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Boland 106 (Philander 4-15) and 316 (Davids 99, Clark58, de Stadler 5-61) beat Western Province 101 (Albertyn 3-24, Fourie3-16) and 263 (Albertyn 4-29) by 58 runsIt was a game of contrasts at Newlands in Cape Town as 20 wickets fell on the first day, 11 on day two and nine on day three as Western Province and Boland exchanged blows, with Boland emerging eventual victors by 58 runs.Both teams were bowled out on the first day – Boland for 106 and Province for 101. Vernon Philander took 4 for 15 and William Hantam claimed 3 for 16 for Province while Wallace Albertyn took 3 for 24 and Henri Fourie 3 for 16 for Boland.On the second day there was a dramatic change in the trend as Boland batted for most of the day, scoring 316 with Henry Davids stroking 99 and Jonathan Clark a career-best 58. Mark de Stadler took 5 for 61 and wrapped up the tail in an impressive final five-over spell.Province had to chase 322 to deny Boland only their second win ever in the local derby, but too many starts with no finishes cost Province dearly as five batsmen batted themselves into the 30s and then lost their wickets. Albertyn led from the front with 4 for 29 and Hillroy Paulse backed him up, taking 3 for 44, as Province were bowled out for 263.Eastern Province 185 (Potgieter 73, Holtzhauzen 4-60) and 140 (Potgieter 50*) drew with North West 131 (Carolus 5-61) and 177 for 9 (le Roux 103, Carolus 4-56)A rain-interrupted match ended in a tense traw after North West recovered from a diasterous position and nearly pulled off a victory.The first day at Sedgars Park in Potchefstroom produced 15 wickets, of which only five batsmen managed double figures. Eastern Province were bowled out for 185 with Ettienne Potgieter scoring a career-best 73 while the North West attack of Frikkie Holtzhauzen, Eugene Moleon and Friedel de Wet made full use of the conditions.After rain wiped out the next day, North West were bowled out for 131 in 50 overs on the third day. Deon Carolus was the destroyer-in-chief, taking 5 for 61 and helping Eastern Province to a lead of 54 runs.Eastern Province faired no better in their second innings with Potgieter again top-scoring with 50 not out in a total of 140, the lead now 194.North West started their second innings with a crippling collapse. Six wickets fell with 19 on the board and 36 overs had yet to be bowled. But a maiden hundred by Juan le Roux and 40 from Holtzhauzen turned the game around. Thando Bula played a giant’s innings as he and le Roux steered North West closer to victory, putting on 59 for the eighth wicket. But after le Roux’s fell for 103 his team closed shop to earn North West a commendable draw.

Western Australian Cricket Association Chairman Mr Charles Fear has reacted angrily to media claims that WACA CEO Mrs Kath White was asked to retire.Mr Fear said Mrs White foreshadowed her decision to retire two months ago.Mr Fear asked Mrs White to rethink her position but after much consideration Mrs White decided to retire and join her husband who will travel overseas next year on business.Mrs White made her final decision a month ago but was asked by Mr Fear to hold off on announcing her decision until after the Test match against Zimbabwe."Comments made in the media that suggest Mrs White has been asked to stand down from the CEO position are palpably incorrect," Mr Fear said."They are misguided and indeed mischievous.""Like any CEO doing their jobs properly, Mrs White has had to make some hard decisions, some of which may not have always been popular, but the WACA Executive Committee has wholly endorsed these decisions."Mr Brian Rakich, WACA President for the past five years and WACA Executive Member for nearly 30 years said the talk in the media was baseless."Kath enjoys the overwhelming support of the Executive Committee under no circumstances has she been asked to resign."Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said he was disappointed to hear of Mrs White’s retirement."I know Kath has been grappling with this over the last few months and it has been a difficult decision for her to make," he said."Not only has Kath made a significant contribution to the WACA over the last two years but she has enhanced the way Cricket Australia and state associations work together at management level."Some of WA cricket’s most influential cricket administrators were equally scathing in their criticism of the mischievous rumours and refute any suggestion that Mrs White was asked to retire.WACA Executive and I & I member Wally Edwards commended Mrs White for her service to WA cricket."Kath has done a fantastic job at the WACA, particularly in the Cricket Department and the work on the new Constitution and governance issues," said the former Test batsman."She has made an outstanding contribution. We knew of her impending decision to retire and the reasons for it over a month ago. To suggest that she has been asked to leave the WACA is ludicrous."Mr Edwards view was supported most strongly by Mr Bob Paulsen the current Chairman of the I & I committee."Kath White has performed her role as WACA CEO with distinction following many years of service to the Association on sub-committees and as the Association’s first female Executive Committee member," he said."In my view WACA Members and the cricket public should not be swayed by baseless media commentary that she has done anything more than make a private decision to retire."Chairman of the Cricket Council Mr Peter Murphy said that Mrs White had been the driver in the revamp of the Cricket Council."Kath took the Cricket Council into a new-world operation and ensured a more professional footing for the future," he said."There is now a clearer definition of roles between the Council and the staff and the council is operating very productively."WACA Members’ Representative and Chairman of the Business Development Sub-committee, Paul Sullivan, also confirmed his emphatic support for the work done by Mrs White."The qualities that Kath has brought to the WACA over the past few years have been many, including a clarity of purpose as to her role and a quiet resolve to achieve the Association’s goals," he said."More particularly, I have been struck by her integrity in all her dealings with others, including our members and staff, our sponsors, and the Executive."It seems rare, these days, for an organisation to arrange an orderly handover from an incumbent CEO to a new appointee and Kath’s decision to announce her intentions for next year at this time has greatly advantaged the WACA in that regard."Leading Perth Architect Mr James Christou, who worked closely with the WACA Executive and staff on the WACA’s 12 million dollar redevelopment expressed shock at the scurrilous rumours that had been circulated about Mrs White."Mrs White has done an absolutely fabulous job at the WACA. She has helped change the culture of the WACA. It is now positive and forward looking."Mr Gerry Ford of BGC Construction said that he had worked closely with Mrs White at the WACA and it was obvious to him that under Kath’s stewardship the WACA had leapt forward in achievement and attitude. He said that she would be sorely missed.

A late order recovery has helped New South Wales escape trouble on an engrossing opening day of the national Under-19 Championship Series Final against Queensland in Newcastle today. By stumps, the Blues had scrambled their way to a score of 8/210 after courting danger at several times during the day.All-rounder Daniel Christian (56*) was the key figure in the revival, joining with Brad Roworth (37), Gary Geise (22) and James Allsopp (12*) respectively in vital late stands that extricated the home team from a potentially grisly predicament.Four wickets had tumbled in the opening session, and another three fell between lunch and tea, to leave the Queenslanders well placed in their bid for three consecutive national titles.But Christian’s industry, at number eight in the order, stalled the charge.It wasn’t necessarily pretty cricket, and the final session in particular – which yielded a mere 45 runs in total – was dominated by maiden overs.Yet it was just what the doctor ordered for the locals after the Queenslanders had made a series of important early inroads.There had been nothing in the play at the start of the day to suggest New South Wales’ imminent decline as the Blues won the toss, batted first, and steadily made their way to a score of 29 without loss before a small but supportive local crowd.But, following the two-day game’s opening drinks break, the complexion of proceedings altered dramatically.It was fast bowler Nathan Rimmington (2/46), a key player in Queensland’s win in the corresponding game 12 months ago, who decisively wrested the initiative his team’s way.After a patient innings from Jarrad Burke (1), the New South Wales captain was defeated by a fine delivery which cut away marginally off the seam, edging a catch to Julian Nielsen at first slip. And then another major blow was landed from the very next ball as Mark Faraday (0) played around the line of a straight delivery to be bowled. Rimmington’s hat-trick attempt was averted but matters became no easier for the home team in the short term.Opener Jason Krezja (29) and middle order batsman Steve Karam (29) adopted a vigilant approach, shoring up the defences and trying to work singles wherever possible.The bowling remained highly disciplined, though, and it wasn’t long before right arm paceman Chris McCabe (1/19) was able to compound the Blues’ woes. After a long period of general inactivity on the scoreboard, the right armer extracted an outside edge from Krezja’s bat on the stroke of lunch to present a grateful Nielsen with another catch at slip.The loss of the in-form Krezja’s wicket drove a stake deeply through the heart of the Blues’ cause, given that it came just a day after he had showcased his talents with a brilliant double century against South Australia.Fast bowler John Loader (3/36) maintained the young Bulls’ momentum after the break by enticing Brett Eriksson (2) to brush a low leg side catch off the line of his hip to wicketkeeper Murray Bragg and then forcing Karam to outside edge a delivery of excellent length. The Blues, by this stage, were in a near-desperate predicament at 6/82.It was from there that the recovery took effect.Before falling to a catch at extra cover from off spinner Aaron Maynard (1/25), Roworth unfurled a suitably belligerent innings that featured one glorious six over square leg in the midst of a series of fine attacking strokes.Though Geise eventually became another Loader victim as he defended down the wrong line, he was another to resist the Queensland bowlers for a long period.And, all the while, Christian was adding to the visitors’ frustration too with a dogged mixture of jaw-jutting defiance and the occasionally aggressive shot.Queensland captain Craig Philipson tried a range of options in a bid to shift his increasingly stubborn opponents but found few ways through their defences. His task was also made more difficult by the fact that his pace bowlers had bowled close to their allotted quotas of 20 overs for the day by early in the final session.Elsewhere in Newcastle, all-rounder Cameron Viney (6/20) snared tournament-best bowling figures to help Tasmania skittle Western Australia for 123 in the battle for third place. Tasmania was 1/24 in its reply by stumps.Victoria, meanwhile, was at 4/93 in response to South Australia’s 175 in the contest for fourth place.And, after it was forced to make a late start as the result of a damp outfield, the Australian Capital Territory had reached a score of 9/233 by the close of play in its match against the Northern Territory.

The forty or so groundsmen, who worked so hard in the morning to drythe ground this morning, will have been greatly relieved that theirefforts have proved so worthwhile for the Sri Lankan team. In the 39overs that were eventually possible, after heavy rains in thepreceding 48 hours, Sri Lanka quickly progressed to 164-1. Not a baddays work for a side that would have preferred to have started thismatch tomorrow and play an extra day at the end.The Zimbabwean’s will perhaps rue their insistence to play today aftera thorough mauling by Avishka Gunawardena (114*). In a quite brutaldisplay of batting, Avishka was completely undeterred by the bowlerfriendly conditions and continued in the same positive vein that hescored a hundred at Kurunegala and a 72 in the Colombo for the BCCSLXI.His 114 not out from just 132 balls was a dismissive innings, it wasthe innings of a man who has supreme confidence in his ability at themoment. The greatest threat to his wicket is surely hisoverconfidence. In fact this innings was neither as technicallycorrect nor as ascetically pleasing as the innings in Kurunegala lastweek . It made up for this in it’s sheer audacity and high classentertainment. Such is his confidence that he was prepared to uppercuta disconsolate Andy Blignaut over the slips in the early overs.Starting the innings with a flurry of boundaries square of the wickethis only moments of unease were an appeal for a catch behind and adropped catch. In the ninth over the Zimbabwean’s were certain that hehad been caught behind of the bowling of Blignaut. The umpire didn’tagree and he was allowed to continue. He was also dropped in the gullywhen he had made just 60, it was though an extremely hard one-handedchance.Zimbabwe, who had won the toss and elected to field, will bedesperately disappointed by the performance of the bowlers and thefielders. Have won an opportunity to bowl first on a pitch of greenishcolour, they wasted any assistance that there may have been byspraying the ball around. The bowling discipline of the previous matchcompletely deserted the opener pair, Andy Blignaut and DavidMutendera, who couldn’t find a consistent line or length. WhilstMutendera frequently pushed the ball into the batsmen’s pads, Blignautbowled far too short on a slow pitch.The exception was their aggressive skipper, Gus Mackay, who settledinto his best rhythm of the tour. Probably incensed by the performanceof his openers he charged to the wicket with a focus and intensitythat we had not seen on the tour. He pitched the ball up to thebatsmen and bowled straight. By doing so he was the only bowler tomove the ball off this moist pitch and the only real threat to the SriLankan’s.His deserved reward was the wicket of Hewage (27) who was caughtbehind: the victim of a perfect legcutter. The wicket brought to anend an opening partnership of 96 in just 22 overs. Mackay should havehad two wickets when Gavin Rennie put down a relatively simple chanceat first slip off Indika De Saram (18*). One suspects that theZimbabwean’s will be forced to pay for dropping someone as talented.Whilst the other batsmen played a supporting role Avishka continued toblaze away, eventually reaching his century off just 111 deliveries inthe 34th over.Zimbabwe now have their work cut out tomorrow if they are to get backin this match. Especially with Andy Blignaut looking as if he hasdamaged his back again. They will most probably have to resort to thesteadying influence of Daniel Peacock and Raymond Price.

Antonio Conte may have unearthed his new secret weapon at Tottenham Hotspur.

Deadline day signing Dejan Kulusevski has gotten his Spurs football career off to a flying start in north London as he notched his second goal for the club in the 4-0 win over Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.

In just his third start since arriving in an initial loan deal from Juventus last month, the Sweden international looked every bit like he had been playing in the Premier League for years.

It was quickly hailed as “a complete attacking performance” by analyst Statman Dave after he registered a 100% shot accuracy (two attempts), 91% passing accuracy (34 attempts), four dribbles, nine ground duels won and one big chance created.

Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare claimed that the 21-year-old was “looking like a really smart addition” and his manager even waxed lyrical about him in his post-game press conference.

Conte described Kulusevski as a “perfect player” for Spurs after the game and then told The Athletic that: “He is showing that he is a fantastic player for the present but also if he continues in this way he can become a really important player. He is strong physically, good technically, he has no fear of the opponent or the tackle.”

It is his versatility that makes him a durable and dangerous threat to the rest of the English top-flight – a winger by trade, he can also play in the hole as a creative playmaker, defensively as a wing-back and up top as a centre-forward.

At just 21, this is one of his most appealing attributes and gives the Italian head coach a secret weapon. ‘What Kulusevski will we get today?’ is how the opposition will feel every time he steps out onto the pitch.

So far, he is proving to be the extra attacking presence that the side has needed for quite some time. In the summer, Spurs never really replaced Gareth Bale’s temporary influence as he was third to Harry Kane and Heung-min Son for goal contributions.

The Wales superstar has since been mooted with a third return to N17 after that successful loan spell last term. He’s out of contract at the end of the season and would seem like an ideal pickup for chairman Daniel Levy, who adores his former winger.

But Kulusevski’s instant impact and form in north London should put Spurs off completing a deal for the 32-year-old, especially as he’s barely featured under Carlo Ancelotti this season, starting only four LaLiga games.

Instead, the £27m-rated monster, who Spurs have a £29.2m purchase option on, is likely to be Conte’s man for the foreseeable future. As described by Marcus Allback, his “explosive” nature is one that’ll benefit the Lilywhites for years to come.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Forget Bale, it’s the Deki era at Tottenham Hotspur.

AND in other news, Spurs’ “utterly thrilling” £10.8m-rated dynamo has just fired a big statement to Conte…

Photo by Unsplash

Scorecard

Adam Voges made his highest first-class score © Getty Images

Adam Voges’ dominant century lifted Western Australia to 8 for 551 declared on the second day against Tasmania in Hobart, while the home side could only struggle to 4 for 147, still trailing by 404 runs. Voges made his highest first-class score of 180 and Adam Gilchrist 86 as the pair shared a fifth-wicket stand of 161 to continue the good work started in the latter exchanges of Monday.Voges added exactly 100 on the second day while Gilchrist played a typically quickfire innings from 74 balls that included three sixes. Both were then trapped lbw by Brendan Drew, who had also grabbed Brad Hogg for 4, but this only paved the way for some lower-order hitting from Darren Wates (35 not out) and Steve Magoffin, who made his highest score of 45 to push them past 500.Magoffin then led the attack with the two quick wickets of Michael Dighton for 12 and Travis Birt for a duck. Tasmania recovered to 101 before Michael Di Venuto fell to Wates on 61.Dane Anderson (39) reached yet another top score but he became Mathew Inness’ first victim of the day as the wickets continued to fall. George Bailey and Dan Marsh began the slow rebuilding job before stumps, and they face a mountain on the third day.

Warwickshire have agreed to release Mark Wagh to allow him to sign for Nottinghamshire. He had two years of his existing contract left to run.Wagh had reportedly been unsettled for some time, and the announcement was not a surprise. “It’s been a very hard decision for me as I have spent my whole cricketing career at Warwickshire and I would like to thank them for their understanding,” he said. “I just feel a new start will help me and I’m looking forward to the challenge of proving myself in a new environment.””When Mark approached us with this request we considered the options,” Warwickshire’s chief executive, Colin Povey, added. “[We} concluded that if Mark believes he will have better opportunities at Notts then we should not stand in his way.”Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, was understandably more upbeat. “Mark is an accomplished batsman and I believe he can be the answer for us at No. 3 in the Championship,” he said. “It’s been a problem position for us for the last couple of seasons but Mark has all the attributes to be a success there. I’m confident he’s got plenty of good years ahead of him and along with Jason Gallian and Will Jefferson, I think we now have a high-quality top order.”I think Mark is ready for a fresh start and this move may be just what he needs to get him enjoying playing cricket again. I’ve seen him play well against us on a number of occasions, so I’ve always kept any eye on his progress, and I’m delighted he’s signed.”

‘Mickey [Arthur] has made a lot of difference. The team’s more honest now’ – Jacques Kallis © Getty Images

On whether he felt that India erred with their choice of bowlers in HyderabadThe pitch there probably favoured the seamers more and didn’t take as much spin as expected. But having looked at this wicket, we feel spin will come into play more here.On the challenge posed by Indian conditionsPlaying India in India is always tight, and we knew that we’d have to play good cricket to beat them. If we’re not on top of our game, we’ll come up short.On what he expects from the Indians hereWell, they’re one nil down and we expect them to come out with all guns blazing. We’re ready for that.On whether awareness of equalling the world record for an unbeaten run would add to the pressureWe want to stretch that run for as long as we can. But we take it one game at a time, as we did in the last game.On how this side stacks up against the legendary team that lost the World Cup semi-final in 1999I still feel that was the strongest side that South Africa have had. But if we carry on like this, we can also be one of the best sides the country has produced. The stability within the team has been key.On how Mickey Arthur has changed things around as coachMickey’s made a lot of difference. The team’s more honest now. Guys put their hands up if the performances aren’t good enough. He’s also been using the computer to help work on technique and other things.On the dew factorIt will certainly be hard bowling with the wet ball. But we have experience of such conditions back home and are not too worried about it. The toss will certainly be important though.On whether the Indians experimenting to find their strongest combination reminded him of where South Africa were a year agoNot really. They’re a very strong side, as they showed recently against Sri Lanka. All the teams will be looking to experiment a little with the World Cup in a year’s time.

Keith Mitchell, Grenada’s prime minister, has suggested a “cooling-off period” between West Indies’ players and their cricket board in the ongoing dispute about endorsement contracts.”Some of the problems that are now emerging can be resolved with a cooling-off period during the holidays and during the tour,” he said on BBC World Service on Tuesday. “Then we will engage the private-sector bodies, both Cable & Wireless and Digicel, in the whole question of a final solution to the problems faced by the board and the players.” Mitchell would “offer some constructive solutions” to ensure the West Indies team’s imminent tour of Australia continues “without any disruption whatsoever”.Mitchell, who helped settle the initial stalemate in November, is set to meet officials from both the players’ association and the board today. Judge Adrian Saunders, the mediator in the dispute between the board and several of the players over contracts, will present his report at that meeting.

Bournemouth left-hander Tom Webley made his County Championship debut for Somerset today – against the fastest bowler in the world !Webley is expected to open the Somerset batting against Durham at the Riverside, with Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar – the Rawalpindi Express – steaming in at the other end.”It certainly promises to be a baptism of fire, but it will be a great experience for me,” Webley said last night.Webley, 20, who lives with his parents in Corfe Mullen, got his full county call up after a string of encouraging performances for Somerset’s 2nd XI and Academy sides.”Tom did well at the Cambridge UCCE at the start of the season, has been batting well in the second team and thoroughly deserves his chance,” praised Somerset 2nd XI coach Mark Garaway.Webley, who played for Bournemouth colts as a 14-year old and graduated into the club’s Premier League side three years ago, hit a First Class century for Cambridge UCCE against Northants at Fenners in May.A former pupil at King’s Taunton, Webley is studying at Anglia University.To see how he is getting on, click on the link on the match below