The New Nation - Internet Edition

Uttar Baridhara Club unbeaten Champions of Div II Football

Sports Reporter

Uttar Baridhara Club became unbeaten champions of the Second Division Football League when they defeated Sadharan Bima KS by 3-1 goals at the Kamalapur Bir Sreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Stadium on Saturday.

Uttar Baridhara Club secured 42 points from 16 matches while T&T Club of Motijheel, the runners-up of the meet gained 36 points from as many outings. Sadharan Bima KS remained with 17 points playing 16 matches.

Uttar Baridhara Club and T&T Club of Motijheel will play next year's First Division Football League.

Shapla, Mahbubur, Dulal Scored one goal each for Uttar Baridhara Club while Jafar pulled off one for the losers.

In the day's other match, East End Club outplayed Dhanmondi Club by three goals to one at the same venue.

Ismail of East End Club scored two goals and his teammate Biplob netted one while Riad returned one for Dhanmondi Club.

East End Club collected 31 points from 16 matches while Dhanmondi Club earned 14 points from the same number of outings.

Archery training course concludes

Sports Reporter

The ten-day long archery training course concluded at the BKSP yesterday. Bangladesh Archery Federation arranged the coaching course under the auspices of Uttara Bank Limited.

A total of 28 archers including six women took part in the archery training course under the development programme of Asian Archery Federation.

Yang Chang Hoon of Korea conducted the coaching course. He is the expert coach of Asian Archery Federation.

After the training course President of Bangladesh Archery Federation Major General Md Sadik Hasan Rumi distributed the certificates among the participants as the chief guest.

Deputy Managing Director of Uttara Bank Limited MA Matin was present at the time.

Rangpur reach semis beating Mymensingh by two wickets

UNB, Dhaka

Rangpur DSA moved into the semifinals of the 29th National (Inter-District) Cricket Championship eliminating Mymensingh DSA by two wickets in the 3rd quarterfinal at the Shams-ul-Huda Stadium in Jessore today (Saturday).

Earlier, Barisal and Khulna DSAs reached the last four to meet each other in the first semis on Monday.

Batting first in the day's match, Mymensingh DSA, riding on two half centuries by Shahriar Hossain and Shuvagatahom scored 167 for all in 49.3 overs.

Two down Shuvagata Hom contributed 51 runs off 69 balls with nine boundaries while Shahriar Hossain scored a patient 52 runs off 117 balls with seven fours.

Lower order Asifur Rahman (10) and Zakir Hossain (not out 10) were the other Mymensingh batsmen to reach double figures. Another 19 runs came from extras.

Alauddin Babu claimed four wickets for 25 runs, Tanveer grabbed three wickets for 31 runs, while Sakib Sarker took two for 20 runs.

In reply, Rangpur DSA reached their target making 170 for the loss of 8 wickets with one ball to spare (49.5 overs).

Top order batsman Alauddin Babu scored run-a-ball 32 with six fours while tail-ender Sakib Sarker contributed not out 31 off 62 balls.

One down Al Amin (27), lower order Mustakim (not out 25), skipper Salehuddin (16) and Salman Khan (13) were the other major contributors for Rangpur DSA.

Shahriar Hossain claimed two wickets for 27 runs.

England to decide on return to India

AP, London

England's cricketers fly home from India on Saturday in the wake of the shootings and explosions that killed more than 150 people in Mumbai and will take time to decide whether it is too dangerous to return for the test series. Because of reports that the gunmen were targeting foreigners, there are fears that the England cricket team could become a major target if they return for the two tests next month. The last two limited-overs internationals, scheduled for Saturday and Tuesday, were called off in the aftermath of the coordinated terror attacks in Mumbai that started overnight Wednesday. That has given the team time off ahead of the test series, which is due to start Dec. 11.

Although the Board of Control for Cricket in India has switched the second test venue from Mumbai to Chennai and the England Cricket Board has given assurances it will proceed with the series, there is speculation that the England players, after talking to their families, may decide that they won't return. "I haven't a clue," England captain Kevin Pietersen said Friday, before the players started their journey home. "We'll have to get all the logistic stuff sorted first but the decision to go back to London will buy us some time and if we need to fly back to India on Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday next week then so be it.

"Right now, all we want to do is go home because of what we've seen and the fact we've woken up this morning and the saga is still continuing in Mumbai."

Pietersen said the players enjoyed their last visit to Mumbai. But they had been taking lots of calls from concerned friends and relatives since the shootings on Wednesday. "The guys were happy as anything in Mumbai in the two weeks we were there," Pietersen said. "The way of life in Mumbai is fantastic and that way of life, which is the best way of life in India, has now gone.

"I bet all the guys lost a whole battery on their mobiles yesterday with calls from friends and relatives and kids wanting to know where daddy is. It's a real situation and we're being taken out of the situation and we'll make a decision on it over the next 48 to 72 hours."

Ian MacLaurin, the former England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, said he believed the security staff that travel with the team would advise them not to go back. The team's security expert, Reg Dickason, will do an assessment in India. "It was absolutely the right decision to come home," MacLaurin said. "The England cricket team are very high-profile individuals. "If these fanatics are going to target people then the England cricket side could be a very big target for them. My own view is that I would be very, very surprised if the security people will give them the OK to go back."

Pietersen conceded there would be pressure on the players to return for the test matches.

"I do think the BCCI will make every single effort to get us back here playing test match cricket in India. There are TV rights and financial considerations and they run world cricket don't they?" Pietersen was quoted as saying by Britain's Press Association. "But we will not come back to this country if it's not safe. My life means more to me than anything else and I won't come back if it's not safe."

Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe by 2 wickets to lead 4-0

AP, Harare

Ajantha Mendis took six wickets and Jehan Mubarak top-scored with 60 not out Friday to steer Sri Lanka to a two-wicket win over Zimbabwe and a 4-0 lead in the five-match, limited-overs series.

After Mendis took 6-29 from nine overs with his ability to spin the ball either way to help bowl out Zimbabwe for 146, Mubarak scored the only half-century in the match as Sri Lanka won with 15 balls to spare at Harare Sports Club.

Tawanda Mupariwa and Elton Chigumbura each took three wickets to bring Zimbabwe within sight of its first victory of the series, but Mubarak hit one of six boundaries in his 99-ball innings through the covers off Chigumbura for the winning runs. "He really batted well today," Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said of Mubarak. "It was good to see because he came into the side not so long ago. He took responsibility and batted sensibly, It was good to see the investments we made four to five years ago coming right for us."

Sri Lanka can seal a whitewash series victory if it wins the final match on Sunday.

After losing by six and nine wickets in the first two matches, the Zimbabweans were beaten by 5 runs Monday. They had another improved bowling performance Friday after their batting had again let them down.

Fast bowler Ed Rainsford found Mahela Udawatte's outside edge in the third over but wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu fumbled a routine catch. Captain and offspinner Prosper Utseya took the new ball and was economical, conceding 3 runs in his first 4 overs. Upul Tharanga, who hit Rainsford for two boundaries to midwicket, was the first wicket to fall, skying a catch to Taibu off Utseya in the 10th over with Sri Lanka on 33.

Mupariwa, Zimbabwe's best bowler in the series, struck twice in two balls in the next over to swing the match in his team's favor. Udawatte drove lazily and was out for 14 off 13 balls as Stuart Matsikenyeri held on to a brilliant catch in the covers. Then, Mupariwa trapped Jayawardene leg before wicket for a first-ball duck.

"We knew it was going to be tough and we created problems for ourselves," Jayawardene said. "We knew it was a slow track where the ball would not come onto the bat, so it wasn't good for us to lose wickets upfront."

Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Kapugedara put on 22 off 39 balls before Chamu Chibhabha caught Kapugedara for 12 with a diving catch at point off Mupariwa, and Sri Lanka was 55-4. Sangakkara and Mubarak put on 40 runs from 81 balls, waiting for the bad ball to put away and take Sri Lanka within sight of victory. Chigumbura broke the partnership in the 31st over, receiving a return catch to dismiss Sangakkara for 23.

Zimbabwe took three more wickets - Ray Price bowling rookie Angelo Mathews for 0, and Chigumbura dimissing Thilina Thushara for 6 and Dhammika Prasad for 8 - but Mubarak steered Sri Lanka home. Mupariwa finished with figures of 3-35, while Chigumbura took 3-34.

"The biggest thing is that we are improving with each outing," Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya said. "We came close on Monday and today we came close again. We showed all-round improvement. What we need is to put a decent totals on the scoreboard to reduce pressure on the bowlers."

Sorenstam helps International team forge tie

AP, Singapore

Annika Sorenstam isn't quite finished.

Playing her second-to-last event before retiring, the Swedish star holed a 45-foot pitch for eagle on the par-5 18th hole to give herself and Suzann Pettersen a 1-up victory over Inbee Park and Eun Hee Ji on Saturday in the Lexus Cup.

"The timing was perfect," Sorenstam said. "Suzann played extraordinarily well. I was happy to have a chance to help on the last hole."With the comeback victory in the opening best-ball match at Singapore Island Country Club, Sorenstam and Pettersen helped the International team match two-time defending champion Asia at six points entering the closing 12 singles matches.

Sorenstam, set to end her Hall of Fame career next week in the Ladies European Tour's Dubai Ladies Masters, is the International team's playing captain.

"It's amazing how close it really is," Sorenstam said. "A lot of matches went to the 18th hole. The golf has been spectacular. You have to make birdies to win out here. It's been a great day and hopefully we can continue the momentum tomorrow. I wouldn't be surprised to see it come to the 18th hole."On Sunday, Sorenstam will play Asian captain Se Ri Pak in the opening match, the first between the longtime stars."It's funny, you think all these years we've been out together, we've never been out head-to-head," Sorenstam said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Pettersen won the 12th and 13th holes to even the match. Ji took the 14th, and Pettersen countered on 15. Park restored Asia's 1-up lead on 16, but Pettersen tied it again with a birdie on 17. On 18, Sorenstam holed out from the rough with a 54-degree wedge after her 5-wood approach sailed right and deflected off a grandstand.

Pettersen, set to play LPGA Championship winner Yani Tseng in the third match Sunday, had eight birdies, while Sorenstam had just one birdie and the eagle.

"I got it going out there," Pettersen said. "Having Annika on your side helps me to be a bit more aggressive and I had the putter hot out there today. You got to grind so hard, every putt. Great finish to a great match. Today was a lot of good energy between me and Annika. We played a lot together and have a lot of good memories and she just keeps pulling off these great shots when it really matters."

In the second match, Solheim Cup rivals Cristie Kerr and Helen Alfredsson teamed to beat Pak and Seon Hwa Lee 2-up.

"We were pretty fired up," Alfredsson said. "We knew it was do or die, so we got it pretty close and just tried to make some birdies. It's nice when you do it."

The loss was Lee's first in eight matches in three appearances in the event. On Sunday, she'll face Angela Stanford in the final match.

"I played not too good today," Lee said. "I still have jet-lag and my condition is not good. Se Ri played well, but I did not help out there today."

After Asia swept the third, fourth and fifth matches to take a 6-5 lead, the Australian duo of Katherine Hull and Nikki Campbell left the event tied for the second straight day, beating Tseng and Namika Omata 1-up.

"It's great to have the support and the Aussie calls were pretty appropriate," Campbell said. "I am looking forward to tomorrow, but disappointed I don't have Katherine to carry me along."

The Asian teams of Jeong Jang-Na Yeon Choi, Candie Kung-Mayumi Shimomura and Sarah Lee-Song Hee Kim won their matches. Jang and Choi edged Paula Creamer and Nicole Castrale 1-up, Kung and Shimomura beat Stanford and Natalie Gulbis 4 and 3, and Sarah Lee and Song Hee Kim topped Karen Stupples and Christina Kim 4 and 2.

"We were both so nervous," Jang said. "We were watching every single score and that was making us more nervous."

Asia won 15-9 last year at The Vines in Perth, Australia, for its second straight victory. The International team won the inaugural matches 16-8 in 2005 at Tenah Merah in Singapore, and Asia won 12 1/2 -11 1/2 at Tenah Merah in 2006.