Kandy, October 22nd, Agencies

Chikka second in men’s section
Gurbani Singh showed great stamina as she beat Isza Fariza Ismail of Malaysia on the 34th hole on Saturday to win the 124th Sri Lankan Amateur Golf championships.

With this victory, the young Indian re-established herself as one of the leading amateurs in the region. She had earlier won the semifinals on the 16th hole.

In the men’s category, India did well as S Chikkarangappa finished runners-up with a total score of 292 over 72 holes.

Chikkarangappa’s effort included a 66 in the third round.

Gurbani beat Thom Yuet of Malaysia five and three in quarterfinals and then Shanika Fernando of Sri Lanka in the semifinals.

Poor show

All three Indians — Sujjan Singh (77-72), Anirban Lahiri (71-79) and Himmat Rai (77-73) — came up short in the second round as the cut came three-over 147, to make an early exit from the inaugural CJ Invitational in Gyeonggi-do (Korea).

Himmat was done in by a disappointing eight, a triple bogey on par-5 14 and he ended with a six-over total.

Lahiri had a nightmarish round with three bogeys in first four holes and then two doubles on the seventh and ninth with another bogey in between on eighth.

He was eight-over for front nine, followed by a third double bogey on 10th to go 10-over. But he eagled 12th, birdied 14th and 16th before bogeying 18th.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old Korean Lee Ki-sang used a stunning start to snatch the third round lead from American star Anthony Kim and tournament host K J Choi.

Atwal slips to 20th

Arjun Atwal failed to keep the momentum going as he slipped from joint lead to 20th position at the end of the second round of the Children’s Miracle Network Classic in Florida.

Atwal could manage just two in the second round, even as he gave away two bogeys.
Meanwhile, Justin Leonard had a nine-under 63 as he tied for the team with Henrik Stenson and Bio Kim at 12-under 144 for 36 holes. Stenson shot 64 and Kim 65.

Kapur misses cut

Shiv Kapur, fighting to save his card on the European Tour, suffered a setback as he missed the halfway cut at the Castello Masters on the European Tour in Valencia.
His modest first round 72 was followed by a 73 that led to him to missing the cut by two shots.

Local favourite, Sergio Garcia shot a eight-under 63 to move into the halfway lead and put himself in position to win his first title in almost three years.

Smriti tied 30th

Smriti Mehra managed to overcame her finishing blues to make the cut at the Sanya Ladies Open golf tournament in Sanya, China.

The veteran golfer shot rounds of 73 and 71 to be even-par 144. Smriti is tied 30th alongside the winner of last year’s Hero Indian Open, Laura Davies (70-74) and former LPGA player, Jennifer Rosales (73-71).

China’s Pan Yanhong maintained her one-stroke lead over Thailand’s Kongkrapan Patcharachuta at the end of second round.

Pan signed out with a three-under 69 for a two-round total of 136, one stroke ahead of Patcharachuta.

source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Home> Sports

NAGPUR:

It’s been a strange career so far for  Robin Uthappa . He was always considered an impact player, someone who could take the game away within no time; someone who could blast any bowling attack; someone who could respond with fire.

Five years ago, when the 20-year-old Uthappa announced his arrival on the international stage with a fluent fifty against the touring England side, everyone felt he was going to stay for a long time.

Five years later, the Karnataka opener is still searching for a permanent spot in the team. Once an integral part of India’s one-day team, Uthappa was used as floater by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni but now he is eyeing a comeback as an opener.

Back to his favourite opening position, Uthappa blasted 189 runs in two innings of the Challenger Trophy. On Tuesday, he missed out on a bright start while playing an unnecessary shot.

The next day he showed everyone how dangerous he could be if he bats for a long time. The India Green opener made mockery of India Blue and went on to make a brilliant 132 (103b, 14×4, 3×6).

“I enjoy opening. I play my best at the top order and when things go my way, more often than not I put the team into a good position. I like to open, whichever format I play. When I played for the Indian team, I chose to bat up and down for the sake of the team. But now I will stick to the opening and not anywhere else. It’s a good start to the season. I will try to build on these good starts to big scores,” Uthappa said.

The 25-year-old feels he is coming back to his best because he has again started playing his natural game.

“I have been playing my natural game in the last four five months. I enjoy myself when I open the batting and I really feel I am coming into my own . The season has just begun. It will be a very important one season, especially with Ranji Trophy coming. I am ready for the challenge,” he said.

Uthappa has been a confidence player. When he looks assured, he generally makes any bowling attack look ordinary. India Red and India Blue sides have already suffered at his hands on successive days.

“I am an instinctive player. Instinctively, when I feel like going for a shot, I back myself and go for it. There are advantages and disadvantages of instinctive and aggressive batsman. When it comes up right, it looks beautiful, but the same shot looks ugly when you get out. I am definitely trying to play longer because if I do that it would be beneficial for the side I am playing for. I am working hard on that, but you don’t expect results overnight. It’s a process,” Uthappa said.

His aggressive intents have often led to his downfall but he is unfazed by it. “I have played cricket one way all my life. It’s better for me to continue playing the way I have been playing. If I play like Rahul Dravid or Badrinath, I won’t be very successful. I am going to play aggressively and that brings out the best in me. That’s the way my team and people like to me to bat,” said Uthappa.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / by Ruchir Mishra / TNN/ Home> Sports> Cricket> Interview / October 13th, 2011

An SUV is a vehicle not just for the run of the mill office to home and back schedule. Its got a lot to do with the vehicle’s true nature. However, this is something we all know about. The Ford Endeavour is one off in the Sports Utility Vehicle Segment. With its long stance and right seat ergonomics, this vehicle is just right for off roading and a whole lot of fun.

On 2nd of this month, Ford organised The Great Ford Endeavour Drive, where in a remote location on the foot hills of the Aravali, Endeavour owners got the experience and exposure to what their Ford is really capable of. To help with getting the idea, Ford had called in Jagat Nanjappa, who needs no introduction to the world of rallying and off roading and has over thousands of kilometers clicked with his trusted vehicles..

With Jagat in the driver’s seat, Endeavour owners got to know about what their SUV is capable of. A properly laid out track with a number of jumps, an open area for donuts, a slush patch and some man-made humps made out of sandbags and to add to this, Jagat made all this look like all in a days work. When asked, Jagat replied, “This is the perfect track for testing out the Endeavour. It has the right kind of obstacles which show the true capability of the vehicle.”

Add to this, ten points to keep in mind while off-roading, here is what he had to say.

I Never go off-roading alone. One must have a rescue car or if nothing else, then another car.

II Carry as much as equipment like Winch, inflator, that you can

III Do not be embarrassed if your car is stuck. It is wise to get a little dirty.

IV Make sure your tires are in good shape.

V Trust your instincts. If you know you cannot do a task, back up.

VI If you are a first-timer, take an expert along who knows what has to be done in a difficult situation

source: http://www.zigwheels.com / Home>  News & Features / by Sukhpreet Singh / October 07th, 2011