Beyond the Test World
Last hurrah for Po Kong Village Road
Teams and supporters from all around the world will descend on Po Kong Village Road, Kowloon for the final time from 30 November at the annual Hong Kong invitational festival.
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
Teams and supporters from all around the world will descend on Po Kong Village Road, Kowloon for the final time from 30 November at the annual Hong Kong invitational festival.
The lease will shortly expire on the picturesque grounds, turned into one of the largest sports fields in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Cricket Association in 2001, and the government will take back the land for redevelopment on December 13.
"It's a last hurrah for Po Kong Village Road," said the festival's tournament director Brad Tarr. "PKVR has been the home of the festival since 2004 so unfortunately we'll have to find a new venue for the tournament next year."
The festival is one of the largest club cricket sixes events in the world. Past Festivals have featured star cricketers such as Heath Streak, Doug Walters, Jack Richards and Terry Alderman. Cricket teams fly in from Australia, UK, USA, Japan and all around the Asia region to compete.
Full postCricket Kenya tires of Nairobi mess
Cricket Kenya is coming closer to stepping in to address the shambles inside the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA).
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Cricket Kenya is coming closer to stepping in to address the shambles inside the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association (NPCA).
However, reports in the local media that Samir Inamdar, the CK chairman, had delivered an ultimatum to the NPCA are not true. Inamdar has asked the NPCA to provide a copy of the new constitution which should have been ready in September and to address its lack of accountability to stakeholders in the province.
The NPCA has not held an AGM for more than three years and it is not thought to have even held council meetings, which involve every constituent club and are supposed to take place twice a year, for almost as long. The chairman left for Australia almost a year ago, and the secretary resigned last month. Several dates have been set for an AGM but these have repeatedly been cancelled by the NPCA executive.
John Moyi, the acting secretary, replied in a typically abrasive manner by telling Inamdar that he had no business in interfering in NPCA affairs "because he does not represent any club". Inamdar's local board is the Coast Cricket Association, although as chairman of the national body he has every right to become involved in a dysfunctional local association.
Full postLandmines at mid-on; batting into the Commonwealth
Jonathan Clayton provides a fascinating piece in today’s Times on cricket in Rwanda and how important the sport has been in their joining the Commonwealth
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Jonathan Clayton provides a fascinating piece in today’s Times on cricket in Rwanda and how important the sport has been in their joining the Commonwealth. Despite Rwanda’s French connection, they applied to join in December 2006 and Britain has donated £46m a year. Clayton tells us that Tony Blair, on hearing of Rwanda’s proposed membership, said: “Well, they do play cricket don’t they?”
“I think you can say we have batted our way into the Commonwealth,” said Charles Haba, president of the Rwanda Cricket Association, who has persuaded six schools to start playing and has gained affiliate status with the International Cricket Board.
The new-found enthusiasm for cricket chimes with Mr Kagame’s desire that Rwanda, a former Belgian colony that became a close ally of France at independence, should adopt English as the language of choice. Language is an emotive issue because of its association with the genocide. Those responsible for the killings of some one million moderate Hutus and Tutsis were largely French speakers.
Mr Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front rebel movement, which ended the genocide and now forms the bulk of the Government, was primarily English-speaking. It largely consisted of Tutsi refugees, whose parents had fled previous Hutu-led pogroms in the 1950s and 60s and settled in neighbouring English-speaking countries, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.
Full postAfghan game short of cash but full of optimism
Shahzada Masood, Afgahnistan’s cricket chief, has told Reuters that if his country had half the facilities available to other teams then nobody would be able to beat them.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Shahzada Masood, Afgahnistan’s cricket chief, has told Reuters that if his country had half the facilities available to other teams then nobody would be able to beat them.
Full postA subdued fanfare for new USA constitution
by Deb K Das
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
by Deb K Das
With less than the expected flourish of trumpets, a new constitution for the USA Cricket Association (USACA) was released by the board executive.
The first reactions to the document were lukewarm. At best, it was seen as an earnest effort to paper over some of the most obvious flaws in the old constitution, but in the process it inadvertently exposed some new problems. At worst, it failed to address some fundamental issues facing US cricket, and in so doing, it represented something of an anti-climax.
There are some issues thrown up by the new document, not the least being how US cricket should be governed so as to maintain its essentially democratic structure, which has been at the heart of the rows over the last decade. In this regard both the old and the new USACA constitutions totally fail to address the issue.
Full postCroatia win European play-off
Croatia defeated Israel by five runs in a play-off in Tel Aviv on Sunday to secure promotion to European Division Two.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Croatia defeated Israel by five runs in a play-off in Tel Aviv on Sunday to secure promotion to European Division Two.
In the first cricket international to be held in Israel, Croatia batted first and made 152 for 7, the innings underpinned by 51 from their captain, John Vujnovich.
In reply, Israel slumped to 7 for 3 before Isaac Massil and Herschel Gutman added 62 for the fourth wicket, but as they pushed for quick runs wickets fell. They were still up with an asking rate that kept below six an over, and with two overs remaining they needed 12 - and six off one - with their final pair at the wicket. But Croatia took that wicket to secure promotion.
“The significance for Israeli cricket is amazing,” said Stanley Perlman, President of the Israel Cricket Association and captain for the historic match. “It was the first time that any country has come to play an international game of cricket in Israel and it was a great occasion. Our visitors from Croatia followed in the footsteps of their football and basketball teams who are regular visitors.
Full postHong Kong bids farewell to Po Kong Village Road
Cricket teams and supporters from all parts of the world as well as Hong Kong will descend on the cricket grounds at Po Kong Village Road, Kowloon for the final time for the annual Ichor International Hong Kong Invitational Cricket Festival 2007
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Cricket teams and supporters from all parts of the world as well as Hong Kong will descend on the cricket grounds at Po Kong Village Road, Kowloon for the final time for the annual Ichor International Hong Kong Invitational Cricket Festival 2007. The three-day event starts on November 30.
The lease will shortly expire on the picturesque cricket grounds, turned into one of the largest sports fields in Hong Kong by the Hong Kong Cricket Association in 2001, and the government will take back the land for redevelopment on December 13.
"It's a 'last hurrah' for Po Kong Village Road," said festival director Brad Tarr, "PKVR has been the home of the festival since 2004 so unfortunately we'll have to find a new venue for the tournament next year."
The festival features up to 34 men's and women's cricket teams competing in five divisions using the popular cricket sixes format.
Full postRwanda take part in East Africa Under-15 Championship
Rwanda will take part in the East Africa regional Under-15 Championship which will be held in Nairobi from December 8.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Rwanda will take part in the East Africa regional Under-15 Championship which will be held in Nairobi from December 8.
Tom Tikolo, Cricket Kenya's CEO who is also the Africa Cricket Association tournament director, said Rwanda will join Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in a competition that will be used to pick two teams - women’s and Under-15 boys’ - to represent the region in South Africa next year.
Tikolo, however, said Rwanda will not have a women’s squad like the other three countries.
Full postUganda impress despite Kenya defeats
A Kenyan XI beat Uganda in two warm-up matches at Kampala's Lugogo Oval
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
A Kenyan XI beat Uganda in two warm-up matches at Kampala's Lugogo Oval. The games were arranged to give the Ugandans practice before next week's World Cricket League Division Two competition in Namibia.
Full postInternational Defence Cricket Challenge coming up
The inaugural International Defence Cricket Challenge tournament takes place next week and will feature teams from the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force, along with four teams from the New Zealand and United Kingdom Defence Forces
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
The inaugural International Defence Cricket Challenge tournament takes place next week and will feature teams from the Australian Army, Navy and Air Force, along with four teams from the New Zealand and United Kingdom Defence Forces. The Scoop website reports:
The tournament will run from 19-23 November 2007, with the grand final to be played at Manuka Oval. The grand final will also be the scene for the inaugural reunion of past Combined Services cricketers, including the Commanding Officer of the 1945 Australian Services side.
Full post