From the publishers of THE HINDU
VOL.28 :: NO.21 :: May. 21 - 27, 2005
Published Weekly
|
From the publishers of THE HINDU VOL.28 :: NO.21 :: May. 21 - 27, 2005 |
|
The Sportstar Published Weekly |
|
News Update
Group Sites |
THE incident at Chennai's Nehru Stadium last week when Yuraj Pun of the Bengal-Mumbai football club lay breathless in the dressing room fighting for life, was yet another reminder of the dangers that lurk in football grounds.
NADAL joins a breed of versatile all-courtersIn some ways, it is strange that the man expected to win the French Open this year is but a mere lad of 18, who, ironically enough, owing to a mix of circumstances, has still to contest a single point at Roland Garros. And yet, the story of Rafae l Nadal is the story of post-modern tennis, a sport that is getting younger and more focussed by the year, writes VIJAY PARTHASARATHY.
Nadal seems unstoppable THE light had all but faded at the Foro Italico but the radiance that is Spain's Rafael Nadal refused to die. GREAT MATCHES — 8 Cochet's remarkable turnaround IN 1927 Bill Tilden was no longer the supreme tennis player in the world.
`There hasn't been a perfect innings played or a perfect over bowled'MARVAN ATAPATTU has been through it all. From beginning his Test career with three successive zeroes to becoming the Sri Lankan captain and a top-order batsman with six double hundreds in Tests, it's been quite a ride for this mild-mannered Sri ... JIM COURIER From Dade City to Paris to Newport OTHER players called him "Rock." The reverential nickname captured the virtues and characteristics of the man and the player.
The system has to be modifiedThough there is a specialist committee to select the next coach, one expects chairman of selectors Kiran More and skipper Sourav Ganguly would also be involved.
Of supercoaches and SUPERSTARSTHEIR appointment, those days, changed from series to series and they were known as managers, not coaches. But if the man picked for the job was an eminent ex-cricketer, he invariably doubled as manager-cum-coach. All out attack! Pakistan had triumphed in the `unofficial' Sheikh Zayed Cup the previous night in Abu Dhabi and Afridi was chilling out near the cool waters; a hurricane man in a peaceful, serene setting on a lazy afternoon.
Australian Rules CricketCRICKET AUSTRALIA celebrated its 100th anniversary earlier this month by naming media mogul Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer along with Sir Don Bradman as the most influential figures in its history.
Always stick to the fundamentalsTHE major difference between coaching elite players and more modest performers is psychological. All the good coaches I have ever known have kept it simple and stuck to the fundamentals, irrespective of their target class.
Blue humour and black art still flourishHAMPSHIRE used to be the nicest club. The ground perched on the edge of Southampton, surrounded by elegant flats and middle class housing; the club was run by enterprising but unsuccessful captains from an ageing pavilion.
A MAJOR obsessionA COUPLE of months ago, the Cricket Club of India honoured John Major, former British Prime Minister and ex President of the Surrey County Cricket Club. Receiving the Honorary Life Membership, Major described himself as a "cricket nut."
Raikkonen's emphatic lights-to-flag victoryIT was only 27 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. After swallowing their disappointment as Kimi Raikkonen's McLaren-Mercedes flashed past the chequered flag to win Spanish Grand Prix, the home crowd had to wait almost half a minute to welcome their hero, Fernando Alonso, in whose honour the entire circuit had been draped in the blue and yellow colours shared by his Renault team and his home province of Asturias. "My worst race of the season" AFTER the intoxicating high came the gut-wrenching low, last fortnight, at least as far as Narain Karthikeyan is concerned.
Heady Blues, and the road from Ted to Jose Jose Mourinho (facing page) and Ted Drake have managed Chelsea to their two English Championships. While Mourinho had millions to spend, Drake built his team on a shoe-string budget. Drake brought new realism to a club which was notorious for its inconsistency. One thing he radically did was to take the pensioners off his team building campaign.
No Adidas, no room in the teamCOACH Juergen Klinsmann has told German players that if they do not want to wear the boots of team sponsors Adidas, they will not play in the national team. "There won't be any Germany players with any other boot than Adidas," Klinsmann ... Eto'o blasts xenophobic chants BARCELONA's Cameroon international striker Samuel Eto'o blasted the racist fan element in the Spanish game and blamed adults who indulge in xenophobic chants of setting a bad example to impressionable children. "The kids don't know if these ... Player of the Year award for Lampard CHELSEA's England midfielder Frank Lampard has been named Football Writers' Association Player of the Year. The 26-year-old scored both goals during Chelsea's 2-0 win over Bolton, which gave them their first Premiership title in 50 years. That ... 
Mourinho's plans for ChelseaCHELSEA has lifted the Premier League trophy and its manager Jose Mourinho is already making plans for next season. Mourinho said he wanted to sign a left-back, a midfielder and a striker in the offseason, but refused to say who. Chelsea ...
Emitting beams of light HE was the `linkman' in the football arena for close to 10 years for India between 1980 and 1990. PARIMARJAN NEGI 
Improvement personifiedHE is on the right track making the right moves. Just 12, chess prodigy Parimarjan Negi already holds two International Master (IM) norms and scores consistently over 80 per cent in his school exams. He is learning the finer points of the mind ...
Murphy pots back to claim crownA rank outsider, Shaun Murphy is also the youngest winner of the World snooker title. The fresh-faced born-again Christian also happens to be the first qualifier to take the honours after Terry Griffiths won in 1979. Self-belief sees him through SHAUN MURPHY insisted his resolve never faltered on his way to winning the World snooker championship title despite resuming 10-6 behind in the final. Murphy recovered to beat sixth seed Matthew Stevens 18-16 for his first major tournament ...
Swedish Mozart's symphony endsTHEY called him "the Mozart", sang about him that the "best table tennis player ever to walk on earth is a Swede" and hailed him as "the player with a golden arm.
Seven Indians in World XI probablesPAKISTAN has nine players across both squads, while England, India and South Africa have seven each, in the 39 probables announced by the International Cricket Council for the World XI teams, which is to play world champion Australia in three ... 
Abu Dhabi has a wonderful stadiumIT is a sporting oasis in the desert. The sparkling structure gleamed in the sunshine, and then the cricketers trooped in. And when the stars danced in the night sky, the lights of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium appeared more like shimmering ...
Smiles in Chennai after Canberra dramaAS he stood on the Subaru's bonnet and uncorked the fizz, one could notice a small scowl playing on Tohihiro Arai's face. The Japanese had won the Asia Pacific Rally Championship opener in Canberra only a few minutes earlier and one was surprised ...
Fascinating rise to fameAt his peak now, Dilip Tirkey has a few more years left in competitive hockey. Constant exposure and a willingness to imbibe new things have added polish to his approach.
Surprises galore as Sanjay Kumar triumphsPLENTY of excitement and a steady supply of surprise results made the All India SRF Match-play Golf Championship live up to the pre-event expectations.
Should Ganguly be replaced?CHANGING the captain wouldn't do any good to the team. Can anybody guarantee that the change in team or the captain would bring success? Change is definitely needed, not of the captain and the players but in their attitudes. We all know the ...
Jim Thorpe's name became well known after his exploits in the 1912 Olympics when he won a double gold. Unfortunately, he was asked to return his medals and suffered great humiliation. The man who excelled in a wide range of events had to struggle all his life.
Jacobs slams LaraRECENTLY retired West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Ridley Jacobs left no stone unturned as he slammed the state of West Indies cricket and especially former captain Brian Lara. Jacobs, who played most of his 65 Tests and 147 limited-overs ... 
Another rising star from the Buchi Babu clanIN his book Buchi Babu and his Sporting Clan, M. Suryanarayan, co-author and grandson of the man known as the Father of Madras Cricket, quoted Henry Longfellow's The Ladder of St. Augustine — "The heights by great men reached and ... |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Hindu Group:
Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives |
Contacts | Subscription | Daily Sports
Comments to : thehindu@vsnl.com Copyright © 2005, The Hindu |