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Durham narrowly avoided becoming the first county to suffer a points deduction for a slow over rate before their match against Gloucestershire at Chester-le-Street was abandoned.Under the new rule counties have to bowl 16 overs an hour and after every game they lose a quarter point for every over they fall short. The rule does not apply if they have fielded for less than four hours in the match, and when rain halted Gloucestershire’s second innings at two for one, the 2.2 overs Durham had bowled had taken them six minutes over the four-hour mark.Their over-rate was minus one, which meant they would have lost a quarter of a point had play not resumed. Consequently they rushed through 2.4 overs when they re-started at 4pm before bad light intervened. The scorers quickly calculated that their over-rate was now spot on 16 an hour.Play began at 12.10 and Durham added 23 runs in five overs before declaring on 255 for seven when Paul Collingwood fell for 68, chopping a ball from Jon Lewis into his stumps. Wicketkeeper Andy Pratt was left on 28 not out for the second time in the match.Needing 300 in 71 overs, Gloucestershire lost Tim Hancock to the eighth ball when he pushed forward and had his off stump removed by Neil Killeen. They were on two for one when rain arrived at 12.50, and moved on to six for one on the brief resumption.

In a breath-stopping, heart-thumping finish, India pulled off a stunning 10-run win over South Africa at Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday night and entered the final of the Champions Trophy.South Africa are a professional side. The Indians are a feisty bunch. South Africa are a tight-knit one-day unit. The Indians are unruly talents. South Africa are fit, athletic and skilled enough to beat anyone. The Indians are determined and have enough cricket sense to hold their own against the best. It’s clichéd but, on the day, it was a triumph of flair over skill.With back-to-back centuries Gibbs had a chance to put his indelible stamp on the tournament. By retiring hurt on 116 (119 balls, 16 fours) with his side still needing 70 runs for victory, Gibbs gave India the tiniest window of opportunity. Not very different from the time he famously dropped Steve Waugh and got told, “you’ve just dropped the World Cup, mate.” The Indians, applying pressure took a vice-like grip on the game after Gibbs left the field. And yes, Gibbs’ departure did cost the South Africans the Champions Trophy.It would take a cruel man, however, to lay all the blame for South Africa’s defeat on Gibbs’ weary, dehydrated shoulders. The opener had done a great deal, slamming a brisk ton to set up the best possible foundations for his team.It was Gibbs’ opposite number, Virender Sehwag, who turned the tide. Bowling his flat, quick off-spin, Sehwag did what the frontline Indian spinners could not do. He tied down the South African batsmen at the death, picked up crucial wickets, bagged three for 25 and walked away with the Man of the Match award for the second consecutive game.With Graeme Smith perishing early on to a spectacular catch by Yuvraj Singh, flying high to his right at point, Jacques Kallis was at the wicket in just the fourth over of the day. Yuvraj’s effort was an early indicator of what people call fire in the belly; of what Imran Khan called ‘playing like cornered tigers’.A masterful batsman, Kallis kept the scoreboard ticking over at an even clip from the moment he was in, taking no chances yet scoring freely.Gibbs, who seemed perfectly at ease for the best part of his innings, suddenly started to suffer from severe body cramps. At first a runner assisted him but, unable to grip the bat, he was forced off the field in the 37th over of the innings. Nevertheless, South Africa were 192/1 and still clear favourites.Just two runs later, Jonty Rhodes was brilliantly caught by yet another full length drive from Yuvraj. Boeta Dippenaar played the sweep to Harbhajan Singh and Kumble snapped up the catch on the fine leg fence. Then Mark Boucher (10) also perished sweeping, top-edging an easy catch to Yuvraj. What is normally the most productive shot against spin for the South Africans proved their downfall.Even Kallis, whose controlled 97 (133 balls, six fours, one six) certainly deserved a hundred, could not deliver the 21 runs South Africa needed for victory in the last over of the day. The air was thick with tension and could have been cut with the proverbial butter knife. Just minutes before the final over began, Zaheer Khan had sent down a fiery penultimate over, keeping the ball in the block-hole and denying Klusener the opportunity to score.Kallis began the final over by nonchalantly launching Sehwag into the stands at mid-wicket. Fifteen needed from five balls then. Kallis tried to repeat the stroke, top-edged to the ‘keeper and India were one inch closer.Klusener, who had crossed over while the catch was being taken, battled hard but could not free his arms and managed just four more runs off the over before hitting Kaif a catch off the last ball of the innings. Yet again Klusener had been unable to produce those mighty blows that had been a feature of his batting some years ago. He managed only 14 off 21 balls, failing to hit a single boundary.Earlier, the day began with a touch of surprise, as South Africa went into the big game with Makhaya Ntini ahead of the experienced Steve Elworthy and debutant Robin Peterson in place of Justin Ontong.Sehwag batted as though he started on a hundred not out and not zero. Hitting the ball as cleanly as he had against England, the fiery opener got the crowds roaring. Two square drives, two pulls and one straight drive had raced off the flashing blade before even seven overs were completed.Sourav Ganguly certainly looked in sparkling form. After beginning with a slash that just evaded the slip cordon the Indian skipper unveiled the pull, the shot he plays with least comfort, slamming Ntini to the fence in front of square.But someone sauntering near the boundary ropes said it seemed too good to be true and as though he’d been overhead, Ganguly went for an audacious hook and sent a Ntini short ball straight down Dippenaar’s throat at deep backward square leg.And then, while Sehwag motored on at one end, the Indian batting spluttered, chugged like an old jalopy and seized up at the other end. VVS Laxman made a pretty 22 before having a forgettable waft outside the off to be caught behind. Sachin Tendulkar, unusually reticent for 16 off 29 balls was run out by a tremendous bit of fielding from Rhodes, the man who has inspired kids to say, “when I grow up I want to be a fielder.”India found themselves in trouble on 135/4.Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj began the recovery. Dravid, sensible as ever, kept the scoreboard ticking over with a series of well-placed drives while Yuvraj provided the impetus with his sprinting between the wickets and audacious strokes. It’s not often that a batsman comes down the wicket and belts Allan Donald through mid-wicket and then kills the follow-up bouncer with a lightning pull that dents the advertising hoardings. Yuvraj did just that, blasting his way to a remarkable 62 (72 balls, six fours). Dravid made 49 invaluable runs and India, despite losing three tail-end wickets in one Pollock over, ended with 261/9 from 50 overs.Despite what the pundits and punters had to say, this proved enough to secure a famous victory.

THE Western Australian Cricket Association is proud to announce WA’s largest electrical retailer Retravision as major sponsor of the state’s Junior Cricket program.Retravision will sponsor Junior Cricket throughout the state as well as School Holiday coaching clinics in metropolitan and country centres.Retravision General Manager, Mr Lester Gamble, said his company is committed to taking an active involvement in the community."That’s why we’re proud to announce our support of Junior Cricket in WA," Mr Gamble said today."We believe this is a great opportunity for children to have fun learning to play the sport while discovering the benefit of teamwork."The WACA’s Junior cricket program reflects Retravision’s own values of family and community and we look forward to our ongoing involvement."

• Retravision COMMUNITY SUPER 8’s After school competition for boys and girls aged 9-12-years played in all metropolitan regions (approx 15 centres, 1000 participants).
• Retravision Regional Junior Carnival Days
  Junior cricket in the regions is coordinated by the WACA via six (6) regional boards and the WACA regional Development Officers.The carnival days consist of junior cricketers (boys and girls) coming together to play `Super 8′ cricket games through out the day.The Retravision Regional Junior Carnival Days are promoted to all regional junior cricketers and there are spaces for approximately 1,280 participants to played in the following towns across Western Australia:
  • Karratha, Broome, Kununurra, Port Hedland, Newman
  • Geraldton, Carnarvon, Northam, Merredin, Kalgoorlie
  • Esperance, Albany, Narrogin, Bunbury, Collie, Busselton.
• Retravision Holiday Clinics
  Metropolitan junior school holiday clinics targeted at boys and girls during the October and April school holidays and played at the WACA ground. Clinics are promoted throughout the metropolitan regions. This is a very popular event with 100% participation for the past 12 months.
• Retravision will promote the sponsorship to customers by giving them an opportunity to win tickets to Western Warrior games throughout the summer.

England have begun their tour of Australia with a 58-run defeat, going down to the ACB Chairman’s XI for the first time in the traditional opener to the Ashes series at Lilac Hill. The home side made 301 for seven, the highest-ever total in this annual fixture against Australia’s tourists, and England subsided to 243 all out.England lost Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher in the first three overs to leave England struggling on 11 for two, but Nasser Hussain (65) then joined Robert Key (68) to add 135 runs in 21 overs, reviving England’s hopes of victory. But the two were dismissed within four overs of each other, and that effectively terminated England’s challenge.The last five wickets fell for just 33 runs in nine overs, with only Alec Stewart (35) playing a further innings of substance. There were five wickets for Western Australia’s slow left-arm bowler Brad Hogg, and two apiece for Michael Clark and Paul Wilson.England had not helped their cause with a wayward performance in the field as the Chairman’s XI racked up their imposing 50-over total. Both Stewart and James Foster missed chances behind the stumps, and Steve Harmison bowled 16 wides in his seven overs, including eight in one over that lasted 14 balls. Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Caddick also struggled, while the sixth-wicket pair Mike Hussey and Kade Harvey added 152 runs in just 21 overs.England could draw some encouragement from the performance of Simon Jones, who managed eight overs and took two wickets, including one with his first ball, on his return from the side injury sustained on his Test debut at Lord’s in the summer.The Chairman’s XI started well, with the left-handed West Australian opening pair Chris Rogers and Marcus North putting on 57 for the first wicket. Hoggard then accounted for North, who had made 22 when he gave a straightforward catch to Hussain at cover. Jones struck 12 runs later, forcing Rogers (30) to give a catch to John Crawley at gully.After Harmison’s nightmare, Ashley Giles steadied England with three wickets as the Chairman’s XI slipped to 122 for five. Ryan Campbell (14) and Hogg (0) fell in the same over, followed by the former Test batsman David Hookes (10).Harvey then joined Hussey to provide huge entertainment for the 10,000 capacity crowd before Hussey (69) became Jones’ second victim after being dropped by Foster earlier in the over. Harvey’s 114 came off just 88 balls and included six sixes before he was caught on the boundary in the final over by Trescothick.

Pakistan captain Waqar Younis Thursday said the suicide bomb attack has ruined his team’s excellent performance and halted the progress it was making.”It is a shame what happened Wednesday. I feel sorry for everyone who was affected by the terrible events. But as far as cricket is concerned, our achievement has gone in the background,” the skipper said from Lahore.Pakistan were odds-on favourites to wrap up the second Test well inside five days after they destroyed New Zealand in three days to win the first Test by a record an innings and 324 runs. Pakistan also swept the three-match one-day series. But with the Test series restricted to just one Test, it will not be officially recognized as a series. According to ICC ruling, two or more Tests constitutes a series.That implies that Pakistan was denied an opportunity to narrow the gap with the West Indies in the ICC Test Championship table. Pakistan are lying seventh while the West Indies are sixth.Pakistan also defeated Bangladesh and the West Indies before clinching the Sharjah Cup to maintain an unbeaten run this year.”All our hardwork in the series and preparations for the second Test went out of the window. It has also abruptly halted the improvements we were making as a team. “Naturally the stoppage is temporarily but the momentum is broken. I think we would have been a different team had we played the second Test which I am confident we would have won with ease. “But we all are professionals and will lift ourselves, realize the tasks ahead and get down to business by forgetting whatever happened though it will be difficult,” he said.Waqar admitted this players were still in a state of shock. “I have talked to some boys but they are not talking cricket. The subject remains the bomb blast. “I am also affected but you see life has to move on. The sooner we get out of this hang-over, the better for us. The boys need to get mentally fit as soon as possible because in cricket you need to be focused and tension-free to perform and excel,” he said.The fast bowler said had he been in New Zealand’s place, he would have followed the advice and instructions of his board. “The boys have complete faith in the PCB. If we had been told to carry on, we would have without slightest of resistance of objection.” Meanwhile, Pakistan coach Mudassar Nazar also left for England on Wednesday.REUTERS ADDS: The PCB sought the support of the ICC and its member countries on Thursday to ensure that Pakistan is not isolated as an international venue.”I have spoken to the ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed and our viewpoint was that the (ICC) member boards should hold on before giving any policy statements to allow the situation to settle down,” PCB director Brig Munawar Rana said.”We ourselves are upset by this incident,” said Rana. “We can now only regroup and hope for the best. But we need the support of the ICC and member nations in this regard.” “… we realise the incident has put Pakistan cricket back and could have negative effects in the future, and this is why we want the ICC and member nations to hold on and wait for things to settle down and allow us to regroup.”

The game of cricket is coming together this weekend to raise money for SportRelief, the new fundraising initiative from Comic Relief and BBC Sport. TheEngland Cricket Team will be joining cricketers across the country from every level of the game by Paying to Play cricket on 15 and 16 June.Over the past few months the nation’s footballers and rugby players have given their full support to Sport Relief by raising money on their respective Pay to Play weekends. This weekend cricket will be holding its own Pay to Play event in aid of Sport Relief.On Saturday 15 June, every member of the England Cricket Team will be paying£100 to play at the 3rd npower Test Match at Old Trafford. Many of the firstclass counties are also joining in with this exciting initiative and will bePaying to Play during their matches this weekend.Sport Relief is a new fundraising campaign that aims to unite the world ofsport to raise money for vulnerable children and young people here at home and across the world by inspiring the whole of the UK to get active during this year’s great summer of sport. The campaign will run up to Saturday 13 July and culminate in a block busting night on BBC One of sport, celebrities, entertainment, and fundraising.England Captain, Nasser Hussain said: “This is a great cause and as Englandcricketers we are delighted to give it our full support. Good luck to allthe cricketers taking part in Pay to Play this weekend.”

HOBART, Nov 22 AAP – New South Wales and Tasmania battled through a long and wintry day to share the honours in the Pura Cup match in Hobart today.At stumps on the first day the Blues, after being sent in, were 6-280.It was a day of attrition and fluctuating fortunes under grey skies, with a bitter wind sweeping the ground. As Tasmania relied entirely on pace, it didn’t end until 6.45 (AEDT).With the Bellerive Oval wicket lively and the Tasmanian bowlers mostly maintaining good line and length, the formidable Blues batting lineup never dominated.When Michael Slater (35) and Michael Clarke (one) fell just after lunch, NSW was a precarious 3-72.But Michael Bevan and captain Simon Katich stabilised the innings with a stand of 104.Bevan, who hit a double century against Tasmania in Sydney a fortnight ago, struggled with his timing and never got on top of the bowling.When he finally went for 70, cutting in the air to gully where Damien Wright took a juggling catch, he’d batted for 233 minutes. It was valuable, but hardly vintage Bevan.Katich, who regularly banqueted at Bellerive in his Western Australian days, played with greater assurance as he produced his biggest innings since moving to NSW.With Mark Waugh, he finally broke the shackles and ensured the Blues finished the day with a decent total.Katich timed his drives beautifully and never looked like getting out. His greatest discomfort came when Shane Watson forced him briefly off the field by slamming one into his groin.Waugh was uncertain early and needed 17 balls to get on the score board.But the longer he went the better he looked, though one French cut went perilously close to his stumps and he survived a vociferous lbw appeal.In between, he hit 10 trade mark boundaries before, and to his apparent surprise, he was given out caught behind off Wright for 48.Two runs later Katich gave workhorse Shane Jurgensen a deserved wicket when he was caught at third slip and the strong position NSW had worked so hard for had been eroded.Katich’s 84 took 243 minutes and included 11 fours.Brad Haddin (5) and Don Nash (12) will continue the battle tomorrow.Tasmania, which has struggled for wickets this season, kept up the pressure well and conceded almost nothing in the field.Adam Griffith, a husky 24-year-old from Launceston, made a promising first class debut and finished with 2-64. He should treasure the scalps of Slater and Bevan.

Veteran batsman Darren Lehmann expects Ricky Ponting to steer Australian one-day cricket to a higher level after shining in South Africa during his first series as national captain.Ponting will end the series unbeaten if Australia wins the seventh match in Cape Town tomorrow night but his reputation as an aggressive captain has been cemented just three weeks after taking over from benchmark leader Steve Waugh.With Lehmann as a valuable on-field adviser, Ponting and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist have sparked one of Australia’s most impressive series in recent years.”He’s going to be a very good captain for Australia,” Lehmann said.”Who knows where he’ll be in 12 or 18 months? He’s developing into a bloody good captain.”Even from the Test series (last month) to here he has really stepped up his game. Maybe he was that sort of guy who needed those leadership roles.”Selectors harvested Ponting’s leadership skills at the right time because the Tasmanian had become a fixture in Australian Test and one-day teams with little formal responsibility.But he has developed the same ruthless and demanding signs that Waugh showed during his reign, even admitting his bowlers will be “embarrassed” by SouthAfrica’s massive 3-326 during Saturday’s match in Port Elizabeth.It was a straight answer from a captain who enjoys the full support of his players despite replacing one of Australian cricket’s favourite leaders.Ponting heads the Australian run tally with 282 runs from six matches, including 92 from 106 balls in the record-breaking run chase of 7-330 on Saturday.But Lehmann’s reputation has climbed alongside Ponting after he became the middle-order replacement for Waugh.Lehmann made 91 from 94 balls during a 183-run partnership with Ponting, becoming one of the “finds” of the tour despite his years of experience.Aged 32, and with 75 one-day international matches, Lehmann’s worth was well-known across the cricketing world but he has never seemed more important than during this tour, becoming an on-field general behind Ponting and Gilchrist.Ponting has rated Lehmann one of his most valuable players just three months after the left hander was deemed not good enough to play for Australia.”He’s one of the best one-day players in the world – I don’t think there’s any doubt about that,” Ponting said.”He loves playing cricket and being part of a successful team and it’s good for the young blokes to see that sort of thing, knowing they can come into the team and be themselves.”It’s important to have different characters around the team and he’s obviously a character and he enjoys himself.”He moves around his crease and changes the bowlers’ thinking process and it’s great that we have someone like him and Michael Bevan in our middle order toreally control an innings or a game for us.”The Australians will start short-priced favourites at Newlands without any argument from the South African fans, who are changing their view of the tourists.The home fans were originally depressed at the Proteas’ miserable Test and one-day performances against Australia this summer, but the visitors have earned a reputation as perhaps the best team to visit South Africa in the post-apartheid era.The Australians will fly out of Johannesburg for home on Wednesday having established themselves as the early favourites for the World Cup in Africa nextFebruary.

On a rain curtailed second day’s play at the Gujarat State FertilizerCorporation Ground in Baroda, the host team were all out for 467 inthe Ranji Trophy pre-quarter-final match against Bengal on Sunday.Resuming on 273/3, Baroda were soon in trouble losing Jacob Martin(103) without adding a run to his overnight score and TB Arothe (57)who made just two more runs. Baroda were reduced to 279/5 at thatstage.AP Bhoite (54) and M Maveda (62) added 79 runs for the sixth wicket,steadying the Baroda innings. Before being run out, Bhoite struckeight boundaries and a six. The heavy downpour stopped cricket for along while after lunch. The day’s play was extended for an hour tomake up for the lost time.Baroda kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Maveda was trapped infront by Shukla at 415, before being dismissed. Maveda hit nineboundaries. RB Patel (20), VN Buch (17), Irfan Pathan (13 not out) andIrfan Khan Pathan (8) contributed their might to the Baroda cause.Medium pacer Laxmi Ratan Shukla finished with 4/119 and veteran leftarm spinner Utpal Chaterjee (3/88) took the bowling honours. At closeof play Bengal had scored one run without any loss of just two ballsin their first innings, when play was called off due to bad light.

Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden battered open the door to a series-clinching Australian victory in the second Castle Lager/MTN Test against South Africa at Newlands, crunching a 102-run opening stand to leave the tourists requiring exactly 200 to win with nine wickets standing on Tuesday’s last day.South Africa’s spirited second innings, which finally ended at tea-time on Monday, left Australia needing to score 331 in 123 overs to retain the world Test championship. By the close they were 131 for one with Hayden ominously set.If they get there, it will be the 10th highest winning score in the fourth innings in Test history and in spite of South Africa’s dogged batting in their second innings and Shane Warne’s 70-over marathon, the defining period of play may yet prove to be the 33 overs between tea and stumps on Monday.South Africa needed to break through, Australia needed a start and it was the visiting team who galloped away with the session.Langer was in murderous mood, hitting two boundaries off Makhaya Ntini in the first over of the innings to charge off with Hayden barely out of the blocks. Langer was the dominant partner in a stand that produced 102 in a ball over 22 overs and rocked the South Africans back on their heels.Paul Adams, who had been so effective in the first innings, went for 36 in his first five overs as the left-handers hit him with the spin and while Ntini worried both batsmen on occasions, there seemed little the fielding side could do to stem the flow of runs.The breakthrough came from an unexpected source. Dewald Pretorius had had a miserable first innings, taking none for 72 in 11 overs, but after an expensive opening burst he came back on from the other end to bowl Langer for 58 off a bottom edge.Even so, Hayden went on to reach his 50 off the last ball of the day, and Australia could scarcely be better placed.The first two sessions of the day consisted of a duel between Warne and the South African batsmen. He bowled 70 overs out of 162 for his six for 161. It was an epic performance, requiring stamina every bit as much as skill and it is fair to say that at no stage did the South Africans dominate him, as well as they batted.The innings of day came from Neil McKenzie, cruelly run out on 99 by Damien Martyn’s superb direct hit as he scampered for his 100th run. He had held the lower order together skillfully, but South Africa will have been left with the nagging feeling that his run out, and that of Andrew Hall for a duck, may have cost them 50 or so runs that they might dearly be wishing for on the last day.It has been a fascinating Test match and although Australia now seem to have their noses in front, this South African side might not yet be ready to capitulate in the manner of other teams this summer. There has been a willingness to scrap with the Australians and while the opposition looks to have too many guns still loaded and ready to fire, an early breakthrough on the last day could expose a middle order that South Africans regard as Australia’s soft centre.Then again, the Australians always have Adam Gilchrist in reserve and South Africa have yet to discover a way of dismissing him on their home soil. On balance Australia have made fewer crucial mistakes over the first four days and if they keep their percentages up they will win this match. At the same time, the result is not yet a foregone conclusion and for South African supporters this may be the heartening news they have had all summer.