Friday, March 27, 2009
Force India: 2009 Australian GP Free Practice Report
The Force India Formula One Team's 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship campaign got underway today with two 90 minute free practice sessions at the Albert Park track in Melbourne, Australia. Both Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella enjoyed strong starts to the year, with Adrian recording the 9th quickest time in both sessions and Giancarlo the 14th and 13th fastest times in FP1 and FP2 - already on a par with their respective 2008 qualifying laps.
After a very limited winter testing programme, the team's objective today was to cover as many laps as possible and further its understanding of the new car, the VJM02. The programme also included comparing the two Bridgestone Potenza tyre compounds available this weekend, set-up work and, in the afternoon, longer and new tyre runs.
Qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix will take place tomorrow at 17:00hrs local time following a final 60-minute practice session in the morning.
Adrian Sutil (car 20)
'I hope this is representative of where we are, but it is still very early on in the weekend. We had a good session in the afternoon and could do some quite promising runs. I was pleased with the car, we had no real problems. The balance depended on the tyres. In the second session we did some race runs and struggled a lot with the softer tyre, but I think once the track rubbers in the tyres will grip better, but overall it was OK and a good position in the end. I think we can be happy with where we are right now.'
Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21)
'It's a bit too early to say how we can perform this weekend. The car is better under high speed but so far I am struggling with the rear locking and I'm not 100% comfortable just yet. We're in better shape than last year for sure though. We will see tomorrow but at least we know there is potential to improve over night.'
Simon Roberts, chief operating officer
'It's been a promising start to the weekend today. I've been really pleased with the team and the overall performance. We managed to get everything we needed to completed and, apart from a couple of niggles in the first session - really just early season teething problems - it was a good team showing.'
Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/03):
FP1: 9th 1:27.993 (20 laps)
FP2: 9th 1:27.040 (29 laps)
Giancarlo Fisichella (car 21, VJM02/01):
FP1: 14th 1:28.603 (16 laps)
FP2: 13th 1:27.282 (32 laps)
Rashid retains Faldo Series Asia title
Rashid Khan returned a card of two-under 70 to emerge on top at the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final played at Mission Hills in China. With a three-day total of five-under 211, Rashid became the first back-to-back winner of the title. 
It has been a stellar season for Rashid that has seen him win four titles on the LG Amateur Tour, including the LG Rambagh Open Amateur, just two days prior to his departure to China.
S Chikkarangappa from Bangalore finished third, five behind the leader. It was a good comeback from the young lad after a 78 in the first round had pushed him down the leaderboard. Amanjyot Singh started off well but could not keep up his good showing, shooting a 76 and 81 in the last two rounds to finish outside the top-20.
Rashid got off to a sedate start in the tournament with an even-par 72 but followed it up with a 69 in the second round that put him in the lead. The 18-year-old won with a birdie four on the 18th hole to finish on five-under-par, one ahead of Spain’s Adrian Jauregui who had chipped in for eagle on the same hole playing one group in front.
A delighted Rashid later said, “I am so happy to win. I was nervous at the start, especially with Mr Faldo watching, however I soon settled and stuck to my game plan. Even towards the end when the scores were tight I felt confident that I could do it. I want to come back next year and win again!”
Six-time Major winner Nick Faldo said, “I was really impressed with Rashid today – he hit two great drives down 17 and 18 under a lot of pressure which set him up for the win.”
The field for this year’s tournament included Steven Brown, the winner of the Faldo Series Grand Finals held in Brazil.
Now in its 12th season, past Faldo Series winners include European Tour stars Nick Dougherty, Marc Warren, Oliver Fisher and the current sensation in the golfing world, Rory McIlroy.
Final Scores-:
211: Rashid KHAN IND (72, 69, 70)
212: Adrian JAUREGUI ESP (70, 73, 69)
216: S CHIKKARANGAPPA IND (78, 69, 69)
217: HUNG Chien Yao TPE (71, 72, 74)
219: Gregory FOO SIN (70, 72, 77)
221: Steven BROWN ENG (73, 75, 73)
221: LIU Lok Tin HKG (72, 75, 74)
222: HSIEH Yu Ling (69, 77, 76)
223: Nicholas FUNG (81, 73, 69)
223: HSIEH Chi Hsien TPE (75, 72, 76)
Indian Scores-:
211: Rashid KHAN IND (72, 69, 70)
216: S Chikkarangappa IND (78, 69, 69)
229: Amanjyot Singh IND (72, 76, 81)
233: Ankur Chadha IND (80, 78, 75)
244: Gauri Monga IND (81, 84, 79)
257: Bhanupratap Singh IND (93, 82, 82)
India v NZ 2nd Test (at Napier), Day Two Scoreboard
New Zealand (1st innings):
T. McIntosh c D. Karthik b I. Sharma 12, M. Guptill c V. Sehwag b Z. Khan 8, J. How b Z. Khan 1, R. Taylor c Y. Singh b H. Singh 151, J. Ryder b Z. Khan 201, J. Franklin (run out) 52, B. McCullum c S. Tendulkar b I. Sharma 115, D. Vettori b I. Sharma 55, J. Patel c I. Sharma b H. Singh 1, I. O'Brien (not out) 1, Extras (b-7, lb-8, nb-7) 22; Total (for 9 wickets in 154.4 overs) 619 decl.
FoWs: 1-21 2-22 3-23 4-294 5-415 6-477 7-605 8-618 9-619.
Bowling: Z. Khan 34-6-129-3, I. Sharma 27-5-95-3, M. Patel 28-3-128-0, H. Singh 41.4-7-120-2, V. Sehwag 12-0-73-0, Y. Singh 12-0-59-0.
India (1st innings):
G. Gambhir c D. Vettori b J. Patel 16, V. Sehwag c B. McCullum b D. Vettori 34, R. Dravid (batting) 21, I. Sharma lbw b D. Vettori 0, S. Tendulkar (batting) 0, Extras:(lb-7, nb-1) 8; Total:(for three wickets in 23 overs) 79.
FoWs: 1-48, 2-73, 3-78.
Bowling: C. Martin 6-1-26-0, J. Franklin 5-1-15-0, D. Vettori 5-1-16-2, I. O'Brien 3-2-9-0, J. Patel 4-1-6-1.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Cheerleading Championship on ESPN
The most prestigious cheerleading championship of the United States of America --the National High School Cheerleading Championship -- will be broadcast on ESPN from March 30 to April 9.
Wenger signs for Castrol
Castrol, the official sponsor of 2010 FIFA World Cup, today announced a new global partnership with world-renowned football manager Arsène Wenger. The partnership between one of the best managers in world football and the industry-leading lubricants company runs until the end of 2010.
In his new global role with Castrol, Arsène will be promoting a number of Castrol football initiatives that provide new and innovative insights into what goes into winning performances on the pitch. The combination of Castrol’s insights and his football expertise will be seen globally from print advertising to engaging online content.
India v NZ 2nd Test (at Napier), Day One Scoreboard
New Zealand (1st innings):
M. Guptill c Sehwag b Z. Khan 8, T. McIntosh c D. Karthik b I. Sharma 12, J. How b Z. Khan 1, R. Taylor c Y. Singh b H. Singh 151, J. Ryder (batting) 137, J. Franklin (batting) 26, Extras (b-6, lb-3, nb-7) 16; Total (for 4 wickets in 90 overs) 351
FoWs: 1-21, 2-22, 3-23, 4-294
Bowling: Z. Khan 23-4-94-2, I. Sharma 17-4-61-1, M. Patel 18-2-78-0, H. Singh 26-6-61-1, V. Sehwag 5-0-34-0, Y. Singh 1-0-14-0.
Azlan Shah Cup fixture
Following is the fixture of the Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament to be held in Malaysia. India plays Egypt in its first outing.
April 5: India v Egypt; Pakistan v Malaysia
April 6: New Zealand v Pakistan; Malaysia v Egypt
April 7: Rest Day
April 8: New Zealand v Egypt; India v Malaysia
April 9: India v New Zealand; Pakistan v Egypt
April 10: Rest Day
April 11: India v Pakistan; Malaysia v New Zealand
April 12: 3-4 Placing; Final.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Indian team for Azlan Shah hockey tourney
Following is the Indian team announced for the Azlan Shah hockey tournament to be held in Malaysia next month.
Goalkeepers
Baljit Singh, Adrian D'Souza
Full Backs
Sandeep Singh (Capt), Dilip Tirkey, V.R.Raghunath
Midfielders
Gurbaj Singh, Sardar Singh, Prabodh Tirkey, Vikram Pillay, Ignace Tirkey, Ajitesh Roy
Forwards
Tushar Khandker, Prabhjot Singh, S.V.Sunil, Bharat Chhikara, Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Shivendra Singh, Arjun Halappa.
Standbyes
Bharat Chetri, V.S.Vinaya, Belsajar Horo, Mandeep Antil, Hari Prasad, Birender Lakra,
Sarwanjit Singh.
Officials
Harendra Singh (Coach Incharge), Romeo James (Coach), Ramandeep Singh (Coach),
Shrikant Iyengar (Physiotherapist), Pradip Dutta (Trainer), A.Prasanna (Video Analyser), Dhanraj Pillay (Manager).
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Historic Test win for India
India today crushed New Zealand by 10 wickets in the first cricket Test at Hamilton. This is India's first ever Test victory in the Kiwiland in 33 years.
Brief scores:
New Zealand 1st innings: 279
India 1st innings: 520
New Zealand 2nd innings: 279 (Brendon McCullum 84, Harbhajan Singh six for 63)
India 2nd innings: 39 for no loss (Gautam Gambhir 30 not out, Rahul Darvid 8 not out).
Nirat bags title with record-breaking score
India's Gaganjeet Bhullar finished joint runner-up at the SAIL Open Golf Championship 2009 as he came up with a two under 70 in the final round on Saturday. Chapchai Nirat won the tournament, finishing with a record-breaking 32-under-par 256 total. Nirat fired five under 67 on the final day to finish 11 strokes clear of Bhullar and Australia’s Richard Moir, who were both tied second at 21 under 267.
Chapchai Nirat (62, 62, 65, 67) bagged his third Asian Tour title after ending the tournament with a score that is believed to be one of the lowest in the world at a four-day tournament. Chapchai, who sank five birdies in the fourth round, wrapped up the week by knocking down an eight feet putt for birdie on the 18th with clinical precision.
“I was confident from the very start today. This win has given me a lot of confidence and I think I will now be able to take this momentum forward and probably win two to three more tournaments this year. However, I’m a little disappointed that I did not putt that well in the final round,” said Nirat.
Gaganjeet Bhullar (67, 64, 66, 70) began slowly, dropping a bogey on the opening hole. He then pulled back one stroke by converting a 25 feet birdie putt on the second. A bogey-birdie followed on the seventh and eighth, which meant he made the turn at even par. Bhullar’s chances of claiming lone second place became stronger when he sank a couple of birdies on the 14th and 15th. The 20-year-old then missed a 15-footer for birdie on the closing 18th to slip into joint second along with Richard Moir (66, 67, 66, 68).
Gaganjeet has now posted two runner-up finishes, three top fives and four top-10s on the Asian Tour.
Bhullar said, “It wasn’t easy shooting a low score today as the pin positions were quite tough. My driving was also off the mark in round four. I made only 14 regulations today in comparison to 16 in the previous three rounds.
“The biggest disappointment of the day was missing the 15 feet birdie putt on the final hole. A birdie on the final hole could have helped me finish lone second. Nevertheless, I’m glad to secure my second runner-up finish on the Asian Tour. Chapchai has played fabulous golf through this week and he deserves all the accolades.”
Bhullar added, “My next target is to claim a title on the Asian Tour. I also aim to play at the Japan Golf Tour’s Qualifying School later this year.”
Ashok Kumar was the next best Indian after Bhullar as he secured tied 12th place with a tournament total of 16 under 272.
Amandeep Johl was two strokes behind Ashok in tied 15th place.
Shiv Kapur and Vikrant Chopra grabbed a share of 20th place at 13 under 275 while SSP Chowrasia and Digvijay Singh were joint 27th with matching totals of 12 under 276.
Jyoti Randhawa, Gaurav Ghei and Rahil Gangjee ended the event with identical totals of 10 under 278 to be tied 34th. Mukesh Kumar finished a further stroke behind in tied 39th position.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Bhullar moves up to second spot
Gaganjeet Bhullar is set to lead the Indian challenge on the final day of the SAIL Open Golf Championship 2009. Bhullar returned a six under 66 on day three to move into second place with a three-round total of 19 under 197. Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat extended his lead to eight strokes as he carded an eight under 65 to take his tally to an unprecedented 27 under 189.
Chapchai Nirat (62, 62, 65) maintained his lead for the third straight day as he fired eight birdies and a lone bogey despite struggling a bit with the putter on the front nine. He closed his round on a high, sinking five consecutive birdies from the 14th to the 18th.
“I’m extremely happy with my performance, though a little disappointed that I could not shoot another 62,” said a beaming Nirat.
He added, “I expect the pin positions to be tougher in round four and I’d love to break the world record of 31 under for four rounds.”
Gaganjeet Bhullar (67, 64, 66), who was tied fifth at the last edition of the SAIL Open, fired six birdies on Friday to climb from overnight fourth to second. He attacked the pin all day and made 16 regulations for the third consecutive round.
Bhullar said, “My driving has been spot-on since last week when I won on the PGTI. However, I’m a little disappointed to miss about three putts within 10 feet today. The conditions were a little tricky at the start of the round as I had to deal with headwind for the first three holes.
“The best birdie today was on the 13th where I hit my sand wedge approach shot to within 10 feet of the flag. I did not have a very comfortable posture while addressing the ball for that shot since I had to stand in the rough.”
He added, “Shooting a 65 or 66 here is like shooting a one under on any other course so I need to fire a really low score tomorrow as well to be placed right up there on the leaderboard.
“Hyderabad-based hypnotherapist Pradeep Aggarwal has been helping me with the mental aspect of my game for the last one month. He deals with the subconscious mind. His inputs have helped my game to a great extent. My mindset has changed and I now have another vision of golf.”
Ashok Kumar (67, 68, 67) has the next best score among the Indians in the field. His total of 14 under 202 places him tied 10th.
Shiv Kapur is joint 13th at 13 under 203 while SSP Chowrasia, Gaurav Ghei and Rahil Gangjee share 20th place with matching totals of 11 under 205.
Jyoti Randhawa (71, 69, 68) lies tied 40th at eight under 208. Mukesh Kumar (70, 70, 70) is another two strokes behind Randhawa in tied 47th.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Nirat marches ahead
Day two of the SAIL Open 2009 turned out to be an eventful one as Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat, the round one leader, created a record of sorts by shooting a second successive 62 to open up a four stroke lead at 20 under 124. India’s Anirban Lahiri blasted a phenomenal 62 as well to climb up to tied 10th at 10 under 134. However, Gaganjeet Bhullar was the highest placed Indian at the end of round two. He fired a bogey-free eight under 64 on Thursday to be placed fourth with a 13-under-131 total.
The cut was declared at four under 140. Sixty-seven professionals made the cut.
Chapchai Nirat, nicknamed ‘King Kong’, took the honours for the second successive day after delivering an awesome 62. He putted with perfection, making 23 putts in all which included one-putts on the first six holes.
New Zealand’s Mark Purser (65, 63) occupies second place, being four strokes adrift of the leader (16 under). Wisut Artjanawat (65, 64) of Thailand is third at 15 under 129.
Gaganjeet Bhullar (67, 64) is the best placed Indian at the moment since he totals 13 under 131 at the halfway stage. The 20-year-old opened his round with three consecutive birdies on the 10th, 11th and 12th. He went from strength to strength, picking up more birdies on the 14th, 18th, first, second and ninth.
Bhullar said, “All my putts were within 10 feet today. I also did well with the lob wedge and sand wedge in round two, having made some good chips. My victory at Panchkula last week has given me tremendous confidence. I’m hitting the ball well and I have this good feeling about all departments of my game.”
Anirban Lahiri (72, 62) shot up from overnight tied 96th to tied 10th thanks to his amazing round of 10 under 62 on Thursday. Lahiri’s total reads 10 under 134 at the halfway stage. Seven of his ten birdies came on the front nine. He hit it close through the today and importantly made a 25 feet putt for birdie on the second, a hole that had given him some trouble in the past. On the third, the 21-year-old was unfortunate to miss an eagle as his chip lipped out.
“I was glad to get off to a good start today since I’ve been struggling with my starts off late. Last time I played on this course about two weeks back, I started slowly with an ordinary first round but then came back with a solid performance in the second. I had that in my mind today and kept reminding myself to do the basics well and just relax. Once I got off to a flying start I got myself into a good position for birdies on a number of holes,” said Lahiri.
He added, “I was a little out of sorts in round one because I was anxious and somehow could not get myself to relax. There is a meditation track that I listen to when I feel stressed and that track helped me relax today. I knew I had to shoot at least four or five under today to make it to the weekend. I’m glad to have made it to the weekend rounds.”
Shiv Kapur (68, 66), C Muniyappa (68, 66) and Rahil Gangjee (67, 67) were the other Indians who joined Lahiri in tied 10th place.
Shiv Kapur got off to a poor start after losing his ball on the 12th but then made a fabulous recovery with the help of an eagle on the 14th and six birdies to close with a 66.
C Muniyappa, who also posted a 66, benefitted from three good chip-ins on the 14th, 16th and 17th. On the 14th he chipped-in for eagle from the fringe.
Ashok Kumar and Sujjan Singh share 15th place at nine under 135 while Gaurav Ghei, A S Lehal and Naman Dawar are joint 22nd at eight under 136.
SSP Chowrasia, Rafiq Ali Mollah and Amandeep Johl lie in tied 30th place at seven under 137.
Jyoti Randhawa (71, 69) and Mukesh Kumar (70, 70) totaled four under 140 after two rounds to be tied 53rd.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Sreesanth unfit to play IPL
Kings XI Punjab today confirmed that paceman S. Sreesanth will miss the second season of IPL due to a L2 Stress fracture in his lower back and announced that this pivotal player of their IPL squad will don a new role as “Fan Mentor and Community face” instead.
Industrialists Mohit Burman, Karan Paul, Ness Wadia and leading Indian actor Preity Zinta who own Kings XI Punjab have previously announced that grassroot identification of their team in catchment area is their focus for season 2.
Sreesanth is currently in Sydney receiving treatment from the Kings XI Punjab physio Patrick Farhart as part of his rehabilitation.
[Posted by Y]
Chapchai Nirat burns the course; Shamim best Indian
SSP Chowrasia and Shamim Khan carded rounds of six under 66 to be the highest placed Indians after round one of the US$ 300,000 SAIL Open 2009 being played at the Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon. Chowrasia and Khan are tied sixth at the moment as they trail the leader, Chapchai Nirat of Thailand by four strokes.
Nirat produced a breathtaking 10 under 62, a course record, in the opening round of the SAIL Open 2009 to be the clubhouse leader after the morning session. The 25-year-old from Bangkok sank ten birdies, five each on the front nine and back nine to set the pace at the second edition of the SAIL Open.
Filipino Antonio Lascuna, Thailand’s Wisut Artjanawat, Singapore’s Mardan Mamat and Mark Purser of New Zealand are three strokes behind Nirat in tied second place.
Kolkata’s SSP Chowrasia made a few good 10 feet putts on the front nine that resulted in two birdies and a good save. He then made the turn at two under after three birdies and a lone bogey. On the back nine Chowrasia came up with some exceptional chip-putts that helped him sink four more birdies.
Chowrasia said, “I made a couple of important birdie putts from 10 feet on the seventh and ninth today and that really got me going for the rest of the round. The course is playing really well and we could be in for a very low score this week. I feel comfortable on this course as I have won here in the past after having shot a nine under.”
Shamim Khan joined Chowrasia in tied sixth with a bogey-free 66. He had a solid start, knocking down four birdies on his first nine after teeing-off from the 10th. The Delhi golfer then consolidated on his second nine by sinking two more birdies.
“I couldn't have asked for a better start. I hit it close all day today and made a crucial 15 feet putt for birdie on the 15th. The course is not very difficult to negotiate since there is no rough or wind but one needs to focus on putting. My guess is that the winning score could go up to 20 or 22 under,” said Shamim.
Richard Moir of Australia made it a three-way tie for sixth place (along with Chowrasia and Shamim) when he returned a 66.
Indians Rafiq Ali Mollah, Rahil Gangjee, Ashok Kumar, Gaganjeet Bhullar and Naman Dawar fired identical scores of 67 to share ninth position.
Jyoti Randhawa, the highest ranked Indian in the field, lies tied 76th having returned a one under 71.
[Posted by Y]
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
RELAXED RANDHAWA EYES SAIL OPEN GLORY
GURGAON: Riding on his title win in the Singha Thailand Open, Jyoti Randhawa is quite relaxed to play on the home soil in the $300,000 SAIL Open this week. Though he is considered the favourite for the event, he does not want to get ruffled by taking too much pressure on him.
Randhawa has become wiser after his title drought in international competitions last year and believes his relaxed approach helped him in Phuket. Now, using his experience, he wants to reap more benefits at the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Tour of India co-sanctioned event.
The 36-year-old is planning to ride his motorbike everyday to reach the Classic Golf Resort to improve upon his second place finish in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
“I am coming on my bike, it is parked outside. For eight months we are playing and this is a good opportunity to relax if a golf tournament is played on your backyard,” Randhawa summed up his mood a day before the tournament, starting on Wednesday.
Randhawa is a giant on home turf and his five title wins – three Indian Open and two Hero Honda Masters crowns – explain his dominance on Indian soil. The other psychological advantage for him is his “good memories” of the golf course, where he lifted his first Indian Open crown way back in 2000.
Like Randhawa, the course has become mature and the world No. 93 loves it. “Length of the tees will be beneficial as there are a lot of long par fours and par fives. If you are long enough, you can do some damage. I remember I putted really well in 2000 when I won there. I was hitting the ball long, so it was fun then.”
In nine years, the trees have become taller and the course has become tougher. “It has come off age,” Randhawa remarked.
S.S.P. Chowrasia, winner of the Emaar-Indian Masters last season, also seems to have found his touch with a fourth place in Thailand Open. He will be hoping to make up for the loss of form following his maiden win on Asian and European Tour.
“I have changed my putter and my game is coming together,” said Chowrasia.
Also looking for good results and a possible win will be Gaurav Ghei, Shiv Kapur and Digvijay Singh while young gun, Gaganjeet Bhullar, is also looking confident after a win on the PGTI last week. Rahil Gangjee, seeking to find his way back to the Asian Tour, where he lost his card last season, will also be hoping to strike here.
Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant will be amongst the Asian Tour’s elite hoping to equal compatriot Thongchai Jaidee’s record of a 11th career victory on the Asian Tour when the second edition of the SAIL Open gets underway this week.
“The Indians are doing so well these days. In Thailand Open, it looked like only Indian players. I was telling someone it was like Indian Open. The Indians are very strong and more so in India, but I will try my best. But I am getting old,” the 42-year-old Thai said with a smile.
The prize money has come down by $100,000 but the SAIL insists that it was because of the slide of rupee against dollar. “We are giving the same amount of money this time as well,” said a SAIL official.
[Posted by Y]
