Spears-Cabal win mixed doubles title with 6-2 6-4 victory
Sania Mirza will have to wait for her seventh Grand Slam trophy as the Indian and her Croatian partner Ivan Dodig lost the Australian Open mixed doubles final 2-6 4-6 to underdogs Abigail Spears and Juan Sebastian Cabal, here on Sunday.
The second-seeded Indo-Croatian pair paid the price for the free-flowing unforced errors from the racquet of Dodig, who struggled with his serve and ground strokes.
It is the second runners-up finish for Sania and Dodig together after losing the final of the 2016 French Open to Leander Paes and Martina Hingis.
Not his day
After losing the first two points, Dodig served a double fault at 30-30 and then sent a forehand long to concede a break in the very first game of the match.
Cabal and Spears though were in tremendous touch from the word go. Both were terrific from the back and at the net to comfortably pocket the first set.
Despite racing to a 3-0 lead in the second set, the Indo-Croat pair let their advantage slip and were locked in battle at 4-4. Dodig was never in his elements in the match and he served two double faults, the second one coming on a breakpoint, to allow Cabal to serve out the championship. PTI
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Sport> Tennis / PTI / Melbourne, Australia – January 30th, 2017
The State-level Wrestling competition organised by Karnataka Rakshna Vedike at the Vidyvardhaka School grounds witnessed 30 pairs of wrestlers from various parts of the State vying for the top honours. The main attraction of the tournament was the fight between Pahilwan Vishnukoth of Pune and Pahilwan Karthick Kate of Davanagere.
Both the wrestlers were involved in an intense fight for about an hour in which Pahilwan Vishnukoth emerged victorious.
In the other matches, Pahilwan Chota Parvez overcame Pahilwan Kiran; Pahilwan Anand of Davanagere won against Pahilwan Ravichandra of Bijapur; Pahilwan Sharath of Kumbarakoppal defeated Pahilwan Maruthi and Pahilwan Rangaswamy of Nanjangud won against Pahilwan Darshan.
The wrestling competition which began at 3 pm ended at around 10 pm.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports News / February 07th, 2017
Proud moment: Pathan Jameel Khan winning gold in Virginia on Sunday is the second world championship gold this month, after he moved to the US.
Pathan Jameel Khan wins gold in the black belt division of World Championship in Virginia
This Hyderabadi has done it again! The 41-year-old Pathan Jameel Khan, the martial arts exponent, who moved to the US to take up karate training in an American school in New York a few months ago, made an emphatic statement again on Sunday winning the gold in the black belt division of the World Championship in Virginia.
This is incidentally the second world championship gold that Jameel has won, after moving to the US, this month.
Ironically, Jameel, winner of 15 gold, 13 silver and 17 bronze at the national and international events, including two 2016 World Cup silver in the US, has to look for greener pastures after his repeated pleas for financial assistance and a job did not evoke any positive response from the authorities concerned.
“It’s a pity that I had to move to the US to take up this training job which fetches me enough money to take care of my family of ageing mother, four brothers and a sister,” says Jameel, even while being subdued despite winning two world championship gold (conducted by two separate world federations).
But why? “My ultimate dream is to represent India in the 2020 Olympics when karate will be introduced. Since I realised that even winning at the highest level will not assure me the kind of exposure I need for the Olympics, I had no option but to move to the US,” counters Jameel.
This BA graduate from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, whose only livelihood when in Hyderabad was by training a handful of enthusiastic young talent, points out that the three-year contract with the American school should also ensure adequate exposure to the toughest competitors in the field. “Besides training, the stay in the US should also help in picking up a few new tricks too,” says Jameel, who also won two bronze in the men’s forms and weapons categories.
Will you come back after the contract period? “As things stand now, my contract will end in 2019, one year before the Olympics. By God’s grace if everything falls in place and I get the help from the Telangana government, I will train and put in the best efforts to realise my ultimate dream of playing in Olympics the next year,” Jameel concludes.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Telangana / by V.V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – February 06th, 2017
A PERFECT SCRUM: Girls speed ahead during a game of snow rugby in Kashmir. — Photo: Special Arrangement
Despite sub-zero temperatures, new generation players love the high-speed game
Breaking barriers of tradition, girls in Kashmir are taking to high-adrenaline snow rugby, setting a new sporting trend for the Valley’s harsh sub-zero winters.
In the past, winters meant indoor time for girls but women like Irtiqa Ayub, 20, a student of Srinagar’s Government Women’s College on M.A. Road, are changing all that with the sport, chasing rivals across the snow and braving the chill.
“I picked up this game purely for its speed, energy level and blood rush. When the rugby ball is in your hands and you race to score a goal, it’s an extraordinary feeling,” Ms. Ayub, a resident of Srinagar’s Eidgah area says, as she prepares for a national event in Gulmarg on February 18-19. Sixteen teams from across India will participate in the event.
Ms. Ayub had a lot of convincing to do before her father, a government employee, agreed to let her take part. “My father was reluctant initially when I was at school. Once he saw my name and picture in the newspapers, he came around,” said Ms. Ayub, who has taken part in five national events.
“This time, I am practising to lift the trophy,” the young player said, referring to the upcoming winter sports in Gulmarg.
For Zunairah Amber, 12, a class 7 student of Oasis Public School, kabaddi was boring. “I was good at sports. Yet, winter vacations offered little opportunity to take up anything. I quit kabaddi to play snow rugby,” said Ms. Amber, who is backed by her father, a government employee, and a sportsman himself. Traditional sports like kho kho and kabaddi are passé for these new-age Kashmiri girls, who battle it out on snow fields and sands in jerseys and shorts.
Their numbers are growing. Irfan Aziz Botta, chief coach, J&K Rugby, said, “Over 4,000 girls are enrolled for the game with the State sports council. We have four female coaches too.” Rugby was introduced in Kashmir by Mr. Botta in 2004
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Other States / by Peerzada Ashiq / Srinagar – February 07th, 2017
The sixth Nizam Mahboob Ali Pasha is remembered for combining tradition with modernity
Among the rulers of all the native states in British India, Mahboob Ali Pasha, the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad is reputed to have had the most lavish court. Born in August, 1866, Mahboob came to the throne at the age of three after the death of his father, Afzal ud Daulah. Mahboob Ali, thus knew no day when he was not the King.
A Regency under Sir Salar Jung I was set up for the young Nizam till he came of age. The Viceroy, Lord Ripon came to Hyderabad for the investiture ceremony held on February 5, 1884 and presented the Nizam a diamond-studded gold sword on the occasion.
Mahboob Ali was a perfect example of a Victorian Prince. He had a great taste for western culture and modern ways of life.
His English tutor, Major John Clark (who had earlier tutored the Duke of Edinburgh) had instilled in young Mahboob the customs and manners of high English society. As a result he imbibed great taste for all that was western. His western etiquette was so perfect that there was a rumour among the courtiers that the Nizam visited European countries incognito without the knowledge of any one!
His obsession for clothes and cars was legendary. His collection of garments was one of the most extensive in the world of his time.
The best English tailors were brought to Hyderabad to stitch the Royal robes combining tradition with modernity. There was a new dress for every day and he never wore the same dress for the second time.
It is no wonder that Mahboob Ali had a huge wardrobe in his palace that ran for more than hundred feet in length, considered to be the longest in the world. As his wardrobe was on the first floor of the palace, a lift was fitted for the Nizam to access his wardrobe every day with ease.
It is interesting to note that this hand-operated wooden lift at the Purani Haveli palace, in its shining best is still in perfect working condition.
His passion for cars was unparalleled and owned a good fleet of them. A Rolls Royce Silver Ghost that was made to order but delivered after he died in 1911, is now on display in the Chowmahalla palace fully restored, due to the efforts of Princess Esra Jah wife of the present Mukharam Jah.
The resources of the Nizam as well as the spirit of the times to which he belonged never discouraged lavish spending of money. Hyderabad came to be known for Mahboob Ali’s extravagant entertainments and lavish hunting expeditions.
Interest in medicine
It was under Mahboob Ali’s patronage, that Hyderabad Chloroform Commission was set up in 1889 and Chloroform as a safe anesthesia agent in surgeries was proved by Dr. Edward Lawrie, Principal of Hyderabad Medical School. The Nizam was personally interested in the work of the Commission. Two Hyderabadi doctors, Dr. M.G. Naidu (husband of Sarojini Naidu) and Dr. S. Mallanna (father of the future Gen. S.M. Srinagesh) were sent to England with funds provided by the Nizam to prove the efficacy of Chloroform in surgeries.
The British Medical Association journal, Lancet, hailed the work of this Commission. Mahaboob Ali, personally being interested in healing was famously known to administer a herb-based medicine to cure snake bite. During his reign, the first Hyderabad- Nagpur Railway line was laid in 1874. The advent of telegraph, telephone and electricity opened up Hyderabad towards economic growth.
Chirag Ali, a well known educationalist from Aligarh was invited by Mahboob Ali to spread English education in the Nizam’s dominions. Mahboob College in Secunderabad and Nizam College in Hyderabad stand testimony to the development of higher education initiated by Mahaboob Ali Khan. Aghornath Chattoadhyay, the father of Sarojini Naidu, the first Indian to have obtained Ph.D in Biology from Edinburgh University, was the first principal of the Nizam College.
Mahboob Ali Khan was a good polo player and an excellent marksman. He was probably the first Indian prince to have a court photographer, Deen Dayal. With his wonderful skills in photography, Deen Dayal, on whom the Nizam conferred the title, Raja, immortalised the Nizam and his times. Raja Deen Dayal employed in his studio an English lady to help him in taking the photos of the women members in the Nizam’s Palace.
Mahaboob Ali passed away on August 29, 1911 when he was hardly 45 years and was succeeded by his son, Mir Osman Ali Khan, regarded as the world’s richest man but the most frugal of all the Nizams, an antithesis to his flamboyant father.
Among the numerous expensive jewels that Mahboob possessed during his reign was the famous Jacob Diamond weighing 162 Carats, bought from the reputed London jeweller, Jacob.
Years later, Osman Ali Khan used this fabulous diamond, said to be next only to Kohinoor, as paper weight, the purpose for which Mahaboob Ali bought it.
Mahboob Ali also ever lives in the minds of the gastronomists, be the natives or visitors to this city for the aroma and the taste of the distinct Hyderabadi dhum biryani, the perfection for which the Nizam, Mahboob Ali Pasha justifiably took pride.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by K.S.S.Seshan / February 02nd, 2017
Abdul Hossain of Siliguri crossed the finish line in two hours, 34 minutes and two seconds to win the inaugural IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Marathon here on Sunday.
Biswnath Pal, who was five minutes slower than Hossain, took the second place, while Paritosh Roy (2:52:48) ended up third in the race which began at 5 a.m.
In half-marathon, Subhankar Ghosh (1:09:07) and Mangali Tamang (1:31:13) emerged the winners among men and women respectively.
In a close finish, Pramod Kumar (32.38) beat Shynsharlang Wahlang by 0.01 second to claim the 10,000m men’s crown. Puja Mandal (38:59) recorded a comfortable victory for the women’s title.
Sachin Tendulkar, who was the face of the event, was a major attraction at the marathon in which more than 8,000 runners took part in different races.
The results:
Marathon, men: 1. Abul Hossain 2:34:02s; 2. Biswanath Pal 2:39:16; 3. Paritosh Roy 2:52:48.
Soccer became popular in Bidar after the memorable tournament in Hyderabad 65 years ago
People of Bidar have special love for the game of football.
This sport became popular in the region after the memorable tournament organised 65 years ago in Hyderabad.
A team of local lads defeated the British officers serving in the Hyderabad Nizam’s army in that hard-fought match.
The player who scored the match winning goal was a 17-year-old lad from Bidar.
Nazeer Ahmed Khan of Siddi Taleem in Bidar was a self-taught footballer. He used to watch soldiers play football and serve as their assistant during the game.
He soon developed a passion for the game and joined Bidar Sporting Club.
His club used to participate in the matches across the Nizam’s Kingdom and organise tournaments in Bidar.
The erstwhile Nizam’s State spread across parts of today’s Hyderabad-Karnataka, Marathwada and Telangana.
British officers in the Nizam’s infantry used to play football with teams of youths from across the Nizam’s State.
Khan became a hero in one such tournament. The all-important tournament in Hyderabad was held in 1946 in which a team of British officers played the local lads who had grouped themselves under City Club.
“The Diwan, who was watching the match, came down the pavilion and hugged Khan, who instantly developed a fan following in Hyderabad. When Khan returned to Bidar, the District Collector gave a rousing welcome and organised a civic reception in his honour near the old mosque,” says Liaqat Ali Khan, chronicler of Bidar’s history.
“Khan continued to play for Bidri Sporting Club. He also played some matches for Mohammaden Sporting Club of Kolkata.
“He died in 2007. As long as he lived, he inspired footballers in Bidar and Hyderabad,” he said.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / by Rishikesh Bahadur Desai / Bidar – August 04th, 2010
Sarfaraz Ashraf recorded incredible figures of 6 for 0 for Young Pioneer CC in a KSCA T20 tournament fixture, held at the Aditya Global grounds here.
Sarfaraz Ashraf, who recorded incredible figures of 6 for 0 for Young Pioneer CC in a KSCA T20 club tournament fixture. – SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Sarfaraz Ashraf recorded incredible figures of 6 for 0 for Young Pioneer CC in a KSCA T20 club tournament fixture, held at the Aditya Global grounds here. Ashraf’s heroics helped his team coast past Mercara Youth CC.
Ashraf, a left-arm chinaman bowler, stated that he took five wickets in the first over of his spell. This included a hat-trick, which came in the final three deliveries of the over. His final figures read 3-3-0-6. He also scored 40 as Young Pioneer put up 264 for four in its 20 overs. Mercara Youth CC was bowled out for 57 in the chase.
The 27-year-old has represented Jharkhand in List ‘A’ and Twenty20 matches. In the 2013-14 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament, Ashraf picked up 11 wickets for Jharkhand, in eight matches.
“I am from Bengaluru, but I had moved to Jharkhand a few years ago because I got a chance to play at the national-level. Now, I have moved back to Bengaluru,” Ashraf said.
Ashraf was also part of the Hubli Tigers side which competed in the Karnataka Premier League last year.
The score:
Young Pioneer CC 264 for four in 20 overs (Sarfaraz Ashraf 40, Deepak 74, H.B. Kiran 70, Sunil 33 n.o.) bt Mercara Youth CC 57 in 14.3 overs (Madan 3 for 21, Sarfaraz Ashraf 6 for 0).
source: http://www.sportstarlive.com / Sport Star (Sport Star Live) / Home> Cricket / by Ashwin Achal, Bengaluru / January 16th, 2017
Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza picked up her first title of the season, combining with American Bethanie Mattek-Sands to lift the Brisbane International women’s doubles title, but ended up losing the World No.1 crown to her partner.
The top-seeded Indo-American duo triumphed 6-2, 6-3 against the second-seeded Russian team of Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina in the final here.
The trophy, however, ended Sania’s 91-week reign as the world No.1 doubles player in the WTA rankings. That position was taken over by Bethanie.
“I feel like I’m handing over Miss World No.1 crown,” Sania said in her post-match speech.
The Indian had come into the tournament as a defending champion, having won it with Swiss ace martina Hingis last year.
“We always have good matches (against Vesnina/Makarova). It’s great to come back as defending champion. Thank you to my partner and best friend. We go a long way, we play once a year, the last time we played, we won in Sydney,” Sania said.
“I think we should play a lot more. Thanks for playing with me. I was No.1 in the world but congratulations to her for becoming No.1 now. If not me, than her, she has had an amazing year,” she added.
Sania will go back to pairing with Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova in Sydney next week and the Australian Open, which starts on January 16.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> Sports> Tennis > Top Stories / PTI / January 07th, 2017
When the Kerala team for the 71st Santosh Trophy national football championships was announced on Friday, one player who caught the eye was Noushad K. Of the 11 new faces in the squad, he is in line to finally make his senior state debut soon — at the age of 32!
For ardent followers of the game, it will come as a mystery as to why the astute defender from Naduvattam in Kozhikode has never played for the state team despite him being a time-tested stalwart in India’s domestic football circuit.
Noushad first caught attention as a spirited right-back for Viva Kerala FC in the I-League 2009-10. The following season, the defender made the switch to Kolkata’s Prayag United SC and his stock has been on the rise ever since at the Mecca of Indian football.
In Kolkata, Noushad also represented Chirag United, Mohammedan SC and Bhawanipore FC who he captained ever since the Federation Cup 2014 held in Manjeri before leaving them for Kerala after the conclusion of this year’s Calcutta Football League.
“To be very honest, playing for Kerala was the only thing in my mind when deciding to leave Kolkata this year. I did not think twice when coach Bino George who I know for long asked me to come and play for Baselius College, Kottayam,” Noushad said on Saturday.
Noushad, who now plays at centre back, was once before called up to the Kerala camp in 2013 but did not make the final squad. “I don’t know why I was overlooked, but I feel that I was in the best days of my career, back then,” he said.
“That does not mean I cannot do a job now. I leave it to pundits and fans to judge how good I still am,” he said. Noushad with vice-captain Firos Kalathingal are the seniormost players in the young squad and will be expected to inspire and lead the group.
“All the players are focused on the job. Coach V P Shaji and his staff have done a great job, but it is now our responsibility as players to produce results on the field,” said Noushad, who is known as ‘Bapu’ among friends. He feels that home advantage and spectators can play a role in the team’s fortunes.
“The frenzy of Indian Super League is still fresh. Though we are not Kerala Blasters, we still represent Kerala and I think there will be spectators coming from all over Kerala to cheer us at Kozhikode,” said Noushad. Kerala will open their south zone campaign against Puducherry at the EMS Corporation Stadium on January 5.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Sport> Football / by Adwaidh Rajan / Express News Service / January 02nd, 2017
