SPORTS
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WEDNESDAY APRIL 29, 2015
LABOUR DAY BOYS BOXING ON FRIDAY KARACHI: Labor-Day Boys Boxing Tournament will be held here at Ustad Ali Muhammad Qambrani Stadium Kakri Ground on May 1, Karachi South Boxing Association (KBA) announced on Tuesday. Competition will be held in Boys class 26 to 44 Kilogram weight division. Weighing and medical of the pugilists will be held at Muslim Azad Boxing Club Lyari on April 30 between 4 to 6 pm. Weighing and draws committee will comprise Fida Hussain Baloch, Ahmed Abdul Aziz, Muhammad Akbar and Moosa Qambrani. —FP Monitoring
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KP INTER-REGION SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP FROM WEDNESDAY PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inter-Regional Youth Games Snooker event will be commencing from Wednesday here at Green Snooker Club, Organizing Secretary and Assistant Director Sports Syed Saqlain Shah told APP here on Tuesday. He said the Championship is organizing in a joint collaboration of Peshawar Uplift Program and Directorate of Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with teams from all the seven regions Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Kohat, Mardan, Hazara, Swat and host Peshawar are taking part. He said a total of 44 players have reached Peshawar and were divided in two different groups. —FP Monitoring
Babar strikes late as Bangladesh close first day on 236/4
KHULNA: Mominul Haque scored 80 as
Bangladesh made an impressive start in the first Test against Pakistan in Khulna on Tuesday, reaching 236 for four by stumps on the opening day. The talented 23-year-old left-hander batted fluently to cross 50 for the 12th time in his first 13 Tests before being trapped leg-before by Zulfiqar Babar off the last ball of the day. Opener Imrul Kayes made 51, Mohammad Mahmudullah scored 49 and Shakib Al Hasan was unbeaten on 19 after the hosts elected to take first strike in good batting conditions at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium. Mominul has scored a half-century or more in his last 10 Tests. Only four batsmen -- Viv Richards of the West Indies, South Africa's AB de Villiers and the Indian duo of Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag -- have scored more 50s in consecutive Test matches. Mominul put on 40 for the second wicket with Imrul, 95 for the third with Mahmudullah and 49 for the fourth with Shakib as Pakistan's bowlers toiled for success on an unhelpful pitch. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah, off-break bowler Mohammad Hafeez, left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar claimed a wicket each, but Pakistan were let down by shoddy catching and fielding. The most expensive let-off was by
Zulfiqar, who spilled a simple return catch when Mominul was on 17. Yasir broke a 52-run opening stand between Tamim Iqbal and Imrul just before lunch by having Tamim (25) caught at forward short-leg by Azhar Ali. Yasir, who had missed the preceding limited-overs series due to injury, ended the day with figures of one for 58 in 18 overs. Imrul survived a strong leg-before appeal off the third ball of the innings from Junaid Khan as the TV umpire turned down Pakistan's review. Hafeez, who dropped Tamim at leg slip off Zulfiqar when he was on 16, made amends by taking a return catch to dismiss Imrul after lunch. Pakistan had to wait for almost two hours for their next success, which came after tea when wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed dived to his right to remove Mahmudullah off Wahab's bowling. Bangladesh handed Test debuts to Soumya Sarkar and fast bowler Mohammad Shahid, while Pakistan picked uncapped batsman Sami Aslam for the opening match of the two-Test series. Pakistan also ignored senior offspinner Saeed Ajmal, preferring to go in with two specialist slow bowlers in Zulfiqar and Yasir. The hosts swept the ODI series 3-0 and also defeated Pakistan for the first time in a Twenty20 international. —FP Monitoring
Odegaard gets call-up to Madrid first team
jured Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema tion Martin Odegaard could make and Luka Modric, while Dani Carvajal his first appearance for Real Madrid and Sergio Ramos sit out due to suswhen the European champions host pension. However, Ancelotti is hopeful Almeria on Wednesday after being that Bale will be fit to face the dauntincluded in Carlo Ancelotti's squad ing trip to Sevilla on Saturday, whilst Benzema could return in time for next for the first time. Madrid beat off stiff competition week's Champions League semi-final, from around Europe to land the 16- first leg away to Juventus. "We still think Bale will be fit (for year-old in January, but his time with the first team has since been limited to Sevilla). He is doing work on his own and will do the same totraining sessions, while FOOTBALL morrow. If all goes well he has played with the reserve team Real Madrid Castilla in then he will begin to train with the team again on Thursday. "It is different for the third tier of Spanish football. However, with Los Blancos blighted Karim, I think he will start training with by injuries and suspensions, Ancelot- the team on Sunday." The absence of two of Ancelotti's ti hinted that Odegaard could get his first run out at the Santiago Bern- preferred front three hasn't cost Madrid abeu. "Tomorrow in the squad there in the past few weeks due to the stunwill be three youth team players," the ning form of on-loan Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez. Italian said on Tuesday. The Mexican has struck four times "Odegaard, (Borja) Mayoral and Diego Llorente. I think two of the in as many games, including the three will be on the bench and they crucial winner in the Champions League quarter-final against Atleticould get an opportunity to play." Madrid will again be without the in- co Madrid. —FP Monitoring MADRID: Norwegian teenage sensa-
KHULNa: mominul Haque out lbw to Zulfiqar Babar in the final over of the day during the first day of the 1st Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh on Tuesday. —FP monitoring
Easy-looking match for Real Madrid vs relegation-haunted Almeria MADRID: Real Madrid face what
Abbottabad clinches KP Inter-Region Boys U-19 Hockey Championship title PESHAWAR: A goal down in the first
session Abbottabad scored all five goals in the second session by defeating strong Mardan 5-1 and lifted the trophy of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inter-Region Boys Under-19 Hockey Championship played at Abbottabad Hockey Stadium on Tuesday. PTI Central Leader Asif Zubair Sheikh was the chief guest on this occasion who witnessed the thrilling final. Organizing Secretary Salim Raza, Director Sports Tariq Mehmood, Assistant Director Sports Syed Saqlain Shah, Jamshed Baloch, Secretary Abbottabad Hockey Association Sardar Waseem Jadoon, officials, players and spectators were also present. Before the start of the match the two finalists' teams were introduced to him. The match was started on fast
tempo as soon Mardan opened the account in the 6th minute when center forward Aimal Khan netted a fine goal to make the tally 1-0. After getting lead, Mardan put in more pressure and soon got a penalty stroke was it was missed by Fayyaz Ali as he saw his attempt went wide from the goal-post. The Mardan forwards also made some fine moves after taking lead but failed to score any goal till the end of the first session. Abbottabad on the other hands were pressed to the wall after conceding a goal but they managed their position and made some occasional moves but did not score any goal. Till the end of the first session Mardan was leading by 1-0. After the resumption of the second session Abbottabad fully dominated the
should be a comfortable game on Wednesday when they play at home to relegation haunted Almeria. Carlo Ancelotti's side will kick off knowing what title rivals, FC Barcelona, who begin the midweek round of matches on Tuesday at home to Getafe, have done and depending on Barca's result they will be either two, three or five points behind the league leaders. Almeria have improved since the arrival of Sergi Barjuan as first team coach and two home wins have lifted them out of the relegation zone, although the club still has to await the outcome of a decision by FIFA to punish them with a sanction of three points for the non-payment for a player in 2010. That affair looks likely to drag on into the close season and confuse the relegation issue in the run in to the end of the season for Almeria and their rivals in the battle to avoid the drop. On paper it looks to be a straightforward match for Real Madrid, who will still be without the injured Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema and who have Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal both suspended for the game after completing a cycle of bookings during Sunday's win away to Celta Vigo. Benzema's absence will allow Javier Hernandez to continue in the team and the Mexican is repaying the late chance he has been given to show his talents with key goals, two in Vigo and the winning goal against Atletico Madrid in Vigo. With a much tougher game in Seville ahead of the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Juventus, rotations are very much the policy for Ancelotti and Keylor Navas could have a chance of playing in goal, while Jese Rodriguez, Fabio Coentrao and Al- SUZHOU: China's Xu Xin(L) and Zhang Jike celebrate after winning the varo Arbeloa all get time on the men's Doubles match against China's ma Long and Germany's Timo Boll at the 53rd Table Tennis World Championships on Tuesday. —Xinhua pitch. —FP Monitoring
Wimbledon is richest slam but prize money rises slow LONDON: The acceleration in the size of
the overall prize money pot at Wimbledon is slowing but the grasscourt championships remains the richest of the four grand slams. All England Club officials on Tuesday announced a seven percent overall rise, compared to 10.8 percent last year, taking the total prize pool to 26.75 million pounds ($40.88 million). The latest round of increases, unveiled by All England Club chairman Philip Brook at a news conference, means the singles champions will each money for the singles has risen eight perpocket 1.88 million pounds compared to cent compared to last year. First round losers in the singles will the 1.76 million handed to Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova in 2014. Prize take home 29,000 pounds compared to
11,250 five years ago. "After three years of favouring the left-hand side of the draw we feel we have got the balance about right," Brook said. "Without the world's best tennis players we wouldn't have the world's best tennis tournament. We are very proud of our prize money record over the past four years." The French Open recently announced a 12 percent increase in total prize money, taking it to $29.61 million. This year's Australian Open boasted $32 million, while last year's U.S. Open had total prize money of $38 million. Continuing improvements: Improvements to the club's infrastructure have continued and all 19
courts will be in use this year after work to create facilities under Court 14 and 15, which involved digging out an area equivalent to 200 London buses, was finished on time. As part of the club's master plan, which in 2019 will see a new roof on Court One, Wimbledon's player facilities have also been enhanced with six permanent ice baths installed, a bigger warm-up area and private treatment rooms. This year's Wimbledon begins a week later than usual on June 29, reflecting the All England's Club's drive to create a longer grasscourt season following the French Open.
The three-week build-up to the championships will feature an ATP grasscourt event in Stuttgart plus ATP and WTA tournaments in Nottingham, while the Queen's Club and Halle tournaments have been bumped up to ATP 500 status. A new WTA grasscourt event will start in Mallorca in 2016. "We hope every player competing at the championships will play at least one competitive week of tennis during those three weeks," Brooks said. "We have created the opportunity and we hope all the players will come here well-rested, well-prepared and well-adjusted to compete on grass." —FP Monitoring
proceedings and made some good attacking moves as a result this was center forward Adil succeeded in leveling the tally 1-1 through field attempt. Five minute later Taimur, the right winger, netted another goal to make the tally 21. In the 56th minute Adil scored another goal on the field attempt to make the tally 3-1 while in the 64th and 69th minute inside right Sardar Umar scored two quick goals to make the tally 5-1. Mardan tried their hard to reduce the margin but failed and thus lost the match. The match was supervised by Haroon Ahmad and Afsar Ali while Tehsin Ullah acted as judge. At the end, the chief guest gave away trophies, medals and cash prizes. The winners was awarded Rs 20,000 cash , runners-up got Rs. 15000 as cash prize. —FP Monitoring
Political uncertainty mars future of Crimea's athletes MOSCOW: Moscow's annexation of the strategic peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine has not only sparked the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War but also put under threat the sporting careers of Crimean athletes. The future of football and basketball clubs in Crimea has been put on hold after the peninsula, long home to Russian military bases, was taken over by Moscow in March 2014 in a move condemned by Kiev and the West as an illegal land grab. European football's ruling body, UEFA, and the International Basketball Federation, FIBA, have both banned Crimean teams from participating in Russia's championships. Two Crimean football teams that played in Ukraine's top flight, Tavria Simferopol and Sevastopol, were disbanded soon after Crimea's annexation. FP Monitoring
IC Trophy Ranking Tennis from May 5 KARACHI: International Lawn Tennis Club of Pakistan (IC) Ranking Championship will be held at Union Club hard courts from May 5, Sindh Tennis Association (STA) announced on Tuesday. IC is sponsoring the week-long event with some leading Karachi players in action. Men's singles and doubles, ladies singles, Juniors Under-18, 16, 14, 12 and 10 years singles will be part of the championship. Last date of submitting entries is May 3. —FP Monitoring