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USACA has organised a training camp for December 18-21 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in which two coaches will be arriving from New Zealand to assist USA’s coaches

Peter Della Penna17-Dec-2009In the first positive gains from USA Cricket Association’s (USACA) partnership with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), USACA has organised a training camp for December 18-21 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in which two coaches will be arriving from New Zealand to assist USA’s coaches and help them with enhanced training methods.”Dipak Patel, the former New Zealand offspinner, who has coached our Under-19 team as well as some of the New Zealand first class guys will be going along with Hamish Barton who played first-class cricket in New Zealand, and who is the head of the New Zealand cricket coach education team and our coach education programme,” said Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive.”Hamish was previously not only a first-class cricketer but also spent some time in South America, was the national coach of Argentina, and has a good knowledge of a number of the United States players.”Barton, 33, played 17 first-class matches for Auckland and Canterbury before going on to be player-coach for Argentina. He also played against USA at the 2008 ICC Americas Division One tournament.”As well as his coaching expertise, he can bring a background of what you do in cricket and what an overall coach education programme looks like,” said Vaughan. “So we are not just talking about a situation where Hamish works with the Under-19s or with the national team, but instead he can start to add value to the overall structures of US cricket, in terms of their coach education programmes and trying to give some advice or sharing the knowledge that we have in terms of training our coaches. We can do that for the United States as well and that’s obviously one of the benefits that USACA can gain out of a partnership with a full member of the ICC.”Barton and Patel will be making their way to the US to help the Under-19 squad prepare for January’s Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand and helping the men prepare for their first assignment in February, the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE.The 15-man Under-19 squad along with five reserves will take part in the camp alongside 23 senior players who are in contention for a 14-man squad that will be picked in January to travel to the UAE and then on to Nepal for the WCL Division Five tournament. The Under-19 squad will also have some assistance from NZC when they arrive before the World Cup. Teams must be in Christchurch by January 9, but USACA is looking to send the team a week early so they can get acclimatised and receive additional training.”I believe they’re arriving on the second or third of January,” said Vaughan. “They’ll have an additional week and will train at the New Zealand Cricket High Performance Centre. I imagine Dipak and Hamish will be working with the team during that preparation phase. They will have already established relationships in the camp that will be held later this week, but they will be working with them in January as well. We’ll get them competitive games, whether they’re against New Zealand teams or against our Under-19 side who are in New Zealand preparing prior to the World Cup, so that they’re as well prepared as they can be.”The High Performance Centre, located at Lincoln University in Christchurch, will offer the USA Under-19 team the chance to utilise facilities that are virtually unavailable in America.”It won’t be an easy tournament for the United States,” said Vaughan. “We’re obviously getting involved now. It’s certainly late in the picture but this is a start of what we feel is a long term partnership so we’ll be doing what we can to optimise USA’s chances of a good performance in the tournament.”

MatériaMais Notícias

No último mês, o Campeonato Brasileiro paralisou duas vezes. Antes da primeira parada, o técnico Zé Ricardo admitiu que tinha de dar atenção inicial para o setor defensivo, pois o Vasco estava sofrendo muitos gols. Focou na paralisação correções no setor e surtiu o efeito.

Na segunda parada do Brasileiro, Zé Ricardo passou o foco do trabalho do Vasco para o ataque. Isso por conta de o time finalizar, mas não converter. Na última quarta-feira, diante do Avaí, mais uma vez, o trabalho surtiu efeito. Os dois gols foram feitos nas primeiras três finalizações. Nos 90 minutos, cinco finalizações foram ao gol para os dois que converteram.

A sinergia entre os setores, conquistada pelo técnico Zé Ricardo, é um fato de se comemorar. Tanto pelos torcedores vascaínos quanto pelos jogadores presentes no elenco. O meia Nenê, na saída de campo após a vitória, enfatizou essa melhora para a busca de uma vaga na Conmebol Libertadores de 2018.

– Melhoramos a finalização, que é o que faltava. No último jogo criamos, tivemos erros que não poderíamos cometer. Diante do Avaí aconteceram os gols, estamos no caminho certo. Realmente foi uma vitória muito importante – afirmou o meia cruz-maltino antes de completar:

– Era uma final para nós. Perdemos pontos que não deveríamos em casa. Acho que foi falta no gol deles, mas faz parte. Conseguimos aguentar e tivemos personalidade. Resultado importante para o objetivo de subir e buscar a Libertadores.

Com o atual G7 como principal objetivo do Vasco neste fim de temporada, as melhoras efetivamente conquistadas pela equipe nos jogos do Campeonato Brasileiro são fundamentais. Zé Ricardo coloca desta forma o Cruz-Maltino nos eixos pela primeira vez no ano. Em um momento crucial, isso é o que importa.

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Rangers are now on the verge of announcing former Ibrox star Giovanni van Bronckhorst as the new Light Blues manager, according to The 4th Official’s latest update on the Gers’ hunt for a Steven Gerrard replacement. 

The lowdown: GVB profiled

Rangers are seemingly acting fast to replace Gerrard, who left to join English Premier League side Aston Villa last week.

Van Bronckhorst is well known to the Gers faithful after spending three years with the Light Blues during his playing career. He fetched a £12.15million transfer fee when he was sold to Arsenal in 2001.

The Dutchman has had two previous stints in senior management, first at Eredivisie outfit Feyenoord and more recently at Chinese Super League team Guangzhou R&F.

He boasted a near-62% win record in the former post, but that slipped to 35% in the latter (via Transfermarkt).

The latest: Matter of hours

The expectation following a ‘really really positive’ Saturday meeting between Van Bronckhorst and Rangers is that the deal would be done relatively swiftly, and that’s now coming to fruition.

“According to my source,” the The 4th Official’s post on Monday evening read, “we shouldn’t be surprised if Giovanni van Bronckhorst is announced by Rangers in the next 24-48 hours.”

The verdict: The one fans wanted

If Rangers can get Van Bronckhorst in within the stated timeline, then he should be able to take the reins for the weekend’s Scottish Cup semifinal clash with Hibernian. That would be something of a baptism of fire.

Still, they deserve credit for moving quickly, having scheduled discussions with a top candidate within two days of Gerrard’s official exit – compare that to Celtic, who spent the entire summer in chaos chasing Eddie Howe and eventually landing on Ange Postecoglou.

And according to The Daily Record’s Keith Jackson, Van Bronckhorst is the appointment most of the fans want too, so this update will be music to their ears and the atmosphere at Hampden at the weekend should be electric if all goes to plan.

In other news, Steven Gerrard wants these two players at Aston Villa. 

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Enquanto o vizinho se prepara para levantar a Arena MRV, o Cruzeiro continuará mandando seus jogos no Mineirão. Em entrevista ao Seleção Sportv, o presidente Gilvan de Pinho Tavares frisou o bom relacionamento entre o clube e a Minas Arena, concessionária responsável pelo estádio, mas garantiu que o clube já tem planos de assumir a administração do Mineirão ao lado de uma outra empresa, caso a instituição devolva a gestão.

– No futuro, se houver necessidade, se o consórcio não quiser mais operando o estádio e resolver devolvê-lo para o estado de Minas Gerais, a gente já tem um projeto em andamento com uma empresa, que vai assinar contrato com o Cruzeiro, para explorar essa outra parte que a gente não tem vocação. Clube de futebol não tem vocação para explorar shows e outros eventos que trazem lucro. É um local maravilhoso o estádio. Fica aqui na Pampulha, é o maior ponto turístico. O Mineirão pode ser um dos maiores pontos turísticos da capital. É um estádio que muita gente vem para conhecer, ainda mais depois da reforma. Ficou muito bonito, tem uma esplanada linda lá fora – explicou Gilvan de Pinho Tavares.

O contrato da Raposa com o consórcio é válido até 2033, porém, o vínculo da concessionária com o Mineirão está previsto para terminar apenas em 2037. Apesar de frisar o bom relacionamento do clube com a empresa, Gilvan de Pinho Tavares não deixa de apontar que o Cruzeiro terá um papel ainda mais importante para consórcio quando a Arena do Atlético-MG for inaugurada.

– Nós temos uma relação com a Minas Arena muito boa. O contrato nosso foi longamente estudado e satisfaz plenamente ao Cruzeiro. A Minas Arena esteve durante longo tempo tentando conquistar também a diretoria do Atlético para assinar, para trazer mais público, mais receita para o consórcio. Mas a diretoria do Atlético decidiu construir seu estádio, já teve uma aprovação do Conselho Deliberativo deles. Disseram que é uma obra para três anos, em 2020 vão inaugurar, o que afasta mais o Atlético do Mineirão. Aqui, em Minas Gerais, fica só o Cruzeiro em condição. A Minas Arena vai depender ainda mais do Cruzeiro, para realizar seus jogos no Mineirão. Eu não sei da intimidade dos negócios da Minas Arena porque a gente não participa disso.

Durante a entrevista, o presidente explicou como funciona o atual vínculo do Cruzeiro com a Minas Arena, após passar por algumas alterações.

– Nós temos um contrato em que a gente paga para utilizar o estádio só a taxa de operação: 70% corre por conta do Cruzeiro, 30% por conta do consórcio. Temos 54.500 ingressos, que o Cruzeiro fabrica e vende. Agora nós estedemos essa participação do Cruzeiro, fazendo um outro convênio com o consórcio, com aquelas cadeiras que ficavam vazias, em frente às câmeras de transmissão da televisão. Dava uma imagem feia para o espetáculo. Às vezes, o estádio estava cheio, mas aquele local parecia que o estádio estava vazio. Nós negociamos e nós que vendemos esses ingressos hoje. Metade da receita líquida vai para a Minas Arena, metade vai para o Cruzeiro – declarou.

O presidente também contou sobre a relação dos torcedores da Raposa com o estádio, que é visto pela maioria como casa, e afirmou que os cruzeirenses não querem deixar de mandar seus jogos no Mineirão, apelidando o estádio de ‘Toca 3’, em referência a Toca da Raposa I e II, utilizadas para treinamento do time na Pampulha.

– O projeto antigo foi de administrações anteriores. O novo Mineirão veio depois desse projeto antigo, e a torcida do Cruzeiro tomou amores pelo Mineirão de tal forma que eles não chamam mais o Mineirão de casa do Cruzeiro. Eles apelidaram o Mineirão de Toca 3. Temos a Toca 1 e a Toca 2, tudo aqui na Pampulha, e o Mineirão é a Toca 3. E não querem sair daqui de forma nenhuma.

O próprio Mineirão será palco da disputa pela taça da Copa do Brasil na noite desta quarta-feira. Depois de garantir o empate em 1 a 1 no Maracanã, o Cruzeiro recebe o Flamengo às 21h45 para a decisão. Sem vantagem para nenhum dos lados, o vencedor desta noite volta para a casa com o título.

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We are about one third into the Premier League season, with the hectic December schedule fast approaching, and the situation regarding favourites for the title and relegation seems more clear than just a few weeks ago.

Of course, there are still many matches to be played, but the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City, and Liverpool have not only accumulated the points but also shown displays that indicate they have what it takes to win the trophy.

Only one club can do so in the end, but the title contenders are now quite clear, with one team that was speculated as one of the title favourites in the early season now barely being talked about when spots in European competitions are concerned. That team, of course, is Manchester United.

After a solid start to the season that saw the Red Devils win four of their five opening games, things started turning around for the worse for the Manchester outfit. While the recent win against Tottenham brought some hope that United may be bouncing back, the abysmal performance against Watford exposed all the weaknesses of United’s back line, and in turn got Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finally sacked.

As things stand, the major PA betting sites are not ranking Manchester United among the title contenders and it would be a true upset if they were to turn the season around and close the gap that already stands at 12 points just 12 weeks into the season.

What Went Wrong for United?

Pinpointing the exact cause of Man United’s fall this season is quite difficult, as a number of factors were at play to put one of the most decorated teams in the whole world on the back heel.

Ronaldo’s arrival was greatly celebrated in Manchester back in early season, and his goals in the opening games made it seem like he would be a massive contribution to the team. Yet, something changed at United since he arrived and the lack of team cohesion is never a good thing in a league as competitive as the EPL.

Hailed by all as a true legend of a club both before his arrival and after his departure, Solskjaer was not blamed by the players, but the media put the majority of the blame on his shoulders as he was the one who should make sure that things work well both on and off the pitch.

Finally, brash behaviour of the likes of Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire to earn red cards in matches where such a thing was not necessary simply show the lack of team spirit and desire to succeed as a collective.

Can United Still Turn it Around?

From a sports betting point of view, Manchester United have all bust lost hopes of winning the title, with bookies not even looking at them as one of the real title contenders.

For the fans, of course, the hope is always there that whoever comes after Solskjaer will do miracles and change the team from the ground up to catch up with the title contenders and at least win a spot in the Champions League next year.

All of that, however, could be just wishful thinking as the likes of West Ham, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Wolves will all be trying to win those spots and with the exception of the Spurs have all shown a true desire to fight for it to their dying breath.

Perhaps the best United fans can hope for is that the new manager will put things in their place and prepare the team to fight from day one next year and perhaps manage to go a few rounds in the Champions League to save face in an otherwise poor season for the Red Devils.

Frank McAvennie has dubbed Celtic defender Anthony Ralston ‘too lazy’ and urged him to ‘take notes’ from Boli Bolingoli. 

The lowdown

Ralston has made 19 appearances for Celtic so far this season across all competitions. He has scored three goals, including one in the Hoops’ Europa League group stage opener against Real Betis, and provided two assists (via Transfermarkt).

In terms of the defensive side of the game, he ranks second in the Celtic squad for tackles per game with 2.5, while Bolingoli leads the way with three (via WhoScored). They have both averaged 0.5 interceptions, but the Belgian is making considerably more clearances – 3.5 per game to Ralston’s 2.1.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie said that Bolingoli, who is back in the fold after a loan spell at Istanbul Basaksehir, is setting an example for Ralston.

He accused the 22-year-old of ‘going missing’ as he prioritises his attacking responsibilities, forcing team-mates to cover for him.

“When you are a defender, you have to defend,” McAvennie said. “I know it sounds simple but it’s true.

“Ralston gets forward a bit and he got a few goals at the start of the season but I want my defenders to defend.

“I have gone on about how Ralston goes missing before. Other players end up doing his work for him.

“Bolingoli actually defends. He was brilliant at the weekend. He sits back and does his job. That’s not too much to ask for me.

“Ralston wants to watch Bolingoli and how he plays, he needs to learn. He’s too lazy at the moment.

“There is a good player in there, just do your job.”

The verdict

Postecoglou’s trust in Ralston is clear from the amount of football he has played this season. We can safely say that the Celtic manager doesn’t share McAvennie’s concerns about the 22-year-old’s application.

It could simply be the case that the two players the pundit mentions are playing to their own strengths. How much would Celtic lose going forward if the shackles were put on Ralston? Based on his tally of 1.8 key passes per game, quite a lot. If anything, he and Bolingoli appear to complement each other nicely.

In other news, find out the latest name linked with Celtic

كشف طارق سليمان مدرب حراس مرمى الأهلي الأسبق ووالد أحمد طارق حارس مرمى مصر المقاصة الحالي، عن تلقي نجله عرضًا من أجل الأندية الكبرى في الدوري المصري، بعد ظهوره في مواجهة الفريقين الليلة.

وكانت مباراة الأهلي ومصر المقاصة التي أقيمت على ملعب استاد الأهلي WE السلام، قد انتهت بفوز المارد الأحمر بهدف نظيف سجله رامي ربيعة من ركلة جزاء نجح في تنفيذها.

أحمد طارق سليمان: لم أشعر برهبة أمام الأهلي.. ولا أريد التواجد في الدرجة الثانية

وقال سليمان في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر فضائية “أون تايم سبورتس”: “مواجهة الأهلي تكون صعبة حتى وإن كان ليس في كامل لياقته الفنية والذهنية والبدنية”.

وأضاف: “ردود أفعال ابني خلال المباراة كانت جيدة وكان هادئًا في الملعب، وتعامل مع الكرات التي أتت له بشكل جيد”.

وأردف: “أحمد طارق سليمان تحرك مع لعبة ضربة الجزاء بشكل جيد جدًا، ولكن الكرة تسددت بشكل صعب جدًا وكانت سريعة جدًا”.

واختتم: “بعد مباراة الأهلي ومصر المقاصة مباشرة تحدث معي أحد مسؤولي الأندية الكبيرة في بالدوري الممتاز لضم نجلي، وهو عرض جيد جدًا”.

Steve Harmison presented England’s selectors with a tantalising pre-Ashes dilemma, and in the process earned Durhamthe chance to move to the top of the Division One table, as he belied a slow pitch to produce his second five-wicket haul in as many inning

George Dobell at Edgbaston18-Jun-2009Warwickshire 264 for 9 (Harmison 5 for 39) trail Durham 433 (Blackwell 158) by 169 runs
ScorecardSteve Harmison: fighting for his England place•Getty ImagesSteve Harmison presented England’s selectors with a tantalising pre-Ashes dilemma, and in the process earned Durhamthe chance to move to the top of the Division One table, as he belied a slow pitch to produce his second five-wicket haul in as many innings to rip the heart out of Warwickshire’s batting.In two hostile spells after tea, Harmison claimed 5 for 18 in nineovers, leaving Warwickshire’s last pair requiring 20 more on the finalmorning if they are to avoid the follow-on. Had Boyd Rankin not beendropped off the penultimate delivery of the day, edging the deservingGraham Onions to Gareth Breese at first slip, it would have beenenforced already. As it is, Warwickshire’s unbeaten record thatstretches back to 2007 is in severe jeopardy.It was the manner of Harmison’s wickets that was most impressive. Hetore through Warwickshire’s much-vaunted middle-order in an outstandingdemonstration of sustained aggression, making international batsmenappear timid and uncertain.Nor was the damage just on the scorecard. Harmison also landed threecrashing blows on the head, hand and arm of Tony Frost, Ian Bell andChris Woakes respectively. It was, one lot of five wides apart, atop-quality spell of fast bowling that will not so much nudge theEngland selectors as grab them by the shoulders and shake them.”It’s the worst thing in the world when you hit somebody,” Harmisonsaid afterwards. “I really don’t like it at all. I **** myself when Ihit Tony Frost. I was upset by that. And the same when I hurt IanBell.”But on flat, slow wickets, you have to do something different and myvariation is being aggressive and bowling bouncers.”There’s not been a result here in 20 championship games and you cansee why. There’s not much pace in the pitch, but it does have goodcarry. You have to have something different if you’re going to winhere. If we can make them follow-on we can put some nervous twitchesinside the Warwickshire dressing room.”I showed my experience today. In the last two weeks I haven’t had toexert myself because of the wickets we’ve been playing on. I’ve hadrewards in all three games, but this one is the most pleasing becauseit is a flat wicket. I had to exert myself a lot more today.”And I came up against good players. Belly is a really good player.For him not to be in the Test team is something I struggle tocomprehend. And the way Frost carried on after being hit on the headwas credit to him.”Bell and Frost had added 129 for Warwickshire’s second wicket. Whileboth endured some torrid moments – Frost was struck a fearful blow onthe side of the head as he ducked into a bouncer – they demonstratedcourage and technique to see off the new ball. Bell, in particular,looked serene.But doesn’t he always? The criticism he has to answer is that hedoesn’t go on to produce match-defining scores and both he and Frostwill reflect that, with the hard work seemingly done, they allowedDurham back into the game.First Frost edged a decent ball on off stump from the medium-pace ofDale Benkenstein, before Bell was drawn into prodding at one that hecould easily have left. His aghast response to his dismissal spokevolumes.But it was the return of Harmison than prompted Warwickshire to losesix for 62. First he bowled Jonathan Trott, who played slightly acrossa fuller delivery that took his off stump, before unleashing twoferocious short balls for Troughton and Ambrose. The former gothimself in a horrible mess and gloved a catch to slip, while Ambrosewas undone by extra bounce and caught off the handle of the batfending a brute of a ball from his face.Woakes resisted for a while, driving Onions for three boundaries in anover. But the ball after sustaining a thumping blow to his rightforearm – he was, absurdly, not wearing an arm guard – he proddedtentatively to slip. Jeetan Patel, backing away so far he was indanger of treading on the square leg umpire’s toes, sliced to slipmoments later.Forcing victory may not prove easy for Durham, however. Callum Thorpehas a side strain and my be unable to bowl, while Breese wasineffective.Earlier Ian Westwood played across a full ball and Neil Carter wasbeaten by one that turned sharply and struck on the back leg by theimpressive Ian Blackwell. Spin could yet play the decisive role inthis game.Harmison dismissed the significance of producing his season’s bestperformance in front of England selector Ashley Giles. “The selectors are there all the time,” he said tactfully. “That doesn’t bother me one bit. My agenda is to try and take 20 wickets for Durham. Everything else is out of my hands.”Ashley knows what I can do. We’ve played a lot of cricket together.He’s stood at gully and watched me bowl like that a few times. I liketo think that, wearing his England hat, he was happy. But wearing hisWarwickshire hat he’s thinking ‘let’s get past this follow-on.’Harmison also had warm words for his team-mate from the 2005 Ashes,Simon Jones, following his latest – and surely last – injury setback”It’s horrendous,” Harmison said. “Just so, so sad. I’m sodisappointed for Simon.”I remember carrying him off on a stretcher in Brisbane when he firstdid it [the knee injury] and it’s heartbreaking to hear he keepsgetting injured again. But he’s a fighter and he’ll get himself back on the field.Everyone’s thoughts are with him.”

Pundit Alan Hutton thinks Celtic summer signing Carl Starfelt will be axed by Ange Postecoglou over the coming months, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Starfelt’s start

Starfelt was one of four centre-backs to arrive at Parkhead over the summer, costing the Hoops £4.5m.

The 26-year-old left Rubin Kazan, where he was a big earner on £14,000-a-week to move to Glasgow, and he has been a regular this season.

Starfelt has made 15 appearances in all competitions and has partnered Cameron Carter-Vickers in recent weeks.

However, Christopher Jullien, according to a Celtic source, is on the recovery trail from injury but isn’t expected to return before the end of the month.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments

Hutton, who regularly features for BBC, was talking to Football Insider following the update on Jullien.

He believes that when Jullien is fully fit, Postecoglou will go with the Frenchman and Carter-Vickers, leaving no room for Starfelt.

“It’s been a tough start to the season for him.

“Then getting left out of the Sweden squad. You know it’s because you’re not performing at club level. That’s the only reason behind it.

“You look at the likes of Jullien coming back soon. It’s been a problem area for them. Bringing in two new signings in Carter-Vickers and Starfelt, it’s been a tough start for them.

“You would think that Jullien will come back and hopefully settle the ship for them. It’s whoever is going to play alongside.

“I would go for Carter-Vickers. I think he can be solid. He will be a better player playing next to someone experienced.”

The Verdict: A possibility?

If Hutton’s prediction regarding Jullien coming straight back in proves accurate, perhaps it could be Starfelt to make way.

When it comes to Starfelt and Carter-Vickers, the latter of the two has been the more impressive.

He’s recorded a better match rating, averaged more tackles and clearances and concedes fewer fouls in the Scottish Premiership. [WhoScored]

However, you have to take into consideration that Jullien hasn’t played in 2021, so it’s unlikely he’ll play every minute when fully fit and Postecoglou will look to ease him back into action.

In other news: Ange could now lose ‘resilient’ Celtic ace for key games after break as worrying news emerges. 

Ed Joyce posted his first hundred for Sussex and the highest score of the Pro Arch Trophy tournament todate as Sussex thrashed Fly Emirates by 171 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium

Mark Pennell21-Mar-2009
ScorecardEd Joyce posted his first hundred for Sussex and the highest score of the Pro Arch Trophy tournament todate as Sussex thrashed Fly Emirates by 171 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium.Throughout his 119-ball 128, Joyce remained cool and calm despite temperatures approaching 90 degrees in the middle – that is, until his first rash shot saw him stumped by a couple of yards when aiming for a fourth six. He was third out with 247 on the board. Joyce featured in stands worth 104 in 16 overs with Rory Hamilton-Brown (47) and then a remarkable third-wicket partnership with Chris Nash of 128 in 19 overs against a relatively toothless Emirates attack. All three Sussex batsmen showed excellent stamina and judgement when running between the wickets.”Coming into this tour I was just looking to establish myself with my new team-mates,” said Joyce, who joined Sussex from Middlesex in the off-season. “I’ve never changed clubs before, so it’s all a fresh experience for me, it’s a new bunch of guys who I didn’t know that well, so it’s been good to introduce myself to them and great to get the monkey off my back by getting a big score under my belt.”I’m glad I did that today and if I play in our next couple of games I’d hope to back up this hundred and give myself a bit of a boost going into the season and maybe earn the respect of my new team-mates.”I was pleased with the patience element to this innings today. It’s tempting, particularly when you open the batting, to tryand dictate and dominate, but Rory (Hamilton-Brown) helped me out with that because he played really positively and that took the pressure off me. I just played my own game.”After Joyce’s demise, Nash took up the attacking mantle to clatter 120 from just 84 balls including seven fours and five sixes, one of which sailed over the Western Union Stand and out onto Airport Road that skirts this stadium of faded grandeur. Nash’s second 50 came from only 25 balls and though he perished soon afterwards, Sussex were already well on their way to an impressive 50-over total of 361 for 6 – a record for this event which is celebrating its third year.Fly Emirates, a team of amateur cricketers who all work for the airline of the same name, went gung ho in pursuit of the 7.2 an overasking rate but lost wickets at regular intervals as a result of their laissez-faire. Acting captain James Kirtley snuck through with two early wickets and then introduced spin at both ends to tease out the rest. Chris Beer, the young legspinner, took 2 for 34 whileNash completed a fine day by taking 2 for 11.