All posts by h716a5.icu

With South Africa facing Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Morocco, it was left to Nottinghamshire’s Kevin Pietersen to keep the South African flying and the runs flowing during the English season

Keith Lane19-Aug-2002With South Africa facing Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Morocco, it was left to Nottinghamshire’s Kevin Pietersen to keep the South African flying and the runs flowing during the English season.In an innings and 73 run win against Middlesex, Pietersen scored an undefeated career best first class total of 254 when he ran out of partners. In the same match Greg Smith scored 18 and took 2-30. For the losers Sven Koenig scored 30 and 52 in the follow-on innings.Pietersen also carried his first class form into the Norwich Union 45-over League scoring a winning 122 against Somerset.During the second Championship match Pietersen scored 13 and took 1-13 while Smith scored two and took 2-45 and 3-94 in a draw against Nottinghamshire.Mark Davis after scoring 30 had a big hand in a win for Sussex over Surrey taking 6-97 in the second innings.For the rest not much to write home about.Andrew Gait scored two and 10 as Derbyshire went down to Essex. In a further loss to Worcestershire he scored a duck and 21.Sven Koenig scored eight in a Middlesex draw against Northamptonshire.Neil Carter scored 13 not out but took no wickets as Warwickshire beat Kent.Hampshire managed a draw against Lancashire, Neil Johnson 1-14, 0-20 and one run, Nic Pothas 26 runs, and a four wicket win against Somerset with Johnson scoring 10 and 57 and taking 1-39 and 1-24. Pothas scored five and 17.Pietersen also carried his first class form into the Norwich Union 45-over League scoring a winning 122 against Somerset.The remaining 45-over match saw Hampshire beat Essex with Johnson scoring a duck and taking 0-46 while Pothas scored 14 not out.The Transco Lancashire League saw the previous weekend all but rain out, with Andre Seymore the only South African getting onto the field scoring 50.This past weekend saw the games all start with an improvement in the weather, but late afternoon thunderstorms had officials running for Duckworth/Lewis tables.Andre Seymore scored 75 his sixth successive half century. Pierre Joubert scored 105 and substitute professional, Border’s Pieter Strydom scored 115 and took 3-15.Jacques Rudolph scored 38 in a run chase with Con de Lange resigning himself to the same fate scoring 39 not out. Martin van Jaarsveld did not get a chance to bat but did take 3-69.

After the latest news surrounding Jesse Lingard, West Ham boss David Moyes could ease the pain by swooping for an alternative target this summer…

What’s the word?

It’s thought that West Brom playmaker Matheus Pereira is seen as a potential target for the Irons should they not manage to secure the Manchester United loan sensation on a permanent basis, via the Express.

The Sun have recently claimed that Lingard would like to stay at Old Trafford in a stunning new twist, so Moyes may want to turn his attentions to the relegated star, especially after a fresh update emerged this weekend.

According to the Daily Star (print edition, 13th June, p41), the Baggies have reduced their asking price to just £15m amid interest in his signature from promoted duo Norwich City and Brentford.

Forget Lingard

Whilst Pereira isn’t Lingard, he certainly is not a bad second choice to sign this transfer window.

He was one of the few shining lights in what was an abysmal season at the Hawthorns. He provided 11 goals and six assists, which accounted for 48.5% of all their goals scored in the league during the 2020/21 campaign.

Only Harry Kane was of more importance to his Spurs side than Pereira at West Brom in terms of being involved in the highest percentages of a team’s goals.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-gossip-rumours-staff-gsb-moyes-updates-and-more” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

The 25-year-old finished as their joint-top highest-rated player, being graded at 6.96 by WhoScored, whilst his 1.8 key passes per game would see him comfortably clear of the Hammers’ most creative options, including Lingard (1.1).

Moyes will know all too well about Pereira’s ability considering two of his goals came against West Ham this season, and whilst the Hammers won both encounters, the Brazilian magician was above and beyond their standout performer.

It’s no wonder he has been hailed as a “genius” by his former coach Nate Weiss and a “special talent” by Spanish football journalist Colin Millar.

Valued at £18m by CIES Football Observatory, the Baggies’ new asking price seems to be an absolute bargain as it’s below his perceived worth and if the East London outfit are to miss out on Lingard, then there aren’t many better that could repeat his exploits than the Brazilian maestro.

GSB should look to sanction this deal, but only if a move for their loan star is dead in the water.

AND in other news, Moyes could secure West Ham’s next Antonio in £20m swoop for “explosive” goal machine…

Trevor Sinclair has made a transfer claim regarding Aston Villa’s pursuit of Arsenal forward Emile Smith-Rowe.

What’s the talk?

Former Villa forward Trevor Sinclair has claimed that a transfer to Villa Park could do Emile Smith-Rowe a “whole heap of good” this summer. Sinclair believes that Smith-Rowe would benefit from leaving Arsenal to come and be a star player for Villa, especially if Jack Grealish left the club – although there is no update on that front.

Sinclair has also said that Smith-Rowe reminds him of ex-Arsenal and Villa midfielder Paul Merson. He told talkSPORT, as transcribed by Football 365:

“I think that points me towards the direction that Jack Grealish could potentially be moving away from Aston Villa.

“I have said it before about Smith Rowe. He reminds me of Paul Merson. Before the ball is coming into him, he’s looking to play it around the corner, first time, then get after it and join in.

“I feel he could be a player that could go in, if Grealish did go and develop his game. Start playing Premier League football and do himself a whole heap of good.”

Earlier this year, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta lavished praise on the “extraordinary” attacker Emile Smith-Rowe, alongside Bukayo Saka, as he impressed in the Premier League for the Gunners. He told Sky Sports, as transcribed by the Independent:

“I know what they are capable of doing. They are developing really well, and that’s a merit to them, a merit for their team-mates and everybody that is involved to try to support them and protect them as well.

“But the performances that they are putting in are extraordinary.”

Next Paul Merson

NSWE could land Villa their next Paul Merson if they are able to seal a deal for Smith-Rowe this summer. They have already tested Arsenal’s resolve once with a £25m offer for the young English forward, which the Gunners rejected, and they could yet go in again in an attempt to secure his services.

Even if Jack Grealish stays at Villa, Smith-Rowe could arrive and add an extra threat to Dean Smith’s attacking options. He could field a front four of Emi Buendia, Smith-Rowe, Grealish and Ollie Waktins, which would be an exciting young forward line in the Premier League.

Merson enjoyed an excellent career with Arsenal, Villa, and England. After playing the best part of 300 games for Arsenal, Merson arrived at Villa and played 139 times for the club, producing 19 goals from midfield in the latter stages of his career.

This was after he won two Premier League titles and was capped over 20 times by England. However, with Smith-Rowe they could get a talented player at the opposite end of his career, with the Englishman turning 21 next month.

That said, they both have similar attributes in terms of their attacking game.

On top of that, Villa could be getting the £20k-per-week earner at the perfect time to develop him as a player and allow him to flourish into a top talent at Villa Park, much like Grealish has been able to do in recent years. Smith could have the chance to work with Smith-Rowe and help him hone his skills in the attacking midfield position.

Smith-Rowe managed three goals and seven assists in his first full season for Arsenal, showing that he has the potential to become a top player at this level. This is why NSWE must sanction a deal for Smith-Rowe if they can up their offer and convince Arsenal to part ways with him.

AND in other news, Lange must sanction Villa deal for “outstanding” 65-cap “leader”, Dean Smith needs him…

Since Somerset County Cricket Club gained first class status in 1891, over five hundred and fifty different players have represented the club, and in the near future the Somerset Cricket Museum is hoping to produce a book containing a statistical and

Richard Walsh22-Sep-2002Since Somerset County Cricket Club gained first class status in 1891, over five hundred and fifty different players have represented the club, and in the near future the Somerset Cricket Museum is hoping to produce a book containing a statistical and photographic record of each of these players.Over the last few months local author Eddie Lawrence, who has already published several other books relating to the club, has been working tirelessly in association with the museum to produce the book which is now nearing completion and it is hoped that it will be published just before the start of the 2003 season.The book will be hard bound and will be strictly limited to five hundred copies, each of which will be numbered and signed by Eddie Lawrence, and those who are prepared to purchase their copy in advance have got the chance to have their name included in this prestigious publication.When the book eventually goes on sale to the general public next year it will be priced at £30, but those who sign up and pay before the end of 2002 will be able to obtain their copy for £25 as well as being named in the list of subscribers.This will be the first publication of its kind and has presented the author with a real challenge. Despite his endless hours of research and countless letters, telephone calls and many many miles travelled there are still some fifty players whose photographs Eddie Lawrence has been unable to locate.Nevertheless this book will be another milestone in recording the history of Somerset County Cricket Club and I am sure that there will be no shortage of takers from fans and collectors who will want to support this venture.Anybody who wishes to reserve a copy of `Somerset CCC Statistics and Photographs’ should send a covering letter and cheque to the value of £25 made payable to Somerset Cricket Museum to The Curator, Somerset Cricket Museum, 7 Priory Avenue, Taunton, TA1 1XX.

The Centre of Excellence in Taunton was a busy place to be on Saturday morning where ECB South West regional coach Keith Tomlins was leading a group of cricket coaches from across the region who are working towards gaining their Level 3 qualification

SOMERSET02-Nov-2002The Centre of Excellence in Taunton was a busy place to be on Saturday morning where ECB South West regional coach Keith Tomlins was leading a group of cricket coaches from across the region who are working towards gaining their Level 3 qualification.The former Middlesex player is in charge of the seven day course, that started on Friday morning at the County Ground and will run over the next three weekends.Two current Somerset players, the 2003 skipper Mike Burns and young opening batsman Matt Wood, former player Mark Davis and Somerset Under 14’s coach Mustafa Sheikh were amongst those attending the course.Before the course started Mark Davis, who is now the cricket coach at Millfield School told me: "I’m looking forward to the next three weekends. I know from looking at the programme that we will be following that it will be pretty intense and hard work, but it will be well worth it."Somerset coach Kevin Shine who was at the Centre told me: "To have four Somerset representatives on this course is something of an achievement in itself and bodes very well for the future of the game in the county. We already have more Level 3 qualified coaches in Somerset than in any other of the first class counties."

Heung-min Son is close to agreeing on a new contract at Tottenham Hotspur after months of negotiations…

What’s the word?

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered an exciting update on this week’s ‘Here We Go’ podcast, where he claimed:

“Tottenham will go for a Son Heung-Min new contract because they want to continue with him. They have been negotiating with him since November. They are really confident, now it is time to complete the agreement.”

Back in November, the Telegraph reported that talks between the North London outfit and the South Korean had slowed due to a change in representation and with him under contract until 2023 already, there was no real rush to complete the extension.

But now it seems like things are back on and are merely one step away from being confirmed.

Finally some good news

This will come as really positive news for many in N17, especially given various troubling situations at the club right now.

Of course, there is their managerial saga that has rumbled on for nearly nine weeks, with still no appointment in sight.

Much of the Lilywhites faithful has been left frustrated by the whole process, with big-name candidates like Julian Nagelsmann, Antonio Conte and Mauricio Pochettino all quickly being ruled out, crushing the hopes of many.

Instead, the club have targeted some uninspiring names like Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso, and even then, they have fallen through too.

With pre-season just ten days away, Spurs are in a bit of a mess.

That’s not to forget that fans have protested against the club’s board and chairman in recent months, with the potential hiring of the controversial Italian also causing major backlash.

And then there is the future of Harry Kane to resolve.

According to Sky Sports, the England international has requested to leave his boyhood club this summer, alerting the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea to his signature.

Understandably he wants to add silverware to his illustrious goalscoring record and both of those teams won major honours this season, the former clinching the Premier League and the latter sealing the Champions League.

So to have Son committing his future to Spurs has to be very encouraging news as he’s a major star in this current squad, perhaps alongside Kane. He scored 17 and assisted ten of their 68 league goals last term (39%).

Amid all the negativity at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium right now, the latest update on Son from Romano should give everyone a big boost.

AND in other news, Major Paratici update emerges in Spurs’ managerial search, fans will surely be fuming…

For long under the shadow of his illustrious brother CK – elderto him by 19 years – Cottari Subbana Nayudu established himselfas one of the prominent players in first-class cricket in thecountry in the thirties and forties on the strength of his

Partab Ramchand23-Nov-2002For long under the shadow of his illustrious brother CK – elderto him by 19 years – Cottari Subbana Nayudu established himselfas one of the prominent players in first-class cricket in thecountry in the thirties and forties on the strength of his allround capabilities.

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A glutton for work, Nayudu loved bowling long spells and somehowit seems fitting that he holds the world record of sending downmost number of deliveries in a first-class game. In the RanjiTrophy final against Bombay in 1944-45, Nayudu bowled 152.5 overs(917 balls), a unique feat of endurance. His two spells are worthrecording for posterity 64.5-10-153-6 and 88-15-275-5. At leasthe was rewarded with 11 wickets for his toil even if Bombay wonthe match.

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As a leg-spin googly bowler Nayudu was in a class of his own.This is reinforced by the fact that he took 295 wickets in theRanji Trophy, a record that stood for over a decade till anotherleg-spinner VV Kumar surpassed it in 1970. A big spinner of theball, Nayudu was an attacking bowler illustrated both by hisaverage (23.49) and by the fact that he needed just 56 matches toreach the mark. It must not be forgotten that Nayudu was also avery capable late-order batsman who scored 2575 runs at anaverage of 30.20 in a quarter century long career in the nationalchampionship.A tower of strength to various teams in the Ranji Trophy, Nayudureserved his greatest feats for Holkar and was a key player ofthe princely state’s halycon period from 1944 to 1954. In elevenyears, Holkar failed to reach the final only once and Nayudu wasamong the cricketers responsible for this enviable record. Hetook 14 wickets in a match once and twice captured more than 30wickets in a season, a commendable feat given the fact that veryfew matches were played in the formative years of thecompetition. In 1942-43, Nayudu became the first bowler to take40 wickets in a season, a tremendous achievement considering thathe played only four matches.A glutton for work, Nayudu loved bowling long spells and somehowit seems fitting that he holds the world record of sending downmost number of deliveries in a first-class game. In the RanjiTrophy final against Bombay in 1944-45, Nayudu bowled 152.5 overs(917 balls), a unique feat of endurance. His two spells are worthrecording for posterity 64.5-10-153-6 and 88-15-275-5. At leasthe was rewarded with 11 wickets for his toil even if Bombay wonthe match.In a three-decade long first-class career that commenced withrepresenting the Hindus in the Quadrangular in the earlythirties, Nayudu scored 5786 runs at an average of 23.90 withfour hundreds while picking up 647 wickets at 26.54 apiece.It is against this impressive record that Nayudu’s Test figuresmake for rather bewildering reading. In 11 Test matches, hescored 147 runs at an average of 9.18 and picked up just twowickets at 179.50 apiece. It would be easy to dismiss him as oneof the many players who could not successfully make thetransition from first-class cricket to the international level.The point was that he was in and out of the side. He played twoTests against England in 1933-34 and was not picked for the 1936tour of England. Sent later to reinforce the side, he played twoTests.He toured England again in 1946, playing in two more Tests. Onthe 1947-48 tour of Australia he played in four Tests and thenwas brought back for one last fling against England at Kanpur in1951-52. Admittedly, in almost all the Tests, he had difficultyin maintaining control over line and length.But even in the midst of this mediocre record, Nayudu’s name isassociated with one storybook feat. This was in his debut Test atCalcutta. India following on 156 runs behind, were 149 for sixwhen Nayudu joined Dilawar Hussain. There were still nearly twohours left and the odds were heavily stacked against the hometeam saving the game. Nayudu held on firmly to score 15 out of aseventh wicket stand of 52 and by the time he had been dismissed,the clouds of defeat had evaporated. Just to prove that he couldalso play strokes, Nayudu’s runs were made up of a six, two foursand a single!By any yardstick, Nayudu was an unusual bowler and C Ramaswamiwho was his teammate on the 1936 tour has left us this vividportrait: “CS bent his body so low while delivering the ball thathis head was almost on a level with the top of the stumps. Hestretched his arm fully and threw his body weight into hisdelivery so that the ball came off the pitch very quickly. Healso spun the ball extremely well but unfortunately his lengthand direction were not always controlled. Probably because ofthis unpredictability CS got quite a number of wickets. Batsmendid not seem to know when CS was going to produce that unplayableball.”The apt description just about sums up Nayudu’s art and skill.

Sunderland have today announced that Tom Sloanes has resigned from his position on the club Board of Directors [Sunderland AFC Official].

In a period of transition for the North-East giants, the lifelong Black Cats fan will now step down from his role as non-executive director at the Stadium of Light [Sunderland AFC Official].

On the field, Sunderland face a fourth consecutive season in Sky Bet League One following missing out on promotion in their play-off semi-final defeat to Lincoln City [BBC].

Despite this, there has been some positivity for the Wearside club in recent times, none more so than obtaining the Papa Johns Trophy in a 1-0 triumph over Tranmere Rovers in March [BBC].

Desperate for success, many supporters will welcome the notion of fresh change within structural realms of the club, and in light of hearing about Sloanes’ departure, loads of Sunderland diehards took to Twitter to voice their delight at the news.

Black Cats fans react:

Replying to the Sunderland AFC Official Twitter account, here is how some fans summarised their thoughts on the update:

“One less hanger-on”

Credit: @StewHellens”Is this a full flush out like”Credit: @sxizee”Lasted long”Credit: @ChazUrwin”Sinking ship”Credit: @Simmysafc”Excellent news.”Credit: @kielwats0n”YESSSSSSSSSSSSS”Credit: @_JakeC91In other news, Sunderland are set to finalise a deal for a reported target.

New Zealand coach Denis Aberhart is not concerned about the apparent lack of time his players have to prepare themselves for the forthcoming Test series against India

Lynn McConnell21-Nov-2002New Zealand coach Denis Aberhart is not concerned about the apparent lack of time his players have to prepare themselves for the forthcoming Test series against India.The main thing he wants is for the players to fully utilise the time available in the two rounds of the domestic four-day competition before the first Test of the National Bank Series starts in Wellington on December 12.”They need some good cricket, time in the middle for both batting and bowling.”There’s always enough time, a couple of good innings and they will be ready for the Test match,” Aberhart said.However, Aberhart did admit that his side would have to be at their best to compete against an Indian side that is playing some fine cricket at the moment.After the players went through a fitness test at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln early this morning he was confident they had been maintaining the schedules they were set at the end of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament.This week’s three-day camp was to check that fitness and to make any changes that might be necessary to individual plans.While the distraction of the players’ strike had been a problem for the organisation of the side for the summer, the time had been put to use for the planning side of New Zealand’s approach.Aberhart said the side would be trying things out against India ahead of the World Cup.”We’ve been looking at a few things and checking on the opposition, but the key thing is we have to improve. Our batting through the middle of the innings is one thing and we have to be more consistent with our bowling.”

Lee Bowyer’s Birmingham City have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Dion Sanderson to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by The Sun journalist Alan Nixon, who revealed in a post on Twitter that Sunderland may be out of the running to land the Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back, as Lee Johnson’s side look unlikely to be able to afford a move for the 21-year-old in the summer transfer window.

According to an earlier report by the Daily Mail, Wolves have set an asking price of £2m for the defender, with Birmingham, Cardiff City, Luton Town, Millwall and Stoke City all thought to be interested in Sanderson.

Good news for Birmingham

Considering just how much potential Sanderson appears to possess, the fact that Sunderland, who have already seen a £1m offer for the centre-back rejected this summer, appear out of the race to land the 21-year-old is good news for all involved with Birmingham.

Indeed, over his 26 League One appearances for Johnson’s side while on loan at Sunderland last season, the £135k-rated defender helped his team keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning an impressive 4.3 duels per game.

These metrics saw the man Stephen Elliott claimed has a “huge future” earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the Black Cats’ 13th-best performer in the third tier of English football.

And, with the Blues currently only having Harlee Dean and Marc Roberts as options in the centre of defence ahead of next season, the position is one in which Bowyer will undoubtedly be looking to strengthen this summer.

As such, a move for Sanderson would appear highly advisable for the 44-year-old, as not only would the £820-per-week centre-back be a relatively cost friendly deal for Birmingham, the 21-year-old very much appears to be a player who could well develop into something of a star for the club.

In other news: Nixon drops worrying update on “explosive” £10k-p/w BCFC target, Bowyer will be gutted