Sports

London, June 30: Five-time winner Venus Williams marched into the semi-finals of the Wimbledon Championships Tuesday without the loss of a set so far, pounding out a 6-1 6-2 defeat of 11th seed Agnieszka Radwanska. The American winner will face top-seeded world number one Dinara Safina, who overcame 15 double-faults to finally beat upcoming German challenger Sabine Lisicki 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1.

Fourth seed Eena Dementieva joined her fellow Russian in the last four as she put out Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2.

New Delhi, June 30: Forced to practise out of India due to lack of infrastructure, the national football team was pleasantly surprised with the training facilities at The Sevens, the state of the art rugby complex on the outskirts of Dubai, to prepare for their Nehru Cup title defence at home in August.

Star striker and national captain Bhaichung Bhutia and midfielder Steven Dias were all praise for the facilities at The Sevens, which is the new home of rugby in the middle-east. The complex is spread over 3.6 million square metres and is 20 minutes drive from the city.

New Delhi, June 30: The women’s hockey team that returned home early Tuesday after winning the Champions Challenge II tournament was disappointed to see no official to receive them at the Indira Gandhi International airport here.

Coach M.K Kaushik said they were expecting somebody from the official circles to welcome them at the airport on their return from Kazan, Russia.

New Delhi, June 30: Indian athletes won three medals on the first day of the inaugural Asian Youth Games in Singapore.

Delhi lad Arjun Kumar won the first gold medal of the event with an effort of 58.72 metres in discus throw.

Rahul Kumar bagged silver in the men’s 1500m clocking 4:05.01 seconds while Pooja Varhade got the bronze medal in the 1500m event for women with a timing of 4:39.04 sec.

Arjun said he was happy with his performance. ‘It’s a reward for my hard work,’ he said.

–IANS–

Birmingham, June 30: Unthinkable to an ordinary Australian, John Buchanan has revealed that he has shared with England coach Andy Flower some of the secrets of his long association with Ricky Ponting’s men which could be used in the home team’s advantage in the Ashes beginning July 8.

Buchanan, who guided Australia to a whitewash in the last Ashes has arrived here after agreeing to an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) deal to work as a coaching consultant.

Jaipur, June 30: Banking on his Ranji Trophy performances last season, India discard Mohammed Kaif is still hopeful of staging a comeback and regaining his spot in the national team.

”I belief in god and I am still hopeful of making a comeback in Team India”, Kaif, who was here to participate in four-day Rajasthan Royals training session at Sawai Man Singh Stadium, told UNI today.

Mumbai, June 30: The hype around tennis ace Sania Mirza may be bigger but ace shuttler Saina Nehwal clearly has the edge in terms of performance, feels badminton legend Prakash Padukone.

Comparing both the Hyderabadis’s achievements, Padukone said the fact that Saina has beaten more higher ranked players than Sania tilts the balance in the shuttler’s favour.

“I don’t go by the rankings which can be achieved by picking and choosing the tournaments one wants to play. But Saina has beaten more top-rated players than Sania and I would rate her performance higher,” the former shuttler said.

Johannesburg, June 30: South Africa defender Bryce Moon faces a charge of culpable homicide after allegedly knocking down a woman, who subsequently died after being refused admission in two hospitals.

Moon was driving from a party organised by Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena after the Confederation Cup final between Brazil and United States at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Monday when the accident occurred, the Sowetan newspaper reported Tuesday.

According to the reports, Moon was driving a Mercedes Benz when he lost control and hit Mavis Ncube, a domestic help who was walking to work.

London, June 30: In the glory days of L!ve TV, the red top-inspired television channel, a show called Topless Darts attracted a certain amount of attention. Its concept, half-naked women paying darts, was based on the simple idea that a combination of sport and sexual titillation would be a ratings winner.

Topless Darts disappeared from the screens in 1999 but, 10 years on, there is a new and profitable version of the same basic formula. It is called the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

New Delhi, June 30: Prabhjot Singh and G Mounica will spearhead the Indian challenge in the boys and girls sections respectively in the 6th IAAF World Youth Athletics Championships to be held in Bressanone, Italy from July 8-12.

Prabhjot had won the discus event with a national record throw of 59.62m in the National Youth Championships in Madurai last month.

Andhra Pradesh girl Monika had won the 200m race with a national record timing of 24.88secs in Madurai.

Melbourne, June 30: Brett Lee does not merit a place in Australia’s main Ashes squad and his role should be confined to mentoring the bowlers, said former Aussie pacer Alan Davidson.

Ashes specialist Davidson, who tormented England in the 1953 and 1961 Ashes tours, said Australia should stick to the successful pace battery that delivered the goods in South Africa this year.

“I think Brett Lee should just do an educational thing for the other bowlers and make that his responsibility,” Davidson told ‘The Australian’.

London, June 30: As Michael Vaughan, a major pillar of England’s 2005 Ashes success, prepares to call time on his career, the current group of players hoping to replicate his feat of four years ago have been quick to laud his contribution.

Karachi, June 30: Pakistan’s cricket board said Tuesday it had disbanded its senior and junior selection committees, with an interim body headed by former captain Wasim Bari now overseeing selection for both teams.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announcement came after the chairman of the senior selection committee Abdul Qadir resigned in June, citing interference in his work by the national coach, captain and others.

“The PCB chairman (Ijaz Butt) has disbanded the national senior and junior selection committees with immediate effect,” said a PCB statement.

Melbourne, June 30: John Buchanan’s link with the Lions may have annoyed Ricky Ponting, but the Australian skipper believes the former coach’s brief stint with England’s second XI will not have any impact on the visiting side, as they prepare for the Ashes, starting July 8.

London, June 30: David Morgan, the ICC president, has hinted that Test cricket may be reduced to four days to protect and enrich the game’s oldest format in the face of lucrative Twenty20 leagues like the IPL.

The suggestion comes in the wake of a few other changes that are being mooted, including a two-tier format and day-night Tests to attract more crowds.

New Delhi, June 30: India’s Leander Paes and his Zimbabwean partner Cara Black advanced into the quarterfinals of the mixed double event of the Wimbledon after defeating Indian pair of Mahesh Bhupati and Sania Mirza in London on Monday.

Paes-Cara duo has defeated the 13th seeded pair of Bhupati-Sania by 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-3 in the third round of the mixed double event of the Wimbledon championship.

The first set was easily won by the top seeded pair of Paes-Cara but in the second set Bhupati-Sania came back strongly as they won the second set which went to tie-breaker.

Colombo, June 30: Sri Lanka’s veteran batsman Sanath Jayasuriya turns 40 on Tuesday, with a vow to carry on until the 2011 World Cup despite his being the oldest cricketer still playing at the top level.

‘Age is not a problem, it is how you stay mentally and physically fit to remain on top of the game, to try out new variations in the bat and ball,’ Jayasuriya told.

The dashing batsman, who also bowls left-arm spin, made his international debut against Australia in Melbourne in 1989 and won praise as an all-rounder during Sri Lanka’s victorious World Cup campaign in 1996.

Vadodara, June 30: It’s a decision that could break a million hearts. ‘Baroda bomber’ Irfan Pathan is set to marry long-time friend Shivangi Dev, an Indian diplomat in Australia. Pathan, who has known Shivangi for the past six years, told that their parents had finally given their nod to the wedding.

“We know each other really well now,” said a blushing Irfan, who first met his lady-love in Canberra in 2003. The younger Pathan, however, is sure of the venue. “It will take some time but certainly in Vadodara. It will be a traditional wedding,” he said.

Mumbai, June 30: It’s a madness which world’s best female players could make no sense of, but now it emerges that there was a method to it.

According to a British newspaper, the reason why Dinara Safina (world No.1), Serena Williams (world No.2) or Svetlana Kuznetsova (world No.5) are not getting to play on the prestigious Centre Court at Wimbledon is that they are pretty low on the glamour quotient.
When it comes to choosing which women play on Centre Court, good looks count for more than big shots.

Johannesburg, June 29: Brazilian superstar Kaka was set to arrive in Madrid Tuesday, and his luggage was a bit heavier than usual: he has just won the Confederations Cup title with Brazil, and he was voted the best player in the tournament that ended Sunday in South Africa. “I already started winning as a Real Madrid player. I hope I can now continue the same way in this new phase in my life,” said the former Milan player.

New Delhi, June 29: Following Headlines Today’s exposé on Indian cricketers hiding their injuries prior to the World T20 tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally decided to act.

The selection panel, it seems, has recognised the fact that an additional pool of players is necessary to keep up with the pressure of the international cricket calendar.

In fact, sources have confirmed to Headlines Today that selectors have almost reached an agreement with captain M.S. Dhoni and coach Gary Kirsten to create a pool of 30 players.

Karachi, June 29: Australia A 399 and 5 for 256 (White 77, Paine 54*) drew with Pakistan A 338 and 5 for 207 (Umar Akmal 100*, Sarfraz Ahmed 50*)
Scorecard

Umar Akmal scored his fourth first-class century as the match between Pakistan A and Australia A petered out to a draw in Townsville. Chasing an unlikely 318 for victory, Pakistan finished on 5 for 207 with Umar unbeaten on 100 and Sarfraz Ahmed on 50.

Colombo, June 29: West Indies captain Chris Gayle found Brian Lara’s shadow in rookie Darren Bravo and felt the youngster did a good job in his debut match against India.

Gayle said Bravo not only has a technique which reminds him of that of Lara but the youngster also resembles the left-handed batting great in his appearance.

“There are some similarities, like the batting technique and they look alike a bit. Brian is his idol, and he now has the ability to grow from strength to strength,” said Gayle of Bravo, who managed to impress during his 16-ball 19 at Sabina Park.

Wimbledon, June 29: As Week 1 gives way to Week 2 at Wimbledon on Monday, the primary story lines have not shifted since the beginning of the tournament.

Will Roger Federer win a sixth Wimbledon championship and record 15th Grand Slam title?

Will Andy Murray end Britain’s 73-year wait for a male singles champion at the All England Club?

Will Venus Williams become the first woman since Steffi Graf in 1991-93 to win the Venus Rosewater Dish three years in a row, bringing her career haul to six?

Johannesburg, June 29: Brazil’s “Beautiful Game” came alive in the second half Sunday with three comeback goals in a 3-2 win over the United States in the Confederations Cup final.

Luis Fabiano scored two of the goals and Lucio added the third in the 84th minute to give Brazil its second straight Confederations Cup title and third overall.

“That defeat really hurt,” said United States coach Bob Bradley. “I’m extremely proud of my players, but it still feels pretty lousy to let this one get away.