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Lancaster Park-Woolston’s first grade team is largely unchanged this year, but the playing management is a different matter.The club welcomes back long-serving club member Garry MacDonald as club coach, returning after a successful four-year stint coaching the Canterbury team.Captain this season is opening batsman Neville Perkins who played age group representative cricket for Canterbury.Opening the batting will be Kelvin Scott and Perkins. While joining top order batsman of recent seasons Robert Tibbetts is Mark Stewart, the well-performed second grade Dragons No 3 batsman for the past three years.Another batsman back for this season is John Woodham. After spending the off-season in Cornwall, Cleighten Cornelius will fulfil the all-rounder role.Former Christ’s College 1st XI player Bernard Ballin will fill an all-rounder spot.Garry Hooper, a 20-year veteran of local club cricket, comes in to carry out the spin bowler duties replacing John Stuart, who is unavailable due to work commitments.After waiting in the wings for the past three years, during which time he was the top wicket taker for the second grade Dragons, is Peter Robinson. Robinson is likely to open the bowling with Wade Cornelius, who will not be available for club cricket until released by New Zealand Cricket Academy early next month.Mark Lane returns as wicket-keeper and will boost the batting. He started the season with 70 last Saturday.Club captain this season is Bruce Cameron who has lead the second grade Dragons for three successive one-day titles. Cameron is once again captain of the Dragons, a team with few changes. The biggest difference this season is the loss of both opening bowlers – Robinson to first grade, Mark Silcock unavailable due to injury.Opening the bowling will be the promising Josh Maloney who bagged four for 16 off 14.5 overs last Saturday.Sharing the new ball will be Scott Garven with all rounder Shane McConnell the most likely first change bowler. The spin attack will be spearheaded by Cameron.The first grade women’s team, led this year by Jo Strachan, started the season with a decisive win, led by 102 not out from international Paula Flannery. Also back in team ranks is Haidee Tiffen after spending the off season with Surrey.This season’s women’s club captain is Kate Rathbun.The club has an overseas player, 17-year-old Sam Tucker, a wicket-keeper from the Church Cricket Club in Lancashire. Tucker, a first team player since 14 has played Under-14s, Under-15s and Under-16s for Lancashire and Under-15s for North of England.Peter Crowhen was re-elected president at the August annual meeting with David Sparks and David Wilson as vice presidents.

Sri Lanka Board President’s XI took control of the West Indians’ three-day warm-up encounter at the SSC, as two young batsmen struck centuries. Udara Jayasundera remained unbeaten on 124 at stumps, by which time the hosts had whittled out a 24-run lead, with seven first-innings wickets in hand. Jayasundera had shared a 214-run stand with 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Minod Bhanuka, who hit an attractive 101 from 160 balls.The partnership was all the more impressive for the state of the scoreline at its beginning. They had come together third ball after Kemar Roach had dismissed two batsmen from the Test squad in successive deliveries; Kusal Mendis was caught at point, and Lahiru Thirimanne offered an edge to the wicketkeeper. As Sri Lanka have picked only eight batsmen in its Test squad, Thirimanne’s failure is unlikely to force him out of the Test XI, but it does put further pressure on the batsman, who has had a modest home Test season so far.Jayasundera was largely the more secure of the two batsman, and Bhanuka was the strokemaker who occasionally rode his luck, with thick edges either passing between or over the slips. Bhanuka was especially quick on the short ball, pulling and hooking the West Indians’ seamers, while Jayasundera relied more on his drive. They were circumspect against Roach and Jason Holder, who were the most disciplined of the quicks, but scored freely off the wayward Shannon Gabriel. Jerome Taylor was rested on Saturday, and did not bowl.The West Indian spinners were unable to make a breakthrough on a pitch that had slowed down considerably. Frontline spinners Devendra Bishoo and Jomel Warrican both traveled at more than 4.5 runs an over. Holder removed Bhanuka late in the day, and the President’s XI went to stumps at 233 for 3.Earlier in the day, Suraj Randiv had completed an impressive five-wicket haul when he removed Shai Hope and Holder on consecutive deliveries. Denesh Ramdin’s dismissal for 20 left West Indians at 166 for 9, but some big-hitting from Carlos Brathwaite, who struck four sixes and four fours in his 54, took the visitors to 202 all out.

New Zealand Cricket has backed Dunedin’s University Oval to produce a Test-quality pitch within the next four weeks. The ground hosted a State Championship match that finished within two days last week as 34 wickets tumbled in quick time.Concerns were raised about whether a suitable pitch could be prepared for the New Zealand-Bangladesh Test that Dunedin is scheduled to host starting on January 4. However, NZC has completed a review following the domestic match and made recommendations on how the curators could ensure the ground was ready for the Test.”Tight control of moisture content and grass density were identified as key factors in producing a good Test surface,” Justin Vaughan, NZC’s chief executive, said. “NZC and the Otago Cricket Association will be working hard to produce the best possible wicket.”We are committed to the development of the University Oval as an international venue and are delighted with the ongoing support from the Dunedin City Council. We shall continue to work with the council to ensure that the pitch is up to international standard and will be closely monitoring its progress.”Auckland’s coach Mark O’Donnell pulled no punches in his assessment of the pitch after his side lost to Otago in the two-day game. O’Donnell said: “If you’d put a Test attack on that surface you’d probably have killed someone once the divots dried out.”

England’s coach, Duncan Fletcher, believes that Andrew Flintoff is a transformed character now that the burden of captaincy has been lifted from his shoulders.With Michael Vaughan restored to the team, Flintoff produced a brilliant, match-changing spell of bowling during England’s thrilling victory over New Zealand at Brisbane on Tuesday, and Fletcher admitted that his key allrounder seemed much happier to be back in the ranks.”We feel when he’s not captain he feels a little bit freer, his bowling is a lot more confident and there’s a weight off his shoulders,” said Fletcher. “He seems a lot more relaxed. Anyone who’s not captain of the side would be a little bit more relaxed. I don’t think there’s a captain who goes in there and feels very relaxed when he’s leading his country.”All the same, Vaughan has been struggling with a hamstring injury during the triangular one-day series and is doubtful for the first of the best-of-three finals at Melbourne on Sunday. “He’s captaining England successfully and is a very important factor for us,” said Fletcher. “You always worry with Michael because that experience is immense.”

Zimbabwe’s players have decided to end their indefinite strike, less than 24 hours after the government appointed an interim board to run the game.Clive Field, the players’ representative, said that they had made the move in the hope that outstanding contractual and financial issues would be addressed by the new board. “The players have committed themselves to continuing until at least the end of the month in the light of what was made clear at the meeting yesterday that they should expect their contracts to be resolved by then. The guys don’t feel for a second that it will be, but the feeling is that this is better way of keeping the pressure on than by just walking away.”They’ve put their pockets in front of their principles in the hope that they can persevere and preserve their income.”Field also said that they were deeply disturbed by the comments made by the government’s representative, Brigadier General Gibson Mashingaidze, that they would not mourn the loss of Zimbabwe’s Test status were that to happen.”We did not want to be drawn into his comments, but they are extremely disturbed that people could be willing to sacrifice the fabric of Zimbabwe cricket. The issue of Test status is a paramount one. They are keen to make it known that we have to preserve that status.”The players are now waiting to see if they can salvage something from this new board,” Field added. “We no longer have issues of government interference, because it’s now the case that the government is in charge.”Click here for the full players’ statement

Points table
ScorecardAn heroic back-to-the-wall hundred by Yuvraj Singh took North Zone to a four-wicket victory and helped them win the Deodhar Trophy at Valsad. Singh walked out to bat with North at 16 for 3, chasing 213 for victory. Yuvraj proceeded to play an astonishing innings, hitting 124 off only 120, and struck 16 fours and three sixes. Ajay Jadeja was the next highest scorer, with 34. Both put on 122 together after Sankinani Vishnuvardhan removed Dinesh Mongia to have North reeling at 38 for 4.Earlier, Venugopal Rao struck 59 to set up a launch pad of sorts for South Zone, but Harbhajan Singh dismissed him and two others after him to ensure that not many were scored in the final overs.
ScorecardCentral Zone – led by Suresh Raina’s 84 – won a close game in Jamnagar, beating West Zone by 12 runs. Central put on 282 after a consistent display by most of the batsmen, and then reduced West to 167 for 7 before defiance by the late order took them close to the total.Jai P Yadav (56 off 61) added 73 with Raina, who fell at the start of the slog. Raina’s knock consumed 81 balls, and he struck five fours and two sixes to help his team clinch third place in the five-team Deodhar Trophy.

On the first day of this match, the wicket had a green look to it that suggested it might have offered something to the bowlers. On the third day, Somerset racked up the highest score against Hampshire in the County Championship since 1909!But, the Somerset supporters have endured as tough a season as their Hampshire counterparts and they were still unhappy despite watching Ian Blackwell smash a career best 189 (211 balls, 32 fours and two sixes) as their side declared on a mammoth 705-9.For, once again on the picturesque Taunton ground, the most likely result tomorrow, barring a batting collapse that is by no means a far-removed hope when it comes to Hampshire, is a dull if high-scoring draw.Resuming on 338-4, Tom Webley (59), Blackwell, Aaron Laraman (52) and Rob Turner (67 not out) all enjoyed themselves on the placid wicket as the Hampshire bowlers all toiled – and, for what must be a record, all five front line bowlers conceded a century of runs. Only Chris Tremlett with four wickets came away with any kind of satisfaction.It was another desperately hard day in the field for Hampshire as Somerset continued unrepentantly to the tune of 367 runs in only 72 overs.Bad light prevented an immediate response to the Hampshire second innings but it did brighten sufficiently for eight balls to be bowled from which James Adams hit a four.Still 306 runs behind, it is going to take a good batting performance to save the game. And on this wicket, it should be achieved. It should!

The England and Wales Cricket Board today announced that the following 11players have confirmed their availability for the Test Match tour to Indianext month subject to the proviso that the Team and the ProfessionalCricketers’ Association are satisfied that appropriate security arrangementswill be in place for the tour:-

Kumar Sangakkara was driven by a “healthy rivalry” with Mahela Jayawardene, former Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody has said. Both men have retired as Sri Lanka’s two highest Test run scorers – Sangakkara sits atop the list with 12,400 runs.The pair had bloomed during Moody’s stint as coach, and memorably struck a world-record 624 runs together against South Africa in 2006. Sri Lanka drew Test series in England and New Zealand, and progressed to the final of the 2007 World Cup under Moody.”There’s a very strong bond between Mahela and Kumar, but I also think there was a healthy rivalry between the two,” Moody said. “It never really came to the surface. It was underlying. It was there in a positive way where one would drive the other with their performances. That’s why they were so formidable as a partnership in the middle.”Moody described the pair as a “coach’s dream” because of their leadership ability and tenacity. Jayawardene became captain during Moody’s tenure, during which the Sri Lanka team also moved away from a strongly hierarchical team culture.”Mahela and Kumar really sang from the same hymn sheet with regards to trying to improve the professionalism around the team, and trying to improve the mindset of the team playing outside of Sri Lanka. One of the great challenges we addressed during my tenure was to look at the way we play away from home and look at the technical and mental aspect of how we play outside Sri Lanka. Mahela and Kumar ran with that idea because they saw it as a great challenge for them both. Once you have players of that quality on board, you very quickly gather momentum within the team. “Sangakkara also made a definitive career move under Moody. He had been the Test side’s wicketkeeper batsman through the early noughties, but gave up the gloves ahead of that series against South Africa in mid-2006.”I remember Kumar having a conversation with me about halfway through my time with as a coach,” Moody said. “He was seeking my advice about his role as the wicketkeeper-batsman in the side and his career ambitions. I said to him at the time that the team wanted him to do everything, but at the same time that batting and keeping wicket in all formats wasn’t something he could do for a long period, and do it as successfully as he would like.”I just asked him, ‘What’s your ambition as a batsman? Do you want to be the best batsman in the world?’ He basically said he wanted to achieve that milestone – he didn’t say he wanted to be the best batsman in the world, just that he wanted to be the best he possibly could be. So I said to him, ‘The team’s going to benefit either way. If you’re going to have that ambition to be the best you can be by handing the gloves in in Test cricket, the team’s going to be the beneficiary of that.’ We’ve seen over the last seven years that he has been the most consistent Test batsman over that period.”Moody also said Sangakkara was “right at the top” of players he has coached “with regards to how thorough his preparation was”. Sangakkara was not captain during Moody’s time with the team, but had become a leader within the group.”The standout leadership skill with Kumar was setting the great example on and off the field. He was very thoughtful and articulate as well. A lot of players would gravitate towards him naturally and learn from his mature outlook on the game and on life. That has been one of the important features of Sri Lanka cricket – that they’ve had Kumar and Mahela as those godfather figureheads to guide the team and the next generation through.”

Umar Gul is confident of making a comeback to bowling in the first week of January after injuring his back on the tour of India. Gul, who took part in the ODI series, complained of a back problem and was sent home before the Tests after being diagnosed with muscle spasm.”I have rested a lot and I feel OK now. But I have not bowled for a while and the board has asked me to appear for a fitness check-up before the PCB medical panel in Lahore,” Gul said. The check-up was due to be held sometime on Thursday.”I am looking forward to resuming bowling by the first week of next month, provided everything goes well. It is not a serious injury nor a recurrence of the back stress fracture I had two years ago.”Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, said it was premature to comment on Gul’s fitness but he confirmed that the bowler had been told to take a week’s rest before his check-up.”We are confident it is nothing serious but we are prepared for any eventuality. We are facing frequent fitness problems with our main bowlers and we want to ensure they don’t suffer long-term injuries,” Naghmi said.Pakistan were struggling in the fast-bowling department during the Test series. While Gul missed the Tests, Mohammad Asif was forced to miss the entire tour of India and underwent keyhole surgery on his troubling elbow earlier this week. Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami were unable to deliver 100 percent due to illness.Gul blamed the current crammed international calender for niggling injuries to pace bowlers. “You can’t escape from them [injuries] despite the improved fitness programmes we follow these days and the training regimen we go through.”Pakistan now take on Zimbabwe for a five-match ODI series at home before hosting Australia in February and March 2008.