The best of Raju
FROM A COLLECTION OF ARTICLES WRITTENBY RAJU CHAINANI |
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Birthday Bonanza
Mid-day 11-5-1998
SACHIN TENDULKAR and Peter Nicol. One a master blaster, the other a racket magician. On his 25th birthday, Tendulkar sparkled in India's win over Australia at Sharjah. Just a few days earlier, it had been the southpaw's crowning moment and he gave himself the perfect birthday present when he beat the redoubtable Jansher Khan in the British Open final.
It was back in 1973, three months before Nicol Peter was born that Jonah Barrington won the British Open. It was his sixth success in the event and the following year, his attempt to equal the legendary Hashim Khan's record was stopped by M. Yasin who later was to coach Jansher. For the last 16 years the British Open has been dominated by the two. Jahangir won 10 in a row and then it was Jansher's turn to take over.
Nicol has broken that sequence. Since February he has taken over as world number one and his latest victory has seen him extend his lead over the mercurial Pakistani With Jansher presently on the repair list it is anybody's guess whether he can make a comeback. Nicol's rise to the top is an example for many a youngster. Six years ago he won his first major title, the Singapore Open.
Since then the progress chart has shown a steady upward trend. He is supremely fit, a fact which Jansher readily acknowledges. In Neil Harvey, the former England number one, Nicol has found a coach who he can relate to well. It's almost akin to the bond between Ramakant Achrekar and the little master.
In the cricket world, comparisons are being made between Tendulkar and Bradman. For Peter Nicol, there still is some way to go before he can be talked of in the same breath as Jahangir, Jansher or even Jonah. During the last 12 months he has shown his prowess, beating Jansher four times in major tournaments. Barrington is an Peter Nicol fan. He came up the hard way and the fitness factor played the dominant role, much as it does with Nicol. In Tendulkar and Nicol the sporting world has two extraordinary athletes. They are at the top of their respective professions. Was it sheer coincidence that on their 25th birthday they both had reserved something special for their fans?
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Sanghis boost for Police Gym. Sah and Sanghi, Mumbai’s leading automobile dealers, have come forward to extend support to the rapidly expanding sporting facilities of Mumbai Police at Marine Drive and elsewhere in the city. Ranjan Sanghi, Executive Director of Sah and Sanghi Group of Companies and Vice-President of the Squash Racquets Association of Maharashtra, presented a cheque for Rs 10 lakh to police commissioner R. S. Sharma at police headquarters at Crawford Market. The amount is part of a total contribution of Rs 20 lakh to the police force and will be utilised to set up improved and additional indoor sports facilities at the Police Gymkhana at Marine Drive. |
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Ranjan Sanghi (second from left) presenting cheque for Rs 10 lakh to Police Commissionor R.S. Sharma towards creating indoor sports facility at their police Gymkhana.SRAM president Khalid A-H Ansari, Additional Commissioner of Police Sanjay Barve and Mahendra Agarwal are also in the picture |
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SRAM members can avail the facility of squash court between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. by paying nominal charges as soon as the squash court is ready at Mumbai police gymkhana. |
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Quiz
Guess who are in this
photograph?
The first 3 winners will get three T-shirts of Switcher Winners of last quiz : Vivek Vashdev Mahtani, Carmichael Road, Mumbai 26., Sunil Gupta, Bandra, Mumbai 50, Shaheen Madraswala, Mohamadali Road, Mumbai 3, Khangara Choudhary, Jaipur Club Ltd.,Jaipur 302 006 |
