The New Nation - Internet Edition

Abahani win V-Day Club Cup Football title

UNB, Dhaka

Popular "sky-blue" Abahani Limited clinched the title of the Ptotiti Pharma Victory Day Club Cup Football Tournament beating Arambagh KS by 3-2 goals in the final at the Bangabadhu National Stadium on Sunday.

Army Chief and National Sports Council chairman Gen. Moeen U Ahmed was the chief guest on the occasion and distributed the prizes.

In the day's match, Abul Hossain, Zahid Hasan Emily and Zahid Pervez scored one goal each for the winners led the first half 2-1. Nigerian Kubua Domenic and Rezaul Karim Liton scored for the losers.

Abul put Abahani Limited ahead in the 18th minute with a header from inside the D-box off a Nazrul head-pass (1-0).

Striker Emily double the winners' margin with a header from inside the danger zone when Zahid's rebound shot came his way after hitting opponent custodian Piru in the 27th minute (2-0).

Domenic pulled one back for Arambagh KS in the 34th minute with an angular shot from inside the D-box capitalizing on a right wing Imu free kick (2-1).

Zahid, who was adjudged player of the tournament, completed the Abahani tally in the 59th minute with a push from inside the D-box after Emily's rebound shot came his way hitting custodian Piru.

Liton scored the 2nd goal for Arambagh in the 79th minute with a placing shot from inside the danger zone off Monu's close pass (3-2).

In the day's match, both teams played attacking football and missed several scoring chances.

Zahid must lament his bad luck when his angular shot from vantage position returned to play after hitting the cross bar in the 27th minute.

Abahani Limited again deprived of a certain goal in the 55th minute when Emily's header from inside the D-box narrowly missed the target.

Arambagh KS missed the first scoring chance in the 32nd minute, when Domenic's angular free kick from around 15 yards was brilliantly fisted to safety by Abahani custodian Biplob.

Two minutes later, Domenic got another scoring chance, but this time Biplob again frustrated Arambagh KS fans.

Yellow cards: Siraji, Biplob (Abahani); Monu (Arambagh)

Abahani Limited - Biplob, Prodip, Nazrul, Uzzal, Emily, Zahid, Siraji, Joy (Mintu), Abul, Faisal and Tipu (Robin).

Arambagh KS - Piru, Monu, Ramjan, Akram, Murad, Ratan, Juku, Inu, Liton, Domenic and Idi.

Referee- Abdul Hannan Miron

International Junior Tennis Championship begins tomorrow

Sports Reporter

The Dhaka Bank 22nd Bangladesh International Junior Tennis Championship begins tomorrow at the Ramna National Tennis Complex. Bangladesh Tennis Federation will arrange the tennis meet.

A total of 26 countries including hosts Bangladesh will take part in the tennis competition. 110 boys and 65 girls from different countries will participate in the tennis meet for under-18 boys and girls.

The draw programme will be held today at the tennis complex.

Special Assistant Adviser of Ministry of Youth and Sports Mahbub Jamil will formally open the tennis championship tomorrow as the chief guest while Vice-Chairman of Dhaka Bank Limited Altaf Hossain Sarker will be present with him as the special guest.

The tournament will come to an end on February 18.

The events of the tournament are: Boys' singles, boys' doubles, girls' singles and girls' doubles.

The budget of the tournament has been estimasted at Tk six lakh and fifty thousand while Dhaka Bank Limited, the sponsor of the meet has given Tk five lakh to Bangladesh Tennis Federation. Bangladesh Tennis Federation will bear rest of the expenditure to run the tennis meet smoothly.

Marking the upcoming tennis championship, a press conference was held at the conference room of Ramna National Tennis Complex on Sunday. General Secretary of Bangladesh Tennis Federation (BTF) Md Sanaul Haque, Managing Director of Dhaka Bank Limited Shahed Noman, Assistant Vice-President of Dhaka Bank Limited Azam Khan, members of BTF Baezid Rashid and Rezaul Hossain Badshah were present at the press conference, among others.

Sharma helps India rout Australia

AFP, Melbourne

Indian teenager Ishant Sharma reinforced his status as one of the most exciting young talents in world cricket with another brilliant display with the ball to help dismiss Australia cheaply in a tri-series match at the MCG here on Sunday.

The tall fast bowler overcame some problems with his run-up and early punishment from opener Matthew Hayden to wreak havoc on the Australian top order and claim four wickets.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Australians made just 159 in 43.1 overs, with captain Ricky Ponting's form slump worsening when he fell cheaply to Sharma.

Just a day after Virender Sehwag warned India were after

Australia's title as the world's best team, their bowlers backed

up his incendiary words and Sharma led the assault with 4-38 from 9.1 overs.

He should have had five wickets, with wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni grassing a chance from tailender Nathan Bracken late in the Australian innings, and was well supported by Shanth Sreesanth, with 3-31, and Irfan Pathan (2-26).

The 19-year-old Sharma's second over was a nightmare, conceding 18 runs as Hayden belted four boundaries, he bowled two no-balls and lost his run-up.

But in a sign of his impressive composure under pressure, he bounced back to have a leaden-footed Hayden caught behind from the second ball of his next over.

Hayden (25 from 21 balls) didn't move his feet at all as he attempted a lusty cover drive and only got a thick edge through to Dhoni.

Sharma then produced a superb rising delivery to have Ponting caught at first slip by Sachin Tendulkar for just nine.

Ponting, who also struggled in the Test series against India apart from grafting out a century on a flat wicket in Adelaide, has just 18 runs in three innings in the tri-series at 6.00.

Sharma's third victim was Andrew Symonds, the dangerous right-hander well caught for 14 off the outside edge by the diving Dhoni as he attempted to defend another rising delivery.

Australia had lost 4-38 and were in all sorts of trouble at 75 for five.

A brilliant piece of work by Dhoni then removed the recalled Brad Haddin, stumped down the leg side off a Harbhajan Singh wide for five, from 31 balls, as India turned the screws and Australia slumped to 92 for six.

Only Mike Hussey held the Australian innings together with an unbeaten 65, his 53- run stand with Brett Lee for the seventh wicket adding much-needed respectability to the total.

Sharma wrapped up the innings when Dhoni completed his fifth dismissal of the innings to remove Stuart Clark.

The home side had got off to a disastrous start, with Adam Gilchrist failing to trouble the scorers and desperately unlucky to be given out LBW to Shanth Sreesanth from the third ball of the innings.

Gilchrist got a hefty inside edge to the delivery but umpire Rudi Koertzen raised the finger.

New Zealand strike late to qualify for Olympics

Reuters, Wellington

Bradley Shaw converted a penalty corner in the last minute of extra time to give New Zealand a 3-2 victory over Argentina and a place in the Beijing Olympic tournament on Sunday.

New Zealand had muffed the trap on the penalty corner but the ball rebounded to Shaw who swept the ball in to give the Black Sticks victory on the golden goal.

New Zealand twice had to twice battle back from a goal down in the final of the six- team tournament, forcing extra time when penalty corner specialist Hayden Shaw levelled the scores with five minutes remaining in normal time.

Argentina had started more aggressively and opened the scoring when Matias Vila played in a flat ball from a penalty corner which his brother Lucas deflected into the roof of the net in the 25th minute.

New Zealand's Dave Kosoof equalised in the 49th minute, again off a penalty corner, when Hayden Shaw played a flat ball to the right post where Kosoof deflected it past Juan Vivaldi.

Matias Vila restored Argentina's lead when he smashed home another penalty corner in the 55th minute to give seventh-ranked Argentina the sniff of Beijing. The Black Sticks, however, refused to lie down and Hayden Shaw sent the game into overtime before his brother sealed their qualification.

The event in Auckland was one of three pre-Olympic qualifying tournaments with each of the winners joining China, Netherlands, South Korea, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Belarus, Pakistan and Australia in the 12-team Olympic competition. The other two tournaments are in Chile in March and in Japan in April.

The Beijing Olympics run from Aug. 8-24.

Chen and Noordin clinches boys', girls singles title

UNB, Rajshahi

Top-seed I-Ta Chen of Chinese Taipei and Jawriah Noordin of Malaysia respectively clinched the boys' and girls' singles title of the GrameenPhone Rajshahi International Junior Tennis tournament at the Zafar Imam Tennis Complex here on Sunday.

Chen won the boys' singles crown defeating Kelsey Stevenson of Canada 6-2, 6-1, while Noordin bagged the girls' singles title beating Lisa Whybourne of Great Britain 6-1, 6-0 in the respective finals.

Youth and Sports Secretary Dr Golam Mustafa Talukder was the chief guest at the day's closing function and distributed the prizes.

Zafar Imam Tennis Complex chairman AQM Fazlul Haque presided over the function. Rajshahi Divisional Commissioner M Shafiul Alam and regional chief of meet sponsors GrameenPhone Mahbubur Rahman were present.

Dhaka District Chess begins

Sports Reporter

Dhaka District Sports Association and Dhaka District Sports Office have jointly arranged the Dhaka District Chess Championship. The chess championship began yesterday at the auditorium of Dhaka District Sports Association.

Assistant Director of Sports Directorate Md Abdul Hamid Mia inaugurated the chess competition yesterday morning. General Secretary of Dhaka District Sports Association Kazi Golam Quddus Nabi, Member of Bangladesh Chess Federation and Chairman of the Chess Committee of Dhaka District Sports Association Md Abdus Sobhan, Dhaka District Sports Officer Md Tariquzzaman, General Secretary of Keranigonj Upazila Sports Association Ali Hossain were present at that time.

A total of 71 chess players have taken part in the tournament including 35 rated chess players.

JFA Cup U-15 football begins Feb 17

UNB, Dhaka

The 4th JFA Cup Under-15 Football tournament, organised by Bangladesh Football Federation with the financial assistance of Japan Football Association, will begin on February 17 at eight zonal venues across the country.

In all, 60 district teams, split into eight zones, will take part in the 4th version of the countrywide regular junior football meet.

Rajshahi emerge zonal champions in men's handball

UNB, Dhaka

Rajshahi district emerged zonal champions to reach the final round of the Exim Bank 18th National Handball (men's) tournament beating Chapainawabganj by 24-22 goals in the hard fought zonal final at the Jamalpur Stadium on Sunday.

The winners trailed 9-10 in the first half.

Rashedul of Rajshahi was adjudged best player of the tournament.

Despite the day's defeat, Chapainawabganj also qualified for the final round as zonal runners-up.

Deputy Commissioner of Jamalpur Abdul Haque Pradhan was the chief guest in the day's final and later distributed the prizes.