The New Nation - Internet Edition

Dhaka Wanderers Club forces Muktijoddha to play 1-1 draw

UNB, Dhaka

Lowly Dhaka Wanderers Club forced Muktijoddha Sangsad KC to play a 1-1 goal draw in an opening Group A match of the Citycell Federation Cup Football at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.

In the day's match, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC's SM Rajib scored the suicidal goal for his team in the 44th minute while captain Firoz Mahmood Hosain Titu equalized the margin in the dying moment of the match that saved the team from a possible defeat.

With the mediocre team, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC failed to show supremacy and had to remain satisfied in the day's result.

The team got some real scoring chances but failed to convert those into goal.

They got the first scoring chance in the 25th minute but Kanchan's powerful shot from inside the D box sailed harmlessly over the cross bar.

The freedom fighters' team again came close to score in the 26th minute when onrushing Murad failed to send the ball home from handshake distance before the open net after dodging past the opponent custodian Raju, who came forward to confront the ball.

Dhaka Wanderers Club, which failed to make any real attacks in the first half, tasted the joy of first suicidal goal when Muktijoddha Sangsad KC's Rajib tried to clear the ball from danger zone, but unfortunately the ball found their own net in the 44th minute (1-0).

Titu salvaged some prestige and pride for Muktijoddha Sangsad KC in the 87th minute with a shot from a goalmouth melee after taking the pass from Walid (1-1).

Muktijoddha players could have taken a 2-1 lead but opponent custodian Raju brilliantly foiled an attempt off Kanchan's header from the vantage position off Rajib cross in the 83rd minute.

Yellow card- Sento (Muktijoddha) and Jamal (Wanderers Club).

Teams:

Muktijoddha SKC -- Nizam, Rajib, Arman, Araman, Roni, Titu, Murad (Walid), Sento, Biplob, Jalal (Azmol) and Kanchan (Rana).

Dhaka Wanderers Club - Raju, Afzal, Rashid, Apple, Alam, Lucky (Iqbal), Komol, Pintu, Munir, Aminul, and Jamal.

Referee - Shahidul Islam

Saturday' matches: Sheikh Russell KC vs BKSP (5 pm), Brothers Union Club vs Victoria SC (7pm).

Farashganj SC 3-0 against Khulna Abahani

Farashganj Sporting Club made a flying start in the Citycell Federation Cup Football when they blanked Khulna Abahani by 3-0 goals in another Group A match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday.

Mamun struck twice in the 24th and 69th minute while Enamul netted another in the 43rd minute for Farashganj SC.

Pioneer Football: Araft does it for Rampura

Sports Reporter

An all-imporant goal from Arafat helped Rampura KC to earn a lone-goal victory over Shwadhinata KS at the Kamalapur Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium on Friday.

By virtue of yesterday's win Rampura KC moved into the final of the league and promoted to the next year's Third Division Football League.

Today Tangail Football Club will face BKSP at 4.00 PM at the same venue.

England 264 for 8 against South Africa

BBC Online

Jacques Kallis took three wickets after tea as South Africa checked England's progress on day two of the fourth Test against England at The Oval.

Kevin Pietersen had put the hosts in a strong position with a century on his first Test outing as England captain.

But he became Makhaya Ntini's third victim of the day after the seamer had removed Ian Bell and Alastair Cook.

Kallis then removed Andrew Flintoff, Tim Ambrose and Paul Collingwood as England fell to 248-7, a lead of 54.

Beijing sees busiest flight day ever on eve of Games

AFP, Beijing

Beijing Capital International Airport experienced its busiest day on the eve of the opening of the Olympic Games, the civil aviation authority said today.

In total, 1,400 planes took off and landed Thursday at the newly expanded airport, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement posted on its website, with a peak of 87 in one hour.

"This was the busiest moment in history for China's civil aviation," Yang Guoqing, deputy head of the CAAC, said.

Flights today are, however, expected to be fewer, as all flights to and from Beijing have been banned for security reasons from 7pm (1100 GMT) to midnight during the Olympics opening ceremony.

GP-BCB Academy 217 all out in 1st innings against SA Academy

UNB, Dhaka

Touring GP-BCB Academy team scored 217 for all in 64.5 overs in the 1st innings against hosts South Africa Academy team on day one of the first four-day match at Tukkies in Pretoria Friday.

Sent into bat first, two useful fifties from Marshall Ayub and Imrul Kayes helped the tourists to pass the 200-run mark.

Marshall contributed highest 62 to the innings while left-handed Kayes made 56.

Shamsur Rahman Shuvo also came up with a brisk 46 while Jahirul Islam scored 1, Farhad Hossain 2, Nadif Chowdhury 14 and wicket keeper Pavel 12. Skipper Suhrawardi Shuvo was out for 0.

CJ de Villiers claimed 4 wickets for 29 runs while Vid Merwe captured 3 wickets for 47 runs.

After the first four-dayer, the 2nd four-day match between the two academy sides will be held August 14-18 at Laudiam in Pretoria.

The GP-BCB Academy team will play the first one-day match against their South African counterpart on August 20 at Dobsonville in Johannesburg, the second one-day match on Aug 22 at Tukkies in Pretoria, and the third and last one day match on Aug 24 at Lenasia in Johannesburg.

The Academy team, which is due to return home on August 25, would later tour Sri Lanka.

Volleyball camp for women concludes today

Sports Reporter

The three-week long residential volleyball camp for women will come to an end today at 4.00 PM at the Dhanmondi Women Sports Complex. Bangladesh Volleyball Federation has arranged the training camp to form Bangladesh National Women Volleyball team.

Managing Director of the National Bank Limited Md. Abdur Rahman Sarker will distribute the certificates among the participants today as the chief guest.

China on brink of becoming world's dominant sporting power

AFP, Beijing

China is on the brink of becoming the most dominant sporting power in the world, with expectations running high that they will bounce the United States from the top of the Olympic medal table.

Publicly, China's leadership have played down the country's sporting ambitions and Cui Dalin, deputy chief of China's Olympic team, insists the team has no official medal target.

But he said he hoped all athletes would perform to their highest level when the Games get underway on Saturday.

"We have never set a medal target. But we have made very serious preparations and all athletes have undergone very hard training," he said.

"It is safe to say that we have made progress with regard to previous performances."

In reality, China's athletes are under extreme pressure to perform well.

At a ceremony to unveil the team, basketball star Yao Ming, reigning 110m Olympic hurdle champion Liu Xiang and dozens of others vowed in unison to do the nation of 1.3 billion people proud.

"For the glory of the motherland, I will, during the Beijing Olympics, doggedly struggle, summon all courage and energy to be first, compete with fairness and friendship, win without pride, and lose without losing spirit," they said.

"We will achieve the twin goals of athletic success and civilised spirit, make a good showing for the nation's people and win honour for the motherland."

At Athens four years ago, China finished with 32 gold, 17 silver and 14 bronze medals to place second behind the United States.

In the drive to beat that mark and satisfy nationalist pride, they are fielding 639 athletes in Beijing-up from the 407 it sent to Greece.

While it has a realistic chance of achieving the feat, it is not likely to make waves in blue riband events such as athletics and swimming.

Rather, its hopes lie in scooping golds from sports where it is traditionally strong-table tennis, badminton, gymnastics and diving.

It will also be aiming to add to the tally in lower profile disciplines such as canoeing, boxing, beach volleyball and synchronized swimming.

In athletics, only Liu and London marathon winner Zhou Chunxiu have a realistic chance of seeing the Chinese flag hoisted in honour of a gold medal, with Zhang Wenxiu an outside chance in the women's hammer throw.

With China's dismal showing at the National Swimming Championships this year, where just two Asian records were broken, few of the 32 golds up for grabs in the pool are expected to end up in their hands.

The United States and Australia are set to dominate once again, with Chinese hopes hanging on Wu Peng, who claimed silver in the 200m butterfly at last year's world championships.

Where China will almost certainly chalk up success is through its paddlers and shuttlers.

It is the dominant table tennis nation and with the likes of men's world numbers one and two, Wang Hao and Ma Lin, in action, and top-ranked Zhang Yining and Guo Yue on the women's side, a medal frenzy is almost guaranteed.

Golden couple Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang carry Chinese hopes on the badminton courts, while the diving team is aiming to top their six golds from nine medals at Athens.

"Pressure can be both positive or detrimental to my game. Olympic gold is the goal that I am pursuing in Beijing," said Lin this week.

A sport that China could surprise in is boxing. At the 2006 Asian Games they shocked world heavyweights Kazakhstan and Thailand by bagging two gold medals through Zou Shiming (light flyweight) and Hu Qing (lightweight).

China could get off to a flyer by winning the first gold medal of the Games, with sharpshooter Du Li favourite in the 10m Air Rifle.

Li faces a close race with her country's weightlifters to give China the roaring start they want in their bid to surpass the United States.