March Final Issue.pmd - CHANGE 'Gateway to All Competitive Exams'

MARCH 2012 Get Previous Issues Free of Cost on Our Website: www.changetabloid.com
SPORTS COVERAGE
LAWN TENNIS CRICKET FOOTBALL
100th Edition of the Australian
Open at Melbourne
The 2012 Australian Open tennis tournament was played
in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia from 16
January to 29 January 2012. 2012 marked the 100th edition
of The Australian Open which is the first Grand Slam
event of the year. The tournament consisted of events
for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed
doubles play. The host broadcaster of the event was
the Seven Network.
Australian Open Men’s Final Winner:
The 2012 men’s final went past the 2008 Wimbledon final
time record, finishing after 5 hours and 53 minutes of
play. It was the longest match in the history of the
Australian Open, and in fact, the longest ever singles
final in the Open Era in Grand Slam history.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic was the defending champion
in the Auatralian Open and won in the final 5–7, 6–4, 6–
2, 6–7(5–7), 7–5 against Rafael Nadal of Spain. He thus
started the 2012 season as reigning World No. 1 for the
first time of his career. It marked the 5th grand slam of
his career and his 3rd Australian Open. It also marked
the first time that he had defended a grand slam title.
Australian Open Women’s Final Winner:
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka defeated Maria Sharapova
of Russia to win first Grand Slam title. She over took
Caroline Wozniacki as the number one ranked player on
the WTA Tour. She became the latest World No. 1 by the
Women’s Tennis Association from 30 January 2012. It
was Azarenka’s 2nd title of the year and 10th of her
career.
Australian Open Men’s Doubles Winners: Leander
Paes (India) and Radek Štìpánek (Czech Republic)
Paes won his first mens doubles title at the Australian
Open and in the process completed a long-awaited career
Grand Slam in the doubles. Following is the list of
Leander Paes Grand Slam mens doubles triumphs:
1999 French Open (with Mahesh Bhupathi)
1999 Wimbledon (with Bhupathi)
2001 French Open (with Bhupathi)
2006 US Open (with Martin Damm)
2009 French Open (with Lukas Dlouhy)
2009 US Open (with Dlouhy)
Paes also won a total of 6 Mixed Doubles titles – 3
Wimbledon – 2 Australian Open – 1 US Open
Australian Open Women’s Doubles Winners: Svetlana
Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva (both from Russia)
Australian Open Mixed Doubles Winners: Bethanie
Mattek-Sands (USA) and Horia Tecãu (Romania)
Canadian Milos Raonic won the
ATP Chennai Open by defeating
Janko Tipsarevic
Canadian Milos Raonic won the ATP Chennai Open by
defeating world number nine Janko Tipsarevic 6-7 7-6 7-
6 in the final on 8 January 2012. Milos Raonic was named
the best newcomer in 2011 after he rose from 156 to 31 in
the rankings.
Raonic slammed 35 aces on the way to his second career
title in a rousing clash that lasted three hours and 13
minutes. The victory fetched Raonic his second tour
title on three final appearances after the triumph in San
Jose. The singles final match also turned out to be the
longest final in the history of the Chennai Open.
DOUBLES CATEGORY
Leander Paes lifted the Chennai Open doubles title on 8
January 2012. Paes partnered with Janko Tipsarevic to
defeat Israeli pair of Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram 6-4,
6-4 to claim his sixth trophy in the Nungabakkkam
Stadium.
Rajasthan Defeated Tamil Nadu to
win the 78th Ranji Trophy
Rajasthan coached by R R Jadeja won its second
consecutive Ranji Trophy title by defeating Tamil
Nadu at the MA Chidambaram stadium, Tamil Nadu
on 23 January 2012. Rajasthan won the 78th Ranji
Trophy on the basis of its mammoth 326-run lead in
the first innings. Rajasthan declared its second
innings at 204 for five at tea on the fifth day. V A
Saxena of Rajasthan was judged Man of the Match in
the 78th Ranji Trophy final.
Robin Bist of Rajasthan notched up 92 (185b, 13x4)
becoming the only batsman in the Ranji season to cross
1000 runs. The short right-hander became the first man
in three seasons to breach the 1000-run barrier in a Ranji
season, joining an elite club that now has 12 members.
Bist became the first Rajasthan batsman to aggregate
1,000 runs in a Ranji season. The previous was Hanumant
Singh’s 869 runs in 1966-67.
The Rajasthan Cricket Association announced a cash
award of Rs 1.31 crore for its triumphant State team. The
BCCI also announced a cash prize of Rs 2 crore for the
team.
Cricketers who scored 1000-plus runs in a Ranji season:
1415 – VVS Laxman (Hyderabad), 1999-2000
1280 - Vijay Bharadwaj (Karnataka), 1998-99
1260 - Wasim Jaffer (Mumbai), 2008-09
1089 – Ajinkya Rahane (Mumbai), 2008-09
1075 - Sridharan Sriram (Tamil Nadu), 1999-00
1066 – Dheeraj Jadhav (Maharashtra), 2003-04
1037 – Jacob Martin (Baroda), 1998-99
1034 - Raman Lamba (Delhi), 1996-97
1034 – Robin Bist (Rajasthan), 2011-12
1033 – Ajay Sharma (Delhi), 1996-97
1018 - WV Raman (Tamil Nadu), 1988-89
1008 - Rusi Modi (Bombay), 1944-45
Australian Batsman Ricky Ponting
was Honoured with Austrlia’s
Highest Civil Honour
Senior Australian batsman Ricky Ponting was honoured
with Austrlia’s highest civil honour along with a host of
sportspersons of international repute. The former
skipper was appointed an officer (AO) in the general
division of the Order of Australia for distinguished
service to the sport of cricket as a leading player, and to
the community through the establishment of the Ponting
Foundation. In 2008, Ponting and his wife Rianna formed
the Ponting Foundation to help cancer patients.
Rugby players Stirling Mortlock and George Smith,
teenage sailor Jessica Watson and bowls great Steve
Glasson were also appointed Officers of the Order of
Australia for their services to the sport.
AWARD
Award to be Instituted in Memory
of G.V. Raja, Founder-president of
Kerala Sports Council
According to the draft sports policy of the Kerala
Government released on 11 January 2012, a special lifetime
achievement award, in memory of G.V. Raja, the
founder-president of the Kerala State Sports Council is
to be instituted. The award is to be instituted to recognise
contributions towards the overall development of sport
in the State.
The current prize-money of Rs. 1 lakh given to winner
the G.V. Raja award, the highest sporting honour of the
State is to be enhanced. The scope of the cash awards
now in vogue and given to medal winners of identified
competitions at the National level would also be
reviewed. A provision for disbursement of pocket money
on need basis to sportspersons attending National
camps from the State would be examined.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi voted
World’s Outstanding Footballer for
Third Consecutive Year
Argentina’s Lionel Messi was awarded the 2011 FIFA
Ballon d’Or on 9 january 2012 in Zurich. He won the
award for the third consecutive year for the world’s
outstanding footballer. Messi who plays for club
Barcelona won 47.88 per cent votes and finished ahead
of Cristiano Ronaldo (21.6)%) and Xavi (9.23%).
Messi becomes only the second player, after current
UEFA president Michel Platini, to win the award for three
consecutive years. He joined Platini, Johan Cruyff and
Marco van Basten as the only men to have won the
prize thrice.
Japanese midfielder Homare Sawa claimed the 2011 FIFA
Ballon d’Or in the women’s category. Japan’s women’s
team, known as the Nadeshiko had memorably claimed
their maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup with a thrilling
performance by defeating the USA on penalties after
extra time. Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola was named
FIFA Coach of the Year. Pep Guardiola was former
midfielder of Spain
The winners in other categories are as follows: Coach
of the Year (women): Norio Sasaki (Jpn); FIFA Puskas
Award: Neymar (Bra); FIFA Presidential Award: Sir Alex
Ferguson (Sco); FIFPro XI: Iker Casillas; Daniel Alves,
Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Nemanja Vidic; Andres
Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi; Lionel Messi, Cristiano
Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney.
TABLE TENNIS
Amalraj won Maiden National Title
TT Championships
A Amalraj won his maiden national title by defeating A
Sharath Kamal in the final of the 73rd Senior National
and Inter-State Table Tennis Championships in Lucknow
on 29 January 2012. After the two traded blistering shots,
Amalraj inched ahead from 7-all to lead 10-8.
It was a title double for Amalraj, as had won the men’s
doubles along with Sanil Shetty, defeating Harmit Desai
and Devesh Karia of Gujarat (3-2) 12-10, 8-11, 10-11, 11-
6, 12-10 in the final.
The victory was however marred by controversy. After
defeating the six-time national champion Achanta
Sharath Kamal, Amalraj in a fit of excitement leapt on to
the table and hurled his bat before pumping his fists.
His over the top celebration of his victory drew a yellow
and then a red card. Competition manager N Ganeshan
recommended to the Table Tennis Federation of India
(TTFI) deduction of 25 per cent of his prize money purse
of Rs 2.1 lakh as punishment.
In the women’s category Poulami Ghatak exacted
revenge of her 2011 loss in the final to K Shamini. Poulomi
defeated Shamini in four straight games for her seventh
national crown. Poulami exploited Shamini’s unforced
errors to the hilt to triumph 4-0 (11-9, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7).
VOLLEYBALL
Kerala Men Emerged Winners at
the the 60th Senior National
Volleyball Championship in Raipur
Kerala men defeated Uttarakhand 25-22, 25-22, 25-13 to
win the National title for the fourth time, in the 60th
senior National volleyball championship, at the Balbir
Juneja Indoor Stadium, Raipur on 11 January 2012.
Kerala had last won its men’s title by beating Tamil Nadu
in 2001 in Raipur. It repeated the feat a decade later after
72-minute final.
Uttarakhand had first won the title in 2002. In 2012, lack
of bench strength and ageing players led to
Uttarakhand’s defeat. Serices ranked third ahter
defeating Tamil Nadu.
A State Sports Development Fund is to be set up to
assist sportspersons nearing international medal Tom Joseph was judged the Man of the Tournament
Paes had won the Chennai Open doubles title in 2011 winning standards by way of training abroad, while Terin Antony emerged Woman of the tournament.
with his now-estranged partner Mahesh Bhupathi. engagement of dedicated specialised coaches and
other requirements. The Fund would also be utilised The Railway women extended their hegemony by
Paes-Tipsarevic split the winners’ prize-money of $21800 in the running of specialised training centers, winning the 27th title by defeating Kerala 25-12, 25-14,
besides earning 125 ATP points while Erlich-Ram took academies, Centres for Excellence, the establishment 25-16in a one-sided final in the women’s category. West
home $11480 and 75 points.
of the proposed State Institute of Sports and identified Bengal defeated Andhra Pradesh 25-23, 25-13, 25-18 to
infrastructure projects.
finish third in the women’s category.
CHANGE THE ONLY CONSTANT THING : We Bring You More Informative and Detailed Coverage Every Month 24