All posts by csb10.top

Grant Bradburn has returned to the Northern Districts fold, but not as a player. Bradburn has been appointed as the Community Cricket co-ordinator for the Waikato Valley region.Bradburn has been one of the great stalwarts of Northern Districts cricket with a playing career spanning 17 years. In all he appeared in 115 first-class and 121 one-day matches for Northern Districts, both of them records. He is the third highest runscorer, and the second highest wicket taker, and has the most catches by a non-wicketkeeper. He played seven tests and 11 one-day internationals for New Zealand.Bradburn will be working in the newly-constituted Waikato Valley region. A boundary review has seen the trial amalgamation of the Thames Valley and Midlands senior District Associations for the 2003-2004 season (with the exception of the Taupo sub association which has returned to the Bay of Plenty).His responsibilities will involve working closely with the senior District Association and the Midlands and Thames Valley Junior Cricket Board’s to promote the game at all levels (primary school, secondary school and clubs) and to elevate the profile of cricket in the greater Waikato region. He will also be responsible for the national development programme in the region.He will be attached to Sport Waikato, as well as Northern Districts, as a member of the Sportsforce team. Dave Richardson, previously Sportsforce cricket development manager for the whole Waikato region will now focus on Hamilton and becomes Hamilton Cricket development manager. Bradburn will continue his ownership of Grant Bradburn Sports which operates as a shop at Westpac Park. Grant will be based at the Northern Districts office at Westpac Park.

No-one will ever under-estimate Peter Fulton when he next strides to the wicket with bat in hand for Canterbury, or for whoever he is playing.Fulton, 24, in only his 11th first-class match achieved the feat of scoring a triple century in a State Championship match against Auckland at Hagley Oval.It was the definitive statement of his ability although is not without precedent when coming so early in a career.Most recently Ken Rutherford scored his triple century when 21 years of age while Bill Carson, whose 290 was the record Fulton surpassed as the highest score for a maiden century, was 20 when he achieved his great score. He had his career cut short by the Second World War in which he died of wounds.Fulton didn’t feel too tired after his innings, it was broken with a night off when he was 188 not out, and said when the declaration came around lunchtime on day two, he felt a tiredness normally associated with having been on a long run.By the end of the four days he was back to normal.The innings came as some reward for opting for cricket over the rugby he had been playing as a 196cm tall fullback. The choice, one which faces so many young New Zealand sportsmen, was forced on him when he had the chance to play league cricket in England. He had two years with Lytham in the Liverpool League. Some knee problems also contributed.”Both sports are similar in terms of team spirit involved in them. But I think in cricket you have a little bit more control over your own game and you are not so reliant on other people,” he said.Fulton made his debut in the last game of the summer of 2000/01, when the competition was well and truly gone from Canterbury’s grasp. It was enough to leave him wanting more but not sufficient for him to get a true idea of what was involved.”It was five or six games before I realised what was all about,” he said.Winning acceptance as a prospective player had not been easy because he played his club cricket in North Canterbury and it was unfashionable for country players to be pulled into the representative side.Making his task easier was the fact that Michael Sharpe had become Canterbury coach after a period as Canterbury Country coach where he had seen Fulton develop.That country cricket involved playing in New Zealand’s second-class competition for the Hawke Cup, a competition notorious for producing some hard nuts who have been exposed to one-innings matches of a nature as tough, if not tougher on occasions, as first-class cricket.”It’s the highest level that a lot of those who are playing will ever reach, and they make it tough. There is a lot riding on it and there is more talk on the field than in first-class play.”The biggest difference in Hawke Cup cricket is having to bat for such a long time and it makes you realise what is required when you step up,” he said.It was certainly a key asset in his own triple century innings.Canterbury had not been going well although Fulton had been having some reasonable, if not earth-shattering, scores.”In the Auckland game there was a lot of pressure on the whole team. The batsmen had not been performinng.”I felt good when I got in. I was so determined to make the most of it.”Before I got to the century, that was all I was focusing on. It is a big hurdle until you get one. Once I got there I was just enjoying it.”Then I really wanted to get through to the end of the day and start again the next day. I knew if I could do that I could get a really big score.”He went to stumps on 188 not out.The innings produced its own type of euphoria the further he went. Batting wasn’t difficult.”I didn’t feel like I had to force myself to concentrate. I was not worried about dot balls or maidens.”As his innings mounted, team-mates began to take an interest in the milestones as they passed: Chris Harris’ Canterbury record of 251 not out; the highest score by a New Zealander for his maiden century held by W N ‘Bill’ Carson with 290 runs, and then the seventh instance of a New Zealander scoring a triple century – the first by anyone who didn’t have an Otago connection.”It was strange to see myself on that [triple centuries] list. Now the season has finished I can think about it a little more.”The reaction after the match had been “amazing”. He has been getting letters and calls of congratulations from people who he thought wouldn’t have taken an interest in cricket and that had been most satisfying.Fulton, who has an Arts degree majoring in education and sociology, said he didn’t think the triple century would create any pressure for him in the future. The opposite was the case.”I’ve done it. It gives me some confidence for my place in the side.”The immediate benefit has been a place in the New Zealand Cricket Academy this year. He had been disappointed to miss out last year.It will be the first time he has had some specific coaching. He hasn’t had a lot of technical coaching before, more the benefit of an enthusiastic headmaster Peter Prosser at Waihi School and Sharpe later on in his career.”I couldn’t really play a forward defensive shot. I was more of a bowler until just after the third form.”Winning a place in the Canterbury team, he never played age-group cricket for Canterbury, although he was once included in the Under-19 side when another player was injured, had exposed him to international players and their methods of preparation and performance.”The biggest thing about playing for Canterbury is being in the nets with the New Zealand players when they are back. Batting with them and watching them, and asking them questions has been great because they have been happy to pass on their knowledge.”I had a different route to the side. I have had to work every year and I took the view that I had to improve five per cent each year so my improvement has been quite gradual.”When he was chosen for Canterbury he was the first Christ’s College player for several years, which in Christchurch’s, and Christ’s College’s, proud association with cricket was a long time.The school teams had suffered from the problem afflicting the game in New Zealand, the drop-out rate of players when their schooling is completed. But that just made Fulton’s success all the more satisfying for him.He gives the impression that there is still much more he wants to do, and that has to be healthy for Canterbury in the short term and who knows where it might all end for him?

Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, the most recognisable book in sport, is to have a photograph on the cover for the first time in its 140-year history. The first man to appear on the famous yellow jacket is Michael Vaughan, England’s star batsman, who has just gone to the top of the world rankings.It is the first major change to the cover since 1938, when Wisden brought in the celebrated woodcut by Eric Ravilious showing two top-hatted Victorian gentlemen playing cricket. The woodcut now appears on the back of the jacket, and also on the spine, which is otherwise unchanged so as to maintain continuity on collectors’ shelves.The decision to change the cover was made by the editor of the 2003 edition, Tim de Lisle, the first one-off editor in Wisden’s history. The new design was done last October by the art director of Wisden’s monthly magazine, Nigel Davies, and was a closely guarded secret for six months, with the book trade being shown only a silhouette. The change was ratified by the Wisden management committee, and the chairman, Sir Paul Getty, approved the new cover in what turned out, alas, to be his final contribution to the Almanack before his death on April 17."The cover of Wisden is an icon," Tim de Lisle says, "and you don’t update an icon without taking a deep breath. But it had ceased to be a true reflection of the book. The content had become much more entertaining under the previous three editors [John Woodcock, Graeme Wright and Matthew Engel], and the cover was making Wisden look drier and dustier than it really is."The yellow background and chocolate lettering are unchanged, and the photograph is in black-and-white, to let yellow remain the signature colour and underline Wisden’s standing as a publishing classic. "Black-and-white has the feel of history," de Lisle says. "It’s in tune with what the top players do, writing their names indelibly in the game’s annals."The hope is that being on the cover of Wisden will become a major honour, like our Five Cricketers of the Year, but distinct from them – you can be a Cricketer of the Year only once, whereas the cover star should be the person to whom the year belonged, for whatever reason, and it should be possible to appear twice. Last year, for instance, it might have been Sir Donald Bradman, whose obituary was in the book."Vaughan was picked because he had made the year his own with seven Test centuries, scored in great style. The photograph, by the well-known cricket photographer Patrick Eagar, shows Vaughan celebrating a century. "It needed to be an image that was full of vitality and emotion," de Lisle says. "Wisden’s readers have a real passion for the game, and the cover should reflect that."A traditional-style jacket has also been produced, and can be ordered free of charge by collectors who prefer it, or who wish to have both covers to maintain the completeness of their collection.At 40 Tim de Lisle, who won an Editor of the Year award in 1999 with Wisden Cricket Monthly, is the youngest editor of the Almanack since the Second World War. His brief was to move the book forward and regular readers will find a few more surprises – along with reports and comment from the 2003 World Cup, which ended only a month ago – when the 140th edition reaches the shops next week.Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2003 is published by John Wisden on April 30, in hardback and soft cover. The recommended retail price is £35 – but click here for our special offer.

Punjab sure have thrown up some impressive debutants in their Ranjipre-quarterfinal against Assam played at the Punjab CricketAssociation Stadium, Mohali. If it was Ishan Malhatra who impressed onthe first two days, Friday found his new-ball partner Harish Puriwarming the cockles of the discerning. The fast bowler claimed 5 for66 in the Assam second innings as the tourists slumped to a ten-wicketdefeat in under three days. Punjab now move into the quarter-finals ofthe premier domestic tournament in the country.In the morning, Assam, resuming at 53 for two, lost opener Parag Dasalmost immediately. A 47-run fifth wicket stand between wicketkeeperSyed Zuffri (40) and Sumit Ranjan Das (31), and a 32 from GautamDatta, were the only bright spots in an otherwise pathetic Assamreply. These cameos ensured that the visitors at least avoided theembarassment of an innings defeat. This though was replaced by thenone-too-pleasurable feeling associated with a ten-wicket thumping asthe Punjab openers duly notched up the 14 runs required to seal theirteam’s quarterfinal berth.

Simon Lowe, the Manager of the Playing for Success Study Support Centre that is based in the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground, has recently received some very good news.When I called to see him yesterday morning he told me: "Earlier this year I was asked to submit a bid to the D.F.E. for extra funding and I have just been informed that we have been awarded £10, 000 to enable us to enhance our provision here at the centre."Simon continued: "What I am going to do is to involve schools who up until now have been unable to get into the centre because of where they are. The money that we have now received will be used to fund the Exmoor Extension Project which means we will now be able to involve Danesfield School at Williton, Minehead Middle School and Dulverton Middle School."The project gets underway on Monday March 3rd and runs for six weeks, with each school coming into the centre once a week for a three hour session.Each session will consist of two hours working in the centre with Simon and his staff and a member of staff from the school, plus a one hour coaching session in the Centre of Excellence with former Somerset player Peter Robinson.The Playing for Success Centre Manager concluded: "This exciting project will enable us to enhance and extend the use of the centre by opening it’s doors to students who up until now have been prohibited from getting here after school because of where they live.”The Exmoor Extension Project will run at the centre in addition to the programme that is already being provided to students from schools in Bridgwater, Wellington and Wiveliscombe.

West Indian captain Carl Hooper admitted that his side had been beaten fairand square by Sri Lanka in Galle but promised that the team will come outfighting in the second Test starting on Wednesday.The tourists lost to Sri Lanka by 10 wickets on Saturday despite havingscored 448 in their first innings.”We didn’t play as we could have done, but I don’t think we were disgracedin any way,” he said. “We are disappointed we lost but we’ll come outfighting again in the second Test.””We knew it was going to be tough. They have a world-class spinner inMuttiah Muralitharan and he is going to put you under pressure.”I was very hopeful when I saw the way Sarwan and Ganga played in the firsthour. They were fairly comfortable it was unfortunate to lose Ganga and thenSarwan immediately afterwards.”West Indies were cruising at one stage on 423 for four, but following thedismissal of Brian Lara, they capitulated, losing their remaining fivewickets for just 23 runs. Sri Lanka then rattled up 590 to set themselves upfor victory on the final day.”When we were 423 for four we should have made 550,” said Hooper. “Weallowed them back into the game and then bowled too short and wide on thefirst day. As a result they got away.”We made a big effort in trying to pull them back on the third and fourthday, but we were obviously up against it.”Hooper defended the decision to play two spinners: “It was a dry wicket fromday one we knew it was going to turn. Ramnarine bowled well, whilstMcGarrell didn’t bowl as well as he should have, but if we had to do it allagain we would picked two spinners.”Muttiah Muralitharan picked up 11-169 in the match, the third time he hastaken ten wickets in consecutive Tests.”When you play against a world class bowler like Muralitharan, it’sdifficult to have a plan,” he said. “It’s not as if he has one particularstrength. He bowls virtually everything: he’s got a straighter ball, aflighted ball and a flat ball, so, basically, you’ve got to play what yousee.”We will now have a day off, before coming and working in the nets again. Wewill discuss where we went wrong and how we can tackle them in the secondtest.”

One-day cricket at its best. A last-ball four gave Canterbury victory and Gary Stead a century as earlier heroics by Adam Parore were not enough to keep the visitors at bay in the second-round State Shield match at Eden Park Outer Oval today.First Stead, arriving in the sixth over when Canterbury were 35 for two, played an equal role in a 113-run third-wicket partnership with Michael Papps (65). Then he held the innings together as wickets fell at regular intervals. Finally he controlled the last rush to victory with just the tail-enders to keep him company.His undefeated 101 was a mixture of punishing boundaries and smartly taken singles and it was all about keeping the scoreboard ticking over. The innings was a textbook lesson in adjusting to changing circumstances while maintaining a steady run rate.Auckland gave up plenty of loose balls early, allowing the Canterbury innings to progress through regular fours. But, when Andre Adams, Brooke Walker and Mark Haslam tightened the line, singles became the productive means of maintaining the run rate that was always ahead of Auckland’s at equivalent stages of the innings, coming down to just three required off the last over.The drama came in the effort to ensure Stead was at the striker’s end, Carl Anderson sacrificing himself in a run out to ensure his captain was on hand to score the winning runs and complete his century. It did not happen until the last ball, a classic off drive bringing Stead his just reward in personal and team terms.Auckland’s bowlers had been loose at times; tight at times. Kyle Mills (three for 60 off 10) and Walker in a captain’s effort (three for 41 off 10) took the wickets when it mattered to keep Auckland in the match. But they could never stem the flow of runs.Earlier, the Auckland innings had hardly looked likely to produce a challenging target. Despite useful contributions from Matt Horne (33) and Lou Vincent (47), Auckland at 177 for seven with 10 overs to go looked hardly likely to post a total that would worry a Canterbury side with the likes of Chris Cairns, Craig McMillan and Chris Harris on hand.However, an innings from Parore that was disciplined when wickets were falling around him but burst into action at the end saw Auckland through to 251 for nine. With the help of Haslam as last man in, he took the score from 205 for nine at the beginning of the 46th over to the final total, Parore himself contributing 38, including a couple of towering sixes.The Canterbury bowlers spread the wickets and runs among them, Harris with two for 35 the pick. McMillan (one for 46 off 10) and Cairns (two for 43 off 10) suffered the most when Parore went on the rampage at the end.Even given the bigger than expected task, Canterbury were never greatly troubled by the target – it was losing wickets that gave them problems. But in the end they had enough runs in hand to ensure a much-deserved century for their captain.Auckland weather, pitch (despite the occasional low ball that did not amuse McMillan), Outer Oval surroundings and crowd combined with the teams to ensure a second day of thoroughly entertaining cricket. This time Canterbury took the points, going home with nine from the northern raid, while Auckland were left to rue being on the wrong side of another ultra-close finish.

Australian women’s cricket is now permanently under the umbrella of the Australian Cricket Board.The integration of men’s and women’s cricket was announced today and follows that which has already been achieved in New Zealand and England,.A two-year trial period preceded the move but at a special general meeting of the Women’s Cricket Association (WCA) on June 20, the integration was unanimously supported.The announcement is not coincidental as it will come into effect on Tuesday, the same day as the ACB becomes Cricket Australia.The integration will give women’s cricket guaranteed security and strength for the future.ACB chief executive James Sutherland said the decision to officially unite men’s and women’s cricket under one umbrella was a major step forward for the game.”As we identified several years ago, having two separate organisations performing similar roles in trying to build and strengthen the game was actually working against cricket,” Sutherland said.”The ACB and WCA agreed in 2001 to establish a trial integration period to make sure we could achieve more efficient operations and improve the overall health of the game. Female participation in cricket is growing rapidly and we recognise the importance and challenge of building the game further for this group.”Initiatives like the CricHit program for girls, the inclusion of a women’s clinic at the Imparja Cup and the women’s cricket leadership forum in Darwin last week highlight some achievements that have resulted from the integration.”There are numerous advantages to working as one unit for the benefit of cricket and we are entirely committed to consolidating our work efforts toward the common goal of attracting, retaining and supporting these players,” he said.Under the trial association period, women’s cricket has benefited from increased access to funding for matches and events, resources for development purposes and access to ACB support systems.Australian women’s captain Belinda Clark said the trial integration showed what could be achieved by joining operations.”Over the past two years, women’s cricket has further advanced and moved closer to realising its growth potential with greater resources and funding in place at all levels. At the elite end, it has allowed us to capitalise on playing opportunities. We have been able to access resources and support and earlier this year it helped us stage a Test series at home for the first time in seven years,” she said.Other benefits of the permanent integration will ensure greater certainty in developing elite competition for senior and youth levels, access through a women’s cricket reference group to address strategic issues, links to the ACB’s centres of excellence and resources to review and research lower levels of cricket for women.There will be more obvious alignment between men and women player uniforms. They will share a logo with a colour ribbon beneath the coat of arms differentiating, red for men and yellow for women.A new baggy green cap will be created for the women to match the men’s cap.As part of the integration, the WCA will be dissolved while the Women’s Cricket Advisory Committee will be abolished while WCA assets frozen during the trial period will rollover to the ACB.Immediate effects of the permanent integration include:Sutherland paid tribute to the many people who have played a role in the administration of women’s cricket over many decades.”As we strive to strengthen women’s cricket in Australia, we acknowledge the previous work, dedication and service by the many contributors to our game. I also congratulate Ms Quentin Bryce for her leadership in driving the integration process over the past few years.”Ms Bryce AC, was the president of the WCA and chairperson of the WCAC. She completes her long association with women’s cricket administration and begins her new role as Queensland Governor after being appointed to the position earlier this year.There are more than 200,000 schoolgirls who participate in MILO Cricket development programs and 50,000 females playing club cricket across Australia.

Y Venugopal Rao hit an unbeaten 74 to hold the Andhra Pradesh innings together in their Ranji Trophy league match against Karnataka at Kurnool on Monday.Winning the toss, Andhra Pradesh elected to bat but lost one opener early. There were, however, a string of significant scores all through the batting line-up. GN Srinivas made 39, and Fayaz Ahmed scored 48.At the close of play, Andhra Pradesh were 251/5, with Venugopal Rao batting on 74 and RVC Prasad not out on 2. For Karnataka, Dodda Ganesh was the best bowler, picking up two for 46.

Richard Hindley hit his first senior competitive century as Havant stormed into the last 32 of the ECB Club Championship with a crushing 183-run victory over Farnham Royal in yesterday’s group final.They now face Western League champions Bath at the Somerset club’s delightful Northern Parade ground in two weeks time, on Sunday July 15.Bath, who reached the Lord’s final several years ago, won the south-west group after beating Bovey Tracey in Devon yesterday.Hindley, who cracked 11 fours in an undefeated 108, shared in successive century partnerships with Andrew Perry and Paul Gover has Havant piled up a massive 300-2 in 45 overs.His stand with Perry (93) yielded 109 runs and an unbroken third wicket stand with Paul Gover (49 not out) a further 127.Current leaders of the Thames Valley League, Farnham Royal knocked out Basingstoke & North Hants in the last round.But Havant varied spin and seam atach proved all too much as they collapsed from 78-3 to 117 all out.Hindley completed a fine individual performance by taking 3-14 with his off-breaks.Left-arm spinner Phil Loat cleaned up the tail with 3-14.In the Wadworth 6X Village Championship, Hampshire county champions Easton & Martyr Worthy have been drawn away to Blackheath, near Guildford.Easton bowled Hambledon out for 131 in the county final before a half-century by Shawn Green took the Winchester club into the national stages of the competition.