Beyond the Test World
Vanuatu league brought forward
The cricket season’s starting early in Vanuatu because of the national side’s commitments in the World Cricket League in Jersey in May
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
The cricket season’s starting early in Vanuatu because of the national side’s commitments in the World Cricket League in Jersey in May. It’s been brought forward six weeks to give players the chance to impress. Port Vila’s premier cricket competition, the BDO Club Championship, will begin February 8 with eight teams taking part this year.
Defending the BDO title will be the APT Dolphins, who won ten straight games last season to win the 2007 Championship. And a Vanuatu spokesperson has a message that the bigger international sides could learn from: “Rivalry remains intense, but never bitter, while umpiring decisions should always be laughed off at the pub.”
Full postLeverock Bermuda's Sports Personality of the Year
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
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Dwayne Leverock has won Bermuda's Male Sports Personality of the Year award for the second year running.
The Bermuda Sun has interviewed him, including:
Has 2007 been a particularly memorable year for you?
US board has to wipe the slate clean
Whatever people might think of the process, the USA Cricket Association finally has a democratically-approved new constitution
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Whatever people might think of the process, the USA Cricket Association finally has a democratically-approved new constitution. For all the abuse he has had to endure, Chris Dehring has done all that he can to ensure this has been implemented fairly, and for that he should be given tremendous credit. Making sense of such a divided and acrimonious mess probably made his troubles running a World Cup seem tame by comparison.
Now the fun starts. Already there are rumblings of discontent with accusations that many of the clubs who were eligible to vote did not exist in any real form. The easy way round that is for the USACA executive to release a list of which clubs voted - not how they did, but just their names. That will enable people to scrutinise the ones that sent in ballots and establish their credentials, and for club members who did not to ask their committees why they sat by and did nothing.
Fresh elections for the USACA board should now take place within 30 days, and that's where things get interesting. It's too early for any candidates to be named, but for the sake of US cricket from the top down, it has to be hoped that none of the executive who have, through their own dysfunctionality, made US cricket the pariah of the international family and who have caused untold harm within the country, will stand.
In any other walk of life - business, politics, your local sports club - someone who had overseen such a mess as Gladstone Dainty, the current USACA president, would have walked away in shame. But, remarkably, Dainty seems impervious to all that is thrown his way, and the same applies to his utterly discredited executive.
Full postSouth Atlantic Ashes set to start
The main event of the Falkland Islands season is the three-match series for the South Atlantic Ashes played between the Governors XI and the Commander British Forces XI
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The main event of the Falkland Islands season is the three-match series for the South Atlantic Ashes played between the Governors XI and the Commander British Forces XI. This commences on January 26 and the final match is on February 23. There will also be a new competition – a Twenty20 knockout series which will be held on January 20 and March 8, with a Twenty20 league running throughout March.
Full postCricket in Falklands schools
Following representation from the Falklands Cricket Association, the Education Department agreed to include cricket in the sports curriculum from the beginning of the school year.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Following representation from the Falklands Cricket Association, the Education Department agreed to include cricket in the sports curriculum from the beginning of the school year.
One of the major problems that junior cricket faces in the Falklands is that children go to the UK for further education from age 16 so they lose some of their best players. "It is very encouraging to hear that most of the students are continuing to play cricket whilst at college in the UK which promises to strengthen the depth of adult cricket in the future," said a spokesman.
Full postUS clubs approve new constitution
Cricinfo has learned that the new USA Cricket Association constitution has been approved by 74% of clubs which voted, although the turnout was disappointingly small.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Cricinfo has learned that the new USA Cricket Association constitution has been approved by 74% of clubs which voted, although the turnout was disappointingly small.
Only 180 of the 677 clubs who could have voted did so, despite the deadline being extended. Of the votes received, more than a quarter, surprisingly high number, were rejected for a variety of technicalities. Of the ballots accepted, 97 voted yes and 34 no.
This now means that fresh elections have to be held within 30 days, although critics of the board are certain to be unhappy with way that the USACA has handled the process, especially the inordinate delay in announcing the results of a poll of less than 200 votes. Oddly, although Dehring released the results to the USACA, they were not immediately announced, as he requested, because Paul DaSilva, the secretary, wanted approval from his executive before he released them.
The news means that Chris Dehring, appointed by the ICC as an independent third party, has been able to hand over a democratically-approved constitution which will provide the basis of a new platform for the USACA to operate under. No more could have been asked of him.
Full postAustralian grant boost for Nepal
Nepal have been boosted with a $A20,000 grant to promote cricket at the grass-roots level by the Australian government
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Nepal have been boosted with a $A20,000 grant to promote cricket at the grass-roots level by the Australian government. “We will support school programs, women and disabled, like deaf and blind cricketers,” Binaya Raj Pandey, president of the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) told NepalCricket.com. “I hope that the support from the Australia continues.”
The Australian Ambassador to Nepal Graeme Lade said that he hoped that both grants would prove useful in advancing sporting capabilities in Nepal, especially in the areas of cricket and sport for people with disabilities. He also hoped that successful outcomes from these grants might hopefully lead to further grants.
The Australian government has been running the Sports Outreach Program, administered by the Australian Sports Commission, for a number of years, but until last year, it had essentially targeted Commonwealth countries.
Last year, the program was expanded beyond to include other countries, including Nepal.
Full postA depressingly familiar story of silence
Nine days after the deadline for the approval of the USA Cricket Association deadline and the association’s website remains dead
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Nine days after the deadline for the approval of the USA Cricket Association deadline and the association’s website remains dead. Results, promised shortly after the original deadline of December 27, have not been posted. While a short delay is understandable, it defies logic that counting a relatively few votes can take so long. It makes Kenya’s presidential elections look the model of efficiency.
While the timing of the result is not crucial, what is does do is raise serious concerns that what should be a brave new world is , in fact, a continuation of the old, unaccountable, inefficient and flawed one.
Only by making the results public immediately and scheduling the board elections, which must be within 30 days of that announcement, will the USACA show that it is serious about change.
Full postSingapore win Under-15 title
Singapore won the ACC U-15 Elite Cup 2007 last week, beating Kuwait by four wickets in the final played in Bhaktapur.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Singapore won the ACC U-15 Elite Cup 2007 last week, beating Kuwait by four wickets in the final played in Bhaktapur.
Kuwait made 121 for 7 in 40 overs after choosing to bat first. Apporv Sanjay Gaur notched 43 while Sarangdev Krishnan took two wickets. In reply, Singapore were down to 17 for 4 at one stage but patient batting from Mohit Kulkarki (24), Man of the Match Prasheen Param (30*) and Usman Manazir (26*) took them to victory in the 35th over.
Full postViolence disrupts Kenya's preparations
Concern is growing that the civil unrest in Kenya might put the Intercontinental Cup tie against Namibia at the end of the month in doubt
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Concern is growing that the civil unrest in Kenya might put the Intercontinental Cup tie against Namibia at the end of the month in doubt. It has already delayed Kenya's preparations for the match against UAE in Sharjah.
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