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Hungerford’s bid to make the early pace in Southern Electric Premier League, Division 3 has received a double setback, with skipper Owen Dawkins injured and opening bowler Jason Williams banned.The Berkshire club could be without captain Dawkins, a former MCC Young Professional, for the remainder of the season after the all-rounder broke his wrist playing for Wales MC against Wiltshire last weekend.Bowling his off-spin, Dawkins was hit on the wrist by a blistering drive and currently has his arm in plaster.Jason Williams has been banned for three matches by the Premier League following abusive remarks made to an umpire in a Division 3 match at New Milton earlier in the season.The Berkshire club, who visit Ventnor tomorrow, have imposed internal disciplinary measures against the bowler.Hungerford lie joint second in SPL3 after winning both of their completed matches, although they were saved by the rain in the subsequently abandoned match at Fernhill.Trojans, also on 42 points, visit Paultons, while Winchester KS, near enough back to full strength, will be confident of ruining Havant II’s unbeaten start, even though they have lost their last two games.Havant first team captain Paul Gover plays against WKS as he is unable to play all day.The return of students Chris Yates, who captains Cardiff University, and Nick Morant at bottom club South Wilts II should boost Rowledge’s prospects of a third successive win.But a hamstring injury has sidelined former Reigate Priory seamer Simon Bonser, who will be a spectator at Bemerton, alongside injured teenage wicketkeeper Ian Metcalfe.Hambledon, who successfully chased amassive 280-5 to beat Hook & Newnham Basics last week, face a testing visit to unbeaten Alton, who are among the prime promotion contenders.Ryan Beck returns to the New Milton fold as the Fernhill club bid to break their duck against Portsmouth II.Struggling Flamingo plan a top-order batting shake up in a bid to put more runs on the board in a vital match at Hook & Newnham Basics, who have also suffered three defeats.One-time Hook left-hander Mike Foster makes a nostalgic return to his old club.

The England team management today announced the availability of Englandcontracted players to their counties for the rest of the domestic cricketseason.Available for all remaining domestic fixtures: Darren Gough, Michael Vaughan, Matthew Hoggard (all Yorkshire), Alec Stewart (Surrey) and Michael Atherton (Lancashire.) Graham Thorpe (Surrey) and Dominic Cork (Derbyshire) will also be available subject to fitness.The England team management has also requested that counties rest the following players in order to give them an extended break before this winter’s tours.Craig White: available for Yorkshire’s NUL match against Kent tomorrow but to be rested thereafter.Andrew Caddick and Marcus Trescothick: available to Somerset for their NULfixture at Northampton this Thursday and the C and G Trophy Final thisSaturday, but to be rested thereafter.Nasser Hussain: to be rested by Essex from all domestic cricket until theend of the season.

Journalist Dan Orlowitz has made a transfer claim regarding Real Madrid winger Takefusa Kubo and Celtic.

The Lowdown: Kubo profiled

Kubo is primarily a right winger who can also play on the left or in an attacking midfield role.

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The 20-year-old joined Real Madrid back in 2019 and has since been out on loan with Villarreal, Getafe and now Mallorca.

He is out of contract at the Bernabeu in 2024 and has previously worked under Ange Postecoglou at Yokohama F. Marinos, and Orlowitz hasn’t ruled out a potential loan switch to Parkhead for the youngster.

The Latest: Orlowitz on Kubo and Celtic

Orlowitz took to Twitter on Thursday, sharing news of Takuhiro Nakai’s new deal with Real Madrid through to 2025.

He suggested that Nakai could make the step up to the first team before Kubo, with one Celtic fan hoping that Postecoglou takes a look at the latter. This is what Orlowitz had to say in reply, claiming that it might be some bit plausible:

“Ange already helped Kubo find his footing once during his half-season loan at Yokohama FM so this kind of isn’t the most insane idea.”

The Verdict: Unlikely…

The Hoops aren’t exactly short of options out wide after bringing in Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda and Jota under Postecoglou during his two transfer windows in charge.

Celtic also have the option to make Jota’s loan move permanent in the summer for £6.5m, and if they do, you’d expect that a temporary switch for Kubo could be unlikely.

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However, it may well be one to keep an eye on due to the 20-year-old working with Postecoglou before, and after Orlowitz’s claim, concrete links might just surface ahead of the summer transfer window.

In other news: Celtic may move for ‘incredibly fast’ ace at top of his game; O’Riley has the same agent

Queensland Cricket (QC) has posted a record profit for the 2006-07 financial year due to last year’s Ashes Test at the Gabba.All five days of the Brisbane Test in November were sold out, with 117,603 people attending to create a record for the ground. On Tuesday Damien Mullins, QC’s chairman, outlined plans to distribute a large slice of the $2.5m profit back into grassroots cricket across the state.”It is appropriate that all members of the Queensland Cricket family share in the spoils of the Ashes series,” Mullins said, “and we believe this to be the most responsible and beneficial way to re-invest in the game’s future.” Each of the state’s seven regional cricket bodies will also receive a $20,000 grant.

‘The spirit of cricket is also about a commitment to play even under the worstcircumstances’ – Sonn © International Cricket Council

Percy Sonn, the ICC’s ever-entertaining president, regaled the media fornearly 45 minutes after his arrival in Colombo, but the sense of humourwas conspicuously absent when it came to his views on South Africa’swithdrawal from the tri-nation series that also involved India and SriLanka. With the ensuing three-match series between Sri Lanka and Indiaalso on the verge of being cancelled, Sri Lanka Cricket is in disarray andlooking at a considerable sum in the red.Sonn, who broke the ice by speaking of his love of the country, trips upnorth to see the elephants and the efficacy of the local oils, invoked thespirit of cricket when he spoke of South Africa’s withdrawal from thetour. “It’s always disappointing when cricket is called off,” he said. “Thespirit of cricket is also about a commitment to play even under the worstcircumstances.”There was a chuckle or two when he spoke of his experiences managing ateam in the townships – “On a Friday night, I’d have to beat up people tokeep them sober for the next day. Some days, if we didn’t have enoughplayers, we’d fill in with school boys.”Sonn went on to state that it was now for Sri Lanka Cricket and CricketSouth Africa to sit together and decide when the matches could be played.He said that the issue would only be presented before the DisputeResolution Committee if both countries couldn’t come to an agreement onthe matter.While admitting that security was a touchy subject, Sonn stated thatcricket had to live with ground realities. ‘The world we live in is animperfect place,” he said. ‘Every country has some issues. The place whereI was born is often referred to as the crime capital of the world, but Ihave never felt that way. I feel as safe there as I do here.”We in the cricketing family have to make the most of the situation andlook to play at all times. We must go out of our way to ensure that thespirit of cricket overrides all the diversities in our cultures.”Sonn spoke of how the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa had helpedbring the country together, and also alluded to Pakistan’s tour of Indiain 1999, with the two countries on the verge of another war, as examplesof how sport could have a positive effect on life.With the ICC’s own tournament, the Champions Trophy, due to be held inIndia in October-November, Sonn said that every precaution had been takenon the security front. “It will be a feast of cricket,” he said. “We havean opportunity to create the best of cricket in India, a country whereeveryone watches the game.”He said that his reaction had been one of “deep disappointment” when helearnt of South Africa’s decision to leave Sri Lanka. “It’s not for theICC to judge the South African decision,” he said, before going on to addthat if all countries were amenable to the idea, the ICC might considermaking the security assessment themselves, rather than leaving theresponsibility to private agencies.He said that the decision to ask for an independent opinion, in the wakeof South Africa’s own security team declaring Colombo unsafe, was part ofICC protocol, put in place after South Africa had dithered prior to theirtour of Pakistan in late 2003. He said that Sri Lanka Cricket would haveto calculate their losses and then talk to South Africa about reschedulingthe matches within the framework of the Future Tours Programme.The man who was president of the United Cricket Board of South Africaduring the last World Cup, laughed when asked what security arrangementshad been made for his visit. “They’re so efficient that I don’t see them,”said Sonn with a chuckle. And when someone enquired whether he felt safewhere his countrymen had not, he smiled and said: “I’m from Cape Town. We aredifferent.”

Shane Warne warmed up at Lord’s under the eyes of his long-term mentor © Getty Images

Terry Jenner’s roles as Shane Warne’s mentor and an ECB legspinning coach have been cleared as a conflict of interest. The ECB received complaints after Jenner had fine-tuned Warne’s action before the first Test at Lord’s, where his six wickets sent a new generation of English batsmen looking for answers.However, an ECB spokesman told Jenner was a consultant rather than a full-time staff member on a program to unearth Test quality spinners by 2007. “As far as we are concerned there is no problem at all,” the spokesman told the paper. “Terry Jenner is his own man. He was involved for one specific project and his work on that is finished.”At a pre-Test net session Jenner, who has coached Warne for more than a decade, worked with him for two hours after spotting some areas where his loop and drift could be improved. Warne then produced what Adam Gilchrist said was “some of the best bowling I’ve kept to from him”. “That’s a pretty big statement, he has set such high standards,” Gilchrist told . “When he bowls over the top he gets that drift towards leg. Then, when you are spinning it, you only have to spin it six inches and you are going to deceive batsmen.”Gilchrist will miss the tour match against Worcestershire, which starts on Saturday, but plans to work on problems caused by Andrew Flintoff bowling around the wicket. The second Test begins at Birmingham on August 4.

Andrew Hall in action for Worcestershire against Lancashire earlier this season© Getty Images

Andrew Hall’s contract has not been renewed by the Titans Cricket Franchise, meaning that he is now a free agent in South African cricket.Hall, 28, has played 10 Tests and 43 one-day internationals since 1998-99, and was one of South Africa’s stars on their tour to England last year, when he took 16 wickets with his medium-paced bowling and contributed a Test-best 99 not out to their victory at Headingley. He is currently plying his trade with Worcestershire, the county that has become his second home.”It is most unfortunate that we have not been able to agree terms with Andrew Hall and his agent,” said Brandon Foot, the chairman of the Titans’ board of directors. “We have been in protracted, but inconclusive, negotiations for a sustained period of time.Hall is perhaps the only cricketer to have been shot at point-blank range during a mugging, and lived to tell the tale. “Andrew is a wonderfully courageous cricketer who performed admirably for the Titans during the recent Pro-20 Series,” added Foot. “We wish him everything of the best in his future endeavours.”

Mumbai took control of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group final, pegging Tamil Nadu back to 102 for 3 after setting them an improbable victory target of 377. Mumbai now need seven more wickets to win, while Tamil Nadu need a further 274 runs. Of all probable results, a draw looks the least likely.Tamil Nadu took an overly cautious approach at the beginning of their chase and suffered in the process. Sadagoppan Ramesh (6) drove Ajit Agarkar on the up to Wasim Jaffer in the fifth over of the innings. Sridharan Sriram, at his dour best, played out 48 balls for 5 before being trapped plumb in frontby Sairaj Bahutule.With Ramesh and Sriram gone, Tamil Nadu were down in the dumps. Their postion deteriorated further when S Suresh, after playing some authoritative drives in an innings of 44, lost his off stump to a careless shot. At 62 for 3 in the 24th over, Tamil Nadu had a long way to go.Hemang Badani (23 not out) and S Badrinath (12 not out) realised this and took their team to stumps without further damage. The final day will be a long, hard one for Tamil Nadu, as Mumbai hold all the aces.Mumbai had begun the fourth day reasonably placed, although they had lost three quick wickets yesterday evening to slip from 210 for 3 to 228 for 4. Amol Mazumdar (7) was snapped up by Suresh early on and this meant that Bhavin Thakkar had to bolster the batting in the company of Bahutule. Thakkar began nervously, playing and missing, but settled into a solid groove.Bahutule (27) helped add 48 runs for the sixth wicket before he was unluckily run out. Thakkar’s straight drive was defelected into the stumps by MR Shrinivas, the bowler, with Bahutule stranded short of his crease.Thakkar more than made up for the part he played in Bahutule’s run out, batting stoically for 66 before retiring hurt with cramps. In their search for quick runs, Mumbai lost Agarkar early. Ramesh Powar then used the long-handle to good effect, clouting 53 off just 64 balls to take Mumbai to a healthy 387 for seven declared.

England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney, has admitted that Headingley hero Mark Butcher would probably not have played in the npower Ashes series if England’s first choice players had been fit.”If there had not been so many injuries, he wouldn’t have played,” conceded Graveney. “But we had a good idea of his form because there are so many Surrey lads in the squad and overall he has been our most consistent player this summer.”The pressure in the last innings of a Test match is awesome and you can assess the magnitude of the achievement by the fact that we have only reached a target like that twice.”But Graveney, talking to the BBC, supported the comments of Lord MacLaurin, chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, who said yesterday that a lot of work remains to be done before England are able to realistically expect to beat Australia.”You can say that we have been unlucky in one or two respects but we are playing against the finest side in the world and we have been found wanting,” MacLaurin told BBC Radio 5 Live.”One or two players have been injured but that does not disguise the fact that we have to look at our game in this country right from grassroots through to the county level and make it much more professional.””It just shows how quickly things can change in sport, in this case in a matter of hours,” said Graveney. But he reiterated the view that no-one should get carried away with the Leeds win, or let it disguise the disappointing result for England from the series as a whole.”If we are being honest, our performances have not been good enough and even on the first day of this Test, our bowling was probably the worst it has been all season.”

Peter Fulton made 155 off 144 balls in Canterbury’s second innings•Getty Images

Allrounder Logan van Beek, who played for Netherlands in the 2014 World T20, produced the best performance of a young career to spearhead Canterbury’s 304-run victory against Otago in Christchurch. Van Beek scored his maiden first-class hundred to rescue Canterbury’s first innings and then took career-best match figures of 8 for 70 – six in the final innings – to bowl out Otago on the fourth day.Having lost the toss, Canterbury were in deep trouble when 20-year old fast bowler Jack Hunter, playing his second first-class game, dismissed both openers for ducks in the first over of the match. Hunter, who finished with figures of 4 for 47, along with Michael Rae and Sam Wells, cut through the line-up and reduced the hosts to 130 for 8.Van Beek, the grandson of former West Indies and New Zealand Test cricketer Sammy Guillen, rallied the lower order during an aggressive hundred from No. 9. He made an unbeaten 111 off 125 balls, adding 59 for the ninth wicket and 104 for the tenth, before Canterbury were dismissed for 293.”It was one of those situations where the team was in trouble, I’ve been in that situation a lot of times before and I’d get 20, 30 or get [out] early and we’d just fall over,” van Beek told stuff.co.nz. “We went five runs at a time and next thing you know I was on 40. When Will came out it was five runs at a time. I threw a bit of caution to the wind and next thing I know I’m on 90.”I’ve had a few coaches and players ask why did I take the single the first ball. I thought Will was playing it so well. I was quite relaxed, I thought if it’s going to happen it’s going to happen,” van Beek said of his decision to not farm the strike. “He took this big flay at a short and wide one. My heart just went …. (gasps). He looked at me and kind of winked.”I’ve been in the gym preparing my body. I had a goal to be ready for the first game of the season, I ticked that off. All the hard work’s paid off.”Otago began the second day on 5 for 0 but the wickets column quickly filled up. Only three batsmen made it past single figures, with No. 8 Nick Beard top scoring with 22, as the visitors were routed for 91 in 36.3 overs. New-ball bowlers Ryan McCone and Will Williams took three wickets apiece, while van Beek had figures of 2 for 13, to give Canterbury a lead of 202.Their top order did not fail a second time. Openers Leo Carter and Ronnie Hira made half-centuries, and though they fell in quick succession to leave the score 134 for 2, Peter Fulton and Ken McClure built on that platform. At stumps on the second day, Fulton was 97, McClure 47, and Canterbury were 272 for 2. They declared on 350 for 2 on the third day with Fulton unbeaten on 155 off 144 balls, having hit five sixes, and McClure on 66 not out.Chasing a target of 553, Otago opener Brad Wilson held up one end, but wickets fell at the other. After two half-century stands for the first three wickets, and Sean Eathorne retiring hurt, Otago began to lose batsmen regularly. They slipped from 159 for 2 to 213 for 6 by stumps on the third day, with van Beek picking up three wickets. Losing Wilson for 100 just before stumps was a severe blow to Otago.Though there was rain on the fourth day, Canterbury needed only 12.4 overs to wrap up the victory. Van Beek took the last three wickets to finish with a career-best innings haul of 6 for 57. Otago were dismissed for 248 in 97.1 overs.