Zaheer Khan celebrates 33rd birthday

Zeenews Sports Bureau

New Delhi: Zaheer Khan, who is currently out of the international scene due to an injury, turned 33 on Friday.

India’s ‘King of Swing’ has grown by leaps and bounds to become the heartbeat of Indian bowling now. He is no longer the nervy fast bowler whom we saw in Wanderers` Stadium in South Africa in 2003.

Zaheer, who idolises Wasim Akram, injured his ankle in India’s recent tour of England. Zaheer absence cost India dearly in England, where the visitors had to leave without registering a single win in the whole series.

The left-handed pace bowler made his ODI debut against Kenya in October 2000. He made his Test debut against Bangladesh in Dhaka in the same year under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly, where he claimed three wickets. Due to poor injury management, he has been struggling with injuries throughout his career.

Here is a chance for the readers to wish the pacer on his birthday.

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Rooney`s father bailed over betting scam

London: The father and uncle of Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney were among nine men arrested on Thursday as part of an inquiry into an alleged betting scam.

Merseyside Police said all nine men had been bailed until January, with one of them was confirmed by the Scottish Football Association as being 26-year-old Motherwell midfielder Steven Jennings, who comes from Liverpool and now lives in Glasgow.

The charges relate to "suspicious betting activity" surrounding the Scottish Premier League match between Motherwell and Hearts last December.

Wayne Rooney senior, 48, was detained at his home in the West Derby area of Liverpool following a joint investigation by Merseyside Police working in cooperation with the Gambling Commission. Rooney`s uncle Richie, 54, was also detained.

"A 54-year-old from Norris Green, a 22-year-old from Kirkdale, a 48-year-old from West Derby and a 26-year-old from Croxteth have all been bailed pending further enquiries," Merseyside Police said in a statement.

Solicitor Anthony Barnfather, representing Rooney senior, told British media in a statement: "Mr Rooney vigorously denies all of these allegations. We are cooperating fully with the investigation. No further comment will be made at this time."

Police said the nine arrests were the "culmination of a joint operation with the Gambling Commission" and all the men had been interviewed for conspiracy to defraud.

Scottish FA chief executive Stewart Regan said on the FA`s website (www.scottishfa.co.uk) that the arrests followed "extensive inquiries" into alleged betting irregularities at the Scottish Premier League match.

Regan said: "While the investigation involves several other individuals outwith (outside) Scotland, it is important to stress that the evidence gathered throughout this thorough period of investigation has involved only one Scottish match.

"Motherwell FC are aware of the situation and will issue a response in due course. The Scottish FA will make no further comment at this stage."

Jennings, who joined Motherwell in 2009 from Tranmere Rovers, Liverpool`s third club after Everton and Liverpool, was sent off in the 83rd minute of the match against Hearts, who won the game 2-1.

Rooney, on international duty with England in Montenegro ahead of Friday`s Euro 2012 qualifier, was relaxed following his father`s arrest according to England manager Fabio Capello.

"He told me he has no problems and assured me this personal problem will find a solution within a short time," Capello told a news conference, adding that Rooney would start the match.

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Battle for Euro 2012 spots goes down to wire

London: The fight for the six remaining automatic berths and eight playoff places for Euro 2012 intensifies on Friday when the penultimate round of qualifying matches kicks off.

Several teams are still in the chase for a guaranteed spot in Poland and Ukraine alongside the joint hosts and already-qualified world and European champions Spain, Italy, Netherlands and Germany.

England need one point to book a ticket to next year`s finals but Montenegro, their hosts on Friday, would advance by winning their final two matches in Group G.

Group B remains wide open with leaders Russia, Ireland, Armenia and Slovakia all still in contention while France head into their last two Group D ties one point clear of nearest challengers Bosnia who they meet in their last game.

Croatia can qualify and condemn Greece to the playoffs with victory in their Group F match in Piraeus while Denmark and Portugal must win their games in Group H on Friday to set up a winner-takes-all clash when they meet next Tuesday.

Netherlands have clinched a place at the finals because they will at least be the best runners-up but they can finish top in Group E by avoiding defeat at home to Moldova on Friday.

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I am satisfied with my performance: Vikas

New Delhi: He might have had to settle for a bronze medal after losing in the semifinals but teen Indian boxer Vikas Krishan on Friday said he is satisfied with how he performed against older and experienced rivals in his debut World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The 19-year-old Vikas lost to Ukraine`s European Championship bronze-medallist Taras Shelestyuk 12-15, settling for a bronze, which was India`s lone medal at the event just like the last time around.

The country had managed a bronze in the previous edition as well through Olympian Vijender Singh.

Vikas, who was an Asian Games gold-medallist in the light weight (60kg) division, jumped to welter weight just two months before the World Championships, his debut event in the new category.

"I am very satisfied with my performance as I competed against some very tough guys in my draw and given that it was my debut event in the welter weight division, I will happily take this bronze medal," Vikas said.

The Haryana-lad, who is a former youth world champion, said he felt a tad tired during his bout today against a muscular 26-year-old rival.

"I was tired because jumping a couple of divisions and adjusting to it is no easy task. I know I could have performed better but everything is god`s will and if he wanted a bronze for me, I would take that bronze," said the teen, who has won admiration for his tactful boxing.

"My rival today was a mature guy, who kept attacking me, drained my energy. I tried very hard in the first two rounds to work out a counter-strategy but it was not to be my day. In the final round, I took things as they came," said the boxer, who finished the final three minutes of his bout 6-5 ahead.

"It has been a fantastic learning experience and I am sure I will be going a step further when I compete in this event the next time. The big achievement here is that I have qualified for the Olympics and I can`t be happier because of that," he assured.

National coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu was all praise for the teen, saying he is a future world champion.

"His ability belies his age, I am sure he will be a world champion the next time," said Sandhu.

"Even overall, I am very happy with my performance because four of my boxers (Vikas, L Devendro Singh, Jai Bhagwan and Manoj Kumar) qualified for the Olympics by reaching quarterfinals. It`s a laudable performance and I am proud of them," he added.

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Puma to be the official merchandise partner for Indian GP

Mumbai: Sport and lifestyle brand Puma will be the official merchandise partner for Buddh International Circuit in Noida, the venue for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix later this month.

"It is our pleasure to be associated with Buddh International Circuit this year. We see this association as a pioneering effort in the field of motorsports merchandise and suits the need of the million fans to reflect their spirit and passion for the sport," Puma India MD Rajiv Mehta said in a media release.

Puma would also continue to be the official licensing partner for Ferrari branded products and the official supplier of team and race wear for Scuderia Ferrari, the release added.

The Indian GP is scheduled on October 30.

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Button fastest at Suzuka, Vettel skids off

Suzuka: Sebastian Vettel hit the barriers while Jenson Button, the only man standing between the Red Bull driver and a second Formula One title, led a McLaren one-two in first practice for Sunday`s Japanese Grand Prix.

Vettel, who needs only a point to be the sport`s youngest double champion at the age of 24, made a rare error on the exit to the Degner 1 curve.

He skimmed across the gravel and ended the 90 minute session as a sweaty spectator, removing his helmet and joining marshals behind the crash barriers with his car`s nose in the tyre wall.

The German, who can retain his title with four races to spare, was still third fastest in a hot morning session dominated by Button.

The Briton, who must win on Sunday and hope Vettel fails to score for the first time in 17 races dating back to last October, lapped the Honda-owned track in one minute 33.634 seconds.

Team mate Lewis Hamilton was second on the timesheets, 0.091 slower than the 2009 champion who regards Japan as a second home race and has just signed a new multi-year contract with McLaren.

Vettel lapped 0.456 slower than Button.

Australian Mark Webber, Vettel`s team mate who has still to win a race this year, was fifth behind Ferrari`s Fernando Alonso.

Vettel`s incident provided a talking point from the session but his pride was more dented than the car, which no more than nudged the tyre barrier.

Winner from pole at Suzuka for the past two years, the German has a 124-point lead over Button with only 125 still to be won.

Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari was a strong sixth for Toro Rosso, with Japan`s sole driver Kamui Kobayashi in 13th place for Sauber.

Indians Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan each took part in practice for Team Lotus and HRT respectively, with both having an eye on returning to racing at their country`s inaugural grand prix later this month.

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MI back to four foreigners in team as Yadav returns

New Delhi: The Champions League Twenty20 on Friday withdrew the concession given to Mumbai Indians to field five foreign players instead of four in each game following the return of all-rounder Suryakumar Yadav to their squad.

Yadav was allowed to return to the MI squad ahead of the team`s semifinal against Somerset on Saturday after having originally been withdrawn due to injury.

"Yadav had originally been replaced in the squad due to injury, however given he has recovered and Mumbai has a shortage of Indian players in their squad he is now permitted to return to the group," a release from the league stated.

The 22-year-old batter from Mumbai was originally one of the eight Indian players reported injured by the franchise, leaving them with just seven Indian players in their squad.

Yadav, however, scored a massive 191 for Chandrakant Pandit XI against Dlip Vengsarkar XI on September 29 in an under-22 tournament to announce his availability for MI.

Out of 23 contracted players, eight cricketers including the likes of skipper Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma were declared unfit by MI ahead of the tournament.

The situation meant the final 14-member squad had an equal number of Indian and overseas players, without a buffer to handle any potential injury to an Indian player.

The organisers were thus forced to allow the side to field five overseas cricketers in their playing XI, though other IPL teams continued to play with four.

But with Yadav making a return to the team, Mumbai Indians now have six foreign players and eight Indians, this after MI had yet another injury in the form of South African wicketkeeper-batsman Davy Jacobs, who was ruled out of the tournament after damaging his hip.

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Chowrasia continues Merit chase in Indian Open

New Delhi: The impressive short game that gave him the nickname "Chipputtsia" has deserted him right now, says Indian golfer SSP Chowrasia, who is hoping to regain lost form for next week`s Hero Indian Open to push for the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown.

The Indian was atop the Order of Merit for a lengthy period of time following his triumph at the season-opening Avantha Masters on home soil in February but recently slipped back to second place behind Japan`s Tetsuji Hirasuka after an uncharacteristic run of missed cuts.

A return to the venerable Delhi Golf Club for the USD 1.25 million event, which is the richest full field Asian Tour tournament, will bring about a fresh dose of confidence as he seeks to change his fortunes and land a maiden Hero Indian Open title.

Chowrasia, who has missed 10 consecutive cuts in Asia and Europe, is known for his short game prowess but admits his putting touch has deserted him following his second career victory in February.

"I`m playing well but my putting has been bad. There is always something missing from my golf game. It is either my chipping or putting that has let me down. I`ve really been struggling in the last few months," said Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up twice in the Indian Open.

Chowrasia stormed to stardom when he won his maiden Asian Tour victory in 2008 at the Indian Masters but his ultimate dream is to follow in the footsteps of decorated countrymen Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa by becoming Asia`s number one.

"I`m aiming to win the Order of Merit. That`s my dream and goal for the year," said Chowrasia, who is the son of a greenskeeper at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club.

The lucrative Hero Indian Open, the fourth Asian Tour event to be played in the sub-continent this season, has attracted many of the biggest stars on the Asian Tour.

Defending champion Rikard Karlberg of Sweden, Thai veteran Thaworn Wiratchant, a 12-time winner in Asia, Angelo Que of the Philippines, and this year`s newest Asian Tour champions Berry Henson of the United States and Joonas Granberg of Finland will feature in the event.

India`s young guns Anirban Lahiri and Himmat Rai, who both won their maiden Asian Tour titles this year, and the experienced Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur will spearhead the local challenge.

Gaganjeet Bhullar will also be in the elite field and will be determined to end the season like how he started the year.

He won three consecutive titles in India and Bangladesh early on but has since struggled to maintain his momentum. Strangely by his high standards, Bhullar has yet to claim a single top-10 finish on the Asian Tour this year.

"There`s a bit of pressure for me to go out there and win one title this year but that`s golf and I`m sure everybody is feeling the same. We do work hard to win a tournament every year. The more you work and the luckier you get," said the two-time Asian Tour champion.

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Britain to stick to doping ban law despite CAS ruling

London: Britain will retain a by-law preventing its athletes found guilty of wilful doping from competing in any Olympics, British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan said on Thursday.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier cleared the way for several dozen former doping offenders to compete at next year`s London Games after dismissing the validity of an International Olympic Committee (IOC) rule banning them.

The IOC Rule 45 was introduced in 2008 and banned athletes, including American Olympic 400 metres champion LaShawn Merritt, from participating at the next Games if they have been suspended for six months or longer.

The BOA said its by-law, introduced in 1992, was an eligibility rule and not a sanction like the IOC case so the CAS decision was not binding on Britain.

It also said its by-law, unlike the IOC`s regulation, provided an avenue for appeal to an independent tribunal -- a course of action taken by sprinter Dwain Chambers in 2008.

"It is tough but it is fair. It has a strong appeal mechanism," Moynihan told a news conference. Fundamentally the BOA by-law addresses eligibility and is not a sanction."

British sportsmen like cyclist David Millar, who said the CAS ruling was a "good thing," and Chambers have fallen foul of the by-law but the BOA is confident it would win a case if either of them went to CAS because of the distinction that not being picked is different from being banned.

Chambers, who served a two-year drugs ban, challenged the BOA in the High Court in 2008 in a bid to run at the Beijing Olympics but failed in his attempt to have it overturned.

"This is a by-law introduced with support of the athletes for the athletes. It has consistently had 90 percent support from the athletes," Moynihan continued.

He showed a letter the BOA had received from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) saying the association`s anti-doping laws complied with the global standard.

The BOA also said it had written to the IOC requesting confirmation that the CAS decision "in no way impacts the autonomy and ability of individual National Olympic Committees to determine eligibility standards for athletes and coaches who may seek to represent their countries in IOC-sanctioned events such as the Olympic Games."

CAS said its ruling on the IOC case was not in compliance with the WADA`s code.

Moynihan said the IOC would be hugely disappointed by the CAS ruling. "It is a sorry day for the International Olympic Committee," he said, adding the BOA is pondering extending the ban to athletes caught up in match-fixing -- not just doping.

Former doper Millar, banned from competing in the Olympics by the BOA, said lifetime bans for a first offence "does not encourage rehabilitation nor education, two things that are necessary for the future prevention of doping in sport."

"Every doping case is different, as is every human being, we must not forget this. We expect fairness to be an integral part of the sports we watch, and yet fairness can be hard to find in the punishments of those athletes who make mistakes," the Scot said in a statement.

"I hope this decision (by CAS) will pave the way for the development of global sports, and to creating a system that all athletes and sports fans can understand and believe in."

However, the BOA said 90 percent of British athletes supported a life ban on those found guilty of wilful doping.

Five-times Olympic rowing gold medallist Steve Redgrave said he was fully supportive of the BOA`s stance and hoped the by-law would be in place for another 100 years.

"I wholeheartedly stand by the BOA`s Eligibility By-law which aims to exclude athletes who intentionally dope from being selected for Team GB," he said.

"It is fair, there is a clear right of appeal and it serves to catch those athletes who consistently cheated. Any athlete who knowingly cheats has potentially prevented clean athletes from having the chance to fulfil their Olympic ambitions. I will always believe that that is wrong and unacceptable."

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RCB beat NSW by six wickets to enter CLT20 final

Bangalore: David Warner slammed a whirlwind unbeaten century to power New South Wales Blues to a mammoth 203 for two against Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20 on Friday.

Warner (122 off 68) belted the RCB bowlers to all parts of the ground from the word go and together with Daniel Smith (62 off 42) shared a quickfire 146-run second wicket stand off just 87 balls to set the platform for the NSW total.

Warner, who scored an unbeaten 135 to set up a victory against Chennai Super Kings, was at his imperious self, hammering RCB's mediocre bowling. He hit six boundaries and as many as 11 sixes en route his 68-ball innings.

Warner was ably supported by Smith from the other end with seven fours and three huge hits over the fence.

Sent into bat, NSW, however, did not have the best of the start as they lost Shane Watson (3) early in the third over with the scoreboard reading 17.

But, thereafter, Warner and Smith joined hands and the duo sent the RCB bowlers for a leatherhunt to pile up the misery for the home team.

Barring Tillakaratne Dilshan (1/10), none of the RCB bowlers could find their footing in front of the NSW batsmen, especially Warner.

Sreenath Aravind, who has been selected in the Indian squad for the first two ODIs against England, managed to pick up the other NSW wicket but not before yielding 55 runs from his four overs.

After Smith's dismissal, bowled by Aravind, Warner and Rohrer stitched unbeaten 40 runs off just 17 balls for the third wicket.

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India have the ability to bounce back: Kirsten

New Delhi: Former India coach Gary Kirsten was surprised at the disappointing show of Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s men in the recent tour of England, which saw them lose the world number one Test spot, but said they are good enough to bounce back.

In what turned out to be a disastrous tour for India, they were blanked 0-4 in the four-match Test series, while lost 0-3 in the five-match ODI series by England.

England are now in India for five-match one-day contest, which begins on October 14 in Hyderabad.

"It has surprised me. The injuries haven`t helped. For me, they`re a good enough cricket team that they can come back. It has been a disappointment. They probably lost a bit of momentum," Kirsten said.

"It`s been a little bit sad to watch them not play well because there was much anticipation around that series in England.”

"Also with Duncan (Fletcher) coming in as new coach and he`s just been there for a couple of months, he needs to stamp his mark about what he`s going to do. I guess it was always going to be a difficult time upfront," Kirsten, who is now the coach of South Africa, was quoted as saying.

Kirsten praised England for their performance, saying they were the much better side than India during the English summer.

"England are a quality cricket team. They are well coached, have a good structure, good people, they have stability in their team and are putting India under pressure. I don`t think they`d been put under pressure (by India) in the whole series."

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New ICC rules in domestic cricket beginning Challengers Trophy

New Delhi: The newly amended rules of the ICC for international matches will be applied in all the senior-level domestic tournaments, beginning from the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy to be held in Nagpur from October 10-13, the BCCI said on Friday.

"The NKP Salve Challenger Trophy, to be hosted by the VCA from 10 October 2011 to 13 October 2011, will be played under the amended playing conditions that the ICC brought into effect for all international matches, on 1 October 2011," a BCCI release said.

"All senior-level domestic matches and tournaments organized by the BCCI will now be played under the amended playing conditions," the release said.

The amendments include the use of two balls, instead of one, in each one-day innings, barring of use of runners in all formats of the game, batsman being given out for obstructing a fielder on appeal from the fielding team and changes in `Powerplay` over rules.

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Pune FC to take on Blackburn Rovers

Pune: Close on the heels of the Lionel Messi-led Argentine side`s match in Kolkata, English Premier League club Blackburn Rovers will make a maiden appearance in their owner Venkys` backyard as they take on local side Pune FC in an exhibition match on Friday.

Puneites are in for a treat as the likes of New Zealand and Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen, former England international David Dunn, former Spanish international Michael Salgado and Nigerian striker Ayegbeni Yakubu will showcase their skills against Izumi Arata and co at the Shiv Chatrapati stadium at Balewadi on Friday.

The match though not as high-profile as the one between Argentina and Venezuela at the Salt Lake stadium last month, will nevertheless be important for both the teams.

The visitors are having a torrid time of late as they are languishing in the relegation zone in the English Premier League, having won just one match of their first seven ties.

This has ruffled the fans as the team had barely managed to save itself from relegation last season, and calls for removal of chief coach Steve Kean have only gained momentum.

Though a win here may not silence their vexed supporters, anything less than it will give the voices a new reason to dissent.

Meanwhile, for Pune FC, who begin as underdogs, the match is a great opportunity to show that irrespective of its failure to reach the knockout stages of the recently concluded Federation Cup, its steady improvement since promotion to the I-league, including a third place finish last year, was not a fluke.

While a victory would surely surprise the team itself, a spirited performance against a technically superior side will give the hosts great confidence ahead of the new I-League season commencing later this month.

Veteran India player and Pune FC midfielder Shanmugam Venkatesh will lead his team in the absence of regular skipper and goalkeeper Subrata Paul, who along with striker Mandjou Keita is out of tomorrow`s game due to injuries.

"We are ready for history and to unfold a good game for our fans who will be turning out in numbers for the game. Our fans know us and on their behalf we need to keep our reputation by playing well which will be our mission in the game," he said.

"The result does not matter. Everybody is aware of Blackburn`s credentials. For Pune FC, fans matter," they said.

Pune FC coach Derrick Pereira too echoed Venkatesh`s views.

"It is a huge game no doubt but above all it presents a very great opportunity for us to learn. I have been telling all that they have to just enjoy the game and put up a good show for our fans," he said.

"Yes the spirit of the team is good and the players are looking forward to the game tomorrow. We have one of the most passionate fans in the country and we want to put up a good show for them," he added.

About the absence of Subrata Paul and striker Mandjou Keita due to injury, he said, "As a coach you will always want to have the entire squad at your disposal. Subrata and Keita are key players for us, but this provides an opportunity for the younger players to step up. I look forward to the youngsters stepping up and giving a good account of themselves."

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Whatever result we get, we`ll be fine: Harbhajan

Chennai: Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh although wants his team to give best effort in their semifinal match of the Champions League T20 against Somerset on Saturday but said he would not be too bothered about the result.

"Just go out, give it your best shot and enjoy the game. If you`re looking to enjoy the game, you give it everything. I`ll make sure we`ll give it our best on the field and whatever result we get, we`ll be happy with it," said Harbhajan at the pre-match press conference on Friday.

"I hope we play to our potential and whatever result we get, we`ll be fine," he added.

The off-spinner confirmed that one of Mumbai Indians` key players, Kieron Pollard, who had injured himself during training, is fit and would take the field on Saturday.

"He`s fit. He will play tomorrow. Unless he does that (injures) to himself again," said Harbhajan.

The captain though admitted that his team`s batting hasn`t fired as a unit so far in the tournament but added that form does not count too much in the T20 format.

"The kind of batting line up we are, we have not performed to our expectations so far, apart from one game in Bangalore where we played brilliantly and got the runs on the board," he said.

MI`s batting had clicked only in one of their group matches where they had scored 176 for five in 20 overs against Cape Cobras in Bangalore before the match was abandoned due to rain.

"Twenty20 is a kind of format in which you don`t need to be in the best of form to score runs or take wickets. I only believe that. As a matter of fact, if you manage to connect five balls with the bat, that could be your day.”

And if you are a bowler, if you take a wicket with your second ball, you become a different bowler in the competition," he said.

MI have been permitted to add a fit Suryakumar Yadav to their team, who was initially withdrawn due to injury and Harbhajan said that the youngster is "raring to go".

Thanking the governing council for permitting the team to field five foreign players because of a number of injuries, Harbhajan said it was "going to be a tough call" to leave out any of the five foreign players.

"All of them are important players. We have to put our best team on the field tomorrow and let`s hope for the best."

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Mallya denies selling Force India stakes to Sahara

New Delhi: Force India`s co-owner Vijay Mallya rubbished speculation that he is planning to sell his stake in the Formula One team to Sahara India.

Mallya, who is also the chairman of UB Group, denied a media report which stated that the liquor baron was planning to exit from Formula One team he co-owns with Dutch businessman Michiel Mol.

"No question of my getting out of Force India. I have more reason to improve performance when India comes on the Formula One map," Mallya said referring to the October 30 Indian Grand Prix to be held in Greater Noida.

With German Adrian Sutil and Italian Paul di Resta in the driver`s seat, Force India is steadily moving up the Formula One ladder. This season the team has scored 48 points and is sixth on Championship table.

The team was formed in October 2007 when a consortium led by Mallya and Mol bought the Spyker F1 team for 88 million euros.

"I take great pride in having been able to put an Indian team on the Formula One World Championship grid and have worked very hard to greatly improve the performance of the team," said Mallya.

"As Team Principal, I will continue to run the team and I have no plans whatsoever to exit," he added.

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Paes-Bhupathi bow out of China Open

Beijing: Indian tennis duo of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi crashed out of the men`s doubles event of China Open tennis after losing to Croats Marin Cilic and Ivan Ljubicic in straight sets in the quarterfinals.

The fourth-seeded `Indian Express`, who had won the Beijing title in 1997, went down to their opponents without posing much fight to lose 2-6, 3-6.

Cilic and Ljubicic will next take on Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania.

Paes and Bhupathi have bagged three ATP doubles championships so far this season.

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Spirited Mumbai face off against disciplined Somerset

Chennai: Decimated by injuries but spirited nonetheless, Mumbai Indians will bank on their familiarity with the conditions to fight through another tough challenge when they take on England`s Somerset in the semifinal of the Champions League Twenty20 at the M A Chidambaram stadium on Saturday.

Despite being an injury-ravaged side, the chances of Mumbai Indians -- without eight key players such as skipper Sachin Tendulkar, pacers Zaheer Khan Munaf Patel and batsman Rohit Sharma -- are brighter than Somerset who reached the Champions League group stage through Qualification.

Mumbai faced some anxious moments when Kieron Pollard hurt himself during the nets but the team management indicated that the West Indian all-rounder will take part in the semi-final.

Both these teams were written off before the tournament, but both have defied skeptics to gatecrash their way into the semi-finals.

However, the Harbhajan Singh-led Mumbai have a slight edge since they are better equipped to handle the conditions having played two of their matches on the slow pitch here.

On the other hand, Somerset, having played their qualifying rounds in Hyderabad and then their Group-B league ties in Bangalore and Hyderabad, will find it difficult to adapt.

Mumbai have ridden on a dash of audacity and chance, be it overhauling imposing totals they looked certain to fall short of or winning narrow encounters they should have closed out comfortably.

A late blitz by Lasith Malinga took Mumbai past a tottering Chennai Super Kings who until then had the game under control and the Harbhajan-led side barely survived to beat Trinidad and Tobago chasing a target of 99 for their two victories in Group A.

Somerset, led by veteran South African Alfonso Thomas, kept one IPL side out of the last four stage (Kolkata Knight Riders) and qualified on top of the other (Royal Challengers Bangalore) for the semifinals.

Mumbai`s chief concern at the moment is the total lack of form of two of their key foreign players, Andrew Symonds, who is woefully short of match fitness, and Pollard who, barring a top score of 58 in the washed out game against Nashua Cape Cobras, seems to have left his heavy bat back home.

It has obviously put a lot of pressure on the team that, in the process, has not consistently excelled with the bat or the ball in the manner of a champion side, but profited on some timely breaks to progress thus far.

Considering that Somerset had to get through the qualifying competition, reaching the semifinals of the main draw is certainly a fine achievement and a tribute to their all-round strength besides the smart, if not spectacular, cricket they have played so far.

In fact, though short on collective international experience, Thomas, apart from his restrictive but effective seam-up bowling, has marshaled his resources quite well, to somewhat compensate for the lack of aura around the team.

MI coach Shaun Pollock has already claimed that the advantage of having played on the new wicket will aid his side in tomorrow`s tie.

"We`ve played two games and managed to experience what the conditions are all about. We know what to expect," he had said yesterday.

Though Somerset don`t have a varied spin attack like Trinidad and Tobago to excel on the Chennai pitch, Rafael van der Merwe`s left arm orthodox and Thomas` fast medium has done the job for them this year.

They also have an in-house expert on Indian conditions in Murali Karthik, the India international who turns out for Somerset these days. Karthik, a Chennai native will certainly help the team with his knowhow of local conditions.

For Somerset, the batting threat will chiefly come from van der Merwe, Peter Trego and Craig Kieswetter. Van der Merwe, in particular, has excelled with both bat and ball, taking 169 runs and five wickets.

Trego has slammed two half centuries, while Kieswetter has played knocks belying his years, including an unbeaten 56 against Warriors in their crucial final group match.

Mumbai coach Pollock has said his side has a separate plan for each of the Somerset batsmen, including the in-form Craig Kieswetter and van der Merwe.

But he will also be concerned about the failure of his team`s top order. Except the rain-marred match in Bangalore against Cape Cobras, where they made 176/5, the team has struggled to put runs on the board.

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Vikas loses in semis, settles for bronze at World C`ships

New Delhi: Teen Indian boxing sensation Vikas Krishan`s dream run at the World Championships came to an end as he settled for a bronze medal after losing his welterweight (69kg) semifinal bout in Baku, Azerbaijan on Friday.

Up against Ukraine`s European Championship bronze-medallist Taras Shelestyuk, the 19-year-old Vikas went down 12-15.

The Asian Games gold medallist thereby repeated the bronze-medal winning feat of Olympian Vijender Singh at the mega-event but has become the youngest Indian to notch a medal at the showcase.

Facing a stronger rival, Vikas kept a shell guard to stave off an early assault but the sheer power of Shelestyuk`s hooks and uppercuts forced him to open up which allowed the Ukrainian to connect a few telling jabs.

Strength proved to be a key factor as Vikas found it tough to cope with a muscular rival, who threw caution to the wind and fought aggressively to lead 4-2 in the opening round.

In the second round, Vikas changed strategy and tried keeping Shelestyuk at bay by fighting from a distance but the Ukrainian`s precision was hard to deal with for the Indian, whose ribcage became the target of some powerful bodyblows.

The round ended 10-6 in favour of the Ukrainian and it required a miraculous effort to turn the deficit around. But the guile and adaptability which Vikas showed in his earlier bouts was missing today against an opponent focussed on attacking.

The Indian was much more precise with his punches in the final round but this time the Ukrainian kept a shell guard to deny the Indian. Even though Vikas managed to win the last round 6-5 but it could not wipe off the overall deficit.

Shelestyuk will now be up against Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan who left his Lithuanian rival Egidijus Kavaliauskas with a bloodied nose in the first round itself, forcing him to retire at the end of the opening three minutes.

The Kazakh was leading 8-2 when the Lithuanian corner decided to concede the bout.

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Wild card entrants` names for National Tennis C`ship announced

New Delhi: The names of the wild card entrants in the men`s and boy`s U-18 category for the main draw of the 17th National Tennis Championship, to be held from October 10 to 22, were declared.

Four players in each of the men`s and boys` Under-18 categories have got wild cards.

The wild card entrants -- Vinod Gowda, Mohit Mayur, Sunil Sipaeya and Saurabh Singh -- are expected to give tough competition to the likes of Vishnu Vardhan, Yuki Bhambri, N Vijay Sunder Prashanth, V M Ranjeet, PC Vignesh in the men`s section in the tournament.

While the women`s category will see Prerna Bhambri and Rushmi Chakravarthy leading the campaign.

The competition in the boys U-18 category is also going to intensify with the addition of four wild card entrants -- Shaikh Abdullah, Aditya Sharma, R Ramakrishna and Rahul Singh.

This year the prize money for the winner and runner-up has been increased in both the men and women categories. While the men`s champion will bag Rs 1.50 lakh, the winner in the ladies section will pocket Rs 1 lakh. This is the highest prize money in the domestic circuit.

Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza will grace the occasion as the chief guest on the final day of the event.

Over the years, this tournament has seen some of India`s most prominent names in the tennis circuit – Somdev Devvarman, Rohan Bopanna, Karan Rastogi, Prahlad Shrinath, Syed Fazaluddin, Vinod Shridhar, Vishal Uppal, Vijay Kanan, Asif Ismail, Amanjot Singh, Nitin Kirtane, Sai Jayalakshmi, Sonal Phadke, Radhika Tulpule, Lisa Pereira, Isha Lakhani and Ankita and Sanaa Bhambri -- take to the courts at the Delhi Lawn Tennis Association (DLTA).

Wild Card entrants -- Men: Vinod Gowda (KA), Mohit Mayur (TN), Sunil Sipaeya (CHD), Saurabh Singh (DL). Boys U-18: Shaikh Abdullah (HYD), Aditya Sharma (DL), R Ramakrishna (TN), Rahul Singh (DL).

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Anand draws with Carlsen, Ivanchuk demolishes Nakamura

Bilbao (Spain): World champion Viswanthan Anand played out his second draw with world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway to stay second in the overall standings after the sixth round of fourth Final Chess Masters.

It turns out to be a good start for Anand in the second and final leg of the category-22 super tournament after a sedate start in Sao Paulo.

The world champion was never in difficulty and now has two white games to bank on in the remaining four rounds in the tournament.

Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, meanwhile, stretched his lead after scalping for Hikaru Nakamura of United States in a fine attacking game.

The Ukrainian, who was robbed at gun point after the conclusion of the first leg of the tournament in Sao Paulo, was at his best in demolishing the defenses of Nakamura in a Sicilian defense game.

The other game of the day between Francisco Vallejo Pons of Spain and Levon Aronian of Armenia ended in a draw.

With four rounds still to come in the event, Ivanchuk is at the helm with 13 points in all in the soccer-like scoring system that gives three points for a win and one for a draw.

The Ukrainian has won four games thus far besides a loss and a draw and is now Six points clear of nearest contenders Anand, Aronian, Carlsen and Nakamura who all have seven points apiece. Vallejo Pons stands at the bottom at this point with four points in his kitty in the six-player double round-robin event.

Anand went for the tried and tested Nimzo Indian defense against Carlsen who played white. The opening ended on an even keel and Anand neutralised white`s initiative after trading the queens.

The ensuing endgame gave Carlsen an optical advantage as Anand had seemingly weakened pawns on the king side but the world champion dissolved them in quick time to ensure parity. The game lasted 48 moves.

Ivanchuk faced the Sicilian Taimanov from Nakamura and showed his true mettle under pressure. Te opening saw white gaining a slight initiative and Ivanchuk build on it with some concrete plans in the middle game.

Nakamura made the decisive error on move 29 and paid a heavy price as Ivanchuk wrapped the game ten moves later.

After his lone and `lucky` victory against Carlsen in round three at Sao Paulo, Vallejo Pons secured his first draw in the tournament after signing peace with Levon Aronian.

It was a queen pawn game wherein Aronian had to fight to equalise and after regulation exchanges, the Armenian was eventually successful in his attempt. The peace was signed following repetition on move 39.

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Tsonga and Wozniacki progress in Beijing

Beijing: Top seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ended local hopes at the China Open with a 6-3, 6-4 defeat of wildcard Zhang Ze to reach the quarter-finals on Thursday.

The women`s tournament suffered another blow when second seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus pulled out with a foot injury to leave Caroline Wozniacki as the only top-10 player in the draw after the world number one beat Estonian Kaia Kanepi.

The 389-ranked Zhang offered some resistance to Frenchman Tsonga and gave a good account of himself in front of Chinese basketball hero Yao Ming who was watching from a VIP box.

However, despite making the world number seven sweat an upset never really looked likely as Tsonga went through to the last eight where he will play former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero after he beat fellow Spaniard Marcel Granollers.

"I think when you reach the top 100 you can see the difference between the serves and with the returns," Tsonga told reporters after finishing the match with an ace.

All the pre-tourament hype surrounded China`s French Open women`s champion Li Na but she crashed out in the first round of the WTA event which is running alongside the men`s.

Former world number ones Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams pulled out before the tournament and Azarenka departed on Thursday when she could not play her third round match against Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

"I`m sorry to the fans. I was hoping my foot would be okay, but it has been bothering me since Tokyo," Azarenka said. "I`m not sure about recovery time but I will continue to consult my doctor. I hope to be back for Luxembourg."

Denmark`s Wozniacki was pushed hard by Kanepi before sealing a 6-3, 7-6 victory and a quarter-final against Italy`s Flavia Pennetta who beat Dominika Cibulkova.

"I`m happy about the way I played. I think it was a high level match and Kaia is a good player. I knew it was going to be a tough match, more so after losing to her last week (in Tokyo)," Wozniacki said.

"I was really happy to get this win and to get my revenge."

The 26-year-old Kanepi, ranked 46th, rallied in the second set after twice losing serve, sending Wozniacki chasing around the baseline with some fierce returns.

She forced the second set into a tiebreak and had the weary looking defending champion on the back foot but an attempted drop shot into the net at 3-3 handed the initiative back to Wozniacki who was relieved to see her opponent double fault to end the contest.

Wozniacki said the lack of top-10 players in the draw did not detract from the tournament.

"Maybe 20 or 30 years ago you knew that the top 10 were going to be in the quarterfinals every single time," she said. "It`s not like that anymore. I just fight for every point, and I`m happy that I am where I am," added Wozniacki, who was crowned world number one at last year`s China Open.

Croatia`s Marin Cilic reached the men`s quarter-finals after a three-set win against Italian Fabio Fognini.

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Kerala CM Chandy to bat for Kochi IPL

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Friday assured cricket lovers in the state that he would do his best to resurrect the fortunes of the Kochi IPL team and also push for the proposed Kochi cricket stadium that was denied an environment go-ahead.

"I will speak to IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla to see how the fortunes of the Kochi IPL team can be revived," said Chandy while addressing the valedictory function of the golden jubilee celebrations of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) here.

His assurance comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India terminated the Kochi Tuskers Kerala IPL franchise last month for breaching its terms of conditions.

The main reason for the termination of the franchise is because the consortium that owns Kochi is reported to have defaulted on an annual payment of Rs.156 crore as a bank guarantee.

Another assurance which Chandy gave cricket lovers who had assembled in large numbers was to take up with the union environment ministry denial of clearance to build the proposed Kochi cricket stadium.

In June this year then union environment minister Jairam Ramesh had denied permission for the stadium as it falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone -1.

"My government will again take up this issue with the new environment minister. The KCA has submitted a memorandum to this effect. We will do our best to see that cricket prospers in the state," said Chandy.

IANS

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WSB`s Indian franchise picks up world champ, CWG medallist

Baku (Azerbaijan): Former world champion Abbos Atoyev and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Patrick Gallagher were among the five international pugilists that the World Series of Boxing`s Indian franchise -- Mumbai Fighters -- picked up in a draft order conducted by the sport`s governing body AIBA.

The World Series of Boxing draft was held during the rest day of the ongoing World Championships yesterday, which has already seen 12 WSB boxers qualify for the 2012 London Olympic Games through the competition.

It was primarily held for the Mumbai Fighters and the Leipzig Leopards from Germany.

"International Boxing Association (AIBA) President and WSB Chairman, Ching-Kuo Wu, signed a Declaration of Cooperation with Jurgen Kyas from the German Boxing Federation and Marco Schulze, General Manager of the Leipzig Leopards," the AIBA said in a statement.

Fifteen months after the first international draft was held in London, where 87 international boxers were chosen to fill the required quota of non-national squad members, 25 more were again drafted from a list of 67 available athletes representing almost 30 countries from all five continents.

Among the 25 boxers drafted, there were World Champions, Youth Olympic Games Champions, World Youth Champions, World Junior Champions, Continental Champions and many National Champions.

The draft was presided over by Wu in front of the National Federations` representatives and the Mumbai Fighters managed to rope in some of the top names in international boxing.

Atoyev is currently the world number one in the middleweight division. The Uzbek is an old nemesis of India`s Olympic and World Championship bronze-medallist Vijender Singh, having defeated him in the previous World Championships before being beaten in the Asian Games.

But both Atoyev and Vijender were ousted from the ongoing World Championships here after preliminary losses.

Another talented boxer that Mumbai picked was Australia`s Damien Hooper. Hooper beat Dinesh Kumar in the pre-quarters of the ongoing competition before losing by a solitary point in the last-eight stage of the light heavyweight division.

Gallagher was a welterweight gold-medallist at the Delhi CWG last year. But all three of them will compete in the 73kg division in the WSB.

The draft proceeds with a draw between the new franchises to determine the order of picks. The remaining draft order is then based on the previous season`s ranking.

The first round of the draft starts with each franchise having the opportunity to choose a boxer from the `Boxer Draft List`.

Each taking turns, the franchises have a maximum of five minutes to choose an athlete per round. Franchises are allowed to pass their turn.

Once the franchise representative announces the drafted boxer, the next team repeats the process. Surpassing the allocated time means a forfeit of the round.

The draft ends once all franchises have passed their turn twice.

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England takes on Hyderabad XI in warm-up match Saturday

Hyderabad: Ahead of the five-match One-day series against India, the England cricket team hopes to get some good practice when it takes on Hyderabad XI in the first of its two warm-up matches at the Rajiv Gandhi cricket stadium here Saturday.
The Alastair Cook-led team, which arrived here Oct 4, will be looking forward to test the local conditions ahead of the first One-day International to be played at the same venue on Oct 14.

Since all the five ODIs and the only Twenty20 are day-night affairs, both the practice matches will be played under lights. The visitors hope to get first-hand view of the local conditions, including the dew factor.

"I hope it would be great practice under the lights," Cook had said at a press conference Thursday.

Since the new ICC rules would come into play with India-England series, the practice matches are likely to be played under the new guidelines, which include use of two new balls in an innings and a ban on runners.

"We are not sure how they (new rules) would affect the conditions but the team that adapts quickly to the changes will have an advantage," he had said.

England, however, will face a weak opposition in the practice match. Since the top Indian players are either playing the Champions League Twenty20 or busy preparing for the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy beginning at Nagpur on Oct 10, England will get to practice only against a local team.

Hyderabad IX, which had a poor 2010-11 Ranji Trophy season, has only a couple of players with some international exposure.

Though the team has not yet been announced, an official of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) said that the match would feature the same Twenty20 team which was announced recently for the South Zone Inter-State Twenty20 tournament to be held at Chennai from Oct 16.

The second practice match will be played on Oct 11.

The teams:

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Scott Borthwick, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Samit Patel, Graeme Swann, Chris Woakes, Jonny Bairstow, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Jade Demnach, Alex Hales, Stuart Meaker, Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott.

Hyderabad XI: D.B. Ravi Teja (captain). P. Akasath Reddy, T. Suman, G.H. Vihari, B. Sandeep, Ibrahim Khaleel, Arjun Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Anmol Shinde, Ahmed Quadri, Pramveer Singh, Kaneshk Naidu, Ashish Reddy, Anwar Khan and Neeraj Bist.

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Villas-Boas may be at Chelsea for many years: Buck

London: Andre Villas-Boas could emulate Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal by remaining Chelsea`s manager for 10 or 15 years, club chairman Bruce Buck said Thursday.

Chelsea have had seven managers since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 but Buck said at the Leaders in Football Conference at Stamford Bridge he was optimistic Villas-Boas would enjoy great success in the years ahead.

"He is only 33 but he has already had success," said Buck. "In the past we have gone for experienced, successful managers, now we have one who is young and also successful and we hope he will have a lot more success at Chelsea.

"The right man could be in the job for 10 or 15 years and, in light of Andre`s age, he may be that guy. People questioned how a manager of 33 could manage a player of 31 and let me tell you he does it very well and there are no problems there at all."

Ferguson celebrates 25 years as United`s manager next month while Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal for 15 years.

Buck said: "Those clubs have enjoyed great longevity with their managers but it shouldn`t just be longevity for longevity`s sake."

Portuguese Villas-Boas, who joined Chelsea after winning three trophies with Porto last season, will be 34 this month but is not a complete stranger to Stamford Bridge having worked at the club as an assistant when Jose Mourinho was manager.

Chelsea are third in the Premier League, three points behind United and Manchester City after seven matches.

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Thomas dismisses MI advantage in Champions League semfinal

Chennai: Somerset captain Alfonso Thomas believes it would be a "challenge" to take on Mumbai Indians in the Champions League T20 semifinal on Saturday but said his team has enough spin options to tackle their rivals in the slow wicket at MA Chidambaram Stadium.

"It`s going to be a bit of a challenge. But during qualification, we played Auckland straight after coming from England (and won)," Thomas said at a press conference here.

Somerset played all their group and qualification matches in Bangalore and Hyderbad, while Mumbai played two of their group matches here.

Regarding the Chennai wicket, Thomas said, "It looks a bit slow. We have some good spin options who could hopefully deliver the goods against MI.”

"But at the end of the day, it`s 11 and 11 and the best team would win on the day," Thomas said.

Thomas also exuded confidence that his relatively inexperienced top order, which provided the bulk of runs for the side this tournament, would be unperturbed against the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga.

"I don`t think any different from facing Brett Lee (when they played KKR) or Dirk Nannes (when they played RCB). As long as you keep your eye on the ball, play the ball and not the man, you should be ok," said Thomas, one of Somerset`s leading wicketakers in the tournament with seven wickets.

Thomas also denied that his team had faced difficulties when they had to play some inexperienced players during qualification in place of some England stars, who were away on international duty.

"It was more of a challenge (than a difficulty)," he said.

Having played in subcontinental conditions now, his younger players were the better for the experience now, he added.

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Rest required for Dhoni before Australia tour: Sourav Ganguly

Kolkata: Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly says incumbent Mahendra Singh Dhoni should get adequate rest before the upcoming tour of Australia as he has to be fresh for the team`s long series Down Under.

"The true test of captaincy is outside India. But I think the time has come to give a rest to Dhoni. He played a lot of cricket. He plays all versions of the game. He deserves a rest," Ganguly said.

"I think he has to be given rest in the West Indies series so that he can go to Australia very fresh. Because in Australia the Indian captain has to be fresh, otherwise there will be a repetition of the England tour," he said.

The Indian cricket team will tour Australia later this year for a Test series starting in Melbourne Dec 26.

The team lost the Test series 0-4 and One-dayers 0-3 during its recently-concluded tour of England.

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Blackburn Rovers beat Pune FC 3-0 in exhibition match

Pune: A nine-man Pune FC were handed a 3-0 defeat by visitors Blackburn Rovers in a rain-drenched exhibition match on Friday.

Jason Roberts scored a brace at the 40th and 76th minutes respectively, while Japanese striker Ruben Rochina (54th) struck the remaining one in a night of misery for the local team at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here.

Pune FC initially showed some spirit but they soon began to trail behind after their defender Anas Edathodika was given marching orders after being double booked at the 20th minute.

Pune FC did well to restrict the English Premier League club side to a 1-0 lead at the half time but they completely lost it in the second half as the vsisitors went on an attacking spree and scored twice.

The hosts should thank goalkeeper Shahnila meloly who made numourous brilliant saves to prevent what could have been otherwise an even more embarassaing defeat for Pune.

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Ivanovic gets wild card to defend Bali title

Beijing: Former World Number One Ana Ivanovic of Serbia will return to Bali in November to defend her Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions title after receiving the first wild card for the event Thursday.

Last year Ivanovic emerged victorious in the eight-player field, which brings together the best performers of the season from the international series of WTA tournaments, Xinhua reported.

"It almost goes without saying Bali is one of the most beautiful places on the tennis circuit - probably the best," said Ivanovic, who is currently playing in the China Open in Beijing.

"I had a wonderful time there last year. Off the court I was able to relax on the beach, but on the court I played some of my best tennis and was so happy to win the title.

"It is a great thrill for me to come back and try and win the tournament again," the 24-year-old Serb added. "I remember last year we had an exciting atmosphere at each match and I am sure it is going to be another great event."

She is in the quarterfinals at the China Open and will take the court again Friday.

The third annual Tournament of Champions is scheduled for Nov 3 to 6 at the Bali International Convention Centre.

Featuring top WTA players in an eight woman, single elimination format, it offers prize money of $600,000.

IANS

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WSF bans Pakistan Squash Federation secretary

New Delhi: The World Squash Federation imposed a one-year ban on Pakistan Squash Federation Secretary Irfan Asghar for stating that WSF President N Ramachandran played a "malicious role" in preventing his country`s players from obtaining visas for a tournament in Belgium.

The WSF said Asghar brought both the sport and the Federation into "disrepute".

The WSF said that in an interview given to `The News` in Pakistan and a website on July 12 and 14, Asghar had alleged that a "delay by the WSF in sending visa letters to Pakistan was the prime reason why the Belgium Embassy in Islamabad refused to issue visas to Pakistani players, preventing them from participating in the World Junior Individual Championship (July 13 to 17, Belgium)."

Asghar had reportedly said that WSF President, N Ramachandran, had a malicious role in preventing the Pakistani players from obtaining the visas.

"The allegations were put to Irfan Asghar by the WSF Disciplinary and Appeals Committee (DAC) who denied that he had spoken to the journalist, Khalid Hussein of The News; and suggested that these comments were totally a personal statement by the journalist and, in effect, suggested he was neither reliable nor credible," the WSF said in a statement.

"Upon enquiry, the telephone log of the journalist proved that a phone call of six minutes duration on 11 July 2011 came from the mobile phone number of Irfan Asghar. The DAC reached the view that such a conversation did take place and that the comments as reported in the press were made by Irfan Asghar," it added.

The WSF said the visa applications could not be cleared because of a confusion created by the PSF itself.

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India-England ODI series to be played without DRS

New Delhi: With the BCCI not happy with the Hot Spot technology after controversies surrounding it in India`s recent tour of England, the upcoming ODI series between the two countries will be played without the use of Decision Review System.

Hot Spot was made mandatory in the use of DRS while ball-tracking technology was made optional during India`s full tour of England in July-August after a compromise was reached between the BCCI the ICC.

But, with the Hot Spot proving inconclusive during referrals of several appeals for caught-behind and India found themselves at the receiving end on most occasions in the July-August tour of England, the BCCI today said that the technology will not be used in the five-match ODI series starting in Hyderabad on October 14.

This means the five-match ODI series and the lone T20 game during the India-England series will now be played without both the Hot Spot and ball-tracking technology.

"The DRS will not be used during the ODI and T20 International Series between India and England, to be played from 14 October 2011 to 29 October 2011," BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a press release.

Interestingly, the ICC also issued a release, saying that the DRS will not be used in the India-England ODI series as the equipment will not be made available by the suppliers.

"The Decision Review System (DRS) will not be used during the forthcoming One Day International series between India and England following a decision by the developers and suppliers of Hotspot not to make their infra-red cameras available for the five-match series," the ICC release said.

"At its June meeting, the ICC Executive Board decided that infra-red cameras were one of the minimum requirements for the reduced criteria for DRS i.e. when ball-tracking is not employed", the ICC release said.

"As a result of DRS not being used in this series, the Emirates ICC Elite Panel umpire Simon Taufel will not be required to officiate in the matches. Emirates ICC Elite Panel umpire Billy Bowden will stand in the series," it added.

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Rafa sizzles en route to Japan Open semis

Tokyo: Rafael Nadal had to dig deep after coming under heavy fire from Colombia`s Santiago Giraldo in a brutal 7-6, 6-3 quarterfinal victory at the Japan Open on Friday.

While never in serious danger of losing his Tokyo title, the top seed survived a barrage before unleashing a late salvo of his own to come through in a shade over two hours.

Giraldo, the world number 53, went down swinging, continuing with his strategy of going for broke on almost every shot in a pulsating match on centre court.

Nadal, resplendent in his new-look purple T-shirt, secured the first set tiebreak 8-6 with a heavily sliced first serve which tied Giraldo up in knots.

The Spaniard then broke early in the second, but Giraldo had clearly not read the script and threatened to climb off the canvas and strike back at 5-3 down by forcing a break point.

Nadal looked rattled but responded with a superb running forehand which nibbled the edge of the line before striking a gunslinger`s pose and letting out a yell of "Vamos!"

A packed crowd, wrapped in coats and blankets against the late afternoon chill, erupted when Nadal finished the job after his opponent went for too much and hit a wild forehand wide.

Fourth seed Mardy Fish awaits Nadal in the semifinals after the American fought back to beat 18-year-old Australian Bernard Tomic 6-7, 6-4, 6-1.

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Hot Spot not to be used in India-England ODI series

New Delhi: The controversial Hot Spot has been a disappointment in the recent India-England ODI series and it will not be used in the five-match one-day contest between the two countries starting on October 14, according to the head of the company behind the technology.

BBG Sports chief executive Warren Brennan said that his company has decided not to bring the Hot Spot technology for the upcoming ODI series after it did not find BCCI`s support.

"BBG Sports is disappointed at how the Hot Spot performed in the UK during the England vs India series. There were several incidents where we were hoping for better outcomes from the technology," Brennan said.

"Following the comments by Mr Srinivasan on September 20th in relation to Hot Spot and the DRS process, BBG Sports believed it did not have the support of the BCCI and promptly decided not to bring the Hot Spot to India for their upcoming home series," Brennan was quoted as saying.

During India`s ODI series in England in August, Hot Spot had proved inconclusive during referrals of several appeals for caught-behind and was subsequently criticised by the BCCI.

In July, the BCCI had agreed to a compromise with the ICC wherein the Hot Spot was made mandatory in the use of DRS while ball-tracking technology was made optional.

But upon taking over as BCCI president, N Srinivasan reverted to the Board`s original stance against the DRS following Hot Spot`s performance on the England tour.

"It is not necessary for me to dwell on the accuracy of Hot Spot, it was there for everybody to see. The BCCI will, at the next ICC meeting, raise the issue. We want to revisit it because we feel that Hot Spot is insufficient. We do not wish to use the DRS in its present form, even in its minimum standard," Srinivasan had said after the BCCI`s Annual General Meeting last month.

Brennan hoped that the Hot Spot technology will continued to be used in the series outside the subcontinent.

"BBG Sports has continued to invest in Hot Spot technology and has purchased four new Hot Spot cameras in the past six months which we believe could improve the system dramatically," he said.

"These new cameras will be put to good use for series in South Africa, New Zealand and Australia this southern summer," he added.

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HI lambasts IHF for trying to lure players for WSH

New Delhi: Hockey India lambasted Indian Hockey Federation for trying to lure players for its unsanctioned World Series Hockey league, saying such efforts by IHF were "blatant anti-national campaign" which will lead to "slow poisoning" of the national game.

Even though the event is not recognised by the International Hockey Federation, IHF, in collaboration with Nimbus, is all set to organise the multi-million dollar franchise-based WSH league across different cities of the country in December.

"We have learnt that a World Series Hockey (WSH) League has been proposed to be conducted in India in December this year. This event promoted by Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is unsanctioned by FIH and has serious implications for both players and officials who participate in this unsanctioned event," HI said in a statement.

"It (IHF) is desperately trying to throw baits to woo the players and officials for the WSH, fully aware that this is an unsanctioned FIH event which attracts penalties and suspensions for violations.”

"In addition, the dates for WSH League have been deliberately kept, so that it clashes with the National coaching camps for the Olympic Qualifiers. This is nothing but a blatant Anti-National campaign by IHF to ensure the slow poisoning of Indian Hockey," it added.

HI held IHF responsible for eight-time champions India`s failure to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Under the Indian Hockey Federation India failed to qualify for the Olympic Games at Beijing in 2008. This was the first time in 80 years that India went unrepresented in the hockey competition at the Olympic Games. This was nothing short of a national catastrophe as Indian hockey plunged to a new low," it said.

"During the IHF period, India, apart from not qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, performed abysmally in the World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games 2006, finishing 11th, 6th and 5th respectively," HI said in a release.

"However, the team performed much better under Hockey India in the next edition of all these games in 2010. There was a marked improvement in the results as India finished 8th, silver medalist and bronze medalist respectively at the World Cup, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games," HI said.

"Now IHF is hell bent to sabotage India`s qualification chances for the London Olympic Games in 2012."

HI also said that in collaboration with FIH, it will be organising a franchise-based tournament on the lines of Indian Premier League from 2013 and had already sought a 45-day window for the event from the world body.

"Hockey India shall be conducting the International Men Hockey League under the aegis of the International Hockey Federation from 2013," the release said.

"Teams featuring the top current overseas World stars besides India will be drawn from various regions of the country. FIH has been requested for a 45-day window in their calendar for this event and also not to conduct any other tournament during this period.”

"The teams will be owned by franchisees and matches will be played on a home and away basis as in the IPL cricket format. This league shall be held annually and will be part of the FIH sanctioned events," the HI release added.

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ESPN’s 2011 ‘Body Issue’ sizzles

Zeenews Sports Bureau

New York: ESPN magazine’s 2011 ‘Body Issue’ was unveiled in New York on Friday with the world going nuts for the aesthetically nude shots of top world athletes.

The cover images that were previously released have become a rage on the internet. The magazine had announced last week that women`s soccer star Hope Solo, Rams running back Steven Jackson and NBA phenom Blake Griffin would be among the athletes to pose.

Solo, Griffin, snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler, Mets shortstop Jose Reyes and star goalkeeper Tim Howard were chosen to grace the covers of the 2011 issue.

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Another sluggish start for Tiger Woods

San Martin: Tiger Woods returned from a seven-week break and not much has changed.

Woods went 13 holes between his two birdies Thursday in the Frys.com Open and had to work hard for a 2-over 73. That left him in danger of missing the cut in consecutive starts for the first time in his career.

Woods had not played since missing the cut at the PGA Championship in August. He said the time off at least gave him time to practice and figure out his swing changes, and he was playing 36 holes a day at home in Florida.

On a cool, rainy day at CordeValle, it was a different story.

He was outplayed in his group by UCLA sophomore Patrick Cantlay, who had a 69.

Texas Open winner Brendan Steele was among three players tied for lead at 4-under 67.

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Rooney relaxed following dad`s arrest, says Capello

London: Wayne Rooney was relaxed following the arrest of his father and will start for England in their crucial Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro on Friday, manager Fabio Capello said.

The Manchester United striker`s dad and uncle were among nine men released on bail on Thursday after being arrested earlier in the day as part of an inquiry into an alleged betting scam. Rooney senior has denied all the allegations.

"I spoke with him (England striker Rooney) five minutes ago and I found him relaxed and calm so there will be no problem with the game tomorrow against Montenegro," Capello told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.

"He told me he has no problems and assured me this personal problem will find a solution within a short time.

"I will decide tomorrow morning about the forward that I will play with Rooney," added Capello whose team need at least a point from the Group G clash to ensure they finish top and qualify automatically for the finals in Poland and Ukraine.

Rooney has been in electric form since the start of the season scoring 11 goals in 10 games for club and country.

"Wayne is focussed on the game," England captain John Terry said. "We all realise the importance of that. It`s important for him to go and play his football. That`s all that matters to us."

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South African cricketer gets drugs ban

Durban: South African batsman Vaughn van Jaarsveld has been banned from cricket for three months following an appeal from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the South African Cricketers` Association (SACA) said on Thursday.

The 26-year-old Van Jaarsveld, who has played two one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches for South Africa tested positive for the banned stimulant sibutramine in November after taking weight loss medication prescribed by his doctor.

Sibutramine is a stimulant which, although present in certain medications, is also on WADA`s prohibited list.

Initially, Van Jaarsveld received a reprimand from the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) after it found that the medication had been taken for legitimate weight loss reasons and not to enhance performance.

But WADA appealed against the decision, resulting in SAIDS handing down the three-month ban.

"This is a particularly harsh outcome for Vaughn, given the circumstances of this matter," SACA`s chief executive Tony Irish said in a statement.

"It seems likely that Vaughn will not be in a position to appeal and so will have to live with this suspension which comes at the worst possible time for him. We, as his player association, will be supporting him through this period.

"The decision does, however, illustrate the dangers for all sports persons unwittingly taking medication, or supplements, which may potentially contain prohibited substances. It has become so important that players and athletes actually check and double check the contents of all medications," he added.

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ICC warns SLC over `poor` quality of Galle pitch

Dubai: The ICC on Friday let off Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) with a warning for the poor quality pitch at Galle which hosted the Island nation`s first Test of a three-match series against Australia in August.

The move follows a report submitted by Match Referee Chris Broad to the ICC expressing his concerns over the quality of the pitch prepared for the match which Australia won by 125 runs.

The ICC has the power to impose a sanction ranging from a warning and/or fine (for a first offence) to a suspension of the international status of the venue in the case of repeated offences.

The ICC`s General Manager, Cricket, David Richardson, and chief match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, considered the match referee`s report, a response from SLC and the video footage of the match, before passing the judgement.

"We have come to a decision that the pitch prepared for the match should be rated as `poor`," Richardson said.

"It was clear from the video footage of the match that the amount of turn, especially early in the match, was excessive and there were occasions (even on the first day) where the ball went through the surface of the pitch, bouncing unusually steeply from a good length," he added.

"Whilst it is understandable and acceptable for a pitch to deteriorate over the course of the match, for a pitch to exhibit this type of behaviour at relatively early stages of the match was not acceptable.

"We do not wish to see a pitch that is too heavily weighted in favour of the batsmen, in this instance, the balance was just too much in favour of the bowler," Richardson insisted.

The duo reiterated that since it was for the first time that a pitch at Galle has been rated as "poor", the SLC has been let off with a warning.

"Taking into account that it was the first time that a pitch at Galle has been rated as `poor` and given the intention of the curator to prepare a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball, we have decided to impose a warning as the sanction," Richardson revealed.

Meanwhile, the ICC has directed pitch consultant Andy Atkinson to carry out an inspection of the square and make recommendations on any corrective action that may be required.

The SLC, in turn, is to submit a report to the ICC confirming that the corrective actions, as advised by the pitch consultant, had been carried out prior to the staging of the next international match at the venue.

The inspection by Atkinson will be carried out at the end of this month.

"We have also directed that ICC`s pitch consultant Andy Atkinson to carry out an inspection of the square with a view to making recommendations to ensure that in future the manner of preparation is in line with what is required and to ensure that a better balance between bat and ball is achieved," Richardson added.

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Boxing body refutes London 2012 fix allegation

London: Amateur boxing`s world governing body has dismissed as `preposterous and utterly untrue` allegations that Azerbaijan was promised two gold medals at next year`s London Olympics in exchange for a loan of millions of dollars.

The president of the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA), however, said that the governing body would "immediately" probe the allegations.

The allegations, by an unnamed insider, were broadcast by a leading news channel on Thursday and also reported that on their website.

"Any suggestion the loan was made in return for promises of gold medals at the 2012 Olympics is preposterous and utterly untrue," said an AIBA statement.

The broadcaster said it had uncovered evidence of "secret payments" of millions of dollars from a mystery source in Azerbaijan to World Series Boxing (WSB), a competition run under the auspices of the AIBA.

An AIBA spokesman could not be reached immediately for a separate comment but the news channel quoted the amateur body as saying that the loan was neither secret nor improper.

"It was an arm`s length transaction between two entities made on a commercial basis and with a view to a commercial return for the investor," the statement added.

"While that investor prefers not to be named ... AIBA/WSB can confirm that they are a private investor and are not the Azerbaijani Government," the statement added.

"AIBA/WSB believe that such allegations have been made by individuals with an axe to grind, who are totally discredited.”

"As well as unjustifiably imputing corruption to AIBA/WSB, they demonstrate a complete misunderstanding of the procedures which lead to the award of Olympic boxing medals and the impossibility of influencing these."

AIBA has already announced that London 2012 will have a new electronic scoring system, making each ringside judge openly accountable for his actions.

There were fears at the last Games in Beijing the boxing competition was open to manipulation.

AIBA`s Taiwanese president Wu Ching-Kuo, in Azerbaijan for the world championships in Baku, said that the ruling body operated in a fair and transparent way and had a zero tolerance policy for corruption.

He described the allegations as "totally impossible and ridiculous" but said he would probe any wrongdoing.

"Thanks for informing about this information, I will immediately conduct an investigation," he told the broadcaster.

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Hamilton tops opening Singapore F1 practice

Singapore: Briton Lewis Hamilton topped the times in Friday`s delayed and curtailed opening free practice session ahead of Sunday`s Singapore Grand Prix.

The 26-year-old Englishman threw his McLaren around the floodlit street circuit to produce a best lap time of one minute and 48.599 seconds, finishing half a second ahead of championship chasing Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull.

Vettel, who needs a victory and other drivers to fail to finish among the leaders if he is to take his second title on Sunday, revelled in his duel with Hamilton as the pair traded fastest laps in an ultimately absorbing session.

The pair met on their respective flights to Singapore and while Hamilton has conceded this year`s championship to the German, he set up the weekend`s competition with a different kind of sports challenge for his younger rival.

"I asked him if he played golf, because I would happily play golf with him. I don`t know what else he does," said Hamilton.

"Maybe we should meet up on the autobahn in the same car. Then we`ll see how it goes."

Their duel dominated a session twice red-flagged for interruptions after minor incidents as they finished clear of Australian Mark Webber of Red Bull.

Webber, one of the quickest men on street circuits, wound up ahead of two-times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Ferrari, who is Vettel`s closest championship rival, albeit running 112 points behind with six races remaining.

Briton Jenson Button was fifth in the second McLaren ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa in the second Ferrari, German Adrian Sutil of Force India and his compatriot seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, 42, in the leading Mercedes.

Briton Paul di Resta was ninth for Force India and German Nico Rosberg 10th in the second Mercedes.

The start of the session was delayed by half an hour for track repairs to parts of loose curbing on the Marina Bay circuit deemed to be a danger for the F1 cars.

The delay meant the session was reduced to one hour instead of 90 minutes as the cars began to roar around the waterside track in South East Asia`s smallest country under the glowing floodlights.

Once the action was underway, Rosberg, Schumacher and Massa topped the times early on, before Webber ran into German Timo Glock`s Virgin and left front wing debris on the circuit, causing the first delay.

The second delay happened after Finn Heikki Kovalainen`s Lotus burst into flames.

Later, Massa ran over loose plastic curbing that rose out of the road but by then it was clear the battle for supremacy was between Vettel and Hamilton as they traded the best times with the Briton ending the session on top.

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Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi`s death "terrible loss to cricketing world": Sachin

Tendulkar paid tribute to Pataudi, saying that world cricket will badly miss a hero like him.

"It`s a terrible loss to the cricketing world. I had the privilege of meeting him on a few occasions. World cricket will miss a hero like him. I really respected him," Tendulkar said in his condolence message.

Gavaskar expressed shock at the demise of Pataudi, whom he called the most charismatic cricketer of his generation.

"This is very sad news indeed. Only a few weeks ago we saw him in England at the presentation of the Pataudi Trophy and he looked his usual self. Therefore to get this news is a shock," Gavaskar said in a statement.

"Tiger Pataudi was the most charismatic cricketer of his generation. To bat with almost zero vision in one eye and still to score nearly 3000 runs and half a dozen centuries in Test cricket tells you what a genius he was. He will be terribly missed and it`s a huge loss to the game of cricket," he said.

Another former captain Sourav Ganguly remembered Pataudi for his class and dignity.

"I am extremely saddened hearing the news about Pataudi passing away. My heartfelt condolence to his family and may his soul rest in peace," he said.

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ICC President Sharad Pawar pays tribute to `Tiger` Pataudi

Dubai: ICC President Sharad Pawar on Friday paid tribute to late former India skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, saying that he was one of the "greatest, most charismatic and flamboyant captains" to lead the country`s cricket team.

"On behalf of the International Cricket Council (ICC), I condole the passing of `Tiger` Pataudi who was one of India`s greatest, most charismatic and flamboyant captains," Pawar said in a statement.

Aged 70, Pataudi breathed his last yesterday after battling a lung infection for the past few weeks.

Pataudi led India in 40 of the 46 Tests he played between 1961 and 1975 and his finest moment came in 1967 when he guided the country to its maiden overseas Test series triumph.

"Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was a man of exceptional talent who turned out to be an inspiration to millions of cricketers, not only in India but across the globe. It was an honour and privilege to have known him," said Pawar.

"Mansur Ali Khan became a true darling of India cricket due to his on the field heroics and off the field easy manners. After retirement, he maintained his close association with the game in different capacities, including as a commentator."

"Whenever he shared his views on the game, they were taken seriously as they were considered to be coming right from the bottom of the heart of one of India`s greatest servants of the game. He will be sorely missed," Pawar added.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat also paid tribute to Pataudi, who fondly called `Tiger` for flamboyant persona.

"I was sad to learn of the demise of India`s iconic former Test captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

"...I had the privilege of discussing with him the past, present and future of Test and 50-over cricket. It was absolutely fascinating to hear his views and confidence in these formats," he said.

A Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968, Pataudi scored 2,793 runs at an average of 35 and included six centuries. He also served as an ICC match referee in two Tests and 10 ODIs between 1993 and 1996.

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Ten-man Real Betis go top with perfect record

Madrid: Ten-man Real Betis survived a late scare to maintain their 100 percent record with a 4-3 victory over Real Zaragoza and open a two-point lead at the top of La Liga.

It has been a remarkable start for the Andalusian side who have taken the top flight by storm with their adventurous attacking football after a season in the second division.

Roque Santa Cruz scored the first of a double on Thursday after just seven minutes and Salva Sevilla extended the lead from the penalty spot before Efrain Juarez pulled a goal back for Zaragoza still before half time.

Betis never looked particularly secure at the back but another penalty this time from Benat Etxebarria and Santa Cruz`s second on 49 minutes gave them a comfortable cushion.

However midway through the second half Betis keeper Casto Espinosa rashly darted off his line and was red carded for upending Luis Garcia despite the fact that he did have defenders behind him.

A double from Juan Carlos led to some anxious last minutes for Betis but they held on.

Super-sub Walter Pandiani scored an injury time winner as Espanyol beat Getafe 1-0 and condemned their rivals to their third successive defeat.

Getafe had not won away since January and their confidence was not high after a poor start to the season but they were up against an Espanyol team who had also suffered two defeats from three games.

There was plenty of toil but little flowing football in the first half.

However, after the break Espanyol took the game to the visitors. Javi Marquez saw a deflected shot go just wide and Alberto Lopo blocked a Vladimir Weiss strike on the goal line but it was really keeper Miguel Moya who was keeping Espanyol at bay.

In particular he did well to stop a Thievy Bifouma shot from close range.

Getafe missed a glaring chance themselves when Juan Valera blazed wide late on but Espanyol got a deserved win a minute into injury time, when Pandiani coolly slotted home in the box.

"This victory gives us a good feeling because as well as the three points it is good to get your reward after searching for the goal for so long," said Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino.

"We struggled to get in the game during the first half but after that we dominated completely."

Spain`s top two continued to not have it their own way in midweek as Barcelona could only draw 2-2 at Valencia while Real Madrid came away with a 0-0 draw from their trip to Racing Santander.

Cesc Fabregas rescued a point for Barcelona and has now scored in the four league games so far to set a record for a new player, but the result means the champions have now already dropped four points from the opening fixtures.

"I never believed it was a case of just two teams in the league as all the clubs are dangerous. This is still an important point for us as Valencia are a strong team although it is unfortunate we didn`t get a third goal," said Barca keeper Victor Valdes.

It has been an even worse start for Real whose draw followed a defeat away to Levante at the weekend.

Coach Jose Mourinho rang the changes which included Jose Callejon and Lassana Diarra coming into the side but it was another ineffective performance.

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