14 Friday 27th November, 2009

by Russell Palipane track record as of T&T keeper Derryck Murray, presi- for Ganga for the way he spoke, was omitted from the Under-15 would support that view, but dent of the T&T Board, his attitude towards cricket squad for a series in Grenada Nadal loses to e is an astute leader of his potential to flourish in that recently glorified Ganga’s cap- and life in general, his lack of in 1995. He was however recog- men, amiable, highly role at international level has taincy, saying the top-order airs and many other factors. nised by a scout from Harticulate, well educated been foiled by his inability to batsman has shown “great Daren Ganga was born Georgetown and the Secondary Davydenko at and at certain stages, runs do command a place in the West leadership qualities” and has January 14, 1979, in a village Schools Cricket Council flow from his bat, as a ‘Ganga’ Indies team. clearly inspired his players. called Barrackpore, in appointed him captain of the ATP finals flows. Under-16 schoolboy’s team It’s a pity though, that at which toured England. by Mattias Karen the highest level, he has not The right hand bat and part been able to be consistent with time off spinner made his West LONDON (AP) - Rafael Nadal fell the bat. Indies debut as a 19-year-old. In out of contention for a spot in the semi- The team that won the 2006, he was named West Indies finals at the ATP World Tour Finals hearts of fans most at the Players’ Association ‘Test with a second straight defeat, losing 6- Champions League Twenty20 Player of the Year. 1, 7-6 (4) to Nikolay Davydenko on tournament held in India Debut season for Trinidad Wednesday. recently, according to many If only the Ganga made his first-class Nadal looked sluggish throughout writers, was Daren Ganga’s debut for Trinidad & Tobago on and was thoroughly outplayed by the Russian, who secured his first win of Trinidad & Tobago outfit. February 21, 1997, against the round-robin phase and can still According to more than one Guyana at Queen’s Park Oval, reach the semis. Nadal, however, will report, skipper Ganga and his aged 18. His team-mates includ- not reach the semis for the first time. team played Calypso-style ed , , “I didn’t arrive at this tournament cricket, with a smile on their and . ‘Ganga’ with the full confidence that you need face and a song in the heart. He only managed one half cen- to win these matches,” Nadal said. Ganga superbly led T&T to tury in the series, an innings of “And in the moments that I had to play a surprise runner-up finish and 54 against Guyana. The follow- well, I didn’t play well. I made mis- won US$1.3 million at the ing season, in the West Indies takes.” Champions League after arriv- Board President’s Cup 1997/98, Earlier, Robin Soderling became ing early October in India as he made his breakthrough. the first player to reach the semis of huge underdogs. After making 68 against the season-ending tournament by beat- Playing confident, attacking flows… Jamaica earlier in the series, ing Novak Djokovic 7-6 (5), 6-1. The cricket, T&T reeled off upset but nothing else substantial, he Swede, who qualified for the eight-play- wins over reigning Indian came into Trinidad & Tobago’s er event only when Andy Roddick Premier League (IPL) champi- final game needing a big score. pulled out with an injury, also beat ons Deccan Chargers and Daren Ganga Playing against Barbados, Nadal in straight sets. England’s Somerset to top Ganga batted at number 4 and The manner of Nadal’s defeats was Group ‘A’ before defeating New came in with his side in trou- surprising, considering he came to the South Wales (NSW), the eventu- His small taste of the West “He has instilled positive Trinidad & Tobago, to Ramesh ble at 3 for 33. He top scored tour finale feeling refreshed and al champions and the Eagles Indies captaincy, so far, has team spirit and high morale and Seerajie Ganga. He has with 138 and helped his coun- encouraged, having reached a final and (South Africa) in the Super 8 also been less than stellar. values to the team, which is an Indian roots. try win the game by one wick- two semifinals. Only last Friday he said round. Following an injury to captain example for the other An uncle, Mahendra Ganga, et. he was “close to my absolute best,” Under the 30-year-old’s lead- on the 2007 territories to fol- is a former Under-19 player In August 1998, Ganga was “playing well,” and “getting to play ership, the Caribbean T20 tour of England, he led the side low,” Murray said. while Ganga’s brothers, named in the West Indies squad against the best players in the world, is champions whipped South in the last two Tests of the A few years ago, I had the Sheldon and Sherwin have rep- for their tour of South Africa. perfect for me.” Africa’s Cape Cobras in the series, where the West Indies privilege and the pleasant expe- resented the West Indies at At the age of 19, he was the But Davydenko, who won their semi-final before losing a re- lost by 60 runs and seven wick- rience of talking to Daren Under-15 level. Sherwin later youngest Trinidad & Tobago Shangahi final last month, broke him match with NSW in the final. ets, respectively. Ganga, face to face, at the Taj went on to play first class player in 35 years to make the twice in the first set and was up a Ganga is widely regarded as His personal form also suf- Samudra Hotel, in Colombo, cricket for Trinidad & Tobago. Test side. He made a half cen- break twice in the second at a near the best team-leader in West fered then, as he managed only when he was at the helm of the Daren Ganga was educated at tury in the opening warm up sold-out O2 Arena. Nadal finally came Indies cricket, though the laid 11 runs from four innings. West Indies ‘A’ team which various institutions, the Rio game against Griqualand West, to life, breaking back both times to back leads the But he has enjoyed much toured Sri Lanka, for a series Claro Vedic School in but failed against and carry some momentum into the team that is now in Australia success at regional level, lead- of games against Sri Lanka ‘A’, Barrackpore, St. Stephen’s South Africa ‘A’. tiebreaker. However, Davydenko kept for a series of matches, which ing T&T to several titles in then captained by the now College and . Sad but true; that is a reflec- his cool and clinched it with a forehand includes Tests, ODIs and recent years. retired Russel Arnold. Despite playing for Trinidad & tion of the Daren Ganga saga, winner on his first match point. “I Twenty20s. Ganga’s flair and Former West Indies - I have nothing but respect Tobago at Under-14 level, he so far. showed my good tennis,” Davydenko said. “Mostly every (time) I play in a tiebreaker the last few months I win.” Davydenko dictating play seeming- ly at will in the first set, pushing Nadal from corner to corner with his accu- rate groundstrokes as the Spaniard Chang says Asian men need better coaching grew increasingly frustrated. Nadal slumped his shoulders in despair after by Min Lee double-faulting to go down 0-30 when “That’s what really seems to serving at 1-4, and after losing that HONG KONG (AP) - Michael be the more difficult aspect - to game he seemingly gave up on the set. Chang says Asian men need bet- have the men break through and He hardly challenged Davydenko’s ter coaching to match the suc- challenge the best players in the serve on set point, letting it whizz by cess of their female compatriots world,” Chang told journalists in for an ace. in the top echelons of profes- Hong Kong by telephone from When he went down 30-40 on serve in the first game of the second set, it sional tennis. the U.S. to promote a Hong was enough for someone in the crowd While there are eight Asian Kong exhibition tournament in to yell “Wake up!” women among the world’s top January. The Spaniard did, but it wasn’t 100 - led by China’s Li Na at No. “It’s not that easy for some enough. 15 - the highest-ranked Asian of these players in China to get He put up a tougher fight for the man is Taiwan’s Lu Yen-hsun at the coaching they need. Nearly rest of the set, but Davydenko was sim- No. 96. all of these Chinese girls that ply too good, finishing with 27 winners Thailand’s Paradorn have had success have had to Nadal’s 12 - only three of which Srichaphan, who was Asia’s coaching from foreign coaches.” came in the first set. most promising male player sev- Chang himself previously “To be out of the (tour finals), well, eral years ago, with a career- coached China’s Peng. that’s sport and anything can happen,” high No. 9 ranking and five sin- “You can work really hard, Nadal said. “I tried my best all the gles titles to his credit, has long but if you’re not training in the time, but it wasn’t enough to win these been sidelined with a wrist right way you’re not going to matches.” injury, with major doubts over improve and get to the level that Davydenko said he was bothered whether he’ll ever return to the you want to,” he said. by an aching left leg in the second set, tour. Chang will play in the Jan. 6 but hoped it will not affect him in his Chang, the Chinese- to Jan 9 Hong Kong Tennis last group match against Soderling. American former world No. 2 Classic, an exhibition tourna- “I’ll just see tomorrow, practicing, and 1989 French Open champi- ment that will mix retired male how I’m feeling,” he said. on, said Wednesday the dispari- players and active female play- Soderling outlasted Djokovic in a ty is due to coaching, using ers. Other stars in the field tense first set despite wasting three China as an example. Besides include Paradorn, Stefan straight set points with the third- Li, two other Chinese women - Edberg, Marat Safin, Venus ranked Serb serving at 4-5. Djokovic Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai - are Williams, Maria Sharapova, put up little resistance in the second in the top 100, but China has not Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria and was broken three straight times, produced a top-flight male play- Azarenka and Vera Zvonareva. netting a forehand on Soderling’s sec- er. Michael Chang ond match point. “I won two matches in straight sets against the world No. 2 and No. 3. I couldn’t have asked for anything Thai Open Wheelchair Tennis more,” Soderling said. “So far, I’m Final replay at Longden enjoying it a lot. But there’s still at least two more matches to go. I hope to do really well in those two as well.” Place today ‘Raja’ falls in semis The loss ended Djokovic’s 11-match winning streak, and was his first defeat by Manjula D. Phillips without National players, mid field- by Revata S. Silva against Soderling in six encounters. Quarter-finals: er K. C. Kumara and forward S. “I think he’s the best player so far U. Rajakaruna beat Supprat of Thailand Sri Lanka’s main hope, Upali in the tournament,” Djokovic said. “I The much looked forward to Sanjeev, while Renown will be with- 6-3, 6-3 final of the Dialog Champions out skipper and goalkeeper Sathish Rajakaruna, better known as ‘Raja,’ lost in didn’t enjoy playing today’s match, the semi-finals of Men’s Singles Main Draw that’s for sure. He was serving really League between SL Air Force and Kumar who are on National duty at Men’s Singles (2nd Draw): in the Thailand Open wheelchair tennis well. All credit to him.” Renown SC, which was called off the South Asian Football 1st Round: Djokovic, who won back-to-back due to heavy rain at the Federation tournament which is now in progress at the A.B. Alagoda lost to Ariffin of Malaysia titles in Basel, Switzerland, and Paris City Football Complex Championship, in Huamak Stadium in Bangkok. The tourna- 2-8 last Sunday, will be Dialog Bangladesh. ment which began on Tue. (25) will be over before the tournament, beat Davydenko in his first group match and can still replayed today, com- Chirantha De today. Men's Singles: Champions advance to the semifinals. Djokovic mencing 3.30 pm at CR Zoysa, Senior Semi-finals plays Nadal in the last group match on & FC Grounds, League Manager, Group RESULTS U. Rajakaruna lost to Suthi of Thailand Longden Place, Colombo. Marketing Promotions Friday, while Davydenko plays Men's Singles (Main Draw): 3-6, 2-6 When the match was and Sports Marketing, Soderling. 1st Round: called off in the 72nd minute last Dialog Telecom, will be the chief Men's Doubles: In the other group, Roger Federer U. Rajakaruna (Seed 3) beat Sunthron of Sunday, Renown were leading guest. The champions will receive Quarter-finals: clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking on through a Mohammad Imthiyas the prestigious Dialog Champions Thailand 6-3, 6-1 U. Rajakaruna and D.M. Gamini lost to Tuesday by beating Andy Murray. goal. League Trophy and 700,000 while the D.M. Gamini (Seed 4) lost to Wittaya of Bin Mat and Borman of Malaysia 6-1, 5-7, 6- Federer also has a 2-0 record, but has Today, Air Force will have to do runner-up will receive Rs. 500,000. Thailand 1-6, 0-6 7 (8-10). not clinched a semifinal spot.