All posts by h716a5.icu

Michael Slater and Michael Bevan have steered New South Wales to a resounding victory over the touring England XI at the Sydney Cricket Ground today by eight wickets after England set NSW a target of 206.

Claire Killeen06-Dec-2002Michael Slater and Michael Bevan have steered New South Wales to a resounding victory over the touring England XI at the Sydney Cricket Ground today by eight wickets after England set NSW a target of 206.At the start of his innings Slater was a lost man on the stage of Australian cricket, but he restored some pride to his dented one-day career. When he held his bat aloft to the ecstatic Sydney crowd, his year and half in exile appeared no more than an unpleasant memory.Slater played some extraordinary shots with confidence and exuberance. He crafted his innings, taking on Andrew Caddick, Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison – and winning. He eventually fell to Flintoff for 115, flicking the ball to Marcus Trescothick at mid-wicket. But after a 134-run partnership, England looked deflated instead of joyous at the wicket.Briefly tied down in the first few overs with Corey Richards, Slater soon went on to the attack. But Richards was left behind with Slater dominating the strike, and soon fell for seven to Harmison, giving a simple catch to Andrew Flintoff at mid-on.Bevan entered the arena but even this great one-day player was overshadowed by the brilliance of Slater. But the left-hander still showed what a talent he is, with a half-century off 70 balls, not matching the tempo of Slater but enough to defeat England.Steve Waugh promoted himself to number four ahead of Michael Clarke as the innings came to an end. Omitted from the final 30 for the World Cup squad and not in the selectors’ minds for the forthcoming one-day series, which begins next Friday, Waugh rattled out a reminder to the selectors with 24 runs from just 12 balls.With only 25 runs needed and the bulk of the work done, Waugh slashed Ronnie Irani three times into the stands. The first six went to the back of the Members’ stand and the second and third to the M.A Noble stand.With only one run needed Waugh decided to dismiss Irani one more time, and before the next six even reached the fence he began the walk back to the pavilion. The Steve Waugh chant echoed around the stadium, emphasising the Aussie captain’s popularity.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has delivered a major transfer update on Aston Villa’s forgotten man Conor Hourihane.

What’s the story?

The Republic of Ireland international struggled to get much game-time at Villa Park in the first half of the season in the Premier League last year, playing just 228 minutes of top-flight football before his departure for Swansea on loan deal in January.

Now, Evans has revealed that Hourihane “is expected to generate a healthy transfer fee — and profit on the £2m he cost to buy from Barnsley back in 2017 — if he moves this summer”.

Hourihane must go

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of a game against West Ham earlier last season, Villa manager Dean Smith was quick to acknowledge that it was difficult for Hourihane.

He said: “Conversations can be difficult but if you’re just speaking to the players with honesty then you usually find a way through that.

“We’d played two, won two and Conor had come off in both games. We signed Ross (Barkley) and I felt we needed to go a different way against Liverpool given who we were playing against. I explained that to Conor and, yes, he was disappointed because he had been involved in the first two games but we felt we’d brought in a real, high-calibre, different type of player.”

The fact Smith felt perfectly happy to let the £40k-a-week Hourihane leave the club on loan for the second-half of the season paints a real story of just how far down the pecking order he is at Villa Park.

It would be the best move for all parties for him to leave on a permanent transfer this summer, especially with the club also having brought in Morgan Sanson in the January transfer window too.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has dropped a transfer update on this Premier League player Villa are targeting…

At the Central Districts’ Under-15 tournament (eight District teams) held in Masterton December 9-12 Nelson won the Graham Morrison Cup

13-Dec-2002At the Central Districts’ Under-15 tournament (eight District teams) held in Masterton December 9-12 Nelson won the Graham Morrison Cup.Morrison has been a junior cricket administrator for some time prior to joining the CD Board. Farming duties have forced a premature retirement from administration but he should return in the future.The following teams will represent Central Districts at the zonal tournaments in January.Central Districts A to play in North Island tournament with Auckland, ND and Wellington in Rotorua from January 12-17 is: Michael Coman (Nelson), Daniel Cooper (Nelson), Scott Davidson (Taranaki), Jason Domdroski (Taranaki), Bryce Grant (Manawatu), Martin Kain (Nelson), Chad Law (Manawatu), Hamish Malcolm (Nelson), Ryan O’Sullivan (Hawke’s Bay), Michael Taiaroa (Hawke’s Bay), Christopher Taylor (Hawke’s Bay), Joseph Wheeler (Marlborough). Coach: Jamie Watkins. Manager: Alan Manton.Central Districts B to play Wellington B at Wellington from January 13-16 is: Max Carroll (Wanganui), Israel Dagg (Hawke’s Bay), Shane Eglinton (Horowhenua Kapiti), David Hughes (Taranaki), Ted Jefferd (Wanganui), Sam Kinross-White (Hawke’s Bay), Sean Lance (Wanganui), Andrew Mason (Taranaki), Daniel Norman (Manawatu), Cody Parker (Wairarapa), Hadleigh Parkes (Manawatu), Chris Ryan (Hawke’s Bay). Coach: Lincoln Doull. Manager: Chris Dear.

Cricket fans were today warned to think twice before attempting to buy tickets through unauthorised channels for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa

Rodney Hartman15-Aug-2002Cricket fans were today warned to think twice before attempting to buy tickets through unauthorised channels for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 in South Africa.Clifford Green of Edward Nathan and Friedland, the lawyer acting for CWC, has identified various pirate operations for the on-selling of tickets at inflated prices.Mr Green said that some unauthorised operators were also advertising hospitality packages. This falls foul of the official process.He warned people doing business with pirate operators that their tickets could be cancelled out of the system ahead of the Cricket World Cup."People must be careful who they deal with and what they deal in. We want all cricket supporters to get the best possible value and not find themselves let down at the last minute."The authorised agents are the normal selling channels at the grounds, on the official website www.cricketworldcup.com and via the call centre on 083 123 2003.In addition the CWC has authorised an international tour operator, Edusport-Gullinjet, the travel agents Rennies and Connex Travel and the hospitality provider Megapro to offer packages to the public. These companies were appointed after an extensive tendering process and all adhere to stringent qualifications.Cricket development in South Africa will benefit from sales through these companies as they have to pay royalties or minimum guarantees for all transactions. It is therefore important that they be supported and not unauthorised agents who do not have the interests of the game or the supporter at heart.Under the publicised terms and conditions of ticket sales, it is made clear that it is not permitted to:deal in ticketsuse tickets as prizes in competitions or for promotionsuse tickets to sell unauthorised hospitality packages.Once such practices are identified, all tickets used in the manner mentioned above could be cancelled out of the system.Mr Green further pointed out that the `marks’ of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 – the logo and mascot in particular – may not be copied onto merchandise. "There are various protections available to us to confiscate all merchandise not carrying the official label. Fans who buy official merchandise will ensure that they get safe and high quality products."

It may not be obvious to Joe Public but security at New Zealand cricket grounds, especially around players, is going to be more intense this year

Lynn McConnell16-Aug-2002
ICC security manager (Australia and New Zealand) John RhodesIt may not be obvious to Joe Public but security at New Zealand cricket grounds, especially around players, is going to be more intense this year.In the International Cricket Council’s response to the betting problems that have emerged over the last five years, five regional security chiefs have been employed, and the Australasian chief John Rhodes has been in New Zealand over the last week looking at international cricket venues.As well as helping build a library of every international ground in the world, so that information can be available in the event of any problems at the click of a computer mouse, he has been familiarising himself with specific aspects of each ground.Rhodes was appointed to the position on June 1 and came to it with a 25-year background in the New South Wales police and with the Sydney Organising Committee of the Olympic Games where he was responsible for the security overlay of the Olympic Village for 2000.”My role is to ensure the effects of illegal gambling don’t impact on the game ever again,” he said.Access to players, administrators, managers and ground staff will be severely restricted and an accreditation system will be in place by the time India come here to ensure that nobody without the proper passes will be getting access to players.A security guard will be posted outside each dressing room door.”I wanted to have a look at all the grounds, the standard of player dressing room areas and how to restrict players going there.”I have recommended certain treatments so that access to players is strictly controlled and at the same time ensuring that the cricket integrity is maintained all the time,” he said.Rhodes said he had made the point around the country that matches were not a security event, they were sporting events and what he was trying to do was ensure that there was nothing to detract from players performing at their best.Ground invasions had been topical in recent weeks at rugby in the Southern Hemisphere and had been discussed at each of the venues.He thought better communication by way of signage and ground announcements about penalties for going onto the ground would go much of the way to alleviating the problem. The aim was to ensure that if there was a ground invasion that no-one got to a player or stopped play.Rhodes thought the legislation was in place in New Zealand to deal with the issue but added that the pre-meditated violence that occurred in last week’s New Zealand-South Africa rugby test in Durban had been a concern.In his visit to New Zealand grounds, Rhodes said there had been a lot of support for the security moves and local councils had been jumping on board to co-operate as well as local officials responsible for match controls.A communication process had been built and with all the information he has gathered, he will be able to pass that on to the Indian security chief who is responsible for India and Sri Lanka and who will be accompanying the Indian team on its tour here at Christmas-New Year.New Zealand had some great character grounds like the Basin Reserve and WestpacTrust Park while to a former rugby player, Eden Park and Jade Stadium had also been of interest to him.

The XXXX Queensland Bulls will open their 2002-2003 cricket seasonagainst archrivals NSW in an ING Cup match at North Sydney Oval onOctober 13.

Queensland Cricket01-Aug-2002The XXXX Queensland Bulls will open their 2002-2003 cricket seasonagainst archrivals NSW in an ING Cup match at North Sydney Oval onOctober 13.The game is a repeat of the ING Cup Final that NSW won last year at theGabba won by 19 runs and should see both teams at near full strength.The Bulls will then commence their quest for a fourth Pura Cup title ina row at the Gabba from October 16 to 19 when the Blues make the tripnorth.Queensland will play five ING Cup matches at the Gabba, with three ofthose games being day/nighters, in the official season draw releasedyesterday by the ACB.The Bulls will also play an ING Cup match against Victoria in Ballaraton the Australia Day long weekend.All of Queensland’s matches will be at the Gabba in 2002-2003 apart fromthe three-day tour match against England at Allan Border Field fromNovember 2-4 prior to the First Orange Ashes Test match at the Gabbafrom November 7-11.Meanwhile tickets went on sale today for the International Cricketseason at the Gabba.Ticketmaster7 are selling a five-day Test pass and individual match daytickets for the First Orange Ashes Test match at the Gabba in Novemberand the One Day International “Three-Pack”, which offers reservedseating for the three limited overs international day/nighters at theGabba this summer.Individual one-day international match tickets will go on sale fromSeptember 1 through Ticketmaster7.Australia, recently named the number one sporting team in the world,play England in the opening Test match of the 2002-2003 Ashes Series atthe world-class Gabba stadium from November 7-11.In the one-day arena, Australia ‘A’ will meet Sri Lanka on SaturdayDecember 14 in a day/night match while England will play Sri Lanka inthe VB Series on Tuesday December 17 under the spectacular lights at theGabba. The world champion Australian one-day team plays former worldchampions Sri Lanka in a day/nighter at the Gabba on Wednesday, January15.This season’s one-day series is being played earlier in the season thannormal due to the World Cup in South Africa in February where Australiawill defend their title.All tickets sold for international matches this summer will allow theticket-bearer free public transport to and from the Gabba.Queensland Cricket and CityTrans have reached an agreement that willagain enable patrons with ample public transport opportunities to get tothe big games at the Gabba in 2002-2003.Patrons will also be able to park at the Convention Centre and catchbuses to the Woolloongabba bus station.

A major update has emerged on one of Charlton’s reported targets Todd Kane, regarding QPR’s plans for him this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to West London Sport, QPR are preparing to axe Todd Kane from their squad this summer and there are clubs aware of his availability. QPR are attempting to sign Moses Odubajo on a free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday, which would then free Kane to depart from the club this summer.

The report claims QPR have not received any offers for Kane as of yet. Last month, London Football News reported that Charlton were one of three League One clubs interested in a deal for Kane, alongside Portsmouth and Sunderland.

Earlier this year, Kane was hit with a seven-game ban by The FA for allegedly discriminating against Brentford’s Sergi Canos due to his nationality. QPR issued a statement at the time, including this line on Kane falling below the standards the club sets:

“Todd knows this falls below the standards he sets for himself as well as the standards we set for our employees and is against the inclusive nature of the club.”

Sandgaard must avoid error

Charlton owner Thomas Sandgaard must avoid making an error by continuing to pass up on the opportunity to put a bid in for Kane. As the aforementioned reports stated, Charlton are interested in the former Chelsea man, but QPR are yet to receive any firm interest in his services. Sandgaard needs to make sure it stays that way from a Charlton perspective as signing Kane could be a mistake by the club.

The £7k-per-week dud has struggled big-time on the pitch.

Kane averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.51 in the season just gone for QPR, which is a slight improvement on the dismal 6.33 he managed in the previous campaign.

In the 2020/21 season, Kane failed to average a tackle or interception per game, with 0.8 and 0.7 of each defensive action per game respectively, which suggests that he was unable to make an impact on the defensive end.

This is worrying for a right-back and another reason as to why Charlton would be making a mistake by signing the defender.

And, given his seven-game ban too, Kane just doesn’t appear to be the right fit for Charlton’s values, not least his football ability.

AND in other news, Charlton suffer major blow over “all-action” £1.5k-p/w ace, Adkins will be gutted…

Young Canadians doing well at Academy

CCA28-May-2002Umar Bhatti and Nathan Richards have begun their classes at the StGeorge’s Academy in Grenada. They were visited by ICC Americas Manager, Robert Weekes, now in Grenada on business.Both players attended the U-19 World Cup in New Zealand and it is hoped that their stay at the Academy will serve them and Canada well in the near future.The Americas U-13 Tournament has been cancelled but the Development Symposium is still in place at the same site in Orlando,Florida.The U-15 Tournament formerly scheduled for Plano, Texas will now beheld in Orlando Fl. Dates will be confirmed later.The CCA U-23 team in the T&DCA Premier Division won their first game – Duckworth-Lewis method because of rain. Asif Mulla and Zubin Surkari, two young and aspiring candidates for theSenior World Cup squad were top performers on the CCA U-23 team.

Tottenham Hotspur are back at square one in their search to find Jose Mourinho’s successor.

Their quest to find a new manager has taken longer than expected, with it currently set to move into a second month, and in that time, Daniel Levy and co have been dealt plenty of setbacks.

After Julian Nagelsmann, Brendan Rodgers and Erik ten Hag all rejected the north Londoners’ advances, former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was the latest name to give Spurs the cold shoulder.

According to The Telegraph, there were concerns from both parties over a potential relationship. The 51-year-old believed the Lilywhites couldn’t match his ambitions, whilst the club’s hierarchy doubted his ability to progress their emerging young talents like Oliver Skipp and Ryan Sessegnon.

It’s not going to get any easier for the Spurs faithful either as the remaining names are quite worrying – even more so when there’s the future of Harry Kane on the line.

Sky Sports revealed last month that the 27-year-old had expressed his desire to leave his boyhood club as he looks to add silverware to his goal-laden career.

Manchester United, Premier League champions Manchester City, and Champions League winners Chelsea are all interested in signing the England captain, and all three made their respective European finals this season, so you can’t argue against those being a better destination than Spurs right now.

Graham Potter, Scott Parker and Roberto Martinez are just three names thought to be in the running but none would be as bad as controversial former Blues manager Maurizio Sarri, who has emerged as a potential candidate this week.

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According to Italian news outlet Il Messaggero, the 62-year-old is stalling over the Lazio job in case Spurs approach him over their vacancy.

As we’ve previously outlined on Football FanCast, this move would have the potential of being an unmitigated disaster at the hands of Levy, but how would this impact Kane?

It’s hard to argue against Sarri’s Serie A and Europa League triumphs but Jose Mourinho arrived in north London with an even more polished track record and he could not steer them to glory.

It’s thought that the dressing room at Stamford Bridge turned against the Italian very quickly and it even led to third-choice goalkeeper Rob Green confronting him in front of the whole squad, as revealed in The Athletic.

“‘You have no plan B. You’re a transactional kind of manager,'” the former England international said, before later adding: “He is an ex-bank manager and manages a club like one.”

That’s not the first time that someone criticised Sarri’s tactics either, as former Chelsea defender Mario Melchiot blasted him as “very stubborn” to talkSPORT for never changing up his system when required, echoing those thoughts from Green.

This was certainly a problem under Mourinho, as it was reported that the players were unsure of how to attack thanks to his largely negative and defensive tactics – Sarri isn’t dissimilar to that.

It means that, if the 62-year-old were appointed, it would almost certainly push Kane one step closer to the exit door as it would seem far from the sort of inspiring arrival which could motivate him to stick around for at least one more campaign.

If Levy considers Sarri, then he might as well wave goodbye to his superstar striker.

AND in other news, Journo reveals fresh twist in Spurs’ manager search that’ll surely leave fans thrilled…

A number of Liverpool supporters are delighted with the news that Alisson is set to sign a new deal at Anfield imminently.

The Brazilian has proven to be a colossal signing for the Reds, having arrived from Roma in the summer of 2018.

Along with Virgil van Dijk, Alisson helped turn Liverpool from a good team into a great one, with Champions League and Premier League glory sealed in back-to-back years.

The 28-year-old continued to be a key man in 2020/21, despite a dip in form after sadly losing his father, famously scoring a last-gasp winner at West Brom last month.

According to BBC Sport, Liverpool will open contract talks with the Brazil international after he returns from Copa America duty this summer, tying him down a new long-term deal.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-3/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Alisson update

These Reds fans took to Twitter to provide their happy thoughts on the news.

“Boss news”

Credit: @garylouth

“Goal bonus included yesssssss”

Credit: @BradburyLeigh

“Some good news after Trent”

Credit: @DrKennethNois10

“Great news, hopefully Virgil, Fabinho and Salah next”

Credit: @CathalRobinson

“Give the man whatever he wants”

Credit: @mike1danaher

“One of the best things to happen to us!”

Credit: @ethan27d

In other news, some Liverpool fans are fuming after news emerged regarding the future of one Reds player. Find out who it is here.