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Graham Thorpe, the England batsman, has urged his team not to be intimidated by Australia’s reputation when the Ashes begin at Lord’s on July 21. Thorpe, who has missed the last two Ashes series, came back to the Test arena in September 2003 against South Africa, and has been in good touch since then.”I can visualise towards July and think what it’s going to be like,” Thorpe told AFP. “It will be a massive occasion and the lads have to relax and enjoy what is going on. If we play the men rather than statistics and figures it will be our best way of playing against them. We won’t do well being tense and worrying about their record or who we are playing against. You have to have a certain amount of belief regardless.”England, who are currently the No.2 team in Tests, have been in terrific form in the last 12 months, having won their last four series. “Come what may it is important not to beat yourself up if you have a bad day. Being realistic we will have some bad days against Australia and you have to get out of bed the next day with a smile on your face and enjoy it.”Australia have dominated the Ashes since 1989, but a resurgent England side would be confident of a better performance this time around.Having missed the last two series, Thorpe was hopeful of playing this year’s Ashes. “I would love to be fit because it would be great to have an opportunity to play against them with this England team,” said Thorpe, who made a hundred on debut against Australia in 1993. “We have a lot of good performers and I know we are going to have to play as a team and to our highest potential against them.”This summer I have not got a great deal to lose, it has been a pretty good journey in the past 18 months, probably the best period I have played for England.”

ScorecardKent recovered from another wobbly batting performance to secure a three-wicket win against Bangladesh A on the second day at Canterbury. Led by a half-century from Neil Dexter and 47 from Michael Carberry, Kent overcame another menacing performance from Bangladesh’s new-ball pairing of Shadahat Hossain and Syed Rasel, who shared three wickets apiece, with Rasel completing the impressive match figures of 10 for 91.Kent were indebted to their lower-order in each innings of the match. Resuming on a shaky 123 for 8, Kent stretched their score to 153, thanks to Martin Saggers’ 44, then set about denting Bangladesh’s hopes of a decisive lead by bowling them out for 155 in reply. Shahriar Nafees opened and top-scored with 58, but no-one else could pass 15, as Robert Joseph whipped through the innings with 5 for 19.Chasing 188 for victory, Kent were shaken by two early blows from Shadahat, and then lost four for 29 as the middle-order imploded. But the 17-year-old wicketkeeper, Paul Dixey, combined with David Stiff to secure the win with three wickets standing.

Ridley Jacobs, who experienced a whitewash at the hands of an overbearing South Africa in his very first series, has said he will hang up his boots at the end of the West Indian first-class season. However, if his injured knee acts up again – as it did earlier this summer – Jacobs said that he would reconsider his position.Jacobs, now aged 37, was a sprightly 31 when he made his Test debut for West Indies, two years after his first one-dayer, and has played in 65 Tests and 147 limited-over internationals. Only Jeff Dujon, among West Indian wicketkeepers, has played more in both forms of the game.”I think the upcoming season will be my last year in first-class cricket so I want to give it my best shot and come out on a high,” Jacobs said to the after he was selected in the Leeward Islands squad of 16 for the Carib Beer series. “Most definitely I am looking forward to playing with Leeward [Islands].”But Jacobs had concerns about his damaged knee, which caused him to miss the last two Tests in England. He did not participate in the Champions Trophy either, which West Indies eventually won. But he believed that the knee was “progressing very well”. He added: “It is giving me a little bit of pain, but nothing to the extent that will stop me from bending, running or things like that.”Jacobs got a chance to assess the problem when he played for an Antiguan XI against a West Indies women’s team recently. “After the match the knee felt OK because I did not feel any pain… so I guess it will hold up,” he said, before reflecting on the eventuality of any recurring pain. “If it holds up, I’ll play. But if not, I will just sit out the season.”

Lions 145 for 6 (Rowley 69*) beat Titans 135 for 8 (Cullinan 40*) by 10 runs
ScorecardThe second game of the Standard Bank PRO20 Series between the Titans and the Lions, at SuperSport Park, resulted in a thrilling encounter, with the Lions trumping their opponents by only 10 runs.Winning the toss, Daryll Cullinan, the new Titans captain, put the Lions in to bat on a hard flat surface. A good start of 13 off two overs was halted when Marthinus Otto and Adam Bacher fell off consecutive balls – the Bacher dismissal was a blinder with Alviro Petersen taking a brilliant low catch at backward point. Justin Ontong scored a slow 7, and his dismissal brought Hylton Ackerman and Grant Rowley to the crease. Together they took the total to 56 for 3 at the halfway mark of 10 overs. A 56-run partnership came to an end when Ackerman holed out to long-on for a run-a-ball 27. Vaughn van Jaarsveld made a brief visit to the crease before Derek Crookes flayed 15. Grant Rowley, however, was the hero for the Lions, scoring 69 off 45 balls and striking nine fours and a six. His effort helped the Lions to end on 145 for 6.A combination of good bowling and conservative batting had the Titans struggling at 42 for 1 after 10 overs with Petersen losing his wicket early and Jacques Rudolph and Martin van Jaarsveld making heavy work of the conditions. The match turned on its head when, with the pressure mounting, van Jaarsveld tried to force the pace and was caught on the fence. Rudolph was run out off the very next ball, followed by Kemp – also run out without facing a ball. Three wickets in three balls left the Titans on 68 for 4 in the 13th over. A third run out, that of Albie Morkel, increased the pressure, which even a short flurry from Brendon Reddy did nothing to relieve. And when Goolam Bodi was run out, it was all over. Cullinan smashed the ball around, scoring 40 off 21 balls but in the end, the four run outs and the miserly bowling of Charl Langeveldt was just too much for the Titans.It’s two games down and 13 to go. On current evidence, there’s still a lot of homework to be done to come to terms with this shorter version of the game. For the 7425 spectators, however, it was an evening of packaged entertainment and excitement and worth every cent of the entrance fee.

Ireland will now play South Africa and not Pakistan as part of their World Cup warm-ups, the ICC has confirmed.An ICC spokeperson said: “This is to rectify an anomaly that was indentified in the original practice match schedule. The changes have been made with the agreement of all the teams involved.”Ireland were due to play Pakistan in Trinidad on Tuesday March 6, and then again in Group D in Kingston on March 17. To resolve the issue, it has been agreed that South Africa will now warm up against Ireland on Monday March 5.Ireland’s other warm-up game is against Canada on Thursday March 8.Anyone who has purchased tickets for the two affected matches will be contacted by the ICC shortly.

Steve Tikolo, Kenya’s captain, has appealed to sponsors and the ICC to help develop cricket in his country. After Kenya’s loss to the Windward Islands in the Carib Beer series this weekend, Tikolo lamented the fact that it is extremely difficult for the game to grow.At present, all that exists is a one-day tournament which started in 1987, but lacks any sponsorship “We do not have a first-class season and all we play is one-day cricket,” Tikolo said. “This is no preparation for the longer version of the game.”Tikolo did reveal that the Kenyan authorities are considering the introduction of a three-day tournament in the next few months, but he said that is likely to be an uphill struggle without sponsorship. “Cricket is just catching on as a popular sport in Kenya and has to rival football and athletics,” he said, “so to attract sponsors is not going to be easy.”Kenya surprisingly made the semi-finals of the 2003 World Cup, but Tikolo insisted that achievement has done nothing in terms of support and sponsorship. “The ICC have more or less turned their backs on us since our showing in the tournament, and save for a limited-overs tournament in Sharjah, we have not had any serious cricket.”Tikolo’s comments come in the wake of Andy Moles, the coach, who insisted the ICC should grant Kenya Test status.

Sachin Tendulkar’s Ferrari 360 Modena, gifted to him by the Fiat group after he passed Don Bradman’s tally of 29 centuries last year, continues to attract controversy after it received exemption from the duty normally levied on foreign-made cars imported into India.The car arrived in Bombay on Friday after the duty of US$ 245,000 was waived on the US$-163,000-dollar Ferrari upon a request by Tendulkar to that effect.But the decision has drawn flak from various quarters, surprising considering Tendulkar’s normally high status in public esteem. “Sachin has earned enough for five generations, he needs no financial considerations,” said Pramod Navalkar, a leader of the Shiv Sena party.A survey conducted by the Indian Express newspaper revealed sharp public criticism as well. “They do this for Sachin and then spend hours checking the baggage of hockey players who have also brought laurels to the country,” said reader Vijay Kalantri. “Would hockey star Dhanraj Pillay have got the same treatment? Sachin can afford to pay and he should have.”Another letter said: “The duty would have gone a long way in alleviating suffering of poor farmers who sweat in the fields to make our country self-sufficient in food.”The chief minister of Maharashtra, Sushilkumar Shinde, defended the decision, however, saying: “Sachin has brought name and fame to India, we must accept that contribution by such gestures.” Tendulkar himself declined to comment on the isue.

Following a restructuring of the Canterbury Cricket development programme, Nigel Marsh and Andrew Reid have been appointed as community cricket co-ordinators for Canterbury Cricket. They will start work immediately.The new appointees will be working in the Christchurch metropolitan area to foster and promote cricket. Marsh and Reid will work promoting the MILO initiatives for junior players, implementing the Secondary School Support and Club Assist Programmes and encouraging growth in the women’s club competition.Both community cricket co-ordinators will work with selected clusters within the city, which will include Metropolitan Clubs and Secondary Schools. It is hoped that further expansion of the programme over coming years will enable Suburban clubs to be incorporated into the programme.Marsh has experience in the role. He worked with the Sydenham and Lancaster Park Woolston Clubs in the community cricket pilot scheme for two years. He has built up strong relationships with the two clubs and associated schools. Reid has recently been employed in a temporary role as community cricket manager for Canterbury Cricket. He also has a strong background in coaching, having worked with the Christchurch Junior Cricket Association and CCA Underage representative teams over recent seasons.

Scores at the end of the final round of the Commonwealth Bank Under-19 Championship Series:South Australia v Victoria
South Australia 7/356 dec (Littlewood 155, Crook 54*)
defeated
Victoria 245 all out (Evans 85, Crosthwate 38, Bailey 4/51, Smith 3/25)New South Wales v Queensland
Queensland 167 all out (Ross 47, Beadle 4/17)
lost to
New South Wales 6/170 dec (Clarence 35*, Coyte 35*, Fitzpatrick 3/67)Tasmania v Western Australia
Tasmania 214 all out
lost to
Western Australia WA 3/309 (Doropolus 75, May 159*, Pomersbach 49*)Australian Capital Territory v Northern Territory
Northern Territory 280 all out (MacDonald 103, Skewes 82, Poidevin 6/50)
defeated
Australian Capital Territory 194 all out (McCard 3/40, MacDonald 4/13)New South Wales have clinched the title.

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club announce that Amethyst Honda will be selling tickets for their home one-day National Cricket League matches .Chief Executive, Tom Richardson explains that, "we have had a successful partnership with Amethyst Honda who are our car suppliers and this agreement on tickets, further cements the relationship. We have been conscious of the need to have a ticket outlet in a prime position in Cheltenham, with easy car access and we are most grateful to Amethyst Honda for filling this void".Advance tickets sold through Amethyst Honda will be at the reduced rate of £10 for adults and £5 for children.Paul Boyce, Managing Director of Amethyst Honda said, "at Amethyst we are proud of our continued association with Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and are delighted to have been selected as the Business Centre for North Gloucestershire. This means that we are the main ticket distribution centre for Gloucestershire Cricket Club Home one-day matches, and for the Gloucester and Cheltenham Festivals".Visit Honda and SEAT showrooms on Gloucester Road, Cheltenham, open 7 days a week, Monday to Friday 8.30am – 6.00pm, Saturday 9.00am – 5.00pm and Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm or telephone 01242 570088. Tickets are now available, so don’t delay book yours today. On visiting the showroom ask for Sunita.We look forward to seeing you.For further information please contact:
Jon Fletcher, Sales Manager on 0117 9108046