Cricket and Canada's National Access Awareness Week 2007 -- Posted Thursday, May 31 2007
The week of May 27 thru June 2 is National Access Awareness Week in Canada. The City of Toronto's proclamation about the week specifically notes physically disabled, sight-impaired and hearing-impaired people being disadvantaged. Some 17% of the city's 2.6 million people suffer from some form of disability, according to the proclamation.
The Access Awareness proclamation seeks “greater awareness, understanding and recognition of their needs, capabilities and potential” and makes a specific reference to “recreation”.
Currently, a series of events on cricket are being promoted as part of “South Asian Heritage Month”. Some forms of cricket have been played as World Cups by people who are deaf, by those with impaired vision or even blindness. An international tournament has also been held for people with learning disadvantages. Additionally, versions of cricket have been played within a number of countries. Some events have tried to cater for people with other physical disabilities.
There have been three world cups for the blind and two for deaf people. There have, in the past, been some cricket umpires at the first-class cricket level in England, and at least one - Frank Chester - at Test Match level who had physical disabilities.
I must admit to not being certain if any there have been any specific matches or training in Canada for people who are blind, deaf, physically disadvantaged or suffer from learning disorders. But this brief outline of some of the cricketing activities available in some other countries might prompt a start in Canada. Possibly one that might be reported in National Access Awareness Week 2008.
There is also potential for future of cricket, potentially through the plastic Kwik cricket. to link with Variety Village, May being “Variety Village Sunshine Month” in the City of Toronto. One of the targets of that program is to empower children with special needs to “develop a greater sense of self-worth, confidence and well-being.”
Many people involved in cricket see it as a source for social bonding, as exemplified through the true Spirit of Cricket, where peace and understanding can develop from multi-cultural participation and togetherness.
Cricket World Cups for the Blind
It may not generally be realized that cricket is a sport that has been played by blind people. Indeed, the third World Cup took place in Pakistan in December 2006. The competitions have been organized by the World Blind Cricket Council.
Seven teams took place in the 2006 World Cup for the Blind. The final was contested by arch rivals India and Pakistan, with Pakistan winning by six wickets after India made 225 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
It was Pakistan's third appearance in Blind World Cup finals. They had lost the inaugural final to South Africa in 1998 but beat the South Africans in 2002.
The New Zealand and West Indies squads in the 2006 event each included one female player.
A very potted version of how the game is played begins with the three classifications of vision impairedness players in each team. These are partially sighted (B3), partially blind (B2) and blind (B1). B1 players have someone who runs for them, when batting. B2 players may have a runner. The stumps are larger than in regular cricket; they are tublar and floursecent. The ball is bowled underarm and is filled with ball bearings, so it can be heard by batsmen and fielders alike. For B1 players the ball must bounce twice before reaching the batsman.
Blind cricket began in Australia in the 1920's. It began to be played in England in the 1930's and from the 50's through to the 70's expanded into Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India.
Cricket World Cups for the Deaf
The second World Cup for Deaf cricketers took place in Lucknow, India, in late 2005. Australia had beaten Great Britain in the first final in Melbourne, during the winter of 1995-6. There were 9 teams in the second competition. England beat Australia in the semi-finals but it was India who triumphed in the final.
The participating countries included eight of the countries that have ICC Full Member status (no West Indies or Zimbabwe) plus Nepal. The Deaf Cricket International Federation oversees this competition. The third World Cup for the Deaf is to be played in New Zealand during 2009.
Cricket for those with Physical and Learning Disorders
My initial research indicates the first international competition for people with learning difficulties took place in South Africa in 2005. The three competing teams were Australia, England and South Africa, the original founders of the Imperial Cricket Conference, back in 1909. Australia won this series.
There have been some cricket events for people with physical disabilities, but I did not find reference to any international events.
Some older cricket followers may have seen the Englishman Frank Chester umpiring Test Matches. Chester lost an arm in World War One and, in 'My Spin on Cricket', former Australian captain Richie Benaud states Sir Donald Bradman rated Chester as the 'greatest umpire' he had played under.
I recall there were two umpires on the First Class list back in England in the 1970's who had physical disabilities with their legs. Both were named Wilson, one being a Yorkshireman and the other a Lancastrian. One of them used two walking sticks. They were not on the county championship scene for many years but, unlike some of the more notable names in English umpiring, they did not jump out of the way and potentially miss a run out decision.
Note: A brief video clip showing India in action at the last World Cup for the Blind is provided through a link of the home page of www.blindworldcup.com that shows a few balls being bowled in one of India's matches. Those with web-sites might have an interest in providing a link to that web site.
Eddie Norfolk
Toronto, Ontario
(I have noticed it is also Bike Week from May 28 to June 10 in the City of Toronto. Possibly a cricket match might be drummed up on bikes or mono-cycles if someone could supply them! There certainly seem no end of opportunities where cricket lovers could join in celebrations or demonstrations of good will to disadvantaged members of our community in Canada.......well that's my view.
Editorial comment:
Tennyson wrote:-
"Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
Rich legacy in south west Ontario -- Posted Thursday, May 31 2007
The Kitchener-Waterloo area of southern Ontario has rich legacy of cricket since 1895 when the first club was formed in Waterloo. The Southern Ontario Cricket Association (S.O.C.A) League it self had started around the time of World-War I. Immigrants from the Caribbean region formed most of the clubs.
As time went by immigrants from South Asia such as countries like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were slowly settling down in this tri-city area. These new cricket-playing immigrants from South Asia were then playing with the older clubs who were run according to cricketing traditions in the Caribbean. For instance some founders of Sunrise Cricket Club, namely Parveen Sharma started playing cricket in this tri-city since 1990 and was with Waterloo cricket club until 1994. Similarly Jaspal Rana had also arrived into the scene since 1990 and was with Kitchener Cricket Club until 1995. Peter Jeranie (mukesh) too was a member of both Waterloo Cricket Club and Cambridge Cricket Club.
A few of the south Asian cricket players had the idea of starting a new club with Asian players. They were confident that they could win the league championship. Thus in 1995 Parveen Sharma, Jaspal Rana, Irfan Arab, Dharmesh Modi, Kamal, Peter Jeranie (Mukesh) and Syd Wazir formed International Cricket Club (ICC) in Waterloo.
Incidentally Peter Jeranie (Mukesh) was the only member who originated from Guyana, yet was integral in forming this new club. ICC immediately became part of S.O.C.A. and played well in their first year. Next year the club admitted Bahadur Singh Mangat, Jang Singh Mangat, Nimesh Modi, Rudi and Rizwan Arab as part of the ICC squad. Later that season Dhramesh Krishnammagaru joined ICC. With the induction of Dharmesh K, the team moral soared high. Young guns like Bahadur found someone to look up to and they started performing well. Jang Singh was also a great supporter and helped to run the club smoothly. Both in 1995 and 1996 the club had reached playoffs. In 1997 two new players arrived in to the scene while Dharmesh K. had moved to Toronto and had quit ICC. The players who joined were Anil & Rajan Sharma.
Due to inevitable circumstances, in 1997, the ICC was split and from that emerged Sunrise Cricket club.The initial constitution of the club was formed with the help of Mr.Schmelling Ramlal.
In 1998 Sunrise Cricket Club was formed and Mr. Art Browne took over as the first president. Through the help of Waterloo Cricket Club, the constitution of the club was drawn. Mr Browne had set the standards of how the club should function where the moral responsibility was distributed evenly to all the members. In the first year, the members who resigned from ICC were Mr. Art Browne, Parveen Sharma, Jaspal Rana, Dharmesh Modi, Peter Jeranie, Nimesh Modi, Jang Singh, Bahadur Singh, Kamal, Irfan Arab, Rizwan Arab, and Anil Sharma. Later that season Raghu Peddada, Swami Iyer, Samuel Jones, Sarabjit Singh, Harpal Singh and Kuldeep Joined the new club. The captain was Jaspal Rana and the club played well and qualified to the playoffs in their first year.
Next year in 1999, Parveen Sharma took over as captain. Incidentally Dharmesh K. who came back into to the tri-city joined Sunrise Cricket Club. The club played well and reached the S.O.C.A Knock-Out finals as well as the League finals and were runner up in both finals. The club also added some new members such as Arfan Ahmed, Amandeep Singh, Jagtar Singh, Ajay Singh and Saqib Sheikh.
Year 2000 was a tough year as leadership became split on petty and some avoidable political issues. However under the able leadership of Mr. Art Browne and Raghu Peddada, the club survived some nasty politics. Samuel Jones, Dharmesh Modi, Ajay Sharma and Rajan Sharma had to quit the club. Later just before the season started Raghu Peddada left for California, who became instrumental to keep the team together. Jaspal Rana became the captain. Sunrise was able to put everything behind and win the Knock-Out Championship. New player Ajit Singh (Tiger) was a key performer and moral booster all throughout the season. Inderjit Singh a 14year old was inducted due to talent beyond his age. By stroke of luck Raghu Peddada came back. Full of enthusiasm Mr. Art Browne, Raghu and Swami Iyer joined in effort and laid the plan for success of 2001.
2001 was a season with a lot mixed luck but will remain memorable for the club. Jaspal Rana was elected captain. Meanwhile Ajit Singh was unable to play due to family reasons, while a new talented batsman cum wicket keeper named Nizar Moosa replaced Ajit. Just before the season started Mr. Art Browne was detected with terminal brain cancer. The club was in shock. Mr. Art Browne a spirited individual went through the ordeal in a super human manner. He went through surgery, met the team members to give them a moral boost The club came together emotionally and rallied to dedicate the season in Art Brwones honor.
Sunrise won the pre-season Eagle Trophy by beating all the teams. The regular season had some problems in the beginning, when Jaspal Rana decided to hand over the captainship to Parveen Sharma. This change somehow became a good turn around. The club won 11 straight matches to reach the League Finals. In the finals was the coveted Kaituer Cricket Club, who had players who represented West Indies, Canada and also Guyana. This same club had won the league finals since the last six years and had also won Canadian Championship in the past.
In 2001 Sunrise Cricket club made history by winning four out the five league tournaments. It was made possible by the hard work of every single individual of the club. Art Browne, Raghu, Mike,Dharmesh Dua, Parveen, Rana, Swami, Jang, Dhermesh, Mukesh, Bahadur, Harpal, Sarabjit, S. Rana, Ajit, Nizar, Saqib, Neeraj, Amandeep, Jagtar, Inderjeet and Arvinder all stood together and contributed both off and on the field. In the mid season we had one more addition to our team in the shape of Sukhjinder Rana. A coveted all-rounder who has played in the Canadian national team. He is believed to be the fastest bowler in Canada. This made a lot of difference to the strength and made our moral high that helped us to keep our concentration towards our goal. Sunrise cricket club became The Champion Team, by beating kaituer in the league final.
Article sourced from:-http://www.sunrisecricketclub.com/history.php
Contact address www.offbreak.com/soca
Editors note:
The Sunrise C.C. hosted the two day 2006 inter-provincial match between Ontario and Quebec at their ground in Waterloo in south west Ontario.
The Sunrise C.C. have developed a relationship with the local political representatives, to such a degree that one elected representative stated that the club was worthy of financial assistance for the construction of a pavillion, especially since the ground has been the venue for cricket for more than 100 years. (JH)
King City 2007 officials -- Posted Thursday, May 31 2007
The executive of the Maple Leaf Cricket Club:
President: Ranjit Saini
Vice-President: Sheriff Boodhoo
Secretary: Nicholas Fincham
Treasurer: Mohammed Shaikh
The bar, parking and catering service has been sub-contracted through a bidding process for $20,000. This increases the income of the Maple Leaf Cricket Club by about $8000.00 over the last year.
The Executive is looking for tree donations to help with landscaping of the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, at King City
Canadacricket.com has been advised that the maintenance of the cricket fields at King City will be undertaken by Austin Ward.
Toronto could host Twenty20s in August -- Posted Wednesday, May 30 2007
Toronto could host a Twenty20 tournament involving Pakistan, West Indies and Canada in August. If plans go ahead, the teams will play some warm-up matches ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa the following month.
Contrary to other reports, however, nothing has been set in stone. A spokesman for the Canada board told Cricinfo there had been preliminary discussions with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). "The CCA is most certainly supportive of the proposed event," he said, "particularly as we believe the 20/20 format is ideal for the North American market which is geared to three-hour Major League Baseball games.
"But, as yet, nothing is finalised. The prime consideration is the securing of global television rights -which are not yet in place."
The CCA had held preliminary discussions with the WICB in the early part of 2007 and it is understood that the WICB has also been in contact with Pakistan's board about the same event.
The tournament would have many benefits, not least for West Indies and Pakistan on a playing level. Pakistan have only played two Twenty20 matches to date, while West Indies have only played one.
Canada haven't played any, nor are they in the World Cup, but they would benefit financially. Another plus for them is that cricket in North America would be promoted at the same time.
Jenny Thompson, assistant editor of Cricinfo
May 30, 2007
Information sourced from:- http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/296399.html
Editors note:-
Who is the 'spokesman for the "Canada board'''? Also, we should ask 'Where will there be the turf wickets to host these matches'? The potential for mid-week use of the King City facilites raises the issue of lack of spectators, as these would be working days for most of Canada. ....hmmmm looks like a typical CCA ......... botch (JH)
Blind Cricket in the UK -- Posted Wednesday, May 30 2007
Cricket for Blind and Partially Sighted People
Blind Cricket has been played in England and Wales since the 1940's. The founding members of British Blind Sport (BBS) were cricketers. The sport offers camaraderie and a chance to compete on equal terms for blind and partially sighted people. BBS administers Blind Cricket throughout the country and is responsible for the rules and regulations.
All players are registered blind or partially sighted. Of the eleven players in the team, at least four must be totally blind. BBS seeks to encourage young cricketers to participate and develop their skills in the game. RNIB New College, Worcester and the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC), Hereford both have teams and there is an annual junior competition called the Kersey Cup held at Lord's.
BBS runs two domestic competitions each year for clubs throughout the country: The BBS Cricket League: In 2006 this will be a one division league with each team playing six league matches. Points are awarded with 15 points for a win, 7 for a draw and 2 for a defeat with up to ten bonus points also available.
For more details on the League Click Here
The BBS Primary Club National Knockout Cup – a knockout competition of limited overs matches of thirty overs per side with the final hosted by the MCC at Lord's every August.
In 2006 eleven teams are entering the cup. For more information on the cup Click Here
BBS are also responsible for running the England Blind Cricket team who have represented the England and Wales Cricket Board in two Blind Cricket World Cups and the side will enter the 2006 world cup in South Africa in December as one of the favourites. The team have toured Australia, Sri Lanka and the West Indies, as well as playing in two world cups in India and hosting Pakistan and Australia.
On top of that England won the first ever Blind Cricket Ashes In 2004 and since then the England Blind Cricket team have won both series they've played; away to both the West Indies and Sri Lanka. For more information on the international team Click Here
On a less competitive level, many clubs play friendly matches against sighted teams and give demonstrations of the game during the lunch intervals of Test Matches. BBS's former President is Bill Frindall who ensures that Blind Cricket is frequently mentioned on BBC radio's Test Match Special.
The main difference between standard Cricket and Blind Cricket is the ball. A size three football is used in UK Blind Cricket to help the partially sighted players to see it and it is filled with a quantity of ball bearings to allow the totally blind players to hear it. The MCC Laws of Cricket have also been adapted in other ways in an attempt to allow blind and partially sighted people to compete on equal terms. The major variations are as follows:
The wicket is larger, making it easier for the partially sighted players to see and easier for a Batsman or Bowler to touch for the purpose of orientatation.
The ball must pitch at least twice before the crease of a totally blind Batsman but must not be rolling.
The ball must pitch at least once before the crease of a partially sighted Batsman.
A totally blind Batsman is given one chance before being given out LBW and cannot be stumped.
The Bowler must ask the Batsman if he is ready before beginning his run up and shout "play" as he releases the ball.
A totally blind Fielder can make a catch after the ball has bounced once.
Because of the nationwide and international scope of this sport BBS are always looking for new sponsors to help support the work of the Cricket Committee and provide opportunity and encouragement to young visually impaired cricketers. Volunteer Umpires and Scorers are always welcome.
Editors comment:-
Quite obviously cricket in Canada is far behind in many aspects. One would like to believe that a CEO will be sufficiently cognizant of the game of cricket and the 'miles we have to go'. (JH)
Cricket World Cups for the Blind -- Posted Wednesday, May 30 2007
The week of May 27 thru June 2 is National Access Awareness Week in Canada. The City of Toronto's proclamation about the week specifically notes physically disabled, sight-impaired and hearing-impaired people being disadvantaged. Some 17% of the city's 2.6 million people suffer from some form of disability, according to the proclamation.
It may not generally be realized that cricket is a sport that has been played by blind people. Indeed, the third World Cup took place in Pakistan in December 2006.
Seven teams took place in the 2006 World Cup for the Blind. The final was contested by arch rivals India and Pakistan, with Pakistan winning by six wickets after India made 225 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
It was Pakistan's third appearance in Blind World Cup finals. They lost the inaugural final to South Africa in 1998 but beat the South Africans in 2002.
The New Zealand and West Indies squads in the 2006 event each included one female player.
*** I must note that at present, I do not know how cricket for the blind is played, despite having lousy eyesight that requires glasses or contact lenses to allow me to see.
However, I will find out in due course.
Eddie Norfolk
Toronto set to host Twenty20 event -- Posted Tuesday, May 29 2007
With a limited amount of Twenty20 internationals scheduled for 2007 Pakistan have arranged a four team tournament in Toronto in August as preparation for the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup.
The tournament scheduled to take place in Toronto over the Labour Day weekend at the end of August will involve hosts Canada and Test Nations Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup takes place in South Africa at the end of September and with only two games set to be played before the World Cup all three Test Nations will be anxious to play as many games as possible.
The format of the tournament will see each team play four games, three in the group stages and then one further game in either the Grand Final or the 3rd place play off.
The Twenty20 World Cup will take place with only 14 Twenty20 Internationals completed in the previous two years, the West Indies and Sri Lanka will go into the World Cup with the most experience having played 7 Twenty20 Internationals followed by England and Pakistan having played a game less.
While some teams have got to grips with the shortest form of the game India, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will have only played one Twenty20 game, even more concerning Scotland and Kenya who qualified from the ICC's World Cricket League Division 1 tournament will have never played a Twenty20 International against a Test Nation until the World Cup starts in September.
Whilst the tournament is being used as a pre World Cup warm-up all four countries competing are also very keen to help promote cricket in North America, Tony Deyal, WICB's Corporate Manager, told cricket20 that the WICB are committed to provide support to the Canadian and US crickets associations.
"The WICB is committed to cricket in North America and have signed MOUs with the Canadian and US associations to provide support. Additionally, we need to improve our own financial position. One of the ways to do both - a win/win for all parties - is to promote high-level cricket entertainment in both countries."
"The timing of the Canadian event is perfect - a long holiday weekend (August 31 - September 3) two weeks before the first ever ICC Twenty20 World Cup with Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Canada is going to be our first major joint venture and will be a template for further promotions."
"On the Thanksgiving weekend in November we wll be promoting an Internatinal Sixes Tournament in Lauderhill to open the world's newest cricket venue."
(Tony Deyal WICB Corporate Manager)
Article sorced from:-
http://www.thetwenty20cup.co.uk/news/article.asp?NewsID=1186
Twenty20 gaining, says Gilly
Adam Gilchrist fears 50-over cricket could be on the verge of being "cannibalised" by the Twenty20 game and has urged administrators to drop ticket prices for the World Cup.
Gilchrist admitted the "sterile" atmosphere of the World Cup, with its half-filled grandstands and over-regulated crowd control, had lacked the rich Caribbean flavour of Australia's last Test tour four years ago.
The tournament revved up with a wonderful match when Sri Lanka beat England by two runs yesterday but the sight of raucous fans celebrating in the stands has been all too rare.
As Gilchrist was suggesting tickets be sold at a cut-price rate for the rest of the tournament, besieged Cup organisers were meeting last night to discuss that very issue.
Stunned by the poor turn-out, even for matches involving the West Indies, administrators are likely to widen the areas of the lowest priced tickets which go for $US25.
Gilchrist had previously cautioned against making the Twenty20 game too big, too quickly but now wonders whether its swift progress will be unstoppable.
"I have suggested a softly, softly approach (with Twenty20 cricket) which does not mean I disapprove of the game," Gilchrist said.
"(But) having seen the lack of crowds at this World Cup maybe it is going to be the way to go. It might cannibalise the one-day game a little bit but we might have to deal with that as we go. It is a popular format.
"There are a lot of people interested in the World Cup and just talking to the locals everyone is aware of it and very excited to have it here, but that is not being translated into big numbers at the grounds which is a bit disappointing as a player.
"You come here, as spectators do, to experience the unique atmosphere of Caribbean cricket. There is certainly a sterile feel about it.
"Whatever the policy is at the moment does not seem to be working so maybe we can look at dropping the price and having a sale."
source - news.com.au and at http://www.thetwenty20cup.co.uk/news/article.asp?NewsID=1250
Billionaires' Twenty20 vision
Two billionaires are threatening to revolutionise cricket just as Kerry Packer did 30 years ago by capitalising on the popularity of the Twenty20 game.
Antigua-based American Allen Stanford and Indian Subhash Chandra, who made his fortune in the grain trade, are on the verge of establishing separate big-money Twenty20 competitions.
Stanford plans to stage an international Twenty20 carnival in the West Indies next year. In the build-up to their match against England today, talk in the Australian dressing room is about the tournament, including speculation that prizemoney could be up to $24.5 million. The winner of the current World Cup, by comparison, stands to win just over $3 million.
An Australian player's agent has been in touch with Stanford's representatives to clarify the situation and was advised the tournament was in its preliminary planning stages.
As with Packer, who launched World Series Cricket in 1977, television rights are believed to be the reason Chandra wants to shake the game's foundations.
Twenty20 cricket has attracted massive crowds, huge television ratings and eager sponsors — it also is seen as the best hope of opening cricket up to new markets, including China and the US. But there has been a reluctance to push it at the expense of the traditional forms of the game. The first battlefront has been established on the subcontinent, where the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India is on a war footing with Chandra.
As with Packer, he formed a rebel competition, the India Cricket League. Chandra hopes to give the six-team league a foothold in the India market with a series of Twenty20 matches that would feature overseas stars, Indian internationals and talented rookies.
Chandra, who owns Zee Telefilms, has reportedly outlaid about $28 million to start the competition. In a situation that mirrors Packer's 30 years ago, the BCCI rejected Chandra's $378 million bid in 2004 to broadcast the sport on his network — despite being the highest bidder.
Australian players such as Shane Warne, Justin Langer and Glenn McGrath have been linked to the rebel competition, but McGrath's manager Warren Craig said he had had no contact with the ICL.
A source close to Chandra told the Indian media the body intended to recruit top players from around the world. The danger for Cricket Australia would be if global companies such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola decide they could reinforce their standing in the growing Indian economy by helping, for example, the New Delhi Devils target a Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist or Brett Lee.
So far, the BCCI has used the same tactics employed by the Australian Cricket Board to try to block Packer. It has banned the ICL from using BCCI facilities. "First, if he (Chandra) is planning a local tournament, he can't use our sports facilities without our permission," BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said. "If he is roping in international players, that requires the sanction of the BCCI and ICC."
Stanford proved last year he had the financial clout to be taken seriously. He ploughed $34 milllion into a successful Twenty20 competition that involved 19 Caribbean nations.
The series introduced black bats and helmets, orange balls and thousands of fans because he didn't charge an entrance fee.
Former England captain Mike Atherton applauded the endeavour. Besides paying each of the 19 competing nations a $122,000 development fee, each man of the match took home $30,000. That was increased to $122,000 in the final. "The days of a trinket and bottle of champagne are long gone," Atherton wrote. Guyana got $1.22 million for winning, while runner-up Trinidad and Tobago won $611,000.
The West Indies is in position to become the epicentre for Twenty20 cricket. The grounds are small enough to allow big scores, the wickets are batsman-friendly and the population loves fast-paced cricket.
West Indies commentator Tony Cozier reported last month that Stanford met with ICC president Percy Sonn and chief executive Malcolm Speed in Jamaica but their discussion was kept a secret.
Stanford was burnt by the West Indies Cricket Board last year when his plan to stage a $6 million three-match Twenty20 series between South Africa and his All Stars XI was scuttled because it clashed with the tour of Pakistan. He has since paid the West Indies $2.5 million to sanction his tournaments to avoid such conflict.
A 12-team World Cup is scheduled for South Africa in September. If two billionaires get their way, it may be the only game worth playing.
So far, the BCCI has used the same tactics employed by the Australian Cricket Board to try to block Packer. It has banned the ICL from using BCCI facilities. "First, if he (Chandra) is planning a local tournament, he can't use our sports facilities without our permission," BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said. "If he is roping in international players, that requires the sanction of the BCCI and ICC."
Stanford proved last year he had the financial clout to be taken seriously. He ploughed $34 milllion into a successful Twenty20 competition that involved 19 Caribbean nations.
The series introduced black bats and helmets, orange balls and thousands of fans because he didn't charge an entrance fee.
Information sourced from - theage.com.au
and at http://www.thetwenty20cup.co.uk/news/article.asp?NewsID=1251
Woolmer's murder has changed cricket for ever -- Posted Monday, May 28 2007
The Pakistan coach’s death has corrupted the international game irrevocably, says Stephen Fay
The murder of Bob Woolmer in Jamaica is shattering. No matter who murdered the Pakistan coach or why, a stench has begun to rise, and it will get worse.
Since the Jamaican police cannot satisfy the intense international curiosity about Woolmer's death, speculation fills the vacuum. Consequently, it is now taken for granted that the murder was a by-product of compulsive gambling on a large scale on one-day cricket matches, especially in the Indian sub-continent.
The former chairman of the Pakistan cricket board, a respected former diplomat named Shaharyar Khan, has suddenly informed the BBC he believes episodes in matches are regularly fixed. This is known as spot-fixing, and it means gamblers bet on how many runs are scored in an over, or the score, or the wickets down after a given number of overs.
Khan was saying publicly what close observers of the Pakistan team have been claiming since the last match-fixing scandal in 2000, but cricket authorities have preferred to ignore them.
Michael Vaughan, England's captain, has admitted to a gut feeling corruption is still rife in international cricket. But it took Woolmer's death to bring out this startling admission.
Woolmer's wide experience in South Africa and Pakistan would have acquainted him with patterns of corruption in modern cricket. The two books by him to be published shortly appear to contain nothing about corruption.
But we know now that he had resigned as Pakistan's coach, and he might well have been in the mood to reveal what he had learned - about the behaviour of members of his Pakistan team, and about Hansie Cronje's corruption when captain of South Africa.
These cases may or may not be a motive for murder, but the fact that they are flowing out of the gutter now mean that international cricket is changed, maybe for ever.
ARTICLE FIRST POSTED MARCH 27, 2007
Re-posted May 28, 2007 at:-
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?menuID=1&subID=1263
The Cliff Cox Medal -- Posted Monday, May 28 2007
The Cliff 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.
Item sourced from:-
http://www.bcmcl.org/index.jsp?page_id=cliff_cox
English cricket's real problem -- Posted Sunday, May 27 2007
The Schofield review into last winter's Ashes debacle, to be published on Thursday, has looked at all aspects of the England set-up - but the fear is that it will only scratch the surface of a wide-ranging problem.
The terms of reference for the seven-strong team focused mainly on 'Team England' - selection, coaching and captaincy issues, preparation, player workload and the role of central contracts.
All were factors in England's 5-0 drubbing by Australia and their insipid World Cup performances - but they do not explain why English cricket consistently fails to match up to the Australian model.
BBC Sport looks at the failings of the grass-roots game in England and Wales and what is being done to rectify the situation.
Nick Gandon has been given what, on paper, looks like an impossible task - breathing life into state school cricket in England and Wales.
"Back in 2004, the government said that 87% of state schools provided cricket," says Gandon, director of the Cricket Foundation, a charity endorsed by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
"But it didn't begin to capture the gut feeling that cricket in state schools had massively declined over the last 30 years. Our own survey established fewer than 10% of state schools gave opportunities for pupils to take part in at least five organised cricket matches a year."
The Cricket Foundation's Chance to Shine scheme hopes to take the game to 2m in a third of state schools by 2015.
High-quality coaching, delivered through local clubs, and competitive matches are the aim, and Gandon hopes to raise £50m - half through private funding, half through government-matched funding - over five years.
When you consider that approximately 94% of children in the UK are educated in the state sector, you get some idea of the scale of the problem.
According to Gandon, a generation of potential England cricketers have been lost because of the sale of playing fields and the "sanctimonious dogma" of some local authorities that competition can be harmful to children.
Cricket, Gandon says, is seen as difficult and time-consuming, while a "league-table culture" has led to the withdrawal of goodwill from teachers, some of whom believe their work begins and ends in the classroom.
Gandon, however, senses a shift in the mindset of schools, teachers and, most crucial of all, the present government.
"We've been greatly encouraged by the response of schools and teachers in terms of their commitment," he says.
"When we came along in 2005, we found schools being charged by the government, at last, to provide more and better sporting opportunities, so our timing was pretty good."
In 2005, the ECB announced a bid to add 35,000 volunteers to the 50,000 already involved in the game and around 1,400 'focus clubs' have been charged with transferring their expertise to local schools.
Still, the ECB has a long way to go to match Cricket Australia's commitment to grass-roots cricket.
Cricket Australia wants the game to be the "sport of choice for young Australians - the most played sport in the country".
To that end, more than 500,000 Aussie children take part in Cricket Australia's Milo development programmes each year and the game is played in most schools.
According to Sport England, only 14% of children in state secondary schools play cricket in any form in England - half as many as take part in rounders.
And Wayne Clark, who led Yorkshire to the County Championship title in 2001 and also led Western Australia to two Pura Cups, believes the English counties should be doing more to nurture the game at a lower level.
"In Australia, the states are responsible for delivering the Milo cricket programmes, which involve more than 500,000 children each year," said Clark.
"The states are involved with the schools competitions from the age of eight upwards. In terms of structures and participation, things are a lot stronger."
In club cricket, too, England lags way behind Australia in terms of participation as a percentage of the population.
Sport England statistics reveal that only 0.9% of England's over 16s, roughly 380,000 people out of 39m, played cricket at least once a month in 2005-2006, making it less popular than bowls and yoga.
Cricket Australia claims 478,000 registered cricketers out of a population of 20.2m and is aiming to increase that to 550,000 by 2009.
In 2005, the ECB commissioned a report into the club game in England and Wales and its conclusion, broadly speaking, was that it was in turmoil.
The report, published by the Observer, found many of the 6,200 ECB-affiliated clubs, run on a voluntary basis and starved of money, were under constant pressure to survive.
It also found that facility provision and the training and retention of an ageing band of volunteers were major issues that needed addressing.
Premier League teams receive approximately £1,000 a season from the ECB while just 5% of the £220m Sky TV money filters down to clubs.
The ECB, however, says what money there is is being delivered in a structured, rational way.
"From a facilities and people perspective, the club game in England has never been better," says the ECB's club development manager David Leighton
.
"If you're getting an inkling that clubs aren't happy, it will tend to be those that don't want to help themselves and just want a hand-out. That's not going to happen any more."
In short, ECB-affiliated clubs with junior sections, of which there are an estimated 3,500, and which can produce coherent development plans are more likely to receive funding, coaching expertise and facilities than others.
The custodians of English cricket clearly recognise the foundations have been rotting and are applying treatment.
Hopefully, they also recognise that the resuscitation of the grass-roots game will have far greater implications for future national teams than any tinkering with 'Team England'.
Article sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/6398835.stm
Editors comment:
Given the sophistication of the ECB, one is drawn to wonder whether a newly minted CEO for the CCA would be able to influence the school authorities in Canada. One school principal, who is President of one of Canada's cricket organisations, has confirmed that schools are currently in a lock-down mode and therefore would not permit an intrusion to their remit. (JH)
Role of commerce and gambling in the rise of cricket -- Posted Saturday, May 26 2007
The image of cricket, more than any other, has become associated with fair play, unselfishness and high ideals. But at vital stages in its history the game developed under the impetus of the profit motive. Such was the case with the first English tour to Australia, sponsored by the Melbourne catering firm of Spiers and Pond. Furthermore, during the important formative years the gambling nobility in England used the game as a vehicle for massive wagers.
Once upon a time Reverend Lord Frederick Beauclerk, in a public oration, emphasised that cricket is a fine character-building game, “unalloyed by love of lucre and mean jealousies”. On other occasions he boasted thatthe game was worth 600 guineas a year to him, gained in side-bets. A tidy sum in the early l800s when a labourer had to work for three weeks to earn a guinea.
In the early days of cricket the gambling lust provided the material base that the game needed to progress beyond the level of a country yokel’s diversion to become a self—supporting part of the entertainment industry. So, like a beautiful flower growing from a dungheap, the great and noble game survived a precarious infancy to become the joy and delight to flannelled fools the world over.
Particularly important were gambling members of the upper classes who had plenty of time and money to waste and in this respect Oliver Cromwell’s rule was a critical period. He banned Sunday cricket and one of his strategies to subjugate the unruly and turbulent Irish was to order that all the cricket bats and balls in Ireland be collected and burnt by the common hangman. But he unwittingly fostered the game because large numbers of the nobility quit London during the puritan administration to pass the time on their country estates waiting for the restoration of a good old—fashioned monarch. There they discovered that their gardeners and ploughmen had a jolly good game going in their spare time.
And although a moralistic tract of the times listed cricket as a pastime of ‘the common sort’, on a par with ‘lying in ale houses’, the gentry acquired a taste for the game and after the restoration it became quite the thing in London to organise clubs and cricket matches, not devoid of financial interest, of course. Later the game received vice— regal patronage from Frederick, Prince of Wales (father of George III) who died in 1751 as a result of a tumor precipitated by a blow from a cricket ball.
This was probably a moral victory for the puritans. It was also a sad loss to the Surrey team (which he financed) and an equally sad loss to the gambling fraternity at large (he lost up to 2000 pounds on some games).
This was the era of the feudal lords of cricket who ran the game by promoting matches between teams of their own choice partly for the sport and partly for massive wagers. Outstanding players were not originally paid as such but were employed by their patrons. Sir Horace Mann lured a fine young batsman away from the Hambledon club with the offer of a bailiff ‘s position on his country estate and the Earl of Tarikerville employed ‘Lumpy’ Stevens as a gardener.
Stevens’ nickname has aroused quite a deal of learned controversy; it may have had something to do with his bowling action, or his once eating a whole apple pie at a sitting, or, as an exponent of underarm shooters, his liking for a wicket pitched on uneven ground. Stevens had the distinction of being the first lower class cricketer to have his portrait painted. Some patrons of the game were immortalised in oils because they were noblemen, but Lumpy was painted because his crafty shooters made such an impact on the game.
In view of the modest remuneration for players and the large sums of money hanging on the major games there was obviously great scope for bribery and corruption of the players by patrons, backers and the bookmakers who began to divide their time between the racetrack and the oval. Some of these unscrupulous ‘legs’ went down into Hampshire in the spring to try to buy up the players early in the season. The wretched bookies even set up their tables and called the odds in front of the pavilion at Lords; the moneychangers were at work in the very temple of cricket.
Eventually they disappeared as the game ceased to attract bettors and, as it happened, the sheep lasted longer at Lords than the bookies. The M.C.C. was extremely loath to defile the sacred sward with a newfangled contraption like a mower. Rumor has it that when the first such engine appeared a gentleman passing by recruited a nearby gang of roadworkers who beat it to death with sledge hammers.
Not surprisingly, betting was a vital part of the early game in Australia. An early single-wicket contest in Tasmania was played for five pounds and a bottle of wine, and on the Sydney domain when negotiable currency in the form of coin and folding money was in short supply, wagers on early matches were laid in such items as sawn timber, fat pigs, boots, butter and salt fish.
During the first contest between Victoria and N.S.W. the odds started at 3 to 2 on Victoria but after various New ‘South Welshmen ‘lowered their flags’, ‘had their stumps unsettled’ and ‘declared the wicket vacant’, the betting firmed to 3 to 1. However, the northerners eventually won, no doubt to the financial embarrassment of the Victorians.
When one of W.G. Grace’s teams looked like losing to Victoria, W.G. allegedly used the newly installed telegraph to warn his friends in London to lay off some of their bets. Bookmakers in the main stand at the S.C.G. in 1879 were blamed for a riot which almost ended cricketing relations between Australia and England. The English captain, Lord Harris, claimed that the bookmakers urged a mob of larrikins to invade the field when a Sydney batsman was controversially given out.
Nowadays commercial sponsorship, including the opportunity to advertise crunchy breakfast cereal (like a cricket bat with holes in) is taking the part once played by the gambling feudal lords. Money flows into the game from purveyors of cigarettes and razor blades (a rich irony in view of the facial adornment of the early players). No doubt the players will respond energetically to the new incentives, after all, Lumpy Stevens would have bowled his heart out for a good helping of apple pie.
The game assumed a new dimension with the advent of international tours. The first would-be tourists planned to travel from England to Paris in 1789 at the invitation of the British Ambassador, the Duke of Dorset, a great patron of the game who organised many matches in England for the Hambledon Club. When the players arrived at Dover to board ship they met the Duke on his way home, fleeing from the French Revolution. And so the first international tour was abandoned for political reasons.
The records do not indicate who the tourists would have played when they reached Paris. They may have put on single wicket games, or split up to play five a side, or they may have gone into the field with local players. People played cricket in France as early as the fifteenth century and French colonists took the game overseas to Canada and the French West Indies. Enthusiastic cricketers among the lace—makers from Nottingham who settled in northern France established local competitions in Dieppe and Calais, as did a number of English residents in Paris.
Over fifty years elapsed before the next international tour.
This occurred in North America in 1842 when eighteen players from the St. Georges Club in New York traveled to Toronto, in Canada. Early English colonists carried the game to New York where the first recorded game, in 1751, was played between ‘London’ and ‘New York’. In Toronto the local side comfortably beat the tourists in a one day game, played for a prize of fifty pounds, not counting side bets. A pickup game followed and in the evening the visitors wined and dined in a riotous celebration with innumerable toasts.
Some years later Canada and the United States played the first recognised international game between representative teams. A prize of a thousand pounds was at stake, a massive sum by today’s standards, and enthusiastic supporters made side bets of many thousands of dollars.
Canada won the game with scores of 82 and 63 against the United States’ scores of 64 and 58. No bowling analysis was recorded In the second innings the U.S. opening batsman, George Wheatcroft, did not arrive at the ground until the game was over. His negligence is surprising in view of the prize money, but the delinquent batsman may have been bribed by a Canadian or he may have had his own money on the opposition.
In the following year two international matches occurred but the fourth game, in 1846, produced an ugly incident which halted the series for seven years. A Canadian batsman charged down the bowler as he accepted a caught-and—bowled opportunity. In the very early days it was a legitimate tactic, provided that the batsman did not leave the vicinity of the pitch. When the bowler regained -his feet he threw- the ball at the batsman and despite apologies from the U.S. team, including the bowler, the Canadians refused to continue the game.
The series resumed in 1853. The United States won the match and harmonious relations were sealed after the game when the Canadians were entertained lavishly at Delmonico’s Restaurant. Up to 1970, 48 games have been played in the series. The United States had won 27, Canada had won 16, and 5 were drawn.
In 1859 North America featured in another milestone in cricket history when the first intercontinental touring party arrived from England. The Montreal Cricket Club sponsored the tour, helped by the proprietors of the St. Lawrence Hotel in Montreal. The players were guaranteed 50 pounds plus expenses. Twelve professionals sailed from Liverpool in September, rather late in the year as it turned out by the time they reached the end of their itinerary. George Parr from Nottinghamshire, ‘The Lion of the North’ was captain but at sea he was anything but a lion. He frequently had recourse to gin and water to settle his nerves during heavy weather.
Among the other players were John Wisden the leading allrounder, H.H. Stephenson who captained the first tourists in Australia, and William Caffyn, ‘The Surrey Pet’ who toured Australia with Stephenson and settled in this country. They played five games, all against teams of twenty two players. This allowed the bowlers to return some spectacular figures. George Parr captured 16 wickets for 25 runs in one innings and in another Caffyn took 16 for 26. Despite their disadvantage in numbers the tourists won all their matches, some by an innings. The local players were competent and keen in bowling and fielding but they could not cope with the English bowlers. The slow lobs delivered by Parr and Caffyn were particularly effective and in a game against XXII of U.S.A. the fast bowler Wisden took six wickets in six balls.
The first game was a two day affair against Lower Canada in Montreal. The tourists won by eight wickets and after a splendid banquet at the St. Lawrence Hotel they proceeded to Hoboken, New York. The local populace greeted them with extraordinary enthusiasm. A great crowd waited at the station, the streets were packed and a band at the hotel played ‘Rule Britannia’. The day before the game started over 2,000 people visited the ground, just to see what it looked like, and over 25,000 saw the game. In Philadelphia equally large crowds turned out, including a thousand ladies, dressed in the height of fashion, who occupied a special stand reserved for the fairer sex. Winter was setting in by this time and the wet ground required several wagon loads of sawdust to allow the play to proceed.
The first English cricket tour of Australia in 1861 came about because the novelist Charles Dickens was not inclined to travel. The Melbourne caterers, Spiers and Pond, invited the great man to tour Australia for mutual profit. He declined the offer, and their second choice was a cricket team. Only twelve players came, with seven from Surrey including the captain H.H. Stephenson and William Caffyn, two of the North American tourists of 1859. A crowd of 10,000 waited at the docks when their ship berthed in Melbourne on Christmas eve, and the sustained Interest and hospitality of the locals forced the tourists to travel some miles out of town to practice in peace.
They played against teams of twenty-two in all their games except the first. Stephenson pleaded that they had not recovered from the voyage and only eighteen Victorians went into the field. The Melbourne ground at Richmond was even then the best cricket arena in the world for spectators. The grandstand held 6,000 and there were banked seats for the general public. On the first day 15,000 people came to the ground. The Englishmen wore hats resembling helmets to protect them from the fierce colonial sun. They also wore sashes in various colours, identified on the score cards, so that spectators could tell one from the others.
The tourists won the first game by an innings and In their twelve games they only lost two. One was against a combined twenty-two of Victoria and N.S.W., the other against twenty-two of Castlemain. The second defeat may sound surprising but several things made life difficult for the Englishmen. Apart from the odds against them the team had no reserves, the programme was hectic, traveling was slow and tiring, and everywhere the hospitality was overwhelming. Caffyn wrote “Scarcely a day passed without our being entertained to champagne breakfasts, luncheons and dinners”.
Apart from the games on the programme there were light-hearted diversions. In Melbourne ‘Surrey’ played ‘The World’ and won. At Beechworth, where the local twenty—two made only 20 (twelve failed to score), Griffith played and beat eleven locals in a single wicket game. After the main fixture at Castlemain, Griffith, Lawrence and Iddson salvaged some prestige by beating eleven of the locals in a single wicket match.
Spiers and Pond made so much money from the tour that they allowed the Englishmen to share half the profits from the last game. The promoters could well afford this generosity because the tourists received only £150 plus expenses and bonuses. S piers and Pond cleared £11,000 all told. When the touring party returned to England, Charles Lawrence stayed behind in Sydney to coach for the Albert Club.
Two years later, in 1863, George Parr brought a stronger team to Australia. Again they played against teams of twenty-two but they went through the tour, including three games in New Zealand, without any loss. Dr. E.M. Grace, oldest of the three formidable brothers (all three played for England), was the only amateur in the party of twelve. Other players included Caffyn, ‘Tear-Em’ Tarrant the fast bowler who a young Australian called Spofforth adopted as a model, Julius Caesar the brilliant batsman and fielder, and John Jackson, the other fast bowler, called ‘Foghorn’ because he blew his nose loudly whenever he took a wicket.
Their only anxious moments in the field occurred in a game against N.S.W. The tourists escaped with a one wicket victory after the renegade Englishman, Charles Lawrence, took six wickets cheaply for N.S.W.
The team suffered the usual indignities of traveling long distances in horsedrawn vehicles but their worst experience came at sea when their steamer ran down a small vessel off Sydney Heads. The incident occurred in the dark, adding to the confusion. George Parr, ‘The Lion of the North’, was petrified with fright. Tarrant panicked and tried to jump into the boat being lowered to rescue the crew of the other craft. Julius Caesar remained calm and helped the crew while Jackson slept through the whole drama.
Nine years elapsed before Dr. W.G. Grace brought out the third touring party. The Champion demanded a fee of £1,500 plus expenses for himself. Not bad for an amateur although he had to pay a locum to look after his medical practice.
The professionals in the party received £170 plus expenses. The team played fifteen games, including two in South Australia. They lost three, including the first of the tour, an innings defeat by a Victorian eighteen.
At Ballarat W.G Grace and his younger brother Fred each scored centuries in stifling heat. The Victorian fast bowler Sam Cosstick complained that there seemed to be a whole family of Graces batting against them. A local journalist wrote ‘The sun shone infernally, the eleven scored tremendously, we fielded abominably, and all drank excessively’. Drinking was partly responsible for the defeat at Stawell, although leading players such as Cosstick, Allan, Cooper , Wills and Conway repeatedly turned up to play for the country teams.
In a special exhibition at the M.C.G. Dr. Grace and partners batted against eleven Victorians to show how he could perform against a normal contingent of fielders. He scored 100 in 58 minutes. Sam Cosstick became disgruntled with his part in the proceedings, and let fly three ‘beamers’. The press reported ‘the missiles passed near enough to the. Leviathan’s body to make him wince’. The game stopped forthwith and Sam was placated with the aid of liquid refreshments.
Friction between the professionals and amateurs in the party marred the tour. The amateurs traveled first class, the professionals traveled second. They also complained of inferior accommodation and entertainment. Feelings ran high in an exchange of letters in the Argus between the tour promoter and James Lillywhite, spokesman for the professionals. Lillywhite’s final letter had expletives deleted from it. Despite this bone of contention, Lillywhite captained the next touring team in 1876—77, the tour which started the continuing series of test matches between England and Australia.
Historical article sourced from:-
http://www.the-rathouse.com/Revivalist4/cricketessay.html
A game of haves and have not -- Posted Saturday, May 26 2007
An amateur solution in a professional world
Amid all the World Cup headlines, one piece of news from Holland understandably slipped under the radar. Daan van Bunge, who is destined to be forever introduced as the man who Herschelle Gibbs smashed for six sixes in an over, announced that he was retiring from international cricket.
In itself, that's not earth-shattering news. He is just one of many players who will choose to bow out after the game's biggest tournament. The difference is that van Bunge is 24, talented, and represents the future for Netherlands cricket.
The reason he gave for his decision was that he could not commit the necessary time to play for his country as well as pursue a full-time job. That should set alarm bells ringing across all the Associates and within the offices of the ICC. There is a real danger that as the demands on part-time cricketers increase, more will decide that balancing those with other aspects of their lives is not practical.
Martin Williamson
Cricket bat handles -- Posted Friday, May 25 2007
High quality handles are produced using Manau cane harvested from the jungles of Sumatra. And Malaysian Sarawak cane The 3 metre canes are initially boiled in oil and dried in the sun for several weeks before being graded according to size they are then cut to the right length, split and then the faces planed to ensure a good gluing surface.
The planed pieces of cane are then glued together with three cork / rubber laminations for shock absorption.
The top part of the handle is then shaped to the batmakers specification and shipped ready for the splice to be cut. The most popular pattern has 9 pieces of cane with 3 rubber inserts. Once the splice (V) has been cut this, it can be fitted in to the blade using a mallet to make sure the handle has reached the base of the joint. PVA adhesive is used to ensure a strong joint is made.
The first solid Manau cane handles were used in 1853, they were deemed to cause too much vibration which made the bat painful to hold therefore rubber laminations were introduced in 1856, the same handle materials are used to this day. There is now carbon in some handles now due to the need to use a renewable resource.
An ICC success story benefits Associates -- Posted Thursday, May 24 2007
As expected, Ireland defended their Intercontinental Cup title at a canter at Grace Road, thumping an unprepared and outclassed Canadian side in a little over five sessions. In Windhoek two years ago, an inspired declaration set up a remarkable victory over Kenya. At Leicester, they barely broke sweat.
The one-sided final should not, however, disguise the fact that this competition continues to go from strength to strength. The ICC receives no end of brickbats, but this is one thing that is has got right and for that it deserves a pat on the back.
There have been teething problems. A skewed points system in the first two years seriously disadvantaged sides who suffered from the weather, but those were amended this time round. There was still a feeling that the group stages were a bit of a lottery and that the strongest sides did not necessarily win through to the final.
As a result, the 2007-08 tournament will undergo another major overhaul. Gone are the group stages and the final, and in their place we have a simple league format where each side plays the others once. Critics may argue that it's not truly reflective of each side's status unless they all meet on a home-and-away basis, but given tight budgets and the amateur status of most of the players, there have to be limits.
The increase in matches from a minimum of three in a year to seven in two years can only be good for the development of the game. Kenya recently sent a side to Zimbabwe to participate in the Logan Cup, the domestic first-class competition. While there was no doubting their ability, they came unstuck by their lack of familiarity with four-day cricket and often failed to press home advantages. The skills required for the longer game differ considerably from the one-day cricket which they almost exclusively play.
The Intercontinental Cup gives batsmen the opportunity to build an innings and teaches bowlers that it's not all about containment and wicket-taking does matter. In short, it allows the cream to rise to the top. It also provides a shop-window for players to try to impress potential employers.
The main flaws are financial. Canada would almost certainly have lost to Ireland even if they had all the preparation in the world. But some of their side went into the match not having played for months, and the demands of their full-time jobs meant their acclimatisation to English conditions was almost non existent. Only better funding can address that, and at least one leading Associate aims to go semi, if not fully, professional within the foreseeable future. Some monetary issues will be eased in 2009 when the income from the ICC's media deal with ESPN kicks in, resulting in a much bigger slice of the pie for all Associates.
There is also a worry that eight countries is too many. Four or five are there or thereabouts, but there is not strength in depth and with Bermuda in freefall, one of the up and coming countries appears to have done an abrupt about-turn and are heading south.
The 2007-08 competition, which starts in Toronto in five weeks, should sort the wheat from the chaff.
Martin Williamson is executive editor of Cricinfo
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/icccont/content/story/295646.html
Ireland cruise to win Intercontinental Cup -- Posted Wednesday, May 23 2007
Canada 92 runs all out and 145 all out
Ireland 353 runs all out
Ireland won by an innings and 115 runs
Ireland beat Canada by an innings and 115 runs to retain the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Intercontinental Cup they had also won in 2005. The match at Grace Road, Leicester, England needed just two of the four scheduled days and was the 2006 final, due to scheduling problems.
Canada did bounce back for a while as Umar Bhatti and Henry Osinde bowled well with the second new ball. Bhatti had a hattrick of leg-before wicket (lbw) dismissals, a rare event in first-class cricket, and lunch came when Osinde bowled Irish captain Trent Johnston. But Ireland was already on 328 runs for the loss of 8 wickets; a lead of 236.
Eion Morgan, who plays for Middlesex as a batsman in the County Championship in England, went on to score 84 runs *10x4, 2x6). He was the last man out for Ireland, who made 352 runs in their first innings.
John Davison hit some good shots in reaching 28 but was bowled by Johnston. This left Canada on 41 runs for the loss of 3 wickets. Ashif Mulla then provided resistance and had the potential to make a good score. Sadly, from a Canadian perspective, he was caught and bowled by Kyle McCallan for 48 (7x4, 2x6).
Trevin Bastiampillai, in only his first first-class match, managed to make 20 runs before being bowled by McCallan, and bowling hero Bhatti ended 10 not out. McCallan mopped up the tail, capturing 5 wickets for 36 runs. Johnston had taken 3 of the early wickets for 48 runs.
Ireland's Jeremy Bray was given the Man-of-the-Match award for his 146 runs. His score was one more than Canada's second innings total of 145 runs.
Ireland has now won two of the three Intercontinental Cup competitions. Canada has lost by an innings in its two appearances in the final. In 2004, Canada lost to Scotland by an innings and 84 runs.
Statisticians looking for rays of hope, could say Canada's 145 was its highest in four innings in IC Finals. Mulla's 48 runs was also higher than Bhatti's 41runs in a defiant ninth-wicket stand against Scotland in 2006.
There were no Canadian Cricket Association Executives, Board Members or selectors present to see this final. Grace Road looked in fine condition as the sun shone on Wednesday. Canada and Ireland were graciously welcomed by Leicestershire County Cricket Club.
Improvements must be made to some of the thinking, organization and infrastructure in Canadian cricket in order to maintain competitiveness throughout the year in international competitions. For whatever reason, Canada's white sweaters for this match had a green and yellow trim.
An old English song came to mind when I first saw these sweaters. It includes the immortal words "Green and yellow, green and yellow, Oh Mother be quick 'cos (because) I'm goin' to be sick, and lay me down to die'.
The Canadian team did not lay down and die in this match, as far as I am concerned. The lack of preparation and lack of a permanent coach cost big-time. I seemed to be one of the few people who thought Irish skipper Trent Johnston's decision to bowl first might pay off. New Irish coach Phil Simmons, said afterwards of Canada's first innings: "We bowled well but got a few soft wickets too."
Ireland has been playing one-day games against county sides. This gives them practice. Most of Canada's squad play in the Toronto and District Cricket Association where the season only began last Saturday. So this goes down as a one-sided win for Ireland.
Eddie Norfolk
Leicester, England
Ireland defends ICC Intercontinental Cup inside two days at Leicester
Hat-trick of LBWs for Umar Bhatti – only the seventh in first-class cricket history – can’t prevent Canada defeat
Ireland wrapped up the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup inside two days at Grace Road, Leicester today (Wednesday) with a clinical display, beating Canada by an innings and 115 runs.
It means the cup will be returning for another spell with the Irish Cricket Union as Trent Johnston’s men retain the title they first won in Namibia late in 2005.
In the end, Canada was just not up to the challenge that Ireland’s bowling presented. The seamers did most of the damage with Johnston, Langford-Smith and Kevin O’Brien all making inroads, with off-spinner Kyle McCallan coming on to claim five late scalps.
In the end, Canada was dismissed for 145 in its second innings to go with just 92 on the first day, still some 115 runs behind Ireland’s first innings total of 352. Johnston collected the cup from chairman of the European Cricket Council and former secretary of the Marylebone Cricket Club Roger Knight.
The man of the match award was won by opening batsman Jeremy Bray, whose magnificent knock of 146 on the first day paved the way for his side’s success.
This morning Ireland resumed at 250-3, some 158 runs ahead after an almost perfect day for the defending champion. But Canada bowled very well, particularly when the new ball was taken, and cleaned up the remaining seven wickets for just 102 runs.
Umar Bhatti was the hero, taking 5-85, including a remarkable hat-trick of LBWs, only the seventh time in history that a bowler has achieved that feat in first-class cricket. Indeed, with his in-swinging deliveries the left-arm medium pacer took four LBWs in five deliveries (across two overs) reducing Ireland from 297-3 to 303-7.
It was just the second hat-trick in ICC Intercontinental Cup history. The Netherlands’ Mohammad Kashif managed it against Canada in Pretoria last December.
The only batsman to hold up the Canadians this morning was Eoin Morgan, who batted beautifully for 84. The Middlesex left-hander’s was the tenth wicket to fall, just 16 short of what would have been his second century in three days, having hit three figures for his county in a Friends Provident Trophy match against Essex at Chelmsford on Sunday.
Despite the large lead that had been established, Ireland’s bowlers were in no mood to give Canada any chance to settle and took wickets at regular intervals throughout the afternoon. The Canadian batsmen looked more positive than they had in the first innings but too many loose shots, coupled with good Irish bowling in swinging conditions, meant no one put up any significant resistance.
With Ireland now ranked tenth in the LG ICC ODI Championship following the successes of the ICC Cricket World Cup and having won the ICC Intercontinental Cup two years in succession, there is a real buoyancy and dynamism about cricket in that country.
The new format in the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament. This increases to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when the event will be a full round-robin and global 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.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.
Hat-tricks of LBWs in first-class cricket
Horace Fisher (for Yorkshire v Somerset, Sheffield, 1932)
Jack Flabell (for Worcestershire v Lancashire, Manchester, 1963
Mike Procter (for Gloucestershire v Essex, Westcliffe,1972 and v Yorkshire, Cheltenham, 1979)
Jack Ikin (for Griqualand West v Orange Free State, 1973-74)
Mark Ilott (for Essex v Northamptonshire, Luton, 1995)
Umar Bhatti (for Canada v Ireland, Leicester, 2007)
The above report is an ICC Media release
Ireland beat Canada within two days -- Posted Wednesday, May 23 2007
Defending champions Ireland beat Canada by an innings and 115 runs within two days to retain the ICC Intercontinental Cup at Grace Road on Wednesday.
Canada were 92 all out in their first innings with Trent Johnston taking four wickets and Thinus Fourie three.
Ireland replied with 352 all out, Jeremy Bray hitting 146 off 152 balls, Eoin Morgan scoring 84 and Umar Bhatti claiming five wickets for Canada.
Kyle McCallan took five wickets as the Canadians then stumbled to 145 all out.
Skipper Johnston's bowling figures in the first Canada innings were 4-12 while Fourie recorded 3-31.
Eglinton player Bray and William Porterfield then set an Intercontinental Cup record for the first wicket, sharing a stand of 202.
Opener Bray thumped his 146 off 112 balls, an innings which included 19 fours and a six.
Ashif Mulla was top scorer with 48 in the Canadians' second innings in which McCallan finished with figures of 5-38 and Johnston, 3-48.
Report sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6675701.stm
Ireland in pole position -- Posted Tuesday, May 22 2007
Ireland in pole position after day one of ICC Intercontinental Cup final
Canada dismissed for 92; Jeremy Bray century gives Irish 158-run lead at the close
Ireland had a day to remember at Grace Road today (Tuesday) on day one of the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, bowling Canada out for just 92 and then building an innings lead of 158 by the close.
Defending the cup it won at the end of 2005 in Namibia, Ireland showed why it is favourite to retain the title, putting in a clinical display of probing bowling, athletic fielding and hungry batting. As such, the box seat is theirs.
The misery began early on for Canada. In his first competitive match as captain, Ashish Bagai lost the toss and, having spotted a little greenness in the pitch, his opposite number Trent Johnston did not hesitate in deciding to bowl first.
Grace Road is renowned for offering swing on the first morning of a match and this was no exception. Johnston and David Langford-Smith put the ball in the right areas, full of a length, and soon reaped the reward.
John Davison was out in the first over, trapped lbw to a yorker-length delivery from Langford-Smith. His opening partner, Geoff Barnett, didn’t last much longer, out in similar fashion to Johnston for just four.
Abdool Samad was the only one who really threatened to get to grips with the Irish bowlers but, after making 29, he became the third lbw victim and Johnston’s second.
After that, it was a steady procession of Canadian batsmen back to the pavilion as Ireland’s bowlers made the very most of the swinging conditions. Johnston finished with fine figures of 4-12 off 9.4 overs while medium pacer Thinus Fourie made his mark with 3-31, and Kevin O’Brien chipped in with 2-4 off four overs.
Umar Bhatti was left unbeaten on 22 but he and Samad apart, no other Canadian made double figures.
When it came Ireland’s turn to bat, openers Jeremy Bray and William Porterfield dug in and weathered a new-ball storm from Bhatti and Henry Osinde and once the shine had worn off a little bit they set about building towards an innings lead.
Bray took the initiative and was quick to latch on to anything wide of off stump. He passed fifty off 54 balls and hit nine fours and a pick-up six over midwicket in the process.
They eventually put on 202, an Intercontinental Cup record for the first wicket, with Bray reaching his seventh century for Ireland (equalling the all-time Ireland record set by Ivan Anderson in 1980). It took him 112 balls and included 19 fours and that single six. He ended up with 146 before giving an easy catch to Asif Mulla at first slip off the off-spin of Davison.
Porterfield fell immediately afterwards caught by Bagai off Samad for 54 and when Peter Gillespie was out not much later, lbw to Samad, a Canadian recovery was possible. At the close Ireland was 250-3 with Eoin Morgan (17 not out) and Kevin O’Brien (13 not out) at the wicket.
Early wickets are essential if Canada is to turn this match around. Play at Grace Road resumes at 1100.
The new format in the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament. This increases to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when the event will be a full round-robin and global 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.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.
Audio clips of centurion Jeremy Bray and Canada captain, recorded after play on day one, are now available for free download from http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/audio.html
For more details on the ICC Intercontinental Cup go to: http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
Please note that the hours of play have been amended from those originally published. The amended hours are: 1100-1300, 1340-1540, 1600-1800.
Information sourced from an ICC Press release. (JH)
Irish dominate opening day with Canada -- Posted Tuesday, May 22 2007
Ireland won the toss and elected to field.
Canada 92 runs all out (Abdool Samad 29 runs, Trent Johonston 4 wickets for 12 runs)
Ireland 250 runs for 3 wickets (Jeremy Bray 146 runs, William Porterfield 54 runs)
Ireland, with 7 first innings wickets standing, leads by 158 runs. Ireland takes 6 points for first innings lead.
Match Report for day one
Ireland dominated the first day’s play of the ICC Intercontinental Cup final. Irish skipper Trent Johnston won the toss and put Canada in to bat. It was a decision that paid off, Canada being all out for just 92 runs soon after lunch. Only Abdool Samad (29 runs) and Umar Bhatti (22 runs not out) offered much resistance.
Johnston lead the way with 4 wickets for 12 runs. Fellow opening bowler, Dave Langford-Smith took 3 wickets for xx runs and Kevin O.Brien 2 wickets for 4 runs.
Irish opening batsmen Jeremy Bray and William Poterfield took Ireland to the lead and 6 points by the tea interval. Their partnership added 202 before Bray was caught by Ashif Mulla off the bowling of John Davison for 146 runs.
Bray had played many fine strokes, including a boundary one ball before being out. Porterfield was out to Samad in the next over and Canada took a third wicket in the last hour of play. Eion Hand, who plays professionally for Middlesex in England, remains not out overnight.
Canada will need early wickets on the second morning and a much better batting display in its second innings in order to stand a chance of the outright victory now needed to bring the Cup to North America. Ireland, after reaching the Cricket World Cup Super 8 stage is well set to retain the Intercontinental Cup.
Eddie Norfolk, Leicester, England
Ireland outclass lowly Canada -- Posted Tuesday, May 22 2007
Cricinfo staff at Leicester
May 22, 2007
Canada were utterly outclassed with bat and ball on the first day of the ICC Intercontinental Cup final against Ireland at Grace Road, dismissed for a paltry 92 before Jeremy Bray trounced their bowlers in a magnificent 146.
Canada's poor preparation for the match was starkly highlighted almost from the first ball. Trent Johnston rightly chose to field first to make the most of any early moisture but, in fact, it was the Canadian's technical deficiencies at the crease which most proved their undoing. Failing to move their feet to the prodigious swing from Johnston and Dave Langford-Smith, Canada's top three were each trapped lbw. The difference in class was underlined when Ashish Bagai shouldered arms to a straight delivery, a sad testimony to the poor method shown by Canada's batsmen throughout the morning.
And after Johnston and Langford-Smith's burst, Ireland continued their march through Canada's lineup with Thinus Fourie - replacing Boyd Rankin for this match - bowling an excellent line and swinging the ball nicely to the right-handers. Excellent with the ball, Ireland were slick in the field too, Porterfield pulling off a superb diving catch to his right at cover point to dismiss Qaiser Ali for 9. Indeed, such was Ireland's confidence that they even had five slips at one point.
There was still some hope for Canada, with Abdool Samad playing a neat cameo to entertain what was a sparse crowd of no more than a hundred die-hard fans. But four overs after lunch, Canada were bowled out for just 92 with Johnston picking up 4 for 12.
The promising position Ireland found themselves improved further still, racing to 97 by tea, with Bray batting quite savagely at times - driving straight down the ground, and once picking up a six off his toes with effortless power. Canada simply hadn't learned from the World Cup, feeding him short deliveries - and he sped to hundred from 112 balls. Remarkably, 82 of those were in boundaries.
At the other end Porterfield was sedate and controlled, notching fifty from a more stately 120 balls while Bray went berserk. With a hundred to his name, Bray really opened up and was easing his way to a blistering 150 before falling four short, caught at slip going for a big heave. It ended a fine opening stand of 202 - a record for Ireland in first-class cricket.
Peter Gillespie followed Porterfield back to the pavilion shortly before the close, but Ireland are in total command of this match. Canada's dreadful day was summed up in one ball near the close of play, when a wild throw - attempting to throw down the stumps when there was no chance of a run-out - sped through for four overthrows.
Irish eyes really are smiling.
Match report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/icccont/content/story/295457.html
Ireland hope for ICC Cup double -- Posted Tuesday, May 22 2007
Ireland hope for ICC Cup double ICC Intercontinental Cup final, Leicester:
Canada v Ireland
Match starts 1030 BST Tuesday
Ireland have the chance to crown the most memorable period in their cricket history when they defend the ICC Intercontinental Cup against Canada.
Having surprised everyone to reach the Super 8 phase of the recent World Cup, they will start favourites for the four-day match at Leicester.
But they will be without key players like Boyd Rankin, Andre Botha and keeper Niall O'Brien.
"I have every confidence in the players coming in," said coach Phil Simmons.
Rankin and O'Brien are absent because of county contracts with Derbyshire and Northants, but Middlesex have agreed to release batsman Eoin Mogan for the game and he is in in form after making 100 off 94 balls against Essex on Sunday.
Thinus Fourie is set to take Rankin's place as Dave Langford-Smith's new ball partner, while Gary Wilson continues behind the stumps, having replaced O'Brien in the team's recent Friends Provident Trophy games.
The biggest problem facing the Irish could be fatigue - their performances against the English county sides suggesting the World Cup campaign has clearly taken a toll on some players.
"There is a lot of tiredness involved at the moment, but they'll be up for this match - no question about that," insisted Simmons, who appeared at Grace Road on many occasions for Leicestershire during his playing career.
"I think the fact it is a four-day game will help. It is a little easier on the body playing the longer form of the game as opposed to the constant barrage of ODIs."
Canada have changed captains since their World Cup adventure ended at the first roud stage, with Ashish Bagai taking over from John Davison. But all-rounder Davison remains in the squad and will be a key figure as they attempt to go one better than in 2004 when they lost the first Intercontinental Cup final to Scotland.
"We know the Ireland team quite well - they are a fighting side, they do the basics very well and they play within their limits," said Bagai.
"Doing so well in the World Cup, they have been playing a lot more cricket than us and that is certainly an advantage for them, but we are hoping perhaps that they'll be a little stale."
He added: "I think this competition is great. Playing longer cricket really challenges your technique and gives you the skills that can also be applied to one-day cricket.
"You have to trust in your ability and show a lot more patience than one-day cricket. Stamina and fitness are also factors.
"There is a danger for the [ICC] associates to concentrate too much on one-day cricket, which is why this event is so important."
Report sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6675701.stm
1859 English team in North America -- Posted Monday, May 21 2007
The English cricket team in North America in 1859 was the first ever overseas cricket tour.
The idea for the tour came from WP Pickering (1819-1905), who had been captain of cricket at Eton College in 1837 and 1838. He had emigrated to Canada in 1852 and played for Canada against the United States the following year. He originally opened discussions for a possible tour in 1856 but financial problems meant that it was three years before the money could be raised. The English team required a guarantee of £750, which Pickering obtained through the Montreal Club.
The English team comprised six members of the All-England Eleven and six of the United All-England Eleven. With George Parr as captain, the twelve players were effectively the cream of professional talent in the 1859 English cricket season that had just ended:
George Parr (captain)
James Grundy
John Jackson (all of Nottinghamshire);
Robert Carpenter
Alfred Diver
Thomas Hayward (all of Cambridgeshire);
Julius Caesar
William Caffyn
Tom Lockyer
HH Stephenson (all of Surrey);
John Lillywhite
John Wisden (both of Sussex)
Five matches were played, all against XXIIs, so none had first-class status. Three exhibition games were also played in which the 12 England players divided and added five North Americans to each team to make up eleven-a-side matches.
Including travelling time, the trip lasted two months and each English player (all professionals) cleared about £90, a sizeable sum at the time.
The team's opponents were:
22 of Lower Canada by 8 wickets at Montreal, Quebec on 26-27 September
22 of the United States by an innings and 64 runs at Hoboken, New York State on 3-5 October
22 of the United States by 7 wickets at Philadelphia on 10-12 October
22 of Lower Canada by 10 wickets at Hamilton, Ontario on 17-19 October
22 of the United States by an innings and 68 runs at Rochester, New York on 21-25 October.
In addition to the exhibition matches they also had two excursions to view the Niagara Falls.
The English side was of course exceedingly strong and would probably have beaten any XXII in England. There were excellent crowds for the first three matches but the weather in mid-October turned very cold and reduced the attendances at the last two. It was reported that the fielders wore gloves and overcoats in the last match.
A product of the tour was a book by Fred Lillywhite, who travelled as scorer, entitled The English Cricketers' Trip to Canada and the United States and published in 1860.
For the general growth of cricket in the United States, it was most unfortunate that this pioneering tour occurred only 18 months before the US Civil War began. If the war had not broken out, it is highly likely that two or three follow-up tours might have been arranged in the early 1860s, thus building on the interest created by the initial trip. As it was, the enthusiasm for cricket faded in the war years and the troops on both sides adopted the embryonic game of baseball. When English teams resumed tours to America in 1868, not only did they have to try to rekindle the enthusiasm, but in baseball they had a serious rival to contend with.
Article sourced from:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_cricket_team_in_North_America_in_1859
Ireland without paceman and keeper -- Posted Sunday, May 20 2007
Ireland will be without paceman Boyd Rankin and keeper Niall O'Brien for the Inter-Continental Cup final against Canada at Grace Road from 22 to 25 May.
Boyd and O'Brien have not been released by their counties but Middlesex have allowed Eoin Morgan to play.
Andre Botha misses out on the decider because of a finger injury.
"It's unfortunate that we haven't got Boyd or Niall but we have a lot of talent and experience in the squad," Ireland coach Phil Simmons insisted.
"We have played a lot of one-day cricket over the last few months so it will be something different with the four-day format.
"The team played exceptionally well to defeat UAE so comprehensively and I'll be looking for a similar performance."
The match was originally scheduled to start the previous day at Chelmsford but Essex had to pull out as hosts, forcing the move to Leicester.
Ireland will again be in action in one- day matches against Surrey and Sussex at the Oval and Hove on 27 and 28 May.
The Friends Provident double makes it a busy schedule for the team.
Ireland topped their ICC group in the competition after registering a comprehensive win over the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi in February.
Morgan recorded the highest ever individual score by an Irish player with an unbeaten 209, and his stand of 360 with Andre Botha was an Irish and competition record.
Earlier in the competition, Ireland had beaten Namibia and drawn with Scotland, which was enough to top the group with 43 points from Scotland who ended up with 35.
Canada will contest its first final in the three-year history of the event, having beaten Bermuda and Kenya along the way.
The Canadians lost to the Netherlands but still managed to finish above the Dutch in Group B.
Information sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6659123.stm
Ireland - Canada match -- Posted Sunday, May 20 2007
Former Leicestershire player Phil Simmons is looking forward to his return to Grace Road with his Ireland team next week.
Ireland face Canada in the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup on the ground where the Trinidadian smashed 261 on his Leicestershire debut 13 years ago.
"Grace Road is like my second home," said Simmons who took over as Ireland coach after the recent World Cup.
"When I heard we were to play the final there I was a very happy man."
Simmons, who is hoping to build on the tremendous work done by previous coach Adrian Birrell, says he is optimistic that Ireland can retain the Intercontinental Cup title.
"I know the ground really well. I am very comfortable there and I will try to pass on that feeling to the players when we get there. There could not be a better venue for this match as far as I'm concerned," he said.
It has been a busy time for the Ireland team this year, playing almost non-stop since January.
After a warm-up tour to Eastern Province, South Africa, they headed straight to the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi.
"He did most of his helping me when we were in the Caribbean and now he is trying to make a new beginning and step back from things.
"But he has made it clear that he is always on the end of a phone and I have made that call a couple of times. He has been a great help to me."
The West Indian does not know a great deal about next week's opposition although he did see the Irish beat the Canadians in a World Cup warm-up game in his native Trinidad.
Article sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/counties/ireland/6666033.stm
What do you know about your cricket bat? -- Posted Sunday, May 20 2007
Salix Alba Caerulea: What is it? Why do we insist on it?
Each month cricket bat maker James Laver writes a passage about cricket bats and the lore that surrounds them. If you have any questions about cricket bats please email James and they may appear on this newsletter.
Please feel free to use the contents of this newsletter in any club newsletter or magazine. Laver & Wood request that if you do use this content that you refer to us as the source and include our web site address with the newsletter.
Salix Alba Caerulea: What is it? Why do we insist on it?
The laws of cricket state that the cricket bat blade has to be made of wood consequently the never ending task to find the perfect piece of wood is put into place. The stipulation that the blade should be made of wood came about when the Australian player Dennis Lillee used an aluminium bat in a test match against England in Australia in 1979. After only a few deliveries Mike Brearley complained that the bat was damaging the ball and the umpires instructed Lillee to replace it. Lillee declared that it was "the thing of the future", however the cricketing world agreed that it "just wasn't cricket" and soon after, the M.C.C. amended law 6.
Within the laws of cricket there is no restriction on the type of wood that should be used. Many timbers have been experimented with, but Salix Alba Caerulea has been found the most suitable. Salix Alba Caerulea is "Cricket Bat Willow".
Cricket Bat Willow grows well throughout the world, but for cricket bat making purposes, British climatic conditions are best. The British climate is not too warm in the summer, so the willow does not grow too fast.
Willow has been used in cricket bats since the early 1800's purely because its weight is very light and yet its durability is very good. The heartwood (redwood) of the blade was always considered to be the best early on as the bats in this era generally weighed in the region of 5lbs. In 1890, large scale bat manufacturer C.G. Bussey found that the sapwood (white wood) was easier to sell due to its cosmetic appearance and the weight of the bat being much lighter, most of these sapwood blades had a strip of heartwood down one edge. Cricket bat willow was also used at times for false limbs due to its durability and lightness.
Cricket Bat willow is used mainly due to its incredible compressive strength. Willow is an extremely light timber with a density of 417 kg/m3 when at 12% moisture content. The weight of the bat is critical, too light a bat will be easy to wield but will not generate the momentum to effectively strike the ball and make it stay hit. Too heavy a bat is cumbersome for the more subtle shots and may restrict the players' ability to swing the bat. Bat suitability is a topic that I will cover in the upcoming months.
The density of the willow will vary according to depth. The compressive forces applied to the face of the bat during manufacture and when striking a ball both cause plastic deformation of the wood. When looking at a cross section of a cricket bat there is substantial compression of the face to a depth of 20mm, the effect of compression through to the back of the bat diminishes after that. As the bat gets older and is used often the blade compresses more and more thus creating the bowed blade. Many manufacturers put a machined bow into the blade but ideally the best performance will be achieved when this happens naturally.
Bats of the early 1800's were constructed of one complete piece of willow. With the bat acting as a cantilever, fixed (although not firmly) by the batsman's grip at the top end of the bat, and the ball struck near to the bottom, the maximum bending force caused failure in the handle. To overcome this problem the two piece bat was introduced in 1830. This consisted of making the bat in two parts and fitting them together. There was, however, no alteration in the design of either of them. The bats looked exactly the same except for the splice. Personal modifications were still made as before, to the blade, for reasons connected with better striking power, better protecting the body and better defending of the wicket. In 1840 or thereabouts the attention switched from the blade to the handle. Making the bat in two parts was an improvement, but the solid handle still stung the hands whenever the ball struck the blade anywhere but the middle. (Cane handles with rubber inserts were introduced in 1856. These will feature in an upcoming newsletter).
English cricket bat willow is regarded by batmakers world-wide to be the highest quality, the cheaper grades of boys bats that are mass produced would be generally made using Kashmir willow. There are some Salix Alba Caerulea trees grown in India but it grows too fast and the quality is much poorer than English grown willow.
Willow has been grown in Australia, but this has grown too fast in the heat of the Australian summer. Fast growing willow is not dense enough to be good for use in top grade cricket bats because the grains are too wide and a good performance is not achievable. The fast growing willow generally cracks unacceptably with use.
Willow grown in New Zealand usually grows too fast also, with New Zealand's summers being warmer than the British summers. The cooler regions of New Zealand suffer from strong winds, meaning the willow often fractures (known as storm damage). This causes bats to break. Storm damage is a problem encountered by all batmakers worldwide, it is sometimes visible to a very keen eye during the manufacturing process and there are several tests one can do whilst making the bat. The fractures within the willow cells themselves are microscopic and are caused by strong winds forcing the tree to bend over rather than uproot.
The bending of the trunk section of the tree causes some cells to fracture and when the tree keeps growing these are not apparent until the bat has been broken during use.
Article sourced from:- http://www.laverwood.co.nz/html/newsletters/2.htm
ICC Intercontinental Cup -- Posted Sunday, May 20 2007
ICC Intercontinental Cup ideal for Associates to hone skills, says Done
ICC’s High Performance Manager says players must not neglect longer form of game
Associate players must develop their skills for the longer form of the game if they are to continue to improve in one-day cricket on a global level, according to ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done.
Speaking ahead of the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup final between Ireland and Canada next week, Mr Done said it was vital that teams did not neglect multi-day cricket as it improves aspects of players’ games that can then be applied to the one-day format as well.
“The world has just seen the top Associate teams taking part in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies but it’s important to point out that they do not just play ODIs, they also get the opportunity to play the longer form of the game,” said Mr Done.
The final of the Intercontinental Cup, which is the ICC’s flagship first-class competition, will get underway on Tuesday at Grace Road, Leicester and by Friday we will know the identity of the new champion.
“Multi-day cricket presents challenges to players that they just don’t face in one-day cricket. They need more depth in their skills, more patience and a different approach. The skills they develop at this level can then be transferred and adapted to make them relevant to the one-day game,” he said.
“The Intercontinental Cup is very competitive, high-class cricket and is an important one for the development of cricket outside of Test countries. There is a tendency for Associate teams to concentrate on the one-day form and that is understandable given the high profile that exists there. But most coaches will agree that playing longer cricket makes cricketers better one-day players as well. And if Associates have aspirations of playing Test cricket, those skills will need to be developed.”
Having topped their respective groups, Canada, which will be contesting its second final, and defending champion Ireland will battle it out on the neutral turf of Grace Road.
Ireland topped Group A after registering a very determined outright victory over the United Arab Emirates at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi in February. Earlier in the competition it had beaten Namibia and drawn with Scotland, which was enough to top the group with 43 points from Scotland who ended up with 35.
The Irish won the cup at the end of 2005 by beating Kenya in a thrilling game at Wanderers CC, Namibia and the players will be determined not to relinquish the title they fought so hard to win that week in Windhoek.
Meanwhile, Canada has got to its second final in the three-year history of the event having beaten Bermuda and Kenya along the way. It lost to the Netherlands but still managed to finish above the Dutch, who could not beat the other two teams in Group B. In 2004, the first year of the competition, Canada lost to Scotland in the final at Sharjah Stadium.
The new format in the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament. This increases to seven four-day matches later this year and in 2008 when the event will be a full round-robin and global 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.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.
Canada: Ashish Bagai (captain), Abdool Samad, Ashif Mulla, Austin Codrington, Geoff Barnett, Henry Osinde, John Davison, Kevin Sandher, Naresh Patel, Sandeep Jyoti, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Qaiser Ali. Coach: Andy Pick.
Ireland: Trent Johnston (captain), Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Kevin O’Brien, Gary Wilson, Peter Gillespie, Andrew White, Kyle McCallan, David Langford-Smith, Thinus Fourie, Kenny Carroll, Roger Whelan. Coach: Phil Simmons.
Umpires: Paul Baldwin and Richard Kettleborough
Match referee: David Jukes
Hours of play (BST): 10.30-12.30, 13.10-15.10, 15.30-17.30.
Playing regulations can be found at http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/playing_conditions.pdf
Material: sourced from ICC MEDIA RELEASE
Dubai, 19 May 2007
Bradman in Canada -- Posted Saturday, May 19 2007
The trip was organised by Bradman’s friend Arthur Mailey, a plumber by trade and retired Australian test leg spinner, to help English expatriates promote cricket in Canada and the United States. It was sanctioned but not paid for by the Australian Cricket Board of Control.
Mailey arranged sponsorship from Canadian Pacific Railway, but with one proviso. Such was Bradman’s fame around the world after Australia’s 1930 Ashes tour of England – when he scored 974 runs in the tests at an average of 139, with two double centuries and a world record innings of 334 – that the sponsorship depended on Bradman being in the team. Bradman, then 23, agreed – if he could take his new wife. He had fallen for Jessie Menzies when they were both 12, the day she became a boarder in the Bradman family home in Bowral, south of Sydney. They were married at St Paul’s Church in Burwood, Sydney, on April 30, 1932. The team for North America left on May 26 and Jessie Bradman was the only player’s wife on the trip.
For the full story go to:-
http://www.334notout.com/bradman/donnz1.htm
New captain Bagai has ICC Intercontinental Cup in his sights (ICC) -- Posted Friday, May 18 2007
New captain Bagai has ICC Intercontinental Cup in his sights
Canada skipper wants to begin his time at the helm with victory in first-class final
Ashish Bagai represents the fresh face of the future of Canadian cricket. The new young captain is determined to mark his first meaningful match in charge of the side with a win that would give Canada its first ICC Intercontinental Cup.
It has been said that Canada is too reliant on elder statesmen such as John Davison and Geoff Barnett for the performances required to make an impact at international level but, at 25, Bagai is determined to oversee the transition and rebuilding of the national side.
Following the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) in the West Indies, Davison stood down as captain and although he is still in the team and on hand for advice, he passed the mantle over to Bagai, a talented wicketkeeper-batsman with a good reading of the game and a man who is passionate about cricket in Canada.
“It is a huge honour and privilege for me to be asked to lead the side,” he said. “It’s such an important game for us and I am looking forward to it enormously.”
Canada takes on defending champions Ireland in next week’s final (22-25 May) at Grace Road, Leicester and Bagai knows the Irish will not be an easy nut to crack. Canada was bowled out by them for just 115 in a CWC warm-up game in Trinidad but prior to that it was Bagai and his team-mates who came out on top when they defeated the Irish by six wickets during the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi in February.
It was an impressive victory considering they chased 308 and the man of that match was Bagai himself who top scored with a magnificent 122. Now, however, Bagai will not be able to concentrate solely on batting at the top of the order as he must lead the team. Throw in the fact that he will probably be wearing the wicketkeeper’s gloves as well, it’s going to be a hectic few days for him.
“To be honest, I am looking forward to the challenge. It’s not going to be easy to do all three things but I believe I can do it and I want to thank the selectors for having the faith in me to do it.
“We know the Ireland team quite well. They are a fighting side, they do the basics very well and they play within their limits. Doing so well in the World Cup they have been playing a lot more cricket than us and that is certainly an advantage for them. We are hoping that perhaps they’ll be a little stale.”
Indeed, before arriving in England this week the Canadians had not played a competitive match since losing to New Zealand by 114 runs in the CWC at St Lucia on 22 March. It helps to have connections though and outgoing coach Andy Pick was able to organise a two-day game with an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) selection at Loughborough to get them back into the swing of things.
Pick finishes up as coach of Canada after this game and will stay in England to resume his role as coach of ECB’s under-19s that he had previously done before heading across the Atlantic.
“Andy has been really good for us,” said Bagai. “I got on very well with him and learned a lot from him. He has been great for Canadian cricket.”
After concentrating on one-day cricket for the past few months, the ICC Intercontinental Cup provides Canada with the opportunity to play the longer form of the game and Bagai knows it is not easy to make that transition.
“I think there is a different approach needed. You have to take it session by session and if you fall behind it can be difficult to regain the initiative in the match. You have to trust in your ability and show a lot more patience than one-day cricket. Stamina and fitness are also factors. There is a different type of fitness required for the Intercontinental Cup than ODIs so we have been working on that.
“I think this competition is great. Playing longer cricket really challenges your technique and gives you the skills that can also be applied to one-day cricket. There is a danger for the Associates to concentrate too much on one-day cricket which is why this event is so important.”
While Ireland will start this match as favourites, there are a few things that are working in favour of Bagai and his men. The Irish will be without Niall O’Brien and Boyd Rankin due to county commitments and also influential all-rounder Andre Botha due to injury.
Canada can boast arguably the best new-ball attack in the Associate world with Henry Osinde and Umar Bhatti while the experience of Davison, Barnett and Austin Codrington will compliment the talented youth of Bagai, Qaiser Ali and Kevin Sandher. On its way to the final Canada beat Kenya and Bermuda, which put it top of Group B despite losing to the Netherlands in its final game.
“The next step for us in Canada is to rebuild the team with an eye on the next ICC Trophy (now called the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier). I hope we can inject some youthful energy into it and help build a side that will be together for the next few years,” said Bagai.
The new format in the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament. This increases to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when the event will be a full round-robin and global 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.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.
Canada: Ashish Bagai (captain), Abdool Samad, Ashif Mulla, Austin Codrington, Geoff Barnett, Henry Osinde, John Davison, Kevin Sandher, Naresh Patel, Sandeep Jyoti, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Qaiser Ali. Coach: Andy Pick.
Canada's preparations in disarray -- Posted Friday, May 18 2007
Canada v Ireland, Intercontinental Cup final, Leicester
Jenny Thompson
May 17, 2007
Lost baggage, missed flights, rain and a lack of preparation. No, that's not a hark back to the recent World Cup, but the latest set of problems to affect Canada's preparations for their Intercontinental Cup final next week.
They're due to face Ireland next Tuesday in the four-day match at Grace Road, but in some ways they couldn't be less prepared. It's not for a lack of enthusiasm or willing, but some of the team - Naresh Patel and Trevin Bastiampillai - haven't played international cricket since last summer. Even those who have played in Canada's most recent game haven't had international cricket for nearly two months; the last match, in the World Cup, was March 22.
Patel and Qaiser Ali, who are based in Montreal, have little exposure to decent practice facilities. But at least they made it. Having missed a connecting flight, they only arrived in England today and had to rush straight to Loughborough Town CC where they were due to face an England Select XI in a two-day game.
Thursday's play was washed out completely, and with little drainage at the club ground and more bad weather on the way, it's unlikely there will be any play on Friday, either. They made do with indoor practice at the Loughborough Academy - and, as their coach Andy Pick noted, "it was like coming out of a cocoon for some, like coming out of hibernation." Assuming they don't play on, this will leave the players with one practice day in Leicestershire on Monday.
Pick said he wanted to be tested when he took on the role a year ago, and he certainly has been. "There have been a number of challenges," he said, taking the latest calamities in his stride with typical good humour. And they don't end there, either.
To cap everything off, two other players, Geoff Barnett and John Davison, have travelled independently from New Zealand and Australia - but their kit has been lost by British Airways. They are hopeful of recovering it in time for the match, but otherwise new clothing will have to be found.
Ireland remain the favourites. Even without Niall O'Brien and Boyd Rankin, who have been retained by their counties, and even after losing five one-day matches on the bounce recently, they have at least played together. And they are very strong in four-day cricket, too, and are the defending champions.
But with all the problems Canada have faced, getting to Grace Road will at least be a good start.
Jenny Thompson is assistant editor of Cricinfo
News sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/294644.html
Another active year for Canada's national team -- Posted Thursday, May 17 2007
Schedule
2007-05-22 ICC Intercontinental Cup Final
Final - Intercontinental Cup - Canada will face Ireland in a First-Class Four-Day match, in the UK from May 22nd to 25th.
2007-06-28 Netherlands in Canada
Game 1 Intercontinental Cup - Canada will face Netherlands in a First-Class Four-Day match, at a ground to be determined in Canada from June 28th to July 1st. Followed by One-Day Internationals on July 3rd and 4th.
2007-07-07 UAE in Canada
Game 2 Intercontinental Cup - Canada will face the UAE in a First-Class Four-Day match, at a ground to be determined in Canada from July 7th to 10th. Followed by One-Day Games on on July 13th and 14th.
2007-10-12 Canada in Kenya
Game 3 Intercontinental Cup - Canada will face Kenya in a First-Class Four-Day match, at a ground to be determined in Kenya from October 12th to 15th. Followed by One-Day Internationals on October 18th, 20th and 21st.
2007-10-25 Canada in Namibia
Game 4 Intercontinental Cup - Canada will face the Namibia in a First-Class Four-Day match, at a ground to be determined in Namibia from October 25th to 28th. Followed by One-Day Games on on October 30th and 31st.
ICC must modernise -- Posted Thursday, May 17 2007
Cricket's governing body has been urged to modernise by leading cricketers who say they have lost confidence in it.
In a survey by the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations, 56% doubted the ICC's ability to govern the game or organise World Cups.
A staggering 89% of international players rated the recent World Cup in the Caribbean as average or worse.
Fica chief executive Tim May said: "There has been growing dissatisfaction regarding the governance of our game."
He added: "An independent review will determine what is the best and most applicable structure for cricket's international governing body.
"We strongly believe that the present structure...is outdated and not in the best interests of the game."
Fica's World Cup survey showed 64% of players believe the same tournament structure - four groups of four, followed by Super 8s - should be retained for the next World Cup.
But 87% felt the competition was too long, with the survey concluding that "The death of Bob Woolmer, the early exit of India and Pakistan, the long and laborious Super 8s, the lack of exciting matches, the rain-affected final, the unfortunate umpire/referee error at the final, and the long periods that players had at their disposal between matches all affected the players opinion."
May says the ICC should take the blame for the organisational problems and the controversy surrounding Darrell Hair, its anti-doping policy and Zimbabwe.
The governing body appears has acted swiftly on the former Australia star's criticism of its committees, which used to be made up of nominated representatives from each Test-playing country and leading Associate Member countries.
A new 13-man cricket committee has been formed which will feature former and current Test stars and umpiring officials.
Headed by ex-India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, it will meet for the first time on 30 and 31 May in Dubai, with a remit to "discuss and consult on any cricket-playing matters and formulate recommendations" to the ICC's executive board.
Also on the committee are ex-West Indies pacemen Ian Bishop and Michael Holding, former captains Mark Taylor (Australia) and Craig Wright (Scotland), current Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene, and ex-Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody.
Article sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/6657729.stm
Windies tour to Canada 1886 -- Posted Thursday, May 17 2007
West Indian Gentlemen tour to Canada and the United States 1886
A West Indian side toured North America in August and September 1886. This was a representative team drawn from British Guiana, Barbados and Jamaica. The team played 12 two-day matches mostly against club sides, 6 matches being played in Canada and 6 in the United States plus an additional fill-up game in the United States.
The touring team consisted of the following 14 players:
Mr. L.R. Fyfe, Jamaica, Captain
Mr. J.M. Burke, Jamaica
Mr. W.O. Collymore, Barbados
Mr. W.H. Farquharson, Jamaica
Mr. Leo. Isaacs, Jamaica
Mr. Percy Isaacs, Jamaica
Mr. Louis Kerr, British Guiana
Mr. J. Lees, Jamaica
Mr. E.N. Marshall, Jamaica
Mr. E.M. Skeete, Barbados
Mr. T.S. Skeete, Barbados
Mr. R.H. Stewart, British Guiana
Mr. A.W. Swain, British Guiana
Mr. G. Wyatt, British Guiana
In Canada the tourists played matches against Montreal C.C., Halifax Wanderers in Montreal, Ottawa C.C., Toronto C.C., Ontario Association XI and Hamilton C.C., winning 4 matches, losing against Hamilton and drawing the match against Montreal.
The team then moved on to the United States where they met much stronger opponents. They first played Merion C.C. in Ardmore losing by 10 wickets. The match finishing early on the second day a fill-up match was arranged. They then played Belmont C.C. in Elmwood losing by an innings and 32 runs and then Germantown C.C. in Nicetown where they lost by an innings and 88 runs. The next match against Young America C.C. in Stenton resulted in a draw with the Young America team in a strong position. The tourists then played Longwood C.C. in Boston winning by 18 runs and finally played Staten Island C.C. in New York losing by 8 wickets.
So in the matches against the leading Philadelphian and New York club sides the tourists were heavily outplayed although they had success in Canada and in Boston. The results clearly showed that at this time the standard of cricket was much higher in the U.S.A. than in the West Indies.
Article sourced from :-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1864-65_to_1890-91_West_Indian_cricket_seasons
Editors note:
Recently a book has been produced in Barbados about the 1886 tour. Professor Littlewood of the University of Western Ontario is currently working on a review of the book. (JH)
Ireland and Canada prepare to do battle (ICC) -- Posted Wednesday, May 16 2007
Ireland and Canada prepare to do battle for ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006/07 (ICC Press Release)
Ireland will be looking to add another chapter to its fairytale year of 2007 when it takes on Canada in the final of the ICC’s flagship first-class event for the leading Associate teams, the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
Trent Johnston’s side has already put cricket on the map in Ireland thanks to a stellar ICC Cricket World Cup in which the side beat Pakistan and Bangladesh and tied with Zimbabwe, not only reaching the Super Eight stage of the tournament but also achieving a place in the LG ICC ODI Championship table.
Since returning home, results have – perhaps understandably – been less impressive in the England and Wales Cricket Board’s Friends Provident Trophy against English county sides.
But given Ireland is the defending champion in the ICC Intercontinental Cup, having secured the prize by beating Kenya in Namibia in late 2005, it is a racing certainty that it will not give up the title without a titanic fight.
Ireland will be without two of its Caribbean heroes, wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien and opening bowler Boyd Rankin, who have commitments with their county teams, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire respectively.
However, a third county-contracted player, batsman Eoin Morgan of Middlesex, has been released to play in the match and is part of a 13-man squad chosen for the fixture.
The Ireland squad also features heroes of the West Indies in the form of spinner Kyle McCallan, opening bowler David Langford-Smith, opening batsman Jeremy Bray and all-rounder Kevin O’Brien.
Into the line-up in place of Niall O’Brien comes Gary Wilson while Rankin is replaced by Thinus Fourie.
All-rounder John Mooney has made himself unavailable due to work commitments while another all-rounder, Andre Botha, is ruled out due to a finger injury sustained during a Friends Provident Trophy match against Somerset recently.
Ireland, which reached the final after wins against Namibia and the United Arab Emirates and a drawn match with arch-rivals Scotland, certainly represent a tough proposition for Canada but the north American side has plenty of high-class players of its own.
Under the leadership of new captain Ashish Bagai, Canada still retain the experience of former skipper and off-spinning all-rounder John Davison, batsman Geoff Barnett and another all-rounder in Austin Codrington, while the opening bowling partnership of Umar Bhatti and Henry Osinde is arguably the most dangerous new-ball attack in the Associate world.
Bagai took over from Davison following the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) in the West Indies and although he is only 25 years of age, the wicketkeeper-batsman has established himself as one of Canada’s top performers and has already played 29 ODIs and seven first-class matches for his country as well as a host of other caps.
He won the player of the tournament at the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 tournament that took place in Nairobi in January/February having scored two centuries and one fifty at an average of 86.25, including a top score of 137 not out in his side's thrilling seven-run win over Scotland.
As for the coaches, Ireland are under the stewardship of Phil Simmons, the former West Indies all-rounder only recently having taken over from Adrian Birrell, while Canada will be biding farewell to Andy Pick following the match after the former England A seam bowler led it through the recent ICC CWC campaign.
The umpires for the final are former Yorkshire batsman Richard Kettleborough and Paul Baldwin. Kettleborough was named on the ECB’s list of first-class umpires in 2005 at the age of just 32 while Baldwin, who umpired a semi-final of this competition in 2005, is a member of the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires Panel and was also selected to stand at the ICC U/19 World Cup in Sri Lanka last year.
The new format in the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament. This increases to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when the event will be a full round-robin and global 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.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup began in 2004 to give the leading players from Associate sides the chance to improve by exposing them to a longer form of the game.
Canada: Ashish Bagai (captain), Abdool Samad, Ashif Mulla, Austin Codrington, Geoff Barnett, Henry Osinde, John Davison, Kevin Sandher, Naresh Patel, Sandeep Jyoti, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Qaiser Ali. Coach: Andy Pick.
Ireland: Trent Johnston (captain), Jeremy Bray, William Porterfield, Eoin Morgan, Kevin O’Brien, Gary Wilson, Peter Gillespie, Andrew White, Kyle McCallan, Davie Langford-Smith, Thinus Fourie, Kenny Carroll, Roger Whelan. Coach: Phil Simmons.
Umpires: Paul Baldwin, Richard Kettleborough
Match referee: David Jukes
Canada v Ireland -- Posted Wednesday, May 16 2007
The Canadian team is on their way head to England to prepare for the ICC Intercontinental Cup Final against Ireland, at Grace Road, Leicester. The four-day match starts on May 22.
The Canadians, many of whom have not played for nearly two months since their last World Cup match on March 22, will have a warm-up against an England select XI at Loughborough Town. That two-day game takes place on Thursday and Friday this week.
In Canada itself, the domestic cricket season started on May 12 for two of the leagues in Greater Toronto. Premier Divisions of both the Etobicoke and District League, and the Canadian Commonwealth Cricket Association of Toronto had their first matches.
The largest league in Canada kicks off this Saturday.
The Toronto and District Cricket Association gets underway this week, while players in the Scarborough Cricket Association will have to wait for their first matches on May 26.
The City of Toronto's exhibition "A view from the Pavilion: South Asian Contributions to the World of Cricket" is at Toronto City Hall this week. Later it will move to Etobicoke Civic Centre (June 4-6), North York Civic Centre (June 11-13) and finally Scarborough Civic Centre (June 18-22).
Item sourced from:-
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/btw/archives/2007/05/canada_prepare.php
The role of cricket umpires -- Posted Wednesday, May 16 2007
What is the job of a cricket umpire and when can they refer decisions to a third official?
Let's start with the basics. On the field of play, there are two umpires officiating a match.
One umpire stands behind the stumps at the bowler's end of the pitch, while the other umpire stands at square leg.
At international level there is also a third umpire on the sidelines and a match referee.
The umpire at the bowler's end makes decisions on lbw appeals, no balls, wides and leg byes.
The square leg umpire will judge stumpings and run outs.
At the end of each over, the umpires change position.
The third umpire uses TV replays to rule on run outs, stumpings, whether a ball has hit the ground before being caught or when it is unclear if the ball has crossed the boundary.
However, the third umpire can only make a decision if they have been asked to do so by the umpires out on the pitch.
Their involvement in the game has becoming increasingly influential, with fans and commentators alike calling for technology to be used for every contentious appeal.
The second Test between India and England in 2006 in particular highlighted this controversial issue.
England opener Andrew Strauss was correctly given out when umpire Simon Taufel referred a catch to third umpire Arani Jayaprakash in the second innings.
However, umpire Darrell Hair did not ask for Jayaprakash's assistance when he gave Kevin Pietersen out caught by Rahul Dravid at leg slip.
But television replays clearly showed Harbhajan Singh's delivery had hit Pietersen's wrist rather than his glove or bat.
If an umpire is unsure about a decision, then the batsman is always given the benefit of the doubt.
Only an umpire can give a batsman out, but only after an appeal from the fielding side.
If a batsman stands their ground and no appeal has been made by the fielding side, they should not be given out by an umpire.
The umpires indicate no balls, byes, leg byes, wides, boundaries and sixes to the scorers, who keep a running total of the runs scored.
The match referee rules on disciplinary matters.
If a player disagrees with the umpire about a decision and argue their case, the match referee can fine the player in question.
The players cannot appeal for the TV umpire to be called on.
A timely information piece for the commencement of the Canadian cricket season, sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/rules_and_equipment/4183398.stm
Womens cricket in Calgary -- Posted Wednesday, May 16 2007
Another event this summer in Calgary, a women's clinic and tour, which will be the impetus for a new women's program launching in Calgary this summer...preliminary details below.
June 30th Saturday
Team arrives at noon
Women's clinic at Riley Park 2pm - 6pm (intro, instruction and refreshments)
Social mixer 6pm @ F.A.T.S. (sponsor pub near park)
July 1st Sunday
Canada Day game -- Victoria Wicket Maidens vs Calgary Selects (mixed team) @ Riley Park Large
40 over game -- noon to 6pm (lunch and refreshments included)
Player of the match presentation and socializing after game
July 2nd Monday
Victoria Wicket Maidens vs Calgary Selects (men's or mixed team) @ Riley Park Small
30-35 over game -- noon to 5pm (lunch and refreshments included)
Dinner/drinks at nearby restaurant 6pm
Flight back to Victoria at 9pm
Information submitted by Mukul Ahuja, who can be reached at... mukul_ahuja@hotmail.com
Vancouver cricket -- Posted Monday, May 14 2007
The North Shore Cricket Club was founded in 1921, and now boast 5 teams in British Columbia Mainland Cricket League (BCMCL), with a level of play to suit all enthusiasts from Juniors to experienced, competitive cricketers.
The clubs mission statement is: "The objectives and principles of the Club shall be to organize, foster, engage in, improve and extend the game of cricket and to promote fellowship and goodwill for the mutual benefit of the Club and all of its members."
The Spirit of North Shore:
Here is a formal statement of what donning your cricket whites for North Shore signifies:
"To uphold and maintain the spirit of our club, which includes supporting the club in any way possible, playing for any team or in any position asked, not engaging in any unfair play or behaviour that might bring the game or the club into disrepute, and respecting umpiring decisions without showing dissent"
- (Inspired by the MCC's 2003 revised edition of the Laws of Cricket).
Information sourced from:- http://www.nscricket.com/
Toronto cricket -- Posted Monday, May 14 2007
Cricket: Domestic Season in Toronto Area
The domestic cricket season has begun for two of the leagues in the Greater Toronto. Premier Divisions of both the Etobicoke and District League and the Canadian Commonwealth Cricket Association of Toronto started on Saturday (May 12).
Play begins on Saturday May 19th in The Toronto and District Cricket Association, Canada's largest cricket league, and on May 26th for the Scarborough Cricket Association.
Canada's national team leaves for England on Tuesday (May 15) to prepare for the International Cricket Council's (ICC's) 2006 Intercontinental Cup Final against Ireland. This match is at Grace Road, Leicester from May 22 to May 25.
The City of Toronto's exhibition "A view from the Pavilion: South Asian Contributions to the World of Cricket" is at Toronto City Hall this week. Later it will move to Etobicoke Civic Centre (June 4-6), North York Civic Centre (June 11-13) and finally Scarborough Civic Centre (June 18-22).
Some Etobicoke & District League Highlights
There were two Premier matches at Centennial Park, Etobicoke, on Sunday in the EDCL: York Central beat KVSCC thanks to Anthony Collins' 7 wickets for 32 runs in 10 overs. Calypso beat Bramalea as John Stephen made 54 runs not out. Harvir Baidwan, who attended indoor practices with the Canadian National team this winter, top-scored with 49 runs for Bramalea.
Scores:
KVSC 122 (Prasant Patel 38 runs, Anthony Collins 7 wickets for 32 runs) lost to York Central 123 runs for 7 wickets (Chad Neptune 24 not out Tapan Patel 3 wickets for 10 runs)
Bramalea 152 runs for 8 wickets (Harvir Baidwan 49, Bim Budhoo 3 wickets for 32 runs) lost to Calypso 154 runs for 4 wickets (John Stephen 54 not out).
Submitted by Eddie Norfolk
Calgary Schools Cricket Carnival -- Posted Saturday, May 12 2007
An open letter to Teachers and Coaches regarding Scotiabank Schools Cricket Carnival -- May 26-27th, 2007
Dear Teachers and Coaches!
We have discussed our upcoming fun schools cricket carnival with several of you and have got a very positive response for participation. Please see the below dates and details, as well as attached rules and resources for your perusal.
Scotiabank Schools Cricket Carnival, May 26-27 2007
hosted by Calgary & District Cricket League at Riley Park and Islamic Centre Grounds, Calgary.
Matches will be "Super 8" format, a modified 8-a-side cricket game, which is full of action and requires all players to bat, bowl and field for equal time. The game consists of one innings of 7 overs per side (14 overs for high school competition), which encourages attacking cricket from batters, bowlers and fielders. See rules sheet for further information.
Elementary Schools (upto grade 6)
Riley Park Small Ground - Saturday May 26th 10am to 4pm
Junior High Schools (upto grade 9)
Riley Park Small Ground - Sunday May 27th 10am to 5pm
Senior High Schools (upto grade 12)
ICCG (Rundle College ground) - Saturday May 26th and Sunday May 27th 10am to 6pm
Map of Riley Park
http://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=800%2012th%20ST%20NW&csz=Calgary%2C+AB&country=ca&name=&qty=&cat=comm&trf=0
Map of ICCG
http://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=2612%20-%2037th%20AVE%20NE&csz=Calgary%2C+AB&country=ca&name=&qty=&cat=dine&trf=0
Please let me know by May 22nd if your school would like to participate in this event and which category. All you need is to recruit 8-10 players and a designated teacher/parent/coach to supervise -- everything else would be taken care of by the members of the Calgary and District Cricket League.
Players must wear all white or matching school colours, and each parent must sign the attached waiver form. Here are some good reasons why you should enter a school team in this carnival:
Registration is FREE! (limited spots)
Fun interschool competition and camaraderie
All equipment provided
Everyone gets to participate (see rules)
Certified coaches on location to work with groups during breaks
Food, Refreshments, Ice Cream
Prizes and Awards
Carnival Atmosphere!
We can set up a free 2-hour cricket intro clinic for teachers on Thursday May 17th, 4-6pm, to bring them up to speed on simple game rules and etiquette ahead of the fun, laidback tournament, and share some cricket resources. Let me know if you are interested in that! Also, if you would like to volunteer your services to umpire, score, setup, supervise, or help with small event tasks on the day, please let me know. Feel free to pass this on or post to any other schools that would be interested! Based on registered number of teams, round-robin game schedule will be released on May 23rd.
Regards,
Mukul Ahuja
Schools Cricket Development Officer
Calgary & District Cricket League
www.calgaryjuniorcricket.com
ICC pressed for Zimbabwe action -- Posted Saturday, May 12 2007
Australian prime minister John Howard has stepped up his campaign to persuade the International Cricket Council to take action against Zimbabwe.
Cricket Australia is facing a US $2m fine if it pulls out of a one-day series in Zimbabwe later this year.
But Howard said: "Our over-riding objective is the tour not take place.
"How long can the international cricket community go on doing things that give aid and comfort to someone who has been totally impervious to any entreaties?"
The prime minister described Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe as a "grubby dictator" who had sanctioned violence to try and silence his political opponents.
"I am jammed between my distaste for the government getting involved in something like this and my even greater distaste for giving a propaganda victory to Robert Mugabe," he added.
The Australian team is due to play three one-day internationals in Zimbabwe in September and the only way their governing body could escape a financial penalty for cancelling the tour would be if the decision was taken because of security concerns.
The government is, however, investigating whether there would be a legal basis for it to intervene and prohibit the tour.
Foreign minister Alexander Downer met officials from Cricket Australia and the players' union, the ACA, in Melbourne on Thursday.
Afterwards, Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland said they understood "very clearly" the government's preference for the team not to undertake the tour.
But he added: "Cricket Australia is also conscious of world cricket's requirements that each country visit all other nations regularly as part of the ICC's Future Tours Program. Cricket Australia is strongly committed to the global development of cricket."
Australia last played in Zimbabwe in 2004, a tour which was boycotted by spin bowler Stuart MacGill, and he has already spoken out about this year's proposed series.
The ICC, meanwhile, issued a statement earlier this week in which it claimed it was "not a party" to the Future Tours Program Agreement between the 10 full member countries.
"A member that does not comply with its obligation to tour another member is subject to a penalty of a minimum of US $2m or such greater amount that the host member can prove to have lost as a result of the failure to tour.
"This is not an ICC fine. It is a contractual obligation between the respective members and if a member fails to fulfil that obligation, then it would have to pay the member against which it is defaulting," the statement continued.
Information sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/australia/6645531.stm
Andy Pick to coach Canada in England -- Posted Saturday, May 12 2007
Andy Pick will coach Canada in their Intercontinental Cup final against Ireland starting on May 22, even though his contract has officially expired. He left his role a few days early in order to make the time up with two matches this month.
Pick told Cricinfo that he had negotiated with the English Cricket Board to be in charge of the Canadians while they are in England, as it was unlikely that they would have found a new coach in time. Indeed, the coaching position remains wide open.
As a warm-up, Pick has arranged for Canada to play an England Select XI at Loughborough Town in a two-day match on May 17 and 18. They will need the practice, too, with most of their players out of action since their exit from the World Cup. Their last game was on March 22.
Pick will have his work cut out at Loughborough - as well as coaching Canada, the England XI will be of his choosing. As he resumes his role as England juniors, he has asked to keep an eye on some players. At Loughborough, he will have 22 players to look out for.
Jenny Thompson
Cricinfo Assistant Editor
May 11, 2007
News article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/293895.html
Some of Canada's fixtures for 2007 -- Posted Friday, May 11 2007
Canada's fixtures for ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007
Thu 28 - Sun 1 June 2007
Canada v Netherlands
Venue to be confirmed in Toronto
Sat 7 - Tue 10 July 2007
Canada v United Arab Emirates
Venue to be confirmed in Canada
Fri 12 - Mon 15 October 2007
Kenya v Canada
Venue to be confirmed in Kenya
Thu 25 - Sun 28 October 2007
Namibia v Canada
Venue to be confirmed in Namibia
Twenty20 gaining, says Gilly -- Posted Thursday, May 10 2007
Adam Gilchrist fears 50-over cricket could be on the verge of being "cannibalised" by the Twenty20 game and has urged administrators to drop ticket prices for the World Cup.
Gilchrist admitted the "sterile" atmosphere of the World Cup, with its half-filled grandstands and over-regulated crowd control, had lacked the rich Caribbean flavour of Australia's last Test tour four years ago.
The tournament revved up with a wonderful match when Sri Lanka beat England by two runs yesterday but the sight of raucous fans celebrating in the stands has been all too rare.
As Gilchrist was suggesting tickets be sold at a cut-price rate for the rest of the tournament, besieged Cup organisers were meeting last night to discuss that very issue.
Stunned by the poor turn-out, even for matches involving the West Indies, administrators are likely to widen the areas of the lowest priced tickets which go for $US25.
Gilchrist had previously cautioned against making the Twenty20 game too big, too quickly but now wonders whether its swift progress will be unstoppable.
"I have suggested a softly, softly approach (with Twenty20 cricket) which does not mean I disapprove of the game," Gilchrist said.
"(But) having seen the lack of crowds at this World Cup maybe it is going to be the way to go. It might cannibalise the one-day game a little bit but we might have to deal with that as we go. It is a popular format.
"There are a lot of people interested in the World Cup and just talking to the locals everyone is aware of it and very excited to have it here, but that is not being translated into big numbers at the grounds which is a bit disappointing as a player.
"You come here, as spectators do, to experience the unique atmosphere of Caribbean cricket. There is certainly a sterile feel about it.
"Whatever the policy is at the moment does not seem to be working so maybe we can look at dropping the price and having a sale."
source - news.com.au
Editors comment:
Should Twenty/20 be considered as 'evening cricket' in Canada? With the long summer evenings would cricketers have further development in match play? From the evening net practices viewed in the GTA there would appear to be little gained, given the lack of coaches. (JH)
ACA Western Canada u23/u25 Tournament -- Posted Thursday, May 10 2007
Alberta Cricket Association - Western Canada u23/u25 Tournament
Tournament Overview
In the tournament's 11th consecutive year, this premier event will continue to showcase Western Canada's top youth cricketers in three days of elite round-robin competition. Matches will be held in Edmonton at Victoria Park (VPK) and Millwoods Cricket Ground (MCG) from May 19th – 21st 2007.
The Alberta Cricket Association will provide all umpires, scorers and match referees as well as cover costs for stumps, balls, facility rentals, and wicket preparation. Lunch for all players, coaches, managers, and tournament officials to be provided. The ACA is also looking to host a Tournament Banquet (in conjunction with E&DCL) and an Awards Ceremony for the event.
The Tournament Banquet will be held Sunday evening, and the Awards Ceremony will take place Monday evening after the close of play at Victoria Park.
Nightly coverage will be provided online at http://www.cricket.ab.ca/aca
The individual provinces are responsible for travel to and within Edmonton as well as accommodation.
Calgary and Edmonton will be fielding under-23 representative sides, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan fielding under-25 representative sides for the round-robin event.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
VICTORIA PARK MILLWOODS
May 19
Calgary u23 vs Manitoba u25
Edmonton u23 vs Saskatchewan u25
May 20
Edmonton u23 vs Manitoba u25
Calgary u23 vs Saskatchewan u25
May 21
Edmonton u23 vs Calgary u23
Saskatchewan u25 vs Manitoba u25
All games will be 50-over matches unless affected by weather conditions, to be played using regulation Kookaburra 4-piece balls, with the 30-yard circle and Duckworth-Lewis method in effect.
Game start times at both venues are as follows:
Saturday May 19th - 12.30pm start (VP) - 12pm start (MW)
Sunday May 20th - 11.30am start (VP) - 11am start (MW)
Monday May 21st - 10.30am start (VP) - 10am start (MW)
Lunch break is 30 minutes between innings.
All facilities, umpires, scorers, game balls, and lunches are provided by the Alberta Cricket Association.
It is each team's responsibility to report to the umpires at the grounds at least 30 minutes prior to the start of each game.
AWARDS CEREMONY
There will be a quick Man of the Match presentation for both games at Victoria Park after each day's play, followed by dinner for all 4 teams, officials and volunteers.
After the final games on Monday evening, there will be a short Awards ceremony at Victoria Park to declare the tournament champions, as well as winners for the following four (4) prestigious awards: Best Batsman, Best Bowler, Best Fielder and Tournament MVP.
The tournament winner will be based on aggregate points, with teams receiving 6 pts for a win, 3 for a tie/abandoned game, and 0 for a loss.
In case of a tie in standings, the first tie-breaker will be the winner of the head-to-head result, followed by Net Run Rate (NRR).
The award winners will be determined by a committee consisting of the four team managers.
Tournament Details
Player Eligibility
All players must be born on or after Sept 1, 1983 (or 1981 for u25 players).
Playing Rules
ICC one-day rules in effect unless otherwise specified.
Kookaburra 4-piece regulation balls to be used.
Fielding restriction circles in effect.
Duckwort/Lewis method to be used for rain-affected games.
Tie-breaker
In case of a tie in standings, tournament winner to be determined by head-to-head result, and then Net Run Rate (NRR).
Note: Document detailing tournament playing rules and code of conduct to be released once all participating provinces are confirmed.
Participating provinces to confirm participation in writing -- Mail, Email or Fax.
Provincial U23 squad with Player Name, proof-of-age (photocopy of Passport or Birth Certificate), and Team Coach/Manager to be provided by May 14th 2007 -- Mail, Email or Fax.
We really look forward to continuing our collaborative tradition and hosting another successful, high-calibre and truly western Canadian cricket tournament in Alberta.
Yours in Cricket,
Mukul Ahuja
Youth Development Coordinator
Alberta Cricket Association
Email: mahuja@cricket.ab.ca
Editors comment: A wonderfull example of 'attention to detail'.
The source of Bradman's delight -- Posted Wednesday, May 9 2007
Vancouver's Stanley Park is not perhaps the first place in the world that one associates with the comforting thud of leather on willow, still less a place where a nostalgic British sports fan might go to soak up an idyllic Sunday afternoon of traditional English cricket.
But as Flintoff et al rekindled the Ashes back in 'Blighty', I - and a handful of other sports-starved expats - elected to live vicariously through the slightly less frenetic action of Stanley Park's Brockton Oval; a ground once described by the late, great Don Bradman as the most magnificent he had ever played upon.
When it comes to peculiarly British passions, cricket - in a country driven euphoric by ice hockey and baseball - is a largely indecipherable pastime.
Whilst the ever-polite Canucks might still imprint the queen's head on their coins and flutter the Union Jack on a handful of their provincial flags, their grasp of googlies, silly mid-offs and men in white coats is about as esoteric as the sight of Eddie 'the Eagle' Edwards catapulting off a Calgary ski jump.
It's a puzzling dichotomy in the circumstances. In other ex-British colonies, such as Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan, cricket is embedded into the national consciousness with all the fervour of an alternative religion.
But somehow the ever-loyal Canadians missed out.
Some cricket historians blame the colder climate whilst others highlight the country's proximity to baseball-crazy America as the crux of the problem. More still point to the fact that a game that goes on for five days and still only manages to cough up a paltry draw is just too darned dull for the average North American armchair enthusiast to appreciate.
Or is it?
In common with a large number of my British compatriots, my own rather revelatory initiation to Canadian cricket culture happened quite by chance.
For Vancouverites, a Sunday afternoon outing to Stanley Park is one of the city's longest standing traditions. Joining the hordes of biking and jogging-mad locals in a brisk circumnavigation of the vista-laden seawall one bright summer's day in August, my wife and I encountered, in the space of just one hour, everything from an open-air symphony concert, to an ocean-side wedding party, to a boisterous beach volleyball competition in full swing.
Amidst such quintessentially Canadian pastimes, cricket was the last thing on my mind.
It was only as we were rounding the final tree-lined promontory of Brockton Point that an improbable scream interrupted our otherwise amiable meanderings.
"HOWWWWZAAAAATTTTTT!"
Alarmed somewhat by the ferocity of the cry, my Canadian wife - who, despite eighteen months spent married to a cricket fanatic, has never quite digested the intricacies of the 'LBW' law - jumped about three feet into the air.
I, meanwhile - with my more accustomed cricket-tuned ears - was already running up a nearby grassy knoll to grab my first unforgettable glimpse of the vivid jaw-dropping cityscape that had once so enraptured Bradman.
Spread out over a picture postcard playing field, with the rugged North Shore Mountains glimmering like ghostly sentinels in the background, eleven fielders, two batsmen and a couple of umpires dressed in distinctive white coats were heatedly discussing the merits of a controversial 'leg before wicket' call.
For first-time visitors, the sight of Brockton Oval - the proverbial jewel in the crown of Canadian cricket - is guaranteed to make even the sturdiest of stiff-upper-lips quiver momentarily with amazement.
It's almost as if the village greens of England have been scooped incongruously into the outlying foothills of the Himalayas and repositioned 6,000 miles to the west.
To local diehards, it's a warmly familiar panorama and proof - if proof was indeed needed - that west coast cricket heritage is anything but the marginalized sub-culture of lore.
With a burgeoning national team mixing foreign experience with a groundswell of home-grown talent the sport in Canada, whilst perhaps not yet ready to challenge baseball, has established deep and infinitely sustainable roots amongst an enthusiastic and highly committed minority.
Recently the battling Canucks finished third in an International Cricket Council tournament in Ireland to qualify for the 2007 World Cup and - according to national coach Mike Henry - the team now sits a stone's throw from fully-fledged Test match status.
For the gaggle of English, Asian and Australian ex-pats that cluster weekly around the Brockton Oval pavilion, it's an exciting possibility. Under the watchful eye of droning seaplanes, glittering Alaska-bound cruise liners and the craning towers of downtown Vancouver that flicker like glass cathedrals across waters of the choppy harbour, one of the world's most spectacularly located sports grounds could soon be hosting cricket matches that finally do justice to its magnificent natural setting.
One wonders what 'the Don' would have thought.
Story sourced from:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2005/10/31/exwor745.xml
An historical cricket snippet -- Posted Wednesday, May 9 2007
1840 - Cricket First introduced to Nova Scotia at King's College - by Charles Bowman of Spa Springs, (King's Meadow) Windsor, who had been studying in England
http://www.birthplaceofhockey.com/windsor/big-firsts.htm
1858: THE PUBLIC ADOPTS A FLAG
Some 233 years after the grant of arms, and 109 years after the settlement of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first use of the flag is recorded, and not as a symbol of provincial authority as the 1625 grant implicitly allows, but as a celebratory offering to a cricket club.
As the Acadian Recorder of June 12, 1858 tells it,
The Mayor, on behalf of Dr. Cogswell, also presented them [the cricket club] with a flag, embodying in visible shape for the first time in our history, the arms of the Province. The flag consisted of a blue cross of St. Andrew on a white field, charged in the centre with an inescocheon [sic] of the Royal Arms of Scotland.
Article sourced from:- http://fraser.cc/FlagsCan/Provinces/NS.html
In Vroom's Notes on the History of King's College in Nova Scotia he says, "...cricket was brought to Windsor about 1845. It was played on the field to the north of the College, part of which is now covered with spruces, and part attached to the Clifton property, having been given to Judge Haliburton in an exchange for a right-of-way through his property to town. The field was near the large elms in the hollow, which stood out prominently with no spruces about them, and hence the name of "the Three Elms Cricket Club", which is so well known in the history of cricket in this province..."
In another article about "the Three Elms" the author says, " ... Long Pond was in the College grounds, and the level ground to the east of it was the cricket field ...
Article sourced from:-
http://www.birthplaceofhockey.com/birthplace/long-pond/long-long-pond-story.html
Cricket World Cup 1979 and all that -- Posted Wednesday, May 9 2007
The 1970s: Glam rock and T-Rex, the Conservatives and Margaret Thatcher, Tudor Crisps and Quosh cordial, cricket and Canada.
Most remembered with fondness, some with fear and the latter pairing, well, probably not at all.
The decade that fashion forgot was also a time when Canadian cricket enjoyed unprecedented success, although it was something, both now and then, that would have slipped the mind of many.
It all began in 1975, when a provincial side beat a strong Australia touring party.
Four years later, Canada took another giant leap forward by qualifying for the World Cup at the first time of asking.
For a country more renowned for its ice hockey excellence, making the World Cup could have been compared to Cheryl Ladd joining 70s TV heroines Charlie's Angels - a surprise, but welcomed in many circles.
But unlike Ms Ladd, Canada's entry into the big-time began with more of a whimper than a bang.
Canada, mostly made up of players who had emigrated from the West Indies, were drawn against England, Pakistan and Australia in the group stages.
First up were Pakistan, a team they played their best cricket against.
Canada donned the pads against the third favourites, who had the likes of Imran Khan, Safraz Nawaz and Majid Khan in attack.
The Canadians were intent on making themselves hard to beat.
Openers Chris Chappell and Glenroy Sealy made a 54 partnership, before Chappell (no relation to the famous Australian brothers) fell for 14.
It was a dream start for the minnows.
Up stepped Franklyn Dennis to the crease, a man with a perm only rivalled by captain Brian Mauricette and England's speed merchant Bob Willis.
Sealy managed to make 45 before he was caught and bowled by Asif Iqbal with the scores at 85-2.
Dennis went on to make 25, falling just as Canada reached their ton.
Unfortunately, things turned pear-shaped soon after with the North Americans losing the next six wickets for 36 runs before the end of the innings.
It did not take long for the West Indies to reach 140, and they did so with the loss of just two wickets.
Next up were home side England. With Ian Botham, Chris Old and Willis spearheading the attack, the visitors knew they were in for a rough time.
But they probably never envisaged being dismissed for just 45.
Dennis managed to score 21 runs of that meagre total - the only player to make double figures.
In total, Canada scored 284 runs from their three matches, at an average of just over 90 runs. To say they were outclassed, was an understatement.
Finally, came the might of Australia.
With the Canadians effectively out of the World Cup, pride was the only thing left to salvage.
They did that to some extent by making more than a century against the tough opposition.
However, the Australians lost just three wickets before Kim Hughes and Graham Yallop guided the side past the 105-run mark set for victory.
So by the end of Canada's campaign, the statistics read: Played 3, Won 0, Lost 3.
They might not have won a game, but at least the world found out that North Americans did know something about cricket.
Above sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/cwc2003/hi/newsid_2330000/newsid_2339900/2339977.stm
West Indian Cricket Club -- Posted Tuesday, May 8 2007
West Indian Cricket Club Est. 1934
A Historical Perspective
The West Indian Cricket Club of Toronto (WICC) has had a long and impressive history in the social and recreational lives of Caribbean immigrants to Canada. In 1934 the club was established, (the first West Indian base cricket club in Toronto). Its main objective, outside of providing a social and recreational outlet, is "to foster and promote the game of cricket within the community and to develop gentleman-like and sportsmanship qualities among its members". Today cricket, like hockey, has established itself as part of the Canadian mosaic due to the range of ethnic groups participating. In its 68 years of existence, the West Indian Cricket Club has been and continues to be a solid contender in the various divisions in which it has fielded teams. In particular, during the mid seventy's (70's) to mid eighties (80's) the club boasted championships titles in all three divisions, thus establishing itself as the marquis of cricket in the Toronto and District leagues. The club also won the Ross Robertson Challenge Trophy for eastern Canada in 1984, and the Woods Cup knock out competition on several occasions. In the eighties, WICC was the only club to win the first division championship three times. This achievement brought our club recognition from the Government of Ontario and all players received a certificate of achievement. Also, several of our members have represented the club at both the provincial and national levels. Most notably is Franklyn Dennis, who played for the Canadian national team in the 1979 World Cup in England.
In recent years, the club has undergone major restructuring, and is now well on its way to reclaiming its former position. In 1996, WICC won the conference championship for the second division, winning 13 of 16 games. In 1997, the first division team came second in their conference, losing by only one game. In 1998, the first division team wond their conference, and the championship.
CURRENT CLUB ACTIVITIES:
The success of the club can be measured both on and off the field. In recent years, attendance and support of club activities have been tremendous.
The activities are outlined below:
• Playing 16 Toronto & District Cricket Association (T&DCA) league games per team during the regular season (May- Sept.)
• Playing 5 to 10 friendly matches against teams in cities, such as Rochester (NY), London (Ont.), Woodstock (Ont.), Guelph (Ont.) and many others.
• Having two regular fundraising dances, one in the spring and one in the fall. Average attendance of 350 to 450 people.
• Annual bus trip to New York City to visit Primrose of Bronx.
• Hosting two visiting teams per year. This involves organizing games and special functions; there is usually a dance or a party, with an average attendance of 100 to 150 people. The highlight of which, is our longstanding relationship with the Primrose Cricket of (NY) and the Desnoes & Geddes Sport Club of Jamaica.
• Club family day picnic held usually in July at Sunnybrook Park in North York. Average attendance of 100 to 150 people
• Club practices, held two days per during the regular season. Indoor practices held one night per week in the off season (November to April).
The strength of our club is our interaction with many communities locally and abroad. South of the border, we socialized with teams in Rochester, Bronx, and Long Island. In the Caribbean, clubs from Jamaica and Antigua. Outside the metropolitan area, clubs from, Guelph, London, Cambridge, Woodstock and Ajax. Locally we interact with the cricketing community of over 65 teams.
Item sourced from:-
http://www.cricketstar.net/tdca/index.jsp?page_id=WICC
St. Catharines Cricket Club -- Posted Tuesday, May 8 2007
St. Catharines Cricket Club will open its 2007 season with indoor practice and team tryouts as of Wed April 18th. The indoor hard ball practice and League Team tryouts sessions will be held at the nets inside the Ridley College Hockey arena.
The League Team tryouts schedule is as follows.
- Wednesdays - 7:00 PM
- Sundays - 5:00 PM
The city team will be composed of one District League team competing in the H&D League during 2007 season. The final selection of the 15 league team players will be based upon merit, availability, fitness, practice participation, over all mature attitude towards cricket with respect of other team mates and for the entire seasonal commitment.
All players coming for team try outs sessions at the nets and once gets selected for the league team to play for the team will be asked to review the H&D League and Ridley College By Laws. All players will now be required a written consent of the By-Laws for their eligibility to participate during the ensuing cricket season of 2007.
The club has been formally advised with the new regulations, now enforced at the Ridley college boundaries for non smoking, parking, use of the facilities, added security, and the Code of Conduct for all outside groups coming into Ridley to participate in the sports.
Item sourced from:-
http://www.cricket.computan.com/default.asp
ICC WORLD CRICKET LEAGUE EXPLAINED -- Posted Monday, May 7 2007
The purpose of the ICC World Cricket League is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 19 non-Test countries. The tournament in Nairobi involved the best six 'Associates' - Kenya plus Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda and the Netherlands.
The ICC World Cricket League is about more than just those top six high-performance teams. At present, it is a five-division tournament designed to afford teams of various standards the opportunity to play regular one-day cricket against similarly ranked opponents regardless of where in the world they are located.
It will also ensure that the qualifying pathway for the ICC Cricket World Cup is open to the majority of the 87 ICC Associate and Affiliate members.
This new structure of one-day cricket will sit on top of regional qualifying events to create a pyramid structure in which all teams will have an opportunity to develop and an incentive to improve.
Success will be rewarded with promotion and the ICC World Cricket League will allow ICC to satisfy the relative strengths of these members on a regular basis than ever before.
It means, for example, that Papua New Guinea, currently the strongest team in the East Asia-Pacific region, will be able to test itself against similarly ranked teams from Ugagda in Africa and qualifiers from Europe and the Americas.
Before the introduction of the ICC World Cricket League these matches would only take place every four years. Now these opportunities will come around for all countries twice as often, and even more frequently for some.
Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated into Division 2, 3, 4 and 5 with the top teams from the five regional qualifying events. Promotion and relegation will be possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket rankings.
Article sourced from the publication 'World Cricket League'. Transcribed by JH.
Canada cricket - A brief history -- Posted Sunday, May 6 2007
While there are fleeting references to cricket being played in Canada in the 18th century, it only established a more substantial footing in the 1820s with the founding of the Toronto Cricket Club in 1827 by George Barber, a master at Upper Canada College and newspaper publisher. He instigated local matches and in 1844 Canada met USA in what is widely believed to be the oldest international sporting contest in the world. The game, at the St. George's Club in New York, attracted large crowds and reportedly more than $100,000 in bets changed hands.
George Parr of Notts brought the first touring team to Canada from England in 1859, and although the tourists were far too strong for the locals the visit was a great success, becoming the first cricket tour in history.
During these years of healthy cricket activity in the east, the game was spreading rapidly in the west. In 1864 the North West Cricket Club was formed at Winnipeg and in 1876 the famous Victoria Cricket Club was formed on the west coast. Cricket had already been played in both areas prior to the formation of these two clubs, but the game was now beginning to take hold in the west and as a result the sport was played from coast to coast.
By the 1860s the game was booming and when Canada became a nation in 1867 the prime minister declared cricket to be the national sport. In 1872 a third England side, including WG Grace toured, and the Australians visited for the first time six years later.
A weak Canadian side toured England in 1880, then in 1887 the first major tour was undertaken by an all Canadian-born team. The side toured England under the captaincy of Dr ER Ogden and took on several of the counties on level terms. The team far from disgraced itself, recording wins over Ireland, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, and Leicester. In 1905 and 1907 MCC teams made brief tours to the USA and Canada.
The USA v Canada series reached its zenith in the 1890s, at which time the USA were strong enough to tour England themselves. But the growth of baseball and World War One saw cricket decline in popularity both sides of the border. The series with the USA ceased in 1912 and Canada did not play any overseas opposition until 1932 when Vic Richardson brought a strong Australian side including Don Bradman - he lived up to his reputation by smashing 260 not out against Western Ontario. Tours took place to and from the country in the 1930s - a public schools representative side was in Canada when war broke out in September 1939.
After the war, touring resumed and a visit from MCC (1951) was followed by Canada touring England in 1954 where they played four first-class matches, including a game against the Pakistanis at Lord's. In 1958 Pakistan played a single match against Canada in Toronto at Varsity Stadium.
In 1963 the series against the USA was resumed at Toronto, while tours continued to arrive and the game was popularised by the increasing numbers of immigrants from the Caribbean and then the subcontinent. In April 1968 the Canadian Cricket Association was incorporated. Australia played four matches in Canada on their way to the first Prudential World Cup in 1975 and an Eastern Canada side beat Australia by five wickets in Toronto.
Canada entered the inaugural ICC Trophy in 1979 and finished as runners-up to Sri Lanka, a result which earned them a place in the World Cup proper which followed but they were easily beaten by Pakistan, Australia, and England. Throughout the next two decades Canada continued to perform admirably, although never recapturing the success of 1979.
The large expat community led to Canada being identified as a potential venue for matches as the game looked to broaden its horizons. In 1989 a game took place between Rest of the World and West Indies which attracted more than 40,000, and in 1996 the Toronto Club hosted a one-day series featuring India and Pakistan, and this continued for four years. Official ODIs resumed in 2006 when Canada played their first games, although they had hosted the 2001 ICC Trophy
While Canada has benefited from the ICC's desire to expand the game, it still faces major logistical problems. The season is short, the facilities are almost all shared with other sports and owned by local authorities, and the government, which used to back the sport, no longer does. Like the USA, the domination by expats, while improving the standard, raises concerns for the future and for the development of home-grown talent.
The John Ross Robertson Trophy is presented to the winner of an annual National club competition. The handsome silver trophy was first presented in 1910, after being donated by John Ross Robertson, owner of the Toronto Evening Telegram. Robertson was a well-known public figure and benefactor, and he is better remembered as the founder of the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children.
Rosedale CC won the first Trophy in 1910, but the dominant club for years was Toronto CC, who won it a record 16 times consecutively between 1932 and 1947. In 1982, the Trophy was re-organized to award a western and eastern Trophy, with a championship game arranged when possible.
Canada v USA
The longest international rivalry in cricket, in fact in any sport is that between Canada and the USA, with the first match (won by Canada) played in 1844. It perhaps reached its high point between 1890 and 1910, when cricket has at the height of its popularity in both countries, and featured such great players as Bart King, undoubtedly the best North American cricketer of all time. The series lapsed somewhat between the wars, but was resurrected as a regular feature in 1963, when the two teams played for the KA Auty trophy for the first time.
Article sourced from:-
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/261631.html?wrappertype=print
Cricket Exhibition in Toronto -- Posted Friday, May 4 2007
Cricket Exhibition in Toronto: A view from the Pavilion (May-June 2007)
In December 2001, the Government of Canada decided May would be celebrated, each year, as Asian Heritage Month. The Government's web site notes: “This acknowledges the long and rich history of Asian Canadians and their contributions to Canada. It also provides an opportunity for Canadians across the country to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Asian Canadians to the growth and prosperity of Canada”
The City of Toronto celebrates Asian Heritage Month but also proclaims May as “South Asian Heritage Month”. In May 2007, the Access and Diversity Unit of City of Toronto's Pakrs, Forestry and Recreation Division is curating a series of exhibitions across the city on cricket. The overall title is “A view from the pavilion: South Asia's contributions to the world of cricket.”
The exhibition starts at Metro Hall from May 9th thru May 11th. It remains downtown, moving to Toronto City Hall between May 14th to 18th. It will visist Etobicoke Civic Centre between June 4th and 6th; North Yotk Civic Centre between June 11th and 13th; and is set to conclude at Scarborough Civic Centre between June 18th and 22nd.
The exhibition will include photographs, posters, display materials and some cricketing memorabilia. It encompasses the early days of Canadian cricket through to the present. Canada versus the United States of America is the oldest international cricket series in the world. It pre-dates England vesus Australia by many years.
The Scarborough event is followed by the CIMA City of Toronto's Mayor's Trophy cricket day at Sunnybrook Park. This event provides, in a friendly atmopshere, a chance for people to meet, watch and talk cricket. The CIMA event has won development awards from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's governing body, for promoting the sport in the last two years. In 2005, the CIMA Mayor's Trophy/Spirit of Cricket day won the Americas Regional Award. In 2006 it captured the Regional award but went on to take the Global award. A rare honour.
Cricket is played in across the City of Toronto and into the Greater Toronto Area by a wide range of clubs and people. Attempts are being made to broaden the cricket-playing base in schools and clubs. Indeed, Ontario won the 2006 ICC Regional and Global Development awards its junior program. Women's cricket is also developing in Toronto and in some other parts of the country.
The domestic season begins in May and continues to late September. In May, the Canadian senior national team meets Ireland at Grace Road, Leicester, England, in the final of the 2006 ICC Intercontinental Cup. This is a four-day, first class competition for leading ICC Associate countries. Canada lost to Scotland in the inagural final in 2004 and Ireland are defending champions, having won the event in 2005. Canada hosts the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates from late June into July in Intercontinental Cup and some one-day matches.
Most of Canada's squad to meet Ireland played in Cricket World Cup 2007 in St Lucia. The sport is undergoing a regeneration, having been declared 'the National Sport' at the time of Confederation. Events such as 'A view from the Pavilion' and 'The CIMA Mayor's Trophy' help to promote the sport in this country. It has gained visibility over the past year, with increasing coverage on TV, radio, the mainstream media and the ethnic media. There are hopes this could lead to increased interest from sponsors.
Cricket at CWC 2007 showed the high-end of the commercialization in the sport. Free admission to national team home matches has been the norm in recent years. One day, perhaps soon, this might change.
Eddie Norfolk
eddiencca@yahoo.ca
Andy Pick interviewed by CricInfo -- Posted Friday, May 4 2007
Canada must appoint a coach soon if they are to qualify for the next World Cup, says Andy Pick their former coach. Pick, who has resumed his role with England Under-19 after his year-long sabbatical with Canada, has warned that, with the qualification stages in just 18 months, steps have to be taken now.
"It's essential to get a coach in place," he said. "If Canada miss out on qualification that will be a massive step backwards."
[Full interview
Uganda and Canada the big winners in ICC Development -- Posted Friday, May 4 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.
Information sourced from:-
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc-development/content/story/287275.html
The Cricket Quiz, May 18 -- Posted Thursday, May 3 2007
Cricket in Canada's arctic -- Posted Wednesday, May 2 2007
Image of Edward Parry's ships in the ice with sailors playing cricket
Use the following link to see the circumstances of 1821
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/features/northwpass/sailorslge.html
Item rediscovered by Eddie Norfolk.
The role of cricket umpires -- Posted Tuesday, May 1 2007
What is the job of a cricket umpire and when can they refer decisions to a third official?
Let's start with the basics. On the field of play, there are two umpires officiating a match.
One umpire stands behind the stumps at the bowler's end of the pitch, while the other umpire stands at square leg.
At international level there is also a third umpire on the sidelines and a match referee.
The umpire at the bowler's end makes decisions on lbw appeals, no balls, wides and leg byes.
The square leg umpire will judge stumpings and run outs.
At the end of each over, the umpires change position.
The third umpire uses TV replays to rule on run outs, stumpings, whether a ball has hit the ground before being caught or when it is unclear if the ball has crossed the boundary.
However, the third umpire can only make a decision if they have been asked to do so by the umpires out on the pitch.
Their involvement in the game has becoming increasingly influential, with fans and commentators alike calling for technology to be used for every contentious appeal.
The second Test between India and England in 2006 in particular highlighted this controversial issue.
England opener Andrew Strauss was correctly given out when umpire Simon Taufel referred a catch to third umpire Arani Jayaprakash in the second innings.
However, umpire Darrell Hair did not ask for Jayaprakash's assistance when he gave Kevin Pietersen out caught by Rahul Dravid at leg slip.
But television replays clearly showed Harbhajan Singh's delivery had hit Pietersen's wrist rather than his glove or bat.
If an umpire is unsure about a decision, then the batsman is always given the benefit of the doubt.
Only an umpire can give a batsman out, but only after an appeal from the fielding side.
If a batsman stands their ground and no appeal has been made by the fielding side, they should not be given out by an umpire.
The umpires indicate no balls, byes, leg byes, wides, boundaries and sixes to the scorers, who keep a running total of the runs scored.
The match referee rules on disciplinary matters.
If a player disagrees with the umpire about a decision and argue their case, the match referee can fine the player in question.
The players cannot appeal for the TV umpire to be called on.
A timely information piece for the commencement of the Canadian criket season, sourced from:-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/rules_and_equipment/4183398.stm