All posts by h716a5.icu

Truro: Cornwall 120 & 187 (TG Sharp 99) Herefordshire 233 & 76/3 Herefordshire won by seven wickets, Herefordshire 22, Cornwall 4

CricInfo20-Aug-2002Abergavenny:
Wales 306 & 334 (OA Dawkins 104, DC Hopkins 70)
Dorset 493-6 & 46/3
Match drawn, Wales 9 Dorset 12Jesmond:
Northumberland 212 & 52/3
Norfolk 265 & 322/5d (SC Goldsmith 167, C Borrett 75)
Match drawn, Northumberland 9 Norfolk 10March:
Cambridgeshire 251-6d
Lincolnshire 396-6d
No play today, Match drawn, Cambridgeshire 8 Lincolnshire 10Netherfield
Cumberland 275/1d & 199/0d (ST Knox 125*, GA White 59*)
Bedfordshire 176/5d & 268/8 (JA Knott 60, GM Steadman 64*, DB Pennett 4-51)
Match drawn, Cumberland 9 Bedfordshire 5Truro:
Cornwall 120 & 187 (TG Sharp 99)
Herefordshire 233 & 76/3
Herefordshire won by seven wickets, Herefordshire 22, Cornwall 4.Torquay:
Devon 366 & 195/6 (M Hunt 63)
Berkshire 206 & 361/9 dec (L Nurse 68, J Morris 73)
Match drawn, Devon 12 Berkshire 9Whitchurch:
Shropshire 226 & 182/9 (KA Arnold 6-75)
Oxfordshire 256 & 155 (TJ Mason 5-35)
Match drawn, Shropshire 10 Oxfordshire 10Walsall:
Staffordshire 256 & 324 (GB Franklin 151)
Hertfordshire 245 & 246/5 (MH James 70, A Pickett 54*)
Match drawn, Staffordshire 10 Hertfordshire 10Westbury:
Wiltshire 220 & 331 (RJ Rowe 87, RJ Bates 57)
Cheshire 354-8 & 114/8 (JP Searle 6-43)
Match drawn, Wiltshire 8 Cheshire 11As a result of all these matches today Norfolk have won the Eastern Divisionand Herefordshire have won the Western Division.

Rangers will be looking to add some quality to their squad ahead of their return to the Champions League next season, with Steven Gerrard’s side’s performances in the cup competitions arguably one blemish on an otherwise superb season.

Whilst the Gers were able to finish the league season unbeaten and claim their first title in ten years, bringing an end to their Old Firm rival’s run of consecutive titles in the process, they failed to impress in the domestic cup competitions and fell short in the Europa League against Slavia Prague.

Therefore, Gerrard will surely be keen to add to his squad ahead of next season and the Gers have been linked with a whole host of names ahead of the summer transfer window.

Here’s how Football FanCast predicts Rangers’ strongest XI could look next season…

After signing a contract extension and being superb in the title win last season, it seems likely that Allan McGregor will continue as Gerrard’s first-choice goalkeeper.

James Tavernier and Borna Barisic seem likely to continue at full-back after they impressed last season, although Nathan Patterson and Calvin Bassey both showed that they can be relied upon as backup.

At centre-back, Filip Helander has been touted for an Ibrox exit, so Joseph Okumu could be the man to replace him as Rangers battle to sign him from Elfsborg this summer, with a fee of £3.4m likely to be enough to bring him to Ibrox.

Joey Veerman is another who has been heavily linked with a move to Rangers and whilst he would cost around £8.5m, his performances at Heerenveen in recent seasons suggest he could be a massive success at Ibrox next season.

Steven Davis and Joe Aribo would likely start ahead of him in midfield, with the likes of Scott Arfield and Ryan Jack also likely to be in regulars in Gerrard’s side.

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Fashion Sakala has already arrived from Oostende and could be the man to step up as Ryan Kent’s replacement on the left wing, with the former Liverpool youngster continuing to be linked with Leeds United.

On the opposite flank, Ianis Hagi has also been touted with an exit so transfer target Zinedine Ferhat, who is currently valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, could be signed as the Romanian’s replacement, which would take sporting director Ross Wilson’s spending to around £19m.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

If Alfredo Morelos stays then he will surely start up front, although the likes of Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe, who recently extended his stay at Ibrox, can all provide competition in attack.

And, in other news… Wilson heading for Rangers transfer disaster with £15m dud who “can’t run”

Most of the attention in Zimbabwe cricket this last week has been centred on their performances in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka

John Ward23-Sep-2002Most of the attention in Zimbabwe cricket this last week has been centred on their performances in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka.CONTENTSInternational cricket:Zimbabwe v IndiaZimbabwe v EnglandAfrica CupProvincial cricket reports – Vigne CupInterviews: Gus Mackay and James McMasterLettersAfter a long break, we hoped the team would be fresh and ready to go, but unfortunately it didn’t work out like that. The engine is running in fits and starts, with the bowling being the most disappointing area. We have seen our team play brilliantly, but apart from a brave run chase against India – led of course by the incomparable Andy Flower – they did not play to the high standards we know they can obtain. Assessments of the matches against India and England are included in this issue.In one way I feel this tournament could have been organized better. That regards the fixture list. Long before the group matches were concluded, Australia and Sri Lanka are in the semi-finals, South Africa are virtually assured of a place, and the only match with any real significance is that between England and India for the remaining semi-final place.That means there are quite a number of meaningless matches, mostly involving the minnows Bangladesh, Kenya and Holland, remaining before the semi-finals start. The crucial matches between the two strongest teams in each group were played early on, when they should have been used as likely deciders, as England v India will be. Perhaps the fixtures were drawn up in this way to stimulate early local interest in the tournament, or perhaps it was done to put less pressure on the likely semi-final teams. Perhaps they just came out of the hat that way.In future, I would suggest that the weakest team in each group – which would include Zimbabwe – get their matches over with early. The likelihood is that the bigger guns will beat them, and each of the final group matches will be in effect a quarterfinal, with a semi-final place dependent on the result. This will sustain interest, which will otherwise be lost in a series of dead matches.Closer to home, this issue includes a report on the Africa Cup competition held in Lusaka recently, after an interview with manager Kish Gokal, and reports on the Vigne Cup and provincial cricket. Gus Mackay, recently appointed general manager of the Mashonaland Cricket Association, talks about his job in a major article. We also include an interview with Australian James McMaster, a strong ZCO supporter, who is visiting Zimbabwe for the first time and has some interesting observations to make.

Nuno Espirito Santo is ‘waiting’ for a decision from Everton and wants to become their manager, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking on YouTube channel Don Robbie, Romano said the Blues had reached a verbal agreement with the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss and that a deal was close.

However, Everton weren’t 100% convinced and told Nuno they would need time to consider their options.

What’s the managerial situation at Everton?

The Blues are working to appoint a new boss after Carlo Ancelotti, who led them to a 10th-place finish in last season’s Premier League, left to join Real Madrid at the start of the month.

BBC Sport reported this week that, while Nuno remained a ‘candidate’, former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez had emerged as the favourite for the post after holding three rounds of talks with the Everton hierarchy.

An announcement won’t arrive until next week at the earliest, Sky Sports’ Alan Myers says.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed Romano’s Nuno claim, and here’s what supporters made of it.

Everton fans react to suggestion that Nuno is ‘waiting’

“Just get him in”

Credit: @Stu17666455

“Rather him than Rafa to be honest”

Credit: @TheBigBrown93

“Just do it”

Credit: @PabsH77

“Get him appointed !”

Credit: @AlHart07

“I’d take Nuno every day over a very divisive appointment like Rafa.”

Credit: @billbones80

“I didn’t want him, he’s not my first choice but I’m tenfold him over Rafa, if this was to happen now and he keeps Dunc on I’ll back him”

Credit: @smigger1878

In other news, could Dominic Calvert-Lewin be tempted by this move? 

Somerset County Cricket Club have been praised by David Graveney, the Chief Executive of the Professional Cricketer’s Association for the way that they have dealt with Joe Tucker, who was released by the club at the end of the season because of a

SOMERSET30-Oct-2002Somerset County Cricket Club have been praised by David Graveney, the Chief Executive of the Professional Cricketer’s Association for the way that they have dealt with Joe Tucker, who was released by the club at the end of the season because of a back injury.Despite him being released Somerset County Cricket Club have agreed to support the player through the period of his injury and to help him through his rehabilitation period.In his letter to chief executive Peter Anderson, Mr Graveney says: "With regard to Joe’s situation and I must say at the outset that Somerset’s attitude to looking after his rehabilitation is to be applauded and rarely duplicated in other counties."Earlier today the Somerset boss told me: "We are committed to helping Joe and it is right and proper that we should be looking after all of our players whenever they suffer an injury, and we are delighted to have received a letter from David Graveney applauding our actions."Meanwhile Joe Tucker underwent an operation on his back at the Nuffield Hospital in Taunton on October 23rd which seems to have been a success and he is now back at home making a good recovery.The former England Under 19 bowler told me: "It has all gone to plan and thankfully I am healing very well. Now I have to rest until Christmas, and then in the New Year get back into some light training at the gym."He paid tribute to Somerset when he told me:"Everybody at the club, Peter Anderson, the coaches and the physios have been really great, and even though I have been released they are still helping me which I really appreciate."Looking ahead to the future he told me: "By the time next season comes around I hope I will be able to bowl again and even resume my first class career at some stage."

Wolves might not be able to spend a great deal in the upcoming transfer window but that hasn’t stopped them from picking out an eye-catching list of targets.

What’s the word?

The Old Gold have been linked with a number of faces already in the ongoing market, with the most notable so far being James Tarkowski and Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri.

However, with faces in midfield potentially heading for the exit door, they may need to recruit in that area of the pitch too. Reports in Spain suggest that one player on whom Bruno Lage is keen is Dani Ceballos.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a two-year loan deal with Arsenal in the Premier League but has now headed back to Real Madrid.

Ceballos has a number of suitors, with Real Betis wanting to re-sign him. AC Milan and Lazio are also reportedly interested in the £24.3m-rated talent.

Neves replacement

One of the biggest issues for Lage this summer could be replacing Ruben Neves, who appears to be the most expendable player in the Wolves squad as they look to cash in on the Portuguese in a bid to drive more funds for recruitment.

They’ve slapped a £40m price tag on his shoulders, which has attracted interest from Ceballos’ former club Arsenal.

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A bid is yet to be lodged but if, he does move away from Molineux, Wolves could sign a brilliant replacement in the Spaniard.

Ceballos made a few high-profile mistakes towards the end of his time in north London but he is remarkably composed in possession and has a wonderful eye for a pass.

Speaking about his game last season, Michael Thomas said: “Ceballos is the glue. He comes and collects and then breaks the line which is always a difficult thing to do and requires a special kind of player to do so.”

The midfielder hasn’t quite lived up to his true billing yet but he is surprisingly adept defensively despite his slight frame. Last season, Ceballos prevailed in 1.5 tackles per match and completed 1.4 interceptions per game in the top flight of English football.

Those aren’t outstanding numbers but it provides evidence that he can do the dirty work like Neves has done in the Midlands.

Mikel Arteta regularly fielded the Wolves target as a deep-lying playmaker in the quarterback role, a position where Neves regularly played under Nuno Espirito Santo.

Ceballos made 0.1 more key passes per outing than the man he could replace but, critically, he is more progressive with the ball.

That’s something Wolves have arguably missed from their squad in recent years, with the Real Madrid gem completing one dribble per game, more than Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker.

Furthermore, the former Gunners loanee managed 9.2 progressive carries per match last term – that’s the numbers of times a player moves the ball towards the opponent’s goal at least five yards.

That tally is streets ahead of Neves with 4.21, while it also outmuscles Moutinho’s rate of 5.55 and Dendoncker’s tally of 2.23.

This would not be a like-for-like Neves replacement but Ceballos would likely do a fabulous job of slotting straight into that midfield.

His style of play would be perfect for a Wolves team aiming to be more offensive.

AND in other news, Lage may already be on the verge of repeating one of Nuno’s costly Wolves blunders…

Having lost the toss and being asked to field, the West Indies made the best of a bad start, restricting India to 275 for six at the end of the first day

Anand Vasu30-Oct-2002Having lost the toss and being asked to field, the West Indies made the best of a bad start, restricting India to 275 for six at the end of the first day. Carl Hooper and his attack of four seamers will feel that, in some part at least, they wrested the initiative back from the hosts. With the Indian tail exposed, the West Indies will hope to restrict India to as little over 300 as possible; that will be half the battle won. From there, the skipper will have to hope that his batsmen come good when most needed.The day began in somewhat bizarre fashion as the visitors made wholesale changes to their side. Surprising the pundits, the West Indies went into the game with four seamers on a wicket that looked slow and conducive to spin bowling. Marlon Samuels, Darren Powell and Cameron Cuffy were brought into the team in place of Ryan Hinds, Gareth Breese and injured left-arm seamer Pedro Collins.The strategy seemed to backfire as Virender Sehwag characteristically started to put the bowling to the sword from the moment he reached the crease. Unmindful of the fact that he was beaten time and again, Sehwag slashed merrily at anything even a touch loose. The result was six boundaries in an entertaining run-a-ball 35 before a quicker one from Merv Dillon beat the bat. Straddling his crease, Sehwag was trapped in front of the stumps, and India had lost their first wicket for a brisk 49 that came in 10.2 overs.Sanjay Bangar too seemed to be in an unusually adventurous mood. Driving at several deliveries too wide for the stroke, Bangar even edged a catch into the slip cordon early on, but watched in relief as Shivnarine Chanderpaul floored the tough chance.Rahul Dravid, in perhaps the best form of his life, stroked the ball well from the word Go, looking good for a big knock when his innings was cut short on 14. Getting the ball to come back off the wicket, Darren Powell had Dravid inside-edging onto his pad. Missing the edge, umpire David Shepherd upheld the confident appeal for leg-before. When the teams walked off the field for lunch, India were 98 for two off 26 overs, scoring at a fast clip despite the loss of two crucial wickets.In the second session, the pattern was much the same. Sachin Tendulkar, well on course to a big score, fell against the run of play in the 37th over of the innings. Flashing hard outside the off at a well-directed delivery from Jermaine Lawson, Tendulkar (36, seven fours) only managed to edge the ball to Chris Gayle in the slips.Sourav Ganguly then took over the scoring. Using the angled bat to great effect, the Indian skipper pierced the infield on the off-side off both front and back foot to score five boundaries in his 29. Then, just at the stroke of the tea, Ganguly attempted to cut a straight one from Carl Hooper – in reality, much too close to cut – and tickled the ball through to wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs.Quickly sizing up the situation, Bangar settled down to playing the role of sheet anchor to perfection. The intermittent fall of wickets at the other end only made Bangar concentrate harder. Batting with great care for 201 balls, Bangar (77, 13 boundaries) finally lost his concentration and drove Cameron Cuffy on the up into the waiting hands of Wavell Hinds in the cover-point region. The backbone of the Indian innings, Bangar once more proved his utility with a knock of high value.While Bangar was the only one to spend any significant time in the middle, all the other top-order batsmen got starts. Coming in at number six, VVS Laxman was no exception. As wristy and fluent as ever, the Hyderabadi stylist tucked the ball away to all parts of the ground for 48, including eight boundaries. However, in almost characteristic fashion, Laxman fished at a ball well outside the off-stump to be caught at slip.The Indian captain would have been disappointed with the timing of Laxman’s fall, coming as it did in the 81st over, on a day where just 83 overs were possible. Fortunately for the hosts, Parthiv Patel (18 not out) and Harbhajan Singh ensured that no more than six wickets were lost on the day.Yet again, the West Indies have managed to end a day’s play on a high note. If they are to salvage some of the fierce Caribbean pride that saw their teams rise to the very pinnacle in yesteryear, the visitors must press home the advantage, sustain the momentum, and make life as difficult as possible for India on the start of the second day.

Nottingham Forest are closing in on a deal to bring Emiliano Marcondes to The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Chris Hughton’s side have opened talks with the out of contract Brentford attacking midfielder regarding a move to Forest this summer.

The report continues by stating that Hughton is looking to revamp his squad in the summer transfer window following a disappointing campaign last time out, with the 26-year-old looking set to become the club’s first summer signing.

Fans should be buzzing

Considering how impressive Marcondes has been for Brentford since joining the club back in January of 2018, the fact that Forest appear to be close to landing the former Denmark U21 international this summer, especially on a free transfer, should leave fans of the club buzzing.

Arguably the £2.52m-rated man’s best campaign for the Bees came in 2019/20, a season in which Marcondes actually spent half a year out on loan at FC Midtjylland.

Having joined the Superligaen team in September, the 26-year-old went on to feature 12 times for Brian Priske’s side, scoring two goals, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots and making 1.8 key passes per fixture.

These returns saw the £12k-per-week midfielder earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.26, ranking him as Midtjylland’s second-best performer in the top flight of Danish football.

Upon his return to Brentford, Marcondes went on to make 25 Championship appearances for Thomas Frank’s side, scoring two goals, registering seven assists and creating four big chances, in addition to taking an average of 0.9 shots and making 1.2 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the man Frank dubbed a “remarkable” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.08, ranking him as Brentford’s sixth-best performer in the second tier of English football that season, playing a huge role in the club making it all the way to the play-off final.

As such, with Forest having struggled to find the back of the net last season, with only Derby County scoring fewer than the Garibaldi’s 37 Championship goals, should Hughton go on to land Marcondes this summer, and the midfielder is subsequently able to recreate his form from 2019/20 in Forest colours next term, the Reds will see their likelihood of both creating and scoring chances dramatically increase – something that could prove the springboard for Forest’s climb back up the Championship table.

In other news: Taylor drops significant Nottingham Forest off-field update, fans should be buzzing

Luke Dowling’s recent departure from West Brom is a “huge blow”, claims Peterborough director of football Barry Fry.

The Midlands club confirmed last month that Dowling, who held the position of sporting and technical director, had mutually agreed to leave The Hawthorns.

According to Football Insider, West Brom are unlikely to appoint a successor as they look to scrap the director of football model and allow new manager Valerien Ismael to work directly with the recruitment team.

For Fry, West Brom losing Dowling, who he feels is not at fault for the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship, is a massive setback.

“That’s a huge blow,” Fry said in an exclusive interview with FFC. “Luke’s very good at what he does, recruitment and all that. 

“They’re in a bit of a turmoil this year, not entirely his fault. I mean, they didn’t do too much when they got promoted, did they, in the market? So they were always going to struggle.

“They were always sort of odds-on favourites from day one to go down, so I don’t find that’s his fault.”

Indeed, it was a difficult season for Dowling, Sam Allardyce and Slaven Bilic, who was, of course, West Brom’s manager when the 2020/21 campaign started.

With Ismael now in charge, however, there is reason to be optimistic. The 43-year-old managed to take Barnsley to the play-offs last term, so he does look like a capable coach at this level.

Every time the rain-gods put in a little overtime, Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis are invoked for their system of modifying the parameters of the one-day international to get past the interruption

Samanth Subramanian19-Nov-2002Every time the rain-gods put in a little overtime, Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis are invoked for their system of modifying the parameters of the one-day international to get past the interruption. But the Duckworth-Lewis rules are applicable for more than just rain-breaks; any interruption, however bizarre, falls under their purview. Indeed, if a giant foot were to descend Python-like onto the playing area, it would be Duckworth and Lewis, rather than Terry Gilliam, who would be called in to decide how the match would change because of all the rough created by the footmark.The application of the Duckworth-Lewis method to crowd trouble, however, as was done during the recent Rajkot one-dayer between India and the West Indies, sets a dicey precedent. The arguments for it, of course, will cite it as just another interruption – which, technically, it is – and point out that a system already exists for exactly such an eventuality, so why not use it?But when the rules were drawn up, neither Duckworth nor Lewis could have had serious crowd trouble in mind, for it differs from other interruptions in that it is of a man-made nature and should therefore be controllable. More importantly, the crowd trouble often stems directly from events on the field, and in such a scenario, one has to look beyond merely awarding the match to the team ahead.The nub of the problem lies in identification. In the packed stadiums that are the norm in India, it is incredibly difficult – even by freeze-framing closed-circuit camera feed – to point out a single bottle-thrower. To make matters worse, a natural desire to avoid getting enmeshed in the bureaucracies of the law leads to an obdurately uncooperative crowd, and under these constraints the onus then shifts onto the authorities to avoid the incidents, rather than merely identify and punish the culprits.The one sure way – beyond nets, tightened security and closed-circuit cameras – to deter the crowd is to demonstrate that drastic consequences will ensue, and little could be more drastic than awarding the match to the visiting team. They may or may not deserve it, but setting an example is, in the larger interests of the game, much more important.Admittedly, it is hard on the hosts if they are dominating the game at that stage, and sympathies will undoubtedly lie with them. At Rajkot, for example, with India almost cantering to a win and Virender Sehwag on fire, only the most hard-hearted could have failed to feel sorry for them if the match had been awarded to the West Indies. But keeping the bigger picture in mind, it must be done; the reward – a crowd that understands that it could cost its side the game, rather than merely end it sooner – is well worth it.Dissenters also contend that such a policy sets up a situation whereby tourists from abroad could create a ruckus to see the match ceded to their side. It is a less probable evil; not only are tourists extremely wary of falling afoul of the law outside their own country, but they are marginally easier to pick out in a crowd, if only by giant kangaroos, Union Jacks or other such paraphernalia.Rajkot happened in part because no firm action was taken at either Jamshedpur or Nagpur. There was no precedent set; that must not occur again. Once an example is made of such a case – and once it has been made clear that firm action will be taken unhesitatingly – we may not have to look beyond one such match to ensure that Rajkot – or Jamshedpur or Nagpur, for that matter – does not recur.