. Thank you to all those who voted for me," he said.

The Asian Awards 2010, presented by Lord Sebastian Coe, saw leaders in business, sports and the arts in attendance, including award winners Yash Chopra, A R Rahman and Vijay Mallya alongside guests Jermaine Jackson, Nasser Hussain OBE, Gurinder Chadha, Christian Louboutin and playback singer Sonu Nigam.

Oscar-award winning music director Rahman won the award for outstanding achievement in music, while Yash Chopra received the outstanding achievement award in Cinema.

Liquor-baron Vijay Mallya was chosen as the 'Entrepreneur of the Year' while telecom giant Bharti-Airtel owner Sunil Mittal was named the 'Philanthropist of the year'.

Mittal's award was collected by Eiesha Bharti Pasricha. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan got the 'Lifetime Achievement award'.

Other recipients of the awards were: Ratan Tata (Business Leader of the Year, collected by Anwar Hasan), Zarin Patel (Public Servant of the year), Prof Muhammad Yunus (Social Entrepreneur of the year, collected by Shiban Mahbub), Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla (Outstanding achievement in Arts and Design), George Alagiah OBE (Outstanding achievement in Television).

Created to honour excellence and achievement among in the south Asian community, the inaugural Asian Awards in partnership with Lebara, saw South Asians gather at The Grosvenor House Hotel here last night.

Source: Web Search

Venky's to spend only 5m pound to buy new players

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 08:22 PM

Blackburn Rovers fans hoping to see their team splash money on new players in next year's transfer window are likely to be disappointed as the Indian company set to buy it is expected to spend only five million pounds for the purpose.

Indian poultry giant Venky's has agreed to pay 46 million pounds for the English Premier League club but company chairperson Anuradha J Desai said that lavish spending is not on the agenda.

Unlike big spending clubs owned by wealthy foreigners like Manchester City and Chelsea, Blackburn is likely to depend upon loan signings to strengthen a side that is just above the relegation zone at 17th.

"We won't need to buy expensive players, we can always lease them. We don't expect to be in the top five of the Premier League. We will be happy to be in the top 10 to 12," Desai was quoted as saying in newspaper reports.

That means Blackburn is unlikely to break its nine-year-old transfer record any time soon. Blackburn paid Manchester United eight million pounds for striker Andy Cole in December 2001, but has since spent more than 5 million pounds on a player only twice.

Desai said Venky's, the flagship firm of Venkateshwara Hatcheries Group, was buying Rovers to raise its international profile.

"Football is a global craze and as the VH Group globalizes, setting up feed plants and hatcheries around the world, we believe we can benefit from being owners of a major football club. It will help build our brand," she said.

Venky's managing director B Venkatesh Rao said the completion of the takeover would be announced within 10 days. The poultry farming and pharmaceuticals firm would be the first Indian company to own a Premier League team if the deal materialises.

Manchester United, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Liverpool are owned by Americans, while Chelsea, Manchester City, Birmingham and Fulham also have non-British owners.

Rovers are the only side outside of the big four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool to have won the EPL title in 1995. Since then the club has been largely mediocre and was put up for sale two years ago by the Jack Walker Trust.

Source: Web Search

Venkys rule out spending spree if they buy Blackburn

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 08:18 PM

Poultry firm Venkateshwara Hatcheries, which is set to seal a 46 million pounds ($72.77 million) takeover of Blackburn Rovers, ruled out any lavish spending sprees on the Premier League club on Wednesday.

Venkys chief Anita J Desai said the Pune-headquartered company, which hopes to buy Rovers by the end of November, would stump up just five million pounds for new players but ruled out big-name signings.

"We won't need to buy expensive players, we can always lease them," Desai told India's Economic Times newspaper on Wednesday.

"We don't expect to be in the top five of the Premier League. We will be happy to be in the top 10-12."

Last week Rovers manager Sam Allardyce had welcomed news of a possible takeover, saying that the former Premier League champions needed investment.

Desai hinted that more funds could be made available at a later date.

"...our first priority is to get the club on a strong footing and back (competing) in the Premier League for which we might need to put in more money."

She also said some companies were already showing interest in shirt sponsorship to which her company was open to "as we need to turn around the club".

Blackburn are fourth from bottom in the Premier League with nine points from as many games.

Source: Web Search

Sania-Shoaib in Ranchi for tennis court opening

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 08:06 PM

Ranchi, Oct 27 (IANS) Indian tennis star Sania Mirza arrived here with cricketer husband Shoaib Malik for the inauguration of a tennis court Thursday.

The two arrived here by a flight Wednesday afternoon, and avoided talking to the media.

Amitabh Chaudhary, president of the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA), said that Chief Minister Arjun Munda will inaugurate the newly constructed tennis court.

'The inauguration ceremony will be attended by Sania Mirza and Shoaib Mallik.'

The tennis court has come up at the premises of an international cricket stadium, being constructed by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association.

Source: Web Search

KCA plea to warring Kochi partners

Wed, Oct 27 10 07:52 PM

Kochi, Oct 27 (PTI) The Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) today urged all the partners in the Kochi IPL consortium to bury their differences for the sake of the franchise, facing termination by the Indian Cricket Board. The BCCI today gave 30 days to the consortium to sort out their differences. "I am trying to contact the Gaekwads. This is a life line from the BCCI and this the maximum the board can do," KCA Secretary T C Mathew told PTI. "The franchisee should sort out their disputes soon so that we will have an IPL team and can be part of the fourth edition of the IPL," he said. The issue of the Kochi IPL was considered differently from that of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. This was only a dispute between partners and it not violated any rules, he added, speaking the BCCI tone. The IPL Governing Council, after an emergency meeting to discuss the issue, today served a 30-day termination notice to the franchise to sort out its differences failing which it would stand cancelled. The investors in the Kochi consortium include corporate firms Anchor Earth, Parinee Developers, Rosy Blue and Film Wave - who hold 75 per cent of the equity. The remaining 25 per cent is being held by the Gaekwads who are part of the Rendezvous Sports World.

Source: Published>

India defender Gouramangi organises football camp

Wed, Oct 27 10 07:46 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) With the aim to create awareness about football among young children in Manipur, India and Churchill Brothers central defender Gouramangi Singh has organised a four-day training camp there from October 21-24. The camp, which was a step to encourage youngsters there to not just take up football as a profession but also to enjoy the sport, was held in Avangsekmai, Gouramangi''s hometown. "I have had this idea for a long time now but never really had the time to put it in place. I also wanted to do something for the place to which I owe a lot, though I know this is nothing," Gouramangi told PTI from Avangsekmai, which is a few hours drive from state capital Imphal. "I have some plans in my mind and they will be given shape in the coming months. I want to do a lot but I don''t have have the time at present," he added. Gouramangi also thanked India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia and the Football Players Association of India (FPAI) for their support. "During a casual chat with Bhai (Bhutia) I proposed the idea to him and he immediately approved of it. He added that the FPAI would also help me," Gouramangi said. "It (FPAI) provided us with eight footballs and 50 jerseys and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), too, supported me with balls and kits. Sukhwinder Singh (AIFF''s former marketing man) too helped me and I thank all of them for their support," Gouramangi said. Also offering support to Gouramangi were his India teammates Sushil Singh and Surkumar Singh besides Govin Singh and James Singh. "They (players) turned up to offer their support and my local clubs also helped me in organising the camp." Nearly 70 boys turned up daily for the camp. The first three days of the camp were used for training the children while the final day saw an exhibition match, in which the likes of Gouramangi and Surkumar participated. "I was pleasantly surprised to saw many people turning up for the match. Manipur''s sports minister N Biren Singh was also there for the exhibition match," Gouramangi said.

Source: Published>

Anand salvages draw against Carlsen, in joint second

Wed, Oct 27 10 07:36 PM

From Our Chess Correspondent Nanjing (China), Oct 27 (PTI) World champion Viswanathan Anand salvaged a draw from a losing position against Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the seventh round to occupy joint second spot in the Pearl Spring Chess tournament here. After a hard-earned victory over Wang Yue of China in the previous round, Anand survived by the skin of his teeth and managed a draw against Carlsen to move to four points out of a possible seven. With just three rounds to come in the six-player double round-robin tournament, Carlsen is sitting pretty with a full point lead from his opponents with five points to his credit from seven games. The Norwegian is now followed by Anand and Frenchman Etienne Bacrot who both have four points apiece while Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria are now tied fourth on with three points each in their kitty. Former world champion Topalov recorded his first victory in the tournament at the expense of Bacrot while the other game of the seventh round between Gashimov and Wang Yue of china ended in a draw. Wang Yue stands last with two points from four draws in the 250000 Euro prize money tournament. Anand opted for the Berlin defense that had given him a victory against Carlsen in the previous event played at Bilbao in Spain. The Indian did not find much trouble in reaching a balanced middle game when Carlsen shied away from main lines and concentrated on playing some original chess that has been the hallmark of his success in past few years. The Indian ace started to feel the heat after a pair of rooks got traded and Carlsen nonchalantly started to build an attack on the king side with a pawn roll. Soon Anand was pushed to the wall and his pieces were saddled with the task of a long and tiring defense which is always difficult to manage. Anand put up stiff resistance but Carlsen was persistent enough to get a study-like winning position which he could not convert on move 63. Anand quickly regained his composure and Carlsen, realising that he has missed the opportunity, agreed for a draw vide perpetual checks after 68 moves. .

Source: Published>

Indian men''s, women''s Rugby team leave for Indonesia

Wed, Oct 27 10 07:22 PM

New Delhi, Oct 27 (PTI) India''s national Rugby teams -- both men and women -- today left for Indonesia to compete in the Borneo Sevens tournament. While the men''s team will aim to improve their Asian rankings the women side would try to get on board as they are not ranked yet. The three-day tournament will begin at Sabah Island from October 29. The 10-member men''s squad, under captain Nasser Hussain, had finished in bottom half in the 16-team line-up at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games. They are ranked eighth among Asian nations and are placed 73 among 95 Rugby playing nations internationally and Rugby India vice president Aga Hussain is confident that they will be able to climb up the ladder in Asian region. The Indian team, seeded eighth in the tournament, will be up against the world''s best rugby playing nations in the two separate outings -- IRB Asian Rugby Sevens Series and 10th invitational club Borneo Sevens. The men''s competition will see the top 12 teams of Asia competing in four pools of three teams each. After the league games, the tournament will enter the knockout stage. The Indian team has been grouped in Pool-D alongside fourth seed Malaysia and ninth seed Thailand. "At the Commonwealth Games, the Indian men''s team faced the best in the world and this experience should hold them in good stead and help them put up a good show in Indonesia," Hussain said. Pool A comprises of teams from Korea (seed 1), Hong Kong (5), Kazakhastan (12), Pool B -- China (2), Guam (6), Chinese Taipei (11) and Pool C -- Japan (3), Sri Lanka (7), Philippines (10). More PTI SHN AT

Source: Published>

SC adjourns hearing on Modi's plea on disciplinary committee

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 07:16 PM

The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred to November 11 the hearing on a petition filed by suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi seeking reconstitution of BCCI disciplinary committee probing allegations of financial irregularities against him.

The matter was adjourned as Modi's counsel and senior advocate Ram Jethmalani made a plea in this regard before a bench comprising Justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale.

The bench, which had on October 21 asked the BCCI to consider keeping away the three members of the disciplinary committee from the Board's AGM when the members vote on its report, wanted to know about the progress made in that regard.

However, as the matter came for hearing, Jethmalani said he wanted a short adjournment.

While he was making the plea, BCCI's counsel C A Sundaram said it should be made clear that on behalf of Modi it was stated that an attempt would be made to settle the matter on the issue of disciplinary committee.

He said he was making the submission in this regard as various types of statements are coming in the media relating to the issue.

Sundram said it was Jethmalani who wanted his good offices on the issue.

The court did not record oral submissions nor passed any order and simply adjourned the matter for November 11.

During the earlier hearing, the bench had asked the BCCI, "Why don't you consider that these three members of the disciplinary committee recused themselves from participating in the AGM which will go into the report and vote."

There are 30 members who participate in BCCI's AGM.

The suggestion by the bench had come when Jethmalani had said an attempt would be made to settle the matter on the issue of disciplinary committee.

BCCI had on October 20 turned down the plea of Modi to reconstitute the disciplinary committee by bringing those persons who are not members of the Board.

Jethmalani had repeatedly argued that there was reasonable apprehension that Modi will not get a fair deal before the present committee which was biased against him.

He had submitted that people who had participated in the decision to issue showcause notices to Modi should not be a part of the disciplinary committee.

He has contended that Chirayu Amin, who was involved in the decision to issue showcause notices and later replaced Modi as the IPL Commissioner, cannot be a member of the disciplinary committee.

Modi has approached the apex court challenging the July 15 judgement of the Bombay High Court which dismissed his plea to stay the proceedings by a BCCI-appointed disciplinary committee probing allegations of financial irregularities against him.

Modi has sought removal of Arun Jaitley and Amin from the three-member committee, which also has Jyotiraditya Scindia in it, contending that they are likely to be biased against him.

Jethmalani had said he was only seeking a direction from the court that BCCI should appoint a retired judge of the apex court or high court or any senior advocate as members of the disciplinary committee but not those from the cricket board.

However, BCCI said it was not possible to include members for the committee from outside.

The Bombay High Court had dismissed the petition filed by Modi seeking reconstitution of the BCCI-appointed disciplinary committee. He had also challenged his suspension from the BCCI.

Modi had contended before the High Court that BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan had launched "persecution" against him on the basis of media reports and complaints made by rank outsiders and "meddlesome interlopers" who are neither members of the Board, nor administrators.

In his petition before the apex court, Modi said there should be a free and fair inquiry into all allegations, including the conflict of interest, against Srinivasan for owning Chennai Super Kings despite being an officer-bearer of BCCI.

He said the high court had summarily dismissed his petition in which he had sought an independent tribunal, preferably consisting of one or more retired judges of the Supreme Court, be constituted to examine the allegations against him.

The high court had refused to go into the merits of Modi's petition, saying the disciplinary committee itself could decide on its reconstitution.

Modi had said that he wanted a committee of independent persons and not of those who are members of BCCI as they would be biased against him.

Source: Web Search

'Homesick' Tevez 'could give up everything' to return to Argentina

Published>Wed, Oct 27 10 07:08 PM

London, Oct 27(ANI): Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez is homesick and wants to return to Argentina, a close friend has revealed.

According to Roque Santa Cruz, Tevez is missing his family, particularly his young daughters - Florencia and Katia.

"When you feel that your homeland is calling you back, you could end up giving up everything to return," the Sun quoted Cruz, as saying.

"But I think he will see out the last three years of his contract before returning home," he added.

Tevez had earlier admitted that he was seriously thinking about quitting football forever.

"I have been playing many games this season, and my body is feeling it. I am tired. I started to play when I was really young and I have always fought so much, but now I'm feeling the effort," Tevez had said.

"I'm an old guy now, and I started to think about some stuff. For example, I am less tolerant as a person today than I was a few years ago. Then I think - what happens if I quit football as long as I am okay in my life?" he added.

The Argentine footballer is currently the captain of Manchester City.

He has previously played for Boca Juniors, Corinthians, West Ham United and Manchester United.

He transferred to Manchester City in 2009 summer transfer window, becoming the first player to move between the two clubs since Terry Cooke in 1999.

The 26-year-old has made over 50 appearances for the Argentina national team, scoring 12 goals. (ANI)

Source: Web Search