Nick Chouhan, chairman of the Mashonaland league and discipline committee, is delighted that more adult cricket is to be played in Mashonaland than ever before this coming season.The Vigne Cup, the Mashonaland provincial competition that began on 16 September this season, has been expanded to include 34 clubs in five leagues. With 16 teams playing in the Saturday afternoon friendly league, that gives a total of 50 clubs in the province.The first three leagues are all composed of six teams, while 16 development sides will play in the fourth and fifth leagues. These will include three teams from small centres outside Harare: Bindura, Shamva and Marondera.Mr Chouhan says that, when placing teams in the various leagues, two factors were taken into account: playing strength against strength, and integration, which meant an equal number of `black’ and `white’ clubs in each league. It is still a sad legacy of the past that, for various reasons, the races are still polarized into clubs that can be classified according to colour; we still await the emergence of genuine multi-racial clubs.Zimbabwe’s current economic hardships have hit the clubs, who can no longer survive on members’ subscriptions and club funds alone. So the Mashonaland Cricket Association has now agreed to assist clubs, giving each team Z$25 000 for such items and lunches and transport, and both match and practice balls. They will also donate new kit to teams from the second league downwards. They are organizing appeals to the public to donate second-hand cricket kit, and boxes will be provided for these donations at the coming one-day internationals in Harare.The increase in the number of teams playing in the league has made match venues a problem, as many do not have their own grounds. MCA will also assist financially schools who are making their grounds available for club cricket: Prince Edward, Churchill (three fields each), Lord Malvern (two fields) and Westridge (one field).The number of schools playing cricket has also increased, with a record 43 teams, up ten from last year, taking part in the recent schools festival at Prince Edward. A primary schools league competition has been in operation for more than ten years. Cricket in Mashonaland province is flourishing.

The chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, Tim Lamb, believes it will be possible to persuade England’s players that it is safe to tour India next month, despite the ongoing military action in Afghanistan.ECB officials have called a meeting with the players to discuss the situation next week.Lamb told the BBC: “We’re confident that we’ll be able to persuade the players that the situation in India is not quite as serious as certain people have been led to believe.””We do understand that players are apprehensive, as this is a difficult and delicate situation, but that’s why we’ve called a meeting.””We can’t force people to get on the plane but the meeting will hopefully make them more confident about going to India.”Several England players, among them Graham Thorpe and Craig White, have expressed concern about whether it is safe to undertake the trip.

The pitch at Goodyear Park in Bloemfontein was the focus of attentionbefore the first Test match between India and South Africa. The SouthAfrican coach Graham Ford was not too pleased after taking a look atit; he assumed that the pitch would favour the visitors. It was moreor less devoid of any grass and had some cracks, which could haveraised a few eyebrows in the Proteas camp.

Shaun Pollock made no mistake after winning the toss; he put India tobat first, invariably trying to get maximum out of the little moisturetrapped in the pitch. South African pace attack proved to be more thanuseful, even without Allan Donald. They had India reeling at 68/4 onthe first day; it wasn’t a pretty sight, the Indian top-ordersurrendering without a fight.I think the Indian team management got it wrong by not playing ConnorWilliams. The selectors picked him as a specialist opener and there isno reason to hold him back. At some point or the other he has to beplayed and remember, Williams has scored a lot of runs in the domesticcircuit.Rahul Dravid volunteering to open the batting meant that VirenderSehwag could be accommodated in the side. Dravid failed as an opener,not once but twice in the first Test. He is a very important player inthe Indian team and I think that Dravid should play at number three.Having got selected ahead of Williams, Sehwag had to play at his verybest to justify his inclusion. Along with the little maestro SachinTendulkar, Sehwag grew in confidence and played one of the best debutTest innings played by an Indian. It was quite remarkable to see thefighting quality in this young lad. He complimented Sachin Tendulkarvery well and forged a partnership, which is something I will cherishfor a long time to come.Sehwag’s knock was a treat to watch, his composure was impeccable andhis poise was of the highest order. I am particularly impressed by hisback-foot play and the shots that he played through the off-side. Histiming and the way he left the short-pitched deliveries go, wereclearly the signs of a class player. Even though this was not the bestSouth African attack by a long way, Sehwag’s technique and competencegave me the impression that Tendulkar was batting on both ends.Tendulkar’s innings had character and it seems the maestro can onlyget better. He unleashed an amazing repertoire of strokes to pushPollock and Co. to despair. The manner in which he played those shortpitched deliveries to third-man was sheer joy to watch. Only a playerof true genius could play such strokes; no wonder then that Tendulkarreminded Sir Don Bradman of his early days.After having done reasonably well with the bat, thanks to Tendulkarand Sehwag, Indian bowlers threw away the opportunity by allowing theSouth African openers to score runs freely. The Indian attack wasbereft of any planning and they bowled on both sides of the wicket,much to the liking of Gibbs and Kirsten. With that any hopes of afirst innings lead or even putting pressure on the home side was lost.Anil Kumble’s bowling has been a bit of a mystery. He has not beenconsistent with the length. It is beyond my comprehension how Kumblecould keep bowling short, given the fact that he is a tall man. Itjust epitomised the purposeless Indian bowling.India allowed South Africa to put up an imposing first innings leadafter watching Klusener bulldoze a quick-fire century. In my viewIndia lost the Test on the first day itself. India scored rapidly tomake 372 runs on the first day, entertaining for the spectator but adisaster for the team. South Africa was given enough time to plan andexecute their strategy. There was no pressure on them and they won theTest at a canter.India’s batting in the second essay was pathetic. None of the batsmen,except Ganguly was dismissed by a good ball. There is a lot of work tobe done before the second Test match to deny the South Africans awhitewash. The manner in which Laxman and Das got out wasdisappointing, someone need to tell them that they can’t take theirplace in the team for granted.Harbhajan Singh was sorely missed in Bloemfontein; he is a matchwinner and will be available for the second Test. The big question isas always the much famed Indian batting, which is getting a bitcrowded in the middle.

The West Indies selectors yesterday named two changes to the current team for the upcoming triangular one-day series, which starts on December 8.Barbadian all-rounder, Ryan Hinds, has been elevated to represent the senior West Indies, along with compatriot Corey Collymore, who makes his return to the senior team.Hinds and Collymore are the only two changes announced yesterday to the West Indies team which has already conceded the Test series, and must now try and salvage some pride during the remainder of the tour.Collymore, who was overlooked for the present Test series against Sri Lanka after coming highly recommended during the West Indies’ home series earlier this year against South Africa, returns to the senior West Indies team. But his selection is sure to raise some eyebrows across the Caribbean. Collymore only represented Barbados in two preliminary round matches of the Red Stripe Bowl, and lost his place because of lack of form and control. It is for this reason that his inclusion in the West Indies’ team for the triangular series is sure to cause some unease and discomfort.However, the West Indies selectors have lived up to their widely-regarded reputation for “never failing to surprise”, and surprise they did since their are obviously more qualified seam bowlers and all-rounders available in the West Indies, especially at a time when the West Indies bowling is depleted.Hinds and Collymore will replace Jamaican Leon Garrick and Guyanese, Colin Stuart in the West Indies squad, which is already in Sri Lanka. They are scheduled to leave the Caribbean on Friday and arrive in Sri Lanka on Sunday morning (Sri Lanka time).20-year-old Hinds made his first-class debut in 1999 against the Windward Islands, and is widely regarded as one of the few genuine all-rounders in the Caribbean. He last represented Barbados in the 2001 Red Stripe Bowl when he led the team, averaging 75.20 runs with two half-centuries in the four matches he played. He also captured five wickets in the tournament at an average of 26.20 runs apiece.The triangular one-day series begins on December 8.

Hyderabad held on for a draw on Day Four of their Ranji Trophy league match against Andhra Pradesh at Secunderabad on Friday, giving their rivals five points from the match.Resuming on their overnight score of 68/2, Hyderabad lost Vanka Pratap with the score on 91. A Nand Kishore, the only batsman from his side who has looked comfortable in this match, made 70 off 234 balls before becoming the fourth wicket to fall.Hyderabad’s middle order, however, performed more solidly than in the first innings. D Vinay Kumar, in particular, showed tremendous grit to make an unbeaten 37 off 238 balls. He, along with Venkatapathy Raju (32 off 103 balls), took his side through to stumps in safety.Ending the day on 237/6, Hyderabad gained three points from this drawn encounter. The result put Andhra Pradesh at the top of the South Zone league points table and Hyderabad at third place, with Tamil Nadu finishing second.Ramesh, Sharath score centuriesCenturies from Sadagoppan Ramesh and Sridharan Sharath gave Tamil Nadu the vital first-innings lead, giving them five points from their drawn Ranji Trophy league match against Kerala at Chennai.Opener Ramesh, unbeaten on an uncharacteristically slow 41 overnight, resumed in similar vein on Friday. Hitting just three fours in his knock, Ramesh made 126 off 391 balls and 62 minutes. He lost Hemang Badani soon after play resumed, but Sharath have him enough support for the pair to post 176 runs for the fourth wicket.Sharath fell with the score on 336, having made 102 off 226 balls, hitting nine boundaries. Ramesh remained unbeaten at the close of play on Day Four, accompanied at the end by Ashish Kapoor, who made 32 not out. Tamil Nadu ended the day on 407/5, attaining second place in the South Zone league points table.

Central Districts are to honour the memory of Taranaki cricket stalwart Laurie Denton at the State Championship match between CD and Canterbury at Pukekura Park in New Plymouth from December 28-31.Denton, who was regarded affectionately as the voice of Taranaki sport for his work on radio in the province, died earlier this year.A Laurie Denton Memorial Trust has been set up and the gate charge for the game will be a gold coin donation with the proceeds going to the Memorial Trust.Apart from his radio work Denton was also a cricket selector, administrator and general supporter of the game.Taranaki sports enthusiasts have set up the Trust to raise funds to help young sports people from Taranaki.Central Districts is delighted that the game at Pukekura Park will help boost the Trust’s coffers.”Eccles”, as Laurie was affectionately known, will be sadly missed by Central Districts in the first match at his beloved Park since his passing.

Debutants power Punjab to an impressive win over AssamPunjab sure have thrown up some impressive debutants in their Ranji pre-quarterfinal against Assam played at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali. If it was Ishan Malhatra who impressed on the first two days, Friday found his new-ball partner Harish Puri warming the cockles of the discerning. The fast bowler claimed 5 for 66 in the Assam second innings as the tourists slumped to a ten-wicket defeat in under three days. Punjab now move into the quarter-finals of the premier domestic tournament in the country.In the morning, Assam, resuming at 53 for two, lost opener Anurag Das almost immediately. A 47-run fifth wicket stand between wicketkeeper Syed Zuffri (40) and Sumit Ranjan Das (31), and a 32 from Gautam Datta, were the only bright spots in an otherwise pathetic Assam reply. These cameos ensured that the visitors at least avoided the embarassment of an innings defeat. This though was replaced by the none-too-pleasurable feeling associated with a ten-wicket thumping as the Punjab openers duly notched up the 14 runs required to seal their team’s quarterfinal berth.Gandhi puts Bengal in commandA Devang Gandhi hundred saw Bengal secure the vital first innings lead in their match against Rajasthan at the KL Saini Ground, Jaipur. Gandhi’s 146 and an unbeaten 99 from No. 5 Subhomoy Das was responsible for guiding Bengal, who resumed at 122 for 2, to the comfort zone of 409 for six.The morning’s play saw Gandhi and his captain Rohan Gavaskar, the overnight not out batsmen, make a slow yet steady beginning. The two put on 108 runs for the third wicket before Gavaskar was dismissed. Das and Gandhi then got together in what was to prove the brightest partnership of the day. The two were only together for 23 overs but in that period added another 108 runs before Gandhi departed. Bengal lost a further wicket but with Das looking good on 99 and a fair bit of batting to come, Bengald would be setting their sights on a massive first-innings score which would pave their way towards securing an outright win.Gambhir hundred sees Delhi make steady progressDelhi were marching steadily towards achieving their goal of securing the all-important first innings lead in their match against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium, Delhi. Opener Gautam Gambhir was the man leading the march; he was batting on 142 off 315 balls. His opening partner Akash Chopra too was among the runs scoring 62 before being bowled.With two more days to go, Delhi, currently 262 for three, have enough time to overhaul the Railways score of 497. The first session on Saturday will though prove crucial and a couple of wickets to Railways will bring them right back into the game.Tamil Nadu batsmen lead fightback against MumbaiThe Tamil Nadu and Mumbai tie at the Guru Nanak College Ground, Chennai was always going to be a closely contested affair. So it came as no surprise to see the home team bounce right back into the game after conceding a four-run lead in the first innings. Fifties from opener Sridharan Sriram and middle-order bat Sridharan Sharath saw them post a relatively healthy 265 for eight in their second innings. This has already meant that the Mumbai batsmen will have to better their first innings effort by a long way if they are to book their quarterfinal berth.When the day began, the Tamil Nadu batsmen were faced with the task of batting out of the day and putting runs on the board thereby ensuring their team had the chance of securing the outright win they were looking for. Sriram (61) and No.3 C Hemath Kumar, who made 35, put their team in the right direction. J Madanagopal (45) and Robin Singh (25) continued the good work as did Sharath, who made an unbeaten 50. Tamil Nadu will now be looking to him to probably take them beyond the 300-run mark as this would leave the visitors with a stiff target in this low-scoring match. For Mumbai, spinners Rajesh Pawar, Ramesh Powar and Sairaj Bahatule claimed two wickets each.Gujarat on top against AndhraAndhra batsmen frittered away good starts as the visitors lost their way while pursuing Gujarat’s first-innings score of 499. When stumps were drawn at the end of the third day’s play at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad, Andhra were 251 for six. Former India wicketkeeper MSK Prasad, batting on 33, and the late-order batsmen were left with the herculean task of adding another 249 runs to secure the first-innings lead that would help Andhra continue their fairytale run this season.In the morning, Mohammad Faiq, who made 71, was the only Andhra batsman to notch up a fifty. GN Shrinivas (34) and Y Venugopal Rao (37) might have been among the runs but they could not convert it into a innings of substance. Just when Andhra seeemed down and out, the Prasads – MSK and RVC – put together a 63-run partnership to give their team a glimmer of hope. RVC on 29 was keeping MSK company when stumps were drawn. For Gujarat, Kalpesh Patel returned figures of five for 48 off 25 overs.

Peshawar batted themselves into a winning position by increasing their overall lead to a substantial 397 on the second day of their Quaid Trophy Grade-I clash against defending champions Lahore Blues at Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar Wednesday.According to details available here, Peshawar were 314 for nine in their second knock having resumed at one without loss.After the drama of Tuesday when 20 wickets fell, the second day was dominated by Peshawar’s batsmen. Opener Riffatullah led the way with 85 off 109 balls in 148 minutes.Test reject Wajahatullah Wasti also weighed in with a solid 60 off 112 deliveries in a stay of two hours and 40 minutes.Slow left-armer Mohammad Hussain captured six for 58 to follow his 12 wickets in the last game against Rest of NWFP.

It could be said that England are getting better. Not getting the better of Australia, for they are still facing defeat, but they have at least managed to take this fourth Test into the fifth day. Having been bowled out for 387 in their second innings, largely thanks to an innings of 145 from Michael Vaughan, they set Australia 107 to win. By stumps, eight runs had been knocked off that target without mishap.With Vaughan on his way to his second hundred of the series and passing Sachin Tendulkar’s aggregate number of Test runs in 2002 (the Yorkshireman now has 1481), England enjoyed a good morning. Nasser Hussain was in obdurate mood. Raising English hopes of an epic rearguard action to force a draw, he displayed impressive resolve while his partner scored more freely.Vaughan was the dominant partner during an 80-run partnership for the third wicket. He opened his account for the fourth morning by driving leg-spinner Stuart MacGill for a straight four – one of nine he stroked in the session as he reached his sixth hundred of the year from 153 balls. MacGill’s bowling appeared to be entirely to Vaughan’s liking as he helped England add 63 runs in the first hour of something that has been all too lacking in this series – a genuine contest of Test match cricket.Hussain’s defiant innings of an hour and a half came to an end when he was out-thought by Glenn MacGrath. Failing to spot the slower ball, he pushed it straight back to the bowler to be caught and bowled for 23.Vaughan found a new ally in Robert Key who again showed that he has the temperament for Test cricket. This pair kept the momentum going by adding 67 before Vaughan’s splendid innings came to an end. AfterFinding little difficulty with MacGill in his four and a half hour stay at the crease, he tried to late cut and steered the ball straight to Martin Love at slip to be out for 145.Key reached his first fifty in Test cricket, but having done so fell to the seventh delivery with the new ball as he edged Jason Gillespie to Ricky Ponting at slip.John Crawley and Craig White continued to offer resistance, adding 55 for the sixth wicket before a resolute innings from Crawley ended when he played on to Brett Lee for 33. That was the signal for the Australian attack to pour through the breach as England suffered their customary collapse by losing their last five wickets for the addition of 45 runs in 16 overs.In the next over, White was caught behind cutting MacGill. James Foster went in similar fashion, except that he was superbly caught by Martin Love at slip. MacGill claimed his fifth wicket when Andrew Caddick drove him straight to Steve Waugh in the covers before Steve Harmison was bowled by Gillespie to bring the innings to a close on 387, their highest total of the series, leaving Richard Dawson not out on a valuable 15.The target of 107 is no more than nominal for such a strong batting line-up. Had England managed to have taken a couple of wickets in the two overs before the close, a few feathers might have been ruffled but they did not and now only a day’s rain or the most unimaginable turn of events can prevent Australia taking a four-nil lead into the final Test.

With the Bath Cricket Festival just over three months away the Bath Area Committee spearheaded by Chairman Robert Appleyard have plans for this year’s festival, which is once again being sponsored by Bath based solicitors Withy King,well in hand.This year the Bath Cricket Festival gets underway on Wednesday June 12th with a four day match against Hampshire, which is followed by a Norwich Union League match against Leicestershire on Sunday June 16th – a re-match of last year’s Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy Final.The Bath Area Committee have arranged two events before the festival in June which will be of considerable interest not just to Somerset fans but to all cricket followers.On Tuesday March 19th a Cricket Forum is taking place at Bath Cricket Club Pavilion which is situated in North Parade. The panel for the forum will include Somerset players Rob Turner, Richard Johnson and Keith Dutch, who all played a major part in helping to make 2001 such a memorable season for the county.Admission to the Cricket Forum which is open to all is free, and the evening gets underway at 8pm.A Spring Dinner in aid of the Lord’s Taverner’s and the Friends of Bath County Cricket Festival has also been arranged and will take place at Bath Cricket Club on Thursday April 11th.The guest speaker for the Spring Dinner will be former Kent cricketer James Graham-Brown who is now the Headteacher at Bath Royal High School so a good evening with plenty of cricketing stories can be guaranteed.Tickets for the dinner which gets underway at 7.30 for 8pm are priced at £22.50. Tickets and further details of either of the events can be obtained from Robert Appleyard, telephone number 01225 313906.