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Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka’s serene middle order batsman, is bracinghimself for a pace onslaught against South Africa starting Friday.The 25-year-old right-hander, now firmly established as Sri Lanka’s finestbatsman in a richly talented line-up, has made adjustments to his game inanticipation of the expected battle with Shaun Pollock and company.A naturally modest and understated character he is nevertheless confident ofmaintaining a prolific run for form that has seen him average 55.50 in thelast two years, including five Test centuries.”We have no problems with facing fast bowlers. As long as we stick to ourgame plan and back ourselves to do well in these conditions we will be ok,”said Jayawardene.Jayawardene, possessed with a natural inclination to attack, vows to take onthe pace bowlers in what promises to be a mouth-watering contest.”In South Africa your defense has to be solid and you must be very compact,playing the ball in front of your eyes,” he reveals. “But you must alsoremain positive, looking to score whenever possible.Being an impulsive ‘hooker’ he can be expect to be targeted with shortdeliveries by the South Africans, who will hope that he holes out in thedeep.But Jayawardene will be taking on the challenge: “I will be pulling andcutting because I know that I am not going to get many opportunities todrive.”During his last tour to South Africa he started with a brilliant 98 atDurban but failed to pass fifty in his next five innings. This time he hopesfor greater success having tinkered with his technique during the past twoyears.”I have been making little adjustments to my game such as reducing mybacklift and trying to avoid moving my feet unnecessarily,” he reveals. “Onthe sub-continent we tend to walk into out shots but here you cannot affordto do that.”Although Sri Lanka have a woeful Test record outside the sub-continent withonly three victories in the past two decades, Jayawardene believes that hiscolleagues can surprise South Africa during the forthcoming series.”We have improved a lot during the last three years,” he says. “We may havelost our last series here but we learnt a great deal during that tour andhopefully we can put those things right in these two Test matches.””We had two good practice matches here so far. The batsmen have spent timein the middle and everyone is feeling pretty confident. However, the Testmatch is going to be totally different and we have to prepare ourselvesmentally.”He urges his colleagues to lift their games: “We cannot be one step belowthem just because we are not used to playing in these conditions. We have toraise our game in all three departments and compete with them on a levelpar.”And if they possess the required self belief then Jaywardene is hopeful: “Aslong as we have the confidence in ourselves we can be successful herebecause South Africa have traditionally not handled pressure well.”But he warns that the first two days will be crucial: “When they get on topit can be very difficult to pull them back. It’s imperative that we do letthem get away in the first two days of the Test match. If we can stay withthem to the 3rd and 4th day then we have a very good chance.”

It was second against fourth in the top division of the Norwich Union League as Glamorgan Dragons – backed by their vocal coterie of supporters – did battle with Warwickshire Bears at Edgbaston.And it was the Dragons who emerged victorious as they defended a daunting total of exactly 300 to win by 62 runs and draw level with the Bears on points in the table. The Bears remain second for the moment, courtesy of a marginally superior run-rate.The Dragons, inserted by Bears’ skipper, Michael Powell, made a bright start until Croft missed a drive at Neil Carter (63-1) in the eighth over. It hardly halted their progress however, with the new man David Hemp, returning to his former county, soon picking up Richardson for a six over square leg as the Bears missed the bowling of the injured Pollock (thigh strain).Powell’s gamble on calling Neil Smith’s off-spin into the attack as early as the 12th over, with only two fielders allowed outside the ring, backfired with the impressive Thomas striking successive fours back over the bowler’s head. The left-handed opener brought up the 100 up in just the 15th over with a pulled six off Brown.But in the same bowler’s next over he dismissed Hemp, pulling a ball that was too close to him to mid-on where Neil Smith clung on to a tricky chance well above his head (103-2).Ian Thomas batted beautifully. Only in the team in place of the injured Steve James he went to 50 in 42 balls (8×4 1×6) with a push off the legs, and celebrated with a delightful late-cut, a shot he played well several times, off Smith that raced to the boundary.He was furious with himself after perishing for an excellent 72 (65 balls 1×6 11×4), well caught by a diving Richardson off Powell on the mid-wicket fence.But Maynard was soon into his stride, crashing a brace of boundaries over mid-wicket off Smith before treating Powell to the same punishment. It wasn’t long before he brought up his own half-century with a dismissive six over mid-wicket off the suffering Carter (9-0-67-2). But Maynard fell to a poor ball, clipping Powell straight into the hands of Knight on the square-leg fence.Adrian Dale (63 from 48 balls, 7×4) continued the momentum, accelerating well thanks in part to a loose over from the rusty Mark Wagh (one over for 17). But when Dale fell (280-6) the Dragons lost some impetus with Wallace and Mike Powell (caught by his namesake) sacrificing themselves in the search for quick runs.Indeed, 300 was fewer than they had looked capable of with 10 overs to go, And, on a good batting pitch and with the Dragons missing Kasprowicz (hamstring problem) the Bears were far from out of it.They needed a good start to their reply however, and promoted Carter to the pinch-hitting role. But it didn’t work out as he drove Wharf straight to mid-on. Worse was to follow as the in-form Nick Knight departed to the same bowler for just six, in what was probably the key moment of the game.Knight gave Wharf (who dismissed the top three in the order) the charge, but in trying to turn the ball to leg succeeded only in chipping the ball up to Powell at a short-ish mid-on. Wagh and Ostler – smartly caught by Wallace standing up to the stumps – soon followed as the Bears looked to be heading for a heavy defeat.But a fine partnership of 104 between two of the brightest batting prospects in the domestic game, Ian Bell and Jamie Troughton threatened to turn the game on its head. Both players found the gaps in the field, and were harsh on any error of length from the Dragons bowlers.The experience of off-spinner Robert Croft proved crucial however, and when Troughton succumbed to the wily Welshman for 48 and Powell followed, there was a great deal of pressure left on Bell.He recorded a career-best one-day score of 86 (77 balls; 10×4 1×6), but found the requirement simply too great. And, when he fell, lbw to Thomas, with almost 100 still needed, the writing was on the wall.

COLOMBO – Australian vice-captain Adam Gilchrist feels he’s close to abig score and would love to get one against cricket minnow Bangladeshhere on Thursday.Gilchrist has been hammering rapid-fire 20s, 30s and 40s over the pastfew weeks, including an excellent 44 off 30 balls against New Zealand onSunday, which set up Australia’s massive 164-run win.But the man labelled “The Destroyer” by Champions Trophy promoters,feels he’s only taking pot-shots at bowlers at the moment.”I’ve been happy with the way I’ve been hitting them,” Gilchrist toldAAP.”It was good to get to 40 again the other day but it’s stilldisappointing to have got out.”In the context of the game it provided a good start, it was a launchingplatform to get a massive total [7-296] … but it would still be niceto get a big score.”Since making a half-century against Pakistan in the three-match winterseries, Gilchrist has been averaging a shade over 20. Even though he’sstill scoring quickly, he hasn’t been able to get a really big score -but that may come against the inexperienced Bangladesh outfit.Australia has played the newest Test nation just once, in the 1999 WorldCup.In that match the Aussies needed a big win to boost their run rate inorder to make sure of their place in the next round of the tournament.After Bangladesh made 7-178, Australia rattled off the runs in 19.5overs with Gilchrist making a stunning 63 off 39 balls to ensureAustralia won easily.Gilchrist also needs just one more catch behind the wicket to become thefirst keeper to record 200 catches in one-dayers.

MELBOURNE, Dec 15 AAP – Champion Australian leg spinner Shane Warne suffered a dislocated shoulder here tonight in the one-day cricket match against England.The joint was put back in the dressing room, but he had not yet gone to hospital.An Australian Cricket Board spokesman confirmed the nature of the injury.He added Warne would see a shoulder specialist and undergo diagnostic scans to determine the extent of the damage.”More will be known in due course,” the spokesman said.Warne hurt his right shoulder after diving to field a ball off his own bowling in the 28th over of England’s innings.Television footage showed him clutching his bowling shoulder in agony and he was stretchered from the field a few minutes later.There were immediate fears he could be ruled out for the World Cup tournament in six weeks in South Africa.He missed much of the 1998-99 season after needing a reconstruction of the shoulder.Warne also was out of action for several months during the 2000-01 season when he broke the spinning finger in his right hand in a fielding accident.Warne, Test cricket’s second-highest wicket taker with 491, underwent a strict fitness and diet regime this year to prolong his career.Australian team physiotherapist Errol Alcott said the best-case scenario for Warne was four to six weeks in the stands.”We know he’s actually dislocated his shoulder. He’s got what’s called an anterior dislocation,” Alcott said.”It was put back in by the ACB chief medical officer Trefor James. It went in really well, so we’re happy about.”Now we need to just wait a little bit to see if there’s any further damage.”First of all, we need to establish if there’s any boney injury, so we need to get some plain x-rays done on it.”And then he’ll be seen by a specialist, a shoulder specialist who has actually done his surgery before.”Our main concern is his prior history. He’s had surgery on that shoulder before so we need to have a look and see if there’s perhaps further damage done to that already damaged joint.”We’re looking four to six (weeks out) to start with. It might be more four than six but it depends if there’s anything else injured.”If there is something more, than we’d probably have to add on the weeks.”Warne’s injury is almost certain to rule the 33-year-old out of the remaining two Tests of the Ashes series against England.Ponting said he was not a medical person, but thought Warne would be out of action “for quite a while”, given it was a shoulder dislocation and his history of problems with the joint.”It was a sad thing to happen in a good game and we don’t know the full extent of it just yet,” Ponting said.”Obviously, it’s a shoulder dislocation and apparently it went back into (the) joint fairly easily.”He’s off tonight, X-rays and scans, and we probably won’t know until later tonight or early tomorrow morning just how bad it is.”It’s pretty safe to say he will be out for quite a while yet.”

In an ironic twist, the next round of championship games, following on from the first Test, have prompted the England team management to show great kindness to the counties which have contracted England players. Alex Tudor in particular has been given a rest, although the others were able to put their feet up for most of the last three days. The batsmen were all able to get some practice against left arm quick medium bowling, a particular boon for Stewart, Butcher and Thorpe, who welcome Somerset and left arm seamer Matthew Bulbeck to the Oval.Given the easy pace of days four and five at Lord’s, and the lack of recent practice evident in the side’s performance in the first three days of the Test, it makes perfect sense that the contracted players will also be free for this round. It would, after all, be a shame if the series were to be lost because the Sri Lankans have had more practice in English conditions than their hosts this summer.

Frizzell County Championship Division OneP   W  L  D  Bat Bowl  Deduct PointsSurrey                    3   3  0  0  11   9    0.25   55.75Leicestershire            4   2  1  1  15  11    1.00   53.00Lancashire                4   2  1  1  11  12    0.00   51.00Hampshire                 4   1  1  2  13  11    0.00   44.00Somerset                  3   1  0  2  11   8    0.00   39.00Kent                      3   1  1  1  10   7    0.00   33.00Sussex                    3   0  1  2  11   8    0.00   27.00Warwickshire              3   0  2  1   5   7    0.00   16.00Yorkshire                 3   0  3  0   2   9    0.00   11.00

Surrey v Somerset, Kennington Oval (24th – 27th May)Viewed from The Oval, the table has a rosy glow. Since the round three dispatch of Lancashire, Martin Bicknell has returned to form with five for 26 and Ali Brown has delivered a trademark 40-ball half century. The entire top order took advantage of the university match at Fenners, and the Lord’s Test, to occupy the crease after a feeble first innings effort against a keen and accurate Lancashire attack.In recent years home advantage has been key in this fixture, with Somerset winning well in `98 and having the better of rain-affected draws in 2000 and 2001. But their hosts have dropped just a single point out of 60 in the last three Oval meetings.Surrey’s Ian Salisbury has secured 33 wickets against the visitors in the past four seasons, and he also welcomes back his spin twin Saqlain for this fixture. The runs have been spread around too, with 11 Surrey players posting first-class fifties so far, and six with centuries. With a full cast to choose from and 20 wickets a game so far in the course of their three convincing wins, Surrey will be looking to pull even further ahead in the early stages of the title race.For Somerset Cox and Bowler are once again the core of a batting side that also features wicket-keeper Rob Turner and hard-hitting spinning all-rounders Keith Dutch and Ian Blackwell. The availability of Andy Caddick, who enjoys bowling at the Oval, may be crucial to their chances, especially if Richard Johnson’s hamstring still rules him out, in what seems likely to be an uphill struggle for the Cidermen.Either Surrey’s 100% record or Somerset’s undefeated status will be lost in this contest between the two highest-placed sides, who each have just three games under their belts. In recent seasons even one-sided games between the two have provided captivating cricket, and with both teams loaded with internationals, veterans and up-and-coming prospects, this should be no exception.Sussex v Leicestershire, Horsham (24th – 27th May)Sussex are likely to be without the exceptional form of their captain and leading batsman Chris Adams, who was injured in training for their B&H quarter-final defeat, Adams’ 466 runs, with three centuries in three games have been the highlight of their season so far. His supporting cast has been on song too though, with Michael Yardy and overseas player Murray Goodwin scoring well, backed up lower down the order by the likes of Robin Martin-Jenkins. They score their runs at a fair rate too.The South coast team, one of three sides yet to record a victory, will be hoping that the cloudy conditions forecast for this weekend will help their seam attack improve its penetration and take 20 wickets for the first time this season. The first two years of the two-division championship have shown that the key to success in the top flight is the ability to bowl sides out twice, and only Jason Lewry and James Kirtley have so far achieved strike rates sufficient to the task.Leicestershire have weathered the extraordinary exodus at the end of last season amazingly well, recording two wins in four games and losing narrowly in their nail-biting season opener against Lancashire. They have outshone both the other promoted sides by significant margins already.Darren Stevens, in his sixth year as a first-class cricketer, has scored just 1711 from 66 innings, but 395 from six this season has delighted the county’s fans as their unexpected star turn, showing once again the ability of the club’s highly-rated Jack Birkenshaw to spot and develop talent. The rest of the batting has been strong too, and Leicestershire have the highest batting points average in the division, with 15 out of a possible 20.The bowling is lead by the vastly experienced Test veteran Phil DeFreitas, who has had excellent and unexpected support from Darren Maddy, whose 15 wickets continue the late blooming he started last season. But Devon Malcolm has yet to produce one of the spectacular wicket-hauls that have characterised his seemingly unending first-class career.Weather permitting, this looks likely to be a high scoring encounter, but it remains to be seen whether either side can force a win.Yorkshire v Hampshire, Leeds (24th – 27th May)With the wheels hanging off the creaking Yorkshire bandwagon, out of the B&H and last in Division One, this match against promoted Hampshire approaches the status of a must-win contest. Yorkshire come into this game after five straight championship defeats (fortunately just three this season) since claiming the 2001 title, this includes two innings defeats by championship leaders and arch-rivals Surrey.The champions at least come into this game with their captain, overseas player and batting mainstay Darren Lehmann showing some of the form that brought the championship to Headingley for the first time since 1968. The return of their Test players also gives a fillip to their chances, especially given the Test century by their own Pennine-hopping run machine Michael Vaughan. So far they have raised a paltry two batting points while seven of their rivals have already reached double figures. The good news is that the batsmen put up a fight in their game against Somerset and produced some runs, but they have still only mustered one century in six innings, from Craig White, and no batsman has passed the 200-run mark for the campaign.Their bowling too has failed to prosper in the usual fashion – the only five wicket haul so far being the inimitable Steve Kirby’s 5-129 achieved while Surrey were peppering the boundary boards. Sidebottom and Hoggard have disappointed so far, but both are hard-working young men with real talent who will surely improve as the season goes on. Given targets to bowl at their seam attack, all-conquering last year, should prosper again.Hampshire bring the best record of any of the promoted teams into this game, and John Crawley returns from international duty to strengthen their batting, which has benefited from improvements by Shaun Udal and the arrival of South African wicket-keeper Nick Pothas, as well as the contributions of overseas player Neil Johnson and captain Robin Smith.Bowling success has been headed by Dimitri Mascarenhas, who spearheaded their home victory against Kent, and Chris Tremlett, with neither of their internationals, Alan Mullally or Udal, at their best yet.Despite some batting success, Hampshire have been forced to follow on twice and their bowling has been taken for huge first innings totals in three of four matches. The contest between their varied bowling and Yorkshire’s erratic batsmen is set to be one of the most interesting of this round of matches.

As another English season draws to a close, the trees turn yellow and the temperature falls, cupboards will be raided for fleeces and pullovers. England’s cricketers, however, will be polishing their sunglasses, ironing their linen shirts and stocking up on sun lotion, preparing for a return to serendipity.Eighteen months after their glorious series-sealing victory against Sri Lanka at the grassy-banked Sinhalese Sports Club, Nasser Hussain’s side is returning to Colombo, one Asia’s most laidback capital cities, hoping to kick-start their World Cup preparations with a successful ICC Champions Trophy.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, will hope that they will be followed by their famously loyal supporters, eager to top-up their tans before another long dark winter. The bitter memories of a shock home defeat may still linger, but the locals still reminisce fondly about England’s carnival-like tour.

Barmy Army had a ball in Sri Lanka

For two months England’s Union Jack clad Barmy Army cheered on their team, sung their songs and twisted their hips to the rhythmic drumming of local bands. Sri Lanka’s gyrating spectators couldn’t hide their delight – Nasser’s supporters also loved a cricket party.In the 1990s English supporters started to flock to the West Indies, especially Kensington Oval, Barbados and St. Johns, Antigua. The stadiums were been filled to the rafters, the supporters happily intoxicated by a heady mixture of cricket, Calypso and rum.The West Indies was attractive. Cricket was loved; a pastime with a permanent place in their cultural heritage and a glue that bound together different ethnicities. And aside from cricket there was paradise: sunshine, golden beaches and turquoise seas. For those wishing to party, the nightlife was exhilarating.No other destination could match the Caribbean’s intoxicating charm. Until, that is, a long time overdue, those men in grey suits at the home of cricket finally agreed to a full Test series in Sri Lanka. A new paradise was discovered.Sri Lanka is Asia’s Caribbean, a small island of great beauty, populated by a charming people. Elsewhere in the subcontinent travel can be an ordeal – in Sri Lanka it’s easy: the laid back pace of life coupled with the generousity and politeness of its inhabitants makes it so.Like in the Caribbean, cricket is cherished. Nowhere else in the world does a three-day school game attract 5,000 cheering spectators – in Sri Lanka such crowds are seen every year as Royal College take on St Thomas. From gabbling tri-shaw drivers to reclining beach boys, from blue suited businessmen to gossiping housewives, the game is followed with passion.In fact, it goes deeper than love. Success in cricket feeds the soul of country. The 1996 World Cup victory became an important marker point in the nation’s post-independence history – a source of confidence and pride.So it should come as no surprise that England’s supporters quickly warmed to Sri Lanka. Traipsing from the coconut palm-fringed beaches surrounding Galle International Stadium, to the lush hillsides hugging Asgiriya International Stadium, thousands enjoyed the holiday of a lifetime.Many will consider a return for the ICC Champions Trophy and those that do will discover a new spirit of confidence. A new government came to power in December, initiating a peace process that has gathered momentum by the day. Six months on and a civil war in the north is no longer; guns swapped for telephones, bunkers for the negotiating table. The resultant air of hope is intoxicating.

Sri Lanka: a tropical paradise

So although a difficult year for tourism worldwide, Colombo is bracing itself for a party. The two stadiums are being revamped, tour operators are busy plotting excursions, hoteliers are planning banquets and bars are signing up live bands.But the number of travellers is difficult to predict. Few expect the numbers that poured in for the England series. However, it is hoped the prospect of an exciting tournament, wedded to happy memories, a quickly maturing peace process and value for money, will attract large numbers of supporters.Indeed, Sri Lanka offers the cricket tourist unbeatable value for money. Some operators are offering 14-day package tours for as little GBP 620, inclusive of first class accommodation and a return flight. Tours to Australia and South Africa later in the winter cost significantly more.There is another reason for traveling – the cricket could be exceptional. The world’s best players will be playing, on pitches tailormade for blistering batting. “Come done Jayasuriya, Tendulkar, Lara, Klusner, Gilchrist and Flintoff…time to entertain.”So if haven’t yet planned an Autumnal sojourn, the time has come to scribble out that holiday leave form. The party starts on 12 September, England’s first game on 18 September. Don’t miss out on the trip of a lifetime.

It’s easier to remove Lord Nelson’s statue from Heroes Square than tocaptain the West Indies team at the moment.Skipper Carl Hooper should have known this better than anybody elsebecause he said, while he was in exile, that personnel changes wouldnot solve all the problems in West Indies cricket for they are toomany and too diversed.I don’t see how he could think that things would have changed in hisshort stint at the helm. That would have taken a Jesus-like miraclesince the administrative structure is the same and there is still thenucleus of the team that he inherited.Yet some of Hooper’s recent behaviour suggests that he anticipatedthere would have been an immediate overhaul in their attitude andapplication to playing and that the results would be different.How else could you put into context his rash statement that even ifSteve Waugh was captain the team still would not win? This is clearlythe reaction of a man who is beginning to feel the pressure of leadinga team that is continuing to perform way below par most of the time.However, it is obvious that a chronic case of foot-in-mouth diseasewill do more to hurt his cause than help it because when you speakwith a loose tongue you merely serve to undermine the confidence ofyour team and then it will be hard to ask them to lift theirperformance once they get in the middle.After all, they have feelings and while I won’t want to suggest thatthey will under-perform deliberately to embarrass the skipper, it isquite possible that they will be less inclined to give 100 per centfor a man who seeks to put them down in public than if he was moresympathetic to their failings.Hooper might be frustrated but he must take into account that with thesquad already getting a tongue lashing from millions of disappointedand angry supporters they need all the internal support they can getto stay grounded else the boat would sink even in shallow waters.Perhaps only Brian Lara and himself will qualify for this exclusiveleague of being world-class, therefore reticence and discretionarylanguage must be the order of the day in evaluating the merits of theside especially, I emphasise, when it comes to making publicpronouncements.Obviously the players will still be annoyed but I think they will takeit a lot better if Hooper reserves some of his untimely comments forthe dressing room and not at the table of a Press conference.Usually, they can’t wait to pounce on the wounded, why give them moreammunition than they need to finish the job? The West Indiescricketers can ill afford such a situation where they are alreadycoming out second best by a long, long way.This will be a long tedious period of transition and it will requireplenty of patience from all the stakeholders in West Indies cricket.We must present a united front to the world as we bid to reclaim theglory days.In the short-term and even the long-term people like Hooper will needto be giving both the players and the genuine supporters a greatermeasure of reassurance that all is not lost and that with time, withthe right methods and right attitudes in place we can resurface as amajor force in the world game.Hooper needs to ponder on these things before he puts his foot in hismouth again. He does not need to make his job any harder than italready is.

Ragama Cricket Club, playing their first year in the Premier League, havebeen declared the runners up of the Premier Trophy Plate Championshipfollowing disciplinary action taken by the tournament organising committeeagainst Sebastianties Cricket and Athletic Club.Sebastianites were the runners up after the final round of matches but weredocked three crucial points for fielding an ineligible player, a penaltythat allowed Ragama to grab some silverware in their first season.Sebastianites have been left to rue their decision to drop wicket-keeper KLKFernando, who had ironically taken more catches than any other fielder inthe tournament, and play Madushan Fernando who had earlier played for OldCambriyan Sports Club in the Division III competition.The decision cost them 100,000 rupees in prize money, a not inconsiderablesum for a small club.

The annual Division 1 cricket championship, which usually starts inMay, will begin in August this year.For the first time in recent history, the season will begin with theBarbados Fire & Commercial Cup Limited-overs Competition on May 19.As a result, the new-look Division 1 competition, which features theintroduction of covers and a morning start for two-day matches, willbe delayed until August 11.Play will now start at 11 a.m. daily in the Division 1 competition, anhour later than was originally planned.Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) business manager Rollins Howardsaid the decision to start the season with the Cup competition wasmade primarily to accommodate schoolboys who have examinations in themonths of May and June.”We don’t usually play on Saturday and Sunday at the start of theseason,” Howard told NATIONSPORT.”If we start with the Cup, we will still play cricket every Saturday.The schools will be playing in the knockout competition and it wouldnot impact on Sunday cricket with them.”The Cup competition will run for nine successive Saturdays,culminating with the final on Sunday July 22.Once the Division 1 competition starts on August 11, it will run for13 successive weekends, ending in the first weekend of November.For the first time ever, there will be Reserve League for teamsparticipating in Division 1, registration of clubs and players andmatch referees in Division 1.”There are other changes but the above are those which will have animmediate and the greatest impact on clubs participating in theDivision 1 competition,” Howard said in a memo to clubs and schools.”We appreciate that many changes are being implemented for the newseason and expect that several challenges will present themselves.However, it will be a learning experience for all of us.”Covers, which are to be used in Division 1 and the entire Cupcompetition for the first time, have been ordered for each club andshould soon arrive in the island.In an effort to familiarise the groundstaff with the requirements forpreparation of two-day pitches as well as with the elements involvedin covering pitches, a seminar for groundsmen, sponsored by the BCAand the National Sports Council, was held recently at Queen’s Park.Each Division 1 club will be represented in the Reserve League, whichwill be played on two consecutive Saturdays initially.”This concession is made to allow current clubs time to recruitplayers who will be able to compete in the Reserve League under thesame conditions as the First Division and will not exceed two years,”Howard said.”Clubs are therefore urged to embark on programmes to attract youngplayers.”In these two years, the Reserve League will begin at 12:30 p.m. dailyand will be played on the basis of 35-overs-per-side in the firstinnings with many of the requirements of a regular limited-overs matchin place.The second innings will be played to a normal conclusion. There will,however, be a minimum of 75 overs in the day’s play.Match referees, who have become a regular part of the Fire Cupcompetition in recent years, are expected to be in place for Division1 matches.”There is a need for more match referees and efforts are under way torecruit suitable persons so that all of the competitions can be wellserved,” Howard said.Other changes include the promotion of teams from Intermediate andSecond Division and the introduction of new clubs to the SecondDivision.Barbados Defence Force Youth Programme, champions in the IntermediatePremier League in 1999 and 2000, have been promoted to Division 1 totake the place of one of the Combined Schools teams.Additionally, Conrad Hunte Sports Club, Dover, Wotton and Fustic havebeen promoted to the Premier League; Lords, Parish Land and theBarbados Fire Service have moved up to Intermediate from SecondDivision; and Isolation Cavaliers, Melrose and Brereton are the newcomers to the Second Division competition.There will only be minor changes to the conditions of play in thePremier, Intermediate, Second and Schools divisions.Playing times and general conditions will be the same as in previousyears, with play starting at either 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.The Second Division, however, will play under conditions similar tothe Reserve League.The Fire Shield, which starts on June 10, will be played almostsimultaneously with the Cup and ends with the final on July 15.In another new feature, all clubs will have to register their players.Registration fee per club is $100 and per player $10.Registration for schools is $50, but there is no registration fee forindividual schoolboys.

ScorecardBrian Chari and Moeen Ali both fell short of hundreds but their contributions went a long way to helping Tuskers to victory in their opening match. Set 305 to win, Chari and Moeen took the chase to 219 for 2 after an opening stand of 72. First-change bowler Natsai M’shangwe trapped Chari two short of a century after 10 fours and a six, with Moeen playing a more enterprising knock, striking 12 fours and two sixes in 95 in just 87 balls before falling to Shingirai Masakadza.Mushangwe kept Mountaineers in the game with additional wickets of Craig Ervine and Charles Coventry, but their knocks of 22 and 20 respectively, at nearly a run-a-ball, kept the chase ticking along and it was left to captain Keegan Meth to score the winning boundary.It was an excellent competitive match with Tuskers taking a 53-run first innings lead after Glen Querl took 5 for 56 to bowl Mountaineers out for 264 having chosen to bat first. It was Querl’s sixth five-for in first-class cricket and took him past 50 career wickets. But he only picked up the solitary success in Mountaineers’ second innings as Hamilton Masakadza, playing his 100th first-class match, hauled his side back into the match with 178 in 279 balls. That allowed Mountaineers to declare and set up a testing, if ultimately reachable, chase.

ScorecardSouthern Rocks capitalised on the opportunity to force a result on the final afternoon in Harare, bowling Eagles out for 159 for an easy victory. The captains came together to set up a chase for Southern Rocks of 301 but they were blown away by Tinashe Panyangara, whose 4 for 43 sent his side to an opening match victory.After just 13.1 overs on day three, the game was destined for a draw but the match came alive as Eagles were fed 72 runs in 21 balls, allowing Chamu Chibhabha to make a century, and Southern Rocks forfeited their second innings. But Eagles were quickly reduced to 17 for 3 and the chance of victory was over inside 10 overs of the final innings. Panyangara did the early damage, having Sikandar Raza lbw for 4 and then five balls later removing captain Stuart Matsikenyeri for a duck. That after opener Chibhabha fell caught behind to Brian Vitori for 5.Regis Chakabva hung around for 112 balls, making 28 but he was eventually bowled by Panyangara as the last of Eagles’ resistance was removed. Vitori went on to pick up Mark Mbofana and Innocent Chinyoka to finish with 3 for 49 but neither he nor Panyangara could ruin Nathan Waller’s day. He launched seven fours in an entertaining 53 minutes which saw him make an unbeaten 42 and provide at least some cheer for pointless Eagles.Southern Rocks took seven points from their win which was set up from a big first innings total having won the toss. Richmond Mutumbami top-scored with 141 including two sixes and 21 fours. He and Derbyshire’s Peter Burgoyne put on 153 for the fifth wicket, Burgoyne making an unbeaten 102. Another Derbyshire player, Ben Slater, made 89 opening the batting.