Breach of Code injuring Canadian cricketer -- Posted Wednesday, January 31 2007
Scotland’s Paul Hoffman fined for breach of ICC Code of Conduct
Scotland player Paul Hoffman has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his country’s ODI against Canada in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi today.
At a hearing that took place following the conclusion of the match, tournament referee Roshan Mahanama of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees found that Hoffman had committed a Level 2 offence by breaching clause 2.4 of the Code.
The clause relates to inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play and Hoffman pleaded guilty to the offence.
The offence occurred after Hoffman had delivered a ball which the batsman played to the on-side. Hoffman was deemed to have breached the Code after he ran across the pitch and deliberately dropped his shoulder and forcefully bumped into the running non-striker, knocking him to the ground.
The non-striker was able to get up and complete the run but then play had to be stopped for four minutes so that he could receive treatment.
Explaining the decision, Mr Mahanama said: “It is very important that this tournament, as with all cricket, is played in the true spirit of the game and Paul’s behaviour was clearly unacceptable. In coming to my decision I took into account Paul’s clean past record and the fact that he apologised for his actions.”
The charge was brought by on-field umpires Gary Baxter of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires and Roger Dill of the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires. Mr Mahanama reached his decision after the hearing, which was attended by the offending player, Scotland captain Craig Wright, Scotland team manager Dick Auchinleck, and umpires Baxter and Dill.
All Level 2 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a fine of 50 per cent of a player’s match fee and a maximum penalty of their full match fee and/or a one Test match or two ODI ban.
The player does have a right of appeal. An appeal must be lodged in writing with the ICC Legal Counsel setting out the grounds of appeal within 24 hours of the ICC Match Referee’s decision.
Report sourced from ICC Press release.
Editors comment:-
"player's match fee"!? Does the CCA have any money to provide players with a match fee, or are the players given an IOU? Does the CCA have an insurance policy for Canada's cricketers being disabled on the field of play, as per the description in the above report? (Jon Harris).
Kenya cruise to second victory -- Posted Wednesday, January 31 2007
After both sides had walked to victory in their opening games, today's encounter between Kenya and Netherlands at Nairobi Gymkhana ought to have been all the more intriguing. That Kenya eased past them without so much as breaking sweat ought to issue the strongest possible warning yet: Kenya are not only the firm favourites in this tournament, but the classiest of all six sides.
Heavy overnight rain in Nairobi transformed yesterday's straw-coloured track into a greenish carpet, and Kenya had no hesitation in bowling first. Their attack showed excellent rhythm and form in the opening match against Bermuda and today they bettered it with a skilful and incisive effort - against a much tougher batting side, too. In truth, it was a very important toss to win - the overcast, humid conditions were more Headingley than Nairobi - but Thomas Odoyo and Peter Ongondo resisted the temptation to experiment with their lines, instead bowling in the channel. Netherlands just couldn't cope.
Both openers fell to Odoyo, bowling a beautiful length and extracting no shortage of movement through the air and off the pitch, leaving Ryan ten Doeschate to glue the innings back together. But he too fell cheaply, to a brilliant catch by David Obuya at third man who, diving forward, took it inches above the grass. ten Doeschate is Netherland's batting lynchpin and, if he fails, so does the team.
Daan van Bunge batted stickily but cautiously and correctly staying back in his crease to cope with the swinging ball. His team-mates weren't so adept, though, and Kenya's support bowlers built on Ongondo and Odoyo's opening burst with regular breakthroughs. Billy Stelling (24) and Jeroen Smits - the wicketkeeper, batting at No.10 - were the only others to show the necessary application and defensive technique.
The midday sun burnt away any moisture in the pitch by the time Netherlands got hold of the ball, and Kenya's batsmen were quickly into their stride. Maurice Ouma continued his fine form with a slick, trouble-free 47 before Tim de Leede trapped him lbw. He and Obuya had put on 88 easy runs in 20 overs and the game was Kenya's for the taking. Obuya was trapped on the crease, too, before Steve Tikolo muscled boundaries down the ground. And although Ravi Shah, donning just his cap, rather wasted his wicket, Kenya were all but safe.
William Porterfield struck an unbeaten 112 as Ireland squeezed past Bermuda by four wickets with eight balls to spare at the Jaffery Sports Club. However, it wasn't until the late intervention of Trent Johnston, Ireland's captain, who struck two sixes in a four-ball 13 that Ireland were home. Bermuda, hammered by 10 wickets in their opening game, put up a real fight as their top order carried them to 275 for 8. Clay Smith and Dean Minors opened with 79 for the first wicket and Minors' second half-century of the tournament built a solid base of 159 for 1. Lionel Cann and David Hemp swung hard towards the end of the innings and the target was a real test.
Porterfield and Kevin O'Brien added 88 for the fourth wicket and at 223 for 3 the result appeared in the bag, but Dwayne Leverock grabbed two wickets during a economical spell to set up a close finish. In the end, Ireland had enough in the tank and Bermuda were left to rue another high tally of extras after conceding 25 wides.
Scotland held on for a seven-run win against Canada after Dougie Brown conceded just four off the final over. Brown had earlier been central to Scotland's impressive 276 for 4 as he and Gavin Hamilton added 97 for the fifth wicket. Brown's 48 took just 27 balls after a solid base had been laid by Frazer Watts's 70, who combined in an opening stand of 66 with Majid Haq.
A full scorecard for this match will appear shortly
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278343.html
Canada lost by 8 runs -- Posted Wednesday, January 31 2007
Canada 269 runs for 9 wickets (50 overs) Ashish Bagai 133 runs not out (new Canadian ODI record, beats John Davison's 111 v West Indies at World Cup 2003)
Bagai and Ashif Mulla added 100 runs for 4th wicket - first century stand for Canada in an ODI. Mulla made 47 runs.
Earlier Abdool Samad made 32 in 2nd wicket stand of 72 runs with Bagai for 3rd wicket.
Scores subject to official confirmation.
Eddie Norfolk
Report received 31 Jan '07 11.15 a.m. Toromto time
Canada lose to Netherlands -- Posted Wednesday, January 31 2007
With Man of the Match Bas Zuiderent leading the way with an undefeated 76, The Netherlands opened their World Cricket League campaign with a thumping eight-wicket victory over Canada at Ruaraka Sports Club on Tuesday.
In a morning of fluctuating fortunes the Dutch fought back well, taking Canada's final five wickets for just three runs as they dismissed their opposition for 200 in 44 overs.
Earlier, it had been Canada’s turn to recover, as they fought back from 17 for two and 68 for four, largely thanks to a solid innings of 75 from Ashish Bagai, his highest in ODIs. He and Ashif Mulla put on 71 for the fifth wicket, and then Bagai and Sunil Dhaniram added a further 55 for the sixth.
The Dutch bowlers shared the early wickets, Edgar Schiferli securing the vital scalp of skipper John Davison and Darron Reekers dismissing Abdool Samad caught and bowled without addition to the score. Then Billy Stelling disposed of Qaiser Ali and Desmond Chumney to leave the Canadians in some disarray.
The middle section of the innings belonged to the Canadians, and at 142 for four with sixteen overs left they seemed to have regained the upper hand. Even after Tim de Leede had Mulla caught behind by Jeroen Smits the runs continued to flow, and with the total on 193 for five after 41 overs a total approaching 250 was on the cards.
Then Luuk van Troost brought ten Doeschate back into the attack, and he immediately removed Dhaniram and Bagai with successive balls, both caught behind. Bagai went to a superb diving leg-side catch by Smits.
Stelling trapped Andy Cummins leg before in the following over, and although Umar Bhatti avoided the hat-trick, he fell from the fifth ball of ten Doeschate’s next, giving Smits his third catch of the innings. Kevin Sandher edged the next, making four catches for Smits and figures of four for 31 for ten Doeschate, his first four-wicket haul in ODIs. Stelling finished with three for 41.
The Netherlands never seemed in trouble as they set out in reply, Zuiderent and Darron Reekers putting on 59 for the first wicket in just 10 overs before Reekers, on 39 from 29 balls with eight boundaries, was caught behind by Bagai off Osinde's bowling, swinging at a lifting ball down the leg side.
This brought in van Troost, who had promoted himself up the order. He carried on where Reekers had left off, and with Zuiderent continuing to bat confidently, these two added 72 for the second wicket. Van Troost made 38 before dancing down the wicket to Osinde and being clean bowled.
Zuiderent brought up his third ODI half-century two overs later, and he and ten Doeschate saw their side through to the win with 15 overs to spare. Zuiderent's 76 not out, made off 103 balls with 11 fours, was his highest ODI score, while ten Doeschate made a solid 37 not out in support.
The Canadian seam attack received little encouragement from the pitch, and Osinde and Cummins in particular came in for some heavy punishment from the Dutch batsmen. Davison and Sandher contributed reasonable spells without looking likely to take wickets but, somewhat surprisingly, Sunil Dhaniram was not brought into the attack at any point.
This decisive win gets The Netherlands away to a great start in the competition, and will give them confidence for tomorrow's clash with hosts and tournament favourites Kenya. Canada will need to regroup before taking on Scotland.
Report sourced from:-
http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000037/003727.shtml
Canada v Scotland - WCL at Ruaraka, Nairobi -- Posted Wednesday, January 31 2007
Canada won the toss and elected to bowl.
Canada make 1 change, Don Maxwell will replace Desmond Chumney
Scotland made 276 runs for the loss of 4 wickets off their 50 overs. Gavin Hamilton 64 runs not out and Dougie Brown 50 runs not out gave the Scottish innings a boost in the last ten overs. They took the total from 179 runs for 4 to 276 with an unbroken stand of 97 runs.
Canada bowled well at the start to check the scoring rate and had some good overs from spinners John Davison and Sunil Dhaniram. Umar Bhatti bowled a good spell at the start of the Scottish innings.
Canada made 292 against Scotland in their first ODI in Mombasa and will be hoping to bat soundly on what seems a good batting track.
Note: I will have to sort out some of the 'finer points' of this innings later on.
There have been many problems with the internet at the ground today (as they were yesterday). Details of the bowling and official scorecard have not been distributed yet. Play resumes at 2.45 pm local (now 2.25pm).
Eddie Norfolk
Nairobi
Message received 6.45 a.m. - Toronto time. (JH).
Ontario Cricket Association Election report #1 -- Posted Tuesday, January 30 2007
News Release: January 30, 2007
Annual General Meeting of Ontario Cricket Association
The annual general meeting of Ontario Cricket Association was concluded as planned on January 28, 2007. The meeting was conducted in a cordial and professional manner.
The first part of the AGM was presided over by Mr. Errol Townsend, who conducted the business of the meeting in a professional and well organised manner.
The outgoing board held its executive meeting and various reports were presented to the delegates. There were several observers present. All reports were accepted unanimously.
At the end of the reports session, Mr. Errol Townsend sought permission to dissolve the board; the motion was presented and accepted by the delegates.
Dr. Geoff Edwards and Jon Harris were delegated the authority to conduct the new elections for year 2007 by the delegates.
The following officer were elected :-
Executive Members:
President: Mr. Mohan Kendall Elected
1st Vice President: Mr. Ranjit Chaudhri Acclaimed
2nd Vice President Mr. Akhter Mufti Elected
Secretary Mr. Mohammed Shaikh Elected
Treasurer Mr. Ranjit Saini Acclaimed
Junior Co-ordinator: Mr. Sudershan Manhas Elected
Senior Co-ordinator Mr. Ragoobir Henry Elected
Coaching Co-ordinator Mr. Farouq Kirmani Elected
Scoring Co-ordinator No Nominations Appointment Pending
Umpiring Co-ordinator Mr. Kantilal Patel Elected
Junior Selection Chair Mr. Ranjit Saini Acclaimed
Senior Selection Chair Mr. Fazal Sattaur Elected
Trust Fund Mr. Mike Kendall Elected
Heritage Fund Mr. Rashid Ehsan Elected
Fund Raising Chair Mr. Inam Abbasi Elected
Historian & PRO Mr. Kevin Boller Acclaimed
CCA Delegate Mr. Mike Kendall Acclaimed
Mr. Errol Townsend congratulated the new President and the new executive and offered support during and after the transition. Mr. Kendall while speaking on behalf of the new executive promised openness and thanked Mr. Townsend and the outgoing executive members for years of hard work and service to Canadian Cricket.
February 4, 2007 was set and agreed for transfer of responsibilities from old executive members to the new executive. This meeting shall take place at 12:00 noon at the Sports Alliance of Ontario building on the set date.
Mohan (Mike) Kendall
ONTARIO CRICKET ASSOCIATION INC.
195 PROVINCIAL PL. BRAMPTON, ONT L6S 6C1
416-994-5697
FAX: 1-866-432-1712
Editors note:-
In a closely contested election, there were 2 votes between the 2 candidates.
Having first played cricket in Canada in 1963, there is no doubt that Errol Townsend is to be saluted and thanked for his careful stewardship of the OCA during his tenure, which is witnessed by the rejuvination of cricket throughout Ontario.
The meeting ended in a spirit of bonhomie. (Jon Harris).
Netherlands storm past Canada -- Posted Tuesday, January 30 2007
World Cricket League - Division 1 in Nairobi: Canada 200 runs all out (Ashish Bagai 75 runs, Ryan ten Doeschate 4 wickets for 31 runs) The Netherlands 204 runs for 2 wickets (Bas Zuiderent 77 runs not out)
The Netherlands won by 8 wickets and take 4 point for a win and 1 bonus point for their superior scoring rate.
Canada won the toss and elected to bat.
Match Report
Just when it mattered most, the wheels mostly came off for Canada's cricket team in its opening match of the World Cricket League Division 1.
Canada was beaten by 8 wickets, as the Netherlands cruised to victory in Nairobi on Tuesday. Canada opted to bat first, lost early wickets, had a couple of stands that recovered momentum and then nose-dived with the last five wickets falling for just 3 runs.
The total of 200 runs was inadequate on a pitch that offered no help to the bowlers, and the Netherlands cantered home with 8 wickets and almost 15 overs to spare.
It was a major disappointment for Canada, given the importance of this tournament and the win in Mombasa last week over the highly-rated Kenyans.
Despite the early 9.30am start and the cloud cover, there was nothing in the pitch that assisted the bowlers. One day earlier, coach Andy Pick was looking forward to this tournament with optimism after the win over Kenya and paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of the essentially amateur players who give up their time to represent their country. The comprehensive loss to the Dutch left him frustrated. ”The players embarassed themselves,” he declared, noting a few exceptions. ”We were not good enough in any way. The captain set the tone for an indisciplined performance.”
Skipper John Davison was first out, holing out to mid-off, for 16 runs. He had been dropped when on 9, then struck a fine boundary for 4 runs in the over he was out. There seemed plenty of time in hand and no need to force the pace so much in the early going. Abdool Samad then hit a return catch to the bowler next over and the innings came under early pressure. Qaiser Ali and Desmond Chumney also fell to catches and at 68 runs for 4 wickets the innings was foundering in the 15th over.
Ashish Bagai was batting soundly and with help from Ashish Mulla the score built to 135 runs. At that point, Mulla was out for 37, his highest score in an ODI, but a disappointment given the way this partnership was building. Sunil Dhaniram has found good form during the winter series of matches and was seemingly on this way to another good score. When Ryan ten Doeschate returned to bowl, Canada was on 192 runs for 5 wickets and 8 overs remained. Five runs came from the early balls before Dhaniram skied the ball to long-on and was caught. He became the fifth of the leading seven batsmen in the order to give up their wicket. Dhaniram had made 29 runs and the total was on 197 runs.
A diving catch by Dutch wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits off the next ball saw the end of Bagai's innings. He made 75 runs and had began to open up in these closing overs. In the space of two balls, the prospect of a century by Bagai and a fifty by Dhaniram had disappeared.
The situation became bleak as the last three wickets fell for just three runs. Ten Doeschate picked up 4 wickets in less than two overs, to end with 3 wickets for 31 runs.
Canada was all out for just 200 runs with 5 overs unused.
Canada set attacking fields for opening bowlers Henry Osinde and Umar Bhatti, but on the day they could not make the early breakthroughs necessary to keep Canada in the game. Captain John Davison said this situation meant the Dutch batsmen came under ”a lack of pressure. Their pinch hitters got away.”
Asked if he had considered asking the Dutch to bat first, he remarked that ”the wicket didn't do anything” and “poor shots” had lead to several dismissals of the batsmen. The strategy had been ”to post a big total and make breakthroughs with the new ball.”
The Dutch batted solidly, punishing the loose ball and rarely looking in any trouble on a docile wicket. The two wickets that fell were both taken by pace bowler Henry Osinde. He had Darren Reekers caught at the wicket off a failed hook shot. This made it 59 runs for 1 wicket in just the tenth over. Clearly the Netherlands was off to a flying start.
His next breakthrough was in bowling Dutch captain Luuk van Troost for 39 runs in the 23rd over. The total was 131 runs for 2 wickets. Van Troost had been dropped at long-on by Andy Cummins when the score was 110 runs. The second wicket fell at the end of the 23rd over, so the Dutch side was well on the way to victory.
Zuiderent and ten Doeschate kept the score moving. Zuiderent survived an appeal for caught at the wicket, at 150 runs, and one catch went begging that Qaiser Ali could not hold at slip. This came too late to turn the tide for Canada. Zuiderent was named Man-of-the-Match for his 77 runs not out. Ten Doeschate made 37 runs not out and the game ended with the Dutch having (15) overs to spare. They take a bonus point on top of the 4 points for a win.
Canada meet Scotland on Wednesday at the same Ruaraka ground used for the match with the Netherlands.
In Mombasa, Canada should have closed out wins over the Scots but lost twice. The win over Kenyan gave Canada a much needed confidence boost that has been burst, to some extent, against the Dutch. Scotland go into Wednesday's game bolstered by a win over Ireland. They came from behind to score at around ten runs an over in the latter phases and win with one ball to spare.
Canada will re-group after the loss to the Dutch and hope to return to winning ways. Coach Andy Pick is sure to have read the riot act to his players after today's performance. He thought only Ashish Bagai (batting) and Henry Osinde (bowling) had good performances. Ashif Mulla had batted ”fairly well". The rest were not good enough today. "We had put in 9 good games in a row but in the most important game since Ireland (the 2005 qualifying event for the Cricket World Cup) we decided not to turn up.”
It was ”a bit of a stinker”, if not a real stinker, to adapt a passing comment made by one of the team. And just one day after the coach had looked forward to this tournament following the win over Kenya that was ”reward for all the hardwork of the players.”
Eddie Norfolk
Nairobi, Kenya
Latest report from Eddie Norfolk -- Posted Tuesday, January 30 2007
This morning conditions are overcast which might add to potential early movement. In the heat of Mombasa (starts were 10am but it was hot by 8am), the team which won the toss elected to bat, but in Nairobi the early thinking is that the side winning the toss would bowl.
This morning's toss v Netherlands could be even more crucial due to overcast conditions. The Canadian side have gained a lot of confidence from their recent performances. The win over Kenya was a key breakthrough and has set the side up for the WCL.
In the opening game, Bermuda struggled but a certain proportion of the problem was down to poor batting and shot selection.
Discussions with key camp followers of the various teams have several people thinking that one team that reaches the final might have a 3-2 record, possibly both as it could be tight.
Eddie Norfolk
Message received 2.55 a.m. (Toronto time)
Canada all out for 200 in 43rd over.(to be confirmed by official scorers, discrepancy of run between batting and bowling analysis at present 199/200).
Innings was going well with stands between Ashish Bagai and Ashif Mulla who took the score to 135-5. Mulla was out for 36. Then Bagai and Sunil Dhaniram took the score to 197. Dhaniram holed out to long-on, he had made 29 runs. He was out in Ryan ten Doeschate's first over back in the attack (the 42nd over). Dhanriam made 29 runs. Bagai edged the next ball to the wicketkeeper and was caught down the leg-side. He made a fine 74 runs.
Canada won the toss and decided to bat ar Ruaraka, Nairobi, v Netherlands.
At drinks interval, Canada 74 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Ashish Bagai is 28 not out. John Davison made 16. Batsmen out tended to play uppish shots - all four dismissals were caught.
The innings continued in a tail-spin, the last three wickets went down for the addition of just 3 runs. Before Dhaniram's dismissal, there was the prospect of a total in the 230-240 range.
Canada must bowl and field well in order to defend this total.
Eddie Norfolk
6.45 a.m. Toronto time
World Cricket League round-up
Bray boosts Ireland, Bagai rescues Canada
Cricinfo staff in Nairobi January 30, 2007
A perfectly paced 116 from Jeremy Bray and a blistering 45 from Trent Johnston put Ireland in command in their game against Scotland, racking up 280 for 7 at Nairobi Gymkhana.
Opening the innings after Ireland had won the toss, Bray was circumspect and cautious. It was left to Eoin Morgan, the highly regarded batsman contracted to Middlesex, to force the pace with a delightful, classy 41. Solid in defence, but always aware of a quick single, Morgan was in total command, easing a lofted six into the acacia trees at midwicket off Dougie Brown. Morgan's only mistake of his innings cost him his wicket when he nudged Craig Wright to the wicketkeeper who, standing up, took a sharp chance.
The onus fell on Bray to take charge and, though his team-mates fell like dominoes at the other end, he motored past his fifty with a range of powerful drives and cuts off the spinners. In the dying overs, he and Johnston really opened up, creaming sixes over long on and battering the black sightscreen. Ross Lyons was the unfortunate victim.
Scotland's shoulders dropped alarmingly. While Johnston and Bray were pummelling the spinners, those grazing the outfield in the deep shook their heads and muttered indignation. After a sultry, muggy and overcast morning, the sun has broken through and runs should not be a problem on a pitch still offering even bounce. How well Ireland's bowlers, who have been bowling on the outfield during the interval - respond to Bray's bullish performance will determine the outcome.
At Ruaraka, Canada had Ashish Bagai's 74 to thank for keeping them in the match against Netherlands as they were bowled out for 200. They failed to capitalise on winning the toss, losing early wickets to slide to 68 for 4. Bagai and Ashif Mulla pair added 74 for the fifth wicket, and then Bagai and Sunil Dhaniram 55 for the sixth. But from 197 for 5, the Canadians lost their last five wickets for three runs to end with six overs of their innings unused.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278204.html
Canada disappointed with both bat and ball as they went down an eight-wicket defeat to Netherlands at Ruaraka.
Canada won the toss and batted, but thereafter little went right for them as they lost too many early wickets, including the crucial one of John Davison for 16, as they slid to 71 for 4. Ashish Bagai (74) and Ashif Mulla (37) added 74 for the fifth wicket, and then Bagai and Sunil Dhaniram (29) 55 for the sixth. But from 197 for 5, the Canadians lost their last five wickets for three runs to end with six overs of their innings unused.
They needed early wickets to have any chance to defend a below-par total, but Bas Zuiderent (77*) and Darron Reekers (39) got Netherlands off to a good start with a stand of 59, and when Reekers fell, Luuk van Troost (38) upped the tempo. Zuiderent, playing the sheet anchor role, and Ryan ten Doeschate (37*) guided the Dutch home with more than 15 overs to spare.
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278204.html
WCL matches to start today -- Posted Tuesday, January 30 2007
World Cricket League - Minnows of the world unite
Will Luke in Nairobi
Kenya has been waiting for this, but it was only when Samir Inamdar, their chairman, received rapturous applause for his speech that we realised just how much the World Cricket League means to the country.
"I think I speak on behalf of many associates that, to many a full member - perhaps even a cricketer - the cream of Associate cricket remains a mysterious enigma," he said at the WCL opening ceremony, at Parklands in Nairobi. "No one really knows how good they are, how well they will perform in the World Cup. Over the next two weeks we stand to learn just how good they are and that alone is a huge step forward. The eyes of the world will be on us today."
Inamdar was speaking at a lavish, marquee ceremony in the district of Parklands on the eve of the first match between Kenya and Bermuda tomorrow. Cultural dancers, local to the district, performed a dazzling display of hamstring-tweaking manoeuvres to a large audience, made up of the six participating teams, media, administrators and almost anyone with even the vaguest connection to cricket in Kenya. There was a strong sense from the group of people collected that here they all were "in it together," fighting the once spiritless cause of lower-tier cricket. Recognition at last.
"Kenya is proud to host this event because, for too long, the country has been in the news for precisely the wrong reasons," Inamdar said. "I'm not prepared to dwell on the past, but what I do say is we have made enormous progress in the way our cricket is managed. But we are still not out of the woods and an enormous amount of work remains to be done. We are in for an exciting time in the next 10-12 days."
It is too early for congratulatory back-slapping - the opening game of the tournament is still some 12 hours away. But tonight confirmed the zeal and fervour for cricket in Kenya. Win lose or draw, it is an immensely encouraging sign for the future.
Will Luke is editorial assistant of Cricinfo
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/worldcricketleague/content/story/278033.html
Kenya overpowers Bermuda -- Posted Monday, January 29 2007
Kenya overpowers Bermuda (World Cricket League Division 1)
Bermuda 133 all out (39.3 overs), Kenya 137 runs for 0 wickets (18.2 overs)- Kenya won by 10 wickets
Kenya romped to a ten wicket win over Bermuda in the opening game of the World Cricket League in Nairobi on Monday (January 29). Bermuda lost their first wicket to the third ball of the game and only managed to score 133 runs. Bermuda's opening batsman Dean Minors was the only player to play a solid innings. He made 52 runs (5x4, 2x6). Their captain, Irving Romaine said later ” We had a rough start. It was not a bad wicket but we had some bad batting.
Kenyan pace-bowler Peter Ongondo took 3 wickets for 22 runs in 8 overs and slow-left arm bowler Hiren Varaiya took 2 wickets for just 13 runs in 10 overs. Bermuda batted for just 39.3 overs.
The Kenyan opening batsmen proved their were no devils in the wicket as they stormed to a winning totla of 137 in just the 19th over. David Obuya was named man-of-the-match for his 74 runs not out (12x4, 1x6). Morris Ouma made 57 not out. Steve Tikolo, the Kenyan captain, paid tribute to his opening batsmen and also commented “we bowled pretty well”. Tikolo won the toss and put Bermuda in to bat.
The win underscores feelings that Kenya are fancied to do well in this event. It was a comprehensive win and will lift morale in the home camp. They gain a bonus point for their scoring rate superiority in this match. Bermuda hopes to battle back in their next match.
Canada open their challenge with a game against the Netherlands on Tuesday. Canadian coach Andy Pick said that some of the squad had still been recovering from some of the sickness suffered in Mombasa but expected ”all the players will be ready to go (against the Dutch) in the morning.”
He added ”It was good to beat Kenya. We have been coming together well as a team since South Africa (in Novermber & December) and have begun to stick to our game plan. We have been challenging (to win) in all the recent games and have closed the gap between our best and worst performances in this time. ” He paid tribute to the dedication of the squad in taking time off work and sacrificing family vacations to focus on playing for Canada.
Eddie Norfolk
World Cricket League -- Posted Sunday, January 28 2007
“World Cricket League is perfect platform to launch Cricket World Cup campaign” says ICC High Performance Manager
Top six Associates gather for tournament opening in Nairobi
“Being competitive at Cricket World Cup will give Associates credibility at elite level; key driver to help strong sport grow stronger,” adds Done
“Hosting event shows Kenyan cricket is back on track,” says proud CK Chairman Samir Inamdar
The ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) was officially opened in Nairobi this evening with the cream of Associate cricket about to face off ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 in the West Indies.
Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, the Netherlands and Scotland will go head-to-head in 16 ODIs spread over three venues in Kenya’s capital city over the next 10 days with the event culminating in a final on 7 February.
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Parklands Sports Club in Nairobi, ICC’s High Performance Manager Richard Done said this event was a great chance for players and coaches to make their final preparations for the CWC in a competitive environment.
“This tournament is an end it itself as it will provide silverware and bragging rights to the top Associate side,” said Mr Done.
“But of far greater importance is the fact that the World Cricket League is a key stepping stone towards the main prize, the ICC Cricket World Cup, for each of these six teams.
“It will provide the perfect platform which the players can build on once they arrive in the Caribbean in a month and, with that platform, they will be well equipped to be competitive.
“That ability to compete at the next level up is crucial to giving the Associate game the credibility it needs to flourish on a long-term basis.
“Only with the credibility that comes from the desire of players to compete at the highest level possible can we hope to make our strong sport even stronger from top to bottom as it is the only way we can encourage fans, sponsors and Full Members to give us the support required,” he added.
Mr Done highlighted the progress that has already been made towards this goal when he said: “As part of our commitment to close the gap between Associates and Full Members we have made sure these teams are now playing much more meaningful cricket than ever before.
“Between the World Cup in 2003 and the end of 2005, there were 11 ODIs involving Associate Members. In 2006 and through to the start of the World Cup, they will have played another 62 ODIs, including 17 against Full Members.
“For the first time, all six countries have had full-time national coaches in place for at least 12 months leading into the World Cup. This is a key factor in improving playing stardards,” he said.
Mr Done also pointed out that initiatives such as the WCL as well as the ICC Intercontinental Cup, ICC Winter Training Camp and other programs are assisting the respective home cricket boards in their efforts to improve the quality of cricket being played throughout the ICC’s 97 members.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony was chairman of Cricket Kenya and ICC Executive Board member Samir Inamdar, who said it was a proud time for Kenyan cricket.
“We are delighted and honoured to have been chosen to host the inaugural ICC World Cricket League and I would like to extend a warm welcome to all participating teams,” said Mr Inamdar.
“This tournament is a sign that cricket in this country is back on track and we are confident that we will put on a very enjoyable tournament. Cricket Kenya and the local organising committee here in Nairobi have been working hard to make sure it is a success,” he said.
The tournament gets under way tomorrow (Monday) when host team Kenya takes on Bermuda at Jaffery Sports Club in the city. On Tuesday, Ireland takes on Scotland at Gymkhana Cricket Club while Canada and the Netherlands go head to head at Ruaraka Cricket Club.
All matches in the WCL Div. 1 start at 9.30am local time.
The WCL Div. 1 involves the top six Associate teams. As the six teams in this competition have all qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the WCL Div. 1 is being used as part of their preparations for the event, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket.
And secondly, the top two teams from this year’s WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September. The participation fee for playing in the Twenty20 is US$250,000 so there is a lot at stake, in more ways than one.
Material sourced from ICC Press release.
Canada warm-up with convincing win -- Posted Sunday, January 28 2007
Canada 285 for 7 wickets (Qaiser Ali 72, Ashif Mulla 66*, Chumney 45, Kamyuka 3-34) beat Uganda 176 for 7 by 109 runs.
Canada earned a substantial 109-run win over Uganda in their final match before the World Cricket League Division 1, which starts on Monday.
Canada began slowly but Desmond Chumney helped increase the scoring rate against accurate bowling from Uganda's opening pair. The innings gained momentum with a sixth-wicket stand of 115 runs between Qaiser Ali and Ashif Mulla. Ali before Sunil Dhaniram's late cameo of 23 runs in three overs. Opening bowler Kenneth Kamyuka took 3 for 34 runs in 10 overs, but Junior Ruyange bowled well even though he conceded 16 wides and a no-ball.
Uganda's openers both fell to Umar Bhatti, who took 2 for 17. Salem Hamza and Junior Kewbhia moved the score to 69, but the innings began to founder and although Richard Okia showed defiance with consecutive sixes off Kevin Sandher, but the eighth-wicket pair settled into a pattern of playing for a respectable total, adding 57 in the last 16 overs. Don Maxwell bowled 10 overs for just 14 runs, with Sunil Dhaniram conceding just 12 from seven overs and taking a wicket.
Ashish Bagai captained Canada to this win as John Davison and George Codrington sat out the match. Bhatti returned after an ankle injury.
Eddie Norfolk
January 28, 2007
Match report from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/278037.html
Cricket and cops -- Posted Sunday, January 28 2007
Toronto Police find a Wicket way to Recruit
The Toronto police are planning a recruitment drive using the usual draw for young males: sports.
The twist? The targets are South Asian, and the game cricket.
"Whether you come from India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka, cricket is the main game," says Zul Kassamali, co-chair of the force's South Asian Consultative Committee. "It's like hockey is to Canada."
At a time when Toronto police are competing with the OPP, RCMP and other local forces for recruits that will help them better reflect the communities they serve, today's youth/officer match in Scarborough is a friendly way to introduce the idea of a police career to one of several groups the force is targeting - including blacks, Chinese, aboriginals, gays and women.
South Asians are poised to become the largest visible-minority group in this country by 2017, with 1.8 million people, according to Statistics Canada.
But in a culture that puts a premium on upward mobility, persuading South Asians to enter policing is a bit of an uphill battle.
Study hard, get top grades so you can be a doctor, lawyer or engineer - that's the typical refrain South Asian children hear from their parents. A career in policing is seldom encouraged because it's seen as risky and doesn't offer the same salary and prestige.
"It's a mindset we want to change," says Kassamali, who owns a Toronto flower shop. An Ismaili Muslim of Indian origin, he arrived in Canada as a refugee from Uganda in 1972.
In many parts of South Asia, police are poorly paid and considered corrupt, "but what the community has to understand is that here it's an entirely different ballgame," he says. "We need to give our kids options, and this is a good option."
Const. Harjit Nijjar, a 10-year veteran with the Toronto force, always knew he'd join up. His father was in the army and his uncle a police officer back in India, so he had his family's support.
"Certainly, wearing the uniform is a source of pride. It's a very rewarding career. You help locate a missing child, an elderly person who has wandered away, or save someone's life - all things I have done. It makes you feel special," says Nijjar, 37, who immigrated at age 7 and speaks fluent Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu.
His first beat when he joined the force in 1996 was Rexdale, a neighbourhood with a heavy concentration of South Asians, particularly Punjabis.
"My language skills were a huge asset there. Just the fact that you're South Asian and you can speak their lingo establishes a trust factor," says Nijjar.
Just 170, or 3 per cent, of Toronto's police officers identify themselves as South Asian, while 254,000, or more than 10 per cent, of the city's 2.4 million residents are South Asian, according to the 2001 census.
The impetus behind the recruitment is three-fold, says Alok Mukherjee, chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, which has pushed the force to diversify.
"It's a legal requirement, a business necessity, as well as an ethical obligation," he says.
The Police Services Act requires a force that reflects the community it serves. Moreover, "we believe having our service reflect the community makes good business sense," says Mukherjee.
Given Toronto's mix of cultures, languages and faiths, "having people who understand these differences on our service, we are better able to serve the community," he adds.
Pairing recruitment with cricket is a positive way to reach out to the community, says the match organizer, Const. Asif Shaikh.
"It's a fun event and gives the community a chance to see police officers as role models. Maybe the parents will say, 'This is not such a bad job.'"
Shaikh, 31, left Pakistan at age 4 and joined the force in 1998, with "100 per cent support" from his parents - spurred on by the stabbing death of a cousin who was a Toronto security guard.
South Asian community leaders helped to spread the word about today's 10 a.m. match and formed two youth teams, the winner of which is to play the police team at Percival B. Cummins Cricket grounds. An awards ceremony, dinner and recruitment seminar were to follow at the Islamic Foundation of Toronto.
Report sourced from:-
http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/careers/communityevents.php
Editorial comment:-
Nearly two year ago, I was privaleged to be invited to the graduation of a newly minted Toronto police officer. I am proud to advise readers that CM was instramental in the development of canadacricket.com, and to this day continues to be an advisor. Now if only I could encourage CM to write more often ..... but as a new Dad he has at least two careers to take care of. (JH).
Opening ceremony for WCL in Nairobi -- Posted Sunday, January 28 2007
Media arrangements for WCL Div. 1 in Nairobi on 28 and 29 January
Opening ceremony takes place; All teams to hold media conferences – Kenya and Bermuda tomorrow; Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the Netherlands on Monday
The inaugural ICC World Cricket League gets underway on 29 January with a game between Kenya and Bermuda at Jaffery Sports Club, Nairobi. On 30 January, Ireland takes on Scotland at Gymkhana Cricket Club while the Netherlands and Canada go head to head at Ruaraka Cricket Club.
Tomorrow (28 January), the opening ceremony will take place at Parklands Sports Club, Nairobi, beginning at 7pm local time and all accredited media representatives are invited to attend.
Those who have applied for accreditation can pick up their passes from the event media manager, James Fitzgerald (details below), before tomorrow’s media conferences at the Nairobi Hilton (details below) or at Parklands before the opening ceremony.
Alternatively, the passes can be picked from Jaffery Sports Club on 29 January before the Kenya v Bermuda match or at Gymkhana Cricket Club on 30 January before the match between Scotland and Ireland.
Pre-match team media conferences have been arranged as follows:
28 Jan, 3.00pm – KENYA, Nairobi Hilton Hotel
28 Jan, 3.30pm – BERMUDA, Nairobi Hilton Hotel
29 Jan, 10.00am – SCOTLAND, Jaffery Sports Club
29 Jan, 11.30am – NETHERLANDS, Jaffery Sports Club
29 Jan, 12 noon – IRELAND, Jaffery Sports Club
29 Jan, 12.30pm – CANADA, Jaffery Sports Club
In each instance, the coach and captain will be present.
For a full tournament match schedule and all other information relating to the WCL Div. 1 go to: http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/wcl/
Item sourced from ICC Media press release
Bermuda v Uganda -- Posted Sunday, January 28 2007
Bermuda beat Uganda by 55 runs at the Parklands Sports Club, Nairobi, on Saturday. Bermuda had arrived in Nairobi on Thursday and used this match to help some of their players acclimatize to local conditions. They meet hosts Kenya in the opening game of the World Cricket League Division One on Monday.
Bermuda won the toss and batted, making 247 all out in 44.1 overs. The pitch offered some variable bounce, but players who played watchful cricket were able to make some runs.
Two early wickets were lost before captain Irving Romaine and David Hemp added 84 runs for the 3rd wicket, taking the total to 117-3. Hemp was lbw to Charles Waiswa for 45 (8x4). Janeiro Tucker was next to go at 150 and a couple of balls later, Romaine was run out. He had made a valuable 52 (6x4, 2x6).
Lionel Cann mixed defence with some typically powerful shots in making 71. His knock included 4 sixes, two off consecutive balls. Five Ugandan bowlers shared the wickets.
Uganda also lost two early wickets. Number three batsman Salem Hamza provided the backbone for the innings, ending on 86 not out. The main stand was with Kenneth Kamyuka for the 5th wicket. The pair added 64 runs before Kamyuka was stumped by Kwame Tucker off Deloyne Borden's bowling. Romaine took a couple of wickets towards the end before Mukuddem sealed the win by bowling Waiswa. Mukuddem took 3-26.
Bermuda used eight bowlers, six of whom took a wicket.
*** Scotland beat Tanzania in another match played on Saturday. Scotland was all out for 214 but hit back to dismiss Tanzania for 135. I am told the ball seamed about in this game.
*** Canada play Uganda on Sunday.
Eddie Norfolk
ICC World Cricket League -- Posted Sunday, January 28 2007
Underdog Bermuda not short on confidence at ICC World Cricket League
Bermuda comes into the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) in Nairobi with a big task ahead of it and is seen by many people around the world as a rank outsider.
National coach Gus Logie is not one of those people. The former West Indies batsman, who played in 52 Tests between 1983 and 1991 and coached WI to success at the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004, feels that he has enough talent at his disposal to challenge for the WCL Div. 1 title.
“If you look at the rankings and recent results you may think that we do not have a good chance but I am confident that we have what it takes to do very well at this level,” said 46-year-old Logie.
“We may be outsiders but so was Serena Williams,” he said, referring to the unseeded American tennis player who blitzed the new world number one Maria Sharapova in the final of the Australian Open today (Saturday).
“I am hoping we can go all the way here in Kenya and I believe we can do it,” said Logie.
Mind you, it won’t be easy. Bermuda takes on hosts and one of the tournament favourites Kenya in the first game, which takes place at Jaffery Sports Club on Monday. Kenya is in good form, having just won an ODI tri-series with Canada and Scotland in Mombasa.
Bermuda’s preparation has not been helped by the withdrawal of OJ Pitcher, who sustained a groin injury prior to the squad’s departure last week. Pitcher is replaced by experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Kwame Tucker.
Glamorgan captain David Hemp, who was born in Bermuda but brought up in the UK, has been a very welcome addition to the Bermuda squad in recent times with the 36-year-old batsman making a big impact. He scored 247 not out in a first-class ICC Intercontinental Cup match against the Netherlands last November and has brought a steely determination to the team.
“Apart from his great performances on the field, David brings his knowledge, experience and discipline to the table. His professional attitude has been very welcome and he is having a very positive influence,” said Logie.
Hemp will be supported by the likes of skipper Irving Romaine, Dean Minors and Clay Smith while the WCL Div. 1 will be a good opportunity for bowlers such as Dwayne Leverock, Saleem Mukuddem and right-arm seamer Stefan Kelly to make a big impact.
Looking ahead to the ICC Cricket World Cup, Logie realises that Bermuda will be up against it in a group alongside India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but is still relishing the challenge that awaits.
“As an Associate team there were never going to be any easy groups at the World Cup. Our aim is to perform to the very best of our ability in the West Indies and we are developing the belief system now that will hopefully allow us to do that. And of course, this is sport so anything can happen.
“There is a bigger picture as well. We want to put in good performances to inspire young Bermudans to want to take up the game and to show them what they can achieve if they work hard enough. We are playing for our own pride and for the legacy that we leave behind,” he said.
Bermuda (squad): Irving Romaine (captain), Stefan Kelly, Kevin Hurdle, Lionel Cann, Stephen Outerbridge, Arthur Pitcher, Dwayne Leverock, Dean Minors, Clay Smith, Kwame Tucker, Deloyne Borden, David Hemp, Saleem Mukuddem, Janeiro Tucker, Malachi Jones.
About the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (29 January – 7 February):
The WCL Div. 1 involves the top six Associate teams As the six teams in this competition have all qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the WCL Div. 1 is being used as part of their preparations for the event, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket. And secondly, the top two teams from this year’s WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along with the top teams from five regional qualifying events.
Promotion and relegation will be possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket rankings. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
This gives each of the 87 Associate and Affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Every side can now make its own plan as to how it will some day take its place alongside the very best at the ICC Cricket World Cup. It also means that the ICC can identify the relative strengths of these member countries on a more regular basis than ever before.
ICC has launched a new section of its website devoted to the WCL Div. 1 in Nairobi. The site contains player profiles, news stories, previews and photographs, all you need to learn more about the event. During the tournament, there will be live scores of all matches as well as match reports, audio clips of interviews with players and coaches and action shots of the players doing their thing out in the middle.
Item sourced from ICC Media Release.
OCA AGM ON JANUARY 28 -- Posted Saturday, January 27 2007
The 2007 annual general meeting of the Ontario Cricket Association, set for Sunday January 28 at the Sports Centre in Toronto, will proceed as planned.
An application to the court by a dissident group within the Toronto & District Cricket Association (TDCA) to block the meeting on Sunday went down in flames at a hearing of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Friday, January 26.
The application alleged that the TDCA had failed to call its 2007 AGM by December 31, as required by the TDCA constitution, and therefore had no authority to represent the TDCA at the OCA’s AGM.
The group’s lawyer asked the court to do one of three things:-
(1) compel the TDCA to call their AGM within 24 hours;
or (2) force the OCA to postpone its AGM;
or (3) disqualify any TDCA delegates who show up at the OCA’s AGM.
The judge rejected all three arguments and dismissed the application. As is usual in lawsuits, the judge ordered the losing side to pay the winning side (OCA) $5,000 plus any disbursement in legal costs.
In addition to the matter of how the delayed TDCA AGM would impact on the authority of the TDCA delegates to represent their league at the OCA AGM, the documents filed on behalf of this group alleged that the failure of the TDCA to call its AGM was likely to affect the selection of Canada’s final 15 to the World Cup in the West Indies.
An affidavit by Arvind Kandappah, a member of Centurions Cricket Club of the TDCA Premier Division, stated:
“It is anticipated that final selection of members of the Canadian national cricket team will take place in the immediate weeks following the OCA AGM as Canada is scheduled for its first warm up match on March 6, 2007 for the ICC World Cup.
There is concern on the part of at least one-third of active members of the TDCA that the current TDCA Board of Governors are, or will, attempt to influence the selection of the members of the Canadian national team. Questionable decisions to replace members of Canada’s national team with inferior players friendly to the current Governors has, in fact, already begun.
By way of example, Sanjay Thurasingam, a member of Canada’s World Cup qualifying team, was recently replaced by an older, less qualified player with considerably less international experience who has never played for Canada.
The selection committee members responsible for Mr. Thurasingam’s replacement, including a member of TDCA, cited his fitness as the reason for his replacement.
The OCA took the position that the matter between this dissident group and the TDCA Board, whatever its merits, was an internal matter and that the OCA ought not to be dragged into it.
The OCA took the position that there were four other member leagues besides the TDCA that wanted to get on with their business and that its constitution required its AGM to be held within 12 months and that time period would expire if its AGM was delayed. It further argued that the OCA and TDCA meetings had no bearing whatsoever on the selection of the Canadian final 15 as this was a matter for the Canadian selectors.
The judge pressed the applicant’s lawyer with a series of questions, many of them of a legal nature, but also one honing in on the gist of the case.
Isn’t it simply the case that your slate wants to replace the existing TDCA slate at its AGM ?, the judge asked knowingly.
The applicant’s lawyer denied that this was the real reason behind the lawsuit.
"We are doing this just for the good of the game and the cause of democracy", the lawyer answered.
The affidavit also made reference to letters sent by Rajive Benedict, president of Centurions CC, to the TDCA and to the $1,000,000 grant made by the Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty to the OCA in the summer.
“I can read between the lines”, the judge observed.
The OCA’s lawyer, Kim Mullin, who had filed a volume of legal authorities and written material, was not called upon by the judge to respond, a clear sign that the judge was not persuaded by the arguments of the applicant’s lawyer. She was instructed by OCA president, Errol Townshend, himself a lawyer.
The TDCA’s case was argued by its president Austin Ward.
He presented material to the court to show that it has become the practice in recent years not to hold the TDCA’s AGM in December but in the new year. Furthermore, the delay this time was exacerbated by the fact that less than one-third of the members had paid up by December 31. So without a quorum there was no point calling a meeting at that time. A date for the AGM had been set for February 18 now that sufficient members had paid up and the dissident members were entitled, if fully paid up, to exercise its democratic rights. The date of this year’s meeting was only 20 days beyond the 12 months mandate as the 2006 meeting had been held on January 29, 2006.
He further noted that of the 14 clubs that had signed the petition complaining about the AGM not being held before December 31, five of them were not fully paid up.
Ward, property manager with a background in accounting, refuted the argument made by the applicant’s lawyer that clubs did not need to be fully paid up to vote at an AGM.
Armed with the TDCA’s constitution and “nimble like Kimble”, Ward cited chapter and verse to show that membership in “good standing” means fully paid up.
In dismissing the case against the TDCA, the judge highly commended Ward for his presentation.
The following 14 clubs signed the petition: Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club (Nick Fincham), Centurions (Arvind Kandappah), Ontario Cricket Academy (Ravishankar Puvendran),Toronto Cricket Academy (Brian Hale), National (Afzal Zarar), Ajax ( Philip Navaratne), B4U(Farook Tailor), Yorkshire (Bikram Nanar), Mississauga Cricket Club( Yusuf Jahudeen), Cavaliers (Shameer Ali), Islanders (Bobby Rampersad), Overseas(Ragoobir Henry), Punjab Sports Club (Jagmel Dhillon), Brampton Masters (Mohammed Sheik).
Following the verdict, Townshend stated:
”It was OCA’s position all along that these machinations in TDCA were none of our business. In the 30-year history of OCA nothing like this has ever happened. Our players in SOCA, OVCC, H&D and Etobicoke just want to play cricket. They are not into High Court drama. This was not a wise use of time and resources. We are naturally happy that the Superior Court judge accepted our arguments.” But he couldn’t resist a tongue-in-cheek attempt to add a light touch to heighten the drama.
“I’ve been around courts long enough to know that with all the volume of material filed by this dissident group there has to be “Deep Pockets” financing this. It took the American political community 30 years after Watergate to find out the identity of “Deep Throat”, the person leaking all the good stuff to the media.
Who is “Deep Pockets”?
It should take us about 30 minutes to find out. A nationwide search is on. We already have fingerprints from Alberta, New Brunswsick, Quebec, Manitoba. We just need to match them up with those found in Ontario.”
Meanwhile, extra security has been ordered for Sunday’s meeting.
Amendment to Law 21.3 -- Posted Friday, January 26 2007
ICC Chief Executives’ Committee recommends amendment to Law 21.3 in ICC Playing Conditions
Will now be considered by the ICC Board in March; CEC also agrees ICC should take active role in monitoring Members’ anti-doping programs
The two-day ICC Chief Executives’ Committee (CEC) meeting concluded in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, today.
The members of CEC have recommended an amendment to the ICC Playing Condition that relates to Law 21.3 (“Umpires awarding a match”).
They have recommended that the final decision in relation to the termination of a match should rest with the ICC Match Referee. This recommendation will be considered by the ICC Board in South Africa in March.
The meeting also considered a range of issues relating to anti-doping. The members of the committee agreed that the ICC should take an active role in monitoring the anti-doping programs of its members.
The delegates received an update on the ICC’s commercial program, including the ICC Twenty20 World Championship to be held in South Africa in September 2007.
The CEC is made up of the Chief Executives or their equivalent from all ten ICC Full Members, as well as three Associate Members, the ICC Chief Executive and President and the Chairman of the ICC's Cricket Committee.
The following delegates attended the CEC meeting, held at Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah:
Malcolm Speed (ICC CEO)
Percy Sonn (ICC President)
Sunil Gavaskar (Chairman of ICC Cricket Committee)
James Sutherland (Australia)
Mahmudur Rahman (Bangladesh)
David Collier (England)
Niranjan Shah (India)
Tim Murdoch (New Zealand, for Martin Snedden)
Salim Altaf (Pakistan)
Gerald Majola (South Africa)
Duleep Mendis (Sri Lanka)
Barry Thomas (West Indies)
Ozias Bvute (Zimbabwe)
John Cribbin (Hong Kong)
Ricardo Lord (Argentina)
Laurie Pieters (Namibia)
Material sourced from ICC MEDIA PRESS RELEASE
Editors note:
Law 21.3 Umpires Awarding a match
(a) A match shall be lost by a side which either
(1) concedes defeat
or (2) in the opinion of the umpires refuses to play
and the umpires shall award the match to the other side.
(b) If an umpire considers that an action by any player or players constitute a refusal to play then the umpires together shall ascertain the cause of the action. If they then decide together that this action does constitute a refusal to play by one side, they shall so inform the captain of that side. If the captain persists in the action the umpires award the match in accordance with (a)(ii) above.
(c) If action as in (b) above takes place after play has started and does not constitute a refusal to play
(i) playing time lost shall be counted from the start of the action until play recommences, subject to Law 15.5 (Changing agreed times for intervals).
(ii) The time for close of play on that day shall be extended by this length of time, subject to Law 3.9 (Suspension of play for adverse conditions of ground, weather or light).
(iii) if applicable, no overs shall be deducted during the last hour of the match solely on account of this time.
Editorial comment:
The issue of developing an Anti-doping Policy has not been addressed in Canadian cricket. The obvious odour of wacky tobacco at several matches in three provinces during the 2006 season should be a wake up call. Is the CCA in denial?(Jon Harris)
Canada gain consolation win -- Posted Friday, January 26 2007
Kenya v Canada, 6th match, ICC Tri Series, Mombasa
Canada pulled off an excellent 69-run win over Kenya, the form team of the tournament, dismissing them for just 144 in the sixth and final match of the ICC Tri Series at Mombasa. Despite the result, which gave Canada their only victory, Kenya won the tournament.
Chasing 214, Kenya's top-order wobble was steadied by Ravi Shah who came to the crease with his side in trouble at 13 for 2. Shah is in form, too: prior his fighting hundred against Scotland, he struck a fluent fifty and today continued that same excellent form with a well-compiled 48.
With Shah and Steve Tikolo smoothly dictating the innings in a second-wicket partnership of 85, Kenya were well placed for victory - until Tikolo chipped one to Sunil Dhaniram at midwicket, the first of three wickets for the persistant Kevin Sandher. Shah wasn't far behind, either, chipping one straight back to George Codrington and Tanmay Mishra again fell cheaply, stumped off Sandher.
From the relative calm waters of 98 for 2 Kenya slid to 117 for 6 and, though Collins Obuya cracked two fours in his 16, he lacked support at the other end. Fittingly, John Davison took the winning wicket to hand Canada a comprehensive 69-run win.
And it was Davison who put Kenya on the back foot earlier in the day, too, with a typically boisterous 38 from just 32 balls. He and Abdool Samad got Canada's innings off to a flyer, clobbering 59 in the first ten overs, with Davison crashing Lameck Onyango over mid-on before driving him handsomely through the covers. Though he fell for 38, his aggressive knock was the ying to Samad's more sedate yang, nurdling singles into the gap and keeping the score ticking over nicely. Unfortunately, two away from a deserved fifty, he retired suffering from dizziness and, consequently, Canada lost their momentum - and 6 for 34. In the end, it was more than enough.
The teams now travel to Nairobi for next week's World Cricket League.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/content/story/277457.html
Scorecard can be located at:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/engine/current/match/273230.html
ICC World Cricket League -- Posted Friday, January 26 2007
Kenya gears up for ICC World Cricket League by winning Tri-Series title in Mombasa
Returning Ravi’ Shah finishes as top run-getter; Ryan Watson of Scotland blasts highest individual score but Craig Wright’s side loses top spot in Associate ODI Rankings; spinners take bowling honours
Kenya geared up for the upcoming ICC World Cricket League Division 1 by winning an ODI tri-series against Canada and Scotland in Mombasa this week.
In the series played between 17 and 24 January, the home side won three of its four matches to finish comfortably ahead of runners-up Scotland, which recorded two wins and as many defeats.
Canada, hamstrung by illness within its squad which led to it forfeiting a match against Kenya, was placed third but John Davison’s side did have the consolation of recording its only win of the series in the return fixture.
In the last game of the series, Canada defeated Kenya by 69 runs after bowling out the local line-up for 144 as it chased 215 for victory. By that stage, however, Steve Tikolo’s team was already confirmed as the tournament winners.
Kenya started the series in emphatic fashion as it recorded a massive 190-run victory over Scotland after posting 328 for five thanks to half centuries from David and Collins Obuya, Tanmay Mishra and Ravindu Shah as well as a blazing, unbeaten 45 from only 26 balls by Thomas Odoyo.
34 year-old Shah, back in action after being sidelined for much of the previous two years with a knee injury, made a triumphant return to the ODI stage.
The tall, elegant top-order batsman finished up with the tournament’s highest aggregate, totaling 215 runs including 113 against Scotland, his maiden ODI hundred.
That, however, was not the highest individual score of the tournament. That honour went to Scotland’s Ryan Watson, who hammered an unbeaten 123 against Canada, to see his side to a thrilling two-wicket win with just one ball remaining as it chased down 293 to win.
That chase ensured the Scots bounced back from their opening loss and they rallied to such an extent that they would have ended up winning the tri-series if they had beaten the home side in the return fixture.
Craig Wright’s side was well-placed to do just that as it pursued 260 for victory but wanting seven runs per over from the final six overs with seven wickets in hand, the middle order lost its way to the cagey off-spin of Tikolo and the result was a loss by six runs.
The failure to win more than two of its four matches meant Scotland surrendered top-spot in the Associate ODI Rankings to arch-rivals Ireland, although it is still early days in that particular table.
The listing allows the top sides below the LG ICC ODI Championship table to see how they compare to each other as well as offering a pathway to join the elite grouping.
Scotland’s Watson, fit again after suffering a cheekbone fracture on the ODI tour of Bangladesh in December, was the only other player apart from Shah to reach 200 runs for the tournament. Tikolo meanwhile, for so long comfortably the best batsman in the world outside the ICC Full Members, had a quiet series with 34 runs from three innings.
Kenya finished comfortably clear of Scotland in the points table but it was assisted in its pursuit of the title by a walk-over in its second match that came about when Canada was unable to field a side. A number of its players reported ill and some were reportedly hospitalized.
It was the latest frustration for a side that has struggled to repeat its excellent first-class form in the shorter version of the game. Canada may have reached the ICC Intercontinental Cup final but consistent ODI success over the past year has proved more elusive.
Nevertheless, Canada remains a side full of real possibilities. In Davison it possesses an explosive hitter at the top of the order – in Mombasa he scored 118 runs in three innings at a strike-rate of 117 runs per hundred balls – while right-arm fast bowler Henry Osinde is one of the most effective new-ball bowlers in the Associate world.
With veteran former West Indies fast-bowling all-rounder Anderson Cummins added to the mix during this tri-series, Canada has plenty of potential and its 69-run success against the hosts in the tournament’s final match showed what the side is capable of.
Three of the tournament’s four top wicket-takers were spinners as the Kenya duo of Tikolo and left-armer Hiren Varaiya were joined by off-spinner Davison, all of them grabbing six wickets apiece.
The only seamer to match that haul was Scotland captain Craig Wright, while his team-mate, the former England seam-bowling all-rounder Dougie Brown, bagged five wickets.
The three sides are now linking up with Bermuda, Ireland and the Netherlands to take part in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 beginning on Monday (29 January).
All the participating teams have already qualified for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup but still there is plenty at stake in the tournament that will take place at three different venues in Nairobi.
After all, every match in the tournament will carry ODI status, just like the Mombasa tri-series, so players are competing for their places in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket.
On top of that, each side will be aiming to use the event as the perfect launch-pad for a successful ICC CWC and the chance to enter the biggest stage of all with a trophy and bragging rights as the best current Associate ODI side, together with the confidence that success always brings, cannot be underestimated.
There is also a further incentive for the six sides to succeed in Nairobi and that is the prospect of reaching the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, scheduled for South Africa in September.
Only the top two sides will make it and for those two line-ups the achievement would mean plenty.
It offers another chance of exposure at the highest level, possible commercial spin-offs, the creation of potential role models for young players in those countries and a significant cash windfall, something never to be underestimated at Associate level.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along with the top teams from five regional qualifying events.
Promotion and relegation will be possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket rankings. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
Information on ICC Tri-Series, played in Mombasa, can be found at:
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2006-07/OD_TOURNEYS/3-NAT_KENYA/
Details of the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 are at: http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/wcl/
The Associate ODI Rankings can be found at: http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/odi/associates.html
Information report sourced from an ICC Media Release
Cricket is huge internationally, but in Quebec??!! -- Posted Wednesday, January 24 2007
JEFF HEINRICH, The Gazette, Montreal
Published: Monday, January 22, 2007
Cricket is huge internationally, but in Quebec it isn't even an official amateur sport.
So what's a local cricketer to do, especially in winter?
Practise in a gym, for starters, if he can find one that allows it.
After that, take the game on the road, to anywhere in the Commonwealth it's played.
Qaser Ali manages to do both.
A Pakistani immigrant who lives in Montreal, he's one of the best batsmen on Canada's up-and-coming national cricket team.
One recent Wednesday, he and five other local cricket players of South Asian origin practised from 10 p.m. to midnight - the only time they could get - in a vacant Park Extension gym.
Then Ali, a deputy captain of the Canadian team, flew to Kenya for two international tournaments that are a prelude to the sport's top event: the once-every-four-years Cricket World Cup, organized by the International Cricket Council.
The 2007 Cup will be played from March 13 to April 28 in the eight Caribbean nations hosting matches. About 2 billion people worldwide are expected to watch the matches on TV. Another 200,000 are travelling to the Caribbean to see things first-hand.
Ranked 14th out of 16 teams participating, Canada isn't expected to move beyond the first round in the tournament, which it will play in St. Lucia against Kenya and top-ranked England and New Zealand.
But the Canadians do expect to surprise their international audience with the quality of their play, thanks to newcomers like Ali, who joined the team 18 months ago.
Since beating higher-ranked Bangladesh at the last World Cup in South Africa in 2003, Canada has stepped up recruitment of immigrants like him, as well as Canadians living abroad, to play on the team.
And with organizers spending more money on the sport - paying for cricket classes in high schools and colleges, building indoor arenas in Ontario and investing in such specialized training equipment as automatic bowling machines - the future of Canadian cricket looks bright.
In Quebec, though, it's still a marginal sport. Though the players and fans are here - hundreds turn out for matches across the city in the summer - the money simply isn't.
Unlike Ontario, which subsidizes cricket with $1 million a year, Quebec doesn't recognize it as one of the province's 52 amateur sports and so doesn't fund it at all, complained local organizer Subrata Mandal.
This, despite the fact that cricket has its roots in this part of the country.
The first cricket matches in Canada were played right here in Montreal, on Ile Ste. Helene in 1785. British soldiers had introduced the game to Canada in 1759, playing it on the Plains of Abraham. Half a century later, in 1844, the sport had grown to the point that Canada played the world's first international cricket match, against the United States.
By confederation, cricket was so popular that Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, declared it the country's national sport.
Dwarfed since then by hockey, baseball, football, basketball and more recently soccer, cricket now appears set for a comeback, thanks to rising immigration from the Commonwealth, especially South Asians and West Indians flocking to Toronto, Vancouver and, to a lesser extent, Montreal.
"It's an immigrant's game in Canada, and there's a lot of new talent coming in," said Ali, who plays locally for the Adastrians - one of the city's oldest and largest cricket clubs - and is also a member of Pakistan's national baseball team.
"I think, in the next 15 or 20 years, cricket can become as big as soccer is now in Canada," Ali said as he suited up for practice at the William Hingston Centre gym on St. Roch St.
It's one of the few public facilities in the city that allow cricket to be played, usually only outside peak hours. Indoor hockey and even baseball are permitted in others, but cricket - with its willow bats and hard baseball-size balls whizzing by at 130 kilometres an hour - is considered too dangerous by most.
"They say we'll knock out their light fixtures," said Mandal, the organizer, originally from Nairobi.
"As if you can't do that with a puck or a baseball."
jheinrich@thegazette.canwest.com
Story sourced from:-
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=d3035773-d3ca-4427-b866-4a65a88355b2&k=16072&p=2
Cricket: Canada boosted by win over Kenya -- Posted Wednesday, January 24 2007
ODI Scoring Summary from Mombasa Sports Club: Canada 213 runs for 9 wickets (50 overs; Abdool Samad 50 runs, John Davison 39 runs, Hiren Varaiya 3 wickets for 36 runs; Dnyando 3 wickets for 37 runs)
Kenya 144 runs all out (35.1 overs; Ravi Shah 48 runs; Kevin Sandher 3 wickets for 24 runs)
Canada won by 69 runs
Canada won the toss and batted.
Report
The Canadian cricket team had a major boost in Mombasa in beating Kenya by 69 runs. The team showed fighting spirit during the game and were rewarded for much improved performances during this Canadian winter season after a disappointing summer back home.
Canada batted first and scored 213 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 50 overs. Captain John Davison and Abdool Samad began brightly with the bat. Davison made 39 runs falling soon after the introduction of spin-bowling into the Kenyan attack. The ball turned soon after Hiren Varaiya began bowling and it became a battle to keep the scoreboard ticking along. But thanks to Samad, who made 50 runs, Qaiser Ali (28 runs), Desmond Chumney (29 runs) and Sunil Dhaniram (22 runs) the total reached 213 runs for 9 wickets when 50 overs were completed.
This might have been 20-30 runs less than Canada would have liked, but it was a defendable score on a pitch giving help to the spinners, and Canada had four of them in the side.
Kenya soon lost 2 wickets but veteran batsmen Ravi Shah, who scored a century last Sunday against Scotland, and captain Steve Tikolo began to take control. Davison switched his bowlers around and first Shah (48 runs) and then Tikolo (33 runs) were dismissed. There was limited resistance, although much tension, in the remaining batting and Canada succeeded in finishing off a leading Associate country who were semi-finalists in the last World Cup The win, by 69 runs, is a step in the right direction with the World Cricket League starting in Nairobi next week. Also, Kenya will meet Canada in the group phase of the Cricket World Cup in St Lucia in March.
Abdool Samad said ‘it felt good to get a fifty (his first in ODI matches) but it was more important that we won. Yesterday were realized how well we played to post 208 runs against Scotland and we gave them a hard time.”
The team meeting after the second close loss to Scotland had discussed how to close out matches. Captain John Davison said ‘We’ve played good cricket and the win sets us up for next week.’ After the good start and the efforts of the Kenyan spinners ‘the guys in the middle (order) batted well. Chumney and Dhaniram .You’ve got to bat well through the middle and you’ve got to compete (to play at this level).”
It was similar with the bowling side of the game. “Tikolo and Shah batted well and put us under pressure” but the side battled back and it was fitting the last wicket fell to Davison’s bowling. He took 2 wickets for 28 runs in 8 overs. Kevin Sandher took 3 wickets for 24 in 10 overs.
Yesterday, coach Andy Pick had commented how Davison had ‘lead from the front’. The Kenyans are a good fielding side but arguably the best fielding play of the day came with an early Kenyan batsman being run out. A high slip chance went to Don Maxwell. It dropped behind him, Davison pounced on the ball and hit the stumps as the batsmen tried for a quick single. Some of the squad have been seeing doing special drills to help improve aspects of their fielding. In cricket the winning sides need a combination of batting, bowling and fielding skills as well as fitness. Canada showed several skills today in beating the Kenyans. In the longer vision of Canadian cricket, it is a step in the right direction.
Eddie Norfolk
Mombasa
Canadian squad poses for pictures after the well-earned win
Canada beats Kenya -- Posted Wednesday, January 24 2007
Basic scores Canada 213 runs for 9 wickets; Kenya 144 runs all out. Canada wins by 69 runs.
Canada beat Kenya in Mombasa by 69 runs today. After scoring 213 runs for 9 wickets, Canada struck early to leave Kenya 13 runs for 2 wickets in the third over. Ravi Shah and Steve Tikolo then showed their experience and the game progressively swung Kenya's way. By the end of 15 overs, Kenya was 84 runs for 2 wickets.
Kevin Sandher (slow left arm spin) entered the attack and soon had Tikolo caught by Sunil Dhaniram to make it 98 runs for 3 wickets. Tikolo had made 33 runs. George Codrington (off-spin) saw Shah crash a loose ball through the covers for 4, but next ball held on to a return catch and it was 110 runs for 4 wickets. Promising younsgter Tanmay Mishra had hit two early boundaries but fell caught at the wicket by Ashish Bagai off Sandher for just 8 runs.
A run-out mix up saw the next wicket fall at 117 runs (6 wickets) and Canada then battled away until the last wicket fell at 144 runs. The side had managed to execute an end game strategy that saw them over the winning line, after coming close in both matches with Scotland here, and the Netherlands in South Africa.
Kevin Sandher too 3 wickets for 24 runs in ten overs, John Davison took 2 for 28 runs in 8 overs. Davison had struck a key early blow to run out Ouma after a high slip chance had not been taken. Davison seized the ball and hit the stumps to run out Maurice Ouma.
Eddie Norfolk
Full scorecard at:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/engine/current/match/273230.html
Canada v Kenya ODI Mombasa - Wednesday -- Posted Wednesday, January 24 2007
Canada 213 runs for 9 wickets (50 overs: Abdool Samad 50 runs, John Davison 39 runs, Desmond Chumney 29 runs, Qaiser Ali 28 runs, Sunil Dhaniram 22 runs; Hiren Varaiya 3 wickets for 36 runs, Lamack Dnyando 3 wickets for 37 runs, Tikolo 2 wickets for 30 runs)
Canada made a good start against Kenya with John Davison and Abdool Samad making 73 runs for the first wicket.
Hiren Varaiya, the slow left arm bowler, took the wicket of Davison in his first over. The ball was turning even at this point and the scoring rate came down. Canada kept the score ticking over in these circumstances but suffered a couple of setbacks.
Abdool Samad had to retire hurt when going well on 48 runs not out. The total was 113 runs for 2 wickets at this point after 28 overs. Qaiser Ali was batting well against the spiinners and was combineing well with Desmond Chumney. Ali was run out in unfortunate circumstances; Chumney drove the ball straight and the bowler touched the ball onto the stumps leaving Ali run out. He had made 28 runs.
Sunil Dhaniram and Chumney added some runs for the 4th wicket but, apart from occasional boundary shots, it was hard to force the pace against good spin bowling. Dhaniram made 22, Chumney 29 and Samad returned to reach his first ODI 50.
Canada would probably have liked another 10-20 runs, but if the side bowls well - today's squad includes 4 spin bowlers - Kenya should be pressed all the way. Indeed there is a chance of a Canadian win.
Eddie Norfolk
Kenya ready for world stage -- Posted Wednesday, January 24 2007
Kenyan cricket ready to announce itself on world stage once again.
There is a feeling within the wider cricket community that the game in Kenya is moving in the right direction.
Following a hugely successful ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 when the national side got to the semi-final, Kenyan cricket hit a slump but the authorities there now say they are ready to make it back to the big time.
To illustrate that, Cricket Kenya was very keen to put its hand up to host the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1), which runs in Nairobi from January 30 to February 7.
“We have the facilities, we have the expertise and we have the manpower,” said chairman of Cricket Kenya Samir Inamdar.
“This is an enormous opportunity to announce to the world that we are ready to host an event like this again. By running a good tournament we will showcase Kenyan cricket and put it back in the news for all the right reasons,” he said.
“We are moving forward here at Cricket Kenya and this tournament is very much part of that process,” he added.
Of course, even with sound administration, it is performances on the field that usually do the talking and there are signs that the on-field situation is also heading in the right direction.
For the last few years, followers of Kenyan cricket have been pondering the question of what will happen when veteran batsman Steve Tikolo, consistently one of the best players outside of the ICC Full Members, and other senior players hang up their boots.
Well, while Tikolo is Kenya captain and clearly still a very important part of the line-up, the indications are that the younger players coming through will be able to carry on his mantle when he finally does bring the curtain down on a wonderful international career.
Seam bowler Nehemiah Odhiambo has impressed lately, as has middle-order batsman Tanmay Mishra and spinner Hiren Varaiya. The Kenyans also welcome back Ravi Shah to the fold after a two-year break through injury.
The 34 year-old did well in his comeback game against Scotland in Mombasa this week, scoring 54, and he could well be the answer to Kenya’s problems at the top of the order.
Roger Harper’s side has struggled with consistency in positions one, two and three over the recent past and so the coach is likely to be glad to see Shah in such good touch so soon after such a long lay-off.
Put proven quality players like Tony Suji, Thomas Odoyo and Collins Obuya into the mix and this is potentially a very formidable outfit.
Kenya began its countdown to the ICC Cricket World Cup this week, kicking off an ODI tri-series in Mombasa with a resounding 190-run victory.
Now it will be on to Nairobi for the WCL Div. 1 where it will be one of the favourites to become the first team to take the title.
“The players are really focused and seem to be in good form so we have high hopes in the tournament,” said Inamdar. “We are just looking forward now to a wonderful event,” he said.
Kenya (WCL Div. 1 squad): Steve Tikolo (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Ravi Shah, Tanmay Mishra, Collins Obuya, Peter Ongondo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Maurice Ouma, Malhar Patel, Hiren Varaiya, David Obuya, Rajesh Bhudia, Jimmy Kamande, Tony Suji, Lameck Onyango.
About the ICC World Cricket League Division 1:
The WCL Div. 1 involves the top six Associate teams.
As the six teams in this competition have all qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the WCL Div. 1 is being used as part of their preparations for the event, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket. And secondly, the top two teams from this year’s WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along with the top teams from five regional qualifying events.
Promotion and relegation will be possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket rankings. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
This gives each of the 87 Associate and Affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Every side can now make its own plan as to how it will some day take its place alongside the very best at the ICC Cricket World Cup. It also means that the ICC can identify the relative strengths of these member countries on a more regular basis than ever before.
For more information go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/development/wcl/
Information sourced from ICC Press Release
Irish make most of African connection -- Posted Wednesday, January 24 2007
Irish make most of African connection ahead of World Cricket League
Sometimes it helps to have friends in high places and Ireland’s preparations for the ICC World Cricket League (WCL Div. 1) in Nairobi next week have certainly benefited from having a coach who hails from South Africa.
Leg-spinner Adrian Birrell played for several seasons with Eastern Province before turning his hand to coaching and was in charge of EP before taking the job of Ireland national coach in 2001.
Having spent a week or so training and netting in Port Elizabeth the players have been chomping at the bit to get some match action. Birrell’s response has been to call in a few favours and he has lined up four games against an Eastern Province XI, including a day/night game at the Test ground in the city, St George’s Park.
As far as Ireland’s wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O’Brien is concerned, preparations could not have gone better.
“Everything’s going smoothly at the moment, we are gearing up to the World Cricket League with these practice matches and then hopefully we’ll be peaking in Nairobi and stay that way for the World Cup in the West Indies,” said O’Brien.
“This time we have spent in South Africa has been really beneficial. Adi (Birrell) is getting us into good shape so that we will hit the ground running in Kenya and put in a strong performance against Scotland in our first game.
“If we can win that that will set us up nicely and we’ll be trying hard to win the league or at least get to the final so that we qualify for the Twenty20 (the ICC Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa in September),” he said.
O’Brien comes from a sports-mad Dublin family. His father, Brendan, won 52 caps for Ireland between 1966 and 1981. O’Brien senior also played professional soccer for Dublin club Shelbourne and interprovincial hockey for Leinster. Niall’s sister, Ciara, is a regular member of the Ireland women’s hockey team and his brother, Kevin, is another member of the current Ireland cricket squad.
Interestingly, Kevin is part of a select group of players to take a wicket with his first ball on ODI debut when he had Andrew Strauss caught in Ireland’s match against England in Stormont last June.
“It’s great to have Kevvy in the squad and he has been playing very well,” said Niall.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s more enjoyable to play with him and we both want to go out and play well for our dad,” he said.
The O’Briens are not the only set of brothers in the Ireland side. Seam bowlers Paul and John Mooney are part of another cricket-crazy family, hailing as they do from the North County club in Dublin, which has dominated domestic cricket in Leinster for several years.
North County also boasts all-rounder Andre Botha and talented young left-hander Eoin Morgan in the Ireland WCL Div. 1 and ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) squad, although Morgan now plies his trade at Lord’s where he is under contract with English county side Middlesex.
The Irish will be led by seam-bowling all-rounder Trent Johnston, who learned his cricket in New South Wales, but many years ago pledged his future with his adopted country. Johnston is a lead-from-the-front kind of captain, not afraid to step forward when his side needs something extra.
Indeed, this Ireland side prides itself on its never-say-die attitude. Birrell has demanded that every player works hard on his fielding and it has batting ability spread throughout the squad, even among players who can expect to be batting at nine, ten or even eleven.
Not unlike the current Ireland rugby side, there is a very settled feel about this team, with eight of the team that lost to Scotland in the ICC Trophy 2005 still there. That experience will stand Ireland in good stead when the pressure comes on in Nairobi and, later, in Kingston where it will play its group matches against the West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe in the CWC.
Ireland (squad): Trent Johnston (captain), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Kenny Carroll, Eoin Morgan, William Porterfield, Kyle McCallan, Peter Gillespie, Andrew White, David Langford-Smith, Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Mooney, John Mooney.
About the ICC World Cricket League Division 1:
The WCL Div. 1 involves the top six Associate teams As the six teams in this competition have all qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the WCL Div. 1 is being used as part of their preparations for the event, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket. And secondly, the top two teams from this year’s WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along with the top teams from five regional qualifying events.
Promotion and relegation will be possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket rankings. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
This gives each of the 87 Associate and Affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Every side can now make its own plan as to how it will some day take its place alongside the very best at the ICC Cricket World Cup. It also means that the ICC can identify the relative strengths of these member countries on a more regular basis than ever before.
For more information go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/development/wcl/
Scotland repeat two wicket win over Canada -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
Canada v Scotland
Match played at Mombasa Sports Club, Kenya
Match Scoring Summary:
Canada 208 runs (44.3 overs; Sunil Dhaniram 46 runs, John Davison 39 runs, Craig Wright 4 wickets for 29 runs)
Scotland 209 runs for 8 wickets (47.2 overs; Majid Haq 45 runs, Gavin Hamilton 44 runs, Ryan Watson 39 runs)
Scotland won by 2 wickets
Report
Canada lost to Scotland in the Mombasa ODI Tri-Series for the second time in a week; the two wicket margin of victory was the same. This time the Scots had a few more balls to spare and Canada had failed to bat out their full 50 overs.
Ultimately, John Blain’s 30 runs not out (4x4, 1x6) decided the outcome. He had scored two boundaries in the 49th over last Wednesday to turn the tide. This time he helped the score move from 163 runs for 7 wickets to the winning score of 209 runs for 8 wickets.
He helped Scottish captain Craig Wright add 20 runs for the eighth wicket and added 26 runs for the ninth wicket with some help from Gary Rogers. Blain hit a 4 and a 6 in one over from Henry Osinde then took a couple of boundaries off Andy Cummins.
Osinde struck early to dismiss Navdeep Poonia for 2 runs but Majid Haq and Ryan Watson lead the charge, in similar fashion to John Davison and Abdool Samad’s opening stand for Canada earlier in the day. When Haq was out for 45 runs (9x4) at 68 runs for 2 wickets, Scotland were in only their 14th over. Watson, who made 39 runs (2x4), and Gavin Hamilton, who made 44 runs (4x4) moved the total to 123 runs before Watson was the fourth man out. The innings stuttered to 163 runs for six wickets. Cummins took a fine catch off his own bowling and Canadian skipper Davison also took a good catch.
Davison battled hard and tried hard to seal the win with a series of bowling changes. Coach Andy Pick later noted the captain had “lead from the front”. Davison took 2 wickets for 31 runs in his ten overs; a good performance. Sunil Dhaniram took 2 for 24 runs in 8.3 overs.
Dhaniram had earlier lead a major recovery in Canada’s batting. Davison and Samad had put 64 runs on the board before Samad was out to the last ball of the 10th over. Davison was bowled and the Canadian innings floundered. Dhaniram and Don Maxwell put on a new Canadian ODI record of 70 runs for the 7th wicket, before Maxwell was out. He had made 29 runs (2x4, 2x6). Dhaniram was the last man out for 46 runs. Canada had 5 overs and three balls unused of their allotted 50 overs. This was the first time they failed to use their allocated overs since the Canadian summer. Pick thought a score of “230 to 240 would have been a good score on that wicket.” Canada was basically 20-30 runs short of this objective in making 208 runs all out.
Still, that is a bigger score than achieved in the first five ODIs of 2006 when the side twice failed to reach 100 runs and struggled to make 150. Part of the Canadian innings had been ‘like the old Canada, but the way we fought back, rather than fold up for a score of 160-170, was the new Canada.”
There are too many nearly’s. Again we did a lot of good things but I would trade a few of those good things for a couple of wins,” said Pick. “We’ve beaten Bermuda twice, we nearly beat the Netherlands twice, now we’ve nearly beaten Scotland twice. Tomorrow (Wednesday) will be a big test.” That is when Canada conclude their time in Mombasa with a match against Kenya, Kenya looked vulnerable on Sunday against Scotland, going through a batting collapse that was halted by a century from Ravi Shah. The Scots ultimately tossed away several wickets in the closing overs. Could Canada be the side to topple Kenya in their home environment? That would be a boost for the World Cricket League hopes and for the World Cup where Canada will meet Kenya as well as England and New Zealand.
Eddie Norfolk
Mombasa, Kenya
Blain cameo edges Scotland home -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
Scotland 209 for 8 (Blain 30*, Rogers 4*, Dhaniram 2-24) beat Canada 208 (Dhaniram 46, Wright 4-29) by 2 wickets
A bristling cameo of 30 from John Blain squeezed Scotland past Canada by two wickets in the fifth match of the Tri Series, following a flurry of middle-order wickets in a tense encounter at Mombasa.
At 120 for 3, seeking 209 for their second win of the tournament, Scotland were well placed with Ryan Watson batting calmly and sensibly. But, on 39, he edged Kevin Sandher to Anderson Cummins in the slips to open a gap for Canada's bowlers. However, Gavin Hamilton refused to be contained. Nudging singles and cutting the odd four past point, he threatened to take the game away from Canada.
At the other end Neil McCullum was taking the attack to Canada, twice pulling fours over midwicket, before becoming Cummins's second first-class wicket in over a decade when he chipped one straight back to the bowler. The slide had begun: from 157 for 4 Scotland slithered to 163 for 7 when Hamilton was caught by John Davison off Sunil Dhaniram, Canada's batting saviour earlier in the day.
Craig Wright, the Scotland captain, departed for 14 - lbw to Cummins - leaving Scotland the tricky target of 22 from 32 with just two wickets remaining. Their tail wagged with impressive vigour, though, with Blain smiting a huge six off Henry Osinde, losing the ball in the process, followed by a commanding pull over square leg to edge Scotland's noses in front.
Scotland's lower-order fight back wasn't dissimilar to Canada's. Reduced to 120 for 6, they were indebted to a feisty seventh-wicket partnership of 70 between Dhaniram and Don Maxwell, the latter smacking two sixes and a couple of fours in his 29. And though Dhaniram batted cleverly to nurture his tail past 200, Canada hadn't counted on the long levers of Blain who swung lustfully for victory.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/content/story/277364.html
ODI Result from Mombasa: -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
Canada lost to Scotland by 2 wickets
Canada 208 (44.3 overs)
Scotland 209 runs for 8 wickets (47. 2 overs)
John Blain again proved a thorn for Canada in the late going - he scored two vital boundaries in last week's Scottish win. This time he scored 30 runs not out (4x4 1x6) to steer Scotland to victory in the closing phases. Canada had fought back, dismissing Ryan Watson for 39 runs. When Gavin Hamilton was out for 44 runs (4x$) and the total was 163 runs for 7 wickets, Canada looked in with a good chance.
Blain had stands of 20 for the 8th wicket with Craig Wright (14 runs) and then the 9th wicket added 26 runs to bring the win.
Canadian captain John Davison took 2 wickets for 31 runs in 10 overs. Sunil Dhaniram bowled well to take 2 wickets for 24 runs in 8.2 overs.
Eddie Norfolk
Canada 207 runs all out (44.3 overs) -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
Sunil Dhaniram was top scorer for Canada with 46 runs (7x4) and helped his side recover in a stand of 70 for the 7th wicket with Don Maxwell. Maxwell made 29 runs (2x4, 2x6). Dhaniram batted well and was the last man out.
Spinner Glen Rogers took 2 wickets for 22 runs in ten tight overs for Scotland. Their captain, Craig Wright took 4 wickets for 29 runs and John Blain ended with 3 wickets for 46 runs.
Canada had begun well losing first wicket to last ball of 10th over. Abdool Samad out for 21 runs (64 runs for 1 wicket). John Davison then out at same total. He made 39 runs. Scotland continued to pull themselves back into the game with some steady bowling. Qaiser Ali, Ashish Bagai (13 runs) and Desmond Chumney (were all out by the end of the 25th over
Canada will be hoping their trio of spin bowlers can keep the score down and take wickets when Scotland bat.
Eddie Norfolk
Canadian WCL squad and officials at practice -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
All 15 members of Canada's World Cricket League (WCL) squad participated in a training and drill sessions at the Mombasa Sports Club. The manager, coach, physio and video analyst were also present.
A viral infection was cited by a local doctor as the reason for the varions players illness that lead to the first Canada-Kenya match in the Mombasa Tri-Series event not being played on Saturday. The impending situation was raised by Canadian team officials with the ICC Match Referee on Friday night. He was in contact with the ICC offices, based on information in the local Kenyan media.
Canada plays Scotland on Tuesday and this series ends with Canada-Kenya on Wednesday. The teams then move to Nairobi for the World Cricket League Division One tournament.
I had visited the hotel where the team is staying on Friday night. The cause(s) of whatever illness or illnesses was/were still being investigated. I checked on Saturday morning at the hotel on the way to the ground and had it confirmed the game was off, and team manager Mike Henry was now also sick, and possibly one more player.
The 'public consumption' report I issued was done around the official starting time of the match. It did not state very much. An ICC media release was expected, based on the rumour mill at the ground but I had not seen anything when I left, possibly around noon. Players from Kenya, Canada and Scotland had come to the ground and engaged in various practice drills.
The players from all sides are taking bottled water on an on-going basis during play and practice. I am sure they are doing so away from the ground. There are periodic drinks intervals during play. (Certain people in the Canadian camp check with me from time to time to see I am taking in enough cold water and that I am eating properly. There are some cautions on food intake, as well as water.)
I intended to check on the 'official' situation later on Saturday but I was temporarily unwell and slept for a long time. According to local media reports in some local Sunday newspapers, a release from the ICC had been expected but had not been seen by press time.
I will watch whatever annoucements come out from the ICC, but will be focusing on moving forward. I had enough 'fun' just trying to send out a report on Sunday's Kenya-Scotland match, and trying to send some photos has been a nightmare but I believe I have found a potential solution today.
Eddie Norfolk
Mombasa, Kenya
Plans for India v Oz to play in New York and Toronto -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
Australia and India could meet in a one-day series in North America this year with New York and Toronto shaping as the likely venues. But player workloads and the suitability of grounds mean the planned venture is no certainty, according to Cricket Australia.
Michael Brown, CA's operations manager, said India had approached Australia with a proposal for the limited-overs series. "You never say never but details at this stage are sketchy," Brown told The Sunday Mail.
Another possible stumbling block in the negotiations could be wrangling over the percentage of revenues to be shared between the two boards, with Australia reportedly demanding an equal share and the Indians demurring. Australia's tight schedule features a trip to Zimbabwe in June, between the World Cup in March and April and the Twenty20 world championship in September.
"There is also the issue of player leave," Brown said. "So there are a few things to consider. India wanted to hold a tournament similar to the one we had in Kuala Lumpur."
A bilateral contest between India and the world's number one team is aimed at capitalising on India's lucrative pay television market, with each of the planned seven games expected to generate up to $6 million. A triangular contest would mean lesser returns for each participant and the possibility of a relative lack of viewer interest if India fails to reach the finals, as happened in the DLF Cup in Malaysia in October. The BCCI reportedly sold the offshore television rights for each game in the series that featured India for $US5.8m but had to offload the Australia-West Indies matches for only $US1.2m.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that India held the upper hand in negotiations as other nations would jump at the opportunity should Australia pass up the chance. But it also suggested the Indian board was desperate to play Australia if they hoped to raise $42 million from the series.
It' is believed thst an indoor NFL stadium in New York would host the games, meaning the matches would be played on a synthetic pitch. But Brown had his own doubts. "I'm not even sure whether they would have a suitable ground in New York," he said.
Item sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/277115.html
Irish make most of African connection -- Posted Tuesday, January 23 2007
Irish make most of African connection ahead of World Cricket League
Sometimes it helps to have friends in high places and Ireland’s preparations for the ICC World Cricket League (WCL Div. 1) in Nairobi next week have certainly benefited from having a coach who hails from South Africa.
Leg-spinner Adrian Birrell played for several seasons with Eastern Province before turning his hand to coaching and was in charge of EP before taking the job of Ireland national coach in 2001.
Having spent a week or so training and netting in Port Elizabeth the players have been chomping at the bit to get some match action. Birrell’s response has been to call in a few favours and he has lined up four games against an Eastern Province XI, including a day/night game at the Test ground in the city, St George’s Park.
As far as Ireland’s wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O’Brien is concerned, preparations could not have gone better.
“Everything’s going smoothly at the moment, we are gearing up to the World Cricket League with these practice matches and then hopefully we’ll be peaking in Nairobi and stay that way for the World Cup in the West Indies,” said O’Brien.
“This time we have spent in South Africa has been really beneficial. Adi (Birrell) is getting us into good shape so that we will hit the ground running in Kenya and put in a strong performance against Scotland in our first game.
“If we can win that that will set us up nicely and we’ll be trying hard to win the league or at least get to the final so that we qualify for the Twenty20 (the ICC Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa in September),” he said.
O’Brien comes from a sports-mad Dublin family. His father, Brendan, won 52 caps for Ireland between 1966 and 1981. O’Brien senior also played professional soccer for Dublin club Shelbourne and interprovincial hockey for Leinster. Niall’s sister, Ciara, is a regular member of the Ireland women’s hockey team and his brother, Kevin, is another member of the current Ireland cricket squad.
Interestingly, Kevin is part of a select group of players to take a wicket with his first ball on ODI debut when he had Andrew Strauss caught in Ireland’s match against England in Stormont last June.
“It’s great to have Kevvy in the squad and he has been playing very well,” said Niall. “As far as I’m concerned it’s more enjoyable to play with him and we both want to go out and play well for our dad,” he said.
The O’Briens are not the only set of brothers in the Ireland side. Seam bowlers Paul and John Mooney are part of another cricket-crazy family, hailing as they do from the North County club in Dublin, which has dominated domestic cricket in Leinster for several years.
North County also boasts all-rounder Andre Botha and talented young left-hander Eoin Morgan in the Ireland WCL Div. 1 and ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) squad, although Morgan now plies his trade at Lord’s where he is under contract with English county side Middlesex.
The Irish will be led by seam-bowling all-rounder Trent Johnston, who learned his cricket in New South Wales, but many years ago pledged his future with his adopted country. Johnston is a lead-from-the-front kind of captain, not afraid to step forward when his side needs something extra.
Indeed, this Ireland side prides itself on its never-say-die attitude. Birrell has demanded that every player works hard on his fielding and it has batting ability spread throughout the squad, even among players who can expect to be batting at nine, ten or even eleven.
Not unlike the current Ireland rugby side, there is a very settled feel about this team, with eight of the team that lost to Scotland in the ICC Trophy 2005 still there. That experience will stand Ireland in good stead when the pressure comes on in Nairobi and, later, in Kingston where it will play its group matches against the West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe in the CWC.
Ireland (squad): Trent Johnston (captain), Andre Botha, Jeremy Bray, Kenny Carroll, Eoin Morgan, William Porterfield, Kyle McCallan, Peter Gillespie, Andrew White, David Langford-Smith, Niall O’Brien, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Mooney, John Mooney.
About the ICC World Cricket League Division 1:
The WCL Div. 1 involves the top six Associate teams As the six teams in this competition have all qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the WCL Div. 1 is being used as part of their preparations for the event, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket. And secondly, the top two teams from this year’s WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Division 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along with the top teams from five regional qualifying events.
Promotion and relegation will be possible between divisions as each team seeks to move up the world cricket rankings. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
This gives each of the 87 Associate and Affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Every side can now make its own plan as to how it will some day take its place alongside the very best at the ICC Cricket World Cup. It also means that the ICC can identify the relative strengths of these member countries on a more regular basis than ever before.
For more information go to
Article sourced from ICC Press release.
Are the "Associate" countries relevant to the ICC -- Posted Monday, January 22 2007
So Darrell Hair has been appointed to stand in the triangular one-day series in Mombasa, the first time he will don the white coat since that gloomy Sunday afternoon at The Oval in August when his world turned on its head.
The announcement - which caught the ICC on the hop as it only intended to release the news on Sunday - caused, inevitably, a flurry of media comment. Some were surprised that Hair was still an umpire, so intense was the criticism of him between the Oval Test and the ICC's decision to bar him from standing in major matches which followed in November.
There are two sides to this. The first is that this is actually a really good move. Hair, for all his stubbornness, was, up to four months ago, one of the top officials in the game, a fact underlined by the ICC's own internal rankings which placed him second only to Simon Taufel. There is no doubt that in Kenya his presence will benefit sides who will for the first time play in a game with such a senior official.
Hair himself will receive a warm welcome.at the Mombasa Sports Club, which is the home ground of Samir Inamdar, Cricket Kenya's chairman. It is a delightful venue and the people there go out of their way to make all visitors feel at home. A few overseas reporters may make their way to the coastal town, but by and large he should enjoy his trip.
But there have to be questions asked of senior ICC officials as to what has changed in the last two months?
In November, Percy Sonn, the ICC's president who has a habit of speaking before necessarily thinking, said that the ICC executive board had "come to the conclusion that they've lost confidence in Mr Hair". While Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has always said he hoped to find a way to keep Hair in the game, he too admitted that the decision was right. Most of those close to the decision-making process left Dubai believing that Hair would not stand in any international match again.
If Hair was not deemed fit by the ICC to umpire then - and the key here is that nobody questioned his decision-making ability - what has changed? The ICC have spent today vociferously stressing that the ban was for Full Member matches only. But surely, either he is fit or he is not.
Perhaps even they don't actually know what they agreed to, or the best way forward. When Sonn was asked at the November meeting to clarify details regarding Hair's future, he refused, and when pressed snapped at reporters: "You are free to leave if you want. We are not giving any more details." Perhaps Percy was not exactly on message, or perhaps he was as confused as the rest of us.
The Mombasa tournament involves three of the six leading Associates, all of whom will be playing in the World Cup. These are among the best of the rest, and the matches are accorded full ODI status by the ICC. In effect, there is a danger that people will interpret this as the ICC saying that they have no faith in Hair but that the Associates aren't really that important.
This is a unique situation. The ICC could argue with any other official - including Hair's two colleagues also standing in Mombasa - that they were not quite good enough to make the transition from this level to the Elite. But that's not an issue or an excuse here.
As an umpire, Hair clearly is good enough. So why can he stand here and not in more important matches? As with every aspect of this sorry episode, the ICC has failed to be clear or transparent in its handling and once more we can expect more smokescreens and sidestepping.
And so, while the Associates ponder just how important they are to the ICC, Hair, who arrives in Mombasa on Monday, is left yet again to face the media on his own. It's something he has become used to in recent months.
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/content/story/276368.html
The Canadian Cricket Association's web site has reported, in an article written by CCA President Ben Sennik that, should Canada finish in the top two at the World Cricket League Division 1 tournament in Nairobi at the end of January, then each player and team official "will be eligible to receive a bonus fee of US$5,000.00". The two finalists in Nairobi are guaranteed places in the ICC Twenty 20 World Cup to be held in South Africa in September 2007.
These bonuses will be "reimbursed" (sic) to each individual upon receipt from the ICC of the participation fee of $250,000US which each participating nation will receive prior to the commencement of the Twenty 20 event.
http://www.cricketeurope4.net/DATABASE/ARTICLES/articles/000035/003561.shtml
Editorial comment: Given the inability to field a team, due the health problems, who gets the money? 'Eligible' is hardly a commitment!
What might be a more serious issue for the CCA is the legal concept of 'duty of care'. (JH)
Canada fail to raise team as players go down with virus -- Posted Monday, January 22 2007
The third One Day International of the Tri-Nation Series between Kenya and Canada failed to take place after the tourists failed to raise a team at Mombasa Sports Club.
Andy Pick, the Canadian coach, said a viral infection had struck down SIX of his players.
"We apologise for what has happened," Pick said. "We really wanted to play the match but there is nothing we can do because we don’t have replacements."
Those infected are: Captain John Davidson, vice captain George Codrington and Ashish Bagai who suffered dehydration after scoring 60 runs against Scotland on Thursday. Others are Sunil Dhaniram, Austin Codrington and manager Henry Mike.
Team doctor Dan Kiesel said Dhaniram is still hospitalised at a Mombasa hospital while the rest were recovering at their hotel.
Canadian officials are, however, optimistic the players would recover in time to honour the remaining ties, against Kenya on Tuesday and Scotland on Wednesday.
"There is no cause for alarm and there is no need to visit the players as they are responding well to treatment. Only Dhaniram was taken to hospital (Aga Khan) where he is recovering," Kiesel said.
Kiesel said the players started vomiting and developed stomach cramps, which are signs of viral infection caused by drastic climatic change.
"I think what the players need is at least five days to acclimatise and I’m hopeful they will be definitely fit for the remaining matches and the World Cricket League (WCL) Division One starting in Nairobi on January 30," Pick said at the Mombasa Sports Club (MSC) yesterday.
I’m pretty sure the players will be ready for the WCL because Nairobi’s climate is very kind."
The organisers of the Series were still awaiting official communication from International Cricket Council (ICC) on the fate of the match by Saturday evening.
"We have communicated to ICC about the situation and we’re waiting for their decision," match referee Srinath Javagal said.
They (ICC) are the ones to give us the correct word to use about the tie because this has never happened before," he said.
Kenyan coach Roger Harper said they were prepared for the match but the situation was out of control.
"As a team we were looking forward towards the match but it is now unfortunate for Canada," said Harper.
Harper said they would utilise the opportunity to polish their skills.
Kenya won their first match of the series when they beat Scotland by 190 runs while Canada went down to Scotland by three-wickets.
Oscar Pilipili
Report sourced from:-
http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143963886
Umpire assignment
So Darrell Hair was appointed to stand in the triangular one-day series in Mombasa, the first time he will don the white coat since that gloomy Sunday afternoon at The Oval in August when his world turned on its head.
The announcement - which caught the ICC on the hop as it only intended to release the news on Sunday - caused, inevitably, a flurry of media comment. Some were surprised that Hair was still an umpire, so intense was the criticism of him between the Oval Test and the ICC's decision to bar him from standing in major matches which followed in November.
There are two sides to this. The first is that this is actually a really good move. Hair, for all his stubbornness, was, up to four months ago, one of the top officials in the game, a fact underlined by the ICC's own internal rankings which placed him second only to Simon Taufel. There is no doubt that in Kenya his presence will benefit sides who will for the first time play in a game with such a senior official.
Hair himself will receive a warm welcome. Mombasa Sports Club, which is the home ground of Samir Inamdar, Cricket Kenya's chairman, is a delightful venue and the people there go out of their way to make all visitors feel at home. A few overseas reporters may make their way to the coastal town, but by and large he should enjoy his trip.
But there have to be questions asked of senior ICC officials as to what has changed in the last two months?
In November, Percy Sonn, the ICC's president who has a habit of speaking before necessarily thinking, said that the ICC executive board had "come to the conclusion that they've lost confidence in Mr Hair". While Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has always said he hoped to find a way to keep Hair in the game, he too admitted that the decision was right. Most of those close to the decision-making process left Dubai believing that Hair would not stand in any international match again.
If Hair was not deemed fit by the ICC to umpire then - and the key here is that nobody questioned his decision-making ability - what has changed? The ICC have spent today vociferously stressing that the ban was for Full Member matches only. But surely, either he is fit or he is not.
Perhaps even they don't actually know what they agreed or the best way forward. When Sonn was asked at the November meeting to clarify details regarding Hair's future, he refused, and when pressed snapped at reporters: "You are free to leave if you want. We are not giving any more details." Perhaps Percy was not exactly on message, or perhaps he was as confused as the rest of us.
The Mombasa tournament involves three of the six leading Associates, all of whom will be playing in the World Cup. These are among the best of the rest, and the matches are accorded full ODI status by the ICC. In effect, there is a danger that people will interpret this as the ICC saying that they have no faith in Hair but that the Associates aren't really that important.
This is a unique situation. The ICC could argue with any other official - including Hair's two colleagues also standing in Mombasa - that they were not quite good enough to make the transition from this level to the Elite. But that's not an issue or an excuse here. As an umpire, Hair clearly is good enough. So why can he stand here and not in more important matches? As with every aspect of this sorry episode, the ICC has failed to be clear or transparent in its handling and once more we can expect more smokescreens and sidestepping.
And so, while the Associates ponder just how important they are to the ICC, Hair, who arrives in Mombasa on Monday, is left yet again to face the media on his own. It's something he has become used to in recent months.
Story sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/content/story/276368.html
The viability of video records in cricket -- Posted Sunday, January 21 2007
Imran Farhat not guilty of Code of Conduct breach
“A case of an honest mistake by the fielder,” says ICC match referee Broad
Pakistan’s Imran Farhat has been found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his side’s second Test against South Africa in Port Elizabeth.
The player was charged with a Level 2 offence under clause C 1 of the Code which states: “Players and/or Team Officials shall at all times conduct play within the spirit of the game as well as within the Laws of Cricket…”
The charge, laid by the four umpires on duty in the match, on-field officials Billy Doctrove and Peter Parker, third umpire Rudi Koertzen and fourth umpire Brian Jerling, related to an incident on the first day of the Test, on Friday.
Imran Farhat claimed a catch from batsman Ashwell Prince which was referred to the third official because Doctrove and Parker were unsure whether the batsman had played the ball into the ground or his boot before it reached the fielder.
When Koertzen studied television replays of the incident he noticed the ball had, in fact, not carried to Imran Farhat, and when all the umpires had the chance to view the footage at close of play it was decided that a charge should be laid.
The hearing took place after the second day’s play on Saturday as, by the time the umpires had the chance view the footage on Friday evening and had decided to charge the player, the Pakistan team had already left the ground.
After considering the evidence, ICC match referee Chris Broad decided Imran Farhat had no intention to cheat.
“One of the key aspects in favour of the fielder in this instance was that no one questioned the validity of the catch at the time,” said Broad.
“It was only when it was referred to the third umpire that it became clear the ball had not carried.
“That ties in with my experience as a cricketer as I know it is possible to believe you have caught the ball when others may have seen it bounce beforehand.
“Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, and team manager Talit Ali appeared at the hearing to vouch for Imran Farhat’s good character, and Bob added that during a match in the Caribbean Imran told the umpires he was unsure whether or not a ball had reached him on the full only for replays to show he took the catch cleanly.
“Taking all these factors into account I am satisfied this was simply a case of a genuine and honest mistake by the fielder and so I found him not guilty of the charge,” he added.
The hearing was attended by the four umpires, Woolmer, Talit Ali and Imran Farhat.
If found guilty, the penalties for a Level 2 offence range from a fine equivalent to 50 per cent of a player’s match fee to a ban of one Test or two ODIs.
Report sourced from an ICC Press Release
Editorial note:-
It is noteworthy that officials of the national association have dispensed with video records as being irrelevant. (JH)
Kenya edge out Scots -- Posted Sunday, January 21 2007
Match Summary: Played at Mombasa Sports Club, Sunday January 21, 2007
Kenya 259 runs for 9 wickets (50 overs; Ravi Shah 113 runs; Dougie Brown 3 wickets for 37 runs):
Scotland 253 runs for 8 wickets (Fraser Watts 59 runs, Majid Haq 59 runs, Gavin Hamilton 46 runs not out, Steve Tikolo 4 wickets for 41 runs).
Kenya won by 6 runs
Kenya beat Scotland by 6 runs in a match of fluctuating fortunes on Sunday at the Mombasa Sports Club. Both sides had good opening partnerships and both had collapses that helped this game remain interesting to the end. Kenya’s openers quickly posted 67 runs before Maurice Ouma was out. David Obuya, who made 36 runs, soon followed. The game had a different complexion as Kenya faltered to 74 runs for 4 wickets. A further wicket went at 90 runs, but Ravi Shah lead the recovery in fine style. He was ninth out for 113 runs, leading a stand of 117 runs for the 6th wicket with Thomas Odoyo (39 runs). Shah is making his return to the Kenyan squad after an extended absence due to knee problems. He has looked in good form in this Tri-Nations Series. He hit 8x4 and 3x6 on Sunday.
Majid Haq, promoted to open the innings, and Fraser Watts made an excellent start for Scotland. Haq was bowled for 59 runs (10x4) making it 99 runs for 1 wicket at the 25-over mark. Ryan Watson helped Watts keep the scoreboard ticking over and the home fans became quiet. Local excitement returned as both Watts (59 runs, 5x4, 2x6) and Watson (31 runs) fell in quick succession. Scotland continued to make inroads on the target with plenty of wickets to spare. The match swung in Kenya’s favour when Steve Tikolo had three players caught out in the 45th over. In his next over there was a runout and he took another wicket. Tikolo took 4 wickets for 41 runs in his ten overs. Gavin Hamilton tried hard, ending on 46 runs not out (4x4, 1x6), but his side were 7 runs short of victory.
So-near, but so-far for Scotland. They dropped at least a couple of catches in the dying overs of the Kenyan innings that could have made a big difference. In the build-up to the World Cricket League, it was a match that opens the potential for Kenya to be defeated on their home soil. But will anyone actually beat them?
Report submitted by Eddie Norfolk
Cricket for Dummies -- Posted Sunday, January 21 2007
"Cricket for Dummies - Your comprehensive guide to the great game", authored by Julian Knight, has recently been distributed in Canada.
"Whether you're a weekend cricketer or aspiring armchair expert, "Cricket For Dummies" helps you make sense of this fascinating sport. Not just a jargon busting guide to cricket's laws, techniques and tactics, it also contains advice on kitting yourself out and provides lessons on playing the game and improving your batting, bowling and fielding skills. For the budding fan, there's a guide to the greatest players, the memorable matches, and a tour through the cricketing scene - both domestic and international - giving you the knowledge you need to fully appreciate this special game. Julian Knight is a BBC journalist, writer, and cricket enthusiast. He is a former youth coach and captain, and has been a club cricketer for over 20 years. Consultant Editor Gary Palmer played first class cricket for ten years with Somerset before becoming a professional coach.".
From the Back Cover:-
"Includes a diagram of fielding positions for easy reference
A complete guide to cricket for players and fans
Whether you're a budding player or aspiring armchair expert, Cricket For Dummies will help you get to grips with this fascinating sport. Inside you'll find an outline of the game's laws plus in-depth advice on improving your playing techniques and tactics. You'll also discover the tournaments, global rivalries, and great players that make today's game so compelling."
Discover how to
*Master cricket's basic rules
*Hone your playing skills
*Devise winning tactics as a player and a team
*Coach your children to play
*Follow every format of the game - from Twenty20 to Tests
About the Author and his Consultant Editor:-
Julian Knight is a BBC journalist. A former youth coach, he has been a club cricketer for over 20 years.
Gary Palmer played professional cricket for ten years with Somerset before setting up the CricketCoachMaster Academy.
Book review located from:-
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/product-description/0470034548/ref=dp_proddesc_0/203-8702667-8939958?ie=UTF8&n=266239&s=books
Canada forfeit match against Kenya -- Posted Saturday, January 20 2007
Canada, with only nine fit players, have been forced to forfeit today’s match against Kenya. The squad was already small, and with Umar Bhatti carrying an ankle injury, and Abdool Samad only due to join the squad this weekend the team had little choice when four other players were struck by illness. It is not clear whether the four are affected by dehydration, following the exhausting match against Scotland, or whether, as other reports suggest, they have been affected by a stomach virus.
Because of the tight schedule, and the following WCL tournament, re-scheduling of the match was not possible. The forfeiture highlights the strain put on the Canadian side by the demanding schedule leading up to the World Cup, Travelling with a larger party is essentially impossible, due to the expense involved, and the difficulty of finding players who can find the time off work required.
Canada’s next match is on January 23 against Scotland, and we wish the afflicted players a speedy recovery.
Kenya v Canada, 3rd match, ICC Tri-Series
Unwell Canadians forfeit ODI
Martin Williamson
January 20, 2007
The ICC is looking into circumstances which led to today's ODI between Kenya and Canada at Mombasa being called off. It is the first time a major game has been forfeited because one side cannot raise an XI.
The match was cancelled last night after Canadian officials requested a meeting with Javagal Srinath, the ICC tournament referee, where they informed him that their squad had been hit by an illness which meant they were unable to field a full side. At least five players were said to be laid low by what a local doctor diagnosed as a viral stomach condition and, although Srinath is believed to have suggested that the Canadians wait until the morning before making a decision, this idea was rejected. Kenyan and Scottish team representatives also attended the meeting.
The Canadians only arrived in Mombasa on Monday after a 24-hour journey, and the difference in the conditions between the sub-zero temperatures in Canada and the intense heat of Kenya will have taken a toll. They also endured a long afternoon in the field on Thursday when they lost to Scotland. Furthermore, it is reported that at least one of their squad is injured and will not be fit to play until the start of the World Cricket League.
Early reports had indicated that some of the Kenyans were also unwell, but a spokesman for them team denied that and said all 15 players were fit and ready to play. However, Cricinfo has learned that two of the Scotland side and Ian Gould, the umpire, were also treated by a local doctor and were believed to be suffering from the same viral illness.
The cancellation is a bitter disappointment to the organisers who, with it being a weekend, had been expecting a bumper crowd. At least 16 schools were understood to be busing in children to watch the match.
Canada forfeited the match, handing a win and four points to Kenya who extend their lead at the top of the table. Kenya face Scotland in the fourth match tomorrow, and organisers said that game would go ahead as scheduled.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/content/story/277024.html
Canadian Coach talks of the loss to Scotland -- Posted Friday, January 19 2007
Canadian coach Andy Pick was “disappointed to lose a game like that” as Canada lost by 2 wickets to Scotland with one ball to spare. He balanced this with “given only two days to acclimatize (to the heat) the boys have done really well.”
“It was a fair wicket and we came a narrow second. Two snicks for four (to third-man) in the 49th over made a big difference.” Scotland needed 19 off the last two overs and John Blain’s bat twice edged – the Scots camp might claim ‘steered’ – the ball to the boundary.
He was pleased that progress begun in South Africa, where the batsmen began to apply themselves in ODIs had continued. Canada had mixed boundary shots – power shots and timing strokes – with singles. “Scotland went out and played the same way,” which ultimately prevented a Canadian celebration .
”It makes a difference psychologically. We’re down, they’re upbeat,” added Pick, with strains of ‘Flower of Scotland’ coming from one changing room. “But we’ve done well with two of our top batters missing (Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff). We are showing our strength in depth. Some of the players were playing bit parts, but they’ve stepped up to the plate to make real contributions.’ Tendencies to ‘belt the ball down the ground’ are being replaced by more measured play.
Pick ‘hadn’t been counting', but ‘at the end-of-the-day we missed about 20 singles. Some chances had been missed in the field, ‘possibly 4 or 5.’ The other factor was ‘the difference it makes physically being fit and acclimatized. He (Ryan Watson, the Scottish hero who scored a century) didn’t show any signs of tiredness or dehydration.”
Pick briefly looked to the next game on Saturday (Jan 20th). “Kenya will be a difficult game. They are playing under their own conditions. We were well beaten by them in the two ODIs in Toronto last summer.” At the time, Pick had felt Canada was about 50 runs short when batting first in each of these matches. Thoughts echoed in the Kenyan ranks by the likes of Steve Tikolo.
The day brought hope, even following a defeat. “We’ve come a long way since the (Canadian) summer. There’s been a definite improvement in the last couple of months. We’ve batted out the full 50 overs again”. In South Africa Kevin Sandher had been set to bat at number 11 but was not needed in the four ODIs. Against Scotland, four Canadians did not bat. Another step forward. One of many as things take shape.
Eddie Norfolk
Scoring notes from Friday’s match: There is one tree within the playing area at the Mombasa Sports Club. If the ball hits the tree a six is not scored, only 4. John Davison hit one shot that brought down about four leaves on a shot that was probably 30 feet above the boundary. But under the local ruling, which is consistent with the Laws of Cricket, it only scored 4 runs. This partly explains the difference in the final Canadian score of 292 runs for 5 wickets. The second wicket, when Davison was out, fell at 90 runs according to the scoreboard but the corrected score was 88 runs.
A third Canadian run went missing by the time the third wicket fell (original scoreboard showed 213 runs for 3 wickets, ultimately 210 runs was the total.)
The scoreboard showed 296 runs for 5 wickets when Canada’s innings ended. The official scorer had 295 runs, one of the unofficial scorers also had 295 runs but another had 292.
Canada v Scotland, 2nd match, ICC Tri-Series -- Posted Thursday, January 18 2007
Dhaniram and Ali lead Canada charge
Cricinfo staff
January 18, 2007
Scotland 293 for 8 (Watson 117*, Poonia 73) beat Canada 292 for 5 (Ali 70, Bagai 64*, Dhaniram 51*) by two wickets
Ryan Watson overcame stifling conditions in Mombasa to guide Scotland to a memorable three-wicket win with one ball to spare against Canada, who had earlier posted their record ODI total. Scotland's chase was given a kick-start by Navdeep Poonia's 73, but after a middle-order wobble Watson was the hero.
A consistent effort from Canada's batsmen, led by Qaiser Ali's 70, put Scotland's bowlers to the sword for the second day running after Kenya had yesterday handed them a fierce pasting. However, this time the batsmen responded and the second-wicket stand of 100 between Poonia and Watson changed the course of the match.
Poonia is a talented strokemaker who showed his ability in a number of one-day outings for Warwickshire last season. Today he struck 11 fours and two sixes off 68 balls before he was bowled. The middle order made starts but no-one could stay with Watson and when Majid Haq was removed by John Davison Scotland were in trouble at 238 for 6, needing 55 off six overs.
Watson, though, held firm and hit two maximums in the 45th over, bowled by Sunil Dhaniram, to raise Scottish hopes. When Craig Wright fell, John Blain showed impressive resolve and his two boundaries in the 49th over effectively sealed the result, but it was left to Ross Lyons to hit the winning runs off the penultimate ball. Canada's fielding had slipped in the heat with a number of crucial chances being shelled.
Neither team were used to the oppressive conditions and earlier it had been Canada's turn to run the fielders ragged. Davison gave them a flying start with a typically flamboyant 41 off 32 balls and Ashish Bagai kept the tempo going with a run-a-ball knock, but was forced to retire with dehydration although he returned late in the innings.
Ali held things together and the finishing touches to Canada's impressive effort were added by Dhaniram, who clubbed two fours and a six, as he put on 74 with Ashif Mulla for the fifth wicket. But on a day where it was tough work being a bowler, Canada's record total wasn't enough to stop Scotland.
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/triseries-kenya/content/story/276808.html
Sale of ICC sponsorship -- Posted Thursday, January 18 2007
Sale of ICC sponsorship rights from 2007 – 2015 to commence shortly.
Speed hails “most comprehensive and powerful international cricket sponsorship opportunity in history”.
Period includes 18 events with two Cricket World Cups, at least three Champions Trophy tournaments and inaugural Twenty20 World Championships.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed it is preparing to commence the sponsorship sales process to events scheduled to take place between the second half of 2007 and the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.
The period includes 18 ICC tournaments with two ICC Cricket World Cups, in Asia (2011) and Australasia (2015), and a minimum of three ICC Champions Trophy tournaments.
Also included are the first two ICC Twenty20 World Championships, in South Africa (2007) and England (2009), the latter taking place in the ICC’s centenary year.
The ICC intends to enter negotiations with prospective sponsors with a view to concluding agreements during the first half of 2007.
Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said: “The ICC’s Executive Board began this process in April of last year when it confirmed the venues for ICC events from the second half of 2007 to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
“With those events and a broadcasting agreement to cover them in place, we are now in a position to go to market to obtain the best possible partners for cricket.
“The sale of these sponsorships is of huge significance for cricket throughout the world at all levels as, like the broadcasting agreement already concluded, the revenue they generate will play a pivotal role in sustaining and growing the game.
“A great deal of thought has gone into creating the sponsorship packages on offer and we believe they are extremely comprehensive and will deliver year-round value for our partners.
“For the first time the ICC is able to offer one major event every year and the quality and variety of those events and the fact they span the globe mean they represent exceptional value for sponsors.
“Our sponsors will have an important role in promoting ICC events and programs, bringing the game to a wider audience and creating new opportunities and experiences for fans.
“With growing media convergence and evolution likely over the next eight years this sponsorship will engage fans via a variety of platforms, including television, internet, mobile, radio, print and at the venues themselves.
“Live telecasts will be supported by an integrated promotion plan for major events and for the sport. It all means that companies have never had a bigger and more prestigious opportunity in cricket,” he added.
The ICC has already sold its broadcast rights for the period with ESPN STAR Sports in December named as its Global Media and Production Partner in an agreement significantly in excess of the ICC’s previous commercial deal.
That agreement with Global Cricket Corporation (GCC), which includes both broadcast and sponsorship components, began in 2000 and ends with the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies next March and April.
Mr Speed added: “This sponsorship platform will enable our partners to reach fans in places and in ways that were inconceivable in the past and to do so with a truly global footprint.
“With the support of the best possible and truly world-class broadcaster for cricket in the shape of ESPN STAR Sports, we believe this is the most comprehensive and powerful international cricket sponsorship opportunity in history.
“We look forward to taking discussions forward and to identifying the companies that will help support and secure the future of our great game,” added Mr Speed.
Further details and updates of the sales process will be announced in due course.
ICC Events 2007 – 2015
2007 Cricket World Cup March/April West Indies*
Twenty20 World Championship September South Africa
2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup February Malaysia
Champions Trophy September Pakistan
2009 Women’s Cricket World Cup March Australia
ICC Trophy April UAE
Twenty20 World Championship June England
2010 U/19 Cricket World Cup February Kenya
Champions Trophy March/April West Indies
World Cricket League TBC The Netherlands
2011 Cricket World Cup February/March Bangladesh/India/
Pakistan/Sri Lanka
2012 U/19 Cricket World Cup July Canada
Champions Trophy/ September Sri Lanka
Twenty20 World Championship
2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup February India
Champions Trophy/ TBC TBC
Twenty20 World Championship
2014 Champions Trophy/ April Bangladesh
Twenty20 World Championship
U/19 Cricket World Cup February/March - UAE
World Cricket League TBC TBC
2015 Cricket World Cup February/March Australia/New Zealand
* broadcast and sponsorship rights for this event owned by Global Cricket Corporation
ICC MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dubai, 18 January 2007
Editorial comment:-
International cricket can now join the ranks of baseball, basketball, soccer, etcetera in the ongoing commodification of sport world-wide, and we can anticipate that the cricket minnows will be swallowed by the sharks. (JH)
Canada strongly placed -- Posted Thursday, January 18 2007
Cricket : Canada strongly placed against Scotland in ODI
Canada made its highest ODI total of 292 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 50 overs against Scotland at Mombasa Sports Club. John Davison and Ashish Bagai set a brisk pace after Sandeep Jyoti was out early. Bagai outpaced Davison for a while. Davison had a highly productive over just before being the second man out He made 41 (4x4, 2x6).
Qaiser Ali joined Bagai and the pair took the total to 150 runs, where Bagi retired hurt during a drinks break. The major change in conditions between Toronto and Mombasa was proving a challenge in this opening game. Canada was batting well, mixing powerful shots and delicate strokes, as well as going for singles to keep the score ticking along.
Progress continues as Desmond Chumney proved a sound partner for Ali. Ali had made when caught by Poonia off Haq's bowling for 70 runs (9x4).Chumney made a sound 28 runs (2x4) Ashif Mulla and Sunil Dhaniram added 72 for the fifth wicket, Mulla being out to a fine low catch at the wicket and Dhaniram reaching 51 not out in the final over. Mulla made 26 runs.
Off-spinner Majid Haq was the most economical of the Scottish bowlers taking 1 wicket for 40 runs off ten overs.
Scotland lost their first wicket in the tenth over to former West Indies player Andy Cummins in the tenth over. Brisk early scoring saw the Scots to 50 runs for 1 wicket in ten overs. Poonia is batting well for Scotland.
Note: The scorers agreed the official total was 292 runs for 5 wickets during the lunch interval. The original total on the scoreboard and in some postings had been 295 runs. Some individual scores were adjusted, hence a delay in this release..
Eddie Norfolk
Arriving in Toronto to play cricket -- Posted Thursday, January 18 2007
Arriving in Toronto to play cricket, I found a sporting culture unlike any other. I was used to a vandalized Edinburgh park bench for changing on; or in Wales, a collapsing, dark hut in the mining valleys. There, local teenagers with golf clubs would break in and steal the team’s boxer shorts. But in Canada’s largest city, the cricket club had a multi-million dollar complex. There was a pool, an ice rink, a laundry service, a sauna and naked men wandering around inside. Nakedness is less of a taboo in North America, and it seems the older they get, the more they are happy to show.
When I say I’m going on a two-hour drive in the UK, people usually respond with, “My God, will you be stopping overnight? Better get someone in to feed the cat.” But in this big continent, people drive an hour for cheaper petrol. I mean gas.
When I think of the buildings in Europe, it seems they were fashioned in a by-gone era of dwarves. Coming out to Canada, I’d never seen anything the size of Toronto's CN Tower, let alone our refrigerator. It’s like the gateway to Narnia. And portion sizes are ludicrous. I’m used to leaving restaurants back home, not with doggy bags, but with hunger.
As a 23-year-old Scotsman, I can’t imagine there were many like me who migrated to Quebec at the start of winter with their cricket bat. I'm here because, while working as a gardener in Romania last summer, I met a Quebecoise called Candy, whose parents own a chocolate factory. After securing a one-year work visa at enormous expense, I followed this dangerous woman back to begin a new life in Montreal.
The move has demanded adjustments on all sides. Two weeks ago, I noticed Candy’s mum reading a romance novel called Taming The Scotsman. Meanwhile, I have had to forsake wearing my kilt outside, for fear of losing a limb. In Scotland, I’ve never seen it below minus sixteen. Here, it takes me twenty minutes to dress up like a tartan ninja to check the mailbox in the lobby. I need ski poles to get to the shop – sorry, store. And in Canada I walk down something called a sidewalk, not a pavement. When two inches of snow fall overnight in Britain, the motorways become car parks and the headlines scream, “Country In Crisis!” In Montreal, people can lose their cars and cats until the snow melts in spring. Now that it's beginning to thaw, I find myself sweating at four degrees.
Candy and I have undergone transition in the home, too. Candy recently purchased an apartment on the Plateau. It smelled like old lady and twenty year’s of cigarettes when we moved in. We set about ridding all trace of pink paint and cat hair from the walls, turning the place into something respectable. We then attempted to find a flatmate. After turning down a family of four from Mexico, an illegal immigrant from war-torn Burundi, and being abandoned at the last minute by a German exiled from the US, we settled with Eriko, a student from Japan; female, non-smoker. Always a safe bet.
So, all in all, the transition has been a success, and when Candy gets Taming The Scotsman off her mum, life might settle down a little bit.
“The Club” was a playpen for rich bridge players, ballroom dancers, and spoiled kids. Toronto’s elite were paying upwards of $xx,000 a year for membership. I felt fortunate to get away with a kindly $140 temporary student deal. And one didn’t just walk in to" The Club'". One had to be recommended by an existing member, and pass through an interview with a director. One had other commitments to “The Club”, like a minimum $?0 monthly expenditure at the bar and restaurant. (That would get a Coke and some crisps – sorry, potato chips.) An invoice would arrive at the month’s end.
During warm-up laps around the field on my first training session, I suggested we liven up the evening's croquet match with a streak across the pitch. “You’ll have the shortest club membership in history,” warned the coach. How unfair. Seemingly it was permissible for octogenarians to stand in the buff, a foot apart, hands on hips, conversing in the sauna and corridors, but outdoors, even taking a shirt off to sunbathe was punishable by banishment.
A crumbly-looking croquet player approached us on the next lap, shaking his mallet at us. “You take your cricket elsewhere!” he said. “I warn you, if one of your balls comes near us, I’ll sue you for every penny you’ve got, you hear?” The man had been only too happy to swing his balls at me a mere ten minutes before.
The teams I met in Canada were each made up of immigrants from a particular country. One week it would be Bangladeshis, the next, the Sri Lankans. After, the Punjab Association, and the Caribbean President’s select, et cetera. In these teams there’d often be former Test stars –like West Indians Grayson Shillingford and Larry Gomes – and even current internationalists who were in the country for a weekend cottage party.
On match days, the sun and humidity regularly pushed the temperature into the forties. “Can I borrow some sunscreen?” I’d ask in the dressing room. “God, Scotsman!” said my teammates. “Look at us. We're all black. We don’t wear sunscreen.”
Whenever I’d gone out to bat the previous year in Sydney, I was always lambasted with, “Here we go, it’s the f***in’ Pom. He’s shit, just like all Poms. Take his head off!” along with other unprintable abuse. But every time I approached the middle in Canada, the opposition greeted me with, “Hey, good luck, man! Let me get that for ya. No problem, buddy. Take it easy.” There was something quite unsettling about it all.
“No. Abuse and assault me!” I’d cry in my head. The most vicious sledging I ever got was, “Come on now, Angus. Concentrate.”
Stranger still was that batsmen in Canada gave their condolences when a fielder spilled a catch. “Bad luck, man. Nice try.” These northern colonial cricketers could certainly teach some manners to their southern counterparts.
Three years on, as I'm preparing to embark on my first season of French-Canadian cricket in Montreal, I have again adapted my game-plan. I've substituted traditional appeals of “Howzzat!” for the local “Ca va?” – and brushed up on my Punjabi.
Angus J. J. Bell.
Ireland top of the latest ICC Associate ODI Rankings -- Posted Thursday, January 18 2007
Ireland has gone top of the ICC Associate ODI Rankings after previous leader Scotland was beaten by Kenya in a one-day international in Mombasa today (Wednesday).
The rankings, which indicate how the five teams below the top 11 are faring, look set to change further over the coming weeks with the ICC World Cricket League and ICC Cricket World Cup on the horizon and with all those sides set to play a large number of ODIs.
Kenya today beat Scotland by 192 runs, dropping the Scots’ win rate down to 71 per cent, four percentage points below Ireland.
Scotland will get the chance to repair some of the damage tomorrow (Thursday), though, as it takes on Canada in Mombasa as part of an ongoing ODI tri-series in the east-coast Kenyan city. A win tomorrow will bring Craig Wright’s team back level with the Irish.
A win for Canada, on the other hand, will lift it off the bottom of the table and above Bermuda into fourth place.
These are the early stages of the ICC Associate ODI Rankings. Following the ICC Trophy in 2005, ODI status was granted to matches involving the teams that came in the top five (Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda and the Netherlands) as part of their preparation for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
“The ranking system is in place now to provide an opportunity for the top Associate teams to rate themselves in relation to their immediate competitors,” said ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done.
“It also provides a context to the ODIs which they now play and gives them a constant benchmark and incentive to improve. But more than that, it gives them a definite pathway towards qualification for the LG ICC ODI Championship,” he said.
Once an Associate has played at least 10 matches in total, it has the opportunity to be promoted to the main LG ICC ODI Championship table (currently comprising the ten ICC Full Members plus Kenya).
To gain this promotion, the Associate must either achieve two wins against Full Members or achieve one win against a Full Member and also have won more than 60 per cent of its matches against other Associates on the rankings table.
The Associate would then have a ranking on the main table, initially based on its results in all ODIs played against any of the 11 existing rated teams, i.e. the ten Full Members and Kenya, during the qualifying period. Then, to progress to a rating, it would need to have played at least eight ODIs (over the previous two to three year period, updated every August) against teams who, at the time, were also rated on the LG ICC ODI Championship table.
Currently, the ICC Associates ODI Rankings does not include Kenya and it will continue to appear on the main LG ICC ODI Championship until 2009. Any ODIs played between Kenya and any of the other five top Associates will therefore have no rating impact on Kenya itself but will still count towards the five Associates’ records, in particular their 60 per cent win requirement.
The full ICC Associates ODI Rankings are:
ODIs v Full Members Other qualifying matches
Rank Team Pld W L % Pld W L %
1 Ireland 1 0 1 0 4 3 1 75
2 Scotland 3 0 3 0 7 5 2 71
3 Netherlands 2 0 2 0 7 3 4 43
4 Bermuda 2 0 2 0 13 4 9 31
5 Canada 1 0 1 0 13 4 9 31
For more information on the ICC Associate Rankings go to:
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/odi/associates.html
Remaining fixtures in the ongoing ODI tri-series in Mombasa:
18 Jan – Scotland v Canada
20 Jan – Kenya v Canada
21 Jan – Kenya v Scotland
23 Jan – Scotland v Canada
24 Jan – Kenya v Canada
In the ongoing build-up to the ICC World Cricket League Division 1, there will be a profile of the Scotland team ahead of the ICC WCL Div. 1 that will take place in Nairobi from 30 January to 7 February, as indicated in the published schedule.
18 January WCL team preview – Scotland
19 January WCL team preview – Kenya
21 January WCL team preview – Canada
22 January WCL team preview – Ireland
23 January WCL team preview – Netherlands
27 January WCL team preview – Bermuda
28 January General preview of the tournament
29 January Report from opening ceremony
Information sourced from ICC Media Press release
Scotland draws with UAE -- Posted Wednesday, January 17 2007
Scotland draws with UAE, giving Ireland the chance to retain its title
Action shifts to Kenya for ODI tri-series in Mombasa and ICC World Cricket League in Nairobi
Scotland has opened the door for defending champions Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup by failing to beat the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah this week.
In the face of some accomplished and determined batting by the home side, Scotland was unable to get the outright victory required to get it through to the final of the event. In the end, it was Scotland which was hanging on for a draw as Arshad Ali’s team threatened to sneak a victory on the final day.
Now, if Ireland can beat the UAE in Abu Dhabi next month, it will be through to the final for the second time in succession, on a date yet to be confirmed. In the previous event in late 2005, the Irishmen beat Kenya in the final at Windhoek, Namibia, and they will be very keen to retain the trophy.
The batting star of the four-day match for the UAE was undoubtedly Saqib Ali, who scored a total of 193 runs and was dismissed just once. The 28-year-old right-hander came to the wicket on the first morning with his side in trouble on 22-2.
But he dug in and, with the help of Gayan Silva (60) and Khurram Khan (75), put together partnerships of 140 and 126 to put the UAE in a strong position. Saqib was finally dismissed for 131 after an anchoring innings that included 18 fours and lasted 309 balls. John Blain was the pick of the Scotland bowlers, ending up with figures of 22-3-77-4.
In reply, Scotland was impressive. Neil McCullum top scored with a well-crafted 109 and he was ably supported by team-mates Gavin Hamilton (81), Fraser Watts (38), Craig Wright (31) and Dougie Brown (30). The Scotland team passed UAE’s total of 348 to bag the first innings points but then was all out shortly after, giving it a 25-run lead going into the second innings.
Scotland opening bowlers Blain and Paul Hoffman steamed in after that, looking for an early breakthrough but UAE openers Muhammed Iqbal and Arshad had other ideas. Iqbal made a quick-fire 43 off just 36 balls before being bowled by Hoffman but Arshad and Gayan Silva put on 161 for the second wicket to take the match away from Scotland.
Saqib later made an unbeaten 62 as UAE declared on the final day, setting Scotland an unrealistic target of 332 to win off just 46 overs.
Despite the size of the task ahead of them, the batsmen certainly went for it initially. The big-hitting Hoffman was promoted up the order and smashed 48 off 32 balls before being caught by Arshad off the bowling of Ahmed Nadeem. This sparked a collapse in the Scotland middle-order as the team lost five wickets for 26 runs before deciding to batten down the hatches and play for the draw.
Nadeem took 11-3-40-3 to go with his fine first-innings effort of 30.3-9-84-5, capping a good few days’ work for the 30-year-old seamer, on a track that did not give him much assistance.
So now Ireland can qualify from Group A for the final if it beats UAE outright in Abu Dhabi on 10-13 February. If UAE denies Trent Johnston’s side an outright victory, it will be Scotland, the 2004 champions, who will progress to take on Canada in the decider.
Group B is made up of Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands with all matches now having been played.
Canada won the group having beaten Bermuda and Kenya and although it lost to the Netherlands, it had done enough to qualify for the final.
The new format of the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides will play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format.
That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.
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.
The attention now shifts to east Africa as Scotland travel to Mombasa for an ODI tri-series involving Kenya and Canada that begins on Wednesday. Those three teams will then be moving on to the Kenyan capital Nairobi for the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 and will be joined for that six-team event by Ireland, Bermuda and the Netherlands.
“It’s a very exciting time for us at the moment,” said Scotland all-rounder Dougie Brown.
“This is the longest tour a Scotland side has ever been on and it gives us a great chance to really get to know each other and learn more about each other’s game. The tri-series in Mombasa and the World Cricket League in Nairobi are great ways for us to prepare for the (ICC Cricket) World Cup in March and we feel we are getting stronger every time we play,” he said.
For more information on the ICC Intercontinental Cup, including a full scorecard from the UAE v Scotland match, go to:-
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006
Group A
Team Pld WO WI D LI LO Pts
Scotland 3 1 1 1 0 0 35
Ireland 2 1 0 1 0 0 23
Namibia 3 1 0 0 0 2 20
UAE 2 0 0 1 0 1 0
Group B
Team Pld WO WI D LI LO Pts
Canada 3 2 0 0 0 1 40
Netherlands 3 1 1 0 1 0 26
Kenya 3 0 0 1 1 1 9
Bermuda 3 0 1 1 0 1 9
Note: teams receive 14 points for an outright win, six points for securing a first-innings lead, irrespective of the outright result, seven points each for an outright tie and three points each for a first-innings tie. If a match is abandoned without a ball being bowled, each side is awarded 10 points. In a match with eight hours or more lost due to weather, each side will receive three points for a draw, plus any points scored in the first innings. In a match with less than eight hours lost due to weather, no points will be awarded for the draw, although teams retain any points scored in the first innings.
Remaining fixture:
10-13 February – UAE v Ireland, Abu Dhabi
Report sourced from ICC Press Release
Kenya surge to victory over Scotland -- Posted Wednesday, January 17 2007
ODI Match played at Mombasa Sports Club, Mombasa, Kenya
January 17, 2007
Kenya won the toss and elected to bat.
Scoring summary:
Kenya 328 runs for 5 wickets (50 overs, innings closed; David Obuya 73 runs, Yanmay Mishra 66 runs, Collins Obuya 64 runs not out, xxxx Shah 54 runs, Thomas Odoyo 46 runs not out)
Scotland 138 runs all out (36.2 overs; Nehemiah Obhiambo 3 wickets for 25 runs, Peter Ongondo 3 wickets for 29 runs)
Kenya won by 190 runs.
***Note – I have modified the Scotland total to reflect what has been reported. I believed the official scorers had a final total of 136 runs for Scotland when I left the ground. Two extra no-balls bring the score to 138 runs.
Match Report
Kenya had a comprehensive win over Scotland to open the Tri-Series in Mombasa on Wednesday at the Mombasa Sports Club. Kenya batted well, mixing boundaries with singles on a hot day, then had some penetrative bowling to retain control of the match. A 190 run victory was the bottom line.
The decision to bat proved fully justified as four batsmen passed the fifty mark in a total of 328 runs for the loss of five wickets. By contrast, Peter Ondongo bowled Navdeep Poonia in the second over, soon had two more victims and was then assisted by a fiery spell of bowling from Nehemiah Odhiambo, who also took 3 wickets.
David Obuya and Ravi Shah, returning to the national side after injury problems, soon had the scoreboard ticking after John Blain removed Morris Ouma leg-before wicket (25 runs for 1 wicket). Obuya and Shah shared a stand of 84 runs before being caught when on 54 runs (10x4). This was the start of a phase that, with hindsight, might have been the Scots best part of the day. Steve Tikolo was soon out for just 1 run, and David Obyuya’s knock came to an end after making 73 runs (10x4, 2x6) of 154 runs for the loss of 4 wickets.
Tanmay Mishra and Collins Obuya redressed this temporary balance. Mishra played some fine strokes before falling on 66 runs (5x4, 1x6) after a fifth wicket stand of 90 runs. Thomas Odoyo provided further impetus in the closing overs. His crescendo came with 3x6 to areas around deep mid-wicket in the final over. He was 46 runs not out at the end and Collins Obuya 64 runs not out (5x4, 1x6).
Opening bowler Paul Hoffman was most economical bowler for Scotland. His ten overs cost 45 runs and he took one wicket, that of Shah.
Ongondo bowled Poonia in the second over and soon had two more victims – both caught. Nehemiah Odhiambo came on as first change bowler. He also bowled one batsman, Neil McCallum, and had two caught – both by Tikolo.
The main early resistance had come from Fraser Watts (21 runs) and Dougie Brown (22 runs). John Blain (22 runs not out) and Ross Lyons (15 runs) provided the main resistance in the lower order. But three spin-bowlers shared the four other wickets, and it was a good day for Kenya.
Scotland meets Canada on Thursday in the second match of this six-game series.
Eddie Norfolk
Mombasa, Kenya
Some thoughts as Canada goes to Kenya -- Posted Tuesday, January 16 2007
Just before leaving for Canada’s trip to Kenya, National Coach Andy Pick passed on some of his thoughts. Overall he was upbeat and looking forward to a busy tour. “As time ticks down to the World Cup, we have to look at and identify roles for the personnel in this team; to see who fills each role best. The importance of the World Cricket League with a Twenty/20 Championship place in to be won (and the $250,000 from the ICC that goes with it) means we must go out and try to win. We can’t use this event to experiment with players.”
Some of the Associate coaches control player selections, but this is not the case in Canada. Pick admitted “It is frustrating that we cannot name our World Cup squad now (before the WCL trip). Time might be spent on a player or players in Kenya who are not named for the World Cup. It’s very frustrating, but the bottom line is it is very prestigious to qualify for the Twenty/20.”
Looking beyond the Kenya squad, he thought “there are a couple of the overseas batters not available for Kenya who are likely to be in the World Cup squad.” I am sure he was thinking in terms of opener Geoff Barnett (contracted to Central Districts) and Ian Billcliff (personal reasons – wife expecting a baby).”
“We can look at the encouraging performances in South Africa and look to players to step up again and look for continuing improvement through to the World Cup.”
Twelve of the thirteen named for South Africa are in the fifteen man squad for the Tri-Nations and WCL series in Kenya. Given limited facilities for other players to prepare adequately, especially those outside the Greater Toronto area, it seems imperative for the core squad to do at least as well in Kenya as in South Africa.
That still leaves some additional steps to climb when it comes to the likes of New Zealand and even England. But the core players have been working hard and, in my opinion, deserve their chance at the World Cup. Even so, there may be some disappointments for some of the current squad when it comes to the World Cup.
Eddie Norfolk
All eyes on Kenya at Mombasa -- Posted Tuesday, January 16 2007
Martin Williamson
January 16, 2007
On Wednesday, a day short of eight weeks before the World Cup opens in Jamaica, the final run-in for the Associates begins in the relative backwater of Mombasa with a tri-series between Kenya, Scotland and Canada. This is in itself a warm-up for the World Cricket League, featuring the six leading Associates, which starts in Nairobi on January 30, and it has even more significance for Canada and Kenya who meet in each other in their opening game in the World Cup.
Kenya travel to the coast on the back of three weeks intensive training in Nairobi, and it is widely thought that the squad is, by and large, the one that will go to the Caribbean. Only some poor personal performances could cause a rethink. Boosted by the return of Ravi Shah at the top of the innings, the middle order, built on the experience of Steve Tikolo and the youth of Tanmay Mishra, may finally have a start to build on. Given home advantage and on the back of a reasonable 2006, they should be the team to beat.
The self-imposed absence of Kennedy Otieno, their veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, has opened up a competition to fill his boots, and David Obuya and Maurice Ouma will both be under pressure to score runs. Tony Suji will also be under scrutiny; in 53 ODIs he averages 13.48 with one fifty, and his inclusion is largely due to his hundred in a dead game against Namibia in 2005.
Scotland, who arrive on the back of a disappointing draw against UAE which will probably knock them out of the Intercontinental Cup, are wobbling at the wrong time. They came off the rails in Bangladesh in December - but then again Zimbabwe were hammered as well shortly before, and Kenya were routed there earlier in the year - and struggled in Sharjah.
But in Craig Wright they have one of the game's most doughty international captains, and they also boast two England players - Dougie Brown and Gavin Hamilton - in their ranks. They have more experience than any of the other Associates, courtesy of their participation in English domestic cricket, but this event might be what they need to dust off remaining cobwebs before Nairobi.
Canada's travel arrangements mean they will hardly have recovered from a gruelling 24-hour Toronto-London-Nairobi-Mombasa plane trip - they arrived early this morning - by the time they take on Scotland on Thursday. One of the Kenyans, who did the same trip in reverse in August, told me that his team-mates were like zombies when they took to their field then. Add the heat and humidity of the East African coast, and only two days to familiarise themselves with playing conditions, and it is hard to see how they can hope to do justice to themselves straight away.
The Canadian selectors have certainly left themselves open for criticism in their surprise selection of 40-year-old Anderson Cummins, the former West Indies allrounder who has been out of mainstream cricket for a decade. Quite what message handing a debut call-up to someone of his age gives to other aspiring Canadian cricketers one can only guess at. It is also not unreasonable to point out that 12 of the 15-man squad were born in Asia or the Caribbean - that compares with four of the Scotland side born outside the country and two of the Kenyans, although Indian-born Mishra moved when a youngster. However, all those participating have qualified according to ICC regulations as they stand.
The conditions in Mombasa will be far removed from those expected in the Caribbean. While the heavy rain lashing Kenya in recent weeks has relented, the pitches are expected to be on the slow side, with something there for spinners, although good batsmen should prosper. The venue only made its ODI debut in November, and so outclassed were Bermuda in the three one-dayers played then that it's hard to read too much into those performances.
The Mombasa Sports Club is a rarity in that it features a large mango tree inside the boundary. The venue is one a lovely one - I was fortunate enough to play there in a tour match a few years ago - and the welcome will be among the warmest anywhere. That will be appreciated by Darrell Hair, who will make his first appearance as an umpire since being banned by the ICC from matches involving any Full Member countries.
Martin Williamson is managing editor of Cricinfo
Article sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/276562.html
Untapped cricket resource in Canada -- Posted Tuesday, January 16 2007
Lacrosse players are the most naturally gifted, untapped cricket resource in Canada. There you go, I’ve said it!
Now bear with me, but there must be a skill set common to Lacrosse players that transfers to cricket because just about every time I saw a student in Southern Alberta lace a cover-drive, and I asked them what sport they played, the answer was always the same: Lacrosse. Ok, so it’s not a particularly scientific observation, and I don’t expect my findings will be published anytime soon, but I wouldn’t mind poaching 5 or 6 kids from a local Lacrosse team to test the theory!
I have recently returned home to the sun & surf of another Australian summer having spent our ‘off season’ playing and coaching cricket in Calgary. Boarding my flight nine months ago I didn’t know a single Canadian, now I can’t wait to get back! Alberta cricket is in good shape for the future if my 6 month stint is anything to go on. I write this only wishing to offer up my opinion and give some credit where credit is due to the passionate people involved in Alberta cricket (Calgary in particular) who made my stay so memorable.
Cricket in Schools
I believe there is huge potential for implementation of school based cricket promotion in Alberta, something that has not gone unnoticed by the Calgary and District Cricket League. The C&DCL has just about all the bases covered when it comes to school cricket promotion, targeting not only schools and students, but also providing clinics and resources for Phys Ed teachers at an annual HPE conference, and the ‘next batch’ of educators at the University of Calgary. They have realized that providing teachers with the skills and confidence to include cricket into their own programs is just as important as introducing cricket to their unassuming students.
The only thing currently lacking from this program is enough skilled, enthusiastic presenters to carry the cricket message to schools. Currently in Calgary, it’s the Phys Ed teachers who are best equipped promote the game in schools, but most lack a genuine understanding of cricket. On the other hand, cricketers have intricate knowledge of the game, but most lack the skills required to present in a high quality way.
To avoid the ‘baseball on valium’ tag that gets bantered around, cricket needs to be presented as a vibrant, exciting sport that does not have to take all day to play. So in my opinion, utilizing a handful of enthusiastic Kinesiology students from the University of Calgary prepared with quality session plans, (albeit limited game knowledge), to promote the game in schools would be a step in the right direction. It’s an approach that has worked for us in the Tasmanian cricket system, and it’s actually how I got my first real taste of coaching.
It’s a win-win situation; students could work around their University class hours, earn a few dollars in honorarium, and get a valuable opportunity to showcase their skills in different schools. In return cricket in Calgary gets recognition as being a really valuable part of the sporting landscape by presenting an enjoyable, high quality program in schools. The result each year would turn out a few more graduate teachers ready to integrate cricket into their own programs.
NOTE: For anyone who is interested, there are some valuable online resources available from the Alberta Cricket website. We also distributed an ICC booklet called “Teach Cricket” which is available through ICC-Americas (contact Martin Vierra at manager@cricamericas.com) and is a great classroom/coaching resource full of activities that actually work.
Teachers regularly commented to me that cricket was becoming increasingly relevant to their students, particularly with children from the growing migrant population. For some of these kids, the 3 lessons spent introducing cricket was an opportunity for them to shine, to be successful within the group, and the fact that it was great fun meant that the strange game they played with a ‘paddle’ at lunch was actually pretty cool. I lost count of the number of times the equipment was borrowed at lunch so that the modified games could continue. But cricket is not only relevant to those from the “migrant community”, one of the most memorable moments from my trip involved a young man who had never heard of cricket before, let alone playing it.
This student, who the teacher described as usually being a very reluctant PE participant, with no cricket background at all, was bowling beautiful little outswingers - with a kanga cricket ball! Despite apparently being pretty unsuccessful at most other activities, he had a natural bowling action, better than any other in the class, and was instantly successful. Don’t for a minute think these observations are limited to the boys; as there were also some very talented young girls. Amongst the students who had no cricket background at all, it was often the girls who picked up the concepts and skills the fastest!
The future is out there…
Looking for the next U19 Canadian opening batsman? Well swing past Red Deer. There is a young 13 year old there who could be a jet. Like most Canadian kids, he’d never played cricket before, but was just an amazingly well balanced little fella, playing deftly off the front and back foot, and bowling nice little medium pacers. But it’s very possible that he will never pick up a cricket bat ever again, which would be a shame because this kid just had something.
My point is this, the future of not only Alberta cricket, but Canadian cricket is already out there, but how will it be identified and nurtured in the coming years? Canada has the opportunity to host the 2012 U19 World Cup, so now would seem an ideal time to start focusing long term on the U13 age group who will be involved. But even if cricket can start attracting more kids to take up the game, with the myriad of other sports and activities competing for their time, will it be able to keep them? The only way it can is by providing a meaningful pathway with high quality coaching and programs as they grow and develop.
Is the crash and bash of 20/20 cricket the way to go? From a junior/school age point of view, I think the super 8’s (14 over innings) or 20/20 format is probably the most likely vehicle to increase participation in organized competition, particularly in Calgary where grounds are very limited. These faster, ‘action packed’ versions of the game could include reduced boundary lengths for high scoring games (sorry bowlers) and colored clothing (i.e. school colors), and would still serve to identify talented youngsters. The Scotia bank sponsored school cricket tournament to be held early next summer should be an exciting opportunity to get the ball rolling!
Alberta hosted the Canada Cup for the first time in 2006, and despite a few organizational hiccups along the way, those involved should be congratulated for running a very good carnival. The presence of Australian umpire Daryl Harper (who to his credit took time out of his holiday between officiating games in Toronto) and Canada's national team coach Andy Pick gave the carnival a real sense of value and importance. Hopefully the tournament can become an annual event, providing that the best young players are givewn the opportunity to showcase their talents against each other. For some it will be the pinnacle of their representative careers, for others it is just another important stepping stone on their journey towards higher honours, either way it should be recognized as an important part of the cricket calendar.
“Who” is just as important as “how”…?
Obviously the success of the national team is important, particularly with the funding opportunities linked with its success, and the exposure generated from another world cup campaign. But to only concentrate from the top down is to miss the big picture. It is widely recognized that the reason Australia continues to dominate world cricket comes from our “grass roots”. The old cliché goes that any building is only as strong as the foundations supporting it, but it is absolutely true. Clearly cricket is imbedded into our national psyche in Australia. Because we continue to support and encourage the growth of our club system we will continue to produce great players.
So where will the impetus come from to start developing and coordinating the grassroots programs Canadian cricket needs? Well I would suggest there is a bloke coaching the national team at the moment who would do a pretty good job if the powers that be could keep him around.
In my brief time coaching I have been lucky enough to learn from some of our top coaches and a few legends of the game, but the opportunity to work with Andy Pick in Edmonton was worth the cost of my plane fare alone. Twice he traveled to Alberta, first to work with the talented junior and senior players in the Province, then again during the Canada Cup. He is as professional and approachable as anyone I’ve met, has a lifetime of experience (so far…) and was an inspired choice for National coach. Not wanting to “pump his tires” too much, Andy is uncompromising in his beliefs about what is needed for the team to be successful, and regardless of the results at the upcoming world cup, Canadian cricket is richer for having him involved. I know I’m a better coach for having met him…
As Andy says, “cricket isn’t rocket science”; I’m talking about reinventing the wheel here, just investing in good people and putting in place systems and programs that have proven to work in many different places over time.
For example, I think in the future, tournaments (particularly those organised for the underage ones) like the Canada Cup would benefit from a set of national guidelines outlining the expectations and responsibilities of all teams, players, officials, coaches and parents. It is commonplace elsewhere in the world, because young men staying away from home are going to occasionally get into some trouble, it happens in Australia, and it will happen in Canada. A behavioral “code of conduct” for representative teams would clearly define boundaries, and as a coach, liability.
There was an instance of a coach who unwittingly put himself in a potentially serious situation when he allowed a player to stay in his room to avoid sleeping on the floor in another. For the coach it was simply a case of ‘doing the right thing’ because he didn’t know any better, but these are situations that must best avoided at all costs, because the potential for problems is so great. We developed a code of conduct for Alberta based on a model from home that was sighted and signed by players, and most importantly their parents, prior to the tournament. Mostly because I believe it would be irresponsible (and I refuse) to “tour” without one.
What would happen if a young man spent the night in a young ladies room only to wake the next day to allegations of wrong doing? Or a group of players who leave the team hotel to have a ‘little fun’ and get into strife? How much responsibility would we as coaches, managers, and administrators be willing to take for the actions of those in our care? I for one would prefer to avoid finding out!
Funding is clearly a major issue facing growth of the game, so investing in, and supporting an ‘Andy Pick’ over the next 4 years to not only work with the elite players, but to start the implementation of nation wide programs is hopefully a priority! Getting the right person to oversee the process will be the key because the “who” really is just as important as the “how”…
This leads to my only grumble from my trip, involving a “trial” for the Canadian U15 team. What should have been an exciting and enjoyable experience for all the boys involved was nothing short of an embarrassment. The “coaches” running the trial, while well meaning I’m sure, were completely out of touch with any type of modern practice. There was no management of time to ensure that each boy received equal opportunity, no discussion about the expectations of the trial, no intensity during the centre wicket practice at all, and no meaningful feedback of any type.
The final straw came when one of our young guys (a member of our Canada Cup team no less) was criticized by one of the “coaches” for encouraging the bowlers while he was fielding. When he asked why this was a bad thing, he was told he had an “attitude problem” and to pull his head in. He was relieved when I pulled him from the session to rejoin our team for an organized meal, suggesting that if that was the way the team was to be run he would prefer not to be involved.
For an enthusiastic and talented young kid to be cut down like that by a ‘dinosaur’ of the game should never have been allowed to happen. If that is the face that the CCA wants to put forward as their ambassadors of the game, then cricket is going to struggle…
Every kid at that trial should have left feeling like their effort to travel and attend was worthwhile, and whether they were successful in gaining a place in a squad or not, should’ve received some positive feedback about some aspect of their game and maybe even a couple of pointers about areas to be improved upon. Granted they weren’t the most talented group, but every young cricketer develops at a different rate, and often it’s those perceived to be ‘less talented’ that develop into quality players later on, so an opportunity to encourage and nurture some young talent went begging because of the ‘inexperience’ of the people involved…
Where to for Calgary Cricket?
There was talk of developing a turf wicket in Alberta during my stay, and while this would be a valuable addition to the cricket community, it is a costly venture that will require a fair bit of expertise to develop & maintain. Would this allocation of funds be better spent improving training facilities that are currently lacking in Calgary? I’m a big fan of game scenario training, but being restricted to centre wicket training night after night because of a lack of decent nets was problematic. Riley Park is an amazing location in downtown Calgary, but the training facilities are poor and need addressing. Edmonton at least is far better served by the picturesque Victoria Park ground and nets. Flying into Melbourne on the way home I actually lost count of the number of cricket ovals dotted around the city, something that we very much take for granted in Australia.
The “Alberta Cricket Academy” continues to evolve to meet the demands of the talent in the Province, thanks mostly to the work of Calgary based Rathan Moorthy (and Mark Duncan). The guys have provided an outlet during recent seasons for training and fitness programs for talented and committed players, and hopefully will continue to be supported. As someone with an enormous interest (and hopefully a future) in sports physiology, I appreciate the importance of players meeting and maintaining minimum levels of fitness, something that has rightfully gained greater importance under the Pick regime. It would be fantastic for the top 4/5 players from Edmonton and Calgary to get sponsored access to a gym facility (i.e. YMCA) as is the case I believe in other Provinces. A “use it or lose it” style program to reward up-and-coming players, and help those involved in national squads (i.e. Edmonton keeper Kendon Ottley) but based outside Toronto, to remain on a level pegging with their counterparts.
Of course none of this stuff means a pinch if there is no one on the ground to coordinate resources. Fortunately for Calgary, one of its best resources is its off field team. Like many places I’m sure, the coordination of junior cricket in the past appears to have been the domain of well meaning, but under resourced older players. This is definitely NOT the case with the current C&DCL committee which is not only vibrant, but committed to the long term success of cricket in Calgary. There are a lot of good people doing good things in Alberta, to many to mention here, but I’d like to highlight the work of Mukul Ahuja (or the ‘Mayor of Calgary’ as we like to call him) who was central in my initial decision to travel to Calgary. His professionalism on and off the field, and his passion for the game is unsurpassed. Fittingly, he was recently elected as the junior selector for Alberta, a very positive result for all young cricketers in the Province, and a position in which I’m sure he will excel.
In an ideal world Calgary would move from its current reliance on volunteer based administration to establish a full time “game development” position from which to coordinate school based promotions and competitions; talent identification; coaches training; elite junior programs (i.e. representative teams); winter and pre-season programs; & poaching young Lacrosse players J. But for now we can only imagine what an injection of funds like the one recently secured by Ontario could do for the already strong foundations laid by the current guardians of cricket in Calgary…
The covering letter for the above read as follows:- Having spent last 'summer' in Calgary holidaying, playing, and working for the C&DCL and ACA, I've put together some thoughts from my trip that I hope you can publish on the website. I was lucky enough to coach at the Western Canada tournament, Canada Cup, Cal/Edm intercity matches, and plenty of schools throughout Alberta, figure someone should give some kudos to the good folks who were involved...
I don't confess to writing particularly well, but I've had a crack at it anyway!
Finally, to jusitfy my comments, I'm a PE teacher; Level II CricAus coach; 150+ game player for Mowbray CC; & Network coach for the Tasmanian Cricket Association.
Abe Moore
Editors note:- All comments about cricket in Canada are usefull and relevant, including those which have criticism. Without the acceptance of criticism administrations becomes moribund. (JH)
An object lesson for Canadian cricketers -- Posted Monday, January 15 2007
South Africa’s Gibbs banned for two Test matches
Found guilty of Level 3 charge
South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs has been banned for two Test matches after being found guilty of breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct during his side’s first Test against Pakistan at Centurion.
Gibbs was charged under Level 3.3 of the Code which prohibits using “…any language or gestures that offends, insults, humiliates, intimidates, threatens, disparages or vilifies another person on the basis of that person’s race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethic origin.”
The charge, laid by ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed, related to an incident that took place shortly before the lunch interval on Sunday when comments were overheard through a stump microphone on the ground.
At the hearing, which was convened by ICC Match Referee Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel after play concluded on Monday, Gibbs apologized for the remark but pleaded not guilty to the Level 3 charge.
Gibbs maintained he was guilty of a Level 1 offence, clause 1.4 which refers to the use of “…language that is obscene, offensive or insulting and/or the making of an obscene gesture.”
However, in finding Gibbs guilty of the Level 3 offence, Mr Broad said: “I took into account the mitigating circumstances that the players were provoked by unruly spectators.
“However the remark was racially offensive, the player admitted saying it and on that basis I am content that the level of the charge and the resulting punishment is appropriate.
“Cricket has a zero tolerance of racism, as has been illustrated by the introduction last year of an amended ICC Anti-Racism Code, and this decision is an illustration of that fact.”
Players found guilty of a Level 2, 3 or 4 offence have a right of appeal. Such an appeal must be lodged in writing with the ICC’s legal counsel within 24 hours of the player receiving the original verdict.
The penalty for a Level 3 offence is a ban of between two and four Test matches or between four and eight ODIs.
The hearing was attended by Gibbs as well as South Africa team manager Goolam Raja and Gibbs’ team mates Mark Boucher, Paul Harris and Ashwell Prince, all of whom were present to make the case for mitigating circumstances being considered.
Also at the hearing were Pakistan team manager Talit Ali, assistant manager Asad Mustafa and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, one of the batsmen at the crease at the time the remarks were made.
Video evidence was used during the course of the hearing.
This ICC Code of Conduct hearing is not connected with the disciplinary hearing into the same incident announced by Cricket South Africa on Monday and set to be held on Tuesday.
Information sourced from ICC Media Relaese
ICC Intercontinental Cup -- Posted Monday, January 15 2007
Scotland draws with UAE, giving Ireland the chance to retain its title.
Action shifts to Kenya for ODI tri-series in Mombasa and ICC World Cricket League in Nairobi,
Scotland has opened the door for defending champions Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup by failing to beat the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah this week.
In the face of some accomplished and determined batting by the home side, Scotland was unable to get the outright victory required to get it through to the final of the event. In the end, it was Scotland which was hanging on for a draw as Arshad Ali’s team threatened to sneak a victory on the final day.
Now, if Ireland can beat the UAE in Abu Dhabi next month, it will be through to the final for the second time in succession, on a date yet to be confirmed. In the previous event in late 2005, the Irishmen beat Kenya in the final at Windhoek, Namibia, and they will be very keen to retain the trophy.
The batting star of the four-day match for the UAE was undoubtedly Saqib Ali, who scored a total of 193 runs and was dismissed just once. The 28-year-old right-hander came to the wicket on the first morning with his side in trouble on 22-2.
But he dug in and, with the help of Gayan Silva (60) and Khurram Khan (75), put together partnerships of 140 and 126 to put the UAE in a strong position. Saqib was finally dismissed for 131 after an anchoring innings that included 18 fours and lasted 309 balls. John Blain was the pick of the Scotland bowlers, ending up with figures of 22-3-77-4.
In reply, Scotland was impressive. Neil McCullum top scored with a well-crafted 109 and he was ably supported by team-mates Gavin Hamilton (81), Fraser Watts (38), Craig Wright (31) and Dougie Brown (30). The Scotland team passed UAE’s total of 348 to bag the first innings points but then was all out shortly after, giving it a 25-run lead going into the second innings.
Scotland opening bowlers Blain and Paul Hoffman steamed in after that, looking for an early breakthrough but UAE openers Muhammed Iqbal and Arshad had other ideas. Iqbal made a quick-fire 43 off just 36 balls before being bowled by Hoffman but Arshad and Gayan Silva put on 161 for the second wicket to take the match away from Scotland.
Saqib later made an unbeaten 62 as UAE declared on the final day, setting Scotland an unrealistic target of 332 to win off just 46 overs.
Despite the size of the task ahead of them, the batsmen certainly went for it initially. The big-hitting Hoffman was promoted up the order and smashed 48 off 32 balls before being caught by Arshad off the bowling of Ahmed Nadeem. This sparked a collapse in the Scotland middle-order as the team lost five wickets for 26 runs before deciding to batten down the hatches and play for the draw.
Nadeem took 11-3-40-3 to go with his fine first-innings effort of 30.3-9-84-5, capping a good few days’ work for the 30-year-old seamer, on a track that did not give him much assistance.
So now Ireland can qualify from Group A for the final if it beats UAE outright in Abu Dhabi on 10-13 February. If UAE denies Trent Johnston’s side an outright victory, it will be Scotland, the 2004 champions, who will progress to take on Canada in the decider.
Group B is made up of Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands with all matches now having been played. Canada won the group having beaten Bermuda and Kenya and although it lost to the Netherlands, it had done enough to qualify for the final.
The new format of the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides will play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format.
That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.
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.
The attention now shifts to east Africa as Scotland travel to Mombasa for an ODI tri-series involving Kenya and Canada that begins on Wednesday. Those three teams will then be moving on to the Kenyan capital Nairobi for the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 and will be joined for that six-team event by Ireland, Bermuda and the Netherlands.
“It’s a very exciting time for us at the moment,” said Scotland all-rounder Dougie Brown.
“This is the longest tour a Scotland side has ever been on and it gives us a great chance to really get to know each other and learn more about each other’s game. The tri-series in Mombasa and the World Cricket League in Nairobi are great ways for us to prepare for the (ICC Cricket) World Cup in March and we feel we are getting stronger every time we play,” he said.
For more information on the ICC Intercontinental Cup, including a full scorecard from the UAE v Scotland match, go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006
Group A
Team Pld WO WI D LI LO Pts
Scotland 3 1 1 1 0 0 35
Ireland 2 1 0 1 0 0 23
Namibia 3 1 0 0 0 2 20
UAE 2 0 0 1 0 1 0
Group B
Team Pld WO WI D LI LO Pts
Canada 3 2 0 0 0 1 40
Netherlands 3 1 1 0 1 0 26
Kenya 3 0 0 1 1 1 9
Bermuda 3 0 1 1 0 1 9
Note: teams receive 14 points for an outright win, six points for securing a first-innings lead, irrespective of the outright result, seven points each for an outright tie and three points each for a first-innings tie. If a match is abandoned without a ball being bowled, each side is awarded 10 points. In a match with eight hours or more lost due to weather, each side will receive three points for a draw, plus any points scored in the first innings. In a match with less than eight hours lost due to weather, no points will be awarded for the draw, although teams retain any points scored in the first innings.
Remaining fixture: 10-13 February – UAE v Ireland, Abu Dhabi
Information sourced from ICC Media Release.
Scotland draws with UAE -- Posted Monday, January 15 2007
Scotland draws with UAE, giving Ireland the chance to retain its title
Action shifts to Kenya for ODI tri-series in Mombasa and ICC World Cricket League in Nairobi
Scotland has opened the door for defending champions Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup by failing to beat the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah this week.
In the face of some accomplished and determined batting by the home side, Scotland was unable to get the outright victory required to get it through to the final of the event. In the end, it was Scotland which was hanging on for a draw as Arshad Ali’s team threatened to sneak a victory on the final day.
Now, if Ireland can beat the UAE in Abu Dhabi next month, it will be through to the final for the second time in succession, on a date yet to be confirmed. In the previous event in late 2005, the Irishmen beat Kenya in the final at Windhoek, Namibia, and they will be very keen to retain the trophy.
The batting star of the four-day match for the UAE was undoubtedly Saqib Ali, who scored a total of 193 runs and was dismissed just once. The 28-year-old right-hander came to the wicket on the first morning with his side in trouble on 22-2.
But he dug in and, with the help of Gayan Silva (60) and Khurram Khan (75), put together partnerships of 140 and 126 to put the UAE in a strong position. Saqib was finally dismissed for 131 after an anchoring innings that included 18 fours and lasted 309 balls. John Blain was the pick of the Scotland bowlers, ending up with figures of 22-3-77-4.
In reply, Scotland was impressive. Neil McCullum top scored with a well-crafted 109 and he was ably supported by team-mates Gavin Hamilton (81), Fraser Watts (38), Craig Wright (31) and Dougie Brown (30). The Scotland team passed UAE’s total of 348 to bag the first innings points but then was all out shortly after, giving it a 25-run lead going into the second innings.
Scotland opening bowlers Blain and Paul Hoffman steamed in after that, looking for an early breakthrough but UAE openers Muhammed Iqbal and Arshad had other ideas. Iqbal made a quick-fire 43 off just 36 balls before being bowled by Hoffman but Arshad and Gayan Silva put on 161 for the second wicket to take the match away from Scotland.
Saqib later made an unbeaten 62 as UAE declared on the final day, setting Scotland an unrealistic target of 332 to win off just 46 overs.
Despite the size of the task ahead of them, the batsmen certainly went for it initially. The big-hitting Hoffman was promoted up the order and smashed 48 off 32 balls before being caught by Arshad off the bowling of Ahmed Nadeem. This sparked a collapse in the Scotland middle-order as the team lost five wickets for 26 runs before deciding to batten down the hatches and play for the draw.
Nadeem took 11-3-40-3 to go with his fine first-innings effort of 30.3-9-84-5, capping a good few days’ work for the 30-year-old seamer, on a track that did not give him much assistance.
So now Ireland can qualify from Group A for the final if it beats UAE outright in Abu Dhabi on 10-13 February. If UAE denies Trent Johnston’s side an outright victory, it will be Scotland, the 2004 champions, who will progress to take on Canada in the decider.
Group B is made up of Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands with all matches now having been played. Canada won the group having beaten Bermuda and Kenya and although it lost to the Netherlands, it had done enough to qualify for the final.
The new format of the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides will play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format.
That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.
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.
The attention now shifts to east Africa as Scotland travel to Mombasa for an ODI tri-series involving Kenya and Canada that begins on Wednesday. Those three teams will then be moving on to the Kenyan capital Nairobi for the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1 and will be joined for that six-team event by Ireland, Bermuda and the Netherlands.
“It’s a very exciting time for us at the moment,” said Scotland all-rounder Dougie Brown.
“This is the longest tour a Scotland side has ever been on and it gives us a great chance to really get to know each other and learn more about each other’s game. The tri-series in Mombasa and the World Cricket League in Nairobi are great ways for us to prepare for the (ICC Cricket) World Cup in March and we feel we are getting stronger every time we play,” he said.
For more information on the ICC Intercontinental Cup, including a full scorecard from the UAE v Scotland match, go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006
Group A
Team Pld WO WI D LI LO Pts
Scotland 3 1 1 1 0 0 35
Ireland 2 1 0 1 0 0 23
Namibia 3 1 0 0 0 2 20
UAE 2 0 0 1 0 1 0
Group B
Team Pld WO WI D LI LO Pts
Canada 3 2 0 0 0 1 40
Netherlands 3 1 1 0 1 0 26
Kenya 3 0 0 1 1 1 9
Bermuda 3 0 1 1 0 1 9
Note: teams receive 14 points for an outright win, six points for securing a first-innings lead, irrespective of the outright result, seven points each for an outright tie and three points each for a first-innings tie. If a match is abandoned without a ball being bowled, each side is awarded 10 points. In a match with eight hours or more lost due to weather, each side will receive three points for a draw, plus any points scored in the first innings. In a match with less than eight hours lost due to weather, no points will be awarded for the draw, although teams retain any points scored in the first innings.
Remaining fixture: 10-13 February – UAE v Ireland, Abu Dhabi
Information sourced from ICC Press Release
Umpires for series in Mombasa and Nairobi -- Posted Sunday, January 14 2007
The International Cricket Council today announced details of match referee and umpire appointments for upcoming ODI series in Mombasa and Nairobi.
Kenya, Scotland and Canada play in an ODI tri-series event in Mombasa from 17-24 January. Darrell Hair from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, Ian Gould from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires and Buddhi Pradhan from the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires Panel have been appointed to umpire the six-match series. Details of each fixture are listed below.
Javagal Srinath from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees has been appointed to oversee the tri-series.
The focus then shifts to Nairobi for the inaugural ICC World Cricket League Division 1, a tournament involving the six top Associate countries – Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda and Netherlands – all of which will be participating in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.
Roshan Mahanama from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees will oversee the tournament.
Appointed to stand in the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 will be Darrell Hair from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, Gary Baxter, Nadir Shah and Tyron Wijewardena from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires and Roger Dill, Shahul Hameed and Subhash Modi from the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires Panel.
The inclusion of Darrell Hair in these appointments follows the decision of the ICC Executive Board in November 2006 not to appoint him to future matches involving Full Members.
The top two teams from the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships in South Africa in September.
Appointments for other upcoming series, including the Bangladesh v Zimbabwe ODI series (4-10 February), will be announced in due course.
ICC umpire and referee appointments:
ODI tri-series, Mombasa (series Match Referee Javagal Srinath)
17 Jan – Kenya v Scotland (ODI), Mombasa –Darrell Hair and Ian Gould
18 Jan – Canada v Scotland (ODI), Mombasa – Darrell Hair and Buddhi Pradhan
20 Jan – Kenya v Canada (ODI), Mombasa – Ian Gould and Buddhi Pradhan
21 Jan – Kenya v Scotland (ODI), Mombasa – Ian Gould and Darrell Hair
23 Jan – Canada v Scotland (ODI), Mombasa – Darrell Hair and Buddhi Pradhan
24 Jan – Kenya v Canada (ODI), Mombasa – Ian Gould and Buddhi Pradhan
ICC World Cricket League Division 1, Nairobi (tournament Match Referee Roshan Mahanama)
30 Jan – Canada v Netherlands (ODI), Ruaraka – Gary Baxter and Shahul Hameed
30 Jan – Kenya v Bermuda (ODI), Jaffery – Tyron Wijewardena and Nadir Shah
30 Jan – Scotland v Ireland (ODI), Gymkhana – Darrell Hair and Roger Dill
31 Jan – Canada v Scotland (ODI), Ruaraka – Gary Baxter and Roger Dill
31 Jan – Bermuda v Ireland (ODI), Jaffery – Nadir Shah and Subhash Modi
31 Jan – Kenya v Netherlands (ODI), Gymkhana – Tyron Wijewardena and Shahul Hameed
2 Feb – Kenya v Ireland (ODI), Ruaraka – Darrell Hair and Tyron Wijewardena
2 Feb – Netherlands v Scotland (ODI), Jaffery – Nadir Shah and Roger Dill
2 Feb – Canada v Bermuda (ODI), Gymkhana – Shahul Hameed and Gary Baxter
4 Feb – Netherlands v Bermuda (ODI), Ruaraka – Tyron Wijewardena and Shahul Hameed
4 Feb – Ireland v Canada (ODI), Jaffery – Nadir Shah and Roger Dill
4 Feb – Kenya v Scotland (ODI), Gymkhana – Darrell Hair and Gary Baxter
5 Feb – Scotland v Bermuda (ODI), Ruaraka – Shahul Hameed and Subhash Modi
5 Feb – Kenya v Canada (ODI), Jaffery – Tyron Wijewardena and Roger Dill
5 Feb – Ireland v Netherlands (ODI), Gymkhana – Nadir Shah and Gary Baxter
7 Feb – Final (ODI), Gymkhana – to be confirmed.
Material sourced from ICC Press release
Cricket at Alberta University -- Posted Sunday, January 14 2007
Aruna Wickramarathna said good-bye to his mother and father and left his native Sri Lanka for the first time in his life. His two-day journey to Edmonton took him across 12 time zones via Abu Dhabi, London and Calgary.
Aside from dealing with homesickness, jet lag and culture shock, the 29 year-old is trying to find a place to live and begin his new life as a PhD student in plant biochemistry and physiology at the University of Alberta. He's also trying to deal with the knowledge that many back in Sri Lanka have high hopes for him to succeed in Canada.
A top graduate from the University of Peradeneya in Sri Lanka, Wickramarathna has worked as a researcher at the Sri Lanka Rubber Research Institute for the past few years. Home to about 18 million people, Sri Lanka is a poor country by western standards. The average annual income is $750 US per person, and Wickramarathna said he feels a responsibility to study hard so that he can help as many people as possible in his home country after he finishes at the U of A.
"I am bonded to work at the rubber institute after I finish here," he explained. "Rubber, tea, and coconuts are main plantation crops in Sri Lanka, so rubber is a very important crop there, and I'll be working to increase the quality and potential yield of rubber there."
Wickramarathna plans to work with Dr. Jocelyn Ozga, his supervisor in the U of A Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Sciences, to study in the area of hormone regulation of plants, and he's eager to begin his work here.
"My mother loves plants, and we always had a lot plants in our house when I was growing up. I don't know why, but I've always loved to study them and watch them grow," said Wickramarathna, who earned a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship from the International Council for Canadian Studies to study at the U of A. The Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program is funded by Foreign Affairs Canada.
As well as being an accomplished academic, Wickramarathna was a two-sport athlete as an undergraduate. He played centre for the faculty basketball team and was a bowler for the varsity cricket team. He hopes to find a cricket team in town that he can join. If he can't find one, he mused about starting a cricket club at the University of Alberta
"That'd be fun," he said. "But I have to make sure I take care of my academic work first."
Story sourced from:-
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/article.cfm?id=6044
17th century cricket -- Posted Saturday, January 13 2007
THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY GAME OF CRICKET: A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE GAME
The novelty of this paper is that, for the first time, cricket has been analysed in the context of its early seventeenth century geographical locations. Furthermore, connections have been established between cricket and the sixteenth and seventeenth century trade routes in Kent, Surrey and Sussex. The language of cricket in the seventeenth century has been reconstructed, throwing light upon how the game was played at that time and advancing our knowledge of the game. The idea of the Flemish being involved with cricket gained credence recently when, first, John Eddows pointed out that John Derrick, had a Flemish surname and gave evidence in a court case at Guildford that he had played cricket there about 1550; and, second, Heiner Gillmeister put forward a theory that the Flemish name for hockey was probably contracted to krik-ket.(1)
The seventeenth century game of cricket was firmly rooted in the counties of Kent, Surrey and Sussex,(in England), but similar bat and ball games were played in other parts of the country. These included Cat and Dog in lowland Scotland, Bandy Wicket in East Anglia, Stool Ball and Bat and Trap throughout England, (2) Tut in Cornwall and Devon (3) and Stow-Ball and Stob-Ball in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, north Somerset and parts of Dorset.(4) All of these games appear to have been originally single wicket or double-base games with the scoring of points.
Stow and stob are dialect names for a stump, being the lower part of a tree or its remaining stump, (5) so we can guess that this was the original wicket. A stow was also a frame used in mining to support `crawling tunnels', perhaps used in the north Somerset lead mines. For the seventeenth century we know as much about stow-ball as we do of cricket. John Aubrey, ( The Sports Historian, No. 20, 1 (May, 2000), pp. 33-43), recounts his knowledge of stow-ball in north Wiltshire in the period 1648-1686. The withy or willow staves were carefully shaped by their owners, or the local stave maker, and each son when he reached the age of eight was given two staves by his father. The ball was four inches in diameter with a sole leather case stuffed hard with boiled quills. The farm labourers used to hurry home from the fields to gather for a game in the evening, showing us that a cricket-like game was more compulsive than it is today.(6) A game of stow-ball was played on Bullingdon Green, Oxford in 1667 on an area of three acres.(7) This is much the same size as today's cricket ground.
Many stow-ball games were played on chalk, particularly in Wiltshire, Dorset and north Somerset, and chalk was the preferred sub-soil. It drains well, and, being used predominately for grazing sheep, the grass is kept short. Flat chalkland is an excellent surface as it is usually drier than other surfaces, which is important when balls are absorbent and thus become wet and heavy. The ball on chalk can be hit some distance and can produce a lively game as the ball bounces across the grass.
The bat itself did not have to be heavy like those 4 pound weapons of the late eighteenth century. They were light in weight and shaped somewhat like a hockey stick.(8) An Englishman visiting Ireland in 1673 refers to the common people as playing bandy (hurling) with balls and crooked sticks much after our play at stow-ball. (9) In fact we can get an idea of these bats by looking at some examples. Around 1700 they are like hockey-sticks, shaped with flat surfaces, and the batsman is usually called a striker. He stood with knees bent and used a downward sweep to hit the ball. The objective was to loft the ball over the heads of the fielders, known as catchers and seekers. Balls were hit to either side of the bowler, (10) further emphasising that a hockey-type stick was used. This picture gives us a glimpse of the `play of the game' with strategically placed catchers and seekers who appear as long stops. The toss of a coin determined which team would choose the pitch, and or, the team to bat first. (11) It was honorable in got-up games for the captains or best players to pick teams of equal strength from those available.(12)
In the late seventeenth century, the ball was trundled, not bowled as we know today, in overs of four balls. Does the number four represent the number of stumps used in a game? The lucky number three would have been a more logical choice as it was used in a number of other sports. It is doubtful if the ball was ever rolled along the ground as the contemporary word `trundle' describes, but tossed low aiming at one of the two stumps as the ground was seldom level. It was likely that bowlers both trundled the ball, as would children be taught, and skimmed it above the ground when they became more skilled. Some early bats appear to be shaped to block the grass-cutting bowler.(13) The ball itself came in various sizes and colours around 17001(4) and was waterproofed with grease to avoid picking up moisture.(15) There was the ritual of choosing the ball at important matches (16) and we can probably look at the limits of the ball being between three and four inches in diameter. (17)
The heavy modern-type ball with wound core and thick leather cover did not come into use much before 1760 when Richard Duke of Penshurst, Kent was making first class balls between 1748 and 1762. (18) He is credited with inventing the modern ball. There is mention of a crimson ball in 1753 and this may be a reference to one of Duke's balls.19 Certainly in 1727 the covers were flying off balls during play.20 These balls were probably of blackthorne wood and covered in leather. We hear of Thomas Ken playing a bat and ball game at Winchester College around the middle of the seventeenth century `with the bats ringing' from the impact of the ball, and again balls ringing in a game at the end of the century. (21) Flat-faced bats are more likely to produce a ringing sound than circular cross-section bats and with the combination of a leather covered wooden ball would give rise to ringing or vibrating of bats and the stinging of the hands.
The term `bat' is comparatively rare before 1720. The older terms are `staff', `stave', or `stick', which tended to be used regionally: for example, `stave' was used in the Gloucester area, and `bat' in the south-east, while `staff' and especally `stick' were more widely used. `Bat' is derived from the French battledore, shaped like a table tennis bat, which were used by washer women to beat their washing with. (22) The use of the `bat' in cricket is peculiar to Kent and Sussex and their coastal smugglers were known as batmen, because of the cudgels they carried. We first hear of the `flat-faced' bat in 1622. (23)
Prior to the late 1770s the wicket comprised of two stumps with a bail, with the height of the stumps being high and the width between them being narrow.24 Earlier eighteenth century pictures show a wicket that was wider than it was higher, perhaps two feet wide by one foot high which was the case in America in 1720. The ends of the stumps were forked to support the light bail, and there were criteria for the firmness of pitching the stumps into the ground and for the delicate placing of the bail so that it would easily topple when the stump was hit.
Bowlers were reported to deliver very fast and accurate with the light ball they used, but the batsman had the problem of defending two stumps, about two feet apart. Hence the shape and size of bat could be important. A 1742 wood-cut shows a home-made bat designed more in the shape of an ice-hockey stick, for better defence of the wicket. (25) There has been a lot of conjecture about the origin of the wicket, but suffice to say that the seventeenth century outline shape is more akin to the profile of a church stool, which is low and long. (26)
The term `umpire' is first noted in 1680. (27) They were grey-haired veterans who were rich in cricket lore. (28) The function of the umpire's bat was for the batsman to touch with his own to record a run. (29) As far as we know there were three methods of getting a batsman out: by bowling him out, catching him out, and hitting the wicket with the ball before he had touched the umpire's bat. (30) The double wicket game was controlled by two umpires, one from each team, who would position their bats, before allowing the bowler to bowl. Each team was usually responsible for providing one umpire and presumably both umpires had to agree on the decisions taken. (31) The holding of a bat represents the staff of office which certainly goes back to the fifteenth century in some sports. (32) In cudgeling, the umpire was called a `stickler', and his stick was used to separate the cudgelers, as also in wrestling. (33) The word `stickler' does have the connotation of law and order and may have been the name used in cricket in the early seventeenth century.
Around 1700 there were two trustworthy scorers, seated on the grass or upon stools. The scorers knotched the score on a stick, with a deeper knick at 20, which of course represented a score. (34) This method of counting was much used by shepherds when counting sheep, hence the connection between cricket being played on sheep-shorn hills and the method of scoring for cricket. From the fifteenth century into the seventeenth, the term `point' or `prick' appears to be popular as a means of keeping a tally, this terminology being derived from scoring with a point or prick of the pen upon paper or wood. (35)
In the early seventeenth century the known areas of play can be broadly described as the area of Sevenoaks and Maidstone in Kent, the Guildford area in Surrey, and Chichester in Sussex. (36) These areas are located around the perimeter of the Weald. They also represent seventeenth century trade routes. The game can be traced along the road from London to Rye in Kent with a spur to Maidstone, the Guildford to Chichester road, and along the river Wey from Farnham to Weybridge. There are several hills named `cricket hill' along the route of the river Wey. The one at Weybridge is recorded in the late sixteenth century in local manorial court records, while others are in the parishes of Bramley, Send, and Seale, all places where early cricket was played. (37) While the word `cricket' can be interpreted as `crooked hill', it is unusual to find a cluster of four hills so named in such a small area.
The Flemings were active in the cloth trade in all the areas where cricket was played during the seventeenth century. It is interesting to find that one John Derrick, a Flemish name, in 1598, claimed to have played the game of `creckett' in Guildford about 1550. (38) This clue connects the Flemings with cricket. Some Flemings had been in Kent from as early as 1328, but we know they were well established in the south east by the end of the fifteenth century, where they largely controlled the cloth trade. The religious disturbances in western Europe saw some 5,000 Flemish and French Protestant refugees land at Sandwich and make their way to Canterbury in 1566, and as many again in other years entered Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. These immigrants were eventually absorbed into the hinterland, and many probably joined their countrymen in the clothing trade, brewing or glassmaking. (39)
With the Flemish came their language and perhaps their sport. No evidence has been found of playing a game of cricket in Flanders, but they did play a hockey game which appears to have been known as `met de krik ketsen', meaning `with the stick chase', which gives rise to Gillmeister's theiry that the `krik ketsen' were foreshortened to `cricket'. (40) Interestingly, the church stool was known by the Flemish name of `cricket' in 1656 in Sussex and 1623 outside the south-east. (41) The profile of the stool is very similar to that of the wicket used in the seventeenth century. Some of the earlier eighteenth century pictures suggest a wicket of about one foot high by two feet wide. Furthermore, the legs of the stool were called stumps, which adds further credence to the idea that the earliest wicket was a stool. (42) Did the Flemish adapt stoolball and call it cricket? In the games of stow-ball, stob-ball and stool-ball, the name of the game is derived from the target at which the ball is bowled. So why not the same derivation for the game of cricket? The alternative is that `cricket' derived from the hitting implement, that is the Anglo-Saxon name `crick' with the French-Norman diminutive `et' Another anomaly is the use of the plural `creckets' or `crickets' for the game. In the early seventeenth century, both single and double wicket games were popular, and the plural form of cricket identified the double wicket game. At later periods it was the single wicket game that needed identification. The introduction of the double wicket games supposes that number playing was larger than normal.
There is another view that the word `wicket', which was first recorded in cricket in 1680, (43) comes from playing the game against a small wicket gate, but wicket gates are associated with property: this relegates such a game to one played by children outside their houses, not by adults as a folk game played on the village green or in a field. There is a stob-ball field mentioned in Oxfordshire as early as 1525, (44) which demonstrates that bat and ball games were played in a designated field. The word `wicket' has a counterpart in Flanders called `wechet'. (45) Interestingly, the south-east English dialect would have called a wicket a `wecket' and cricket `crecket'.
By 1629 the game had attracted the attention of the lesser gentry. At Rucking in Kent, the curate was found playing Cricketts after evening prayer: in his defence, he said he was not playing with mean and base persons but with persons of repute and of fashion. (46) There are social reasons why cricket would have expanded in the second half of the sixteenth century. It was a time when parishioners began to pay poor rates instead of holding church ales to raise money. Church ales were largely activities within each parish. With the demise of church ales, the rise of inter-village sport came about, and we hear of competitions, one village against another, from the 1590 period, at football, dancing. cudgeling and wrestling. (47) About 1610, in the Kent parish of Chevening, there was a Cricketting between the Weald and Upland, which suggests that the best players of two localities met in a grand match. (48)
The Puritans had been pleased to see the decline the church ales and the rowdiness they provoked. By the 1620s the new puritanical laws began to hinder the traditional Sunday sport which depressed the game's development. There is evidence of suppression at Maidstone before 1635. Between 1643 and 1660 the law forbade sport on Sundays, (49) but this did not always stop cricket being played, as we hear of a game in Eltham in 1654 50 and one of stow-ball in Westminster in 1658. (51) Cricket was now expanding outside its traditional area.
To conclude, the cloth-working fringe area of the Weald area was poorly populated in the fifteenth century, with villages being small. Flemish migration appears to have increased, particularly in the middle years of the sixteenth century. The Flemish probably molded the traditional game of stoolball into something we recognise as cricket. Population growth in the area in the sixteenth century would have soon demanded a double-wicket game with the deployment of a greater number of players. However, there is much we need to know about Flemish bat and ball games in the sixteenth century before we can reach a conclusion on their involvement in cricket.
Children, perhaps mostly Flemish, were the prominent players of the game during the sixteenth century. From the 1580s, circumstances were ripe for the game to be played by adults, and there are hints to the frequency of cricket being mentioned. Only by about 1610 is it clear the game was in full-swing in three distinct areas, Maidstone-Sevenoaks, Guildford, and Chichester. By 1629 people of quality played the game, and by 1646 gamblers had been attracted to it. (52) The pressure of the Puritans probably inhibited the game, because after 1660 its popularity increased alongside that of other sports. This, some historians have argued, was connected to the migration of nobility and gentry into cricket areas around the Weald, and bringing the game to London and other parts of England. The name `cricket' is hardly found outside the three south-eastern counties until the final quarter of the seventeenth century.
The game I have attempted to describe is `the play of the game of cricket', during the second half of the seventeenth century. It was then evolutionary, but many elements of the game were in place before 1700. Its terminology had changed, it had ceased to be a folk game, and emerged as a national sport in the eighteenth century.
David Terry.
Published in the Journal of Sports History
Greenfield CC, Alta -- Posted Saturday, January 13 2007
Greenfield Cricket Club was established in 1990 by a small group of Sri-Lankans, who have a passion for the game of cricket. Within this short time our club has grown to be one of the best clubs in Edmonton, Alberta.
We have contributed in numerous ways to the development of cricket in Edmonton and vastly responsible for promoting youth cricket. The club is focused on developing young players and making them the future leaders of the club. We would like to ensure that young players have a great future in this club and all of it's activities. Greenfield is one of the youngest teams in the league and its executive provides opportunity and encouragement to any and all up and coming cricketers.
Greenfield Cricket Club is a family oriented club where members and their families and friends have the opportunity to get involved in various activities and outings. The club has the lowest membership fees in the province (if not in Canada).
We are appreciative of your interest in Greenfield Cricket Club 'Online' and once again we extend our hearty welcome.
If you wish to contact us, please e-mail us at greenfieldcc@hotmail.com and we would be delighted to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.greenfieldcricket.com/aboutus.htm
The rebirth of cricket: - the cycle of sporting life -- Posted Saturday, January 13 2007
Cricket – it's not just a chirp in the grass anymore.
Two years ago the Pakistani Student's Association requested the sport of cricket be re-instated at the intramural level, (at the University of Western Ontario), since it had long ago crumbled from lack of funding. This was a new beginning to a sport with a glorious past.
Saleh Zaidi, president of the Western Cricket Club, said he hopes to have at least 8 to 10 teams this year, improving on last year's league of six.
"This year we have a large inflow of Pakistani, Indian and West Indian students into the university who are interested in the sport. What I would really like to see is a lot of caucasian students coming out for the club," Zaidi said.
Although cricket is not as popular as other sports at Western, Zaidi said it is popular in Ontario and even more so in British Columbia. "There is a lot of British ancestry in B.C. who are still into the sport. B.C. has former international players, who are now retired, playing in the many leagues out west."
According to Zaidi, cricket is also a popular sport in the Pakistani culture. "It is more like a religion than a sport to us," he said.
The president of the London Cricket Club, said his organization usually tries to set up one or two games with the university either in the early spring or late fall. "It's hard because everyone leaves London and goes home in the summer. We also have to compete with all of the other sports – baseball, soccer, hockey."
Mohan said Western U cricket was a varsity funded sport during the early '60s – when Mohan was team captain. "It used to be a four team league made up of ourselves, Guelph, Waterloo and Windsor [universities]," he said.
A crunch for funding coupled with the university getting sticky about things like field space and parking eventually lead to the folding of the team, Mohan said.
"Western had their team but alumni, like myself, played on the team for years after graduation. After the team lost funding, we were forced to move and create the Four City Cricket Club. I later left that club to create the London chapter," Mohan said.
In the last few years, London Cricket Club membership has decreased but since taking over as president, Mohan said they are already starting to rise. "The key was moving to the heart of the city so that the kids have a way of getting down to the field."
Taz Akbar, who co-ordinates the second division cricket teams in British Columbia, said there are a lot of things going on in the more than 40 teams which span the five divisions in B.C.. "The entire league is made up of a bunch of young guys from all over the world who love playing cricket. We have lots of players from South Africa, India, Pakistan – it's a very multicultural league," he said.
While cricket does not compare to the Canadian Football League or National Hockey League in B.C., Akbar said it is definitely tops in the multicultural parts of the province. "The entire league, from the president down, is very professionally run. I believe there is a lot of cricket played in Montreal and Toronto, it is all relative to the multicultural population base in those areas," he said. (Wes Brown - Gazette Staff, UWO)
World Cricket League -- Posted Friday, January 12 2007
Sonn: World Cricket League is a vital part of the game's development James Fitzgerald January 9, 2007
Percy Sonn, the ICC's president, has said that if cricket is going to continue its development beyond the game's traditional boundaries initiatives such as the World Cricket League Division 1 are vitally important.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural tournament which takes place in Nairobi between January 30 and February 7, Sonn said that there was now an exciting structure of competitive cricket outside the 10 Full Members that gave a real edge to the level of competition being played at that level.
"In many ways, the World Cricket League is what the ICC is all about," Sonn said. "I believe that raising the standard of cricket in the Associate and Affiliate members is one of our primary goals as a governing body. Cricket within our 10 Full Members is obviously vitally important to us but we must also continually redouble our efforts to make sure we do not forget our 87 other members."
"Events like the World Cricket League show in a real way how committed ICC is spreading this great game all around the world and giving players opportunities like never before."
The Nairobi event involves the top six Associate teams - Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda and the Netherlands - all of whom have qualified to play in the World Cup in March.
It is an important event for host country Kenya, too. "It's a great pleasure for us to be hosting this prestigious event," said Samir Inamdar, chairman of Cricket Kenya. "We have a long and proud history of cricket in this country and we are determined to put on a great tournament. Cricket in Kenya has been going through a period of transition in recent years but we are very optimistic for the future of the game here and part of the development process for us is being able to host events like this."
There is an added edge in that the top two teams will qualify for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championships, which will be held for South Africa in September.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Divisions 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along 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. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
This gives each of the 87 Associate and Affiliate members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Every side can now make its own plan as to how it will some day take its place alongside the very best at the World Cup. It also means that the ICC can identify the relative strengths of these member countries on a more regular basis than ever before.
James Fitzgerald is ICC Communications Officer
Report sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/canada/content/story/275841.html
Battle to face Canada in Final of Intercontinental Cup 2006 -- Posted Friday, January 12 2007
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) scored 271 runs for the loss of only three wickets on the opening day of their 4-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match with Scotland at Sharjah, UAE. Scotland went into the match hoping for an outright win that would seal victory for them in Group A. But after John Blain took two early wickets, Sajib Ali countered with 114 runs not out.
The winner of this group will play Canada, winners of Group B, in the 2006 Final at a venue and date yet to be decided. In Group A, Scotland has played 2 matches and gained 29 points, Ireland has 23 points from 2 games and the UAE has no points from one game. The final group match is in February between UAE and Ireland. A team can gain 6 points for 1st innings lead and 14 points for an overall win, making a possible 20 points from one match.
The UAE with strong performances against Scotland and Ireland could come from behind to win the Group despite a heavy defeat by Namibia in their previous match.
The ICC Intercontinental Cup becomes an 8-team single group with matches over 2 years with the 2007-8 competition. ICC High Performance Manager Richard Done believes this will strengthen the compeition between the leading Associate Countries.
Note: It still is the 2006 competition even though we are in 2007.
The third ground being used for the WCL was given official ODI status earlier this week and the ICC has issued a Press Release regarding the importance of the WCL for the leading Associates earlier this week. This includes comments from the ICC President (Percy Sonn).
Eddie Norfolk
Noteable feats in Canadian cricket -- Posted Friday, January 12 2007
The Only Occasion When Four Brothers Have Appeared in An International Cricket Match: In the International fixture between Canada and the United States of America, played at Nicetown, Philadelphia on September 13/14, 1880 - four brothers appeared for the United States:
George M. Newhall
Daniel S. Newhall
Robert S. Newhall
Charles A. Newhall
The Occasion of A Tie Match in Canada (4 Completed Innings): Saskatchewan 84 & 95 played a tie with Manitoba 41 & 138 at Kinsmen Park, Saskatoon during the summer of 1968.
Fastest Century Scored in Canadian Cricket: Gordon Percivil scored a century in 42 minutes while playing for the Yorkshire Cricket Club against the Rosedale Cricket Club in Toronto during the summer of 1931. His first 50 runs came in 17 minutes and his total score was 177 runs in 80 minutes.
Material sourced from:-
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/STATS/OTHERS/CAN/CAN_NOTABLE_FEATS.html
UAE and Scotland vie for place in final -- Posted Thursday, January 11 2007
Place in final still up for grabs as UAE hosts Scotland at Sharjah
As it gets ready to face the United Arab Emirates in Sharjah tomorrow (Thursday), those involved in cricket in Scotland know that these are exciting times. The national side has embarked on perhaps its busiest and highest profile period in the long history of the game there.
Having played an ODI series in Bangladesh at the tail-end of last year, the squad is preparing for an ODI tri-series in Mombasa, the inaugural ICC World Cricket League in Nairobi, the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies and then the ECB One-Day Trophy against top English county opposition after that.
But now it has its mind on the longer form of the game as it prepares for a crucial four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match at Sharjah Stadium. Victory for Craig Wright’s team will secure Scotland’s place in the final of this competition, which it won in 2004.
But there is plenty at stake from UAE’s point of view, too. Despite losing outright to Namibia in Windhoek back in December, captain Arshad Ali knows that a win in Sharjah will put his side right back in contention, teeing up a winner-take-all clash with Ireland in Abu Dhabi on 10 February.
“We have a lot to play for in this match,” said Arshad. “Scotland is a very good team with plenty of experience but we will give it our very best over the next few days.”
UAE has an interesting mix of youth and experience. Apart from 30-year-old batsman Arshad, the Emirates will be able to call upon the vast experience of Khuram Khan, left-handed wicketkeeper-batsman Gayan Silva (who will celebrate his 33rd birthday on the fourth day of this match) and other older heads, while also welcoming some youngsters into the fray, such as 19-year-olds Rameez Shahzad and Qasim Zubair.
With all the high level cricket his team is playing, Scotland coach Peter Drinnen is delighted with the progress being made in the camp and is in buoyant mood.
“We certainly aim to win this match,” said Drinnen. “I feel we have made good improvements recently and there is a lot of confidence. Our bowlers are hitting the right areas, our batsmen know what to do and are taking responsibility, and we also have a very good fielding side,” he said.
“This is the longest tour ever taken by a Scotland side and it is great to get the chance to play a consistently high quality of matches while also spending a long time together. We are hoping that it shows here over the next few days.”
The Scots will have happy memories of Sharjah. It is where they won the final of the ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada by an innings and 84 runs.
One of the Scotland players, Dougie Brown, will also remember Sharjah fondly for other reasons – it is where he helped England win the CBFS Champions Trophy in 1997.
Indeed, in a match against the West Indies during that tournament Brown took two wickets – that of Philo Wallace and Brian Lara – in the first over of the game. No doubt he will be keen to replicate some of that form on his return to Sharjah Stadium.
Apart from Scotland and UAE, the other sides in Group A are Namibia and defending champions Ireland. If the Scots win, they are through to the final but if they fail, it will open the door for Ireland to retain its title, setting up a group decider in Abu Dhabi next month.
Group B is made up of Bermuda, Canada, Kenya and the Netherlands with all matches now having been played.
Canada won the group having beaten Bermuda and Kenya and although it lost to the Netherlands, it had done enough to qualify for the final.
The new format of the ICC Intercontinental Cup means sides will play a minimum of three four-day matches in this tournament, increasing to seven four-day matches in 2007 and 2008 when it is hoped the event will be a full round-robin format.
That compares to a minimum of just two three-day matches per year under the previous structure which, until the semi-finals, was regionally based rather than global.
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.
UAE (from): Arshad Ali (captain), Khuram Khan, Saqib Ali, Kashif Khan, Naeemuddin Aslam, Rameez Shahzad, Gayan Silva, Ali Asad Abbas, Shadeep Silva, Awais Aftab, Qasim Zubair, Ahmed Nadeem, Mohammed Iqbal, Ahmed Raza.
Scotland (from): Craig Wright (captain), John Blain, Dougie Brown, Gavin Hamilton, Majid Haq, Paul Hoffmann, Dougie Lockhart, Ross Lyons, Neil McCallum, Dewald Nel, Glenn Rogers, Colin Smith, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts.
Umpires: Ian Gould (Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires) and Buddhi Pradhan (ICC Associates and Affiliates International Umpires Panel).
For more information on the ICC Intercontinental Cup as well as the latest group tables, go to http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/events/intercontinental/
Information sourced from an ICC Press release.
University of B.C. Cricket Club -- Posted Thursday, January 11 2007
Vancouver has a thriving cricket league with over 50 teams in 5 divisions and a premier division. We play teams from all over the British Columbia lower mainland. This is your chance to be a part of the action. Our Vancouver cricket team is currently recruiting. We have a division one cricket team and a division 4 cricket team. We hope you will send us an email for more information.
Mission of UBC, Vancouver Cricket Club
The University of British Columbia Cricket Club has been around for over 60 years. We have a proud history. In case you are wondering, you do not have to be a student to play with UBC, in fact most of us are not. Although, if you are a student with any school we have discounted membership rates. We play in a Vancouver based senior cricket league so are typically looking for players over the age of 18. We practice close to 12th and larch, thanks to the generosity of another club, and we use excellent practice nets.
Learn more about the about the history and mission of UBC Cricket
Play cricket in Vancouver today
To join this Vancouver cricket team contact us and we will give you more information. We practice Wednesday nights.
email our Vancouver based Cricket club
You can contact the general manager player personnel vijayvis@yahoo.com for questions or our web master at ubccricket@shaw.ca.
Questions or comments? For membership and other inquiries please contact:
vijayvis@yahoo.com or the webmaster at ubccricket@shaw.ca
Item sourced from:-
http://ubccricket.tripod.com/main.html
Cricket in the USA with Canada references -- Posted Thursday, January 11 2007
Cricket in the USA
John Marder and Adrian Cole
Important dates in US cricket history
To some cricket enthusiasts it may appear presumptuous of the United States to claim a modest place in cricket history. A generation reared in the belief that baseball and American-rules football are the main sporting endeavours of the United States may be surprised to learn that cricket has been played more or less seriously for over 200 years. There was a time indeed when Philadelphia cricket was judged good enough to play the full strength of Australia and the first-class English counties, and when an American player on tour in England headed the first-class English bowling averages. The glory has long since departed but the tiny cricketing fraternity in the United States would like to consider that their efforts have upheld the best traditions of the game. One of the earliest mentions of cricket played in the American colonies appears to have been made by William Stephens, a planter living in Georgia. In 1737 he reported, "Many of our townsmen, freeholders, inmates and servants were assembled in the principal square at cricket and divers other athletick sports." Stephens knew of cricket as he was educated at Winchester and Cambridge University before engaging as a planter in the colonies.
The New York Weekly Post Boy reported a match between XI of London and XI of New York, played in New York in 1751 and won by the New Yorkers, the scores being 8o and 86 against 43 and 47. It appears most likely that both XIs were drawn from residents of New York, as it is difficult to believe that a touring group would cross the Atlantic for one match, or that the state of the game would encourage such a tour. There was a notice of a cricket match at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1754 and an advertisement for cricket equipment in the New York Independent journal for 19 April, 1786. The American Revolution alienated a great deal of interest in all matters English, one of the victims being the game of cricket. Before the Revolution there was an active interest in the game, and as far as possible in those days, there was some encouragement for the younger players. Even after the Revolution, the question of a name for the chief executive officer of the newly formed United States was brought up and John Adams remarked that "there are Presidents of fire companies and cricket clubs". It is interesting to reflect that the word President, as used for the chief executive of the United States, may have come about through its use by a humble cricket club.
About 1856 the idea of a visit from an England XI was discussed. (Bear in mind no England XI had ever visited any foreign country at this date.) An industrial depression gripped the United States in 1857, and talks were postponed. A Mr Waller of New York was instrumental in guaranteeing £500 for 2 matches in the United States, and on 6 September 1859, 12 professional cricketers of England met at the George Hotel, Liverpool, to embark for America on the steamer Nova Scotian the following morning. The team comprised Caffyn, Lockyer, H. H. Stephenson and Julius Caesar (all of Surrey), Parr, Grundy and Jackson (Notts), Wisden and John Lillywhite (Sussex), Carpenter, Hayward and Diver (Cambridgeshire) and Fred Lillywhite who acted as scorekeeper, historian and manager of the trip. History was made since it was the first overseas tour of an English Cricket XI. The little book describing the tour, first of a plethora of touring literature, is a classic of the game. The experiences of a rough passage are humorously described.
The first international game took place between England and XXII of the United States at Hoboken, New Jersey, on 3, 4 and 5 October 1859, England scoring 156 and dismissing the USA XXII for 38 and 54. There was no disgrace in the England team taking on a XXII. The early Australian games were on the same basis, and cricket in the United States was probably more advanced at that time than in Australia. At Philadelphia the XXII scored 94 and 6o. England scoring 126 and 29 for 3 wickets. The little party of cricket pioneers travelled over 7,000 miles in two months to play five matches, a prodigious adventure in those mid-Victorian times. If this first tour had been followed up Test Matches between the United States and England might have followed in due course. The bitter Civil War which broke out in 1861 between the Northern and Southern States had many unforseen results, one of which was to establish baseball beyond all doubt as the national game of the United States. Before the war cricket was an established game and baseball was played more by students and children. The difficulties of getting proper cricket equipment and of marking and maintaining pitches were too great during the 4 years of war; it was easy to throw down 4 bags to mark bases and to play baseball on any ground available. Thousands of soldiers learned the game of baseball during the Civil War. When they returned to civil life the future of baseball was assured. With the ruinous war proceeding in America, the attention of English cricket tour organisers turned to Australia.
One result of the international tour, however, was to popularise cricket in Philadelphia. English XIs began to play there and good coaching and frequent games against first-class English cricketers began to lift Philadelphia cricket to an exalted spot. Jupp's English XI of 1868 played 2 games at Philadelphia, winning both easily. A study of the scoring in these early games leads one to the conclusion that the Americans were deficient in batting and bowling. Lack of coaching was evident in the batting which apparently was suffering from poor defensive methods. A batsman simply did not know how to cope with the English bowling. Over-arm bowling had been authorized by MCC in 1864 but there is no doubt that the Americans were playing an old-fashioned game and had not learned how to cope with the new type of bowling. As late as 188o an Under-arm XI defeated a Round-arm XI at Merion, Pennsylvania, 121 to 94. This was almost loo years after round-arm bowling was introduced in England.
Philadelphia cricket was helped by the visit of R. A. FitzGerald's amateur XI in 1872, humorously described by Mr FitzGerald in his book Wickets in the West. W. G. Grace made his only appearance in the United States with this team and it is of interest to record his scores : At New York v XXII of St George's Club -- 68 and 11 wkts for 8 runs. At Philadelphia v XXII of Philadelphia -- 14 and 7 and 20 wkts for 68 runs. At Boston v XXII of Boston -- 26 and 13 wkts for 35 runs.
Most early professional baseball players were former cricketers, including Harry Wright and A. G. Spalding, both of whom founded sporting goods firms which are still active today. The Philadelphians continued to outstrip other centres until the city became the focal point of American cricket. Tours were regularly made to England and the Australian XIs began to return through the United States, playing games at Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. These visits were too irregular to be educational, but in 1878 the Australian XI captained by D. W. Gregory, after finishing its first tour of England, met Philadelphia on 3, 4 and 5 October. This Australian team was the historic XI which had beaten MCC at Lord's in one day, but at Philadelphia they earned only a drawn game in a match which has become historic. it was the first time an American team had played on even terms in an international match. The full Australian team - Spofforth, Blackham, the Bannermans, Murdoch, Boyle and all included -were led by 46 on first innings and honours were even at the finish. This game made the fame of Philadelphia cricket. Enthusiasm ran high in the district, young men took up the game, rich men supported it and the clubs built luxurious club houses. The cricket clubs of Philadelphia became the country clubs of their time. To this day United States international tennis matches are played at Longwood Cricket Club or at Merion. In both places, alas, regular cricket is played no more.
The Philadelphians organized a visit to England in 1884 and another in 1889, playing good clubs with some success. Lord Hawke brought a team of first-class English amateurs to Philadelphia in 1891 and the Australian team of 1893 played 2 games in the city. In the first match Philadelphia made the highest score made by an American team in first-class cricket, amassing 525 and putting the Australian Test team out twice. The Australians lost the match by an innings and 68 runs. The real hero of this game, however, was a humble railway car. The liner Germanic was bringing the Australian team from England and, in an effort to save valuable time, it was arranged to pick up the team at Jersey City and put them aboard railway car No. 30! Any cricketer who can imagine himself taking a long ocean voyage, being picked up by a private train, rushed xxxx miles, changing at breakneck speed into flannels, then stepping out to play an international match, will appreciate the position of the Australian team. Never by a look did they excuse themselves. They took their defeat in good spirit.
The Australian XI of 1896 under GHS Trott visited Philadelphia and played three games on level terms. The first two games were lost by handy margins but Philadelphia won the third by an innings and 99 runs. It was after these experiences that the city cricketers determined to try a first-class tour of England in 1897.
The Philadelphian tour of 1897 was a great success and showed the heights to which their cricket had soared in a few short years. The tour was entirely first-class; after this tour all Philadelphia matches with English county opponents were reckoned first-class until 1914. The team beat Sussex and Warwickshire and drew with Somerset, Yorkshire Notts and Oxford University.
This tour also saw Bart King spring into the limelight for the first time. King, one of the world's greatest bowlers, accomplished the best performance of the tour when he took 7 for 13 against Sussex on a good wicket at Brighton. King bowled a ball which he called the `Angler' and which he has described as an in-swinger which, if properly bowled, would change direction sharply in the last 10 or 15 feet of flight. King used this ball sparingly and against good batsmen, but he did it so successfully that from 1893 to 1912 he was one of the most feared bowlers in the world and in 1908 actually headed the first-class English bowling averages. King was undoubtedly the finest cricketer produced in America, not only for his bowling in the Golden Age of American cricket, but also for his batting, and his personal characteristics endeared him to generations of friends. This giant of the game died in 1965.
In 1897 and 1899 P. F. Warner and K. S. Ranjitsinhji took teams to Philadelphia, both with great success. The Philadelphia tours of 1903 and 1908 more than held their own against the first-class counties, but the end of the glory of Philadelphia was in sight. After 1908 they played no more first-class cricket in England. The Australian team of 1912 lost to Philadelphia by 2 runs in an exciting match, and an Australian XI, visiting the United States and Canada in 1913, lost to XII of Germantown CC by two wickets in a game which was virtually the last American first-class match. Although the Philadelphian Pilgrims had an enjoyable tour in 1921, the games were not first-class. Since that time, apart from Haverford College, no American team toured in England until 1961 when Winnetka Cricket Club of Chicago made a valiant effort to play some club games in England - and with to volunteers at that!
Many reasons have been advanced for the decline of cricket as a popular game in the United States. The fact remains that the national temperament is not altogether suited for cricket's leisurely pace. Perhaps there are other reasons such as the many counter-attractions for the young generation of Americans, the lack of interest by cricket's governing bodies, the tremendous increase of spectator sports, the greater interest in sports such as golf, tennis and swimming as against team sports. The United States was one of the first countries outside England to have a magazine devoted exclusively to cricket. The American Cricketer was founded on 28 June 1877, and had a life of over 50 years. The last issue appeared in April 1929, but by that time much of its space was devoted to tennis and other sports, and cricket had been relegated to the back page, Complete sets of The American Cricketer are preserved in the library of Haverford College and the Philadelphia Library of the Historical Society of Philadelphia. The C. C. Morris Cricket Library Association was dedicated at Haverford in 1968. The organization has on view a very large collection of other American cricket memorabilia consisting of books, records, periodicals, photographs and trophies. No real central authority existed in the United States until 1961 when the United States Cricket Association was formed.
Whilst Philadelphia cricket ascended to the heights of the first-class game, there were other centres in which good class cricket was and still is played. In New York the game flourished principally because of English players who had settled in that city. The first match between the United States and Canada took place on the grounds of the St. George's Club of New York on 24 and 26 September, 1844. This game was played for $1,000 a side. The value of a dollar was much higher in those carefree days; so a great deal of importance must have been attached to this match. After a break of 51 years, the series was revived in 1963. In the first 16 games the United States and Canada each had six victories and four were drawn. The New York clubs never attained the heights of the Philadelphians but they had some good players, amongst them J. L. Poyer and B. J. Kortlang.
Cricket was televised in Los Angeles in 1958. Two hours were allotted by a local station and part of a match between Corinthians and Hollywood was shown. The match proved to be exciting, and the television station received many calls and letters congratulating it on its enterprise. Due to the enthusiasm engendered, the Harlequins CC was formed entirely of ex-cricketers who had watched the transmission. Sir Aubrey Smith deserves many plaudits for his share in the encouragment of cricket. He was born in 1863, the son of a doctor. He was educated at Charterhouse where he was in the XI, and later won a blue at Cambridge. He was principally famous for his bowling which earned him the name of Round-the-Corner Smith, due to a slanting run-up. His bowling was fast-medium and good enough to win him a place for Sussex from 1882 to 1896 as well as frequent games with the Gentlemen. In 1888-89 he captained the first English XI to play in South Africa. He arrived in Hollywood as an accomplished actor, world famous in his field, but his first love was cricket and he aided it by every means in his power. He was knighted in 1944 as a tribute to his efforts to further Anglo-American friendship. The cricket grounds at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, were officially named the Sir C. Aubrey Smith grounds.
Cricket has been played in American universities for many years, but mostly by foreign students who are from cricket-playing countries. Harvard, Yale, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Cornell have all fielded teams. The Universities of California, Ursinus, Southern Illinois and many other universities field teams irregularly. Haverford College, a small school at Haverford, Pennsylvania, has kept the flag of inter-collegiate cricket flying in the United States.
In 1836 the school engaged an English gardener named William Carvill who must have been a very enthusiastic cricketer. He introduced the game to some students who took it up immediately. A diary kept by an unknown student has this entry in it: "About this time a new game was introduced amongst the students called cricket. The school was shortly divided into several clubs or associations each of which was provided with the necessary instruments for playing the game."
The school sent teams over to England in 1896, 1900, 1904, 1910 and 1914 and the last Haverford College tour was in 1925. Haverford still tours Ontario as well as playing a programme of matches against eastern clubs.
American cricket, from its earliest days, has been characterised by its bonhomie and good fun.
Professionalism, except for paid coaches from England who held sway in Philadelphia, has never intruded on the American scene. In a land which is probably more than most given up to materialism in sport, cricket is one of the rare sports a man indulges in for its own sake.
Cricket in the United States is played on turf wickets, on matting rolled over concrete, on matting stretched over abominable grass uncut and unrolled; in short, wherever an enthusiast stakes a claim, a cricket ground arises and for a short spell the magic of bat and ball can hold sway.
Most of all, American cricket owes its being to enthusiasts for whom the charm of the game can never die and who lose no time in their new surroundings in spreading their gospel. Cricket was sometimes played in October or November, with icy conditions prevailing.
The first tourists of all time, Lillywhite'a team of 1859, played at Rochester, New York, in greatcoats and mufflers. The first cricket teams from England and Australia crossed the Great Plains in tiny rickety trains, in which depredations by bands of armed, painted Indians, in the best traditions of the Old West, were not unlikely.
Admitted to associate membership of the International Cricket Conference in 1965, the USA participated in the ICC Trophy from the first tournament in 1979 and from the mid 1980s the side's performances steadily improved. This was, however, largely due to the increase in expats from the Caribbean and the subcontinent rather than products from American-born players. It was an issue that became an increasing concern as the side pressed for more international recognition.
In 2004 the USA qualified for the ICC Champions Trophy courtesy of an unexpected win in the Six Nations event, but their participation was a poor advertisement, and an ageing and limited side were never competitive.
Behind the scenes, the USA Cricket Association had become a deeply divided group, and in 2005 it was suspended from the ICC for being "dysfunctional" and barred from official tournaments. Although that ban was subsequently lifted, the internal sniping continued, the board remained unaccountable, and the only losers were the USA cricketers.
John Marder and Adrian Cole
Adapted from Barclays World of Cricket (Collins 1980)
Important dates in US cricket
1709 William Byrd of Westover, Virginia, playing cricket with his friends
1737 Mention of cricket in Georgia
1742 Highland Scots celebrate St Andrew's Day in Savannah (Georgia) - founded only nine years before - by playing cricket
1751 A match recorded between New York and a London XI. played "according to the London method"; i.e. presumably in accordance with the 1744 rules
1785 Canadians playing in Montreal
1838 Mexican CC in existence
1844 First match between Canada and the USA
First known century scored in North America - 120 by J. Turner
1859 First touring team to leave England (captain, George Parr) visit the USA and Canada. Their matches drew large crowds and, together with their general experiences on the tour, were well-described by their scorer, Fred Lillywhite, in the first book in the long catalogue of "touring literature"
1874 First team from USA to visit England: team of baseballers who also played cricket
1878 The Australian team visits America on their way back from England
1880 First team from Canada visited England: not representative and the tour terminated prematurely
1884 First Gentlemen of Philadelphia team to visit England
1896 Haverford College toured and played English Public Schools
1903 Kent visit USA
1905 First MCC team visited USA and Canada; captain E. W. Mann
1961 United States Cricket Association founded
1963 Revival of USA v Canada match, last played in 1912
1965 United States elected to Associate membership of ICC
1968 Canada elected to associate membership of ICC
2004 USA wins ICC Six Nations tournament and qualifes for the Champions Trophy
2004 ICC anounces Project USA, a multi-million dollar plan to expand the game. This scrapped in 2005 after a major falling out with the USACA and serious governance issues within the US administration
2005 USACA suspended by the ICC (see above) and banned from all major events
Item sourced from:-
http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/usa/content/story/261614.html
Canada’s path to the Cricket World Cup 2007 -- Posted Wednesday, January 10 2007
This is a summary of Canada’s matches leading to the World Cup itself in the West Indies this spring.
The most significant event is the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League in Nairobi, Kenya, where two spots in the new ICC Twenty 20 championships (Sept 2007 in South Africa) can be won.
There are two Tri-Series, one in Mombasa (Kenya) and the other in Antigua, plus a couple of warm-up matches in Trinidad and one in Nairobi.
Canada plays World Cup group qualifying matches in St. Lucia against fellow-associate country Kenya, plus two ICC Full Member countries: New Zealand and England.
Tri-Series at the Mombasa Sports Club, Mombasa, Kenya
Features Canada, Kenya and Scotland
Jan 18 Canada v Scotland
Jan 20 Canada v Kenya
Jan 23 Canada v Scotland
Jan 24 Canada v Kenya
Warm-up Match in Nairobi, Kenya
Jan 27 Canada v Uganda
Uganda is an ICC Associate Member country. Match to be played at Parklands, Nairobi.
ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi, Kenya (inaugural tournament)
Features the six leading ICC Associate countries, each of whom will be playing in the Cricket World Cup. The top two teams in WCL Division 1 qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty 20 Championships in South Africa. A participation fee of $250,000 US goes to these two successful countries.
Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) President Ben Sennik has indicated via the CCA Web-site that Canada’s players “will be eligible to receive a bonus of US $5,000” should the team qualify for the Twenty 20 event.
Kenya, Ireland and Scotland would be regarded as the front-runners for this event. There are three rest days which could be used to play matches that had no result if bad weather intervenes.
Jan 30 Canada v The Netherlands (Ruaraka SC, Nairobi)
Jan 31 Canada v Scotland (Ruaraka SC, Nairobi)
Feb 2 Canada v Bermuda (Gymkhana Club, Nairobi)
Feb 4 Canada v Ireland (Jaffery SC, Nairobi)
Feb 5 Canada v Kenya (Jaffery SC, Nairobi)
Feb 7 WCL Final between the top 2 teams
Tri-Nations Series in Antigua & Barbuda
Features Canada, Bangladesh and Bermuda. Canada beat Bangladesh (an ICC Full Member Country) in the 2003 World Cup. However, Bangladesh has recent wins over
fellow-Full member Zimbabwe and Scotland. They look to be making progress.
Feb 26 Canada v Bermuda
Feb 28 Canada v Bangladesh
Ground(s) to be advised, based on recent information.
World Cup Warm-up Matches in Trinidad & Tobago
Mar 5 Canada v Pakistan (ICC Full Member)
Mar 8 Canada v Ireland
Matches to be played at Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St. Augustine, Trinidad
World Cup Proper - Canada’s Group Matches in St Lucia
Canada face fellow-associate member Kenya, plus New Zealand and England who are ICC Full Member countries in St Lucia.
The top two sides advance to the Super-8 stage of the competition.
Mar 14 Canada v Kenya
Mar 18 Canada v England
Mar 22 Canada v New Zealand
Matches to be played at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Inlet, St Lucia.
ICC Intercontinental Cup 2006 – Update
Scotland is to play the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sharjah beginning on Jan 11 in the ICC Intercontinental Cup (4-day, first-class match). A Scottish win would secure the group and a place in the 2006 Final against Canada.
The UAE was comprehensively beaten by Namibia, late in 2006, and the ‘form-book’ would point in the direction of a Scottish win. However, sport can be unpredictable and I am sure Ireland will be hoping the Scots do not win, as Ireland might then top the group with a win over the UAE.
Scotland beat Canada in the inaugural Final in 2004. Ireland beat Kenya in the 2005 Final.
Information compiled and submitted by Eddie Norfolk
ICC Umpires for pre WC 2007 Canada matches -- Posted Wednesday, January 10 2007
Prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies, there will be a short tri-series to be held in Antigua between Bangladesh, Canada and Bermuda, who will all be participating in the CWC.
Rudi Koertzen of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires will stand in all three of those ODIs along with a locally appointed umpire. The match referee for those games has not yet been appointed and will be announced in due course.
Appointments for other upcoming series, including the umpires for the tri-series involving Kenya, Scotland and Canada in Mombasa (17-24 January), the ICC World Cricket League in Nairobi (30 January -7 February) will be advised soon.
Information sourced from an ICC Press Release (JH)
ICC World Cricket League -- Posted Tuesday, January 9 2007
ICC President Percy Sonn says ICC World Cricket League is a vital part of cricket’s development, if cricket is going to continue its development beyond the game’s traditional boundaries, such as the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 (WCL Div. 1) are vitally important.
Speaking ahead of the inaugural WCL Div. 1 tournament which takes place in Nairobi from 30 January to 7 February, Mr Sonn said that there was now an exciting structure of competitive cricket outside the 10 Full Members that gave a real edge to the level of competition being played at that level.
“In many ways, the World Cricket League is what the ICC is all about,” said Mr Sonn.
“I believe that raising the standard of cricket in the Associate and Affiliate Members is one of our primary goals as a governing body. Cricket within our 10 Full Members is obviously vitally important to us but we must also continually redouble our efforts to make sure we do not forget our 87 other Members,”.
“Events like the World Cricket League show in a real way how committed ICC is spreading this great game all around the world and giving players opportunities like never before.”
The WCL Div.1 involves the top six Associate teams – Kenya, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, Bermuda and the Netherlands – all of whom have qualified to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.
It is an important event for host country Kenya, too. A semi-finalist from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa, Kenya is looking to use the tournament to emphasise that result was no fluke as well as showing that it can stage an event of this type successfully.
“It’s a great pleasure for us to be hosting this prestigious ICC event in Nairobi,” said Samir Inamdar, chairman of Cricket Kenya.
“We have a long and proud history of cricket in this country and we are determined to put on a great tournament. Cricket in Kenya has been going through a period of transition in recent years but we are very optimistic for the future of the game here and part of the development process for us is being able to host events like this,” said Mr Inamdar.
As the six teams in this competition have all qualified for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, the WCL Div. 1 is being used as part of their preparations for that, which opens in Jamaica on 11 March.
But the WCL is about much more than that. Firstly, all games in the tournament carry ODI status so players are competing for their place in the historical analysis of top level one-day cricket. And secondly, the top two teams from this year’s WCL will qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty20 World Championships, which is scheduled for South Africa in September.
The idea of the WCL is to give regular global one-day cricket opportunities to the top 18 non-Test countries. Apart from Division 1, the next eight best from the ICC Trophy 2005 have been allocated to Divisions 2 and 3 events later in 2007 along 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. Events for Divisions 4 and 5 will commence in 2008 as the WCL expands.
This gives each of the 87 Associate and Affiliate Members a clearly defined pathway to progress and develop in world cricket. Every side can now make its own plan as to how it will some day take its place alongside the very best at the ICC Cricket World Cup. It also means that the ICC can identify the relative strengths of these member countries on a more regular basis than ever before.
Information sourced from an ICC Press release.(JH)
Stanley Park, Vancouver -- Posted Tuesday, January 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.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2005/10/31/exwor745.xml
University cricket in Ontario -- Posted Tuesday, January 9 2007
Queens University, Kingston.
Whether you enjoy playing cricket, watching it or want to learn how to play this sport - this club is for you. Running for the 5th consecutive year, QCC executives have strived to improve the club and are offering even more events this year!
Our brand new website provides information about upcoming events, pictures of weekly games, tournament updates, rules of the Cricket and much, much more!
This year we hope to provide our members with the following events/sessions: - Coaching & tutoring sessions for beginners (NEW - due to excessive demand) - Weekly cricket matches played between teams, made on the spot! (Fall term) - Queen's Cricket Tournament (Winter term) - Showing live cricket matches with FOOD! Join our mailing list or just e-mail one of the executives if you have ANY questions whatsoever. No question is a stupid question, and we've even had members join just because of their curiosity about the sport. We accept members from all years at anytime during the Fall term. For the first 3 or 4 weeks in September, cricket is played outdoors in Kingston Cricket Field, right next door to campus. From then on, cricket sessions continue in Bews Gym @ the PEC (Physical Education Centre).
Queen's Cricket Club Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
qcricket@ams.queensu.ca
http://www.myams.org/qcricket
York University, Toronto
Cricket Club @ York (CricYork) became a student organization in September 2004.
The club consists of three executive members holding positions as President, Vice President, Treasurer and Technical Co-Ordinator.
The aim of the club, as the name itself suggests, is to promote the game of cricket, not only in York University, but in all the universities as well, with a dream that one day it becomes a varsity game in canada.
In no time CricYork has registered 120 active members who have been kept in touch with cricket via our indoor softball cricket sessions, tournaments and of course the indoor cricket nets.
The majority of our members are students from the subcontinent.
Having started with a passion for the game, CricYork in their very first season have won the playoffs in Etobicoke District and Cricket League in their respective division, and are now looking forward to moving up the ladder during 2007 season.
CCA Banquet -- Posted Monday, January 8 2007
AS OF 3.3O A.M. ON THIS MONDAY MORNING JANUARY 8, 2007, THE CANADIAN CRICKET ASSOCIATION WEB SITE IS EXHORTING CANADIAN CRICKET SUPPORTERS TO ATTEND A BANQUET.
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHEDULE FOR THE RETURN OF NATIONAL TEAM INDICATES THAT THEY WILL BE BACK HOME FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE "FAREWELL DINNER", AS PER THE CUT AND PASTED DATED NOTICES BELOW
2007-01-03 CWC Team Farewell Dinner The CCA will hold a Farewell Dinner for the CWC Team (Players and Officials) on Sunday the 11th February at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club at 7.00pm. Proceeds of dinner ticket sales will be given to the players and team support officials in recognition of their effots and personal sacrifices made in representing Canada. Corporate Sponsors will be invitied to a private reception with the team prior to the dinner. CWC 2003 memorabilia and other cricket items will be auctioned on the night. Canadian CWC shirts will be on sale. Sponsorship details of the evening will follow. COME JOIN THE CELEBRATION AND WISH THE TEAM BON VOYAGE. To find more details and to book your table see the attached document.
2006-12-22 World Cricket League Bonuses We have now ascertained to our satisfaction all the details pertaining to the PRIZE MONEY, which was recently announced for the participants to the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 2007, to held in Nairobi, Kenya from January 30 to February 7, 2007.
WHILST PLAUDITS ARE DUE TO THE CCA FOR ORGANIZING A FUNCTION FOR THE NATIONAL TEAM, THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CCA UNDERMINES THE IDEA BY CLOSING THE BARN DOOR AFTER THE HORSE HAS LEFT THE BARN (JH).
ATN sponsors Canada Cricket -- Posted Sunday, January 7 2007
Asian Television Network International Limited Sponsors Canada Cricket
The Canadian Cricket Association has signed a three-year agreement with Asian Television Network International Ltd for the company to be the exclusive Official Broadcast Media partner of Team Canada and Team Canada under-19.
According to broadcastermagazine.com, ATN's logo may appear on playing and practice clothing used by the Canadian teams in matches that include the ICC Americas Championship (World Cricket League; Division 1) and ICC Intercontinental Cup.
The crucial exposure for ATN would be shirt sponsorship during Canada’s participation in the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean, but no details were given on this.
ATN also expects to provide continuing exposure to Canada and the Under-19 team on either or both the Commonwealth Broadcasting Network channel and ATN's soon to be launched 24-hour cricket channel.
No financial details were announced in relation to this accord.
News item sourced from:-
http://www.bigstarcricket.com/bs/business/article_1515.shtml
Travel warning for World Cup fans -- Posted Sunday, January 7 2007
World Cup organisers in the Caribbean have warned fans not to buy travel packages except from official agents.
It follows reports from India of unauthorised companies offering trips and match tickets.
"Fans are advised to deal with CWC's official agents. They are the only ones who have the authority to sell packages for this event - nobody else.
"There are five of these in India to cater for the large fan base there," said commercial manager Stephen Price.
People who buy from unofficial sources are taking a "huge risk" and Price added: "There will be no recourse from CWC if someone falls victim to any of the unauthorised travel agents."
The individual Caribbean nations involved in the tournament have, meanwhile, been reminded to re-double their efforts to ensure everything is ready on time.
The 16 competing teams are due to arrive on 2 March, with the opening warm-up games three days later.
"The opening ceremony has been CWC's traditional landmark for counting down - but we all know we must be ready long before that," said venue development director Donald Lockerbie.
"Two months from today we want to be saying 'well done to Barbados, Jamaica, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Trinidad & Tobago' as they will be the first to represent Cricket World Cup and the Caribbean on the international stage. They will set the tone.
"Even before that though, players and fans will be in our midst and we must do everything we can to ensure they receive an excellent welcome and a positive start to their World Cup experience.
"The media too are extremely important and we want them to be raving about the quality of our stadia and the detailed planning," he added.
"We are almost there but we cannot afford to get sidetracked or complacent or be patting ourselves on the back at this stage. CWC has set a standard of excellence throughout and we must keep pace with that high level of operation and output ? leave nothing to chance."
Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport2/hi/cricket/other_international/west_indies/6236611.stm
English cricket team in North America in 1859 -- Posted Saturday, January 6 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 Littlewhite, 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 United Sates 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.
Item sourced from:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_cricket_team_in_North_America_in_1859
Canadian cricket tours of England -- Posted Saturday, January 6 2007
Canadian cricket tours of England have taken place only sporadically and few matches of first class status have been played.
The first two Canadian teams to visit England arrived in the 1880s. In the 1880 season they played 17 minor matches with a 5-6 win/loss record; while the 1887 team played 19 minor matches with a 5/5 record.
The next visit was after World War 1 in the 1922 season when the Canadians played 11 minor matches, won none and lost four. The 1936 team fared much better: they won 7 and lost only 1 with 7 drawn, all the games again being minor.
In the 1954 season, the Canadians played 15 matches in all but four of them were first-class. Overall, they won four and lost three but in the four first-class matches they could only manage two draws and two defeats.
In 1979 Canada visited England to take part in the ICC Trophy, the one-day limited overs (on this occasion 60 overs a side) competition for non-Test playing countries, held in late May and early June. Canada won three of their four group matches, played on club grounds in the west Midlands, beating Bangladesh, Fiji and Malaysia, but losing to Denmark. They finished second in their group and, as the second-placed team with the best record, qualified for the semi-finals. On June 6 at Burton upon Trent, they beat Bermuda by 6 wickets. In the final, at Worcester on June 21, they lost to Sri Lanka by 60 runs. However as finalists they had already qualified for the World Cup, held between the dates of the ICC Trophy semi-finals and final.
Canada were rather out of their depth in the World Cup, losing all three of their group matches: to Pakistan by 8 wickets at Headingley on June 9, to England by 8 wickets at Old Trafford on June 14, when they were bowled out for 45 (though lasting 40.3 overs), and to Australia at Edgbaston by 7 wickets.
John Valentine a left-arm medium-pace bowler, dismissed Majid Khan, Mike Brearley and Rick Darling, returning figures of 9-3-18-1, 7-2-20-1 and 3-0-28-1.
Story sourced from:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_cricket_tours_of_England
News from the CCA -- Posted Friday, January 5 2007
December 14, 2006
ANNOUNCEMENT
We have now ascertained to our satisfaction all the details pertaining to the PRIZE MONEY, which was recently announced for the participants to the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 2007, to held in Nairobi, Kenya from January 30 to February 7, 2007.
The two top sides (finalists) emerging at the “ WCL Division 1 Tournament”, will qualify for the ICC Twenty 20 CWC to be held in South Africa in September 2007. Each participant at the ICC Twenty 20 CWC will be entitled to a participation fee of U.S. $ 250,000.00. This amount shall be distributed to each participating Team prior to the commencement of the event.
CCA is happy to announce that upon our Canadian National Team becoming successful in securing the berth for one of the finalists at the “WCL Division 1 Tournament”, each player and the official(s) of the Team will be eligible to receive a bonus fee of U.S. $ 5,000.00. Such amount shall be reimbursed to each individual, immediately upon receipt of the funds.
IT IS A CHALLENGE… BUT TOGETHER WE CAN DO IT!
Ben Sennik
President
CWC 207 TEAM FARWELL DINNER. The CCA will hold a Farewell Dinner for the CWC Team( Players and Officials) on Sunday the 11th February at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club at 7.00pm. Proceeds of dinner ticket sales will be given to the players and team support officials in recognition of their effots and personal sacrifices made in representing Canada. Corporate Sponsors will be invitied to a private reception with the team prior to the dinner. CWC 2003 memorabilia and other cricket items will be auctioned on the night. Canadian CWC shirts will be on sale. To find more details and to book your table see the attached document. Sponsorship details of the evening will follow. COME JOIN THE CELEBRATION AND WISH THE TEAM BON VOYAGE.
Above is the posting on the CCA web site
Dear friends of Canadian Cricket,
The CCA will be holding a Farewell Dinner for the players and support staff who will be representing Canada in the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies this coming March and April. The dinner will take place at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club on Sunday the 11th February at 7.00pm. As you know the players are all amateurs and make great personal and financial sacrifices in order to play cricket for Canada. In order to recognize their efforts, show our appreciation, wish them good luck and bon voyage, the proceeds of the ticket sales will be given directly to the CWC players and support staff.
The details of the event are;
1) Individual tickets $125.00 each
2) Group tickets, table of 10, $1200.00
3) Corporate Sponsors $2000.00. Includes table of 10, private cocktail reception (wine included) with the team and staff, one CWC 2007 signed team shirt.
4) Cash bar.
5) Dress code: Jackets required.
6) Auction of CWC 2003 memorabilia.
Corporate sponsors will be invited to attend a private cocktail reception with the team and support staff at 5.30pm, prior to the dinner.
In order to secure your reservation for this event, please complete the attached form and return it to the e-mail address or fax number provided.
Please join us in sending the team off to the CWC with a strong statement of our support.
Howard Petrook
1st VP Canadian Cricket Association.
Toll Free/Fax 1-866-281-4290
Office 416-482-3313
The above was received as an e-mail message. (JH)
Greenfield C.C. -- Posted Friday, January 5 2007
Greenfield Cricket Club was established in 1990 by a small group of Sri-Lankans, who have a passion for the game of cricket. Within this short time our club has grown to be one of the best clubs in Edmonton, Alberta.
We have contributed in numerous ways to the development of cricket in Edmonton and vastly responsible for promoting youth cricket. The club is focused on developing young players and making them the future leaders of the club. We would like to ensure that young players have a great future in this club and all of it's activities. Greenfield is one of the youngest teams in the league and its executive provides opportunity and encouragement to any and all up and coming cricketers.
Greenfield Cricket Club is a family oriented club where members and their families and friends have the opportunity to get involved in various activities and outings. The club has the lowest membership fees in the province (if not in Canada).
We are appreciative of your interest in Greenfield Cricket Club 'Online' and once again we extend our hearty welcome. If you wish to contact us, please e-mail us at greenfieldcc@hotmail.com and we would be delighted to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.greenfieldcricket.com/aboutus.htm
Toronto umpires -- Posted Friday, January 5 2007
The Toronto Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association Welcomes all Old and New Umpires for the 2007 season of Cricket Umpiring.
Umpires Motto to be remembered.
"When in doubt do not give out"
Cricket is a game that owes much of its unique appeal to the fact that it should be played not only within its Laws but also within the Spirit of the Game.
Any action which is seen to abuse this spirit causes injury to the game itself.
The major responsibility for ensuring the spirit of fair play rests with the captains.
The Spirit of the Game involves RESPECT for:
Your opponents
Your own captain and team
The role of the Umpires
The game's traditional values
It is against the Spirit of the Game:
To dispute an umpire's decision by word, action or gesture
To direct abusive language towards an opponent or umpire
To indulge in cheating or any sharp practice, for instance:
a) to appeal knowing that the batsman is not out
b) to advance towards an Umpire in an aggressive manner when appealing
c) to seek to distract an opponent either verbally or by harassment with persistent clapping or unnecessary noise under the guise of enthusiasm and motivation of one's own side
There is no place for any act of violence on the field of play.
Players, Captains and umpires together set the tone for the conduct of a cricket match.
Every player is expected to make an important contribution to this.
"Taken from the 2000 MCC laws"
Item sourced from:-
http://tcuandsa.homestead.com/Home.html
Markham Cricket Club, Ontario -- Posted Thursday, January 4 2007
Markham CC was founded in 1986 with the motto: "Have fun through friendly, active participation."
Our home ground is just North of Major McKenzie Road on the East side of McCowan Road, just north east of the Greater Toronto Area.
Programs Offered:
- a full schedule of games in the summer;
- indoor practice during the winter;
- junior cricket (in collaboration with other clubs);
- out-of-town trips;
- other social activities, including family activities.
Registration Information:
If you would like to:
- become a member;
- assist the club;
- learn more about the sport;
- play a game;
- otherwise help enrich the social fabric of Markham
Contact Information:
Please contact one of the following:-
Lennox Lamothe - 905-472-6703
Raj Persaud - 905-475-7457
Winston Gurdyal - 905-201-9264
A reprise of Canada's odyssey of extremes -- Posted Thursday, January 4 2007
Canada cause cricket shock by hammering Test nation, Bangladesh, in World Cup 2003.
Sports flash, Tuesday, 11 February: Canada cause cricket shock by hammering Test nation, Bangladesh, in World Cup.
Sports flash, Wednesday, 19 February: Canada all out for 36 against Sri Lanka, the lowest score in one-day international history.
There you have it, two days that shook cricket. Or at least, caused the odd ripple, even in Canada, where they are much more concerned about ice-hockey close-season signings. From hero to zero, or 36 anyway, in a week.
"I suppose you could say that the first match was definitely the best team performance I've ever played in and the second one wasn't," said Ian Billcliff, one of the history-makers. "For one match we were focused and for the other we lost our focus." It was an assessment with which it would be difficult to argue.
Karam Gopaulsingh, Canada's manager, described it as a rollercoaster week and is presumably awaiting the next upward whoosh against the fitful West Indies today. If he was searching for inspirational words he might have mentioned Kenya in the team bus on the way back from a day out at Sun City on Friday. They beat West Indies in the 1996 World Cup, the first team to overcome Test opposition.
Canada's performance in the 2003 tournament has provided sound cases both for why small countries should take part and why they should be sent back to the frozen tundra, probably literally in the Canucks' case.
Billcliff, a middle-order batsman who was enjoying a high old time until Chaminda Vaas darted one back into his pads, said: "We have hardly played together before and that as well as the difference in ability has to make a difference. I think I've been run out in every tournament I've played in for Canada and it happened again here in the first match. It's because you aren't together long enough to know your partners."
That was certainly true against Sri Lanka but Billcliff and his mates would naturally rather draw from the Bangladesh match. They turned up at Durban not knowing what to expect. "I think we just got on with our game and when we got into the high hundreds felt we had a chance," said Billcliff. "We didn't feel any pressure and I suppose it got to them. Sri Lanka was very different, they clearly knew what they were about and targeted our pads which was a good ploy. I've never played in a team who got a lower score but we'll just have to get on with it. We were exposed on the day."
The last Canadian team to participate in a World Cup – in England in 1979 – were dismissed by the host nation for a then record low of 45. As the first country to take part in an international cricket match (against the USA in 1849) Canada will always have a place in the game's history. There is no reason it should not take a reasonable hold once more in the country – Toronto has staged 22 international one-dayers – but it will probably take more home-grown players.
Many of the World Cup team were born elsewhere, in the Caribbean or Asia. Others, like Billcliff, were born in Canada but left at an early age. "My parents were working there but went home to New Zealand when I was two. I've always had two passports."
For Billcliff, who played first-class cricket for Otago, the big game of the tournament will be against New Zealand at Benoni. He wants the Kiwis to win the Cup yet he wants to beat them.
Article sourced from:-
http://sport.independent.co.uk/cricket/article120054.ece
Coaching for coaches -- Posted Wednesday, January 3 2007
In partnership, the Canadian Sport Centre Ontario and the Coaches Association of Ontario, are pleased to announce the new 2007 Quest for Gold Enhanced Coaching Program.
After great success in 2006, we are excited to announce $1.2 million will be available to coaches and Provincial Sport Organizations to help support coaches in their
pursuit of coaching development.
A detailed outline of all the programs available to coaches along with application forms can be
found by visiting
*www.coachesontario.ca/q4g*
{http://www.coachesontario.ca/q4g}.
Highlights include: NCCP Level 2
Technical Bursary NCCP Level 3 Technical Bursary NCCP Level 3 Theory
NCI Tuition Bursary Enhanced Coaching Bursary Ontario Coaches Conference
There are also a number of programs that will be made
directly available to Provincial Sport Organizations, which are also outlined on the website.
We encourage you to visit:-
*www.coachesontario.ca/q4g* {http://www.coachesontario.ca/q4g}
as soon as possible to take advantage of the 2007 funding.
Yours in coaching,
Coaches Association of Ontario & Canadian Sport Centre
Ontario
Umpiring assessment -- Posted Wednesday, January 3 2007
In keeping with its objective to ensure umpiring standards are upheld, the ICC has in place a sophisticated system of umpire assessment to aid officials in their performance and development.
At the conclusion of each Test match, and after the completion of each ODI series, all umpires - including Emirates Elite and International Panel umpires - receive a detailed report on their performance.
The umpires also receive DVDs containing video footage and replays of each decision made, which can be viewed frame-by-frame for in-depth analysis.
The most accurate measure of the standard of umpiring is the percentage number of correct decisions made by the Emirates Elite and International Panel of ICC Umpires.
In the period April 2004 to March 2005, more than 3700 decisions were made in Test and ODI matches. The results showed that umpires had a correct decision rate of 94.8% in Test matches, and 93.4% in ODI cricket.
Of course umpires are not infallible and, as with players, where mistakes are made they are identified through assessment and worked on through performance feedback.
The ICC has a performance management system for umpires with three key elements:
* Match reports from captains and referees;
* Video analysis by an independent assessor; and
* Feedback from the ICC Umpires and Referees Manager.
These assessments then provide the basis on which the ICC's Umpires and Referees Manager is able to discuss directly with each umpire any areas of concern and provide feedback (including DVD footage) on the umpire's performance and areas where improvement could be sought.
This system provides an effective means of identifying any weaknesses in an umpire's performance and enables the ICC to work with the umpire to provide feedback on his performance and identify ways of addressing any areas of concern.
The ICC's seven-step umpire performance management process is:-
Three feedback reports completed by the match referee and the two captains.
1. Reports delivered to the ICC's Umpires and Referees Manager
2. Information and feedback logged and a DVD generated of all decisions
3. All decisions assessed by the ICC's independent assessor
Detailed feedback report prepared for each umpire by the ICC's Umpires and Referees Manager
DVD featuring all decisions sent to each umpire
Discussion of report between umpire and ICC Umpires and Referees Manager
Umpires are assessed on five key areas which take into account various elements of a cricket match, as per the following:-
* out and not out decisions
* calling of no-balls and wides
* ground weather and light decisions
* alertness and concentration
* anticipation and awareness
* coping with external influences
* empathy for game and situation
* level of intervention
* response to player behaviour
* approachability of umpire
* handling of player issues
* proactive in control of match
* handling of on-field incidents
* clear and appropriate signaling
* projection of positive image
* dealt with players equally
* effective use of TV umpire
* playing conditions
* equipment and clothing regulations
* Code of Conduct
* suspect bowling actions
Policy information sourced from:-
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/umpires-referees/umpire_assessment.html
Cricket and the Victorians -- Posted Wednesday, January 3 2007
The quintessential "English" game of cricket is probably an enigma not just to the majority of the English-speaking world but also to a substantial proportion of the country's natives. Yet it is still identified as one of the key indices of Britain's changing world position--note here the elision of England with the rest of the United Kingdom. Such a muddle has long been tolerated but not approved by both Scots and Irish.
This pre-industrial sport with origins sufficiently misty to allow a range of patriotic re-inventions has long lacked a sound study. True, there has been stacks of texts for enthusiasts, club histories, hagiographies, and performance tables whose memorizing has whiled away many a winter hour, but it has stood outside the circle of socio-historical criticism afforded to the varieties of British football, for instance. Now that has been remedied by Sandiford's study which is not quite as limited chronologically as its title suggest--there is a valuable and substantial chapter on the "Georgian legacy." Written from a country, Canada, to which the sport has hardly been transplanted it shows both the virtues of geographical detachment from the sources and some of the limitations of writing from such a distance.
His case is the game's adaptability to the leisure needs of a "mass" society. In its pan-class following it perhaps deserves such a role, although Sandiford qualifies repeatedly the base for its appeal. He brings out well the tensions inherent in adapting an activity characterized as a semi-nostalgic exercise in pastorale to a largely urban environment. This is done both in organizational terms, the founding of clubs and a developing bureaucracy, and in terms of the ethical weighting put upon it. "Muscular Christianity," a ground already well-trodden by other historians, has another walkover but it is difficult to see how the topic could have been tackled without it. Sandiford is stronger on its personalities than some of the linguistic residues of the missionary approach in which cricket was an important tool.
The author has two very strong models for his overall approach--Mason's study of English Association Football and Vamplew's of professionalism. He acknowledges his debts and goes well beyond his mentors. In a sense, he overstates the case for a comparable study of cricket and football, particularly in the arguments about regional loyalties. Although football clubs have long attracted active fans from outside their own towns, there must surely be a considerable qualitative difference between the more diffuse role of an English country cricket side and that of a first-division soccer team with its strong urban roots. There are questions of spatial loyalties and the tensions between fostering "communal" and "associational" bonds which deserve more thought by all working on the social history of sport.
There are occasionally some surprising statements in the text. At one point the game is described as a "traditional village tradition" and are told that "village cricket...was also played in rural areas." Elsewhere, the Yorkshire pit village of Wombwell with a population of seventeen thousand is described as "small," an epithet it would only deserve if it were a hundredth of that size. So many historians of modern Britain do seem to get lost when they stray outside urban boundaries.
But these are minor quibbles. This is a very good and readable study. Its greatest strength lies in Sandiford's examination of professionalization, its resulting tensions and impact on key personnel. For all his playing skills, W.G. Grace is shown up for the strutting humbug that he was. And it is in the careers of those exploited journeymen, the club professionals, that see the insults to human dignity that this religiously ennobling game could inflict so callously. Often employed for only part of the year, just as much "hands" as were many industrial operatives, these men were often regarded as little more than inefficient bowling machines or less competent batting partners for gentlemen "stars." The irony is that it was only their continued deference and exploitation that made the county game's expansion en remotely possible; there was no way in which upper-middle class "amateurs" could have carried cricket into its new entertainment role. The reward was often poverty, inadequately-funded "benefit" matches, and a decline into suffering and an early death. Sandiford is surprisingly restrained in his thorough chronicling of these and he offers us a picture of employment practices which could well be matched in studies of other sports and individuals. His tabulation of the end-of-career earnings of several hundred players is superbly filled out by the careful tracing of the lives of so many of them.
This book deserves to be read widely: by cricket enthusiasts who need a dose of a more critical perspective than mere performance lists and saintly myths can offer, by many "sports historians" who need to locate their enthusiasms in a more rigorous framework, and by many "social historians" who will find some current emphases well complemented here. Sandiford has given us a useful piece. What we now need is a second volume, to cover the ninety years since.
Keith Sandiford is a retired Professor of History from the University of Manitoba.
Book review sourced from:-
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3686/is_199508/ai_n8711676
Canada’s path to the Cricket World Cup 2007 -- Posted Tuesday, January 2 2007
The following is a summary of Canada’s matches leading up to the World Cup itself in the West Indies this spring.
The most significant event is the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cricket League in Nairobi, Kenya, where two spots in the new ICC Twenty 20 championships (Sept 2007 in South Africa) can be won. There are two Tri-Series, one in Mombasa (Kenya) and the other in Antigua, plus a couple of warm-up matches in Trinidad and one in Nairobi.
Canada plays World Cup group qualifying matches in St Lucia against fellow-associate country Kenya, plus two ICC Full Member countries: New Zealand and England.
Tri-Series at the Mombasa Sports Club, Mombasa, Kenya
Features Canada, Kenya and Scotland
Jan 18 Canada v Scotland
Jan 20 Canada v Kenya
Jan 23 Canada v Scotland
Jan 24 Canada v Kenya
Warm-up Match in Nairobi, Kenya
Jan 27 Canada v Uganda
Uganda is an ICC Associate Member country.
Match to be played at Parklands, Nairobi.
ICC World Cricket League Division 1 in Nairobi, Kenya (inaugural tournament)
Features the six leading ICC Associate countries, each of which will be playing in the Cricket World Cup. The top two teams in WCL Division 1 qualify for the inaugural ICC Twenty 20 Championships in South Africa. A participation fee of $250,000 US goes to these two successful countries.
Canadian Cricket Association (CCA) President Ben Sennik has indicated via the CCA Web-site that Canada’s players “will be eligible to receive a bonus of US $5,000” should the team qualify for the Twenty 20 event.
Kenya, Ireland and Scotland would be regarded as the front-runners for this event. There are three rest days which could be used to play matches that had no result if bad weather intervenes.
Jan 30 Canada v The Netherlands (Ruaraka SC, Nairobi)
Jan 31 Canada v Scotland (Ruaraka SC, Nairobi)
Feb 2 Canada v Bermuda (Gymkhana Club, Nairobi)
Feb 4 Canada v Ireland (Jaffery SC, Nairobi)
Feb 5 Canada v Kenya (Jaffery SC, Nairobi)
Feb 7 WCL Final between the top 2 teams
Tri-Nations Series in Antigua & Barbuda
Features Canada, Bangladesh and Bermuda. Canada beat Bangladesh (an ICC Full Member Country) in the 2003 World Cup. However, Bangladesh has recent wins over
fellow-Full member Zimbabwe, and Scotland. They look to be making progress.
Feb 26 Canada v Bermuda
Feb 28 Canada v Bangladesh
Ground(s) to be advised, based on recent information.
World Cup Warm-up Matches in Trinidad & Tobago
Mar 6 Canada v Pakistan (ICC Full Member)
Mar 8 Canada v Ireland
Matches to be played at Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, St. Augustine, Trinidad.
World Cup Proper - Canada’s Group Matches in St Lucia
Canada face fellow-associate member Kenya, plus New Zealand and England who are ICC Full Member countries in St Lucia. The top two sides advance to the Super-8 stage of the competition.
Mar 14 Canada v Kenya
Mar 18 Canada v England
Mar 22 Canada v New Zealand
Matches to be played at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Inlet, St Lucia.
ICC Intercontinental Cup 2007 – Update
Scotland is to play the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Sharjah beginning on Jan 11 in the ICC Intercontinental Cup (4-day, first-class match). A Scottish win would secure the group and a place in the 2006 Final against Canada.
The UAE was comprehensively beaten by Namibia, late in 2006, and the ‘form-book’ would point in the direction of a Scottish win. However, sport can be unpredictable and Ireland will be hoping the Scots do not win, as Ireland might then top the group with a win over the UAE.
Scotland beat Canada in the inaugural Final in 2004. Ireland beat Kenya in the 2005 Final.
Information submitted by E.N. and J.H.
Cricket is part of sport history in Hamilton, Ontario -- Posted Tuesday, January 2 2007
Cricket in Hamilton started many years before Confederation, having been brought to Hamilton by British Army officers in the early 1800’s, and by the 1820’s it had taken hold of the public in Upper Canada (Ontario).
The earliest game, of which there is any record, is that played at Hamilton in 1834 between teams from Guelph and Toronto.
The first game in which Hamilton figures was played on August 14, 1837, when Brantford beat the local team. On May 10, 1847, at Young’s Hotel the Hamilton Cricket Club was formed and its officers were: President, Peter Hamilton; Vice-President, Miles O’Reilly; Secretary, G. H. Southam and Treasurer, Stephen M. Jarvis. The committee J. E. Sabine, G. W. Baker, Jr., F. Haycock, G. Sadlier, H. Bull, A. Roxborough and R. R. Smith.
In August 1847 there was a match played between Hamilton and Toronto, won by Toronto, and during the next ten years saw games played against teams from Paris, Guelph, Galt, Simcoe, Brantford, Burlington and Dundas. Of these teams Brantford, Guelph, and Galt still operate.
In 1857 on August 13, a game was played between Hamilton and St. Catharines and games are still being played by teams from these cities. In this year Hamilton Cricket Club had 30 playing members and a ground of six acres in the west end of the city near the present H.A.A.A. ground.
1859 was a great year for cricket in Hamilton since Parr’s All England XI visited Hamilton playing here on October 17, 18, and 19 against a XXII of Canada. During the next few years games were played against Ottawa and St. Louis, U.S.A. and Montreal. (There is a reference in 'The Eldon House Diaries", pp: 129, that on Oct 17 "George left London for Hamilton by the six o'clock train to play the cricket match with All England's Eleven".).
On August 14 and 15, 1876, against Montreal, C. J. Ottoway, of the Hamilton Club, scored 102 and the local club easily defeated Montreal.
In 1877, against Montreal, R. Leaisk of Hamilton made a score of 202 which was the highest score on the continent to that date.
In 1879 we have the first record of R. B. Ferrie playing for Hamilton. Robert Brown Ferrie was born on March 20, 1859 and died in 1952. Born in Hamilton he was sent to school in Somerset, England, where he acquired his love for cricket. He played cricket for 45 years and participated in five International matches between Canada and the U.S.A. He also toured England with the Canadian team in 1887. During this tour, against the Gentlemen of Gloucestershire he bowled the famous W. G. Grace in the first inning and E. M. Grace in the second. During this period Hamilton Cricket toured the United States and entertained teams from the United States, and in 1879 hosted Dafts English Eleven on September 18, 19 and 20, Hamilton playing seventeen men against the English XI. It was mentioned at this time that games were played on the Duke St. Ground, this being it is assumed the present H.A.A.A. Grounds and indicating a move from the earlier grounds. This ground was used by the Hamilton cricketers until about 1922 when the ground was transferred to the south-cast corner of Gage Park. The H.A.A.A. ground was familiarly known as the Cricket ground for many years.
The International Match between Canada and the U.S.A. was played in Hamilton on August 29 and 30, 1881, with the U.S.A. team emerging as the winners.
About this time the Sons of England team was formed, changing its name in 1909 to St. George’s Cricket Club, and under this title continued until in the Second World War when it ceased operations.
The West Indies Touring team was in Hamilton the end of August, 1886, and Hamilton became the First Canadian team to defeat a touring side.
The game prospered and prominent Hamilton citizens figuring in the game in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s were: A. Gillespie, D’Arcy Martin, Kirwin Martin, Alexis Martin, Fritz Martin, Jack Counsell, C. J. Dixon, R. S. Morris, C. N. Stewart, E. Riseboro, J. Gadsby. Records of the game from this period until the early 1920's are extremely sparse, but in the 1920’s Major Wynards team from England played at the H.A.A.A. grounds.
The Hamilton and District Cricket League was formed in 1921 and the Ontario Hospital Cricket Club commenced about this time along with Holy Trinity Club, which played on the mountain opposite the former site of Holy Trinity Church.
Teams from Porritts and Spencers and British West Indies were playing at this time. In the mid 1920’s Ontario Hospital and Holy Trinity were playing on the Mountain, St. Georges, Wentworth County, Porritts and Spencers, British West Indies at Gage Park and Hamilton Cricket Club at the H.A.A.A. ground, this latter club moving to Gage Park later.
Fairfield Cricket Club was formed about 1930, playing its games at Mahoney Park, to which ground Holy Trinity transferred. A team from England under the auspices of Sir Julian Cahn played a Hamilton District League team at Civic Stadium.
In 1933, The R. C. Matthews Trophy Competition was organized for competition between various counties in Ontario. Wentworth County composed of players from the Hamilton teams enjoyed much success in this competition until it was discontinued in the early 1960’s.
In 1937 the Albany Cup game between Hamilton and Toronto was revived.
During the war years, cricket ceased in Hamilton with many of the players joining the forces, but was resumed again in 1946. However, the number of teams was reduced to two, these being a combination of Fairfield-Trinity and Hamilton-St. Georges, but after a year or two the teams reverted to Fairfield Cricket Club and Hamilton Cricket Club. This year, 1946, saw the first game for the Centennial Shield between Hamilton District League and Toronto Cricket Club, the shield being given by the City of Hamilton in honour of its Centennial year. This game was played on the old Hillfield School ground on Main Street West.
In 1948 this was changed to Churchill Park where the ground is at present located. A Bermuda touring team visited Hamilton in 1949. In 1959 an M.C.C. team from England played in Hamilton, and the crew of H.M.Y. Britannia played a team from the two Hamilton teams. Since that time teams from Australia, New Zealand, England, and Washington have visited Hamilton.
A full schedule of games in the Hamilton District Cricket League has been played from 1946 to the present time and games can be seen at Churchill Park any weekend from late May to late September and spectators are welcome.
The foregoing is a sketchy history of what must be one of the oldest games in Hamilton. Details and information are difficult to find and much of the earlier history of the game was gleaned from “Sixty Years of Canadian Cricket” by Hall, and old minute books of the Hamilton and St. Georges Clubs, and the writer’s own experience over the last 35 years. Any inaccuracies are regretted, but it is hoped that this will give the reader some idea of the course of cricket in Hamilton and the international connections that it has brought to this city.
Article compiled by E. U. Spriggs, with notations from JH.
Cricket in Edmonton, Alberta -- Posted Monday, January 1 2007
Greenfield Cricket Club was established in 1990 by a small group of Sri-Lankans, who had a passion for the game of cricket. Within this short time our club has grown to be one of the best clubs in Edmonton, Alberta.
We have contributed in numerous ways to the development of cricket in Edmonton and vastly responsible for promoting youth cricket. The club is focused on developing young players and making them the future leaders of the club. We like to ensure that young players have a great future in this club and all of it's activities. Greenfield is one of the youngest teams in the league and its executive provides opportunity and encouragement to any and all up and coming cricketers.
Greenfield Cricket Club is a family oriented club where members and their families and friends have the opportunity to get involved in various activities and outings. The club has the lowest membership fees in the province (if not in Canada).
We are appreciative of your interest in Greenfield Cricket Club 'Online' and once again we extend our hearty welcome. If you wish to contact us, please e-mail us at greenfieldcc@hotmail.com and we would be delighted to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.
Article sourced from:-
http://www.greenfieldcricket.com/aboutus.htm
Guelph University cricket -- Posted Monday, January 1 2007
It's mid-afternoon in McNally House, and several administrative staffers have paused to watch the action as a photographer catches Prof. Fred Ramprashad reprising a role from his Guyana high school days, back when he was a one-time hot prospect for the West Indian cricket squad.
It takes little prodding to encourage the academic assistant to the dean of the College of Biological Science to play up for the camera. "Stare me down," the photographer says, then clicks away as Ramprashad crouches over a makeshift wicket, wielding a toy bat and putting on his best batsman's face.
Ramprashad loves the camera - or vice versa. One framed photo in his corner office is a cover shot from the Guelph Alumnus, the so-called swimsuit edition that featured Ramprashad among a group hamming it up in beachwear. In another shot, he strides out at the head of a pack on his once-customary noon-hour run. In another photo taken for a recent U of G annual report, he's dressed rather more conservatively, but that suit jacket and tie hardly dim his jocular grin.
Still, Ramprashad might say that the most important photos around the office are not of him but of former students immortalized among their graduating classes in the B.Sc. biology program. Many of those faces are recognizable to Ramprashad from the lecture theatre. Many more he recalls from time spent in his corner office discussing their academic trials and triumphs.
"Your program counsellor in the College of Biological Science has the authority to grant exemptions from rules and regulations for medical, psychological and compassionate reasons," reads a statement on the Department of Zoology Web site, then as if to underline the point: "Departmental advisers can just commiserate with you - and tell you to go and see Prof. Ramprashad."
He now sees about 1,000 students a year, about one-third of the total number enrolled in the program and roughly twice the number that used to visit after he donned the counsellor's hat some 20 years ago. As program counsellor, Ramprashad tries to provide answers and options on issues that can profoundly affect a student's academic career.
It's a responsibility he takes seriously and with more than a dose of humility. During a recent convocation ceremony, a student's parents thanked him for helping their daughter. "I don't remember doing anything of significance," he says. "I just made her feel comfortable. All I did was act as a friend would. We tend to forget the effect we have on people."
Being a friend sometimes means knowing when to administer strong medicine, as in the case of students who ask to drop a failing course near the end of semester for no apparent good reason. "I say no," says Ramprashad. "They have to learn there's a consequence to their actions. My philosophy is that we learn about life with the freedom to make mistakes."
He's learned something about mistakes, as well as the effects of a few well-chosen words. There was that low point that turned instantly into a high point during his undergraduate years at the University of Western Ontario. Disconsolate over a poor mid-term mark, he happened to be passing the office of his professor, Helen Battle, who called him in. Rather than lambaste him over the exam, she congratulated him on a recent seminar he had delivered to the class. Calling Battle a "remarkable lady" who greatly influenced his subsequent career path and teaching methods, Ramprashad recalls that she said: "You are going to make an excellent teacher."
Heady words, perhaps even more so as they partly vindicated his decision to move to Canada. He had enrolled at Western intending to follow his first love - teaching - after leaving the University of London, where he'd been studying medicine. "For me to forsake a 'professional' career was a very difficult decision to make. As a result, I can appreciate students' uncertainty about their own career paths and the societal pressure to have a specific career path. You never know what the future will hold for you."
Ramprashad brought his biology degree to Guelph in 1967 to work as a lab instructor (he completed his master's here in 1971). He speaks glowingly of former CBS dean Keith Ronald, under whose tutelage Ramprashad became a lecturer and eventually an associate professor, and with whom he worked under a once-thriving seal research program.
"I've been extremely fortunate," says Ramprashad, who, even if he can't always summon the name of a former student, seems never to have forgotten the generosity of his own mentors. Recalling his speech during a reception for Ronald in the late 1980s, he says: "I suddenly realized that here was a person I was indebted to and I couldn't repay that person."
He expressed a similar sentiment during a speech at the retirement of Ronald's successor, Prof. Bruce Sells, in the late 1990s. Now University professor emeritus, Sells recalls being struck by Ramprashad's sometimes contradictory mix of volubility and understatement when he arrived at Guelph in 1983. "He was a marvellous asset to the dean's office, very helpful in aiding and advising students," says Sells.
Ramprashad is moved to stress his indebtedness to a list of deans - current and former - in both CBS and the College of Physical and Engineering Science. He also singles out his former CPES counterpart, Prof. Bob Winkel, now retired and living in Victoria. Together, they worked on the B.Sc. program committee and introduced several transition and retention management initiatives that appear commonplace today, but that were considered innovative during the early 1980s.
They were, for example, among the first academic advisers to push for college graduate surveys, which have since become an important part of the admissions handbook. Working with the Counselling and Student Resource Centre, they introduced a special "Success" course to help readmitted students who had been required to withdraw from their program to get back on track. Starting with 15 students, the course accommodated 150 students at its peak, 88 per cent of whom completed their degrees, compared with a mere handful previously. "We introduced the idea of proactive academic advising in terms of increasing retention," says Ramprashad. "We were very proud of that.
Ramprashad also orchestrated a retention management pilot study to identify and help entering students at risk of dropping out or requiring more concentrated academic advising.
Outside McNally House, he has long been a fixture in the stands at varsity competition - and has served as faculty adviser to student athletes. Testament to that role is another memento on his office wall - an action photo signed with a thank-you note from human kinetics student and Canadian world champion aerialist skier Veronica Brenner. That role is a natural progression from his high school days, when he played nearly every sport going and where his enthusiasm made up for what he might occasionally have lacked in finesse.
Where he did excel was on the cricket pitch. His record-setting performance might have earned him a berth on the West Indies cricket squad. "But my father encouraged me to take the academic route," he says. "That was the best choice my father ever encouraged me to make."
Which brings us back to that miniature cricket bat. Close perusal of its surface reveals the scrawled signatures of the members of the Pakistani and West Indian squads who played in the 1987 World Cup Championship. The bat had been delivered by a former student, whose uncle - then manager of the West Indies team - remembered "Freddie" from their playing days. A fitting testament to his earlier athletic prowess and to the effect of the program counsellor on his students.
Article sourced from:-
www.uoguelph.ca/atguelph/99-05-05/people.html
