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IMPORTANT NOTICE – TO ALL MEMBERSWith effect from the 2003 season we will be operating with a new improved membership system. As you may already be aware, we need photographs of each individual member, which will then copied on to your 2003 membership swipe card when you renew your membership.It is essential that every member participates in the hope that this will vastly improve our security system and increase gate receipts.Therefore, we are asking you to either call in to the office to have your photograph taken, or alternatively, to send in a passport size photograph (with your name and membership number on the reverse) as soon as possible.We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you in advance for your co-operation.

An impressive rearguard action by England’s women secured a draw in the second and final Test against India to square the series.The tourists had set up an impregnable position, after Mithali Raj’s world record yesterday put them 116 ahead with four wickets standing going into today’s final day at Taunton.But England battled back, first dismissing India for 467 adding only 22 runs this morning as Raj was sent back for 214. Charlotte Edwards then scored a half century as England, 134 runs behind, successfully fought to save the game.England captain Clare Connor also made a useful contribution, with 46 as England reached 198 for six in their second innings, 64 ahead.At that point the two captains settled for a draw. The first Test was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Cornishman Neil Edwards has been selected by England Under 19’s to go on their tour to Australia this winter.Eighteen year old Edwards, who hails from Penzance has been at the Cricket Academy in Taunton for the last two years where he has made quite an impression.The tall left handed opener who plays club cricket for Seaton CC in the Devon League has also made a number of second team appearances for Somerset.He made his first team debut in the match between Somerset and West Indies A earlier this summer and looked comfortable in both innings against a high class pace attack.Mark Garaway who is the Director of the South West Academy and the Somerset Assistant Coach told me: "Neil is a very promising young cricketer who stands up tall and hits the ball hard. He has done well this summer and has worked very hard at his game. He is very keen to play first team cricket for Somerset and thoroughly deserves his selection for England Under-19’s."

Somerset Sabres travelled to Chester le Street to face Durham Dynamoes in the NUL National League on Monday in a match that was always going to be difficult, following so close on the heels of the C and G Lord’s final match at the weekend.After winning the toss and batting first Somerset lost the wicket of Matt Wood early on before Marcus Trescothick(41) and Keith Dutch (64),who was promoted to number three, added 70 runs for the second wicket.The Sabres suffered three run outs in their innings but there were useful contributions from Rob Turner(24) and debutant Arul Suppiah(22) before the innings closed on 204 for 9.The Somerset opening attack of Matt Bulbeck and Simon Francis produced an impressive opening spell and had reduced the hosts to 31 for 2 before Gordon Muchal(81) and Aussie Brad Hodge(77) added 128 for the third wicket.Both Muchal and Hodge were dismissed by Ian Blackwell, but by then it was almost too late and the Dynamoes went onto to record an eight wicket victory over their already relegated rivals.At the end of the match Somerset assistant coach Mark Garaway told me: "This was a disappointing result, after we created three good winning opportunities during the game."He continued: "We had a great start when we batted, but then had three unfortunate run outs. When we fielded we had fourteen fantastic overs at the start from Simon Francis and Matt Bulbeck , but we didn’t quite put the squeeze on and then they got away. We reined them back in toward the end but missed a couple of chances."He concluded: "Both of our new young players did some good things. Arul Suppiah looked very comfortable, he carried on what he has been doing for the Seconds all season and also gave an excellent fielding display. Wes Durston will probably be a bit disappointed with his performance, but when he bowled he stuck to it well, despite having a few runs hit of him at one stage."

After their opening pair of Neil Ferreira and Richard Sims set a new Zimbabwean first-class opening partnership record, Manicaland went on to set a new record total for the Logan Cup on the second day of their match against Matabeleland at Queens Sports Club yesterday. Manicaland piled on 650 for eight wickets declared off 151.4 overs, breaking the record that was previously held by Mashonaland, who had pegged it at 644 against Matabeleland last season.Matabeleland in reply were on 184 for four in 43 overs in their bid to avoid being forced to follow-on. Matabeleland suffered a severe blow in their efforts to restrict their opponents from posting a huge total when pace bowler Mpumelelo Mbangwa failed to take to the field owing to a hamstring injury. This is the second time that the Matabeleland skipper has pulled out of the side during the course of the game after doing the same in their ten-wicket drubbing by Mashonaland last week due to a chest problem.Manicaland resumed at 364 for two with Guy Whittall and Stuart Matsikenyeri the two men at the crease. Matsikenyeri however did not last long, when he left the field of play in the second over of the day, dismissed by Jordane Nicolle for 13, caught at gully by Mark Vermeulen.The visitors suddenly reshuffled their batting order when Alistair Campbell, who was originally set to bat at number six, came on at four. The left-handed Zimbabwe opener did not take long to find his terrific form with the bat, smashing the home bowlers all over the ground. He did little running because of a leg injury he suffered during warm-ups on the first day. Campbell made scoring boundaries so simple, just keeping a cool head and waiting for the right moment to pounce. It was no surprise that he reached the half-century mark before Whittall, off just 35 deliveries with 10 fours and a six.Whittall got to the fifty mark after facing 86 balls, smashing nine fours after being at the crease for 122 minutes. Campbell and Whittall shared a fourth-wicket stand of 136 runs when Whittall tried to pull off-spinner Gavin Ewing with Andre Hoffman well positioned to take a brilliant catch at fine leg. This brought an end to his innings that saw him score 89 runs off 105 deliveries.Ewing claimed his second scalp when he clean bowled Campbell before he reached his century, taking him out for 95 runs. Manicaland finally declared their first innings closed with Guy Croxford unbeaten on 63.Ewing was the pick of the home bowlers, grabbing three wickets from 48 overs, conceding 171 runs and bowling four maidens. Medium-pacer Nicolle took two wickets.

SYDNEY, Nov 10 AAP – Australia’s leading female cricketer Karen Rolton made a sensational start to the new season as she helped end the lengthy unbeaten streak of women’s national league champion New South Wales.Left-handed batter Rolton, the player of the series for the last two seasons, scored 102 and 59 as South Australia split its two weekend games with NSW at Adelaide Oval No.2.”I’m probably not hitting them quite as well as I would like at the moment, it just helps the longer you stay out in the middle, the more runs you score,” Rolton said.”I’m happy to score 100 and a 50, I wish I could have gone on with a bit more today, but I’m pretty happy and I know there’s a lot to work on and I’m not at my best yet,” Rolton added.It was the Blues’ first national league loss in 16 matches stretching back to October 2000 and their first defeat by SA in 12 fixtures going back to February 1998.Scorpions captain Rolton, who topped the series batting aggregate and average for each of the last two seasons, was the only SA player to score more than 30 in both of this weekend’s games.She struck 13 fours and a six yesterday, but NSW reached its target of 181 with 4.4 overs and five wickets to spare with rival skipper Julie Hayes scoring 58 not out.In today’s game, which SA won by 10 runs, Rolton found the boundary eight times but SA lost momentum after her dismissal in the 39th over and made a modest 9-139 from its 50 overs.Spinner Lisa Sthalekar took 2-11 off her 10 overs and then top-scored with 28 in an opening partnership of 34 with her NSW and Australian teammate Lisa Keightley.The Blues were tied down in the middle overs by SA’s spin trio of Kris Britt (3-24 off 10 overs), Olivia Magno (1-19 off 10) and Shelley Nitschke (3-18 off 5).Nitschke claimed three wickets in two overs as NSW subsided from 4-96 in the 40th over.”NSW came out a bit different today, they weren’t playing so many shots,” Rolton said.”We got a few wickets and then the pressure was mounting. The girls bowled and fielded very well. It was a great effort.”Rolton, who averages 122 in Tests, and 50 in limited overs internationals, also contributed with the ball over the weekend.Taking the new ball, Rolton finished with the combined figures of 3-41 off 18 overs.NSW, which has won the title in each of its six previous seasons, do not play again until next month while SA faces Queensland and WA opposes Victoria in the next round of games in a fortnight.

Monde Zondeki looks set to tour England in July and August this year, after being awarded a national contract by the South African board for 2008-09. The offer was originally made to Charl Langeveldt, but he has since quit the international scene to pursue a career in county cricket with Derbyshire.”We are sorry to lose a player of Charl’s calibre who has given excellent service to South Africa over a long period of time,” said Cricket South Africa’s CEO, Gerald Majola. “He is currently playing the best cricket of his career and we all have fond memories of his five-wicket haul on Test match debut against England and his hat-trick against West Indies in 2005 that not only won an ODI but a series. It was one of the memorable moments in South African cricket history.”Langeveldt’s final days in the South African squad were less memorable, however. He was selected to tour India with the Test squad in April, but withdrew belatedly because he felt undermined by South Africa’s quota system. A minimum of five players of colour were required in the 14-man squad, so Andre Nel, who is currently playing for Essex, was omitted and Langeveldt was called up in his place. However, after much deliberation, Langeveldt withdrew, saying he didn’t feel mentally ready to take part.Zondeki was instead given the final quota place, a situation that he didn’t feel entirely comfortable with, even though his form in first-class cricket – 54 wickets at 20.16 for the Cape Cobras in 2007-08 – more than merited a call-up. “It wasn’t easy for me to accept my selection for that tour,” he told the Birmingham Post. “Not easy at all. It was an awkward way to be selected. It wasn’t the way I’d hoped it would happen. It wasn’t an easy decision to go. In the end I just didn’t want there to be any more controversy.”Zondeki didn’t end up playing in the series, which was drawn 1-1, but having signed for Warwickshire for the start of the 2008 season, he is now well placed to resume a Test career that began at Headingley five years ago, where he unexpectedly made 59 in his debut innings to help set up a 191-run victory. “We are delighted that Monde has accepted the vacant contract,” said Majola. “He fully deserves it after an outstanding season for the Cape Cobras that earned him a national call-up for the Proteas recent Test tour of India.”South Africa contracted players for 2008-09 Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher (wk), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Ashwell Prince, Dale Steyn, Monde Zondeki.

Although Michael Vaughan’s three quick bowlers secured an innings victory against New Zealand at Trent Bridge, he is eager to have Andrew Flintoff at his disposal for the greater challenge of South Africa.Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson and Stuart Broad took all 20 New Zealand wickets between then in the third Test – with Anderson claiming career-best innings and match figures – but bowling out South Africa will be a much tougher job.The decision that Vaughan and the selectors will have to come to before the Test squad meets up again in July is the balance of the team. England have won four of their last five Tests with a four-man attack and it will be very difficult to drop any of the quicks. That raises the option of Flintoff returning at the expense of a batsman, with Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood both needing runs in the forthcoming one-dayers.”I hope he [Flintoff] will get his side right in the next few weeks, get enough cricket and be confident in himself and in his form that he can take on South Africa,” Vaughan said. “You would love five [bowlers]. But I am also happy with four. The balance of the team is very important when you play a good team like South Africa.”However, Flintoff is still not ready to return to action for Lancashire after the side strain which ruled him of the New Zealand series. With the Twenty20 beginning on Wednesday he will have just one first-class match, against Sussex starting on June 29, to really test out his body ahead of the South Africa series that starts on July 10.”It will probably be Freddie who will have to make the call,” Vaughan added. “If he is confident enough in his own form and his body whether he plays against South Africa. Everyone knows that, if he is fit, I would love to have him in the team.”

August 5
News – Charges against Asif ‘pretty conclusive’
July 25
News – Asif pleads innocence before PCB commitee
June 21
News – PCB forms three-man committee for Asif inquiry
June 20
News – Asif returns to Pakistan
June 19
News – Dubai drops case against Asif
News – Senators call for state intervention in Asif case
June 13
News – Proceedings in Asif case to resume on June 22
June 12
News – Dubai A-G likely to take up Asif case on Sunday
June 10
News – Pakistan embassy to handle Asif case
June 9
News – No progress in Asif case
June 8
News – Findings in Asif case sent to Attorney General
June 7
News – Asif will find out fate on Sunday
June 6
News – Pakistan confident despite Asif absence
June 5
News – Asif hearing deferred to Sunday
News – Asif controversy worries Lawson
June 4
News – Asif likely to remain in detention
Osman Samiuddin – Throwing it all away
News – Asif dropped for tri-seriesJune 3
News – Mohammad Asif held in Dubai
News – Pakistan board eager for Asif to return

Match facts

Thursday, July 3, 2008
Start time 16.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)

Big Picture

Younis Khan’s whirlwind 123 changes the nature of Thursday’s clash. Pakistan managed to chase a target of 309, and instead of a dress rehearsal for the final, the contest against Sri Lanka becomes India’s chance to seal outright a place in the final without waiting for the outcome of the last Super Four match between Pakistan and Bangladesh – a win then will be enough for Pakistan to go through.The batting has clicked for both India and Sri Lanka so far in the tournament but Pakistan’s performance against the two teams highlighted how undercooked India’s bowlers are. They have failed to come to grips with the flat decks in Karachi and it’s their batsmen who bailed them out in the wins against Bangladesh and Pakistan. Mahendra Singh Dhoni had complained about the gruelling schedule for his team after playing three games in four days, and they will have to bounce back less than 24 hours after the loss to Pakistan.Sri Lanka have sealed their spot in the final, and have the luxury to rest key players, something Pakistan won’t want them to do. However, they will look back to the loss to Australia in an inconsequential game last year, when they rested key bowlers for tactical reasons after having sealed their spot in the semi-finals of the World Cup – the same bowlers proved ineffective in the one-sided final.

Form guide

(Last five completed ODIs; most recent first)
India LWWWL
Sri Lanka WWWWL

Watch out for …