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Former national star Alok Kapali signed for Araf Apparels while another discarded national cricketer Sanwar Hossain moved to Biman on the first day of the players' registration of the Corporate Cricket League on Sunday.
   With the national team players arriving today from Sri Lanka most of the corporate houses will look to shore up their teams today. The player's registration will continue till Tuesday. Araf Apparels completed their player hunting on the first day roping in discarded national batsman Alok Kapali along with former national opener Ehsanul Huq Shezan, former national spinner Jamaluddin Babu, and rising stars - pacer Waiskurni Palash and all-rounder Arafat Sunny.
   Biman Bangladesh ensured the services of their reliable names - top-order batsmen Sanwar Hossain and Hasanuzzaman, left-arm spinner Saifullah Khan Gem and all-rounder Mushfiqur Rahman.
   Security Air Express, a courier service, will field their team for the first time and they have registered a young bunch of players. The notable absentees from the league are GrameenPhone, the defending champions and the title sponsor of the competition, and its two business rivals - AKTEL and CityCell.
   Araf Apparells- Golam Mabud Shishir, Alok Kapali, Ehsanul Huq Shezan, Naeem Islam, Arafat Sunny, Jamaluddin Babu, Mohammed Selim, Waiskurni Palash, Kamrul Hasan Johnny, Hasanuzzaman Rozel, Humayun Kabir, Ashraful Khan, KM Anisur Rahman, Shafaq-al-Zabir, AKM Ahsanullah. Biman Bangladesh Airlines- Mushfiqur Rahman, Najmus Sadat, Saifullah Gem, Shariful Huq Plabon, Sanwar Hossain, Humayun Kabir, Sajjad Kadir, Mosharraf Hossain, Hasanuzzaman, Ilyas Sunny, Niaz Morshed Nahid.
   Security Air Express- Rashedur Rahman Rony, Atiqur Rahman, Jahidul Islam, Uttam Kumar, Rafiqul Islam, Bishwajit Halder, Pushpen Sarker, Debashish Barua.

India's cricket coach Greg Chappell returned from the Zimbabwe tour on Sunday saying it was unfortunate his differences with captain Sourav Ganguly were made public.
   'I think the media gets a lot excited at such happenings,' Chappell told reporters when he arrived here a day later than the rest of the squad due to the unavailability of air tickets.
   'Differences are a fairly normal thing happening in cricket. But you can understand I am not in a position to speak about it to you at this stage.'
   The coach-captain rift surfaced in Zimbabwe when Chappell asked Ganguly to consider his position as captain before the first Test because of his poor batting form.
   The spat snowballed into a major controversy last week when a confidential e-mail from Chappell to officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was leaked to the media by unknown sources.
   Chappell, 56, a former Australian captain who took over in June, reportedly said in the e-mail that Ganguly was not 'physically or mentally' fit to lead the side and even threatened to quit if the captain was not changed.
   'I sent a private and confidential e-mail to the president of BCCI,' said Chappell.
   'It did not remain confidential though I would have preferred it to have remained so. What else can I say at this stage?'
   Chappell and Ganguly are due to appear before a high-powered BCCI panel that includes three former captains, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghvan, in Mumbai on Tuesday to discuss the crisis.
   The controversy overshadowed India's first Test series win outside the subcontinent since 1986, even though the 2-0 success over a weakened Zimbabwe provided only a limited morale boost.
   The wins increased Ganguly's record as India's most successful captain to 21 Test victories, seven more than second-placed Mohammad Azharuddin's tally of 14.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is keen to utilise the experience and expertise of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis at their National Cricket Academy as and when possible.
   The twin W's, who comprised one of the most formidable fast-bowling pairings in the history of the game, had been contacted in this regard, a report in The News of Karachi suggested.
   The academy is aiming to be more result oriented, and the PCB felt that Wasim and Waqar would be able to help in identifying fresh talent and grooming promising youngsters.
   'Shaharyar (PCB chairman) has written to them that he realises that since they are busy people and have prior commitments as television commentators they can't make themselves available on a full-time basis at the academy,' a board official is quoted as saying.
   'But he has invited them to come whenever possible and help train youngsters.'
   Akram has been sought out around the world, including most recently in India, to speak to young bowlers and pass on his wisdom.
   Not long ago Waqar was tipped to become fast- bowling coach of Pakistan but that fell through at the last moment as there was disagreement about the duration of his contract.

Town Club of Khulna, Soccer Club of Feni, Naba Nabin Samabesh of Munshiganj and Bangladesh Army confirmed their second round berths in the Nitol-Tata National Football League on Sunday.
   At Khulna stadium, local Town Club defeated Barisal Mohammedans by a solitary goal. Mithu scored the all-important goal in the 58th minute of the match.
   At Feni stadium, Soccer Club of Feni continued to keep the hosts' flag fluttering defeating Kararchar KC by a lone goal scored by Mojibur Rahman in the 31st minute. Naba Nabin Samabesh of Munshiganj drubbed Janani Sheba Sangha of Magura 2-0 at the Faridpur stadium. Ripon scored the first goal after 41minutes and Masum doubled the margin in the 83rd minute.
   Bangladesh Army registered the biggest victory of the day beating Panchagarh Mohammedans by 3-1 goals. Salon of Army slammed a hat-trick hitting the back of the net on 21, 30 and 71 minutes. Alam scored the consolation goal for the losers.
   Apart these four teams, Rangamati Mohammedans and Kacharipara KC of Jamalpur earned second round spots. The six zonal champions will join the four automatic qualifiers - Brothers Union, Muktijoddha Sangsad, Dhaka Mohammedan SC and Abahani Limited - in the second round, scheduled to begin on November 16 in four different venues of Khulna, Rangpur, Chandpur and Cox's Bazar.

After being whitewashed in both ODI and Test series to the hosts Sri Lanka, Bangladesh cricketers, except opener Javed Omar, return home today with empty hands.
   Though coach Dav Whatmore was also scheduled to return Bangladesh along with the team, but he may spend a few days more in Sri Lanka with his family. But he is yet to confirm Bangladesh Cricket Board whether he comes or not.
   On the other hand, Javed Omar will come back after spending couple of days in Sri Lanka, a BCB source told BD News Sunday.
   Bangladesh earlier, saw the national cricket team returned home from abroad with achieving some individuals' or team's successes, but by this time the team miserably disappointed the nation.

Reigning champions Dolairpar High School crushed Government Laboratory High School by 10-0 goals to romp into the semifinals of the Pran Cola School Football at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Sunday. Residential Model High School completed the semi-final lineup defeating Kamarpara High School in the day's other match at the same venue.
   Faisal Ahmed of Dolairpar slammed a hat-trick finding the net in the 4th, 12th and 25th minutes. Rubel Miah and Emon struck twice each while Sohel, Qaiyum and Ashraf netted one goal apiece in the one-sided affair.
   Later in the day, Residential Model High School rocked Kamarpara High School 4-1 to move into the round of four. Harunur Rashid scored twice while Afzal and Anindya netted the other two goals.
   Rubel of Dolairpar and Harun of Residential School were adjudged as the man of the match of each game.
   Former national footballers Alamgir and coach Syed Golam Jilani distributed the prizes as special guests.
   Rayerbazar and Emarat Hossain High School had earlier booked their last four slots.

England seamer Simon Jones is rated just 50-50 to be fit for the upcoming tour of Pakistan.
   The Glamorgan paceman missed the final Ashes Test at The Oval with an ankle injury and faces a scan on the problem on Friday.
   England physiotherapist Kirk Russell told the Sunday Times, 'It is very much 50-50 with him.
   'We have an England camp on October 17 and 18 at Loughborough and he needs to be bowling then for him to be declared fit to tour Pakistan.
   'If things continue to progress well, we will look to increase the amount of weight the ankle is bearing before Simon starts running again.'

Even as he is gunning for captain Sourav Ganguly, India’s cricket coach Greg Chappell says that his biggest challenge is to harness Virender Sehwag whose explosive talent should not be ‘ruined’ by applying ‘too much method’.
   Three months into his job as the coach, the Australian great, who has created headlines with his extra-ordinary attack on Ganguly whom he considers unfit to lead the team, regards the dashing Sehwag as a ‘rare talent’
   ‘He is so instinctive that there is a fear if too much of method is applied on him, it might end up ruining his rare talent,’ Chappell said.
   ‘He is a delightful and most interesting person. He probably in many ways will be one of the great challenges of my coaching stint in India,’ said Chappell as he looked to harness the talent of Sehwag for the benefit of the Indian team.
   The former Australian captain said that Sehwag has been getting the starts but has not been able to convert them into big scores.
   ‘Sehwag has lately been getting off to his customary explosive starts but is unable to convert them into big knocks. Finding a way to use his immense talent efficiently and in the best way for the balance of the team is going to be my biggest challenge.’
   Chappell said he had some thoughts on how to get the best out of Sehwag but would prefer discussing it with the dashing batsman first.
   ‘The Sri Lankan series might be a good way to try those thoughts and get the best out of him.’
   Chappell has similar high opinions about a few others in the squad and Irfan Pathan, having done so well in the recent Zimbabwe tour, was right up there in his list.
   ‘Pathan is an exciting talent in Indian cricket. He has hunger. He has talent. He wants to be successful and wants to know what he has to do to achieve so.’
   ‘If we can have 15 players with that desire and hunger, we can go forward. There have been half a dozen or so guys, as well as few seniors who have been most impressive. There are couple of gaps in the equation but the nucleus is there.’
   Chappell also felt India’s bowling could be competitive if players had the right work ethics and fitness levels.
   ‘At full strength we are okay. We have the right balance of players provided injuries, form or illness don’t eat into our squad at various times.’
   Chappell was similarly optimistic about batting, more so with the imminent return of Sachin Tendulkar, but said they must look to seize on the little things which can make a big difference.
   ‘I think at full strength the batting is quite good. With Sachin to come back it gives us flexibility.’
   ‘But then there are issues like running between the wickets which can add up to the big things, which are extremely important,’ he said.
   ‘Historically, in every team there are some people who run better with each other than with others. Again it will be a great challenge from the coaching point of view to put the right pairings together,’ Chappell said.
   Chappell termed it as an ideal situation if there were not much changes in the one-day and Test squads which India puts on the field in future.
   ‘Ideally, I would like the two squads to be as close as possible. There should be as little crossover as possible. It is good for players as well as for coaches who lose on a set of players for a while and when they come back, the communication is not easy. In an ideal world, majority should be the same.’
   ‘On the present tour, there were seven cross-overs for the Test series. One would prefer much less than that though some changes are inevitable.’
   Chappell said he had identified the 18 players who could form the nucleus of the squad for the 2007 World Cup though he had not yet shared it with selectors.
   ‘I have identified them but not shared it with selectors so far. I have a vision but everyone has to buy into it, the administrators, selectors, the coaching staff and the players. I have to push that message and vision.’
   ‘If the process is not continuously going to be interrupted and if we can keep doing so for sometime, I have no doubt we would be a very competitive team in world arena.’
   ‘2007 World Cup might look a long way off but in my mind, there is not much time to waste,’ he said.

World number one Maria Sharapova retired injured during her China Open semi-final against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko on Saturday, completing a miserable week for tournament organisers.
   Sharapova was trailing 6-4, 2-1 when she stopped because of a pectoral injury, gifting her friend Kirilenko a place in her second WTA Tour final.
   Kirilenko will meet ninth seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld in Sunday’s final after the German beat Poland’s Marta Domachowska 7-5, 6-3.
   Sharapova’s exit was the latest blow for the tournament which had already lost three it’s top four seeds.
   Lindsay Davenport withdrew after winning in Bali last weekend, title holder Serena Williams suffered a shock defeat in her opening match and Wimbledon champion Venus Williams pulled out with a knee injury before her quarter-final.
   ‘I didn’t see that she had a problem. It was a surprise for me when she called for the trainer,’ said Kirilenko, who lost her first final in Hyderabad last year.
   ‘I was 17 when I played my first final and very nervous. Tomorrow I won’t be afraid.’
   Sharapova had won titles in Tokyo, Doha and Birmingham this year and was favourite for an 11th career title after the demise of Venus and Serena Williams but she was under pressure from the start against Kirilenko.
   Kirilenko took the first set after 44 minutes with a pummelling forehand and the world number 45 quickly broke Sharapova at the start of the second.
   Sharapova’s injury was a repeat of the right pectoral muscle strain that forced her out of last month’s Los Angeles Open.
   Groenefeld, who has played doubles with Martina Navratilova this year, dominated against Domachowska to reach the second final of her career.
   The 20-year-old from Nordhorn reached her first singles final in Pattaya in February but lost to Spain’s Conchita Martinez.
   Groenefeld reached the women’s doubles semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open with Navratilova this year.

Former Indian cricketers on Saturday said the spat between coach Greg Chappell and captain Sourav Ganguly was a ‘very serious matter’, which needed to be sorted out immediately for the sake of Indian cricket.
   While the cricketers restrained from making a direct comment on the charges levelled against Ganguly, most of
   them agreed that a reconciliation between the two looked impossible.
   Former Indian captain Dilip Vengsarkar said the matter between captain Ganguly and Chappell had gone to such
   an extent that a reconciliation between the two looked
    impossible.
   Vengsarkar, also Chairman of Indian Cricket Board’s Talent Resource Development wing, said he also wanted the Board to find out why and by whom a confidential e-mail had been leaked to the media as this development was likely to undermine Chappell’s faith in confidentiality that is followed by Indian Board officials.
   ‘I feel that any chances of Chappell and Ganguly to work together in the future seems impossible as the former has made it clear he does not want to work with Ganguly. These things can’t be sorted out even by sitting across the table and it’s not going to help Indian cricket at all,’ Vengsarkar said in Mumbai.
   ‘This rift seems to be irreconciliable, similar to an estranged couple who cannot stay in the same house. For the sake of Indian cricket, this matter needs to be sorted out at the earliest.
   ‘But I am certain we have got an excellent coach. We won’t get another like him and it’s upto the Board to take the best out of him,’ Vengsarkar said.
   ‘Equally serious is the matter of the leak of the confidential report sent by Chappell though I also feel he (Ganguly) could have waited a bit more and aired his views at the Review Committee meeting of the Board (to be convened in Mumbai on September 27).
   ‘But it’s very important that the BCCI gets down to the bottom and find out about the leak. He may be reluctant to complain about any player in the future as he will think one hundred times before saying anything because of lack of confidentiality,’ the former middle order batting mainstay said.
   Another former captain and one of the pillars of the middle order in the 1960s, Chandu Borde, wondered whether what he read in the papers could be believed.
   However, the former chairman of the national selection committee felt if what had come out was true, then the matter was very serious and the BCCI
   needed to go deep into it at the earliest.
   ‘The matter looks very serious and the BCCI needs to look into the issue at the earliest as the issues raised by Chappell may spell an end to Ganguly’s career itself,’ Borde said from Pune.
   ‘There’s another thing I want to highlight, knowing the nature of the Australians. They play very hard and they have no attachment to anybody, however high or big he may be.

Stuart MacGill, who watched helpless as Australia crashed to an Ashes series defeat to England, said Sunday his omission from the losing team made no sense.
   The leg-spinner, who has taken 160 wickets in 33 Tests, went through the entire Ashes series without receiving a word of explanation from selectors about why he was overlooked for all five Tests.
   MacGill looked on as England’s batsmen showed a dislike for the turning ball with fellow wrist-spinner Shane Warne snaring 40 wickets. MacGill said the selectors’ decision not to choose him was a mystery. ‘There was no explanation whatsoever,’ MacGill told Sydney’s Sun-Herald newspaper.
   ‘Warney took 40 wickets when he’s supposed to be past it. He had 16 wickets in two Tests, before the (third) Old Trafford Test, when I thought I might have been a good chance of getting in there somewhere. None of it made much sense to me,’ MacGill said.
   ‘I’m looking at the tour now in two ways. There was the cricket side of it and the general experience.
   ‘If I remove cricket from the tour, it was great. It was a nine-week, well-paid holiday. Obviously, I wish it hadn’t been that way, but it was. If you add cricket into the mix, it was a debacle. I was sitting there watching us go downhill without being able to help.’
   MacGill said the gruelling workload on Warne took its toll on the champion leg-spinner by the fifth and final Test at The Oval earlier this month.
   ‘The workload that Warney had during the series ... you just can’t expect someone to carry the attack, statistically and physically,’ MacGill said. ‘It’s a big mental drain. There was obviously some conservative thinking there and some nerves in the decision-making. I can understand it to a point, particularly when you consider that maybe my forte isn’t keeping the runs down, but thinking like that isn’t how you win Test matches.’
   MacGill and Warne are likely to be paired on the spin-friendly Sydney Cricket Ground when Australia play the Super Series Test against the Rest of the World from October 14.

Croatia’s Karolina Sprem toppled an injured Elena Likhovtseva of Russia, the second seed, to enter the final of the $170,000 WTA Kolkata Open on Saturday.
   The 20-year-old Sprem, the number seven seed ranked world number 81, rallied for a 4-6 6-4 6-1 victory after Likhovtseva needed treatment for lower back trouble during the second set.
   She now meets top seed Anastasia Myskina, who displayed her best form to outplay unseeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-3 6-1 in the other semi-final.
   The 2004 French Open champion, the world number 12, is aiming to secure her first title of the year.
   Likhovtseva won a scrappy first set which featured five breaks of serve. The 30-year-old dropped serve in game five of the second set before taking an injury break.
   With Likhovtseva clearly struggling after treatment, Sprem wrapped up the final set, dashing hopes of an all-Russian final.
   A disappointed Likhovtseva said: ‘I felt bad losing. But I couldn’t serve, lost concentration and I couldn’t run sideways.’
   Sprem, scoring her third victory over Likhovtseva, was delighted.
   ‘This year I’m playing well. I think my confidence is coming back,’ she said. ‘I want to win the tournament.’

The Pakistan Cricket Board has hit back at claims that batsman Mohammad Yousuf was pressurised into converting to Islam by team-mates.
   The 31-year-old, formerly known as Yousuf Youhana, revealed his switch from Christianity earlier this week.
   ‘The PCB categorically states that Yousuf’s decision was entirely personal,’ said a Board statement.
   ‘No religious oriented pressure or influence was brought to bear on him by current or former players.’
   The PCB described media reports about the reasons for his conversion as ‘mischievous’ and ‘baseless’.
   Yousuf is one of Pakistan’s most experienced players, having played 59 Tests and 202 one-day internationals.
   He is currently preparing for a forthcoming series against England with the rest of the national squad.
   His decision to embrace Islam three months ago has caused problems within his family.
   According to the Daily Times newspaper, she blames a brother of former Test player Saeed Anwar for ‘ruining my son’s life’.

Croatia and Slovakia inched towards their first Davis Cup final on Saturday, both nations taking a 2-1 lead in their semis with doubles victories.
   Croatia’s Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic sparked scenes of crowd joy in Split by finishing off Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov and Igor Andreev 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 while Slovakia’s Karol Beck and Michal Mertinak beat Argentina’s David Nalbandian and Mariano Puerta 7-6, 7-5, 7-6 in an equally tense affair in Bratislava.
   Ancic and Ljubicic endured three hours and 37 minutes of see-saw drama in the cacophonous Gripe Sports Hall before triumphing and the hosts now need to win just one of Sunday’s two reverse singles to secure a place in December’s final.
   ‘We didn’t play a great match, I’m just glad it’s over,’ a relieved Ljubicic said. ‘We had chances to win it in three or four sets, but in the fifth set we were the better team.
   ‘I’m tired, but I’ll be okay for tomorrow ... with this crowd, you don’t feel tired.’
   Ancic, who lost the tie’s opening match against Nikolay Davydenko on Friday, will play Youzhny in a potential fifth rubber decider on Sunday, although Ljubicic can secure victory by beating Davydenko.
   The unheralded Slovak doubles team of Karol Beck and Michal Mertinak were always in control against the Argentine combination and thoroughly deserved their victory.
   While Croatia and Slovakia were left to dream of glory, Britain were consigned to another year of also-ran status in Europe/Africa Zone Group One next season after losing to Switzerland with a day to spare.
   World number one Roger Federer combined with regular partner Yves Allegro in Saturday’s doubles rubber to see off Greg Rusedski and Andy Murray 7-5, 2-6, 7-6, 6-2 and retain Switzerland’s place in the Davis Cup’s elite 16-nation World Group.
   The United States, winners of a record 31 Davis Cup titles, moved a step closer to retaining their World Group status when their doubles pairing of twins Bob and Mike Bryan triumphed over Belgium. The Bryans, champions at the US Open earlier this month, beat Olivier Rochus and Kristof Vliegen 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 6-3 in two hours 45 minutes.
   In Italy, Daniele Bracciali and Giorgio Galimberti won their third Davis Cup doubles rubber of the year to take the Italians to the brink of an upset victory over Spain in their play-off.
   The pair survived a stirring fightback from Feliciano Lopez and Rafael Nadal to record a momentous 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 9-7 victory in a match lasting more than four-and-a-half hours, to lay the foundation for a return to the World Group after a five-year absence.
   Germany’s Tommy Haas and Alexander Waske battled past the Czech Republic’s Frantisek Cermak and Leos Friedl 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in Liberec.
   The five-setter, lasting more than three-and-a-half hours, gives Germany a 2-1 lead heading into Sunday’s reverse singles.
   Austria take a 2-1 lead over Ecuador into the final day of their playoff after Juergen Melzer and Julian Knowle came from behind to beat the Lapentti brothers, Nicolas and Giovanni, 2-6, 6-4, 6-0, 6-3.

Italy’s Valentino Rossi on a Yamaha claimed his seventh world championship title when he finished second in the Malaysian MotoGP here on Sunday to fellow countryman Loris Capirossi on a Ducati.
   Rossi finished the race with an unsurmountable tally of 281 points with just four rounds of the championship remaining. It was his fifth straight world title in the premier MotoGP championship.
   ‘I had a good start. Some riders made mistakes and this allowed me to push the bike to the front. I faced some problems with the bike this morning during warm-up but the good run in the early part of the race gave me confidence.
   ‘Capirossi played cat and mouse game with me in three corners. I said to him, see you the next time. Anyway, I won the world champion for the seventh time,’ said the 26-year-old Italian, who started seventh on the third row.
   Rossi, who made a switch from Honda to Yamaha in 2004, remains the youngest rider to have won world championships in all three classes.
   He took the lead from Capirossi in the 12th lap of the 21-lap race around the 5.5 kilometre (3.4 mile) Sepang circuit, but the Ducati rider wrestled the lead back two laps later to win with a time of 43min 27.523 sec.
   Spanish rider Carlos Checa on a Ducati was third and Honda rider Marco Melandri finished fifth, keeping alive his bid to finish top three in the overall standings.

Chelsea conceded a goal for the first time this season but a Frank Lampard double allowed the champions to recover and stretch their winning start to the Premiership campaign to seven matches.
   A 2-1 win over Aston Villa kept Jose Mourinho's men six points clear of second-placed Charlton, who won 2-1 at West Brom.
   More importantly, it extended their advantage over title rivals Manchester United to ten points after Alex Ferguson's side slumped to a shock home defeat by Blackburn.
   Arsenal also lost ground on the leaders after being forced to settle for a point in a goalless draw at West Ham.
   Villa striker Luke Moore had the honour of becoming the first player to breach Chelsea's defence this season, latching on to Juan Pablo Angel's flick-on to fire past Petr Cech just before the break.
   It was the first goal Chelsea had conceded in 641 minutes of Premiership football and it earned Moore a 10,000-pound reward put up by The Sun newspaper.
   His celebrations were curtailed however as the champions took barely a minute to get back on level terms.
   Michael Essien won a free-kick on the edge of Villa's area and Frank Lampard curled the dead ball over the wall and into the net.
   Lampard then sealed the victory for the champions with a textbook penalty conversion 15 minutes from time after Olof Mellberg was adjudged to have fouled Didier Drogba inside the area.
   Two goals from Morten Gamst Pedersen gave Blackburn a 2-1 win at Old Trafford that dealt a huge blow to United's chances of reclaiming the title.
   The Norwegian winger's opener in the 33rd minute was a little freakish, a free-kick from the right of the area skimming over the top of a packed penalty area and somehow creeping into the far corner of the net.
   Ruud van Nistelrooy's sixth goal of the season-a tap-in after Brad Friedel spilled a shot from substitute Wayne Rooney-got United back on level terms only for Pedersen to snatch a winner against the run of play nine minutes from time.
   West Ham and Arsenal's meeting had been billed as a contest between the two most entertaining sides in the league.
   But it never really ignited and both sides appeared happy to settle for a draw that keeps the Hammers above their London rivals in the table.
   Danny Murphy claimed a first-half double as Charlton held on to second place at West Brom.
   Murphy's first came from the penalty spot after Steve Watson pulled down Jerome Thomas as he broke into the box.
   The second was a tap-in from Dennis Rommedahl's cross after the pacy Danish winger had burst clear on the right.
   Defender Curtis Davies pulled one back for the Baggies six minutes after the restart but Bryan Robson's side could not convert a late siege into an equaliser.
   Birmingham teenager Neil Kilkenny was sent off on his Premiership debut as Liverpool grabbed a late equaliser in a dramatic 2-2 draw at St Andrews.
   Kilkenny, 19, received a straight red card after punching Jamie Carragher's goal-bound header off the line with eight minutes left, conceding a penalty that Djibril Cisse converted to earn the European champions their fourth draw from five Premiership matches this season.
   A Stephen Warnock own goal and Walter Pandiani's first of the season-a tap-in following a blunder by Liverpool keeper Jose Reina-had put Birmingham on track for all three points
   after Luis Garcia had come off the bench to give Liverpool the lead.
   Everton's early season woes intensified with a home defeat at the hands of Wigan.
   Former Norwich striker condemned David Moyes's side to their fifth defeat in six matches with a 46th-minute strike.
   Michael Owen scored for the second week in a row to earn Newcastle a 1-0 win over Manchester City in front of a delighted St James's Park.
   The 18th-minute strike was a typical Owen effort, Lee Bowyer's pass allowing him to spring the offside trap and finish with a toe-poke past David James.

SV Hamburg ended Bayern Munich's record run of 15 consecutive league wins defeating the German champions 2-0 at the AOL-Arena.
   Netherlands international Rafael van der Vaart scored the opener on 10 minutes and Piotr Trachowski, who Bayern offloaded to Hamburg in November 2003, scored the decisive second goal in the 62nd minute on Saturday.
   'This was a big win for the club,' said Trachowski. 'As far as I am concerned Bayern are the past now and Hamburg my future.'
   Bayern had started the season with six consecutive wins but their air of invincibility was crushed by Hamburg who remain unbeaten and move to within one point of Bayern at the summit.
   'We were not quite 100 per cent today,' said Bayern captain Oliver Kahn. 'The record is over now and in some ways we are glad. Now we can start again from scratch.'
   After flirting with relegation last season the Hamburg supporters are in dreamland this term and can toast their team's success with a beer or two on the house.
   Germany's Bitburg Brewery agreed to offer 10,000 litres of free beer for the fans of the first team to beat Bayern this season so Hamburg followers can celebrate in style.
   'This was our next big step in the right direction,' said Hamburg coach Thomas Doll. 'We will savour this fantastic moment.'
   For Bayern manager Felix Magath, a 1983 European Cup winner with Hamburg, it was a first league defeat in six months with Schalke 04 the last team to defeat Bayern back in March.
   'We deserved to lose,' acknowledged Magath. 'Hamburg were the better team and we never found our rhythm.'
   Title rivals Werder Bremen capitalised on the rare slip and closed to within two points of the table-toppers courtesy of a 2-1 triumph over Bayer Leverkusen.
   Croatian Ivan Klasnic netted on 77 minutes to take the points after Simon Rolfes had cancelled out Miroslav Klose's opener for Bremen.
   'Bayern are the favourites and we have to measure ourselves against them,' explained Bremen manager Thomas Schaaf. 'We still have to play them so we will see what happens.'
   Schalke 04 also made up ground with a 2-0 win over Hannover now seeing them five points adrift of the reigning champions.

Bernd Schuster's Getafe returned to the top of the Primera Liga on Saturday after beating neighbours Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Calderon despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half.
   Midfielder Mario Cotelo was sent off on the hour for a wild challenge on winger Martin Petrov, but Argentine defender Mariano Pernia struck the winner 10 minutes later when he fired a free kick through a ragged Atletico wall.
   Champions Barcelona got their season back on track in style with an emphatic 4-1 win over 10-man Real Betis that lifted them into fifth place in the table, three points adrift of the leaders.
   Barca striker Samuel Eto'o took his tally to five with a second-half double and Mark van Bommel and Santi Ezquerro weighed in with their first goals since joining the club in the close season.
   Getafe lead the standings with 11 points from five games, although Celta Vigo, who are two points behind, can reclaim top spot if they beat Sevilla on Sunday.
   Valencia moved up to third with a 2-1 win at home to Real Sociedad, striker David Villa joining Eto'o at the top of the scoring charts after notching his fifth of the season at the start of the second half.
   Villarreal finally recorded their first victory of the season and moved off the bottom after a 2-1 win at Espanyol, courtesy of goals from midfielders Josico and Marcos Senna.
   Real Madrid, who bounced back from two league defeats in a row with a 3-1 win over Athletic Bilbao, are at Alaves on Sunday with defender Jonathan Woodgate missing out through suspension after his sending off in Thursday's match.
   Barca, who were resting the influential Ronaldinho and Deco, were handed an early chance to take the lead when awarded a penalty after Henrik Larsson was brought down by defender David Rivas. However, Eto'o hit the post with his spot-kick.
   They went in front, though, 10 minutes later when Dutch midfielder Van Bommel, in the starting line-up for the first time this season, headed past keeper Toni Doblas after Xavi had swept a free-kick into the area.
   Betis suffered another setback immediately after the restart when leading striker Ricardo Oliveira was red carded for insulting the referee, who had waved play on after the Brazilian appealed for a free-kick.
   The Andalucians still managed to level the game before the break, however, when defender Juanito got in between two defenders to steer a header past the out-stretched Victor Valdes after a Marcos Assuncao free-kick.
   But Barca eventually took advantage of their extra man early in the second half, Eto'o hammering the ball into the roof of the net after substitute Andres Iniesta had slipped a neat pass into his path.
   The Cameroon striker fully atoned for his earlier penalty miss when he grabbed a second, drilling home from close range after stealing the ball off the toe of team-mate Maxi Lopez.
   Ezquerro provided the icing on the cake with a pin-point finish from 15 metres out two minutes from time.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has called for a change in the points system to encourage English Premiership teams to play more attacking football.
   Wenger feels he has the answer to reverse the trend of falling attendances and of teams putting survival in the top flight ahead of entertainment.
   He believes awarding an extra point for teams who win by three or more goals would lead to more adventurous play.
   'What could work is awarding points on the basis of the difference between the goals you score and the goals you concede,' Wenger told the News of the World.
   'You could get an extra point if there is a difference of three, like 3-0 or 5-2.
   'That might encourage teams to keep on attacking when they have the lead. There would be an incentive.
   'It is difficult to impose new rules but the intention should always be to win.
   'The most successful teams have always been attacking ones. Brazil have won more World Cups than anyone and Real Madrid more European trophies - both of them always play to win.'

Ryan Giggs has been hailed as the greatest talent to emerge at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson's glorious reign.
   The accolade comes from the coach who discovered Giggs along with David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Gary and Phil Neville. Eric Harrison has singled out the Wales international winger as his best-ever find.
   'Ryan has a God given talent. He's got natural pace and balance, something you're born with,' said Harrison, who plucked Giggs from schoolboy football when he was 14.
   'I said to the scouts I was standing with that Ryan would play at the highest level. He was like a ballet dancer when I saw him and I knew we had to get him,' Harrison explained.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has questioned Chelsea's admission prices at Stamford Bridge and wants a ceiling imposed on the cost of buying a ticket for a Premiership game.
   The Scot called on the Office of Fair Trading to act after hearing entry to Stamford Bridge can cost 85 pounds when Manchester United visit. 'I believe there should be a ceiling on ticket prices,' said Ferguson.
   'Ever since I have come down to England, I have never understood how teams in London are able to increase their ticket prices depending on who they are playing. 'That has been allowed to go on for 25 years - a quarter of a century. When Manchester United play Chelsea, I have heard that it can cost 85 pounds for some parts of the Stamford Bridge ground.
   'That should not be allowed. Why haven't the Office of Fair Trading done something about it? What the hell do they do?
   'If some grocer puts his pound of sugar up a penny more than the guy next door he will probably get fined 3,000 pounds or even closed down.'

A late goal by Patrick Vieira earned Juventus a 2-1 win over Parma to maintain their 100 per cent winning start to the Serie A season on Saturday.
   The league leaders now have 15 points from five matches, five ahead of second-placed Fiorentina and Palermo, who play Inter Milan and Lazio respectively on Sunday.
   Parma took the lead in the 14th minute when Bernardo Corradi muscled in front of defender Gianluca Pessotto and nodded down for strike partner Marco Delvecchio to angle a shot past keeper Christian Abbiati.
   With Parma closing down quickly in midfield the visitors struggled to get back on terms, but a minute before halftime midfielder Mauro Camoranesi curled a fierce 25-metre drive into the top corner of Cristiano Lupatelli's net.
   Juve coach Fabio Capello strengthened his side after the break, sending on midfielders Pavel Nedved and Emerson and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
   They tightened their grip on the game but were let down by their finishing.
   Striker David Trezeguet went through clear on goal but failed to chip the ball over Lupatelli while Camoranesi headed wide of an open goal.
   With eight minutes remaining, however, Ibrahimovic picked out an unmarked Vieira at the far post and the Frenchman headed in his third goal in five Serie A matches.
   Earlier, Champions League side Udinese slid to their third consecutive Serie A defeat when they lost 2-0 to lowly Reggina.

Cristiano Ronaldo is stalling on signing his new Manchester United contract.
   More than two months after the club announced they had agreed a deal with the Portugal international striker the deal remains unsigned.
   Sources in Portugal claim that Ronaldo remains unsure whether to make a long-term commitment to United - despite announcing earlier this summer that he wanted to stay at Old Trafford.
   United are ready to pay the 20-year-old around £70,000-a-week, but want him to agree a long term contract until 2010.
   They thought they had reached an agreement with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes - who also advises Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho - with both Sir Alex Ferguson and chief executive David Gill insisting back in July that Ronaldo would sign within days.
   But there is no sign from the Ronaldo camp about when the winger will put pen to paper.
   And the suggestions in Portugal are that the former Sporting Lisbon star has been unsettled by the continuing interest from Spain's big two - Barcelona and Real Madrid.
   Ronaldo, signed from Sporting Lisbon for £12m two seasons ago, has developed into one of the world's most exciting players.
   He currently one of the lowest paid players at Old Trafford - a situation United were willing to rectify as Ronaldo went into the final two years of his existing contract.
   But with his good lucks anddashing style Ronaldo has become an emerging sporting idol for United fans around the world.

Sir Alex Ferguson admitted his Manchester United side face a daunting task to make up the 10-point gap on English Premiership leaders Chelsea.
   'I am concerned at the gap between us and Chelsea but I am more concerned with getting our game back together and playing with enjoyment and passion,' Ferguson admitted.
   'That is the most important thing.
   'We had a lot of opportunities but we didn't take them. We can have no complaints and we have only ourselves to blame. We know exactly what the problem was, and it was a big disappointment, but the biggest disappointment was our defending.
   'You have to take your chances. If I thought we were going to create eight chances in the first half of every game I would be delighted. But if you said we would miss eight chances it would show there are danger signs.'

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein said Sunday he was quietly confident Thierry Henry would see out his career at Highbury.
   Henry, currently sidelined with a groin injury, has two years remaining on his contract.
   Dein, who believes the Frenchman is 'priceless', said, 'We will be entering into negotiations very shortly.
   'Everyone would like a Thierry Henry in their team. We've got him and intend to keep him.
   'He is a world-class player. We will do everything we can to make sure he stays here until the end of his career.'
   Henry has been linked with a move to Barcelona but speaking on Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme Dein added, 'I am quietly confident he will remain here.

Asian U-14 tennis series inaugurated
The Asian Under-14 Tennis Series, organised by Bangladesh Tennis Federation (BTF) and sponsored by Development Fund of Australian Open, was inaugurated on Sunday at the National Tennis Complex in Ramna. The matches of the six-nation series will begin today. A total of 44 players from India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh will take part in four events: boys singles and doubles; and girls singles and doubles.Two second-top ranking players of Asian Tennis Federation — Tito Parulian Hutaurk (boy) and Grace Sari Ysidora (girl) — from Indonesia will also participate in the meet.
— BD News

Shyampur in Sheikh Russell football
semis
Shyampur reached the semi-final of the Sheikh Russell U-14 Football drawing 3-3 with Mirpur at the Abahani ground on Sunday. Shohag of Shyampur was adjudged man of the match. In the second match of the day Dhanmondi defeated Hazaribagh by 3-1 goals. Shakil the custodian of Dhanmondi grabbed the man of the match trophy. Former national captain Jewel Rana and premier division coach Mir Faruk distributed the prizes. Motijheel will meet Shayampur in the first semi-final on Wednesday.
— New Age

Khokon blind
chess champ
Khokon Chandra Borman emerged champion in the blind chess tournament with six points at the end of the final round at the BIAM Auditorium Saturday. Khokon along with five players earned maximum six points from the six-round Swiss-League meet and he was adjudged champion through progressive score of tie breaking. Ferdous Hasan became runner-up while Abid Hossain finished third in the meet. Mir Hossain and Mujibul Haq became fourth and fifth respectively. In the women’s event, Uma Rani became champion with three points.
— BD News

Inter-service athletics
competition begins
Bangladesh Army dominated opening day events of the Inter-Service Athletics competition bagging four gold medals on Sunday at the Bangladesh Army Stadium in Banani. Masudul Karim clinched the gold medal in the 200m run, Mozahid Khan bagged the gold medal in the 1500m run, Shahidul Islam secured the gold medal in 110-hurdles and Mozaffar Hossain earned the same award in shot put. Some 82 athletes from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force are taking part in the three-day 22-event meet. Assistance Chief of Air Staff Air Commodore Ziaur Rahman inaugurated the meet as chief guest and distributed medals among the winners.
— BD News