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Kerala took a vital first-innings lead of 44 runs over Madhya Pradesh in a low-scoring match which has seen the bowlers reap rich rewards on a dicey track at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi. At close of play on the second day of the first Plate semi-final Ranji Trophy game, Kerala are 78 for five in their second innings, leading by 122 runs.Earlier, Kerala skipper Sunil Oasis’ decision to bat first after winning the toss on Saturday looked a bit suicidal, as the hosts lost both the openers with just 15 runs on the board. Sixteen runs later, Harvinder Singh Sodhi’s right-arm medium pace went on to snare its third victim to leave Kerala reeling at 31/3.But Hemanth Kumar (43) along with Ajay Kudua (33) and Vipin Lal (28*) averted a total disaster, steering their side to 156 all out. For Madhya Pradesh, old warhorse Narendra Hirwani and Harvinder Singh were the most successful bowlers with three wickets each.Madhya Pradesh started the second day at their overnight score of 21 for no loss, looking to gain the first innings lead. Into the third over of the morning, Tinu Yohannan trapped Mudassar Pasha (9) right in front of the wicket. And in his following over, Yohannan cleaned up Naman Ojha for a duck. Madhya Pradesh were soon in serious trouble when they lost their third wicket too at the score of 23, Dholpure (10) caught by Kerala skipper Sunil Oasis off Sree Santh.Wily leg-spinner Ananthapadmanabhan then came to the party, trapping Bundela (13) lbw and precitipating a mini-collapse. Skipper Amay Khurasiya was the next to go after having hit five boundaries and a six in making 43 – out caught and bowled by Ananthapadmanabhan. When Kudua took a smart catch to dismiss Abbas Ali for a duck off Ananthapadmanabhan’s bowling, Madhya Pradesh were reduced to 81 for six.The last four wickets fell for the addition of a mere 31 runs with Suresh Kumar going on to finish with the amazing figures of 8-6-2-2. This meant that Madhya Pradesh were bowled out for a paltry 112.Batting for the second time, Kerala batsmen had to battle hard under extremely difficult batting conditions. If there were four lbw decisions in the Madhya Pradesh innings, four off the five Kerala batsmen were given out similarly in their second essay; a clear indicator of the state of pitch at Kochi.Kerala’s most prolific scorer of this season Sujit Somasunder lasted just five balls, caught by Ojha off Pandey for a duck. This was followed by four lbw dismissals, including that of Sunil Oasis. The Kerala skipper showed a lot of commitment as he defied the bowling for almost an hour and a half, hitting threeboundaries and a six. At close of play, Ajay Kudua (3*) and Vipin Lal (0*) are at the crease.

Iain Griffiths and teenager David Wheeler hit centuries as New Milton piled up a massive 352-5 before defeating Southern Electric Premier League Division 3 strugglers United Services by 139 runs at Burnaby Road.Griffiths (123) and Wheeler (100) – his second century of the season – shared a third wicket partnership of 189 as New Milton reached their highest-ever SL total.Lee Beck took 6-36 as US slipped from 98-2 to 213 all out.Undefeated leaders Winchester KS have pulled well clear after a five-wicket win at second-placed Havant.But it was far from plain sailing as Winchester sank to 59-5 before Chris Wheeler (58) and David Parsons (28) produced an unbroken sixth-wicket stand to take the leaders past Havant’s 142 all out.Phil Mist (48) and Shane Ferguson (29) top scored for Havant, who had WKS in deep trouble after two-wicket spells by David Wade and Mist.But Parsons, surviving a confident appeal for a catch behind, and Wheeler steered WKS from 59-5 to 143-5 and to a five-wicket win.SEC Cup semi-finalists Rowledge appeared on course for victory over third-placed Alton when the rains came with the Surrey club comfortably placed at 58-1.Australian Craig Eichler (5-23) ripped out Alton’s top five, but Rowledge found themselves thwarted by veteran Paddy Heffernan (40 not out) and Brian Gillingham (18), whose unbroken ninth-wicket stand lifted the visitors from 98-8 to 152-8.But all Rowledge’s hopes were dashed by a 21st over downpour.Any fading prospect Gosport Borough had of featuring in the promotion chase disappeared with a seven-wicket thrashing from St Cross Symondians.Gosport’s batting collapsed against three-wicket trio Brian Lipscombe (3-26), Matt Perry-Lewis (3-14) and Chris Edwards (3-17).They would have struggled to reach 100, but for postman Mark Oxford (19), whose last wicket stand with Brendan Regan lifted Borough from 65-9.Kiwi Mark Parker (54) blasted St Cross home with a no-nonsence half-century.Burly South African all-rounder Jan Kaminski took 5-49 to set up a rain-trimmed ten-wicket win for Hook & Newnham Basics over Flamingos, who have slipped into deep trouble.Flamingos middle-order caved in from 80-3 (Richie Manthorpe 33) to 113-7 and only a spirited eighth-wicket rally between Adie Heath (20) and evergreen Dave Wright took the total on to 150.Hook made short work of a trunkated target, with Keith Lovelock (79) and Steve Shaw (50) completing the ten-wicket formalities.Hursley Park’s survival prospects improved with an eight-wicket win over Lymington II, whose 198-6 was cut to 138 when rain trimmed 15 overs off the match.Youngsters Steve Jenkin and Jason Carr (both 47) did their bit for Lymington, but consistent top-order batting by John Harris (44), Andy Marks (26), Rob Lowe (29) and Paul Edwards (29) carried Hursley home.A lively left-arm spell by Purbrook’s Mark Stanley (4-18) reduced Bashley (Rydal) II from 52-0 (Martin Herbert 38) to 88-5 and an eventual 159 all out.Once Ian Hunter (62 not out) and Mike Hennessy (40) had given Purbrook an 86-run start, it was plain sailing.Colin Pay’s 35 not out completed a nine-wicket win for Purbrook.

West Ham recorded a crucial 2-1 victory over Everton in the Premier League this afternoon as goals from Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen secured three points for the Hammers in the quest for European qualification.

The left-back scored an excellent free-kick to give David Moyes’ side the lead going into half-time before defender Mason Holgate volleyed a deflected equaliser past Lukasz Fabianski in the second half.

However, Bowen, on return from a month-long injury layoff, scored the decisive goal, tapping into an empty net after Michail Antonio’s strike was parried by Jordan Pickford.

To make matters even worse for Frank Lampard’s relegation-threatened side, captain Michael Keane was shown a second yellow card, the third consecutive league game in which Everton have seen a man sent off.

Although the English duo scored the goals, fellow countryman and midfielder Declan Rice was a rock in the middle of the park for the East London outfit at the London Stadium.

According to SofaScore, the Englishman recorded a 7.2 match rating after making 95 touches and enjoying a 94% passing accuracy against the Merseyside outfit.

Moreover, the 23-year-old won half of his ground duels whilst contributing one key pass, losing possession just nine times, an average of every 10.6 touches.

From a defensive point of view, the colossus showed just why he’s been dubbed an “explosion” and a “revelation” by his manager, contributing three interceptions as well as two blocks and one tackle.

It’s no surprise that West Ham’s prize asset was impressive, particularly against one of the top-flight’s biggest strugglers in Everton.

Rice has been repeatedly subject to a potential big-money move away from East London this summer, with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola labelling the 23-year-old as “an exceptional player.”

However, Moyes has recently stated that the midfielder isn’t for sale and that a fee north of £150m would be the minimum asking price if he is to depart.

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The Irons are now back into the Premier League’s top six after their important league victory, however, seventh-placed Manchester United are level on points and have a game in hand.

Next up for the Hammers is the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final against Lyon, another crucial game that Moyes will need all of his players to step up for. A performance similar to that of today’s from Rice certainly won’t be objected to by those associated with the Stratford side.

AND in other news: Moyes can finally axe “shocking” WHU dud as claim emerges, supporters surely buzzing

	Blow for Bangalore: Wasim Jaffer is out of action for three weeks (file photo) © Getty Images

The struggling Bangalore Royal Challengers team have received another blow with Wasim Jaffer suffering a fracture in his hand, one which will keep him out of action for three weeks.Jaffer picked the injury during the game against Chennai Super Kings on April 28 and it gradually worsened to the extent he couldn’t hold the bat yesterday. X-rays have revealed a fracture and Bangalore will once again have to grapple with opening woes.”It’s a huge blow as Jaffer has been our best opener,” Martin Crowe told Cricinfo. “He has really worked hard to adapt to Twenty20 format and it’s a pity that he would be out for three weeks.”Crowe hinted that J Arunkumar, the domestic player with a List A average of 33.96 from 100 games, might be given a chance in the upcoming encounters.Bangalore have tried five different opening combinations – Jaffer and Rahul Dravid, Shivanarine Chanderpaul and Dravid, Jaffer and Bharat Chipli, Jaffer and Virat Kohli and Jaffer and Praveen Kumar – but nothing has worked so far. Jaffer has scored 110 runs in 99 balls from five games and none of his partners have really fired. That 37 is the highest opening partnership they have had, and 13, their second-highest, says a lot about their problems at the start.Bangalore, wallowing near the bottom of the pool with five losses from seven games, next face Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens on May 8.

Monty Panesar’s enthusiastic appealing drew a warning from Aleem Dar © Getty Images

Peter Moores said Monty Panesar’s persistent appealing during England’s third Test win against West Indies was simply a sign of his enthusiasm and not an example of unsporting behaviour. Panesar finished the match with figures of 10 for 187 at Old Trafford as England won by 60 runs to take an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the four-match series.It was the first time in a decade an England spinner had taken ten wickets in a Test but Panesar’s achievement was almost overshadowed on Monday by a succession of increasingly desperate appeals which might have seen him charged under the ICC Code of Conduct. As it was, umpire Aleem Dar made do with warning Panesar, reminding him to appeal to him first before celebrating a wicket.However, Moores was satisfied with Panesar’s conduct and he praised Dar and Billy Bowden for the way they dealt with the pressures of a hard-fought final day. Asked if Panesar’s appealing represented an attempt to put pressure on officials, Moores replied: “Not really, because I know it’s genuine. I think good umpires do understand that in many ways the enthusiasm and the excitement of the game can suck players into it. When the umpire says not out then Monty stops which I think is fine, it’s when people go again that isn’t right. I thought all the appealing that went on was fine.”With West Indies chasing what would have been a fourth innings Test record total of 455 to win, on a pitch taking turn, Moores said plenty of Panesar appeals were inevitable. “There was always going to be a lot of hits on the pad and a lot of bat-pads going on and there was going to be that sort of tension in the game,” said Moores.Panesar even appealed when a rogue ball bounced so much it hit Shivnarine Chanderpaul on the head. Afterwards Panesar said he’d struggled to keep his cool. “You want to take wickets and you want the game to go forward and it was a very testing period for myself, but I have to stay calm, put the ball in the right areas and let the pitch do the work,” Panesar said. “Aleem told me to appeal before I start celebrating. I guess I get a little bit excited when I’m out there.”England have opted for a four-man attack during this series with Panesar the lone specialist spinner. Moores said an increased workload had benefited Panesar. “The fact we’ve used three seamers has allowed him to bowl a bit more and from that he’s stepped up again and he’s shown what a quality bowler he can be,” Moores said. “He’s learning all the time and getting better and it’s very exciting to see spinners in the game because they create a different type of pressure.”

Fred Trueman’s coffin is carried into the church © Getty Images

Friends and former team-mates have said their final farewells to Fred Trueman whose funeral took place this afternoon at Bolton Abbey Priory, North Yorkshire.Trueman was diagnosed with a form of lung cancer in May and died on Saturday. Ray Illingworth and Brian Close, the former England captain, joined several hundred mourners at the church where Trueman was a regular worshipper.”He was a genius. And I use that word very, very sparingly,” Dickie Bird, the former Test umpire told the congregation in his tribute to Trueman. “There have not been very many geniuses in sport — Muhammad Ali in boxing, (Diego) Maradona, Pele and (George) Best in football, Michael Johnson the great American athlete, (Don) Bradman, (Garfield) Sobers, (Dennis) Lilliee and Trueman. I put him up there.”A genius – and all these I have mentioned had a wonderful, wonderful gift. You cannot coach the gift, and that was balance. Trueman had wonderful balance. He bowled at pace, he swung the ball away late and by doing that he got all the great players in the world out.”You are cherished, my friend, you are cherished by us all,” he added.The Reverend John Ward, Rector of Bolton Abbey, said England had lost a “genuine sporting hero”.”But the loss to his country, his fans or his friends is as nothing compared to that of his family,” he said. “We meet many of us as strangers yet bound by our affection and respect for what I can only describe as a cricketing colossus.”A man capable of crossing all boundaries, be it four runs, six runs or social class.”The Yorkshire coach David Byas and captain Craig White also attended the service. Byas added: “He epitomised everything that cricket was about. He was a true Yorkshireman. He was Yorkshire through-and-through.”A book of condolence has been opened at Headingley, which will eventually be presented to his widow.

Bennett King: in line to be West Indies’ first foreign coach© Getty Images

Inter-island rivalries have always made picking a West Indies team difficult. Since they lost their world-champion crown to Australia in 1995, selection has become virtually impossible as dozens of players have been tried and tested … and failed. The same problem has infiltrated the process of appointing a coach. Choosing someone to guide the side, and stay there, has been nothing short of a nightmare, and the West Indies Cricket Board is now looking for help from yet another island: Australia.A leaked e-mail from board sources says that the Australian academy head coach Bennett King will soon be moving to the Caribbean. Greg Chappell was ruled out because his asking price was too high, and Peter Moores, the Sussex coach, was also a contender. Only one West Indian – who has, amazingly, remained unnamed – was on the short-list to replace Gus Logie. Logie was the second choice last year, after King rejected the job after another bungled selection process. King was called by a board official and told he had got the job and the media had been alerted. However, according to King, negotiations were barely in the initial stages, and he decided to stay with the close-knit Australia cricket academy.So Logie, who coached West Indies A before finding himself mentoring Canada at the 2003 World Cup, was given a job most of the applicants hadn’t wanted. He stayed long enough to win the Champions Trophy in England last month, but left by mutual consent when that tournament finished.This time the WI Board is trying to be more careful, although this strategy still hasn’t worked: “We have treated it [the selection process] with a degree of strict confidentially that we intend to maintain,” Roger Brathwaite, the WICB chief executive, told the Trinidad & Tobago Express. “We will only make the appropriate announcement when both parties are in full agreement and the contract has been signed.”But the leaked e-mail says King has accepted the job and the board plans to unveil him next week. The move means King will become West Indies’ first foreign coach. Rohan Kanhai was the team’s initial choice in 1992, and Andy Roberts, Clive Lloyd, Malcolm Marshall, Sir Vivian Richards and Roger Harper followed. But the board has come to the end of the list of 1980s heroes, while the old problems remain both on and off the field. The Champions Trophy already seems a long time ago.

Dewald Pretorius and Heath Streak have joined Warwickshire for the 2004 season, after agreeing to share one of the two slots available for overseas players.Streak, who needed the approval of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, has suffered a string of niggling injuries in recent months, but was nonetheless keen to return to county cricket after an absence of several years. He will join Warwickshire from mid-June until the end of August, when he will link up with the Zimbabwe squad ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. Pretorious, who was at Durham last season, will play either side of Streak’s stint.Warwickshire’s other overseas player, the Australian spinner Brad Hogg, is expected to play for most of the season. The captain, Nick Knight, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Heath will be joining us next season. With 200 Test wickets to his name, he will help the young bowlers coming through as well as bolstering our batting line-up. His cricket experience will be invaluable.”Warwickshire had hoped to sign Makhaya Ntini but that plan was vetoed by the South African board.

New South Wales cricketer Graeme Rummans’ hearing before an Australian Cricket Board (ACB) committee is under way in Melbourne.The 25-year-old is facing the three-person Anti-Doping Committee following the return of a positive test to the banned masking agent probenecid before a training session with the New South Wales state squad in December last year.If ultimately found to have acted inappropriately, Rummans faces the possibility of a maximum two-year ban from all cricket conducted under the auspices of the ACB and the six state associations in Australia.But the committee also has the power to either clear Rummans of any offence or to reduce his sentence under guidelines that allow the severity of any punishment to be relaxed where extenuating medical circumstances exist.Former Western Australian paceman Duncan Spencer is the only player to have previously been outed from the sport in Australia following the return of a positive drug test. In a case heard in April of last year, he was barred from participating in international and interstate cricket for a period of 18 months in the wake of his use of the banned steroid nandrolone.Rummans’ hearing began at 4:30pm AEDT and is expected to proceed for several hours.

A gallant unbeaten 100 by BMV Uthappa followed by a mesmeric spell offour for eight from two overs by AT Rayudu helped South Zone defeatCombined XI by three runs in an inconsequential group B match in theinter-academy cricket tournament at Bangalore on Saturday.Play started only at 12.28 pm because of rain. Put in to bat, SouthZone scored 180 for nine in the allotted 27 overs. The highlight wasUthappa’s knock. Coming in after four wickets had fallen for 34, hestayed on till the end, facing just 62 balls and hitting nine foursand five sixes. With N Reddy (25), Uthappa added 90 runs off 10.2overs for the seventh wicket after six wickets had gone down for 50.Combined XI with valuable contributions from skipper SM Dholpure (32),HTS Rao (48), Sushil Kumar (30) and SV Lazarus (24) seemed to beheaded for victory at 155 for three after 23 overs. But Rayudu’s spelland a couple of run outs saw Combined XI restricted to 177 for nine in27 overs.