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Ray Mali, the newly elected president of United Cricket Board, has promisedSouth Africans improved administration of their game, a determined effort to breathe life into club cricket, and a more sophisticated approach to racialtransformation.Mali, 66, was elected unopposed at the UCB annual meeting in Pretoria onSaturday. He succeeded Percy Sonn, who had been president since 2000.Sonn did not stand for re-election and will attempt to further his career incricket administration at international level.Rob Kurz was re-elected unopposed as vice-president and John Blair foughtoff a challenge from Haroon Lorgat to be re-elected as treasurer.”I am very conscious of the fact that I come from a cricket culture that stretches back more than 100 years, but that was marginalised by apartheidfor nearly five decades,” Mali said. “You will excuse me if my cricketing ancestors share this moment with us all, because I would not be here had they not given me a heritage as rich in cricket as you will find anywhere in the world.”Mali committed the UCB to “giving equal opportunities to everyone who wants to play cricket,” and to the development of South Africa’s ailing clubcricket structures. “The key to equal opportunity lies in capacity building, which is the cornerstone of our transformation policy,” Mali said. “We do not believe any more in throwing people into the deep end in order tomake transformation statistics look impressive.”Club cricket is a microcosm of the UCB, and yet over the past few years wehave tended to neglect its development in favour of schools and first-classcricket. We have seen a widening gap between the two, which club cricket can fill. There is also a dearth of good administrators coming out of club cricket, particularly in the townships and we are going to address this.”Reflecting on his time at the helm, Sonn said “the Hansie Cronje saga …questioned the values of the game that we love so much”. Cronje, who died in a plane crash on June 1 2002, was banned for life by the UCB after his involvement in match-fixing was exposed.”I believe that it was the transparent and swift reaction of the UCB thatset an example to world cricket on how to deal with this crisis, and how toprevent it happening again,” said Sonn.Sonn added that South Africa’s successful hosting of the 2003 World Cup was a highlight of his career. “The International Cricket Council described this as the biggest and best World Cup ever held,” said Sonn, "and this is due to the enormous amount of work that was put in by all the UCB structures."

At the end of last week whilst the Sabres were up in Scotland the rest of the squad and some of the Academy students took part in a `Superstars’ competition back at the County Ground.Assistant coach Mark Garaway told me: "We didn’t have any cricket and as the weather hadn’t been so good we decided to end the week with something that would involve some of the players normal fitness routine activities with one or two extras added for fun."The teams of three undertook a range of different challenges including a gym based triathlon, where one of the team sprinted 500 metres, another cycled 500 metres and the third covered the same distance on one of the rowing machines. Other activities were barrel lifting, tyre rolling, and a final multi activity training session.The winning team had a distinctly west country flavour about it and was led by Devonian Matt Wood and included Cornishman Piran Holloway and Ross Dewar who hails from Dorchester, who were all presented with `Mr Universe’ garden gnomes!Winning captain Matt Wood told me: "It was pretty hard work but great fun and a good way to end the week off for us. Hopefully there will be some cricket for me next week and I can’t wait to get back out in the middle again."Somerset Seconds play a two day friendly in Bristol on Monday and Tuesday next week, and then return to Taunton on Wednesday to play Hampshire in a 3 day Second Eleven championship match.

JOHANNESBURG, March 20 AFP – When Chris Scott sits down to watch the World Cup final at the Wanderers on Sunday, few people will realise what a big part this virtually unknown man has played in the outcome of the game.For 32 years, except for a three-year break from 1996, Scott has been the groundsman at Wanderers and there is nothing he does not know about the famous venue.”I know just about every blade of grass here,” Scott said ahead of the final.His face is weather-beaten by hours under the African sun and his numerous pictures of famous tussles between South Africa and arch rival Australia, bears testimony of his commitment to prepare a perfect pitch.”I like to think of these grounds as a stage. The players are the actors, and I am a stage manager. Once play starts, however, I stay in the background,” he said.At Wanderers, there are 10 pitches with different wickets having been used for the five World Cup games which have already been played.Made from a special clay and compacted by hours of rolling, the preparation of the middle is an exact science.One of the most important aspects is to get the moisture content just right.”If the moisture content is too high, you get a soft pitch, which gets damaged by the batsmen, the bowlers and the ball. If it’s too dry, it can crack, giving the ball an uneven bounce,” said Scott.The amount of grass growing also plays a huge roll on how it will perform.Wanderers has traditionally been a fast pitch, favouring medium and speed bowlers.For the final, however, Scott is planning a batsman’s pitch which he hopes will produce total scores in the region of between 250 to 280 runs.”I want to give the 32,000 spectators and the 1.25 billion people watching on television a batting spectacular,” he said.A testament to Scott’s ability was three years ago when, after only one day of play during a rain-drenched Test against New Zealand, he was named man of the match.”It’s probably the only time ever a groundsman has been awarded that particular honour,” said Scott.But the World Cup has been the highlight.”For 32 years I have waited for a World Cup final to be played here. The final is the be-all and end-all of cricket. The pressure on a groundsman is immense to do it right,” he said.”For me its a dream and a nightmare come true.”

The sixth round Auckland-Northern Districts State Championship match ended in a tame draw after the visitors had by tea on the last day batted themselves into a position that made it difficult for Auckland to win.Rain had the last say, a heavy shower over the Eden Park Outer Oval as the players left the field for the interval halting proceedings. However, the teams returned after an 80-minute delay to give Hamish Marshall, 85 at the break, the chance to get his first first-class century. It was unsuccessful, Marshall adding just seven more before giving a catch to Reece Young behind the stumps from the off-spinner Rob Nicol.With the fall of the wicket, Northern declared at 212/7, 176 runs ahead. With just 19 overs left available in the day’s play, the match was declared a draw.The ending was an anticlimax. After the two teams had cancelled themselves out with first innings totals that had substance (ND 383, Auckland 419) but had taken longer than either side would have wished, Auckland had Northern teetering at the close on the third day at 57/4 just 21 runs ahead.However, after the successes of the previous evening, the Auckland bowlers on the final day could make no impression on the Northern batsmen, the only success of the fourth morning coming through a direct hit by Chris Drum to catch Grant Bradburn short of his ground when on 29 and looking happy to bat all day.In an immaculate defensive display, the Northerners added 57 in the morning session and then upped the pace with no trauma until just before the afternoon drinks break when Drum brought an attacking shot from Robbie Hart that saw the ball catch an inside edge and crash into the stumps. Hart had contributed 23 to a 76-run partnership as he and Marshall went a long way towards taking Northern out of trouble.By tea, Marshall and Joseph Yovich had taken the score to 205/6, 169 ahead with a minimum of 25 overs to be bowled in the day. For Marshall the highlight was passing his previous best of 83. He could take satisfaction from not only that achievement but also that his patient effort (first 50 coming from 199 balls) was a major contribution towards rescuing Northern from a precarious position.His 92 went with the Mark Richardson (133) and Matt Horne (77) 191-run first wicket partnership for Auckland and Scott Styris’ 73 in the Northern first innings as the highlights that reflected a match in which the bat dominated the ball. However, Yovich will remember it for the match in which he collected his 100th first-class wicket.On a day in which batting revolved around a forward defensive shot and as much leaving as possible, Drum’s afternoon wicket left him with two for 38 from 23 overs to go with his four for 85 in the first innings. Economy was the order of the day, Brooke Walker ending with one for 49 from 26, Nicol one for 25 from 14.3 and Richard Morgan, who improved his line in the second innings, one for 42 from 22.With the two points from the first innings lead, Auckland share top position with Wellington.

Sudbrook CC, semi-finalists in both 2000 and 2001, defeated reigning champions Madisons from Northamptonshire in tense final of the ECB Indoor Six-a-Side Championship at Lord’s.The Welsh Champions, electing to bat first in the Final at the MCC’s Indoor School, built up a formidable score with three of the first batsmen each being forced to retire having reached an individual score of 25.Andrew Harris was caught at mid-off from a miss-timed drive for 22, the first and only wicket falling at 113. Despite coming together for just the last over, Robert Voke and Ian O’Leary kept the scoring rate going with 13 as Sudbrook reached 126 for one from their allotted 12 overs.Madisons were seeking to become the first club to successful defend their title, but after a bright start they lost four wickets in three overs to reach 64 for four after the seventh over. Two wickets for Ian O’Leary, one from captain Mark O’Leary and a direct hit run out by Voke firmly put the initiative in Sudbrook’s favour.When Marcus Steed was clean bowled to give Mark O’Leary his second wicket, Madisons, at 77 for five, looked dead and buried. However, experienced captain Richard Dalton set about trying to recover a lost situation and with a combination of finely placed shots began chipping away at the lead.He survived one chance and took the game into the last over requiring 12 runs to win. A four from the first ball kept the tension high. One run came from the second ball and Dalton seemed to have gained another life as a hard off drive from the next was palmed by Voke but Carl Morgan reacted like lighting to dive and complete a caught and bowled to give Sudbrook victory by six runs. Richard Dalton scored 44 and added 43 runs for the last wicket.Bob Cherry, Chairman of the ECB Clubs & Leagues Sub-Group, presented the trophy to Mark O’Leary and mementoes to each of the two finalists, the scorers and umpires. Ian O’Leary was named as the Player of the Day for his record bowling performance of being the first player to take four wickets in an innings at the National Finals, and following this up with 2-27 in the Final.Sudbrook wicketkeeper Ross Lewis won the Fielder of the Day Award for a fine performance including two stumpings and two catches standing up.Semi-Finals:
Sudbrook 80 for 0 (Mark O’Leary 25ret) beat Walkden 79 for 5 (Richard Slater 42 not out, Ian O’Leary 4 for 13) by 6 wicketsMadisons 83 for 3 (Rob Williams 26ret, David Hawkes 24 not out) beat Canterbury 82 for 6 by 3 wicketsFinal:
Sudbrook 126 for 1 (R Lewis26ret, C Morgan 26ret) beat Madisons 120 (R Dalton 44) by 6 runs

What can be said after a week during which Zimbabwe suffered the greatest humiliation in their international history? 38 all out against Sri Lanka! In certain countries the players would be liable to stonings on their return or public effigy-hanging – or enquiries into match-fixing. Zimbabwean cricket-followers merely content themselves with sarcasm and verbal contempt.Lowest ever ODI team total; fastest ever ODI defeat; best-ever ODI bowling figures. Since we do not have a reporter on the spot and no easy method of communication with the team, we know no more about the situation than any other reader who has read the match reports. But there seems to be no excuse adequate to cover this situation. The pitch does not seem to be a minefield; however well Chaminda Vaas bowled, it is totally unacceptable for the national side to be dismissed for just 38 runs.At least the team redeemed themselves, in the eyes of many cricket-followers, by defeating West Indies in the following match. It is perhaps a comfort to know there is another international team capable of playing as appallingly as Zimbabwe. Match reports, however, spoke more of how badly West Indies played in that match rather than how well Zimbabwe played, so that 38 was evidently not quite the kick up the backside the team needed, as some thought. They played better than West Indies, but apparently still not particularly well.Another predictable defeat to Sri Lanka followed, though this one was at least somewhat less humiliating. Nobody who knows the talents of the team can believe that this is the best they can do, even in the absence of several top players who are either injured or out of form. Why, then, do they so often under-perform, and so badly?There are several possible factors. Ongoing hostilities between players, selectors and administrators; too much cricket in too many different countries without a break; a degree of inferiority complex against senior Test teams; lack of mental toughness (with the honourable exception of Andy Flower); low morale among Zimbabweans, especially the whites, in the current political situation in Zimbabwe, which includes fear for the future. These may all contribute, but if Andy Flower can overcome these distractions, why cannot the others?ZIMBABWE A IN KENYACongratulations to Kenya for gaining their initial first-class victory, over Zimbabwe A, and then going on to win all three matches of the one-day series. Again, though, one suspects that this is not just to the credit of the opposition, but also to the detriment of the Zimbabwean team.Zimbabwe A regularly play several Test and ODI players, yet they fail to overwhelm the B teams of South African provinces as they should in the UCBSA Bowl competition. They do win more often than not, but a team with that sort of talent and experience should be able to hammer South African provincial B teams out of sight – in fact, the opposing provincial teams are often without the 15 to 20 best players of their province, with 11 in their A team and in some cases several more on international duty. We should be seeing innings victories from our Board XI in that competition.So perhaps it was not unexpected that they should struggle in Kenya, who are used to their home conditions. It would be a mistake to assume that Kenya are rapidly approaching Test quality on the basis of their victories, although that will be nice if it is the case. Undoubtedly they are progressing, and their wins over Zimbabwe A will give them extra confidence. But they will need to keep on winning against teams with more power than a disappointing Zimbabwe A.Also in the past week, CricInfo has carried reports of Zimbabwe Under-19’s convincing defeat at the hands of Natal Under-19 in a three-day match in Bulawayo. South African provincial teams at age-group level are generally able to pick up more experience of top-class cricket than their Zimbabwean counterparts, but it just adds to the depressed air that lies over Zimbabwe cricket at the moment.THE MANCHESTER OF ZIMBABWEI read an article on CricInfo by the controversial English writer Michael Henderson, who wrote about his visits to cities whose industrial prowess laid claim to titles of `the Manchester of India’ and `the Manchester of Pakistan’.I immediately wondered what centre could be labelled `the Manchester of Zimbabwe’. Mutare! Not because of industrial prowess, but because whenever a cricket match is staged for that beautiful little Eastern highlands city, it seems to rain. Remarkable to learn, then, that last Sunday only one national league club match was possible in the entire country – and that was in Mutare! One for the record books!

Catches win matches.From their earliest years that aphorism is drilled into the minds of young cricketers – iterated and reiterated as one of the indispensible truths of the game.On Saturday, as old saws often are, it was proved literally true as Mayu Pasupati took a spectacular, acrobatic catch which turned the State Shield one-day final in favour of a battling Wellington team.Pasupati, lithe and athletic, sprinted around the boundary behind square leg and launched himself full length at a ball hit sweetly from the bat of Aaron Redmond, from the bowling of Mark Jefferson. He was at one point parallel to the ground and five feet above it, fully airborne with one long arm outstretched.The ball crashed into his open palm and stuck. Pasupati had made a magnificent catch, Redmond was out, Canterbury were 104/6 chasing 201 to win and the morale of the Wellington team had been hugely inflated.Pasupati’s team-mates ran from everywhere on the wide expanse of the Basin Reserve to celebrate the moment. Some came from almost 100 metres away at a full sprint and leapt onto the back of the delighted young player.Catches win matches and incidents such as this one can also turn the tide in a close contest. It was one of two incidents during Canterbury’s innings – the first the run out of Canterbury captain Gary Stead by David Sales – which altered the course of a match which was full of dramatic changes of fortune.From the moment the catch was taken, Wellington were a team – visibly uplifted – who believed they were going to win. Canterbury were a team deflated. They went on to lose by 53 runs.Pasupati is a young man of Sri Lankan descent, a very talented all-rounder. He bowls tricky medium pace and has an ability to gain good bounce, even on flat wickets, and to bowl a well-disguised slower ball.He is also a hard-hitting batsman in the middle or lower middle order, valuable when quick runs are needed in any one-day game.But he is, above all that, a fieldsman of quite remarkable swiftness and athleticism.”Basically if I see the ball in the air I just go for it,” Pasupati said.”I just saw the replay of my catch and to be honest, I didn’t realise I was actually off the ground.”I saw the ball off the bat. I thought ‘I’ve got to stop that’. I didn’t think it was going to carry to me but it just kept coming.”I just stuck my hand out. I felt the ball hit the middle of my palm and I looked down and there it was.”Little things like that can mean a lot in the context of a close match. I think we were already starting to get on top when it happened but it just emphasised it.”However modest Pasupati might try to be, this match and Wellington’s victory within may long be remembered for his magnificent catch. Those who were here – about 3500 – and those who saw it on TV will long remember this match in those terms.Pasupati also played a vital role with the ball yesterday. Canterbury had begun to recover after the loss of Redmond and the further dismissal soon after of Cleighten Cornelius. They had been 115/7.But Darron Reekers had formed a late partnership with Carl Anderson and things were ever so slowly turning in Canterbury’s favour. They needed more than six runs per over with three wickets remaining but the burly Reekers, who had taken 24 runs from 34 balls, seemed capable of leading a dangerous rearguard action.Wellington captain Matthew Bell had planned to bowl Matthew Walker and Paul Hitchcock in the crucial final overs but he needed one more over from one more bowler. He called on Pasupati who had conceded 16 runs from three overs bowling early in the innings.Even Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson couldn’t bear to look. Pasupati is a talented bowler and one capable of breaking dangerous partnerships but he tends to concede runs in doing so and the match was delicately poised. If he gave away too many runs, even in a single over, the game might have tipped further in Canterbury’s favour.But Pasupati had Reekers caught by Bell with the very first ball of his second spell – the first of the 44th over – and he bowled Anderson with a superb slower ball five balls later. Canterbury’s resistance was at an end.

Simon Jones, the England fast bowler who ruptured his knee ligaments on the first day of the Ashes series last November, has made an impressive recovery from reconstructive surgery, and intends to play for Glamorgan’s second XI on August 6.Jones suffered the injury while sliding to prevent a boundary on the first morning of the Brisbane Test last year. He had made a good impression up to that point, bowling with pace and picking up the early wicket of Justin Langer, but when his studs snagged in the sandy outfield, his knee took the full weight of his body and left him needing an operation to rescue his career.When Jones turns out for Glamorgan’s second XI at Panteg, it will be almost nine months to the day since the injury, but if he proves his fitness in that match, he could even return to first-class action at Sophia Gardens the following week.Jones has had to watch the likes of James Anderson, Richard Johnson and Steve Harmison move ahead of him in England’s pecking order. But Duncan Fletcher, Jones’s former coach at Glamorgan, has long rated his potential, and if his knee holds up, he could soon be pushing his way back into the reckoning.

The Konica Queensland Fire will welcome back Australian squad allrounderTricia Brown for their crucial round of Women’s National Cricket Leaguematches against the Southern Scorpions in Adelaide this weekend.Brown has been out of action with a sidestrain since November but shapesas a key player for the Fire, which is yet to win a game in the WNCLdespite some solid performances.Queensland must win their remaining four matches against the Scorpionsand the Western Fury this month if they are to finish ahead of SouthAustralia in third position, with NSW and Victoria already shaping asthe likely finalists.In Queensland’s favour is the fact that they have played just four gameswith the remaining teams having played six games.The Scorpions will be stiff opposition with Australian left-hander KarenRolton one of the leading batters in Australia and a shining light forthe home side.Allrounder Belinda Matheson, pace bowler Kirsten Pike and top order batJodie Purves will be fresh from representing Queensland at theAustralian Under-19 championships in Melbourne that finishes later thisweek. The trio will fly from Melbourne to link with the rest of the teamin Adelaide.The Queensland Under-19 team can confirm their spot in the semi-finalsif they win their match against South Australia today.Konica Queensland Fire v Southern Scorpions, Sat/Sun, Adelaide: JuliaPrice (c), Bronwyn Buckley (v-c), Melissa Bulow, Belinda Matheson, SallyCooper, Tricia Brown, Megan White, Jodie Purves, Leonie Shields, CindyKross, Renee Lee, Kirsten Pike.

Identifying the 50/50 situations capable of turning Test matches, quicker than opposing sides, made Australia an awesome force but Stephen Fleming is undeterred as he takes his New Zealand team across the Tasman at the weekend fully geared to have a crack at the world champions.Fleming, who watched Australia’s Ashes tour while on duty with Middlesex in the English summer, said it was that ability to regularly sum up situations that saw Australia shine brighter than the home side.It is a sign Fleming knows from his own experience when Australia toured here two summers ago and provided the same chances which the New Zealanders were unable to pick up.Recognising those chances, and capitalising on them, will be central to New Zealand’s hopes of making an impression on the great fortress that is Australia’s Test side.With that in mind the non-tour of Pakistan should at least ensure New Zealand goes to Australia with a full-strength team.”I must admit that sending us to Pakistan before Australia to me was a bit like South Africa last year when we suffered so many injuries.”But the guys appear in good shape and I am excited by having them [Chris Cairns, Dion Nash, Shayne O’Connor and Daniel Vettori] available.”There is naturally some apprehension they will get through but firstly getting them there is the great thing.”I am also excited by what’s left behind with the stand-by players all being quality players which means there is great competition for places and that is a strength for us,” Fleming told CricInfo today.He wasn’t prepared to say the return of such a core of bowling experience was the icing on the selection cake.”What we’ve got are the ingredients for the icing, we’ll just have to stir the mixture as much as we can to see how it comes out in the baking,” he said.Now New Zealand’s most capped Test captain, Fleming believes Australia is beatable.”But it will take a mammoth effort and it involves us implementing our own plans. The more we are under pressure from them the less chance we have of beating them,” he said.From his own point of view, Fleming, after his Middlesex season, wants to keep the consistency that has developed in his batting and to add the big scores his Test cricket CV needs.”I want to lead from the front,” he said.That requires a change in fortunes for Fleming who in six Tests and 12 innings against Australia has managed only 242 runs at 20.17.The measure of the work he has done in England would be seen in the Test matches.”I achieved many of the things I wanted to, and it is a cast of confirming things in the middle,” he said.Fleming said he regularly works with former Test captain and batsman Martin Crowe on his batting and since returning from England had two sessions to work on batting matters.Improving his record against the Australians is not a need he shares alone. For New Zealand to be competitive, all the batsmen need to up the ante.Fleming acknowledged that the pressure was on the top order to perform against the Australian attack because they were so good at creating pressure after early breakthroughs.The New Zealand team, without Cairns, leaves for Australia on Friday. Cairns will join the team in Queensland on October 20.