Chaminda Vaas led a spirited recovery to lift Colts to a handy 276 for 7 by the end of the first day’s play in the Premier League final against Burgher RC at the Sinhalese Sport Club.Vaas hit eight fours in his undefeated 60, and has so far put on 77 for the eighth wicket with the former Test slow left-armer Niroshan Bandaratilleke, who has made 44 not out.Earlier Burgher’s new-ball pair, Priyankara Silva and Chamara Soysa, had Colts in some trouble, taking three wickets apiece. Soysa struck early to remove Shantha Kalavitigoda for 7, but then Sajith Fernando (41) put on 88 with the left-hander Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, who top-scored with 69 – he biffed 12 fours and faced only 97 balls – before he was dismissed by Sajeewa Weerakoon. After a middle-order slide it was left to Vaas and Bandaratilleke to pick up the pieces.
Chaminda Vaas the Sri Lankan left arm bowler is set to make his debut at The Rose Bowl when Hampshire Hawks entertain the Scottish Saltires on Monday 4th August (1pm).Vaas who arrived in England today, met up with his new team mates during the tea interval of the Championship match against Northamptonshire. “The only three players I have met before are Robin Smith, Alan Mullally and Simon Katich”, said Vaas. He arrived at Heathrow this morning (Sunday) with his wife and child, to be met by Director of Cricket Tim Tremlett.Hampshire Hawks include him in their squad of thirteen which includes the eleven that defeated Northamptonshire Steelbacks on Wednesday evening last, plus Alan Mullally.Hampshire could go top of Divison Two of The National League if they beat their Scottish rivals. “This is a banana skin fixture” said one Hampshire cricketer, “the sort of game we could win, but also easily lose as Sussex Sharks found out today”.Hampshire 13: James Hamblin, Simon Katich, Derek Kenway, John Crawley, John Francis, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Lawrence Prittipaul, Shaun Udal, Chris Tremlett, James Bruce, Alan Mullally, Chaminda Vaas,
The Canadian Cricket Association held its Annual General Meeting in TorontoNovember 24, 25 2001.Included in the Agenda were the Year End of the Finances and the electionsof President, 2nd Vice President and General Secretary.Finances are in horrible shape as a direct result of considerable lossesincurred in the ICC Trophy 2001 Event and the absence of any sponsorship for that event!Incumbent President, Dr. Geoff Edwards was returned as President.Errol Townshend, was elected 2nd Vice-President, and General SecretaryCalvin Clarke was returned by acclamation.A short verbal report on the ICC Trophy report was offered, with a writtenreport expected shortly. The ICC Trophy/Management/ Secretariat is alsoexpected to finalize finances in short order.
On-loan Newcastle United left-back Matt Targett is reportedly a summer transfer target for Championship outfit Fulham who look all but set for an instant return to the top-flight.
What’s the latest?
According to Football League World, the West London outfit are monitoring the happenings of the English left-back who joined Newcastle on loan from Aston Villa for the rest of the season in January.
With Marco Silva’s side 12 points clear of the Championship playoff spots with 12 games to go, the Cottagers look all but set for a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, having been relegated last season.
Therefore, plans for the English top-tier are already being made and it appears as though Targett, who spent the second half of the 2017/18 campaign on loan at Craven Cottage, is being targeted for a return to Fulham, this time on a permanent basis.
Newcastle must try to keep Targett
After Aston Villa signed Lucas Digne from Everton in January, Targett immediately requested that he go on loan in order to ensure game time, joining Newcastle for the remainder of the campaign.
It was certainly a surprise, with the left-back subject to a showering of praise from Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor last season.
“In the last 15 years, he’s the best left-back Villa have had,” said the former striker. “Even during my time and the left-backs I played with, I look at Matt Targett and he’s the best we’ve had in the last 15 years since I made my debut.”
“He’s really comfortable on the ball, if he can continue to put in these performances then there is 100 per cent no reason why he can’t get into the England squad.”
Thus far, the 26-year-old has been a revelation at St.James’ Park, playing every minute for the Magpies bar their 1-0 win over Villa for which the Englishman was ineligible. As a result, he’s certainly lived up to the words that pundit Noel Whelan threw his way after signing, saying: “I think he’ll make a massive difference for them.”
Therefore, if Newcastle fail to sign the defender permanently and he heads elsewhere, it would be nothing short of an early disaster and blunder for their incoming director of football, Dan Ashworth.
With the Toon Army on an excellent run of five wins in their last six, the left-back has been a major contributor and should certainly be in the conversation of a permanent move in the summer.
There have been reports suggesting that the Magpies will look to make Targett’s stay in the North-East permanent, however, it will also be down to who PIF choose to spend their money.
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It seems as though the £35k-per-week English left-back’s tenure at Villa Park is over after the arrival of Digne, therefore a permanent move will certainly be possible for either Newcastle or Fulham.
Despite having numerous options there, Newcastle will need to sign a new left-back in the summer, with Paul Dummett, Matt Ritchie and Jamal Lewis the alternatives after Targett.
None of which have impressed this campaign, hence why Howe opted to swoop for the Aston Villa defender. However, it remains to be seen as to whether or not the Newcastle board opt to sign Targett permanently or seek a higher quality, more expensive player.
If the Magpies are keen to keep the 26-year-old, then they will have to stand firm and contest Fulham for the Englishman’s signature on a permanent basis.
In other news: Newcastle learn the latest on Callum Wilson’s fitness
New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot.Southee had sustained the injury during the third ODI in Nelson, and was subsequently replaced in the ODI squad by Matt Henry. An NZC release confirmed that Henry would stand in for Southee even in the T20s.”Tim was feeling really fresh after coming back from a break for the first two ODIs, so it’s certainly disappointing for him that this has happened now,” Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, said. “Tim’s obviously a key member of our team and been a strong performer for us in all three formats, so he’s a big loss.”We haven’t set a date for his return at this point, but will continue to monitor him and work to get him back to full fitness as quickly as possible.”Incidentally, that Nelson match was Southee’s first ODI since June, as he had been rested for the limited-overs tour to Africa in August. Southee suffered from an irritated disc in his back during the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, but regained his fitness to play the remaining two matches, in Perth and Adelaide.He was also rested for the first two ODIs of the Sri Lanka series, in Christchurch, and in his absence, Henry, Southee’s replacement, went on to take four-wicket hauls in both games.
A minor fire broke out in the Sector 16 Stadium where India will take on Australia in the fourth one-dayer of the seven-match series on Monday.The Chandigarh Fire Department sources said that the fire, which broke out in the newly-constructed media centre, had been brought under control. No one was injured in the incident, sources said, adding that the fire was due to a short circuit.International cricket returns to this venue after 14 years. The last match played in this stadium was in January 1993, when India took on England in a one-dayer. The stadium has staged four ODIs and one Test in 1990 between India and Sri Lanka.The construction of the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali, in 1993-94, forced the Sector 16 stadium to take a back seat. The stadium has been renovated in the last few months to include a new media centre, upgraded dressing rooms and pavilion enclosure, an electronic scoreboard, and better seating arrangements.
Andre Nel, the South African fast bowler, credits his former provincial and national coach Ray Jennings for making him a stronger bowler. Nel had approached Jennings for advice after a slump in form, and believed he had returned a fitter and better bowler after a couple sessions with his mentor.”Ray and I didn’t even do a lot of bowling. We watched videos of my action and we talked a lot,” he told the South African website news24.com. “He’s the guy who knows my bowling the best and he saw small things I didn’t notice. Injuries have played a big part in my recent performances. I tried to bowl too quickly to make up for whatever was wrong.”I tried to bowl from a position too close to the wicket and that resulted in my balance being off-kilter” Nel, 29, continued. “I’ve started releasing the ball from a wider position and forced myself to stamp down harder, with the result that my speed has returned. I don’t think I was aggressive enough in my approach. I held back a lot and tried to bowl economically over the past few months. It’s important to remember to take wickets; it’s another way to limit runs, especially early in an innings.” It was under the tutelage of Jennings at Eastern Province that Nel was called up to the South African side in 2001.He was also confident of his role in the one-day side with India due to tour next month and the World Cup looming next year. “I’ve always had to exercise control to try to put teams under pressure after replacing Shaun [Pollock] and Makhaya [Ntini] in the attack,” Nel admitted. “However, I’m not that kind of player. I like to get into batsmen’s faces and that’s why I’ve now been told to try to bowl faster and take wickets. I think I’m now the fittest I’ve been in many years and I’m excited about my bowling this season. If I’m not selected, I’ll at least know I’ve done my best.”Nel returned figures of 2 for 20 in eight overs during South Africa’s first warm-up match against Saurashtra, and one for 17 against the MCA President’s XI, in Mumbai this week.
ScorecardAvishka Gunawardene survived a nasty blow to the face to anchor Sri Lanka A’s second innings, but by the close of the second day at Dambulla, South Africa A were enjoying the better of the match, needing another four quick wickets to limit themselves to an obtainable target in the fourth innings of the match.Having bowled Sri Lanka A out for 206 in their first innings, the South Africans resumed on 71 for 1 and quickly lost Hashim Amla for 21, the first of six deserved wickets for the left-arm spinner, Sajeewa Weerakoon. But Jacques Rudolph anchored the innings with a composed 83, and though the middle-order collapsed to leave them on a wobbly 148 for 6, Tyron Henderson was on hand with a blistering 32-ball 50, which included four sixes.With a useful 48-run lead in the bag, South Africa turned the screw in Sri Lanka’s second innings, with Monde Zondeki striking twice in his first spell before forcing Gunawardene to retire hurt on 34. Henderson and Johan Botha grabbed two middle-order wickets apiece, including Kaushal Lokuarachchi in the final over of the day, to leave South Africa in the driving seat by the close.
A young South Australian side has upstaged Pura Cup champions Victoria by grabbing an outright victory in their Pura Cup match at Adelaide.Victoria were bowled out for 202 after being set 321 to win on the final day. Shaun Tait and Paul Rofe shared the honours with four wickets and three respectively, while Victoria’s captain Jonathan Moss hit 50.Full report to follow.
All Today’s Yesterdays – June 27 down the years1939 An unlucky charm is born. Fast bowler Neil Hawke did most of his best work in Australian defeats, when he took 29 wickets at an average of 21, including his Test-best figures, 7 for 105 against England at Sydney in 1965-66. Hawke is one of the few men to play for three states – Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania – and was a top-quality Aussie Rules player as well. His nickname wasn’t the most original, though: “Hawkeye” was prowling round cricket circles long before Channel 4’s technology hit the screens. An extremely tough character, Hawke lived for 20 years after bowel surgery kick-started a terrible run of ill-health. After he died on Christmas Day 2000, in Adelaide, his Wisden Cricket Monthly obituary was headlined: “They could not break his will.”1939 A renowned performance from the great George Headley. He became the first person to score two centuries in a Lord’s Test, although West Indies still went down by eight wickets to England. It was the second time in his career that Headley had made two centuries in a Test, making him only the second person (after Herbert Sutcliffe) to do so. Headley’s was a one-man show, though. Only one other West Indian passed 29 in the match, and England only lost seven wickets in completing victory.1949 Another famous Lord’s innings. Martin Donnelly, one of New Zealand’s greatest batsmen, stroked a glorious century against England, which he extended to 206 on the third and final day. It completed a unique treble, which only Donnelly and Percy Chapman, another left-hander, have managed – Donnelly also made Lord’s hundreds for Gentlemen against Players and for Oxford against Cambridge. In addition to that he made a famous ton at Lord’s for the Dominions against England — after which, a probably apocryphal story runs, a spectator went into a nearby pub, said “I have just seen the most marvellous day’s play,” drank a double whisky and dropped dead.1886 The Governor General of Australian cricket is born. That’s how Charles Macartney, an outstanding allrounder from New South Wales, was known. He was a charming improviser of a batsman, who finished his Test career with a flourish, when he made three centuries in a row in his last series, in England in 1926. His left-arm spinners could also be very handy, and he took 11 for 85 against England when Australia won at Headingley in 1909. Macartney died in Sydney in 1958.1924 Birth of Bob Appleyard, the Yorkshire and England offspinner whose career was dogged by poor health. As a result he only played nine Tests, but England won seven of them and Appleyard snared 31 wickets at an average of only 17. He was like Derek Underwood: quickish, flat, and devastating on damp wickets. Appleyard did not make his first-class debut until he was 27, and had to retire at 34 because of sickness, but managed to take almost as many wickets (708) as he made runs (776).Other birthdays 1917 Khanderao Rangnekar (India)1938 Gordon Rorke (Australia)