St Albans are looking forward to the new club cricket season in Christchurch with more than a little interest.The side is being captained and coached by Darron Reekers, fresh from a successful season in club cricket in the Netherlands. His achievement there of scoring more than 900 runs and taking over 20 wickets resulted in him being included as the overseas professional in the English Cheltenham and Gloucester knockout trophy.A qualified level II coach he will coach an enlarged first and second grade squad.The senior side, at its peak, could field seven players with first-class experience including internationals Chris Harris and Chris Martin.Harris is likely to have one of his longest stints with the club in recent years before the onset of the first-class programme in New Zealand.Six of the senior squad, Harris, Martin, Stephen Cunis, Jarrod Englefield, Reekers and James Ward, have been involved in Canterbury’s winter training squad while the seventh player with first-class experience is this year’s professional player Ian Blanchett who has played for Middlesex.Two others, Neil Fletcher and Murray Griffin, have played A cricket for Auckland and Otago respectively. Also in the squad are two of last summer’s Canterbury under-19 representatives, Nigel Tubb and Michael Davison.Rounding out the squad is former Taranaki Hawke Cup player, Keith Muller, a wicket-keeper/batsman who is a Canterbury Cricket-Lincoln University scholarship holder. He will have his first full season in Christchurch after the completion of his university exams in late-October.New Zealand’s cancellation of its tour to Pakistan could see Martin available for the first round of club play this weekend.The likely involvement of Cunis and Englefield as certainties in the Canterbury team, with possibly Reekers and Ward alongside them, could hit the club hard, however the ability available in the second side should be a boost. Three second grade players from last year will be back at the end of the university year in Otago while three overseas amateurs will also be playing for the club, one of them having played under-20 cricket for Worcestershire.The strength of the first grade side is reminiscent of the team from the club’s “glory days” in the late-1980s and early-1990s, when the side won the two-day trophy title in six out of eight seasons (between 1985/86 and 1993/94). Back then, the side had no less than 11 players who had played or played first-class cricket during that reign of supremacy – Geoff Smith, Paul Rutledge, Mark Priest, Andrew Nuttall, Roger Ford, Max Bremner, Henry Richards, Richard Brazendale, Ben Harris, Chris Harris, and the club’s West Indian professional of the time, Garfield Charles. Only Rhys Cain, Grant Lucas, Brett Harrison and captain Neil Francis had not or did not play first-class cricket.With such a strong side now, and having won the two-day trophy competition last season, St Albans is confident of retaining its title in 2001/02. The side is especially keen to secure the one-day title, as this has eluded it for seven years.

Rain has delayed the start of play in the three-day tour match between New Zealand and the Queensland Academy of Sport at Allan Border Field.Rain periods have been forecast throughout the day and there seems little chance of play before the scheduled lunch break.The match is New Zealand’s last before its first-class tour begins against Queensland at the Gabba next Thursday, with the first Test at the same ground from November 8.

Puddles of boredom form at East London

The Indian players are literally bored to death. They are waiting invain for the four-day match against South Africa ‘A’ to start afterthe first two days were washed down the drain by the incessant rain.Captain Sourav Ganguly is probably ruing the fact that he did not goto Kolkata to be with his wife and new-born daughter after all, whileConnor Williams and Harbhajan Singh cannot wait to see some action.Wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta has borrowed a book on Edmund Hillary fromRahul Dravid; by the looks of it, it must be inspiring stuff.The Indians still routinely go to the ground, partly to have a feel ofthe surroundings and partly to avail themselves of the lunch, which,thoughtfully, is Indian in every sense of the word. The visitingjournalists too do not mind helping themselves to dishes that they areso used to back home.Even though there is no activity, the Indians are a bit edgy about thethree back-to-back Tests that they are being asked to play in the nextthree weeks. After the two remaining Tests of the current tour, atPort Elizabeth and Centurion Park, they will be heading straight forMohali in Chandigarh, where the first Test against England isscheduled for December 3.The team’s genial manager, MK Bhargava, has his hands full with theissue of sorting out travel arrangements for the players. It appearsthat the Indians cannot get a flight back home before November 29, twodays after the Centurion Test ends. Thus, literally, the team will bearriving at Mohali just hours before the first Test against Englandgets underway. Even if he can book tickets on an Emirates flight forsome of the players hailing from the north, they will still reach homeonly on the morning of the 30th because of the timing of theconnecting flight from Dubai to Delhi.

Bhargava’s problems, thus, are echoed by the gloomy conditions at EastLondon. The rain-ruined game, which has kept the Indians hostage intheir hotel, is a missed opportunity for many of the players, in moresense than one. Sachin Tendulkar, who has been joined by his wife andtwo lovely kids, Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble were in any casegoing to sit out this four-day match. But Williams, Harbhajan and themedium-pacers would have loved to stake their claims for Test berths,while vice-captain Rahul Dravid could have obtained some valuablepractice at the very top of the order.There seems to be little doubt at the moment that Dravid will beopening the innings for the remaining Test matches. The middle-orderis overflowing with talent at this stage, and one of them has to moveup the order. Hence the choice of Dravid to shoulder the burden of anopener.

The real mystery could lie in the choice of bowlers for the next Test.If the wicket is grassy and seemingly quick, the Indians could beforced to make a choice between the two regular spinners on this tour- Harbhajan or Kumble. Kumble bowled for long hours – 50 overs in all- during South Africa’s mammoth first innings in the BloemfonteinTest, but his returns were not quite encouraging. He did break throughwith Gary Kirsten’s wicket, but, by then, the hosts had already scoredalmost 200 runs. Kumble’s next success came in the form of NeilMcKenzie’s wicket, when the score was well past 300.It will, then, not be an easy choice for the Indians. To drop Kumblewhen the bowling resources of the visitors are already paper-thinmight appear a blasphemy. But then, stranger things have happened inIndian cricket. It is a situation that will be watched keenly by thosewho are following the fortunes of this beleaguered team.

Western Australia still scents an outright, but New South Wales has improved its chances of escaping with a draw, after a fierce battle between thesides on the third day of their Pura Cup match here at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.After the Warriors established a massive 363-run advantage on the first innings, the Blues opted primarily to occupy the crease during the day’s finaltwo sessions. They closed at a second innings scoreline of 3/188, reducing the overall deficit to 175 in the process with six hours left to play in thematch.Attacking cricket was put firmly on the shelf by the Blues as captain Michael Bevan (78*) and opener Greg Mail (59) combined to add an even 100runs in a vigilant stand for the second wicket. After Michael Slater (24) was dismissed from the first delivery he faced after lunch, Bevan and Mailbatted together for the best part of the remaining two sessions to frustrate the Warriors and heighten the chances that the Blues might be able toscramble away from this game with a draw.Western Australia’s first innings was finally wrapped up at a mammoth 578 during the morning session, leaving the Blues with the task of extendingtheir salvage mission over a total of five and a half sessions.Mail and Slater used up the remainder of the pre-lunch period to compose an opening partnership of 32, though the latter’s innings wasn’tnecessarily a vintage one. Slater characteristically attempted to dominate the attack but one uncontrolled shot sent the ball flying over the slips andanother had the ball clearing Brad Williams by a matter of inches at fine leg.His mixture of an innings ended swiftly after lunch when he edged a delivery of high pace from Williams (1/56). The ball flew quickly towicketkeeper, Ryan Campbell, who wrapped a glove around it but fumbled the catch and had to watch as second slip fieldsman, Marcus North,came across to his left to tidy up the dismissal.Enter Bevan and a go-slow show with Mail that utilised as many as 304 deliveries.Mail’s own half century came from 173 balls, while Bevan was similarly defiant in accumulating his milestone from 148.Ultimately, it took the shock of a bowling change, and a wonderful catch from Scott Meuleman, to separate them. Right arm off spinner North (1/24) was the partnership breaker, luring Mail to drive a flighted ball hard and low to Meuleman in a position just forward of short leg.It was just the fifth ball North had wheeled down and only the fourth over of spin in the innings as a whole.With a change in partner came something of a change in heart from a suddenly flamboyant Bevan. The left hander promptly struck two majesticboundaries to reach fifty then transformed his scoring curve even further by serially cutting Williams to raise another four boundaries in a single over.A half-century stand with Michael Clarke (17) consequently came in a positively dizzy 64 minutes, though the attacking bent reached a prompt halt again when Brad Hogg (1/15) terminated the youngster’s innings with a leg side lbw decision that replays suggested was a touch dubious.

Arunkumar leads Karnataka to a massive winAn aggressive hundred from captain Jagadeesh Arunkumar and his 206-run fourth wicket partnership with Vijay Bhardwaj ((94) guided Karnataka to a comprehensive 84-run win over Hyderabad in the Ranji one-dayer between the two teams at the Indira Priyadarshini stadium, Vishakapatnam.In the morning, Arunkumar won the toss and elected to bat. Opening the batting, he saw the first three Karnataka batsmen depart when the score had only reached 57. But it was then that Vijay Bhardwaj arrived and soon a grand stand between the two unfolded. Arunkumar began to open up as the innings progressed and by the time he was dismissed his 151 off 138 balls, with sixteen fours and four sixes, he had all but sealed his side’s win. A few lusty blows from tailenders B Akhil and Dodda Ganesh helped Karnataka pile up a massive 336 for seven in their 50 overs.Hyderabad made a spirited reply, rattling close to 140 runs in the first 20 overs. But they lost four wickets in the bargain and that proved to be their undoing. No. 3 D Vinay Kumar, who made 104 off 104 balls, was the top-scorer for Hyderabad, who were all out for 252 in 45.4 overs. Karnataka claimed five points for the win.Andhra thrash KeralaFormer India wicket-keeper MSK Prasad and Y Venugopal Rao were the stars in Andhra’s 52-run win over Kerala at the Trishna Stadium, Visakhapatnam on Saturday.Prasad, who also happens to be the Andhra captain, made 82 off 82 balls and Venugopal Rao 91 off 100 balls as Andhra made 270 for four in their 50 overs.MP Sorab’s 72 off 112 balls meant that the Kerala reply got off to a decent start. But his dismissal with the score on 155, saw the visitors lose their way; they were dismissed for 218 off 49.1 overs. Andhra were rewarded with four points for their win.TN prove too strong for GoaTamil Nadu captain Robin Singh claimed four wickets to lead his side to a seven-wicket win over Goa at the STRSA Stadium, Visakhapatnam.Goa, who won the toss, lost their captain VV Kolambakar in the fourth over of the day and they never recovered from there, being dismissed for 177 in 44.1 overs. For Tamil Nadu, medium-pacers L Balaji and MR Shrinivas also bowled well claiming two wickets each.A 84 off just 76 balls from No. 3 J Madanagopal meant that Tamil Nadu then overhauled the target with minimum off fuss in just 32 overs. The seven wicket-win that they achieved in the end was enough to guarantee them the maximum of five points.

Michael Slater’s disastrous season took another turn for the worse today when selectors axed him from the New South Wales team to play Victoria in a Pura Cup match starting in Sydney on Friday.The former Test opener has surrendered his place in the Blues’ line-up after a lean patch with the bat that has seen him score just 257 first-class runs this summer at an average of 25.70 from his 11 Pura Cup innings. It follows his exclusion from the Australian team late last year.”It’s always distressing to leave out a talented player, especially one with a career record like Michael’s,” said John Benaud, chairman of the New South Wales selection panel, in a short statement.”He’s sadly out of touch at the moment.”Hopefully, some time in the middle away from the pressure cooker of first-class cricket might help him get back to his very best form.”Slater, an aggressive right handed batsman, has played 74 Tests and 42 one-day international matches for Australia but lost his place in the national side when Justin Langer was preferred to him for the fifth and final Test of the 2001 Ashes series in England. Langer has subsequently enjoyed a record-breaking season with Matthew Hayden at the top of the Australian order in an association that has already produced four double century partnerships in the space of seven matches.Slater, 31, enjoyed a meteoric rise at the start of his career, winning a call-up to the Australian side in the same season as he made his first-class debut for New South Wales. He was omitted from his country’s team for a period of 18 months between late 1996 and early 1998 but otherwise remained a fixture in the side for the eight years that led up to his axing in England.His omission today from his state team – which comes only five months after the loss of his Australian position – was part of two changes made to the squad which suffered a 67-run defeat at the hands of South Australia in Adelaide last weekend.The Blues, who chose batsmen Graeme Rummans and Matthew Phelps over Slater and twelfth man Anthony Clark, have now dropped to fourth on the Pura Cup table with four rounds remaining.The full New South Wales team to play Victoria is: Stuart MacGill (c), Greg Mail, Brett van Deinsen, Matthew Phelps, Corey Richards, Graeme Rummans, Michael Clarke, Mark Higgs, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken, Don Nash, Stuart Clark (12th man to be named).

Nepal’s effort in reaching the final of the Plate Championship of the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Lincoln University has been one of the highlights of the tournament.Nepal were only a fraction away from qualifying from the Super League stage of the World Cup, and they had victories over Test nations Pakistan and Bangladesh.But in terms of their own development they were probably best suited to learning in a less harsh environment in the Plate.The real test for Nepal lies in maximising the benefits to its players from the tournament.Whether coach Roy Dias is part of that may be decided by the Asian Cricket Council. Dias was appointed to the side by them, but he has been approached by United Arab Emirates and it could be the ACC that decides what he does.”My personal preference is Nepal – I know these guys so well,” he said.Dias believes Nepal could play at the top level in 10 years.”This has been a good tournament for them. They have had facilities to work in they have not had before.”But we find it difficult to get the kids interested back in Nepal. Soccer is their main game. And there is no schools set-up for cricket. Rumesh Ratnayake has been going around Nepal encouraging kids and trying to get them playing.”They have the talent but it is a long road ahead. There is some club cricket but it is all one-day cricket and mainly only 40 overs, so they haven’t been used to playing 50 overs.”But watching these guys the last three months I thought they could cause some surprises here, especially the spin bowlers. I knew the strength of my players,” Dias said.

MELBOURNE, Dec 29 AAP – England ensured Australia had to bat again by reaching 5-326 at tea on day four of the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Trailing by 281 runs on the first innings, England’s far better second innings helped it save face but it was still staring at a fourth straight defeat this series.England opener Michael Vaughan led the fightback with a superb 145 that made him the leading run-scorer in Test cricket this calendar year, with an aggregate of 1,481 runs.Vaughan was caught at first slip by Martin Love from the bowling of Stuart MacGill before Robert Key (52) and John Crawley (29 not out) pushed the total past that required to make Australia bat again.Key survived until the second new ball, which Australia took at 4-268. One run later, Key was caught by Ricky Ponting at second slip from the bowling of Jason Gillespie.Gillespie (2-43), McGrath (1-44) and MacGill (2-143) were the wicket takers.Australia made 6(dec)-551 in its first innings.

Easterns and Free State, each requiring a win to have any further say of a place in the semi-finals of the Standard Bank Cup, both squandered their chances in exciting matches and in so doing brought an early end to their season.Easterns started off well enough by winning the toss against Northerns but then struggled against some excellent bowling from Gary Hampson, 1/25, Steve Elworthy, 0/33 and Shafiek Abrahams, 0/35 in their nine over spells.Andre Seymore scored a slow but solid 77 while Albie Morkel and Zander de Bruyn laboured to 31 each. These three batsmen failed to accelerate the run rate to enable Easterns to set any real defendable total.What nearly turned out to be a winning fifth wicket partnership of 38, in the last five overs, saw Derek Crookes (17) and Godfrey Toyana (20) finally showing some urgency to get the scoreboard moving.For a team that had to win to get a semi-final place very little determination was shown. Wickets lost do not normally count in a limited overs match but a team that ends on 182 with only four wickets down in a 45 over match does not deserve to be in the semi-finals.Northerns made a disastrous start to their innings, losing Jacques Rudolph without scoring and Alviro Petersen for three.Maurice Aronstam, making his debut for Northerns, waded in with a quick 25 while Martin van Jaarsveld (38) and Gerald Dros (44) set the Titans up for what should have been an easy win.Three quick wickets almost turned the scales in Easterns favour when 137/5 suddenly became 138/8 with Northerns in danger of ending the tournament without a win.Dros and Abrahams (22*) took Northerns to the brink of victory before Dros played across the line to be bowled when only three runs were required in five overs.Abrahams however drove the home team to a win and Easterns were out of contention for a semi-final spot.In Port Elizabeth, Eastern Province won the toss and after a good start from Carl Bradfield (37) and Wade Wingfield (31), four quick wickets fell sending the team from 70 without loss to 111/4 before James Bryant (40) and Justin Kemp (31) steadied the floundering ship.A quick 26 from Dave Callaghan helped the Jumbos to reach a respectable 215/8 at the completion of the 45 overs, with Johannes van der Wath picking up three wickets for 53.Free State made an excellent start bringing up the 50 in ten overs and the 100 in 22, maintaining a required run rate of under six till well into the 35th over.After losing Morne van Wyk and Gerhardus Liebenberg, Jonathan Beukus and Jimmy Adams seemed to have everything under control but when Beukus was caught behind for 77 and Adams, on 31, followed in similar fashion things started to slip away.In the space of seven overs, thanks to an excellent bowling spell from Robin Peterson, the required rate had jumped to nine runs per over which was out of the reach of Free State. Needing to score six off the last ball of the innings Herman Bakkes was only able to get one and Eastern Province walked away as victors by four runs.With three of the four semi-spots now taken, it leaves KwaZulu-Natal and Griqualand West, who meet in Pietermaritzburg on 5 January, to fight it out for the final place.