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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.

MELBOURNE, Nov 8 AAP – A pair of teenagers led an outstanding effort from Victoria’s depleted bowling attack here today in the Pura Cup cricket match against Queensland.Rob Cassell snared 4-33 in his first-class debut and former Australian under-19 team-mate Cameron White took 2-30 as Victoria rolled the Bulls for 187 on day one at the MCG.The Bushrangers were 1-40 at stumps, with Matthew Elliott 31 and Graeme Rummans on nine.Queensland collapsed from 4-165 at tea, with Cassell bowling Lee Carseldine on the first ball after the break for his first wicket at this level.Cassell and White, both aged 19, shared the wickets between them and Andrew Symonds top-scored with 92 as Queensland lost 6-22 after tea.”We followed our plans really well today, we’ve got some team bowling plans and we didn’t falter throughout the day,” Cassell said.”I wasn’t really expecting to get a game at all…I consider myself pretty lucky.”I was quite nervous with the first couple of balls I bowled – I just wanted to land them on the pitch.”Cassell followed the example of his Melbourne club team-mate Shane Harwood, who took a hat-trick on debut and finished with six wickets for the match last week as Victoria beat Tasmania.Harwood (back), Ian Harvey (back) and Ian Hewett (knee) were all ruled out this morning, while captain Shane Warne returned to national duty.Nick Jewell was made 12th man, meaning four changes to the side.Apart from Cassell, Will Carr and Jon Moss came in and Andrew McDonald was a late inclusion.Cassell and his team-mates only found out the composition of the team when they arrived at the ground this morning, with selectors giving the injured players every chance to prove their fitness.”I didn’t get too much sleep last night,” Cassell admitted.Victoria was expected to struggle against Queensland’s strong batting lineup, but Carr had captain Jimmy Maher well-caught in close for 22 after the Bulls won the toss.Moss removed opener Brendan Nash for 13 and Stuart Law two balls later for a duck and from there only Symonds took it up to the Victorian bowlers.Symonds clubbed 16 fours in his innings, but even he had some trouble with White’s leg-spin.Carr also bowled Symonds on 35, but it was a no-ball.Victoria’s innings started badly when Jason Arnberger shouldered arms to Ashley Noffke and was bowled, leaving his side 1-0.The Bushranger bats have earnt a bad reputation in the last couple of seasons for letting their bowlers down, making a poor opposition score look suddenly good by comparison.But Elliott and Rummans made sure there was no further damage in the hour before stumps.

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.

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.

PCB happy with Muthiah’s explanationThe Asian Cricket Council secretary Zakir Mohammad Sayeed on Fridaysaid that the Test playing countries in Asia have agreed in principalto a system by which a side failing to honour contractual obligationsto play in a series has to offer compensation to its rival team.Talking over the phone from Lahore to PTI, Sayeed said “the presidentsof the Cricket Boards of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,who met during the two-day ACC meeting that concluded on Friday,agreed that such a system was desirable but left the details to beworked out later by a sub-committee.”Sayeed and the PCB appeared to be happy with the explanation given bythe BCCI president AC Muthiah. Welcoming the explanation, Sayeed said”the Pakistan officials had not made an issue of the Indiangovernment’s decision to skip the bilateral series.” He added “We arevery happy about it (that India and Pakistan can play in multi-lateraltournaments).”Meanwhile, the PCB proposed a quadrangular one-day tournament nextyear to be jointly hosted by both India and Pakistan to cement cricketties between them. “The Indian authorities have shown flexibility infurthering cricket ties with Pakistan and have taken initiatives inthis regard by agreeing to allow their team to play Pakistan in multilateral tournaments. The PCB welcomes this,” PCB chief Lt Gen TauqirZia told reporters in Lahore after the completion of a two-dayconference of the Asian Cricket Council. “West Indies is visitingPakistan early next year and Zimbabwe will be in India. It is a goodopportunity to organise a tournament involving all the fourcountries,” Zia said, adding that the tournament can be played in boththe countries.Chauhan bans use of mobile phones in dressing roomFormer Indian opener and team manager Chetan Chauhan has said he wouldnot allow mobiles phones within the dressing room area. Chauhan saidhe would take all steps to ensure that no betting or match-fixingtakes place. Talking to PTI, Chauhan said “There is no need to have acurfew on the boys as such since they are well-behaved and understandtheir role vis-a-vis the Board and the nation.”Indian captain Sourav Ganguly said he was confident of his team mates.”I don’t really need to tell them what is expected of them. They arevery well-behaved and know exactly what is expected of them,” he said.Binny not in favour of selection of five seamers for ZimbabweThe junior India coach Roger Binny on Friday said the selectors shouldhave picked an additional spinner instead of five seamers for theupcoming Zimbabwe tour. Talking to reporters in Kolkata, Binny said “Iam not in favour of five seamers for the tour. I think we should havepicked one or two more spinners to make the bowling attack morebalanced. I would have preferred two more spinners.”Asked about the prospects of the Indian team in Zimbabwe, Binny said”I really can’t say. I don’t have much idea about the conditions inZimbabwe. It should be a good series.” He added "But going by theperformance during the home series against the strong Australian team,I think we should do well there. The series win against Australiashould have given a lot of confidence to the team.”Binny mentioned Haryana’s Ajay Ratra and Bengal’s Deep Dasgupta asfuture prospects. “Both are talented youngsters and they are shapingup nicely for the future. They will give a tough fight to the seniorwicket keepers soon”. On the players chosen for the NCA, Binny said”These youngsters are all very keen. We are emphasizing on physicalfitness and fielding, the two areas where we need to improve. We willhave players who are physically fitter and better fielders in thefuture.”Ganguly favours appointment of media manager for the teamIndian captain Sourav Ganguly has mooted the idea of appointing amedia manager for the team, saying it would ease the pressure on thecaptain and the players considerably. “Most of the teams have a mediamanager these days which makes the job much easier for the team. Onlythe teams in the sub-continent don’t have one. I think it is verynecessary”, Ganguly said in an interview to Doordarshan telecast onFriday.In a joint interview with his wife Dona, Ganguly said the need hasarisen as the captain has to meet and brief the press very often.”When statements are distorted, people who read the reports have adifferent idea of the situation. If we have a media manager, it willease the pressure on the captain, coach and the manager,” he said. Headded “the series of controversial articles and misreporting in recenttimes has prompted me to be more reticent and choosy while handlingthe media in the country….after some time, you come to know who isdoing the right thing and who is not doing. You have to judge foryourself.”On the recently concluded Australian series, the stylish left-handersaid “Everything was part of a strategy. They (Australians) dideverything they wanted and often crossed the limits. I think it wasnot correct on their part. We just gave them back”, the Indian skipperdisclosed.Dona said that though life had changed a lot after her husband becamethe national captain, many things still remained the same. Going tothe movie halls has become a big problem for Indian cricket’s starcouple. “He enjoys going to the movies. We generally go for the lastshow. If there is a lot of crowd, Sourav joins us after the showstarts when it is dark”, she said.Orissa government comes down heavily on OCAThe crisis between the Orissa government and the sporting bodies inthe state deepened following the government’s refusal to withdrawcertain guidelines to the state sports associations for holdinginternational and national sports events in the state. Rejecting theallegations that guidelines were intended to empower the government toexercise control over the sports bodies, the Minister of State forSports and Youth Services, Ranendra Pratap Swain, told reporters inBhubaneswar on Friday that the government only wanted to avoid anyunpleasant situation, including law and order problems during a sportsevent. The minister made it clear that the government’s move wasprompted by the chaotic scenes witnessed during the India-Zimbabwecricket match held at Cuttack last December.Severely criticising the Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) for themanner in which the match was organised, Swain said that free passesand complimentary tickets accounted for more than sixty per cent ofthe official capacity of stadium and spectators were allowed to sitjust outside the boundary line creating a law and order problem. Hetermed the allegations against the government as “politicallymotivated” and said that the government would not like to interfere inthe autonomy of the sports associations, but at the same time wouldnot tolerate commercialization and politicization of sports.

An unbeaten century by opener Riffatullah was the cornerstone of Wapda’s 28-run win over Rest of Punjab in a Pool ‘C’ match of the National One-day Cricket Championship at Gaddafi Stadium Tuesday.Skipper Riffatullah scored 141 off 156 balls with 13 boundaries to help Wapda pile up a formidable 283 for seven in 50 overs after they were sent in by the Punjab captain Sufian Munir. In reply, Punjab were restricted to 255 for eight.The highlight of the match was the 145-run partnership for the second wicket between Riffatullah and Tariq Aziz in just 89 minutes. Tariq Aziz struck 59 off 72 deliveries with three fours. Leg-spinner Khurram Shahzad captured four for 53.For Punjab Wasim Majeed, batting at No 7, top-scored with 44 with five fours while opener Kashif Naveed contributed 43 with the aid of two fours.

Any fielding side which misses six chances in a day deserves harshcriticism. The exception was yesterday.On a day in which Jamaica kept the hosts at bay on a pluperfectbatting strip to reach 243 for seven, Barbados were unable to hold ona handful of agonisingly sharp offerings which came their way.Four came in the final session, and the only ones which could havebeen described as straightforward were Floyd Reifer’s at slip from adefensive prod and wicket-keeper Courtney Browne’s mis-stumping.Had any of the others been clutched onto, they would have required thelikes of a Hershelle Gibbs or a Mark Waugh. They were well wide of thefieldsmen and neither could have been faulted. Barbados manager TonyHoward, however, reckoned too many got away.”I thought the fielding improved a little over the last match, butjust a little. “The chance that Philo (Wallace) tried for was anexcellent effort, but on the other hand, we had some very simpledropped catches,” he told the Saturday Sun.”In cricket, it is not the ones that you drop, it is the ones that youtake and surely those are the ones you have to take if you are goingto make the difference in the game.”I am not saying that the majority of them should have been taken. Iapplaud the effort but I would like to have seen them taken.”The Barbados manager was hoping Jamaica could have been limited to atotal of under 200 after the defending champions chose to bat first.”We could have done a lot better,” Howard said. “They (Jamaica) havealready passed my restricted total. We need to get them out as quicklyas possible and try and get what I consider to the best part of thewicket.”Barbados will be also keen to have a positive report from the medicson their experienced batsman Roland Holder, who spent most of the dayin the pavilion with stomach problems. It was a second blow followingthe late withdrawal of Ryan Hinds with a groin problem.The first two sessions were almost identical, each producing just over70 runs, two wickets and missed catches of a similar nature in asimilar position.Between the start and lunch, the Jamaica casualties were Chris Gayle,last season’s MVP, whose defensive prod was pierced by CoreyCollymore, and Leon Garrick, spectacularly hauled in by Browne.Garrick, however, gained a life when Holder, stationed at gully,failed to hold on to a difficult diving chance.An nearr-carbon-copy occurred in the second session when left-handerWayne Cuff benefited from Dave Marshall’s inability to cling onto theball in another tumbling effort in the same position.Cuff, a slim left-hander who has never distinguished himself atregional level, made some use of the chance to reach a solid, if notspectacular, half-century.He looked assured against Marshall’s leg-spin, but every Barbadian onthe field was certain he edged a catch to the keeper off the samebowler before he passed his previous best first-class score of 35.By tea, he reached 59, but Barbados had managed to remove teenagerBrenton Parchment and captain Robert Samuels during the pre-teasession.Parchment, a West Indies youth team representative at the 2000 WorldCup in Sri Lanka, was shaping well for his 23 when Bryan trapped himlbw for 23. It was the first of four successive dismissals in whichthe Jamaicans were guilty of playing across the line.Samuels, too, was in no bother when he attempted to sweep Marshall andwas a clear lbw victim ten minutes short of the tea break, which wastaken at 149 for four.Within the first 45 minutes on resumption, Barbados took a slightadvantage by claiming the wickets of Cuff and Gareth Breese.Cuff, who made 65 from 136 balls, dragged an intended pull into hisstumps off fast bowler Dayne Maynard and without addition Breese waslbw swinging across a Marshall full-toss.Jamaica were then 161 for seven before Barbados lost their grip.Browne missed another diving leg-chance before Nehemiah Perry scoredthe first of his 37 runs and Keith Hibbert, unbeaten on 32, was putdown by Reifer when he was six.

Hampshire’s batting, lacking the substance which was so prevalent in the Middlesex middle order earlier in the day, gradually crumbled as they chased 226 for victory.Not only did they fail to achieve their target but with this 25-run defeat they have failed to qualify for the quarter-final stage of the Benson & Hedges Cup.Their run rate was kept behind by Middlesex’s accurate attack to the extent that Robin Smith scored only six from 36 balls before he was dismissed three balls later having added five more to his score. It was a brilliant direct hit at the bowler’s end from Chad Keegan that caught Smith short of his ground in going for a quick single.Hampshire’s batsmen struggled to form partnerships with the exception of the sixth-wicket stand of 47 between John Stephenson, their top scorer with 31, and Dimitri Mascarenhas who hit 25 off 32 balls. It took them to 152 for six but by then they were already faced with an uphill taskSouth African born seamer Chad Keegan, who had claimed two wickets earlier, added another to his name when he had Mascarenhas caught on the mid-wicket boundary. These were his first crop of wickets for the county that he joined only this seasonApart from the disciplined bowling, Hampshire had to cope with some excellent fielding which brought about two run-outs and an athletic, leaping catch by Ben Hutton. Hampshire seemed to struggle all along to their final total of 200 for eight.Earlier, Owais Shah, having missed a half-century by just two runs in the mid-week match against Kent, was back in the runs with a brilliant unbeaten century which brought him the Gold Award for the player of the matchMiddlesex, after deciding to bat first, had begun poorly, losing three wickets for 54 after the first hour’s play. It was left to Shah to first revive the innings and then guide it, which he did so deftly, taking it to a position of some strength.He looked in dominating form; the Hampshire bowlers made little impression on him as he gradually went on the offensive, picking up three sixes on the way, all hit to the mid-wicket area. The last of those big hits landed in the top tier of the grandstand and took him to 99. A single off the next ball, the 99th he had faced, brought him a much deserved century, his third in limited-overs cricket for MiddlesexHe had featured in a 121-run stand with Paul Weekes whose valuable innings ended on 46 when he bacame Maccarenhas’s second victim in the 44th over. By then Middlesex were going well and Shah was in masterly form, finishing on 118 from 109 balls, having hit nine boundaries in addition to those three bigger hits.