Beyond the Test World
How cricket made Italian football
Supporters of Genoa, Italy's oldest professional football club, have long been proud of their Anglo roots
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Supporters of Genoa, Italy's oldest professional football club, have long been proud of their Anglo roots. Founded, like AC Milan, by a group of Brits in 1893 as Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club (Sir James Spensley started the football in 1896), it's still officially known as Genoa Cricket and Football Club.
Things have been going well on the footballing front of late, with i grifoni (the Griffins) finally winning promotion back into Italy's Serie A after a series of false starts. Now, a group of supporters keen to know more about their distant cricketing past approached the club and are giving cricket a new lease of life.
Full postBig wins for Canada and Bermuda
Canada and Bermuda lived up to their pre-tournament favourites' tag by scoring convincing victories in their Americas Under-19 Qualifiers in Toronto on Tuesday
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Canada and Bermuda lived up to their pre-tournament favourites' tag by scoring convincing victories in their Americas Under-19 Qualifiers in Toronto on Tuesday. Canada beat Argentina by nine wickets while Bermuda won their second match in a row by beating Cayman Islands by seven wickets.
Full postEasy wins for Bermuda and Cayman Islands
Bermuda and the Cayman Islands notched victories on the opening day of the Americas Under-19 Qualifiers , as Bermuda eased past the Bahamas by 195 runs while the Cayman Islands powered to a ten-wicket win over Argentina.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Bermuda and the Cayman Islands notched victories on the opening day of the Americas Under-19 Qualifiers, as Bermuda eased past the Bahamas by 195 runs while the Cayman Islands powered to a ten-wicket win over Argentina.
Full postThe USA's reluctant absentees
The real impact of the USA's suspension from international cricket will hit home today when north of the border in Toronto the region's leading teams will meet to take part in the Americas Under-19 Qualifier.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
The real impact of the USA's suspension from international cricket will hit home today when north of the border in Toronto the region's leading teams will meet to take part in the Americas Under-19 Qualifier.
The prize at stake is a place at the ICC U-19 World Cup in Malaysia next February and March. While hosts Canada will be joined by sides from Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands, the USA's young players will be left at home dreaming of what might have been.
The USA were present at the last U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka - on that occasion the ICC hierarchy commendably decided that it would be unfair to punish young players because of the governance issues affecting the national board . But this time there has been no such concession and so the U-19 side will miss out.
The sadness of this becomes more apparent when you listen to people involved in grassroots US cricket.
Full postFiji gear up for 2007 South Pacific Games
Fiji have been forced to move their training from Albert Park as they gear up for this year's South Pacific games.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Fiji have been forced to move their training from Albert Park as they gear up for this year's South Pacific games.
“This would be good because the weather is hot and of course the venue for training is the main thing.”
The 14-member team consists of five players that went down in the final to Papua New Guinea in the 2003 South Pacific Games. Fiji has been denied three times the gold medal, always settling for silver but this year, Vosaicake said gold was their main agenda.
“We are tired of settling for second best. This team has prepared well and the recent international meets has helped in our buildup for Samoa.”
Full postGanese smacks six sixes off an over
Barry Ganese hit the cricketing maximum on Friday (August 10), powering his was to six sixes in one over of six balls
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Barry Ganese hit the cricketing maximum on Friday (August 10), powering his was to six sixes in one over of six balls. Ganese was playing for Toronto and District Premier club Overseas against the touring Trinidad and Tobago club side Powergen at Maple Leaf CC, King City, Ontario. He continued to score freely and took his side to victory with an individual score of 80 runs not out from a mere 30 balls.
“I've had close encounters before with four and five sixes in an over, but this was the first time for six sixes,” he said. “It was a big thrill out there. It was especially good to have family and friends - a lot of friends - around to see it.” He admitted that a few of his ten sixes were mishits.
Full postHosts Canada start as firm favourites
Canada face a stiff challenge from Bermuda in their bid to return to the Under-19 World Cup when the five-team round-robin Americas U-19 Qualifier begins at Mapleleaf CC, King City in Toronto on Monday (August 13).
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Canada face a stiff challenge from Bermuda in their bid to return to the Under-19 World Cup when the five-team round-robin Americas U-19 Qualifier begins at Mapleleaf CC, King City in Toronto on Monday (August 13).
Argentina, Caymans Islands and debutants Bahamas are the other teams taking part in the week-long competition. The winner will join the ICC’s 10 Full Members, hosts Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Ireland (who recently qualified from the East-Asia Pacific and European Regions respectively) at the 16-team U-19 World Cup to be played in Malaysia next February. Canada missed the 2006 event in Sri Lanka but participated in the 2002 and 2004 tournaments.
Familiar home conditions, an improving infrastructure and more international exposure helps Canada to start as firm favourites and coach Courtney Gonsalves is optimistic that his players are ready for the event. “All the players attended the elite programme we started last October in which we set up talent hunt and training camps throughout Canada,” he said. “Our goal is to qualify for next year’s U-19 World Cup and I am sure that the combination of this elite programme along with exposure in the premier division will help us achieve our target.”
However, Canada are likely to be tested by Bermuda who have been bolstered by the inclusion of allrounders Malachi Jones and Stefan Kelly, who played in the recent full World Cup, while the youngsters' captain Rodney Trott narrowly missed the event. The trio will rejoin the senior Bermuda team for the match against Ireland in the ICC Intercontinental Cup after completing the Toronto assignment.
Full postQuick Haag take inauguralTwenty20 Cup
Quick Haag won the first-ever Nachenius Tjeenk Twenty20 Cup final in Schiedam on Saturday evening, beating hosts Hermes-DVS by 32 runs in front of a crowd of several hundred.
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
Quick Haag won the first-ever Nachenius Tjeenk Twenty20 Cup final in Schiedam on Saturday evening, beating hosts Hermes-DVS by 32 runs in front of a crowd of several hundred.
Chasing 139 to win, Hermes were torn apart by spells from Darron Reekers and Henk-Jan Mol, who took six wickets in the space of eight overs to turn a promising position of 31 for 0 into 57 for 6. Pankaj Joshi and Lou Borrani had given their side a good platform, but once the wickets started to fall Quick kept the pressure up and never gave the hosts a chance of getting back into the game.
Check out Cricket Europe for Rod Lyall's full report
Full postBermuda embark on new era
Their squad is severely depleted and inexperienced and they have just been humiliated in two warm-up one-dayers against Denmark
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Their squad is severely depleted and inexperienced and they have just been humiliated in two warm-up one-dayers against Denmark. But according to Gus Logie, the Bermuda coach, his side are embarking on a new era with confidence.
Logie's men take on Netherlands in their Intercontinental Cup match on Monday with only four surviving players from their disastrous World Cup campaign in the Caribbean earlier this year: Irvine Romaine, Stephen Outerbridge, Dwayne Leverock, the crowds' favourite, and Lionel Cann.
Full postIreland capture Under-13 title
Ireland's domination of European youth tournaments continued as they captured the Under-13 title in Denmark this week.
Will Luke
25-Feb-2013
Ireland's domination of European youth tournaments continued as they captured the Under-13 title in Denmark this week.
They edged home against Scotland in a thrilling contest by just one wicket in the final decider. They opened the competition with a convincing seven-wicket win over Netherlands thanks to a fine bowling performance from Ross Adair and George McKinley. The pair each picked up three wickets to dismiss Netherlands for 104. Tyrone Kane and Jordan Magee also got among the wickets.
That total proved little obstacle to Ireland as they lost just the three wickets - David Barr top-scoring with 50, while Matthew Clarke, the wicketkeeper, made a composed 20.
Determined batting from Denmark saw them post a respectable 154 for 6 in the next game, with Saad Ahmed (45) and Basit Javed (38) playing neatly. Adair was again their main performer with the ball, taking 3 for 31. Ben Wylie, the captain, secured the win with a chanceless 71 not out.
Full post