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Play was abandoned for the day without a ball being bowled in the Somerset Second XI game that was due to start at North Perrott CC today.After heavy rain overnight followed by showers during the morning there was no prospect of any play, and after an early lunch the umpires called the game off for the day.Following the announcement that Andrew Caddick and Marcus Trescothick were returning to the first team for the match against Surrey on Friday, Somerset named a strong team to face Northants at North Perrott, and will be hoping that there will be play tomorrow so that they will be able to continue their winning ways.However the overnight forecast is not very good and unless the ground dries out considerably the prospects for any play on Thursday are not very bright.The Somerset Second XI team is: Matt Wood, Piran Holloway, Tom Webley, Pete Trego, Graham Rose, Carl Gazzard, Paul James, Michael Dobson, Joe Tucker, Steve Jacques and Michael Munday.Paul James is a right hand bat and off break bowler who is currently at Exeter University, Michael Dobson is a triallist from Northamptonshire, Steve Jacques is a right arm bowler from Cornwall, and Michael Munday is a leg break bowler who is currently attending the Somerset Academy.

The first days play at Taunton ended with Sussex in a strong position in reply to Somerset’s first innings total of 270.In the morning, after winning the toss and batting first, the Somerset openers Jamie Cox (27) and Matthew Wood(31) got their side off to a solid start sharing a stand of 51 before the first wicket fell.By the time that the hundred was brought up Somerset had lost a further two wickets, and when Ian Blackwell was out in the 31st over lunch was taken with the score on 116 for 5.Wednesday’s Man of the Match hero Keith Parsons steadied the innings, and took Somerset on to 138 before Turner was adjudged LBW to Jason Lewry. Parsons stayed to see up the 150 but one run later he became another of Lewry’s victims when he was bowled for 17.With the score on 153 for 7 new batsman Pete Trego joined Keith Dutch , and brought up the 200 in the 48th over, before Trego was out for a hard hit 26.The Cidermen slipped to 207 for 9 when Dutch was out for 30, which brought Steffan Jones and Matt Bulbeck together.The last pair batted sensibly together, with Bulbeck hitting some lusty blows including a big six over the stand and into the River Tone, which had the umpires racing back to the pavilion in search of a replacement ball.Bulbeck brought up the 250 with a four through mid wicket, then passed the fifty partnership as a result of four overthrows.The left armer, who has enjoyed a good comeback to form then went onto to score his own half century, which he made from 64 balls, and which included 2 x 6’s and 6 x 4’s, before his partner was caught by wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose off Lewry.At the end of the innings Bulbeck remained unbeaten on 53, and was warmly applauded off the field by a large crowd.After the close of play Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "This was our first average championship display at Taunton. We were looking for batsmen to get a start and then build an inngs which didn’t happen today. The later batsmen, Matt Bulbeck, Pete Trego and Keith Dutch all did well for us to help us to our total, but we wont get out as cheaply as that when we bat a second time."He concluded: "Tomorrow we will keep it tight and concentrate on bowling them out for as small a total as possible."

Alton and Winchester KS have maintained their impressive starts in Southern Electric Premier League Division 3.Relegated at the end of last season, Alton trimmed Bashley (Rydal) II by 66 runs to score a third successive win.Martin Taylor (4-41) and Dave Greatham (3-24) did the damage as Winchester dismissed Purbrook for 137.Jimmy Taylor’s unbeaten 69 swept the city club to a seven-wicket win at River Park.The absence of Hampshire 2nd XI left-hander Jimmy Adams proved crucial as St Cross Symondians slipped to a 13-run defeat against newly promoted Havant II.Mark Parker, Steve Postle and Mark Barrett all made their mark, but St Cross finished short of Havant’s 161.Mike Howard hit 72 but was unable to prevent Leckford losing to Rowledge, but Lymington II, who flirted with relegation for much of last season, easily beat United Services by 82 runs.Veteran spinner Terry Azor and young Peter Lamb took three wickets each and Tony Richman cracked 37 not out to steer Paultons to success against basement boys Waterlooville.The other Premier 3 matches produced wins for Gosport Borough and Hursley Park.

Glamorgan lost their Benson and Hedges Cup match against Gloucestershire at Cardifftoday by eight wickets. The Welsh county suffered another blow when Matthew Maynard broke a bonein his right hand, and is likely to be on the sidelines for up to eight weeks.Maynard sustained the injury when facing the bowling of visiting skipperMark Alleyne. Maynard had just a single run to his name when he was rapped on his right gloveby Alleyne. The former Glamorgan captain subsequently retired hurt and went to hospital foran x-ray which revealed that he had broken a bone.

Central Districts, perennial whipping boys in domestic cricket over the years, turned giant killers at Jade Stadium in Christchurch today and won a famous victory over Canterbury to claim the Shell Cup for only the second time in their history.The marvellous rags to riches story of CD this season which went into the last stages of the Cup without three key members of their attack from last summer, Andrew Penn (now with Wellington), Lance Hamilton and Michael Mason (both injured) was achieved on the back of some outstanding bowling by five bowlers who worked their skills to the maximum.Brent Hefford was awarded the man of the finals series after today’s game and he typified the CD approach which saw he, Ewen Thompson and Andrew Schwass come out of the back blocks of the game in New Zealand to a level of prominence they could not have imagined at the start of the season.Add to them the greater role played by off spinner Glen Sulzberger and the increasing bowling contribution from Jacob Oram and the mixture is all the more phenomenal.They held Canterbury to 176/8 in their 50 overs and then relaxed as Mathew Sinclair and Craig Spearman hit CD out of any trouble at all in the best batting display of the finals to ensure their side victory, and a trip to the southern hemisphere tournament in Perth in late March.Spearman was 71 not out at the end off 89 balls with six fours and three sixes. Sinclair was run out for 54, off 82 balls with seven fours and one six. When Ben Smith hit 44 off 47 balls with nine fours the win was sealed.The cricket through the finals was not of the highest quality, there were too many batting faults for that to apply. But the CD grit after losing the first game made it a memorable win.As captain Jacob Oram said: “After being one-nil down it was a big challenge to come down here and win two out of two.”I can’t say enough about our bowlers. For six games in a row they’ve handled the pressure. They’ve been very basic, straight, the back of a length and to bowl Canterbury out for under 200 three times in a row, on top of the 73 and 67 we had in the last two rounds of the Cup was outstanding.”The players had been disappointed in losing the first final in Napier, not so much just for the loss, but for the way they had lost.”We knew we hadn’t played to our full potential. And I’m really happy that it was our batting that was the one to fire,” he said.Oram thought the bubble had burst for the Cantabrians when Glen Sulzberger dismissed Nathan Astle and Gary Stead with successive balls.Astle and Craig McMillan had added 75 for the second wicket and looked set to give the CD bowlers the greatest test.But once the two wickets were lost, the nature of the requirements for McMillan changed.”We knew Macca [McMillan] had to go on and bat through. At that stage they were still only scoring three and a halves and if we did well from there they could score between 220-250.”But even if they got that I still had confidence in our batters,” he said.Oram also acknowledged a four-day camp the team held at the Rugby Academy in Palmerston North as important in the development of the season.”That was huge. Normally we had only a two-day camp before the start of the season and so much was coming at you that it tended to go in one ear and out the other.”But this time we had four good days and we built a culture and feeling with everyone in the team wanting to play for each other, and that was seen this weekend. It is so important for us because we come from everywhere,” he said.Sulzberger’s effort was crucial with his second three-wicket haul in two days, his first three-wicket hauls. He took 3-27 from 10 overs and he could take special satisfaction from the success after his effort with the bat which ensured in the second final that CD got to a defendable total.”I was a little bit worried the way things started. I knew they would come a little bit harder at me, especially with nine wickets in hand, at the start of my spell. But that fifth over changed things for us.”There was a lot of determination to win and to win well. Their 170 was less than they might have got and there were a lot of nerves but Craig and Skippy [Sinclair] played some beautiful cricket,” he said.

Sports Minister Uma Bharti today proposed introduction of code ofconduct and bringing sports under concurrent list to free it frompolitical and other interference and promote games in the country.Replying to supplementaries during question hour in the Rajya Sabha,she said her ministry was confronted with the problem of politicalinterference in sports and the code of conduct was aimed at removingsuch irritants.On concerns expressed by Ram Jethmalani over inadequate preparationfor the Afro-Asian Games to be held in India, Bharti said the gameswould be held from November three and a meeting had already been heldby her ministry to prepare for the games. Of the total Rs 70 croreexpenditure for the games, the central government would allocate Rs 35crore and the Indian Olympic Association Rs 20 crore. The rest wouldbe generated internally, she said.On the general poor performance by Indian sportspersons, Bharti askedHuman Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi to allocate 10per cent of the funds provided for education.”Give me 10 per cent of the funds allocated for the Education Ministryand I can assure you India will be the top sporting nation within thetext 10 years”, she said. In reply, Joshi quipped “I have heard you”,amidst laughter in the House. She also asked members to contribute aportion from the MPLAD scheme for sports development. On bringingsports sector under concurrent list, she said this proposal had foundacceptance in some quarters.