All posts by h716a5.icu

Nondescripts CC led by ex-Sri Lanka cricketer Hashan Tillakaratne clinched Sri Lanka’s domestic premier championship title on Sunday when they came from behind to snatch a thrilling three-wicket win over Colombo CC in the final Super League match

Sa'adi Thawfeeq06-May-2001Nondescripts CC led by ex-Sri Lanka cricketer Hashan Tillakaratne clinched Sri Lanka’s domestic premier championship title on Sunday when they came from behind to snatch a thrilling three-wicket win over Colombo CC in the final Super League match played at Bloomfield grounds, Reid Avenue.It was a creditable achievement on the part of the NCC to take full points from this game, after narrowly missing it out on the first innings when they failed by two runs to overtake CCC’s total of 246. NCC starting the final day at 241 for 9 added only four runs before the final wicket fell.Another former Sri Lanka cricketer Ruwan Kalpage was the architect of NCC’s excellent win. The all-rounder displayed his prowess with both bat and ball to steer his club to their first championship win in seven years.The last occasion NCC won the Premier championship was in 1993-94.Kalpage’s off-breaks accounted for seven batsmen in the second innings as CCC were routed for 141. This left NCC with the task of scoring 143 for an outright win and the championship title.They began the run chase by opening the batting with Aravinda de Silva. But de Silva made only three before he was caught in the third over. However Naveed Nawaz kept NCC in the hunt with a splendid knock of 57 off 45 balls which included four sixes and a four.Tillakaratne made seven and Kumar Sangakkara 14, as NCC continued to press for runs despite the fall of wickets. By the 21st over they had lost six wickets for 117. Kalpage however proved a steadying influence. Using his experience to the maximum, he hit an undefeated 31 off 36 balls with one six and two fours (to follow his first innings knock of 44) to steer NCC to victory in the 25th over.While NCC were celebrating at Reid Avenue, their nearest rivals Burgher RC lost out on the race for honours at the Panadura esplanade, where they conceded first innings points to Tamil Union. Chasing Tamil Union’s healthy total of 314, BRC were dismissed for 217. A herculean effort from spinner Sajeewa Weerakoon, who took a dozen wickets in the match, failed to bring BRC an outright win.Weerakoon’s effort saw Tamil Union being dismissed for 182 in their second innings, but it left BRC with little time to score the 280 runs needed for victory. They eventually finished on 98 for 2 in 26 overs and had to be content with the runner-up berth.Defending champs Colombo Colts CC took third place when they obtained first innings points from Panadura SC at the BRC grounds. Replying to Panadura SC’s total of 257, Colts piled up 370. Panadura made a strong reply in their second innings with 282 for four.Singhalese SC took fourth spot by thrashing Bloomfield by ten wickets at the CCC grounds. Bloomfield for whom Sri Lanka skipper Sanath Jayasuriya made a disappointing 13 and 19 runs were shot out for 88 and 222. SSC having hit up 301 in the first innings, were left with the formal task of making 12 for full points, a target which they achieved in 15 balls without losing a wicket.The weekend’s matches brought the Super League to a conclusion. The Plate championships however will continue for another fortnight before the domestic season is concluded.

Some Wolves fans have been left to buzz as Tim Spiers has shared a big update on Raul Jimenez.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, the Mexico international is due to undergo tests on the 18th May which could give him the ability to be able to head the ball again.

Nuno Espirito Santo has also confirmed that there is still a chance that he could return before the end of the season, with the Midlands club set to face Everton on the 19th and Manchester United on the 23rd.

Jimenez has been such a key player for the Wanderers over the course of the last three campaigns, scoring no fewer than 47 goals in 110 matches in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt), and his potency in front of goal has been a huge miss.

Wolves fans on Jimenez injury update

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘brilliant’:

“I would love it!”

Credit: @JasGrewal242

“It would be amazing for him to come on as a sub with fans in the ground. Even if it’s for a few minutes”

Credit: @Leehaynesuk

“Brilliant news, Tim”

Credit: @Vargas12Com

“Just in time for the Olympics … splendid”

Credit: @grubby27

“Love to be at that United game at home. Raul comes on for the last 15 and scores. Although, the ovation he’ll get when the Molineux is full beginning of next season, will be unreal”

Credit: @TheDaleEvans

“Would be the stuff of dreams if he manages to play and score the winner against Man United”

Credit: @adenwwfc_

In other news, find out transfer update Wanderers have buzzed over here!

Speaking to talkSPORT, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has been left in awe of Antonio Conte amid the Italian’s links to the vacant manager’s job, but he admitted that he can’t see the appointment happening. 

The Lowdown: Conte linked to Spurs

Over this last week, links have emerged with former Chelsea boss Conte as a possible replacement for Jose Mourinho in N17.

Indeed, a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) even claimed that Tottenham have held ‘positive’ and ‘fruitful’ talks with the 51-year-old over taking the reins in north London.

However, the outlet also noted that ‘nothing’ has been decided yet and both parties will postpone further negotiations for a later date.

The Latest: O’Hara in awe of Conte

Even though he believes an appointment is unrealistic, talkSPORT pundit O’Hara has waxed lyrical over Conte and admits that he would be the 34-year-old’s personal preference as Spurs’ next manager.

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“I think if Tottenham got Antonio Conte, they’d be able to keep Harry Kane – he’s a brilliant manager,” O’Hara explained to talkSPORT.

“He won the Premier League title with Chelsea and yes he got the sack, but that’s what Chelsea do. It’s their culture. He’s gone to Inter Milan and he’s won the league there, too. He’s a top manager.

“I think we should be going for Antonio Conte or Brendan Rodgers, but Spurs are living in cuckoo land at the moment… we’re pretenders! We haven’t won anything!

“Personally, I would like Antonio Conte, but I can’t see it happening.”

The Verdict: Bang on the money…

We’re inclined to agree with O’Hara’s verdict that appointing Conte at Tottenham is probably out of chairman Daniel Levy’s reach.

On a reported €20m per year (£17.3m) salary at Inter Milan, he could be a costly man to hire, not to mention that the coach with a defence-minded reputation isn’t exactly a tailor-made fit with Spurs’ desired criteria of an open, attack-minded manager (The Guardian).

Lauded as a ‘perfectionist’ by Emmanuele Giaccherini (La Gazzetta via Football Italia), Tottenham would still be better off looking elsewhere as the search for Mourinho’s successor continues.

In other news: Some Tottenham fans flock to this ‘best news’, find out more here.

Alex Wharf celebrated career-best figures against his old countyYorkshire as Glamorgan kept themselves in the CricInfo Championship clash at Swansea

Richard Thomas of the South Wales Evening Post30-May-2001Alex Wharf celebrated career-best figures against his old countyYorkshire as Glamorgan kept themselves in the CricInfo Championship clash at Swansea.Bradford-born Wharf recorded figures of 5-63 as he helped to restrictthe Division One leaders to 280 all out.Wharf, 25, had helped to reduce Yorkshire to 3-2 inside five overs andalthough the Tykes recovered through Darren Lehmann and Craig White, hereturned to get amongst the tail.It will have given Wharf plenty of satisfaction, especially as he leftHeadingley under something of a cloud in 1997 after a handful of gamesfor the county.By lunch Yorkshire had very much regained control of the match at110-2 with Lehmann eyeing a century despite scares on 20 and 40 when hesurvived an lbw appeal and then a dropped catch by Matthew Maynard atsecond slip off Wharf.The turning point came five balls after the interval when Steve Watkin trapped Lehmann lbw for 75, ending a 107-run partnership with Craig White for the third wicket.Lehmann had been in the middle for two hours in an innings that included13 boundaries.Glamorgan’s patient bowlers gradually ate into the lower middle orderdespite two and a half hours in the middle from skipper David Byas whosupplied an invaluable 63.After tea Wharf claimed the wickets of Richard Blakey, Gavin Hamiltonand Chris Silverwood to complete a good afternoon’s work.Before the close Glamorgan openers Steve James and Jimmy Mahersuccessfully negotiated two maidens from Chris Silverwood and RyanSidebottom respectively.

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon believes there is a ‘strong chance’ Eddie Howe will become the next Celtic manager despite the seemingly endless hold-ups.

The Lowdown: Bournemouth holding up Howe move

Reports last week suggested that Howe has agreed to take over at Celtic Park, however, a deal is yet to be announced by the Hoops.

The 43-year-old is wanting to take some members of staff from his former employers, Bournemouth, with him to Parkhead.

The Cherries are currently involved in the Championship playoffs and their involvement is one of the reasons Howe’s move north is being delayed.

These recent developments follow news as far back as early April that a verbal agreement was in place, an agreement which has seemingly been pushed back by plenty of bumps along the road.

The Latest: Nixon’s late-night post

Nixon, who also addressed a potential announcement date, was asked by a Celtic fan on Tuesday evening if he thinks Howe will become the new Hoops boss.

He simply replied with a two-word admission:

“Strong chance”

With Nixon believing a move has a real possibility of going through, it appears as if it is a matter of when and not if the Englishman will be announced by the Bhoys.

The Verdict: A huge boost for Celtic

Dermot Desmond was the man who met Howe in London for talks at the beginning of April, so you’d expect he’d be delighted if a deal officially went through.

It’s been a long seven weeks since those talks, with the likes of Roy Keane and interim boss John Kennedy linked with the permanent role.

In our view, Howe is lightyears ahead of both Keane and Kennedy when it comes to his achievements in management, as well as experience.

He took the Cherries from League Two to an established Premier League in six seasons, managing over 500 games in his career to date.

It appears as if he may well add to that in Scotland, with Howe set to reunite with some Bournemouth staff members at Parkhead.

In other news: Frank McAvennie reacts to Conor McGregor claim, find out more here. 

The Zimbabwe cricket team stepped up their preparations for the SecondTest against India at the match venue with both the captain HeathStreak and coach Carl Rackemann confident that the side will put up amore polished performance than they did in

Larry Moyo14-Jun-2001The Zimbabwe cricket team stepped up their preparations for the SecondTest against India at the match venue with both the captain HeathStreak and coach Carl Rackemann confident that the side will put up amore polished performance than they did in the First Test.The side had extensive practice in the nets with the ball and bat, andalso did a lot of fielding practice. Zimbabwe batted woefully in thefirst innings of the Queen’s Test and were dismissed for a mere 173, arecord low for the venue. The bowlers then struggled with the Indiantail, resulting in the tourists taking a commanding 145-run lead.India went on to win the match by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead inthe two-match Zimbabwe Sun series.It was India’s first away win in 15 years and also their first Testwin in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe lost two frontline bowlers, Streak and HenryOlonga, a last-minute replacement for Travis Friend, in the match andhad only three bowlers for India’s second innings.Streak and Friend are back in the squad for the Second Test. Streakwas confident that he would be in a position to play. “I am giving itone more day of rest before I go flat out in the nets. It should befine. Our physiotherapist (Amato Machikicho) is quietly confident andI also had an orthopedic surgeon have a look at it in Bulawayo and hewas pretty certain that it should be fine.”Streak added that Friend had responded well to treatment aftersuffering a muscle strain, which forced him to pull out of theBulawayo Test on the eve of the opening day.”Friend looks good. He was in the nets today and he is bowling withsome good pace. It looks as though he is fully fit for the game.Hopefully he wakes up tomorrow feeling good and we won’t have asimilar problem like we had in Bulawayo.”Streak said that although they have always played under pressure, thistime they were under more pressure to try and level the series. “Being1-0 down, we are under more pressure to try and pull it back. Werealized where we had our downfall and the guys are working very hardin the nets to try and rectify that. We batted badly in the firstinnings. We hope to put it right in this Test and we are ready to go.”The Zimbabwe captain felt that they could have restricted India to asmaller first-innings total than the 318 they made. India had slumpedto 178 for six after the dismissal of leading batsman Sachin Tendulkarin the 53rd over. But they were allowed to bat for another 36 overs inwhich spinner Harbhajan Singh, coming in at number nine, made hishighest Test score of 66. It was India’s second highest contributionafter the 74 by Tendulkar.”Obviously we always realized that their top order was the danger andwe really worked hard but I think that the loss of Henry Olonga put anextra load of work on the bowlers. We let Harbhajan Singh get awaywith a bit more than we should have, which allowed their tail to wag.Hopefully we won’t let that happen again with a better balanced side,without any injuries.”Rackemann was impressed with his side’s preparations. “Firstly thesepractice wickets are the best I have seen them and that’s a good startfor us. And our worries were the injuries. Henry is going to be outbut Heath (Streak) is coming back. Travis Friend has had a goodbowling session today and he looks good.”So we look like going into the Test without any injury or fitnessworries. Skillwise today has been a very good day in batting, bowlingand fielding. On Thursday we will spent a little bit of time talkingabout the game and the last match in Bulawayo. Our first inningsbatting is high on the list of the things to be discussed. It won’t beas physically demanding, especially for the bowlers playing in thematch.”The Australian coach said that they had learnt a lesson from theBulawayo Test. “I think the batting in the first innings was filledwith poor shot selection, playing a wrong shot to the wrong ball andlacking patience while at the crease and we were also not positive. Weare going to address that. In the second Test we have to bat like wedid in the second innings at Queen’s in both innings.”Rackemann was also disappointed with the way Harbhajan Singh wasallowed to score his 66 from 125 balls, hitting 10 fours and a six.”Principally Harbhajan Singh was the man who did most of the damageand we have to make sure that it does not happen again. We will haveto bowl differently to him than the way we did in Bulawayo and makesure that there is no repeat of that."

As the Indian cricket team chases its first Test series win away from the sub continent in 15 years, captain Sourav Ganguly has a few points to prove on his personal showing

02-Jun-2001As the Indian cricket team chases its first Test series win away from the sub continent in 15 years, captain Sourav Ganguly has a few points to prove on his personal showing.Under fire from critics over his apparent discomfort against risingdeliveries, Ganguly is keenly looking for some good scores that will not only silence his detractors but also inspire the team in their quest for a win.Ganguly himself is confident saying there is nothing wrong with his technique and he was only passing through a bad phase in his career. He laughs off suggestions that he is vulnerable against rising balls on the off-stump or to balls that comes around his ribs.”It is just not true,” says Ganguly. “I wouldn’t survive in international cricket if this was so.”Ganguly, who has scored 2817 runs from 41 Tests at an average of 44.02, has had a modest performance with the bat in the last two years. He scored 279 runs from six Tests averaging 31 in 2000 while this year he has just 106 runs from three Tests at an average of 17.67 to his credit.He struggled badly in the home series against Australia repeatedly getting dismissed to outgoing rising deliveries. “It was just one failure against Australia. This was my first such in nearly five years. All top batsmen do have a lean run from time to time,” he said.He knows a failure here will seriously undermine his position as one of the most successful batsmen of recent times. He has a good record against the Zimbabweans scoring 205 runs from three matches at an average of 51.25.Ganguly has been practicing hard in Zimbabwe, asking the bowlers to send down short-pitched deliveries on wickets that support both pace and bounce.He had a not-so-successful first outing in the three-day game againstZimbabwe A in Mutare where he scored just 12 and 17 though he was unlucky to be adjudged leg before wicket in the second innings.Ganguly gets another chance to regain his form in the tour match against CFX Academy which started on Saturday. This is the last match before the first Test starting in Bulawayo on June 7.If he succeeds in Zimbabwe, Ganguly will not only prove a point, he is most likely to carry the good form to India’s next two tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa. And this can only be good news for the stylish left-hander from Kolkata as also for the millions of his fans back home.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire believes the scenes in Glasgow last week will hurt Rangers’ ability to attract sponsorship.

The Lowdown: Some trouble during 55 celebrations

Last weekend was one of celebration for the Gers – their 4-0 win over Aberdeen meant they completed an unbeaten Premiership season (BBC), and the players also finally received the trophy at Ibrox.

Although the celebrations were mainly peaceful, there were some disturbing scenes in George Square as supporters scuffled – 20 people were arrested (firstpost.com).

The Latest: Maguire worried about impact on Gers

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire has revealed his fear that this could damage the Gers’ ability to attract new sponsorship deals. He explained:

“Rangers want to promote themselves as a much broader brand off the back of winning the Premiership, especially if they get into the group stages of the Champions League.

“Anything which is indicative of intolerance and bigotry is going to scare potential sponsors and commercial partners.

“They’ll ask if they want to be associated with such small-minded views. This ought to have been a fantastic celebration. The social distancing issues were a further concern.

“To hijack what should be a fantastic achievement for them, to use it as a vehicle for some people to put across their poisonous views, it’s counterproductive.

“The people should realise they have an opportunity to be ambassadors for Rangers.”

The Verdict: Better image needed

The coming season promises to be an important one for Rangers. While winning their first trophy in 10 years will increase the number of possibilities for the 55-time Scottish champions to bring in money at the board room level, participation in the group stages of the Champions League will also make them a very attractive proposition. In 2020, the Gers brought in £9.8m in commercial income (cfbfootball.com) – there is room to grow.

The last thing they need is to be associated with images of their supporters causing trouble. In this case, it was a minority, but some fans do need reminding that their own actions can hurt their club. Hopefully, in the future, they heed that message.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this article.

Tottenham Hotspur have drawn up a very enticing four-man managerial shortlist as they continue to look for a long-term successor to Jose Mourinho.

The Lowdown: Mason unlikely to get Tottenham job

Given that he has only come in on an interim basis until the end of the season, and has had no prior managerial experience before he got the job in North London, it is highly unlikely that Ryan Mason will become the permanent manager.

The Lilywhites are also at risk of missing out on European football for the next term after they lost 2-1 at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday evening, and added to the Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City at Wembley Stadium, Mason has likely not done enough in his short time in charge to prove he could handle the permanent gig.

The Latest: Tottenham draw up managerial shortlist

As per The Athletic, THFC have drawn up a four-man managerial shortlist that includes Ralf Rangnick, Graham Potter, Roberto Martinez and Erik Ten Hag.

Interestingly, Rangnick was reportedly interested in succeeding Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham back in 2019, while the other three names will be very familiar to the Spurs faithful.

Potter is currently the manager at Brighton and Hove Albion, while Martinez has also managed in English football with Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton.

Ten Hag is the Ajax boss that the North London club famously beat in the UEFA Champions League semi-final to set themselves up for a final against Liverpool back in the 2018/2019 campaign.

The Verdict: Premier League experience may be key

While all of the managers listed above certainly each have their own individual merits, one cannot underestimate the experience of managing in the top flight.

That would cut that shortlist down to either Potter or Martinez, the former unique for a team near the bottom of the league with his progressive style of play, while the latter has already achieved great things in England, most notably masterminding a 1-0 FA Cup final win with the Latics over Manchester City back in 2013.

Both would be inspired appointments, as the Lilywhites look to bounce back quickly from what has ultimately been a disappointing season.

In other news, find out which manager dubbed ‘one of the absolute best’ by pep Guardiola is willing to join Tottenham here!

The Canadian team to take part in the Six Nations Challenge in Namibia has arrived in Africa

CCA03-Apr-2002The Canadian team to take part in the Six Nations Challenge in Namibia has arrived in Africa. They were able to take advantage of the presence of Warwickshire, there on a pre-season tour, and played a one-day match in Cape Town today. The Warwickshire batsmen enjoyed themselves against Canadian bowlers suffering perhaps from jet-lag and a lack of match practice and totalled an imposing 312/4. Dougie Brown made an unbeaten century, and Neil Carter 54. The Canadian bats were impressive, led by Desmond Chumney with 106 and Nicholas Degroot with 71. Fazil Samad Sattaur chipped in with 31 but wickets tumbled, and Canada were all out in the final over for 282, leaving Ishwar Maraj stranded on 18.