championship, 90 boys and 45 girls from Punjab, NWFP, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, and FATA participated.
Arif strikes first ton for disabled
KARACHI: Arif Richard became the first disabled cricketer to crack a century to help Pakistan Disabled CC defeat Spartan CC by a whopping margin of 200 runs in the All Karachi League match at Asifabad Ground the other day. Arif blasted 111 off 71 balls with 17 boundaries and Danish Ahmed got 66 off 39 balls with 14 hits to the ropes. Arif and Amjad Abbasi gave their flying start by putting on 144 runs in 15 overs. Pak Disabled CC piled up 289-3 in 30 overs and then dismissed Spartan CC for 89 in a mere 18 overs.
Peer happy with security
MELBOURNE: Shahar Peer was convinced that security would not be a problem in Doha, where next month she will become the first Israeli to play a tennis tour event. The 20-year-old is scheduled to compete in the February 18-24 Qatar Open having not been allowed to play in the Gulf region last year because she was doing military service with the Israeli army. “I spoke to people about security before we decided (to play)... and right away, in Israel, they said it’s not a problem,” she said.
Danish pair off to flying start
KUALA LUMPUR: Danish men’s doubles team Lars Paaske and Jonas Rasmussen got off to a rousing start at the Malaysian Open Super Series here on Wednesday, brushing aside Russian pair Vitalij Durkin and Alexandr Nikolaenko. The first-round match, which ended 21-18, 21-13, was sweet revenge for the 2003 World Champions after they lost to the Russians at the same venue during last year’s World Championship.
Ivanovic reveals superstitious side
MELBOURNE: Ana Ivanovic, whose model looks have help boost her profile as much as her game, has revealed a superstitious side to her nature, including avoiding stepping on the lines of the court. The 20-year-old Serbian world number four, who burst onto the scene with a breakthrough season last year, said she was “probably one of the most superstitious players” on tour.
Manchester City keen on Podolski
BERLIN: Manchester City are considering a bid to sign Bayern Munich’s unsettled German international striker Lukas Podolski, Sport Bild magazine reported on Wednesday. The publication said that the player’s agent had already discussed the terms of a possible move with City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson with a fee of around 16 million dollars being offered.
Sisters target Olympics title
MELBOURNE: The Williams sisters are targeting a double act at the Beijing Olympics, with Serena saying their main objective will be to have fun. Venus and Serena have won 10 doubles titles together, including five Grand Slams. They also took the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Serena was injured during the Athens Olympics four years ago with Venus teaming with Chanda Rubin, only to crash in the first round to China’s Li Ting and Sun Tian Tian.
Barcelona oust Sevilla
BARCELONA: Barcelona ended Sevilla’s reign as King’s Cup holders here on Tuesday as a dull 0-0 draw was sufficient to see the Catalan giants through in their last 16 second leg clash. Barcelona progressed thanks to the away goal rule as the first leg had finished 1-1.
National Club sail into semis
KARACHI: National Hockey Club thrashed Karachi Police by 7-2, while Al-Sageer Hockey Club overpowered Jan Mohammad Club recording a 3-0 triumph to qualify for the pre-final showdowns of Hino-Pak Inter-Club hockey tournament here on Wednesday at UBL Sports Complex.
Majumder included in BD U-19s squad
DHAKA: Bangladesh have announced their squad for the Under-19s World Cup in February, adding batsman Amit Majumder to the squad which completed a tour of South Africa this month. Bangladesh U-19s returned from South Africa where they drew the two-Test series 0-0. They qualified for the final for the tri-nation tournament that followed, including South Africa U-19s and India U-19s, but lost to India by 137 runs. Bangladesh U-19s will host Nepal U-19s, who arrive on January 22, for a week-long tour in the lead-up to the World Cup. All three one-day matches will be played in Khulna. Squad: Suhrawadi Shuvo (captain), Dolar Mahmud, Marshall Ayub, Subashis Roy, Rubel Hossain, Golam Kibria, Rony Talukder, Mahmudul Hasan, Nasir Hossain, Mohammad Shakil, Nadimuddin, Mithun Ali, Saikat Ali, Amit Majumder, Ashiqul Islam.
Yorkshire suffer delays to new pavilion
LEEDS, England: The 2009 Ashes Test at Headingley is set to be played on a building site after delays to renovation work at the ground. A new pavilion behind the bowler’s arm at the Kirkstall Lane End, which will also include changing rooms and a press box, was due to be finished in time for Australia’s visit but Yorkshire have been forced into a redesign of the plans. The Times reports that the latest planning permission has yet to be filed and building work is not expected to begin until after the 2008 season. With a time scale of 55 to 60 weeks for the construction, the following summer’s Test will be impacted. “What we do with that area for the Ashes Test depends on how much of the building work has been finished,” Stewart Regan, the Yorkshire chief executive, told the Times.
