The New Nation - Internet Edition

BKSP makes biggest upset beating Sk Russell KC 1-0

UNB, Dhaka

Newcomers BKSP caused the biggest upset in the Citycell Federation Cup Football Tournament beating professional League semi-finalists Sheikh Russell KC by 1-0 goal in their first appearance at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Saturday.

BKSP captain Towhidul Alam Sabuj, a former player of Youngmen's Club Fakirerpool and national Under-16 team, scored the match-winner against the flow of the match in the 30th minute by a powerful shot from top of the box, off a Royal pass.

With the day's win, the national sports training institute team brightened their chance to reach the last eight from Group C securing full three points from the first match, while the quarterfinal berth of Sheikh Russell KC has become uncertain following the day's frustrating result.

In the day's first match, B League semifinalist Sheikh Russell KC played comparatively better against BKSP composed of 11 former national Under-16 team players.

Veteran national striker Alfaz Ahmed of Sheikh Russell KC came close to score in the 37th minute, but his close range header narrowly sailed over the crossbar off a Saiful pass.

Again a fine header by Moroccan booter Touati Youness, off a Tanveer pass, returned to play hitting the crossbar in the 47th minute amid frustration of the Russell KC fans.

Two attempts by national colour medio Manwar Hossain of Russell KC were confidently tackled by BKSP custodian Mushtaque in the 11th and 85th minutes.

BKSP managed a golden chance in the 66th minute, but captain Sabuj and his attacking due Sabbir spoiled the chance repeatedly as they failed to shoot well in time.

Again in the 86th minute, Sabuj was very unlucky as his angular shot from right wing returned to play kissing the side bar.

Yellow card - Kanak and Annie (BKSP)

Ferguson expects United's fire to burn brighter than ever

AFP, London

In the final moments before Sunday's Community Shield clash against Portsmouth, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will look into his players' eyes and feel reassured that the club's future is in good hands.

Just 10 weeks after the curtain finally came down on a magnificent campaign that included Premier League and Champions League glory, United return to action in the Wembley friendly that marks the start of the English season.

While United's ascent to the pinnacle of domestic and European football in May would be enough to satisfy the appetites of many, Ferguson is driven by a burning desire to establish his club alongside iconic teams like Real Madrid's 1950s vintage and the Ajax legends of the 1970s.

He has no time for players who feel they have fulfilled their destiny and will stare deep into the eyes of each of his charges on Sunday to make sure they still have the same thirst for success as him.

"Soon I will look into the eyes of my players to make sure they have retained the hunger they need to succeed," Ferguson said.

"If success has gone to anyone's head and they show signs they are ready to rest on their laurels, they will soon be on their way."

With fierce competitors like Gary Neville, set to make his first start since March 2007, and Paul Scholes, Carlos Tevez and Nemanja Vidic in his line-up, the Scot expects to finish his assessment with an overwhelmingly positive verdict.

"At this particular time, we are not in the best position fitness-wise but it doesn't concern me unduly," Ferguson said.

"There is a great quality in the squad and a great enthusiasm. A lot of them are exhilarated by winning the European Cup."

Ferguson will need every warrior he can find as he heads into the season without his two creative dynamos.

Cristiano Ronaldo's return to United's training ground on Friday signalled the end of his attempt to engineer a move to Real, but the Portugal winger will be sidelined for several weeks after ankle surgery.

Wayne Rooney contracted an illness on United's recent trip to Nigeria that will keep him out of action, while Owen Hargreaves, Louis Saha, Anderson and Nani are all ruled out.

The absence of so many stars could allow Ferguson to hand debuts to Brazilian prodigies Rafael and Fabio Da Silva and Rodrigo Possedon.

United have already beaten Portsmouth once this pre-season but John Utaka believes Sunday's encounter will be a far more high-tempo match than United's 2-1 win in Nigeria.

"It doesn't matter that Manchester United beat us in the last match, they are different games, they need different approaches," Nigerian midfielder Utaka said.

"This will be nothing like that game. Things are different now and we have the chance to win. We've had good preparation for the pre-season and now we really want to win this first match at Wembley.

"Of course we will approach this game very differently to Nigeria. We have to be a lot more committed, we have to play and work hard and make sure we do our best.

"They are a very good side, but I believed we would win the FA Cup. If I didn't believe I would not play football, you cannot just give up."

French midfielder Lassana Diarra is a doubt for Portmsouth and, with FA Cup final match-winner Nwankwo Kanu also set to miss out, Peter Crouch should partner fellow England international Jermain Defoe in attack.

Crouch, an 11-million-pounds (21-million-dollars) signing from Liverpool last month, is determined to mark his first significant appearance for his new club with a repeat of his 2006 Community Shield winner against Chelsea.

"I have great memories of that day, scoring the winner against Chelsea, I'm really looking forward to Sunday," Crouch said. "It's a fantastic occasion, like a cup final."

Nervous Emmons wins first gold of Beijing Olympics

AFP, Beijing

Czech shooter Katerina Emmons overcame jittery nerves and a splitting headache to win the first gold medal of the Beijing Olympics with a new Games record here on Saturday.

Emmons, 24, won the women's 10m Air Rifle competition ahead of silver- medallist Lioubov Galkina of Russia and third-placed Snjezana Pejcic of Croatia.

China's Du Li, the Athens Olympics gold medallist, finished fifth, disappointing millions at home who expected her to produce the 'aoyun shoujin'-first Olympic gold.

Li fled the hall in tears, refusing to speak to the large Chinese media contingent in the mixed zone.

She later told reporters: "I was satisfied by scoring 399 in the qualification round but I was not fully prepared for the pressure of shooting in the final at home."

The Chinese girl met the same fate as compatriot Zhao Yinghui, who was the favourite to win the first gold medal at Athens, but also failed to finish on the podium.

Emmons received her gold medal from International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, who was among the sell-out crowd of 5,000 at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall.

Emmons, 24, who took the bronze in Athens, finished with 503.5 points to break Li's Olympic record of 502 points four years ago.

Emmons never looked back after setting a world record total of 400 in the qualification rounds before adding 103.5 points in the eight-woman final.

As soon as the event finished, Emmons ran into the arms of her American husband Matthew Emmons, himself a top shooter who won the Olympic gold in the 50m Rifle Prone event at Athens.

"Thank God it's over because I was so nervous," said the champion, who came second behind Li in the 2006 world championships in Zagreb, Croatia.

"I had a headache this morning. I felt so terrible that I did not know how I would shoot. So to win the first gold medal of this Olympics is pretty amazing.

"I felt very nervous after the qualification round, the heart was beating fast. But I just told myself to concentrate on the final round.

"I cannot be more satisfied than this. I have achieved the very best there is in sport. It's everything I could get," said Emmons.

She was also watched from the stands by her father Petr Kurka, himself a two-time world champion shooter.

Galkina, 35, the silver medallist at Athens who returned to competitive shooting this year after the birth of a son last November, finished just a point behind the champion.

China's hopes of a good start in their bid to win a majority of gold medals in the 15-event shooting competition now rest on men's 10m Air Pistol world champion Peng Wei, who will be in action later on Saturday.

Lanka takes 1st innings lead against India

AP, Colombo

Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten century gave Sri Lanka a first innings lead over India with four wickets in hand in the third and series-deciding cricket test Saturday.

In reply to India's 249, Sri Lanka batted throughout day two to finish at 251-6 when bad light stopped play in the final session at P.Saravanamuttu Stadium.

Sangakkara played a patient innings of nearly five hours, facing 212 balls for his unbeaten 107, which included 11 fours. He will resume Sunday with with wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene on 1.

Sangakkara's 95-run stand for the second wicket with night-watchman Chaminda Vaas (47) was crucial in providing the platform for the hosts, who have a good opportunity to push for a victory to win the series.

India's problems were not restricted to the scoreboard, as they lost three key players to injury.

Middle-order batsman V.V.S Laxman twisted an ankle while practicing in the morning and star batsman Sachin Tendulkar injured his left elbow when diving for a catch at short-leg in the middle session.

Soon after tea, strike bowler Ishant Sharma pulled a leg muscle while running in to bowl and returned to the rooms.

India team manager T.C Matthew told reporters that both Laxman and Tendulkar were expected to bat in India's second innings.

Details on Sharma's injury were not immediately available.

Resuming at 14-1 on day two, Sri Lanka lost the out-of-touch Michael Vandort (14) lbw to Zaheer Khan.

Sangakkara and Vaas' (47) valuable stand was ended in the second session by ace India spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Eager to reach his 14th half-century, Vaas drove straight to Virender Sehwag at cover with the total on 137. Vaas's innings ended just two runs short of reaching the rare career mark of 3,000 runs and 300 wickets.

In his next over, Harbhajan deceived Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene (2) in the flight and trapped him lbw while playing across the line.

Sri Lanka reached tea at 175-4 with Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera negotiating the latter part of the second session against the probing spin of Harbhajan and captain Anil Kumble. Sangakkara and Samaraweera (35) added 60 runs together before Khan induced an edge off Samaraweera to be caught behind by

wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

Tillakaratne Dilshan (23) was out shortly before the close, trapped lbw by Kumble for his first wicket of the innings.

With the series level 1-1, both teams are chasing a series win. India has not won a series in Sri Lanka since 1993, while the hosts are aiming to repeat the series win in 2001 after being level in a three-match series.

Choi wins Olympic gold in judo

AFP, Beijing

Choi Min-Ho of South Korea won gold in the men's -60kg division at the Olympic Games in Beijing on Saturday.

The 2003 world champion, a bronze medalist in Athens, was in startling form throughout the day and defeated Austria's Ludwig Paischer with a brilliant te-guruma (leg-grab pick-up) for the maximum ippon in the final.

Current world champion Rouben Houkes of the Netherlands beat Israel's Gal Yekutiel for bronze while the second bronze medal went to Rishod Sobirov of Uzbekistan, beating France's Dimitri Dragin.

Brothers Union makes good start defeating Victoria SC by 2-0 goals

UNB, Dhaka

Brothers Union Club made a good start in the Citycell Federation Cup Football tournament defeating Victoria Sporting Club by 2-0 goals in a Group C match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium Saturday.

Rezaul Karim Liton put Brothers Union ahead in the 23rd minute from a penalty while striker Ariful Kabir Farhad confirmed the victory scoring one more goal in the 42nd minute.

With the day's feat, the all orange Gopibagh outfit dominated the Group C with newcomers BKSP securing full three points from first match while Victoria SC yet to open the account due to losing the day's engagement.

Brothers Union will play BKSP at 5 pm while Sheikh Russell KC meets Victoria SC at 7 pm, both on Wednesday (Aug 13).

Today's matches: Chittagong Mohammedan vs Jatrabari KC (5:pm), Dhaka Abahani vs Chittagong Abahani (7pm).

SA Academy score 256/2 in 1st innings at tea on 2nd day

UNB, Dhaka

Hosts South Africa Academy team started well against visiting GP-BCB Academy team as they scored 256/2 in 71 overs in the 1st innings at tea on the 2nd day of the first four-day match at Tukkies in Pretoria on Saturday.

Resuming with overnight 43/0 in reply to the tourists' 1st innings score 217/10, an unbeaten century from Stiaan Ban showed signs that the hosts are poised for a big total.

Stiaan remained not out on 136 while Dan Vila made not out 59. Earlier, top order batsman Rushdi Jappie came up with a brisk 56.

Shamsur Rahman Shuvo and pacer Mahbubul Alam Robin took one wicket apiece.

Earlier, sent into bat first, the tourists passed the 200-run mark with two useful fifties from Marshall Ayub and Imrul Kayes.

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.

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

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

Pioneer Football: BKSP reach final

Sports Reporter

BKSP moved into the final of the Dhaka City Corporation Pioneer Football League when they thrashed Tangail Football Club by three goals to nil the second semifinal at the Kamalapur Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium on Saturday.

After a barren first half Shahinoor, Saifuddin, Saddam scored one goal each for the victims team.

BKSP will face Rampura KC in the final on August 14 at the same venue.

BKSP and Rampura KC promoted to the next year's Third Division Football League.

Volleyball coaching camp for women concludes

Sports Reporter

After ending of three-week long volleyball coaching camp for women, Managing Director of National Bank Limited Md Abdur Rahman Sarkar distributed the certificates among the participants as the chief guest yesterday at the Dhanmondi Women Sports Complex.

The players, who got certificates, are: Alea Akhter, Nazmun Nahar, Farhana Akhter, Nadia Parveen Luckey, Depti Rani Sarkar, Nasrat Jahan Nishi, Farzana Parveen Asha, Sushmita Khan Iva, Yasmin Akhter, Shahida Parveen Mayuri, Morjia Akhter Momi, Suchona Parveen Keya, Sharmin Parveen, Barnali Khatun Banya, Sonia Akhter, Nasrin Ara.

Coach Farida Begum conducted the training camp while Amit Kumar Krishna assist her as the Assistant Coach.

Vice-President of Bangaldesh Volleyball Federation (BVF) Morshed A Chowdhury, Md Mustafizur Rahman Mintoo, Mostafa Kamal, General Secretary of BVF Md Anisur Rahman, Treasurer of the federation AMM Rashid Uddin, Chairman of Senior Sports Organising Committee Md Monirul Haque were present, among others.

Kabaddi training camp for women begins

Sports Reporter

Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation has arranged a residential training camp for women to form the National Women Kabaddi team, which will take part in the Third Asian Women Kabaddi Championship. The coaching camp began yesterday at the Dhanmondi Women Sports Complex.

Director (Sports) of National Sports Council Md Haiyul Kaiyum inaugurated the training camp yesterday as the chief guest. General Secretary of Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation Md Nazrul Islam was present at the time.

A total of 15 women are taking part in the coaching camp. The training camp will come to an end on September 15.

Coach Subimol Chandra Das is conducting the coaching camp.

Ljubicic out of Beijing Olympics

AFP, Beijing

Former world number three Ivan Ljubicic pulled out of the Beijing Olympics singles tournament today, joining fellow Croats Ivo Karlovic and Mario Ancic on the sidelines.

Ljubicic, who has slipped to 51 in the world rankings, withdrew with an unspecified injury and his place was taken by Devon Mullings of Bahamas, the world 1025, who now plays Argentina's Agustin Calleri in the first round.

Karlovic, the world number 18 who recently defeated Roger Federer in Cincinnati, pulled out on Friday after developing a high temperature.

His place was taken by Chinese youngster Yu Xin Yuan, who gets his tournament underway against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Ancic pulled out earlier this month, also due to illness, leaving rising youngster Marin Cilic as Croatia's only men's hope.

On the women's side, a knee injury forced former Olympic champion Lindsay Davenport to quit the singles on Friday, although she still plans to play doubles.