Kochi Sports

[mohammedirshad06]

With this, Kochi also emerged as the only city in Kerala have 3 operational Golf courses and the only airport in Sub-Continent to have an Airport Golf Course.

[Malayaali]

What i believed to be the least interest sport in the state, the Golf, has taken me by surprise to have got over 1400 memberships for CGCC. Each costing a minimum of Rs 2 lakh rupees

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Malayaali

What i believed to be the least interest sport in the state, the Golf, has taken me by surprise to have got over 1400 memberships for CGCC. Each costing a minimum of Rs 2 lakh rupees

Kochi is the business capital and hence the businessmen will try their strokes with ball, which is known to be Rich's man game..... They are people with genuine interests, who wish to know the game. Prestige is also a factor. Anyway happy, atleast here, people donot simply become members here to sip some beer or liquor

[Cosmicbliss]

Originally Posted by mohammedirshad06

Kochi is the business capital and hence the businessmen will try their strokes with ball, which is known to be Rich's man game..... They are people with genuine interests, who wish to know the game. Prestige is also a factor. Anyway happy, atleast here, people donot simply become members here to sip some beer or liquor

Golf is such an elite game and doesn't help you keep fit. Given how many Keralites play/like football, why not build an international-standard FIFA stadium in Kochi? It will generate thousands of jobs and help to stage international matches/friendlies in Kerala and boost the economy too.

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Cosmicbliss

Golf is such an elite game and doesn't help you keep fit. Given how many Keralites play/like football, why not build an international-standard FIFA stadium in Kochi? It will generate thousands of jobs and help to stage international matches/friendlies in Kerala and boost the economy too.

Kochi is going to have a FIFA sponsored stadium. The old Ambedkar stadium will be renovated and refurbished to match with global standards and will have turf sponsored by FIFA for the state of Kerala.

An Football academy with support of Real Madrid is also planned in Kochi.

If KCA able to revive Edakochi project back to life, the JNI will be converted back to soccer only stadium.

Every city needs combination of multiple sporting facilities. Golf courses is one such option and a great business networking facility

[induzcreed]

delete

[DileepKS]

Beg your pardon?

[Cosmicbliss]

Originally Posted by mohammedirshad06

Kochi is going to have a FIFA sponsored stadium. The old Ambedkar stadium will be renovated and refurbished to match with global standards and will have turf sponsored by FIFA for the state of Kerala.

An Football academy with support of Real Madrid is also planned in Kochi.

If KCA able to revive Edakochi project back to life, the JNI will be converted back to soccer only stadium.

Every city needs combination of multiple sporting facilities. Golf courses is one such option and a great business networking facility

What happened to international cricket stadium? Buried permanently I suppose.

[mohammedirshad06]

Originally Posted by Cosmicbliss

What happened to international cricket stadium? Buried permanently I suppose.

Not anyway. KCA is current working to develop Wayanad Greenfield Cricket Center and State Cricket Academy. Only after that, they will agressively press for the Edakochi Cricket Stadium. Secondly as of now, there is no hurry. JNI is now fully converted into Cricket stadium and KCA has taken for lease.

They are in process of conducting a fresh EIA, but there is strong cold war happening between current forest & Sports minister- Ganesh Kumar and KCA. We can't talk about undercurrents happening now.

Still most of us are hopeful to get the sanctions immediately. T.M Jacob was actively pressing to shift the project to Piravom side. He was ready to identify the land and give it. But after his death, that option also slowly went into freezer.....

[Malayaali]

Kochi may host Santosh Trophy 2013

I think more than the facility, which is of course is the best in the state, it's the schedule of BCCI, CCL cricket matches that might make Kochi, lose the match.

After a hiatus, football crazy Kerala is once again going to witness major football action in their den. The AIFF is going to inspect facilities at Kochi and Kollam and if everything goes alright, one of these cities may get to host the All India championship.

This time around, the AIFF is also supposed to bring in change in the format of the Santosh Trophy so that the ‘smaller’ teams from non-I-League states get to play more matches.

The 4 semi-finalists from the last edition will get automatic berths in the quarterfinal. This means that Manipur, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the Services team will be starting their campaign from the Quarter final stages.

The rest of the 12 teams will be divided in 4 groups and the table toppers will be through to the quarters.

[Malayaali]

Kochi to be a stopover to find the fastest power boat in the world

Teams from Britain and the USA are getting ready to compete in the first ever power boat race around the world - one in a 'streamlined fueltank' the other in a 'space shuttle on floats'.



A British and an American team are to compete in the first ever power boat contest around the world.

The teams will be racing not just one another, but also against the clock as both try to smash the record for the fastest circumnavigation, currently standing at 61 days.

The British calculate that they could break that record by more than three weeks.

The race begins on November 2 next year with each team will starting at precisely the same time, on different sides of the Atlantic, the British at Gibraltar and the Americans at Puerto Rico.

The British team have made a quicker start on their preparations with construction of the boat, Accomplish More – which is made of recycled aluminium – largely completed.

However, they had to start from scratch last week over fears that heat from a fire in the factory next to the warehouse where the craft was being assembled had weakened it too much to cope with rough seas.
The two vessels are vastly different in design.

The British craft is 90ft in length and has been designed as a "streamlined fueltank", with enough space for 6,600 gallons of diesel - and little else.
It will carry a crew of 12 and is extremely thin – only 16ft across at its widest point.

It has an unusual "axe bow" to allow it to slice through waves and even plough beneath larger ones, rather than ride over the top of them.
The boat is to be powered by two 500 horse power engines which will drive water jets, and will have a top speed of 47.7 knots (55mph).

Alan Priddy, the skipper and a veteran of dozens of maritime challenges, believes they can complete the entire circumnavigation at an average speed of 25 knots, including stops, which would mean they could get around in just over 38 days.

The current record holder – Earthrace – managed an average speed of 16.8 knots (19mph) on its 61 day journey in 2008.

The US craft, provisionally called The Forgiven, is a catamaran and far smaller than Accomplish More, at 56ft, and less powerful, with two 380 horse power engines, driving propellers, rather than jets. It will have a crew of just four and will carry only 3,000 gallons of fuel.

It is being built in Florida, by skipper Ralph Brown, a former US Marine who in 2009 crossed the Atlantic in a 21ft, flat bottomed fishing boat.
He is more guarded about its expected average speed, but said: "My calculations are that I am confident I can beat Alan."

The difference in fuel capacity means the two teams are adopting radically different strategies and routes.

Both teams are travelling westwards and must pass through both the Suez and Panama Canals, cross the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator, before returning to their start point but can otherwise chose any route they wish.
The British are travelling 27,446 miles, with scheduled pit stops in Puerto Rico, Panama, Acapulco (Mexico), Honolulu (Hawaii), Guam, Singapore and Oman, remaining at sea for up to five days on each leg. Most stops, it is planned, will take no more than two hours, allowing the team to simply refuel and take on provisions.

However, they will remain in Singapore for longer, to allow an eight hour service of the craft. Pit crews will be in each port waiting for their arrival.
The American team's provisional are travelling a slightly longer route stopping in Panama, Acapulco, San Diego, Maui (Hawaii), Majuro (Marshall Islands), Koror (Palau), Singapore, Cochin (India), Djibouti, Suez (Egypt), Gibraltar, Azores. It is planning three hours per stop.

Both boats will pass through the pirate-infested waters off the east coast of Africa, where they will rely on their speed to take them safely through.
The two projects are being funded by sponsorship, although the British team are also raising money by offering members four of the public to take part, for £20,000 per person, per leg.

The full-time crew is made up of seven men – including a doctor – and one woman, Shelley Jory-Leigh, pictured above, a former British power boat champion.

There are few luxuries on the stripped-down vessel. There main cabin at the stern of the boat, is 8ft by 10ft and holds four bunks. Mr Priddy and his deputy Jan Falkowski, each have their own cabin – measuring 2ft 5in by 6ft 6in.

A larger cabin, nearer the bows, is called the "suicide cabin", as the extreme movement of the boat going up and down make it impossible to sleep in.
There is also a workshop and galley on board, although all the food is freeze-dried, requiring only hot water to heat.

The main wheelhouse will be lit constantly, so there is no difference for the crew inside whether it is night or day. There are two seats, one for the driver and another for the navigator, with beds for the other crew "on watch".

While not on watch, there are no recreational facilities for the crew, although when the weather permits, they will have access to a small deck at the stern.
With only four crew aboard The Forgiven, the living space in the 36ft cabin section, which has been deliberately designed to resemble the US space shuttle, will be more spacious.

Mr Brown said: "They are building an ocean liner. I am building a race boat. Alan is going to have 12 people on board with nowhere to go and, most of the
time, nothing to do. I guess they can play a lot of cards."

But Mr Priddy said: "We don't play cards. We are simply committed to keep the boat going at its maximum safe speed. I will buy a drink to anyone who beats me, but I do not intend to buy the Americans a drink."

[Malayaali]

Belhasa wins big Singapore, India contracts

UAE-based construction services company Belhasa Projects said its sports and coatings division has won contracts worth more than $10 million in Singapore, India and Qatar.

Currently, the company is in the process of constructing a 9,600 sq m Rugby field in Centaurus Centre of Excellence in Singapore.

The award winning UAE firm said it will use Rhino Turf, a ‘state of the art’ range of synthetic turf products designed in the UK for the Rugby field. This is the company’s first project in Singapore.

Belhasa has also won a contract to construct 7,500 sq m running track for the Indian Navy at Kochi in the south Indian state of Kerala. Another project in progress is an indoor gymnasium for ACS Doha International School in Qatar, it added.

Commenting on the wins, CEO Suleyman Gary Busby said expansion into other markets was part of its strategic growth plan.

"This year our various business divisions have won several projects in Iraq, Maldives and Qatar. We have ongoing projects in India; and Singapore is another new market for us. Our Sports and Coatings division has seen increased demand this year and we are in the process of pitching for several other projects," he added.

[Asskicker]

AIFF submitted bid for 2017 FIFA U17 World cup. Kochi is in the list of six cities to host a total of 52 games. Delhi, Margoa, Kolkata, Guwahati and Mumbai are the other cities.

[Malayaali]

Kochi to host 67th Santhosh Trophy Semifinals and Final

The 67th Santosh Trophy National football championship will be held in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh in February and March next year.

While Kerala, the main venue, will host the quarterfinal league, semifinals and the final and two groups of the qualifying round, two qualifying round groups will be held in Lucknow.

Defending champion Services, runner-up Tamil Nadu and last year’s other two semifinalists Kerala and Manipur have been given direct entry into the quarterfinal league.

The championship is likely to kick off in Lucknow on February 1, but the dates of the Kerala rounds have not been finalised yet.

“In Kerala, the championship will begin in the first week of February and end by the first week of March,” said K. Babu, the Kerala Excise Minister and Ernakulam District Football Association president who is also the championship’s organising committee chairman, here on Friday.

Nehru Stadium, the venue

Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, which is the venue for the India-England cricket ODI on January 15 and the Deodhar Trophy from March 10 to 13, is also the main venue of the Santosh Trophy and the Kerala Football Association will finalise the dates of the National championship after consultations with the Kerala Cricket Association.

While Kochi will host both the semifinals and final and a few qualifying group games, Kollam has been confirmed as the other venue.

“We are also trying to host matches in the Malabar region, in Kozhikode or Manjeri,” said KFA president K.M.I. Mather.

“But work needs to be done at both venues. We are waiting for confirmation whether the work can be finished in the next 45 days”

The groupings:

Qualifying round I (two teams from each group qualify for quarterfinal league): Group A (matches in Kerala): West Bengal, Railways, Delhi; Group B (at Lucknow): Punjab, Meghalaya, Odisha; Group C (Lucknow): Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram. Group D (Kerala): Goa, Chhattisgarh, Haryana.

Qualifying round II (top team from each group qualifies): Cluster A (Lucknow): Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chandigarh, Nagaland; Cluster B (Kerala): Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Daman & Diu; Cluster C (Kerala): Assam, Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan.

Cluster D (Lucknow): Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Puducherry, Uttarkhand, Sikkim.

Quarterfinal league (all matches in Kerala, winner of each group moves into semifinals): Group A: Services; Qualifier rd I (Gr. A topper), Qualifier rd I (Gr. B runner-up), Qualifer II (Cluster D winner). Group B: Tamil Nadu, Qualifier I (Gr. D topper), Qualifier I (Gr. C runner-up), Qualifier II (Cluster A winner). Group C: Kerala, Qualifier I (Gr. C topper), Qualifier I (Gr. D runner-up), Qualifier II (Cluster C winner). Group D: Manipur, Qualifier I (Gr. B topper), Qualifier I (Gr. A runner-up), Qualifier II (Cluster B winner).

Semifinals and final (in Kochi).

• Direct entry for Services, TN, Kerala and Manipur

• Kochi to host both semifinals and final

• Malabar may host matches

[Malayaali]

Tickets for India-England ODI to be available from next week

Kochi: Online sales of tickets for the One- Day International match between India and England here on January 15 will be available to the public from December 15.

Tickets for chairs of various denominations are proposed to be made available online at the following rates: AC box - Rs 3,000; Vantage Chairs – Rs 2,000; Premium Chairs – Rs 1,000 and Ordinary Chair Rs 500, a press relase from the Kerala Cricket association said.

Tickets can be purchased online from the website of The Federal Bank Ltd at www.federalbank.co.in, it said.

The tickets would have to be exchanged for physical tickets for entry into the stadium. The exchange can be made only from Palarivattom Branch of Federal Bank after Jan 3. Identity proof would have to be furnished for the purpose and a maximum of only five tickets per ID would be made available, the release said.

[Malayaali]

cc: Manorama

[Prasanth_KCV]

http://newindianexpress.com/cities/k...cle1373469.ece

Crowded’ support for MRF Supercross

It was a spectacular day for the youth in the city with the electrifying last leg of the MRF National Supercross Championship held at Kalamassery on Sunday.

The circuit, prepared on an open ground at Kalamassery, saw some thrilling stunts which was witnessed by more than 5,000 spectators, highest in this season of the championship. Over 100 bike riders in which 27 were from Kerala, took part in the Championship. For many, it was first time that they were seeing motocross racing. The crowd burst into excitement when the racers made double jumps crossing a height of 30 feet. However, Malayalis had major set back with local boy C D Jinan, who was racing in the top Foreign Category, had to back off after suffering injury following an accident during the practice session on Saturday.

"It was very disappointing not to perform before the local crowd. Besides, the injury has cost me the title. Hope things turn up favourable in the next season with the races starting from April 2013," Jinan said. MRF National Supercross Championship is held at five legs starting from April and ending by December each year. Veer Patel of Vadodara who won the championship and the Foreign Category in the circuit said the entire season was very tough with close battles taking place in all five circuit. "I want to continue the same form next season too," Veer said.

The races were organised in eight categories- Foreign Open, Novice, Indian Experts (B), Indian Experts (C), Foreign Category (C), Private Experts (C), Local and Private Foreign. In the local category, as many as 19 local youth from various parts of the city took part. Shyam Kothari, main organiser of the MRF Supercross racing, said the crowd was very supportive and the organisers are interested in organising more events in the state. "We have never seen so much crowd in other places.We are interested to bring more MRF racing programmes to the state," he said.

Sajan Daniel, event organiser, said they never expected such a response for a event like supercross in the state. "The Supercross is being organised in the city after 12 years. If the people give such high support, more motorsports events can be brought to the state," Sajan said.

[Malayaali]

Kochi ready for India-England ODI

All arrangements are falling into place for staging the second ODI match between India and England here on January 15 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International stadium here, according to a Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) official.

Three pitches had been laid for the match, KCA secretary TC Mathew said. “One is made out of Hyderabad clay, the second one using red soil clay and the third one using clay sourced from near here at Vaikom.

All the arrangements are almost complete and this time the sub-soil drainage system is also perfect,” Mathew added.

[Malayaali]

Meet Sachin Tendulkar, the match-winning ODI bowler

Kochi must be our little master's favorite bowling ground, as both of his best bowling performances was witnessed by Kochi crowd

As the world paid rich tribute to legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who on Sunday announced his retirement from One-Day cricket, one also remembered the bowler in the batting maestro who was equally a match-winner earning for himself the title of "Man with the Golden Arm".

Tendulkar was an unorthodox bowler and has 154 wickets from his 463 matches. Tendulkar has two five-wicket hauls and his best was 5 for 32 against Australia in Kochi, 1998.

Tendulkar could have earned more wickets, but a tennis elbow put paid to that.

He underwent an operation in 2005 for tennis elbow in England and since then he cut down on his bowling but always obliged his captains when a partnership needed to be broken.

Being an unorthodox bowler, Tendulkar was always attacked and the batsmen had to pay the price.

Tendulkar first bowled in an ODI against England at Trent Bridge in 1990. He conceded 10 runs from just one over that he got as India won the match by five wickets.

He bagged his first man of the match award as a bowler in 1994 against the West Indies in Sharjah. He picked up four for 34 dismissing Clayton Lambert, Richie Richardson, Gus Logie and Jeff Dujon, to skittle out West Indies for 141. India won the match easily by seven wickets.

No one can forget the famous Hero Cup semi-final against South Africa at Kolkata in 1993. South Africa needed six off the last over and India skipper Mohammed Azharuddin gambled by asking Tendulkar to bowl the final over. Tendulkar gave away just three runs from the only over he bowled to leave the South Africans confused with his unorthodox spin.

Like his batting, Tendulkar also preserved his best bowling for against Australia. At Kochi in 1998, India set Australia a target of 310. The Australians were going great guns but a great spell by Tendulkar (5/32), who picked up the formidable quartet of Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan, Darren Lehmann and Damien Martyn, helped India win by 41 runs.

Tendulkar's best bowling performances have come on home soil and in most of those matches he had failed as a batsman. And in most cases, the bowler in Tendulkar boosted his confidence as a batsman. Whenever the runs dried up, Tendulkar took to bowling.

It was in the last seven years that he cut down on his bowling after undergoing a surgery in London in 2005.

The last time he bagged wickets was in 2007 against Pakistan in Guwahati. He bagged two for 32 from his five overs as India won the match by five wickets.

Best bowling performances:

4 for 34 against West Indies during 1991 at Sharjah
3 for 43 against Sri Lanka during 1994 at Rajkot
3 for 36 against West Indies during 1994 at Chennai
5 for 32 against Australia during 1998 at Kochi
4 for 38 against Australia during 1998 at Dhaka
5 for 50 against Pakistan during 2005 at Kochi

[psanthosh]

Sailing championship sets sail in Kochi




An overcast sky was no hurdle for the young sailors participating in the National Inland Optimist Championship at Panangad in Kochi. They eagerly took to the waters in their Optimists – small dinghies usually used to train children – as the championship was flagged off here on Thursday.

Vice-Admiral Satish Soni, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, flagged off the championship.

Vice-Admiral Soni exhorted the participants to continue their interest in yachting. He said the State had an excellent natural setting for sailing.

Hormis Tharakan, former Director General of Police, was the guest of honour at the inaugural function.

A slight change in the weather on Thursday had championship organisers concerned about the lack of wind as participants tried out the waters. They are, however, hoping for clear skies and better conditions as the races begin on Friday.

More than 60 boys and girls between eight and 15 years of age will represent various sailing clubs in this edition of the annual championship. The Tamil Nadu Sailing Association with 21 participants has the biggest contingent among teams from different parts of the country. A few children who had participated in the national coastal optimist championship at Cherai in 2011 have returned this year for the inland event.

The Ernakulam Sailing Association, which is hosting the event, trains around 35 children from Panangad free of cost every year along with its other students. Six children trained by the association are part of a contingent from sailing clubs in the State.

The picturesque backwaters at Panangad, in an area of about 600 sq km with an average depth of 2 m, will become the venue for the nine legs of the race till the event concludes on December 31.


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