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The Playing for Success Study Support Centre, a new initiative that was launched jointly between Somerset County Cricket Club and Somerset County Council earlier in the year is now fully operational and attracting almost one and fifty young people to the County Ground each week.The centre operates in the Centre for Excellence at the County Ground, and is open on four evenings a week.Between 3.30 and 5pm the centre caters for primary aged pupils from St Andrew’s,Halcon, North Town and Staplegrove Primary Schools, whilst between 5.15 and 6.45pm secondary aged pupils from Ladymead, Heathfield, St Augustines and Castle School make use of the centre.Each pupil who attends is issued with one of the Playing for Success Study Centre document wallets with the strapline `Reaching beyond your boundaries’ across the cover.Simon Lowe, who is the centre manager is absolutely delighted with the way that things have taken off.Earlier this week he told me: “This whole venture shows the vision that chief executive Peter Anderson and cricket development officer Andrew Moulding have in helping to promote not just Somerset but cricket in general to a wider audience. This activity is attracting nearly one hundred and fifty youngsters inside the ground many who have never ever been here before which has to be good news. It certainly isn’t all doom and gloom here despite what some others might say.”As part of their programme each of the school groups has been taken on a grand tour of the ground an experience that Mr Lowe told me `wowed’ most of the youngsters, who were then invited to write about their favourite view of the ground.During the next few weeks the programmes of work being undertaken by the youngsters will focus largely upon the Ashes series between England and Australia that gets underway in November.The Centre has been well supported by the players themselves and in recent weeks Andrew Caddick, Marcus Trescothick and Ian Blackwell have all been involved.Mr Lowe told me: “All of the players and the coaching staff have been fantastic. They have come along and reacted in a really positive way which is very pleasing.”At the end of the ten week course that the youngsters are following there will be a `graduation’ ceremony, and a chance to play cricket in the Centre of Excellence.Mr Lowe concluded: “We have got off to a great start and everything augers well for the future. Sport is big part of people’s lives and we are here to harness this and help young people to learn from it. My aim is to become the best Playing For Success Study Support Centre from the eighteen First Class cricketing counties, and we are already well on our way to becoming this.”

Over the course of this season there have been several Somerset matches where the Duckworth Lewis method has been called into play.Chris Bass who operates the scoreboards at Taunton has sent the following explanation of the system in the hope that it will help website readers to understand the method a little more clearly.’The Duckworth/Lewis method for re-setting targets in modern one-day cricket has gained an unjust reputation for one basic reason – people simply do not understand it. Anything that one does not understand tends to make people switch-off and join the ranks of the critics.Coaches and players need a simple understanding of D/L because it does exist and affects their decision making, just as the latest 2000 Code of Laws has done.Spectators want to know in the simplest terms what the D/L figure on the scoreboards actually means in any potential situation. This brief guide is designed to outline, explain and simplify the method as clearly as possible.Why Duckworth Lewis?
The traditional method used up to 1997 to revise targets when weatherinterfered with limited-overs cricket was based on average run-rate. The only advantage of such a system was that it was easy to understand and calculate for all concerned – players, officials and spectators – but it almost always gave a hugely unfair advantage to the team batting second, with the result that captains winning the toss when rain was around almost always chose to field first.From 1997, the ECB adopted the Duckworth/Lewis method as a fairer system, since when the ICC has done likewise. Before the days of D/L, there were some horrific examples of the average run-rate method producing ridiculous situations – today there are few. D/L is now generally accepted by players who understand it as by far the fairest method yet devised for target resetting.To avoid the spectacle of the batsmen meeting in mid-wicket and consulting Duckworth/Lewis tables and pocket calculators between every over, the scorers and Match Manager generally do the calculations and display the difference between the runs achieved and the score needed to win – if the match were to be finished at that instant – as a figure on the scoreboard, so all can see whether the batting side are ahead of or behind the target.Who are Frank Duckworth & Tony Lewis?
These two gentlemen are in fact professional statisticians and mathematicians who work closely with the ECB. They have done extensive research into past limited overs cricket matches, updating and improving their own system over the last 5 years.What is the D/L Method?
In simple terms, the D/L system converts the number of overs remaining and the number of wickets lost into a “resources remaining” figure. As overs are completed or wickets fall – the “resources remaining” falls.When a limited overs cricket match is delayed or interrupted by rain or bad light, there is often insufficient time for both teams to complete their full allocation of overs. It is therefore necessary to calculate a fair target for the team batting second – taking into account the number of overs that they will face.D/L has far fewer anomalies than any previous method. Whenever raininterrupts a match, the D/L method is designed to leave the balance of the match unaltered.Where other earlier methods crucially overlooked the importance of wickets lost at the point of delay, the D/L method incorporates this factor into its calculation. It is obviously much easier to chase 100 runs with ten wickets left than with just three wickets standing and the D/L method was the first of its kind to recognise this.The D/L Method in Practice
The adjustments that the D/L method makes try to ensure that after a rain break, the status quo of the match is roughly retained. If the ‘chasing’ side is ahead when rain arrives, then they are awarded the match if no further play is possible. This has given rise to a whole new tactical approach for teams batting second.Although the D/L method consistently spits out fair equations, which are easily understandable, its more intricate formulae are highly complicated and far too difficult for the ordinary man to comprehend. However, players and spectators do not need to bother themselves with more than a grasp of how the system operates and how it might affect tactics in any one-day match.The method revises a target in the event of an innings being reduced by rain, or any other suspension of play. The revision is not worked out, or affected, by the number of overs each team SHOULD receive, but in accordance with the ‘run-scoring resources’ each of the sides has at its disposal.These resources include a combination of overs left and wickets remaining. If only things were that simple, especially the weather! Either innings could be interrupted, possibly several times, or cut short. But the Duckworth/Lewis system is designed to cope with anything the weather can throw at a game.For example, if a side is set 300 for victory – a tough target in anyconditions – and rain is forecast, it is likely that they will go on the attack from the outset to try to stay ‘in front’ of the opposition.A team with 6 wickets still standing with 10 overs to bat will take risks to score quick runs. Some simplistic target setting led to several infamous disasters where the required demand on the team batting second was very obviously unfair.The D/L Method in Practice at Taunton
At the County Ground, both scoreboards display the D/L target score for the chasing team from the start of their innings. The number shown is the total required to win at each stage of the innings after the first 10 overs.Whenever a wicket falls, this total will possibly rise dramatically. Otherwise, the adjustment upwards at the end of each over is likely to be small.’

No sooner is all-rounder Chris Cairns back performing for New Zealand than he is afflicted with another injury problem.Cairns suffered a patella tendon strain in his right knee, he thinks while fielding a ball on the first day, and while it is a new injury it is in the knee he had operated on last summer.New Zealand coach Denis Aberhart said it was a very frustrating injury for Cairns who had worked so hard to be ready for this series.”We don’t know how bad it is going to be,” Aberhart said.Yesterday, New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming complained that the outfield of the dual purpose rugby-cricket ground was very heavy and it had affected his bowlers.Aberhart didn’t know if it had any effect on Cairns’ injury but it is difficult to escape the conclusion that it played a part.Aberhart said that in his view the outfield wasn’t only heavier but was also rougher.He said that Cairns was a professional and would work hard to make sure his knee was right in the future.He added that Cairns would bowl in the remainder of this first Test but his condition would be assessed after that.If it didn’t recover immediately, Aberhart said he expected Cairns would do everything to have it right for the future, including his forthcoming season with English county Nottinghamshire.

Cricketers around the rest of the country may have been lacking opportunities as a result of unseasonal weather but left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been in the thick of the action.And that has to be good news for New Zealand.The left-arm spinner has enjoyed the break since the end of the ICC Champions Trophy in September and is looking forward to all that is ahead of the TelstraClear Black Caps over the next three months.Most importantly in the minds of many will be the fact that his back has stood up well and, apart from aches and pains that might normally be associated with bowling, he has been feeling fine.He’s played club cricket for Hamilton Star Varsity for the first time in two years, and found himself introducing himself to nearly all of his team-mates.”It was great to get back and play with a lot of younger guys my own age. I hadn’t played against a lot of them since age-group level.”It was even longer since he had last played in the Northern Districts Fergus Hickey competition.That was 1999 but it has been a useful vehicle for him as he has bowled 40 overs in each of two games to get some useful overs under his belt.”It’s a reasonable level of cricket in those games and getting those overs in has given me more confidence,” he said.Apart from the fact that he needs to be ready for the Indian tourists in only two weeks time, there is also his desire to take an active part in next year’s World Cup in South Africa.Still relatively fresh on the international scene in 1999, he spent all that tournament outside the boundary.”While it was great to see the guys do so well, it was hard sitting on the sidelines. I like to think I’ve established myself as a one-day player since then and South Africa is one I want to be part of,” he said.Vettori has played in South Africa before, on an Academy tour, but is not too sure how he will handle playing at altitude with the different effects the lighter air might have on his bowling.”Nicky Boje has been doing all right over there, but I have noted that Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] has not been quite so effective over there this year.”In many minds, Vettori, bowling well, is a key factor in any aspirations New Zealand may have of success in the World Cup. Certainly, he can expect plenty of bowling against the Indians given the lack of relative match play for several of the top bowlers in comparison to the time he has spent in the middle so far this summer.

Midlands Division

The game of the day was Nottinghamshire versus Ireland at Trent Bridge by a big margin, given the narrowness of the win – Nottinghamshire triumphing by one run to go top of the table. Ireland may have been the wooden spoons but they were certainly prepared to stir Nottinghamshire, albeit in agonising pursuit of 241. Kevin O’Brien shone with an unbeaten 93, building on Reinhardt Strydom’s 49. Nottinghamshire had their middle order to thank for rescuing them from 22 for 3, with Adam Voges, Samit Patel and Chris Read each making fifties.Warwickshire emerged winners of a game against Leicestershire made lopsided by intermittent – and interfering – rain showers at Oakham. Batting first Warwickshire made 187 for 8 from 49 overs, having lost one over after the players departed the field, then returned, in the 46th over. Leicestershire set off in pursuit but at 19.3 overs, when on 53 for 2, the rain came again, leaving them eight runs short when Duckworth-Lewis was calculated. Having restricted Warwickshire, to lose in such a manner was a big blow for Leicestershire who are still not through: they need a point in their final game on Wednesday.

North Division

Durham made it two wins in two this weekend, their big 117-run win at Chester-le-Streetpushing Derbyshire down to third after Yorkshire also won. Durham posted a mighty 297 for 7 after choosing to bat, Michael di Venuto weighing in with a century and Will Smith a fifty, which proved far too daunting for the visitors. Gareth Breese shot them down with 5 for 41, while Steve Harmison’s economy helped; his five overs went for 18.For John Ward’s account of how Yorkshire overcame Scotland at Headingley, click here.

South East Division

Tabletoppers Kent are in the quarter-finals, even after torrential overnight rain left the outfield under water, washing out their game against Middlesex at Tunbridge Wells. Middlesex can no longer qualify. Essex also made the last eight after picking up a point from a would-be fixture with Sussex – who were already out of the competition – that was abandoned after the third inspection at 2pm. It was to have been Hastings’ first match in eight years.

South West Division

Hampshire were denied a final stab at glory when rained washed out their tussle with Glamorgan at the Rose Bowl 45 minutes before the scheduled noon start. Hampshire needed a win to keep their quarter-final hopes kindled while Glamorgan were already out, with only one win. Gloucestershire are guaranteed a home quarter-final after rain washed out proceedings in Bath half an hour before the start and Somerset are still in the hunt for a place in the last eight.

One of the big clashes in the early stages of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy is the New Zealand-Australia encounter at the Sinhalese Sports Club grounds. While England have already begun to focus a lot of their attention on the upcoming Ashes tour, the Australians are keen to take it one game at a time. After all, their island neighbours have always played at their best when they have been up against it. With New Zealand having several batsmen who play pace with ease in their ranks, Shane Warne becomes a central figure in the clashes involving the two sides.The charismatic leggie, who has provided hours of entertainment on the field and some of the tastiest sound bites off it, was relaxed, collected and yet raring to go when he spoke to pressmen at the Taj Samudra hotel in Colombo. And he was not one to underestimate his opposition.”I like bowling to Craig McMillan, I’ve had some success against him, but he’s a dangerous player, and Cairns as well. It doesn’t help New Zealand that those two aren’t here. They still have some good players though. They always lift their game when they play against Australia and it’s a tough game for us first up. New Zealand have always been one of the hardest teams for us to beat. Stephen Fleming is probably the best captain in world cricket. He’ll have plans for every single player,” Warne observed.Just recently, the Aussies were in fine fettle in Kenya, firing on all cylinders. As their batsmen merrily plundered hapless opposition bowling and pacemen Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath regularly upset the timber, Warne himself used the chance to get ready for the Champions Trophy.”We played pretty well in Kenya. Bowled Pakistan out cheaply twice. We need to do pretty much the same and keep going. It was a good tournament to play leading up to this. We all got a chance to get some match practice on turf wickets and clear the cobwebs that come from not playing for a period,” said Warne.Although, he was quick to add that being away from the game did not mean putting his feet up, sipping lager and watching the telly. “I’ve been training twice a day for the last six months. I’ve been in good form with both the bat and ball in the last year or so. I think I bowled some good spells and some bad ones in Kenya but it was ideal preparation for this tournament,” he said.With a shoulder injury ruling out bowling, Warne took the opportunity to work on his batting and catching in the slips – two things he says that give him immense pleasure. “All my coaches tell me I’ve been underachieving with the bat. In the last twelve months I’ve got some runs. I still didn’t get a hundred but it was good to get a 99. Couple of 80s and 70s as well. I’ve worked really hard at playing the short ball – hooking and pulling. Worked with Ian Chappell and had very good chat with him on that. With Gilchrist coming in late in the order in Tests, it’s important for us tail-enders to bat a bit and give him support.”It is the sort of planning and execution that has given Australia an edge over all the other sides in international cricket, South Africa included. “The edge we’ve got over South Africa is basically because we’ve beaten them in every form of the game – except for that tie in the World Cup. I feel we’ve got the wood on South Africa. They’re still a great team. They intimidate other teams but I think we intimidate them. As the home country they’ll be very tough to beat in the World Cup,” Warne suggested.

Talking of intimidation, there is one man coming up against whom gave Warne nightmares. When you listen to Warne speak of Tendulkar, you are clearly able to discern the existence of a special bond of sorts between the two.”I don’t know if I’ve always been in awe of him. I respect his cricket and we get on well off the field. We’ve both got respect for each other. We’ve both been around for a long time now and I think we both admire each other. To me, he’s the best player of our generation. People who have played with Bradman and Ian Chappell and those sort of guys would say they were the best. I think it’s unfair to compare eras. Any good player in any era would adjust and be a fine, excellent player. To me, Sachin is the best player and daylight’s second,” Warne said.Small wonder, then, that the ace leggie picked Tendulkar as the hardest batsman to bowl to, while adding Navjot Sidhu, Chris Cairns, Graham Gooch and Dave Houghton to that list. Of that list, Warne can only come up against Tendulkar in this tournament. If he does, you can be sure there will be some fireworks.

MELBOURNE, Nov 24 AAP – Victoria’s near faultless Pura Cup effort against South Australia at the MCG today had all the hallmarks of an Australian-esque performance.The Bushrangers’ huge total came on the back of dashing lower order batting followed up with brilliant fielding and late wickets to make victory a certainty tomorrow, barring bad weather.At stumps on day three South Australia was 5-161, needing another 166 to make Victoria bat again after the Bushrangers declared at 9-529, with Jon Moss unbeaten on 103.Moss took up where Matthew Elliott (191) and Brad Hodge (96) left off yesterday to cement his spot in the Victorian top order after making his name largely as a bowling allrounder.Moss had good support from the tail, with brisk partnerships of 50 with Cameron White (22), 42 with captain Darren Berry (16) and 47 with Shane Harwood (24).Even number 11 Mathew Inness did his job, calmly pushing a single to give Moss the chance to bring up his ton.”I just thought if he (Inness) happened to get out when I was on 99 or 98 well so be it, it wasn’t the be-all and end-all, but it was great the way it worked out,” Moss said.”I’m very happy, it’s only my second first-class hundred and I’ve played the last couple of games and had a little bit of a lean spell but it’s just a great feeling.”Victoria followed its best batting effort in eight years – since 1994-95 on the back of a Dean Jones triple ton – with razor-sharp fielding.Hodge ran out David Fitzgerald with a direct hit after the opener ran down the wicket after an lbw shout.Hodge later made a diving stop at mid-wicket off Shane Deitz and his throw had the Redback keeper stranded mid-pitch after a mix-up with Mark Higgs.Michael Klinger also joined the party, taking two blinders in the gully to dismiss danger men Greg Blewett (25) and Ben Johnson (51), the pair who carved big centuries in the Redbacks’ win over Victoria in Adelaide last month.South Australia’s hopes of staying in touch of Victoria on the points table will rest with Higgs and Mick Miller, who top-scored in the first innings 202 after Blewett won the toss and batted.Rain caused the loss of 25 minutes today, but South Australia will need bucketloads tomorrow to survive.

The translation of its name could not have been more fitting.Beausejour is French for a lovely dwelling place and the ultra-modern Beausejour stadium, which is set to become international cricket’s latest venue, is a marvellously impressive facility which some might already consider second to none in the Caribbean.Set in 22 acres beneath the hills, the spacious stadium was a buzz of activity in the build-up for the back-to-back Cable & Wireless One-Day Internationals between West Indies and New Zealand.The infrastructure is modern, including four stands with bucket-type seating, 18 hospitality suites and a fashionable pavilion that contains large dressing-rooms and lounges for both teams.Its outfield, a perfect oval, is predictably lush green, giving the impression that it is suited more for golf than for cricket.Built at a cost of EC$40 million (about BDS$32 million), the facility has earned praise from rival captains Carl Hooper and Stephen Fleming.I am impressed. It is certainly better than what we’ve got in Guyana. It means that the islands are spending some money, which is good. Hooper said after a light fielding session yesterday.The teams’ preparations on the eve of the match were restricted to fielding because the planned batting practice at the Mindoo Phillip Park in Castries had to be called off because of rain in the capital city.There are plans for two turf and two artificial practice pitches at the Beausejour Stadium, but those are yet to be put in place.The one thing which we have to pay attention to is practice wickets, but certainly the facilities are good here, the West Indies captain added.Fleming also spoke glowingly of the facilities on a ground that is located not far from one of the island’s main tourist areas, Rodney Bay.The ground looks very good and the outfield fantastic, the New Zealand captain said.The outfield and playing surface are out of the top drawer appearance wise as well as usage wise. The stands look great. It is a very good facility.When fully completed, the stadium, completely funded by the state-run St Lucia National Lotteries, will also be equipped with catering facilities and public conveniences that can be utilised outside of match days.Its location in the north-east is an area which is supposed to one of the driest spots in the island, in comparison to Mindoo Philip Park, which was often affected by the weather when it staged regional first-class matches.But, as fate would have it, there were a few evening showers at Beausejour yesterday evening and it was very overcast between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.After a triple washout in Kingston, Jamaica, the West Indies Cricket Board can hardly afford another abandonment for matches that are expected to attract a number of visitors from neighbouring islands.With the series reduced to four matches, the weekend double-header can provide any side with a big advantage if they can win both matches.If you win both games, you certainly aren’t going to lose the series, Hooper said.We want to take Saturday first. We want to try and make sure that we get onto the New Zealanders straight away, whether we bat or bowl first and start the game very positively.The West Indies captain does not reckon that his side has a psychological over New Zealand after restricting the Black Caps to 176 in Wednesday’s rain-ruined match.Like I said before, I don’t think they were as prepared as they should be. They haven’t played a lot of international cricket since Pakistan, Hooper said.They are probably now feeling their way on this tour.Hooper revealed that Shivnarine Chanderpaul would most likely open the batting.We were going to give it a try in Jamaica. He will probably open in this game too. It is something that we want to try and see how it works out.If Chanderpaul goes in first, Wavell Hinds, who made 175 in a first-class match against India here five weeks ago, will slot down to No. 6.The lack of a strenuous workout in the nets, according to Hooper, however, did have at least one positive effect.We’re trying to keep the fast bowlers as fresh as possible, he said.It’s been good in one way we haven’t been able to practise, which means a lot of the lads have been able to put their legs up.That’s been good for the quicks, but for the batters, we need to keep our eye in. It’s easy to lose focus and go off the boil and lose rhythm.

Somerset wicket-keeper Rob Turner is hoping that Pakistan Test star Mushtaq Ahmed will be able to support his benefit year by playing in the six a side tournament that is scheduled to take place at the County Ground in Taunton on September 9th.When I spoke to Rob earlier today he told me: “When I spoke to ‘Mushy’ earlier in the summer he agreed to come down and play in one of the teams for me. Even though he is now playing with Surrey I am hoping that he will still be able to make it.”The Somerset keeper made his debut for the county in 1991, but it was in 1993 that he started to play for the first team on a regular basis, the same season that Mushtaq made his debut for the county.The popular Somerset wicket-keeper told me: “At first it was frightening to keep to ‘Mushy’ because I hadn’t got a clue where the ball was going to go, nor had he some of the time, but in the end I got more used to it and started to be able to read it. I got to know him quite well whilst he was with Somerset and we formed a good partnership.”Rob Turner is hoping to raise eight sides for September 9th, and each team will consist of five amateurs and one Somerset player. Anybody who is interested in raising a team should contact the beneficiary at the County Ground on 01823 272946.On September 20th at the Playhouse Theatre in Weston super Mare, David English will be hosting ‘An Evening with Phil Tufnell and Dermot Reeve’ some of the proceeds of which will also go to Rob Turner’s Benefit.Tickets for the evening that promises to be very entertaining, are available from the theatre box office (01934 645544) priced £12, and £10 for concessions.

Western Province ended the penultimate day of the UCB Bowl final much the happier team.A brilliant century from their skipper Jonno McLean set up a challenging target of 243, espescially so with the pitch aiding the spinners; while two wickets for left arm spinner Paul Harris in the few remaining overs saw the visitors needing another 229 runs to win with both the openers dismissed.The day started on a quiet note. The first four overs were maidens, and when McLean cover drove for four in the 11th over of the day, this was only the third scoring shot. However, McLean and Rashaad Magiet were intent on survival. Magiet eventually went for 52 made in just under three and a half hours. McLean was then further and ably assisted by Warren Wyngard and Renier Munnik with successive century partnerships. These could have gone further, but Wyngard was run out by Freidel de Wet attempting a second run to complete his 50. Munnik was pedestrian while McLean worked on a big total. Indeed, Munnik contributed just 11 to the 50 partnership, and had scored 16 off 89 balls before suddenly launching into the bowling.Northerns then produced an unexpected turnaround when Christo Karemaker produced a spiteful delivery which struck Munnik on the hand. After receiving treatment, the young all-rounder faced just one ball before retiring hurt on 33. Shortly afterwards, McLean was caught in the deep for 152, a dismissal which was the start of an astonishing collapse. Johan Myburgh, no more than an occasional bowler in the senior team, pulled the rug out from underneath the home batsmen, taking 6 for 22 in the space of 39 balls with his gentle off spinners. Munnik was last out, his “second” innings lasting just two ball. Only Wesley Euley provided much resistance in a dramatic hour, hitting 28 off just 20 balls, an innings which included six powerfully struck boundaries.Northerns were left needing 243 to win off a minimum of 111 overs, seven of them to be bowled before stumps. WP were hampered by Munnik being unable to bowl, but McLean shrewdly introduced Harris into the attack after just three overs. Aldin Smith was outfoxed by his fourth delivery, an arm ball, and fellow opener Maurice Aronstam prodded a leading edge back to the jubilant bowler in his next over. The visitors were left in dissarray on 14 for 2 when the umpires offered them the light with just one over still to be bowled.