Sports India

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday conferred the highest state sports award — Maharaja Ranjit Singh — to 123 outstanding sportspersons from the land of five rivers. It on the initiative of Captain Amarinder Singh, the awards were given after a gap of 10 years on Saturday. The awards were presented from 1997 to 2004. The MRS Award was instituted in 1978 but discontinued in 1996.

With today’s presentation, 237 players have so far received the MRS Awads. The sports stars were loudly cheered when they were called on the dais to receive the prestigeous award which carried a cheque for Rs one lakh, a trophy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in warrior’s dress and astride a horse and citation besides a blazer and a tie. Some of the players were given standing ovation for churning out the best human excellence as they rubbed shoulders with outstanding players of other countries in international competitons. Padamshree Pargat Singh, who is also Director of Sports, Punjab, was decorated with the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award for the year 1997. He was lustly cheered when he went on to the stage to receive the award from Captain Amarinder Singh.

Four Indian captains, Olympians Pargat Singh (1997), Baljit Singh Dhillon (1997), Gagan Ajit Singh (2001) and Ramandeep Singh Grewal (1999) were among the 15 hockey ebullient players selected for the award. Kanwalpreet Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Jugraj Singh,Tejbir Singh, Baljit Singh Chandi and Deepak Thakur were the other hockey players decorated with the MRS Award. Test cricketers Yuvraj Singh (for 2004), Harbhajan Singh (2002),
Dinesh Mongia (2004) and Reetinder Singh Sodhi (2002) were among the awardees. However, none of them were personally present. They were among 14 players who were felicitated in absentia. Dinesh Mongia and Reetinder Singh Sodhi are playing County cricket in England.

Others who could not come to personally get the awards were Gagan Ajit Singh, Tejbir Singh and Baljit Singh Chandi, who are attending the national hockey coaching camp. Harbans (athletics), Shamsher (wrestling), Manavjit Singh Sandhu, Ranjan Sodhi, Zorawar Singh (all shooters) missed the function as some of them have gone abroad for training for the coming World Shooting Championship.

The game-wise break-up of the awardees is: athletics (22), wrestling (16), hockey (15), handball (10), basketball (8), cycling (8), judo (8), shooting (7), volleyball (6), weightlifting (5), boxing (4), cricket (4), gymnastics (3), badminton (2), equestrian (3), fencing (1) and table tennis (1).

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sports and Youth Welfare presided over the function. A number of Cabinet Ministers, Secretary Sports RPS Pawar, presidents and secretaries of Punjab sports associations, ADGP RS Gill, who is president of Basketball Federation of India, were among those present on the occasion.

The Punjab Government has made elaborate arrangements to confer the prestigious Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award to 123 elite Sportspersons of Punjab at a function to be held at AKM Resorts, Zirakpur, near Chandigarh on July 15, Capt. Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister Punjab would preside over the function.

This was disclosed here today by Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Sports Punjab. He also said that the awards, which were to be conferred upon the sportspersons, have already been short listed by a screening committee.

Giving details of the awards, Mr. R.P.S. Pawar, Principal Secretary Sports, Punjab said that on the basis of their outstanding performance in the field of sports from 1997 to 2004, eminent sports persons identified for this coveted award. The award carries a cheque of Rs. One lakh, enhanced from Rs. 20,000, as given earlier a blazer, a tie, citation together with a trophy of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in warrior’s dress astride horse, added Mr. Pawar.

Highlighting the origin of Maharaja Ranjit Singh award, Mr. Pargat Singh, Director Sports said that the Punjab Government instituted this award in the year 1978 to honour and encourage sports persons of the state. However, due to certain reasons this prestigious award was discontinued in 1996. So far 114 players have received the award, he added. Chief Minister Punjab, Capt. Amarinder Singh announced the revival of this highest state sports award during the inaugural session of Indo-Pak Punjab games at Patiala. Mr. Pargat Singh also said that decks had been cleared for the presentation ceremony slated to be held after a gap of nearly a decade. More than 500 persons, including sports persons were expected to attend the ceremony, said the Director.

Shiv Kapur is taking on board the experience of his last two championship rounds at the Barclay’s Scottish Open for his Major debut at the British Open next week.

Trying to set a few things right before he goes to Hoylake next week, Kapur brought in a one-over 72 to be at even par for three rounds. But he was 12 behind joint leaders Darren Clarke (71) and Thomas Bjorn (66) and quite obviously way off contention. But that’s not even on his mind, at least this week.

“I am using this week to get into the right frame for the British Open,” says Kapur, who after each day has spent considerable time at the driving range and working on his short game. “It is my first Major and I am very keen on doing well.”

Bjorn, the big Dane, who won this tournament back in 1996 when it was first held at this course, holed two huge putts on the last two holes to come in a with a card of five-under 66 and take a share of the lead with overnight leader Darren Clarke, who came in with a par round of 71, to stay at 11-under 202. The two leaders, who are very close friends, go head to head on the final day.

Kapur started with two pars and got his first birdie on the third and things looked good. But from the fifth to seventh, he suffered a lapse as putts refused to fall and he was also wayward in his long game. He dropped a shot each on all three holes, and after two more pars, turned in at two-over 38. On the back nine, he birdied the 12th but dropped one on the 13th. He picked a nice birdie towards the end on the par-3 17th, where he almost holed it for an ace.

“The ball dropped eight feet before the flag and then rolled past it ever so closely. It would have been nice to have the car, which was up there (as a prize for a hole-in-one),” Kapur said. If Bjorn wins, it will be a 10th anniversary celebration of his win in the same tournament, but that came at a time, when he was unknown.

India’s other contenders, Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa had already missed the cut.

Shiv Kapur, with three straight bogeys on the front nine, slipped to the tied 62nd spot after carding a disappointing one-over 72 in the penultimate round of the £2.4 million Scottish Open here.

The only Indian in the fray after Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milkha Singh shockingly failed to make the cut, Kapur has a three-day total of level-par 213.

He started off well with a birdie on the third hole but had three bogeys in a row to be two-over at the halfway mark. Kapur, who will also be seen in action in The Open Championship next week, had a slightly better back nine as he fired two birdies against a solitary bogey. At the top, Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn (202) fired a five-under 66 to set up a final day clash with Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland, who carded a level-par 71 to be tied for the top spot.

Thai ace Thongchai Jaidee fired a superb five-under-par 66 and shot up to joint 14th position after the third round of the Barclays Scottish Open on Saturday.

Thongchai, a two-time Asian Tour number one, carded an eagle at the par four ninth hole, four birdies and one bogey at the Loch Lomond Golf Club in the European Tour event.

Thongchai, with a three-day total of six-under-par 207, trails third round co-leaders Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn and Ulsterman Darren Clarke by five strokes.

Englishman Simon Dyson shot his best round of 69 as he was in joint 28th spot. Dyson, who sits in fourth spot in the Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit, enjoyed a bogey-free run on the front nine with four birdies before dropping two shots at the 11th and 13th holes.

India’s Shiv Kapur, who will play in his maiden British Open next week, carded a 72 for tied 62nd place on 213.

Indian duo Jyoti Randhawa and Jeev Milkha Singh, Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, and Mardan Mamat of SIngapore failed to meet the mark on Friday.

India’s premier batsman Sachin Tendulkar has fully recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent in March, which also sidelined him for the recent successful West Indies tour.

“It is feeling quite good,” Tendulkar told reporters on Thursday, and he will now face a fitness test ahead of a one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka starting on August 14.

After the operation, Tendulkar spent six weeks in England for rehabilitation and to play in a series of charity games, which also provided him useful match practice.

Tendulkar, who holds the records for most test and one-day hundreds, has suffered a series of niggling injuries since making his India debut as a 16-year-old in 1989, but he said the latest setback was the most difficult.

“After past injuries, I felt I could come straight back, but this time it was a big injury,” he said. “It took me a lot of time to fix it and get back to action.”

Unfortunately for Tendulkar, the surgery forced him to miss the historic test series victory in West Indies last month, India’s first there for 35 years.

“I was extremely disappointed,” he said. “I tried my level best, but there are certain injuries you have to respect them.

“Getting the test series was fabulous,” he said. “The guys played extremely well.”
On a sad note, Tendulkar took time to praise the unity shown by people in his hometown Mumbai after Tuesday’s serial blasts had killed at least 186 people and left hundreds of others wounded.

“It is extremely sad so many lives were lost,” India’s best-known sportsman said.
“I just hope and pray it doesn’t happen again.”

Tendulkar returned home from England a day after the blasts had targeted suburban trains in the evening rush hour, as per Reuters

Sachin Tendulkar today said he was “feeling quite good” about his shoulder, which was operated upon nearly four months ago, but refused to confirm whether he would be available for the tri-series in Sri Lanka next month.

“I was in England for six weeks, undergoing a training programme and even played practice matches … I am feeling quite good, but cannot say now whether I will go or not (to sri lanka). There is a fitness test to be done,” Tendulkar said at a press conference here.

The Mumbai batsman has been out of action since March 26 when he underwent a shoulder surgery. He missed the one-day series against England at home and the entire tour of the Caribbean where India played five ODIs and four Tests.

The world record holder for most Test hundreds said the current injury was the most challenging of all he had suffered in his 16-year career but denied he was rushing back from it.

“That`s why I did not go to the West Indies. Certain injuries need x-number of days to recover and you have to respect that,” he said.

“I think probably this one (injury) is biggest of all I have had. It has been tough, and taken a long time to fix it and get back into action.”

Tendulkar, who was here for a promotional event, said India “played extremely well” in the Caribbean, where they lost the one-dayers 1-4 and won the Tests 1-0, their first series-win in 35 years.

“The one-dayers were disappointing but we made it up for it in Tests. We had couple of chances earlier (to win the series, in 1997 and 2002), but finally we have won,” Tendulkar said.

“In the first and second Tests, we were a bit unlucky. But we showed in the fourth Test that perseverance pays.”

He refused to go with West Indies captain Brian Lara`s opinion that the Indians missed Tendulkar.

“Eventually 11 players play the game. An individual is not going to win the game on his own, but the team can,” he said.

Anil Kumble came in for special praise from the master batsman.

“Anil is a great player. He doesn`t need to prove anything. He has shown great determination to be where he is now, with more than 500 wickets. He will walk into any team,” he said.

Tendulkar felt the batsmen could have done better but did not make a direct comment on the team`s performance.

“It is not right for me to sit in UK and talk without knowing what is happening in the dressing room,” he said.

“I think in this series we could have made big scores but again, it is the guy who actually goes out and plays who can say what went wrong.

“I have also made mistakes in the past. It is a matter of when you make those mistakes. I don`t want to make any loose comments.”

Dhoni Dho Dalta Hai has been directed and written by Makrand Deshpande, if the term ‘written’ can apply to a play which keeps evolving with actor improvisations to such an extent that no two shows are the same. The play is performed in the GRIPS style of children’s theatre, where adults play children and recreate their world on stage.

The plot is simple – a washerman’s son idolises Dhoni and dreams of making it big as a cricketer. However he lacks the means and time, having to work to support his family. His father does not encourage his fancy and rich kids from the block mock him. But the guy is talented and soon wins hearts, acclaim and approval.

Makrand borrows characters from everyday life and exaggerates, even caricatures them to create a laugh riot for kids. There is plenty of action and comedy to keep the kids hooked. Adults who accompany them can have a great time too, provided they are not looking for intellectual stimulation and are willing to suspend disbelief. What Makrand builds on stage is a modern urban child’s perspective of the realities around him – footloose, fancy-free and imaginative.

Vijay Maurya, as the protagonist, is the highpoint of the play. His comic timing is impeccable and his characterisation as a child subtle but real. Teddy Maurya, playing his father, complements Vijay with an equally hilarious performance. Unfortunately, couple of actors confuse playing children with mimicking children, concentrating more on the walk and the talk rather than on what lies beneath, but overall the huge cast delivers with high energy performances.

The downside of improvisation is that the play wanders off the script a bit too often, in addition with becoming lengthy, but the cast have so much fun on stage, it’s hard not to overlook the slapstick and join in their fun. Kavi Bhansali’s lights and Shailendra Barve’s music make a celebratory spectacle.

This play goes a long way in proving Makrand’s versatility as a director. It lacks his usual surrealism, layering and abstraction of meaning and exploration of serious realities, but not his characteristic madness. That is not to say that the pandemonium is meaningless. While many children will leave the theatre euphorically inspired to follow their dreams, some might also heed the play’s compassionate message against social inequality which is subtly pervasive but never driven home.

Sania Mirza was handed a tough draw and will take on fifth seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia in the first round of the 175,000 dollar Western and Southern Financial Group Women’s Open starting.

The Indian teen – ranked 40th in the world – will start her campaign tomorrow in the WTA tier III event, which will see the return of Wimbledon and US Open champion Serena Williams after a six-month injury lay-off.

Meanwhile, Neha Uberoi, representing USA along with sister Shikha, lost 2-6, 2-6 to Carly Gullickson in the first round of singles qualifiers.

Shikha, who got a walkover in the first round, will take on Abigail Spears in the next level later today.

In the other major matches of the main draw, Serena will face the tournament’s second seed, Russian Anastasia Myskina.

Myskina, currently ranked 11th in the WTA rankings, has won 14 of her last 18 matches.

Sania Mirza is yet to attain her peak and could break into the top ten in two years, Mahesh Bhupathi said here yesterday.

“Sania is nowhere close to her prime yet. She is now only 19 years old. Her prime will come after two years,” Bhupathi said at a press meet.

“Then she can break into the top 15 and even top 10,” Bhupathi said.

The ace doubles player did not agree that Sania had performed poorly of late.

“She faced an opponent of the calibre of Elena Dementieva in the opening round at Wimbledon. She played well, but her effort fell a wee bit short,” said Bhupathi, whose company Globosport manages Sania.

Sania, now ranked 40th in the world, went down to seventh seed Dementieva 6-7 (5-7) 5-7 in the first round at Wimbledon.

Sourav Ganguly once again failed with the bat as he scored only six runs to leave Northamptonshire reeling at 184 for six in their first innings against Surrey in the four-day Division two County Champinships.

Ganguly was the third batsman to fall when the Northants were struggling at 43 for three at home ground on the second day of the match, replying to Surrey’s first innings score of 328.

The former Indian captain, who is struggling to stake claim back in the national side, spent less than 10 minutes in the middle and faced only six balls and hit one boundary.

Usman Afzaal was the highest scorer with his unbeaten 75 while the Northants were trailing by 144 runs with four wickets in hand.

Ganguly had scored 23 off 23 balls in his previous outing during Twenty-20 Cup.

Leicestershire were batting at 493 for seven after Dinesh Mongia was out on duck against Glamorgan in the other Division Two match at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.