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Scorecard
The second youth Test ended in an honourable draw at Worcester, with Dan Redfern holding tight for England with an unbeaten 79 as his team-mates succumbed to Nick Beard, who claimed five wickets. Kane Williamson converted his overnight 104 to 151 while Harry Boam added 18 to his 50 as New Zealand put on 302.England were left with a target of 273 that proved just beyond their reach, though they were also seven down. Alex Hales and Billy Taylor gave them a fighting start with a stand of 83, Hales completing his second fifty of the match, but Beard’s influence grew and grew until he had five top- and middle-order wickets and England were in minor trouble at 173 for 5.Redfern and Ben Brown all but ensured the draw in a sixth-wicket partnership 62, with Brown contributing 29 before falling to Harry Boam. Chris Woakes came and went cheaply but, by that stage, the result was straightforward.The sides now meet in a five-ODI series which begins this Friday at Canterbury, which is hosting back-to-back matches.

The winter series of cricket evenings continues on Tuesday 12 November 2002 when the speaker will be Roger Newman, Director of the Warwickshire CCC Academy, one of eight approved by the ECB.A former teacher, Roger has been Director since the Academy opened in September 2001. His responsibility is to ensure the development of selected players between 13 and 18 as the next generation of young England players."Assessment", "Preparation" and "Performance" are the key stages of the year’s programme.The meeting starts at 7.30 p.m. and is held in the Cricket Suite of Worcestershire CCC’s New Road Ground; admission is free to Society members: £2.50 to visitors.

Nothing less than a 22-point maximum will do for BAT Sports against Calmore Sports at Loperwood Park tomorrow (SAT)(1 o’clock) if the ECB Southern Electric Premier League championship trophy is to remain at Southern Gardens.But even that might not be enough if Havant beat Bournemouth and pick up 20 points in the process.Title holders BAT go into the final round of matches trailing Havant by two points.But skipper Dave Banks certainly won’t be giving the trophy up lightly. "We’ll be giving it everything against Calmore tomorrow," he warned."If we can post a big score or bowl them out cheaply, it will put a lot of pressure on Havant."The phone lines are going to be red hot between Calmore and Havant Park, so we’ll each know what the other is doing."Ironically, BAT clinched the trophy by beating Calmore at Loperwood Park last season. "That might just be a lucky omen," Banks added.Calmore, thrashed out of sight by BAT in mid-summer, could be without promising teenagers Paul Cass and Matthew Metcalfe, who may have to rest up in preparation for Hampshire Under-19s ECB Cup final against Somerset at Bristol on Sunday.BAT will be at full strength, with 695-run Damian Shirazi looking to stay ahead of Bashley-Rydal’s Luke Ronchi in the tussle for the Premier League batting award.But BAT know they will not get many favours from Bournemouth, who are unlikely to be at full strength for the Havant Park clash."We’ll be taking a pretty strong side across there, but Bournemouth’s main priority is to get our 2nd XI promoted from the Hampshire League into Premier 3, so one or two first teamers will probably drop down."Our seconds lie fifth in County Division 1, but if they beat Andover tomorrow, they could be promoted – and that’s very important to us," said Bournemouth skipper Matt Swarbrick.Havant, the inaugural Premier League winners two seasons ago, are certain to have everyone available.Bashley-Rydal, already certain of finishing above Bournemouth in third place, go to Andover, whose prospects of winning the 50-over pennant probably disappeared when they lost by nine wickets at BAT last week.Kevin Nash is in a rich vein of form after taking 13 wickets in the past three games – and aims for a few Andover scalps as he bids to win his first Southern Electric Cricketer of the Month award.Australian Ronchi aims to say his farewells with a big score – but has a 19-run deficit to make up on Damian Shirazi in the batting award stakes."I too will be making a few phone calls to see how Damian’s got on – that’s if I can get through tomorrow afternoon," he joked.Burridge too will be saying their farewells – to Premier Division 1 cricket – at South Wilts, where Jamie Glasson sits out the second and final Saturday of a two-week suspension.Burridge are certain to be relegated after being thrashed by ten wickets by Havant last week.Former Hampshire left-arm spinner Raj Maru plans to hang up his boots after Portsmouth’s visit to Liphook & Ripsley, who have already agreed terms for 658-run South African Alistair Gray to return to Ripsley Park next summer."Alistair’s done really well for us, both in the middle and with his coaching – and we had no second thoughts about inviting him back," confirmed Liphook vice-chairman Alan Wright.Portsmouth, meanwhile, will have captain-elect Lee Savident, the former Hampshire all-rounder, at the helm.

PORT-OF-SPAIN – There was drama all the way through that drained the emotions and left finger nails chewed to the quick.There was both the unexpected and the predictable and a bit of controversy to spice the ending. But the storyline on the final day of the second Test did not follow the script prescribed by the West Indies and the heroes were on the other side.Always striving to regain parity after India were sent in and compiled 262 for four on the opening day, the stoic West Indian effort finally exhausted itself just over an hour into the final session yesterday as they were dismissed for 275 in pursuit of a winning target of 313 to lose by 37 runs.An involved, colourful crowd of around 12 000, most heavily packed into the open Carib Stand, savoured every ball, willing the West Indies to an exceptional victory, but had to leave crest-fallen.They exploded at every boundary with the sound of a volcanic eruption. They booed in unison for the numerous roared Indian appeals, of which none was given.They applauded defensive blocks by the inadequate West Indian tailenders and cheered wildly even for Indian wides and no-balls.But they were also dumbfounded by the fall of their two likeliest match-winners, Brian Lara and Carl Hooper, in successive overs from the young left-arm swing bowler Asish Nehra an hour into the day and the customary collapse of the last six wickets for 38 that brought an end to an engrossing match.In the two hours, ten minutes in between, expectations were encouraged by an untroubled fifth wicket partnership of 73 between the two contrasting left-handers, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle.It was the only significant West Indian resistance and, in the end, the flags fluttering highest and the faces wreathed in smiles were east, not West, Indian.They were celebrating India’s third victory in their 34 Tests since they first came to the Caribbean in 1953 and on the same Queen’s Park Oval where they gained their previous two, in 1971 and 1976.In those triumphs, their bowling heroes were the magical spinners with magical names, Prasanna, Bishen Bedi, Chandrasekhar and Venkataraghavan.This time, they decided swing and seam would be their key to success, excluding their celebrated leg-spinner Anil Kumble to accommodate three fast bowlers, Nehra, his fellow left-armer Zaheer Khan and the experienced Javagal Srinath.Villified at home, they were vindicated by the outcome.The 22-year-old Nehra, in his first match of the series, seized the initiative with the wickets of Lara in his first over and Hooper in his second after which it was obvious a West Indian victory would depend on Chanderpaul, short and slim, and Gayle, tall and powerful.They responded with level-headed play that threatened Indian captain Saurav Ganguly with a nervous breakdown but, with a low order that had managed an average of 14 runs from the last four wickets in the previous six Tests, they would have to bat to within a few runs of the target.They couldn’t manage it.The West Indies resumed 182 short of their goal at 131 for two with their fortunes seemingly dependent on the stand between Lara and Hooper.Lara was 40 at the start but it was immediately evident he was gripped by the tension of the moment.He had not managed a hundred in his eight previous Tests at the Queen’s Park Oval that has been his home ground for club and country and there was no better time to make the breakthrough.Yet his uncertainty was clear when he signalled to the usually bacchanalian "Trini Posse" Stand to mute its music even before facing a ball.He spent an uncharacteristically nervous hour adding seven when he sparred at Nehra’s fourth ball that left him with an angled bat and edged a catch to Rahul Dravid at first slip. The method of dismissal was similar to that in the first innings when Zaheer was the bowler.The Oval was as hushed as the nearby Lapayreuse Cemetery as Lara turned and headed back to the pavilion. It was to remain so for some time.Positive from the start, Hooper stroked three boundaries in moving from one to 22 but, in Nehra’s next over, was out of position for a pull shot, tugging the ball from outside low off-stump low to Shiv Sunder Das at mid-wicket.The Indians whopped with joy at their crucial successes that left the West Indies 164 for four with Chanderpaul and Gayle the last specialist batsmen to be followed by the shaky wicket-keeper Junior Murray and the four negligible fast bowlers.Chanderpaul, as aggressive from the start as he was in his first Test 140 at Bourda, and Gayle, 21 as he resumed his innings interrupted by forearm cramp the previous day, saw the West Indies through to lunch at 210 for four.The mood around the ground was altogether more optimistic as the pair batted through nine overs with the second new ball on resumption without alarm.Ganguly, by now chewing on his fingers and conversing with his bowlers after almost every ball, replaced Nehra with the less menacing Zaheer.The crowd’s roar after he sent his first ball so far outside Chanderpaul’s off-stump it was signalled wide immediately changed to shocked quiet when Gayle carelessly slapped the next delivery straight and chest-height to cover.The 22-year-old Jamaican batted with astute judgement for 176 balls all told for his 52, quick to put away the loose balls as his eight fours indicated. But his demise set off the almost inevitable after-shocks.Junior Murray, all pent-up nerves after the ducks in his previous two innings, got an ironic cheer when he got off the mark but promptly and ridiculously ran himself out – probably right out of the team.He charged down the pitch as Srinath’s delivery deflected fine on the leg-side and, as Chanderpaul turned him back, was well short on wicket-keeper Ajay Ratra’s return to Sunder Das by the stumps.Next ball, Dillon’s middle stump received an awful crack as he played back and the match was as good as over.Marlon Black spent 24 balls as Chanderpaul’s partner, then gloved Srinath’s lifter to short-leg, Adam Sanford’s ambitious drive at Nehra took leg-stump by way of inside edge in the over after tea and, after 55 minutes and 29 balls of solid forward defence, Cameron Cuffy steered Zaheer to gully to complete India’s victory.Chanderpaul remained until the end, unbeaten 67 after four and a half hours and 162 balls of solid resistance. But for a baffling decision on the television replay by third umpire, Eddie Nicholls, he, not Cuffy, would have been the last wicket and India would have won by 43 runs, not 37.Standing umpire Asoka deSilva sought Nicholls, verdict on whether Chanderpaul’s edge off Srinath was a bump-ball catch to the diving wicket-keeper Ratra. The Indians were aghast when the green light flashed to keep Chanderpaul in for several replays indicated an authentic dismissal.In the end, it was immaterial but it was a final exclamation mark to the generally ordinary standard of umpiring in the match.

England seem to bat better in the dark. To a list that already included Karachi during the winter before last and Old Trafford a couple of weeks ago can be added Headingley. It was 7.41 in distinctly murky conditions that Darren Gough marked his return to international cricket by hitting the winning runs with just four balls to spare as England overcame the imposing total set by a Sri Lankan team inspired by a Sanath Jayasuriya hundred.The match started four hours late because of heavy showers throughout the morning and was restricted to a mere 32 overs a side. That did not stop the Sri Lankans from reaching a total of 240 for seven with Jayasuria leading the way with an innings of 112 from 87 balls with five sixes and nine fours. For a man who has been worried about his form, it was a marvellous transformation but one that was considerably aided by some sub-standard bowling that wilted in the face of the onslaught.Gough announced that he was back in international cricket with a wicket from the first ball of his second over when Romesh Kaluwitharana skied a drive into the covers. It was something of an unnecessary shot, for there were already 26 runs on the board as a result of poor Matthew Hoggard going for 19 off the second over of the innings. That included three wides as he strove to control the swing that took the ball either down the leg side or onto the middle of Jayasuriya’s bat.The second wicket partnership with Marvan Atapattu added 92 from just 86 balls, with Atapattu scoring just 18 of them. The Sri Lankan captain went to his fifty from 42 balls, taking just a further 36 to reach his twelfth one-day international hundred. It was an innings that contained savage strokeplay, but questions have to be asked about the wisdom of bowling so much on his legs. It was not long before it was found that he could play in that area, but England’s bowlers persisted in testing him out.No other batsman offered substantial support, but then it could be said that he did not need support. He was eventually fifth out with the score on 201 in the 28th over when he skied Hoggard to long on to give the bowler some consolation amid the carnage. Upul Chandana came closest to maintaining the momentum with 30 runs from 13 balls before he fell lbw to Gough.Gough then bowled Chaminda Vaas to make sure he had respectable figures. Andrew Flintoff’s two for 18 off seven overs showed what could be done by avoiding the leg side and keeping to a length, but the other bowling figures do not bear close examination from an English point of view.England’s reply got off to the worst possible start when Nick Knight gave a return catch to Vaas in the first over of the innings, but Ronnie Irani was promoted to three in the order and began stroking the ball around with authority. He and Marcus Trescothick were going shot for shot as they put on 68 in 51 balls.Irani went for one big drive too many to sky the ball into the covers having hit five fours in his 27, but Flintoff was an able and willing replacement when it came to keeping the momentum going. He perished at deep mid-wicket for 20 having faced only 13 balls – eleven more than Nasser Hussain who hooked to deep square leg.When Kumar Sangakkara’s throw from deep square leg accounted for Graham Thorpe with the aid of the third umpire and several replays, it appeared that England’s challenge was fading as quickly as the light. However, Paul Collingwood played with verve to pick up the baton once Trescothick’s innings had come to an end. After hitting 11 fours in his 60 ball 82, he flicked Jayasuriya to long on.Alec Stewart joined him with a close finish in prospect but the light fading and the required rate rising. If Collingwood got the partnership going, Stewart was a willing accomplice as he ran and scampered and unleashed some searing shots to the boundary. There were five of those and a straight six in his 31 ball innings that produced a priceless 38 runs.He lost Collingwood when just four runs were required, allowing Gough to come in on his home ground. Ever the man for a bit of drama, Gough saw the target come one run closer thanks to a wide from Dilhara Fernando, got a couple of snorters, but took a single off the last ball to keep the strike. There was a hit and a miss off the first ball of the final over before Gough calmly lifted Nuwan Zoysa over the covers for the two runs that took England through to their win and, in all probability, the final at Lord’s on July 13th.

BRISBANE, Oct 27 AAP – Queensland all-rounder James Hopes continued his impressive one-day record as the Bulls reined in Tasmania’s batsmen in the ING Cup cricket clash at the Gabba today.Tasmania was bowled out for 174 in the 46th over, with Hopes claiming three wickets from his final five deliveries to finish with 4-34 from 8.5 overs.Hopes was on a hat-trick after dismissing Damien Wright (four) and Xavier Doherty with successive balls and he bowled Adam Griffith for a duck three balls later.The 24-year-old has been a handy addition to the Bulls’ one-day team, taking 16 wickets in last season’s competition.Zimbabwe-raised quick Scott Brant (3-35) started the rot for Tasmania when he claimed the key wicket of Australian all-rounder Shane Watson (eight), who was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Wade Seccombe.With opening batsman Michael DiVenuto (five) also failing, the Tigers lacked the top-order spark they needed after being sent in to bat in overcast conditions.Captain Jamie Cox revived the Tigers with an efficient knock of 78 from 91 balls, joining Sean Clingeleffer (24 from 51) in a 66-run stand for the seventh wicket.But Cox’s dismissal to Hopes, swatting a running catch for Nathan Hauritz at long off, left the Tigers in trouble.”We have a history of falling about 20 runs short so, with five guys in the shed and 10 overs left, we decided to have a go,” Cox said.”We did fight pretty hard but, with the lights on and the white ball to face, conditions were pretty difficult.”Off-spinner Hauritz (1-33 from seven overs) made a sound return in his first match in almost two months.Hauritz had been away with the Australian Test and one-day squads in Kenya, Sri Lanka and Sharjah and only returned to Brisbane on Friday morning.

Wasim Akram plans to play international cricket for as long as possible – though he admits that the current tour will be his last series in England.The 34-year-old Pakistan left-armer is keen to add to his 409 Test victims and his 101 Test appearances.He was shocked after being left out of the side for the final Test of the series against England in Pakistan during the winter. He set about getting himself fitter and managed to lose “around two stones”.Wasim said: “I intend playing international cricket for as long as possible.”I worked very hard on my fitness during the winter and feel very fit andhappy about things with the intent of extending my international career as longas possible.”The way I’m feeling now, I think I could carry on for at least a couple ofmore years.”That time period would rule out another meeting with England. Wasim, who played domestic cricket in England for Lancashire, said: “This is going to be my last tour of England and I want to make a success of it. I’m looking forward to going back to Old Trafford for the next Test in particular.”

A defiant Greg Blewett century was enough for South Australia to hold WA to a draw after Warriors paceman Jo Angel etched his name further into Australian first class record books today.The Redbacks finished at 8-277 at the close of the four-day match, some 45 runs short of the target set by WA with Blewett (112) and Paul Wilson (nought)finishing at the crease.But evergreen Angel (4-49) was nearly able to answer WA’s prayers in the second last over of the day claiming the scalps of Mike Smith (43) and Ryan Harris withconsecutive balls.However he was unable to take a hat-trick with Wilson keeping him out before Blewett saw off Brad Williams (1-83) in the final over at the WACA Ground.The 30-year-old Blewett was rock solid throughout his five-hour knock displaying plenty of patience to guide the Redbacks to safety.The evergreen Angel moved into second position on the all-time list of wicket-takers in domestic first class cricket when he dismissed Chris Davies for his second wicket of the innings.He has now taken 387 wickets in Pura Cup/Sheffield Shield matches to also become the leading WA wicket-taker after passing Terry Alderman’s mark of 384scalps today.However Blewett’s and Angel’s brilliant performances overshadowed Warriors’ Chris Rogers two unbeaten centuries as the 24-year-old looked to lock up amiddle-order spot in the Warriors line-up next summer.Rogers (102no) punched the air earlier today as he backed up his maiden first class century (101no) with another ton by driving Redbacks quick Smith (4-69) for four.It made him the first WA batsman to score two unbeaten hundreds in a domestic first class match as he finished the last Pura Cup match of the season with a flurry of runs.He finished the Pura Cup season with 411 runs from four matches at an average of 82.2.The Redbacks and the Warriors were both playing for pride today because the spots in next week’s final had already been decided with Queensland meetingTasmania at the Gabba.For the record today’s result meant WA finished third in the competition while SA was fourth.

Neil McKenzie had the best view of all of Shaun Pollock’s majestic maiden Test century on the opening day of the third and final Castle Lager/MTN Test match against Sri Lanka at SuperSport Park. “It was like a highlights package all by itself,” said McKenzie on Saturday night.Pollock’s wonderful 111, scored in his 51st Test match, enabled South Africa to reach 375 for nine at the end of a memorable first day. It was an emotional moment for the South African captain, who has always argued that he needed a century to prove himself a genuine all-rounder, and it came two Test matches after taking his 200th Test wicket.In other words, it has taken some time for Pollock who has gradually slipped down the order to nine and had to endure the ribbing of his lower-order team-mates, the likes of Nicky Boje, Mark Boucher and Lance Klusener who all Test centuries to their name.But if it took a long time coming, it was all the more special for it. When Pollock came to the crease after tea following the contentious run out of Justin Kemp, South Africa were 204 for seven and Sanath Jayasuriya’s decision to bowl first appeared to have been entirely vindicated.Pollock, however, had looked in excellent form in a despairing attempt to win the sixth one-day international at the Wanderers and he picked up on Saturday where he had left off on Wednesday.”I can’t really explain it,” he said. “I tried a couple of cuts and the ball came off the ball sweetly and went for four. It was just one of those days.”Most certainly it was. As he laid about the attack the Sri Lankan bowlers lost the “in-between” length that had caused so many problems for South Africa’s top order and started to dig it in short. And the shorter they bowled, the further Pollock hit them.

He made 45 out of the first 50 in partnership with McKenzie and by the time the latter was out after the pair had put on 150 for the eighth wicket – a South African record – Pollock had made 108 of them.McKenzie’s contribution should not be underestimated. His 103 was his second Test century and without it, South Africa would surely have been dismissed for less than 250. But it is the nature of these things that Pollock’s effort captured all the plaudits and, no doubt, all Sunday’s headlines.He was simply terrific, reaching three figures off 95 balls and finally departing after hitting 16 fours and three sixes, almost all of them struck as sweetly as his first couple of cuts.The Sri Lankans had held sway for the first two sessions, despite the absence of their two senior bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan. In Vaas’ place was Ruchira Perera, flown in from Kenya on Friday night and thrown into his fourth Test within hours of landing.For the first few hours, though, Sri Lanka bowled extremely well and even though the scoring rate seldom dipped below four to the over, wickets fell too regularly for the comfort of a 12 000 home crowd.Boeta Dippenaar (20), Daryll Cullinan (48) and Mark Boucher (38) all looked in excellent touch before getting out as the bounce in the pitch made itself felt. But Pollock ripped the game away from Sri Lanka with the most exciting cricket of the entire summer.There is still a fair deal of bounce in the pitch as was demonstrated when the second new ball accounted for both McKenzie and Pollock and local opinion has it that the strip will play quicker on days two and three. If the Sri Lankans can bat as half as well as Pollock on a thrilling first day, this could become a spectacular Test match.

Neil Fairbrother punished Somerset for a dreadful fielding display as Lancashire closed in on victory in the CricInfo Championship first division match at Taunton.By the close of the second day, Somerset were 106-6 in their second innings, needing 68 to make Lancashire bat again.It should have been a lot different. But Somerset dropped eight chances in the field and allowed Fairbrother and Gary Keedy to accumulate 98 for the last wicket, which stretched the total to 378.Fairbrother played superbly and, although he was dropped on 93, 105 and 130, all the chances came from attacking shots when last man Keedy was with him at the crease.He reached his hundred from 138 deliveries and finished with 179 not out from 201 balls. There were 27 fours, a six over long on and a five in his innings.Keedy, who batted with a runner after he injured his back in the opening overs of Friday’s play, offered admirable support, although he contributed only eight to the partnership.Somerset’s fielding was in sharp contrast to Lancashire, who have held nearly everything that has come their way so far.Another costly lapse for Somerset came in the morning session when Joe Scuderi was dropped on nine by Graham Rose at slip.Scuderi unleashed some handsome off side drives in his 48 before Keith Parsons bowled him. And his stand of 83 in 20 overs with Fairbrother put Lancashire in command.Somerset’s misery was completed by some poor batting second time around. Skipper Jamie Cox and Mike Burns departed within three overs, then Fairbrother returned to the spotlight by grasping fine catches to remove Peter Bowler and Keith Parsons off Mike Smethurst.Rob Turner also fell to Smethurst, who finished the day with 3-13 from nine overs, while Rose was caught at square leg off Scuderi.Piran Holloway has restored some pride for Somerset, with an unbeaten 52, while former Middlesex man Richard Johnson bowled well in the Lancashire innings to return 5-107 on his debut.But Lancashire look odds on to gain a victory that would put them in good heart ahead of this week’s meeting with champions Surrey.