Surrey have announced their highest ever profits in the club’s 163-year history. Last year, their annual turnover was £23,407,000 and they recorded pre-tax profits in excess of £721,000, an increase of 108.4% from 2006.”We’re very pleased that 2007 has been a record year for us off-the-field,” Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, said. “All areas of the club are performing well and we’re really building on our potential. Our prospects for growth over the next few years are equally strong.”Aside from other international matches, we will host an Ashes Test match next summer and the ICC Twenty20 World Cup will be an important income generator for us. Further to this, the planned redevelopment of the Pavilion End will provide considerable benefits without any investment from the club directly thanks to our partnership with Arora Hotels.2007 generated receipts of over £5,815,000 courtesy of the four international matches staged at The Oval, a 66.8% increase from 2006.
Paul Mooney, the Ireland allrounder who played 84 times for his country including four one-dayers, has announced his retirement.”I have been fortunate to have represented Ireland for ten years now,” he said in a statement, “and during that period I have had some of the best times and experiences of my life.”Mooney – older brother of John, the Ireland bowler – played a single match in the World Cup against South Africa, a match Ireland lost. But Ireland showed immense promise, in spite of the burdening tag of minnows, and Mooney is confident that Irish cricket’s future is bright.”It’s a special squad of players that we have at the minute,” he said, “and I believe greater things can be achieved. [The World Cup] has been an amazing experience, and hopefully has changed the face of cricket in Ireland forever.”
Middlesex’s revival at the Rose Bowl did not last into the third day and ended with a ten-wicket loss to Hampshire. The dismissal of Andrew Strauss for 141 was the key as Middlesex lost their last seven wickets for 92, all of them falling to Shane Warne, who finished for 7 for 99. Middlesex have now lost their first two Championship matches and sit at the bottom of the table.Sajid Mahmood celebrated his probable England call-up with 4 for 24 to put Lancashire on course for a six-wicket victory over Kent at Old Trafford. Lancashire’s last seven wickets added only 70 this morning, but if they were disappointed to take a first-innings lead of only 37, they were soon in better spirits as Kent were skittled for 124 – Gary Keedy took 4 for 44, while Geraint Jones made 60, almost half his team’s total – leaving them needing 89 to win.At Hove, Naved-ul-Hasan took 7 for 62 (11 for 148 in the match) to bowl Yorkshire out for 221 and set Sussex a target of 193. Michael Lumb (69) and Darren Lehmann (87) added 136 for Yorkshire’s fifth wicket but that aside, the other nine wickets added only 85 between them. Matthew Hoggard grabbed two early scalps to reduce Sussex to 26 for 2, but Murray Goodwin (41) and Chris Adams (44) led a recovery and they ended on 138 for 5, still requiring 55 to win.Another county who failed to capitalise on a strong overnight position at Trent Bridge were Warwickshire who lost their last seven second-innings wickets for 92. That still left Nottinghamshire chasing a stiff 377, and that grew less likely when Heath Streak struck twice to reduce them to 13 for 2, and when they slid to 77 for 5 it looked to be game over. But Mark Ealham (50*) and David Alleyne (61*) put on an unbeaten 113 for the sixth wicket to keep the champions in the hunt, and they resume needing another 187 to win.
Division Two
At The Oval, Surrey crushed Gloucestershire by an innings and 297 runs. Click here for a bulletin.Leicestershire wrapped up an eight-wicket victory over Essex at Chelmsford. After following-on 175 in arrears, Essex resumed on 72 for 1 but never looked like threatening an upset despite a dogged stand of 47 between the Flower brothers. When both fell before lunch, the die was cast and Claude Henderson (5 for 69) wrapped up the innings. Essex’s frustration was all the greater because six of their top seven passed 20 but only one went on to fifty.Monty Panesar’s hopes of playing in the first Test were boosted by his 5 for 32 as Northamptonshire cruised to an innings-and-46-run win over Somerset at Northampton. Somerset were struggling after conceding a first-innings deficit of 191, and after reaching 44 for 1 then lost their remaining wickets for 101.At Cardiff, an exciting final day is in prospect asGlamorgan, chasing 213 to beat Derbyshire, closed on 16 for 2. Dean Cosker (4 for 78) and Robert Croft (4 for 51) shared the spoils after Ian Hunter grabbed four quick wickets to bring the Glamorgan first-innings to a swift conclusion. But a poor forecast for tomorrow could be the deciding factor.
The USA’s controversially-picked and ageing side, already in disarray after back-to-back defeats in their warm-up matches, slumped to a 59-run defeat at the hands of the UAE. There was no inkling of an upset in the early stages as UAE slipped to 109 for 6, but a captain’s innings of 79 from Khuram Khan nursed them to 200 all out with more than 10 overs of their innings unused. USA started solidly, but from 30 for 0 they lost eight wickets for 56, five of them to Ahmed Nadeem (5 for 28), and only a last-wicket stand of 41 gave their total any respectability.Ed Joyce made an early impression on the tournament with 103 as Ireland ran out comfortable 97-run winners against Bermuda. Joyce added 180 for the fourth wicket with Eoin Morgan, which formed the backbone of Ireland’s impressive 315 for 6. Bermuda never threatened to approach the target and suffered a blow when Clay Smith, their captain, was forced to retire hurt. However, Janeiro Tucker struck a half-century so that Bermuda at least batted out their allotted overs. “I was a bit nervous before the start so it was a bit of a relief to get some runs,” said Joyce, who was outshone for much of his innings by the crisp hitting of Morgan who made 93. “That was my first century for Ireland but I’m really pleased for Eoin, he was hitting it really well. I think that’s the best I’ve ever seen him bat.”Tom Hansen took 6 for 30 to carry Denmark to a 28-run win over Uganda. Chasing 197, Uganda slipped to 73 for 6 but Kenneth Kamyuka struck 59 to keep them in the game. However, Hanson return to mop up the tail with a three-wicket burst. It was a good day for the Hanson’s as Hendrik provided the backbone for Denmark’s innings with 71. Kamyuka produced an impressive all round performance, taking 4 for 39, but it wasn’t enough to swing the match.
Group B
John Davison reminded everyone of his World Cup heroics, making 125 as Canada held their nerve to seal a thrilling two-run victory over Namibia in one of the early heavyweight clashes. For a full report click here.Scotland launched their campaign in emphatic style by making short of Oman, easing to six-wicket win with 31 overs to spare. Paul Hoffmann put in a starring all round performance, taking 5 for 12 as Oman were skittled for 83 as only Tariq Syed made any impression with the bat making 32. Hoffmann then took charge of the run chase, as 39 ensured that the loss of four wickets was nothing more than a blipHolland dispatched Papua New Guinea in clinic style, completing a nine-wicket win in a match that lasted barely 40 overs. Papua New Guinea’s batsmen had no answer to Holland’s seamers, with Edgar Schiferli claiming 5 for 20 from his 10 overs. Ryan ten Doeschate, the Essex allrounder, provided a fine supporting role with 4 for 18. Bas Zuiderent and Daan van Bunge, the batsman who has spent time with MCC, added 68 as Holland reached their target of 70 within 15 overs.
Ricky Ponting is expected to recover in time to bat, after suffering an upper back injury on the second afternoon at Kandy. Ponting had leftthe field in the morning after complaining of severe pain andbreathlessness.”He has strained muscles in his upper back,” said Alex Kontouri, Australia’s physiotherapist. “It is a lot better now after quite a lot of treatment and we expect him to bat tomorrow. I would be more concerned if it was in the lower back – the upper back is easier to manage.””We have been treating him every half an hour to keep his back moving and make sure it does not stiffen up. We will do the same in the night, give him some anti-inflammatory [tablets] and start treatment early tomorrow.”Australia are hopeful that he could come in at No. 5: “He has really improved and the plan is for him to bat next, but the key test for him will be how he wakes up tomorrow.”
The Zimbabwe Cricket Union has received with disappointment the news that the England and Wales Cricket Board has rejected the direction by the International Cricket Council to play in Zimbabwe, leading to the cancellation of tomorrow’s match between Zimbabwe and England.The Union is disappointed moreso for its players and the technical staff who have all worked very hard to ensure that they put up winning performances in all the Group-A matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 that Zimbabwe is hosting. Their readiness was evident in the match against Namibia on Monday.The ZCU also shares the disappointment of all the ground staff who work hard to maintain the Harare Sports Club pitch at world standards, as was again evident during the match against Namibia.It is unfortunate that all the plans by the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 Zimbabwe Committee to build on the successful hosting of the World Cup opener against Namibia on Monday now have to be put on hold.However, the Union’s disappointment is made bearable by the fact that it walked the extra mile to make the match against England a reality.The ZCU Chairman Peter Chingoka, with legal adviser Alwyn Pichanick, went to Cape Town last Wednesday for the ICC’s Event Technical Committee hearing of the ECB request to relocate the Zimbabwe-England match on the grounds of safety and security. That request was turned down, as was the subsequent appeal before Justice Albie Sachs.Outside of the hearing and appeal sessions, the Zimbabwe delegation held private meetings with several representatives of the ECB and the English Professional Cricketers’ Association.This was with the view to reassuring them that it was and remains safe and secure for the England cricket team to fulfil its fixture in Harare.Further to this, the ZCU Managing Director, Vince Hogg, even accepted an invitation from the ECB to address the England team in Cape Town, but was regrettably ignored for more than three hours without even an introduction.Because the Event Technical Committee is now responsible for determining the consequences of the cancellation of the Zimbabwe-England match, the Union would like to assure all those who had bought tickets for the match that a statement will be made once there has been advice from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 Head Office.
Changes to umpiring appointments announced by the International Cricket Council this week offer a bigger carrot to the ambitions of umpires than is already the case.Appointing an elite group of eight umpires to have control of most of the matches in the world, with no home umpires standing in local Tests, had been expected and rather than being an obstacle in umpire recruitment, it could be an incentive, according to New Zealand Cricket’s umpiring manager Brian Aldridge.”It does diminish the chances for local umpires standing in Tests but the larger second tier panel, which could have as many as 25 umpires, offers chances for experience.”There will still be third umpire duties to be carried out by home umpires in every country,” he said.Just who will be promoted to, or relegated from, the elite panel will be the decision of an international umpiring manager to be appointed by the ICC.He will be required to work closely with umpiring managers in each country. At the moment, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England are the only countries with full-time umpiring managers.”He will have the job of finding out where the good umpires are coming from. It is also a chance for countries to lobby for one of their own umpires to be included on the elite panel.”That is a plus, we’ve never had that before,” Aldridge said.There was a certain amount of acceptance of the move among New Zealand umpires. It was part of a gradual process and there was an awareness of what the ICC was trying to do.”Hopefully, it will take a lot of the controversy out of the job because we will have the best in control.”Umpires are like players, the more time you have in the middle the better you should be.”It enhances the image of umpiring,” Aldridge said.The move also made umpires look less vulnerable while it also provided ex first-class players who might consider umpiring as a career option with a viable opportunity for a post-playing career.”If they were good enough they could make a good career out of it, and that would be good,” he said.Players in New Zealand had not been inclined to take up umpiring. Aldridge said he understood that.Players retiring were generally in their mid-30s and often had families or careers to consider and didn’t have the time for umpiring.But while no incomes for the elite umpires had been announced Aldridge said: “It’ll have to be attractive – some of these guys have pretty good jobs they would have to give up.”
Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier is yet to make a return to training ahead of the clash with Southampton on Saturday, The Yorkshire Evening Post report.
The Lowdown: Molineux injury
The Whites sealed back-to-back wins before the international break against Norwich and Wolves, with the victory at Molineux coming at a cost.
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Jesse Marsch lost Patrick Bamford, Diego Llorente, Mateusz Klich and Meslier through injury.
Bamford has now been ruled out for six weeks with another foot problem, whereas Meslier, labelled as ‘excellent’ by Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards, suffered bruising after a collision with Raul Jimenez.
The Latest: Update
The Yorkshire Evening Post shared injury news on a number of Whites players on Tuesday afternoon.
When it came to Meslier, they claimed that the goalkeeper hasn’t been in training since his impact injury but is expected to be available against the Saints.
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The Verdict: Marsch worried?
Although Meslier is expected to make a return, it is a worry knowing he hasn’t trained during the international break.
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The Frenchman has started every league game so far and has made more saves than any other ‘keeper in the division, making him a crucial member of Marsch’s squad.
The Leeds boss was forced into handing Kristoffer Klaesson his Premier League debut for the final 35 minutes against Wolves, and you’d expect the American would rather be able to call upon Meslier, but how much faith can he have in a player who hasn’t trained for two weeks?
In other news: Orta now ‘open’ to signing ‘unbelievable’ Raphinha replacement who’s scored vs Leeds this season.
Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium will not be hosting any of the matches of the Indian Premier League after the league and Reliance Industries, owners of the city franchise, found unacceptable the conditions imposed by the Cricket Club of India (CCI), to whom the stadium belongs.The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) had enquired whether the CCI could stage matches at the Brabourne; the CCI’s executive committee decided to offer the ground but not the clubhouse and the club members’ children’s enclosure.These conditions were unacceptable to both the IPL and Reliance Industries Limited, the owners of the Mumbai franchise, since the agreement between the franchise and the IPL states that 80% of all categories of seating must be available to the franchise, and the remaining 20% to the concerned local association, in this case MCA, the BCCI, and the IPL.”If the [club] members are not able to watch the match, we won’t have it. It’s an inherent right of the CCI member to watch the match and not pay for it and this is mentioned in the by-laws of the club,” Raj Singh Dungarpur, the CCI president and former BCCI president, said. Hosting future international matches, he said, would not, however, be an issue.”There is no confrontation between us, our issue is that just the staging authority wouldn’t be able to watch the match and that’s not right. There is no misunderstanding and we will continue to host matches for the board [BCCI].”The move puts the MCA in a quandary, since the local associations are responsible for finalising the stadiums for the eight city-based franchises of the IPL. Mumbai is slated to host a total of ten matches, including the seven home games of the Mumbai Indians, and more importantly the semi-finals and final of the inaugural edition. The Brabourne Stadium had been tipped to host the semi-finals and final.However, with it being ruled out, the options left are the DY Patil Stadium and the Wankhede Stadium; renovation work scheduled for the latter may now have to be postponed till the end of the IPL.
Ed Joyce has hailed Ireland’s “brilliant” performances at the World Cup and admits the prospect of them playing England, his adopted nation, in the Super Eight stage, would be “quite a spectacle”.Joyce was born in Dublin but made his one-day debut for England against Ireland in 2006. He had played an important role in Ireland’s qualifying for the World Cup by scoring two hundreds and two fifities in the 2005 ICC Trophy, but an ambition to play at the highest possible level led Joyce to qualify for England because Ireland did not have Test-match status.After Ireland’s tie against Zimbabwe in their first match of the World Cup and the shock three-wicket victory over Pakistan, they are on the brink of qualification for the Super Eights. “It was brilliant,” Joyce said. “My big hope for Ireland coming into this tournament was that they would do themselves justice.”It’s hard, your first tournament, you might get a bit over-awed by it. Trent Johnston, their captain has been brilliant. He’s told them what to expect and how to go about things. They’ve done that really well. They’d never have thought they beat Pakistan, they knew they had a chance.”They’ve beaten the West Indies in the last few years. The Zimbabwe game was their big one. Now they’ve got three points and look like going through to the Super Eights which is brilliant.”Should both England and Ireland make it through to the second stage they will start their Super Eight campaign against one another in Guyana on March 30. “That was my first game,” Joyce said, recalling his England debut.”It was a bit of a strange one for me. It will be an interesting contest if they [Ireland] get through to that stage. It will be a big day. A lot of Irish people have travelled over. I don’t think they expected to get through to the Super Eights. They’ll probably all have to take another month off and get out there. It will be a good day.”The English fans and Irish fans will get on pretty well. It will be quite a spectacle. My brother is in Jamaica watching them and he’d said they’d taken over Kingston and the Jamaicans love them which is typical of Irish fans.”