All posts by csb10.top

Things could not be tighter at the top of the National League Division Two Table, of the four sides in the hunt for promotion, Hampshire and Middlesex have four games remaining, whilst Lancashire and Northamptonshire have five.The run in:Hampshire:
v Durham at Riverside on 24 August
v Lancashire at The Rose Bowl on 7 September
v Middlesex at Lord’s on 14 September
v Derbyshire at Derby on 21 September

Lancashire:
v Middlesex at Old Trafford on 19 August (d/n)
v Somerset at Taunton on 1 September (d/n)
v Hampshire at The Rose Bowl on 7 September
v Sussex at Old Trafford on 14 September
v Northamptonshire at Northampton on 21 September

Northamptonshire:
v Derbyshire at Derby on 24 August
v Scotland at Edinburgh on 26 August
v Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge on 31 August
v Durham at Northampton on 7 September
v Lancashire at Northampton on 21 September
Middlesex:
v Lancashire at Old Trafford on 19 August (d/n)
v Sussex at Hove on 3 September (d/n)
v Hampshire at Lord’s on 14 September
v Durham at Riverside on 21 September

Lance Klusener was the most high-profile casualty as South Africa announced the most demographically representative touring party since they were readmitted to the international cricket community. Klusener will not be going to England this year, a fact confirmed by the selectors when they announced both the one-day and Test squads live on national television on Monday evening.Klusener paid the price for a gradual but ultimately fatal decline in form over the past four years, during which time he still proved capable of matchwinning performances but frustrated with his inconsistency and often unpredictable and destructive attitude.Six of the 16 members of the Test squad are non-white, the highest proportion ever, and any suggestions that their places might have been guaranteed to some degree by outside political interference were made redundant and even repugnant by the fact that only four black players were included in the one-day squad of 17. The six are regulars Makhaya Ntini and Herschelle Gibbs, wrist-spinner Paul Adams, allrounder Robin Peterson, wicketkeeper-batsman Thami Tsolekile, and fast bowler Monde Zondeki.Tsolekile’s selection means that for the first time in his Test career, Mark Boucher (named as vice-captain to 22-year-old Graeme Smith) will have an understudy on tour. Tsolekile’s undoubted potential was recognised after he impressed with the gloves on the recent South Africa A tour of Australia. He can bat, too, although his form was patchy in the recent domestic season.Perhaps the biggest surprise is that fast bowler Dewald Pretorius is included in both squads. Pretorius, who recently joined Durham, was mauled by the Australian batsmen in his one Test appearance at Cape Town last year, and after a domestic season in which he was good without being brilliant the selectors’ justification for his inclusion is that he is “perhaps the fastest of them all” among the fast bowlers chosen.Apart from Pretorius, Zondeki is the only truly contentious selection. He was a member of the World Cup squad but seriously injured his shoulder in a car crash soon after their elimination, and has not bowled a ball since. However, as the 16th member of the squad, he is hardly a gamble. He’s only 20, and there is no other young fast bowler in the country with as much potential.The one-day squad also finds space for Morne van Wyk, a close second to Tsolekile as cover for Boucher, and a very useful batsman.South Africa squad for Tests and ODIs Graeme Smith (capt), Mark Boucher (v-capt/wkt), Paul Adams, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Dewald Pretorius, Jacques Rudolph.One-day only Nicky Boje, Allan Dawson, Andrew Hall, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Martin van Jaarsveld, Morne van Wyk.Tests only Boeta Dippenaar, Gary Kirsten, Robin Peterson, Thami Tsolekile, Charl Willoughby, Monde Zondeki

Somerset County Cricket Club will not tolerate mediocre performances, the club’s recently elected chairman Giles Clarke told the annual general meeting of The Friends of Bath County Cricket Festival held at Bath Cricket Club earlier this week.He said: “Clearly we need to perform on the field this summer. We are not a second division team. It’s time we won the county championship.”Outlining a strategy which would achieve this, Giles Clarke singled out two priorities: improving Somerset¹s performance on the field, and securing the club’s financial position.He said: “We must have outstanding county players, not just journeymen. Foreign players are an important part of this, and we have to see what overseas players we can attract, but we also need outstanding English players. For that we have to have outstanding coaching and outstanding facilities. These all require financial support.”He told members there is increased interest in sponsorships despite the difficult economic climate. Somerset was not a rich county — 80 per cent of companies have fewer than 10 employees — but the county manages to maintain and support a top class cricket team. In this context, the annual week-long Bath Cricket Festival provided vital and unswerving support for the county cricket club.”I would like to say there is no doubt that Bath Cricket Festival is a vital part of the Somerset CC year. When I was a boy, the county team played in Frome, Street and other places, but that is just not possible today, and we now have only the two county venues, Bath and Taunton.”He said he was optimistic that a lot more firms would be coming from Bristol to support the Bath Festival and he had made it his personal mission to “wake up” large Bristol companies and regional companies and get them to support the event.”As you may have heard, Ian Botham has been enlisted to help with our membership drive. Our membership levels remain at what they were last year at this time.”Among the players Somerset would be using this next year wasNixon McLean, the West Indian bowler who has played at Test level for the West Indies, Tasmanian Jamie Cox who captained the team last season,James Bryant, a no. 3 batsman who plays for Eastern Province who was said to be the finest fielder in South Africa, possibly even better than Jonty Rhodes and Neil Edwards, the best batsman on the U19 tour of Australia.In addition, Somerset had the services of county coach Kevin Shine — “one of our greatest assets, without doubt the best bowling coach in the country.”Giles said: “The club is not just about success on the field, it’s about financial success. With this in mind, we have begun a process to get closer to the business community and we are confident our sponsorships will exceed a six figure sum, which will go some way towards ensuring the future of our club.”Of particular concern was the fact that for 319 days a year the County Ground at Taunton was not fully used. Giles described this as “a wasted opportunity” and said several ideas were being explored for using the ground when it was not needed for cricket.Bob Holder, chairman of the Friends, told the meeting: “It is a tribute to the Bath and Wiltshire area committee that the Bath Festival is currently firmly embedded in the playing plans of Somerset. It is only three years ago that doubt was seriously felt about the financial viability of the club coming to Bath, even though there is over 100 years of history.”The result of an excellent fund raising year is, as you have heard, that the Friends donation to area funds is £2,500. I referred last year to the financial turnaround in the profits earned here in 2001 — £17,000. In 2002 the figure is over £20,000.”This year’s Bath Cricket Festival begins on Wednesday, June 4 with a four-day championship match between Somerset and Worcestershire, followed by a one-day match on Sunday, June 8 between Somerset and Northamptonshire.

Western Australia’s Ryan Campbell hammered an unbeaten century to leave the Warriors firmly in control at stumps on day one of their Pura Cup cricket match against NSW at the WACA.The wicketkeeper-batsman was in superb touch, smashing 16 fours in his 108 not out to leave the Warriors at 4-333 after being sent in by Blues captain Shane Lee on a green-tinged wicket.NSW was on the back foot all day against the resolute Warriors batting lineup spearheaded by opener Michael Hussey (86) before Campbell steadied the inningsafter it wobbled a little at 4-196.Left hander Chris Rogers (31no) had to take a backseat as Campbell smashed the Blues bowling attack in then pair’s unbeaten 137-run fifth-wicket partnership.The Blues have lost four of their last five matches outright in the West and their wretched record looks set to continue.The match is crucial for the Warriors with an outright victory keeping them on track for a berth in the Pura Cup final while NSW is just looking to get off the bottom of the table.The Blues were unable to make an early breakthrough despite opening bowlers Stuart Clark (0-57) and Nathan Bracken (0-52) beating the bat on severaloccasions.Hussey should have been back in the pavilion a lot earlier but Michael Bevan dropped him on 17 in slips off the bowling of Don Nash with the score at 0-45.But after weathering the early storm, Scott Meuleman (35) was trapped in front by debutant Grant Lambert (1-64) before Hussey and WA skipper Simon Katichcombined for a 101-run partnership for the second wicket.Hussey was just 14 runs short of a century when he hit a full toss back to spinner Mark Higgs (1-69).The Warriors then handed back some of the advantage just before tea when Marcus North (7) was run out by Michael Clarke.North was caught mid-pitch after Katich squeezed a ball to square leg where Clarke reacted sharply with a direct hit.Katich (52) looked dumbfounded when he was given out caught behind off Nash’s (1-49) bowling with the Blues given a sniff at 4-196.But Campbell then came out and quickly changed the course of the game with his century coming off just 106 deliveries.

PERTH, Feb 26 AAP – A bowler who was playing on synthetic pitches just two years ago has Australian Test opener Justin Langer on the hop.That is the belief of Australian Test captain Steve Waugh who says 21-year-old New South Welshman Doug Bollinger will be starting to play on the West Australian captain’s mind before tomorrow’s Pura Cup cricket match at the WACA Ground.NSW, which hasn’t won the four-day title since 1993/94, needs to take all six points from the match to keep alive its chances of making the March final against frontrunners Queensland or Victoria.While 59-Test veteran Langer dismissed Waugh’s comments, the left-arm quick from Sydney’s western suburbs has dismissed him cheaply twice this summer, for five in the four-day match in Newcastle and in Sunday’s ING Cup final.Bollinger, whose debut season for the Blues has had its ups and down, had Langer all at sea before dismissing him for three in NSW’s seven-wicket win on the weekend with a corker of a delivery.And Waugh, who is always happy to gain any psychological advantage available, said national teammate Langer would have been thinking about Bollinger.”I’m sure he has got Lang thinking about him, he’s got him out a couple of times, he got him out in Newcastle and here with two very good balls and he feels very confident against Justin,” Waugh said.”We all respect Langer, he’s a great player but sometimes when you haven’t seen a bowler much and he gets you out a few times it just gets in the back of your mind.”But the 32-year-old Langer, who has scored 4077 Test runs at 44.31 including 13 centuries, scoffed at Waugh’s comments.”No trouble,” he said.”Look I have made four or five Test hundreds against Wasim Akram, I don’t think Doug Bollinger is in Wasim Akram’s class, so I think Tugga is just playing games with you,” he said.However Waugh rated the very raw Bollinger as a genuine wicket-taker, and despite stretches of waywardness, could be anything.”Because he’s come from nowhere and in some ways that’s great because teams have not seen him,” he said.”I don’t know much about him, he was playing park cricket 12 months ago and now he’s been picked in the Prime Minister’s XI, it’s been a great 12 months for him, he’s a real prospect.”Bollinger worked his way through Fairfield-Liverpool’s lower grades to become an integral part of the club’s first grade premiership winning side last season to finish in the NSW Second XI.Teams:NSW: Michael Slater, Greg Mail, Stephen Waugh (captain), Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Mark Waugh, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken, Don Nash, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger, Stuart MacGill.WA: Justin Langer (captain), Michael Hussey, Jo Angel, Ryan Campbell, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Callum Thorp, Adam Voges, Brad Williams.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is hoping that the issue of whether Virender Sehwag plays in next week’s first Test against England at Mohali can be settled amicably between the International Cricket Council the Board of Control for Cricket in India.It follows the refusal of India’s cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya to drop Sehwag from the squad for the Mohali Test. Sehwag was banned for one Test for excessive appealing in the second Test between South Africa and India by match referee Mike Denness.The ICC has already ruled that Sehwag is not eligible to play in Mohali since the current game in Centurion, which Sehwag has missed, has not been granted official status.”As far as we are concerned, Sehwag is eligible to play the first Test,” Dalmiya told a press conference after an emergency meeting of the BCCI in New Delhi.”He has served his one-match ban by not playing the ongoing Test against South Africa at Centurion Park.”The BCCI regards this match as official since it is a five-day match played by the national teams of both countries under the supervision of ICC-recognised umpires.”A spokesman for the ECB responded: “We hope that an amicable solution can be reached by the ICC and the BCCI in this matter. First and foremost, it is an issue for the ICC to resolve.”But the ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, later made it clear that his organisation is sticking to its guns.”The ICC has confirmed the one-match ban served on Virender Sehwag by MikeDenness,” he said.”This means that he is ineligible for selection for the first Test againstEngland starting in Mohali next Monday.”We have notified this fact to Denis Lindsay, the properly appointed ICC match referee for the series.”As England warmed up in Jaipur for their match against India which starts tomorrow, their captain Nasser Hussain admitted that the furore was affecting his team’s preparations.”There has been far too much comment off the field,” said Hussain. “We want to concentrate on on-field matters and the cricket has suffered. It has been ashambles over the last 10 days or so.”We are a nation that plays to ICC rules and if there is an official Test going on in Mohali we will be there and up for it. If it is an unofficial Test we will cross that bridge when we come to it.”As players we play cricket and do whatever our authority (the ECB) or the ICC tell us. If the ICC say there is a Test match on in Kathmandu or Mohali we go and play there, that’s how the ICC run the game. And I as England captain will take 10 people with me.”The 15-man Indian squad for the first Test will be named in Jaipur on Wednesday. Sehwag’s inclusion would not guarantee his selection in the final XI.Sehwag and five other Indian players were penalised by Denness, a former England captain, for various irregularities during the second Test at Port Elizabeth.Sehwag, 23 and playing in his second Test, was the only player to be banned.India then refused to play the third Test unless Denness was sacked, which the ICC refused to do. Fearing loss of revenue, the United Cricket Board of South Africa went ahead with the game.The ICC declared the match unofficial and threatened India with further punishment if it continued to flout the authority of the game’s governing body.”The decisions by Denness were too harsh and biased,” said Dalmiya today.”There is no code of conduct for match referees, like it is for the players, and I hope the ICC will address the matter seriously.”

The one-day cricket season that Auckland would rather forget came to its expected limp finish at Eden Park’s outer oval today when Wellington gained an easy win with 18 overs and about 90 minutes to spare.Wellington thus headed for the State Shield final at the Basin Reserve next Saturday (meeting either Northern Districts or Canterbury who will play off on Wednesday) and Auckland Cricket Association officials should have started a survey of what really went wrong with their one-day season.Today Auckland had the advantage of winning first use of their home pitch, but they were immediately in trouble against well-controlled and accurate Wellington bowling. Wickets fell with indecent speed and regularity as if to suggest Wellington were trundling hand grenades along a minefield.The early wickets fell at 8, 22 and 22. The seventh, eighth and ninth fell at 85 and to add to the incongruity of it all Richard Morgan (18) and Gareth Shaw (9) put on 30 runs for the last wicket – and the next best stand in the innings score of 115 was 19.Andrew Penn started brilliantly, cutting the ball back to bowl Matt Horne who did not play a stroke, and ripped out three quick wickets at the end – giving Penn five for 19 from 10 overs, three of them maidens. Ash Turner got three early wickets and had the glamorous figures of three for 20 from 10 overs.In sharp contrast Auckland could offer only one batsman Tama Canning (22) with a score above 20.With plenty of time, overs and sunshine making conditions still good for batting, Wellington did not race after their win. They lost Chris Nevin to the second ball of the innings, Richard Jones at 19 and Matthew Bell at 53, but David Sales (63 not out) made sure the win was achieved with comfort at 119 for three in the 32nd over.Tony Sail, the Auckland coach, said before play started today that he would not be available as coach next summer. He wanted to put his energies into coaching and developing the elite players coming through the schools and teenage ranks.The fact that Auckland should field several players below first-class ability in recent weeks shows that once past the upper crust Auckland cricket is not producing the outstanding young players. Sail maintained that while he wanted to fill in some gaps with leading Under-19 players he could not find any of suitable class.Auckland started the one-day competition at full strength, but with not quite enough polish to turn narrow losses into wins.Once Auckland lost six players, Mark Richardson, Lou Vincent, Adam Parore, Dion Nash, Andre Adams and Kyle Mills to the New Zealand side, the playing side began to rely too heavily on a small number of players. Injuries to Aaron Barnes and then Chris Drum meant that Auckland fielded a below-strength side today – and it showed.What it also showed was Auckland’s ability to lose players to other centres. Otago are doing very nicely with Kerry Walmsley and Craig Pryor, neither really encouraged by recent Auckland team managements.Welllington are getting along nicely with a couple of Auckland rejects, Jones, the batsman and Paul Hitchcock, the medium-fast bowler.Until Auckland can manufacture a new breed of talented teenage players they should try and retain the use of what might be called marginal first class players such as Pryor, Walmsley, Jones and Hitchcock.Otherwise Auckland will continue to suffer defeats equally as decisive and embarrassing as was the one-sided and dismal affair at Eden Park today.

Fidel Edwards Being selected for West Indies actually changed my life. I have been nervous the whole week… but when I got on the field and I got the ball in my hand I just wanted to bowl. I went out there and bowled on a line and put the ball in the right areas.Brian Lara We weren’t expecting something like that from him (Fidel Edwards). It’s nice to see someone come out on his debut and join the record books and a very elite crowd. I hope he goes on from strength to strength. I am sure he knows this is the start of something. He’s got to work hard and he’s got to maintain his fitness.The Jamaica Observer When the news came through earlier this week that Fidel Edwards had been selected in a West Indies Test squad, the most asked question was “Fidel who?” Yesterday, the Caribbean and the cricketing world got their answer. And while West Indies captain Brian Lara wasn’t saying it, he and his fellow selectors must have felt like geniuses, and totally vindicated.Edwards whose slinging, back-wrenching action consistently raised a buzz … became the most successful West Indies bowling debutant since Nehemiah Perry took 5-70 in his first Test against Australia at Sabina Park in 1999.Tony Becca, in The Jamaica Gleaner Edwards, the 21-year-old inexperienced, unknown newcomer who became only the eighth West Indian to take five or wickets on debut, impressed with his pace, swing, bounce, aggressiveness and composure.

In the last twenty Test matches, Sourav Ganguly has not been able to reach the magical three-figure mark even once. The Indian skipper has come under tremendous fire for his run of low scores and one recent advertisement encapsulated his position succinctly – ‘Sorrow, Ganguly’ it read, making a play on the Bengal southpaw’s first name.During the second Test against England at Ahmedabad, Ganguly enlisted the services of former Indian batting star Mohinder Amarnath to help set things right. Amarnath, arguably one of the finest players of short-pitched fast bowling India has produced, made adjustments to Ganguly’s stance and back lift. The advice however, did not seem to help much as Ganguly continued to fail.At the end of the Test series against England, and before the limited-overs matched begin, Ganguly has taken the opportunity to get back to the basics. Back home at Kolkata, the Indian skipper spent a long session at the nets at the Eden Gardens. Since the Bengal Ranji team was away playing Orissa, Ganguly enlisted the help of four local bowlers to have a knock. If batting proved to be a bug bear, Ganguly took some solace in bowling, rolling his arm over in the nets after his session with the willow.Predictably, the Indian skipper stayed away from the press, although he obliged autograph hunters and fans alike!

Somerset gradually turned the screw on Surrey on the third day at Taunton,building a lead of 360 by the close, with five wickets still in hand.Richard Johnson swung the ball in the opening session to return 5-62 as thevisitors were bowled out for 278 – a deficit of 95 – having begun the day on224-6.Then Mike Burns (70), Jamie Cox (46) and Peter Bowler (34) batted soundly totake Somerset’s second innnings to 265-5, despite a good post-lunch spellfrom Martin Bicknell, who bowled with no luck and beat the outside edgeseveral times.As on the first two days, the humid conditions encouraged the ball to movearound in the air. Johnson capitalised in the morning by removing BenHollioake (56) and Bicknell (34), both to diving catches by wicketkeeper RobTurner, who equaled a Somerset record by catching six victims in theinnings.Steffan Jones wrapped up the Surrey innings by dismissing Ian Salisbury andSaqlain Mushtaq, taking his first class wicket tally for the season to 50 inthe process.Somerset began their second innings looking to bat Surrey out of the game.Matt Wood fell early, but Cox and Burns then put together a watchful standof 75 for the second wicket.Burns reached his half-century of 138 balls, with 5 fours, also receivinggood support from Bowler in a third-wicket partnership of 77.By the time Saqlain removed Burns and Bicknell sent back Bowler for anoverdue success Surrey were looking at the prospect of a formidable last-daytarget, something Mark Lathwell (27) and Ian Blackwell (36 not out) assured.