Behind the Boundary

The ECB's regular round-up of news from the County and Recreational Scene

The season may only be a few weeks old but Shane Warne's arrival at Hampshire CCC has already boosted the club's performance both on and off the pitch. Not only has the County qualified for the Benson and Hedges Cup quarter-finals for the first time since 1994, but there has been a noted increase in membership levels, in demand for hospitality packages and in sales of replica Norwich Union National Cricket League cricket shirts.

The playing area on Hampshire CCC's new ground is nearing completion. The ground will be used for the first time for a Second XI match versus Sussex on Tuesday 6 June.

Steve Watkin will be available for post-match online chats with Glamorgan cricket supporters on the club's official web-site this Sunday (Sunday 30 April). The new interactive facility, found at www.glamorgancricket.com, will debut after Glamorgan Dragon's first Norwich Union National Cricket League game - against Surrey Lions at Sophia Gardens - at 7.20pm on April 30th.

Nottinghamshire's Pakistani paceman, Shoaib Akhtar, arrives in the country on Saturday 27 May. His first game is likely to be the Division One Norwich Union National Cricket League game on Wednesday 31 May - a fast bowlers showdown with Alan Donald when the Outlaws take on the Warwickshire Bears at Edgbaston.

Sussex CCC became the first County Cricket Club to install permanent floodlights when it erected the structures, sponsored by Stonegate Ltd., at Hove. All five Norwich Union NCL games played at Sussex's headquarters will be now under lights, thus reflecting the increased interest in day-night cricket. Mobile floodlight units, whose temporary installation and use cost £30,000 per game, will be used at the 15 other County grounds to host day-night games this year.

The expansion of Premier Leagues in club cricket continues with 20 leagues in place for the 2000 season. Premier Leagues were introduced to help improve playing standards for the best club cricketers by providing them with longer matches and regular competition against good quality players. The first Premier League was initiated in the Birmingham League in 1998 and this increased to 12 leagues in 1999.

The Forester Kent League will again play two-day grade cricket this season as part of an on-going experiment to evaluate this format of club cricket. The matches will be contested over consecutive Saturdays, although a new points structure will be introduced for the 2000 season to make the cricket played, once the first innings has been decided, more meaningful and competitive. Frank Kemp, Cricket Operations Manger at the ECB, said, "It is the only league in the country prepared to experiment with two-day matches and we greatly value the practical experience that is being gained from these games. Reactions to the format have been mixed, but there is a strong belief that Premier League cricket will lead to higher playing standards in the future."

Round One of the NatWest Trophy starts on Tuesday 2 May. A total of 42 amateur teams, made up of County Board XIs or Minor County sides, will contest the first two rounds, with successful sides being rewarded with a home fixture in round three against a First Class County.

The ECB Board XI has another busy season ahead. The England team for amateur cricketers plays both Zimbabwe and the MCC in June, in advance of the Triple Crown Tournament and the European Championships in July. Its final fixture of the season will be a one-day game against Sri Lanka Under 19 at Oakham School in Rutland on Sunday 13 August.

The Wrigleys Schools Cricket Tournament will again begin when children return to school after the Easter holidays. Up to 5,000 Primary Schools, involving 35,000 boys and girls, are expected to enter the Kwik Cricket competition. The national finals take place at Trent Bridge on Wednesday 14 July, when 16 teams will gather in a day-long festival of Kwik Cricket to determine the 2000 champions.

The Worcestershire Cricket Board has attracted sponsorship from chartered accountants, Worton Rock, to support a Kwik Cricket tournament for the next three years. The competition will be based around the Dudley Local Education Authority area and 32 Primary Schools will take part. Worton Rock is contributing £1,000 a year to the event.

The Surrey Cricket Trust, the charitable arm of Surrey CCC, has donated £10,000 to be used for the provision of 400 cricket helmets to clubs and schools across the county. The award follows the ECB's new safety guidance on the wearing of helmets for all boys and girls under 18 when playing cricket with a hard ball.

The Middlesex Centenary Youth Trust, through the auspices of the Middlesex Colts Association, will provide similar assistance. It has offered to donate approximately 330 helmets, which will benefit 66 cricket clubs as well as the Middlesex Girls Under 13 team.

The end of April heralds the opening rounds of the Subaru Under 13 Club Championship, with a record 1,636 clubs from all over the country entering this years competition. Yorkshire will be the most represented county with 153 teams whilst Lancashire are entering 132 clubs. The national finals will be held from Tuesday 8 - Friday 11 August at Oakham School, Rutland.

The Sun Life of Canada Under 15 Club Championship meanwhile will see 1,456 clubs contest for places in its national final, which will be played at Basingstoke and North Hants Cricket Club on Tuesday 22 August.

The National Final of the 2000 Table Cricket Competition takes place at Lord's on Friday 12 May. Table Cricket provides youngsters with severe physical disabilities an opportunity to compete in an appropriate game of cricket. Developed at Nottingham Trent University, the game uses a table tennis top, side panels with sliding fielders, a ball launcher, a plastic ball and a wooden bat to simulate the game. Teams are made up of six players with two reserves. Eight sides have won the right to play at Lord's, from 34 original team entrants.

The British Blind Sport Cricket team has just completed a three-week tour of Australia where it played a series of matches against state sides and a triangular tournament versus New Zealand and the host country. England reached the tournament final after beating New Zealand in the final match of the league stages - the team chased 245 and cruised to victory by four wickets with six overs to spare. The final versus Australia, however, was washed-out and Australia were awarded the trophy by virtue of superior results earlier in the competition. The squad of 13 players, managed by former England Manager John Barclay, was made up five totally blind players and eight partially sighted players, including Peter McKelvaney who used to play professional football for AFC Bournemouth.