Former New Zealand soccer and cricket vice-captain and deputy head of Christchurch’s Middleton Grange School Vic Pollard has a new supporting role.Pollard, 57, is the new Christian Heritage Party deputy leader, replacing Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, who resigned from the party in November.Party leader Graham Capill said the CHP is “privileged” to have Pollard in the position, which is a temporary one and will be reassessed at August’s party convention in Nelson, when a new leader will be selected and a committee will report on the CHP’s future direction.Leadership nominations run from Christmas to May, but Capill said only one man, not Pollard, has applied. Capill expects further applications by May, but did not want to pre-empt the decision on a new leader.Vice-captain to Canterbury’s Graham Dowling in the New Zealand cricket team to England in 1969, Pollard would probably have led his country in the West Indies in 1971/72 when Dowling withdrew with a back injury.However, his Christian beliefs prevented him from playing on Sundays and he did not tour.Pollard also led Central Districts to two Plunket Shields and later led Canterbury for a season.At Middleton Grange since 1980, Pollard said he hopes he may enhance the CHP’s chance of gaining representation in Parliament.The father of five said there was a great need for Christians to take a lead in local and national Government in New Zealand society, “which is rapidly moving away from its Christian heritage.”Pollard said he was 100% behind Capill and the party’s policies of family, justice and choice and would need some persuading to apply to be leader and did not want to speculate on his interest in leading the CHP.”At this stage I don’t want to say if I will or I won’t (apply),” he said.”I’m biding my time. It’s a big job. It’s tough in politics generally and particularly with the last couple of years the party’s had.”Pollard, No 3 on the party list at the last election behind Capill and Raukawa-Tait, said he did not seek leadership, but “if it comes my way in my career or sport or politics probably less so and others see I’ve got giftings … I’m not one personally who strives for that because I come from a Christian position. But if it comes my way I’d make that personal sacrifice.”
Havant’s interest in the ECB Club Championship ended with a 93-run defeat by West of England Premier League champions Bath at North Parade.The Southern Electric Premiers were never in the hunt after Gordon Swinney (103 not out) and Stu Priscott (71) powered Bath to 221-5 in 45 overs.Richard Lewis (30) and Paul Gover (28) top scored in Havant’s disappointing 129 all out.
Despite picking up a much-needed league win over Sheffield United last Friday night, West Bromwich Albion are still way off the promotion places in the Championship.
The hot-and-cold Baggies – who have regularly stumbled in their pursuit of the playoffs in recent seasons – remain six points off the coveted top six positions, with nine defeats in league action already this season troubling Ryan Mason’s position as manager.
He has only been in charge since mid-June as the West Midlands outfit boldly handed him the reins after the failed return of Tony Mowbray, but football is a fast-paced and fickle game, with more defeats perhaps leading to an early dismissal.
Reporter Chris Lepkowski has come out to say that there is “no appetite” yet at the Hawthorns from the powers that be to get rid.
Still, that hasn’t stopped several high-profile names from being linked to the Championship job, with ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O’Neil suggested.
Why West Brom should steer clear of O'Neil
The close geography between Molineux and the Hawthorns makes this an obvious name to be linked, with O’Neil in the Old Gold dug-out for a turbulent 63 games in total.
He would come in with that Premier League pedigree, having also managed in the top division with AFC Bournemouth, but it’s clear from his final few months in the Wolves dug-out that he wouldn’t be cut out for turning around West Brom’s fortunes in the league below.
From his final 16 matches in charge of Wolves, who would ultimately turn around their depressing fortunes last season under Vitor Pereira, O’Neil only collected a miserable two victories, with Wolves chairman Jeff Shi openly admitting that he cut ties “too late”, looking back at giving him the rightful axe.
With no experience of a Championship promotion fight under his belt, either, it isn’t immediately apparent whether O’Neil would be able to handle that intense heat, with bruises surely still there from how his Old Gold stay ended.
Whereas, one out-of-work manager could be just what the Baggies need to push up the table, as a brand new Carlos Corberan-style figure is potentially appointed down the line.
Corberan 2.0: West Brom could hire "elite" manager
Truthfully, the West Midlands side has never gotten over their beloved Spaniard walking out on them mid-season for Valencia, with the aforementioned Mowbray coming in and failing, while Mason is yet to prove himself as well.
A high 47 wins would come Corberan’s way from 107 West Brom outings, leading to the much-loved 42-year-old guiding his side to a playoff finish come the end of the 2022/23 season. Before he left, too, only three losses had been suffered from 22 league games, with Mason already up to a damaging nine, to be at risk of the sack.
There is nothing to suggest that O’Neil would be able to lift the 16th-place side all the way up to the promotion positions to become the second coming of Corberan, with his worrying career tally of just 31 wins as a manager, falling flat next to the Spaniard’s wins total just at West Brom.
Instead, they could loo towards a certain Michael Carrick. He would no doubt believe in his own ability to be a transformative presence to rival Corberan, having consistently had Middlesbrough in and around the promotion spaces when he was still at the Riverside Stadium.
Having had to come out of the shadows of a coaching career in the north with Manchester United, much like Corberan under Marcelo Bielsa’s tutelage at Leeds, Carrick would instantly thrive in the Boro dug-out, with the once relegation-threatened outfit turned into promotion contenders, courtesy of the 44-year-old.
Subscribe for inside takes on West Brom’s managerial fate Get sharper context: subscribe to the newsletter for data-led analysis of West Brom’s managerial options, clear breakdowns of candidate profiles and realistic scenarios, and informed perspective on how each hire could shape the club’s promotion chances. Subscribe for inside takes on West Brom’s managerial fate Get sharper context: subscribe to the newsletter for data-led analysis of West Brom’s managerial options, clear breakdowns of candidate profiles and realistic scenarios, and informed perspective on how each hire could shape the club’s promotion chances.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Corberan did the same at the Hawthorns once upon a time, leading to suggestions from scout Petar Petrov that he is an “elite” coach. Coincidentally, Carrick was also labelled as an “elite manager” by one analyst on social media after an electric start on Teesside, even if he did ultimately run out of steam in the Championship side’s dug-out.
Carrick’s league record at Middlesbrough
Games managed
122
Wins
56
Draws
23
Losses
43
Win percentage
45.9%
Points
191
Highest position
4th
Sourced by Transfermarkt
He would never trump his first full season, as two playoff near-misses followed, but with 191 points accumulated in the tricky division overall, he could well go down as the club’s next Corberan, if he is the man they potentially go after.
O’Neil’s measly career win percentage of 31% also surely makes him an unattractive target to pursue, as West Brom are left in a tough spot right now, as they consider sticking by Mason or seeking out alternatives.
Patel could hire Ryan Mason upgrade who's "exactly what West Brom need"
West Brom should part ways with Ryan Mason to appoint this manager who would be an upgrade in the dugout.
Scorecard Saurabh Tiwary’s patient 27 was not enough in Jharkhand’s unsuccessful chase of 213 (file photo)•Getty Images
Assam’s spin twins, J Syed Mohammad and Arlen Konwar, delivered them a second win in as many matches, keeping Jharkhand down to 157 in their defence of 212. It will be ironical to Tamil Nadu supporters that on the day their spinners struggled badly on a rank turner, Syed, who has played Under-19 cricket for them, took his first five-wicket haul for another team and took them to the top of Group C.Jharkhand began the day needing 157 with eight wickets in hand, but Syed took little time in dismissing the first-innings half-centurion and danger man Rameez Nemat for 42. Saurabh Tiwary and Deepak Chougule then added 29 for the fourth wicket, but Syed dismissed Tiwary too to make it 101 for 4.To make things worse for Jharkhand, he trapped Chougule too, and at 120 for 5 Assam were the favourites. Wicketkeeeper Shiv Gautam, though, had other ideas, and took Jharkhand to 155 for 6. By now, the first-innings hero, Konwar, had swung into action, and had begun chipping at the lower order. To seal the deal, Syed dismissed Gautam for 30. At 155 for 8, it was all but over. Konwar completed the formalities, and the four wickets gave him a maiden 10-wicket match haul. Scorecard Shadab Jakati’s four-wicket burst at the top of Jammu & Kashmir’s innings injected some interest into an otherwise drab match, but Bandeep Singh and captain Samiullah Beigh fought it out to a draw and their first point of the season. Playing their first match of the season, Goa had already secured three points when they went past J&K’s 338 in the first session.They began the day needing 81, and even though they lost Manvinder Bisla early, Goa kept moving towards the target steadily. Reagan Pinto and Ravikant Shukla were at the wicket when the first-innings lead was secured, and Pinto went on to score an unbeaten half-century.An innings run rate of 2.63 an over didn’t suggest any desperation for an outright result, but Jakati livened up the proceedings. At 40 for 6, J&K were still 28 short of avoiding an innings defeat. However, Beigh, who scored a fifty in the first innings, and Bandeep batted out a whopping 41.3 overs for an unbeaten 55-run partnership. That was a point well earned. Scorecard For the second game in a row, Himachal Pradesh went into the final day looking to force an outright win. And for the second time, they were thwarted by some dogged batting.Himachal needed eight wickets, they began well enough, claiming the third wicket in the second over of the day, but Soumya Swain and Anshul Gupta of Services played out 46.4 overs for the fourth wicket, and Swain and Yashpal Singh remained unseparated for 26.5 overs. Swain’s unbeaten 118 was his second first-class century, while Gupta and Yashpal posted fifties too. Scorecard Andhra bowlers took three early wickets, but that was not enough to bring to life a sleepy contest in Anantapur. Andhra had already taken the lead on the third day, and Tripura were not showing any inclination to go for quick runs.Once Andhra reduced them to 74 for 3, though, they had to dig deep to salvage the solitary point. Subhrajit Roy and Ajay Ratra did just that. They batted out 41.2 overs for the fourth wicket. That was enough even though they added 83. Once Roy got out for 81, there was no interest left in the game, and the draw was amicably called.
Despite criticising his appointment, Javed Miandad says he is willing to work with Pakistan’s new coach Geoff Lawson. Miandad, along with Intikhhab Alam, was among the first to slam Lawson’s appointment, claiming that not only was he a foreigner, and thus “less patriotic”, but also that, on merit, Dav Whatmore was the better option.Lawson, placed in charge of Pakistan for two years initially, responded with a peace offering of sorts. He told that he wanted to bring his critics on board and use their inputs as well. Miandad, against whom he played eight Tests between 1982 and 1984, was the ideal personality to use, said Lawson.”I’d like to get Javed on board to be part of the coaching crew, to be part of the system and help out, because he was an outstanding player and a tough bloke as well,” Lawson said. “We could do with a few of those characteristics among the guys at the moment. I’m hoping to talk to all those people and see what contributions they can make. We can’t control outside influences but it would be good if we could have some of those outside influences being positive.”Miandad has now welcomed the offer, though was unwilling to firm up the sentiment. “I was and am always available whenever Pakistan cricket would need me,” Miandad told .But when asked whether he would consider the possiblity of working as a specialist batting coach, Miandad said, “It is premature to say anything on it. There is no such offer at the moment so I would only think about it if there is any possibility in the future.”Miandad, arguably Pakistan’s greatest batsman, described Lawson’s gesture as “a slap in the faces of those {PCB} officials” who have overlooked his credentials in recent years. Miandad has coached Pakistan on three occasions and in his last stint he was eventually replaced by Bob Woolmer in June 2004. Famously, the two had a private dinner soon after Woolmer took over but relations between the two continued to cool thereafter, leading Miandad to hope that “it will be different with Lawson.”
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has invited Percy Sonn, the ICC president, to spend a few days in Colombo and assess for himself the security arrangements that are in place for touring teams. Sonn, a former president of Cricket South Africa, is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on August 20 and spend about four days as the guest of Sri Lanka Cricket.”I have invited Percy to come and see for himself the security arrangements that are in place for India and judge for himself whether they are adequate,” said Jayantha Dharmadasa, the interim committee chairman of SLC.Dharmadasa said that the Sri Lankan board will make use of Sonn’s visit to press forward their case towards gaining compensation from South Africa following the cancellation of the Unitech Cup tri-series which was scheduled to be held in Colombo from August 14-29. The cancellation came about when South Africa pulled out of the tournament and returned home citing security concerns following a bomb blast near their hotel in Colombo while India, the third team, decided to stay back.Although the South Africans were assured of the highest security protection – normally given only to heads of state – they decided to return home basing their reasons on two similar security reports which said the Sri Lankan government was unable to guarantee the physical security of the team.Dharmadasa said that although Cricket South Africa had stated that both Boards could reschedule the tournament there was no way that Sri Lanka could have another tri-series involving India because of their international commitments.”India’s presence is vital for the fact that it not only boosts television audiences around the world but also nets in a huge amount of money from television broadcasters,” said Dharmadasa. Sri Lanka Cricket was due to receive US$11 million from Ten Sports who had bagged the television and broadcasting rights for the tri-series.The ICC’s media manager Brian Murgatroyd told Cricinfo early this week that it was not the role of the ICC to judge South Africa on their decision to pull out of the tri-series and that it was upto the respective cricket boards to reschedule the series if South Africa are to avoid being fined.Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Cricket interim committee will have a new secretary following the resignation of Adel Hashim on August 15. Hashim had stated ‘personal reasons’ for his resignation. Board sources have said that the new secretary will be appointed by the Sports Minister. Former Sri Lanka cricketers Jayananda Warnaweera, Sidath Wettimuny and Ashantha de Mel are those in the running for the post.
Muttiah MuralitharanOn his performance I bowled well but if Vaas had been bowling I would not have got 10 wicketsin the game. He is a great bowler, but unfortunately he got injured and itwas my turn. I just had to put the ball in the right places as they wereinexperienced cricketers.The younger guys gave us a good fight and theirteam spirit was obviously high. They wanted to do well. But the batting wasa little bit thinner.On whether he is going to race Warne again for records As you can see on TV, Shane is bowling really well in the Ashes and I amnot thinking about records at the moment. I just want to play well and dowell for Sri Lanka now. I am not setting targets for wickets because I wantto focus on winning matches for Sri Lanka. The team doing well is the mostimportant thingOn his shoulder The county stint helped me come through the injury. I had to play throughsome shoulder pain at the start but it got better and better My shoulder isperfectly alright now. There is always room for improvement but my bowlingis normal and the shoulder has not had any bad effectsOn his future I think I can go on for at least three or four years. After the World Cup,if I can play just Test cricket, then I think I can continue until 2009. Butit depends on how well the Sri Lanka team is doing and how long I can takethe pressureShivnarine Chanderpaul On his team’s performance We have been doing a lot of work and it is going to take some time. We havesome young guys and they are learning – they will come around eventually.Our fielding and catching was very good and our bowling in patches, like atthe start of this test match, showed some fight.On whether he felt the pressure being the batting pillar There is always pressure there and you just go out there to do your job as abatter. I was just looking to go out there and stick around so the otherguys could bat around me. It didn’t happen but that is just one of thosethings.On the ODI series We are just going to put this behind us and concentrate on the one-dayseries. It is a shorter version of the game and our guys are accustomed toplaying one-day cricket so it should be better for us. We just want to comeout and play some positive cricket.Marvan Atapattu On the positives to come out of the series A lot of positives came out of the series but the main positive was themental toughness shown to fight ourselves back into the game. In most cases,in Sri Lanka, we are used to batting one innings and then trying to bowl outthe opposition twice, but it didn’t happen here and we had close battlesuntil the fourth innings.On the West Indies batting performance They kept us guessing and gave us a bit of thinking to do in the dressingroom from time to time, which we enjoyed, and in the end it was more joyfulto overcome them because of that. They are a young side but they had nothingto lose. The pressure was on our side.On Sri Lanka’s reliance on Murali There is a reliance on Murali but we cannot change that. We all know MuttiahMuralitharan’s abilities and until he retires we will depend on him.On the top order’s poor form It is a matter of one innings in the end. We are not doing thingsdrastically wrong. You just need one innings to be back again in the runs.Kumar did it in style this time and hopefully, sooner rather than later, theothers will chip in to.On managing Vaas’s fitness Vaasy has been carrying the burden for some time now. We have to manage himcarefully thinking about the cricket we are going to be playing in the nest12 months. We need him to be right and on the park when we really need himrather than throwing him into every game.
Gary Kirsten, the prolific South African batsman, has confirmed that he will be retiring from international cricket after the current tour of New Zealand.Kirsten, 36, had originally planned to step down after last summer’s tour of England, but was encouraged to carry on by his good form and the support of his team-mates. Kirsten scored his 21st century in the first Test against New Zealand, which finished yesterday, and the second Test, which starts in Auckland on Thursday (March 18) will be his 100th. Of current players, only Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara have made more than Kirsten’s 7210 Test runs, and he was the first man to score a Test century against all nine possible opponents. He made his debut in 1993-94, after being called up as a replacement – along with his half-brother Peter – for the tour of Australia.Kirsten, who has yet to decide whether he will continue in first-class cricket, said: “It is a sad and emotional moment for me. I have been extremely fortunate to have had the privilege of playing for my country for so long. It has always been a massive honour to play for South Africa and I have enjoyed every moment of my career.”He explained the timing of his announcement: “My wife Deborah and I had made a decision that when our first child arrived I would retire, but with Joshua now nearly four months old it has overlapped a little. I want to wish the side all the very best in the future and hope that they will continue to go from strength to strength. I was lucky enough to play with and against some wonderful cricketers, and I take many great memories with me.”Gerald Majola, the chief executive of South Africa’s United Cricket Board, paid tribute to Kirsten’s contribution over the past 11 years. “We all respect Gary Kirsten’s decision to retire after an extraordinary playing career during which he set many milestones,” he said. “His records might well be broken, but they are there so that history can record for posterity his outstanding achievements at all levels of the game, but statistics do not tell the whole story, as they cannot record the manner in which he achieved these feats with sheer guts and an absolute determination to give of his best.”These are qualities that have been hugely admired and appreciated by all who have watched him around the world as he so ably represented the new South Africa in the first decade of its birth. South African cricket will always be grateful to Gary for his outstanding contribution, both as a batsman as well as a role model on how the game should be played.”
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.