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Visitors to the Centre of Excellence at the County Ground in Taunton recently may well have been surprised to have been greeted by a friendly female face.The friendly face belongs to Louise Gainsborough who has just completed a two weeks work experience placement at the Cricketing Centre in Taunton.Seventeen year old Louise who lives at Dunwear, is in the second year of a B Tec in Sports Science course which she is studying at Bridgwater College, which in turn she hopes will lead onto an H.N.D. in Sports Science.Louise told me: “I started to play cricket about three years ago after watching a game on the television. I became interested enough to attend a course here at Taunton, and now I play regularly in the summer for Bath Ladies and Somerset Wanderers.”She continued: ” I wanted to find out exactly how the Centre works so I arranged to do my two weeks works experience here. Whilst I have been here I have been carrying out a facility strategy survey for the Somerset Cricket Development Officer Andrew Moulding. Everybody has been very helpful and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here.”Seam bowler Louise enjoyed success in 2002 and did well enough on the field to make it through to the Somerset trials in her first full season with the Bath club.What were her cricketing ambitions I asked. She told me: “I want to play for Somerset and then I guess like everybody else I want to play cricket for England.”Louise is not just playing cricket she is also becoming involved in coaching the game and using it to help her gain her Duke of Edinburgh Award.She continued: “I passed my Level One Coaching course here earlier in the year and now I help out at the Centre of Excellence coaching on a Saturday morning. I ‘m also using my cricket to help me gain my Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. I have completed the playing and coaching part and still have to complete the residential and expedition sections.”Andrew Moulding told me: “Somerset have always had a policy of encouraging youngsters to do work experience here at the ground and we have been delighted to have been able to help Louise. She is mad keen on the game so this has been an ideal placement for her.”

Australia’s one-day captain Ricky Ponting is convinced that Shane Watson’s progress is such that the search for a quality all-rounder is almost over for the world champions.Watson had been making progress in leaps and bounds, Ponting told a media conference at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo on the eve of today’s ICC Champions Trophy semi-final with Sri Lanka.”That has been one concern for us – the all-rounder’s position. We have tried a few players over the last few years, they been rotated on different times. Nathan Hauritz has also been working hard over here and things are going along nicely for him,” Ponting said.Ponting also spoke about the Australian policy of having two different captains for the two versions of the game.”Knowing the way I am about my position and knowing the way Stephen [Waugh] is about his, I know there won’t be any sort of conflict. When the Test matches come around, I will obviously step aside and Stephen takes over as the boss of Australian cricket again, which is what he still is.”Ponting outlined the reasons for Australia’s overwhelming success over the last decade in international cricket.”We try to get the best out of the talent in our side. We play a fairly aggressive style of cricket, not only in one-dayers but in Test cricket as well. That is how Australian cricketers are brought up, playing that brand of cricket.”We have a talented side, and when you have a talented side, you always try to improve yourself and look ahead,” he added.Ponting does not believe that there is a big gap between Australia and the rest of the world when it comes to cricket.”So far the results have been good to us. We know that we are a good side, and we know that if we play to our best; we are going to be hard to beat.”Ponting also commented on the increased role of the third umpires in the ICC Champions Trophy: “I am very happy at the way it has worked. There have been minimal delays as well, which is very good as far as I am concerned.”It was during the 1996 World Cup that Australia decided to skip the games which were to be played in Sri Lanka. And most of the Islanders have not taken that issue too lightly. But, given the changing political climate in Sri Lanka and the road to peace becoming a reality, there is a sense of security all around.Even the Aussie one-day skipper seems to enjoy the new Sri Lanka.”This has been a fantastic tour so far. I am really surprised at the feeling and change in mood in the last few years. It is a great feeling at this moment to get around the shopping centres and the streets.”

The Hampshire Academy’s Southern Electric Premier League promotion push reaches a crucial phase against Division 2 leaders United Services at Burnaby Road, Portsmouth, tomorrow, 1pm.It’s a match the Young Hawks, in fourth place, can ill-afford to lose if their dreams of ECB Premier status next summer are to be realised.The Academy team has already lost two of its six matches – to Rowledge and Lymington – and need a win over confident US to claw back a 14-point deficit at the top.Hampshire 2nd XI coach Tony Middleton plans to send out his best available side, with Services likely to field the side which whipped Trojans by ten wickets last week.Watching the outcome with great interest will be Easton & Martyr Worthy, who two points behind, take on basement boys Rowledge, who are without key all-rounders Chris and Ricky Yates.In-form Sparsholt, who have won their last four games, expect skipper Rob Savage back at Old Tauntonians & Romsey.Sparsholt entertain Hursley Park in The Cricketer National Village Championship county final at the Norman Edwards Memorial Ground on Sunday, 2pm.Lymington visit struggling Trojans, while Hungerford welcome Hampshire’s Jason Laney back into the fold against Winchester KS, who have called up Paul Baker.St Cross Symondians will relish a repeat of last season’s outcome when they face Alton in a Division 3 crunch game at the Royal Green Jackets ground."They skittled us for 69 and won by eight wickets," lamented Alton skipper Julian Ballinger.Alton, three points behind Symondians in a tight top three, are again without influential off-spinner Matt Ireson, but John Halfacre returns.Ben Adams is back for St Cross – replacing elder Hampshire brother Jimmy, who is in action for Loughborough University – alongside hard hitting Graham Barrett and opener Marc Rees.Leaders Purbrook, two points ahead at the top, aim to put last week’s defeat by Bashley (Rydal) behind them and restore pride at the expense of off-colour Paultons.Bashley II plan to derail New Milton’s top-table charge, while Flamingo – in a highest ever fifth spot – will do well to continue their good run against Hambledon at The Holt.

India has lost the first Test of a series in England 12 times outof 14. The only exceptions are 1971 and 1986 and interestinglyenough India won the series both times.

Actually Indian contests in England can be divided into twodistinct phases with 1971 being the cut-off year. Prior to that,India played six rubbers in England (including the only Testplayed in 1932) and lost every one of them. Since 1971, India hasplayed seven Test series’ in England, winning two and losingfive. And there has been marked improvement since the dismalinitial record. Many times ­ in 1979, 1982, 1990 and 1996 ­ theseries has been lost narrowly. On all the four occasions, Indialost the first Test but drew the remaining matches.The present team can certainly take some inspiration from the1979 squad, the only previous outfit to get four Tests inEngland. On that occasion, India was given little chance againstan England team that, following the defections to Kerry Packer’sWorld Series Cricket, was probably the No 1 cricketing nation.India lost the first Test by an innings and 83 runs in four days,were shot out for 96 on the opening day of the second Test andyet heroically held on to draw not only that Lord’s Test but alsothe two remaining games.That England team, led shrewdly by Mike Brearley, was, as I said,arguably the best in the world. But it is astonishing how Indiahave repeatedly gone down in England to teams which are all toomodest in their composition.In 1959, India lost all five Tests, during one of the finestsummers, to an England side which had been thrashed 4-0 inAustralia just the previous winter. In 1967, England were notexactly on top of the world and yet India lost all three Tests.The home team were also a fairly mediocre outfit both in 1990 and1996 and yet India again contrived to lose the series each time.Paradoxically, England were the best team in the world when Indiaregistered the historic series victory in 1971.There was a time when the wicket and weather conditions inEngland were heavily loaded against the Indians. And while theseremain factors, they are now not as pronounced as in the past.Many of the current Indian players have had considerableexperience of playing in England, either on previous tours orthrough their county engagements. Moreover, in the second half ofthe English summer, the weather is more or less settled and thepitches do not pose the kind of problem they may pose in May andJune.What’s more, this is again a pretty modest England side. Theirmixed record at home in the last few years underlines this. Andthen there is the growing injury list. The bowling, in theabsence of Darren Gough, Andrew Caddick and Alex Tudor was prettyordinary at Lord’s. Now Simon Jones, inarguably their fastestbowler, and Graham Thorpe, arguably their most accomplishedbatsman (in addition to the already injured Marcus Trescothik),will be missing from the line-up at Trent Bridge.If after all this, the Indians are still one down in the seriesafter the opening game, a major factor has to be that they arenot playing up to potential. They have allowed themselves to beout batted, out bowled ­ and out thought.As I pointed out in a previous column, nothing will convince methat England’s batting line-up is as strong as India’s. Thebowling admittedly has discernible weaknesses and it may lack thefirepower to bowl out England twice. But India has the batting todraw a Test even if they lack the bowling to win it.The bookies, in fact, had a drawn game as a prohibitive favouriteon the second evening of the first Test with India 128 for one inreply to England’s 487 and who could find fault with them forthat? Virender Sehwag was going great guns, Rahul Dravid wasbatting in typically obdurate fashion and Sachin Tendulkar,Sourav Ganguly and Venkatsai Laxman had not even picked up theirbats to take on a bowling line-up that lacked both bite andvariety. However, as is well known, the scenario changeddramatically on the third morning.The fact of the matter is that India should never have allowedthe game to drift away so quickly. It took a No 8 batsman with anaverage of 7.81 going into the match and a dubious record of oncehaving registered five ducks in a row and a No 11, who has nopretensions to being any kind of batsman, to show up the failuresof the famed Indian batting line-up.Whichever way one looks at it, then, the onus is on the batsmen,more than on the bowlers, to perform. They have a greaterreputation to live up to. As the stronger of the two departments,it is imperative for the batting to shoulder much of theresponsibilities.Again, the present set of batsmen can take the cue from theirpredecessors in 1979. On that occasion too, the batting wasstronger than the bowling and so well did they perform that butfor a couple of unfavourable decisions by the umpires, Indiacould well have drawn level in the final Test at the Oval. Thereis nothing bowlers like better than commencing their job with abig total to defend. In these circumstances, even a toothlessbowling line-up can perform like hungry lions.

As the reality of Scotland’s entry into the English NCL comes ever closer, Scottish Cricket’s Chief Executive, Gwynne Jones, announced the first squad of players to go into winter training."As we get into 2003 the squad will be reduced in numbers, but as you can see from the size of this squad, we want to see what a range of players have to offer us"A number of Scotland’s younger players are wintering abroad: Fraser Watts, Gregor Maiden and Dom Rigby are all in Australia, whilst Moneeb Iqbal is in Pakistan and Kyle Coetzer in South Africa. In addition to Moneeb Iqbal, seven other of Scotland’s European Championship winning Under 19 Squad have broken through to senior training: Qasim Sheikh, Stuart Murray, Brendan McKerchar, Robert More, Majid Haq, Kyle Coetzer and Harmanjit Singh.Whilst a Scotland’s youth policy is starting to make inroads into the senior squad, the value of experience as a valuable commodity, has also been recognised with the inclusion of Bryn Lockie, Asim Butt and Bruce Patterson.Gregor Maiden returns to the Scottish squad after a brief sojourn to England and the physio’s bench. Although an injury stopped him playing for Lancashire last year, Gregor is now fully fit and free to play for Scotland.In addition, Cedric English now qualifies, through residency, to play for Scotland in his own right, unlike in 2002 where he could only play as an overseas professional.Jones concluded:"We believe this squad will form a great foundation for many years to come, and most imminently for our entry into the National League next year and the qualifying groups for the 2007 World Cup"Scottish Cricket Senior Winter Training Squad 2002/2003James Brinkley, Asim Butt, Kyle Coetzer, David Cox, Cedric English, Steven Gilmour, Majid Haq, Paul Hoffmann, Moneeb Iqbal, Jamie Kerr, Douglas Lockhart, Bryn Lockie, Gregor Maiden, Neil McCallum, Brendan McKerchar, Neil McRae, Robert More, Stuart Murray, Drew Parsons, Sanjay Patel, Bruce Patterson, Dom Rigby, Qasim Sheikh, Harmanjit Singh, Colin Smith, Simon Smith, Ian Stanger, Peter Steindl, Andy Tennant, Kevin Thomson, Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Greig Williamson, Craig Wright

Loughborough UCCE will aim for a second consecutive clean sweep of University cricket trophies when the team plays Oxford UCCE in the One-Day Challenge Final at Lord’s tomorrow, (Tuesday 2 July).Last year Loughborough won the BUSA Championship, UCCE Championship and UCCEOne-Day Challenge competitions and this year it is looking to emulate thetreble-winning achievement.Loughborough UCCE head coach, former England paceman Graham Dilley, said, “We won all three last year and have already won the BUSA Championship, beating Durham in the final, and the UCCE Championship this year, so we want to make sure we retain the third title as well.”Of Loughborough’s 14-man squad, 10 of the players are under county contract,the only absentee from a full-strength line-up being the Hampshire-contracted John Francis, who is injured.The Oxford UCCE side, meanwhile, boasts three county contracted players, andcoach Graham Charlesworth is confident his side can upset the odds and beatLoughborough.”Loughborough has probably been the best side amongst the UCCEs this seasonand they certainly have strength in depth,” said Charlesworth, “but we have a few guys – Jamie Dalrymple who is a very experienced player, Hugh Jones, and Tom Mees, who is the quickest bowler in university cricket, amongst others – who can turn a game and we will certainly be looking to put one over them.”The two sides gained the right to contest the final by finishing respectively first and second in the 2002 UCCE Championships. The game will be a 50-over contest played to Benson & Hedges Cup regulations.

Oxford UCCE Squad: (contracted to.. / representative of..)1. JJ Sayers (Yorkshire)2. HR Jones3. JWM Dalrymple (capt) (Middlesex)4. N Millar5. JRS Redmayne6. SH Dalrymple7. PP Evans (wk)8. TC Hicks9. T Mees (Warwicks)10. TJ Sharpe (Hants Academy)11. IJ Hilsum12. WOF HowardCoach: Graham CharlesworthLoughborough UCCE Squad: (contracted to.. / representative of..)1. JHK Adams (Hants)2. V Atri (Notts)3. SA Selwood (Derbyshire)4. MJ Powell (capt) (Northants)5. RA White (Northants)6. CD Nash (Sussex – summer contract)7. DF Watts (Scotland international)8. DH Wigley (Yorkshire)9. CP Coleman (wk)10. MA Tournier11. MS Panesar (Northants)12. P Carter (Gloucs – summer contract)13. R Wilkinson (MCC YCs – Worcs Academy)14. Chris Benham (Hants)Coach: Graham Dilley

A defiant three and a half hour innings by Adrian Dale, supported by apugnacious 31 from Alex Wharf thwarted Kent as Glamorgan ended a rain-affected second day on 177 for 8 in their Championship match in Swansea.Kent`s hopes of making early inroads were dampened by a combination ofdrizzle and mist, which prevented a start from being made until 3pm. Whenplay eventually began, Adrian Shaw clipped the first ball from MartinSaggers to the fine leg boundary for four, and the Glamorgan wicket-keepercontinued to punish any loose deliveries, hitting two more boundaries inSaggers` fourth over.This flurry of runs prompted Kent captain Matthew Fleming to introduce BenTrott into the attack, and it proved a shrewd decision, as with his fifthdelivery Trott dismissed Shaw when the Glamorgan wicket-keeper edged arising delivery into the hands of David Fulton at second slip.Then in his next over, Trott nearly claimed a second wicket as Robert Croftedged a ball through the hands of third slip for four. But after this earlyscare, the England off-spinner played himself in, and twice straight droveTrott to the Mumbles Road boundary.Adrian Dale continued to play watchfully at the other end, having earlieralso punished some loose bowling from Saggers. But the introduction ofPatel`s left-arm spin slowed the scoring rate, and with Patel extractingsome lavish spin at times from the dry Swansea wicket, the Glamorganvice-captain adopted a cautious approach.In the third over after tea Croft was bowled off his pads by a slower ballfrom Fleming. But Dale then found a useful ally in Alex Wharf, who was sooninto his stride, twice on-driving the Kent bowlers to the boundary, inaddition to an exquisite cover drive off Saggers.The pair had added an invaluable 55 in 19 overs when Wharf was bowled byPatel, attempting another blow off the back foot. It was the left-arm spinner who eventually ended Dale`s stubborn resistance, as the Glamorgan vice-captain got a thick edge to a ball and was caught at slip by Fulton.In the closing overs, Darren Thomas rode his luck and played a few lustyblows to leave Glamorgan 75 runs in arrears.

Delhi’s Sonnett Cricket Club opened their New Zealand tour with a 54-run win in the first fixture against Sparks’ Tour XI at Woolston Park, Christchurch earlier this week.The opening pair of Onkar Singh (63) and Jitender Singh (116) posted 171 runs for the first wicket. Jitender, a Punjab state player, spent 101 minutes at the crease facing 84 balls in an innings of forceful drives and delicate placement of the ball all around the field.Sonnett’s innings of the 35-over fixture closed at 271/3.Sparks’ Tours XI run chase received good support from two Lancaster Park/Woolston players heading to England for the off-season, Shayne McConnell (42) and Peter Robinson (71).Sparks’ Tours XI were dismissed for 217 in 30.2 overs giving the visitors a 54-run win.At the end of play, Sonnett’s vice president Sanjay Bhardwaj said “His boys really enjoyed their first match in New Zealand.”The Sonnett Cricket Club is in Christchurch for two weeks playing four fixtures against local club teams in that time. This tour follows the highly successful visit in January by the Desert Youth Cricket Club who played five games in Christchurch winning three and losing two, claiming a series win.

A thrilling day’s cricket at Sabina Park left England A in a strong position against Jamaica with more valuable first innings points in the bag and everything to play for.The climax came in the session before tea when England A, needing 175 to claim more Busta Cup points, suffered a middle order collapse. From 140 for four, they lost four quick wickets but with the very last ball before the interval, Chris Silverwood produced a perfectly executed square drive which sent the ball rattling to the boundary and brought the scores level.Two wickets remained but there was still a hint of uncertainty after Jamaica’s bowlers, most notably Gareth Breese and Courtney Walsh, swept away any confidence in an increasingly frail batting order to take the upper hand.Every wicket that fell was met by a frenzied reaction from the 700 strong crowd, giving the atmosphere a one-day feel to it as a battle for points was waged ruthlessly in the middle.

When Usman Afzaal, the Nottinghamshire left-hander who brought a sensible head to a difficult situation after the early loss of key batsman John Crawley, lost his footing and was stumped after making an attractive 39, the pressure was on England A’s lower order to see them over the final hurdle.With the experience of Mark Alleyne at one end, the job of Chris Read and Graeme Swann was to get their heads down and let their skipper ease them through.But neither batsman rose to the challenge, the out-of-form Read spooning a ball from Breese carelessly to mid off and Swann, who was making his debut in the Busta Cup, looking raw after a four month break from first-class cricket following the end of the English season.Walsh was brought back on to unsettle the steady Alleyne and the ploy worked wonders as the England A skipper attempted to hook him but failed to get behind the shot and instead skied a catch to Franklyn Rose at fine leg.It was at that point with the score on 161 for eight and 14 runs still needed, that the nerves started to jangle and until tea, each single was met with almost inaudible applause from a small band of England supporters sitting in the George Headley stand.Silverwood and Jon Lewis stayed calm and by the time the Yorkshireman fell, they had passed the magic figure, Lewis pushing a single to claim six crucial points.The innings was wrapped up for 188 in 85.2 overs but the confidence England A took from gaining the lead was immediately transferred into their bowling effort and after a predictable spurt from Jamaica’s opening pair of Leon Garrick and Chris Gayle which saw 61 runs added in 16 overs, the first strike was made.Ryan Sidebottom, who bowled well in the first innings for his 5-31, found the edge of Garrick’s bat and Vikram Solanki took his 18th catch of the tour just centimetres from the ground.The triumph gave the attack extra impetus and in the next over, an lbw appeal against Keith Hibbert produced the right result for Swann before the batsman had got off the mark.At stumps, Jamaica were 70 for two, leading England A by 56 runs but Gayle was still there on 39. On a pitch which has proved the fastest England A have seen so far in the Busta Cup, a fascinating third day is in store with the visitors needing quick wickets if they are to set up their second victory in the tournament.

England opener Marcus Trescothick gave Somerset’s hopes of reaching the Benson & Hedges Cup quarter-finals a hefty boost, hitting an unbeaten 109 to earn his side a crushing eight-wicket victory over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Trescothick completed his second century in the competition this season, and his third in all cricket, as the visitors eclipsed Northants’ modest 219-6 with more than ten overs to spare. He stroked 15 fours in a polished and fluent 117-ball knock, and posted 145 for the second wicket with skipper Jamie Cox (72).Northants hit early trouble at 94-5 after David Ripley won the toss and chose to bat on another easy-paced Northampton pitch. Jason Kerr undermined their top order by running out Jeff Cook with a rasping throw from long leg and then dismissing Russell Warren and Graeme Swann with successive deliveries.Tony Penberthy (58) and Alec Swann (54 not out) revived the Northants cause with a plucky sixth-wicket stand worth 86 in 20 overs – a county record for the competition. But Somerset were always in command once Trescothick announced his intentions by cracking Darren Cousins for three boundaries in the paceman’s first two overs.Cousins removed Mark Lathwell cheaply, only for Trescothick and Cox to settle the issue with some aggressive strokeplay against a home attack missing the injured Graeme Swann – off the field nursing a shoulder problem.Cox’s demise near the end did not remotely threaten to affect the outcome, and Trescothick inevitably picked up the Gold Award for another high-quality performance.