All posts by csb10.top

Matthew Hoggard was left rueing England’s misfortune with the weather at the close of the second day’s play, after a bold overnight declaration backfired to allow South Africa back into the game. By the close, they trailed by just 105 runs, thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century from Herschelle Gibbs."That was a change of fortune with the weather," said Hoggard. "When it was overcast, the wicket was doing things, but then 20 minutes [after we declared], the sun came out. It’s evenly poised now, but if South Africa get past our score, it’ll be a bit of a dogfight in the last innings. But hopefully we’ll get four quick wickets and put the pressure back on them."A tough day for England’s bowlers was made even more arduous when Steve Harmison pulled up in the middle of his 13th over, suffering from pain at the top of his left calf. "Harmo’s been our leading bowler all year, so it was a massive blow," admitted Hoggard. "But we just had to pull our socks up and get on with it."I wasn’t too tired by the end," he insisted, adding that he had picked up four wickets despite bowling as badly as he has done all tour. "My energy levels were good, but unfortunately the fluid in my body disappeared and I was shuffling in with cramp. The altitude doesn’t help, and it’s been a long day with an extra half-hour at the start and half-an-hour at the end, but it was the worst I’ve bowled all tour, so to get four wickets, I’m quite happy."Hoggard had some words of encouragement for James Anderson as well, who came into the Test as a late replacement for Simon Jones, and bowled without much rhythm, having not had any opportunity to play competitively for more than a month. "He bowled a few wides at the end of his spell, but it’s hard to come straight from the nets, so he’s done really well and there are no worries about how he bowled. I tried to impart my words of wisdom, for what they’re worth, and tried to keep his spirits up."The afternoon session included a controversial catch at slip for Marcus Trescothick, who removed Boeta Dippenaar for a duck, even though some commentators openly questioned whether the ball had carried. But Hoggard had no doubts. "Tres says it went straight in and he got his fingers underneath the ball, and really you’ve got to take the fielder’s word for it. He’s a very honest lad and wouldn’t cheat, especially with the cameras about."There was also some puzzlement as to why Ashley Giles only bowled only seven overs, despite England being a seamer short. "It wasn’t a tactical thing," said Hoggard, "but the ball was doing a bit for the seamers. If you get the ball in the right areas there’s something in it, but when the sun comes out, there’s not as much around."We knew it was going to be a hard series," said Hoggard. "South Africa are a competitive side, and we have to keep playing well to beat them. But we’ll put our feet up tonight, and come out refreshed tomorrow."

Five years ago, Ricky Ponting’s captaincy credentials were pretty thin on the ground, blighted by repeated run-ins with authority and inconsistent form. When Steve Waugh’s one-day career came to a shuddering halt after the VB Series in 2001-02, Adam Gilchrist was considered by most to have the best chance of becoming first among equals. But Australian cricket got to its position of pre-eminence largely because of the establishment’s knack for following up on inspired hunches, and the appointment of Ponting may be considered one such in the years to come.

Waugh had led them to World Cup success in 1999 and presided over the era of dominance that followed, but anyone who expected a mini-dip under Ponting was in for a rude awakening. Australia lost only one one-day match of any consequence – against Sri Lanka, on a sluggish pitch, at the ICC Knockout Trophy – and Ponting ended the season with a win-loss record that read 30-5. More importantly, a team deprived of the services of Shane Warne at the stroke of midnight progressed unbeaten through the World Cup campaign.Not only did Ponting lead the side with flair, imagination and the aggression that we have come to expect from those in baggy green, but he also contributed immeasurably to the victory with his bat. A blistering hundred in the Super Sixes helped rout Sri Lanka, and he followed that with a glorious 121-ball 140 in the final, hammering India’s in-form attack into submission. It was easily the highlight of his one-day season, one that produced 1150 runs – inclusive of five 100s and three 50s – at a tremendous average of 47.91.Not having to concern himself with the captaincy, he was even more impressive in the Test arena. Two glorious hundreds at Colombo and Sharjah contributed to a 3-0 thrashing of a hapless Pakistan side, and he followed that with back-to-back Ashes centuries at Brisbane and Adelaide as Australia retained the urn inside 11 days.The pinnacle though was reached in West Indies, where Ponting chiselled out superb hundreds at Georgetown, Port-of-Spain and Bridgetown to continue Australia’s recent domination of the Frank Worrell Trophy contests. It ensured that he finished the season with 1351 Test runs at 75.05, and the small matter of seven centuries.Great players have enjoyed halcyon years in the past, but few will ever be able to look back on a catalogue of achievement that reads 2501 runs, 12 centuries and a bauble called the World Cup. If 1930 belonged to Sir Donald Bradman and 1976 to Sir Vivian Richards, 2002-03 will forever be associated with a man who got lucky with every punt he made, a batsman and leader with few peers in modern-day cricket.

David Gilbert, CEO, Cricket NSW is pleased to announce the following selections for NSW Under 15’s team to compete in the Australian Female Under 15’s Championships, being held in Victoria from 15-19th December 2003.Martin Garoni, a Regional Cricket Officer with Cricket NSW, is very excited in being the newly appointed NSW Under 15’s coach. Martin says he is "looking forward to taking the team to the Championships in December. The team chosen seems to be well balanced with many exciting young players chosen."Alyssa Healy has been honoured by being chosen as Captain, a remarkable achievement for the 13 year old. It looks as though she is following in the footsteps of her famous uncle, Ian Healy, as a wicketkeeper who will also be opening the batting.The team is as follows:
Alyssa Healy (Captain) Epping
Ashleigh Campbell (Vice-Captain) Elermore Vale
Ashleigh Corby, Bathurst
Sarah Coyte, Mount Annan
Rhiannon Dick, Revesby
Ashleigh Endacott, Castle Hill
Alex Julien, Roseville
Lucy Kensit, Surry Hills
Corinne Loader, Ingleburn
Erin Osborne, South Tamworth
Ellyse Perry, West Pymble
Renee Rollason, Bega
Melissa Van Der Reyden, Bligh Park
Coach: Martin Garoni
Manager: Sally CurryNSW will also be sending the following 6 players to the Championship in the Combined Victoria/NSW Invitational Team:
Mary-Anne Germanos, Burwood
Meghann Lanning, Thornleigh
Brodie Neems, Hamlyn Terrace
Connie Osbourne, Bolwarra Heights
Melissa Penman, Revesby
Hannah Perry, Bateau Bay

Keen to find a solution to the injury problems which had become such a huge issue for their team last season, the Pakistan board is looking for a full-time physiotherapist for the players.Apart from looking after the fitness of the cricketers during the busy months, he will also be expected to draw up a training schedule for the players during the off season and prepare a diet chart for them. He will report directly to the PCB chief executive – or the manager during tours – and will receive an attractive remuneration package.The board’s search for a physiotherapist comes in the wake of serious concerns being raised about the fitness levels of the players following Pakistan’s defeat in the Tests and the one-day series against India. The tendency of their fast bowlers to break down was particularly worrying: Shoaib Akhtar missed a crucial part of the final Test due to injury, while Umar Gul, Shabbir Ahmed and Abdul Razzaq were all unavailable during various times in the series.The move to hire a physiotherapist is also the latest in a series of decisions taken by the Pakistan board to make their set-up a more professional one: Greg Chappell, Daryl Foster and Barry Richards have all been hired as consultants to help budding players at the National Cricket Academy, and also to advice the senior team.

Sir Donald Bradman was indisputably the greatest player the game has ever seen. He broke nearly all of cricket’s records, and most of its rules as well, with a wonderfully unorthodox technique that suggested that his eyesight must have been second-to-none.In fact, that assumption could not have been further from the truth. Bradman’s vision was so faulty that he was invalided out of the Australian Army during the Second World War. Instead, he owed his success to other attributes – namely his supreme concentration, nimble footwork and natural talent.The talent was God-given, but the rest he had to work at – and most of that work was done in his own backyard as a small boy, where he used to practise for hours on end, using a cricket stump to hit a golf ball against a galvanised iron water tank.”To me, it was only fun,” Bradman later admitted, “but looking back, it was probably a concentrated exercise in accuracy and wonderful training for my eyesight. The golf ball came back pretty fast and I had very little time … to get into position for a shot.”The training paid the richest of dividends. Bradman retired from Test cricket in 1948 after a 20-year career, in which he had scored 6996 runs in 52 Tests, at an average of 99.94. No player – past, present or future – has, or ever will, come close to surpassing his achievements.

Luuk vav Troost, the Holland captain, has criticised the ECB for not allowing his team to participate in the English county season. Holland lost to Scotland in their last group match of the ICC Trophy – a game they needed to win to stand a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals – and Troost suggested that Scotland had an unfair advantage over the other teams.”They won’t even let us play in the C&G Trophy any more,” the BBC Sport website quoted van Troost as saying. “We didn’t play very well against Scotland and if we don’t improve we won’t qualify at all. Scotland are a much stronger team than they used to be after playing in the English one-day league. I’m very jealous – I don’t understand why we’re not in it.” Holland played in the C&G Trophy this year, losing to Warwickshire by 23 runs in the first round, but will not feature in the tournament from next year.Holland can still make it to the 2007 World Cup as the fifth qualifier – a position for which UAE, Denmark and Namibia are also in contention. Holland play the first of those qualifying games against Denmark on Saturday.

The Pub Charity Youth Cricket Draw – 25 October 2003:(Please Note: Colts & U14A are 2-day matches)U18 (1-day):St Bedes Red v Pap HS St Bedes 5a,Stac v St Bedes Black Stac 3,Midd G v CBHS Midd G 1,Pk v Syd Cash HS 1.Colts (2-day):25 Oct & 1 NovSection 1:CBHS v Syd Straven 2,Stac v St Thom Yellow Stac 2,St Bedes v CC St Bedes 1.Section 2:Burn HS v SBHS Burn HS 2,Pap HS v St Thom Red Pap HS 1.U16A (1-day):CBHS v CC CC 3,SBHS v Stac SBHS 2,Syd v St Bedes Cash HS 2a.U16B (1-day):CBHS v OC Malvern 1,Horn CC v Nb South Brighton Dom,Upr v Ricc HS Ricc Domain,LPW Bye.U15A (1-day):Burn HS v St Thom Burn HS 3,SBHS v CC CC 4,Stac Blue v CBHS Straven 3,Syd v Stac White Stac 3.U15B (1-day):CC v CBHS Black Straven 6,Pap HS v Pk Pap HS 3,Upr v St Bedes St Bedes 3,Stac v Burn HS Stac 5,CBHS Bye.U14A (2-day):25 Oct & 1 NovLin/Elles v SBHS SBHS 4,Stac v St Thom Stac 4a,St Bedes v Syd Halswell Domain 4,CC v CBHS Black CC 5,CBHS Blue v Burn HS Straven 4.U14B (1-day):CBHS Black v Stac Stac 6a,CBHS Blue v SBHS Straven 7,St Bedes v Burn HS St Bedes 6a,Ricc HS v CC Ricc HS 3,Pap HS v Rang HS Rang HS 1,Nb v Syd Chch South Interm.U14C (1-day):CC v SBHS CC 6,BWU v CBHS Black Straven 8,LPW Bye.

Division One

Points Table
Tight bowling by Essex’s Danish Kaneria, and an innings of 88 by Will Jefferson allowed Essex through to a 12-run win over Hampshire, and the National League title. Jefferson aside, there was little of much substance from the rest of Essex’s innings, with both Grant and Andy Flower falling for single-figures. John Crawley got Hampshire off to an excellent start – he and Nic Pothas put on 95 for the first wicket. But wickets tumbled at regular intervals, and Danish Kaneria stemmed the flow of runs to take 4 for 26 from 9 overs to seal a win for Essex.Northamptonshire overcame a stuttering run-chase to beat Nottinghamshire by four wickets, with five balls to spare. Nottinghamshire failed to bat out their 40 overs, falling to 207 all out thanks to a five wicket-haul from Damien Wright. Chris Read top-scored with 45 from 50 balls, but Nottinghamshire’s eventual score of 207 was never likely to trouble Northamtonshire. A partnership of 83 between Usman Afzaal and Martin Love set them up nicely, but wickets continued to fall and Love was dismissed for 59 by Younis Khan, one of three wickets for the Pakistani. Despite losing their sixth wicket, Riki Wessels and Ben Phillips saw the home-side through by four wickets.

Division Two

Points TableA brilliant, destructive innings of 88 by Ian Blackwell saw Somerset through to a comfortable five-wicket victory over Surrey. Surrey’s innings started promisingly, with a 65 from James Benning and a pair of forties from Jon Batty and Mark Butcher. Arul Suppiah took three wickets with his left-arm spin, but Surrey ended with a useful score of 237 for 7. In reply, losing Matthew Wood for a duck and both John Francis and Arul Suppiah cheaply. This brought Blackwell to the crease, who smashed 88 from just 53 balls. Combined with James Hildreth, whose unbeaten innings of 75 was equally excellent, albeit less destructive, the pair took Somerset home by five wickets, with more than five overs to spare.A hundred partnership between Ant Botha and Graeme Welch was the catalyst for Derbyshire who defeated Yorkshire at Scarborough. Yorkshire set Derbyshire 220 to win, but only Michael Lumb, with 69, and Joe Sayers with 41 made significant contributions. Derbyshire, too, struggled early on in their reply, with Deon Kruis taking two quick wickets to reduce the visitors to 85 for 4. When Luke Sutton was run out for 27, Derbyshire still needed 102 to win, and did so comfortably thanks to Welch and Botha, both of whom hit half centuries.Durham easily defeated Scotland by 93 runs through a professional all round performance. Gordon Muchall and Gareth Breese were the key run-makers, Muchall’s 79 including eight fours and a six. Ryan Watson took 4 for 36 then provided the only real resistance to Durham’s attack with an impressive 86. Breese, Brad Williams and Liam Plunkett took two wickets each.

England’s chances of retaining the Ashes later this year depend largely on the performance of their strike bowler Steve Harmison, feels Ian Chappell, the former Australian captain, now a leading television commentator. England defend the Ashes they won at home last year against Australia in the first of five Tests in Brisbane, starting on November 23.”So much depends on how Steve Harmison bowls. It may be a reason why they gave Andrew Flintoff the captaincy – apparently he’s very matey with Harmison,” Chappell told . “Some of the stuff I saw from him against Pakistan (in the recent Test series) was absolute crap. But if he bowls as well as he can, England will be right in it.”Chappell said England’s decision to opt for Flintoff as captain over Andrew Strauss has reflected a change in attitude with England, Australia’s traditional rivals.”They could have gone the safe route and made Strauss captain. But they won the Ashes by taking the aggressive route and picking someone like Kevin Pietersen. Logic says that to retain the Ashes, they’ve got to keep taking risks and they’ve done that by making Flintoff captain.”Chappell felt it also makes sense that Flintoff was preferred as captain as he understands the tactical side of bowling better than opening batsman Strauss.”What does a captain do with batting? He basically just picks the order. The important side is out on the field. Who better to understand bowling than a bowler? There haven’t been many bowling captains and that’s probably been a mistake. There’s no reason why Flintoff can’t do it. The danger is that he’s coming back from a serious injury and needs to find his form as a bowler. He might overbowl himself in a bid to lift the team.”They’ll miss Michael Vaughan’s captaincy but Flintoff is a bit of a Shane Warne: he loves competing. When the heat’s on, Flintoff will want to bowl, but he can’t do it all the time. That’s when Strauss will have to know when to step in and say, ‘Not now, save it for later’. If everything goes right for England, it will be very competitive. But it could easily turn bad for them.”