Sports Friday, December 6, 2019 13 Bob Willis ‘only one to hit me’, says Kapil Dev AFP NEW DELHI BOB Willis was a “terror to face,” Indian great Kapil Dev said on Thursday, revealing that the England fast bowling leg- end, who has died on Wednes- day aged 70, was the only one to ever hit him with the ball. In a Test in England, Willis pitched the ball short and Dev Bob Willis of England passed away went for his signature “Nataraj” at the age of 70 on Wednesday. pull shot, the former all-round- er said as he paid tribute to Wil- his century. The connections of Noor Al Hawa after his victory in the Al Safliya Cup at the QREC Racecourse in New Al Rayyan on Thursday. lis whose death was announced “How many would do that? on Wednesday. He should have been annoyed “It was a very sharp ball, with what I had achieved, but faster than I had imagined, and here he was patting me. He won hit me on the ear. It was the only my respect that day,” Patil said. time I was struck,” the World And in the next Test, Willis Noor Al Hawa ends long Cup-winning captain, 60, told hit him on the helmet. the Sportstar website. “He made a sign that it was “Willis was a terrific fast all squared up. I had hit for six bowler, with a run-up that was fours and he had struck me on unique. Not a fluent run-up but my helmet. He did not speak a wait for win in Doha once the ball left his hand it was word. I never heard him abuse terror for the batsman,” he told either, on the field. He was a RESULTS Trained by Georges Mikhal- Sportstar, owned by the Hindu lovable fast bowler,” Patil said. Marquand rides ides, Noor Al Hawa raised his group. 14th Race Meeting (Al Safliya Cup) Prize Money: QR45,000 (1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd Won by head, 1.5. Time 1:23.58 winners to eight in 20 races. He added: “I never heard ‘Unplayable’ PUREBRED ARABIAN MAIDEN PLATE (3 Year Olds) 4,950) Owner: Nasser al Hajri. Trainer: Hadi Ramzani Murquand and Meteb Ali Willis swear at a batsman, never Willis played in 90 Tests, tak- Al Wasmiyah (Fillies) (Div 1) 1,600m 1.Naima (Ryan Curatolo), 2.Razad (Soufiane Saadi), Prize Money: QR45,000 (1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd 3. Echo De Faust (Eduardo Pedroza) THOROUGHBRED (Fillies & Mares) (Class 3) al Marri had two victories each. saw him argue with the umpire. ing 325 wickets with his ag- Farm’s horse to 4,950) Won by 3.5, 0.5. Time 2:05.04 1,200m The former earlier enabled Al He did not believe in talking. He gressive pace bowling and also 1.Alghaf (Faleh Bughanaim), 2. RS Rasheeda (Ronan Owner:Jassim bin Ali al Attiyah. Trainer: Ahmed Kobeissi Prize Money: QR60,000 (1st 34,200 2nd 13,200 3rd Faisaliya, owned by Al Saqab wanted his ball to speak for him. captained England for a spell Al Safliya Cup Thomas), 3. Joudy (Ryan Curatolo) 6,600) Stud and trained by Moham- A true legend he was.” before retiring in 1984 and tak- Won by 1.25, 3.75. Time 1:46.73 PUREBRED ARABIAN GRADUATION PLATE 1,600m 1.Wayside Flower (Harry Bentley), 2.Harry’s Dancer victory Owner: Al Shaqab Racing. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle Prize Money: QR50,000 (1st 28,500 2nd 11,000 3rd (Ronan Thomas), 3.Flying Empress (Marco med al Attiya, to bag the Local Sandeep Patil recalled ing up a career in broadcasting. 5,500) Casamento) Thoroughbred Maiden Plate meanwhile that despite hav- Yashpal Sharma, who saw PUREBRED ARABIAN MAIDEN PLATE (3 Year Olds) 1.Meblish (Ronan Thomas), 2.AJS Jamra (J.B.Eyquem), Won by 1.5, nose. Time 1:11.98 (for three years olds). ing in 1982 smashed Willis for off Willis in 1982 in Chennai TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK (C & G) (Div 2) 1,600m 3.Taysh (Rashid Ali al Marri -3kg) Owner: Injaaz Stud. Trainer: Jassim Ghazali Prize Money: QR45,000 (1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd Won by head, short head. Time 1:45.79 Marri and Kasser, trained six fours in one over, as well as in a knock of 140, said that the DOHA 4,950) Owner: Al Shaqab Racing. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle LOCAL PUREBRED ARABIAN CONDITIONS 1,200m and owned by Engineer Mo- for four fours in the 1983 World Englishman was “second to 1.Jabalah (Soufiane Saadi), 2. Ginkeau (Pierantonio Prize Money: QR75,000 (1st 42,750 2nd 16,500 3rd hammed al Sheeb, were domi- Cup semi-final, the Englishman none, in speed, skill, and feats.” NOOR Al Hawa eventually Convertino), 3. AJS Soghan (Alexander Reznikov) THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 5) (Qatari 8,250) nant in the Local Purebred was frightening to come up “If the pitch helped him, he Won by 3, 10.5. Time 1:45.74 Riders Only) 1,850m 1.Kasser (Meteb Ali al Marri -5kg), 2.Zahwa (JP ended a long wait for victory at Owner: Umm Qarn. Trainer: Alban de Mieulle Prize Money: QR50,000 (1st 28,500 2nd 11,000 3rd Guillambert), 3.Nomas Al Shajaa (Ryan Curatolo) Arabian Conditions 1,200m against. was a terror, unplayable. Willis the Qatar Racing and Equestri- 5,500) Won by 3.5, 1.75. Time 1:18.57 dash. The eight-year-old horse The middle-order master was a bowler who never allowed an Club Racecourse as the six- LOCAL THOROUGHBRED MAIDEN PLATE (3 Year 1.Al Mikdam (Meteb Ali al Marri -5kg), 2.Braemar (Ali Owner & Trainer: Engineer Mohammed al Sheeb posted a three-and-a-half- said he was “never comfortable you to relax for a moment. His year-old eclipsed Full Moon Olds) 1,600m Khalid al Mosallam -5kg), 3. Majdi (Faleh Bughanaim) length triumph over Zahwa for facing (Willis). He would put incoming ball was hard to spot Prize Money: QR45,000 (1st 25,650 2nd 9,900 3rd Won by nose, 2. Time 1:53.76 AL SAFLIYA CUP (QA Listed) 2,400m to win the Al Safliya Cup, the 4,950) Owner & Trainer: Saeed al Shafi Prize Money: QR120,000 (1st 68,400 2nd 26,400 his first victory in four races fear in the mind of the batsman and tackle,” Sharma told Sport- feature event of the 14th Race 1.Al Faisaliya (Tom Marquand), 2. Malik (Faleh 3rd 13,200 4th 7,200 5th 4,8000) this season. with his searing pace. You had star. Meeting on Thursday. Bughanaim), 3. Luqta RS (Ronan Thomas) THOROUGHBRED HANDICAP (Class 3) 1,400m 1.Noor Al Hawa (Tom Marquand), 2.Full Moon (Ryan Marri earlier paired up with to watch him very closely as he “He was a quiet man on When the Al Wasmiyah Won by 3.75, neck. Time 1:39.89 Prize Money: QR60,000 (1st 34,200 2nd 13,200 3rd Curatolo), 3.Quelindo (Ivan Rossi), 4.Otwo (Luca Saeed al Shafi-owned Al Mik- neared the stumps and be ready the field. His bowling spoke for Owner: Al Saqab Stud. Trainer: Mohammed al Attiya 6,600) Maniezzi), 5.Baghdad (J.B.Eyquem) Farm’s horse was just three, he 1.On The Front Line (Ronan Thomas), 2.Woodkid Won by 1.25, 1.75, 1, head. Time 2:29.73 dam to get the better of Brae- for the thunderbolts that he him. I would rate him alongside won four races in a row, includ- PUREBRED ARABIAN MAIDEN PLATE 1,850m (Tomas Lukasek), 3.Shaheen (Ivan Rossi) Owner: Al Wasmiyah Farm. Trainer: Georges Mikhalides mar by nose in the Thorough- would unleash. Thunderbolts Michael Holding and Malcolm ing the Qatar Derby (Group 1) bred Handicap Class 5 race for they were.” Marshall in terms of speed. in December 2016. Then he fol- ed in four more races and it Continuing in the same quarter in the 2,400m race. Qatari riders only. Majdi, with Patil added to Sportstar that What I liked most was how he lowed with two superb runner- was until last month when he encouraging mould, Noor Al Nearly, two lengths adrift Faleh Bughanaim, was third by in the infamous 1982 encoun- appreciated the opponent even up finishes in the prestigious earned something satisfac- Hawa, ridden by Tom Mar- was Quelindo in the third two lengths. ter, the lanky Englishman, best though he competed hard on Emir’s Trophy in 2017 and tory – a second place in the quand, finally returned to the spot. Otwo, who was second Noted trainer Alban de known for his 8-43 demolition the field,” Sharma added. 2018. Al Wathnan Cup in November winner’s circle as he defeated last year, took the fourth place Mieulle also savoured a brace of Australia in the 1981 Ashes, “A rare gentleman fast Noor Al Hawa was field- this year. Full Moon by a length and a and Baghdad was fifth by head. through Alghaf and Jabalah. had still congratulated him for bowler.” QATAR T10 LEAGUE OPENING CEREMONY AT 5 PM ON SATURDAY Sammy adds star value, replaces Wright in Swift Gallopers TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK the second one starting at 9 pm. DOHA Teams and Fixtures While the QCA officials are FALCON HUNTERS Asif Raja (Qatar), Imran Ashraf (Qatar), Jassim Richmond Mutumbami (Zimbabwe), Sultan quite excited about the launch FORMER West Indies all- Owner: Faisal Sandhu and Malik Mohammad Khan (Qatar), Bilal Butt (Qatar) Ahmed (UAE), Chirag Suri (UAE), Jahanzeb of the League, they hope to rounder and captain Darren Saeed – Nishat Emirates Contracting / Build Naveed (Pakistan - Associate), Ravinder Pal Singh build a good base for the game Sammy has replaced English Force Contracting HEAT STORMERS (Canada), Chaturanga De Silva (Sri Lanka), through it, besides raising the player Luke Wright in Swift Hashim Amla (South Africa), Johnson Charles Owner: Raj – Go Search Australia Travel and Zaheeruddeen Ibrahim (Qatar), Inam Ul Haq bar with their admirable host- (West Indies), Salam Butt (Pakistan), Ammad Transport Pvt Ltd (Qatar), Sadiq NM (Qatar), Zainuddin (Qatar), Gallopers in the ambitious Qa- Butt (Pakistan), Saad Bin Zafar (Canada), Aqib Ali Manpreet Singh (India), Mohammad Shahzad Syed Yousuf Tameem (Qatar) ing capacity.