Aravind Bhat by Maxin Mathew

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The ICC appointed Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle as match referee for the two Twenty20 matches and the five-match one-day series between India and New Zealand, starting next week

The Indian hockey team suffered their first defeat on their Australia-New Zealand tour when they went down 3-5 to an Australian Development squad. India scored through skipper Sandeep Singh, V Raghunath and Tushar Khandekar

Bengaluru ● Thursday ● 19 February 2009

Lleyton Hewitt has been recalled to lead Australia’s Davis Cup team in their Asia/Oceania first round tie in Thailand next month. Hewitt missed Australia’s last Davis Cup tie against Chile in 2008 after undergoing hip surgery but returns to lead a new-look squad including Chris Guccione, Carsten Ball and teenager Brydan Klein

racing+ Arts well prepared Right Again wins RCTC Gold Vase BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

8. Refuse To Bend 52 I Shaikh 8 Windsor. 9. Cest Bon 49.5 McCullagh 4 49.5 Baria 7 . THE SHANTIDAS ASKURAN TROPHY DIV-I MUMBAI 10. Lone Trojan 11. Surmount 49 Nadeem 6 (CL-II) 1200M 5 P.M.: Feb. 18: Arts is well prepared and is 62 Zervan 10 Bon, 2. Indian Summer, 1. Covenant expected to win the Governor’s Cup SELECTIONS: 1. Cest 2. Alvida 59 Tograllu 4 . (1200m), the main event of races to be 3. Secret Glory 3. Red Indian 58.5 Jwdl 11 held here on Thursday. 58 Srinath 8 . THE NAUVKHAL PLATE DIV-I (CL-III) 4. Legendary 5. The Rising 57 Dashrath S 5 1400M 3.30 PM: . THE ALL BEAUTY PLATE DIV-II (CL-IV) 1. Prince Lochinva 61.5 S Chinoy 1 6. Oyster Princess 56.5 CS Jodha 3 1000M 1.30 P.M.: 7. Star O’War 56.5 I Chisty 2 2. Fired Up 60.5 Suraj 2 1. Marmaris 59 Shammi K 7 56 Aadesh K 6 3. Raquel 59 McCullagh 10 8. Born To Lead 2. Mypethoney 57 Dashrath S 1 9. Nimble Feet 56 Jwdl 9 4. Da Vinci 58 V Walkar 3 3. Classic Dream 56 Nadeem A 6 5. Major Wager 58 R Shelar 9 10. Generalissimo 55 S Chinoy 1 4. Moonstorm 56 M Narredu 8 6. Sea Gull 56.5 De Sousa 6 11. Premier Perception 54.5 N Jodha 7 5. Arabian Emperor 55.5 SK Jadhav 2 7. Frangipani 55.5 CS Jodha 4 SELECTIONS: 1. Legendary, 2. Born To Lead. 6. Blade Runner 55.5 Hayes 3 8. Solid Black 55.5 M Kharadi 11 3. Covenant. 7. White Hart Lane 55.5 A Merchant 5 9. Ka Ching 55 DM Grant 5 8. Royal Hunter 54 R Shelar 4 10. Giocometti 54.5 A Merchant 7 . THE NAVUKHAL PLATE DIV-II (CL-III) 54 J Chinoy 8 1400M 5.30 P.M.: SELECTIONS: 1. Blade Runner, 2. Moon 11. Walking Tall 1. Procyon 59 Neeraj 10 Storm, 3. Mypethoney . SELECTIONS: 1. Raquel, 2. Fired Up, 3. Ka Ching. 2. Misschevious Trot 58 Hayes 6 . THE ALL BEAUTY PLATE DIV-I (CL-IV) 57 M Narredu 8 . THE SHANTIDAS ASKURAN TROPHY DIV-II 3. Mr Greedy 1000M 2 P.M.: (CL-II) 1200M 4 P.M.: 4. Gatravat 55.5 Tograllu 11 1. Hymns To Freedom 61 M Narredu 4 5. Kiss Away 54.5 Suraj 4 1. Spirituall 59 McCullagh 5 2. Blue Daffodils 60.5 N Jodha 5 6. Bonny Light 54 I Chisty 5 2. Spica 58.5 De Sousa 8 3. Insite Soul 57.5 D Allan 3 7. Roman Beauty 53 Zervan 1 3. Cosmopolitan 56 Dashrath S 9 4. Ekhabinskya 56.5 S Chinoy 2 8. Calling The Shots 52.5 N Jodha 3 4. Native Strategy 56 Ranjane 1 5. Anamika 56 Pradeep 6 52 Dashrath S 2 5. Three Of Arts 55.5 N Jodha 10 9. Mickey Mantle 6. Lightning Bolt 56 Ranjane 8 50.5 CS Jodha 7 6. Pillatus 55 DM Grant 6 10. Gypsy Queen 7. Global Spirit 55 Sameer 7 7. Fair Tactics 54 Neeraj 3 11. Notable Runner 50.5 R Shelar 9 8. Victor Ivanov 54 S Nayak 1 8. Algo Mas 52.5 CS Jodha 7 SELECTIONS: 1. Mr Greedy, 2. Misschevious 9. The Right Man 53.5 Ishwar 9 9. Red Dawn 51.5 M Kharadi 2 Trot, 3. Mickey Mantle. 51.5 I Chisty 4 SELECTIONS: 1. Hymns To Freedom, 2. Insite 10. Zarzaitine . THE SPLENDID ROLE PLATE (CL-V) Soul, 3. Ekhabinskya. SELECTIONS: 1. Spica, 2. Spirituall, 3. Pillatus. 1800M 6 P.M.: . THE M.H. AHMEDBHOY TROPHY (CL-III) . THE GOVERNOR’S CUP 1200M 4.30 P.M.: 1. Kempinski 61.5 De Sousa 1 1800M 2.30 P.M.: 2. Secret Talk 61.5 M Narredu 11 1. Peninsula 59 DM Grant 4 1. Arts 55 D Allan 11 3. Argentina 61 McCullagh 4 2. Congrats 55 CD Hayes 3 2. Bemisaal 55 De Sousa 14 4. Forever Amber 60 Hayes 8 3. Rage Of Angels 55 Dashrath S 1 3. Duke Of Windsor 55 Srinath 8 5. Aristocratical 55.5 J Chinoy 5 4. Brad 52 Neeraj 5 4. Noble Salute 55 Jwdl 2 6. Golden Key 54.5 Shammi K 7 5. Tsesebe 50 M Kharadi 2 5. Red Dragon 55 Suraj 1 7. Lilac Time 54 R Shelar 6 6. Astral Flash 53.5 CD Hayes 12 8. Musical Rhythm 54 P Belose 10 SELECTIONS: 1. Congrats, 2. Peninsula, 3. Brad 7. Caustic Finale 53.5 Baria 7 9. Elementto Trance 53.5 Z Sayyed 3 . THE FAIR ALWAYS PLATE (CL-IV) 1400M 3 8. Dancing Money 53.5 Z Sayyed 15 10. Sparrow Hawk 51.5 Tograllu 9 P.M.: 9. Empress Of India 53.5 M Kharadi 6 11. Opera Royale 50 CS Jodha 2 1. Indian Summer 60.5 De Sousa 1 10. Estevez 53.5 Aadesh K 10 SELECTIONS: 1. Argentina, 2. Kempinski, 3. 2. Secret Glory 60 Srinath 5 11. River Blossom 53.5 DM Grant 5 Forever Amber. 3. Born Destiny 57.5 Shammi K 11 12. Rokeby Venus 53.5 M Narredu 3 4. Calypso Dancer 57.5 Suraj 9 13. Secret Magic 53.5 I Chisty 4 Day’s Best: Congrats 5. Solskjaer 56.5 DS Rathore 10 14. Snow Queen 53.5 Neeraj 9 1st Jackpot: 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7; 2nd Jackpot: 6, 6. Hisham 53.5 Ishwar 3 15. Violetta 53.5 McCullagh 13 7, 8, 9 & 10; 1st Treble: 2, 3 & 4; 2nd 7. Sudden Impact 53.5 P Belose 2 SELECTIONS: 1. Arts 2. Violetta, 3. Duke Of Treble: 4, 5 & 6; 3rd Treble: 8, 9 & 10.

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

KOLKATA

Feb. 18: Daniel Davidtrained Right Again was ably guided by A. Imran Khan to post a comfortable win to bag the RCTC Gold Vase, the feature event of the races held here on Wednesday. Results: 1. The B O L Publication Cup. 2000 metres: Bold Reply 54½ (C. Alford) 1, Storming Success 60 (Imran Chisty) 2, Antonique 49 (J.

Gurung) 3, Precede 58 (N. Akhtar) 4. Won by: 4, 9½, 3¼. Time: 2:06.45 2. The Easter Parade Plate. 1100 metres: Xray 53½ (Imran Chisty) 1, Secret Whispers 53 (Afzal Khan) 2, Generous Thought 53½ (Md. Islam) 3, Crystal Moon 53½ (A. Imran Khan) 4.Won by: 1½, 3¾, 1. Time: 1:06.94 3. The Immaculate Handicap. 1100 metres: Aeropostale 53 (V. Aharwal) 1, Hymn Star 55½ (M. Reuben) 2, Alarico 60½ (Md. Islam) 3, Arrayal 57 (Imran Chisty) 4. Won by: 2¾, ¾, Hd. Time: 1:08.18 4. The RCTC Gold Vase. 2200

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

Feb. 18: Battling a seven-year wait and an agonising four-time jinx of missing out in the finals, top seed Aravind Bhat of Karnataka, who represents PET, clinched his maiden National title defeating P. Kashyap of Andhra Pradesh 21-19, 21-14 in the 73rd Senior National badminton

championships at Indore on Wednesday. A niggling ankle injury had kept Bhat out of action and in rehabilitation since 2007, and it was only in the last few months that the 29-year-old started making his presence felt. Bhat reached the final at the Bitburger Open in Germany and was a quarterfinalist at the China Open and Hong Kong Super Series at the end of 2008. Bagging the nationals crown has made the Bengaluru lad more ‘relieved’ than happy. “I’m very glad with this achievement. I’m actually more relieved than happy since finally I have won what was eluding me for the last several years. Hopefully it’s a sign of good times ahead,” Bhat told this newspaper from Indore. The Abhey Khel Prashaal courts wit-

1. Win: Rs. 16 Place: 11, 13 Shp: 22 Fc: 27 Qn: 10 Trn: 70 & 52 2. Win: Rs. 32 Place: 13, 99, 26 Shp: 397 Fc: 412 Qn: 328 Trn: 4,684 & 1,606 3. Win: Rs. 223 Place: 39, 17, 24 Shp: 54 Fc: 446 Qn: 208 Trn: 8,530 & 7,311 4. Win: Rs. 18 Place: 14, 18 Shp: 29 Fc: 31 Qn: 17 Trn: 42 & 19

Feb. 18: Celestial Way, Cimarron and Lago Vista impressed most in the workouts when the following horses were exercised on the trial track here on Wednesday. 600M: In The Zone (rb) 44.5, fit. 800M: Queen Rania (D. Allan) 55, 600/41, impressed. Quiet Achiever (rb) 54.5, 600/41.5, retains form. Virtuoso (S. John) 56, 600/41, fully extended. Stage ‘ (Md. Shaoib) 57, 600/43.5. Spark Of Marchadar (S. John) 55, 600/40.5, good. Case LawPsychedelic (A. Velu) Black Splendour (rb) 57.5, 600/44, former four lengths clear. I Fancy You (rb) Pretty N’ Fast (rb) 56.5,

600/43, almost level. Sheza Star (S.A. De Sousa) 54.5, 600/40.5, good. Sherman (rb), Crown Sceptre (rb) 57.5, 600/42.5, former two lengths ahead. Red Shift (G. Sapra) 54, 600/40.5, note. Sun Gold (Vivek) 59, 600/43, handy. Spark Of Jewel (S. John) 57.5, 600/42.5, stretched. Couelle (Gautamraj) 56, 600/42.5, ridden out. Cimarron (rb) 54.5, 600/40.5, pleased. Chesterford Touch (Vivek) 58.5, 600/42.5, moved nicely. Mighty Heart (Gnaneshwer) 55, 600/42.5, improved. 1000M: Track Wonder (Gautamraj) Stone Of Destiny (Raja Rao) 1-12, 800/54.5, 600/41, former to note. Enforcer (Vivek) 1-13,

nessed a gripping final as the players were locked in a neck-and-neck fight in the first set. “It was a good first set. We were going equal on points till the end, where I was lucky to win a couple of net points which won me the set,” the World No. 27 said. Being the top seed and facing a competent adversary does add to the pressure, but Bhat claimed it hardly affected his temperament. “Kashyap is a great shuttler to play against but I was confident about myself and remained focussed on my game. That proved crucial in my victory,” said Bhat. Meanwhile, in the women’s singles final, fourth seed Sayali Gokhale of Maharashtra brought Kerala girl Thulasi P.C.’s dream run to a halt, beating her 21-17, 16-21, 21-13 in a well-contested match. It was double delight for Jwala Gutta after she bagged the mixed and women’s doubles titles. Paired with Valiyaveetil Diju, the World No. 17 pair suffered an initial scare but eventually overcame Arun Vishnu and Aparna Balan 16-21, 21-19, 21-12. She then later paired up Shruti Kurien to defeat fourth seeds Dhanya Nair and Anita Ohlan 21-12, 21-13. In the men’s doubles final, top seeds Rupesh Kumar and Sanave Thomas asserted their dominance on the circuit, defeating Tarun K. and Arun Vishnu 21-15, 21-16.

spinner Padmakar Shivalkar was one who never got a national call while another big wicketR. Mohan taking left arm spinner, Rajinder Goel, at mittee for their omission. More often, least got to be a reserve in one series. players would get information on team While the presence of Bishen Bedi simselection only from cricket reporters or ply obliterated the chances of any other board members. left arm orthodox spinner breaking For instance, when Mansur Ali Khan through to international cricket, any Pataudi was left out and Ajit Wadekar number of batsmen have found themmade captain for the West Indies tour in selves at the wrong end of selection poli1971, he came to know about it only from cies. Vijay Bhosle was one who scored the morning newspapers. The change in tons of runs on flat tracks but was never captaincy was a major issue then with considered Test material. Vijay Merchant forcing the issue and There have been others who have been using his casting vote when there was a told the strangest things by selectors who 2-2 tie with one selector absent. in the past were inevitably driven by There have been several examples of their regional bias. S.V.S. Mani, a fine cricketers not getting selected for Madras batsman who was given a chance national duty despite their zone selector to play against the visiting MCC team always pressing for their inclusion. The was told just before the match that he

LINE & LENGTH

5. Win: Rs. 158 Place: 34, 46, 16 Shp: 153 Fc: 3,870 (C/O) Qn: 240 Trn: 2,258 & 605 6. Win: Rs. 12 Place: 10, 59, 29 Shp: 284 Fc: 124 Qn: 122 Trn: 497 & 152 Jackpot: Rs. 15,857 & 6,795. Mini Jackpot: 4,131. 1st Treble: 1,084. 2nd Treble: 252. 1st Exacta: 21,076 & 9,032. 2nd Exacta: 2,516 & 1,294.

800/58, 600/43, handy. Royal Amber (Guruprasad) 1-12, 800/54.5, 600/42, fit. Conceptual (S. John) 1-13.5, 800/56, 600/41.5. 1200M: Song Of Passion (Raja Rao) Celtic Heroine (K. Alam) 1-28, 800/57, 600/43.5, former four lengths clear. Celestial Way (D. Allan) Red Renegade (P. Woods) 1-26, 800/55, 600/41.5, pleased. Lago Vista (Harish) 1-26, 800/58, 600/43.5, improved. Inner sand: 800M: Leopardino (rb) 52.5, 600/40. Hurricane Bolt (Shoban Babu) Mercutio (rb) 52, 600/40. Sunny’s Symphony (M. Mark) 53, 600/39, improving. On A Roll (rb) 55, 600/43, handy.

1000M: Maahi Ve (Ashok Kumar) Orange Orchard (Shiva Kumar) 1-8.5, 800/53.5, 600/40.5, former showed out. Royal Treasure (D. Allan) 1-9, 800/52.5, 600/40, handy. 1200M: Dinesa (rb) 1-22.5, 600/42.5. Telemacchus (B.L. Paswan) 1-21.5, 800/52, 600/40, retains form. Flower Alley (S. Ramesh), Flair Queen (Shiva Kumar) 1-22, 800/52.5, 600/40.5. 1400M: Superior Surprise (Ashok Kumar) 131.5, 1200/1-18, 1000/1-6, 800/53, 600/39, extended. Snow Peaks (Shoban Babu) Good Gift (G.Y. Rajesh Babu) 1-35.5, 800/54, 600/40.5, former trounced. Cart Wheel (S. John) 1-37, 600/43, in good nick. Commanche Warpaint (rb) 1-36.5, 600/44. Lady Banks (rb) 1-38, first 800/49.5, eased.

BDFA leagues set to kick off today

Abhishek survives scare

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT

BENGALURU

Feb. 18: The Bangalore District Football Association (BDFA) leagues will kick off here on Thursday, with organisers promising attractive cash awards and improved facilities for the players. For the first time, cash awards will be given to winners of all divisions namely, Super Division as well as A, B and C divisions, announced tournament committee chairman M.P. Swamy. The Super Division winners and runners-up will be awarded Rs 50,000 and Rs 30,000, ‘A’ division Rs 35,000 and Rs 20,000, ‘B’ division Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 and ‘C ‘ division champs will get Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000, Swamy added. Madras Engineer Group & Centre (MEG) and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) are favourites among the 15 teams even as defending champions Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd appear a disoriented lot, after the disappointment of having been relegated to second division in the I-league. Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd (BEHL, EPD) and Rail Wheel Factory, who were the top two in the ‘A’ division last season, were

Madras Engineer Group & Centre (MEG) and Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) are favourites among the 15 teams even as defending champions Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd appear a disoriented lot promoted to the Super Division. Better playing facilities including a proper ground for footballers in the ‘C’ division has been a concern in recent times and organisers assured that all arrangements will be handled more efficiently. “Due to several complaints arising from the players and club officials, we have cancelled the Malleswaram ground as a venue and instead, ‘C’ division matches will be played at grounds in Jayanagar and Basavanagudi. We will ensure that everything pertaining to facilities and arrangements for players is handled well,” Swamy said. ISRO will face DYSH in their ‘A’ division match at 1:30 pm while Army Service Corps will play BHEL (EPD) in the Super division league opener at 4pm.

Selectors’ sympathy with Badri’s predicament ubramaniam Badrinath may have a genuine grouse against the selectors. He has scored runs by the ton in national first class cricket without getting a firm chance to perform and show that he belongs to the highest class. However, his omission was handled with such sympathy by the chief selector that it can be seen as a breakthrough in selection matters. Krish Srikkanth, the chief selectors, had the good sense to ring Badri and explain how team composition had worked against his inclusion in the squad to New Zealand. Many in Badri’s position have never had the comfort or consolation of such communication from selectors. Indian cricket history is pocked with instances of complete neglect in the cases of deserving players being left out of squads. The only phone call they may possibly get is from sympathetic captains usually blaming the selection com-

(Imran Chisty) 4. Won by: 2, 3½, 3. Time: 1:26.88

dividends at bengaluru

bengaluru track work

BENGALURU

Aravind ends national jinx BENGALURU

Aharwal) 2, Italian Star 51½ (M. Reuben) 3, Conde Nast 57½

Celestial Way, Cimarron in great heart

I Sayali downs Thulasi for women’s title I

BY MAXIN MATHEW

metres: Right Again 60 (A. Imran Khan) 1, Compton Star 53½ (B. Mahesh) 2, Alterity 50½ (Neeraj Rawal) 3, Portpatrick 47 (C. Ruzaan) 4. Won by: 5¾, 4¾, Dist. Time: 2:19.87 5. The Legal Steps Handicap. 1600 metres: Carlito 52 (Tauseef Ahmed) 1, Vignet 64 (B. Srinivas Rao) 2, Real Essence 57½ (A. Imran Khan) 3, Light My Fire 51½ (Afzal Khan) 4. Won by: 1¼, 1, 1. Time: 1:41.34 6. The Academy Gold Handicap. 1400 metres: Adamaris 58½ (C. Alford) 1, Italian Striker 44½ (V.

had to report ‘sick’ so that another batsman could be accommodated. The poor guy finally ended up fielding for the visiting team, which was hit by food poisoning and did not have 11 fit men to take the field. The MCC were kind to give all the substitute fielders a sweater with the famous logo but the guests were not eligible for an England cap. What marks the Badri case is the committee is headed by a man who is a communicator and who is willing to go the extra mile to be nice to the players. It’s particularly hard for selectors to leave out players who are being nursed for national duty. And yet they cannot go around ringing every fringe player that they may have had to leave out. There have been many batsmen like Badri who have made plenty of runs on the domestic scene and yet not even got a look-in. The Tamil Nadu batsman’s case is different because has been earmarked for higher honours and yet must

get accustomed to being left out now and then because the country has so many batsmen in form and performing. Greater cricketers have been left out for reasons of squad composition and Badri’s omission came about because a captain would always opt for the additional opening batsman for a tour of New Zealand where the ball can really move around in late summer or early autumn into which India will be arriving in the Antipodes. It is a general rule of thumb that batsmen suffer injuries less often and so more are available for selection. A number of fit fast bowlers are making the tour. But this is one department that can expect the most number of injuries. In any event, the selectors have done their bit in picking a balanced combination and it is up to Team India to defy history and win a Test in New Zealand for the first time in 33 years and win a series for the first time in 40 years.

KOLKATA

Feb 18: Tightly fought contests and some unexpected results were the order of the day at the LG All-India Amateur Golf Championship here. While most of the higher ranked players moved on to the next round, Jasjeet Singh was ousted by Imamul Haque. Vikram Rana, the number two on the LG Order of Merit list, almost faced a similar fate before he edged ahead of SK Pappu to win his match on the fourth extra playoff hole. Bengaluru boy Abhishek Jha, winner of the last two tournaments on the LG Amateur Tour was given a real fright before a 30-foot birdie putt on the final playoff hole brought down the curtains on the challenge posed by Raja Sardar. Meanwhile, young Rashid Khan had to overcome a stiff challenge posed by Mohd. Wazir. Important results: Moin Malak bt Tushar K Gerg 5&4; Rahul Bajaj bt Parvesh Baisoya 20th hole; Mithun Perera bt M Sarthar 7&5; Jamal Hussain Mollah bt Karanbir Choudhary 2&1; Gagan Verma bt Rajesh Halder 6&5; Saurabh Bahuguna bt I.K Ponappa 2&1; SK Pappu lost to Vikram Rana 22nd hole; Raja Sardar lost to Abhishek Jha 19th hole; Jasjeet Singh lost to Imamul Haque 4&3; Rashid Khan bt Md Wazir 1 up; L Selvadurai lost K Prabagaran 8&7; H.S Kang bt Samaresh Sardar 4& 2.

Abhishek Jha