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James Brinkley seized his second chance of a first-class career by bringing a Gloucestershire charge to an abrupt halt at Chester-le-Street today.The Scotland-born, Australia-raised seamer took 5-9 in 22 balls to finish with 6-32 as the visitors slumped from 188 for four to 198 all out.Queenslander Martin Love then stroked his second half-century of the match, finishing on 63 not out, as Durham reached 104 for two in the second innings to lead by 148.Brinkley’s previous best was the 6-98 he took on his debut for Worcestershire seven years ago. Injury restricted him to 19 games in four seasons before he was released and he played for Herefordshire last season.Neil Killeen apart, Brinkley looked as ordinary as the rest of the Durham attack as Kim Barnett led Gloucestershire’s recovery from four for two. Ian Harvey thrashed 36 off 34 balls and 42 runs came off the first six overs after lunch, 15 coming off one over from Steve Harmison. But the rot set in when Barnett’s dashing innings of 82 off 106 balls ended when he flashed at a widish ball from Brinkley and sliced to gully.There was no such extravagance from Love, who again looked totally composed as he reached 50 off 100 balls. Following the early loss of skipper Jon Lewis, bowled by his namesake for one, Love put on 54 with Michael Gough and shared an unbroken stand of 46 with Jimmy Daley.

ScorecardParas Dogras’s half-century enabled North Zone to take control of their Duleep Trophy match against West Zone on the second day in Chennai. His 77 pushed the overnight 251 for 3 to 484 all out shortly before the close. An early wicket then put West Zone on the back foot.Dogra struck 10 boundaries and a six in his 147-ball innings and shared a partnership of 88 with Rishi Dhawan and took North Zone from 299 for 5 into a strong position at 387 for 6. Dogra became the third wicket for Kamlesh Makvana but there was more to come for North Zone as Amit Mishra settled in and found a most stubborn partner in Ishant Sharma, who survived 72 balls scoring just 8. He hung around long enough for Mishra to strike two fours and two sixes in his 48 from 94 balls.The eighth wicket stand added 47 before Makvana removed both players lbw to complete his five-wicket haul. But there was still time for a cameo from Parvinder Awana, who made 23 from 22 balls to boost the total.West Zone had three overs to survive to the close but Ajinkya Rahane fell caught behind to his first ball from Sharma.

With the employment contracts of current West Indies team manager Ricky Skerritt and team coach Roger Harper expiring in March next year, the West Indies Cricket Board has started to advertise these posts both regionally and internationally.The advertising campaign started on Tuesday with a placement of the recruitment notice on the WICB’s website, www.windiescricket.com."For the next week or so, the recruitment notice will also appear in newspapers throughout the Caribbean and so we are looking forward to a huge response," remarked Roger Brathwaite, acting chief executive officer of the WICB.The closing date for applications for the two posts is Wednesday, January 15.Skerritt and Harper were appointed to their posts just prior to the Cable & Wireless 2000 home series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan.They have been advised that the WICB are advertising the posts and are willing to receive applications for the re-engagement of their services.

England had Andrew Caddick to thank for pulling them out of the mire on the first day of their warm-up match against Western Australia at Perth. Joined by Matthew Hoggard with England on 126 for 8, Caddick made an unbeaten 62, his highest score for England, to extend the total to a more respectable 221. At the close the hosts were three for no wicket in reply.After winning the toss at the WACA this morning, Michael Hussey put England in to bat on a surface with a touch of green. Callum Thorp, a former Perth window cleaner, made the first breakthrough, trapping Robert Key lbw for four in the second over, and he then took a good return catch to send back Mark Butcher for seven.Nasser Hussain, chasing a wide ball outside the off stump, was the first of four victims for wicket-keeper Luke Ronchi. Three overs later he had his second, when John Crawley pushed forward tentatively at the left-arm pace bowler Michael Clark to depart for a duck.That was the last wicket before lunch, but Marcus Trescothick’s resistance ended shortly after the interval, when, on 46 (107 balls, eight fours), he edged South Australia’s Paul Wilson low to Hussey at first slip.Alec Stewart, no stranger to Perth, held the bowlers at bay until, on 42 (87 balls, six fours), he was caught behind pushing at Clark. England managed just 53 runs in the middle session as they struggled for survival. James Foster resisted stoutly for 88 minutes before he was bowled by Beau Casson, Australia’s under-19 left-arm leg-spinner, for 11 just before tea, and Ashley Giles became Thorp’s fourth victim when he also edged behind.That was the low point for England, but Caddick then teamed up with Hoggard in a 79-run partnership that was full of resolve. Hoggard made 33 from 80 balls, including four boundaries, before he was bowled by Wilson, who then had Steve Harmison caught at point to end England’s innings. Caddick’s unbeaten 62 eclipsed the 49 he made against Australia at Edgbaston last year, and included eight fours and a six over mid-wicket off Casson.

The funeral of former Press cricket writer R T ‘Dick’ Brittenden was held in Christchurch today with a large crowd over-flowing to outside the funeral home.Brittenden, who was widely regarded as the finest cricket journalist New Zealand has produced, died earlier this week.Cricket administrators, players and supporters were joined by family and members of the newspaper and golfing fraternity.Brittenden had a long-standing love of golf and was a former member of the Waitikiri Golf Club where, it was humorously related during the service, part of the course was still named after him from the occasion of a hole-in-one he achieved.Playing a shot on the club’s 130-metre 17th hole, Brittenden hit a low shot which passed between two bunkers in front of the green, only six metres apart, rolled up the green, hit the pin and dropped into the hole.The approach is commonly referred to still as the “Brittenden by-pass”.However, it was for his contribution to cricket in Christchurch, Canterbury and New Zealand that he was remembered and former New Zealand representative Brian Hastings spoke on behalf of cricketers when he said Brittenden would be remembered as a man of warmth, kindness and a lovely sense of humour who had great loyalty towards his staff.”He was a good boss, kind and generous.”He was a wonderful tourist and players had the utmost respect for him. He knew when to keep his distance and he was regarded as an unofficial team manager.”He was an intergral part and most popular member of touring sides,” he said.Hastings related the incident at Hyderabad in 1969 when New Zealand was playing the third Test of a series against India. The team was staying at the ground and at the end of the first day New Zealand were 181/9.On the second day it rained, and the third day was a rest day. During the rest day Brittenden happened to notice the groundsman going out to mow the pitch only to be stopped doing so by the umpires.This concerned Brittenden who informed the New Zealand team management, and when the groundsman went out to mow the pitch on the fourth day, the New Zealanders complained to the umpires, because the laws stated that the pitch could only be mown on every other day and the rest day was to be included.Under the laws, the pitch should have been mown on the rest day, and the New Zealanders said it should not be mown on the fourth day. The secretary of the Board of Control in India was drawn into the debate and he eventually ruled in New Zealand’s favour.And on that fourth day, India at one stage were 49/9, before the last pair added 40 more runs.New Zealand then declared their second innings closed at 175/8, leaving India a target of 268 to win. When they were 76/7 it started to rain and despite the best efforts of the New Zealanders the game was abandoned.But Hastings said New Zealand were provided with a chance of winning what would have been their first series by the eagle eye of Dick Brittenden.Hastings also recalled that much later, when he was serving as president of Canterbury Cricket, he had the pleasure of making a presentation to Brittenden marking his 60 years of covering club cricket which Hastings described as a “remarkable achievement.”

It has been a burning issue for some time now, and it wastherefore surprising that it took so long for the InternationalCricket Council (ICC) to convene a meeting of captains toconsider the enormous amount of cricket being played. But theoutcome of the meeting – an ICC announcement rejecting thecaptains’ plea to reduce the number of matches and stating thatthe current number was “manageable” – was something of adampener.

Over the last two decades, ever since the limited-overs gamecaught the fancy of the global public, administrators have beenkeen to cash in on the craze, and the players have just had tofall in line. More and more tournaments at more and more venuesbecame the order of the day, all in the name of globalisation.Not too long ago, one could not have imagined the game beingplayed at Toronto, Morocco, Hong Kong and Nairobi. But by 2000,it was not uncommon for a country to play 10 or 12 Tests andaround 40 one-day internationals in a calendar year.Too much of anything can lead to falling standards, generaldisinterest and fitness problems, and at the start of the newmillennium, it was obvious that player burnout was becoming amajor issue. Little wonder then that, after the meeting of theTest captains at Lord’s on Monday, New Zealand skipper StephenFleming made it clear that the ICC would have to consider a majorshake-up of the calendar to prevent player burnout. Emphasisingthe fitness aspect, Fleming said that players needed more time torecover after matches. There is hardly any time these daysbetween games for players to tend to injury; one game followsanother ­ a weekend double-header is a case in point – and teamssometimes fly straight from one competition to another.Such a situation is bound to have an adverse impact on a player’sphysique, however strong he may be. With this in mind, Flemingvoiced his concerns about the amount of time between games,touching upon the stress being put on players. “If the volume ofcricket is going to remain at this level, a bit more care must betaken with scheduling,” Fleming said quite candidly.Limited-over matches are now the main money-spinners in cricket,which is the chief reason why organisers go overboard in stagingsuch tourneys. But there is a real danger of killing the goosethat lays the golden eggs, and this point has been brought upoften in the recent past. “We appreciate that the marketing sideof the game is important and that the volume of cricket is alsoimportant, and that by reducing it we reduce the amount of incomein the game,” said Fleming. “We understand that in professionalsport there are going to be sacrifices, but we want the ICC toshare our concerns about the amount of cricket being played.”The effects of continuous cricket have not gone unnoticed.Several of them have either retired from one form or other of theinternational game in recent years citing fatigue, or withdrawnfrom tours for personal reasons. South Africa’s Jonty Rhodesretired from Test cricket last year, saying that he would like tokeep himself fresh for the 2003 World Cup. Just a few days ago,star England batsman Graham Thorpe announced his retirement fromone-day cricket because he could not continue playing bothversions of the game. Indian pace spearhead Javagal Srinath wasanother who had frequently expressed a desire to be rested fromone-day games before he finally announced his retirement fromTest cricket last month.Player burnout is a more riveting issue in Indian cricket thanelsewhere. For one thing, it is safe to assume that among allTest nations, India plays the most one-day games. Secondly,fitness standards not being as high as in other countries, Indianplayers often carry minor injuries into the field of play. Agrowing incidence of niggling fitness problems has seen a teamdoctor and a physiotherapist in attendance for the last couple ofyears, but ultimately there is little doubt that the playerswould only welcome a less demanding schedule. At the Lord’smeeting, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly voiced his concern on theissue. “I did make a point about excessive cricket being playedthese days,” he said.However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) hasdone well in agreeing that it would be a step in the rightdirection to reduce the number of matches. BCCI presidentJagmohan Dalmiya minced no words in saying that the currentschedule is too tight. “The ICC’s strenuous programme is makingthe situation difficult,”he said in Kolkata on Tuesday. Dalmiya,a former ICC chief himself, was of the view that Indian playerswere among those severely affected by non-stop travel and play.”The players sometimes don’t have 24 hours to rest. They have notime to recoup. But one has to fulfill commitments,” he said.Dalmiya also referred to the team’s hectic schedule in the run-upto next year’s World Cup in South Africa. India returned from atour of West Indies early in June and set off for England afortnight later to play a one-day series and four Tests, endingon September 10. The players will then jet out immediately toreach Colombo for the ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled fromSeptember 12 to 29. They then face the West Indies in a homeseries from October 1 to November 24 before leaving on a tour ofNew Zealand, scheduled from December 4 to January 14. The teamwill hold its final World Cup preparations at home before leavingfor South Africa on January 31 for the mega-event, to be heldfrom February 8 to March 23.In a bid to reduce the load on the players, the BCCI recentlypersuaded the West Indies and New Zealand boards to cut down thenumber of Tests by two, adding two one-dayers to the originalschedule. Besides reducing the number of playing days, the changeshould also help prepare the team better for the World Cup.Cricketers hardly get a break these days, what with India inparticular having gone into overdrive in matches being playedvirtually round the year. The players have begun to feel thestrain, and it is about time the administrators put the fitnessproblems of the players above monetary gains while drawing upfuture schedules.

“Great minds think alike,” said one wag. “Then how do fools differ?” came the snappy reply. At the Madhavrao Scindia stadium in Rajkot, while Bernard Shaw’s 11 flannelled (albeit in full-colour flannels) fools slugged it out in the middle, more genuine representatives of the legion of fools aimed a water bottle straight at Vasbert Drakes’ knee.The quarry was hit, while yet another identified flying object reportedly narrowly missed substitute fielder Ryan Hinds on the ropes. With India on 200 for one from 27.1 overs, comfortably chasing 301 for victory, the game was abandoned, and India declared winners by the Duckworth/Lewis method.For the third time in as many matches, spectators had overstepped the mark and actually become a part of the action in the most inexcusable manner. “It goes without saying that the BCCI completely condemns this kind of behaviour from crowds. The security of players and officials has always been a prime concern to us,” Honorary Secretary of the BCCI SK Nair told from the Board office in Mumbai.Nair spelt out the various measures the Board has taken to ensure that a reprise of the unfortunate Rajkot events does not affect forthcoming matches. “We’ve instructed staging authorities to work closely with the local police to ensure that spectators entering the ground are frisked properly,” he explained. “They will not be allowed to bring in any objects that can be potentially used as missiles.” This of course means that law-abiding, devoted fans will not be able to tote in their sandwiches and fruit, and that enthusiasts will be forced to leave autograph-books and pens at home. A sorry state of affairs, maybe, but the authorities’ response can be summed up in one word: “Tough.”In an attempt to take action against only those who cause trouble, the BCCI has resorted to upping the ante. “Closed-circuit cameras are going to be installed at strategic points so that we can find out exactly who the culprits are and take immediate action,” said an agitated Nair. “Police have been told to immediately take disruptive elements into custody.”The Board has even gone to the extent of bringing the government into the affair. “We’ve been in touch with the Government of Gujarat to impress upon them the serious nature of the problem. We will leave no stone unturned,” he added.Which is all well and good, and really, a degree in crime-busting is hardly needed to devise these basic methods. But will they be enough? Or does the heart of the problem really lie elsewhere?Niranjan Shah, who held Nair’s post at the BCCI till recently and has been involved in cricket administration at Rajkot for years, has a slightly different – and no less relevant – take on the matter. “If you look at it, the incident in Rajkot was a very minor one. In both Jamshedpur and Nagpur the incidents were more widespread and threatening. It was just the accumulation of the old incidents that caused the problem,” said Shah, speaking to from his Rajkot residence.Minor incident? A player was hit!”If someone was injured or something, I can understand that a team would walk off at the first instance of something like this happening,” Shah explained. “But no system can be foolproof. Whatever we try, a few people will always create trouble. We removed about 2,000 spectators from the premises. Most senior officials from the police force were there and went and spoke to the West Indians. But immediately after they (the policemen) came off the field, the West Indies changed their mind and took the harsh step of refusing to return to the field,” explained Shah.Looking forward, Shah added, “If teams walk off for minor incidents, it will set a very dangerous precedent. Teams also have to be practical about these things.” An alternate vein of logic that can hardly be ignored in these times, when cricket matches are big business.It is a dangerous lane to walk down, but one that Shah has been forced to tread as one of the key people responsible for organising cricket at Rajkot. “What is the administration to do in that case? How will they answer to the sponsors? Or to the 50,000 spectators gathered at the ground?” he asked.”If you think about it, why is it that the West Indians came back onto the field at Jamshedpur? In Rajkot they knew that they had lost the game, so they simply walked away,” Shah suggested. Given the overwhelming volume of arguments presented for the opposing school of thought, Shah’s ideas are ones that must be considered, if only for a balanced view at the dilemma.In Mumbai-based newspaper , former West Indian great Michael Holding wrote, “I am sorry, but I truly believe that if an example had been set at the first instance in Jamshedpur, it would not have recurred. To make matters worse, this game has been awarded to India. No doubt more than likely they would have gone on and won, but who suffers for the crowd disturbance?”How exactly does awarding the match to India, by the very legitimate rules and regulations already in place, make matters worse? Holding explains, tongue firmly in cheek, “Very shortly, spectators will be seen going into one-day venues with computers with the Duckworth/Lewis formula in hand and constantly keeping in touch with the proceedings. Whenever their team is in front via that method, they will just throw a few missiles, get the game called off and their team ends up the winner.”On the other hand, if one does not follow the already established systems – in this case the Duckworth/Lewis method – what can be done? Many have been quick to suggest – subtly and otherwise – that the authorities should award the match to the touring side, thereby suitably shaming spectators and setting an example. But apart from being cruel to the players of the home side, who have little or no control over idiots in a crowd, this method would only serve make a potentially incendiary situation positively diabolical.Imagine, moreover, a group of touring spectators – say a large, boisterous group, as touring spectators often can be. Would Holding’s solution not give them the perfect opportunity to nudge their own side on when conditions are gruelling, the play tough and the outlook bleak?But the cricket world has just heard the beginning of this issue, one can be sure of that. To look at the silver lining where none seems present, the crowd trouble in three consecutive games has at least forced the International Cricket Council to take this seriously. As flustered Board secretary Nair said, with a twist of unintended irony, “Of one thing you can be sure; the authorities are not going to be silent spectators in this matter.”