NATIONAL
Sara Mahboob clinches ladies
tennis title:
Sara Mahboob knocked out Natasha Afridi to clinch the ladies singles title of the PTCL-Subh-e-Nau Ladies National Tennis Championship, here at the Islamabad Club clay courts last week. Sara had to face a tough fight before overcoming Natasha 6-3, 6-0 after an hour-long competition in which spectators enjoyed high standard tennis. Earlier in the day, Sara was also the winner of the doubles title of the tournament while pairing up with Natasha Afridi. They beat Sara Mansoor and Saba Aziz 6-0, 6-2. The Honourable High Commissioner of the European Union to Pakistan Jan De Kok distributed the awards. The winner of the ladies singles title was given prize money of Rs 55,000 while runners-up got Rs 35,000. In all Rs 210,000 were given away as prize money in accordance with International Tennis Federation rules. Addressing on the occasion, honorable chief guest appreciated the efforts of organisers and said that tennis was a healthy activity among Pakistani women and it should continue in future. Briefing about the tournament, Ms Mahvish Chishtie, Tournament Director, said that Subh-e-Nau was promoting the game since the 1990s. She said that “we have a plan to bring women’s professional tour to Pakistan later in the year.”
Physical training be need for Pakistan footballers:
Pakistan need to initiate a culture of keeping physical trainers both with the national side as well as at club level if they really want to earn a name at global level in football, says Brazilian coach Jader Campello. “Along with skill development, the physical development of the players should also be taken into consideration as it is crucial in cultivating quality players,” Campello, who is on a diplomatic mission to Pakistan and has been serving as the PAF football team coach since October 2006, told ‘The News’. Campello, who has represented Brazil’s popular club Vasco Da Gama, which was also represented by international star Romario, said: “This is my first visit to Pakistan and I am surprised at why the footballing circles don’t have the culture of keeping physical trainers.
Saleh wins as Khurram and Sajjad suffer defats:
Pakistan cueists had a disappointing second day in the 24th Asian Snooker Championship as Khurram Agha and Mohammad Sajjad suffered defeats but Saleh Mohammad registered a second win here on May 4. Second seed Khurram in a shocking result went down to Mohammad Nadir Sultan of Afghanistan 4-1 in a dismal showing. Because of a longer duration Khurram’s match was stopped by the referee to accommodate second session matches on schedule, here at the Dubai Police Officers Club Hall. Khurram was trailing 3-1 at the break and instantly lost the fifth frame to give Sultan — a former Pakistan National Pool Championship runner-up — an upset by 26-59, 58-62, 16-58, 71-63, 01-70. Reigning national champion Mohammad Sajjad Rana, featuring in his first international competition, recovered from 0-3 down to make it 2-3 against unranked UAE cueman Eissa Al Sayed before losing 65-52, 72-03, 57-47, 41-62, 43-65, 75-23. Sajjad, a highly talented player from Sargodha, struggled with his cue control as Eissa gained control with flowing potting and positioning after a few hiccups to emerge as winner. Former world championship runner-up Saleh Mohammad registered his second win in group A when he dropped the penultimate frame against UAE’s Salim Ali Salim before chalking up a 4-1 victory. Saleh, who stole the limelight on the opening day with a record-breaking 147 break, was not in his strides as he was unable to raise any major break in his win. Earlier, on May 3 night, top seed Yasin Merchant of India brought Pakistan’s Saleh Muhammad to earth after his magnificent break of 147 in the afternoon session, with a 4-2 victory.
Yousuf restrains from playing
in IPL:
An arbiter passed an interim order restraining Mohammad Yousuf from participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL), an Indian Cricket League (ICL) lawyer said. “Justice (retd) Dr B P Saraf passed an interim order restraining Yousuf from participating in IPL in any manner,” said ICL’s lawyer Hitesh Jain. Jain said now there would be a final hearing, which is likely to commence in July. Yousuf and ICL are caught up in legal wrangle, as the Essel Group-bankrolled ICL alleged that the player breached his earlier contract with them and signed up for the IPL. The dispute then landed before arbiter Dr Saraf who, on December 15 last year, restrained the Test player from playing for any rival league till further orders. Though Yousuf signed up for IPL, he was picked up by any of the IPL franchise teams. Advocate Jain said Saturday’s order was a first of its kind in Indian sports. “It is significant for IPL too,” the Indian Cricket League laywer said. At this stage, no penalty has been imposed on Yousuf, but the arbiter may contemplate such action at the time of the final decision, he added.
Pakistani women can play cricket - Sana Mir:
For someone who idolises Imran Khan, there is a great deal of excitement for Pakistani off-spinner Sana Mir that she is going to be following in the footsteps of her hero and being part of a Pakistan squad, that is playing in the World Cup
event in Australia. And while it is unlikely she will be able to lift the trophy, like Imran Khan did in 1992, she believes that just by appearing in the event it can have just an important impact on the sport in Pakistan. “Qualification for the Women’s World Cup is a big step for women’s cricket in Pakistan and the girls back home, who are the future cricketers of our country, will be really pleased that the doors are now open as if we hadn’t qualified it would have been much harder for them,” she told APP on Friday from Dambulla, Sri Lanka. “I think most people don’t know the level of cricket that women are playing. The level is increasing day by day. It would be great for people to see with their own eyes that women can play cricket,” she added.
Farthan, Yasir leapfrong in Squash Rankings:
Farhan Mehboob jumped seven places to settle at 43rd spot in squash world rankings while compatriot Yasir Butt leapfrogged 10 places to occupy 48th place in Dunlop PSA Men’s World Squash Rankings published on Thursday by the Professional Squash Association (PSA). Meanwhile, Aamir Atlas Khan moved one place up to become world No. 32. Aamir, 17-year-old from Peshawar recently qualified for the main rounds of Kuwait Open and met squash giant Egyptian Amr Shabana in the first round. Aamir succeeded in grabbing a set before going down against World No. 1. Country’s highest ranked player of last month, Mansoor Zaman fell three places down to 33rd. While his cousin Shahid Zaman slumped from 57th to 82nd spot. Khwaja Adil Maqbool and Majid Khan both went two places down to settle at 76th and 84th spots respectively. While Shams-ul-Islam climbed two places up to 90th spot. Meanwhile, Egypt’s world champion Amr Shabana maintained his lead at the top of the rankings, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier moved up to the second place. Shabana, the 28-year-old from Cairo now in his 26th successive month as world number one, strengthened his position at the top by winning the $200,000 Kuwait Open title last month - beating his second-seeded compatriot Ramy Ashour in the final.
INTERNATIONAL
Bendtner header wins over Everton
Everton missed the chance to secure a place in next season’s UEFA Cup when they were beaten 1-0 by Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday. Nicklas Bendtner headed the only goal after 77 minutes against a stubborn Everton side who needed just a draw to guarantee finishing fifth. Defeat means Everton can be overtaken by Aston Villa if they lose at home to Newcastle United on the final day of the league season next Sunday. Villa need to win at West Ham United to have any chance of overhauling Everton. Arsenal moved on to 80 points, one behind second-placed Chelsea who play at Newcastle on today knowing defeat would hand the title to Manchester United.
Ishant fined for kicking stumps down
Ishant Sharma, the Kolkata Knight Riders fast bowler, has been fined 10 percent of his match fee for kicking the stumps down during the IPL match against Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Saturday last. Clive Lloyd, the match referee, found Ishant guilty of a level 1 offence (clause 2) as per the ICC’s Code of Conduct, which relates to abuse of ground equipment. Ishant’s is the latest in a series of penalties handed out to players over the last few days in the tournament. Harbhajan Singh, the Mumbai Indians offspinner and stand-in captain, was suspended for 11 matches for slapping his India team-mate Sreesanth, who is with Kings XI Punjab. Sourav Ganguly and Shane Warne, the captains of Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals respectively, were each fined 10 percent of their individual match fee over a disputed dismissal in a match in Jaipur.
China welcomes Olympic flame for mainland tour
China welcomed the Olympic flame with a celebrity-packed start to the mainland torch relay, with officials hoping to extinguish memories of a global journey marred by protests over Tibet and other controversies. Amid heavy security, speed skating Olympic champion Yang Yang was the first to carry the torch on the southern tropical island of Hainan, with basketball star Yi Jianlian and current Miss World Zhang Zilin also making appearances. Ahead of the Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing on August 8, the torch will travel through more than 100 cities and scenic spots in China, including Tibet and Xinjiang where protests have erupted in recent weeks against Chinese rule. Sunday’s torch relay in Sanya, Hainan’s popular tourist enclave, had a protest-free run amid a highly visible security presence, as China ensured no repeat of the problems that plagued the flame elsewhere around the world. In what some may view as a bad omen for China’s relay, Yang’s run got off to a shaky start when the torch appeared to go out after just a few steps. Yang was told to stop by security guards as the broadcast on national television cut away to images of the crowd. Footage panned back to Yang as security guards relit the torch. But Yang, who became China’s first winter Olympic gold medallist with two victories in the 2002 Games, appeared undeterred by the hiccup. “I felt both excited and nervous to be the first torchbearer in the Chinese mainland,” a smiling Yang told reporters.
Creamer clings to lead despite bogeys
Paula Creamer took bogeys on two of the last three holes on Saturday but still clung to a two-stroke lead over fellow American Juli Inkster after the third round of the LPGA SemGroup Championship. Creamer fired a two-under par 69 to stand on three-under 210 after 54 holes at the 1.8 million-dollar event while Inkster fired a 67 to stand on 212 as the only other player under par and joining Creamer in Sunday’s final pairing.
“Paula is hitting the ball very well and she is putting well,” Inkster said. We will just see what happens. It’s a tough golf course. I am going to need to hit the ball better tomorrow to win. “I’ve got myself in position to at least give it a run.” World number one Lorena Ochoa, trying to match an LPGA record with a fifth victory in as many starts, was eight strokes off the pace in a share of sixth on 218. “It would be something very sweet to do and I still have my hope,” Ochoa said. “I would like to be a little closer but I still think I can win. Annika won before coming from 10 shots behind. It could happen,” she added.
Untroubled De La Hoya outpoints Forbes in non-title bout
Multiple world champion and overwhelming favourite Oscar De La Hoya registered a unanimous decision victory over fellow American Steve Forbes in a non-title bout on last Saturday. In a high-paced 12-round contest at the Home
Depot Center, De La Hoya dominated with his nimble footwork, sharp jabs and telling combinations to improve his career record to 39-5 with 30 knockouts. Two judges gave De La Hoya the fight by 119 points to 109 with the other giving him the verdict 120-108. The 35-year-old Los Angeles native, who has won world titles in six different weight divisions, was rarely troubled in a bout widely viewed as a tune-up for his rematch with Floyd Mayweather Jr in September. Back in the ring for the first time since his split decision defeat by Mayweather in Las Vegas 12 months ago, De La Hoya dominated the last two rounds with a flurry of jabs to wrap up victory.
