All posts by csb10.top

Somerset were frustrated by the rain at Canterbury where play was limited to just twenty two overs on the third day of the championship match against Kent.When play eventually got underway at 2.40pm, Ed Smith and Mark Ealham added just six runs to the overnight score of 176 for 5 before Matt Bulbeck accounted for Smith, who was caught by Peter Bowler for 55.The sixth wicket partnership between Smith and Ealham had yielded 67 runs, which may well prove to be of vital importance if there is to be a full day’s play on Saturday.Min Patel came into join Ealham, and by the time players left the field again Kent had moved onto 221 for 6.After play was abandoned for the day Kevin Shine told me: "The weather has wrecked the game a little bit for us. With us still needing to take four more wickets we may well have a tricky run chase at the end."He continued: "We have now got to see what happens in the first hour of the day tomorrow, when our first job will be to bowl them out. When we know what our target is we will adjust our game plan accordingly."Did he think that Kent would declare.He told me: "Kent are an attacking outfit, and will want to get a result, but they will make the game safe for themselves before they would entertain a declaration, but we could have quite a tricky chase on our hands tomorrow."

Carl Hooper has urged his West Indies players to dig deep to find the reserves needed for the upcoming back-to-back Tests against New Zealand that complete the longest international home season in history.We’ve been on the go since January so it’s been tough for us but we can see a little light at the end of the tunnel, the captain observed after the West Indies clinched the One-Day series 3-1 with their tense, last-ball victory in the fifth and final match in St Vincent on Sunday.We’ve got another two weeks of hard cricket with two Test matches so we’ve got to really dig deep to play good cricket and compete with the New Zealand side, he added.Only twice in the past have Tests gone into June in 1955 when the last Test against Australia finished on June 17, and in 1997 when Sri Lanka ended their two-match series June 24. The final Test against New Zealand in Grenada is scheduled June 28-July 3.Sunday’s remarkable triumph, when the West Indies scored more than they have ever done to win a One-Day International, 292 for six, should act as a psychological antidote to the physical pressure of non-stop cricket over the past four-and-a-half months.Since January 31, the West Indies have played seven Tests (two against Pakistan in Sharjah and five against India at home) and ten One-Day Internationals (three in Sharjah and three against India and five against New Zealand at home).Hooper, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle have played in all, fast bowlers Merv Dillon and Cameron Cuffy have missed only one One-Day International each. In addition, Hooper and Chanderpaul turned out in five Busta Cup matches for Guyana.Both teams arrived in Barbados yesterday to prepare for the first Test, starting at Kensington Oval on Friday and the West Indies were showing the strain of their exhausting schedule.Both Chanderpaul, the season’s leading batsman, and Merv Dillon, their bowling spearhead, are nursing injuries that require fitness tests before they are given the all-clear for Friday.Chanderpaul, Sunday’s hero with three successive boundaries and a single off the last four balls that clinched the win, has a painful left funny bone where he was struck by a ball from fast bowler Shane Bond that forced him to retire early in the innings.A preliminary X-ray in St Vincent showed no bone damage, only bruising, but the negatives were sent to Barbados for a second opinion.Dillon has rested a lower back strain for the past week on doctor’s orders, missing Sunday’s match.In addition, Brian Lara’s left elbow, dislocated and fractured in an on-field collision during a One-Day International in Sri Lanka last December, is still not fully recovered while Cuffy and others have looked increasingly weary.Dillon’s workload since the Sharjah series has been 440.4 overs in Tests and One-Day Internationals. Cuffy, at 32 the oldest bowler in the team, has had 367.In contrast, the New Zealanders, on their fourth tour of the Caribbean, are relatively fresh. If anything, they are short of match preparation.A terrorist bomb blast outside their hotel in Karachi caused the second of two Tests against Pakistan to be abandoned May 8. Their only matches have been the five One-Day Internationals here and a warm-up against the University of the West Indies Vice-Chancellor’s XI.Practice sessions have been hampered by wet weather everywhere they have gone so far and there was more of the same when they got into Barbados yesterday evening.They have made several changes to their team for the Tests.Opening batsmen Mark Richardson and Matt Horne, fast bowler Chris Martin and wicket-keeper Robbie Hart are coming in to replace medium-pacers Paul Hitchcock and Jacob Oram, wicket-keeper Chris Nevin and left-arm spinner Matthew Hart.

Dimitri Mascarenhas has been named captain of England’s Hong Kong Sixes team for the two-day tournament in November. He was overlooked for both the one-day and Twenty20 sides to play in India and the Stanford Super Series despite his domestic success.Graham Napier, who hit 152 against Sussex in the Twenty20, is also included in a strong seven-man team. Ed Joyce will probably act as the wicketkeeper, while all the other players can perform with bat and ball.The tournament will be held at the Kowloon Cricket Club on November 8 and 9. The event will again include an All-Stars team, who were beaten in last year’s final by Sri Lanka.Squad Dimitri Mascarenhas (capt), Tim Bresnan, Ed Joyce, Darren Maddy, Graham Napier, Jonathan Trott, Graham Wagg

Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Goa have made winning starts to their campaign for the South Zone limited overs championship.Defending champions Karnataka, who squared up against Kerala in a match at the MA Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, inflicted a 157-run thrashing on the visitors. Karnataka skipper J Arun Kumar and his opening partner Barrington Rowland got their team off to a flyer after Kerala captain Sunil Oasis won the toss and opted to bowl.Arun Kumar was the first to fall after having made 58 of the 99 runs that were up on the board at the time of his dismissal. Though next man Vijay Bhardwaj (8) failed, Rowland found an able ally in stumper Thilak Naidu. Naidu, who is in a rich vein of form, and Rowland put on 141 runs for the third wicket in just 21 overs to put their team in a commanding position as the end overs approached.Naidu made 77 off 70 balls with nine fours and one six by the time he became spinner Sreekumar Nair’s second victim. Rowland, for his part, pushed on to notch his maiden one-day hundred, reaching 109 off 131 balls before being run out. With B Akhil (22) and Sunil Joshi (26) also coming to the party, Karnataka reached a daunting 345-5 in 50 overs. Kerala were never in the hunt from there on; Ajay Kudva’s 64 and Sreekumar Nair’s 60 only serving to reduce their margin of defeat. For Karnataka, veteran medium-pacer Venkatesh Prasad claimed 3-17 while Joshi ended up with 2-29.In another match at the Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodayar Sports Centre, Bangalore, Tamil Nadu registered an easy six-wicket win over Hyderabad.The Hyderabadi batsmen struggled after Tamil Nadu captain S Suresh put them in on winning the toss. By the 14th over, they were 49-3, teenage sensation Ambati Rayadu among the men dismissed. Opener Arjun Yadav (47) and D Vinay Kumar (54) then mounted a slow recovery but with the batsmen, who followed them failing to make substantial scores, Hyderabad were restricted to 205 all out in 49 overs. For Tamil Nadu, new-ball bowler G Vignesh claimed three wickets.When opener Sadagoppan Ramesh was dismissed for one in the first over, it seemed like the match might turn out to be more closely fought than expected. But the prolific S Sriram put paid to such thoughts, dominating the opposing bowling on his way to a masterful century. With another left-hander Hemang Badani making an unbeaten 35, Tamil Nadu, then, cantered to an easy win.In the third and final South Zone Ranji ODI at the Wheel and Axle Plant Ground, Bangalore, the Goan batsmen guided their team to an emphatic 119-run win over Andhra.After opting to bat, Goa were well-served by opener SM Asnodkar (73), A Amonkar (50) and MD Phadke (79). The contributions of the trio helped their team pile on a healthy 284/6 in their 50 overs. Spinner Shadab Jakati (3-25) and Saiyed Khalid (3-23), then, bowled brilliantly to skittle Andhra out for 165 in 41.4 overs. Goa, like Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, were rewarded with five points for their massive win.Maharashtra upset MumbaiTwo of the top teams in the country Mumbai and Baroda suffered narrow defeats at the hands of Maharashtra and Saurashtra in the two West Zone league matches played on Friday.Opener Niranjan Godbole, who made 93 after Maharashtra were asked to bat by Mumbai skipper Paras Mhambrey, and all-rounder Ranjit Khiris were the heroes of their team’s six-run win at the Deccan Gymkhana Ground, Pune. Godbole scored his runs off 116 deliveries while Khirid and Abhijit Kale chipped in with 48 and 38 respectively as Maharashtra reached 236-6 in their 50 overs.When Mumbai replied, Khirid snared both the openers by the ninth over to ensure that Maharashtra were in with a fighting chance. Nishit Shetty, who made 62 off 49 balls, though, ensured that Mumbai had their noses in front as long as he was around. But Shetty’s run out in the 25th over and some tight bowling from S Trigune (6-2-23-1) helped Maharasthra seal a memorable win by the slenderest of margins.Baroda, meanwhile, lost a low-scoring thriller at the Nehru Stadium, Pune despite a lion-hearted performance from medium-pacer Rakesh Patel. Patel claimed 6-33 in 10 probing overs, but the failure of the rest of the Baroda bowlers meant that Saurashtra sneaked past Baroda’s total of 208.Middle-order bat Tushar Arothe’s 56 and PN Gurubaxani’s 43 had provided the backbone of that innings. For Saurashtra, new-ball bowler Jolly Jobanputra snared three wickets for 36.When Saurashtra replied, they were in strife at 35-4 in the ninth over. But Feroz Bambhaniya (58 off 96) and Rakesh Dhurv (58 off 58) helped them weather Patel’s scorching spell and gain a two-wicket win. Saurashtra gained four points from the match, the same as Maharashtra had from their encounter against Mumbai.Punjab thrash ServicesWith skipper Dinesh Mongia leading from the front, Punjab went on to overpower Services in a North Zone one-dayer at Nehru Stadium, Gurgaon on Friday.Batting first, Services struggled to reach 133 in 38.1 overs. Middle-order bat Yashpal Singh (57) was the only batsman to put up a fight against a spirited Punjab bowling attack, led by Sandeep Sanwal (4-14 in 6.2 overs).Chasing a modest target, Punjab were soon on their way; Mongia (81 off 77 balls) ensuring that victory was sealed with plenty to spare. Punjab earned five points for the win.At the Maharaja Agarsingh Stadium, Rohtak, a buoyant Haryana dismissed Delhi’s challenge, sealing a comfortable seven-wicket win. With Haryana’s bowlers in rousing form, Delhi found the going tough after choosing to bat. Their prolific opening duo of Akash Chopra (21) and Gautam Gambhir (20) were cooling their heels in the hut in just the 13th over. It was all downhill for their team from then on with Sunil Vaid (50* off 69) forced to play a lone hand. Vaid’s efforts ensured that Delhi at least reached 171 all out in 48.2 overs. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who claimed 3-33, was the pick of the bowlers for Haryana.With opener Chetan Sharma (64) and No 3 Parender Sharama (38) putting on 98 for the third wicket, Haryana then coasted to a seven-wicket win. The hosts were rewarded with five points (one bonus) for their efforts.In the only other match in the North Zone league, Jammu and Kashmir beat Himachal Pradesh by 12 runs at the Nahar Singh Stadium, Faridabad. Captain Vijay Sharma, who made 32 and claimed three Himchal Pradesh wickets, was the man who gained his team four points from the encounter.Sharma’s effort along with a 36 from M Shafi helped Jammu and Kashmir post 159 all out after being put in. Medium-pacer Amit Thakur was the wrecker-in-chief for Himachal Pradesh.His splendid effort, though, was undermined by the Himachal batsmen, who went down like ninepins. But Aashish Kapoor (57) and Ajay Mannu (32*) put on 79 for the seventh wicket to ensure that their side got to within twelve runs of victory.

1918 Alec Bedser is born on July 14, seven minutes after brother Eric. His mother is unaware she is carrying twins.1938 Spotted in the nets at Woking CC, the twins accept an offer to join the Surrey staff as professionals, earning £2 a week in the summer and £1 in the winter.1939 Bedser makes his Surrey debut, alongside his brother, playing two matches against the universities without taking a wicket. They are part of the Surrey 2nd XI that wins the Minor Counties Championship.1943 On leave from the RAF, Bedser attracts attention as he takes 6 for 27, including a hat-trick, against a West Indies XI at Lord’s. But the brothers are posted abroad at the end of the year, curtailing any chances of playing more.1946 In his first full season, Bedser takes 128 wickets at 20.13. He makes his Test debut against India in his 13th first-class game, taking 7 for 49 and 4 for 96 at Lord’s.1946-47 He struggles in Australia, taking 16 wickets at 54.75 as England are well beaten. His reputation as a workhorse is established as he bowls 246 eight-ball overs in the series. He also unveils his legcutter after two years of practice. In the fifth Test he bowls Don Bradman for 0 with a ball Bradman described as the best that ever took his wicket.1947 Named one of Wisden’s five Cricketers of the Year.1948 Another series on the losing side against Australia, playing in all five Tests for 18 wickets in a 0-4 series defeat.1950 Although he is England’s premier strike bowler, he struggles to make a major impact and his five-for against West Indies at Nottingham is only his third in four seasons. In 20 Tests since his stunning debut series, his 65 wickets have cost more than 40 each. Surrey tie the Championship with Lancashire1950-51 Bedser is the spearhead in a young side, and despite another Ashes drubbing, his reputation is made as he takes 30 wickets at 16.06.1951 His good form continues against South Africa as he grabs 30 wickets at 17.23.

1952 A poor Indian side are swept away, Bedser adding 20 more cheap wickets to his tally. Surrey, under Stuart Surridge, win the first of their seven consecutive Championship titles.1953 Bedser’s annus mirabilis: he breaks the record for most wickets in an Anglo-Australian series, his 39 at 17.48 a major part in England regaining the Ashes for the first time in 19 years. “If I had have broken down then [Hutton] would have been lost,” Bedser recalled with no false modesty. “There was no one else.” In the first Test at Nottingham he passes SF Barnes’ English record of 189 Test wickets; at Headingley he becomes the leading wicket-taker of all time, passing Clarrie Grimmett’s 216. He finishes the summer with 162 wickets at 16.67, his best return and in his benefit year.1954-55 His third tour of Australia is wrecked as he contracts shingles – which is not diagnosed until after the first Test where he takes 1 for 131. He is dropped in favour of Frank Tyson, England come from behind to win the series, and Bedser is unable to regain his place.1955 His final Test, taking four wickets as England lose to South Africa. He finishes with 236 wickets at 24.39 in 51 Tests, a record which remains until Fred Trueman passes it in 1963.1957 Bedser takes 131 wickets, the 11th and final time he passes 100 in a season.1960 Bedser bows out of the game, finishing with 5 for 25 as Surrey draw with Glamorgan at a deserted Oval.1962 Bedser is appointed a selector, a position that he holds for 23 years, including 12 as chairman.

1962-63 Manages the England tour of Australia under Ted Dexter.1969 Appointed chairman of selectors.1974-75 Acts as manager on MCC tour of Australia for the second time.1976 Is barred from adjudicating in Benson & Hedges Cup matches after reportedly saying of one-day cricket that he never watches it: “If you want cricket like that, you might as well watch baseball.”1981 Controversially sacks Ian Botham minutes after the drawn Test at Lord’s. He is replaced as chairman of selectors by Peter May at the end of the summer.1986 Retires as a selector.1987 Becomes president of Surrey.1996 Is knighted for his services to cricket.2009 Becomes English cricket’s oldest-surviving player after death of Arthur McIntyre.2010 Dies on April 5 aged 91.

Nixon McLean who will be joining Somerset for 2003 as their second overseas player is currently playing cricket out in South Africa and by all accounts enjoying a good season for Natal.Already the prospect of a bowling attack spearheaded by Andrew Caddick, Nixon McLean and Richard Johnson along with Matt Bulbeck and Steffan Jones is giving Cidermen supporters something to look forward to.There will be fewer stronger attacks on the county circuit in 2003 and all fans will be hoping that this turns out to be a wicket taking combination that will win matches and enable Somerset to make a swift return to the top flight in both the county championship and the National League.To enable supporters to find out a little bit more about Nixon McLean and his thoughts on joining the county, the website will be making contact with the West Indian paceman over the weekend to put some questions to him.However before we do make contact, we would like to give Somerset supporters their chance to put a question to the new signing, so if any website readers have a question for Nixon McLean then please e-mail it to us now, and we will do our best to get an answer for you.Any questions for Nixon McLean should be sent to [email protected] as soon as possible.You can rest assured that the interview with the new signing will appear here on the official Somerset website as soon as we have the answers.

Michael Vaughan says England are aiming at a total well in excess of 400 to put Australia under pressure in the second Test at Adelaide.The Yorkshire opener hit 177 out of 295 for four as England began an Ashes fightback after they were overwhelmed by 384 runs in the first Test at Brisbane.”If we can try and get 450 on the board we can try and put the Aussies under some pressure,” Vaughan said. “It is a good pitch, quite slow. It has a few cracks on it, so it may get a bit uneven over the next two or three days.”Vaughan warned that England can expect no easy pickings for his Yorkshire team-mate, off-spinner Richard Dawson, when Australia come to bat.”It is quite inviting for the sweep off the spinners with short square boundaries, so it will be tough for young Dawson to bowl on it,” he said.Vaughan described his own innings, the highest in Tests by an English batsman in Australia since Mike Denness hit 188 in Melbourne on the 1974-75 tour, as the pinnacle of his career.”It hasn’t really sunk in yet but it’s something you dream about from a young age – of coming to Australia and doing well,” said Vaughan. “The most important thing is that England are in a good position on what at the moment is a good Adelaide wicket.”It’s probably the best of all my hundreds simply because you are playing against Australia. It’s a good wicket but they are always asking questions and they have got a fantastic attack. The hundreds in the summer were great but to score a hundred against Australia in Australia has to be the pinnacle.”Vaughan was also adamant that despite his dismissal in the last over of the day, England would have settled for 295 for four before the start.”It’s been a good day for us,” he said. “We would have been happy for that at the start of the day. It’s a good wicket which is taking a little spin and I think over the next few days it should get more uneven and harder for the batsman to score on.”Vaughan had a let-off on 19 when Queensland seamer Andy Bichel appeared to have him caught at cover by Justin Langer, but the third umpire Steve Davis ruled that TV replays were inconclusive and gave Vaughan the benefit of the doubt.”I was in my rights to stand my ground, because I was not sure if he had caught it,” said Vaughan. “Obviously they were disappointed because they thought he had.”

A vintage display of batting by Matthew Maynard saw Glamorgan to a thrilling two wicket victory over Gloucestershire at Cheltenham and a place in the cricket record books.Maynard, who compiled a cultured 140 in the first innings, hit an unbeaten 118 with 10 fours and 3 sixes from 104 balls as Glamorgan successfully chased a target of 317 in 75 overs, with the 36 year old guiding his side home with a memorable display of strokeplay.When Glamorgan last visited the College ground in 1991, Maynard hit 129 and 126 in the draw against Gloucestershire, so his 118* today was his fourth century in successive innings at the Cheltenham ground. No other batsman in the history of the game has ever achieved the feat of a century in each innings of a match twice at the historic Cheltenham Festival. This was also his 9th hundred against Gloucestershire, and no current batsman has scored more centuries against the West Country side.Despite the flurry of wickets around him, Maynard remained calm and in supreme control, despatching the Gloucestershire spinners for a flurry of crisply struck boundaries. He also reached his record-breaking century in the grand manner, with a huge six over deep mid-wicket and into one of the gaily decorated tents that lined the boundary at the College ground – evoking memories of his debut hundred against Yorkshire back in 1985 at Swansea when he reached his century with three successive sixes off the bowling of the late Phil Carrick.It was also the 50th first-class century of Maynard`s career, and when he reached 88 he also passed 20,000 first-class runs for the Welsh county. Only Alan Jones (34, 056 runs) , Emrys Davies (26, 102) and Gilbert Parkhouse (22, 619) had previously reached this landmark for Glamorgan.Thanks to Maynard`s wonderful batting, Glamorgan recorded their first win at Cheltenham since 1970. Their victory came with 16 balls remaining as Simon Jones, who had earlier taken four wickets in Gloucestershire`s second innings, smashed successive deliveries from Ian Fisher for 4 and 6 high over long-on to secure a well-deserved victory.

Hampshire Cricket have announced that opening batsman Jason Laney, off-spinner Irfan Shah and seamer James Schofield will not be offered new contracts with the county for 2003. Alongside the trio, Giles White has announced his retirement from first-class cricket.All four were out of contract at the end of this season and have paid the price for poor seasons, which saw the first XI relegated from Division One of the Frizzell County Championship and end near the foot of the Norwich Union League.Director of Cricket Tim Tremlett spoke of the dedication these players had given to Hampshire. “I would like to thank them for their efforts in aid of the county, both on and off the pitch.”However, we are looking to secure a top-order batsman from overseas, while further strengthening the batting line-up with an English qualified player.”The emergence of players like John Francis and James Adams has made their chances in the first XI limited, and with our hope of signing further batsmen, it would limit their opportunities further.”It ends a long association for both White and Laney, who joined the staff simultaneously in 1994. 30-year-old White ends an 11-year first-class career that started at Somerset, before he joined Hampshire in 1994. His 6195 runs in 128 matches at an average of 30.66 included nine centuries.The other three players are all in the search for new counties. 29-year-old Laney has been generally linked with Gloucestershire for a couple of seasons, and his release from Hampshire may fuel their interest once more.He had become a regular member of the first XI in later months, but his 4414 runs at 29.82 in 87 first-class matches in a career that spanned eight seasons ranks as a poor return for a promising, if unfulfilled opening batsman, who had been tipped for England honours in the early part.Probably more surprising is seamer James Schofield’s sacking after just four first team appearances in his two years on the staff.He will be remembered for taking a wicket with his first ball in both forms of the game, dismissing Matthew Hayden in the memorable Australia match at the Rose Bowl last season, as well as snaring Anurag Singh in a National League match against Warwickshire.His 19 wickets at a shade over 23 apiece were obviously insufficient to merit him a further contract, and with the county keen to attract the services of at least two front-line seamers in the winter, Schofield’s opportunities would have been decidedly more rare.He has already attracted considerable interest from a number of other teams, which he is likely to pursue.With the signing of Shane Warne, Irfan Shah would have been pushed down the pecking order once more, so the 23-year-old Londoner is searching for a new county. Charlie van der Gucht’s return to full fitness and Shaun Udal’s excellent campaign has also hampered the likable Shah’s hopes of gaining a first team call-up.Hampshire would not be drawn on the situation for out of contract overseas player Neil Johnson, only declaring that the decision on their second overseas for next season would be made in due course, but a top-order batsman is thought to be high on the shopping list, a role which Johnson may fill.

Occasional downpour may hamper the practice sessions of Bangladesh squad that are heading off for Sri Lanka in coming July. The squad, setting off for a 30-day campaign at BKSP from next month, may possibly resort to Indoor practice because the weather in this season in Bangladesh is absolutely precarious – may be we will see some dry sunny days followed by an incessant rainy ones.No doubt that much cricket will be hampered due to soaked ground conditions, therefore, the players will get hardly any chance to go for practice matches which is the most vital part of the campaign. So, bad luck will be waiting for Bangladesh if they face rain washed practice matches in nearly all days in June.Last year the side met similar situation before the Pakistan and the Sri Lanka tour. The rain showed barely any sign to let up and they had staggered practice sessions all throughout the month. They had to move to Indoor for a whole week just before they set out for Colombo and Indoor sessions, we know, can never be a substitute to practice matches. When I went there to take some snaps I found the frustration prevalent among the players. There were grumbles, displeasures, and whimpers all around.They went to Multan first, bowed to one of the worst defeats so far, and went to Colombo then where lonesome Murlitharan crushed them within the third day.Mohsin Kamal will get hardly any time to do some experiments with his new students. It is clear that he would go for no extraordinary change in the squad, even if he liked to. To the former fast bowler it is a big challenge to guide a side, which is currently lacking confidence after accepting four big defeats (All ended within day-3) at the hands of New Zealand and Pakistan.To such injury rain could be an added jinx!