Category Archives: Sports

Sania Mirza-Bethanie Mattek win Brisbane International title

Leaders, Records, All, Sports

Brisbane:

Sania Mirza began her 2013 campaign in style by winning the Brisbane International tennis tournament with American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands here on Saturday.

Sania-Bethanie edged out Czech-German duo of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 in a battle lasting little over one hour thirty minutes. There was very little to choose between the teams until the Indo-American pair clinched the issue in the super tie-break.

The win has come at the right time for Sania-Bethanie, who would like to maintain their impressive run in the Australian Open beginning January 14.

Sania-Bethanie edged out Czech-German duo of Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Kveta Peschke 4-6, 6-4, 10-7 in a battle lasting little over one hour thirty minutes.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in / Home> Tennis / by  IANS / January 05th, 2013

Howzzat! Hyderabad umpire in ICC panel

Records, All, Sports

Hyderabad:

Chettithody Shamshuddin, better known as Shamshu in Hyderabad cricket circles did the city proud when he was named the lone Indian among the five new third umpires appointed to the ICC’s international panel announced on Thursday.

The 42-year-old made his international debut in the India-England Twenty20 match in Pune last month.

After that he stood in the recent Twenty20 between India and Pakistan in Bengaluru and was the third umpire for the subsequent India-Pakistan Twenty20 at Ahmedabad.

“The International Panel of Umpires comprises match officials who are nominated by their home boards and accredited by the ICC. The umpires on this panel can be assigned all three formats of the game. The five new third umpires are Anisur Rahman (Bangladesh), Michael Gough and Tim Robinson (both England), C. Shamshuddin (India) and Derek Walker (New Zealand),” the ICC said in a statement.

Having played for Bharatiya Cricket Club, Adams XI and Finecab CC in the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s lower division league in the 1990s — he was a middle order batsman and a medium pacer who turned to leg-spin later — Shamshuddin took to umpiring part-time to earn some pocket money.

He gradually began to take interest in the role and started to sharpen his skills. He then put in the hard yards as he set higher standards for himself.

In 1997, the BCCI conducted umpires examination but Shamshu didn’t qualify. Back to the drawing board, he reorganised himself and endured a long wait. It wasn’t until 2006 when the BCCI held the umpires exam again. This time, Shamshu came out flying in all departments — match management, conflict resolution, code of conduct, calculation of overs in rain affected matches, team work, field craft, body language, positioning, etc.

Three years later, in the 2009-10 season, Shamshu got to stand in his first Ranji Trophy game.

Consistent performances then saw him comfortably climb to the top rung.

Umpiring no doubt is a high-pressure job, especially given the noise level at Indian venues where faint edges are very difficult to detect but Shamshu stays mentally focussed.

Listening to light music, reading interesting books and not thinking too much about pressure situations besides talking to himself are part of his mental preparation.

Regular walking, light jogging and a few stretching exercises keep him physically fit.

Besides watching videos, Shamshu practices by attending net sessions when the state and academy teams are training and is a regular at the Gymkhana grounds.

With a work ethic like that, it’s only a matter of time before the Hyderabadi is in the centre of action (on-field) at top level matches.

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Sports> Cricket / by K. Moses , DC / January 04th, 2013

Master of cricket administration dies

Sports
District Cricket Association office-bearer passes away

P . Appala Raju

Honorary treasurer of Andhra Cricket Association and organising secretary of the Vizianagaram District Cricket Association P. Appala Raju, who passed away at a corporate hospital here on Tuesday morning, two days before his 80 birthday, was associated with the game of cricket as a player and later as an administrator for several decades and was active till very recently.

A veritable example of perseverance and stickler for discipline, Appala Raju had been popular among ACA members as Mastaru and true to the title, he was the master of cricket administration and no project undertaken by the ACA was complete without his able guidance.

He was always ready to chip in with any kind of help to those who seek his advice, the ACA described him in a message.

He was behind Vizianagaram, fort town, hosting several Ranji matches and all-India inter-university matches whether it was at the relatively new Vizzy stadium, the decades old M.R. College ground, the Police ground or the nearby Sainik School ground at Korukonda and in organising the ODIs in Visakhapatnam in the recent past.

The most recent example of his efficiency was repayment of ticket price to all the spectators who had bought tickets for the India-New Zealand Twenty20 match at the ACA-VDCA stadium during October 2012 which was abandoned due to rain.

Appala Raju did his graduation from M.R. College, Vizianagaram and M.Sc. (statistics) from Banaras Hindu University. A tall opening bat and medium pacer, he had the distinction of playing for Andhra University, BHU and Patna University and later he worked as Physical Director of M.R. College for a long time and acted as manager of AU cricket team for two decades. Vice-president of Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association and former Physical Director of AU P.R. Narayanaswami said Appala Raju had guided him a lot as a Physical Director. Apart from conducting many major tournaments in Vizianagaram, Appala Raju ensured that all the play fields of MR College were kept in good shape and equipment provided to students. Appala Raju’s death was an irreparable loss to ACA and a void difficult to be filled, said Mr. Narayanaswami.

A large number of office-bearers of the ACA, including its general secretary G. Ganga Raju, and that of some district associations were present at the cremation of Appala Raju at Jonnavalasa, his native village near Vizianagaram on Tuesday afternoon.

ACA president D.V. Subba Rao, Mr. Ganga Raju, vice-president D.V.S.S. Somayajulu, zonal secretaries N. Prabhakara Rao and Koka Ramesh, director (cricket operations) M.S.K. Prasad, office-bearers of different district associations G.V. Ramachandra Raju, P.S.S.R. Gajapathi Raju, J.V. Bhaskara Rao, A. Yella Rao, P. Vishnu Kumar Raju, K. Parthasaradhi, Gajapathi Raju, B. Bapuji, administrative manager of ACA-VDCA stadium B.J.J. Raju, along with former Andhra Ranji captain M.V. Ravikumar, former Ranji player G.V. Sanyasi Raju, PD of M.R. College M. Vasudeva Raju, and several others condoled the death of Appala Raju.

Former Minister and ACA president P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju mourned Appala Raju.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / January 02nde, 2013

Nach Baliye 5: Shoaib Malik sweeps Sania Mirza off her feet

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Sports

The couple throw a stunning performance in the dance reality show

Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik perform during a dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye 5’. (Screen grab)

Indian tennis player Sania Mirza and her husband, Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik’s chemistry was nothing short of electric as they waltzed on the dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye 5’.

The couple who was a little nervous before their performance was unstoppable when they started twirling on the stage.

Their chemistry and expression spoke volumes about their relationship and love. The impact was such that even the judges were mesmerized with this flawless performance by the sportstars.

They danced in perfect co-ordination. Sania looked lovely in a pink outfit while Shoaib would make any girl go weak in her knees in that formal suit.

As special guest they have been in the news for a while and will be finally seen this Saturday performing together in the celebrity dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye-5’.

Though Sania was skeptical about her dancing skill, she is confident about Shoaib’s talent and hopes he makes it up for the two. Shoaib apparently is a good dancer and has right proved on the floor.

Shy Sania has been practicing rigorously to put her acts together. So much so that she practices her dance moves more than her tennis strokes. Sania tweeted: “Started the day at 5.30 in the morning, 2 hours of practice followed by a 11 hour shoot for nach baliye..Its safe to say I am exhausted!!!”

Phew!! That’s too much of hard work for a guest performance.

Sania and Shoaib look absolutely smitten with one another. Their love-story is no less than a movie script and hence they have decided to enact it on screen!

Both Sania and Shoaib faced all odds before their marriage. The couple belongs to two rival nations; Shoaib Malik was also tainted as a cheat who first married Ayesha Siddiqui and later dumped her.

Sania stood firm supporting Shoaib though the legal and social hassle. Both faced all snags but finally decided to listen to their hearts.

Their love story went on to culminate in a marriage that had everyone mesmerized. Now Star Plus will capture their journey in the show that’s all about love, chemistry & compatibility.

Sania-Shoaib’s strong, ardent love story is perfect for a show where the two partners showcase the power of their bond. This is the first time that they will be featuring on television on a celebrity dance show.

But we expect Sania and Shoaib to bring in some twist in the show.

India’s celebrity dance show, ‘Nach Baliye 5’ has come back with a brand new season and a brand new promise to wow audiences every weekend.

The previous seasons were a massive hit with the small screen audience, Season 5 promises to be bigger, better and more glamorous.

The three judges this year are Bollywood’s favourite, Shilpa Shetty Kundra; director & actor; Sajid Khan and celebrity choreographer Terrence Lewis.

This will also be actress Shilpa Shetty’s first on-screen big project after her she delivered a baby boy.

source: http://www.emirates247.com / Home> Entertainment / by Staff / Wednesday, Janurary 02nd, 2013

Pullela Gopi Chand, badminton coach

Leaders, Records, All, Sports
Pushing badminton onto the global stage.
Gopi Chand at the Pullela Gopi Chand Nimmagadda Foundation Badminton Academy, Gachibowli, Hyderabad. Photo: Harsha Vadlamani/Mint
At Pullela Gopi Chand’s   badminton academy in Hyderabad, there’s no justification for defeat. He keeps with himself a list of “excuses for losing”, which includes: “The linesman was cross-eyed”, “I wore new shoes”, “I have a sprain”, or “I didn’t sleep well last night”. The message for Gopi Chand’s 150 trainees is clear: Use excuses at your own peril.
“No one is spared,” Gopi Chand, 39, says, “not even myself. Everyone here knows what needs to be done, how much work has to be put in, and that it needs to be done no matter how hard it is.”
This single-minded focus has made the 2001 All England champion into the most formidable badminton coach in the country, impatiently hacking through the odds to script a shining story of success. He’s coach to  Saina Nehwal , who became the first badminton player from India to win a medal at the Olympics, in a year in which she also became the highest paid athlete in the country (excluding cricketers). He’s coach to P.V. Sindhu  , the lanky 17-year-old prodigy who’s already started making rapid inroads into world badminton. Of the 12 women’s and men’s singles players from India ranked in the world’s top 100, 11 come from his academy. At this year’s Senior National Badminton Championships, every category was won by a player from his academy. Three of the losing finalists were his students too. That this compact training school, easy to miss among the gigantic and swank IT complexes which surround it, has produced every single badminton champion in India this year is almost unbelievable.
“That makes me happy,” says Gopi Chand, “but not by much. For me, these are only signs that we have a lot of responsibilities for the future, lots of work to do.”
Even Nehwal’s victories are mere markers for what Gopi Chand and his team are doing right, and what they’re not. There’s just no time to gloat.
“If you want to be good, there is no place for complacency, or even democracy for that matter,” he says. “You need a strong mind to survive in sports, because there’s no normal life here. It’s just train, eat right, rest, recover, compete.”
What excites him most about this year is the rise of Sindhu, who is already ranked world No. 24 in women’s singles.
“We’ve got at least four fantastic 13-year-olds training right now as well,” says Gopi Chand. “That is the dream. Not one Saina Nehwal, but many. In the next four to five years, it is possible that we will be the second superpower in badminton after China.”
source: http://www.livemint.com / Live Mint & The Wall Street Journal / Home> Lounge / by Rudraneil Sengupta / Friday, December 28th, 2012

British ‘high’ for Bobjee

Amazing Feats, Records, All, Sports

First Indian cricketer to be conferred with the MBE medallion

Combining cricketing acumen with a human touch! Well, M.V. Narasimha Rao is the first Indian cricketer ever to be conferred with the prestigious Member of British Empire (MBE) medallion for his contribution to promoting the sport and also for community service through cricket during the testing times faced by the ethnic community in Northern Ireland.

SENSE OF PRIDE

And back home in the city for holidaying, the 58-year-old Bobjee — as he is popularly known in cricketing circles — who played for India in four Tests in 1979 under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy feels that he has every reason to look back at his stay in Ireland since 1989 with a sense of pride and immense satisfaction.

“MBE is like getting a Padma Award in India. There is so much aura associated with it.

TERMS IT A ‘HUGE HONOUR’

“It is a huge honour, and you are a special invitee to all the functions of the Royal Family back in England,” says a smiling Bobjee as he relaxes at his residence in Marredpally in the company of his wife Josephine and son Suresh (his two daughters stayed back in Ireland as they have to attend college).

“Well, these are the awards which give you a new direction and fresh hopes to do something more special for humanity,” he feels.

“In terms of getting recognised back in Ireland, it did a lot.

“But the fact that I continue to be the chairperson of the North Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (mostly featuring Polish, Indians and Chinese) is only like getting involved in community service to a great extent,” he points out.

On cricketing assignments, he said, “I take pride in reminding that nine of the boys whom I coached were members of the Ireland World Cup team in 2011, and they include the most famous of all, Kevin O Brien (the centurion against England in the World Cup),” says the beaming cricketer, who is also the Director of Cricket Development Programmes, NW Cricket Union.

TEST STATUS FOR IRELAND

“The target we set for ourselves is to see that Ireland gets Test status by 2020,” he insists.

Incidentally, this is the silver jubilee year since Hyderabad last won the Ranji Trophy in 1987 under Bobjee’s captaincy.

“Definitely, it pains when you see Hyderabad performing badly.

“I sincerely believe that V.V.S. Laxman should take up a big role in the HCA (Hyderabad Cricket Association) affairs to give a new direction to the young talent,” he signs off in exasperation.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. V. Subrahmanyam / December 28th, 2012

Brave heart cops swim from Bheemli to Visakhapatnam

Sports

Visakhapatnam:

Braving powerful currents and painful jellyfish stings a team of nine swimmers  successfully completed their 25-kilometre swim from Bheemunipatnam to R K Beach in the city on Saturday as part of the trialthon event  organised to mark 150 years of service by the police.

The swim started off from Bheemunipatnam at 6.45 am and the swimmers reached Vizag’s shores over nine grueling hours later, to be greeted by a large number of people and personnel from the police  department.

Waving the Indian flag, additional DGP (sports) Rajiv Trivedi led his team members ashore, including Goa CISF deputy commandant S Jayakumar, Maharashtra police DSP Balasaheb Ramchandra Ghadge, BSF sub-inspector Mandar Anand Divase, Vizag city constable N Tulasi Chaitanya, Nizamabad constable N Srinivas, Vizag district constable Ch Srinivas, Odisha constable Rushab Suna and techie Sunil Menon of Microsoft.

Narrating the experience, Trivedi said, “I fell in love with the city when I visited it in 1995 and always wanted to swim from somewhere to Vizag. When I heard that Bheemli is celebrating its 150 years as a municipality, I wanted to take up the swim. I wanted to connect the historical town of Bheemli with the modern city of Vizag through my swim.” However, cautioning the youth against the dangers of swimming in the sea, he said, “The sea is lovely and attractive. But people can get trapped, so people should be well equipped. Without the knowledge of swimming, currents and depths, one must not enter the sea.” He thanked the efforts of support team of navigators Kiran Kumar and V Srinivas.

The team was accompanied by four kayaks with two rowers each, two fishing boats with navigation equipment, replenishments and a coastguard vessel. Travelling in the fishing boat alongside swimmers, Udaya Trivedi, wife of ADGP (Sports), said the first three to four hours were the hardest for the team of swimmers.

Comparing the west and the east coast of the country, Goa CISF deputy commandant S Jayakumar said, “The east coast is far more challenging than the west. In Goa, we don’t have such rough waves. Here the currents are too strong. We had to put in a lot of effort.”

Vizag district police constable Ch Srinivas, who participated in national games three times, described it as a tough swim. Having already completed a swim from Rushikonda to Vizag, he said it was the longest time he had spent battling the sea.

With the swimming leg of the triathlon over, the team will now cycle 695 km from Vizag on Sunday and is expect to reach Hyderabad on December 31. On January 1, they will participate in a 42-km marathon in the state capital.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / December 23rd, 2012

Bowling competition begins in Vijayawada

Sports

The city’s first-ever bowling competition began on Wednesday at the Planet Fun that incidentally boasts of the first bowling alley here.

One of the directors, Ravuru Srinivas, said the response to this competition was overwhelming and that over 50 participants had already registered.

The enrolment fee of Rs. 200 would0 give the participant an assured gift voucher of Rs. 100 valid at Essense food court and a certificate.

“It is great and feels good to see such improvements, especially in my hometown, Vijayawada, which was considered a small city till recently, said Aishwarya Tammareddy, on vacation here.

The competitions are in four stages with the preliminary round on Wednesday, quarter and semi-finals on Thursday and the finals on Friday, said another Director S. Srinivas.

Winners in the finals will be given a cash prize of Rs. 5,000 for the first place, Rs. 3000 for the second place and Rs. 1,000 for the third place, he said.

The fact that bowling was also one of the most stress-free and fun way to burn calories comes as an added bonus, he chuckled. For further details contact Phone-0866-2465457.

— Staff Reporter.

  • Quarter and semi-finals will be held on Thursday and the finals on Friday
  • First, second and third prize-winners will be given Rs. 5,000, Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 1,000 respectively
  • ———————————————————————————–Source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> In School / Vijyawada, December 20th, 2012

    • New Guiness record set for non-stop joke narration

    Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports

    BSNL employee Nanduri Prabhaakar being greeted on completing 48-hour non-stop joke narration marathon at the office of the GM BSNL in Visakhapatnam on Monday. /  Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam / The Hindu

    Forsaking sleep for two consecutive nights to achieve the distinction of having surpassed a 20-year-old Guinness World Record for non-stop narration of jokes and in the process bring fame to his employer BSNL, Nanduri Prabhaakar talked away for 50 hours.

    Starting on Saturday at 11:24 a.m. the BSNL employee and head of the Visakha Humour Club started narrating humorous anecdotes in Telugu from lives of famous personalities and those recorded in the works of famous writers. He made a very smooth transition from one anecdote to another without fumbling for words or thoughts.

    Most of us cannot speak for five minutes. Imagine talking for 50 hours that too keeping track of what he is saying, and not being disturbed by the noise around him, BSNL General Manager (Consumer Fixed Access) Y V Sastry said putting the effort in perspective. He spoke during a break taken to mark the completion of 48 hours of narration.

    Prabhaakar was felicitated by Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivas, General Manager (CFA), Deputy General Manager (Admin) R Harimohan, DGM (Finance) Y Srirama Murthy, writer Kasi Viswanath and patron of Omkar and Lions School for the Deaf Kasim Mehdi during the break taken after completion of 48 hours of Joke Marathon.

    Prabhaakar finally concluded his marathon after 50 hours. The Guinness World Record for non-stop joke narration was set in 1992 in the US and has not been broken. He will submit the records of this performance, conducted according to the guidelines prescribed by the Guinness Book, in his bid to enter the record book.

    source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Special Correspondent / December 11th, 2012

    Koneru Humpy felicitates Priyanka and her coach

    Records, All, Sports

    Former mayor T. Venkateswara Rao presenting a cheque for Rs. 25,000 donated by Grandmaster Koneru Humpy to world under-10 girls chess champion N. Priyanka in Vijayawada on Sunday./ Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar / The Hindu /

    It was a poignant moment for chess lovers on Sunday as women’s World No. 2 Koneru Humpy felicitated the world Under-10 girls’ champion Nutakki Priyanka at her residence for her title triumph recently at the world championship in Slovenia.

    The Grandmaster also presented a cheque of Rs.25,000 to the little girl as a token of appreciation.

    “I became world Under-10 champion in 1997 and after a gap of 15 years another girl (Priyanka) won the coveted trophy from Vijayawada and it is a feat to be celebrated,” said Padma Shri and Arjuna awardee Humpy. City’s first mayor T. Venkateswara Rao, who was also present, honoured Priyanka’s coach Bobba with a shawl. The former chess administrator played a crucial role in shaping the fledging chess career of the ‘little champ’.

    Koneru Ashok, coach-cum-father of Humpy, hailed the role of Bobba and felt that Priyanka possessed the wherewithal to garner more laurels in the game of sixty-four squares.

    “It was Bobba who taught the rudiments of chess to Grand Master Pendyala Harikrishna,” he added.

    Bobba said that Priyanka would take part in the Asian schools chess championship to be held at New Delhi from December 12 to 19. “The tournament will be held in age categories of 9, 11, 13, 16 and 17 and she will take part in the Under-11 category. She needs to deploy new openings and sharpen her middle and end games. Later she will take part in FIDE-norm tournament at Chennai,” he added.

    Krishna District Olympic Association secretary K.P. Rao said that Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh has sent a proposal to Chef Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy to grant a cash award of Rs.10 lakh to Priyanka. Priyanka’s parents N. Radhakrishna and Durga Devi also took part in the felicitation function.

    source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Staff Reporter / December 10th, 2012