March 2007

Cup bosses blamed for poor crowds -- Posted Saturday, March 31 2007
World Cup bosses have only themselves to blame for poor attendances, says Caribbean cricket writer Tony Becca.
"The World Cup was not promoted as a West Indian World Cup but as a World Cup for the world.

"They went for north American tourists so much that they ignored the local population," said Becca, who has been covering cricket for 34 years.

Full story available from:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/west_indies/6513159.stm


Intercontinental Cup 2006-07 -- Posted Saturday, March 31 2007

Intercontinental Cup final set for Chelmsford

The final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup between Ireland and Canada will take place at Chelmsford between May 21 and 24. It will be the first time an Intercontinental Cup tie has taken place in England. The previous finals have been in the UAE and Dubai.

Ireland, the holders, qualified by topping Group A, beating UAE and Namibia and drawing with Scotland. Canada qualified through victories over Bermuda and Kenya, although they lost to Netherlands.

The new format of the tournament means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format. That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.

Article sourced from:-

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/icccont/content/story/286195.html|x|


Ireland's ICC World Cup exploits -- Posted Saturday, March 31 2007


First there was football and then rugby! Sporting fever has once more gripped the Irish nation, but this time in the form of cricket.

With Ireland's ICC World Cup exploits the profile of cricket has been substantially increased nationwide and have placed Ireland firmly on the cricketing world stage.
As with past international sporting campaigns, Ireland went into a major tournament as underdogs and surprised everyone. Looking back now, the surprise of qualifying for the ICC World Cup, a triumph in itself, seems like it was only meant to prepare us for greater glories.

Months after securing qualification and Ireland have drawn with Zimbabwe, beaten Pakistan, qualified for the Super Eight's and marginally lost to the West Indies. Pretty good for a team boasting twelve amateur players!

http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-3-28/53464.html|x|


UBC, Vancouver Cricket Club -- Posted Saturday, March 31 2007

Vancouver has a thriving cricket league with over 50 teams in 5 divisions and a premier division. We play teams from all over the British Columbia lower mainland. This is your chance to be a part of the action. Our Vancouver cricket team is currently recruiting. We have a division one cricket team and a division 4 cricket team. We hope you will send us an email for more information.

Mission of UBC, Vancouver Cricket Club

UBC Cricket Club has been around for over 60 years. We have a proud history. In case you are wondering you do not have to be a student to play with UBC in fact most of us are not. Although if you are a student with any school we have discounted membership rates. We play in a Vancouver based senior cricket league so are typically looking for players over the age of 18. We practice close to 12th and larch, thanks to the generosity of another club, and we use excellent practice nets. Learn more about the about the history and mission of UBC Cricket

Play cricket in Vancouver today
To join this Vancouver cricket team contact us and we will give you more information. We practice Wednesday nights.


http://ubccricket.tripod.com/main.html|x|


W.G. Grace in Canada -- Posted Friday, March 30 2007

One of the first cricket tour books, Wickets in The West or The Twelve in America deals with the MCC amateur tour of Canada in 1872.

Some concerned devotes of Canadian cricket approached the MCC with a view of having a visit to the colony by a group of cricketers.

The secretary of the Marylebone cricket club R.A. Fitzgerald was charged with the responsibility of finding eleven other MCC members to accompany him on the trip. As membership of the club was confined to 'gentleman' the tour was limited to amateur talent.

The one stipulation of the Canadians was that W.G. Grace was to be a member of the touring party. It seems his fame had crossed the Atlantic, as the greatest cricketer in the world, this at the age of 25.

The complete book review can be located at:-

http://www.cricketweb.net/content/bookreview.php?NewsIDAuto=3546|x|


Bob Woolmer's last article -- Posted Thursday, March 29 2007

Bob Woolmer's last article
March 17, 2007

For years the second tier of cricket, known as the Associates, had been languishing in amateur status unable even to beat the county cricket teams in England. However in 2000 the ICC introduced the high-performance programme, which took four nations - Kenya, Namibia, United Arab Emirates and Canada - that had qualified for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and gave them funding and expert coaching to help and aid their development. Seven years down the line, the next group of associate nations have now improved beyond all recognition. Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Bermuda, Canada and Kenya make up the high performance nations for the 2007 World Cup.

My view is that the World Cup is a wonderful incentive for these countries to improve their cricket internally and help grow the game worldwide. It is a long-term project that needs all the help it can get. Ultimately, it's only when the players in those countries are playing regular top-class cricket and are paid professionally that they will start to make inroads into the Full Member nations.

Full article can be read at:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/story/285683.html |x|


WC2007 tournament way too long -- Posted Thursday, March 29 2007

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell has called for the World Cup to be shortened. The marathon 2007 tournament in the Caribbean lasts for almost seven weeks and features 16 teams.

But Chappell believes it can be trimmed.
"I am quite happy with the globalising of the game, but I really think the World Cup is running too long at the moment," said the Australian.

"Let's take the eight major teams as they are. I would then like to see two teams qualify to make it 10 and then I would like to see those teams play each other once, so that everybody has played each other," Chappell said in his www.cricinfo.com column.

"The team that goes on to win the World Cup would have played all the other teams once, no one will have missed out and the tournament will come to an end much faster."

Item sourced from:-

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/196618|x|


Stump microphone technology -- Posted Thursday, March 29 2007

Stump microphone technology at ICC CWC ensures even more decisions are correct

The Super Eight match between Australia and the West Indies that concluded in Antigua today was the first of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 to utilise stump microphone technology in a move designed to make sure that even more decisions made by umpires are correct.

From now on in this tournament, on-field umpires are wearing earpieces giving them an audio connection with the stump microphones, allowing them to hear faint edges and thus giving them a better chance of making the correct caught behind or lbw decision.

ICC General Manager – Cricket David Richardson today explained the decision to make the most of this technology.
“The use of this technology should ensure that that our top umpires get even more decisions correct,” said Mr Richardson.

“Television viewers or people listening to radio can hear fine edges through the stump microphones, something umpires have not always had the benefit of in the past,” he said.

“In many instances, if it is particularly windy or in noisy grounds, it can be extremely difficult to hear faint edges from 22 yards away. By linking to the stump microphones umpires now have that luxury and this should ensure even more correct decisions."

The decision will remain with on-field umpire without the need for referral to the third umpire. The use of this technology was approved by the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee for use in all ICC events and, where feasible, in bilateral series.

This technology has previously been used during matches in the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy and also in selected bilateral series, most notably India’s tour of Pakistan in 2004.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE
Kingston, Jamaica, 28 March 2007|x|


Big picture, blurred vision -- Posted Thursday, March 29 2007


The appearance or not of most of the minnows at the World Cup often depends on their ability to unearth decent players from cricket playing countries who have some association by birth. That might help a minnow get to the World Cup but it does little for their long term cricket culture.

It's time to work out which teams have a long-term future; countries that can support a group of professional cricketers. There is no way any of the European teams or Canada or Bermuda can support enough full time players to run their own first-class competition. Their associations couldn't afford it, there wouldn't be the crowd support and it would be too great a drain on the ICC's resources. However, with help from the ICC, those nations could probably afford to have a squad of fifteen players who are full time cricketers competing in a regular tournament.
Ian Chappell, March 17, 2007

The above commnents were found within an article "ICC's minnows experiment needs as much depth as it has breadth. Big picture, blurred vision." (JH)

To read the full article go to:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/285682.html|x|


Saskatoon youth cricket academy -- Posted Wednesday, March 28 2007

Welcome to Youth Academy of Saskatoon Cricket Association
Saskatoon Cricket Association is working positively to promote Cricket in Saskatoon and Area. The organization is non-profit organization.

If you are one of those parents who is amazed at the vast variety of sports available but not sure which one your child(ren) like? Or if you are wondering if your kid is willing to try a new game which is played by more than a billion people around the world! How would you like to see your kids display their hidden talents in this very artistic, competitive yet gentle sport of Cricket?

While having fun why can’t opportunities be created and found, and that’s exactly what we are set out to do. Teach Cricket to youth making learning fun and energizing. Our volunteers love to coach young players who are interested in learning. Saskatoon Cricket Club provide many volunteers who not only enjoy but also like to help new talent to raise their interest learn the game and excel in the game.

The young generations interest to learn the game motivates us to work with them closely. We stick to some basic methods of teaching which includes video presentation, techniques of batting/bowling/fielding, practices, and games. We also believe in innovative and creative ways to make learning & playing cricket a more satisfying and fun experience.

So why not join this wonderful Youth Academy of Saskatoon Cricket Association for the extended fun activities?
|x|


CWC2007 will carry on -- Posted Wednesday, March 28 2007
The Cricket World Cup will carry on despite the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.

International Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed confirmed at a news conference the tournament schedule would continue as planned.

"There has been speculation as a result of this (Woolmer's murder) the Cricket World Cup would be discontinued but this will not be the case," Speed said.
"The matches have continued since Sunday and they will Friday."

It's a challenge to the game to be resolute and strong and finish the World Cup in good spirit.


Malcolm Speed



Full report can be read at:- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6483027.stm|x|

ICC & CWC MEDIA RELEASE
Kingston, Jamaica.

ICC and CWC joint statement on situation surrounding ongoing investigation into death of Bob Woolmer
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed today commented on the situation surrounding the ongoing investigation into the death of Bob Woolmer.

“When we first learnt of Bob’s death a wave of sadness washed over the whole of the cricket community,” said Mr Speed.

“That sadness has now been replaced with a profound sense of shock at the news that his death is being treated as murder and everyone connected with this event will assist the police in any way possible to ensure the truth emerges.
“However, as the matter is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, we will not comment on it, nor will we comment on the rumour and speculation it has given rise to over the past few days.

“This is not the first time that tragedy has visited a sporting event but what we must all do now is to show how resolute the game is by proving ourselves strong enough to move on from what has happened.

“The best way to do that is for the teams that remain in the tournament to play out a great ICC Cricket World Cup, something that will help put the smile back on the face of our great sport.

“By doing that we will demonstrate that cricket cannot be put off by a cowardly criminal act.
“And if the players and officials of all the competing teams can do that then it would be a fitting tribute to Bob Woolmer and the contribution he has made to our sport as a fine player and an outstanding coach at all levels,” he added.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of ICC CWC 2007 Chris Dehring said: “We have reviewed security arrangements in conjunction with ICC and local agencies and consulted with all the teams and they have told us they are comfortable with those arrangements.

“On that basis, it is up to the Jamaica Constabulary Force to get on with its job while our focus now is on some great cricket to come.”
|x|


Cricket on the CBC -- Posted Wednesday, March 28 2007

The CBC has provided a 'forum' for the 2007 Cricket World Cup

Some 64 'Comments' have been posted and can be read at:-

http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourview/sports/2007/03/2007_cricket_world_cup.html|x|


Clifford Cox Medal -- Posted Wednesday, March 28 2007

The Clifford Cox Medal will be awarded annually to the ‘Best and Fairest’ player in the BCMCL Premier Division as voted by the Umpires throughout the regular season. It will be the most prestigious award and the highest individual honour that can be bestowed on a Premier Division player and will be named after Cliff Cox, in recognition of his contribution to the game in Vancouver.

At the conclusion of each Premier Division game, the Umpires officiating at each match will agree, and jointly award 6 votes per game. The best player during the game as adjudged by the Umpires will receive 3 votes, the second best 2 votes and the third best 1 vote. Players from both sides should be considered.

The award is similar to the ‘3 Stars’ in Hockey but also takes into account playing the game in the spirit of cricket i.e. behaviour towards umpires, team mates and the opposition etc. The votes should recognise, and reward, the players whose conduct and ability contributed:
i) To the game in the best spirit of cricket, and
ii) The best chance of winning the game for his team.
Any player who has been suspended by the Protest and Discipline Committee during the season will be ruled ineligible to win the award, although they will still be eligible to receive votes in matches they play after they have served their suspension.

The votes will be recorded by the Umpires on the stats sheet. The results will be entered into CricketStar and will remain confidential until the end of the season.
In the event where two or more players have an equal number of total votes at the completion of the last match, each player will receive a medal and be deemed the winner.


Information sourced from the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League at:-

http://www.bcmcl.org/index.jsp?page_id=cliff_cox|x|


Cricket at Rideau Hall -- Posted Tuesday, March 27 2007

The Ottawa Valley Cricket Council is now the smallest of the five Leagues in the Ontario Cricket Association and nobody will pretend that cricket now plays a significant part in the life of Canada's capital or that its expansion, such as it has been, has kept pace with the growth of the city itself. It has, however, continuously provided a great source of entertainment for many persons in beautiful surroundings and over a long period of time.

At Rideau Hall Ottawa possesses a ground which has a setting as fine as any in Canada , if not in the world, and the game has a long and honourable history which is intimately linked with successive Governors-General.


Full historical artical can be located at:-

http://www.ottawacricketclub.ca/history.php|x|


The dysfunctional giants of cricket -- Posted Tuesday, March 27 2007

For Indian fans, India's all-but elimination from the cricket World Cup so early in the competition is a crushing disappointment.

For the television channels that bought rights to beam the tournament to these fans, Friday's defeat is a financial disaster.

But for the tournament itself, nothing could have been more tonic than the purging of Pakistan and India, the dysfunctional giants of South Asian cricket.

Full report sourced from:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6491053.stm|x|


It's their own fault -- Posted Tuesday, March 27 2007

It's their own fault

By Dave Tickner

So, that's the end of the boring bit of this World Cup.
My earlier rants about the presence of so many minnows have been entirely vindicated by the thumping-great defeats suffered by Scotland, Holland and Bermuda, and yet simultaneously look as steady as an England player coming to terms with defeat thanks to the presence of two outsiders in the Super Eight.

Almost exactly a month ago, I sneered: "Bermuda, Ireland, Canada and Holland have a lot to do in the Caribbean to convince me they are there for anything other than an extra 20 games' revenue in the ICC coffers."

While three of those sides predictably did precisely nothing to merit their involvement (sorry Dutch fans, stuffing a hugely disappointing Scotland doesn't count I'm afraid), one of them has left me facing a healthy portion of steak-and-Guinness humble pie.

Full article can be read at:-

http://worldcup.cricket365.com/news/story_get.dor?STORY_NAME=cricket/07/03/25/manual_214346.html|x|


Pakistan cricket team dismisses any links to Woolmer murder -- Posted Tuesday, March 27 2007
Members of the Pakistan team should not be considered suspects in the murder of coach Bob Woolmer at the World Cup, the outgoing chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board said Monday.

"We want to get to the bottom of this more than anyone else," Nasim Ashraf said. "First of all, as our captain and everybody else indicated, it is unthinkable and unimaginable, that any member of our team or anybody has anything to do with this dastardly act."

LONDON (AP) March 27, 2007

Complete article can be located at:-

http://sports.sympatico.msn.ca/Pakistan+cricket+team+dismisses+any+links+to+Woolmer+murder/Home/ContentPosting.aspx?isfa=1&newsitemid=58980033&feedname=CP-AllSports-URGENCY&show=True&number=6&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc|x||x|


Ryerson University cricket initiative -- Posted Monday, March 26 2007

Respected professors and Ryerson admin/staff,
it is with great enthusiasm and hope that I present to all of you the idea of having a Faculty/Staff Cricket Match at Ryerson. I am sure a match such as this would be a first time occurrence in ANY Canadian university.

There are enough faculty/staff members interested in Cricket to have a match of this nature.

For some of you it will be a totally new experience (and I promise you, a good one) and for some it will be a walk down memory lane:) This will also be an opportunity for many of us to learn more about the sport.

You don't have to know the game or be in top shape - it does not take much to hit that ball with a flat bat! You just need comfortable clothing and sports shoes :)

Date: 2nd April 2007 (MONDAY)
Time: 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Venue: Upper Gym (2nd Floor Kerr-Hall West)
*Please mark your calendars now!

Kindly spread the word. If you know other faculty or staff members of Ryerson who might be interested, please let them know about this match.

The pitch will be set up and the wickets will be ready - we will have a great time enjoying a good game of Cricket.
Kindly RSVP so that I may be able to better prepare for the event. Yours sincerely,

Abhimanyu Sharma
President
Ryerson Student Cricket Association (RSCA)
|x|


A cricket mystery -- Posted Monday, March 26 2007


Woolmer's low point came in the year 2000, when it emerged that while he was coaching the South African team in the early 1990s, captain Hansie Cronje had been taking bribes to fix matches.

Although Mr. Woolmer stood up in support of Mr. Cronje, who, along with two other top players, was banned from cricket for life, he was never implicated in the scandal.

After Pakistan's devastating loss last Saturday to Ireland's team of part-timers, Mr. Woolmer's future as a coach looked uncertain. In the works, and almost finished, however, was a book he had written that was believed to closely examine the links between cricket and underworld match-fixing, particularly in Pakistan and India.

Full report can be accessed at:-

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/freeheadlines/LAC/20070324/CRICKETS24/international/International|x|


Cricket still corrupted -- Posted Monday, March 26 2007

England captain Michael Vaughan believes match-fixing is still going on at the highest levels of cricket.

Vaughan said he had no personal experience of it but added "my gut feeling is that there is still some kind of corruption in the game".

Full story can be read at:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6490801.stm|x|


Bangladesh takes final Super 8 spot -- Posted Monday, March 26 2007

After an early wobble Bangladesh became the eighth and final team to make it to the World Cup Super 8s in the West Indies.

It now joins Sri Lanka, Australia, seeking a third straight title, top-ranked South Africa, the West Indies, England, New Zealand and Ireland for the next stage that begins on Tuesday.

The full report can be read at:-

http://thestar.blogs.com/starsportsblog/cricket_world_cup/index.html|x|


Uganda and Canada big winners -- Posted Monday, March 26 2007

Uganda and Canada the big winners in ICC Development Program Annual Awards

Associate Members Canada and Uganda each picked up two of the ICC Development Program Annual awards, making them the big winners of this year’s competition.

Canada was awarded the Best Junior Cricket Initiative for the Ontario Junior Program and the Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award for the CIMA Canada – “Celebration of Cricket”.

Rebecca Alwaya won the Volunteer of the Year Award for her outstanding contribution to the game in Uganda while the Photo of the Year Award featured a wonderful shot of Ugandan cricket.

The Africa region collected its third award when Dr John Abebe from Nigeria won the Lifetime Service Award, having devoted more than 30 years of cricket work, as a player, official and administrator. He is known as the “father of cricket” in Nigeria.

The Asia Region also did well in the Global Awards, picking up two awards – the Singapore Cricket Association won the coveted Best Overall Cricket Development Program, with the Region Cricket Development Region V in Nepal winning the Women’s Cricket Initiative.

The Best Spirit of Cricket Initiative in Partnership with UNAIDS was won by Cricket Fiji for its “Run out AIDS day”.
This year’s awards produced a high standard of nominations, as well as increase in the number of submissions – from 30 in 2002 to more than 140 this year.
One of the judging panel for the Awards was ICC President Percy Sonn and he was full of praise for all the winners, as well as the nominees.

“This whole process has once again shown the outstanding work being done in the development of cricket around the world," said Mr Sonn.

“It was immensely difficult to select the winners but those lucky enough to have been chosen reflect the contributions they have made to our wonderful worldwide sport.

“Everyone involved, winners and those not chosen, deserve immense credit for their efforts,” he added.

The Global winners:

Best Overall Cricket Development Program - Singapore Cricket Association
Best Women's Cricket Initiative - Regional Cricket Development Region V (Nepal)
Best Junior Cricket Initiative - Ontario Junior Program (Canada)
Best Cricket Promotional and Marketing Award - CIMA Canada – “Celebration of Cricket”
Best Spirit of Cricket Award in Partnership with UNAIDS - Run out AIDS day (Fiji)
Photo of the Year Award - Uganda Cricket Association
Volunteer of the Year - Rebecca A Alwayo (Uganda)
Lifetime Service Award - Dr John Abebe (Nigeria)
Prizes – all global winners receive $2000 of Kookaburra equipment except Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Service Awards who both receive $1000 of Kookaburra equipment for their national association.

Further details can be found on the website www.icc-cricket.com/development.

ICC MEDIA RELEASE Kingston, Jamaica, 25 March 2007|x|


Woolmer never in Control -- Posted Sunday, March 25 2007

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shahryar Khan has revealed there was friction between Bob Woolmer and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, "the unquestioned leader" of the team.

Inzamam was questioned on Saturday for a second time by police in Jamaica investigating the murder of coach Woolmer as a way of completing formalities. There is no suggestion of anything untoward and he was free to leave the country with the rest of the team last night.

Full story can be read at:-

http://www.sportinglife.com/cricket/worldcup/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=cricket/07/03/25/WORLDCUP_Woolmer_Shahryar.html|x|


International cricket is now all about money -- Posted Sunday, March 25 2007

For Indian fans, India's all-but elimination from the cricket World Cup so early in the competition is a crushing disappointment.

For the television channels that bought rights to beam the tournament to these fans, Friday's defeat is a financial disaster.

But for the tournament itself, nothing could have been more tonic than the purging of Pakistan and India, the dysfunctional giants of South Asian cricket.


For full article go to:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6491053.stm|x|


Canada's cricketers return home today -- Posted Saturday, March 24 2007
The Canadian cricket team, which has gained praise and interest from some of the global cricketing media for the efforts against England and New Zealand, returns to Canada later today (Saturday).

Those not close to the team, or who did not see the efforts over the winter, should be appreciative of the efforts against Kenya, losing semi-finalists in CWC 2003.

It's a long way from losing to the Cayman Islands last August to competing for a good while with the bat against New Zealand and England.

The team is due to be on flight AC969 to Toronto's Lester Pearson airport. The flight is due to arrive around 8.30pm-8.45 pm.

It would be nice if the team could have some people out to greet them tonight. Some of the squad, the four involved in the ICC Winter Training Camp, have devoted late October through to the present day to training and playing for the Canadian cause.

The players have great pride in playing for their country and are the most diverse squad in this tournament. Would that all the nations of the world could blend in the manner of this team and the small support staff who travel with them.

Now Canadian cricket must move on to beating Ireland in the 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup Final in May and make the progressive improvements necessary to ensure qualification for CWC 2011 via the qualifying tournament in 2009.

John Davison said after the game with New Zealand he wants to help the side reach the next CWC. He has to confirm his availability with his wife, having had their first child recently.

Eddie Norfolk
Beausejour Cricket Ground,
St Lucia|x||x|


Pick impressed by Canada's commitment -- Posted Saturday, March 24 2007
Andy Pick, the Canada coach, said he was in awe of the commitment shown by his mainly amateur side after they bowed out of the World Cup with a 114-run defeat to New Zealand.

Although they lost all three of their matches, Canada scored over 200 in all and improved their record World Cup total, saving their best for last with 249 against New Zealand, beating their previous highest of 228 for 7 against England on Sunday.

Report can be read at:-

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/story/286881.html|x|


Message from Canada's cricket bat maker -- Posted Saturday, March 24 2007

I have finally secured a laptop from my daughter Madeline and am only now able to drop you a line.

I had been perusing the forum all morning and I must admit I find it interesting to read them after all is said and done.

I would have responded to many of the more unfavourable ones but I lack my own computer and pass word so I won't bother.

My sixteen year old daughter and I have followed the Canadian national squad from Trinidad to St. Lucia and I would like to say the "lads" have played more than just respectable cricket.

While I wasn't privy to television commentators ridicule, I was in the stands with the those whose viewpoint I respect, namely my own eyes and those of the West Indian cricket fans.

Anyone who has attended a match in the West Indies knows that fans here howl with laughter at the mistakes as well as the antics of those on the field. They also feel the sorrow for those that fail, but they never forget a gallant effort. One lost match doesn't concern them. It is a game after all.

I heard many favourable viewpoints and criticsm regarding the Canadian squad and I can tell you that I never experienced embarrassment. The Canadians gave a very good accounting of themselves in Can/Pak/Eng/NZ.

The spectators cheered 'the Lads' with a fervor never witnessed by the average armchair critics that I mentioned earlier. The West Indian cricket fan respects anyone who loves the game so much that they would give up their work and families to come and display their skill.

I have to say that I have been thrilled by that display of skill by "my" squad and I hope to be able to tell them some time. I hope they enjoyed themselves because they deserve it.

Cricket isn't about winning or losing, that has to happen. To me it's more about the fans, Davo on fire opening yesterday, Codgy fielding like a man half his age against England, the fifties and the near misses.

The phrase, "You should have been there" will fall short on the ears of some of your readers. Best regards, and Well done Canada.

Proudly, Mark Warburton on location under a palm tree, St. Lucia |x|


Twenty20 tournament matches in Canada -- Posted Friday, March 23 2007
The draw has been made for the first Twenty20 World Cup, and Scotland and Kenya handed tough first round groups.
The tournament will feature four first round groups of three teams each. Kenya will be in Group C with New Zealand and Sri Lanka, whilst Scotland will be in Group D with India and Pakistan. The two non-associate groups will see England, Australia and Zimbabwe in Group A and Bangladesh, West Indies and hosts South Africa in group C.


The top two teams from each group will go into a Super 8 stage (yes, the ICC still don’t like quarter finals). The tournament will start on the 11th of September with the final on the 24th of September. The format does mean that if Scotland or Kenya can pull of an upset, they’ll almost certainly get a spot in the Super 8.

Other associates and affiliates are also playing Twenty20 cricket this year.

Scotland will warm up for the World Championship with the European Championship against Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands in July in Belfast.

At a date and venue to be confirmed, Nepal, UAE, Malaysia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Singapore, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Qatar and Oman will contest the ACC Twenty20 Cup.

Canada will host a four team event at the end of August at the Toronto CSCC with the hosts facing tough opposition in the form of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

Information sourced from http://btb.caughtbehind.com/|x||x|


A field day for conspiracy buffs -- Posted Friday, March 23 2007

Cricket, crime and conspiracy: One coach's highly suspicious death, now deemed a murder by Jamaican police, has given life to a host of sordid theories and simmering scandals.

This a mystery dripping in blood, passion, money and underworld intrigue. All that's missing is sex, grassy knolls and CSI: West Indies. But you never know. There is more, much, much more, to come.

Mar 23, 2007 04:30 AM Garth Woolsey

Full article can be viewed at:-

http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/195268|x|


Call off World Cup, says Donald -- Posted Friday, March 23 2007

Former South Africa star Allan Donald says the World Cup should be called off in the wake of the news that Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was murdered.

The International Cricket Council insists the tournament will continue but Donald, who played under Woolmer for the Proteas, disagrees.

"I just don't know how this World Cup can continue under the shadow of what's happened," Donald BBC Radio Five Live.

"World Cup 2007 will be forever remembered for this."

Full article can be viewed at:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6483455.stm|x|


Today at the World Cup -- Posted Friday, March 23 2007

India v Sri Lanka (Group B, Trinidad)

India face the task of having to beat a rampant Sri Lanka in their final World Cup Group B game if they are to avoid the ignominy of a first round exit. The 1983 champions need to overcome a team possessing all-round skills comparable to champions Australia or face the fate of traditional rivals Pakistan, who were knocked out after their shock defeat to debutants Ireland. Sri Lanka are poised to qualify for the Super Eights following a pair of easy victories, but India's surprise loss to Bangladesh in their opening fixture could help their unfancied neighbours to progress with a win against lowly Bermuda. With so much at stake, today's showdown will be considered the biggest of the tournament so far, overshadowing tomorrow's group game between Australia and South Africa after both teams ensured qualification with two easy wins apiece.

West Indies v Ireland (Group D, Jamaica)

The World Cup hosts face the surprise package in the final game of Group D today, with still plenty to play for even though both teams have qualified for the Super Eights. The winners of the game will take two points with them into the next stage, with points gained against eliminated sides Pakistan and Zimbabwe not carried forward. Ireland are the only non-Test playing nation to have made it through the group stage so far but are hoping they can produce another upset. "I couldn't have asked more of the 14 guys and staff. It has been such a professional application. The dedication everyone has put in for the last three months has been phenomenal and I can't thank them enough," said Ireland's Australian-born captain Trent Johnston. "We've a huge day on Friday, a massive game when I hope we can be competitive and bring forward the points."

Report sourced from:-

http://sport.independent.co.uk/cricket/article2383821.ece|x|


Woolmer's death, -- Posted Friday, March 23 2007

Woolmer's death, whatever the cause, tells us that cricket needs a reality check
It's only a game
Sambit Bal
March 22, 2007

This piece was written before it was established that Bob Woolmer was murdered. We don't yet know for sure why or how Bob Woolmer died. We shouldn't rush to judgment; it is still possible that it was an accident. It is equally possible he was murdered. And, while conspiracy theorists are working overtime on the motives, it is also quite possible that we will never know the full truth.
And in the event of this not being an accident, it is quite likely that Woolmer was a victim of cricket's seamier side. Either it was the stress, induced by the most obscene and blind expectations of cricket fans who brook no failure, or he was killed by people who felt let down or had something to fear.

Read the full article at:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/286676.html|x|


ICC and CWC joint statement re Bob Woolmer -- Posted Friday, March 23 2007

ICC and CWC joint statement on situation surrounding ongoing investigation into the death of Bob Woolmer
ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed today commented on the situation surrounding the ongoing investigation into the death of Bob Woolmer.

“When we first learnt of Bob’s death a wave of sadness washed over the whole of the cricket community,” said Mr Speed.
“That sadness has now been replaced with a profound sense of shock at the news that his death is being treated as murder and everyone connected with this event will assist the police in any way possible to ensure the truth emerges.
“However, as the matter is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, we will not comment on it, nor will we comment on the rumour and speculation it has given rise to over the past few days.
“This is not the first time that tragedy has visited a sporting event but what we must all do now is to show how resolute the game is by proving ourselves strong enough to move on from what has happened.
“The best way to do that is for the teams that remain in the tournament to play out a great ICC Cricket World Cup, something that will help put the smile back on the face of our great sport.
“By doing that we will demonstrate that cricket cannot be put off by a cowardly criminal act.
“And if the players and officials of all the competing teams can do that then it would be a fitting tribute to Bob Woolmer and the contribution he has made to our sport as a fine player and an outstanding coach at all levels,” he added.
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of ICC CWC 2007 Chris Dehring said: “We have reviewed security arrangements in conjunction with ICC and local agencies and consulted with all the teams and they have told us they are comfortable with those arrangements.
“On that basis, it is up to the Jamaica Constabulary Force to get on with its job while our focus now is on some great cricket to come.”

ICC & CWC MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kingston, Jamaica, 22 March 2007
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Canada v New Zealand -- Posted Thursday, March 22 2007

There was rain last night and a couple of showers this morning but play is expected to begin on time. Both teams have been warming up on the outfield. Part of the outfield - including the bowlers run ups is still covered.
Outfield should dry out as the day goes on. Less windy now than an hour ago.

Certainly not much of a crowd with 40 mins to scheduled start. Think I said hello to them all, plus the Vibes volunteers and the police on my earlier trek round the ground.

Canada has won the toss and will bowl. This was probably a good day to win the toss. Canada are hoping for improved perfomances in the first ten and last ten overs.

Slow-left arm bowler is in for Canada (must be Kevin Sandher). Will confirm changes later.

Canada has won the toss and will field against New Zealand. There were some showers last night and this morning.

Canada hopes for better showing in the first ten and last ten overs (Andy Pick, yesterday). Hope to put up a solid performance to end this CWC 2007 campaign on a positive note.

No Shane Bond or Ross Taylor for New Zealand. Henry Osinde returns for Canada, Kevin Sandher (SLA) comes in. George Codrington and Desmond Chumney are not in today's Canadian side.

Eddie Norfolk|x|


Canada looks for a good showing against the Blackcaps -- Posted Thursday, March 22 2007

Canada hopes to put up a good display in their final Cricket World Cup group match against New Zealand on Thursday. The squad had a Wednesday morning session at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, St Lucia. They looked much more relaxed and lively than last Saturday. The players are clearly benefiting from the improved performance against England after the mega-disappoinment against Kenya in the opening game.

Coach Andy Pick was upbeat when he spoke to some of the media after the practice. He was hoping “we will get another score of 200 or so' against the strong New Zealand opposition. It should be remembered that the Blackcaps are the highest seeded team in the St Lucia group. “We will be looking to improve in the first ten and last ten overs.” And if the side continued the general upward trend, he hoped his players might be able capitalize “if we got to into a wining position.”

Winning the toss and bowling well to get early wickets, in favourable conditions would be a possible path to surprise victory. Or all the top batsmen coming up trumps might set the stage. But losing the toss and being put in to bat in early morning conditions that favoured the bowlers for the opening overs would be a major test of character.

He confirmed he would be returning to the England and Wales Cricket Board to return as coach of the England Under 19s and as a fast bowling coach. He was “a little bit sad” to be leaving the Canadian side. Financing for a third year on a new contract was an issue - largely dependent upon Canada retaining ICC High Performance funding, as things stand - and "time was running out."

Those close to the national squad have seen tremedous progress over this northern hemisphere winter. Most of the batsmen have posted personal bests for ODIs, there have been three century partnerships - the first in Canadian ODI history-, several of the bowlers have also improved personal bests and the fielding has begun to make strides.

Pick will coach Canada in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006 Final against Ireland in late May. This game is now set to be played in England at the County Ground, Chelmsford, Essex.

For now, the focus is on New Zealand. It is expected that the BlackCaps will rest Shane Bond and Ross Taylor will miss the game due to a hamstring injury, suffered during his innigs against Kenya. But the Kiwi pace attack will still have three pretty strong and tall bowlers who can dig the ball in.

This promises to be a challenge for Canada. Captain John Davison posted the third fastest 50 in CWC history against New Zealand in South Africa in 2003. Perhaps he might go out with a bang, possibly in tandem with the likes of Ashish Bagai. The pair of them posted a century stand against Ireland in the World Cricket League, earlier this year. Today, Bagai was hoping to get back in the runs after a couple of low scores in the two opening games. Kiwi-residents Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff, both with first-class experience in New Zealand, might seek a repeat of their 170 run stand against Bangladesh in Antigua some three weeks ago.

It would be a great boost for Canadian cricket, and for ICC Associate cricket, to perform well in a good game of cricket against New Zealand, win, lose or tie. It would earn significant respect for these players and the small support group who have worked so hard over the winter, sacrificing time and money to represent their country. And, unlike the ICC Test Playing sides and Kenya, the Canadians had to take time off in 2005 and qualify for CWC 2007 in Ireland.

But it takes time to adjust to playing against higher quality, or more renowned, opposition.

It was a reasonable showing against England, who had beaten Australia in the Commonwealth Bank series not too long ago. The claims were Australia had a partly depleted team. New Zealand then beat the Aussies in an ODI series that included their first ODI 10-wicket win against their local rivals.

Perhaps that puts things into perspective as we look forward to this battle of David and Golaiath.

I will be hoping for what the global cricket audience would view as a miracle. I know I might have to sit back and admire the depth and skill of this Blackcap squad.



Eddie Norfolk
Castries,
St. Lucia

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Davison calls for professionalism -- Posted Thursday, March 22 2007

'We need the infrastructure'
Davison calls for more professionalism in Canada
Cricinfo staff
March 20, 2007

John Davison, Canada's captain, has called for higher standards in the country's domestic game if the side are to be truly competitive.

"Canada's domestic league needs to be semi-professional at least, if not professional if you have to compete at this level," Davison said in the aftermath of the country's elimination from the World Cup. "We need the infrastructure in place as there are definitely talented players in the country.

"There are a few talented youngsters around," he continued. "But the most important thing is we get some sort of infrastructure in place. The Canadian Cricket Association doesn't have anyone who is employed by the association. It's basically on a voluntary basis and if we want to compete at this level we will have to be semi-professional at least, if not professional.

"There are definitely talented players in the country and we need them to be brought through a system."

The call for increasing professionalism is likely to fall on deaf ears, however. Canada, like most of the Associates, relies heavy on the ICC for funding and there is not sufficient cash to enable anything more than a hand-to-mouth existence.

Report sourced from:-

http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/286350.html|x|


Pick to quit after the World Cup -- Posted Thursday, March 22 2007
The Associated Press is reporting that Andy Pick will not return as Canada's coach at the expiry of his contract in April. The CCA is only able to offer him a two-year contract, and Pick was looking for a three year deal. He will return to the UK, where he will coach in the England youth set-up. Canada play in the Intercontinental Cup final in England in May, so the CCA will be anxious to fill the vacant position. |x|


Quandry for victorious Irish -- Posted Thursday, March 22 2007

Cricket diary: A delicious quandry for victorious Irish
Ireland's remarkable success in the World Cup has given the Irish Cricket Union an unexpected problem. Nearly all of its players are amateurs who have taken time off from work to play and only expected to need the fortnight of the pool stage.

Qualifying for the Super Eight would mean asking for one more month. The ICU compensates employers for their absent workers, and the thought came irresistibly to mind of when Irish public broadcasting was nearly capsized by a national success in the Eurovision Contest, as a hat trick of victories meant that the state broadcaster, RTE, was forced to take on the considerable staging costs of the contest three years running.

Early indications, though, were good, with the ICU secretary, John Wright, reporting that contact had been made with two-thirds of employers and no problems had arisen.

Full story can be read at:-

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/21/sports/cricket.php|x|


Practice and media conference arrangements -- Posted Thursday, March 22 2007

ICC Cricket World Cup - practice and media conference arrangements for Thursday 22 March

The following are the arrangements for all teams on 22 March:

In Group A, Scotland plays the Netherlands at Warner Park, St Kitts with the first ball being bowled at 0930.

Afterwards, there will be media conferences involving both captains and the man of the match.

Also in Group A, Australia will train from 0830 until 1200 at Cayon. Captain Ricky Ponting will leave training and go to Warner Park for a media conference at approximately 1100.

South Africa will train at Conaree, St Kitts from 0900 until 1200. Before training starts a player or coach will hold a media conference at the ground.

In Group B, India will practice at Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad at 12:00 noon ahead of its crucial game against Sri Lanka on Friday. At 1300, a player will hold a media conference at the ground. Sri Lanka is scheduled to practice from 0900 until 1200 at the same venue and a player is expected to hold a media conference after that.
Also in Group B, Bermuda will hold a training session at the University of West Indies, Trinidad from 0900 until 1200. Afterwards, a player will hold a media conference. Bangladesh will have a light training session at St Mary’s College, Port of Spain, Trinidad at 1400. At 1530 there will be a media conference involving one of the players.
In Group C, New Zealand and Canada go head to head at Beausejeur, St Lucia with play starting at 0930.

Afterwards, there will be media conferences involving both captains and the man of the match.

Also in Group C, Kenya will hold a training session at Gros Islet, St Lucia from 1400 until 1700. Afterwards a player will hold a media conference. England will train from 0915 at Gros Islet, St Lucia but before that Paul Collingwood will hold a media conference at 0815 at the team hotel.

In Group D, the West Indies will hold a practice session at Kensington Cricket Ground, Jamaica at 1200. Team captain Brian Lara will hold a media conference at 1300. Ireland, which plays the West Indies on Friday, will hold a practice session at Sabina Park from 1530. A player will hold a media conference at the ground before training.
Also in Group D, Zimbabwe and Pakistan have no more matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and therefore will not be holding any more training sessions.

Details of all media contacts for the 16 teams taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup can be found in the ICC’s
Media Notes publication, which can be downloaded at: www.icc-cricket.com.

Information sourced from ICC Press Release|x|


Scots' prayer for rain unanswered -- Posted Wednesday, March 21 2007

Rain usually helps minnow countries against Test-playing nations. For a time there today it appeared rain would play in hand in the proceedings with the complicated Duckworth-Lewis method used to declare a winner. Or worst still, the teams return to the field tomorrow to complete the games.

But the rains held off long enough to make sure the matches will be completed today.

"http://thestar.blogs.com/starsportsblog/cricket_world_cup/index.html|x|">http://thestar.blogs.com/starsportsblog/cricket_world_cup/index.html|x||x|


Canada eliminated from World Cup contention -- Posted Wednesday, March 21 2007

Last Updated: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 | 5:53 AM ET
The Associated Press

New Zealand defeated Kenya by 148 runs Tuesday at the Cricket World Cup, officially eliminating Canada from contention after the first round.

The win left the 2-0 Black Caps with four points in Group C, ahead of England and Kenya, both 1-1 at two. Canada, at 0-2, has no points.

Canada concludes group play Thursday against New Zealand and can do no better than two points. England and Kenya meet Saturday, with the winner joining New Zealand in the next stage.

Full article can be viewed at:-
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2007/03/21/new-zealand-kenya-world-cup-cricket.html#skip300x250|x|


Windies tour to Canada and USA in 1888 -- Posted Wednesday, March 21 2007

US Cricket's Finest Hour

In possibly its finest hour on the international cricket stage, the United States of America defeated a full official West Indies side on its home ground, in a single day by nine wickets in a two-innings international match.
The place: Bourda, Guyana. The date: January 5, 1888.
The US tour was intended as a response to the highly successful tour of Canada and the US by the West Indies in 1886. In their first international tour to North America, the West Indies had recorded 12 wins (two of them by an innings and 100-plus runs) against only 2 losses. The US decided to return the favor.

The US team was one of the most representative sides to have played overseas, before or since 1888. Captained by C. L. Bixby of Longwood CC (Boston), the team contained players born in, and hailing from, Philadelphia, Boston, New York and the South.

The West Indies team was one of the best that could have been assembled in the Caribbean at the time. It was captained by E. F. Wright of Guyana, who had played under W. G. Grace against the Australians and had also scored the first century - 123 - in Caribbean inter-island cricket for Guyana against Trinidad in 1882. There were three others from Guyana, three from Trinidad, three from Barbados, one each from Grenada and St. Vincent; several had first-class English (i.e. County) credentials. The most significant omission was John Lees of Jamaica, the former Cambridge and Sussex player who had the highest batting average on the 1886 West Indies tour of Canada and the US. The Jamaicans had decided Bourda was too far to travel to.

The US team had played five matches in the West Indies before January 5. They had won against Barbados, lost to Trinidad, and drawn with St. Kitts and Grenada. Their fifth match against Guyana, on the very same grounds where they were to play the full West Indies side, had been an unmitigated disaster. The US had lost by an innings and 25 runs. And W. A. Harrison, who had taken 7 wickets for 2 runs in 11 overs for Guyana in the US first innings, was now in the full West Indies side.

The US need not have worried. They had their own secret weapons.

In 18 incredible overs, 13 of which were maidens, S. M. Wain and C. Coates of the US dismissed the West Indies for 19 runs, their lowest score ever in international cricket (for the record, the second-lowest score for the West Indies in international cricket is 26 all out against Ireland by the Clive Lloyd-led team in the 1970s, during an otherwise successful tour of England). Not a single West Indies batsman scored over 4 runs. In less than an hour, the West Indies first innings was over. (Wain was to die in the cross-fire of a blazing Wyoming gunfight in 1889, but that's another story.)

When the US team came in to bat, they had to face Harrison again. But Charles Palmer of Young America CC and wicketkeeper W. C. Morgan (Germantown CC) held up the middle of the innings, and Morgan in fact was not out at the end. The US had scored 64, surviving Harrison's 5 for 19 in 28 overs.

The West Indies had scored 100-plus runs in almost every innings on tour in 1886, and here they were on home ground. Indeed, Robinson (Trinidad) and Skeete (Barbados), the West Indies openers, looked all set for a big score. Then Charles Palmer, the sheet anchor of the US first innings, struck with a dazzling bowling performance; 12.3 overs , 9 maidens, 7 wickets for 10 runs. The West Indies folded and collapsed for 55.

The US needed only 11 to win. They did it in 5 overs, for 1 wicket.

The US had achieved its nine-wicket victory in a single day.

There are no records of other tours from the West Indies to North America after 1886; certainly, no official US side has played the full West Indies national team since that time. The very idea would sound amusing to modern cricketers. Yet it did happen - over 100 years ago. Perhaps - who knows? - it could happen again.

This article was originally published in 1994 in Cricketer International's NorthAmerican Edition
Contributed by Deb K. Das

Editors note:

A book about the tour to Canada and the USA has recently been published in Barbados. A copy was sent to www.canadacricket.com for review, by the Canadian Consulate in the West Indies. Given that there were references to articles published on www.canadacricket.com, the review is being undertaken by Professor Antony Littlewood of the University of Western Ontario. Professor Littlewood, whose specialty is classical Latin and Greek has written extensively about cricket. I am invited to visit in September to explore his cricket library. (JH).
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New Zealand over powers Kenya -- Posted Wednesday, March 21 2007

Cricket: New Zealand overwpowers Kenya in St Lucia

Scoring summary: New Zealand 331 runs for 7 wickets (50 overs); Ross Taylor 85 runs, McMillan 71 runs, Scott Styris 63 runs, Stephen Fleming 60 runs)

Kenya 183 runs all out (49.2 overs; Ravi Shah 71 runs)

Kenya won the toss and elected to field.

New Zealand won by 148 runs. New Zealand with 2 group match wins advances to the Super 8s.

Summary: New Zealand showed their batting power down the order in beating Kenya by 148 runs at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on Tuesday (March 20). They were put in to bat by Kenya, but after losing opener Lou Vincent for his second duck of this Cricket World Cup 2007, their captain, Stephen Fleming, and Man-of-the-Match, Ross Taylor, posted a century stand that set a solid base for the rest of the innings.

Fleming was run out for 60 runs (61 balls, 7x4, 3x6) having struck some solid blows. He was 'really pleased with my own performance. But it wasn't a good single" (the decision for a quick run where he was out). Taylor kept the scoring flowing, together with Scott Styris. Taylor was relived to make runs after an early dismissal against England. He eventually fell for 83 runs to a return catch to Steve Tikolo, the Kenyan captain. His runs had come from 107 balls with 8 boundaries and a six.

Styris and McMillan kept up the onslaught, taking the score past 200 and adding 82 runs for the 4th wicket. Styris was then caught by Tanmay Mishra, who had earlier missed a catch, for 63 runs. These had come off 62 balls (3x4, 3x6). Jacob Oram was soon bowled by Thomas Odoyo but the boundaries kept coming and the BlackCaps made 51 runs off the closing 32 balls.

McMillan fell in the last over for 71 runs. He hit 5 sixes and 3 fours in his 48-ball assault,

Kenya is generally regarded as the best fielding side of the leading ICC Associate countries, but, as Tikolo said afterwards, "our fielding wasn't up to the mark. Our running between the wickets was not up to standard."

"We missed a number of chances and dropped catches. It could have been a different story (if we had taken them)."

It was likely to be a tough ride for Kenya against a side that recently won a series over Australia. Kenya started poorly, losing three wickets for 26 runs deep into the 11th over.

The prospect of Kenya winning was close to non-existant but the umpires must be heavily criticized for keeping the players on the field during a shower that became heavy. Moisture on the pitch helps the bowlers to extract movement. Tikolo was diplomatic afterwards but patently not impressed. His opposite number, Fleming admitted he would not have wanted his side to be batting during the first shower.

Kenya was probably lucky not to lose a wicket during this phase. Eventually common sense prevailed and, in typical fashion, the rain soon ended and play was able to resume after a brief break.

The mission for New Zealand became to ensure they bowled 20 overs so the match would have, at minimum, a result under the Duckworth/Lewis system

The experienced Ravi Shah helped lead the total towards respectability before being sixth man out with 122 runs on the board. His 71 runs included 8x4 and 2x6 in 89 balls. Collins Obuya made 21 runs without a boundary while Thomas Odoyo tallied 47 runs off 67 balls.

Shane Bond took 1 wicket for 19 runs in 8 overs, fellow-opening bowler Mason took 2 wickets for 29 runs in 9 overs and Franklin bagged 2 wickets for 20 runs. McMillan and Vettori were more expensive but played a key part in getting overs bowled to ensure there would be a result on the day.

"There were a lot of positives," concluded Fleming, "but we must not get carried away with the positives." He admitted he would have bowled first if New Zealand won the toss and expected his bowlers would have been able to exploit the conditions. "Our team play was about spot on."

"It was important we didn't lose 2 to 3 early wickets and put pressure on ourselves."

"There will be changes (in the team) against Canada. I doubt if Shane (Bond) will play. It's a great opportunity we've afforded ourselves (to give other players an opportunity to play in the last group match)."

There was a separate report that Taylor will miss the Canada match, on Thursday, due to a strain picked up during his innings. Kenya would need a win over England on Saturday to reach the Super 8's.

Eddie Norfolk
Beausejour Cricket Ground,
St Lucia
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England's experience sees them home against Canada -- Posted Tuesday, March 20 2007

Cricket World Cup 2007: Group C Beausejour Cricket Stadium, March 18, 2007

England 279 runs for 6 wickets (50 overs; Ed Joyce 66 runs, Paul Collingwood 62 runs not out, Michael Vaughan 45 runs, Sunil Dhaniram 3 wickets for 41 runs).

Canada 228 runs for 6 wickets (50 overs: Ashif Mulla 58 runs).

Canada won the toss and elected to field.

England won by 51 runs

Synopsis

England beat Canada at Beausejour cricket stadium on Sunday by 51 runs. Canada gave a much better performance against England in the Cricket World Cup 2007 than in the opening match with Kenya. It left the coach and players feeling better, but thinking of specific overs or situations where an improvement could have brought a win, or a much closer defeat.

Canadian coach Andy Pick said "It was another improvement for us. A couple of support players starred in the bottom order. Overall it was a reasonable day." He had heard Michael Vaughan speaking post-game to the live TV audience. "Vaughan had spoken of areas where England felt they could improve. So we are not alone in going away from a game, looking for improvements." And Canada's match analysis has been going the same way over the winter. Looking for problem areas or other improvements and working hard on them.

Pick thought ideally there would be 2 or 3 go-to players to bowl the closing overs. This might vary depending on conditions or how someone has performed on the day. The other consideration is the specific resources available. On the batting side, Pick said "You are looking for 2-3 players who can hit the ball where they are looking for 70% of the time."

England captain Vaughan said "We didn't get (a batsman) going on to 100, we didn't bowl Canada out," and would also be looking for new ball bowling and fielding improvements.'

England left out Freddie Flintoff for disciplinary reasons following reports of drinking at a local night club and a subsequent boating accident. Ravi Bopara replaced him and made an impact with useful runs and some wickets. Given the distraction of the night club drinking situation, he made it clear England's focus for the day had been to “win the game.”

Vaughan concluded "As a manamagent team we have to be focused on our game with Kenya next Saturday. We've got to get into the Super 8's. "International cricket has a funny way of treating you if you don't do the right things."

An opening experience

With hindsight, there were some similarities between this CWC start and the World Cricket League. There, Canada had a poor opening match against the Netherlands that ultimately resulted in a need to beat Kenya's 250 run total in the final group match at a high scoring rate in order to have a chance of gaining a spot in the World Twenty/20 championships later this year.

But the CWC certainly brings a major change for several of Canada's players. The security arrangements are highly visible, there is monumentally more media interest - globally and, promisingly, from Canada, and there are much bigger crowds.

The live TV audience saw Canada perform quite well against England, competing for about 40 overs in each innings. Greater experience, or some more runs from the top order on this occasion, could have closed the gap on the much more experienced opposition. The historic monkey on the back having been all out for 45 against England in the 1979 CWC has been removed with Canada's highest score in a World Cup match. This beat the 208 run total against the West Indies in 2003 when John Davison scored his record-breaking 111 runs.

That day, Davison and Ishwar Maraj added 96 runs for the first wicket. Abdool Samad and Ashif Mulla put on 96 against England for the 5th wicket. It certainly gives hope for the future of Canadian international cricket.

Match report

England made a bright start as initially Ed Joyce and then captain Michael Vaughan played a range of shots against the Canadian opening attack. The early bowling included a number of wides and some no-balls, mostly by Andy Cummins. He did beat the bat a couple of times, but England moved past the 100 mark without loss. There were a few costly overs, and some balls that beat the bat in the early going, and a phase where Canada began to cut down the run rate. Ed Joyce did well against the faster bowling, but England captain Michael Vaughan became the senior partner as Canada switched to spin through Davison.

Abdool Samad made the breakthrough having Vaughan caught at point by John Davison. Vaughan had driven powerfully for no run on the previous ball, stopped in the covers by Ian Billcliff. The England skipper had looked better at keeping the score moving against the Canadian slower bowlers than Joyce. Vaughan's 45 runs included 7x4 in 64 balls.

Ian Bell joined Joyce and the pair took the score to 153 runs. Then Bell scooped a ball from Sunil Dhaniram and was caught by George Codrington. Kevin Pieterson drove for four to open his account, but he lost soon Joyce, bowled by Dhaniram trying a reverse sweep (160 runs for 3 wickets). Joyce had made 66 runs off 103 balls (4x4, 1x6). His six came when advancing down the track to drive Codrington straight in the 19th over. He drove low to Desmond Chumney in the covers off Samad in the previous over but a possible chance was not taken.

Pietersen then steered the ball back to Dhaniram and was caught & bowled for 5 runs to end the 36th over.

Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara then settled the innings and began to break out as the innings moved into the later stages. Bopara made a promising 29 off 30 balls (4x4). He replaced the suspended Freddie Flintoff, now identified as one ot the England players out at a night club after the loss to New Zealand on Friday.

Jamie Dalrymple soon fell to a diving catch by wicketkeeper Ashish Bagai when Andy Cummins returned to bowl the late overs from the broadcast end of the ground. He made just 2 runs. Paul Nixon provided a major boost with 23 runs off just 8 balls (4x4, 1x6), using the reverse sweep to great effect. Collingwood made a fine 62 runs not out off 48 balls (4x4, 1x6).
England's Barmy Army showed unrest, including slow-handclaps, as Joyce and Bell batted through the middle stages. They were much happier with the closing efforts of Collingwood, Bopara and Nixon.

Canada's Sunil Dhaniram ended with 3 wickets for 41 runs off ten overs from his slow-left arm bowling. Off-spinner Davison conceded 32 runs off his ten overs and was the most economic of the Canadian bowlers.

Geoff Barnett was first out for Canada, leaving a ball from Liam Plunkett that clipped the top of the off-stump. He made 7 runs. Ashish Bagai went next with the total on 22 runs. He steered a high ball to wide third man and was caught. He made six. This was a blow due to his prolific winter form, but was the second recent time he has been out in this way. The other was to a finer third man against Bangladesh in Antigua. He stored 6 runs, including a nice cover boundary.

Skipper John Davison had returned to an opening batsman role in this match. He made 21 runs, with some nice shots, but he drove straight to the cover boundary sweeper off James Anderson to leave the side 3 wickets down for 51 runs.

Ian Billcliff hit a fine dirve to 6 to long-on off Monty Panesar but soon afterwards he becane Ravi Bopara's first world cup victim. Billcliff was bowled by Bopara for 20. That made it 64 runs for 4 wickets at the end of 17 overs.

Samad was then joined by Mulla. The scoring was steadied and the scoring rate began to climb, not enough to smell victory, but the potential was growing. Mulla posted his first ODI score of over 50 runs, passing that mark without a six. He then showed his hitting power with a bix six over midwicket. Sadly, from a Canadian perspective, he went to drive a ball from Bopara and was out stumped by a fast piece of work from Nixon. This verdict came after a vidoe review by the 3rd umpire.

Their stand helped Canada towards its best ever CWC total score. Mulla had made 58 runs (60 balls, 7x4and 1x6). Samad soon followed, lbw to Panesar. He scored 36 runs (67 balls, 1x4, 1x6).

Their stand of 96 for the 5th wicket was a new Canadian ODI record, beating the 95 of Desmond Chumney and Don Maxwell against the Netherlands att Potchefstroom in November 2006. It was also a ground record for Beausejour in an ODI.

Sunil Dhaniram made a bright 30 runs in the later going (33 balls, 3x4), and Desmond Chumney, after scoring 6 runs in 21 balls, hit a straight 6 in a burst of 9 runs in 3 balls. He ended on 27 runs not out. It was another step up the progress ladder. Canada will hope for a good showing against the higher-rated New Zealand side on Thursday.

So Canada won't be winning CWC 2007 - I certainly wasn't one who forecast that, nor was coach Pick - but the side played better than against Kenya. Paul Collingwood named MOM for his fine effort steering England to their 279 run total. He also bowled 9 overs for 41 runs, which was reasonably economic in the context of this match.

Eddie Norfolk
|x|


Intercontinental Cup Final date and venue -- Posted Tuesday, March 20 2007
The date and venue of the Intercontinental Cup final between Ireland and Canada has been announced.

It will take place at the County Ground in Chelmsford, the home of Essex County Cricket Club from the 21st to the 24th of May. The 2007/08 competition then starts two weeks later when Scotland take on the UAE.|x|


West Indies advance to Super Eights -- Posted Tuesday, March 20 2007

West Indies booked their spot in the Super Eights and all of the Caribbean heaved a sigh of relief. Can’t have the home team go out of any World Cup, as happened previously in South Africa four years ago and in 1999 when England also failed to advance out of the first round.

One can now expect bigger crowds at this sparsely-attended tournament which I understand is taking a hit because of high ticket prices. Foreigners are also upset that the hotel rates have nearly tripled for the seven-week competition.

Read full story by NormanDe Costa at:- http://thestar.blogs.com/starsportsblog/cricket_world_cup/index.html|x|


Winnipeg cricket -- Posted Tuesday, March 20 2007

Winnipeg Juniors Cricket Club was established in 1989. In our brief history, WJCC has won 4 outdoor league championships (1999, 2001, 2002, 2005) and several indoor championships. In addition, WJCC has had at least 13 members that have represented Canada in international competition at the junior or senior levels.

Several WJCC members also give back to the cricket community. Whether it be through coaching, officiating, spreading cricket to schools and community clubs by helping conduct cricket clinics, or volunteering at MCA sponsored events, our members have been involved in several aspects of the sport we love.

The 3rd Annual Damian Mills Memorial Match brought yet another amazing day of competition, heart, and camaraderie. The match held in the late Damian's honor took place on a beautiful sunny afternoon at the Assiniboine Park Centre pitch. The Winnipeg Juniors Cricket Club Honorary XI consisted of WJCC players of past and present, most of whom played with Damian. Their opponent was the MCA Senior League XI, consisting of some of best players in the MCA, most of whom played against Damian or with him on provincial teams. MCA XI captain Suresh Jayaraman won the toss and elected to put WJCC in to bat first.

All of the players sported yellow ribbons in memory of Damian as they watched Damian's father, Barry Mills face the opening ball of the match with an eloquent drive off the back foot. On with the match!

As the Mills family and the many spectators watched on, opening batsmen Tommy Jilani and Matt Dalloo took to the wicket to get things started off for WJCC. However, it didn't take long for opening bowler Hitesh Modha (2-38) to strike, quickly bowling down Dalloo (7). After Modha's 2nd wicket, two of this seasons top run scorers in Ihsan Khan and Harinder Warring settled into a grove. With an array of power and finesse shots all around the wicket, Khan made a quick-fire 45. After a fast start, Warring (61) showed excellent discipline and poise en route to an 87 run partnership with WJCC skipper Joe Lovelace. Lovelace and crowd favorite Keith Deonaraine proceeded to put on a clinic on running between the wickets, turning several ones and twos into twos and threes to keep the run-rate elevated. Another big partnership of 88 runs between Lovelace (77) and Deonaraine (38) took the score all the way to 268 before veteran Garvin Budhoo put the WJCC batting attack to a halt. Budhoo, primarily known for his batting, proceeded to take an outstanding 5 of the last 6 wickets before WJCC's allotted 50 overs were up. However, some great batting early on combine with a few lucky breaks gave WJCC a formidable total of 296.

The MCA XI entered their innings with confidence, with a lightning fast outfield and a solid batting lineup right down to the end. Opening batsmen and league teammates Imdad Ali and Kamta Singh got off to a quick start, scoring 43 runs in the first 5 overs. Desparate to slow the attack of these batsmen, Lovelace brought on Anil Kaul who flow in from out of town to take part in this match. Kaul, who had not played in a long time, bowled intelligently by making the batsmen play away from their strengths. The veteran Kaul and the youngster Neil Barrate proceeded to stymie the MCA XI batsmen, with Kaul taking 5 of the first 6 wickets for only 35 runs! That performace combined with excellent fielding dashed the hopes of the MCA XI making a run at the sizeable total. The lone bright spot in the MCA XI innings was a steady 79 from the 2005 MCA best batsman Jayaraman. In the end, the MCA XI could only muster 241 runs from their 50 overs.

The 55 run victory was the 3rd straight for the WJCC Honorary XI since the start of the annual match in 2004.
Many thanks to all of the volunteers who made this day possible!

http://www.mts.net/~wjcc/results/report_9_10_2006.htm


Taverners vs GT Crew....Mar 14 2007

A phenom is born. Scott Duesing (previously Mr. -4) impresses after being a last minute selection due to the absence of Harry. In the opening partnership of 69 with Sid, Scott contributed with a fine 15 runs. The opening pair were in total control and were not challenged by the bowling. Some fine stroke playing by Sid and good running between the wickets.

The second pair of Martin and Andrew took the score to 109. Andrew was once again his questionable self with the bat. Martin played some careless shots. Again neither were bothered by the bowling. Nigel and Keith carried the toatl to 185 with good running. Playing shots on wide balls to avoid a long inning. Very poor fielding by the opposition contributed to the run total.

The opposition batting was less challenging than the bowling. Scott had an opportunity to shine with three wickets for 40 runs. Sid has become "another" Taverner wicketkeeper and had some brilliant moments, and some below average moments. Took a couple of catches, stumpings, and assisted on a few run outs. GT Crew managed a score of 88 despite some .....well horrible fielding.
Why would two of our bowlers bowl through and around the wicket, then pitch the ball on the leg side?

Our Square Leg was more interested in chatting with martin in the field and missed a stumping where the batsman was three feet out of the wicket. Neal should never complain about my umpiring decisions again.

Two easy points to the victors for a Four and Two record.

A good showing of ten at the bar. Nice to see Ray and Mark join us after a long time away. Anthony finally admitted he cannot see the ball at the gym. An additional nine team shirts sold. Rumor has it the doctor showed up at Ducky's and borrowed money to enter the cricket pool. Maybe medicine does not pay well after all.

Your roving Rocky Mountain Reporter.
Regards,
Karl Jaikaransingh
Gameday 28/Feb/07 VS NEXGEN

The pre-game get together at Ducky's was well attended by seven members. Not much in the way of controversy, just idle gossip. One topic was how to access tickets to the Van Morrison concert for $2.50 using "cloak & Dagger" methods.The game had spectator support from Harry and the reporter. It was good to see Keith returning to the line-up after a period of timeaway.The new indoor shirts were available and a decision was made to have theteam play wearing the new apparel. They looked very snazzy with the redshirts with vertical highlighted black stripes.

Taverners took the field first and awed their opposition with their new look. Some very tight bowling, which provided a total of nine extras kept the opposition in check.There were three wickets taken, but runs were difficult to come by. Nexgen appeared flat, and did not look like the team we played in the past. Our fielding was excellent, bad, and excellent again. A remarkable catch by game captain Martin.NewcomerAnthony had a difficult time in the field to say the least.A couple of catches behind the stumps went a begging. (what was that, a catch and throw the ball away). NEXGEN managed a meager score of 97.

Taverners started with a bang with the opening pair of Sid and Keithaccumulating 67 runs.Both batsmen faired very well in the run scoring. They gave up running inthe third overdue to conditioning issues by one of the openers. The second pair of relegated skipper Nigel and Anthony added another 32runs whichgave us a two run lead. Anthony has some work to do on his batting. He isalready accomplished at giving the gears to the peanut gallery.Captain martin and Karran used the occasion as batting practice, and it quite often looked that practice was needed. They added an additional 33 runs for a total of 132.

A good win for us. A record of Three and Two. On retiring to the Fox we were again joined by Phil. Sales of the new indoor and outdoor shirts reached 17. At $20, a great buy.
Learned that Sid turned forty and he is worried. Karl turned 50 and will celebrate all year.

Anthony has no skills, Nigel has another pool this one for world cup cricket, Phil at fifty cannot grow hair, Martin lassoed and broke-in horses as a young man.The format for the playoffs heavily favored the second placed team. We have beer to pick up at the Fox for last year's attendance, and there are 14 bottles of wine from last year's Bar-B-Q.

Your roving Rocky Mountain Reporter signing out.

Taverners vs Bharat 1....Feb 14 2007
Taverners lose in thriller vs Bharat

On another cold evening, the Taverners showed up in strength (maybe to avoid those awkward valentines dinners?) and had a very exciting game vs the youngsters of Bharat. Losing the toss we were invited to bat and we still in a little state of shock, since umpire Lovelace had in fact arrived on time and was ready to start promptly.After an encouraging first couple of overs which saw Azad and Neil even running quick singles, they gradually tired and had to settle for a solid 41 runs partnership. This was followed by Sam and Martin and started slowly and were unlucky with a few bounces finishing with 24. The skipper and David completed our innings scoring quite well, though again were limited by some excellent fielding, but did finish with an encouraging 45 runs.

Facing 111 to win, the Bharat batsmen played solidly throughout leaving their last pair with only 18 runs to win. Our team had fielding particularly well, Toulson Snr with some fine catches and quick hands and Toulson junior making sliding stops on the backline whilst hitting the side wall pretty hard with his head…( “a bit of a hollow sound, I thought”…was the comment heard from a certain player not to be named )..So with 18 to defend we bowled and fielding very tightly leaving them 4 to win from the last 6 balls. Unfortunately the skipper was unable to deliver and trying to bowl for wickets was hit pretty hard to the back wall…so we lost by few, but a good game all round and of course the beer tasted just as good at the Fox later. Next week we take on India in a practice game.

GAME vs RIDERS Feb 4 2007
Taverners rebound from Loss with Comprehensive Victory
The Taverners arrived on time at 1.30pm on the coldest day of the winter -30C,to find only an umpire and no opposition...the umpire was Johnny "Come Lately" Lovelace...who appeared to be on time for a change....but proceeded to inform us that the game start time had been changed to 2pm, another of Ron's special arrangements .... anyway the game finally started at 2.25pm after the Taverner lads had had a good warm up session...the skipper wan the toss and elected to bat....Sid and Philip started things off, and after the first over it was quite evident that "8 run" Sid was history...and the two of them proceeded to rack up a partnership of 73 runs, Tony and Neal took the score to 113, and Chris and Nigel ran the score up to 188 with a dazzling display of running and batting. Sid 51, Nigel 35, Chris 29, Neal 20,Philip 19, Tony 15.....WOW...ffffolks...that's a bunch of runs.

Needless to say the Riders felt a wee bit overwhelmed and a good strong bowling display held their scoring in check. Chris kept...to allow Philip the plunderer to once again plunder freely, and he did so , with figures of 2 for 28 off 4 overs. The fielding was superb with nary a catch dropped, and several clean run-outs executed......this was a Super effort by Super Taverners on a Super cold, Super Bowl Sunday.......it should also be noted that we had a cheering section in the name of Karen and Simone this afternoon...and that might have accounted for the Kiwi turnaround !!!!.Thanx for coming out Ladies......we adjourned to the Fox for a Super Cold, Super tasty beer or two.......Practice on Wed 7th...for those of us not in Phoenix

The New Zealand perspective on things......
On a cold, cold Winnipeg winter day 3 Kiwi’s and 3 Pom’s took on the might of the Riders/Lions…6 other players!!
Without going into the whole details of the day the Kiwi’s won the ‘batting trophy’ 85-84, and I’m pretty sure, but not positive, probably won the bowling stats as well based on the incredible last over of the game!! ( In deference to the author’s modesty he will let others tell the story of this magnificent feat!!). Read the official match report by an ‘unbiased reporter’!!

Good luck in the Wed practice game against India. I will try and get the results before I head off to the course (www.Grayhawk.com) – Talon course!! And of course you may hear from me on Tues…(I wonder why..)
P (the plunderer)

Game vs India X1...Jan 31 2006
Taverners winning streak ends!!!!!
All great things must come to an end! Just like England’s possession of the Ashes urn, a circumstance that the world of cricket knew was going to end sooner than later. To all concerned however, the Taverners would never fall to the depths of the English, for there are too many of use from the Commonwealth to ever allow such a downslide!

The game saw us bat first, where the opening pair of Azad and Mark put up a shaky 18 runs. This also gave a certain raw Canadian the opportunity to perfect the art of the first ball out! The following pair of Tony and Sid threw a very unstable 21 runs at the opposition. This was highlighted by a very confused-looking Sid who posted an 8 run score. The final partnership of Martin, who scored 20 runs, and the Skipper, leading by example with a solid and beautiful 30 runs (writer wants to play in future games). Posting a defendable102, except for the fact that we spotted India XI 27 extras which helped them post a score of 111. The only bowling performance worth noting was Tony’s 1-19. If our streak had to end I am glad it was to our friends from India XI. And thanks to spectators Harry, Neil, and newcomer Andrew, who is looking to join the ranks of the Taverners.

The beer at the Hound made for a good antiseptic. Andrew impressed us with his fondness of Guinness and ability to give and take abuse. It looks like he’ll fit right in! Welcome, Andrew. One of the final conversations of the evening was a rather disturbing one, which made several of us picture Martin in a Speedo on a Guyanese beach!!!

Play well on Sunday, boys!

Jan 10 2007....Warm up Game
A good turnout to the start of the 6 a side season. 11 turned out and participated in the practice game.
I’m not going to tell all the scores of the individual pairings, because I can’t remember them, but the standard for the night was set with the first pairing of Duesing & Munro-Smith. A total of -7

All pairings after that ‘dogged’ the batting by playing defensively with hardly any sense of aggression or commitment. Too scared to get out!! The end result was the aforementioned pairing were responsible for buying beer at the Fox afterwards. It must be pointed out that Mr Duesing took off for weight training with his rugby buddies without leaving his 50% share with his partner leaving him to pay $38.00 for the first round! With luck this will shame him into reimbursing his partner at a later stage!!!

I would also like to suggest that in future the last TWO pairings buy drinks. That way, no matter the score of the 1st pair, you can not sit back and play the type of pathetic cricket witnessed this evening.

Looks like we’ll have a good turnout for the 6 a side team this year. While nothing official has been forwarded to the Captain, word has it that the season starts on Sunday. Be forewarned that we may have a game…or then again we may not! Who knows with Mr Dipchand's scheduling??!!!

http://www.tavernerscc.com/


Nexgen Cricket Club, Winnipeg

Well the time has come for me my friends, as I truly believe that this will be my last time writing for the NeXgen website, and could very well be the last posting anyone puts on this site.

But last evening, the awards presentation for our great team was held at our President's house, and while due to current situations, I did not attend I will let you know who our award winners this year was.

For our fishing derby, where over 100 fish were caught this year, 1st place went to Trisha Ramesar who somehow pulled in a 34" (or 32") pickeral all on her own!!! Peter Karamchand (awarded to his newborn daughter Karishma), and Linda took away 2nd and 3rd place, while I am not entirely sure which was which though. Most fish caught went to Ian Pich who blew away the rest in attendance with his amount. It should be noted here, that with the sheer amount of fish, and how busy that day was, hats off to our marshall Pedro Mota, who did an amazing job!!!

Our 2nd annual poker tournament was held late in the fall and again, it was Ian Pich who overcame a HUGE chip deficit to Sammy to walk away this years Poker Champion

The Indoor cricket awards went to Eomal Fernandopulle (7 Aside) and Pedro Mota (6 Aside)

Our Outdoor awards went to this years Batting champion Andrew Dunsford (Well Deserved!!!) and the bowling went to none other than tonite's big trophy hauler Ian Pich!!! But this year, there was something else to the night, it was the first time in our outdoor existence that we would see someone else get the MVP of our coveted team. This player who probably didn't really know what cricket was for the first 18 or so years of his life but has developed his skills to where his potential as an all rounder could be amazing, it was none other than our "X Factor", the man who hails from PORTUGAL (wait? Isn't this cricket….kidding) "motari mota"……PEDRO MOTA!!!

Congratulations to all our award winners as they were all well deserved.

And now onto my goodbye's to you. It has been a pleasure to write on this site, as I hope that all of you have enjoyed my postings as much as I have enjoyed writing them. But while not getting into it, I think it is best for me to severe most of my ties to this great cricket team. I tried my best to get them into recognition, as they now are, but as every father does to a son that he teaches, punishes and grooms, it is time for me to let this team hopefully flourish without me (if…they can!!! Ok…that was a bad joke, but I do wish them all the luck). I am terribly saddened by this, but honestly it is for the best. I will hopefully remain a member of the organization, if allowed, but will not be as involved as I have been.

Goodbye to my readers, and look for me in the spring as I do for Lakbhima what I tried to do for NeXgen…:>)

Sammy Armogan
http://www.nexgencricket.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1170021072&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2&|x|


Damian Mills -- Posted Tuesday, March 20 2007
Damian Mills
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Damian Mills (1979–2003) was a Canadian cricketer.

Damian Mills was born July 15, 1979 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the son of Dr. Barry Mills and Rona Mills. He had two sisters, Cresida and Eleanor. His enthusiasm for cricket started in 1985 when he was visiting England on a family vacation and saw his first cricket match. Before the family returned from their vacation Damian’s father presented him with a size-2 junior bat. Dr. Mills strongly encouraged young Damian’s interest in cricket. Damian started to play organized cricket in 1986 at age 7 at Lincoln Elementary School. In 1989 he joined the Manitoba Cricket Association Junior League.

In 1992, days before his 13th birthday, Damian was a member of The Manitoba Junior Provincial Team and for the first time he tried out for The Canadian National Youth Team in Toronto. This was also his first time away from home alone. Damian was amongst the youngest athletes at the trials. He did not make the team but the experience was invaluable. It was during the trials for 1992 that Damian showed what he was made of. On the first day of the tournament during the morning practice session he was hit very hard in the head, knocked down, by a ball, and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room of a Toronto hospital. The next day, although he was scared and his confidence shattered, he refused to sit out. He went on to play very hard throughout the tournament.

Also, in 1992 Damian made his first appearance in the MCA Senior League. He was a member of the Winnipeg Juniors Cricket Club(WJCC) but he played only two league games that year.

Damian became a regular member of the WJCC in 1993 when his main role was as a bowler. Due to injuries he was forced to give up bowling and began to concentrate on his batting. It is with his performance with the bat that Damian made his mark in cricket. In 1994 Damian was invited by the Manitoba Cricket Association (MCA) to the MCA Senior Training Camp. The camp took place during the winter months. In 1995 Damian first represented Manitoba on the Senior Provincial Team in the Western Provincial Championship. Damian’s highlight from this competition was opening the batting against British Columbia and scoring 42 runs. Returning from this competition at age 16 he scored his first century in the MCA Senior League: 111 runs not out. Damian was an integral member of the Manitoba Senior Provincial Team since then.

In 1996 Manitoba and Alberta started the Annual Western Canada U25 Championship, later to be joined by British Columbia. Damian played in every tournament, eight in total. He often tallied up the most runs scored by an individual in this tournament. During this time Damian became a batting force to be reckoned with in Manitoba.
In 1997 Damian scored the most runs in the Manitoba Senior League. He repeated this performance five more times in 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002 and in his final season, 2003.
Damian played for Canada for the first time in 1997 in the final International Youth Tournament in Bermuda. He again represented Canada in 1998 at The NorTel West Indies Youth Tournament in Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1999 Damian’s dream to play for the Canadian National Senior Team was realized. He was selected to two Canadian teams: Canada Under-23 and The Canadian National Senior Team. In October 1999 he played for Canada in the West Indies Cricket Board’s Red Stripe Bowl in Antigua. He went on to play in the 2000 Red Stripe bowl. Also in 2000, Damian was selected by an Ilford Cricket Club from England for a tour to India.

Damian was a dedicated to his cricket career and no less to the promotion of the sport and the development of youth cricketers. Regardless of how demanding his own goals were Damian always found time for young cricketers. He was a coach at junior camps, schools, community centers and tournaments. He also made time to be an administrator of the sport. He was committed to an increasingly strong cricket program in Manitoba.

Despite his hectic schedule, Damian maintained a strict training programme with the intention of making the Canadian National Team again. He spent one winter playing in New Zealand and in 2003 to play at a higher, more competitive level he traveled at his own expense to Toronto on several weekends to play in the Toronto and District Cricket League.

In addition to his cricket activities, Damian was committed to earning a degree in business, which he started to pursue in 1997. The demands of cricket and university would often collide but Damian managed both, although the pursuit of the degree would be longer than normal. He continued his studies and he would have graduated in April of 2005 from the University of Manitoba.
Damian was an alter server in the church from age 8 to 21. During this time he helped to train many young servers to follow in his footsteps.

Damian died unexpectedly in his sleep on Monday November 17, 2003 at the age of 24. He had not been ill and there was no undetected medical condition.

The Damian Mills Junior Cricket Foundation was established in his honor. The fund’s purpose is to continue Damian’s work in promoting the sport of cricket and to serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration to young cricketers.

Summary of Damian's cricket career:

Teams: Canada, Canada U-23, Canada U-19, Manitoba, Manitoba U-25, The Winnipeg Juniors Cricket Club and Lincoln Elementary School
Batting Style: Right-Hand Opener
Bowling Style: Right-Arm Medium Pace Major Tours
1995: Western Canada Provincial Tournament, Vancouver
1997: International Youth Tournament, Bermuda
1998: Nortel West Indies Youth Tournament, Trinidad and Tobago
1999: Canada U-23 vs Bermuda, Toronto
1999: WICB Red Stripe Bowl, Antigua
1999: Four month training tour in New Zealand
2000: WICB Red Stripe Bowl, Jamaica
2000: Ilford Cricket Club (England) tour of India
1996 – 2003: Western Canada Under-25 Provincial Championship, Edmonton
Accomplishments
Best Batsman, MCA League: 1999, 2001, 2003
Most Runs, MCA League: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
Most Outstanding Canadian Junior Cricketer: 1998
Most Outstanding Manitoba Junior Cricketer: 1996, 1997

Damian also won many batting awards at the Western Canada Provincial U-25 Championships, MCA Indoor League and shares a Canadian Junior Record for highest opening partnership of 143 runs from the 1997 International Youth Tournament in Bermuda.

Information sourced from:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damian_Mills


Editors note: I was privaleged to meet Damian in Winnipeg and correspended with him about his cricket ambitions. (JH).|x|


The second Cummins (Martin Gough, BBC) -- Posted Monday, March 19 2007

By Martin Gough
BBC Sport in St Lucia

Two months away from his 41st birthday, Anderson Cummins is one of just five players at this World Cup who took part in the 1992 tournament in Australia.

Canada's Anderson Cummins
The others - Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Sanath Jayasuriya - are all household names.

So is Cummins - at least, he is in his own house.

Fifteen years ago he was part of the West Indies pace attack, coming in first change behind the great Curtly Ambrose.

So what are the differences between then and now.

"One of the things I realised pretty early is that I'm 40 and if I try to pretend I'm 25 I'll fall flat," he told BBC Sport.

"I bowl with the new ball but I do more with it than I used to, at a slower pace. The run-up is shorter. But it's all about what I can contribute to this team."


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England make hard work of vital win (CricInfo) -- Posted Monday, March 19 2007
The Bulletin by Andrew McGlashan


By batting out time, Canada put up a better show than against Kenya and managed their highest total in World Cups. It is something they can take with them after their tournament concludes, although the age of their team is a major issue.
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Davison wants end to Canada's amateur era (CricInfo) -- Posted Monday, March 19 2007
John Davison, the captain of Canada, fears for the future of his adopted country's progress as a cricket nation unless a more professional set-up is put in place.

"The most important thing for Canadian cricket is that we get some sort of infrastructure in place," Davison said. "The Canadian Cricket Association doesn't have anyone who is employed by the association. It's basically done on a voluntary basis.

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