Like a squirrel getting out and gathering nuts to store away for winter, former New Zealand cricket captain Jeremy Coney has been storing cricketing gems for the summer and an in-depth series of television documentaries to be screened by SKY Television.While documentaries have been done on the history of New Zealand cricket before, Coney has focused not so much on the matches and the feats but more on the characters and stories of those who have played the games.The series is called The Mantis and the Cricket and is scheduled to start on December 18, the day New Zealand opens its domestic international cricket season with the first Test against Bangladesh in Hamilton.Several players have been interviewed on tape for the series which was originally intended to be done in eight shows but which is already looking like it will be extended.Restraints have meant that Coney hasn’t been able to talk to as many players as he would like but there is a chance that he will yet get to talk to more veterans of the Kiwi game.”Getting them to tell their stories has been what I have been after. There’s not a lot in terms of footage that hasn’t been seen before, but there are some nice stories that haven’t been heard,” Coney said.As a former Test player Coney has found the exercise something of a voyage around the game he played, stimulating and informative, and he hopes his series will be the same for cricket enthusiasts.”It has given my appreciation of our history a lot of depth and has rounded it out. I was not one to be immersed with the history of cricket when I was younger.”But to meet and talk with the people who made the history has been special.”It was a privilege to go and see the old players and they have answered everything I asked them.”Some have been quite straight about they felt about things at the time,” he said.Coney said Walter Hadlee and John Reid had been invaluable as they spanned so much of the first era he is pursuing in the series. There was also film of the late Bert Sutcliffe that was made in the year before he died, as well as some archive material SKY held that had not been seen before.Others like Matt Poore, had some lovely stories to tell about the 1955/56 tour of India and Pakistan, including the fact that the players had their own servants on the tour, and the occasion on which one of the servants did his work as the team left the hotel one morning and later the same day walked out to umpire a Test match.Historian Don Neely and former commentator Iain Gallaway had been other well-known identities who had been involved along with Jack Kerr, the 1937 tourist and manager of the 1953/54 team to South Africa and a chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council, and Tony MacGibbon, who toured with the New Zealand side during the mid-1950s and Johnny Hayes and Merv Wallace.New Zealand had struggled to find its way in international cricket to start with, and had made decisions almost against itself in the early days, such as when deciding professional players would not be included in the 1937 tour of England.But there were other occasions when the part-timers from New Zealand made people sit up and take notice such as when the 1931 side dismissed the MCC for 48 at Lord’s and managed a significant victory which immediately resulted in the side’s one scheduled Test being lifted to three Tests.”The whole project is very much in its infancy but I have enjoyed it. If it works well it may be continued.”I think it is quite important from a historical perspective. There have been enough examples of why that is the case in the last couple of years,” he said.One aspect that did come through to him in talking to players related to the 1949 tour.”I didn’t realise the strength of feeling and character of the 1949’ers. Other New Zealand teams are envious of the position they hold in our game, and the 1999 side call themselves the 99’ers after going through England and winning two Tests and the series.”But there was a real feeling of family in that 1949 side. It was after the war and they were going through that country, almost out of the trenches, it was an age of austerity and they were meeting each night and discussing their cricket and each was wanting each other to do well.”Those sorts of values have changed now, but the series will be good for young people to learn about the game.”I hope people will enjoy it,” he said.

Nick Horsley and Rob Nicol will make their first-class debuts for the Auckland Aces when the team opens its State Championship campaign against the Central Districts Stags at Eden Park’s Outer Oval on Monday.Twenty-year-old Horsley has spent the winter at the New Zealand Cricket Academy in Christchurch. He was the top scorer (67) in their 10-wicket loss to the State Auckland Aces in their three-day game in Christchurch earlier this month.Eighteen-year-old Nicol, from the Cornwall Club, has been in good form in the Crown Relocations Cup scoring 188 runs at an average of 47 and taking 12 wickets at an average of 14.25. He is the leader in the Crown Relocations Premier Grade Cricketer of the Year Award.Unavailable for selection due to injury was Richard Pudney who suffered a broken thumb at training on Wednesday night. Pudney will be out of action for six weeks.The State Auckland Aces team to play the State Central Stags is: Brooke Walker (captain), Andre Adams, Aaron Barnes, Tama Canning, Chris Drum, Mark Haslam, Matt Horne, Nick Horsley, Tim McIntosh, Kyle Mills, Rob Nicol, Reece Young.

Canterbury assumed a surprising, but deserved, 178-run lead over Wellington in their State Championship match at Rangiora’s Dudley Park today.Wellington was dismissed for 126 in 51.3 overs when replying to Canterbury’s 242.By stumps on day two with a first innings lead of 116, Canterbury had reached 62/4, not as comfortable as it would have hoped as two quick wickets fell just before the end.The big task of pulling this match safely in Canterbury’s direction rests with the experience of captain Gary Stead and Chris Harris when they resume batting today. Harris with his first innings 70 is the big prospect for his side, especially with his history of high run scoring at the ground.The chances are however, that the improved batting conditions of late today could carry over into tomorrow meaning the more runs Canterbury can score the tougher it is going to be for Wellington.Star of the day was undoubtedly emerging pace bowler Wade Cornelius, who took career-best figures of seven for 53 for 17.3 overs in only his fifth first-class match.The temperature was up at Rangiora’s Dudley Park but that was no reason for the Wellington batting to melt the way it did.As if going to lunch at 14/3 was not bad enough, the Wellington players lost four more wickets while only 15 runs were scored as Warren Wisneski and Cornelius did their combine harvester impersonation, a not inappropriate comparison in this neck of the woods, by cutting down everything that moved in their path.They like their duck shooting in North Canterbury but they were in danger of being pulled up for out-of-season infringements as a result of the number of Wellington ducks being shot at Rangiora.That had to be of little comfort to captain Richard Jones, Selwyn Blackmore, Grant Donaldson, Chris Nevin and Matthew Walker who were all back in the pavilion with none of them having scored a run.Wisneski bowled with all his customary vigour and bustle while Cornelius found some early swing to go with his pace and in many ways looked like a younger Simon Doull. It was an impressive display from the both, and they have the makings of just the sort of formidable opening combination Canterbury has been seeking.Canterbury had earlier made the most of some enterprising batting from Paul Wiseman as the innings teetered towards its end, even if he did target CricInfo for some treatment when hitting a six into the scoring and media tent.While he lost Wisneski and Stephen Cunis, he found a good ally in Cornelius who had a good look at the conditions while helped Wiseman add 35 runs for the last wicket. Wiseman was last man out for 32.James Franklin ended with four wickets for 60 runs from 26 overs while Andrew Penn took three for 41 and Walker had two for 40.Wellington had plenty to be thankful for from Franklin and Penn, two unlikely saviours in the normal course of events. But Penn has always been handy with the bat while it was a timely chance for Franklin to demonstrate that he has the potential to develop into a top-flight all-rounder.Watch this space because he may have plenty of chances to bat this summer if Wellington keeps batting in this fashion.The pair added 84 runs for the eighth wicket, and most significantly for Wellington they ensured Canterbury would have no cause to invoke the follow-on by taking the score past 93.Penn was more prepared to belt anything loose and in the process scored 45 runs until the tea break proved his downfall when falling just after the return when trying to pull a ball from Cornelius only to sky it high in the direction of square leg where Brad Doody took the catch.Franklin batted on, sensibly accumulating runs to the point he scored 38 at which stage he ran out of partners as Cornelius’ pace proved too much for Jeetan Patel and Ash Turner.

Queensland’s bowlers have continued to maintain an advantage for their team through the second session of play of today’s National Under-19 Championship Final against New South Wales in Newcastle. By tea on the match’s opening day, the Blues have been reduced to a score of 7/155 at the Number 1 Sportsground.The New South Welshmen had resumed after lunch at a score of 4/57 and matters weren’t quick to improve.Only another 12 runs had been added to the total when Brett Eriksson (2) brushed at a ball aimed at his hip by paceman John Loader (2/27) to feather a low, leg side catch to wicketkeeper Murray Bragg.Steve Karam (29) had been playing a brave innings in the circumstances but was soon forced to join the growing list of casualties in the pavilion when he outside edged a delivery of excellent length from Loader to present Bragg with his third dismissal of the innings.All-rounder Brad Roworth (37) opted upon a different approach, sensibly interspersing defence with some terrific attacking strokes whenever the bowlers erred in line. Several meaty shots featured in a 40-ball innings which yielded the top individual score of the day, none better than a gloriously struck six over square leg shortly after the drinks break.But the counter-attack came to a disappointing end as well, when he was deceived by a flighted delivery from off spinner Aaron Maynard and drove a catch to Queensland captain Craig Phillipson at extra cover.The Queenslanders were cock-a-hoop by this stage and visions of back-to-back titles were coming sharply into focus.It was only when Daniel Christian (24*) and Gary Geise (12*) combined in a gritty unbroken stand for the eighth wicket in the lead-up to tea that the Blues’ fortunes genuinely took a turn for the better.

Run machine Matthew Hayden will again force Australian selectors to split stable openers Adam Gilchrist and Mark Waugh when the triangular one-day series begins on Friday.Chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns confirmed Hayden would be used in the opening role and elsewhere in the batting order as the Australians rotate their best players through the series against New Zealand and South Africa.”We’ll probably rest a batsman from time to time as we have done previously and then the batting order is shuffled around,” Hohns said.”You’ll see (Hayden opening) at some stage but any decisions will be made by the selectors in conjunction with the captain.”It was a predictable step after Hayden unleashed the most lucrative calendar year of any Australian Test batsman, hitting 1391 runs at an average of 66.23.Captain Steve Waugh declared he could not “imagine anyone playing any better than that” after Hayden began the New Year with another Test century in the whitewash against South Africa.But the aggressive Queenslander hasn’t earned the same reputation in the one-day arena despite averaging 34.26 at a respectable clip in his 27 matches.Gilchrist and Mark Waugh are the greatest opening pair in Australian one-day history but the door remains ajar for Hayden if selectors opt for a settled combination for the World Cup in South Africa in 13 months.Hayden opened twice in the Australia’s most recent one-day outings against Pakistan and England seven months ago after opening in four of the five clashes with India on the sub-continent in March and April.The left-hander smashed more than 2000 runs in domestic one-day matches for Queensland before replenishing his international reputation in New Zealand two years ago.Despite his outstanding summer, Hayden is no certainty to play in the opening tri-series match on Friday when Australia meets New Zealand at the MCG.Hohns said selectors were looking towards the World Cup defence but he said the championship was “too far away to speculate” on any personnel changes.”There is a lot of water to flow under the bridge before that,” Hohns said.”We’re always looking towards it but plenty can happen in that time and this series is another in which we want to build the winning momentum.”Hohns said the 14-man Australian squad for the tri-series had not beenselected for a particular number of matches. That leaves Jason Gillespie with a chance of returning if he can prove his fitness when he resumes from injury for Australia A against New Zealand at the Gabba tomorrow.”He has two matches with Australia A to show us that he is fully fit andthen we would have to reassess it from there,” Hohns said.

The match looked to be heading for a draw before a combination of decent spin bowling, woeful batting, sharp catching and a dash of misfortune all conspired to send Kenya tumbling to defeat in the first unofficial Test at P.Saravanamuttu Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.Kenya, on 31 for one overnight, still 91 runs in arrears after Sri Lanka A had scored 414 in their first innings, were bowled out for 150, leaving Sri Lanka’s openers with a 29 run target. The game was won with ten wickets to spare shortly after the luncheon interval.Steve Tikolo, arguably the best batsman to not be playing Test cricket at the moment, provided the only resistance with an entertaining 65 from 106 balls that included 10 boundaries.But when he was brilliantly caught by an airborne Tillakaratne Dilshan at backward point, Kenya betrayed their inexperience in the first class game, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs.The day, which had begun early to make up for time lost on the second afternoon, started with an early wicket as left-arm fast bowler Ruchira Perera trapped Ravindu Shah (19) lbw.Thereafter it was the spinners that did the damage, but not before Tikolo and Kenyan skipper Maurice Odumbe had laid the foundations for a game saving partnership. The pair added 38 runs and looked comfortable at the crease.But they were separated when Odumbe was fingered by umpire T.H. Wijewardene as he went onto the back foot to an off-break from Muthumudalige Pushpakumara (77 for three).Pushpakumara went onto to take four wickets in the innings, but it was leg-spinner Upul Chandana who then took the crucial wicket of Tikolo (111 for four).With Tikolo back in the dressing room the innings went into freefall: Thomas Odoyo was caught behind off Chandana; Pushpakumara bowled Hitesh Modi after an ugly heave across the line; AO Suji gifted Dilshan a wicket with his part-time off-breaks and Collins Obuya was unfortunate to be caught at short leg when he cracked a short ball into Chamara Silva’s armpit; Mohammad Sheikh was stumped and Martin Suji was last man out when he nibbled at a leg-spinner.Pushpakumara finished with four wickets for 43, whilst Chandana picked up three for 36.Sri Lanka A thus took a one-nil lead in the three-match series. The second game is to be played in Matara starting next Thursday.

Even as victory for England over New Zealand became assured last night in Auckland, captain Nasser Hussain wasn’t prepared to disregard the threat as New Zealand were required to score around 12 runs an over.”New Zealand were always in the game.”They keep coming at you, they keep hitting ball out the ground. Even [Daniel] Vettori can bat at No 10,” he said.Hussain described the side’s victory as a good effort but there was still work to do before the series could be wrapped up in his side’s favour.”We regrouped after Wellington. We played some good cricket in India, and some good cricket in Christchurch and had a chat in Wellington and put things right for two games.”As I’ve said many times, it doesn’t mean we’re World Cup favourites all of a sudden. We’ve done it for a couple of games. Now we’ve got a final in Dunedin. We’ve got to get back together, have a bit more team spirit, team bonding and play like we can.”We played well for large parts of today and for New Zealand to be still in that game, you just look at their batting line-up,” he said.”It was not over till the death.”Batting and bowling had been good on the day but the fielding had too many extremes, he said.The batsmen had done well with the ball doing a bit and the side had recovered well from the loss of Marcus Trescothick off the third ball.The bowlers also had to do their bit and put the ball in the right spot.”Rain is no good for anyone and the Duckworth/Lewis system is probably the fairest system we have played under so far, but rain doesn’t help anyone,” he said.”If we do all our disciplines well we can beat New Zealand. Because we are a young side, we are still a little bit clumsy at times.”When you have to be really good to beat sides you can’t afford that. We have to get that clumsiness out of our cricket still,” he said.”But there is talent in that dressing room and if we can put it all together in the next year then we will progress. It’s a long, long way away, we’ve just got to put it together for Dunedin,” he said.

Honours were even at the end of the first day of this Logan Cup first-classmatch that started at Mutare Sports Club yesterday. Batting first, the visitors stumbled, recovered and finally dominated an attack unable to match its captain’s attacking strategy.After an hour and a half Manicaland had sent five Academy batsmen back tothe pavilion for less than a 100 runs and had every right to anticipate asub-200 score. CFX captain Andre Hoffman, coming in at five, turned the match around with 46 off 47 balls – blowing Manicaland off course for the rest of the day. Finally miss hitting a sweep off part-timer Went onto his stumps, Hoffman hooked and pulled his side into the advantage zone. Opening bowler Aleck Taylor – who had started with five excellent overs of inswinging seamers – used the wrong tactics by persistently digging the ball in at him. The Mutare Sports Club pitch is very unforgiving to fast bowlers and Taylor lacked the pace for this strategy.At the Vumba end Leon Soma had meanwhile sent down eight overs of searchingaway-swingers, netting two victims and conceding few runs. New batsman Conan Brewer survived a confident caught-behind appeal – ruled a bump-ball by the umpire – before making 66 (12×4) and forging a big partnership with hard-hitting Glen Barrett. Barrett was dropped first ball to a lunging dive by wicketkeeper Ferreira before humiliating the Manica bowlers with a 56 ball/101-minute century (11×4, 7×6). Four times play was held up as players and ground staff searched the surrounding bush to recover six-hits. In all the umpires allowed 12 minutes to be deducted from the day’s playing time for lost balls. One flew into adjoining Park Road and a replacement ball was used until a team of schoolboy spectators found it.Twice more Barrett was dropped and persistently found spaces to land his lofted miss-hits – helped to a large degree by imperfect field placements. Too often fielders were neither stopping the single nor defending the boundary. On one occasion left-arm spinner Ian Coulson was forced to double back to mid-off to attempt a catch whilst the fielder stood 15 yards closer to the bat. Coulson bowled well with drift and flight to pick up three for 55 off 11 overs. Strike bowler Justin Lewis came into the game with an injury, seemed off the pace and realistically should only have been used in a defensive role. For most of his 11 overs he had five slips and gullies, resulting in wide gaps frequently punished. Went was used in an expensive unsuccessful plan to buy Barrett’s wicket – suggesting crisis rather than planned management.In reply Manicaland were 162 for four at stumps with Kingsley Went having run himself out for a fluent 57 and Neil Ferreira unbeaten on 69. Ferreira was lucky still to be there, having snicked one low to the wicket-keeper’s left in the last over, but batted with composure and restraint – in contrast to early casualties Mawoyo, Soma and Sheth. Nicholle bowled with zip and aggression but it will be the spinners on days three and four who have the most to look forward to.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Wednesday confirmed that Pakistan Under-19 pacer Junaid Zia was reported for a suspect bowling action during the ICC Youth World Cup in New Zealand.David Clarke of ICC, in an e-mail to Dawn, said: “I can confirm that Junaid Zia of the Pakistan Under-19 team was reported as having a suspect bowling action on four occasions.”Junaid played in all the six matches in the tournament and finished as pick of Pakistan bowlers with 13 wickets. Pakistan failed to reach the semifinals.The ICC said the matter had been referred to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).”As the ICC provisions in this area do not extend to players such as this, the matter has been referred back to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as the responsible authority,” Clarke said.PCB director Brig Munawwar Rana said from Lahore that he had been verbally informed by the ICC during his tour to New Zealand that Junaid had been reported. He added that the official report was expected late Wednesday evening.”I don’t know the details of the report but yes, certain deliveries are under question,” he said.Junaid is the fifth Pakistan bowler to have been reported for a suspect bowling action in three years. Previously, Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmad, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik were cited before being cleared to play international cricket.Munawwar said Junaid will work with PCB bowling advisors before the establishment has another look at him. “The PCB will clear Junaid after it is convinced that he has sorted out his problems.”Pakistan coach Haroon Rasheed was short of words when reached for his comments.”It is a surprise because if the words of ICC are to be believed that he was reported on four occasions, then Junaid should not have been allowed to continue to play throughout the tournament,” he said.Haroon maintained that Junaid bowled under the same umpires and match referees who neither called him nor conveyed their reservations to the team management. He, however, admitted that Zimbabwe match referee Don Arnott did inform him regarding Junaid’s action. “But all he said was that he had a problem at run-up and follow through. He had also pointed out that Junaid’s arm should come straight from top. But at no stage he said he would report Junaid’s bowling action,” he said.Haroon said he worked with Junaid at nets and tried to rectify the mistakes that were pointed out by the experts. “When the official report comes, we will work on those specific deliveries that are under suspicion.”

A new sponsor for the West Indies domestic competition has been announced. At a press conference held at the Sticky Wicket Restaurant in Antigua, Roger Brathwaite, Acting CEO of the West Indies Cricket Board Inc. (WICB) announced that Carib Beer will sponsor the region’s domestic season.In what is an initial 5-year agreement, Carib Beer will be known as the official beer of West Indies cricket and will be an official supplier to the West Indies cricket team during home series.

The competition will therefore be called the Carib Beer Cricket Series. Teams will compete for the Carib Beer Cup, while the invited international team along with the West Indies Under 23 teams will be eligible to vie for the Carib Beer International Challenge trophy.Carib Beer is not new to sponsoring West Indies cricket, since they last sponsored the West Indies’ campaign during the 1999 World Cup in England, as well as the subsequent tour of that country.Speaking on behalf of Carib Breweries Ltd. was Colin Murray, who pledged his company’s support to the growth and further development of West Indies cricket. Murray said that his company and their product will be very visible throughout the region during the Carib Beer Cricket Series. Their involvement will include, but not limited to the provision of uniforms for the participating teams, branding etc.President of the WICB, Rev. Wes Hall commended Carib Breweries Ltd. for demonstrating their support for the growth of the game in the region and thanked them for coming on board when they did. In addition, Hall said that the WICB hoped to make the sponsors proud and is hopeful for a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.

In response to Murray, Acting CEO, Roger Brathwaite said that Carib Breweries Ltd. were not merely selected because of the cash, but “because they share our vision for West Indies cricket.” He further added that the WICB wants to form strategic partnerships.Speaking on behalf of the players, Brian Lara thanked the management of Carib Breweries Ltd. for once again demonstrating their support for the game. He noted the importance of corporate sponsorship to the game, and pledged his and the team’s support to making the sponsors proud.The Carib Beer Cricket Series begins on 31st January, 2003 with four matches. The eight teams that will vie for the Carib Beer International Challenge trophy are: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago, Windward Islands, West Indies “B” and India “A”.