CRICKET_DIARY_30AUG1997

Saturday 30 August 1997

About Cricket: Russell the dog makes his life a ball

By Clive Ellis

JACK RUSSELL for England is the cry - not from the predictable quarter of Gloucestershire, but from the Isle of Wight.

The Jack Russell in question is a dog called Bodie, who is confirming his reputation for having a safe set of paws at Shanklin, passing his career total of 500 balls retrieved and homing in on his season`s best of 135.

Owner Harold Renouf, 86, of Westhill Road, Shanklin, said: "He`s on 131 found balls for this season, but with a month still to go I`m sure he`ll pass the record."

Bodie`s annual contribution to the club has been rewarded with four tins of dog food.

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IF you ask the human Jack Russell for the next best specialist wicketkeeper in England, day in and out, he will tell you it is Adrian Aymes, of Hampshire. He is highly rated by the rest of the Hampshire team, too.

They are paying -L250 for him to take part in a triathlon in December in aid of the Rose-Road society, which looks after autistic children and is hoping to raise -L6 million for a new school.

Aymes`s task is to run four miles, cycle 17 and swim the last half mile. In December, the final part may be the hardest, but rather than diving into the river Itchen, which abuts his garden, Aymes is eyeing the heated swimming pool at Winchester College.

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JIM PARKS`S long playing innings ended with a disappointingly short one. The former Sussex and England wicketkeeper batsman bowed out of cricket with a fourth-ball duck on the ground at Haywards Heath where he began to learn his craft as a small boy.

Parks, 65, playing for an Old England XI against the town club, who are celebrating their centenary this year, batted at No 7 because of a groin injury. He kept wicket for 75 minutes after tea before making way for his son Bobby.

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UMPIRES` Tale I: Taking charge of the Church Times Cup final next Thursday will be the appropriately named father-and-son combination of Tim and Nigel Bishop. It is Tim`s last umpiring outing at the age of 72.

Umpires` Tale II: The Sussex 2nd XI League match between Littlehampton and Crowborough boasted the unusual phenomenon of two women umpires: Liz Haynes and Doreen Easton presided over Littlehampton`s five-wicket victory.

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WARWICKSHIRE are easing their path to Lord`s for the NatWest Trophy final next weekend by adjusting the playing hours of their championship match at Chester-le-Street.

On the first three days play will run from 10.15am to 6.15pm, enabling the scheduled finish time for the final day, Friday, to be brought forward to 3.25.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)