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Dave Nosworthy has resigned as coach of Canterbury and will now take charge of South African first-class side Lions. Nosworthy ends a successful stint with the New Zealand domestic side, which included a State Championship title in 2007-08 and victories in the State Shield and the Twenty20 competition in 2005-06.Nosworthy said he enjoyed his assignment with Canterbury and was looking forward to the move to Johannesburg. “My three seasons at Canterbury were an awesome experience and I’ve loved every minute of the process around building the side,” Nosworthy told , adding that the “opportunity to coach a South African first-class side at one of the world’s best Test venues [Wanderers] was too good to turn down.”It’s sad to leave Canterbury and the players I have worked with during my time here. However, I leave with the knowledge that we have accomplished a great deal in terms of building player depth and performance and I believe there is a very bright future ahead for the men in red and black.Lee Germon, Canterbury Cricket’s chief executive, acknowledged Nosworthy’s contribution. “Dave made a significant difference to the side through driving a re-building period that has resulted in the growth of our players and an outstanding last season that saw a young side win the State Championship and make the semifinals of the State Shield,” Germon said.Nosworthy has in the past coached teams in South Africa, where he played first-class cricket for Border and Northern Transvaal. He was also one among several candidates for the post of India coach last year. His stint with the Lions begins in September.

Trojans are facing almost certain relegation from Southern Electric Premier League, Division 2 after crashing to an eight-wicket defeat at Rowledge. The trouncing by next Sunday’s National Village Championship semi-finalists cast Trojans well adrift at the foot of the table.The Stoneham club will have to win their last three games against United Services, Lymington and the title chasing Hampshire Academy team if they are to survive.They were dismissed for 152 and resoundingly beaten by Rowledge, who have significantly closed the gap on fellow strugglers Hungerford, who were thrashed by ten wickets by the Academy.A debut Premier League century by former Hampshire YCs captain Chris Yates sentenced Trojans to defeat at Rowledge.Trojans owed much to Mark Goodall’s unbeaten 55 as they reached 152 all out (Jeff Anning 3-23). But there was no stopping Rowledge – and Yates, whose undefeated 105 in an unbroken stand of 92 with David Lloyd (28 not out) carried the village semi-finalists home.Rowledge host Oxfordshire club Shipton-Under-Wychwood in the semi-finals next Sunday.Hampshire’s Academy team boosted their prospects of winning the championship with a crushing win over Hungerford, who could yet suffer a second consecutive relegation.Bottom of Premier 1 last season, Hungerford lie only marginally above Rowledge, whom they face in a potential do-or-die last game of the season on August 31.They never really recovered from losing their first two wickets for only five runs at the Rose Bowl and were dismissed for a modest 128.David Wheeler, who finished with 4-13 off 8.2 overs, and James Manning struck two early blows for the Academy, whose progress was checked before Irfan Shah (2-29) removed former Sussex wicketkeeper Nick Wilton (17) and Steve Wyatt (22) in quick succession.The Hampshire youngsters were looking for a quick kill with Hungerford rocking at 46-4.But Paul Warren (32) and Michael Spence (24) rallied, Hungerford moving on to 105 before Iain Brunnschweiler combined with England Under-15 recruit Mitchell Stokes to break the partnership.When Spence departed two runs later at 107-6, Hungerford’s resistance was broken – Wheeler returning to finish things off with three quick wickets.Hungerford’s 128 all out was never likely to test the Young Hawks, who had all 22 points in the nest by the halway stage of their reply.Brunnschweiler’s unbeaten 59, coupled with an SPL debut 51 by King Edward VI all-rounder Alex Richardson, swept the Academy to a ten-wicket victory.The county youngsters are now 19 points clear of second-placed Easton & Martyr Worthy, with three matches remaining.They round off their programme with visits to Old Tauntonians & Romsey and Trojans, either side of a home game with United Services.Easton, whose visit to Sparsholt was postponed after Friday’s heavy rain, finish off with matches against Winchester KS, Rowledge and Lymington.United Services’ scheduled home match against Old Tauntonians & Romsey was postponed after vandals broke into Burnaby Road and damaged the pitch."It appears that someone gained unauthorised entry to the ground overnight, pulled off the tarpaulins, removed a cover and dug a deep hole on a length," explained US secretary Peter Piercey."Regrettably, the contractors could not prepare another strip in time. This was the second occasion in the past six months that the ground has been broken into – last time one of the covers was wrecked," he added.

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.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has named 128 cricketers for thenationaland regional academies which will start simultaneously fromMay 14 at different cities.Announcingthe names of the cricketers, a PCB spokesman said onThursday that 22 and 24 players were selected for the national academyand Paksitan Juniors academyto be started at Lahore. Similarly, 21named for Rawalpindi, 28 for Karachi and 27 for Peshawar academies.Each players will get a stipend of Rs 5000 per month. For the nationalacademy board and lodging facility will be provided. For the regionalacademies only outstation players will get board and lodgingfacilities.The academies will be located at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, NationalStadium, Karachi, KRL ground, Rawalpindi and Qayyum Stadium, Peshawar.Former Test all-rounder Mudassar Nazar will be the chief coach. TheNational Academy panel of coaches will consist of Mohsin Kamal and AliZia, the Pakistan Juniors will have Haroon Rashid and Azhar Khan asthe coaches. Sikandar Bakht and Jalaluddin will be the panel ofcoaches at Karachi, Masood Anwar and Sabih Azhar will work atRawalpindi. Farrukh Zaman and Raj Hans are two coaches for Peshawar.The National Cricket Academy will be formally inaugurated at theGaddafi Stadium on May 14. The formal inauguration of Karachi,Rawalpindi and Peshawar Academies will be held on May 15, 16 and 18.The regional academy, Lahore will be inaugurated later, at Sheikhupuraon June 1.The syllabus at the National Academy covers social and communicationskills, besides hard core cricket matters. The present term of theseAcademies will last for three months and will be completed by August25, he said. All the selected players are asked to report on May 13 by4 pm at their respective station.

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.