One of the promoters of the controversial Sportville sports complex at Addington in Christchurch, Chris Herbert lost his bid to be re-elected to the board of Canterbury Cricket at tonight’s annual meeting.Herbert was beaten by Steve Riddell of the Old Collegians Club while sitting board members David Shackleton (chairman) and Cran Bull were returned after a ballot.It was clear that the investigation into developing the existing Queen Elizabeth II Park ground or the Sportville complex, which would be shared with trotting, rugby league and netball, was a source of concern to several delegates at the meeting.The debate had already claimed the former chief executive officer of the CCA, Tony Murdoch, who was a supporter of the QEII development.Shackleton, when presenting his annual report, told the meeting the board was still determining what was required of a venue and the criteria, when decided, would then be measured against the prospective venues.He assured the meeting any development at Addington would not proceed without suitable funding.He was able to tell the meeting the indoor training facility long sought by the association would be located at Iverson Terrace and would have four full-length lanes and should be completed early next year. The CCA offices will be based at the new complex for not much more expense than the original cost of the existing offices. But it would have better offices and be more efficient.Shackleton also announced that the two clubs in Christchurch to take part in the pilot programme of New Zealand Cricket’s grassroots development scheme would be Sydenham and Lancaster Park while Buller’s Cricket Association would be the pilot district association.Shackleton said New Zealand Cricket had been very pro-active in looking at the grassroots of the sport and he felt the development scheme was a significant move in the right direction.It was important for the pilot scheme to work effectively as the success of the scheme depended on the quality of application for support Canterbury would be able to pursue for the widening of the scheme to apply to all clubs and districts in the longer term.Canterbury will be advertising the position of chief executive at the weekend and was looking for an early completion of interviews to have the position filled as soon as possible.The meeting passed a motion from the floor that the annual meeting record its appreciation of the services tendered by outgoing CEO Murdoch for Canterbury Cricket and to acknowledge his work for the game. It was carried without dissent.Queries from the floor about the lack of detail in the annual accounts were explained as being part of the requirements of New Zealand Cricket but it was felt that in spite of this requirement more use should be made of the notes to the accounts to explain specific issues so the annual accounts could be better understood.The meeting also awarded life membership of the Association to long-serving administrator, and more recently manager of the Canterbury men’s team, John Thompson. In moving the award, CCA president Brian Hastings outlined Thompson’s involvement with the University West club since his move to Christchurch, from Wellington, in 1959.While it had been a playing relationship to start with, when University West amalgamed with Burnside he had moved into administration serving for 20 years on the club committee, including two years as president.He then progressed to the CCA where he served for 17 years. He served on various committees and was the under-20 selection convener for five years and manager for four. He has been manager of the Canterbury 1st XI for the last six years and had a real input into that side.The award was passed without dissent and Thomson thanked the Association for its gesture and said he felt very privileged to be joining such a distinguished group as the life members.”I enjoy my role in Canterbury cricket very much,” he said.

Two of the Southern Electric ECB Premier League’s most exciting local young cricketing prospects – Bournemouth’s Chris Park and David Wheeler, the New Milton all-rounder – could be headed towards a career on the county circuit.The teenage duo have signed Academy scholarship contracts with First Class counties – Park, Bournemouth’s talented batsman/wicketkeeper, with Northants, and Wheeler at Hampshire.The pair will link up with their respective counties next month to begin a demanding winter programme, which involves all aspects of cricket development, including fitness and sports psychology.Spending the 2002 summer season with Northants is a dream come true for 18-year old Park, from Dales Drive, Wimborne.The former Queen Elizabeth School sixth-former scored over 400 runs and snapped up 30 victims behind the stumps in a sparkling debut season for Bournemouth in the demanding surrounds of the Southern Electric Premier League.Park went on to make three Minor Counties Championship appearances for Dorset, scoring a maiden half-century in Cornwall.”Being signed up by Northants is the perfect end to what’s been a terrific first season for me in senior cricket,” smiled Park, who has played regularly for Dorset youth teams in recent seasons.”It hardly seems five minutes ago I was playing village cricket for Kingston Lacey and now I’ve been given the opportunity to progress into the professional arena.”But Park, spotted by Northants when he represented Dorset in last year’s Jersey Youth Festival, knows the hard work is yet to begin.”It’s entirely up to me now. There’s a demanding winter schedule ahead and then the task of proving myself where it matters – in the middle next season.”This is an opportunity few youngsters get and I don’t intend to waste it,” he said.Park, who will probably play Northants 2nd XI and Colts cricket next summer, could hardly have chosen a better time to display his rich batting prowess than in Jersey last summer.”I scored an unbeaten 147 against them off 86 balls and then followed it up with a century against Yorkshire. It’s really gone on from there,” Park explained.Former England all-rounder David Capel, now the Northants Academy coach, said : “We were very impressed with what we saw in Jersey.”Chris looks a very, inspirational positive player, who shows total commitment. He always seems to have a happy smile on his face.”Wheeler, New Milton’s hard-hitting 6’3″ all-rounder, made an equally devastating impact in his debut season in Premier Division 3.He struck two centuries and passed the 50-mark on six other occasions in scoring 582 runs and took 22 wickets – no mean feat for a 16-year old !Educated at Highcliffe School, Wheeler has been playing at New Milton since he was eight years of age and been a regular representative player for both Hampshire Schools and the New Forest CA since he was 11.Wheeler, currently studying Sports Science at Brockenhurst College, hit the high spots last year, scoring 1,500-plus runs and taking 60 wickets in all cricket.”When David’s batting, he times the ball so sweetly. And his bowling action has such a high trajectory that he can get substantial lift and away movement,” explained Steve Watts, the New Milton captain.Wheeler had been earmarked to captain Hampshire’s Under-16 team this summer but was fast-tracked into the Under-17 side which reached the semi-finals of the ECB County Youth Championships.He was subsequently selected to play for an England Under-17 XI against the MCC at Uxbridge.Wheeler, who lives in Barton-on-Sea, is the only Hampshire-based youngster at the Rose Bowl Academy this winter.”David has got a great deal of potential and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to develop in the Academy this winter,” said Hampshire 2nd XI coach Tony Middleton.Both Park and Wheeler have been nominted for the Southern Premier League’s Young Cricketer of the Year award, which will be announced at the presentation dinner on November 9.

Following the withdrawal of Yorkshire’s Sue Metcalfe from the England training squad due to work commitments, the Sussex wicket keeper Mandie Godliman has been selected to take her place.Mandie has represented England A since 1994 v South Africa, India, New Zealand and Australia. She recorded her highest score of 183* for her club Redoubtables WCC this season in the ECB Cup.Mandie started playing cricket aged 12, encouraged by her PE Teacher who played for Middlesex Ladies and went on to Captain Thames Valley before joining Sussex. She was first selected for England training in 1993, but suffered a serious back injury which kept her out of the game for three years.Mandie is a Sports Development Officer for Mid Sussex District Council and is an ECB advanced coach, including coaching England U-21s. Born 5th April 1973.

Uttar Pradesh registered an outright victory over Rajasthan in theirRanji Central Zone tie at the Kamla Club grounds in Kanpur on Nov. 3;as a result, the winners picked up the full complement of eight pointswhile Rajasthan gained none.Rajasthan won the toss and elected to bat, but they could not takefull advantage of their time in the middle. Rahul Kanwat (63) andSanjeev Sharma were the only batsmen to register significant scores;although many got into double figures, none could convert their startsinto scores large enough to build a sizeable total. As a result,Rajasthan was bowled out for 250 just before the close of play on DayOne.Uttar Pradesh, although able to take the first innings lead, did notfare significantly better. Jyoti P Yadav, continuing his fine run ofform, scored 117 off 241 balls (17 fours, one six), but the onlysupport he got was from Mohammad Kaif, with whom he put up a 130-runpartnership. Kaif scored a responsible 55, but the lower middle-ordercollapsed in a hurry, with the last eight wickets falling for just 62runs. Bowled out for 281, Uttar Pradesh gained only a slender lead of31 runs.The batting department continued to be the bane of both teams in thesecond innings as well. Rajasthan, who could conceivably have wipedoff the first innings deficit and set their rivals a competitivetotal, refused to buckle down to the task. Aside from an encore fromKanwat, who made 55, the rest of the line-up failed miserably, leavingthe side bowled out for 153. Uttar Pradesh captain Gyanendra Pandeywas the wrecker-in-chief, returning second innings figures of16.4-4-33-5.Uttar Pradesh, thus, needed to make only 123 runs in their chase towin the game; any onlooker, however, could have been forgiven forbelieving that the target was a mammoth one, judging by the heavyweather that the batsmen made of it. Jyoti P Yadav shone again with48, but Kanwat, who impressed tremendously with his fighting spirit inthis match, and Lokesh Jain did not make runs easy to come by. Kanwatreturned figures of 15-2-34-3, picking up seven wickets in the game togo with his twin fifties; Jain’s figures read 10.5-2-34-4.The total, however, was ultimately too small to defend, and MohammadSaif and Javed Anwar saw Uttar Pradesh safely home with three wicketsto spare.

A troubled Australia will start the final day of the Third Test with just eight second innings wickets in tact and thus battling for survival after anothersix hours of New Zealand dominance at the WACA Ground in Perth today.By stumps on the fourth day of a Test that continues to hold supporters of New Zealand cricket in its permanent thrall, the Black Caps had reducedthe hosts to a scoreline of 2/69 as they confronted the daunting target of 440 to win.That the Australians should have been forced into such a desperate corner in a fight to avert a series defeat owed a deal to some more fine battingfrom the tourists today on their path to a total of 9/256 before a late afternoon declaration. Batting that produced a rare double for a NewZealander, easily the country’s most productive opening stand of the series, and yet more of the intelligent character and brow-beating of thebowlers that had featured on the first two days of the match.In the midst of a union of 77 runs with Mark Richardson (30) that put the Kiwis’ previous opening partnerships in the series in the shade, it wasenterprising youngster Lou Vincent (54) who again set the tone.He survived a run out chance when Ricky Ponting aimed at his stumps from cover point, but was otherwise content to keep fanning the flames of anearly love affair with Test match cricket. Classical strokes flourished throughout an 88-minute stay and he was regularly able to pierce an Australianfield that tended to revolve around understandably defensive settings.Exquisite timing and placement ensured that the scoreboard whistled along at a run-a-ball rate while he was in occupation; only when he chased ashort Brett Lee (4/56) delivery outside the line of off stump to carve a catch to Mark Waugh in the gully did the fun end.He duly became just the second New Zealander in history to consummate a century with a half-century on Test debut, joining another openingbatsman – Rodney Redmond – in that elite bracket.Progress slowed dramatically upon his departure.Mathew Sinclair (29) struggled for a long period, adding just one run in 46 minutes at one stage as he attempted to draw on all of his reserves ofconcentration in resisting Shane Warne (1/75) and Glenn McGrath (1/63). His frustration was such that it even transformed itself into desperationwhen an urgent call for a run from a ball hit straight to Steve Waugh at point resulted in the needless run out of Richardson. Sinclair ultimately outsideedged at McGrath and captain Stephen Fleming (4) came and went quickly, bowled through the gate as he advanced and drove errantly at Warne.Yet there still remained little to disturb the general pattern of New Zealand command.The belligerent Chris Cairns (42) received a promotion in the order and proceeded to play some typically thrilling strokes, duly undermining theAustralians’ best-laid plans of continuing to restrain the visitors’ progress toward their huge lead. His case of knowing exactly how to attack a teamwas persuasively argued once again as he struck two sixes off McGrath with cleanly-clubbed blows over long on and mid wicket respectively andsurrounded them with a mixture of authoritative shots.Sound assistance was rendered by first innings heroes Nathan Astle (40) and Adam Parore (16*), and by Craig McMillan (19) too. It all ensuredthat the lead had not only swelled well beyond the mark of the most successful fourth innings run chase in Test history but also that there were asmany as 17 overs left to bowl before stumps by the time that Fleming called his batsmen in.That meant that the artful and engaging cricket that the Black Caps have played from the outset of this match was able to receive even furtherexpression as Australia’s second innings began.Justin Langer (0) showed great form to be the wretchedly elusive commodity that it is as he survived an imploring lbw shout from Shane Bond (1/27), thenperished from the next delivery anyway as he edged a low catch to Daniel Vettori at third slip. A further calamity awaited Australia as Ponting(26), after several magnificent strokes, inside edged a Cairns (1/11) off cutter back into his stumps.Indirectly, Fleming’s declaration produced a rather touching piece of irony too. After it had been New Zealand on the end of jibes for its inability totake ten wickets in any innings in a succession of games at the start of the tour, the early closure meant that it was instead Australia that finished theseries without managing to claim all ten New Zealand wickets in a single innings.Little wonder that frustration was etched across the Australians’ faces in the field and at the bowling crease for most of the afternoon.By the end, such anger even appeared to spill over into a torrent of verbal abuse from Lee at number ten batsman Bond after he had removed hisleg bail with an inswinging yorker. Lee will be fortunate if he escapes a hearing before match referee Jackie Hendriks.And, if Australia fails to play the get-out-of-gaol card tomorrow, then it can only be imagined that there will be even more pain to follow.

All other cricket in New Zealand has been affected by the miserable summer weather so it was no surprise that the start of the women’s State League should not prove immune to problems caused by rain.The Canterbury match with Wellington at the Village Green in Christchurch suffered from a thunderstorm that struck the Garden City around noon today.Wellington, who were asked to bat were 53/3 after 19 overs. Anna O’Leary scored 20 and Maia Lewis 10. The weather did not clear sufficiently to allow a restart.They will be hopeful for better weather tomorrow when they are scheduled to meet again.In Dunedin, the Otago Sparks batted first against Central Districts at Logan Park and were 102/5 after 39 overs when rain forced players from the ground.Erin McDonald had taken one for 21 from her 10 overs while Kate Pulford had two for 20 from nine overs.At 4pm the umpires decided to abandon play because of the weather.For Otago, Elizabeth Scurr and Rachel Pullar each scored 20.

One-day international aspirants Stuart MacGill and Justin Langer pressed their claims for international limited-overs recalls today as ING Cup Final aspirant New South Wales defeated Western Australia by five wickets here in Sydney.As Australia was stumbling toward third position on the VB Series table on the other side of the country, this match was acting as a barometer of the form of at least two men who could be part of a revamp in the lead-up to next year’s World Cup.Test opener Langer (107) was the first to showcase his talents, crafting a magical hundred to help Western Australia create the formidable total of 8/259 after he had won the toss. The 31-year-old used his willow with intent, hitting with power to plunder a welter of runs from the New South Wales bowling attack.Langer’s timing was exquisite – and frequently he needed to do no more than stand his ground at the crease and watch as balls disappeared to the ground’s various boundaries. Not even a painful blow on the right hand – incurred after he was struck by a nasty bouncer from Shawn Bradstreet (0/53) – slowed his progress too greatly.The left hander did receive one lucky break – when, with his opposite number’s score at 45, New South Wales captain Shane Lee dropped a regulation chance and presented Langer with the chance to take over from Tom Moody as Western Australia’s highest run scorer at domestic one-day level.In front of national selector David Boon, MacGill (5/50) also underscored his potential worth to his country if it should ever sight the need for another top-class leg spinner in the shortened form of the game. The 31-year-old produced his third five-wicket haul for the season and, having claimed 5/48 in the Blues’ last-start loss to South Australia at Coffs Harbour, also etched his name in the record books as the only man in the competition’s history to claim such hauls back-to-back.In doing so, it was MacGill who engineered a way back into the match for New South Wales after a brilliant opening partnership of 106 in brisk time between Langer and Scott Meuleman (47) had threatened to take matters completely in the opposite direction.With Mike Hussey (63), that pair exerted most of the control over the Warriors’ march to their impressive total. But it was a score that would have swelled much further if the leg spinner had not claimed Meuleman’s wicket, as well as those of Ryan Campbell (2), Simon Katich (6), Rob Baker (0) and Bradley Hogg (1) in swift succession in the middle stages of the innings.”He is a quality one-day bowler and his stats show that. He has taken 60 wickets (at interstate one-day level) now … he is a big wicket taker, particularly out here when the wicket is dry,” said Lee in the midst of a glowing tribute to his vice-captain.The importance of MacGill’s contribution was further emphasised when Michael Clarke (101*), Brad Haddin (61), Lee (45) and Corey Richards (33*) all made light work of the task of batting to guide New South Wales past the visitors’ total with a delivery to spare.Clarke’s display was particularly impressive, though he was quick to pay tribute to others around him.”In the end I was the one who made the hundred … but don’t forget how many runs ‘Shano’ (Lee) got, the help he gave me and the support he gave me,” said Clarke.”I think – mentally – he really kept me going and kept me out there.”I was mistiming a lot of balls and struggling to get off strike and he was the one telling me to keep going. He was unreal; he was a great captain out there.”The New South Welshmen consistently needed to score at a rate above six runs per over during the closing half of their chase – and even required 70 runs as they began their final ten overs – but measured their pursuit perfectly.Given that the result allowed them to join both South Australia and Western Australia on 22 points on the competition table – behind only Queensland, on 27 – it could prove one of their most crucial victories of the summer.

Less than a week ago South Africa were languishing at the foot of the VB Series table. On Friday night, however, Shaun Pollock’s team became the first side to qualify for next week’s finals with a crushing 67-run victory over New Zealand at the WACA in Perth.In winning South Africa picked up their second bonus point of the series, the significance of which is that it makes an already awkward task for Australia back at the WACA on Sunday even more difficult. Despite being hammered on Friday, New Zealand could also reach the finals if Australia fail to take maximum points of South Africa on Sunday.Set 271 to win, New Zealand never really got going after Makhaya Ntini had struck two early blows for South Africa. There was a belligerent 46 from Craig McMillan in the middle of the innings, but New Zealand lost wickets regularly all along the way and South Africa’s 270 for five was at no stage under serious threat.In fact, New Zealand found themselves in the unusual position of having to decide whether it would make sense to pursue the 217 that would have denied South Africa their bonus point. The complication in this equation, of course, is that by allowing the South Africans the extra point, New Zealand have almost certainly given themselves a slightly better chance of reaching the finals at Australia’s expense.Of course, New Zealand would obviously have loved to have been masters of their own fate by beating South Africa and after sending Shaun Pollock’s side in to bat and reducing them to 35 for four, this ambition appeared well within their reach.But, as was the case in Adelaide last Sunday, Jonty Rhodes and Mark Boucher dragged their team back into the match. In Adelaide the pair added 86 for the fifth wicket; this time around then partnership went on to reach 138.It must have been heartbreaking for New Zealand, coming after Dion Nash seemed to have made light of the absence of Shane Bond and Chris Cairns in a devastating seven-over opening burst that brought him three for 20.But Rhodes and Boucher batted with enormous common sense and application to put the innings back together again and the longer the stayed there, the more New Zealand missed Bond and Cairns. Boucher finally went tamely for 58, chipping Chris Harris to midwicket, but then Rhodes moved to only his second one-day century before Shaun Pollock went on the rampage.Boucher was out in the 41st over, allowing the South African captain time to play himself in and survive a chance when Harris dropped a simply catch. It is difficult to recall when a team was last made to pay so dearly and so immediately for a mistake.Pollock was dropped in the 48th over on 27. In the 49th over, bowled by James Franklin, he doubled his score, hitting the left-arm seamer for four successive sixes. The 27 was a record for one-day cricket in Australia and only three off Sanath Jayasuriya’s world record of 30 in an over.And Pollock wasn’t quite finished. He scored 15 more off the final over of the innings to end with 69 off 34 deliveries with six sixes and a four. Rhodes, meanwhile, allowed his captain to get on with it, finishing the innings on 107 not out.It is fair to say that without Rhodes, Pollock might never have been in the position to tee off and it was fitting that the little Natalian earned the man of the match award at the end of the game.South Africa took 72 off the last five overs of their innings and, to all intents and purposes, the match had been snatched away from New Zealand with a suddenness that might have startled even the South Africans. Certainly, the Australians, back in their hotel, would have blinked in astonishment.The stage is set, then, for a titanic clash back at the WACA on Sunday. It is certainly possible that Australia could win – their record against South Africa in important matches will encourage them – but can they earn the all-important bonus point. New Zealand will hope not.

England’s hero in yesterday’s 43-run win over New Zealand Paul Collingwood is looking to develop more pace in his bowling action.Collingwood took four wickets for 38 runs as New Zealand’s middle-order proved unable to cope with what New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming described as “prodigious swing” from the Durham all-rounder.Collingwood said he had never been able to get as much swing with the white ball before and it had certainly been good news to him to be able to swing the ball so much at his pace.He only had three ODI wickets before last night’s game and his average was 101 and his economy rate had been 5.59, by far the worst of the regular bowlers in the side.”I’ve been working hard on my bowling with the coach and hopefully I will get another yard. I am a genuine swinger of the ball and there are still flaws in my action,” he said.Collingwood said the improvements to his action would still take some time, but he was prepared to work at it on this tour and during the summer in England in the hope that he would be right after that.It was great to be involved in the England team. He had also benefited from looking at computer analysis and discussing aspects of his bowling style with Mark Ealham, who was a bowler he wanted to model himself on. If he could do as well as he had he would be happy.

This was a day of Test cricket neither New Zealand nor India will want to remember, but tomorrow, around lunchtime, it is a match one team will struggle to forget.After 22 wickets fell in the 105 overs bowled, and a part of all four innings featured, New Zealand were left needing 136 runs with 10 wickets in hand to secure a victory while India know there is still a chance for them to draw the National Bank Series if they can create the mayhem they did today when bowling New Zealand out for 94.New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said yesterday it would be the team that wanted to win the match most that would take it – and that is the challenge ahead of both teams tomorrow.The remarkable first innings which saw India out for 99 and New Zealand for five runs less is the lowest innings total from which the team batting first has secured a first innings lead.Whatever else the record books may say, and the 94 was New Zealand’s lowest score in a Test against India, surpassing the 100 scored at Wellington in 1980/81, a match they went on to win, the day itself is unprecedented in New Zealand cricket history.As disappointing as New Zealand’s failure to build a significant first innings advantage, so too, was India’s inability to score more than 154 in their second innings.Traditionalists might wonder whatever happened to good, old-fashioned technique? It was nowhere in evidence on either side, no matter what the reputations of the players concerned.Conditions were difficult, just as they were for India on the second day, but the New Zealanders knew that.However, that didn’t stop the New Zealanders playing some shots that defied the logic of the situation facing them. India in their second innings capitulated as badly as they have in each of their Test innings in the series.Was New Zealand’s batting in the first innings the result of being 1-0 up in a two-Test series? Or was it a hint that Mark Richardson was more of New Zealand’s saviour in the first Test than was earlier appreciated?The batting is not in good shape, and given a seven-match one-day series is next on the menu, there is plenty of cause for concern.Lou Vincent sent a regulation catch for first slip Rahul Dravid off Zaheer Khan.Richardson was leg before wicket to Khan, although it had to be wondered why, if Richardson was out why Fleming who was even more in line when he was struck an over earlier wasn’t out?Craig McMillan spent 28 minutes over an unconvincing four before going in similar fashion to Vincent.Nathan Astle launched into a cut in the direction of backward point off the second ball he faced but found Harbhajan Singh waiting to accept a not-too-difficult chance.Fleming was upset by movement around the sightscreen for a long period and then once it was sorted offered a straightforward return catch to Khan.Jacob Oram had a rush of blood and failed to apply full power to his attempted drive after going down the wicket to Harbhajan, generally fatal and no different in this case.Styris then fell leg before wicket to Harbhajan, to be followed by Robbie Hart who went leg before wicket to Khan, both of them being reasonable shouts.Daryl Tuffey played some of the best strokes of the innings but wasn’t able to turn quickly enough after being sent back by Daniel Vettori and was run out on the third umpire’s call and he was followed by Vettori who edged Khan to V V S Laxman at second slip.India’s second innings was fortified largely by an innings of hope from Sachin Tendulkar worth 32 and another innings in miniature from Dravid who was out for 39. Tendulkar played on a ball from Tuffey while Dravid opened up to a wider ball from Oram and cut it to substitute fieldsman Michael Mason at point.Virender Sehwag, dropped down the order to allow the opportunity to play more of his shots, confirmed the worth of that theory by lashing 25 runs off 18 balls, being especially severe on fast man Shane Bond. However, Bond had him out in an over in which he had taken 14 runs from Bond, when an off drive was well taken by Tuffey at mid-off diving forward to snare a rocket-like shot.And at the end Harbhajan contained his natural bent long enough to accumulate 18 runs before edging a ball to Hart.But it was controlled spells of bowling from Oram and Tuffey, who each took four for 41 that got New Zealand back in the match, and the opportunity to take a 2-0 scoreline from the series, something few anticipated before the series started.Khan and Harbhajan appeal as the biggest hurdles New Zealand will have to overcome.