England all-rounder Ben Hollioake is on the verge of committing himself to Surrey for another year, according to his agent.Warwickshire have been chasing Hollioake after his contract at The Oval ended, but Surrey have now come up with a one-year package.Hollioake’s representative, David Ligertwood, says he is happy with deal.”Surrey have come up with what Ben originally wanted and he will give his final decision in the first part of next week. We have spoken to him in India and he’s happy with the new offer,” Ligertwood said.
Mike Atherton’s first County Championship century for almost a year was a predictable blend of textbook defence and careful shot selection. Keith Parsons’ first five-wicket haul of the season came from just 7.5 overs and was far more difficult to forecast.The two outstanding individual performances dominated a rain-interrupted, yet fascinating opening day at Taunton, which saw Lancashire bowled out for 239 after losing the toss and Somerset reply confidently with 48-0. While Atherton’s 51st first class hundred rolled smoothly off the production line, Parsons’ 5-13 lifted a season which had previously seen him take 1-214 from 71.5 overs.Even the all-rounder himself was surprised. “I don’t think I did anything different to normal, yet the batsmen kept getting out,” he smiled after career-best figures had ensured Lancashire’s last six wickets fell for only 23 runs.The total was 204-4 when Parsons was first introduced into the attack at the Rover End in the 52nd over, with Atherton and Joe Scuderi comfortably building a fifth-wicket stand of 112.Scuderi became his first victim with the total on 216 and from then on a mixture of accurate bowling and poor shots produced a sorry procession of visiting batsmen.Even Atherton himself joined in, playing no shot to a Parsons inswinger that nipped further back off the seam to pin him lbw for 113 after a four-hour stay.Warren Hegg looked unlucky to be judged leg before pushing forward, but there could be no complaints from the other late order batsmen, who failed to show any trace of Atherton’s application in the overcast conditions.By the time Gary Keedy fell to a brilliant one-handed Parsons catch low to his left off his own bowling the day had swung dramatically Somerset’s way.And in the closing stages Jamie Cox and Mark Lathwell cemented the advantage with an untroubled partnership that confirmed the true nature of another blameless Taunton pitch.The first two sessions had belonged to Atherton, who was unusually aggressive early on, hooking Steffan Jones for two sixes as he reached his half-century before lunch off 73 balls, with 7 fours.There was not much early support. John Crawley’s miserable run continued when his off-stump was sent cartwheeling as he shouldered arms to Jones, while Neil Fairbrother quickly followed, lbw to Graham Rose.Teenaged seamer Peter Trego celebrated his call-up to the England Under-19 squad with an impressive spell that accounted for Sourav Ganguly and Graham Lloyd, leaving Lancashire 104-4 at lunch.The best batting of the day came after the interval as Scuderi compiled a Championship-best 46, with seven boundaries, while Atherton progressed with an air of inevitability to his ton.It was his first in the competition since scoring 268 not out against Glamorgan on July 14 last year and came off 140 balls, with 14 fours and the two sixes.His dismissal, shortly after that of Scuderi to a loose cut shot, came out of the blue and, judging by what followed, Lancashire never recovered from the shock.There were three short breaks for rain during a day in which heavy clouds were always threatening. But 82.5 overs were bowled and the cricket was never less than absorbing.
Newcastle United are looking to sign Brazilian-born defender Douglas, according to The Journal.
Douglas is a free agent this summer after his contract with Dutch club FC Twente expired in May and Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who has been monitoring Douglas for a while, looks set to approach the 25-year-old.
But they are set to face stiff competition from Lazio, Anzhi Makhachkala and FK Krasnodar, who are all considering contract offers for the defender.
Douglas has finished his 6th and final season at Twente, and is being lined up as a possible replacement for Fabricio Coloccini, who is expected to return to Argentina this summer.
Newcastle have also been linked with PSG defender Mamadou Sakho, and West Ham’s James Tomkins. But with Douglas being a free transfer, it is expected that Alan Pardew will try and bring him to St James’ Park as well, as he looks to solidify the club’s leaky defence.
The Toon conceded 68 goals last season, as the club finished just above the Premier League relegation zone. Pardew’s men endured a 4-0 defeat against Manchester City, and also lost 6-0 at home to Liverpool.
Newcastle are also monitoring the progress of Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, who is still yet to sign a contract with West Ham.
Is Douglas the right man for Newcastle? Should he move to Anzhi instead in search of Europa League football?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Western Australia 4 for 160 (Marsh 67, Ronchi 52, S Smith 3-18) beat New South Wales 7 for 159 by 6 wickets Scorecard Luke Ronchi and Shaun Marsh blasted Western Australia to a home final, both smashing half-centuries to take them to a comfortable six-wicket win against New South Wales in Sydney. Ronchi faced 26 balls in his 52, while Marsh took 50 for his 67, as Western Australia chased down the target of 160 with 15 balls to spare. That was despite three late wickets from Steven Smith, who also top scored for the Blues with 33.Brett Dorey and Aaron Heal both took two wickets, but the home side kept fighting throughout their innings. It was, however, not enough and the Warriors, as one of the top two, have now secured their chance to not only go for the prize, which Adam Voges said earlier this week was important as they have lacked silverware of late, but also to go forth to the Twenty20 Champions League where US$2 million is up for grabs. “I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t motivation,” Voges said earlier this week. He and his side are one step closer now.Victoria 9 for 142 (Hussey 50, Tait 3-28) beat South Australia 137 (D Harris 48, Christian 40) by five runs Scorecard Victoria pulled off a victory against South Australia in a tight encounter in Adelaide, ensuring their place in the final for the third year running, and a chance to defend their title. Clinton McKay had the honours of the last over, and Daniel Christian took his first ball for six, leaving eight needed off five. He sneaked two the next ball with a push to space at mid-on. But with six needed from the last four he holed out at long-off, the half-centurion David Hussey fittingly taking the catch.Hussey had rescued Victoria from 4 for 26 with a thrilling 50 from 37 balls to lift them to a par of 9 for 142 on a slowish track. It ultimately proved the difference as the Redbacks, though starting well enough, just couldn’t push them past the line. Daniel Harris set a platform with 48 before being trapped plumb by Dirk Nannes, then Christian took them close with 40.Shaun Tait, meanwhile, had continued with his fire displayed on Tuesday, trapping Cameron White lbw in between ripping out the stumps of Aiden Blizzard and Andrew McDonald like an evil dentist. But it was Victoria who extracted the most pleasure and will now head to the WACA on Sunday.Queensland 1 for 177 (Watson 69*, Hopes 60) beat Tasmania 8 for 174 by nine wickets Scorecard Tasmania slipped from top spot and out of contention for the final thanks to a convincing win for Queensland in Brisbane. Luke Butterworth’s 36 was the top score in a Tasmania innings where most contributed, and crucially when they lost wickets they did not lose momentum as they reached 8 for 174. It wasn’t enough, though, as James Hopes wreaked havoc with 60 off 29 balls, before being scalped by Butterworth, and then Jimmy Maher (35*) and Shane Watson (69* off 32 with two fours and seven sixes) pummelled them home, quashing Tasmania’s dreams along the way.
Rain might have ruined their party in Kolkata but Sri Lanka believe they were setting themselves up for a good score when the first match ground to a premature halt and are upbeat ahead of the second one-day international. Speaking to the media on Saturday, Tom Moody, the coach, said, “Obviously it was a very brief outing, but we thought we were holding a very strong position in the game with [Sanath] Jayasuriya’s 60-plus not out. In that situation, with the depth of batting we got, we thought we would have approached more than a competitive score. We are going into this match with confidence.”Moody also said that the Sri Lankan squad for the World Cup was more or less finalised. “Our squad will be selected in a day or so and there may be one position we are not sure about,” he said. “We are certainly not looking at any last-minute changes to the way we practice and prepare. We have been preparing for that tournament [World Cup] for the past 12 months. This series is a chapter in that preparation.”When asked if it was a specific spot that was up for grabs Moody said, “We are looking at improving our game constantly in all the departments but there’s no specific area that we feel that we have to hone in and rectify and make changes.”Inevitably, the question of experimenting was raised and Moody reacted much as his counterpart and fellow Australian, Greg Chappell, has in the past. “The word experiment is overused, we don’t experiment. We have 15 players and every one of them can make up any combination,” he said. “It’s the balance of the side that we feel is suited for this situation, this wicket and this opposition. We have 100 per cent faith in all the 15 players we have carried with us. We just adjust our combination according to the conditions and opposition.”Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lankan captain, hoped that the weather would not interfere in any of the three matches remaining in this series, and that his team would be able to force a positive result, thereby wiping out memories of the 1-6 loss they suffered at India’s hands when they toured last. “It has become a pretty interesting series and, since it’s now made up of three matches there can definitely be a winner if we can play all three games,” he said. “We are looking forward to that. We have the personnel, we have the combination and we have the team to do that.”Jayawardene concurred with Moody in the belief that Sri Lanka were well on top in the first match, but suggested that the pitch was getting harder to bat on as the game proceeded. “In Kolkata the wicket played really well initially but Sanath said it became slower when the ball got older. We played very good cricket. We started well and, though we lost a couple of wickets, I thought we had the momentum going forward.”Jayawardene also did not want to assume that playing on Indian pitches would help their cause in the West Indies. “This tour gives us the opportunity of playing well and how well we can take that to the West Indies. But it’s difficult for me to say now how the wickets will behave in the West Indies,” he said. “Every wicket is going to be different. We have to go out there, assess the conditions and try and see how we can go about.”
Adam Gilchrist burst back to his swashbuckling best by blasting a magnificent 116 as Australia crushed Sri Lanka by six wickets and wrapped up a berth in the finals of the VB series.Gilchrist has been under intense pressure in the local media with some sections calling for him to be dropped down the batting order. After the match, he said it had been a tough time and he paid credit to his family, especially his wife Melinda.”It’s nice to get back in amongst some runs,” he said. “It’s a bit of a tough spell I’ve been going through – you’ve got a lot of friends and family that support you but in particular Mel has been a tower of strength for me.”I’ve had a break, after having gone through a bit of a run of outs and feeling a bit flat. So to step back in and have to really take it on has been exciting and has got my energy back.”His brilliant century, which came up in only 88 balls, in partnership with fellow opener Simon Katich, carried Australia to 4 for 237 off 41 overs in reply to Sri Lanka’s pedestrian 8 for 233 from 50 overs. Gilchrist, who had made just 58 runs in his last six one-day innings for Australia, showed obvious relief when he made his ton, punching the air and running towards his team-mates and family in the dressing rooms in celebration.”I took a risk today off Chaminda [Vaas] a few times because I felt that those were the sort of conditions that required that risk in chasing that total,” he said. “I’ve done that in previous games and those risks haven’t paid off. So it’s a fine line. We won a fantastic game of cricket, the bowlers bowled beautifully and we nearly got a bonus point.”Australia now have 18 points after six matches and are nine points clear of Sri Lanka who have also played six. South Africa, who play Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday, have eight points from four matches.
Comments from Chris Lewis, the curator at Christchurch, that the pitch for Thursday’s first Test between New Zealand and Australia will favour fast bowlers will boost Brett Lee’s chances of playing.Lewis said that the drop-in pitch would be hard and fast, which will be ideal for Lee who clocked 160.8 kph in the final one-day at Napier at the weekend. Lee is vying with Mike Kasprowicz for the final place in the side.Kasprowicz has taken 47 wickets at 23.74 in 13 Tests since being recalled for the tour to Sri Lanka last year, while Lee hasn’t played a Test in 14 months. But Lee’s out-and-out pace makes him the favourite.”I feel like I can go a bit quicker," Lee told the Sydney Morning Herald, while admitting that speed was not the be all and end all. “I’ve just been concentrating on that line and length and doing what Glenn [McGrath] does so well, knowing I’ve got a lot more in the tank. There are certain times in your life when it all clicks, it all feels right.”If Thursday comes and I don’t get the call, I’m 12th man or 13th man, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll have to go back and maybe work on something else. I’ll do whatever it takes to get back into the team.”I think I’m at the stage where I think, personally, I’m bowling the best I ever have. I’m confident bowling now, I know what I’m doing and I’m working to a plan. I’m not just running in and letting the ball go. I’m working in conjunction with what Ricky Ponting wants.”And Ponting hinted that Lee was the favourite when he described him as being "fairly irresistible at the moment.”
Canadian-born cricketer John Davison proved a valuable acquisition for South Australia today as the Redbacks downed Tasmania by 27 runs in the ING Cup match at Bellerive Oval.The 33-year-old was not content with being the Redbacks’ topscorer at the crease, contributing 59 runs off 63 balls to the 8-239 tally.The off-spinner also took 5-26 to achieve a career-best in one-day cricket.His attack resulted in the home team being despatched for 212 despite a valiant century by Michael Dighton – his first in one-day cricket.Davison’s stand-out performance earned him man of the match, along with praise from Redbacks captain Greg Blewett.”We want him to play a more important role in our side because we know what he’s capable of,” the skipper said.Davison got his start in grade cricket in Sydney and made his first-class debut with Victoria in 1995-96.He made history earlier this year by racking up the fastest-ever World Cup century while representing his native Canada against the West Indies in South Africa.The Redbacks, who won the toss and elected to bat, made a steady start before the Tigers clawed their way back.After toppling Blewett for 24, Tasmania went on to claim another four wickets for the addition of just 11 runs.Included was Davison, who was caught by Di Venuto, and prized Zimbabwe import Andy Flower, who was run out for one.Talented teenager Mark Cosgrove, on deck to replace an injured Mick Miller, fell LBW for one to Adam Griffith two overs later.But the visitors managed to consolidate thanks to a 55-run partnership between Mark Higgs (41) and Mark Cosgrove (43).In reply, the Tigers’ opening batsman Di Venuto was despatched for a duck by fast bowler Paul Rofe on the third ball of the first over.Australian one-day allrounder Shane Watson was caught by Davison for 10, while former skipper Jamie Cox fell LBW to Rofe for a disappointing two.It was Dighton hauled the Tigers back from the brink.He scored 113 runs off 139 balls before being stumped by Graham Manou off a ball from Davison.His 121-run partnership with new captain Daniel Marsh (46) came of less than 25 overs.Marsh described Dighton’s performance as “outstanding”.”It’s just a shame that innings will go pretty much unnoticed today because we didn’t win the game,” he said.South Australia and Tasmania will meet again next week in a Pura Cup clash at Bellerive, starting on Monday.
The Central Districts v Wellington Under-19 pre-tournament match at McLean Park, Napier was abandoned without a ball being bowled yesterday. The teams will take two points each from the game.
An ICC security assessment team, led by CEO David Richardson, has arrived in Dhaka to assess arrangements for the Under-19 World Cup in January next year. The team includes ICC’s head of events, Chris Tetley, and security consultants Sean Norris and Reg Dickason.On Thursday, the team will meet the High Commissioners of UK and Australia before the BCB presents its event security plan. They will leave for Cox’s Bazar on Friday and upon returning to Dhaka, they will meet two security agencies, the country’s home minister and have a final wrap-up meet with the BCB.During their October meeting, the ICC ratified Bangladesh as the Under-19 World Cup host. BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said the board is confident the ICC delegation will leave Bangladesh satisfied with the arrangements.”This is a regulation inspection,” Jalal told ESPNcricinfo. “These take place before every big event. They also came before the ICC World T20 last year. It is quite obvious to require a security assessment. We are very much confident that they will be satisfied with our preparation. I am also confident that the event will be held properly in Bangladesh.”The Richardson-led security assessment team is scheduled to leave on November 7.