Big win for PunjabThe 59th National Hockey Championship, sponsored by Punjab & Sind Bank and State Bank of India, got off to a sedate start today with a slight modification in the day's programme and only Gujarat, the fancied team in Group B, having minor hiccups. As expected, teams like Railways, Punjab and Hyderabad recorded victories but they seem far from impressive.Anand drawsIndia's Viswanathan Anand drew his game with Peter Svidler and remained in the third position at the end of the 13th and penultimate round in the City of Linares Chess tournament. Anand, with seven points, is behind Russia's Garry Kasparov, who has a winning tally of 10, and Vladimir Kramnik (7.5 points).Sachin's restThe board of Control for Cricket in India will bear all expenses incurred by Sachin Tendulkar, undergoing treatment for a back injury in London, according to BCCI chief Raj Singh Dungarpur. ``Sachin needs some rest. If the specialist doctor advises him rest, the Board should respect that,'' said Dungarpur.East Bengal winEast Bengal regained their third placing in the National Football League Super Six stage, defeating Mohun Bagan 2-0 in their second leg match today. East Bengal now have nine points and are behind Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers. Mohun Bagan remained at five points, two points behind JCT.Lankans in DhakaThe Sri Lankan team arrived in Dhaka today without some key players to face Pakistan in the final of the Asian Test cricket championship at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Friday. "We may be without a few key players, but I am confident about the ability of our youngside," Sri Lankan manager Ranjeet Fernando told reporters on their arrival.
