Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Steve James says that the ECB is now beginning to have a retink about the spurious nicknames given to county sides in a bid by marketing men to make them more appealing. How many people know who are the Phantoms, Lightning, Dragons, Steelbacks ...

"If you can reel off the counties related to those monikers, please accept my hearty congratulations, even if that anorak does look a little silly. If not, do not fear, because you are not alone in your indifference to such superfluity. Be grateful that the nicknames, introduced in 1999, are rarely listed without their geographical identities. For that is the problem: to do so is too long-winded.

"Even the England and Wales Cricket Board are now beginning to wonder about their viability. An unofficial sounding out of media outlets was made earlier this season and the response was not encouraging. A waste of time was the general consensus."

Cricinfo sticks to using traditional county names - despite terse emails in the early days from county PR men and the ECB - because most readers were bewildered when we briefly adopted the nicknames. Any attempts to persuade people to grow familiar with the names was not been helped when Surrey decided last year to change theirs ...

"The Lions have become the Brown Caps, which at least is nearing their ubiquitous, if mischievous, sobriquet on the county circuit. That is the Brown Hatters, in case you are wondering."

June 25, 2006

Blackwell targets September

Posted on 06/25/2006 in Somerset

Ian Blackwell, the Somerset captain, is hopeful he might return to action before the end of the season. He injured his shoulder in May and the early prognosis was that he would struggle to make a comeback this summer.

However, he is making good progress and told the Somerset website: "All being well I can bat again in six weeks, bowl in seven weeks and two weeks after that start throwing.By the second week in September I might be in a position to play again."

June 23, 2006

I'm a journalist, get me out of here

Posted on 06/23/2006 in Kent

It�..s not all glamour being a cricket reporter ploughing your way round the county circuit. The Daily Telegraph�..s Charles Randall seemed to have had more than enough of Canterbury, where a combination of some dreadfully dull batting from Kent and a pitch with as much life as a cadaver finally did for him.

�..A huge total on an easy-paced strip should impose fatigue and 'scoreboard pressure' on the opposition, though this ponderous exercise at the St Lawrence Ground proved unedifying as neither side gained maximum batting or bowling points.

Kent's cynical effort provided minimal personal development value, minimal entertainment and very little advantage in the table against one of the lowest counties.�.�

June 21, 2006

Twenty20 sell out at Old Trafford

Posted on 06/21/2006 in Lancashire

Lancashire have announced a record sell-out for their Twenty20 Roses match on Friday, July 7.

There will be a capacity 15,500 crowd for the visit of Yorkshire, beating Lancashire�..s previous highest Twenty20 attendance of 14,800 �.. also against Yorkshire three years ago.

Astle arrives in Manchester

Posted on 06/21/2006 in Lancashire

Nathan Astle has arrived in Manchester ahead of his stint with Lancashire. He is replacement for Brad Hodge, who leaves after the current match against Middlesex to play in the Top End series in Australia.

Astle will join up with his new team-mates when they travel to Edgbaston for their C&G match against Warwickshire. If Lancashire win they secure a place in the final, at Lord's, against Sussex.

June 20, 2006

Don't step on Ashley's tutu

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Warwickshire

The Daily Telegraph reports that Ashley Giles - once described as having the mobility of a wheelie bin - is being sent to work with ballet dancers in an attempt to speed his recovery from hip and groin operations.

England, the report says, have referred Giles to the rehabilitation unit of the Birmingham Royal Ballet where he will begin work this week, training alongside injured dancers.

Ugandan support for Yorkshire

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Yorkshire

Your newsagent is wearing a Yorkshire T-shirt �.. nothing too surprising, especially if you are in Leeds. But David Ujemba is an 18-year-old shop worker in Kampala, Uganda. He knows nothing about cricket and has no idea about Yorkshire.

Most Ugandans wear imported second-hand clothes �.. huge bales arrive daily from the UK, US and other developed countries and are known locally as �..mivumba�... David bought his T-shirt for 4,000 Ugandan shillings (£1.25). Although he knows little about its origins, David is proud of his Yorkshire connection as he goes about selling newspapers in a suburb close to Lake Victoria.

Kevin O�..Connor, The Wisden Cricketer

Move over, Boycott

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Yorkshire

Darren Lehmann is the only player of recent vintage in Yorkshire�..s Greatest XI, chosen by readers of the Yorkshire Post. Few would argue with the selection. In his first six seasons, three of them curtailed by international commitments, the South Australian made 7,165 first-class runs at 66. And he started the current campaign with another 533 from six innings and some sizzling one-day knocks.

Anthony McGrath was a young professional when Lehmann first appeared in 1997, since when he has seen plenty of the maestro. �..Sometimes his batting takes your breath away,�.� says McGrath, who also made a bright start this year. �..He has been the perfect overseas player because as well as producing the goods out in the middle, he is a tremendous influence behind the scenes. Soon after he had been named in the all-time side, an old member went up to him and said: �..You are the best player I have ever seen.�.. That says it all.�.�

For the record, Yorkshire�..s Greatest XI is: Hutton, Sutcliffe, Leyland, Lehmann, Close, Hirst, Rhodes, Binks, Trueman, Bowes, Verity.
Andrew Collomosse, The Wisden Cricketer

Elton John not guilty

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Worcestershire

Worcestershire have refused to blame Elton John for the lack of runs at New Road this season. The stage arrangements for a concert forced the county to play on the pavilion side of the square, where pitches retain more moisture, earlier in the season than usual. New Road�..s opening four first-class matches produced only one century and six wickets from 144 for spinners. �..The pitches have helped the seamers,�.� says Mark Newton, the county�..s chief executive, �..but whatever pitch you prepare it�..s the same for both teams.�.� The wickets for the first three first-class matches at New Road were all marked �..above average�.� by the umpires.

Meanwhile Steve Rhodes, director of cricket, can celebrate or drown his sorrows in the pavilion bar with a beer named after him. �..Bumpy�..s Brew�.. is produced by the Wolverhampton & Dudley Brewery. Having sampled a pint, TWC concurs with Rhodes�.. view that it is �..full of character and not too strong. A good beer to relax with.�.�
Paul Bolton, The Wisden Cricketer

Wagh wounds

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Warwickshire

�..Is Mark Wagh still injured?�.� was the most asked question around Edgbaston in the first month of the season. The answer was that the former Oxford University captain, included in England�..s extended one-day squad only two years ago, had recovered from the knee injury that restricted him to a single Championship appearance in 2005 but had been banished to the 2nd XI.

The club gave Ian Westwood an extended run as Nick Knight�..s opening partner but rejected Wagh�..s request to be loaned out to another county. �..Getting dropped isn�..t something that has happened to me for a long time and it�..s not something I�..ve enjoyed,�.� Wagh says. �..I know that I have no divine right to a first-team place just because I am a capped player. It�..s made me take a hard look at my own game and I hope to come back a stronger person.�.�
Paul Bolton, The Wisden Cricketer

Perks from Pakistan

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Sussex

By late May Sussex were pinching themselves. In four successive Championship wins, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Mushtaq Ahmed did their usual unfair share by taking 63 of the 80 wickets. Collectively they harvested seven five-fors and two of the country�..s five first-class 10-fors (as of May 30), averaging 13. But rumours that Mushie is trying to qualify for England are charmingly but firmly quashed. �..No,�.� he says with a grin. �..Where�..d that come from?�.�

The cricket manager Mark Robinson praised his wristspinner�..s forbearance at Hove after the Nottinghamshire keeper Chris Read, riled by Mushtaq�..s not infrequent appealing, attacked him on the boundary. �..What did Read mean when he apologized for �..my part in the incident�..?�.� wonders Robinson. �..He was the incident. But Mushie went out of his way to speak on his behalf. All he wanted to do was to talk about God and love.�.�

And what, apart from skill, brains and unquenchable enthusiasm, is Naved�..s secret? Colleagues believe they may have spotted something Duncan Fletcher might care to note. Just before delivering the ball he rotates it with a sturdy right thumb, deceiving batsmen trying to detect which side he soaks for reverse-swing.
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer

Spin triplets?

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Surrey

Wince as Mark Butcher did as Worcestershire�..s Phil Jaques and Stephen Moore kick-started a Twenty20-type charge to 287 at nine an over, the Surrey captain expressed pride in the early form of his oft-maligned attack, notably Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi.

�..Until mid-May it was very dry and we played both spinners. The way things are going, even when Anil Kumble gets here, maybe we�..ll play three. Sals has been magnificent. He worked hard on some technical difficulties during the winter and now he�..s bowling as well as I�..ve ever seen him.�.�

After he missed swaths of 2005 recovering from the broken hand that cost him his Test spot, Butcher�..s return saw juices and runs flow freely. �..I feel like I�..ve finally started being captain and it�..s gone really well. The toughest bit was starting with 11 days�.. cricket in 12; I haven�..t done that for years. But I feel right in the groove.�.� Does the calendar entry for November 23 read �..Brisbane�.�? �..What with all the injuries, nothing�..s set in stone. Australia is still on my mind.�.�
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer

Virtuous circle

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Somerset

With many members pushing for the inclusion of homegrown youngsters, Brian Rose felt compelled to defend the signing of the Kolpak recruit Charl Willoughby. �..One of our biggest concerns was our seam attack, which last year lost more than 150 playing days through injury,�.� says the director of cricket. But already his statement that Willoughby and Australians Cameron White and Dan Cullen �..may not all play together at one time�.� has been reassessed �.. a sober reflection on the progress of those youngsters.

Still, the allrounder Peter Trego�..s circuit of the shires �.. Taunton to Canterbury to Lord�..s to rejoin the family in Weston-super-Mare �.. is bearing fruit, notably May�..s maiden Championship century. �..I went to see Peter play for Middlesex twice last year without him knowing,�.� says Rose a little sheepishly. �..I was very impressed. I had a long chat with Embers [Middlesex coach John Emburey]. He said he has limitations but there was plenty to work with. He hits hard, can field brilliantly and swings it a bit �.. which will help at Taunton. And he�..s very competitive.�.�
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer

Gloved and waiting

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Nottinghamshire

David Alleyne, now 30, spent five seasons as Middlesex�..s understudy keeper before leaving in 2004, with the sensible expectation of regular first-team cricket at Notts. But Chris Read fell out of favour with England, leaving Alleyne back in the 2nd XI. �..I think most people expected Chris to be England�..s wicketkeeper for
10 years,�.� Alleyne says. �..But he got dropped by England during the series in the West Indies, which was disappointing for him and frustrating for me.

�..Being a reserve wicketkeeper does test your professionalism. Motivation isn�..t a problem. It�..s a case of trying to maintain my own standards and scoring as many runs as I can to force my way into the first team as a batsman.�.�

Given a rare chance against Warwickshire, while Read was with England A, Alleyne hit a fifty and a maiden first-class century. But it was not enough to save the team from defeat or Alleyne from the chop. �..We�..ve had a pretty settled batting order for a couple of years so it�..s not been easy to break in,�.� he says. �..But I hope it will remind people what I�..m capable of.�.�
Paul Bolton, The Wisden Cricketer

Back issues

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Middlesex

�..It�..s very, very good to be back,�.� says Chad Keegan with the verve of a man whose rich promise has been repeatedly thwarted by back trouble and for whom, far worse, inactivity is death. �..Sitting around watching cricket is terrible. I can�..t do it. Before my op last summer I didn�..t watch or train. I tried to ride my motorbike but that didn�..t last.�.�

A rousing Championship return against Warwickshire �.. with bat and ball �.. was also made conspicuous by a meatier frame. �..I went back to South Africa in the winter for three months, to Durban to train with my uncle who�..s a bodybuilder. People had been calling me skinny, so he fed me six meals a day.�.�

He concedes that the back injury, which kept him out for a year, was not managed terribly well. �..They say I�..ve had a stress fracture from when I was younger. It�..s been like a time bomb waiting to go off. I�..ve had pain when I tried to come back, and that�..s down to too much bowling. The regime is stricter now. The more I bowl the more my rhythm improves but I have to restrict how much I do.�.�
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer

Back to the future

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Leicestershire

Alamgir Sheriyar�..s career has gone full circle following his return to Leicestershire after an 11-year absence. Sheriyar gave himself a year to find another county after he was released by Kent last September. Leicestershire, anxious to sign an experienced seamer to fill the gap left by the departure of Ottis Gibson, stepped in after he impressed in pre-season trials.

�..The only reason I left Leicestershire in the first place is because we had a strong seam attack with players like Alan Mullally and David Millns,�.� Sheriyar continues. �..I moved to Worcestershire because of the chance to play regular first-team cricket.

�..Leicestershire were made aware of my situation and I�..m glad to be back. I haven�..t played much first-team cricket over the last two years for various reasons, so I�..m coming back pretty fresh.�.�
Paul Bolton, The Wisden Cricketer

Warned off

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Hampshire

If only England�..s batsmen could see Shane Warne in the dressing room after a long day in the field: shoulder padded by enough ice to sink the Titanic and clawed hand resting on a Rose Bowl table, petrified by over-use. But as his enthralled Hampshire team will testify, Warne leads not just by example - 97 overs in his first two Championship matches back - but by his capacity to inspire those with less ability around him. They love him.

With Hampshire beaten in abject fashion by Sussex in his absence, Warne led from the front in the thrashings of Middlesex and Warwickshire. Outside bets for the title? Do not rule it out while he is around.

Pity poor Shaun Udal. Mumbai hero for England in March, 12th man at a dank, cheerless Rose Bowl when Kent were the
opposition, even after a perky start to the season when it looked as if he might be competing with Monty Panesar for the Sri Lanka-series spin berth. The seam-friendly wickets at The Rose Bowl do him no favours.
Pat Symes, The Wisden Cricketer

Lewis's deserts

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Gloucestershire

Mike Smith, the left-armer who served the club so ably for 14 summers, sincerely hopes his erstwhile new-ball partner Jon Lewis does not go the same way Smith did after making a much-longed-for Test debut.

�..Nobody deserves to play for England as much as Jon,�.� says Smith, who won a solitary cap against Australia in 1997 and might have had more had Graham Thorpe not dropped a simple catch in the slips when Matthew Elliott had barely begun his match-winning 199. �..Before the first Test against Sri Lanka he�..d taken more wickets this season than Flintoff, Hoggard and Plunkett put together.�.�

Smith also contends that Lewis, who grabbed four wickets in the Twenty20 win over Australia, was not given enough credit for his part in the Ashes triumph. �..Jon was the catalyst, because it was that victory which gave England the belief they could beat the Australians. He had one bad game [in the NatWest Series], but who hasn�..t against Australia?

�..There�..s very little to choose between Jon and Matthew Hoggard. Jon bowls at the same pace, bats better and fields better, so there�..s no reason why he can�..t [achieve] the same.�.�
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer

Overseas double

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Glamorgan

Glamorgan�..s foreign policy dominated events, in particular the battle of James Franklin�..s wounded knee. The club thought they had lost the services of Franklin, a left-arm swing bowler, when a scan following New Zealand�..s series in South Africa showed torn knee cartilage. A frantic search for a replacement ensued, until Franklin was told the knee was not as bad as first feared. After a week of fitness tests Glamorgan satisfied themselves that it would stand up to the rigours of a county season.

It meant they were able to field two overseas players for the first time in nearly a year. The second was Mark Cosgrove, a hard-hitting left-hander from South Australia and �..the best 21-year-old I have ever seen�.� according to Robert Croft. However, Cosgrove will have to be replaced for six weeks in June and July while away with Australia A.

Though Glamorgan failed to win any of their opening four Championship matches they have looked much more competitive than in their hapless 2005 season.
Richard Thomas, The Wisden Cricketer

Chopra checks in

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Essex

Essex seem to have a handy line in talented young openers at the moment. With Alastair Cook unlikely to play much this season after predictably shining for England, it is lucky that 18-year-old Varun Chopra has started to show his class. A mature hundred on Championship debut against Gloucestershire, followed by an unbeaten fifty in the second innings, confirmed that he has the temperament to go with the technique. At Essex since the age of eight, he has several similarities to Cook. Both captained England Under-19, both are tall, classical batsmen and strong off their legs. Importantly, both seem to have the right attitude.

�..I love playing for Essex�.�, says Chopra. �..I�..ve been here since I was a kid and they�..ve treated me really well. I felt good [during his hundred], and more relaxed as I went along. Hopefully I can follow Cooky and aim for the England team �.. that�..s my dream.�.� And, after discovering Will Jefferson and Cook, would you bet against Essex finding another opener of similar quality if he does make it?
Daniel Brigham, The Wisden Cricketer

Video nasty

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Durham

Durham are not the first side to fall under the spell of Mushtaq Ahmed. Nor will they be the last. But their coach Martyn Moxon declines to blame his side�..s two-day innings defeat by Sussex on a well-documented failure to obtain pre-match video footage of Mushtaq.

Had the proposed ECB video library been up and running, Durham could have studied their destroyers Mushtaq and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan before the game. Instead the pair took 19 wickets, with Mushtaq baffling all with his googly and top-spinner. �..It would have been useful to have a look,�.� says Moxon. �..The ECB have spent a lot of money for every county to video matches. Every game will be held in a central bank and we will all have access to it.�.�

Mushtaq, of course, has played 52 Tests and first appeared on the county scene 13 years ago, so he is hardly an unknown quantity. �..Look, we�..re not making excuses,�.� says Moxon. �..After all, we had a good look at him in the first innings and didn�..t do any better in the second.�.�
Andrew Collomosse, The Wisden Cricketer

Peak performance

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Derbyshire

In May alone Derbyshire won as many Championship matches as in the previous two years. By early June they were top of Division Two and eyeing a C&G final. So where did it all go right?

By going back to basics, says their director of cricket David Houghton. �..We had a very long pre-season, came back in February. Everybody did the same hard work and everybody saw it. We didn�..t go away and our week at an army camp was cancelled. We just had a day in the Peak District.�.�

The simple approach has continued. �..We don�..t do any of these fancy warm-ups,�.� said their inspirational Grolsch-and-gaspers captain Graeme Welch recently. What have they done with Steffan Jones, who has provided a new sharp edge with 23 wickets in five Championship games, more than in two seasons at Northamptonshire?

�..Well, he�..s been allowed to bowl,�.� says Houghton simply. �..I said, �..You�..re going to bowl 700-800 overs a season.�.. And he said, �..That�..s exactly what I want.�..�.� Finally, a note of caution: in 2002 Derbyshire won five of their first six Division Two matches �.. and finished sixth. Can they keep it up? �..Oh yeah,�.� says Houghton. �..This is a turn-around.�.�
Paul Coupar, The Wisden Cricketer

Score unsettled

Posted on 06/20/2006 in Kent

While Kent were dodging the downpours at The Rose Bowl, David Fulton found himself in a poker game sitting next to Shane Warne, whose vast wrath Fulton felt last September when that 1,000-1 shot of an arranged chase handed �.. as Warne saw it �.. the Championship to Nottinghamshire at Hampshire�..s expense. �..I felt a bit uneasy at first,�.� admits Fulton, now �..thoroughly enjoying�.� a life of reduced responsibility. �..Eventually I asked �..Are we going to talk about this?�.. He
grunted, so I said, �..I presume I�..m not forgiven.�.. He said: �..No. We move on but I�..m still shitty about it.�..

�..Shane said it was a ridiculous chase. I said we did have a chance, however slim, and that, as it was our only route to winning the title and I�..d made up my mind it was my last season as captain, I had to go for it. Still, our relationship was back on an even keel. I took all the money on the last hand, though, which was quite satisfying.�.�

There was no Kent generosity in this game, though. �..Keysy didn�..t want to know,�.� said Warne after offering a run chase. �..We got down to 240 off 65 overs but they still weren�..t interested at all. If I was offered that I�..d take it anywhere in the world.�.�
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer

June 19, 2006

Langer arrives in Taunton

Posted on 06/19/2006 in Somerset

Justin Langer, the Australian opening batsman, has arrived in Taunton for his stint with Somerset. He will make his debut in the Twenty20 warm up match at Exmouth CC, on the Wednesday June 21.

Essex 2nds take on the Afghans

Posted on 06/19/2006 in Essex

Essex 2nd XI take on the Afghanistan national team in a one-day friendly match at Billericay on Tuesday.

The Afghans are on their first tour of England and are set to play seven matches during their visit.

The Essex 2nd XI coach, Paul Grayson, is looking forward to tomorrow's one-day encounter:

"It will be a good experience for our lads. Afghanistan have come on a lot over the last couple of years and it will be good for them to play against a different culture and different types of batsmen/bowlers.

"I understand they have one or two decent spinners and, according to their coach, one of the fastest bowlers in the world (19-year-old left-arm seamer Shahpur Zadran) so that should be interesting."

Warwickshire look to Harris

Posted on 06/19/2006 in Warwickshire

The Daily Telegraph has reported that Warwickshire are interested in signing Paul Harris, the South African slow left-arm spinner who plays for the Titans, who has been overlooked for the tour of Sri Lanka.

Warwickshire have just lost the services of Daniel Vettori, who has had to return to New Zealand with a stress fracture of the back, and their spin options are very thin without Ashley Giles (injury) and Alex Loudon (England).

The county have offered Harris a Kolpak deal and the spinner is considering whether to leave South Africa behind. "I am going to Warwickshire on Thursday for a trial," Harris told supercricket.co.za. "If anything comes of it then I will have a big decision to make. It would mean me giving up my right to play for South Africa and that would be a big decision to make.

"I haven't had the best of luck with the national selectors so far. I was passed over for the Sri Lanka tour which didn't exactly fill me with confidence."

June 16, 2006

Old Trafford announce development plans

Posted on 06/16/2006 in Lancashire

Offices, shops and flats could be built around Old Trafford as part of Lancashire�..s plans for redevelopment. Plans include extending the ground to hold 20,000 spectators, as well as building a hotel and other sports facilities.

Their chief executive Jim Cumbes said: "we have been working on
what the composition of the total scheme will be. At the heart of it
will be the new stadium with its core facilities but there also needs to be secured the supporting development on adjacent land which will
provide the means to fund this major international sporting initiative."

Stockton avoid pitch penalty

Posted on 06/16/2006 in Durham

An ECB Pitch Panel comprising David Hughes (Pitch Liaison Officer) and Alan Fordham (Head of Operations �.. First-Class Cricket) convened yesterday to consider the pitch used for Durham and Kent's Championship match at Stockton Cricket Club this week.

After interviewing the match Umpires, the captain and coach of both teams and the head groundsman at Stockton CC, the panel decided that the pitch should be rated �..below average�.�.

As a consequence, no points penalty were applied.

June 14, 2006

Junior Bears

Posted on 06/14/2006 in Warwickshire

Warwickshire today announced that the Junior Bears membership has doubled since 2005. There is now a record 1,004 Junior Bears who enjoy the great package that comes with the membership.

The Junior Bears have exclusive access to the outfield on one day matches (excluding Twenty20) at Edgbaston and also enjoy a coaching session in the Edgbaston Cricket Centre before each game. Each session has a guest appearance from one of the Warwickshire squad to pass on tips to the youngsters. This is on top of being able to watch all Warwickshire games at Edgbaston, an excellent membership pack and a free ticket to Sunday�..s match against Nottinghamshire to treat their Dad�..s on Father�..s Day.

Neil Carter, the Junior Bears captain, is not surprised by the growth in membership. �..Cricket had a huge boost last year with the Ashes and this is one of the positive results. It is great to see all the kids on the outfield during the lunch intervals as I can remember doing it myself at Newlands.�.�

Kent put faith in youngsters

Posted on 06/14/2006 in Kent

Kent have announced that it has agreed long-term development contracts with Paul Dixey and Sam Northeast. Dixey, 18, and Northeast, 16, are two of Kent Academy�..s outstanding talents. In reaching these agreements, the club has agreed to work with both to further develop their cricketing abilities to the age of 21.

Northeast is already making his mark and earlier this season hit a half-century against the Sri Lankans at Wormsley.

Paul Farbrace, the academy director, said: �..I am thrilled that Paul and Sam have committed themselves to the club. We look forward to working with them to make the most of their undoubted talents and, hopefully, in the longer term help them to develop long and successful careers with Kent and beyond.�.�

June 11, 2006

Chopper flight for Chapple

Posted on 06/11/2006 in Lancashire

Lancashire were boosted by the news that Glen Chapple could play in their crucial C&G Trophy clash against Derbyshire despite being named in the England squad. As he doesn't have a central contract or isn't part of the Development Squad, Lancashire have been allowed to play Chapple on the understanding they will fly him south by helicopter after the game. The England squad are meeting up for a pre-series meeting in Southampton before flying to Belfast to face Ireland on Tuesday.

June 10, 2006

Don't drink and drive ... but do pretend to be Aussie

Posted on 06/10/2006 in Essex

Ronnie Irani is no stranger to the microphone and he and James Foster relished the chance to do their bit to help raise awareness of the dangers of drink/driving �.. especially now that the World Cup and summer bbq season is here and the beer is sure to be flowing. A number of Essex's other squad members were able to hear the ad for the first time at a press launch on Wednesday, as Essex communications manager Greg Lansdowne confirmed. "Not only were they greatly amused by the wit and repartee of our recording stars, but also by the 'fair dinkum' Australian accent affected by Mr Foster." But all in a good cause, eh.

June 9, 2006

van Jaarsveld happy at Kent

Posted on 06/09/2006 in Kent

Martin van Jaarsveld, the former South African batsman, believes he made the right decision to give up his Test career and play for Kent under the Kolpak ruling. In nine Tests he averaged 31 and never really established himself in the middle order.

van Jaarsveld his averaging 57 this season and told BBC Radio Kent: "I was a little bit disappointed to get three 80s so far, as I'm normally good at converting, but I'm happy with my form. I'm so happy with the decision I made, as I'm loving playing with Kent."

June 5, 2006

Ireland name Sussex squad

Posted on 06/05/2006 in Ireland

Ireland have named a 12-man squad for their next C&G Trophy match, against Sussex in Dublin on June 11. Ireland are currently bottom of the south group.

Kevin O'Brien is the of the Kent wicketkeeper, Niall, and is currently an MCC Young Cricketer.

Squad Trent Johnston (capt), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Peter Gillespie, Dominick Joyce, Kyle Mc Callan, John Mooney, Paul Mooney, Eoin Morgan, Saqlain Mushtaq, Kevin O'Brien, Andrew White

Ganguly excited by third county stint

Posted on 06/05/2006 in Northamptonshire

Sourav Ganguly is looking forward to his stint with Northamptonshire and hoping to get valuable match practice during his two-month period with the club.

"The standard of county cricket is good. I think I will get good match practice by turning out for Northamptonshire," Ganguly said. "I enjoy playing county cricket and my experience on the last two occasions was good,"

Ganguly has played for Lancashire in 2000 and Glamorgan last summer.

Glamorgan coach calls for C&G format to change

Posted on 06/05/2006 in Glamorgan

Following Glamorgan's defeat to Somerset yesterday, rendering their chances of advancing in the C&G Trophy obselete, their coach, John Derrick, has called for a change in the tournament's format.

"It doesn't make sense that there is just a final, we need semis and there's a case for quarters," said Derrick.

"You only have to lose a couple and have others rained off early on and your campaign is all but over.

"That means dead games which are no use to anyone. Hopefully the authorities will realise that there is a need for change next season."

June 2, 2006

Glamorgan sent back to the leagues

Posted on 06/02/2006 in Glamorgan

Following their two-day loss to Somerset, Glamorgan's players have been sent back to league cricket for practice:

"All the players will go back and play league cricket on Saturday, go back to their roots, go back to seeing what club cricket is all about," Robert Croft, the Glamorgan captain, said.

"They will spend time in the middle batting and bowling to find some form."

Harmsion mark II

Posted on 06/02/2006 in Durham

Ben Harmison struck a century on his first-class debut against Durham UCCE. The brother of England paceman, Steve, Ben was part of a young Durham team that took on the students. He came in at No. 3 and he took 121 balls to reach his ton.

The last Durham player to score a century on his first class debut was John Glendenen who scored 117 against Oxford at The Parks in 1992.

The head coach Martyn Moxon said: �..It�..s great for Ben to have scored a century on his debut. He�..s been working very hard throughout the season and today�..s performance is thoroughly deserved.�.�