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A three-run win over Easton & Martyr Worthy has given Bashley (Rydal) a place in tomorrow evening’s (TUE) Southern Electric Contracting Cup semi-final.They play BAT Sports at Southern Gardens, 6pm.But it was a close run thing for Bashley, who recovered from losing Luke Ronchi for a duck by reaching 94 all out (Andy Sexton 24).Shaun Green hit 37 not out for Easton, who suffered three run outs before needing eight runs off the last two balls of the game.They hit the penultimate ball for a boundary, but managed only one run off the last ball to finish at 91-7.Burridge visit Rowledge in a twice-postponed quarter-final, also tomorrow evening.The winners are away to South Wilts in the semi-finals.

Following on from the success of the previous two years the 2002 End of Season Presentation Dinner and Players Awards is on Thursday 26 September at the Holiday Inn, Hambrook. Whilst enjoying a meal with the Players, Staff and Committee Members, there will be a review of the season by John Bracewell and Mark Alleyne among other events.There are opportunities to sponsor and present an award of your choice, takea table of 10 to bring along friends and valued clients, or make a donationtowards the raffle prizes.Tickets are priced at £27 per person or £250 for a table of 10.To book tickets and for further information please contact Anne Pope on 01179108025 or [email protected]

The chances of Sri Lanka’s spin wizard, Muttiah Muralitharan, being fit for the second Test against England at Edgbaston appear to be diminishing by the day.Although Murali turned his right arm on the outfield at Cardiff, where SriLanka are playingtheir tour match against Glamorgan, his action is still restricted by the injury to his left shoulder.Team manager Chandra Schaafter does not expect Muralitharan to be ready forEdgbaston, but still hopes he might be fit for the third Test at Old Trafford.”It seems very unlikely he will play in the second Test and we are only hoping he can play in the third,” he said.”There is nothing yet to indicate he will and nothing to indicate he won’t. It is just a matter of how quickly he gets back into shape.”Sri Lanka are also awaiting video evidence from the ICC of the suspect bowling action of their left-arm paceman Ruchira Perera, who was reported by the umpires after the drawn first Test at Lord’s.Perera, 25, is not playing in the current match. “We are waiting for the video tapes to arrive,” Schaafter said.”I have been promised them tomorrow or the day after by the ICC and after weget them we will start to work on what we see.”This problem never came up before. He has played seven Test matches and there has never been a hint of anything like this. It came as a big surprise toeveryone.”

Brig Munawar Ahmed Rana was neither a cricketer nor a sports or cricket management guru. He was not even a commentator. But in his own quiet manner, this PCB Director (another title for CEO) over the past year and a half – a period not without interest for a variety of reasons – did make a difference.Chishty Mujahid, veteran radio and television commentator with three decades plus of interest in the game, especially Pakistan cricket, replaced Brig Munawar the other day.

Unlike his boss, Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, Munawar was not flamboyant. His self-effacing manners were a decent camouflage for the steel behind, and those who tested his patience beyond its extended threshold would vouch for the sting. He was a really good administrator, overseeing the systematization of the PCB with diligence and efficiency.More than anything, it was his uncanny knack of cutting though the maze and getting to the core of an issue which endeared him to his peers in the ICC and ACC boardrooms. The rapport he quickly developed with officials of other Boards was of critical importance in sorting out some otherwise messy affairs without rancour or controversy.Without the least belligerence or righteous chest-thumping, without ever uttering the ‘R’ word, he was successful in gaining the sympathy of the ICC on the Shoaib Akhtar issue. And the problem seems to have disappeared. The Black Caps tour of Pakistan, which eventually had to be aborted after the May 8 bomb blast, had as much to do with his powers of persuasion as the ACC threat that all Asian nations would boycott countries which refuse to honour commitments with its members.Now he is gone, moving to that most beleaguered of Pakistani organisations these days, the National Reconstruction Bureau. He was called over to NRB, and being an officer and a gentleman, it was not his lot to reason why. Whether his clear-headed, rational thinking would help NRB as much as it did cricket is anybody’s guess, but it is surely cricket’s loss. Enter the dapper commentator.Chishty Mujahid, the dapper cricket commentator with a good humour, who has loads of corporate experience at the top to boot, has replaced Rana. Commentating on the game is one thing, managing it quite another, especially when it involves dealing with an overdose of mavericks. In a way, Chishty has crossed to the other side of the fence. There is much difference between merely talking and actually doing. This is not a reflection on Chishty’s ability, but an acknowledgment of his courage. It takes guts to do something new, more so when your reputation is at stake and you are no spring chicken.But Chishty has some advantages. He has been involved with the game for well-nigh three decades behind the microphone, and his interest dates back well beyond that. He knows his cricket, and the PCB headquarters, the Gaddafi Stadium. He will need all his resourcefulness to lead Pakistan cricket in these difficult times when no top-flight outfit wants to visit Pakistan. Good luck to him – he is sure to need it.

The Somerset Cricket Academy played two one-day matches against Sussex Cricket Academy at Taunton School on Thursday and Friday. Originally the matches had been planned to take place in April, but because of the bad weather had to be called off.On Thursday Sussex batted first and scored 287 in their 50 overs with Nat Price from Ilminster taking 3 for 25. In reply Somerset Academy side reached 191 for 8, of which Grant Hodnett, a South African playing cricket for Seaton made 60 not out and Cornishman Neil Edwards 36.On Friday Sussex again batted first and made 233 for 8, with Matt Bulbeck taking 3 for 20 and Jason Hall, another Cornish player 2 for 25. Somerset just failed to overhaul the target and with the last ball to be bowled required three runs to win. The last pair scampered a single so Somerset ended two runs short. For Somerset Neil Edwards made 70, Matthew Wood 41 and Chris Gange 27.

Pakistan proved the tag of bad chasers of wrong for the second time inless than seven months when they overhauled New Zealand’s 277 withthree wickets and 17 balls to spare to clinch the One-dayInternational series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium Wednesday night.The victory in the second One-day International gave the Asianchampions an unassailable 2-0 lead over the ICC Champions Trophywinners with the last match scheduled at Lahore Saturday.Pakistan, who successfully chased 272 against Sri Lanka at Sharjahlast October, looked dead and buried when they lost Imran Nazir andYousuf Youhana in the first eight balls. But then two usefulpartnerships of 73 for the third wicket and 93 for the fourth turnedthe match in Pakistan’s favour. And though there were minor hiccups atthe end, Rashid Latif ensured that Pakistan didn’t let the initiativeslip with a priceless unbeaten 28.The architects of Pakistan’s victory were, however, Younis Khan, whostroked a flawless 70 off 91 balls, and Abdul Razzaq who clobbered 10fours and a six in his superb 84-ball 86.The flamboyant Shahid Afridi gave the initial impetus to the inningswith a rapid 36-ball 40 before perishing to a premeditated sweep offScott Styris.Both Younis and Razzaq justified the decision of skipper Waqar Younisto promote them ahead of the experienced Inzamam-ul-Haq. But thedecision also left a few questions unanswered. If Inzamam was demotedbecause of bad form, why he was retained as Pakistan, for the seventhstraight match, kept faith in the same side that started its SharjahCup defence earlier this month. And if he was selected in spite of badform, why he was not sent at No 3 which would have provided him ampletime to settle down and come out of a poor patch.Inzamam scored 26 but he faces the axe for the third match,particularly after Pakistan is expected to make changes.Younis, who hit his fourth half century in five matches, played a wellcontrolled innings. The 25-year-old Pathan showed good defensivetechnique to good balls but at the same time punished anything losethat fetched him seven boundaries. The high point of Younis’s inningswas his excellent timing and perfect placing.Nevertheless, despite doing all the hard work, Younis threw his wicketby attempting to cut Walker only to get his stumps rattled.Despite losing Younis, Razzaq kept his composure and continued toplunder runs all over the park through his unorthodox style. He showednice wrist work by playing delicate leg glances and off his toesstrokes.When Pakistan needed 26 off 45 balls for victory, Styris foxed Razzaqwith a slow off-spinner. But the Middlesex-bound all-rounder had donehis job to perfection though it would have been nice if he hadreturned undefeated.New Zealand had their chances to dismiss Younis and Razzaq. But one ofthe finest fielding sides failed to pounce on the opportunities. LouVincent and Walker needed direct throws to run out both but failed tohit the stumps.Overall, it was a collective and team effort by the Pakistan batsmenwho have repeatedly buckled down while chasing big totals. There wascommitment, discipline and purpose behind their batting thatthoroughly entertained a full house of 18,000 spectators.Earlier, Craig McMillan scored his second One-day Internationalcentury to propel the Black Caps to an imposing 277 for five.McMillan, whose other century was also against Pakistan last year atChristchurch, was out in the last over after hitting a 116-ball 105.But it was sad that he ended up on the losing side, chiefly becauseNew Zealand didn’t have the fire and penetration in their bowling.McMillan slapped eight boundaries and a six and featured in twofruitful partnerships. For the second wicket with Matthew Horne, headded 96 runs from 125 balls and then for the third wicket, he put 92runs off 83 balls with Adams.Horne chipped in with a fluent 62 – his fifth half century in 49matches – that included seven boundaries from 91 balls. Adams,promoted to use long handle after the platform was set, contributedrun-a-ball 45 with six hits to the fence.It was McMillan who maintained New Zealand’s steady run-rate. Afterthe visitors collected 141 for two from the first 30 overs, McMillanmade sure that his side added almost an equal number of runs in theremaining twenty overs.With New Zealand reaching 210 for two from 40 overs, prospects of ascore of more than 300 looked on cards. But the Pakistan bowlers, whofailed to make a good use of the new ball by allowing McMillan andcompany build partnerships, pulled things back in the death overs bybowling in the block holes. The end result was that New Zealand couldmuster only 67 runs.The pace trio of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar bowledtheir hearts out on a strip full of runs. Shoaib, who wanted toperform well before his home crowd, finished with wicketless for 51while Wasim recovered after giving away 22 off his first four overs toend up with two for 58. Waqar was the pick of the bowlers with two for46.

Though the match meandered along to a tame draw, Central Zone entered thesemifinals of the Inter-Zonal CK Nayudu Trophy Under-19 tournament on thebasis of their 27-run first innings lead over East Zone in the quarterfinalencounter at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.Opting to bat first on the opening day on Friday, Central Zone progressedslowly to 158 for 7 at close of play. The highlight of the innings was apatient 66 by opener Surinder Singh. However, none of the other batsmenmade an impact. He was the seventh batsman to be dismissed at the fag endof the day, caught by A Hashmi off SS Lahari. During a 326-minute stay atthe crease, Surinder Singh faced 218 balls and hit nine boundaries. CentralZone lasted for 16 more overs on the second day before they were bowled outfor 178. SS Lahari (3 for 63) and S Ali (3 for 41) were the pick of thebowlers.But when it was East Zone’s turn to bat, Surinder Singh returned to tormentthe East Zone batsmen to finish with 5 for 41. East Zone fell shy of leadby just 27. Only four of their batsmen managed to reach double figures withA Hashmi topscoring with 42.Central Zone in their second innings fared slightly better, scoring 194.Surinder Singh (60) was again the mainstay of the batting. He was ablyassisted by opening partner SS Dholpure (31) and skipper A Kapoor (38). Setto score 222 for a win with not even a session of play left on the finalday, East Zone, in 15 overs, made 62 runs for three wickets.In the three day semifinals, which commence on January 24, Central playNorth Zone while West Zone meet South Zone.

Marcus Trecothick continued his impressive early-season form with hissecond hundred against Glamorgan in the space of five days.The England opener followed up his 147 in the CricInfo Championship match with a 118-ball hundred today that was the backbone of his side’s six-wicket victory in the opening Benson & Hedges Cup zonal match.Trescothick’s performance was all the more impressive as he wasSomerset’s captain for the day in the absence of the injured Jamie Cox.And the left-hander’s form will have given the England management great encouragement with the Test series against Pakistan starting in just over a fortnight.Replying to Glamorgan’s 233-6, Somerset reached the winning line withthree overs to spare.Trescothick, who won the Gold Award, was given fine support by KeithDutch who supplied a Benson-best of 55 in a second-wicket stand of 121in 25 overs.Glamorgan, last season’s B&H finalists, won the toss but a solidstart was marred by three unnecessary run-outs of top-order batsmen.Steve James was run out by 10 yards in a mix-up with Mike Powell, whowas also involved in the dismissals of Adrian Dale and Matthew Maynard.Powell and Maynard looked to have rescued the Glamorgan innings with 84in 15 overs before the former county captain was out of his groundattempting a third run.Darren Thomas and Adrian Shaw added 43 in six overs to post acompetitive total on a slowish Cardiff pitch.But Glamorgan’s bowling was too wayward at the start of the Somersetinnings and Trescothick punished anything with width until he was outfour overs from the end.

It wasn’t quite the home-run derby that the Americans had been led to expect, but Daniel Vettori and Kumar Sangakkara hope cricket’s Florida experiment will continue. The two-match Twenty20 series in Lauderhill over the weekend was drawn 1-1 but the result was of little consequence.This series was more about the chance to gain exposure for the sport in the world’s third most populous country. But the first two international cricket matches in the USA proved to be dour affairs, with a slow, low pitch and only two sixes hit in each game, and the Sri Lankan captain Sangakkara hoped the nature of the contests didn’t turn American fans away.”That’s one of the subtleties of cricket, that a low-scoring game can be exciting if you analyse it properly,” Sangakkara said. “The wicket wasn’t conducive to big hitting but ideally it should have been a high-scoring two games, 180 to be chased down would have been great out there on a ground like this with fans watching cricket for the first time.”For the players and the die-hard fans the excitement is the same but probably for an introduction maybe we could have had a lot more scores. The ground facilities are pretty good, there’s great seating, the atmosphere is brilliant to play cricket in. You just need to keep playing cricket on tracks like this, the more you play the better the tracks become.”In the first game, New Zealand battled to 120 for 7 from their 20 overs and then dismissed Sri Lanka for 92, while in the second match New Zealand never recovered from losing four wickets in the first three overs. Their final score of 81 was New Zealand’s lowest in a Twenty20 match but the captain Vettori said apart from some improvement in the pitch, there were few other problems with the Lauderhill venue.”Most international grounds probably need those off-field facilities where you can train while the game is going on, it makes it a little bit easier,” Vettori said. “There’s not too much more. The standard of the wicket could improve a little bit but apart from that I think the ground has everything going for it.”It’s certainly given USA cricket a profile, and I think that’s the biggest thing to come from that. Both teams really enjoyed coming here and in the future, when we talk to other players from around the world we’ll tell them how good a time we had and how good the facilities are, and you’ll get other teams coming along and enjoying it just as much as we did. USA cricket has come along way just from this week.”New Zealand now have a two-month break before they tour Sri Lanka for a tri-series also involving India and Vettori was hopeful of a better performance next season.”I think all the guys are ready for it. They’ve been going non-stop for about nine to10 months so everyone’s due a break,” Vettori told . “We’ve got to make sure that we use this break to try and improve as a side and when we go to Sri Lanka we’re ready to try and win over there.”

Alastair Cook admitted England would have to reflect on the selection of their side after succumbing to a nine-wicket loss against India in the first Test in Ahmedabad.England’s bowling attack, with three frontline seamers and one specialist spinner, looked ill-suited for a Test played on a low, slow wicket, with the seamers claiming 1 for 254 in the match.Their batsmen also struggled and, in eight innings between them, England’s middle-order of Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Samit Patel contributed just 68 runs. By contrast, Cheteshwar Pujara scored 247 runs in the match without being dismissed and India’s two spinners claimed 13 wickets between them.While Cook admitted the problem, in part, was simply that several players had underperformed, he also conceded that the team management would have to reconsider the make-up and balance of the side ahead of the second Test which begins in Mumbai on Friday.”Clearly we’re going to have to look at our selection,” Cook said. “There are some good people making decisions in this England team and we thought we were doing the right thing for the side. The result showed we might have got it wrong. When you get beaten by nine wickets, you have a look at a lot of areas and we have to look at what we could have done better. There will be a lot to ponder. We’ll have to look at our squad for the next game.”The omission of left-arm spinner Monty Panesar has been highlighted as a key error by many critics but Cook felt the failure of England’s batting line-up in the first innings was more of an issue. He refuted any suggestion that England had been underprepared, but accepted that they would require far more of the team to contribute if they were to fight their way back in the series.”Our batting, especially in the first innings, didn’t deliver enough runs,” Cook said. “I thought it was a very good cricket wicket. There was a little bit in it for the spinners, but if you applied yourself with the bat it held together probably better than we thought it would. It was turning, yes. But runs were able to be had out there, as we showed in our second innings.”If we’re going to win out here, everyone in the game has to contribute. We need everyone to stick their hands up at certain times. The lads who haven’t performed as well as they would have liked in this game will be very disappointed. We showed a lot of character in that second half of the game. There are a lot of quality players in that dressing-room, with very good records who have scored hundreds against every attack in the world. They didn’t deliver in this game, and they know that. The middle order didn’t score enough runs. Everyone has to have a look at themselves if we want to take something out of this series.”The defeat means England have lost five out of six Tests in Asian conditions this year, leaving Cook to agree that mental scars might be as large an impediment to progress as technical deficiencies. “I’d say it’s a bit of both. Clearly, there are always technical issues before the mental ones kick in. We’re doing the right things. It’s now getting it right out in the middle and trusting our method there. We can only continue working as hard as we are doing, and I can’t fault the lads for that. It’s a case of working as hard as we can in the nets, and trusting our method out in the middle.”Cook also said the result had soured the memory of one of his finest innings. “I’m very happy with the way I batted,” he said. “To score any hundred for England is very special and to score one in that situation probably made it even more special for me.”Technically, it might have been a good innings. But you always get more satisfaction when you do it in a winning cause or to save a game. Maybe the 230 in Brisbane, in a similar match situation, is a better innings. But the result is what really matters and we weren’t good enough over the five days to win. I’d have been even prouder if I’d survived and dragged a draw out of it. I’m bitterly disappointed.”